#it’s so gorgeously animated and the story is incredible!!

[sharkieboi]

finally finished watching Strange World and im in love, everyone should see this movie

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

Kung Fu Panda:

Honestly iconic. The progression of story, the message, the acting.

The way this movie balances tone is nothing less than astonishing to me. It's funny and lighthearted but also intense and dramatic and neither ever take away from the other. Every joke and emotional beat lands excellently. Not to mention. The fight scenes SLAP. And so does the score!!

It's just GOOD. I love how all of them were insanely genuine. Po genuinely wanted to be a Kung Fu master. The Furious Five genuinely wanted to be the very best like no one ever was. And Tai Lung genuinely wanted to kick the shit out of anyone that even looked at that dragon scroll. But seriously one of the best movies.

Treasure Planet:

The setting and focal relationship!

WHALES IN SPACE. Second best treasure island adaptation (#1 is muppets). The song The Song!!

Where do I begin with this movie? It blends CG and hand drawn animation beautifully. All of the backgrounds are gorgeous. There are so many cool alien designs. The score is absolutely perfect. The amount of detail put into the design and worldbuilding shines through. All of the characters are so much fun to watch, especially Long John Silver and Captain Amelia. This movie takes at least partial responsibility for my love of space/sky pirates. Also it was actively sabotaged by Disney so I need to vouch for it at every chance.

Space pirates in a classic novel. It's gorgeously animated with a blend of 2d and 3d. Also, LONG JOHN SILVER HAS A 3D HAND thats hecking impressive for a main character to be a blend of the two in 2002. Did I mention the twink protagonist and malewife for the rich halfwit son? The aliens are beautifully unique, and a mantis guy floats off into space. from a pirate ship. because they aren't just space pirates, they're aliens and cyborgs on pirate ships going through space. Which fucking rocks.

It's a genuinely creative adaptation of Treasure Island that has so much heart and incredible animation. It helped pioneer 3D animationa nd it was the first feature animated film to utilize both 2 and 3 D animation

The animation is so good, and the way that the antogonist isn't black and white, he genuinely cares for the protagonist <3

Pirate ships in space!

Watched this on loop as a kid, gave me solace for not growing up with a dad

It fucks

The ☆A n i m a t i o n☆!! And captain Amelia

It's so fun looking, cool character design. It's funny, it's emotional. I love it so very much please aaaaaaa

How this movie looks is absolutely amazing. A space-steampunk pirate story with fantastic visuals and (mostly) great characters. The vibes this movie has are off the charts. Jim is the bad-boy-good-heart kid, the doctor is a silly-goofy-but-oddly-competent support and Silver is a complex father-figure-who's-made-mistakes. Also MORT the cute little jelly that won me over in 0.5 seconds flat. I am also a slut for a good soundtrack and this one SLAPS. I will stand by my opinion that the Russian version of the song I'm Still Here did a better job of fitting the montage and the mood. That's a hill I will die on.

[theriverbeyond]

what series scratch the same "itch" as TLT for you? Recently finished the trilogy and feel empty and have found nothing to fill the void in my chest (lol) that TLT had in the weeks I was reading it. I have already experienced homestuck, when thhey cry, and most of the other "big names" of similar media. Any format works as long as its good. I like morally grey characters (Ianthe), well written female leads, character driven narratives and lesbians (in that order.

1. Princess Floralinda and the forty-flight tower (by Tamsyn Muir. excellent audio book narrated by Moira Quirk, same voice actor as TLT)

2. All of Tamsyn Muir's other novellas and short stories (The magician's apprentice, The house that did 16 loops of time, undercover, chew, the deepwater bride, etc)

Next up is entirely my personal and extremely picky and subjective preferences of brain zing, ranked in order of me remembering them

Chainsaw man manga (i read this 5x back to back when I first got into it in 2021. part 1 is complete, part 2 is still updating. part 1 can be experienced as a complete work. the anime is very good but the first episode is not as good as everything after it)

This is how we lose the time war book (feels sorta like fanfiction but the prose is gorgeous)

Interview with the vampire tv show (it's fun, it's camp, there are a lot of gay and bisexual people making really terrible decisions and being very hot)

Gurren Lagann anime (my favorite anime of all time. the women characters are not good, as is typical of many animes. the bathhouse episode can be skipped in its entierty without losing any plot. the overall story is really good and gives me that zing)

Arcane tv show (i watched this in full once and every since have just watched a caitvi + jinx whump clipshow but it did give me that zing. i do not care about the men)

Fullmetal alchemist manga or FMA brotherhood (really good and at this point a classic. royai is the queerplatonic campal blueprint i will not be taking critique at this time)

Revolutionary girl utena anime (watch the sub, do not watch the dub, the dub didn't make them gay. it's really good but heavy TWs and also it is paced like a 90's anime so: slow with a fair amount of filler, which can be good or bad depending on your preferences)

I have complicated feelings about Baru Cormerant and recommend reading up on content warnings if things like violent homophobia and very intimate portrayals of being a colonized subject are things that would upset you. It felt a little too personal to my life for me to like... think it was "fun" or whatever like it felt uncomfortably personal (and also subjectively I didn't super enjoy the pacing of the latter 2 books) but it did make me feel a lot of things and think a lot of thoughts. if the blurb sounds like something you are interested in then I recomend giving it a shot and then you can decide what you think of it yourself

Ancillary justice book (liked this one a lot, but havent felt motivated to read the sequel)

Other fun Studio Trigger animes such as Promare, Cyberpunk 2077, Kill la Kill

Nausicaa and the valley of the wind manga (the movie is good but the manga spanned 10 years, is gorgeously rendered, and goes MUCH more in depth especially wrt climate philosophy and such)

Slay the Princess video game (on steam but also I got into it just by watching letsplays online. It's really good and REALLY interesting, i love how it uses the visual novel format to its story advantage to pull of some incredibly cool story twists. Highly recomend!)

I feel like I am forgetting things that made my brain zing. My childhood special interest was CATS the musical (stage play and 1998 recorded production) and i definitely got brain zing from that but I don't think it has a lot of taste overlaps with tlt. this post really went off the rails but in my defense, it is after midnight

[suzannahnatters]

A while back I realised that there's one specific fictional thing that is catnip to me, and that is vulnerability. People accuse me of liking dire things in stories, but it's not so much that I love it when fictional people are suffering. It's that I kind of crave vulnerability in my protagonists.

I would define vulnerability as the opposite of agency. At its core, it involves a denial or a willing sacrifice of agency, and while writers talk about agency a lot, I don't think we spend anywhere near enough time discussing vulnerability.

Vulnerability is incredibly powerful in building empathy with a character, but it also forces the character into dire choices that reveal their true nature, and it makes the antagonistic forces seem a lot more powerful and scary. Vulnerability is why whump is appealing. It's one of the reasons we all care so much about out good fried Jonathan Harker, utterly at Dracula's mercy. It's why the myth of the voluntarily dying god is so powerful, even if you aren't a Christian.

More recently, I've been thinking a whole lot about how important vulnerability is in constructing a believable romance. In a believable romance, the characters will be emotionally vulnerable to, and on behalf of, one another. The "if you dare touch her" trope where the love interest comes unhinged at the sight of a loved one's suffering is vulnerability. Enemies to lovers is delicious because it asks what might happen if the person to whom you're most vulnerable was also the one with the greatest interest in exploiting that vulnerability. As I've written before, romance is about trust; and the corollary is that no romance can live without that heartstopping moment when one character takes the risk of putting themselves helplessly into the power of the other.

But I think that a lot of storytellers these days are prioritising agency at the cost of vulnerability. Disney's attempts at feminism are a great example of this. While the animated MULAN is outed as a woman in a moment of vulnerability that was the most powerful thing in the movie for me, in the live action Mulan's unmasking becomes a expression of agency that in my opinion guts the story of feeling. On the other hand, in the cdrama I'm currently watching (GOODBYE, MY PRINCESS) the male lead is SO averse to letting himself be vulnerable in any way at all that I simply can't find any romance in his interactions with the heroine. I love to see stories that foreground marginalised people, but too often those stories focus on giving the protagonist agency at the cost of letting the antagonist land any hits at all. The result, imo, is a perfectly soulless story.

Of course, agency is a sine qua non of a good protagonist. But so is vulnerability, and there are so many amazing stories you can write about a vulnerable protagonist. W R Gingell's CITY BETWEEN series, for instance, is the story of a desperately vulnerable protagonist fighting to claim some agency in her own life and it's GLORIOUS. And beyond that, I would say that moments of vulnerability are indispensable even to very strong protagonists. One of the reasons FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST worked so gorgeously as a story for me, for instance, was the gutpunch moments of vulnerability that happened both at the very start and then with increasing tempo toward the end.

Vulnerability can be something a protagonist constantly struggles with, or something that unexpectedly blindsides someone who seemed to be invincible, or something a character does willingly for the sake of the people they love. It can be romantic, or not at all. But either way it's the interplay of agency and vulnerability that really MAKES a story for me. You HAVE to have both.

[best-underrated-anime]

Anime of the Day: Kekkai Sensen

[The Anime of the Day series will feature two anime each day from the list of shows that, for a variety of reasons, didn’t make it to the final list of shows that will be joining the tournament.]

“Secret organization protects world from vampires/monsters”

Summary:

Supersonic monkeys, vampires, talking fishmen, and all sorts of different supernatural monsters living alongside humans—this has been part of daily life in Hellsalem's Lot, formerly known as New York City, for some time now. When a gateway between Earth and the Beyond opened three years ago, New Yorkers and creatures from the other dimension alike were trapped in an impenetrable bubble and were forced to live together. Libra is a secret organization composed of eccentrics and superhumans, tasked with keeping order in the city and making sure that chaos doesn't spread to the rest of the world. Pursuing photography as a hobby, Leonardo Watch is living a normal life with his parents and sister. But when he obtains the "All-seeing Eyes of the Gods" at the expense of his sister's eyesight, he goes to Hellsalem's Lot in order to help her by finding answers about the mysterious powers he received. He soon runs into Libra, and when Leo unexpectedly joins their ranks, he gets more than what he bargained for. Kekkai Sensen follows Leo's misadventures in the strangest place on Earth with his equally strange comrades—as the ordinary boy unwittingly sees his life take a turn for the extraordinary.

Propaganda:

(Admin: Three people submitted this show, so there’ll be three separate propagandas)

1:

Kekkai Sensen is a sci-fi action manga from the author of Trigun that revolves around an ordinary guy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He can’t really fight, but he’s determined to make his way in a city where people die at the drop of a hat. A web of tragedies and crime and crazy coincidences is spinning around his arrival in the city, and a dark plot is brewing that could risk the fate of the world. The story is compelling, comedic, fast-paced, and gorgeously animated. Fans of mystery, action, sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, and even more will all find something to adore about this series’ story and characters—not to mention its iconic soundtrack and stunning visuals.

2:

Super interesting story with a well-balanced and fun cast of characters. There’s someone for everyone and open the top flashy action scenes. The characters are especially endearing with how they interact with each other

3:

Most people remember the show from the ending that everyone was making edits for. This show is outstanding, and the last episode changed me as a person, and I’m still not sure how or why. It’s from the creator of Trigun and has incredible music from jazzy numbers to soft and sweet ones. The characters are great, and the voice talent is even better. It’s funny, cute, and sometimes serious. Also found family for the win.

(Admin: To the three who submitted, seriously, not one of you found a trailer that wasn’t dubbed? I couldn’t find one, either.)

[thefloatingstone]

I dunno what all the drama was about. None of my business and I respect the privacy.

On another note, you do have me curious about your random anime facts. Mind throwing one my way?

Oh absolutely! Lemme see what I got lying around for you!

I recently watched a youtuber who has only put out 3 videos but every single one of them is a BANGER. And he spoke at length about the accidental queer story Ghibli made in the movie "Ocean Waves"

Here's the link

I do not like Ocean Waves. In a way it's frustrating because the movie is VERY good looking. For being the film supposedly made by the younger animators at Ghibli as a sort of "breaking them in" project, this movie looks and animates gorgeously!

The big problem is that the story is about the supposed "ROMANCE" between the main character and this girl called Rikako who is genuinely one of the WORST people I have ever seen in an anime that we're meant to...

Actually I don't know if we're supposed to like her???

She's manipulative, she's entitled, she's uncaring towards other people, she's arrogant. She's everything terrible that a main female character can BE. And she spends the entire film being just THE WORST to the main character. And then at the END the film is like "wow. I can't believe I always loved her" and it's like "WHAT??????"

But the video I linked speaks about the VERY OBVIOUS and not even out of left field relationship between the main character and his childhood friend. Like it's not even a REACH, It's literally there ON SCREEN.

But then the movie takes a HARD TURN into "no homo!" territory.

The video doesn't really talk about it at all, but Ocean Waves was based on a book. And although I doubt the book would be a straightforward gay relationship between the two male characters written in the 80s, it DID make me wonder if the book at least WANTED to tell that story and had to pull a 70s Shoujo move.

See, in the 70s, Shoujo manga often told distinctly queer stories. Often between two girls but sometimes between two men. However, due to Japan's decency laws. These stories almost ALWAYS ended with the main characters having to die tragically or, the more common move, for the two gay characters finding out THEY WERE SISTERS ALL ALONG and that's why they had such a strong connection. Or, the other get out of jail free card, which is to give the gay characters straight love interests LITERALLY in the last chapter for them to end up with.

These days people would call this queerbaiting, but in the 70s it was literally the ONLY WAY for women to tell queer stories with queer characters. Because if they didn't pull the switch at the end, the story would not be allowed to be published.

So part of my wonders if the book went this direction, or if the book is much more hetero than the film, and the queer coding of the film was the result of the young filmmakers who instilled it there, but similarly had to take a hard turn so as not to make it official.

It's an interesting thing to wonder about. And honestly I'd put more effort into it if it wasn't for the fact that aside from Rikako who is so horrible, the other 2 main characters are incredibly boring and uninteresting. So I don't really care if they're gay married or not because they're so bland.

At least the visuals and the music is good,

Honestly just stick with "Only Yesterday" as far as non Miyazaki Ghibli movies go.

[burn-the-white-flag]

On Princess Mononoke

I rewatched one of my favorite movies, Princess Mononoke, a few days ago. It's a Studio Ghibli classic and though I love many of the Studio Ghibli movies, this one in particular is ingeniously executed in so many different ways. I still get so much out of watching it for what is at least the fifth time in my life. The story is gritty, dark, and gory. Perhaps more so than any other Studio Ghibli movie. I would say this is a movie that fits that quote; it "comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable".

Obviously there will be major spoilers for this movie coming up. It came out in 1997, so you've had ample time to watch it -- but in case you haven't, I highly recommend it! I would also be down to watch it with you if I know you :joy:

A hauntingly beautiful soundtrack sweeps through gorgeously animated landscapes. A lush world building creates at least four different societies that are each compelling in their own way and interact with each other in ways that reveal beautiful and ugly truths of each of them and "humanity" itself.

The story begins with a small village of a people (the Emishi tribe) driven out by a brutal empire whose territorial and predatory natures play out for the rest of the movie. There's an obvious parallel here with the actual Emishi people who were a racial minority of Japan who were conquered and colonized by the Yamato racial majority. Prince Ashitaka (the main character) is the young Prince of the Emishi tribe who is among the last of his bloodline. He gets cursed by a demon from the West who had previously been a forest god and was fatally injured by a bullet produced at Iron Town. He then strikes out alone on a journey to meet his fate and understand the cascading trauma that has come to touch his life from afar. Through that incident we are introduced to the other two societies: Lady Eboshi's Iron Town and the Great Forest that worships the Forest Spirit.

Lady Eboshi is a fascinating character. First of all, she's fucking badass. She's visually striking, being taller than most of the other characters and wearing a lot of red (lipstick, hat, shirt). She's confident, strong, and smart; she's not afraid to swing out a rifle or laugh in the face of someone challenging her. She understands the value of loyalty, uplifting the most vulnerable members of Iron Town, and having to decide between making compromises or holding firm in order to protect it. 100% the kind of character that causes lesbian awakenings. At the same time -- and this is why I love Lady Eboshi as a character -- she is one of the major villains in the movie. She directly or indirectly kills all of the forest gods we see; Nago, Moro, Okkoto, and finally the forest spirit. She plays the game of imperialism well as a ruthless leader who is not afraid to use brute force to burn down the forest around Iron Town and wage war in order to expand.

The forest spirit is a very peculiar leader, perhaps one we are not meant to understand because we're "only human". There's an interaction where Ashitaka, who is in love with the eponymous Princess Mononoke (human raised by the wolf god Moro as part of the wolf tribe), protests to Moro that if they join the war they will die. She responds "Typical. Selfish. You think like a human," and that's how I feel when I watch the animals fight for the forest spirit even though the forest spirit spends most of the movie gallivanting around peeking through the trees at them and never saying anything. On a side note, Moro tells Ashitaka about how she raised San (Princess Mononoke) and says "Now my poor, ugly, beautiful daughter is neither human nor wolf." And that dialog is so good. It's such a weird thing to say but it instantly captures an incredibly complex relationship between them and also how non-human she is. There might be a language barrier that comes from translating the dialog from Japanese to English, but I prefer to think of it as a language barrier that comes from translating from "wolf" to "human".

The only leader we never meet is the Emperor, which in its own way reveals his leadership style and the reality of imperialism. He offers a mountain of gold to whoever brings him the head of the forest spirit because he believes it will grant him eternal youth. Countless horrifying deeds get performed under his name without him ever needing to get his hands dirty or look into the face of the reality of what the empire is doing. It is the kind of archetypal and banal human ambition that Moro was referring to; a selfish frenzy born from a fear of death and a lack of respect for the sanctity of life.

It's so easy to generalize the message from Princess Mononoke as "humans kill forest", "humans evil", and that is a valid viewpoint held by many characters in the movie. But Iron Town as a microcosm of humanity reveals so much more than that. In her own way, Lady Eboshi protects and uplifts her people so that they can live a much better quality of life. She buys the contracts of women at brothels in neighboring towns to do more prestigious work operating the iron forges, hires and cares for lepers who develop her rifles, and leads her troops to protect the oxen delivering rice to her people. She protects them and respects them and gives them purpose. But in order to do that, she needed to have the power in the first place to create Iron Town. She had to blast the shit out of the forest in order to access the iron ore underneath and build up Iron Town as a fortress.

In order to get to the point of thinking about peace and justice, do we need to have the power and resources to adopt an abundance mindset? And paradoxically, can we obtain that power and those resources without a scarcity mindset? If the answer is no, then when do we stop and say enough is enough? Good villains are compelling when we can understand why they behave the way they do. Incredible villains teach us that there is evil inside of all of us. It comes from the worst parts of ourselves (hatred, prejudice, insecurity) and from the best parts of ourselves (our willingness to fight to survive, to see the people we love be happy).

Few of these tensions get resolved at the end of the movie. The forest spirit dies, but at least its head is never delivered to the emperor. Ashitaka is able to lift his curse and spends the rest of his life mediating between Iron Town and the forest. Lady Eboshi reflects on her mistakes in leadership. Peace is attained on a small scale, but most likely the Emishi tribe and the forest inhabitants will continue to fade away until they are gone and the empire will continue to expand. I used to think this ending was devastatingly tragic, but over time I've come to appreciate how that pit in my stomach at the end is what keeps me coming back over and over -- it disturbs me when I want to believe that societal traumas can be solved with ease, and it comforts me when I feel like they never can be.

[whatyourusherthinks]

SPY x FAMILY CODE: White Review

Ugh. I don't like anime. I can't really justify why, because things I don't like about anime is also found in stuff I like, like superhero comics or kaiju movies. There was already an anime movie in our theater. It was called Dragon Slayer or Demon Slayer or something, either way I didn't watch it because I haven't seen the anime. I haven't seen the SPY x FAMILY anime either, but I have read the manga. It's something that I can only read in very small bursts, but I do keep up with it. So I have no excuse to not watch this movie. I watched the sub version, but keep in mind I'd still complain about the voice acting in the dub.

What's The Movie About?

For convoluted reasons, a spy needs a fake family for a mission. He adopts a little girl who is psychic, fakes a marriage with an assassin, and they adopt a dog who can see the future. For other convoluted reasons, the family takes a vacation up north.

Honestly, if you don't already know the premise of the show, don't watch the movie. Not that you won't understand what is happening, it is pretty straightforward. But there are plenty of minor elements and character dynamics it skips over because the movie expects that the only people watching are people who've seen the series.

What I Like.

So the set-up of SPY x Family is really good. The main characters are great, and the idea of an entire family with each member having a major secret is a really good comedy premise. And the movie is just playing the greatest hits really. Do you like the joke where Yor is freakishly strong and no one seems to notice? They have that joke. Do you like the joke that Nightfall is obviously in love with Twilight and he doesn't notice? They have that joke. Do you like the joke of Anya mispronouncing every other word? What is wrong with you?

I will admit, I was down on the movie until the ending. The ending is pretty awesome, real damn fun, and gorgeously animated. It's almost always balls-to-the wall action, and all of the action looks really cool. The way they showcase motion is incredibly impressive. To be frank, I was barely paying attention until the climax started, then I was grinning. Every family member gets several moments to shine as well, it's incredibly fun. Yor fights a cyborg from Wolfenstein, it's amazing.

What I Didn't Like.

This movie takes a while to get going. In fact, the first half of the movie is really random. Part of the reason why is because they want to showcase every minor character in the series for at least a second, and part of it is because they are trying to be a showcase of every story beat the series pulls. Subplots kinda just come out of nowhere and resolve themselves are weird moments, never to be mentioned again. And the comedy, for me personally, is very hit and miss. The tone itself is hit or miss as well, thinking about it. One second we'll be focusing on the wacky side character obsessed with fortune-telling, then that wacky side character has a serious conversation about CUTTING OPEN A CHILD, then there is a hallucination sequence involving a poop god. All back to back. My final two criticisms are incredibly personal, and I don't know how many people will agree with me. One, I find Anya's voice annoying. I don't usually find how character's sound that bothersome. (Gurgy from the Black Cauldron doesn't bother me at all, actually. Neither does Jar Jar.) But for some reason she does. I think it's the combination of the volume of her voice with her "cutesy" way for talking. Two, THE MOVIE KEPT TEASING ME WITH MY SHIP. I, like many other fans I suspect, want Loid and Yor to end up together for real. They are, as the bards of the interwebs say, OTP. If they actually end up together I suspect it won't be until the end of the series. If it turns out something else, I would be sad but not disappointed I suppose. But I could do without all the almost kissing and getting intimate until Yor punches Loid and all of that kind of thing. It feels like being at a busy restaurant while starving, seeing the server heading towards your table with a tray of food, but them turning the corner right when they should arrive at your table.

Final Summation.

Honestly, thinking back to my experience, I mostly just remember the finale. That finale is really fun! But I think I'd rather just watch it isolated on YouTube or something. Which isn't to say the rest of the movie is bad necessarily. I guess my recommendation come to this: If you like SPY x FAMILY, you will like this movie. If you've never seen the show, but are interested in the premise, maybe check out the movie to see if you'd be interested in delving deeper. Otherwise, there's more fun and interesting movie out right now.

[bookwyrminspiration]

OKAY SO LIKE. YOU KNOW HOW A LOT OF ANIMATED SHOWS AND STORIES EXIST. AND A LOT OF THEM ARE ABOUT CHILDHOOD AND COMING OF AGE RIGHT. AND THEY ALL HANDLE THIS GORGEOUSLY AND THEY ALSO HANDLE MATURE THEMES BEAUTIFULLY AND THINGS LIKE THE OWL HOUSE ARE INCREDIBLE FOR THAT. HOWEVER. SUCKS IN BREATH. AMPHIBIA. it's a classic fantasy story girl gets sucked into amphibian world where there are frogs and toads and salamanders and it is like. this big colorful fun escapist world and yet also class differences and this kid learning to be a better person and her friends learning to be better people (<- also the main character, anne, is thai which is one of the coolest things i've ever seen. more southeast asian people in art represent) and LIKE MANY children's shows it gets progressively darker as it goes on. but. it never loses its goofiness. and its love and earnestness and weirdness of when you are a kid in that middle school to high school transitional stage. and in the end the kids have to go home and grow up, and live their lives in the world they were trying to escape. and like. tater and i were talking privately about a bunch of stuff that happened during the peak pandemic era in regards to personal life & also kotlcblr as a whole and how much of a support system it was for us in the sense of like. it being this safe place for us to come and be silly and also have A Talk when we needed it and then how a lot of people kind of aged out for it and then i went OOF. OW. TATER. ISN'T THAT LIKE THE SHOW THAT I JUST FINISHED WATCHING AND U HAVE BEEN RAVING ABOUT FOREVER

I LOVE intertextuality and connection and recurring themes about the human condition and life and growing and how we tell the same stories through different lenses and the love that goes into it all.

2020 keepblr was such a retreat, this whole other world full of such enthusiasm and energy and companionship. for that brief window in time (it was like 2 years ish but compared to eternity) all of our lives crossed paths and we were all so present and important to each other. homework sucked and a lot of life sucked and we were learning who we were a lot of us (not that that's a process that ever stops, but early teen years especially have some shit going on) and had this place to go without fear of judgement--at least not the same as irl judgement. it was so supportive!! there was so much engagement with everything and everyone it was glorious

and it's so surreal to watch people move on. because like...that's what happens a lot of the time. we outgrow our younger interests as we age, we spend our time on different things. we cannot hold onto this moment forever and truly it would be unfair to ourselves to try, to keep us there. sometimes the point of something is for it to be impermanent.

i don't know if i'm making any sense but you get it! the themes! the past! the growing up!

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Fall 2022 Anime

Was Fall 2022 the single most stacked season of anime ever? It’s certainly a contender, at least. Not only were there once again far too many good shows to keep up with, not only were a lot of those shows really fucking good, but there was such a wide variety that no matter your tastes- shonen, slice of life, mecha, political drama, whatever the fuck Akiba Maid War counts as- you were basically guaranteed at least one phenomenal show to stay hooked on. And if you’re someone like me who appreciates pretty much every genre as long as it’s done well? Then my god, I hope you skipped lunch, because this feast never fucking ended. I’ve already given my thoughts on Yama no Susume’s underwhelming fourth season (6.5/10), Mob Psycho 100′s safe but deeply satisfying finale (8/10), and the bonkers roller coaster of Chainsaw Man (8.5/10), and there’s still way too many anime left to talk about. So without any further ado, let’s dive right in to the disappointments, the hidden gems, and the runaway smash hits that closed out this fantastic year for anime.

My Hero Academia Season 6: Unfinished/10

There’s not much I have to say about this one yet, as I’m planning to give it a full review when it’s all over. But I at least wanted to say this: I fucking told y’all My Hero Academia was going to reclaim its crown. I told y’all this show was eventually gonna earn its place back as one of the greatest long-running shonen of all time. But nooooo, you were all busy pretending that a few lackluster fight scenes meant this show was the worst garbage ever and handing out accolades to gorgeously animated pieces of stale cardboard like Demon Slayer for plastering pretty wallpaper all over the vapid nonsense at their core. Well, how does it feel now, huh? How does it feel to remember what an actual great shonen action series looks like? This is the best that MHA has been since season 3, and while it’s gonna fall to the next cours to determine where season 6 ends up on the pantheon, it’s so fucking good to see this show operating at full capacity again.

To Your Eternity Season 2: Unfinished/10

Genuine question: what the absolute fuck happened to To Your Eternity? I still remember when that incredible first episode dropped back in 2021 and everyone was ready to crown it the new patron saint of cry-inducing philosophical fantasy. How did we get from that to this? To increasingly hacky production values that rarely rise above passable and never once manage to capture the awe and wonder this story is so clearly shooting tor? To writing so tonally inconsistent it decides to introduce a cast of wacky over-the-top camera-muggers in this serious and serene fantasy yarn? Didn’t this show used to be good? Didn’t it used to be a genuinely compelling exploration of human nature and immortality and moving on from loss? When did it fall apart so badly that it barely even resembles the show it used to be? And that’s not even getting into some of the most abysmal queerbaiting I’ve seen in a very long time. There were definitely worse anime this year, but nothing else left me feeling so utterly betrayed. I can only pray the slight upswing of quality it’s experiencing in its current arc continues, because otherwise this is going to end up the most crushing disappointment of anime in 2022.

Reincarnated as a Sword: 3/10

Let us all stop for a moment and consider the absolute state of the isekai genre. Here we have yet another story of some personality-deficient schlub transported to another world that runs on JRPG logic, where he instantly becomes the most OP person (or, well, sword) around and never has to struggle for anything. The characters and setting are all as painfully generic as every other entry in the genre. The plot wastes so much time rattling off video game stats to justify its boring OP worldbuilding that it forgets to write any sort of interesting or nuanced personalities for the people in its world. The production values are passably okay without ever showing a single shred of personality beyond the most by-the-basics staples of this watered-down Dragon Quest backwash. There is nothing worth recommending here, nothing you can get from this show that you can’t get in a million better ways elsewhere. And yet, Reincarnated as a Sword has one thing going for it: it doesn’t try and justify slavery. In fact, its real protagonist is an enslaved catgirl who breaks free from her chains and seeks to prove her worth, with the titular sword serving as her paternal guardian. And that alone puts this dull, uninspired, pointless slab of processed anime loaf above a decent chunk of its contemporaries in the isekai genre. Because that is how fucking far the bar has been lowered at this point. God help us all.

My Master Has No Tail: 4/10

The frustrating thing about My Master Has No Tail is that there’s not really anything wrong with it. It’s a cute little historical anime about a tanuki girl learning rakugo from a fox spirit in a time of huge technological upheaval for Japan, a time when all the old spirits are at risk of losing their place in the world and must find some way to adapt to the new era alongside humanity. That premise should result in something really interesting, or at least unique enough for a mellow slice-of-life hobby show with a supernatural twist. And yet despite the lack of things to complain about, I just could not get on this show’s wavelength. It just doesn’t push far enough in any direction to be memorable; the animation is competent but also as basic as it gets, the characters are inoffensive but simple, the comedy is decent but rarely rises above a chuckle. Every single aspect of this show is just a little too underwhelming to really make an impact, and with nothing but average everywhere you look, the whole thing ends up kinda boring. I do like the themes it’s playing with, how art is used as a vessel for spirits and humans to keep their connections strong in an increasingly secular, industrialized world, but it’s not enough to bring this show up anywhere above harmlessly mediocre. What a shame.

Arknights Prelude to Dawn: 4.5/10

I find myself fairly conflicted about the first season of Arknights. On the one hand, it’s a relief to get a gacha game adaptation with some actual gravitas behind it, and the story of a post-infection dystopian world struggling between compassion and justice has some genuinely complex things to say about the morality of living through hellish situations. And its cinematic production ambitions ensure it’s rarely boring to look at. On the other hand, though, I get the sense that whoever was behind the script didn’t take into account the differences between what works narratively in a video game and what works in a TV show. Divorced from their role as an audience surrogate/POV who needs to be explained everything so the player can understand how to play, the mostly silent Doctor comes off as a nothing character who could be cut from the show without changing anything. Ditto the under-explained, underutilized tactical cell phone that probably only existed in the first place to justify how the game’s combat looked and functioned, and the dialogue that’s mostly a series of plot points taking us from one Important Setpiece to the next. I want to like what Arknights is doing, but it’s not until the shockingly great final two episodes that it starts to feel like a proper show and not just a lavishly animated cutscene compilation. Hopefully the second season continues that upward trajectory, and maybe then we’ll be able to call this a truly excellent gacha anime.

Do It Yourself: 5/10

Between this show and Healer Girl from earlier this year, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I really need more than vibes to keep me interested in a show. Don’t get me wrong, vibes are good! But there’s a whole subsection of cute-girls shows that are basically nothing but vibes, and absent anything else to sink my teeth into, I find myself feeling very little connection to them. You’d think Do It Yourself might have a little more going on, what with its near-future setting, stabs at commentary on the importance of not letting automation fully run everything, and extremely gay undertones. But no, it’s mostly just cute girls doing DIY carpentry for twelve episodes. It’s a show for you to turn your brain off to and just, well, like I said, vibe to the expressive FLCL-esque art style and richly detailed guide to DIY carpentry with a bunch of intermittenly interesting characters. And while I can appreciate those vibes well enough, there’s so little intrigue to anything that I can’t really bring myself to care about it all that much. I dunno, maybe they shouldn’t have kept the one character who actually generates interesting narrative friction at arm’s length for nearly the entire show. And maybe they should’ve let Serafu and Pudding kiss. Actually, no maybes there, they definitely should’ve done that.

Play It Cool, Guys (1st Half): 5.5/10

Here’s a pleasant little surprise I don’t think anyone saw coming. Sure, this slice-of-life about a bunch of clumsy dudes navigating their own awkwardness isn’t gonna set the world on fire, but it’s become one of the more unusually absorbing short anime I’ve encountered in a while. I think what draws me to Play It Cool, Guys is that it’s just very unpretentious; it promises a chill twelve minutes every week of low-key sweet-natured comedy, and that’s exactly what you get. The punchlines aren’t amazing, but they pretty much always hit. The characters aren’t very complex or interesting, but they all carry themselves well enough that you enjoy seeing them on screen. It’s even got a certain kind of confidence to just be so low-key and not try to overextend itself with cheap gimmicks or recycled plot beats to grab your attention, because it trusts that its word and characters are charming enough to earn your investment on their own. And you know what? That confidence is not misplaced. It might not be my favorite thing in the world, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s just going to keep growing on me as it moves into its second cours. Check back at the end of winter, and I might just end up giving it a much more enthusiastic recommendation.

Urusei Yatsura (1st Half): 6/10

Is there still a point to Urusei Yatsura today? Yes, Rumiko Takahashi’s groundbreaking rom-com about an alien girl falling in love with a philandering douchenozzle invented the anime rom-com as we know it, not to mention possibly starting waifu culture itself with Lum. But fifty years later, with all its component parts iterated upon by basically every romance-adjacent anime that followed it, does the original property have anything left to offer on its own merits? Or is it a relic of a bygone time, no longer useful as anything but a historical artifact for tropes and archetypes that have all been used better by the works it ended up inspiring? Halfway through this modern reboot, I’m still not sure what the answer to that question is going to be. What I can say for sure is that this show makes me laugh more often than it doesn’t, and while not all of it has aged gracefully, it’s oddly refreshing to see just how much more egalitarian the anime rom-com used to be. This is no incel wank fantasy where a loser guy gets all the hot girls by doing basically nothing; this is a show where everyone’s just a little bit nuts, and you’re not so much rooting for anyone to get together as you are just enjoying the chaos that results when all these different flavors of asshole butt heads. That’s far more my speed than any of the wish fulfillment harem slop that learned all the wrong lessons from Urusei Yatsura’s success. Whether or not it’ll end up anything more than a series of mostly amusing episodic sketches remains to be seen, but for now, I’m content to just watch the madness unfold. Plus, it’s got Hiroshi Kamiya and Mamoru Miyano sniping at each other like every episode, you can’t not love that.

Pop Team Epic Season 2: 6/10

Sometimes, you just need a little chaos in your life. That sentence probably sums up the appeal of Pop Team Epic better than anything else I could ever write. Sometimes, you just want to let loose on a stream of consciousness through utterly batshit comedy skits that switch tone and animation style on a dime, packed with references to countless things you’re only vaguely aware of, never quite sure if all this insanity has any kind of point or if the pointlessness is itself the point. Pop Team Epic is just fucking weird, y’all. But it’s the kind of weird that clearly comes from a group of talented people having a blast throwing anything and everything at the wall just because they can, not caring about whether any of it sticks or not because the messy, nonsensical act of creating the damn thing in the first place is reason enough for it to exist. What other show will give you a dating sim spoof, yaoi lesbians, legitimately great mecha action, a final fantasy parody, gratuitous violence, a live action flipbook segment, and a full-on tokusatsu show starring Aoi Shota as a time-traveling sentai hero, all in the space of 12 episodes? If that kind of memetic insanity is your jam, then you need to get this show in your eyeballs yesterday. Pop Team Epic makes no goddamn sense, and god bless it for that.

Spy x Family Part 2: 7/10

Does a show need a plot? Is it enough for it to simply wander through a bunch of random side quests and coast on charm alone? That certainly seems to be what Spy x Family is banking on; after a relatively plot-solid first part where most episodes had at least a little in the way of new developments, part 2 seems content mostly to put the Forger family members in a variety of amusing scenarios and leave all the big picture stuff in the background until the final episode. And it’s a testament to just how damn charming these characters are- and how slick the production continues to be- that it mostly gets away with it. it’s fun watching Loid, Yor, and Anya bumble about as they slowly figure out what it means to live a “normal” life. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impatient for the plot to pick back up. I dunno, after so many episodes of just faffing about, I felt myself getting kind of burnt out on the sitcom hijinks. And it doesn’t help that the biggest new character introduced is basically just a genderswapped Yuri, a.k.a. the worst character in the series. Spy x Family works best when it’s balancing its fluffy and kickass sides, and part 2 just leaned a little too far into fluff for my tastes. I still had a lot of fun, but I’m more than ready for the Ostania-Westalis conflict to be important again.

Blue Lock (1st Half): 7/10

The premise of Blue Lock is one of those immediately head-slapping moments of “Wow, why has no one tried this before?” brilliance: what if you took a shonen sports anime and made it an edgy death game? Sports anime are already full of larger-than-life personalities and conflicts, so taking that over-the-top competitive camp and applying it to a situation where the characters have to destroy each other to get ahead in a winner-takes-all battle royale is such a no-brainer, I’m shocked it’s taken this long for someone to come up with it. Sure, you don’t actually die if you lose Blue Lock, but losing the ability to play competitive soccer ever again might as well be death for a shonen sports boy, so it still counts. Point is, this premise is certifiably genius. Which makes it slightly disappointing that so far, the show isn’t taking as much advantage of it as it could. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some of the skullduggery and backstabbing you’d expect from your typical death game, but for the most part, Blue Lock just plays like a traditional soccer anime. A very good soccer anime, to be sure, but I find myself wishing it was willing to get nastier and edgier and really take advantage of its premise. Hell, it’s not even the best straightforward soccer anime this year; Ao Ashi has it beat in everything but animation. So count me a fan, but also count me hopeful that it leans more into what makes it unique going forward.

Raven of the Inner Palace: 7.5/10

In a fantasy-tinged version of Medieval China, there lives an imperial courtesan known as the Raven Consort. But unlike the other courtesans, her duties do not involve, well, nighttime visits. No, her mission is to put to rest the wandering spirits of the dead, the shades of those who died with regrets or unfinished business that still tie them to the world of the living. As long as anyone can remember, she’s lived alone, existing for nothing but her mission with no bonds to the world around her. But when a new emperor deposes the corrupt regime, he makes it his mission to set right everything his forebearers set wrong... including freeing the Raven Consort from her isolation. Thus begins one of the most absorbing anime I’ve watched all year, a story of the sins of the past as they claw at the fabric of the present, the struggle to untangle eons of societal oppression, and what it truly means to make amends for mistakes that left scars too big to ever heal. Raven of the Inner Palace is a bit of a slow burn, but when it takes off, it fucking takes off. And I know most of you barely even heard about it because it was overshadowed by all the louder, flashier shows this season, so consider this your wake-up call. Don’t sleep on this one, it’s really damn good.

Akiba Maid War: 8.5/10

Honestly, I don’t even want to say anything about this one. I just want to tell you all that you need to fucking watch Akiba Maid War and let you experience its many surprises as deliriously blind as I did. So if that alone is enough to convince you to go watch it, then stop what you’re doing and go watch it before you’re spoiled on anything. But if you need a little extra convincing, then consider the following: what if I told you that this seemingly innocuous maid cafe show is not, in fact, a quaint little otaku-centric slice of life, but a full-on pastiche of yakuza movies that takes all the genre’s bloodshed and mayhem and filters it through maid-colored glasses? A show where maids gun each other down and jockey for power and get in vicious turf battles and yet never once break maid keyfabe? Where the simple joke of “yakuza movie but they’re maids” is played so straight and pushed so far to its absolute limit that it somehow wraps back around to being both a completely ludicrous parody of itself and a completely genuine, 100% heart-on-its-sleeve love letter to both seemingly incompatible sides of its double identity? And walks that seemingly impossible tonal tightrope near flawlessly before bringing it all home in a final episode so pitch-perfect it forced me to pump my score up half a point just from how hard it stuck the goddamn landing? Are you convinced yet? Did I mention there’s a thirty-six year old murder maid who totally kicks fucking ass and doesn’t let anyone shame her for being a middle-aged woman working a cutesy job? What more do you want from me? JUST GO FUCKING WATCH THIS SHOW ALREADY I SWEAR TO GOD

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury: 8.5/10

I had no idea what to expect going into my first ever Gundam anime. Sure, I was excited to finally get a taste of what this storied franchise had to offer, and the excellent prologue and promise of an interesting female protagonist were certainly reasons to be hopeful, but as someone who’s rarely clicked with mecha as a genre, I wasn’t sure how this first foray into the definitive mecha anime would turn out. What I never expected- what I don’t think anyone could’ve expected- was that The Witch From Mercury wasn’t content to just be the first even female-led Gundam. No, this show decided to be REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA. IN SPACE. WITH MECHA BATTLES. And I don’t think I need to say a goddamn thing more to convince you to watch this show. It’s goddamn Gundam Utena! It’s the queerest, most socially conscious anime of all time re-imagined with a futuristic metal exoskeleton, only with Utena’s symbolism-drenched ruminations on gender and patriarchy replaced with a no-less-compelling grounded portrayal of the evils of space capitalism and the political consequences of corrupt systems. Well, presumably; this first cours has mostly focused on the ground-level school romance antics as it builds up all that big picture stuff in the background. But I say again: GUNDAM. FUCKING. UTENA. I couldn’t have picked a better introduction to the world of Gundam if I tried. And as long as the second cours doesn’t shit the bed, this is going to go down in history as one of the greatest things to over come out of the mecha genre.

Bocchi the Rock: 9.5/10

And yet. Despite all the big shonens and bold anime originals, despite Chainsaw Man and My Hero Academia and Gundam Utena, when all was said and done, one series rose above them all. One series that looked at all those big names with a smirk and sailed past them as naturally as breathing. Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, Bocchi the Rock is a goddamn motherfucking masterpiece. It takes the band-girls coming-of-age majesty, the painfully relatable social anxiety of Watamote, and the sheer animation flexing of Nichijou, and blends them all together into a gut-busting, tear-jerking, jaw-dropping tour de force that raises the bar on what slice-of-life anime is capable of just as thoroughly as K-On did thirteen years ago. Hitori Gotou is a socially paralyzed weirdo who’s never had a real friend because her anxiety’s too overwhelming to make friends, but she knows how to play some mean guitar. So when a chance encounter leads to her joining a band, she resolves to stick with it and try to finally break out of her shell, one hilarious misstep at a time. It’s a wonderful story of overcoming what holds you back and finding a community that accepts you for who you are, brought to life with some of the most astonishingly Extra(tm) animation that regularly left me choking on my own laughter. And the music uniformly kicks ass, and the incredible supporting cast provides a wide array of perspectives of introversion and extroversion, and Ryou is such an asshole and I love her, and fucking hell, I love this show! Other anime may be deeper or more complex or have more to say, but almost nothing else is so consistently charming. Every second of this show is delightful. Every moment is lovable. It’s a new gold standard for animated comedy, for cute girls, for coming-of-age, and for music anime in general. Bocchi the Rock fucking rules, and every single one of you needs to give it a watch. Something tells me this is gonna be one of those shows we’re still going to be gushing over for many, many years to come.

[scrunkore]

Scrunkore Media "Thread" 2023: Part 5

I got burnout and never got back into it so I'm hella simplifying it lol shit happens

the scrunko core has burned out, rebooting

50) Wendell & Wild (Movie, 2022)

A lovingly crafted stop-motion animated movie with some good old kid-friendly horror vibes and a punky attitude, even starring a pretty nice transmasc character that I'm super happy to see. It's a nice story with a good visual style and a lot of heart, and I think Key and Peele being involved is pretty funny honestly. [4★]

51) Murder by Numbers (Switch, 2020)

Decent enough Picross game with a basic detective narrative stringing it together that I'm not really a huge fan of, but it does its job and I appreciate the adorable robot as well as some of its representation. And no idea how they got the composer from Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick, lmao [3★]

52) Pokémon Picross (GBC, Unreleased)

Yeah, this was better than the 3DS one, it's just basic Picross that doesn't do much (only real mechanic it adds is being able to change the music) but that's still better than the shitty mobile game model. They really should have just released this, it was straight-up finished and I even got a cart that works on original hardware because I think that's neat. [3.5★]

53) Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch, 2020)

Going to be killed for playing this as my first Paper Mario but who cares, this game is cool in spite of its awkward battle system (which DOES kinda suck). Just a fun adventure with typical quirky writing and some surprisingly powerful moments, plus an excellent soundtrack, I'm sure some of the earlier games are better but I did play this one and did enjoy it. [4★]

54/55) Knives Out/Glass Onion (Movies, 2019/2022)

Incredible pair of detective movies, both full of really engaging writing and directing work that keeps you invested and never stops being entertaining to watch, surely still really good on a rewatch too. They also really fuckin' hate rich people, especially the second one which is woke as hell and has one of my favourite endings in anything, so that's what some might call "based". I can't wait to see what Rian Johnson does for the third Benoit Blanc movie, which is apparently meant to be a 2024 release. [5★]

56) Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Comics, 2018-Present)

These are some damn enjoyable comics, telling some fun and generally quite well-written stories set after the events of Sonic Forces with a cast of really cool characters. Honestly kind of ride or die for Tangle and Whisper, but original villains like Dr Starline are great to read too. Early highlight is definitely the Metal Virus arc, but the more recent stuff with Surge was excellent too. Safe to say the team behind these stories know their shit. [4.5★]

57) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Movie, 2023)

They really did it, they went out of their way to make a bigger and better sequel to one of the greatest animated movies I've seen, and it's very possible that they succeeded... but we won't know until the second part comes out, which looks unfortunately unlikely to be any time soon because production sucked. Still, what we did get is yet another gorgeously animated spectacle with a cool storyline, everyone knows that. [4.5★]

58) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Movie, 2023)

One of the only parts of the MCU that I cared about more or less concluded with this movie, and fuck it might be the best one in the trilogy. Rocket's harrowing backstory really hits out with that theme of some jerkass playing god, and the core adventure of the film is pretty engaging too, just as cool as ever. Plus it's now confirmed Vocaloid exists in the MCU lol [4.5★]

59) The Suicide Squad (Movie, 2021)

Another instance of James Gunn making an actual good superhero movie, this time making a good adaptation of something that previously had a bit of a shit one. I appreciate the kinda edgy nature of the titular squad that was handled solidly here, and their antics are honestly pretty funny. Fun action sequences too, and it's honestly really cool how much the movie thinks rats are awesome (they kind of are tbh). Peter Capaldi, the best version of Doctor Who, playing a mad scientist role is also just... really good. [4★]

60) Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (Movie, 2022)

Man fuck Disney, this is obviously the best version of the Pinocchio story and their attempt to overshadow it was lame as hell. I quite like the darker take on the story with themes of death and war around Italy's rise of fascism (Tom Kenny Mussolini is crazy btw), and of course the stop-motion animation is really quite excellent. Always love to see movies made in such a way. [4★]

61/62) Sonic and the Secret Rings/Black Knight (Games, 2007/2009)

Yeah, I get why the storybook duo of games have a bad reputation, because the motion control gimmicks kinda suck, but Secret Rings suffers from it far more than Black Knight, and that still has the cool ideas and solid writing combined with a great soundtrack (both games have this). Maybe the mission-based level structure isn't great, but there's some fun stuff to be found in these. Wish they were better though. [2.5★/3.5★]

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[ridley-was-a-cat]

What I Watched This Week – 11/5 – 11/11

Pluto – I came to this without ever reading or watching any Astro Boy or other Tezuka manga, and I’ve never read or watched anything by Naoki Urasawa, but I got into this just fine without ever feeling like I was missing a prerequisite or something. I understand that it’s a reimagining of the Astro Boy manga about a lifelike boy robot named Atom, who, in this story, gets caught up in a series of murders involving other advanced robots and several humans who were instrumental in developing robot technology or in the movement to give robots civil rights. Most of the story centers on the police investigator named Gesicht, who is a robot himself, as he travels around the world meeting with other robots and scientists he suspects will be future targets, unravelling a giant world-altering plot in the process.

The story is paced well, dishing out bits of background on the world and the characters slowly as the investigation plods along, and the animation was usually very good, with a few excellent moments that made perfect use of lighting or action to be particularly moving. My one complaint would be the way the female characters were few and limited to being wives and relatives of the male characters. The male characters were entirely responsible for driving the action, whether that was through fighting or being a brilliant scientist, while the female characters were restricted to having feelings about what was happening. Some of that is due to the source material, I’m sure, but the choice to retain this gender divide in a reimagining is thoughtless at best. 8/10

Nichijou – This is my second try at watching this series, as I started it years ago and turned it off in the middle of one of the Hakase and Nano skits early in the series and never went back. I don’t live under a rock, so I keep seeing all the clips from this show that are objectively hilarious and gorgeously animated, so I gave it another go. After watching the whole thing this time, it’s just a case of feast or famine. Pretty much all of the skits involving the kids from the school are incredibly funny, and any time Hakase is on screen being a tiny sociopath in a voice that tests the range of sounds the human ear can register without bleeding, the show is insufferable. Luckily, more of the show involves the school cast than the Shinonome household, so it’s a good enough time. 7/10

Appleseed – I feel like I’ve seen this 80’s OVA talked about over the years, but after watching it, I’m not sure why this would have been much of a hit for anyone. It’s set in the aftermath of World War III, with what’s left of humanity living in a utopian city run by genetically engineered humans called “bioroids”, and follows a human woman and her cyborg partner on the police force as they track down a terrorist. The story generally felt underdeveloped, like it was speeding through the plot without stopping to take the time to flesh out character motivations and make sure things made sense. By the end of the runtime, I’m not sure who I should have been rooting for, and the conclusion felt anticlimactic. 6/10

[misoshio]

Skip to Loafer Anime Episode 1, Part 1 - Thoughts and more thoughts? (Part 1/3)

WOW first of all - what an INCREDIBLE 1st episode! As someone who absolutely loves the manga, to see it in animation was something I was really looking forward to. I wouldn’t say I had high expectations, it was more so that I was simply excited to just see one of my favourite mangas be animated, but wow - honestly, I’d say rather than the anime doing the manga justice, I feel as though the anime does its own justice.

I watched the episode twice, on the surprise early livestream in the skip to loafer discord, as well as the pre-scheduled livestream, and then once more up until the halfway point to make screenshots.

My first impressions were as follows:

what studio ghibli vibes (this is a big, big compliment)

this pacing is awesome, and the anime has really awesome transitions/new perspectives that weren't in the manga

the visuals, especially the colours really stood out to me

the characters - the voice acting

the soundtracks coming in and the sound effects AHH!

but let’s take a deeper dive! with things that stuck out to me with the episode and differences between the anime and the manga that I thought were interesting!

NOTE: this does contain manga spoilers/ spoilers to episode 1 of the anime

1. Cherry blossoms and our very first visual scene

I’m going to mention cherry blossoms A LOT, because they’re also laid out throughout the whole episode. Interestingly enough, cherry blossoms are not in the first chapter itself, but they are the cover of volume 1 as well as chapter 1! I LOVE the inclusion of it. Throughout the episode it’s used often as a means to transition from one scene to another, but I think the use of it is also a standout in a certain scene (which will be mentioned later on in part 3)

How cool is it that as the anime has just released its first episode, in the SPRING season of anime, and that the sakura are in full bloom right now in Japan. (I was actually recently in Japan just this past week and Tokyo's sakura were in full bloom, which is why seeing this inclusion in the skip to loafer anime when the manga chapter didn’t have any of it, is a change I found really awesome and also personal!)

2. This shot that I am dubbing the Mitsumi dun-dun drone-shot

LOVE this pan-out of Mitsumi turning her head to make her pose on the balcony, SUPER cool shot visually, it gives me epic, it gives me life. Visually, it's just a great transition! And it's one of MANY great transitions

3. Train window reflection

In the manga, we don’t have any idea where Mitsumi is having these thoughts as she thinks about her friends and her hometown, but in the anime as she says "Growing up with my best friend, how cool is that" and is looking at the panda pin, we see that it’s while she’s on her train to Tokyo, which is different from the manga and is very cool - and...

... this then transitions gorgeously into this

4. Our first Magical Cherry Blossom Transition

With the petals blowing with the background of Mitsumi’s hometown, then focusing on a single petal (which, hmmm might be a symbol for Mitsumi? ) and then we see our petal-Mitsumi fly into a background of Tokyo

Sidenote: I saw this white car moving and was like huh? I’m 99% sure it’s the car Mitsumi’s friends used to drive to the station so they could see Mitsumi off! It's something SO small, but i thought it was lovely to see their car drive away, the last bit of Mitsumi's hometown going, and then seeing the gust of cherry blossoms transition into a single one and then we’re in Tokyo

lol, moving on

5. Getting ready (well, most of them)

Quaking and shaking.  Here we are with some lovely getting ready shots of some of the significant characters at this point early on in the story. I think a lot of us manga-readers were absolutely pleasantly surprised by these shots! Our faves in action!!!

First, Yuzuki

Second, Mukai

Third, Mika??? I zoomed ahead later on in the episode since this person had their nails painted and I wanted to see if Mika did in the shot of hers when she first talks to Mitsumi. Alas, no nails done, and honestly though I would think that having one character constantly have painted nails for everything would be a lot of work. Painted nails does seem very Mika to me though!!! I just want confirmation on who this is haha!

Fourth, Kinomoto? Was honestly surprised to see her included if this is who it is! I'd assume though, given the short hair, and the twirl does say Kinomoto to me!

Fifth, Makoto

Sixth, Yamada

Seventh……..SHIMA

VERY FUN that our intro to him is so contrary, not only in action of not getting ready as we see the different characters do in the previous shots, but also!! the colour schemes is pretty much in dark whereas everyone else is in bright light

Eighth!!!!!! Last but certainly not least: MITSUMI-CHAN (and the panda-pin I mean how cute is that!)

ALSO "Kanpeki"

C’mon, that attitude in the “Perfect." This little self-comment is another anime addition that is just so tasty!

I mentioned this in my general comments about the voice acting, but wowza does the voice actor Kurosawa make a perfect Mitsumi

-

Link to Part 2/3

[skinnyscottishbloke]

TOP SHOWS PART ONE

Okay here’s a list of my top shows, in no particular order, based on rewatchability, acting, cinematography, writing, surprising moments, and overall season by season/series satisfaction

HEARTSTOPPER

Perfect 10/10 A+ emotional fluff serotonin producing GORGEOUSNESS. The casting, writing, directing, acting, music choices, cinematography, and impact could not be improved in any way. I cannot wait for s02!! Queer joy forever 💖💖💖 Nick and Charlie are my children now and need to be protected at all costs.

SENSE8

One of the most unique, stunning, surprising, and satisfying shows I’ve ever seen. A+ 10/10 would not change anything (except how it got cancelled, fuck off Netflix). ALSO QUEER JOY FOREVER 💕💕💕💕 The Wachowskis are goddesses of film making sorry it’s true I don’t make the rules.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

It’s kickass, it’s groundbreaking, it’s funny, it’s campy, it’s sad, and the 90s fashions are ON FUCKING POINT. It’s a classic for a goddamn reason okay??? For a show about supernatural beings it manages to be one of the most human and relatable things I’ve ever watched.

PEAKY BLINDERS

A show about working class gangsters with a Roma background set in Birmingham England right after WWI?? YES PLEASE. Amazing acting and costume design and a whole lot of ‘what the fuck just happened?!’ moments. Come for Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, stay for Helen McRory as Aunt Polly. Cause she’s a baddaassssss.

LEVERAGE

Found family found family found family!! A show that manages to take 5 main characters on arcs that end in better places than they started, which is so so refreshing. Incredible acting, and plots that manage to combine humor and gut punches with a slight hint of camp (aka my happy place). Added bonus for calling out capitalism and corruption without seeming too overbearing. 10/10 A+ no notes.

BLACK SAILS

Technically it’s a prequel to Treasure Island set during the Golden Age of Piracy; realistically it’s a hell of a lot more surprising, heartbreaking, and GAY than that. Another show that manages to make you go ‘what the fuck?!’ at every turn. A+ costumes and cinematography. And the characters themselves are so complex and intriguing; they’re angry and defiant and have a relatable ‘we’re gonna lose this war but we WILL make it an end to remember’ energy. Also Toby Stephens as Captain Flint. I mean. GODDAMN.

BONES

Probably the most ‘normal’ show on this list but like. IT IS SO GOOODDDD. The cases are well done, the cast of characters is interesting, the music is on point and so poignant, and the finale is satisfying. Do they have some misses along the way? Yeah for sure. It ran for 11 seasons it’s not really a surprise there were some problems. But they also had great representation for an early 2000s show (Cam, a black woman, running the lab, Angela being bisexual), great plot arcs, and some of the best individual television episodes I’ve ever seen (Gravedigger anyone? Judas on a Pole?) Plus these 2. I just love them so much.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

Where do I even start with this one? Cool world building? Check. Awesome animation and design? Check. A wide variety of characters, especially nuanced and non stereotypical female ones? Absolutely! ATLA will make you laugh, cry, and think about the world, all in one episode. Then there’s Zuko. His arc is just one of the best examples of character growth ever seen on TV. I love this show as much as the cabbage merchant loves his cabbages. 10/10 A+.

NORTH AND SOUTH (BBC)

If you love period dramas but are sick of shows that focus exclusively on upper crust rich people problems, watch this 2004 mini series. It’s based on an 1850s novel by Elizabeth Gaskell and follows the story of a girl who grew up in the countryside in the south of England but then moves to the grittier, darker, more industrial north. There’s in your face poverty, worker’s strikes, political upheaval and a whole lot more. It’s fabulous. Brendan Coyle and Richard Armitage star and let me tell you, RICHARD IS IMMACULATE. It also features the BEST ONSCREEN KISS OF ALL TIME I MEAN JFC LOOK AT THAT JAWLINE I AM DEAD.

BROOKLYN 99

Aaaaahhhhh this show!! It’s diverse, it’s poignant, it’s clever, it laughs at toxic masculinity, it’s quotable af, it’s a sitcom that proves you don’t have to be an asshole to be hilarious. The ensemble is lovable, the relationships are on point and oh, did I mention it’s HELLA QUEER? 10/10 everyone go watch.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Doctor Who

I love particular seasons of it but not every doctor or season soooo I can’t really say it’s a favorite all time overall show. Ninth and Tenth Doctor tho? THOSE ARE MY BOYS.

Merlin

I know I know I know - how is it not a top show when 60% of my blog is Merthur? Idk man. I’ve only watched it once and I really like to live in the fic universe more. Sorry. Maybe I’ll do a rewatch and my feelings will change but until then…🤷🏻‍♀️ I still love you Colin and Bradleyyyyyy.

Good Omens

Another show that I’ve only watched once. I absolutely ADORE the Aziraphale and Crowley dynamic but I don’t really care about the rest of the show or characters? So I can get all the ineffable spouses cuteness I need from fic. I am looking forward to s02 though!

The White Queen

Based on a Philippa Gregory novel, this is another Tudoresque historical drama telling the story of Elizabeth Woodville and the Wars of the Roses. The acting is really good and the pacing well done. I’ve watched it a few times and really enjoyed it.

[bardicbramley]

Bramley's Book Of The Week - Master Thread

I've been adding to a thread over on my twitter (bardicbramley) every week-ish with a new Children's or YA book that I have read recently and would recommend! With everything happening on twitter, I'm going to make a master list of all my recommendation so far here, and then continue adding them to a tag on this blog as well, just in case!

So, without further ado... #bramleysbotw so far!

31/10/22 - Home by Tonya Lippert and Andrea Stegmaier

A gentle story of homelessness giving so much space for understaning & discussion. A great tool for deeper talking ab houseless people, different types of homes and unstable living situations with gorgeous, simple yet detailed art.

7/11/22 - How To Be More Hedgehog by Anne-Maire Conway

So much deep and true emotion, a relatable MC and great messages of self advocacy, confidence and activism. As someone with selective mutism and tics, I enjoyed every second of Lily's proudly stammer-filled journey.

14/11/22 - Lifesize by Sophy Henn

Over to my library kids for this #bramleybotw A new addition that they've not stopped talking about...Even my most energetic readers are sitting on the floor, reading the animal facts to their friends and comparing their hands to that of a polar bear!

21/11/22 - Me and My Dysphoria Monster by Laura Kate Dale and Ang Hui Qing

In honour of #transawarenessweek2022 and as a personal thank you from a trans educator. An amazing addition to trans children's literature (& kidlit in general) that I would highly recommend to other educators!

28/11/22 - Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders and Carol Rossetti

A beautiful and uplifting non fiction to support girls in loving and appreciating their body for all the amazing things it can do, and all the incredible ways it can look.

I needed more words to also talk about the incredible art in this week's choice. The colour pallet just so comforting and the style is a new favourite of mine!

5/12/22 - Paws by Kate Foster

My younger self would have loved this book and even now I adore it. It has authentic #actuallyautistic representation (without negativity!) and is all round a lovely story.

6/1/23 - When I See Blue by Lily Bailey

An emotional and gritty real world adventure with Ben, as he navigates making friends, protecting his alcoholic mother, and battling the bully in his head, his OCD. A tough but beautiful read.

30/1/23 - Star Knights by Kay Davault

A Graphic Novel filled with self acceptance, incredible worldbuilding and animals that turn into magical adventurers?! I mean come on, how could I not rec this one 💖 bonus points for queer rep too.

9/2/23 - All To Play For by Eve Ainsworth

It's recommended by Empathy Lab UK this year and I couldn't agree more. It has Barrington Stoke's signature dyslexia friendly pages and font - but so much more than that. A story of family, class and determination.

20/2/23 - Birdsong by Katya Balen

I'm a bit late to the party with this one. I've seen so many people sing it's praises! A gorgeously honest, emotional and raw story that any child will love, but will strike a chord with certain ones especially.

27/2/23 - Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess

A graphic novel about a secret teen pop star with a wonderful autistic main and genderqueer side character representation? Of course it was amazing!

6/3/23 - Tyger by SF Said

Much like Phoenix, the dedication to world building, the layered, lovable characters, and the beautifully descriptive language had me gripped from the very start. Dave McKean's incredibly detailed and emotive illustrations surely helped!

13/3/23 - Needle by Patrice Lawrence

An incredible heartfelt read for UKS2/MG/KS3 - exploring often avoided topics of fostering, UK police and court systems, racial profiling, when to be honest (or fake it), whose voices matter most and questionable justice.

20/3/23 - Twelfth Grade Night by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm and Jamie Green

Sometimes you really just need a queer, unapologetically corny modern Shakespeare smash retelling of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and that's 100% okay! I got you covered!

In all seriousness, with all the hatred filling queer spaces atm, it was great to just float in a fun, sweet, dramatic world full of lovable ✨fairies✨The illustrations caught me instantly - the pining faces, the dramatic lighting! A teen romcom Will'd be proud of.

28/3/23 - Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

A beautiful UKS2+ novel in verse following Jude's journey across oceans, growing up, making friends and finding her voice. Rich and realistic, not shying away from subjects often avoided, and with poetic Arabic intertwined.

3/4/23 - Frizzy by Claribel A. Oretga and Rose Bousamra

Whilst not my own cultural story, it resonated deeply still 💖 an incredibly honest, beautiful and joyous graphic novel with gorgeous colours and rebellious questioning of generational trauma!

12/4/23 - Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes Smith

I put it off for so long bc I was a little scared it might not live up to my hopes, but it was so much more than I imagined. The love I have for these kiddos (and Callie's dads 😭) is intense. Kidlits often shy away from big, scary or rebellious topics. Neither Callie nor Esme are afraid to speak up ab what trans kids (and so many others) need/deserve to hear, and I am so proud of them for that. This is the book I needed as a kid - I am so glad it exists now 💖⚔️

24/4/23 - Jamie by LD Lapinski

A powerful story of never backing down and demanding your full self to be acknowledged. I'm so excited to see a story encouraging children to stand up for themselves and recognise that adults can be (& often are) wrong.

5/5/23 - Dungeon Club: Roll Call by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma

Great for those who haven't played and incredible for those who have - the use of D&D stat blocks and dual narrative (irl and in game) 🙌🏻 simply amazing! Can't wait for the next!

15/5/23 - Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester

Being autistic, sometimes partially or non-speaking, and having struggled with confidence all my life - I just loved this little joyful tale. Realistic but hopeful, with easily likeable, well rounded mcs!

22/5/23 - My Brother is Away by Sara Greenwood and Luisa Uribe

A /beautifully/ illustrated and gently poignant picturebook of a child whose brother is incarcerated. I've seen this kind of book before, but this is it done right, well, and to a v. high quality.

19/6/23 - Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Been meaning to read this for so long, finally have, and of course its been added to my all time favourites list! What an incredible, reflective and honest piece of art for children. I don't do mandatory reading, but if I did: top of the list.

26/6/23 - The Golden Hour by Niki Smith

A gorgeous graphic novel, upper KS2-3 cusp/YA. It takes a beautifully artistic and honest look into managing childhood PTSD from gun violence, with help from an eye for photography, a cute calf, and a first queer crush 💖

3/7/23 - My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee

A sweet and exciting story of adventurers, curses and mysteries with a healthy dash of queer and disabled representation, all whilst learning to see past first impressions.

[staravya]

tagged by: @coffinbirds​ rules: post 10 of your favorite movies and tag 10 people

not in any particular order because I can’t pick favorites BUT

Into the Spiderverse self-explanatory. looks great, sounds great, and everyone sings its praises for good reason!  

How To Train Your Dragon specifically 1 & 2. (I simply don’t acknowledge 3.) also the “Gift of the Night Fury” short, which I adore so much. a boy and his dragon working together to make the world a more accepting space, what’s not to love! they’re iconic and I love them.  

Spirited Away my first ghibli film, which scores a special place in my heart. lovely story with lively characters of all kinds.  

Promare the color! the music! the homoeroticism between an arsonist and a firefighter who both really just want to save people so they enemies-to-lovers about it! the lampshaded anime tropes that nonetheless are treated with affection rather than disdain! a love letter to anime in all the best ways. seriously though this movie is worth watching just for the pure spectacle of color.  

Pacific Rim drift compatibility reshaped the way i view interpersonal relationships between characters for the better. the mortifying ordeal of being known only it’s not mortifying, it’s wonderful and can sprout between people of all different walks of life, and it’s used to power giant robots to fight giant monsters. what else could you want! (not a sequel. don’t—just don’t look at anything but this movie okay it’s not worth it.)  

The Legend of Hei aka the story of the cutest animated kitty ever. he’s just trying to find a home! this is also one of my sister’s favorite movies so it gets bonus points and it deserves it tbh! adorable movie, beautiful landscapes, characters with cool powers animated gorgeously.  

Wolfwalkers the style of this movie is just. so good. discovering that those beasts your father hunts are just trying to live! becoming one of them! all of it depicted in stunningly drawn movement! the whole running with the wolves sequence never gets old.  

Jiang Ziya how do I even begin to describe how much I love this movie. it’s about someone just trying to save the person in front of him. it’s about questioning authority that abides by murder “for the greater good”. it’s about breaking the cycle at its root. it’s about trusting your senses above what you’re told, about doing what’s right, about a father demanding that heaven be just to the people it reigns over, about a kid who wants a family—there are so many themes that I love to bits in this movie. plus the animation’s great!  

Everything Everywhere All At Once would you love me if i was a rock (yes) (always yes) (a thousand times in a thousand worlds yes). funny moments interspersed with some of the most soul-wrenching conversations between mother and daughter that really just leave you thinking, oh, it’s love. it’s always been love.  

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron my childhood, in a nutshell. honse! incredible music! just a horse trying to get back to his herd and finding an understanding of people along the way. and also blowing up that one train lmao.

tagging: (no pressure if you don’t want to 💙) @chrysalizzm @tea-with-veth @meitantei-lavi @disastermovie @altair214 @onetobeamup @kdm13 @rainbowdragonn @feralsylph @raifuujin