#imo i think this is one of my weaker ones? but we ball

[endlessfearsfancast]

SOOOOON YEEEEES SOOOOOOOONNNN!!!! [Rubs hands together in an evil way]

[eternalstargazer]

Back when episode 53 aired in Japan, a lot of people (on forums, YouTube, etc...) weren't happy with what they saw (Suicune being portrayed as weak, Goh capturing a legendary, and so on...), but for me, episode 53 is one of my favorite episodes of Pokémon Journeys because it's a really great episode for Goh's character and it also happens to have some standout Ash/Goh moments. With the dub episode having aired recently in some countries, now seems like as good of a time as any for me to give my thoughts on what makes this episode so memorable - at least for me! 🙂

Episodes that feature legendary Pokémon have the potential to be something special and this story surrounding Suicune doesn't disappoint. The stakes may not be as high as in some of the Pokémon movies involving legendaries, but that's fine - there isn't anything inherently wrong with stories that have a smaller scope. Not only do we get to see some of the lore surrounding Suicune explored, but we also get to see it in action, as well as how it cares for weaker, more vulnerable Pokémon, and how they, in turn, care for it.

Suicune is shown to be no more different than any other Pokémon. In the context of the anime, it's just another living, breathing creature with emotions. Yes, it's stronger than a lot of other Pokémon, but just because it's stronger and it's seen as a legendary doesn't mean it's an unstoppable force. I don't see its power having been purposely "nerfed" here by the Journeys writers just to give Goh an "easy catch" or handled in a manner to push a narrative that everything comes easy for Goh.

The episode establishes that the Pokémon hunters have been purposely polluting the lake for a period of time. Suicune having to repeatedly purify the lake (and remember, Suicune supposedly travels the world doing this, so we don't even know its energy level at the time the hunters are polluting this one lake), is going to weaken it. Goh points this out in dialogue, too. Suicune is already in a weakened state, but then it gets attacked by three different Pokémon and sustains multiple hits - and on top of that, is visibly poisoned. Legendary or not, if you're playing a Pokémon game and attack a Pokémon this much, its HP is going to drop, and inflicting a status condition - like poison - makes it easier to catch.

If Goh had just happened to stumble upon a seemingly healthy and strong Suicune and chucked a Poké Ball at it, capturing it without any resistance, then I could understand the arguments that Goh gets everything handed to him. That's not what happened though. Also, Goh is shown here to only catch Suicune as a means of saving it from the hunters. He wants to help it, and doesn't see any other option. He sees Suicune as a living creature that needs help, not just as another object for his collection or stepping stone toward his goal of capturing Mew.

A quick observation on character growth here - by the time events in this episode happen, Goh's attitude toward helping Pokémon had already changed, but just think how differently the Goh from episode 3 would've reacted here. Ash has had a very real impact on how Goh has grown as a character and that's one of the many reasons I love the pairing.

So Goh captures Suicune in a way and for reasons that I think makes sense and doesn't feel forced. It's obvious too that Suicune didn't "let" itself be captured willingly because later, when Goh trips and Suicune is accidentally released from the Poké Ball, it's visibly angry. The only reason the capture had been successful was because Suicune had been weakened sufficiently. Again, for all the complaints surrounding Goh capturing Pokémon without weakening them, everything that has happened here is in line with the core game mechanics. I'm sure plenty of players captured Suicune as far back as the Generation II games...

Moving on, as I said, this is a great episode for Goh's character. It reinforces how far he has come since episode 3, and now, much like Ash, he's not willing to just give up when things get tough. He won't abandoned Suicune, and it's his compassion and sincerity that wins over the forest Pokémon, and helps Suicune see that maybe, just maybe, he can be trusted. He sends out his Pokémon to keep a watchful eye on Suicune while he goes to collect berries - some of which are good for treating poison, and he has medicine on hand, all of which show just how knowledgeable and good at analyzing/being prepared for a situation he is. This isn't Goh being some Gary Stu type of character - these are established character traits that go back to episode 2.

Goh does all this because he wants to help and protect Suicune. Him doing this all the while not having any intention of keeping it, to me, is proof that Goh cares just as much about the wellbeing and happiness of Pokémon as any other character in the anime and when people try to frame him as being something else, I simply don't see that as being fair. When Suicune does make it clear to Goh - who is trying to release it at the end of the episode - that it wants to be his Pokémon, I feel it's because of everything Goh has done for Suicune. Suicune can see how pure Goh's heart and soul are and senses that he is genuinely a good person. This isn't handing Goh Suicune on a silver platter - Goh earned Suicune's trust. He cared for and healed Suicune and literally put himself in harms way to protect it. I don't at all see this as a cheap/ridiculous capture.

As I said (er... kinda awhile ago at this point...😅), this episode is not only a favorite of mine because of Suicune and Goh, but also because it really shows just how much Ash and Goh have come to trust/care about each other. Ash trusts Goh to take Suicune someplace safe (though Goh at first doesn't want to leave Ash behind). Goh worries about Ash's safety while running away. Later on, Ash yelling out Goh's name as he rushes to help him after the hunters overpower him. The two battling back to back (Goh's come a long way when it comes to battling, hasn't he? Some more character growth right there)... and then, this scene:

Goh chooses to push Ash out of the way, leaving himself and Cinderace open to Houndoom's attack. It's visible, imo, in how Goh's face is animated that he seemingly, for a split-second, thinks about what to do... and decides to go with trying to protect Ash over himself and/or Cinderace. It's obvious what conclusion I'm gonna draw since I love the pairing, but I do think it's interesting how this saga of the anime has shifted a bit more toward the human/human relationships. Here, I would've expected Goh to try and protect Cinderace over Ash, just like in this clip from episode 72, I would've expected Ash to call out Pikachu's name first/hug Pikachu after being separated from him, yet he says Goh's name first and they lock hands/eyes and smile at each other while Pikachu is kinda just... there, on Ash's shoulder. Just an observation!

As I'm sure you can see, I had a few thoughts on episode 53. 😄

[sweetescapeartist]

MY DBS MANGA CHAPTER 70 REVIEW

We learn in the last chapter that the Cerealian Dragon's name is Toronbo when Granolah speaks Namekian. Toronbo grants Granolah's wish but can't make Granolah stronger than the gods.

Here's the confusion I have... Goku is a mortal beyond GoDs so making Granolah the strongest mortal is making him stronger than gods. If you wanna say Beerus has been training and is now stronger than Goku, there's still a problem. It was said that Goku and Vegeta were stronger than some GoDs right before the ToP (but that might be anime only, so maybe it doesn't apply here). So Granolah is stronger than GoDs no matter what. If the gods that Toronbo is speaking of are the Angels, then that means Granolah is Ultra Instinct level of power since Goku is the lowest in Angel tier. But whatever. Bottom line is Granolah is temporarily stronger than Goku who may or may not be stronger than Beerus.

Granolah gets his wish granted and the cost is shortening his life... cool. Not much to say except let's see how its executed.

(I recently read that in DBXV2, during the Infinite History Saga, Videl is enchanted with Towa's Dark Magic spell by Dabura shaving off her life but granting her greater power. So granting power at the cost of lifespan has been done in DB before. Not in canon but in the games.)

Also, Granolah's life being shortened to 3 yrs got me thinking... Currently it's almost AGE 781 in the DBS manga timeline. Goku leaves to train Uub in AGE 784. We got 3 yrs left. The original manga shows Bulma said she hadn't seen Goku in 5 yrs. How I see DBS is that it is an alternate timeline that just happens to have a similar outcome to the EoZ.

So... why is Vegeta learing from Beerus again if Beerus isn't that strong now? Is Vegeta being like Krillin and continuing his learning from a master weaker than him, but gaining wisdom & knowledge? I-is Vegeta becoming Krillin 2.0?! (More like dollar-store Krillin)

I do think beerus got stronger tho. He seems very confident that Vegeta can get stronger from learning from him. Beerus probably saw Goku get UI then decide to train aftet the ToP

Anyways, Beerus is teaching us about hakai/destruction energy. Its erasing something from existence, not just destroying it (we already knew that). But, Vegeta quickly figures out how to do it anyways. By destroying a tiny pebble...

A tangent again but I personally think Piccolo is capable of easily learning Hakai energy. Think about it. Piccolo can create clothing out of nothing, why could he not do the reverse?

Goku is uninterested in what Beerus & Vegeta are doing. I dont know about you, but it sounds like Goku thinks that he's above Beerus in strength. Beerus & Vegeta aren't considered a challenge to him in any way. Goku sees UI as more important & better than anything Beerus has to teach, and Goku is right. Plus Goku learned Hakai on his own while Vegeta needs Beerus to teach him. It's a waste of Goku's time to learn it again.

(God Comics is funny. I imagine Toribot writes them)

Goku says "Let's see which one of us can be the strongest in the universe!" Really, Goku...? At present time, Goku is the strongest mortal in the universe already. He should know that. Then Vegeta for some reason thinks he will become the strongest in the universe. The last time manga Vegeta was the strongest mortal in the universe was... never. He's always behind Goku or whatever new opponent arises. This scene is meant to be comedic that they're arguing over who will be the greatest but it's not funny to me. And yet Vegeta fans still hold on for hope.

But why is Goku concerned about being the strongest between him & Vegeta? Goku is far above Vegeta. They're not rivals at this point. Also, Goku was the strongest in the universe until just a few moments ago. Goku should be saying "I knew bein' the strongest wouldn't last for too long. Roshi did tell me there will always be somebody stronger out there. Hehe! This is gettin' me excited! I can't wait to meet 'em!" (This would alsp parallel Monaito giving Granolah the same advice Goku already knows.)

Also, I guess Broly isn't that strong after all. Bye Broly, you served your purpose. And to think that Goku had said that he thinks Broly is stronger than Beerus...

Oh yeah. So Vegeta destroys a pebble. Impressive? Goku kinda gives a compliment or he is practically saying "Good job Vegeta! You're doing great following in my footsteps!" Seriously, this would be so much better and cooler if this seperate paths of training began right after the Universe 6 vs Universe 7 tournament. That would be the perfect spot to have them train under Beerus & Whis. [Vegeta using Hakai against Merged Zamasu, Goku able to fight Merged Zamasu temporarily because he is getting better at letting his body move on its own, Toppo & Vegeta using Hakai against each other as Goku & Jiren use power above GoDs. That would work so much better.]

Then Vegeta says he's gonna destroy bigger things soon... is that supposed to be more impressive? Its not. But this it to build up Vegeta even though there is nothing amazing about anything he is doing at the moment. Maybe later tho.

So Cerealians can't grow beards. Also I guess Granolah's race don't age? His hair grew when his lifespan was shortened but he has no wrinkles. It seems that they age more gracefully than Saiyans. If he has some wrinkles he would have looked cooler imo. Or those lines under the eyes at the very least. If the wish shortened his life & made his hair grow, it should have also showed that he aged. (Here's an edit I made of "Grampa Granolah." You're welcome)

And remember Vegeta destroying a pebble? Granolah can suddenly destroy big rocks! Cool right?! No? Its not cool? Showing Granolah destroy a much larger object right afterwards kinda belittles Vegeta's accomplishment.

Oatmil is surprised by a boulder exploding. This means one of 2 things. Oatmil is stupid & never saw an Granolah explode a boulder. Or it's implying that the boulder exploding is some technique Oatmil doesn't know of. Idk how he can tell its any different from just blowing up a rock with ki. I think it's supposed to be destruction energy. If it is then, ok. If getting his wish was so easy, then why can't he suddenly learn destruction as well?

Yay! Monaito! (This really should be a Namekian focused arc)

Granolah reminds me of Zamasu with his attitude a bit. Monaito tells him somebody stronger will definetly appear. Granolah has become like Vegeta and is over confident, so he is destined to get humbled. And think about this. Goku can probably train a bit and surpass Granolah within a week.

Granolah can now sense ki. Meaning he can have the destruction technique or UI, because why not?

Monaito blames himself for Granolah's actions. Its not your fault Monaito! You did nothing wrong! Dont be so hard on yourself.

Whis being a creep and peeping on people lol.

Granolah's hair growing was pointless because he cuts it off soon after. Nothing changed visually. This kinda reminds me of how Moro lost his arm. Goku gave him a senzu, Moro grew it back, & then Moro broke his arm when attacking Goku. Then Moro tore his arm off & reattached his old one. There was no need for Moro to grow his arm back then tear it off. Similarly, there is no need for Granolah to have grown long hair then cut it off.

Maki still brings a smile to my face. She & Gas stand out the most out of the Heeters. Maki's personality is kinda like Zangya combined with a teasing Bulma. Gas reminds me of a Krillin/Piccolo fusion with dreadlocks. I also ship Maki x Gas cause they're short and look cute together. (please don't be siblings so I can draw them together🤞)

Granolah fights Oil & Maki. I'm not impressed. They seem like they could be defeated by Chaoitzu (he's stronger than Raditz and probably Nappa now too). Granolah's movements could be seen as UI. If it is or isn't UI, it doesn't matter. Showing off that kind of power is like Goku using Ultra Instinct during a rematch with Nam or King Chappa. Its not effective storytelling. There had to be a better way of showing Granolah's new strength than making him fight opponents that give him zero challenge.

The art is good as usual and the panel flow is nice. Toyotaro is improving at creating the illusion of motion. The environment being used in the fight was smart and a good visual. Toyo still uses a ton of panels almost every page tho. But he's still a better artist than I am.

Granolah appears to have used Hakai again. Not the explosive variant but the sand variant (yes I think there are 2 ways of using Hakai).

The "Sand Variant" that Beerus & Goku (& maybe Granolah) have used.

The "Explosive Variant" Beerus & Vegeta (& maybe Granolah) have used.

Maki thinks the "Hakai" is magic so that's interesting. I would say I'd like for the next enemy to be a magic user but, we know how Moro turned out... 😓

Maki has "ki claws" & I like the idea but it would be better if she had used it against an enemy she can defeat. It doesn't make her look useful in this fight. Gas seems confident when he is about to fight Granolah, but Elec stops him. Gas would've gotten beaten but it make ya wonder what Gas can do.

Granolah appears to be a person that is easily manipulated and persuaded. He even gave information they weren't even asking for. He'll probably be easily convinced and manipulated by Freeza/the Hedters or quickly have a truce with Goku.

The Heeters plan to go to Planet Cereal to get the Dragon Balls. As I suspected, the Cerealian Dragon Balls were created so that it would be easy for wishes to be granted. Gathering 2 Dragon Balls on a nearby planet instead of gathering 7 on New Namek or Earth. Plus these new Dragon Balls ensures no interaction between Earthlings & Granolah/the Heeters. A perfect way to write Gohan & company out of the story... *sigh* 😔😒

We learn Cerealians live for 2 centuries. How's that compare to other races in Universe 7? Freeza & King Cold apparently can live more than 200 yrs, But that may be because they are mutants. Namekians can live for like 500 yrs & its possible for them to reincarnate themselves too. So in a way, Namekians can live forever. Saiyans stay youthful & live to be in their 80's, but rapidly age when they reach their 60's or 70's. Average Earthlings appear live to be in their 80's or 90's but some are over 100 yrs old (Dr. Briefs, Panchy, & Ox King are in their 90's in GT) and others can increase their lifespan through elixers or the Paradise Herb. Just some thoughts of mine.

Maki says "If he ices Freeza..." Ha, an ice pun. Elec wants to defeat Freeza so he can control his army. Its revealed they wanna kill Granolah & that they worked with Freeza to destroy his planet & race. Well... that more than likely means they're gonna die by Granolah's hand or Freeza's. This info is also an attempt to make the reader more sympathetic for Granolah. Granolah is too bland (pun intended) so I don't feel any more sympathy than I already had for him. Elec plans to make Goku & Vegeta fight Granolah since Granolah hates Saiyans. Smart but we all kinda expected it. Not bad writing tho.

The final panel talks about fate bringing the 3 (Goku, Vegeta, & Granolah) together. Sounds like a repeat of the Broly movie.

We've had 4 chapters in this arc & not 1 panel of Freeza... If Freeza doesnt appear & do something in the next chapter then I will be disappointed in the writing. Showing Freeza here and there would give tension and build up until we get the encounter with him. We also have no idea who Oatmil is. Is he an A.I. or a person? Not that big of a deal yet, but I would like to find out soon. Either show Freeza or tell us more about Oatmil next chapter pleaae

This chapter was like oatmeal (the food not the character) without butter, brown sugar, milk, & honey or raisins. Not bad, but not very good either. 

So here's my thoughts on the things that could or could not happen in this arc.

Goku vs Granolah. I don't care for the fight because the power is at a point that it doesnt make sense for enemies to get to without cheating somehow. The fight will look cool but I have no interest in it.

Vegeta vs Granolah will have Vegeta being stomped as always and Vegeta fans will make excuses & complain how it's not fair. A lot of Vegeta fans often make fun of Yamcha & Krillin for getting beat up even though those 2 bravely fight opponents leagues stronger than they are. Vegeta has gotten stomped by opponents more times than Krillin & Yamcha combined but the fans gotta deflect somehow. I don't care to hear or see the complaining again.

The interaction and dialogue between Granolah & Vegeta is going to be more interesting than their fight. But I worry because Toyo isn't the best at writing dialogue.

I have no reason to care about power growth, certain interactions, or Goku & Vegeta's training.

What I am curious about/want to see?

Monaito's well being. I want him to reunite with other Namekians. But I think he's been set up to die.

Lore about the dragon gods & Namekian lore we probably wont get.

I want Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, & others will be involved. Piccolo because of the Namekian & wosh granting dragon lore. Gohan because his interaction with Granolah eould be interesting since Gohan is half Saiyan & views himself as an Earthling. Krillin & other Earthlings because they can bring tensions where characters like Goku & Vegeta can't. Those 2 are too strong for there to be any real tension. However Earthlings aren't all powerful so them using wits to survive is more exciting. But I doubt any of their involvement.

How long a Cerealian year is? Is it shorter than a Namekian year? How much time will pass for the Cerealian Dragon Balls to be active? How much stronger than Granolah will Goku get? Hopefully the answers aren't lazy...

Will Beerus finally fight somebody? There are 6 mortals that are near or above his power (Goku, Granolah, Vegeta, Broly, Freeza, Gohan).

Who's the villian of the next arc & what explanation is going to be given for them having power on the level of Angels? Angel tier fights don't sound interesting to me anymore. After those kinds of battles, Goku will have no challengers left.

Will Goku disappear to train or something so the story can TRY to match up with the EoZ?

Will Goten, Trunks, & Marron hit their growth spurts within 3 yrs?

Will we get spin-off manga about other characters? PLEASE!? 🙏

Also DBS moved too quickly when it comes to power. Now we're at the point that Goku & Vegeta need to stop being involved in fights for there to be any actual threat or tension. The Buu saga took place in AGE  774. After training for 4 years of peace, Goku thought SS3 & fusion was his limits as a Saiyan and he was right. Well, kinda... Goku was introduced to god ki near the end of AGE 778. Then in AGE 781, Goku masters Ultra Instinct... He mastered an Angel technique in 2 year or 2.5 yrs. That was waaaay too fast. As a result the storytelling & writing are suffering from this rushed progress. Now we're gonna have an Angel tier opponent? According to the pattern of DBS, Goku's gonna end up surpassing the Angels within 2 or 3 yrs after learning god ki. Thats not impressive for Goku, that's terrible writing. And no, Goku getting this strong so fast is not a benefit to Saiyans either. It just shows us that without god ki, Saiyans ain't all that powerful unless they're the legendary Saiyan like Broly. Saiyans didn't even have a concept of training until Goku was trained by Earthlings. Gohan, Freeza, 17, & I'm pretty sure Piccolo as well have all surpassed SS3 without the help of god ki. God ki makes Saiyans look like they have limits. With god ki, the writing is broken....

I got off topic again... Anyways that's the end of my review.

[some-lists]

All the Disney Princesses Ranked From Worst to Best.

(Sorry, no Vanellope.)

14. Merida

I know Merida has really badass archery skills. She’s also outspoken, strong willed, and clever. But she’s still my least favorite princess. I just didn’t like her. Maybe it’s the fact that she wanted to change her mom. And she actually went through with it. Of course, she didn’t actually know what was going to happen, and the journey brought them closer together. She grew as a character and that’s good. But just seeing her disrespect her mother, especially publicly in front of all the clans, is hard to watch. It doesn’t help that I thought Brave was one of Pixar’s weaker movies and essentially Brother Bear all over again.

13. Anna

Not gonna lie. I hate Anna. She’s so damn pushy and combative. I know, it’s all her parents’ fault. All of it. But still. She doesn’t listen to Elsa at all. She pushes and pushes triggering Elsa’s ice outbursts, which become more visible as they build along with her anxiety. Every uncontrolled “accident” Elsa has in the first film is because Anna didn’t listen to her. Of course, she also didn’t listen to Elsa’s warning about marrying Hans either. She foolishly left the kingdom in the hands of an outsider, someone she didn’t even know.

She definitely shows improvement in the second film. She becomes more sensitive towards Elsa’s feelings and her powers. She’s also very loyal and brave, risking her life for Elsa, yet again. She’s still very clingy and desperate for people’s love. It manifests in her fear of losing Elsa and Kristoff. I do not like her humor or awkwardness. I don’t find them relatable, but rather annoying. But I do appreciate that those insecurities are real and that’s what makes her more relatable. Her relationships with the other characters, especially Olaf, is what saves her from being last on my list.

12. Tiana

There’s nothing wrong Tiana. I think she’s great. She’s hardworking, determined, and a realist. Those are great qualities that I’m glad Disney decided to focus on too. The downside of this is that she comes across as rather boring. The film relies on other more colorful characters to bring the personality and charm. I think that’s a shame. She also suffers from starring in a weaker film.

11. Aurora

I like Aurora. What little we see of her anyway. We can tell by the way she interacts with the fairies, woodland creatures, and Prince Philip that she’s smart, sweet, shy, kind, cautious. She’s a dreamer, but not foolish. It’s too bad we didn’t get to see more of her.

10. Snow White

Snow White, in my opinion, does not get the respect she deserves. Was she stupid to take that apple from the very obviously evil hag? Yes, she was. But people have forgotten all about the really great qualities she possessed too. When she walked into the dwarfs’ cottage, it was a disgusting, unlivable nightmare. The dwarfs were pigs. They didn’t clean their home or themselves. They bickered all the time. Snow White changed all of that. She created order where there was disorder. And she didn’t do it alone. She delegated chores to each of the animals and made sure they did them right. That’s some managerial skills! She got a bunch of unruly little men to wash, sleep at a decent time, and behave. That’s authority. Those are some real life skills I wish I had more of. Yes, she cooked, cleaned, and sewed, but Snow White wasn’t a servant. She was in charge.

9. Cinderella

Like Snow White, Cinderella has gotten a bad rap over time, but I will defend Cinderella anytime anywhere. Those who say she “needed a prince to save her” lack compassion and are completely missing the point. Cinderella was a young woman who was abused by what family she had left. At a young age she experienced loss, grief, then neglect and emotional abuse. But Cinderella was resilient. That abuse didn’t stop her and it didn’t change her. She could’ve become mean, bitter, and jealous. She could’ve continued the cycle of abuse like her stepsisters. But Cinderella didn’t allow their mistreatment to define her. She remained kind, empathetic, patient, humble, and hardworking. She also didn’t allow herself to become a victim. She didn’t mope or give up on herself. When the ball was announced, she worked hard and believed she would go. When she got help from the fairy godmother, she accepted it and rocked that ball gown. She didn’t go to the ball to be rescued. She went because she wanted to, and she did. Moral of the story is do not let others’ treatment of you determine who you are or what you’re worth. Cinderella had awesome inner strength.

8. Ariel

I will admit that as an adult, Ariel’s appeal fades. She made really bad choices and sacrificing her voice for a boy is a terrible message to sell to kids. But for a 5 year old girl, only two things mattered. She was a mermaid and she could sing. The Little Mermaid kick started Disney’s renaissance and set a new precedent for its movies. Unlike previous princesses, Ariel was the first princess full of life, passion, and adventure. She had an exciting and lovable personality and a Broadway singing voice. Credit goes to Jodi Benson for bringing Ariel to life and the writers for getting the world to fall in love with her. She made a huge impression (hello, mermaid craziness everywhere!), even if she was a total idiot teenager.

7. Jasmine

What’s great about Jasmine is she can see through people’s BS and she doesn’t put up with it. She isn’t impressed by the superficial suitors that come her way. She stands up to Jafar. She catches on pretty immediately that Prince Ali is actually Aladdin. She sings like Lea Salonga, Disney and Broadway legend, and she has a pet tiger. What’s not to love?

6. Pocahontas

Pocahontas was the first Disney princess to not go after her dreams, but instead chose family, community, duty, loyalty. That’s incredibly mature and selfless. She taught a racist, arrogant, ignorant man to love and respect others different from him. She followed her intuition, was one nature, and dove off cliffs. The only minus is falling for John Smith over Kokoam. I don’t know what she was thinking!

5. Moana

Moana is not qualified for her mission. She has no experience and no skills required for sailing across the sea, finding Maui, and defeating a lava monster. But it’s her purpose. She was chosen. So she sets out and figures it out along the way. That’s an inspiring example. It’s not until the end that we find out why she was chosen. She sees Te Ka for who she truly is. Te Fiti. The image above is one of the most powerful moments in all of Disney’s films.

4. Rapunzel

Similar to Cinderella, Rapunzel has been abused throughout her childhood. IMO, Rapunzel had it worse because she believed Mother Gothel was her mother. Their relationship was nonstop manipulation, infantilization, and gaslighting. But Rapunzel was brave enough to go after what she wanted and smart enough to find a way to do it. On top of that, she was creative and artistic, incredibly strong from years of hauling Mother Gothel up the tower, and had magical hair with healing powers. In the end, she does what we didn’t get to see in Cinderella. She stands up for herself and confronts her abuser. She’s a real survivor and victor.

3. Belle

I love Belle because she is a true introvert and a true individual. She’s not very social, doesn’t gossip, doesn’t fawn over Gaston, doesn’t follow the townsfolk’s way of life. She literally just does her own thing. For that, she’s misunderstood and judged by the village. I think that’s very relatable. But she’s also intelligent, curious, adventurous, honorable (she keeps her promise to stay with the Beast), and stands up to the Beast when he’s out of line. She’s the only one that truly challenges the Beast and he grows because of it. And she saves him.

2. Mulan

Similar to Belle, Mulan is a bit of an outcast, because she’s individualistic in a society that values conformity. She’s socially awkward, clumsy, but brave. That bravery saves her father and all of China. She’s a true badass warrior.

1. Elsa

Elsa is technically not a princess, but a queen. She still counts and she tops my list. Out of all the Disney princesses, she is the most real and fully developed. She’s beautiful, kind, brave, strong, but also very flawed. Many people have identified with Elsa in different ways because her flaws are so real and so relatable. The LGBTQ community has adopted her as a symbol of their own. For me personally, I see a mental health issue. I think she’s a highly sensitive person with anxiety. Her ice powers are a beautiful symbol for that anxiety and the struggle over her mental health. Her journey to accept herself for who she is, to embrace herself for who she is, and to find her place in a world that deems her different is truly beautiful and empowering.

[romansrace]

Season 13 Sassy Reviews - Episode 06 ‘Disco-Mentary’

aka the episode where producers’ misreading of what fans would want of this season came to its (at least, first) zenith

aka The Murder of Tamisha Iman

BIG SIGH. Let’s do this.

So I believe as of the time of writing, this episode is already in the bottom 10 of the whole series on IMDB. (It’s one of two Season 13 episodes already; and this is a series which includes the season with the 80s filter, the mystery food eating challenge, and All Stars 1) Frankly, I think it was my least favourite this season too, which is saying something after the last one and the premiere, and I suppose the episode when we first met the ‘winners’ - who, may I add, are all still in with only the ‘loser’ girls eliminated thus far. Is this Emmy-winning storycrafting?

Anyway, this damn episode. The dolls are instructed to prepare to record a ‘disco documentary’. I expected an acting challenge, but no, it’s a dancing challenge, in pairs, to disco songs, oddly, without lipsyncing. So is this this season’s Rusical or...? Wouldn’t that be a kick in the teeth for Rose?

But let’s face it, if Kandy Muse, Gottmik, or Tina Burner can’t sing, I wouldn’t be surprised. Any excuse to paper over shortcomings.

On that note, we had a wallpaper mini challenge requiring the dolls to design a gown out of the unconventional material. Alas, there was no Monique Heart among the group to truly excel. Interestingly, LaLa Ri’s effort in half an hour was streets ahead of her effort that took a day and a half from the Ball challenge.

The mini allowed the girls to get themselves into groups, of course allowing Kandy, Tina, and Gottmik to become a triad, because sure, that’s this season’s storyline, for some reason.

So on to the maxi challenge, and I may as well just do this by queen again because breaking down the edits is just going to aggravate me again.

Tamisha: one of only two given a prop to dance with, increasing the difficulty of her routine. It was also revealed she’s competing with a stoma bag in so literally a disability and/or an existing unhealed wound from an operation. She has a gorgeous disco outfit that she made herself and performs well, but given that she has a prop AND has to synchronise with her partner, looks a bit distracted at one point. Decent runway also made by her. Result: B2 placement.

Elliott: Tamisha’s partner. Same prop. Slightly worse outfit. Big afro wig. Very middle-of-the-road. Poor runway. Result: High placement

Symone: Gorgeous outfit, performs well, embodies disco well. No prop, just a fairly basic routine. Gorgeous runway. Result: Safe placement

LaLa Ri: Pretty average all round. A safe for her too, one of the few that felt deserved.

Utica: Decent embodiment of disco with a campy performance. DRAGGED by the judges for it. A creative take on the Little Black Dress runway. Result: Low placement.

Olivia Lux: Utica’s partner. Decent disco performance. Another fringed outfit allowing for movement. Wore a giant afro wig. Embodied disco pretty well. Runway-wise, easily one of the bottom 3 outfits, a little black dress that looked off the rack, pretty reminiscent of something Tatianna might have worn in season 2. Result: challenge winner

(synchronise? I hardly know her)

Kandy Muse and Gottmik: Part of a 3 with Tina Burner. Both had extremely basic challenge performance outfits that didn’t match with Tina’s, did not synchronise with each other, both looked panicked throughout much of the challenge. The editors tried to edit around this as much as possible. No prop, so no added difficulty element. Both had creative takes on the runway, with Gottmik’s being arguably a litle lazy. Result: Absurdly, a Safe for Gottmik, with Kandy B2 for story reasons as Tamisha, who she’d argued with (and imo been ABSOLUTELY IN THE WRONG with) was down there.

Tina Burner: The partner of the two above. Marginally better than the two of them and for once wore a wig that wasn’t her orange abomination recently seen sported by Bob the Drag Queen. Managed to wear orange and yellow for her ‘little black dress’ runway. Result: naturally, a High placement 🙃🙃🙃

Rose and Denali: A pair who were given the synchronised dance with the highest difficulty level incorporating flips, spins and high kicks, which they performed in perfect sync. Result: Safe, of course. Actually rewarding the best perfomers in the challenge, lol, imagine!

Of course as Tamisha is in the B2 with Kandy she has no chance, not because she’s a poor performer, but because Kandy is ringfenced to go far this season. Oddly for a disco challenge, the lipsync song is a 90s R&B track. There have been speculations that as both Kandy and Tamisha struggled with the words, this might have been a late-game switch away from a disco song...which Tamisha might have more definitively beaten Kandy to. So YAY.

Unfortunately since I’m posting this review a little late I already know that #ItDoesn’tGetBetter next week. Which is... Just Great. 🙃🙃🙃

We love a hatewatch and this season is looking to become that, which is a shame for my faves who are still in it! Increasingly I’m feeling that they really wanted a season focused around Kandy Muse and whoever she befriended, and just cast other girls around that. But also, didn't cast 10 weaker competitors when that would have easily served their purpose of making Kandy an outright front runner.

That's given us the scenario where the queens that get the lion's share of the screentime don't seem to deserve it while it feels like others get repeatedly overlooked, and that just doesn’t make for a great watching experience.

[ifeveristoday]

you are the vessel and she’s the life

Okay. When I first read issue #3, I did not like it. The art continues to be amazing, the colors glorious and they add to the atmosphere of the Hellmouth world - but I felt at first read, this was a weaker installment for the non-movement of the plot. If Hellmouth was a longer arc, I would have less issues because Jordie & Jeremy are developing Buffy and Angel, and giving the space for the audience to learn more about them, just as other characters are being brought into the spotlight for the namesake comics. I want to learn more about Kendra, Jenny, Fred, Gunn, et al. But it’s also a valid criticism that Buffy was missing from her story, long before Hellmouth began.

To compare Buffy (the intellectual property) to another cultural juggernaut for a minute - Star Wars. The reboots, the prequels, the ever-expanding universe - it’s all Star Wars, no matter what fans may feel about certain portions of it. But I see a lot of the same argument leveled at the Boom!verse that I do about Star Wars - ‘it doesn’t feel like ________________’, or  ‘that’s not my Buffy.’ I’ve certainly done my fair share of completely ignoring/complaining about the Dark Horse ‘canonically approved’ verse, so I get it. And I think just by the nature of a reboot, there are so many expectations, especially when you use the same characters. And IMO, Jordie and co. have been doing an admirable job of balancing their version of Sunnydale vs. memories/nostalgia of the TV canon. 

The point is to remake something for a new audience while respecting the source for the ‘original’ (whatever that means) fans. And it’s such a rich world with many characters to play with, and lots of different ways to explore themes that the show didn’t, or botched/dismissed. It’s a daunting experience to adapt, I’m sure - and I’ve been enjoying reading what Jordie has been doing with character development and the emotional beats of a story. The characters do feel like they exist in 2019.

However, with this issue, I felt like there was retread/not enough of a building on the momentum that Issues 1 and 2 had, along with a last-minute feel of a brand new original character, and some in-jokes that didn’t really add anything. This was my first reaction. Then I read it again, and with the other Hellmouth issues.

Major spoilers underneath the cut.

Back to my earlier point about Buffy being missing from her story - we still don’t know very much about Buffy’s backstory but that was never the point of her character, she was always very much in the now. The earlier issues had her in full Slayer mode with little intervals of an awkward, uncertain teenager! Buffy, and the last time she gets to hang out and do teenager things, Xander gets turned. And we didn’t really see the fallout in terms of Buffy’s feelings about it - but we did get very much appreciated insight into Willow and Xander’s characters. 

Then Buffy flings herself into the Hellmouth, after feeling estranged from Willow and dealing with a lot of unspoken guilt/shame. Oh no, not like TV Canon Buffy at all. 

However, the break from the Scoobies and entering the Hellmouth brought out Buffy Summers in all her confused, messy, intense bravery. Here was the girl who quipped malapropisms, made up sassy nicknames and leaped into the fray, fists first. And here was the girl who’s self-aware that her impetuousness and desire to save people also hurts the people she loves because she pushes them away - both out of necessity and because it’s her job. It’s a common refrain throughout the run of the series, emphasized by Giles and repeated by Buffy - she has to do this, and often alone - she’s the first responder in the apocalypse.

Heroine complex, man.

And then she meets LA’s finest, the dark knight, Mr. Hunchy Shoulders Guy - Angel. I’ve said it before, Bryan Edward Hill’s decision to have Angel meet Buffy cold, with an already established backstory of his own and then Jordie carrying that over into the Hellmouth event really changes the Buffy and Angel dynamic in the Boom!verse. A welcome change, and then when the portents/prophecies kick in, Angel dismisses them completely. His no-nonsense, I’m just here to do a job and then I’m out mode is amusing to me, because obviously, this is going to end up in romantic comedy land, just with a higher body count and lots of blood.

Buffy and Angel in TV canon never really got that light-hearted, getting-to-know-you phase because there was always the pall of forbidden love/gothic angst/and willful misunderstandings on both parties, never mind the interference/concerns and complaints from the people who loved them.

In Hellmouth, not only do Buffy and Angel get developed as characters, so does their budding ‘work’ friends relationship. Their banter is just delightful to read, and they get to be vulnerable/honest (to a point) with each other, that they haven’t been able to do so with their respective friends. And as they’re fighting demons and tracking down Drusilla, it creates an understandably sudden bond that most likely wouldn’t have happened above ground. They’re the only ones who can stop the forces of evil and cover each other’s backs.

Except for the undead elephant in the room, that has been in the room since Angel first appeared in Sunnydale -

Angel is a vampire. Angel witnessed Drusilla attacking Xander -- and did nothing to stop it.

And he knew it was Drusilla and Spike.

That lie comes back to majorly haunt his ass in Issue #3. Drusilla gleefully tells Buffy that he saw the whole thing, and also he has this whole other name, Angelus, which Buffy completely mishears and then rounds on Angel, asking him pointedly if they need a moment, or can she do the job she’s here for.

The revelation that Angel didn’t stop Xander’s turning naturally pings Buffy’s anger defenses and she tells him actually, no, we’re not friends, you don’t know me (even though I vented my guts out to you and you know I’m a slayer and you give weird pep talks to try to make me feel better -- Issues 1 & 2) - and I think besides the fact that Angel stood by and did nothing, it’s also that he didn’t tell her. Angel not telling Buffy important things, lying by omission basically, breaks their fragile alliance. 

But it’s not until the second lie.

Something that has been driving me nuts since the first issue is that Angel hasn’t revealed his Vampire self to Buffy. There’s different levels to the relationships Angel has cultivated so far in the Boom!verse - with Fred and Gunn, he’s an ally (reluctant on Gunn’s part) and a friend (Fred) and he’s upfront with them that he’s a vampire. But with Buffy, who is going to be a major part of his life (if any of the previous portents and prophecies are to go by), he holds off/and hides his vampire self. And the question is why? Buffy already has a friend who has a Vampire side, but Xander’s a special case because he can still pass as human. 

And it’s humanity that pops up in this issue - I knew it was coming, due to Boom’s wildly spoilery summaries/previews, but the way it was delivered?

Auggie - I know he has a full demon name but I’m not typing it out - and I think his name is also derived from Augury which means an omen/sign of what will happen in the future, seemed out of place to me. I mean, okay having a hell hut in the middle of the Hellmouth is whimsical and not completely out of the realm of the Buffyverse tone, and demons just trying to demon with no ambition to destroy the world is always nice to see - I just felt the introduction of him was too McGuffiny. There already was a figure who could see into the future (two of them, if you count Fee Fee from Angel’s first issue, except she disappeared into the plot hole where women characters go in that issue) and the initial one who set Angel on this path: Lilith. 

Having Angel strike up a random conversation with an essentially magic demon eight ball when he could have been searching for Buffy or Drusilla felt like an unwelcome departure from the main story. Yes, the revelation that Angel could achieve humanity through some terrible ritual is important, but also - do you believe a demon who’s making a stew out of unidentifiable parts in the middle of the Hellmouth and just casually drops that information? 

Read the room, Angel. It’s probably a trap.

Back to the A-story, Buffy thinks the Cthulu shape-shifter demon is back when she sees the vision of the guys in her life attacking the women - Giles and Jenny, Eric and Joyce, and Xander and Willow.Just as the Demon Joyce taunted her about her absence causing more havoc than help, the Demon men call her out Greek Chorus style - Giles says, “Sunnydale burns, Sacrifice.” Xander tells her, “But we can stop all this. The mother awaits you.”Eric says, “Come. End this suffering.”

Buffy accuses Dru of orchestrating this, and she laughs and tells her, “This is the hellmouth. Adapt, won’t you? It’s adapted to you....these are your people. This your nightmare.”

Buffy denies it coming true, and Dru tells her that it may yet come true - and she’s left Sunnydale defenseless. A slayer without her friends. There are fouler things than beasts, above. There are men.

Who have become the puppets of the unseen Hellmother.

So Drusilla was a red herring, a pawn in the game of Evil Chess. And this bums me out because Dru as a tangible villain/opponent is more interesting to me than another shadowy doom voice from the ether. Hellmother? Really?

This is where the reboot kind of loses me - Buffy’s greatest villains have been the ones who were personal to her, not as in just wanting to kill her, but an active part of her life. Dru (and by extension, Spike) in the Boom!verse would qualify because of what she did to Xander and threatening her mother. Dru being the front of a disembodied voice (that probably will take form in the next two issues) is a letdown. It’s the First Evil again.

The side effect of the men being turned into malevolent goons - okay, that is scary, but are we talking the Pack/Billy scary? (aka not very good episodes of either show because they either pulled punches or handwaved consequences)

Buffy teams up with Drusilla, which was unexpected, but at this point in the game, Buffy doesn’t have that many options. Her friend is missing (and it’s telling that even though she was hurt by the knowledge Angel did nothing to prevent Xander’s turning, she still refers to him as a friend to Drusilla. It might not be true forgiveness, but she was willing to move on, just for the sake of finding him and working to stop this mess.) And she keeps on reminding herself, these demons are not her friends, and are not real.

Which brings us to the final act - in more ways than one. Angel gets ambushed by a bunch of orc looking vampires, and finally goes Not Today, Satan on them.

And of course Buffy spots him on a mound of corpses, in full vamp face.

As much as I’m disappointed with the way Angel’s vampirism is revealed, it had to happen, and I have to admit, those last pages and panels are incredibly vivid and affecting.

Angel’s outstretched human hands covered in blood?

Buffy’s disbelief and then hardened look of disgust and her, “Don’t touch me.”

Goddammit.

Jordie and Jeremy have specific repetitions that I find interesting in terms of character development and where I think the plot is going -

Friends - the potential loss of them, the making of them, who to trust and how personal actions always have a consequence in relation to friends - Buffy is down on herself because she pushes people away and tried to lone wolf and it always, always blows up in her face, so this new thing with Angel is Buffy trying something new - trusting the other person so she can trust herself (because even though Willow and Xander are helpful and her besties, Buffy still can’t fully trust them with the fighting of evil because of her Slayer nature and belief that it’s her sole responsibility. She’s never had friends like that before. Angel has an equivalent strength to hers and already knows the evil game.)

So this issue blowing up all those tentative friend bridges? 

Fucking painful. Because now it feels like Buffy was right - she can’t trust Angel, he’s not a friend, because why would he lie? Why didn’t he stop Drusilla? They clearly have a history. Has he been in on this from the beginning?

Buffy is alone, again.

And Angel? Who the fuck knows. Buffy has become important to him in a short amount of time, and it still needs to be addressed why he did nothing to save Xander. He was already on the saving gig, and was it because he knew Spike and Dru that he let it pass out of...familial bonds?  That still doesn’t jibe with what he’s atoning for now. 

As always, thanks to @jenny-calendar for being there for me to figure out all these fiddly parts. I still think this is the weakest issue of Hellmouth, and I’m not as confident as I was before in thinking it’ll be wrapped up neatly in the last two issues - but I hope this doesn’t signal the end of crossovers, and that the relationship wherever it goes, continues to develop over both of their lines. But I dislike it less on reread.

And Buffy better make an appearance in Ring of Fire, damn it.

AND WHERE IS CAMAZOTZ?

[lizziebennet]

AURORA. Very important question for you on this Tuesday night - what is your opinion on the HP scores and could you order them from fav to least fav?

what an excellent and essential question. i admit that it’s hard for me to approach this matter from an objective point of view as obviously my opinions of these scores are very intensely affected by nostalgia and my experience w the film itself, but i shall try my hardest to just evaluate the scores on their own merit. 

RANKING OF THE HARRY POTTER FILM SCORES, FROM WORST TO BEST:

7. deathly hallows part 1&2 by alexandre desplat

i remember when it was announced desplat was going to be doing the last 2 films and it was so exciting to have such a Hot Composer taking on the final two films… but i gotta say he severely disappointed me and i haven’t forgiven desplat since. these films–especially part 2–were the culmination of the entire franchise, and should’ve been fucking epic masterpieces that evoked the previous films’ score. instead, desplat largely ignored the iconic potter themes that williams and others created and went in his own direction which like… isn’t really the right move for the last 2 films of a franchise imo. 

and im just not super a fan of what he came up with?? like ‘lily’s theme’ is good, but im not sure it really fits potter?? and i just feel like a lot of the final battle stuff could’ve been so much more epic and emotional like. it doesn’t take a lot for a bitch to cry in a harry potter movie but desplat wasn’t helping me out u know. anyway i honestly like the score he did for fucking new moon better than for potter which …….is not great. 

6. order of the phoenix by nicholas hooper 

i am trying not to let my hatred of this movie cloud my judgement here but like even so i think this is one of the weaker scores. there are just so many annoying tracks lmaooo that like they blast at the wizarding world parks u know. like umbridge’s theme… i get its SUPPOSED to be annoying but still its not a fave. and like i think again the stuff in the ministry of magic during the fight scenes couldve been better. its just not a fave tbh but i do like a few themes like particularly the track ‘a journey to hogwarts’ is very sweet and sirius’s death moment was well done. but overall there are more tracks on this one i skip than play. 

5. chamber of secrets by john williams

this is where things get rly tricky bc i legit love the rest of these scores. but i have to put chamber here because i feel like a lot of its greatness piggybacks off the genius of the score of sorcerer’s stone... which isn’t a bad thing at all but. it doesn’t bring a ton of new stuff to the table. however i do love the ‘fawkes the phoenix’ theme!!! so!! much!!! and lockhart’s theme is very funny and cute. we do edge into a saccharine territory a bit when it comes to tracks like ‘reunion of friends’ but like i cry every time so who fucking cares. 

4. half-blood prince by nicholas hooper

i really really love this score as a stand alone score, and i almost put it higher on this list but i feel like this score totally abandons all the potter scores that have come before it and does its totally own new thing. this isn’t really the scores fault, as im sure like david yates told hooper to do this you know, but it deviates so far from the original themes instead of just adding onto them, so much so that if you just heard it without watching the movie you might not even associate it with the potter movies at all. again, this probably isn’t hooper’s fault but i think this was a big mistake for the sonic evolution of the movies. the potter movies failed to create a cohesive sound across all the films, and i think it is worse for it. can u imagine if the harry potter movies were like the lord of the rings movies, where they bring back themes from the first movie in the final one and the audience recognizes them subconsciously and the moment is all the more emotional because of it? tbh just a missed opportunity imo. 

but anyway just about this score on its own, it has some of the best standalone tracks in the entire movies tbh. the one that stands out the most to me is of course ‘dumbledore’s farewell.’ such a hauntingly beautiful song--i remember seeing this movie for the first time and this track pierced me to my core. i also love how this score uses harp like in ‘when ginny kissed harry,’ and how it uses choral arrangements?? like in ‘in noctem.’ honestly i adore this score so much but i have to rank it lower because i doesn’t feel like it serves its purpose in the potter movies as a whole well :( 

3. goblet of fire by patrick doyle

idk why patrick doyle only did the 1 movie because i really like this score. i know its super hard to follow up john fucking williams lmaooo but i feel like he did a pretty good job of drawing from the original williams themes but also incorporating some new stuff to fit the darker tone of the movie. there are some of my favorite potter tracks of all time on this score like ‘death of cedric’ which is so haunting and perfect and ‘harry in winter’ which is so beautiful and potter-esque. he also did a really good job with the action scenes in the graveyard which is v important to me. and the diegetic music in the yule ball stuff is so funny and lovely at the same time. 

2. sorcerer’s stone by john williams 

the fucking classic. the og. like, what is there to say?? talented brilliant incredible amazing showstopping never the same totally unique. like only john williams could create such an iconic theme. it’s hard for me to be objective here because i was young enough when the first movie came out that ‘hedwig’s theme’ /is/ harry potter to me, they are one in the same, you cannot separate them in my mind. but truly williams captured the magic of the harry potter world in music and enchanted everyone with this score. 

i also love the little medieval-y influences in this score that were dropped by chamber of secrets. like with the harp moments and in ‘diagon alley and the gringotts vault’ and ‘in ‘hogwarts forever!’ there’s just a very majestic and antique vibe that i really dig that didn’t really carry over to the other movies. 

i will say sometime williams gets very... williams-y in his very uhh loud?? and kinda frantic composing u can hear in like ‘the quidditch match’ which isn’t my favorite way to do action scenes, but like who the fuck cares u know the pros of this score far outweigh it. 

like. just. so manyyy iconic themes that have so much EMOTIONAL WEIGHT!!! like the moment u see hogwarts for the first time and the choral vocals... and the bells in ‘christmas at hogwarts.’ and who can keep a dry eye during ‘leaving hogwarts’??? NOT I!!!!!!!!!!! such a gentle theme of longing and home and yearning and family and bittersweet loss. it starts so small and intimate but then swELLS to this grand and sweeping tune. it’s stunning. 

1. prisoner of azkaban by john williams

this is PEAK!!! potter for me. again, hard to be objective because this is the best my favorite harry potter movie, but i also truly think this is the best score because it carries over the iconic themes of the first two movies but adds a quirky and dramatic flair that fits the tone of the movie cuaron was trying to make u know? i think u can really tell that cuaron had a lot of imput on the score and didn’t just let williams do whatever he wanted, because we get a really interesting, stylized sound that is really different from williams usual fare in such a great way. but, it still is a williams score and because of that it shines and also weaves in the past movies’ themes to give us an outstanding amalgamation of sound and melody. 

like we start with ‘lumos!’ which gets us right back into the potter universe but then we get a series of quirky new themes, like the waltz for aunt marge, the jazzy knight bus theme, and the medieval choral rendition of ‘double trouble’... iconic. and we get the dark and disturbing dementors theme (’apparition on the train’) which is very understated for a williams score and extremely effective. 

however ,,,, we do not abandon the themes from prior movies!!!!! a great illustration of how williams takes those old potter themes and adapts them for this movie can be seen in ‘secrets of the castle.’ this minimalist take on hedwigs theme is a completely different tone from the original, but still establishes that we are in the same sonic world as that film. you can also see this in ‘the portrait gallery’ where an old potter theme is played on some kind of woodwind (idk sorry) and a harpsichord, giving the odd, quirky, vintage feel of the movie but still keeping with the established potter musical world. 

i really love the ~medieval vibes~ that this score gives me and i wish this was something later scores went back to (instead of going in a jazz direction..looking at you hooper). theres a lot of traditional sounding instruments used that give it a real rustic, celtic feel rather than the grand classicism of a full orchestral sound that the first 2 movies use. a lot of harps, strings, and woodwinds!!!! 

some of my favorite tracks of all time are on this score. ‘window to the past’ is just... a triumph of emotion. its absolutely stunning in its simplicity in the beginning, and how it builds toward the end. the return of that theme in ‘finale’ when sirius is saying goodbye to harry...i truly sob every time. the isolated vocals in ‘the patronus light’ truly embody the purity of that awe and joy when the patronus is cast. and of course, of course, ‘buckbeak’s flight’ is an absolute magical joy ride captured in sound. williams refrains from using a full orchestra for most of the score, so when everyone plays together in moments like this you get the full grandeur of the scene just... bAM! it’s so fucking well done and just... perfect. 

[venus-says]

Symphogear AXZ Episodes 01-04

One day, I’m sure we’ll know true strength.

Starting the engines for the final part of this marathon!

Like I said yesterday, I’m super excited about these next few days because from here on now everything will be new content to me, I didn’t check anything about AXZ since 2017, neither have seen anything about XV this year, so except for their posters I’m going totally blind on this and I’m loving every second of it, I feel like a child discovering new thing about the word. I can’t wait to see what this season has in store for me.

So without any further ado, let’s get going!

Croitzal ronzell Gungnir zizzl

So Episode 01 starts very interestingly. At first, I was pretty shocked with seeing the girls going on a military mission using their gears, it seemed very odd considering how reluctant Hibiki is about using her powers on other humans, but then it comes the twist and the military are somehow using alca-noises and that’s when shit goes down and this episode already won me over.

You see, Magical Girls who fight against the evil humankind do to ourselves is my perfect dream as a pitch for a show, yes I love my regular Mahou Shoujo stuff and I don’t see any problems on it but since “dark Mahou Shoujo” is a thing this is what I wanted to the most. And I got a little bit of that in here! And I’m very happy about it.

And even without this element, this is still a pretty badass fight with everything that it has going on for it. Like Hibiki stopping the shoot of a tank, and the way she completely destroyed another tank with her hands, how cool is that???? And Tsubasa’s sword getting gigantic and slashing that big ass air fortress in a single swing like if she was cutting butter? And Chris flying on top of the helicopter like a boss??? Even Maria, Kirika and Shirabe who didn’t do that much fight were pretty cool in here as well. I dare to say, this was the best initial fight we had since when G started this trend. Like c’ mon this one was just amazing.

I also like that they let the action play out smoothly first to just give us a roundabout of everything that was going on in a flashback afterward, it makes for a more dynamic episode imo. I like the concept of the Bavarian illuminatti, having a villain or a secret organization behind events from past seasons can be very good if it's worked properly, my only problem with is that I think it would be more interesting to see this in the final season and use this to tie in any plot point that may be loose from the past seasons, but I still like the concept and I’m open-minded to what they can do in this season.

And since we’re talking about the villains we get to see some of them this episode and for what was shown I think I like them? The only thing that makes me step back from having a final decision is that it seems that one of the girls is supposed to be trans, and it seems that she is the most sexualized from the group and I don’t know if that’s the best way to portrait the character...? Now I may be wrong, maybe she’s a biological woman, but I’m pretty sure her voice actor is a man and I don’t see why they would make this decision unless they were trying to make this very clear and... ugh. I just hope they’ll handle this in a proper way, I'm very doubtful, but if they manage to make her at least decent I’ll be happy with it.

Before moving to the next episode I have three questions: 1, how much time has passed from GX to AXZ?; 2, why is LiNKER still a problem? I thought the chip Ver gave to Maria was to fix this problem; and 3, is the Magical Girl Incident the name they gave for the events from last season or is this a whole new thing that happened in between? I hope we get some answers from here on now.

So before getting into episode 2 let’s give some appreciation to the new opening and ending. While I don’t really like the song the scenes playing in the opening are just amazing, even though we get some minor spoilers from there I still quite like it, my favorite moments are Hibiki, Shirabe and Maria in the training montage, they’re just too good. About the ending, while the pictures in there are nothing that special this probably my favorite ending so far.

Now to the episode itself. To starters let me leave my ode to Maria in this episode. Even though she herself hasn’t snagged any victory in this episode she still shone like no other. Her new song was great and she was amazing in her battles, especially in the second one, she was brilliant. And also that moment of her with Elfnein was just so adorable. Best girl.

The other battle of this episode was pretty interesting as well. I believe this is the first time we see a symphogear hurting a civilian and it’s quite shocking. I don’t necessarily know if shooting the boy’s leg was really the only way to save him but regardless of it is still a pretty interest conflict to develop. Now, I do think that making the boy the brother of someone who we’ve never seen before and that has a very complicated relationship with Chris was a bit too much, but I’m interested to see what comes out from it.

The backstory of the Illuminati is quite interesting as well, but they’ve shown that to us in the most boring way ever, and also I don’t like how Saint-Germain's (that’s her name right?) speech is so out of place in that situation. Like, you’re with two comrades that are on your side and probably already know the history, making her state that in that moment is just off. Just like that weird relic, which I have many questions about but I know they’ll explain it later (at least I hope so).

Episode 3 is probably the worst one of this batch. It does some nice things like giving more information about the Illuminati, I’m particularly curious about this new autoscorer and it’s weird resemblance to Hibiki, Maria and Tsubasa escape from the noise attack is also pretty good, and in the second fight, we get probably one of the cooler attacks we’ve seen so far. But that’s pretty much it and this isn’t enough to hold this episode against the bad things it has going on.

This episode starts very off and the ending of the fight that started on the last one was very anticlimactic. Then we have the big boss of this season saying to destroy the gears when this was something GX has already done. We get a boring part that was all just exposition about the gears. And the most boring part was all that technical talk about the subspace pocket that just made me confused as hell. Also, just episode 3 and we’re already over-dependant of the ignite module as it seems... I hope this doesn’t mean another mechanic that’ll make this one (THAT IS DANGEROUS ENOUGH ALREADY) obsolete and banalize another mortal thing.

I wish they’ve done more with Chris struggle more than just mention it and not really dig on it, maybe this would balance things out a little and make this episode less frustrating. Sadly that wasn’t the case so I’ll just move on before I fall asleep and don’t finish this post in time.

I’ve said 3 was the worst, but actually, thinking about it now, episode 4 is probably the worst.

How to begin this one?

For starters, what the hell was the writing team thinking when they just explicitly told that using condoms isn’t good????????? Like, I understand y’all are trying to make people fuck so the birth-rate can rise again BUT HAVE CONSCIOUS ABOUT THIS THING YOU DUMBASSES, CONDOMS DO MORE THAN JUST PREVENT CHILDREN YOU FUCKS. Gosh, I’m so mad at this I just wanna kick some people in the balls.

Then we have that Cagliostro fight THAT SERVES NO PURPOSE AT ALL. She basically just got kicked in the ass and neither sides got anything from it. It was such a waste of time, and they even managed to revert Chris to the “let everything to me, I can handle it” bullshit that pissed me off last season, I thought we were over this by this point.

And don’t you look at that, in the second fight the Ignite Module doesn’t work anymore, and suddenly the girls are way weaker than the enemies, and now Elfneim will have to spend time trying to make something THAT IS ABLE TO STAND AGAINST NUCLEAR FUSION instead of making LiNKER so the whole team can fight this treat together.

You know, I was excited about the Faust Robe thing, I liked Carol’s last season, why wouldn’t I like it now? WELL, I’M NOT GONNA LIKE THIS SHIT NOW BECAUSE THEY’RE USING IT AS SOMETHING SO OVERPOWERED THAT A FINAL BOSS COULD BE USING IN THE CLIMAX OF THE SEASON, IS LIKE TRYING TO BEAT THE POKÉMON LEAGUE WITH A MAGIKARP THAT ONLY KNOWS SPLASH. FOR GOD’S SAKE.

At least the guy gets naked when he’s practically making a small sun on his hand, I think I’d be even more upset if they didn’t, seeing how they don’t think twice before sexualizing any of the girls. So I guess that’s a positive.

The ex-FIS team also did pretty well this time, probably the only time I wasn’t scratching my head or upset at this one.

I kinda want to continue watching so that I won’t go to sleep with such a bitter taste in my mouth, but I’m sleep depraved and I need my bed more than anything right now so I’ll be going.

I wonder if I bite my hand I’ll get some sweetness from it since humans are kinda like the tomatoes from that old woman? 🤔

[itsclydebitches]

I haven't read your reviews on season 5, but so far how does this season fair against it?

(lol my reviews are scattered across two websites and jump around from the beginning of volume 1, to most but not all of volume 5, to now current stuff... during the hiatus I think I’ll compile everything here/keep catching up on earlier stuff.) 

Ultimately though I think volume 6 is weaker. More interesting concepts imo, but messier execution. Lost potential, if you will. Volume 5 had plenty of odd-ball stuff in it (bird conversation/Yang so easily believing Raven + Ruby’s sudden hand-to-hand journey come to mind), but there was a clear progression of events, everything else held together logically, we were given consistent characterization with past volumes and small moments to fill in the gaps... Like Qrow’s montage of searching for huntsmen. We actually see that happening on screen. It’s initially played for laughs (look at him collapsing in the dirt!), but quickly transforms into a reason why Qrow is getting frustrated, why the group can only depend on one another right now, why we’re disgusted with Lionheart when we learn he had a hand in all this, it’s even a moment of world building. That’s something small that I think represents RT’s strengths in that volume: using their time in a manner that allows what we’re seeing to function on multiple levels. It also helps that all this was taking place over a number of weeks/months, giving us actual growth that makes sense within that timeline. (As opposed to now where, as said in a previous ask, Blake and Yang jump to perfect partners again in the span of two days.) Looking back I think volume 5 is on the whole more logically plotted and far more true to the characters. 

Admittedly I wasn’t at all a fan of the Menagerie plotline or Ilia’s status as our first queer character, but I recognize that those are purely subjective dislikes. There’s nothing wrong with the writing per-se. I just wasn’t interested in a) more White Fang stuff, b) watching Sun follow Blake around despite her express wishes that he leave, and c) having our first queer character be a hastily redeemed would-be murderer. I wasn’t invested in it, but that’s not necessarily the writing’s fault. Just a personal preference. 

[fossadeileonixv]

WTF Friday - Caldara! Higuain! Other Random Ramblings!

Come here and give me a big hug kid...

What is there not to love about this deal from the Milan side of things? Not much.

We acquired the best goal scorer we have had since Ibra left and we are hoping that we’ve acquired a 24 year old CB that can partner Romagnoli for the next 5 years and maybe more. That means we go into next year with a CB duo that not only is very talented but both will be only 24 years old at the END of this season. They will start the year flanked by a 21 year old Calabria and a 25 year old Rodriguez. At some point during the year the back line will be bolstered by 24 year old Conti. 

That’s 5 Italians under 24 across the back (including Donnarumma) and ‘Old Man’ Rodriguez who, though he might be Swiss, sure must have SOME Italian blood in him. How else could he be so easy on the eyes?

Higuain? A stone cold killer. Cutrone can deputize under the Argentine and learn the dark arts from him. 

It’s all wins all around.

The only negative I can possibly see is that this is now a couple moves where we’ve kicked the can down the road with a loan with mandatory option to buy. The Kessie deal was the same. At some point those will hit us, but I’m sure Leo knows that and will plan accordingly.

So why did Juve do this? 

Well..... I think you can justify why they did this but I’m sure it really makes SENSE. Yes they have a lot of attackers and yes they have a lot of salary allocated to them, but did a club with their resources really NEED to move someone? Did they need to do it so bad that they gave up a mighty nice looking CB prospect as well? I’d say no and no.

Also, why bring back Bonucci? This idea that he is this spectacular long ball playing CB and pillar of defense is a little foolish IMO for 2 reasons. 1) he’s a year removed from being that guy. In footballing terms a year on your clock can be like 10 years 2) Can someone give me the history of guys that left their long time club, came back later and were HALF the player they were before? You can’t because there isn’t one. Look at us with Kaka and Shevchenko. Both came back only to be a shell of what they used to be. Clubs move on. Locker rooms change. In short, you can’t go home again. 

Now the one thing I will give Juve is they seem, at least on paper, to be going for it. If you watched their Netflix doc, you saw how they talked about winning the CL, but they were never truly all in. Two moves tell me they are actually all in this time. One is obviously bringing in Ronaldo. The other is letting Buffon go. The bigger move is the latter. Buffon is clearly past it, but they played him in CL games due to some sort of loyalty. That was foolish and they corrected their mistake. 

Also, they did to Real Madrid exactly what they did to Napoli a few years ago. They looked at their closest comptetitor and signed away arguably their best player, no matter the cost. 

My big question is whether they will go for it so much that they don’t worry so much about the league. That’s what Milan did in the 2000s (2 CL titles, 1 runner up and only 1 league title) and that’s what Real Madrid have done over the last 6 years ( 4 CL titles and 1 league title). Both were pretty successful at it. Aiming for a treble every single year is not realistic. Not for any club. 

I still  don’t think they have the guts. I really think at the end of the day another Scudetto is more important to them than a CL. 

Montolivo

There were reports this week that Montolivo’s contract would be terminated. FINALLY! I hated his signing from day 1. He was always weak willed, had zero leadership skills and always look scared. Probably 3 of the worst possible characteristics of a center mid. One of my longest standing thoughts on here is that this club would never turn the corner as long he was a starter for this team. Year after nauseating year he remained until last year he was finally usurped. Let’s just wash our hands of him and be done.

Gustavo Gomez

There’s also reports that Gustavo Gomez has been loaned out to Palmeiras of Brazil. Good for him. I always liked the guy and he was never gonna get a chance here. Hopefully all goes well for him. 

What’s next? 

We have to continue to address the glut of strikers. Niang and Lapadula are officially gone. Bacca is in town negotiating a way out. That kinda leaves things between Silva and Kalinic for the last spot. One will probably go, but not both.

The keeper situation still needs sorted. Five are currently on the books. Plizzari and Gabriel need homes.

Whatever comes back in any of those moves needs to probably be midfield or winger depth. If nothing comes back it’s not the end of the world, but help would certainly be appreciated. 

Locatelli

Last thing. I watched most of the friendly against Spurs and Locatelli still looks like he needs some major seasoning. I didn’t see the kid who had a pretty strong final month of last season. His positioning remains awful. As a DM your job is to make space for yourself to bail out teammates under pressure and move the ball. In reality he always looks like he’s man marking someone even when we are on offense. He’d rather hold hands with an opponent than help out a teammate. Not good. That goal against Juve was almost 2 years ago now and we’ve seen very few solid moments much less whole games since. Can he hold his own against weaker Europa or Serie A competition? Probably. Can he be on the field against good teams? No chance.

If a supposed ‘big name’ comes into the midfield a loan move would make a LOT of sense. 

All for now,

Lisi 

[walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart]

Post-Match Day Thread: Liverpool 7 - 0 Spartak Moscow via /r/LiverpoolFC

Post-Match Day Thread: Liverpool 7 - 0 Spartak Moscow

THERE'S SO MANY GOALS

Liverpool 7 - 0 Spartak Moscow

Player Ratings

Starters Rating Karius 7.38 Gomez 7.69 Lovren (59') 7.42 Klavan 7.85 Moreno (45') 7.14 Can 7.52 Wijnaldum 7.90 Mané 9.48 Coutinho 10.00 Firmino (71') 9.08 Salah 9.67

Subs Rating Milner (45') 8.60 Alexander-Arnold (59') 6.58 Sturridge (71') 6.78

Champions League Group E

Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Liverpool 6 17 12 2 Sevilla 6 0 9 3 Spartak Moscow 6 -4 6 4 Maribor 6 -13 3

Liverpool and Sevilla proceed to the knockout stages.

Match Events

Goals Philippe Coutinho (1) 4' 1-0 Philippe Coutinho (2) 15' 2-0 Roberto Firmino 18' 3-0 Sadio Mané 48' (1) 4-0 Philippe Coutinho (3) 50' 5-0 Sadio Mané 76' (2) 6-0 Mohamed Salah 86' 7-0

Links Post-Match Thread - credit /u/lrk2003/ Match Thread - credit /u/MundoOnly Pre-Match Thread - credit /u/_cumblast_

Thoughts

Formation

So, a return to the 4-2-4 that I think Klopp has started to favour at home against these "weaker" teams. The first choice defence returned, and Can partnered Wijnaldum in midfield. In retrospect the defence wasn't particularly important in this game, but I do think that Can-Wijnaldum provides more stability than Henderson. Both players are good at keeping the ball (when they have it), beating a man and playing it off. Henderson is too eager to immediately play the ball first. That can work, but often results in the ball coming straight back.

I'm really glad that Klopp started a strong team. This is what European teams usually do - go out, win the game, then brought players off if they need to. English teams usually bench their best players then have to bring them on when they're chasing the game.

Coutinho First Goal

I don't really need to analyse this one. It's clearly a penalty - a lofted ball over the top towards Salah, and the defender is all over him. Coutinho steps up and buries it in the bottom right corner. A question though - I thought Fifa introduced a rule banning the "stutter step" penalty a few years ago? I've seen it a few times over the last few seasons which suggests I'm wrong. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Coutinho Second Goal

http://ift.tt/2AlfDNB

So this starts with some really poor defending from Spartak. Firmino runs over to the right wing. This drags three Spartak players out of position - the left full back is tracking back, one CB follows Firmino, and the other (just out of frame) decides to go with them. This gives Salah the room to run through the middle.

http://ift.tt/2BeyaLD

Spartak's remaining CB turns back towards Salah, leaving Firmino in acres of space. Coutinho starts his run from deep.

http://ift.tt/2AnB4xp

Firmino plays the ball back across goal and Coutinho has three miles of room to find the goal. Easy peasy.

Firmino Goal

http://ift.tt/2BerNrK

I love the movement here. We're already pressing Spartak high up the pitch. Firmino decides he's just going to run into the space on the right wing.

http://ift.tt/2AltenW

When Sadio gets the ball we're already off to the races. Spartak are facing a 1 v 2. Those two are Salah and Firmino. I'd be pissing myself.

http://ift.tt/2BerOfi

Mané is looking to chip this ball to the back post for Salah to run on to.

http://ift.tt/2AlfKZx

I can't believe Spartak have left two of our players with so much room in the box. They do a good job blocking the cross (albeit with a hand), but Firmino's got the freedom of Anfield to fire home

Half Time

Hands up everyone was nervous? Put those hands down. Fortress Anfield is back. It's been over ten years since we last conceded more than 3 at Anfield. I don't think we've ever lost from 3-0 up at home. We're scoring goals for fun, the defence was solid, and Spartak were on the ropes. Any comparisons to Sevilla (or worse, Palace) were ignoring the fact that we're a fucking good team at home.

Mané First Goal

http://ift.tt/2BeyeuR

Coutinho drops really deep to collect this ball. It was similar against Brighton - when he's on it, he wants the ball as early as possible, because he knows he's going to beat everyone. I also want to highlight Milner. You might expect in a 4-2-4 for the left back to be supporting the midfield and the winger to be further up the pitch. It's the opposite here. Milner (and Moreno) was really given licence to push forward and support attacks. That made it effectively a 2-2-6 - how are you supposed to defend against that!

http://ift.tt/2AlEQHP

Liverpool have five players in between Spartak's banks of four. Fucking mental. Anyway, Milner runs outside of the right full back, Coutinho plays it through to him, Mané is able to run to the back post.

http://ift.tt/2Beyf1T

So now Spartak are fucked. They have their back four in the box. The left back is marking Salah, one CB is marking Firmino, the other has moved to block the cross, and Mané's got the entire left side of the box to himself.

http://ift.tt/2Akf2LV

This is it. This is the goal I tried to score about 5 times a game in my youth. The flying scissor volley to meet a cross. I love it so much. It's a lovely cross from Milner and Mané had about 5 different ways to score.

Coutinho Hat Trick Goal

http://ift.tt/2BerPQo

I'm not sure if Spartak were playing a back three at this point but yet again we have four players in between their lines, and they only have three back. Coutinho can play a ball into Firmino who has all the time in the world.

http://ift.tt/2AlfNob

Firmino plays it off to Milner and Coutinho is allowed to run through to the penalty box.

http://ift.tt/2Beyha1

Firmino continues his run into the box taking a defender with him. A central midfield gets close to Salah, but nobody is tracking Coutinho particularly well.

http://ift.tt/2Akf4U3

I love how quickly Coutinho hits this ball, particularly on his "weaker" left. He's looked to go across the goal but the deflection takes it near post and past the keeper. I'm surprised if he keeps this goal tbh honest, I'm not entirely sure if it was going in and the deflection is big enough to affect the keeper.

Mané Second Goal

http://ift.tt/2Beykmd

We're still pressing at 6-0 up. Mané (just covered up by the score board) notices Wijnaldum moving to press and looks to nick the ball. Can plays it through to Salah.

http://ift.tt/2Akf5HB

Salah immediately plays it around the corner to the unmarked Sturridge. Mané continues his run.

http://ift.tt/2BerSvy

The Spartak player makes a mistake here. I guess he thinks of tracking Salah who has slowed up. This gives Mané the extra yard he needs.

http://ift.tt/2AlfRnV

Sadio Mané is the least graceful player at the club. Discuss.

Salah Goal

Even Salah got to end his goal drought!

http://ift.tt/2BerTj6

This ball from Can though. Milner makes the run off the back of the right back and Can finds him with this lovely floated cross.

http://ift.tt/2AlfSrZ

Milner actually heads it into an area with zero Liverpool players but four Spartak players. We get the ball. Work that one out.

http://ift.tt/2Beyo5r

After the miskick from Sturridge you're expecting Salah to just smash this in the left corner. He doesn't though. That'd be too easy.

http://ift.tt/2AlfTfx

Nah, better just turn the entire defence inside out, then score. That's our Salah.

Scoring v Assisting

Just for fun, some stats:

Goals:

Coutinho x3

Mané x2

Firmino x1

Salah x1

Assists:

Milner x3

Firmino x1

Coutinho x1 (I'm including the cross for the penalty)

Mané x1 (the cross for Firmino's)

Sturridge x1

So that's our entire front four with at least a goal and an assist in one game. That's just lovely.

Everton

Oh, just the small case of the Merseyside derby at the weekend. Interesting to see how Klopp plays this. I'd like the following:

Mignolet Gomez Lovren Klavan Robertson Henderson Wijnaldum Mané Coutinho Firmino Salah

The only question is Milner v Robertson at left back and who partners Henderson in midfield imo.

By the way, I'm not going to be able to watch this game. If anyone else wants to do one of these feel free, if not I'll put one up after I watch a replay

Our next fixture is against Everton in the Premier League. The match kicks off on the 10th of December at 14:15PM(GMT)/09:15AM(ET).

Submitted December 07, 2017 at 07:10PM by voliton via reddit http://ift.tt/2BerYmU