#it’s very similar to the ghost stories dub

[lowcallyfruity]

THERES ACTUALLY NO FUCKING WAY THE HETALIA DUB IS REAL THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY LIKE THAT IS THIS LMFAOOOOOO WHAT IS WRONG WOTH THEM I HATE THEM LMFAOOOOOO I HATE THIS ANIME HOLY SHOTTT IM LAUGHING SO HARDDDDDD

[cakypa120]

I've been having a crack idea with Justice League believe that Danny and Captain Marvel are like a version of Hades and Persephone just switched around

The ancients (Clockwork and Pandora) in the background not trusting Captain Marvel due to his connection to the Greek gods due to their past unsavory experiences with them and not wanting Danny to be with Captain Marvel because of that

So the Justice League think that there are a reverse Persephone and Hades they think that Captain Marvel dried Danny up to the mortal plane to be with him for like 6 months instead of it being the other way around and having to drop Danny back off to the realm of the Dead

And the ancients don't make it better with their dramatic mess over it.

But I think that would be so cute and funny for those two to have like a reverse Persephone and Hades type thing front of everyone like Danny talking about how much he misses the infinite rounds and he can't wait to go back

Or Billy when he's being Captain Marvel around the Justice League talking about how he can't wait to have Danny back for the next 6 months because Danny cleared his schedule but they take it as the Persephone and Hades thing

Like Danny's real name is actually Phantom back in the infinite Realms but up on the surface he's called Danny

Just like Persephone sometimes was known as Kore back on the surface before she became Hades wife

Just imagine the the confusion with the Justice League

This is just a great idea!!

Everyone knows the story of Persephone and Hades. EVERYONE. It's a story that's ingrained in the human mind with our mother's milk. Some people think it's romantic, some think it's horrible, because Persephone was kidnapped and literally forced to live in the underworld. The debate about this story is as old as the world and is a common topic of conversation.

And then the Phantom appears in the League's life. Who was very close to Captain Marvel. Too close. It's not hard to put two and two together to get four. Now the question remains how Marvel could love this ghost. Perhaps Marvel loved the Phantom before he died. There are versions, money has been placed, answers have not been received.

And at this moment, the one whom the League has dubbed the Phantom's father appears. Clockwork, time itself.

Phantom: Are you doing this again, old man?

Clockwork: You have a job to do, young man! You shouldn't be here of all places! This world doesn't suit you!

Phantom: But Marvel is here!

Clockwork: Don't say the name of that damned Champion of those crazy Gods!

Phantom: Remind me whose degenerates these are?

Clockwork talked about the Watchtower and the world of heroes in general, which Danny had become completely immersed in when he met Billy. Danny began to shirk his duties and preferred Billy's company. This greatly irritated Clockwork.

The League thought that the ghost was talking about the world of the living. After all, ghosts can't walk freely where living people live. And Clockwork's obvious dislike for Marvel gave rise to certain thoughts. Then Flash jokingly says that the situation of Marvel and the Phantom is similar to the situation of Persephone and Hades, only in reverse. Then everyone looked at him. Indeed. It was very similar to that situation.

Further observations only confirmed this.

Marvel: I missed you so much! *hugs Phantom and laughs* I have so much planned for us!

Phantom: I can't wait!

It was after a long separation, when Danny had to resolve a conflict in the Ghost Zone. It had dragged on for far too long.

The League quietly watched their conversation.

Phantom: I get so homesick sometimes. (Referring to Amity Park, since he had to leave for school)

Flash: Why don't you just go back?

Phantom: It's not time yet.

Marvel: I literally had to drag you out of the underworld to see you.

Phantom: I didn't ask you to do this. You just wanted to steal me.

They talk about the time Billy stole Danny from under Pandora's nose to go to a cafe. They ate apples covered in edible gold.

Phantom: Pandora was so mad then. But those golden apples were really tasty.

Marvel: I had to work hard to get them.

Diana almost faints at that moment. She thinks that Phantom ate Hera's golden apples, which Marvel either stole or earned honestly. Maybe that's why Phantom could appear in the mortal world? Also, Pandora's name dealt her an extra blow. Superman carried her aside so that Phantom and Marvel wouldn't see the Amazon's plight.

Batman: I'm surprised that you, Marvel, have such a strong relationship with the Phantom. You two have complete understanding and harmony.

Marvel: So Uncle Hades' lessons weren't in vain!

Batman: Uncle Hades?

Marvel: Yes. He was my relationship advisor. Aunt Persephone helped a lot, too.

Batman looks at Marvel. Marvel called Hades his uncle, so the theory that Marvel was the son of Zeus is confirmed. Zeus is the son of Chronos, now known as Clockwork. Phantom is also the son of Clockwork. That makes Phantom and Marvel uncle and nephew. Wasn't Persephone Hades' niece? Bruce's head is starting to hurt from all this ancient god stuff. Why can't they just sit on Olympus and drink wine? Why did the nephew steal his uncle to the living world this time and make him his husband?

Marvel: Danny will be here soon~ Danny will be here soon~

Superman: Who's Danny?

Marvel: *freezes, not realizing Superman is there* Th-that's Phantom's name in the underworld. Please don't tell him I blurted out his name! He might get offended and not come to me.

Superman: What's wrong with the name?

Marvel: Phantom just doesn't like it when anyone but me says it. You don't want Clockwork to lock him up for a hundred years for killing you, do you?

Superman: I swear I'll never say Phantom's name again in my entire life.

Marvel: Thank you! You're saving my marriage!

Pandora: *stands in the Watchtower* Where's Phantom?! Visiting time is over! Time to return to the underworld!

Phantom: *flies out of the wall* Do you always have to put on such a show? You could have just sent Dani.

Pandora: You're the royal heir! I can't let you end up in danger!

Phantom: From who? From the heroes?

Pandora: From Marvel!

Marvel: Are you up to your old tricks? I apologized!

Pandora: That doesn't excuse your behavior! I don't believe you, Champion! What happened back then has forever lowered you in my eyes. (Still that incident of Danny stealing from class to go to the cafe)

Phantom: Argh! That was a long time ago!

Pandora: Still! I can't believe that's what Hades told you to do.

Marvel: Persephone also said it was a great idea.

Pandora: Don't steal! Is it that hard not to steal?

Phantom: Okay, enough! This argument is getting us nowhere, again! Let's go Pandora. Marvel, I love you.

Marvel: I love you too!

Pandora:*makes "I'm watching you" sign*

Marvel:*makes "I'm watching you" sign too*

League aside:*silent and afraid to move*

This confirmed that Marvel had stolen the Phantom from the mortal world and bound him to the living world with golden apples. And this was done on Hades' advice. Dinah had prepared a long lecture on dubious ways of flirting and such. She had a long conversation with Marvel ahead of her.

[szhmidty]

I can never really get over how much of the resentment towards modern art is based purely on some group of art nerds liking art you hate and disliking/dismissing art you like, and being strident about it.

With architecture, I kinda get it. You are forced, in some sense, to engage with architecture. It's funny to me that there seems to be widespread ignorance about the fact that large bricks of steel, glass, and concrete keeping getting made for economic reasons rather than artistic ones, but the distaste and frustration for it makes sense.

You just don't have to go to an art gallery full of modern art, though. Duchamp's fountain is not hiding in your closet ready to jump you.

"But szhmidty, all these hoity-toity art critics say that bullshit, degenerate modern art is supremely important, some of them even insult your intelligence or proclaim you ignorant for not liking a painting with 3 stripes or a "sculpture" that's just a lamp with a barbie doll shoved in the bulb socket."

So? Why do you care? Why do you worry about their opinion? They don't matter! They don't determine the direction of commercial art, and their relevance outside their narrow field is negligible. They don't matter, or they wouldn't if you'd just get over your seething hatred.

Why do you care if this person called you a baby for your art taste? In what way does it affect you? Why does it make you so angry? I truly do not get it.

At a certain point, I need you to realize that you're trolling yourself.

==========

You know what art I "love"? Christian art. Well, the stuff that's well crafted and coherent enough to be somewhat entertaining on it's own merits.

I didn't bother watching God's Not Dead 2 though 46 or whatever, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first one. That movie evinces a level of contempt for me, me as a person, me as someone who thinks like I do, in a really pure, unadulterated way.

The studio, actors, and champions of God's Note Dead deeply hate me and everyone like me.

But for the life of me I cannot muster resentment towards that film that comes within an order of magnitude of the resentment towards modern art and it's defenders.

There is, I guess, the unpleasant fact that I share a world with millions of people like that, that such people ultimately decide national policies. I would prefer that not be the case.

But on a personal level I just don't value or care about their opinions enough to be insulted by them. It's like being insulted by a toddler. I would genuinely be more upset if a friend's kid called me a butt-face in anger. At least I want the kid to like me.

==========

I have a similar dynamic with "subs only" anime fans. You have specific cases where the dub is more of an adaptation of the original, where there are strong differences between the sub and the dub, and for those I'll grant that the sub is probably better.*

I'd originally written up a paragraph on subs vs dubs here, but actually it just doesn't matter. I basically never watch a sub unless the dub is genuinely horrible, or the story is wildly different because the dub got censored for american audiences or whatever, or if a dub literally doesn't exist.

There's a large contingent of anime fans who feel contempt for me as someone who defaults to watching dubs. They will openly mock and belittle dubs preferers.

And like. I just can't care. Outside of a personal enjoyment in having arguments and yelling about things I do and don't like, I simply feel nothing when I see contemptuous comments from subs preferers.

*The exception is Ghost Stories. Anyone who recommends the sub over the dub isn't merely a disciple of the holy art of subtitles, they're just delusional. Or they hate the very specific brand of humour that the Ghost Story dub is going for, but if I'm being honest I would not believe the average crunchy roll subscriber if they claimed to dislike it. I've seen what makes them cheer.

==========

There's something of an irony to writing 10 paragraphs dedicated to people who insult me only for me to end each section with "I don't care." Like why would I write so much if I didn't care?

Mostly I'm just trying to look for cases where I might be on the other side of this issue, the side of the insulted, belittled, and demeaned, to put myself in the hot seat, as it were.

You can believe me when I say "I don't care" or not, I don't care.

[gwenniesqueals]

Currently watching 03-06-2025

Holy moly I really do come across as someone who doesn't do anything but watch tv...

Currently Watching:

Boys in Love: Still a cute show, I love that we got more Papang and Podd moments this last episode

Break-up Service: Absolutely loving all the Cameos. I am still frustrated with the main two though, shocker.

Ex-Morning: I have yet to watch SOTUS so I'm sure I'm missing some Easter eggs, but I love the dynamic and the storyline

Eye Contact: I've got a live reaction going to this series, and man, I feel like such a Chain hater lol

Oh My Ghost Clients: It was new this week so we've started out with two episodes, I will keep watching for now, I think it's good. I got a good cry at the second episode.

Good Boy: The bisexual panic I have experienced with just two episodes would send a nun to the hospital. Not only do I love the fight scenes and camera work, but the actor's chemistry is so good.

My Sweetheart Jom: Not that this show is bad, its not, I just have to rewatch the episode before watching the current episode there hasn't been much going on... I feel bad saying that because they've had cute moments but *shrugs*

Tastefully Yours: I am slightly behind on this one because I'm watching it with my partner but I am enjoying it so far.

Knock Out: Props to the director and the fight coordinator because holy hell these scenes could not get any better.

I Love a Lot of You: I thought I would like this one more, and it's not that I don't enjoy it, I just doesn't keep my attention for as long as the other shows.

Season of Love in Shimane: I don't know what I was expecting this last episode, but that was NOT it and content warning for those who go to watch episode 3 and have not yet. The last 15 minutes...whew.

The Next Prince: I do have my live reactions to this up, I cannot imagine any other main couples staring in this. NuNew is so talented and the support characters are going to send me this show has become lightly less predictable because of the secondary storylines.

Nine Puzzles: I am obsessed, I have binged as much as I can, my only complaint is that it's dubbed. It's driving me insane.

I Promise I will Come Back: I feel like such a hater this week, please forgive me, I will probably be dropping this show. I'm just so bored of it...

Pump Up the Healthy Love: They did the main man dirty. I understand the stigma in South Korea is different from America, but the fatphobia is too much some times. I do find it too hard to watch on occasion with the second hand embarrassment but I'm sticking to it and only a few more episodes left.

Reset: First episode was this week, the throw backs so far are jarring. Also how old am I supposed to believe this man is? It can be a little confusing so far, but i'm sure that is to move the storyline forward. The Nokia phone was the biggest "oh shit i'm so old" moment i've had.

Our Unwritten Seoul: I love Park Bo Young, so much. She is not only an amazing actress, but seems so genuine. Her playing twins with VERY different personalities and doing it well, I could never. The story of the twins going through their different lives and different issues, and yet getting similar advice that they both very much needed, whew. This show is so emotional yet cute. I squee every time I see the rich boss do something cute.

Second Shot at Love: I need the secondary couple to just be already. I cannot continue with all these layers of miscommunication it's getting so frustrating.

My Stubborn: Sorn needs to step up already. Either he needs to step up, voice his feelings clearly, or end it. Jun I feel has made it more clear how he feels. He even stated in the last episode that he enjoys Sorn more now AND he initiated the intimacy. Jun needs to pull away or dedicate.

Sweetheart Service: Not sure what I expected from a Korean BL but half of what has happened has shocked me. I need more though.

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist: Remember last week when I said I put off watching the episode because I thought it would be too emotional? WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS WEEKS?? I cried and cried like why? I want my cute little playfulness back. Please...

Finished shows:

Cooking Crush: Apparently I'm on an OffGun kick and will not stop. Not upset about it, the show was cute

My Golden Blood: If you remember, or actually read all of this, you'd know I was watching this with one of my friends, We made a lot of jokes at the expense of the CGI, but a few tears were shed when it all ended. Joss and Gawin did such an amazing job, I can't wait until their next show. (Only Friends Two will probably get a lot of hate from me, warning those now. I'm just not a fan of the drama and switching of partners.)

Minato's Laundry: I watched both seasons before they are taken off Gagaoolala. It was a good pallet cleanser when I needed it.

The Heart Killers: I finished watching this with my partner and I'm trying to convince them to watch We Are. I don't know if I can, but they liked Heart Killers and Perfect ten Liners, so I wasn't sure what to pick next. I know I will rewatch the Heart Killers again and again, mostly because it has become my comfort watch.

Shows I plan on starting this week:

Vice Versa

Happiness (Thai) (I did start this, but dropped it 15 minutes in when it wasn't giving me the Korea vibes. That wasn't fair of me so I am going to try again)

Pitbabe: I have watched it before, but when I described it to my friend she wanted to watch it too, so we are spending some time on Tuesdays watching it together.

[ask-the-crusaders-of-stardust]

Hello and welcome, trainees and newcomers to the foundation!

It's time to put on your training wheels and get on the wagon, as we speed through Southeast Asia and the Middle East with our dear friends, the Joestars and co.

- The Speedwagon Foundation

Read the introduction comic here.

Keep reading for info and TOS down below (Do not interact with the blog if you have not read the TOS! It's at the very end.)

This is Project Ask the Crusaders of Stardust! An ask blog dedicated to the main cast of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. What can you and can you not expect from this blog? For one we will not have a set schedule for posting. "We" is right, we're two people running this blog. Namely @starplatimoon (Mod Moon) and @kuttblueberry (Mod Blueberry). We're very passionate about these guys and the story of part 3, and we have our own AU and RP we will pull inspiration from when it comes to moving the story forward on this ask blog. So expect the unexpected when it comes to what may happen... We will both be drawing and writing for this blog, but one of us may have more responsibility for writing certain characters than the other. Specifically, Mod Blueberry writes more for Joseph, Avdol, and Kakyoin while Mod Moon writes more for Jotaro and Polnareff. It's just the way we like to do it. This blog is fully a collaboration! We'll be putting credit where credit is due at the end of posts, we may forget sometimes or simply choose not to, however. There may be room for ships such as Avpol and Noritaro to develop down the line. And while that may be the case, we don't want this blog to revolve around ships, but the character's general dynamics and story! And to just goof off and have fun. That too. While the blog is "sponsored by the SPWF" and you're welcome to commit to the bit, you really don't have to pretend to be a newbie SPWF employee. Treat this like you would any other ask blog, there are no rules in that regard. But we will be touching on actual rules for a TOS at the end of this post that we implore you to check out before interacting with this blog or sending asks! And lastly, roleplay-themed asks and magic anons (AKA stand users) are allowed but we might not indulge in it regularly. But there may be events in the future that touch on more fun ways to interact with us, whether that be "a sudden influx of stand users!" or whatever. We do what we want.

!!!TOS BELOW PLEASE READ BEFORE SENDING ASKS/INTERACTING!!!

Don't spam the same question/message, we will get to you. And if we don't, it's probably because you broke one of the other rules OR it's already been answered in one form or another. (Although we may revisit similar themes, time will tell).

No s*xually explicit questions (Or the ghost of Erina Joestar will come back from the afterlife to whack you across the head with her ghostly cane).

No proshippers or proship themed asks. (For you who don't know what that means: Proshipping includes ships that have inc*stial/p*dophilic/abusive themes. This also includes aiming suggestive comments or asks towards Kakyoin and Jotaro, do not do that)

Related to the above, do not send in asks if you indulge in proshipping, in fact, do not interact with this blog.

We are not looking for more mods. Just the two of us, we can make it. If we try <3

Do not repost our art without credit (this does not include reblogs here on Tumblr). But if you want to use our art as say a profile picture or header, you can WITH credit. This also goes for if anyone wants to dub over our comics or such, that is allowed too, with credit.

Do not badger us if we decide to take breaks or go on a hiatus, we have our own lives. This goes for literally any ask blogs out there, do not stress the mods out!!!

If you break any of these rules, you may earn a block, be mindful of that.

On a happier note, aside from abiding by our rules, have fun! This blog was made for fun and we hope you will have fun, we sure will. (If we don't, read bullet point 7.... just kidding.... or am I.....)

Thank you for reading all the way to the end!

Credits:

Blog header by mod Moon and mod Blueberry. Joseph, Avdol, and Kakyoin were drawn by mod Blueberry. Jotaro, Polnareff, and the background was drawn by mod Moon.

Profile picture by mod Moon.

Crusader chibis by mod Moon and mod Blueberry. Joseph, Avdol, and Kakyoin were drawn by mod Blueberry. Jotaro and Polnareff were drawn by mod Moon.

[digi-lov]

how do u even start getting into Digimon?? there so much stuff, i dont even know where to begin. like, there is like a hundred shows??? do i start with the first one that came out??

Idk man it just happened??

No, but seriously, don't worry about it! There aren't even that many shows if you ask me. I'll put a list below the cut! I'll list all movies too, so it'll look like more than it really is. Also the dates are the japanese air dates.

Obviously starting with the first season, Digimon Adventure is an easy pick, it also has the most sequels and movies.

But aside from the Adventure related media, all other Digimon Seasons are completely self-contained, and you can just go and watch any! They also all explore "Digimon" and the Digital World in different ways. I personally loved them all.

For the anime I also highly recommend watching the Japanese original. I'm sorry for anyone who grew up with it, but I can barely stand watching the English Dub at all. If you know German though, the German Dub is really good. I still prefer the Japanese original, but the German Dub is at least a translation and not a fan fiction.

The same basically goes for the games. You can just pick any of them up! Also, all Digimon games kind of do their own thing in terms of gameplay and mechanics. There's similarities too, but usually each have their own vibe. A lot of the DS titles do work very similar though!

Anime:

Adventure: Digimon Adventure (Movie) (1999) • Digimon Adventure (Season 1) (1999-2000) Digimon Adventure: Our War Game (Movie) (2000) • Digimon Adventure 02 (Season 2) (2000-2001) Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (Movie) (2000) Digimon Adventure 02: Diaboromon Strikes Back (Movie) (2001) • Digimon Adventure tri. (6 Movies or 24 Episodes) (2015-2018) Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna (Movie) (2020) Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning (Movie) (2023) [Digimon Adventure: (Reboot) (2020)]

Tamers: • Digimon Tamers (Season 3) (2001-2002) Digimon Tamers: The Adventures' Battle (Movie) (2001) Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express (Movie) (2002)

Frontier: • Digimon Frontier (Season 4) (2002-2003) Digimon Frontier: Revival of the Ancient Digimon (Movie) (2002)

Savers/Data Squad: • Digimon Savers / Data Squad (Season 5) (2006-2007) Digimon Savers The Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!! (Movie) (2006)

Xros Wars/Fusion: • Digimon Xros Wars / Fusion (2010-2012)

Appmon: • Digimon Universe Appli Monsters (2016-2017)

Ghost Game: • Digimon Ghost Game (2021-2023)

Games: Generally known Games in bold, more obscure or never released in the West in small I also left out most Phone and Smart Phone games since they're shut down

· Digital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamers (1998) (Sega Saturn) • Digimon World (1999) (PS1) · Digital Monster Ver. WonderSwan (1999) (WonderSwan) · Digimon World: Digital Card Battle (1999) (PS1) · Digimon Adventure: Anode Tamer & Cathode Tamer (1999/2000) (WonderSwan) · Digimon Adventure 02: Digital Partner (2000) (WonderSwan) · Pocket Digimon World (2000) (PS1) > Pocket Digimon World: Wind Battle Disc (2000) (PS1) > Pocket Digimon World: Cool & Nature Battle Disc (2001) (PS1) • Digimon World 2 (2000) (PS1) · Digimon Adventure 02: Tag Tamers (2000) (WonderSwan) · Digimon Adventure 02: D1 Tamers (2000) (WonderSwan Color) · Digimon World: Digital Card Arena (2000) (PS1) · Digimon Tamers: Digimon Medley (2001) (WonderSwan Color) • Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit (2001) (WonderSwan Color / GBA) > Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit Ver. 1.5 (2002) (WonderSwan Color) > Digimon Frontier: Battle Spirit / Battle Spirit 2 (2002) (WonderSwan Color / GBA) • Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution / Rumble Arena (2001) (PS1) · Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer (2001) (WonderSwan Color) • Digimon World 3 / 2003 (2002) (PS1) · Digimon Racing (2004) (GBA) • Digimon Battle Chronicle / Rumble Arena 2 (2004) (PS2 / GCN) • Digimon World X / World 4 (2005) (PS2 / GCN) • Digimon Story / Digimon World DS (2006) (DS) · Digimon Savers: Another Mission / Digimon World Data Squad (2006) (PS2) • Digimon Story: Sunburst & Moonlight / Digimon World Dawn & Dusk (2007) (DS) · Digimon Championship / Digimon World Championship (2008) (DS) · Digimon Masters (2009) (PC) [Korea only] · Digimon Story: Lost Evolution (2010) (DS) [Japan only; Fan Translation exists] · Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars Blue & Red (2011) (DS) • Digimon World Re:Digitize (2012) (PSP) > Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode (2013) (3DS) [Japan only; Fan translation exists] · Digimon Adventure (2013) (PSP) [Japan only; Fan translation exists] • Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (2015) (PSV, PS4, Switch, PC) • Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory (2015) (PSV, PS4, Switch, PC) • Digimon World -next 0rder- (2016) (PSV, PS4, Switch, PC) · Digimon Universe Appli Monsters (2016) (3DS) · Digimon New Century (2021) (Smart Phone) [China only] • Digimon Survive (2022) (PS4, Switch, PC, XBO)

[overfedvenison]

It's sorta understandable when a Japanese show gets edited and censored in a US release (Well, at least 'expected') because Japan is quite different culturally and there was for a long time the view of adapting it was more like... "We are taking this Japanese footage and making a new cartoon out of it on the cheap" This resulted in things like Robotech and Ghost Stories and much of the output of 4kids. It was never about translating legitimate art, it was about making an American Cartoon using Japanese Footage. You see some shadows of this even now, as many people argue for very aggressive localization in a way that would be unthinkable in almost any other kind of translation.

But what's really wild is when -CANADIAN- shows get censored.

Like, there are certain things coming out of Canada, of all places, that are still considered unsuitable for TV in the US, or to be weird and foreign to them. For example... -> Reboot was dropped from airing and only eventually made it to US TV in repeats after-the-fact. The series was heavily censored when it was on air there... And immediately afterwards, started adding in serialized plots, upping the sexuality, and became a show about a 90s antihero with guns -> 6Teen had many episodes altered or not aired especially if they involved gay characters -> This was the reason Detentionaire was cancelled despite being popular in it's home country. Despite coming out in the 2010s and on streaming, the episodes were still scrambled as though it was a 90s anime dub, multiple scenes were cut out or episodes dropped because it's content was considered unsuitable. This is a seriealized mystery show - You NEED to watch it in order!

...For a long time, the perception of Canadian Cartoons were that they were bad and low-effort things that filled the air between better US cartoons. And I wonder if it's just because the good ones were never aired there.

It's also just a weird perspective to realize that even shows from Canada - objectively a country with a culture probably the most similar to the US - are still going to be seen as weird foreign media that needs to be localized, sometimes

[alysretro]

Koudelka - Retro Game Review

System: Sony PlayStation Release Date: June 29th, 2000 Genre: Horror Role-Playing Developer / Publisher: Sacnoth / SNK & Infogrames Playtime: 10.6 Hours (In-Game Time)

Story: The year is 1898, Nemeton Monastery, Wales. The story follows three people who have arrived there for their own reasons. The titular character, Koudelka Iasant, a Romani woman with psychic powers, was called to Nemeton by an unknown woman's voice. She soon joins with "adventurer" Edward Plunkett, a thief who came in search of treasure, and Catholic bishop James O'Flaherty, on a mission from the Vatican to recover the stolen "Émigré Document", a tome said to hold the secrets to life and death. The trio face off against monsters and spirits as they uncover the secrets of Nemeton's past, it's current occupants, and the woman that links them all together.

Koudelka, Edward, and James are all people of very different backgrounds who are only working together out of necessity, and we see how their pasts effect the way they interact with each other and the people they meet. Koudelka and Edward are something of kindred spirits, having both had to steal and kill to survive, but this understandably leads them to be distrustful and closed off, not to mention that Edward chose that life, while Koudelka was forced into it. James, on the other hand, has led a privileged life and looks down on the other two as godless heathens. Koudelka is a story about learning to let go of the past. The inhabitants of Nemeton are shackled by their regrets. The ghost of a young girl, unable to move on to the next life because she feels she was robbed of this one, a former boat captain who loses his sanity because he can't handle the guilt of the passengers who died in an accident he caused, a man who resorts to murderous rituals in an attempt to revive his wife, whose death he feels responsible for. The main trio are only able to escape with their lives by not falling victim to the same mindset, overcoming their preconceived notions to work together and move on to a better future (depending on your ending).

Presentation: Koudelka is a game of high highs and low lows, fortunately the game's presentation is (mostly) one of it's strengths. Battles are where the few flaws stand out. They always take place on flat planes with black voids for backgrounds that make for a very dull experience. Besides that, there is a weird technical issue related to attack animations. Whenever an animation starts, anything besides the attacker and the defender will be unloaded to avoid getting in the way of the camera, but after the animation the game will stutter and everything that was unloaded will pop back into existence one by one over the course of a couple of seconds. The enemies that you face in these battles do look stunning though, featuring some incredibly evocative designs with body-horror elements straight out of a Resident Evil title. The quality of the 3D models is great across the board, with animations that are very fluid and lifelike. This goes double for the playable characters, all of whom were motion captured by their voice actors. These motion captured performances really come alive outside of combat thanks to the fact that every line of dialogue is voice acted. Voiceovers were all originally recorded in English by actual stage actors, and it shows. It's certainly not the best voice acting I've ever heard, but the performances are on par with the actors you might see at a local theatre, rather than the usual "low-budget '90s anime dub" quality of most PS1 games, elevating the experience above its peers.

Gameplay: Here is where the lows are their lowest. Honestly this game shouldn't have been an RPG, it could have been an amazing Resident Evil clone, and it's noncombat gameplay is very similar to Resident Evil, but instead it's shackled to one of the worst combat systems and least satisfying character progressions I've ever seen. Combat is a turn-based affair, taking place on a small square grid, with your three characters facing off with at most three enemies. Characters can use melee weapons, guns, or magic, but magic is head and shoulders above the other options. It deals more damage, can easily exploit elemental weaknesses, and is tied to an easily replenishable resource, especially since the stat that's it's tied to also raises magic defense. The other options are both reliant on limited resources like weapon durability and ammunition availability and offer other drawbacks like low range or turns wasted reloading. Ranged characters also get to stay back in safety since neither you nor your enemies can move past the furthest out character, and only a couple of enemies use their own guns, with most opting for magic attacks that can be almost completely nullified by raising the already useful Piety stat. As mentioned previously character progression is a mess. Equipable items drop infrequently, but each one is an incredible spike in power, providing tons of bonus stats. Leveling up also provides bonus points that can be invested into any stat. Between the two, it's impossible to have any bad stats if you plan ahead even the slightest, especially since leveling up happens all the time. By the end of the game, it was more frequent to have a battle that resulted in at least one of my characters leveling up than one where they didn't.

Conclusion: Koudelka is a game with a fantastic story, marred by gameplay that is somewhat ironically stuck in the past. As someone who really appreciates video games as an art form, know that I don't say it lightly when I say, Koudelka would have been better as a film. Fortunately, its a brisk adventure so it only barely overstays its welcome.

Score: 7.0/10

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x14 - Set Sail! To a New Continent! / Departure for a New Continent

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Takeru's Partner Digimon finally evolved! And then he exploded, giving Takeru a story that he'll be telling his therapist well into his forties. Fortunately for him, when your Tamagotchi shits itself to death, you can always start over from scratch. But it's just not the same.

Now, with Devimon defeated and File Island restored, a strange hologram of a man has revealed himself to the seven children.

At long last, someone who understands what's going on is here to explain the plot to the gathered children.

Old Man: So you are the Chosen Children. Very impressive, given that you've defeated Devimon. Taichi: Who are you!? Yamato: An ally of Devimon!? Old Man: Don't worry; I'm on your side. Sora: It's amazing to finally see another human besides us in this world. Old Man: Well, although I am human, at the same time, I am not. Mimi: Are you obake? Old Man: --hrmph!?

As previously discussed in episode 12, bakemono is an umbrella term for a variety of shapeshifting yokai who take on other forms, often to deceive humans. Obake is another word for bakemono; Mimi's accusing the old man of being the same sort of creature as those "worshippers" that Jou and Sora encountered.

Mimi's question takes Gennai completely offguard, causing him to verbally flinch and turn to look at her. He picks back up like that didn't happen a moment later, but it seems she rattled him.

Over in the dub:

Old Man: So, you children are the DigiDestined. You must be strong to have defeated Devimon. Tai: Who are you? Matt: Are you a friend of Devimon's? Old Man: Fear not, for I am a friend to all! And yet, I am a friend to none. Sora: I can't believe it! There are actually other humans besides us in this world. Old Man: I am human! And yet, I am not human. Mimi: This is confusing. Old Man: HRM!!!

"Okay, am I the only one who finds these sayings just a little bit formulaic? 'If you want to push something down, you have to pull it up. If you want to go left, you have to go right.'" ~Mystery Men

This bit might have been screwed out of the gate. We don't have a similar concept to obake in American reference pools common enough for children to pick up on. Even the subtitlers had to go with "ghost", which doesn't quite convey the right idea.

Unfortunately, that leaves him grunting aggressively at Mimi for what seems like no reason. Since the obake line is untranslatable, this may have been a good spot to insert a Valley Girl Mimi quip instead. Give him something to react negatively to.

Old Man: ...My name is Gennai. Because of Devimon's interference, I couldn't contact you sooner. I'm glad to finally meet all of you. Koushiro: Contacting us from where, exactly? Gennai: I'm on Server Continent, which is pretty far away from File Island. Sora: How long have you been there, Gennai-san? Gennai: I've always been in this world. Mimi: Were you the one who brought us here? Gennai: ...no, I'm not. Mimi: Then who did? Gennai: Well... (long pause) ...I don't know. Takeru: Do you at least know what we have to do to return to our world? Gennai: I don't know that either. Takeru: What the hell, Grandpa!? We can't depend on you at all!

Mimi is acing this interrogation. She has destroyed Gennai's mystique. Poking all sorts of buttons he doesn't want poked. He's trying so hard to present himself as the kindly old mentor figure and she's just like "Ohhh you're an Imposter who did this to us, gotcha."

Old Man: Now, my name is Gennai. I couldn't send you this transmission during your battle with Devimon but now the lines are clearer and only ten cents a minute! Izzy: Well, who are you? And just where are you? Gennai: I am speaking to you far away from File Island, across the ocean on the continent of Server. Sora: Talk about a long-distance call! How long have you been here? Gennai: Since before the beginning, until after the end. Mimi: Are you the one who got us stuck here in the Digital World? Gennai: ...it was not I. Mimi: Then who was it? Gennai: It was... (long pause) I dunno. T.K.: But Mr. Gennai, sir, do you know what we need to do so that we can all get back home again? Gennai: No, I don't. Tai: Boy, you're a regular fountain of information, aren't you!?

With the exception of the phone service jokes inserted to break up the conversation, this dialogue is almost completely identical.

Though it's worth noting that Gennai's name is said differently. In Japanese, it's pronounced "Gen-nye" with a hard 'g'. In English, it's "Jen-nye" with a soft 'g'.

Gennai: But I'm depending on you. You must come to Server Continent and defeat the enemy here. As the Chosen Children, you should be able to do this. Koushiro: But we don't know how to get there. Gennai: You're right. I'll send you a map through your laptop. Jou: But there's no way we can defeat an enemy that's more powerful than Devimon! Gennai: Not so. You can, if your Digimon evolve to an even higher stage. Agumon: We can evolve further!? Gennai: You will need these in order to do so. By inserting a Crest into this Tag, you Digimon can achieve higher evolution. Gabumon: Where can we find these Tags and Crests? Gennai: Well... The Crests are scattered across Server Continent. As for the Tags, Devimon gathered them up and hid them somewhe-- (Suddenly, Gennai's hologram fritzes out) Gennai: Oh no... ...Devi--... ...interference....

The device shuts down from there, leaving the kids to make do with the information they got. The dub covers this part practically verbatim.

Koushiro checks his laptop and, sure enough, Gennai sent the map. File Island is a pinprick compared to Server Continent.

(Japan's actually pretty huge but in terms of relative position to the continent, it makes me think of Japan's position in the sea relative to Asia. I wonder if that's deliberate?)

Meanwhile, the kids break for dinner.

Koushiro: It looks like he was at least able to send the map. Sora: What should we do now? Taichi: Let's get off this mountain first. We can decide on something after we eat!

I love how the dub presents this exchange.

Tentomon: Gennai's transmission ended rather abruptly. Izzy: Well, at least he was able to send the map through before he got cut off. Sora: I hope he's alright. What's our next move going to be? Tai: Huh. I've got a foolproof plan: First we'll eat something, and after that I'm open to suggestions!

XD Foolproof indeed. Never change, Tai.

Given that they've had a long day, the kids decide to break here. They head back down the mountain and forage up dinner so they can decide what to do on full stomachs.

During this time, Yamato finds Takeru sitting by the water with his Digitama.

Yamato: Takeru? Takeru: It's nothing. I was just hoping my Digitama would hatch soon and grow. Yamato: Your Digimon will join everyone here soon enough. Takeru: Yeah! You're right!

It's a small moment, but a sweet opportunity for Yamato to be Takeru's big brother.

Over in the dub, Matt may be confused about how this works.

Matt: T.K.? T.K.: Ohh, I was just wishing my Digi-Egg would hurry up and hatch already so it can grow up! Matt: Don't sweat it, lil' bro! When your Digimon hatches, it'll be the coolest one yet! T.K.: Egg-xactly!

They just wanted to make that pun. But also, uh, no, Matt. It'll be the same one he had before.

Once dinner's out of the way, it's time for the kids to decide on next steps. We all heard what Gennai said. But. What do we do with his request?

Taichi: Now that we're all nice and fed, let's figure out what we should do next. Sora: Gennai-san told us to go to Server Continent, but.... Koushiro: If this map is right, then it's a far distance from here. Mimi: I can't swim more than 25 meters. It's impossible for me. Jou: Do we have to go? Devimon is gone from this island. The Black Gears are gone too. This last week we've been here has made us more or less familiar with the landmarks. There's plenty of water and food, too. Sora: What are you trying to say? Jou: Can we even trust what this Gennai said? Is there really even a Server Continent? Taichi: Hey, what's all this about!? We can't get back to our own world if we just sit here! Sora: It took everything we had to defeat Devimon. But there's going to be even stronger enemies waiting for us. Koushiro: Besides, how would we even cross the ocean to reach the continent? Mimi: There might be weird Digimon over there too! Jou: Uh-huh. Yamato: Maybe we should look around here a little longer. Taichi: What the hell, guys!? Takeru: Let's go! Yamato: Takeru? Takeru: I don't know what enemies are waiting for us, but let's try! I'm sure that's what Angemon would have said. That's why I.... Agumon: We'll come too! We can evolve further if you have the Tags and Crests, right?

I'm glad this comes up because it's worth debating. These kids, now aware of what they've been drafted into, are being asked to risk drowning in the ocean for the sake of going to a foreign land and fighting a war. And without even the barest smidge of hope that this will actually connect to sending them home, which is still only Koushiro's speculation.

And if there is no reason to believe we'll ever return home, then "What if we just stay here and build our lives on this tropical island?" is a question worth discussing. If they're lost forever, there are worse places to be lost than File Island.

But once the Digimon begin to cast their votes, the tide of the conversation changes completely. One by one, each of the Digimon implores their kid, and each of the kids relents and agrees to go to Server. Even Jou puts up little fuss.

Once again, the dialogue here is near completely identical in the dub. With two notable differences, both of which center on Mimi. Her first line about only swimming 25 meters is changed out to:

Mimi: I can't even swim across the bathtub! It's impossible for me.

While her second line about weird Digimon is replaced with:

Mimi: We don't even know what the fashions are like on Server!

To be fair, worrying about weird Digimon is a redundant complaint to raise when we've already been told there's going to be far more powerful enemies over there waiting for us. Though, given that Mimi's been harassed twice in the last week, it's possible she means "weird" in more of a gross way.

But if that's the case, I wouldn't expect the 90's localization team to actually translate this as, "We might run into more Digi-Perverts!"

So begins the greatest logistical undertaking the kids have had to do since arriving on this island. They're going to need to build a raft capable of taking all thirteen-plus-egg across the ocean.

Koushiro: It looks like it'll take a long time just to cut down the trees. Sora: There's no point in rushing. Let's not be hasty.

It's at that moment that Sora notices the sound of heavy footfalls coming their way. Turning around, she spots Leomon on approach. Given their history with Mr. Kill the Children, it's natural that she has a kneejerk panic response.

Sora: WAUGH!!! Koushiro: Leomon!? Leomon: I've heard you're leaving for Server Continent. Sora: How did you know that? Leomon: Some of us monsters love to gossip. I was wondering if you needed any help with anything. Sora: (excited) You'll really help us? Leomon: There's more than enough helping hands.

As he says, more Digimon begin to arrive. Kentarumon, Mojamon, and Elecmon are next to show up, followed by Monzaemon and Yukidarumon. Then Meramon and countless villager Pyocomon.

Before long, the residents of File Island have assembled an impressive raft to send the children off.

Before long, they have a seaworthy vessel for crossing the ocean.

Taichi: It's done! Koushiro: Looks like it has good balance, too! Jou: Can we really cross the ocean with this? Taichi: We've already decided to go! We'll have to use this. Leomon: With your abilities, I'm sure you can cross the ocean safely. Taichi: Thank you, Leomon! We couldn't have done this without you!

Meanwhile, in the dub, Joe has a different concern.

Tai: Alright! Izzy: It's hydrodynamically designed! Joe: I think I'm getting seasick already.... Tai: Get a grip, Joe; It'll have to do! Leomon: Believe me, that raft is strong enough to get you across the ocean. Tai: Thanks, Leomon! We never could have done it without your help!

Notably, Leomon's line is different between versions. In the original, he puts faith in the children to be able to make this journey, while Dub Leomon puts his faith in the raft he just made. Rude.

As soon as the raft is finished, there's even more good news!

Poyomon hatches from his Digitama to greet the world! This little newborn goop ball can't even speak words beyond reciting his name like a Pokemon. "Poyo! Poyomon!" Surprisingly, the narrator chimes in to give us a rundown. Poyomon is a Baby-stage Digimon with no type.

(To my understanding, Baby I-stage Digimon never have a type. They have to get to Baby II before they develop one.)

Narrator: Poyomon! A slimy Digimon shaped like a jellyfish. It is said to be the most primitive of lifeforms. Its vitality and adaptability are greater than you might expect from its unassuming appearance.

Tentomon takes care of this in the dub.

Tentomon: Poyomon is a jellyfish-type Digimon of few words. But, if his friends are in trouble, he's ready for action!

Trying really hard to sell Baby Jelly as a badass there, Tentomon. Gritty 90's Americana at work?

At last, the kids shout their farewells to the denizens of File Islands and set sail for Server.

Narrator: The seven children learned how to survive using their own strength, by fighting Digimon, and by forming friendships with Digimon. And so the children left File Island behind.

Tai takes care of this bit of narration over in the dub.

Tai: So we sailed away from File Island where we had some really cool adventures! When we had to survive on our own, we grew up very fast. Except Joe; He just threw up very fast, ha! But he came around too! We don't know what's waiting for us on the other side of the ocean but we'll face it as a team!

XD Poor Joe. Rude to call him out like that, Tai.

Meanwhile, my ass is over here like,

Drake: And so the kids... completed the tutorial level. Now that they're in the open world sandbox, the real game can begin. Holy crap.

Once the kids are out on open ocean, it doesn't take long to start talking about the survival logistics of their journey.

Taichi: (looking through telescope) I can't see anything. Jou: I wonder how long it will take? Taichi: We just set sail! Jou: But even if we ration our food and water supplies to bare minimum, they'll only last us half a month. Taichi: Then we can fish or something! Sora: All we need to hope for right now is good weather.

Jou's right to be concerned here. Catching fish won't solve their problems if they run out of water.

(While we're all traveling by raft, this would probably be a great time to bring back the compass from Mimi's dad's survival kit. But I think the show's forgotten she had that.)

The dub tweaks Joe's line to add onto his concerns.

Joe: The salt air is killing my sinuses and we've only got enough food for two weeks.

They also remove his mention of water supplies. Without that concern, Tai's plan to supplement their supplies with freshly-caught fish seems more effective.

Despite the dub giving Joe so much shit for seasickness, it's actually the young'uns Koushiro and Mimi getting queasy at the back of the raft. Though Takeru seems to be handling himself okay.

Apart from nearly losing Poyomon to the waves, that is.

Suddenly, a colossal wave nearly capsizes their raft. They make it through, but struggle for a moment to discern where it could have come from.

Yamato: Where did that come from!? Koushiro: There's no wind here that could be causing these waves! Jou: Maybe a ship is passing nearby? Taichi: There's no ship here!

I want to say that was a silly guess by Jou, but given how many random human things are scattered about File Island, human ships freely wandering the ocean is entirely plausible. There are no rules here.

The cause of the wave, however, is something much more frightening.

Their raft is caught in the wake of a colossal Whamon. A frankly confusing Digimon, Whamon is a Vaccine-type Aquatic Digimon whose stage is... complicated. Due to what I can only assume are creative inconsistencies, Whamon are either Adult-stage or Perfect-stage depending on the media.

Adventure's rundown pegs them as Adult-stage in its data boxes.

Narrator: Whamon. An enormous Digimon who lives in the Digital World's deep seas. The giant tidal waves he causes and his Jet Arrow blasting through his blowhole are fiercer than you might expect.

Notably, I believe this is the very first mention of the world they're in as Digital Sekai or "The Digital World" rather than Digimon Kai or "Digimon World".

Fortunately for the dub, Tentomon quickly asserts in the original that we're still close enough to File Island for him to recognize this Digimon.

Gabumon: W-Why is he doing this!? Tentomon: Whamon is a powerful monster, but he always keeps to the bottom of the ocean!

The Partner Digimon knowing nothing beyond the borders of File Island is a factor that has not kicked in yet.

Tentomon: Whamon is a giant Digimon who lives in the deep oceans of the Digital World. Its Jet Arrows are unbelievable! Gabumon: It was massive! Tentomon: A Whamon can sometimes be fierce but I've never seen one act this aggressive!

Whew! The diegetic rundowns are still in the clear! No time to worry about that now, though! We're under attack!

In case there was any doubt over whether Whamon is purposely harassing us or not, he quickly clarifies his intentions by devouring the raft whole.

Koushiro: This must be Whamon's shokudou (either 'esophagus' or 'restaurant' depending on the kanji)! And by that, I don't mean the 'restaurant' version of shokudou! Jou: We're aware! Mimi: He ate us after all! Sora: How far until the exit!? Koushiro: The exit is his butt! Mimi: I don't want to leave that way! Palmon: Like poop. Mimi: Don't say that!

So here we have more fun with Japanese linguistics and also talking about poop. Obviously some changes were going to happen here, but not as many as you might expect.

Sora: I hope we don't give him a sore throat! Izzy: Technically, it's not the throat! It's the esophagus that leads to the stomach! Joe: He thinks we're fast food! Mimi: So he really did eat us! Sora: Sooner or later, this has to lead to an exit! Izzy: It does, but you don't wanna go there! Mimi: This is damaging my hair all the way to the roots! Palmon: Use my roots. Mimi: You're a plant!

They still tie in the esophagus, even if they have to recontextualize it to get away from Koushiro frantically babbling about linguistics. They also keep the butt joke by implying it instead of outright stating it.

Also, the roots/"You're a plant!" bit got a big laugh out of me. I don't say this a lot but this is one time I think the dub greatly improved this scene.

The kids quickly find themselves under attack by the least effective antibodies in history, which throw themselves haplessly into the water and miss the raft by a wide margin despite the kids doing nothing but screaming and cowering.

Then, at the end of their journey, they spill out into Whamon's stomach. Fitting his strange cyborg whale design, his stomach is a machine. Red lights around the edge suddenly light up with a loud activation tone, releasing gastric juice into the stomach for digestion.

After Koushiro briefly explains gastric acid for the kids at home, we get this exchange.

Taichi: Don't fall in! Jou: We've got to get out of here quickly before things get worse!

Which the dub edits to:

Tai: Don't let it get on you! Joe: We'd better get out of here before we give him a major ulcer!

Similar to Sora's line about the sore throat, the dub kids seem more worried that being in here might hurt Whamon than for their own safety.

Speaking of ulcers, it's at that moment that Sora notices something directly above them.

Whoops! Looks like Devimon missed one when he was recalling all the Black Gears to Infinity Mountain.

Taichi: A Black Gear! Agumon: So that's why Whamon was running wild! Gomamon: Let's help him! Jou: How? Palmon: Climb up there using my vines!

Over in the dub, poor Joe gets called out again.

Tai: It's a Black Gear! Agumon: That's why Whamon was acting so aggressive! Gomamon: Joe, do something to help! Joe: Why me? Palmon: Someone can climb on these!

Man, it really is Pick On Joe Day over at American Digimon.

Dangerous as this is, Palmon ensnares the Black Gear with her Poison Ivy. Then Taichi makes the ascent, climbing hand-over-hand to reach it. Once he's close enough, the light from his Digivice shines and harmlessly disintegrates the Gear. Palmon pulls Taichi back towards the raft before he can land somewhere else.

As soon as the Gear's destroyed, Whamon's stomach glows with a strange light. The raft ascends and, before long, the kids are all ejected from Whamon's blowhole.

The good news is, they emerged from his stomach unscathed. The bad news....

So much for that raft. The kids are unharmed, but their means of transportation is totaled and their supplies are now floating in the sea.

However, Whamon isn't done with them yet.

Mimi: DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!! Whamon: I'm sorry for my outrageous behavior. Piyomon: It's not your fault, Whamon! Sora: It was because of the Black Gear! Taichi: That must have been the last one! Jou: Are you sure about that? Whamon: My head is clear now, thanks to you. Taichi: Whamon, do you know how far Server Continent is from here? Whamon: Yes. It would take me about five days to get there. Yamato: That means it's pretty far. Takeru: This is bad. Our raft is broken. Whamon: Are you trying to reach Server Continent? Agumon: That's right. Whamon: Allow me to take you as thanks for disposing of the Black Gear. Sora: Really? Mimi: LUCKY!!!

Mimi throws up her arms in celebration. In the process letting go of the log she's floating on and nearly drowning herself. Palmon has to pull her out of the water and reattach her to the log.

XD She got excited.

The dub dialogue is the same, save for some gags added to Whamon's dialogue.

Tai: By the way, do you know how far it is to Server? Whamon: Yes. It would take me five days. Uh, make that three and a half without traffic. T.K.: Great, our raft's broken! Whamon: Are you going to Server? Agumon: Yeah, we were trying to! Whamon: I'll take you there myself. It's not every day your lunch saves your life!

The promise of Whamon-sized traffic sure makes me glad we're not on a raft anymore!

Swimming and bouncing from the water, Whamon makes his way to Server with the kids safely nestled on his back.

Sora: Feels great! Koushiro: This is a much more pleasant experience than the raft. Mimi: I won't get seasick from this! Taichi: Now all that's left is to find the Crests and Tags that Devimon sealed away! Whamon: Did you say Devimon? Taichi: Do you know something? Whamon: I'm not quite sure what you mean by Tags and Crests but I do remember Devimon hiding something under the waves. Taichi: Where!? Whamon: It's on the way to Server Continent. Please take shelter inside my body while I go there.

Dub Whamon adds a particular stipulation.

Whamon: It's on the way to Server. You can all ride inside me and I'll take you there. But no tickling!

That's fair. The last thing we need him to do is sneeze or cough us out at the bottom of the ocean.

Whamon takes the kids down to a secret cave at the bottom of the ocean, where an air pocket exists. He lets them out there and they enter the cave to explore.

Whamon: Since I can't go any farther, I will wait for you here.

Seems fair, being a whale and all. The dub has other ideas for why he can't come with.

Whamon: I'm so out-of-shape, I have to rest here for a while. I gotta drop a couple of thousand pounds!

He can't come into the cave because he's too fat, I guess. Also. Y'know. Marine life.

Before long, they find their destination.

Deji Mart, your one-stop shop for all consumer goods! The "Deji" is how Japan romanizes the word "Digi".

Unfortunately, DigiMart was not left unguarded.

Drimogemon, an Adult-stage Data-type Beast Digimon. His name is a conjunction of "drill" and "mogera", meaning "mole". Drillmolemon.

Narrator: Drimogemon. Living deep underground, he uses his drill to move at high speed. His sharp Drill Spin and Crusher Bone attacks devastate his enemies.

Over in the dub:

Tentomon: Drimogemon lives deep inside the earth drilling tunnels. He uses his iron Drill Spin and Crusher Bone to wipe out his enemies!

Practically verbatim.

He's not just any passing drill mole, either.

Sora: He has a Black Gear! Jou: I knew there were still more of them! Drimogemon: No one may enter here, by order of Devimon-sama! Leave at once!

See, Taichi? Assuming makes an ass out of u and ming.

Gomamon evolves to Ikkakumon so he can hold off Drimgemon. Everyone else makes their way into DigiMart to find those Tags. While Almost immediately after the kids are inside, Ikkakumon hurls Drimogemon through the storefront. The impact shakes the store.

Jou: Ikkakumon, go easy on the attacks!

At this point, Ikkakumon is as much a threat to us as Drimogemon is.

Dub Joe, on the other hand, has a thirst for blood.

Joe: Ikkakumon! You've got him down! Get him!

Joe's going to see Drimogemon go down if it's the last thing he does. Which it may be.

Apparently not listening to Jou, Ikkakumon fires off a Harpoon Vulcan instead of listening. The missile slams into Drimogemon and explodes, rattling the store inside.

It's at this point that Tentomon evolves to join the fight.

(They don't say Ikkakumon is fired from engaging Drimogemon for being too reckless, but there's an implication there.)

Drimogemon tries throwing his signature Crusher Bone at Kabuterimon, but you know how those flying Digimon are with projectile attacks.

With three dimensions of evasion, Kabuterimon maneuvers around Drimogemon and takes out his Black Gear with a precisely-aimed Mega Blaster.

(Was that so hard, Ikkakumon?)

Amid all the friendly fire-inflicted carnage at the DigiMart, Takeru loses track of Poyomon. When he finds him again, Poyomon's found the loot!

Mission complete! Drimogemon apologizes for the fight and disappears underground.

Drimogemon: I-I'm very sorry! Gabumon: Wait! Where are the Tags? Drimogemon: Th-They should be in the store. Good luck finding them!

Dub Drimogemon offers more specific directions.

Drimogemon: The Tags should be in the convenience store next to the jerky.

Oh, sweet. We have five days of whale-riding to do so we should stock up on jerky while we have the chance.

Inside the store, the kids open the box to find the Tags they'll need. Setting sail for Server, we close on a reminder of the next stage of this journey.

Yamato: He mentioned the Crests are spread throughout Server Continent, right? Gabumon: Right. If we combine the Tag and Crest.... Agumon: We can evolve further! Taichi: Yeah! We'll definitely find those Crests!

A new adventure begins here.

Assessment: What stands out to me about the Tags and Crests is how Toyetic they are. Digimon as a franchise started its life as an offshoot of Tamagotchi. That's what the Digivices are; They're a way to incorporate the little handheld Tamagotchi device into the anime.

This is a toy-driven series, like Transformers or My Little Pony. It's just a different kind of toy.

Considering that, I am curious if the whole "Use this merchandise sold separately NEW MACGUFFIN to reach Perfect-stage!" thing, like... Is this a thing? A real-world thing being incorporated into the anime, like the Digivice? I dunno. It's certainly peculiar.

In any case, this episode goes strong at the start with the farewell from File Island, but slows down once they're on the ocean.

I'm not a big fan of the DigiMart mission. Having to go on a fetch quest to unlock the ability to go on the next set of fetch quests feels like it's just killing time. Also, it's bloody convenient that the very next person we happened to meet after learning about Devimon's secret stash happens to know where Devimon's secret stash is!

Can you imagine if the stash was somewhere on File Island and we left without even checking? Boy would our faces be red!

This is a bridging episode between the Devimon and Etemon arcs, and the main interesting thing that happens concerns how the cast moves across the ocean. So, for me, it feels like the Tags were just thrown in so we have an excuse to wander off-course and beat up a Bad Guy for the third act climax.

For the dub, it's weird that they put so much emphasis on Joe getting seasick when it's Mimi and Koushiro who spend the episode wrestling with that. It's probably meant as a callback to the Bakemon episode, when he was throwing up over the side of his bed. But he never gets seasick once in this one.

Still, while their characterization choices stumble in a few places, they're able to lay down most of the important plot points with few deviations. We've seen better dubs than this episode, but we've seen worse too.

[kabutoraiger]

so much has already been said about saber's general quality or lack thereof that i guess i won't bother typing up a traditional post like that. rather what i've been thinking about most is just how similar saber ends up being to ghost.

which normally wouldn't be strange for 2 shows with the same head writer, but. of course mr fukuda was otherwise occupied for much of both of them so, regardless of any jokes i may have made about the situation in the past, it is honestly kind of crazy just how much they're both these like encapsulations of "the tropes & plot concepts that this one guy seems to like." guess that's a sign of very talented support writers. being able to fulfill someone else's vision in a way that feels... maybe not always coherent per se but authentic to them.

it also stands out to me bc obviously we all know a certain subset of the rider fanbase still considers kamen rider ghost to have been some sort of war crime against humanity, but i will frequently see this same type of fan go to bat for saber, call it kino and whatnot, and it's kind of fascinating. i feel like an anthropologist when i see & study such phenomena in the wild.

in 2016 a rider show that is twee & sentimental, about a kind hearted lead who often gives cornball speeches being dragged into circumstances ft. a supernatural otherworld, with strong individual stories for its secondary & tertiary riders but pretty weak & meandering overarching plots and central villains, is dubbed by some to be an unrivaled catastrophe that they rage against to this very day. but a mere 5 years later the exact same sort of show airs and is then upheld by many of the very same people as the only good reiwa. the only one that makes you feel anything. the only one that isn't soulless.

so much can change so quickly in the status of this franchise, that what was beloathed can become celebrated in what feels like a blink. a real "you don't know what you got til it's gone" situation. personally i appreciate saber for that, too. like one last remnant of heisei that snuck its way into this new era. i would be hard pressed to call it an amazing tv show but i do agree with those opinions i've studied on some level. it really is the only one to make me feel anything.

[mafiaamongstus]

Chief Rouvan, sir? What's the worst injury Commander Olo has ever sustained doing something you explicitly advised him not to do?

((I'm assuming this would have to be a pre-fungle rouvan, since, well, you know... 😭))

-a deep heavy sigh can be heard in the voice of Commander Olo somewhere in the background- Chief Rouvan, smirking: You can't see it under that monkey suit they make him wear, but the great Commander here has a fine scar on his left leg from what I do believe has been described as "an unfortunate encounter of the Commander's person meeting the ghost ice of Polus"

There is an unusual phenomena on the planet Polus, it's quite similar to the black ice of Earth, however this ice perfectly blends with the planets unusual violet earth. Initial studies dubbed this as ghost ice, where black ice warps the color of the water underneath, which of course causes problems on the roadways, ghost ice is perfectly transparent in every recorded instance.

To get back on to the story though, one of the lab jobs up on Polus is to keep track of the weather and everything that comes with it. We started noticing that ghost ice would crop up after certain types of snowstorms, especially graupel snows and sleet storms.

Being a military base, we of course have the routines that we've got to stick with, including regular patrols of the outside walls of the base. See, inside the walls we've got enough heaters and foot traffic that ice isn't too severe of a problem. However, outside the walls is a very different story.

And after a particularly harsh storm, the Commander was rearing to get back to routine, since the patrols had been delayed because of said storm. I pulled him aside-

Commander Olo, grumbling: You grabbed my arm in the mess hall

Chief Rouvan: I pulled him aside and I told him that the ghost ice was sure to be surrounding the base and he'd need to wait another day before sending out a patrol. And what does the Commander do?

Commander Olo, the great Imposter Slayer, this man takes his patrol out anyways, hits a patch of ghost ice not two feet from the door, slips and falls, breaking his leg in two different spots. Now I got him patched up right quick thanks to the equipment they've given me out here, but he does have a scar on account of the ice cutting through his suit when he fell.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

The best things about the animes is that the English dub Is pretty funny.

//The dub of DRtA shares a very similar context to the dub of Ghost Stories in that people were so certain that Danganronpa wasn’t going to be popular in the west (the dub of the animation was the west’s first exposure to Danganronpa before the release of DR1.2) that they just let the cast do whatever the fuck they wanted with it, and I think that’s a thing we should do more often. //While I do generally like the English cast of the games more, DRtA gave birth to two of my all time favourite DR lines - “That place is locked up tighter than Togami’s butt” and “Naegi, meet my dad.”

//(The second line btw is what Kyoko’s first line is after Makoto opens the box with Jin’s corpse in it)

//And again, while I generally prefer the game cast, I make an exception for Caitlin Glass as Kyoko. As much as I love Erika Harlacher, and I really do, more upbeat characters like Kaede are her specialty and it shows. Her rendition of Kyoko is consistently far more monotonous and only really roboticizes the character, whereas Caitlin’s rendition is more suited to me perspective on Kyoko as a character and her personality, particularly in Survivor.

-Mod

[myrilsoleil]

Character Inspirations - Myril Soleil

tagged by @chadhunkler

Ruby Rose (RWBY) - Scythes are fucking cool. The main draw for her for Myril inspiration is the idea of a hero from nowhere - someone young, who had to grow up far too fast for the sake of those around her, and holds herself to impossible standards. 2. Baiken (Guilty Gear) - A wandering warrior who lost her home and much of what she loved, forced to try and find new purpose. Plus ronin are cool. Very much the vibe for Myril near Endwalker and beyond, an older and more grown Myril. Plus, Myril's southern accent is inspired by the same logic that inspired Baiken's southern accent in the ENG dub of GGST. 3. Umbra + The Operator (Warframe) - Weird to have two characters in one spot, but the dynamic of Umbra and the Operator is pretty similar to Myril and her voidsent, Kagami - of restoring the humanity to a lost and traumatized "monster" through acceptance and patience they had elsewise never been shown. "...they had learned a way to see inside a broken, ugly thing... and take away its pain." 4. Blake (also RWBY!) - This is more about how Myril handles trauma, how often she runs away, and how she grows to move past that part of herself. Also we love emo catgirls. 5. Jin Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima) - A story about a man who abandons the outdated code of honor that his father lived, and more importantly died by? That's not unlike Myril abandoning what lead her father to his death against Zenos and coming up with her own, "less disciplined" fighting style to distance herself from her father, who was far from the perfect man she believed him to be. 6. Joshua Rosfield (FF16) - He's technically just a stand in for phoenixes in general - they've always been my favorite mythological creature, and the way the phoenix manifests throughout FFXIV is a big inspiration for me to implement some of that into Myril - which I have!

[minmin-pal]

im just gonna nab that "dead man's questions" and stick it in between watching part 4 and 5, kinda gives me vibes of like spy secrecy type stuff lol and ngl i was about to search it up automatically but i'm glad i refrained from it now. so the plot follows a character whose passed away? is it some type of flashback or maybe an 'afterlife/ghost' adventure? i don't know which or if either are right so i'm just pulling stuff outta my guessing hat lol

i might just have to accept this inevitable heartbreak either way tbh, just watching characters go on an adventure, have fun, develop and just generally live makes it very hard not to get attached though ig that just comes with the viewing experience. the 'waiting for them to bring the person back' bit is so real though, ngl i always end up forwarding and end up ruining a series for me because "when is this character getting brought back???", to the point i end up not paying attention to the rest of the series lol(/lh) though i'll make sure to not do that when watching jjba :D W series fr

and oh! you've watched naruto? you said the 'original naruto' so i'm gonna go out on a leg and assume you didn't watch Shipudden?(/genq/nf) could I ask what were your thoughts on the story (however far you got into it?) maybe like favorite/disliked characters? parts of the plot you liked and didn't, did you have any critics of the series (both manga and anime, assuming you read the manga too)? (/lh) any opinions on the legendary Sannin? generally, just your thoughts on it i suppose

and oh yeah fair fair, the intro bit i brought up since i kinda tiptoed around it when i was searching up watch guides and didn't want watch anything that might've spoiled anythin lol (may have been too careful for no reason lmao) the intro was just the first clip i saw of the actual 3d bits (i'm in the 'not know' side whether that style/model was consistent with the actual 3d used in the show tho) but wait they animated the powers n stuff to be 3d?? that's actually super cool wha (/gen)

took me a while to understand that 'death 13' was the name of the episode, and ohh it never occurred to me about the 'copyright issues' bit though i guess it's the same reason why people will always use names like '"barbucks" for a shop in their story whose icon looks awfully like Starbucks lol. i usually watch my anime subbed, though which would you suggest for this one? do you usually watch in subbed or dubbed? but eh yeah, might not matter much but still ty for the heads up! (/gen)

no but truee, the foundation parts make the lead up to the big punchy monster powers bit even more satisfying though :( and jonathan, yeah yeah! i've seen very small smidges of him here and there, i briefly consulted the wiki page of his because i wanted to find a clip of his voice without spoilers and omg he sounds so cool! :D i didn't scroll down any further down the wiki though, there weren't any "spoilers ahead!" warnings but i didn't wanna take any chances :')

oh yeah, sxf is actually a pretty good example of a 'polished' anime artstyle similar to other modern animes tbf, the sharp difference when i try to compare the two in my head made me snort a bit ngl (/lh) the style and story (from what i've seen of jjba and sxf so far at least) are so stark in contrast but they're both so good too (/gen)

twt has already shoved in my face that apparently, eren dies for mikasa or something? i'm not in the know of all the details but the shock factor is definitely eh- minimized now i suppose lol, and oh a tier list might be a fun idea if your up for it! how do you manage to keep track of the ones you've read/watched? or is it just a 'welp i'm relying on my memory for this' type thing? (/hj/lh) sxf really carrying both jjba (with no one being safe lol) and aot in terms of fluff, i feel as though i'm jinxing myself and that the ending might not be happy either but i;m crossing my fingers it is lol, and yea dw abt getting off topic, it's fun to read tangents (is that how you use the word)

mangakas favorite drink are the tears of their fans :') (/j) but props to you for managing to get the titan lore, i've seen a lot of people say it just confused the heck out of them and some said they dropped it so i hope you were able to enjoy it :D (both the series and the 'head-ache inducing' lore /hj/lh) 

and yay no problem! i'll admit when i read your description of it, i tried to do the same actions? like laughing but not making any sound, i definitely looked very goofy while doing it but i remembered the term 'croak/croaking' so it was a fruitful endeavor :D (/j/lh) i apologize for the tmi ;')

 "Chainsaw Man is a character-driven story that manages to conclude itself in 97 chapters, and its due to the author focusing on the main characters and its themes," i didn't think it could be explained so simply in word form but that actually does make sense. "All the battle shounen stuff is just being used a medium to tell the actual story, it's not the story itself." just this description alone summarizes it well i'm assuming and now that i think about it, really makes csm stand out tbh. Almost all anime i can name off the top of my head (action/battle genre ofc) really does focus on "different states and nations all preparing to fight one another for [ cue overarching plot point ]." Character development and personal introspection don't tend to be the top priority, well aside from the 'shonen mc moments' such as ya know- tanjiro, izuku, etc.? (/lh) or from what i can gather at least lol

but honestly, i didn't know csm concluded at 97 chapters! the fact the author was able to just- start it, do what he wanted to do and end it as planned (or at least i'm assuming? i haven't seen any articles with the clickbait tagline of "csm creator dislikes/isn't happy about [ ... ]!") it got pretty popular too so that's awesome to hear, and yea true actually, i can see you and other people like denji and the fact that both the "Mineta Minoru is Expelled from U.A. High School/Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru" tags on ao3 collectively have over 5.8k fics says enough lol 

spy was definitely a very wholesome show and it's just so, so nice to watch the family dynamic form and grow<3 dunno why but i liked how they were able to incorporate bits of yor and loid's profession into their parenting styles what with yor helping to cause the iconic damian scene and loid with attempting to sneak in to change anya's grade lol, but oh! what's your thoughts on franky? ngl i kinda love all the goofy stuff he pulls and gets twilight to do lol, but yeah tbh yuri's bit of being secret police and his scenes with anya are some of the only highlights of his char i remember when watching ;; (/lh) obsessive brother still kinda shocks me with how it's pretty prevalent as a trope tbh but also what's your thoughts on bond? also what was your favorite and maybe least liked episode or mayb chapter of sxf? 

it's been a bit since i found the site but i can binge all the chaps now so heads up an ask abt that in a few hours :D (/lh/gen) your so right about that thoo, having characters that could just be irrevocably bad people can be done but managing to make them appealing/getting the readers to feel for them is such a sign of being a good writer, but also yeah managing to cause your readers pain thru them is to be applauded too lol (mangaka's really do enjoy their reader's pain /j/lh) 

how have all the scenes you've shown be so pretty, my brain would assume it's just specific detailed scenes but i have the very sneaking suspicion that the whole manga is styled like this and i'm very much looking forward to it,  even if i covered her facial expression her hair swaying and clothing ripples(is that what u call it) somehow portrays emotion so well, how even? (/lh/pos)

i was confused on who 'nameless white-haired guy' was until i read the next sentence and i just went "ah" lol, and oh kinda sucks he got gassed too much but damn that personality is just yikes lol (from what i've seen of the one scene ofc) and oh there'a dif other guy? in about 30 minutes i'll see this hoodie dude so i'll end up finding out, i know he won't be 'as bad' but i'm looking forward to seeing how bad? uhm, basically looking forward to the chapter, hope that made sense or the sentiment at least got across lol, and yea no worries i'm reading your response at the same time so there might be dead ends/random tangents in mine that i didn't notice so- sorry about that :') 

And ah yea that makes sense, I'd actually be pretty surprised if you were able to remember specific little details but glad to hear you enjoyed it :D the analogy of 'cramming before a test' hit me on a personal level lol (/hj) and oh, was nijimiya the girl mc? she really does seem like a sweetheart and help I never knew she had a younger sister, that's super cool! And yeah! The dude's character development was nice to watch too but alas ofc, tears lol

I remember reading 'Kichikujima (Freak Island)' quite a while ago, I remember it's pretty gorey though I don't know if it qualified as phycological horror? Don't remember too many details so I may be wrong, but oh yeah! I don't know for sure if you were reffering to these types but I kind of made some terms for it lol, idk they're pretty simple labels

Jumpscare Horror - self explanatory, there's a lot of jumpscares and "dun dun dunn" type music/scenes right before the jumpscare.

Gore Horror - I assume this is where kichikujima falls into? Typically, zombie and slasher movies fall into this one lol

Phycological Horror - what you just described :D and ngl ig the name for this one is self explanatory enough lol

I haven't met many people that actually enjoy phycological horror, what's oyasumi punpun if you don't mind me asking? I'm mildly familiar with junji ito's works, i only ever watched vids that dubbed over it tbh but is uzumaki the swirly one? Lackluster description ;; but I'm assuming that's the one, I also heard there was an anime about junji ito's work(s)? Have you seen it? If ya did, what were your thoughts on it? Ohh have you already watched neon genesis? I don't see many people talking about that anymore, what'd you think of it? Seeing your summary of your taste for manga/anime/etc., have you heard of dororo? I only ever watched the anime so I'm not sure whether you'd enjoy it or not, but it's one of the things that come to mind when I think of things that are 'depressing at their core' (/lh)

Figured they'd be under the isekai category tbh, the dif labels just confused me for a bit lol and yeah makes sense it'd depend on the story itself, blue lock is that one popular sports anime recently isn't it? Tbf it's been a hot minute since shield hero gained much media attention as it did before so I don't imagine much talk about it could've been going around lol

Very valid reasoning ngl TT always a genuine whiplash whenever you compare the male and female character designs, the 'probably do not see people of the preferred sex at all' comment both made me cackle and makes a lot of sense lol, the manga started at 1997 and since it's a 'weekly title', technically a chapter comes out every week, I assume that doesn't leave much time for socialization? I dunno but doing this for close to 3 decades, you'd think some actual body diversity or dif styling would be developed as the story progressed but- how did it seriously evolve backwards? This is biologically impossible??(/hj/lh)

I remember a review video I watched citing the author's response as basically saying the target demographic is teen boys anyways? I need to find the video but I'm definitely sure that was the gist of the first bit of his response, it's as if his made unique and customized molds for all of the male characters while using the singular body mold fkr every single one of the female characters ;; the fact he prolly just chooses not to is def a massive let down tbh :')

While scrolling down, my eyes instantly went to the pic so I went "Miles :D!" then woah second pic jumpscared me real bad lol, when you said you had an example in mind I didn't think it'd be such a good example yikes, the longer I look at the artwork the more I understand your point, it's making- a lot of sense, the "you can tell a lot about someone by the way they draw" part is true tbh, this whole bit is just giving me the icks ;;

But ahh, I'll be reading the killer in love manga now :D also very sorry for answering so late, I know it isn't compulsory or anything but really just have my sincerest apologies ;; /gen/pos

And yay alright, I'll try to switch it up sometime for variety lol, minjae, d'you have any that you prefer or prefer not to use?

I watched the outro as it's own clip and I swear the meme was scratching my brain since it seemed so familiar, I'm questioning how'd it even turn into that meme lol, did it take you a while to find out?

(may contain some grammar/spelling errors, srry abt that)

HI!!! :grin: aot spoilers and..... just walls of text under the cut i didnt answer some stuff since there really wasnt anything for me to add of worth-- i read everything though dw

you should read deadmans questions right after thus spoke rohan kishibe (which i forgot to mention is technically a prequel- i shouldve said that.. u watch it after tho cuz its only rlly fun if youve watched rohan throughout part 4 already) i think- (so between 4 and 5 as you said) i cant really... tell you without sorta ruining it so u just have to wait and see. i can say its like.. not the same person he was when she was alive (im messin up their prns on purpose. for extra concealing) and theyre kinda like trying to become happy by doing.. assasinations.. :grin:

my one piece of character death-related advice is to not expect their return in this series. like once theyre dead theyre dead basically would advise to not forward aswell- going backwards fine :grin:

yes ive watched the first naruto it didnt end on a bad note or anything, and i started shippuden and he was suddenly like fucking 16 so i put it on the backburner (for whats been... 4 years now.. i dont think ill get to it ever honestly naruto was fire though. when he would transform into that.. posessed fox form i ALWAYS had to rewind and watch the scene again. idk if its top 3 anime :grimacing: like people say but its not a bad show either (i watched it instead of reading it cuz it was Free) for characters i LOVED naruto. ofc i did hes the mc but like hes such a cool kid honestly. the kinda kid everyones friends with in primary school (apart from in show). the entire main gang was great but naruto and kakashi were my top 2 .. and gaara now that i remember him i liked him more than naruto when i watched it tbh-- he was just so angry and emo and fine ive matured past the age of calling fictional characters attractive but when i was 11 i was in love with him honestly heavily disliked sasuke. which is ironic cuz i hated him for the reason i loved gaara he was so angry and emo all the time-- but he hurt naruto with his edginess (technically gaara did too but i excuse it.) also he was just being a bit of a asshole. like anime rival esque asshole but an asshole nontheless this is getting long so i'll get to the show itself honestly. because its been so long i cant remember what i really disliked the stuff that i can remember are just dumb stuff that all older animes do i guess all the "sexy-jutsu" stuff were kinda off-putting plus jiraiya as a whole. i loved him but damn he was WEIRD i had to google what the sannin were cuz i genuinely forgot-- but i think theyre cool jiraiya is a bit icky, the blonde one (forgot her name) was pretty funny- i liked her dynamic with sakura and orochimaru i think his name was; was so cool. his entire look influenced who i am today i owe it all to him /hj

death 13 is both the episode name and the ability name of the person in that episode and- id wholeheartedly recommend subbed for jjba a LOT of the jokes only work cuz its japanese, aswell as the emotions in scenes personally i dont like dubs since i find that its usually more "colorful" in its original form (for that reason i generally cannot watch korean dubs of animes.. they just throw me off ever-so-slightly

jonathan looks better in the anime than the manga to me, but this is mainly because i dont really like anime characters with muscles as big as. uh.

the hercules-corona borealis great wall :grin: and in the anime they werent as ginourmous its a REALLY good thing arakis art style did not stay the same for the entire series honestly picturing the later characters drawn the way the first parts were drawn is honestly whiplash-inducing

(NOT AN OFFICIAL DESIGN. PART 5 CHARACTER IN PART 1 STYLE)

you really cant compare the jojo artstyle with sxf (probably because of all the muscles + how "harsh" jojo's shading is, and the personality in both styles)

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this is the best thing i could find ^ and honestly it looks cool as hell- the artist is really talented but with the art style i just cant envision it would be as lighthearted as sxf is it carries its own vibe to it

if youve already heard that eren dies it wont pack as hard of a punch (the punch being that THE main character died) but it will still tug on your heartstrings, if you dont know the specifics. i wont say its for mikasa, but more for everyone really eren. is honestly a result of knowing too much thats what i love about aot really.. theres no bad guys other than the big man eating monsters, but even those monsters arent truly bad everyones doing what they have to do, and thats most evident in eren once you sit down and absorb the lore its gutwrenching for remembering what i watched... i honestly have no way of tracking it. theres been a good few times i watched a show, and then realized id finished it already i probably shouldve done that, but theres no point to it now so i just use memory (which honestly shows if a show is good or not-- theres a lot of shows i immediately think of despite having watched them 3 years ago/ ex: death note, erased, jjba, and school live) (and yes thats the correct way to use the way tangents)

thats whats great about csm its not just ur average battle shounen, and its battling is second to its characters whenever i see debates abut goku vs naruto and such its just like the main thing anyone got from the series was the fights (which is fully valid) but like.. there usually isnt much character depth this is usually combatted by making the characters one character trait- something that csm flips over idk what im on about. its 11 pm and i havent slept in 2 days im so sorry if this comes off weirdly written

csm was a really short read and im so happy about that since as you said, fujimoto did what he wanted, finished, and was satisfied with it hes also working on csm part 2- which is not from denjis pov it has a whole different protagonist ive heard, and takes place somewhere else i wont be reading it, since i dont want to start anything i cant finish, but i do push you to once youve finished jojo/killer in love/ other things you feel like reading

it is really nice that yor/loidś work influenced the way they parent (esp with how yor tried to teach anya to defend herself from bullies) franky was a fun character- i liked his disguises he got from loid

bnd is cute i dont really have anything to say about him.. the whole looking into the future thing is cool though my favorite chapter has to be the one where loid is convinced yor is upset with him so he takes her to a bunch of different places.. but she was just in pain after a mission bad explanation but you get the memo i hope

i wouldnt say ALL scenes are the exact same quality as everything ive been showing, but everything is generally *really* pretty

^that was a generally regular scene, so thats just how the art is as a default its really beautiful (also that guy with white hair is the arata i mentioned-- he isnt bad in comparison to all the other ¨bad" characters.. hes just sorta a prick)

i honestly,,,.... shouldnt have said hoodie guy isnt as bad hes really bad but morally speaking white hair guy is even worse so he isnt as bad, but he isnt tame either, esp later on all your points are getting across just fine btw :grin:

i havent read kichijuma before, but i searched it up and it honestly looks really cool like really cool it has 24 volumes from what i read though so i dont think ill check it out

of the three you mentioned, i dont like jumpscare horror its just lazy same with gore horror if thats all there is to it i dont really enjoy horror mangas/animes much in general minus a select few, but for games im all for them (chillaś art's stuff is great) people i think don't like psychological horror because its more of a thing that gets to you (?) in contrast to with jumpscares or something, that it hits you and youre scared and thats sorta that you dont really shriek in fear over psychological horror, which is what some people look for in horror (yes uzumaki is the swirly one) oyasumi punpun,... is... about punpun and him traversing life (him and his family are drawn as birds. everyone else is drawn normally. he is human) i would usher you to check it out yourself :thumbsup:

also- i started dororo, but i never finished it i probably should tonight since i cant sleep ill tell you how i feel about it if i get to it (no promises though)

i get the one piece demographic is manga loving teenage boys but i guess its just dissapointing that he just... chooses not to put effort into his female characters

im so sorry :sob: i saw it on twitter afterwards and i immediately remembered what id said before it was the best example ever (and have fun with killer in love tell me all about how you felt about it :pray: )

i dont rlly mind any variation whatever u feel like

last but not least when i heard the outro music it took like 3 seconds for me to realize what it was afterwards my world was just flipped by its head (the typos are fien i made evern mroe) (and sorry this took me a minute i kept responding then drafting it then editing then drafting it again)

[moonlightreal]

...and the books

Alexander Key's bibliography.

The Red Eagle 1930

Is a tale of boys flying airplanes, which is a pretty wild topic since boys do not, as a rule, get to fly airplanes. It’s a “boy’s adventure” type of story wrapped around a lot of facts abut flying airplanes in 1930. Not a book that modern readers should rush to buy, but if you run across it at a used bookstore it’s kind of neat. Alexander Key drew all the illustrations and they’re lovely.

With Daniel Boone on the Caroliny Trail 1941

Another “boys adventure” story, this one historical fiction about a young Daniel Boone having wilderness adventures.

The Wrath and the Wind 1949

Island of Escape/Island Light 1953

These are the two adult books. I haven’t been able to track down either one but I think they’re Florida books. People liked The Wrath and the Wind enough to do a reprint!

Cherokee Boy 1957

Another one I’ve never come across, from the Goodreads reviews it’s the story of the Trail of Tears

Sprockets: A Little Robot 1963

Rivets and Sprockets 1964

Bolts: A Robot Dog 1966

The picture books. They look pretty cute!

The Forgotten Door 1965

This is the only other Alexander Key book that got a lot of attention and several reprints. There is a play, you can get the script. There was a television show, in 1966. It’s described as being 7 short episodes, drawings instead of live action, but not animation. I assume that kind of almost-animation where they artfully change between ink drawings. But we don’t know what it looked like because the show has become lost media!

If you’d like to listen to it, a fan made an audiobook on youtube.

Mystery of the Sassafras Chair 1967

An attempt at a mystery story, with murder, ghosts, and dowsing.

Escape to Witch Mountain 1968

I don’t think I need to summarize this one! The book that launched a thousand Disney dreams, five Disney movies, and one dead series.

The Golden Enemy 1969

A story that takes place entirely in the Utopian future that Alexander Key likes to imagine. But while humanity lives in harmony with most animals and can even speak with them, the “great bears” were the enemies of humanity and were driven to extinction. The last living bear wants to kill humans. A boy who has telepathic contact with the last bear must try to find peace.

The Incredible Tide 1970

A post-apocalyptic story. Teenage Conan is marooned on an island after the end of the world. He is found by members of a totalitarian regime who live in a ‘chemical city’ and are generally evil. This book is weirdly political the same way Shin Godzilla is; I know that the story is saying something political but I don’t have enough context to understand the message.

On another level it’s a story about nature and ordinary people over enforced systems. It’s also strangely filled with faith, characters hear the voice of god—or intuition, or something very spiritual but not religious.

Most of Alexander Key’s books have been translated into Japanese, and The Incredible Tide caught the attention of a writer, storyboarder, and aspiring director named… freaking Hayao Miyazaki! Before Studio Ghibli was a thing, Miyazaki made a series called Future Boy Conan. It’s different from the book, Conan and Lena are younger and the tone is sillier. It’s available streaming these days, on paid youtube, apple TV and Prime. There’s even a dub!

There’s even, as of 1999 and a surprise to me, a sequel series called Future Boy Conan 2: Taiga Adventure that seems to be about a boy looking for magical artifacts in a not-destroyed world and has no obvious link to the first series other than the title.

I always felt like Alexander Key and Miyazaki had a lot in common, the love and reverence for nature in their works just feels so similar. But Future Boy Conan is not nearly as nature-y as Totoro or Princess Mononoke, and The Incredible Tide is not as nature-y as Forgotten Door or The Magic Meadow, so it feels like the bringing together of these two artists was destined, but also as if fate took aim and missed slightly.

Flight to the Lonesome Place 1971

A math genius on the run meets a tiny girl who is a ‘witch’ and her friends. They are trying to escape to an alternate reality. This is a quite odd book. Themes about immigration but in ways I didn’t quite understand.

This book also has a ghost. Or rather, a voice named Marlowe whose physical body is never seen. Ronnie says something about how maybe he’s a mongoose but no, mongooses can’t talk. This strangely specific animal choice led me to google and learning about Gef the talking mongoose. Or if you like to listen, this youtuber does a great breakdown of the story. Gef’s true nature will never be known, alas, and equally alas we’ll never know what Alexander Key’s guess on the matter was! Mr. Key was rather credulous, as we see in the next book:

The Strange White Doves: True Mysteries of Nature 1972

This is a nonfiction book, more than a little autobiographical. It begins with the story of young Zan Key finding two white doves who seemed to know that he was a friend and let him catch them. This sparks Mr. Key to investigate and write about other stories of mysterious intuition in the animal world. He writes about speaking to people but the stories are so perfect that they have to be somewhat fictionalized.

The last chapter is about Backster’s experiments hooking up a lie detector to plants. The story is that Backster hooked up his houseplant on a whim to see what would happen. Getting no response he decided to set another of the plant’s leaves on fire. But the machine spiked a response before he got out the lighter—it responded in fear to his thought. The plant not only had emotions, it could read his mind! I am dubious, but Mr. Key believes in telepathy in the natural world and believed every word.

The Preposterous Adventures of Swimmer 1973

Another book I haven’t read. Tales of a talking otter.

The Magic Meadow 1975

A story about children in the ‘incurables’ ward of the hospital who use their imagination to travel to better places and find themselves physically transported to a beautiful meadow sometime in the distant future.

Jagger, the Dog from Elsewhere 1976

A guardian dog from another world finds himself lost in ours. He meets two children who can communicate with him and must help them escape from danger.

Return from Witch Mountain 1978

Clearly Disney made the movie first and hired the original author to do the novelization. I’ve heard there’s a second novelization by a different author around, but never tracked it down.

The Case of the Vanishing Boy 1979

Another story of children with mysterious powers on the run from authorities. Mr. Key does have a favorite plot! But that’s what makes his books important for magical beings living on Earth. These books put into words the feeling of not belonging and looking for the place where you will fit in. This is Mr. Key’s last book before his death and it isn’t the best

Where can you read the books? The Witch Mountain books and The Forgotten Door are readily available in physical form, with multiple printings each. The other books are quite hard to get as paper copies. “Turn on your ebay notifications and prepare to be patient” territory. If you like an ebook, you’re in for an easier time. Most of the books have been rereleased with really lovely covers by Open Road Media. At first glance it looks like Open Road may purchase the rights to out of print books that don’t cost much and make them into ebooks. This is good! Anything that prevents lost media is good.

But in the days before Open Road, some madlad or lass was really keen on preventing lost media and scanned all the books. They’re in an old .doc format so I’m thinkin’ nineties. Wherever that person is now, I bet they’re amused to be linked from Wikipedia! Does that mean you’ve made it on the internet?

[whitepolaris]

Spider Gates

Of all the cemeteries in Massachusetts, Leicester's Spider Gates is the best-known among those interested in things cursed and creepy. Some visitors hike through the woods around Kettle Brook and think they've discovered a lost and abandoned cemetery. But not so-this Friends Cemetery is still active. As of this writing, the most recent burial was 2005. Spider Gates is a nickname that comes from the ornate wrought-iron gates that mark the entrance. (Think twisted metal daddy longlegs, and you're there.) The spider similarities are purely unintentional; the art deco design is supposed to look like the setting-or rising-sun with its rays spiral outward.

Incorporated in 1737, the cemetery now sits in a remote location in the woods between Worcester airport and the Leicester landfill. "The cemetery is out there because there was a Quaker community there," said Brian Poynton, a member of the Worcester Friends (Quakers) committee that oversees the cemetery. Today there are almost as many mysterious and haunted legends attached to this place as there are headstones inside. Let's begin with the most prominent legends:

There are nine gates around Spider Gates cemetery.

There's an elevated area of ground inside the cemetery where bizarre rituals took place.

People have committed suicide inside the cemetery-specifically by hanging themselves from a tree dubbed the Hanging Tree.

Cloaked figures regularly perform occult rituals in the cemetery at night.

The roads around the cemetery appear and disappear.

Ghosts still roam the grounds at night.

Here is the frightening reality: All these stories are true . . . in a way. Every legend has its roots, and usually those roots are based in fact. The mystery behind Spider Gates begins in a place called Manville.

Manville was a village in the town of Leicester that thrived from the mid-eighteenth century well into the nineteenth century. In the 1800s, Leicester wasn't the quaint and rural New England area it is today. It was a center of industry. There were mills along Kettle Brook, and homes and other businesses soon popped up. Manville prospered until the city of Worcester began coveting its water. "There were seven, maybe eight mill privileges all the way up Kettle Brook, and the city [Worcester] started buying the privileges and diverting the water for public use," said Joe Lennerton, a retired Leicester police officer and chairman Leicester Historical Commission. "What Worchester couldn't buy, they started to take by eminent domain-they have never really been kind to the town of Leicester."

As the brook was dammed to create Kettle Brook Reservoir, the mills closed, industry left, and the village withered. What was a center of commerce became a simple neighborhood with a few Colonial houses, some quiet woods, and a Quaker cemetery. A Quaker cemetery that installed a decorative art deco gate around 1895.

Then another part of the legend fell into place. "In the early 1960s, they extended the runaway at Worcester municipal airport," said Joe Lennerton. "They relocated Mulberry Street and tore down about eight or nine beautiful Colonial homes. So what was left of Manville was gone. But the roads were still there. There was Sprague, Howe, Elm Earle Street, Reservoir Street, and Slyvester Street. And they still are to this day public ways in the town of Leicester."

So by the mid-1960s, you had a network of old dirt roads in a remote part of town behind the airport. The only remaining memory of Manville was the still active Friends Cemetery. In short, if you were a young person in Leicester or the surrounding towns, you had a six-pack of beer, Manville was the perfect place to drink it with your friends.

"That's what was happening," Joe Lennerton said. "It's very quiet there. It's a very peaceful place to visit. Kids are out there drinking beer, and their imaginations get carried away with them."

The various dirt roads became a haven for the illegal dumping of trash, from construction materials to bags filled with household garbage. Something had to be done, so the town installed a series of gates on the roads (which were starting to look like trails than roads by this point). How many gates did they install? Nine of them.

Today the area is heavily wooded. Some of the streets look like they haven't been touched in many years. Nature encroaches on both sides, but there are clear ruts where tires obviously still tread on occasion. Other "streets" are scarcely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Old stone walls mark property lines, and if not for the occasional whine of the airplane propellers from Worcester Regional Airport, the area would be almost silent.

Let's examine the individual legends.

Nine Gates to Hell

This is true . . . . sort of. There are nine gates on the dirt paths surrounding Spider Gates. But they don't lead to hell. In fact, they don't lead anywhere. These gates are meant to block off streets and keep kids from parking their cars out of sight on the wooded roads.

The Hanging Tree-Home to Many Suicides

This is true . . . sort of. There is a large tree just to the left after you enter the cemetery through the main gate. And there is a branch that comes out like a bent arm that could be a good place to hang oneself. But there are a few problems. The branch is quite high up, so you'd have to drag a tall ladder into the woods with you. And there's another problem with this legend: The rash of hanging suicides didn't happen at Spider Gates. It happened in Rochdale, one of the other villages in Leicester.

Back in the 1970s, Rochdale experienced a couple of very weird summers. According to Joe Lennerton, there was a suicide every two weeks. "One started, and they all went like dominoes. I don't know what the hell was going on," he says. "That was in Rochdale Park. Of course as the story goes on, it gets switched and now it's Quaker cemetery."

Elevated Area of Ground for Rituals

This is absolutely true. When you walk into the small, square cemetery, there is an area of flat and slightly elevated land just to the land of the main gates. In the corners of this small plateau are four small stone pillars. What rituals took place here? Religious services. Rember, this was once the site of the Leicester Quaker meetinghouse. The January 29, 1739, Smithfield Monthly Meeting minute reads: "Friends at Leicester make report to this meeting that they have agreed upon a Place for Building a Meetinghouse at the Burying Place between Ralph Earle's and Nathenial Potter's . . . and Benjamin Earle, Thomas Smith, and Nathaniel Potter are appointed to undertake for Building said House." The meetinghouse within the cemetery was taken down in 1791.

Cloaked Figures and Occult Rituals

This is Spider Gate's most intriguing legend, and it too is sort of true. Back in 2004, Ghostvillages.com received the following e-mail regarding the Quaker community:

The only freaky thing I've heard is when my friend went there with his two brothers about four years ago, when it was easier to get in during the night. Around 11:30 at night or so, they said they were leaving, flashlights off, when they heard leaves rustling. Peering through a few trees, they saw three dark figures in hoods or clothing on to hide features. They let them walk by without alerting them, but I would say I bet it was just weird people who believe in Satanic stuff more than ghosts.

The author of the e-mail wasn't the only one who'd heard about the dark-robed figures. Joe Lennerton saw them for himself when he was still on the police force. "I was working once, when we got a call," he said. "There's thirty-five people all dressed in medieval-type robes holding candles. . . . We used to chase them out of there about once a year. I've seen them with my own eyes."

So who were those folks in robes? Lennerton said he heard that a group belonged to a secret fraternity at Worcester Polytechnic Institute called the Skull. Founded in 1911, the Skull is a society that honors outstanding juniors for their dedication and contributions to the institute. The Skull group was visiting Friends Cemetery specifically to see the resting place of Ralph Earle, rear admiral of the U.S. Navy and president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute from October of 1925 until his death in February of 1939. There's nothing wrong with paying respects to a past W.P.I. president, the group never had permission to go in at night.

The robed figures may have also caused a copycat sensation for other kids who wanted to don a robe, hide out in the woods, and scare the bejesus out of other nighttime visitors.

Roads Appear and Disappear

This is true . . . mostly. If you know where the cemetery is, it's really simple to find. It's located right off Earle Street. However, if you were trying to walk these old "roads" at night, especially when the trees and bushes are full of leaves, it's easy to get lost. This would certainly explain why some visitors would lose their way. Plus, the roads are literally disappearing as trees and brushes grow up throughout the trails.

The Ghosts

The ghostly legends are difficult to prove or disapprove. Those who study ghosts and legends might argue that any old and self-respecting cemetery in New England would have at least one good ghostly legend. And the remote location of Spider Gates cdertainly makes it look like a ghostly place.

The legends caused problems for the Quaker cemetery. Graves have been desecrated, and trashed has been strewn about the grounds. In recent years, a sign was put up that reads THIS IS A PRIVATE CEMETERY UNDER THE CARE OF THE WORCESTER-PLEASANT STREET FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS). WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL TREAT THIS CEMETERY AS YOU WOULD THE ONE WHERE YOUR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS ARE BURIED.

We hope so too.

Called Up the Wrong Demon!

There is a small town on the outskirts of Boston, and on one side there is a huge forest. If you walk far enough into them you see there are eight gates that look like steel spider webs with locks. If you walk through all of them I heard there is a clearing. Legend has it if you enter the clearing at night and attempt to walk back out through the gates you will be killed by some spirit.

They say that a bunch of Devil worshippers practiced there, and were one night conjuring a demon but they called up the wrong demon and were all killed. So now the Demon protects the clearing and will kill anyone who enters it and tries to leave. I have heard this is because the Devil worshippers would sacrifice a person before leaving so the demon they called up for the night would be satisfied and would go back to hell willingly. -Nate

Flashes and White Orbs at Spider Gates

Just this past weekend, I decided to take my first stroll down to Spider Gates with a few friends. We didn't see or hear anything at all. We didn't feel weird or get creeped out from being there. But I took my camera there, and took a short video with it as I was walking down the southern path next to the river. On the way home, when I was looking back through my pictures and the video, I noticed a flash going across the screen that I had failed to notice in real life. Also, in my pictures there are a lot of those white orbs that had shown up. -Glenn D.