#japanese puns are so clever like damn i love them a lot

[saiainopresai-v3]

FINALLY DREW SOMETHING FOR SAIOU DAYY and holy shit its something drawn recently

happy 3/10 everyone!! drawn super roughly so its pretty janky but i still love how they came out

i dont usually tend to draw for these kinds of days but im glad i didn't miss this one; trying to push myself this year!

[otakween]

One Pound Gospel - Volume 3

Another volume, another chill read. In the end, I haven't learned much about boxing or being a nun lol. The strengths of this series are the cute characters and nice art. It doesn't take itself too seriously.

Ch. 20

So far the formula for this manga has been: new opponent introduced, Kosaku struggles to prepare for his fight with said opponent, and Angela struggles with her desire to cheer Kosaku on. Rinse, repeat. I predict Takahashi will just cruise with this pattern until the final arc of the final volume lol. Very repetitive.

Lots of extremely dumb characters in this series. New kid doesn't seem to understand you're not supposed to go around punching people outside a match, for example. I get that they're trying to establish his character as a naive, spoiled brat, but if this was the real world it would be weird he keeps making the same mistake.

Ch. 21

Oh, I guess I misunderstood. Yoshihiko made a promise to his parents that he'd knock Kosaku out. I thought he meant in a match, but I guess he just has to knock him out in general lol.

It was funny seeing Kosaku through Yoshihiko' lens as a cool role model. He did look pretty cool blocking his punch at the end there.

Ch. 22

A very silly and pretty racist chapter. Kosaku's next opponent is Mexican, so of course his name is "Tako," he's a taco chef and they imply he's a dumb bumpkin. -sigh- At least his relationship with Kosaku is pretty wholesome? Them bonding over being Christians and Kosaku showing him his church was sweet.

Sister Angela agreed to that Christmas date so easily...I guess Kosaku didn't say the word "date," so maybe that made it easier

The weeping Mary joke was very similar to a joke made in Derry Girls lol

Ch. 23

Oh alright, they kinda won me over. The Spanish was actually pretty decent (in the version I'm reading anyways) and it was nice to see Kosaku make an effort to speak some too. Also, Xavier (Tako's real name) going from making tacos to takoyaki was a clever pun.

I guess opponents only get two chapters now? At least I won't get bored.

Ch. 24

I was thinking "everyone in this manga has the same hair" but then I just realized, they just don't have anime hair. They have realistic, Japanese hair lol. Funny how rare that is.

New girl is cute! That scene where they were vowing to diet together while stuffing their faces was adorable. I wish Kosaku would genuinely have platonic feelings for her instead of being his usual horndog self. Oh well.

Ch. 25

Gasp! Non-Barbie anatomy nudity! I guess that's to be expected tho considering Ranma 1/2.

Kana really has zero self preservation instincts lol. If only the real world was safe enough to act like that.

The misunderstanding stuff is annoying, but at least Sister Angela took the "acceptance" approach to thinking she's being cheated on instead of getting angry and making a huge thing out of it. That would have been tiring to read lol.

An abusive boyfriend being played for comedy feels...wrong.

Ch. 26

IDK if the reveal that Kana got her black eye from being smacked into a chip container was supposed to make things alright. Her boyfriend still hit her upside the head!

This whole arc has just been the misunderstanding trope over and over again. Nobody likes that trope.

Ch. 27

So Kana wants to go back to her abusive boyfriend which...okay, realistic. But Kosaku telling Hiroshi to make up with Kana is not good advice!! He should be telling him to leave her alone >:/ I watch too much true crime for this shit.

Kana's a real one to swing by the church and clear up the misunderstanding. We love to see clear communication.

Ch. 28

Damn, didn't expect the pregnancy announcement. And Kana's actually physically abusive too (in a slapstick way)...good luck to them, I guess.

Wait, this is the 2nd boxing match to end with pregnancy lol. I guess boxers get all the ladies.

Only one volume to go and not much has happened. My prediction for the final volume is that we'll get more one-off stories and then maybe it will end with Kosaku and Sister Angela's first kiss. We'll see!

[theshinsun]

Hyuuga and Izuki for character thing please? 🙃

Oh sweet, thanks for sending some more! This may be long bc there’s two again.

Hyuuga

How I feel about this character

A+ captain 👌. He puts up with so much shit and loves his team so much and he’s such a good character okay, so much respect. That whole arc where he quits basketball and Kiyoshi has to convince him to play and you can just Tell he still loves the game he’s just been severely discouraged (”I know that! that’s why I’m so bored every day!”) that was *chef’s kiss*. I also love the bit where he asks Riko how he can make shots under pressure and she threatens to break his shit for every one he misses and he Actually Agrees like goddamn. That’s dedication. Also this absolute NERD collecting army general figures (people pass it off as him forcing a new hobby when he’s quitting bball but he actually does seem to love them and know a lot about them and I love that). He’s so good. His relationship with the whole team is so good and his ability to lead them and keep even the uppity freshman duo in line is perfect. Quality organic senpai material.  

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Riko (100% canon team parents and that one valid straight ship. I love how they can be this terrifying evil duo and still so sweet with each other, how they support each other and get on each other’s nerves and still have each other/the team’s back at all times. wholesome af) 

Kiyoshi (their whole relationship is amazing, from the way they meet and Kiyoshi’s pestering and Hyuuga refusing to acknowledge that he’s right and they work well together, and then finally getting his shit together and that Promise he makes when Kiyoshi is injured?? good shit good shit. I also like him, Kiyoshi and Riko as a poly trio.)

Mibuchi (I MEAN. Mibuchi’s interest in Hyuuga is canon and the way he’s so flirty with him is actually pretty adorable. I’d love for them to actually be a couple with Hyuuga trying to be the stoic unfazed cool guy and then Mibuchi opens his fucking mouth and he turns into a blushing stammering mess) 

Izuki (what can I say I love ships that come with banter. these guys have got some long-standing history too, and I’m always a sucker for that. Izuki would drive Hyuuga up the fucking wall but they’ve also got some major camaraderie and obviously care for each other a lot. it’d def never be boring when they’re together)

Sakurai (get that apologetic mushroom. the dynamic between these two is so odd but it kinda just works for me, esp Sakurai’s sulkiness trying to prove he’s better that he doesn’t really show anyone else)

Kasamatsu (give me them good captain ships hells ye. I feel like Kasamatsu’s really come to respect him by the second Kaijo/Seirin game and they’re both such tough unyielding characters I’d love to see them get to be soft together)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Kiyoshi (I can’t have a non-romantic OTP without it also working as a romantic ship can I) what can I say, the reason they work so well as a ship is also the reason they work so well as friends. The history and mutual trust between them, the determination and the promise that binds them together, they’re just such a good pair no matter how they fit together. They’ve also got a healthy dose of exasperated teasing banter about them and you know I eat that shit up. 

My unpopular opinion about this character

Blond Hyuuga is valid. *braces self* 

LISTEN my kink is long hair ok and even if he’d gotten it cut again I kinda wish he’d kept the color the bleached blond works with his eyes. Fight me.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Guy wears rimless glasses and plays basketball and you’re telling me he never gets them broken even once? It’s not so much a suggestion for improvement as much as a nitpick for realism’s sake, but it was the first damn thing my roommate pointed out about him and now I can’t stop thinking it.

Izuki

How I feel about this character

ALL HAIL THE PUN MASTER. Tbh I kinda wish I spoke some modicum of Japanese just so the majority of this guy’s jokes wouldn’t fly over my head, but still, even from what my ear and the subs have been able to gather, game recognize game. Izuki’s just an enjoyable character tbh, the way he puts his all into basketball with the rest of his team, the way he’s been playing the longest out of all of them and polished his skills over time, his intellect, his good jokes and absolutely TERRIBLE jokes and the way he harasses/bonds with Hyuuga, he’s such an all-around good egg and I don’t see him get enough love.  

All the people I ship romantically with this character

This list will be pretty short bc there aren’t all that many people... he interacts with one-on-one in canon? Which is kinda a shame tbh.

Hyuuga (As I said above, they’ve got history, they poke each other and get up in each other’s space and still have a rock solid foundation of support and trust for each other they’re a pure ship)

Kiyoshi (who on this team wouldn’t love this big lug to pieces? these two seem to be the only ones in Seirin with any common sense [at times they’ve also both got their fair share of nonsense to be sure] and have their own respectively odd personalities that would probably mesh really well together)

Takao (I talked about their birds-of-a-feather dynamic before in my list for Takao and I stand by it. they’re a good match with lots in common and the sass would be Endless)

Hayama (the ONE PERSON he gets to laugh at his jokes. they’re such an unlikely fit but I love the idea of the two of them just wreaking havoc as a couple)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Koganei (say whaat at last a purely platonic relationship for this question). They’re such good bros tho, idk if I could see them as a couple, per se, but the way they play off each other is always hilarious and the way they each do their part to work together and support the team is fuckin wholesome. The arc of them working with Kiyoshi to form Seirin’s team in the first place is quality, and the shenanigans they get into over the course of the show never fail to delight me. Just a solid, good friendship that I’m here for.

My unpopular opinion about this character

LET HIM MAKE PUNS. This is more a disagreement with the characters in the show itself than with the fandom, but this guy is fuckin witty (even if his jokes are often groan-worthy, the wordplay itself, from what I’m able to understand, is really clever and that shit’s not easy to come up with on the spot). I respect his efforts and enthusiasm, at least, and as someone whose personality also revolves around lame jokes I will defend this guy to the grave.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

We get the briefest, barest mention of him being the one who’s played basketball since way back in grade school and therefore being the most experienced player, but it’s way in season 3 and is never really explored in any depth. Can we get some more backstory/growth for this guy, please? He doesn’t suffer from a lack of screentime (none of the Seirin guys do really) but I think a few of them do suffer from a lack of character development, and this guy’s got the foundation for something great I’m just not sure it was followed through on as well as it could’ve been. 

Tbh considering how well all the characters — even minor ones — in a show like, say... Haikyuu!! are fleshed out and given time and ways to grow and change, I just wish some of KNB’s supporting characters got the same love. It’s one of the show’s main weaknesses and while it doesn’t necessarily detract from the experience, there’s definitely some room for improvement there and I’m just kinda sad we didn’t get it.

[thecomedybureau]

The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to In No Particular Order of 2019

OK, 2019′s officially over and we’ve wrangled our 100 truly favorite things in and around comedy (and it really spans all of comedy) that are not ranked whatsoever. It’s just like the title says and, it’s, as it is every year, quite long, so we won’t waste any more time with this intro. 

Oh, in case you forgot and/or curious and/or need a quick refresher, here’s our 2018 list. 

1. Rory Scovel Live Without Fear-This documentary follows Rory Scovel and his journey through six nights of completely improvised hour sets. In a single word, it’s inspiring. You see the way Scovel truly connects the audience and keeps it that way through his indelible charm and endless curiosity. The near unbelievable story of the Relapse Theater in Atlanta is also beautifully threaded in the doc as well. The clips of the improvised performances capture the magic that stand-up comedy can be that’s absent from the majority of comedy specials. You should be required to see this whenever and wherever it comes if you have any level of interest in comedy at all. 

2. Naomi Ekperigin-From her own stand-up, to her podcast with husband Andy Beckerman, Couples Therapy, and her writing across TV, and everything else she does, Naomi is such an thoroughly commanding, yet delightful presence that we love seeing every time anywhere (and she should already be way bigger of a star already).

3. Cait Raft’s Presentation on “Bradley Cooper’s a Star Is Born Takes Place in an Alternate Reality Where 9/11 Never Happened”-Witnessing the imagination of Cait Raft up close was a privilege for us. This amazing dissection of the zeitgeist left us in stitches and with our mouth agape for how thoroughly it proved its point.

4. Corporate Season 2-The second season of the ultra dark workplace comedy delivered once again on its hysterical nihilistic satire that’s so prescient, yet still so unbelievably funny.

5. Mom-Prov Presents Family Therapy-Improviser Izzy Roland was daring enough to have her mom and her grandmother, both of whom are also in showbiz, to join her on stage for one of the most madcap, fourth wall-breaking, entertaining improv shows we’ve seen all throughout 2019.

6. Jena Friedman-So, this year, Jena delivered yet again with her subtle delivery and calm demeanor that hides her absolutely killer jokes. The follow-up to her Adult Swim special, Soft Focus, upped the ante with an interview of a gun-toting John McAffee and her brilliant Conan set about everyone’s true crime obsession.

7. Brendon Walsh’s Afternoon Delight-This last year, Brendon Walsh let everyone know that he was and still is one of the best at pulling prank calls, which is so much harder now than it was even ten years ago. This live show actually has Brendon place live prank calls in between stand-ups and the ride you go on is absolutely thrilling.

8. Jacqueline Novak’s Get on Your Knees-Novak’s solo show has more than earned its spot as an Off-Broadway show with bringing such an exquisite, almost never before seen comedic sensibility to the topic of blow jobs.

9. #F*ckF*ckJerry-Props to Vulture Senior Editor Megh Wright for sparking the fire to take out the egregious social media accounts of F*ck Jerry that just lifted jokes from comedians all across the Internet without pay or attribution.

10. Lorelei Ramirez-We’ve known distantly about Lorelei Ramirez for so many years, but seeing them up close was a breathtaking experience that had us laughing so hard. Their artistry in comedy that gracefully borders on performance art and even horror is absolutely inspiring.

11. Aaron Urist-Denver’s Aaron Urist is such a killer joke writer and joke teller and has been for years. We just were reminded about that with his burning bush joke during his latest LA trip.

12. Booksmart-Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut was not only a reinvigorated take on movies that specifically hone in on the end of high school, but also had a sincerely hopeful vision of the future generation. We hope that Booksmart finds its way to the top of the coming-of-age comedy films pantheon.

13. Rachel Mac on Lights Out-One of the highlights of Lights Out with David Spade is how unfiltered and raunchy they let comics get during their sets on the show. Rachel Mac took that amount of comedic license and thrived in getting into the nitty gritty about her last teaching job.

14. What We Do In The Shadows-The FX TV adaptation of the seminal Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement film in 2014 exceedingly succeeds in nailing the comedy of minutia in the world of the undead that also happens to be in a (somewhat) grounded reality.

15. PEN15-Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s vision of 2000 and their performances as teens were so spot on that PEN15 would deserve acclaim just for that. However, the heart of this show made its humor stand out in an ever crowded field of coming-of-age comedy.

16. Tiffany Haddish’s Black Mitzvah-A lot has happened for Tiffany Haddish since her last special (she’s a legit A-list celebrity now), but it’s clear that she is still her unapologetically positively, life loving self. This special is evidence of that, especially with her bit about her New Year’s show that she got undeserved flack for.

17. Straw Men-Lindsay Adams, Danny Palumbo, and Sam Wiles (and producer Kimmie Lucas) put on what is our favorite imagining of a comedic debate that we’ve seen thus far. The encouragement to make the most ridiculous, baseless arguments and being transparent about the whole thing is a golden goose of comedy.

18. The ending of Gloria Bell-Well, we can’t very well give away the ending to this English language dramedy remake from Sebastián Lelio that has Julianne Moore shine as bright as she has ever shone before, but just know that we stood out of our seats, applauding what she did to John Turturro right at the end.

19. I Think You Should Leave-Tim Robinson’s unflinchingly absurd sketch series unequivocally has many of the best sketches of 2019. The hot dog costume and Mexican restaurant sketches will have us busting up through, very likely, the next decade.

20. Les Miz and Friends-Bonkers (and we mean that in the best way possible) doesn’t begin to describe how wild this meta and great this puppet and human hybrid take on the theater institution of Les Miserables. The sheer cleverness on every level is awe-inspiring. 

21. Dave Ross’ The Only Man Who Has Ever Had Sex-Ross has been a longtime favorite of ours for the contrasting bounciness and darkness of his comedy. His debut album captures this dichotomy perfectly.

22. Nikki Glaser: Bangin’-Nikki Glaser’s first Netflix hour special started off with a bang, pun intended. Her frank, but heartfelt exploration of all facets of sex is so damn funny that Glaser gets away with being as blue as she wants.  

23. Super Dating Simulator-This live, interactive version of various Japanese video game dating simulators is one of the more innovative and surprisingly charming things we saw this year. Creator Sam Weller did a bang-up job not only making a video game work as a stage show, but doing so with a very off-beat sub-genre of video games

24. Emmy Blotnick’s Party Nights-Blotnick’s latest album shows Emmy at the peak of her delightful observational powers. The concept of a “Self-Potato” is just priceless.

25. Tammercise!-Folks in comedy are getting all sorts of clever these days to redefine traditional formats and disciplines and push the art form forward. Madeline Wager does this exquisitely with a solo show of a woman unraveling that doubles as legit aerobics class.

26. The Cherry Orchard w/Chad Damiani and Jet Eveleth-Damiani and Eveleth explore a new angle on postmodern clowning by supposedly doing a Chekov play going through dress rehearsal without any of the players knowing what they’re supposed to do. The back and forth between the live direction and the tomfoolery on stage is truly hysterical.

27. Bake Stuff with Lindsay LIVE-It’s about time for a comedic cooking show that actually does teach you a wonderful recipe and also explores and resolves(?) childhood trauma. Lindsay Adams’ Bake Stuff with Lindsay, which we indeed saw live, accomplishes all of that and inspires all those watching to cook through their feelings.

28. Shalewa Sharpe’s So, You Just Out Here?-Shalewa imbues homespun wisdom with marvelously colorful descriptions all throughout this very satisfying album.

29. The Amazing Johnathan Documentary from Ben Berman-The Amazing Johnathan’s life story is pretty captivating as is. The story about Ben Berman trying to tell his story amidst several other people trying to tell his story is absolutely engrossing and is somehow all true.

30. Julio Torres’ HBO special “My Favorite Shapes”-Torres’ special is simultaneously one of the most daring and silly hour specials in recent memory and his elevation of prop comedy to a whole new level is to be commended.

31. The Underculture with James Adomian-James Adomian has been one of comedy podcasts’ most in-demand and bright shining stars. It comes as no surprise that his own podcast that revs up all his characters has some of the best, most dynamic, absurdist interviews in political and pop culture satire. 

32. Daniel Van Kirk’s Thanks Diane/Together Tour-Van Kirk’s first, complete hour that he both toured with and released as an album is so impressive with how deftly Dan manages a balance of sincerity and mischief from wire-to-wire.

33. Conan in Greenland-Conan marvelously turns his travel specials series Conan Without Borders on its head by attempting to buy Greenland based off of Trump’s stupid tweets.

34. Mary Beth Barone’s Drag His Ass: A F*ckboy Treatment Program-Mary Beth Barone’s live show exploration into her dating life is illuminating and hilarious throughout, but the actual interview that she does live with a “f*ckboy” is transcendent.

35. Obvious Plant’s Carnival of Toys-Jeff Wysaski AKA Obvious Plant really outdid himself this year in his quest to permeate everyday reality with a satirical twist. He not only made a whole line of custom toy figures that satirize pop culture on so many levels, but opened up a whole pop-up museum for several days to exhibit them in all of their bizarre glory.

36. Sports Without Equipment with Coach Keith Alejo-This Dress Up Gang sketch is one of those ideas that are simple, yet so out-of-left-field. Literally, they take sports without equipment to its funniest conclusion.

37. #Squatmelt-Howard Kremer’s desire to keep the spirit of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail alive has evolved into its own very special thing in the form of a DIY stand-up comedy show/walking tour that periodically migrates around LA.

38. Catch-22-Trying to adapt such a monumental literary work like Catch-22 is almost a fool’s errand, but writers Luke Davies and David Michôd do a smash-up job for not only bringing Heller’s immortal words to life, but also sticking the landing for all the darkly absurdly comical moments that run rampant throughout the story.

39. Get Rich Nick-Even if they didn’t have the fantastic banter, riffs, and asides from the very funny duo of Nick Turner and Nick Vatterott, this podcast that explores how to make money real quick is one of the best new podcasts of the whole year. Fortunately, Nick and Nick’s humor runs rampant through every episode and makes Get Rich Nick engrossing and makes you actually laugh out loud.

40. MK Paulsen-The comedy of MK Paulsen can be faster than a bullet, but as satisfyingly silly as a gun that shoots a flag with the word ‘bang’ on it. Every time we see him do stand-up, it’s a fun, rollicking ride that’s equal parts offbeat whimsy, clever wordplay, and an agile sense of timing and play.

41. Father Figurine by Matt Kazman-The dour faces of the family in this dark comedy short play to the highest comedic effect perfectly. A dead patriarch and an apathetic family make for some of the best dry humor in 2019.

42. Funk Shuffle-Danny Cymbal, Dennis Curlett, and Michael Gardner comprise Funk Shuffle, an improv group that manages fly freer and more untethered than almost any other improv group that we’ve ever seen. They make their defiance and experimentation with improv forms really work due to the trio’s unflinchingly playful spirit.

43. Gary Gulman’s The Great Depresh-Gulman, as one of comedy’s premier craftsman, of course, delivers an hour of stellar comedy with this special. He also manages, this time around, to destigmatize depression and, in general, be hopeful. That particular comedy trifecta is such an impressive feat that very few can accomplish.

44. Greener Grass-The scope and ambition of Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe’s directorial debut hints at some really special things to come from them in the future. Their absolutely demented, pastel drenched absurdist vision was a shocking delight through and through.

45. Jenny Slate’s Stage Fright-Slate’s best comedic strength is her unshakeable vulnerability. This hour special lets Jenny present that trait as intimately as she has ever presented it and gives an in-depth look as to where that hilarious vulnerability comes from. 

46. Heather Anne Campbell swatting a baby out of someone’s hands in an improv scene-At this point, it should come as no surprise that Heather Anne Campbell is one of our absolute all-time favorite people in comedy and thus, she kind of just ends up making it on this list annually on her own someway, somehow. This year, during a performance of her improv group, Heather and Company, we laughed as hard as we’ve ever laughed at Drew DiFonzo Marks initiating a scene by rocking a baby back and forth and then, Heather insanely swatted it out of his hands and stomped on it. It sounds ludicrous, but trust that Heather made that so unbelievably funny. 

47. Adam Cayton-Holland’s Happy Place-Cayton-Holland’s live solo show based on his critically acclaimed book of the same name pulls off oscillating between cleverly wrought and self-aware comedy and some of the most heartbreaking stories you’ll ever hear about his late sister. Holland’s focus and calm make it all miraculously blend together.

48. The Authorized Unauthorized My Favorite Murder Musical-In the world of unauthorized musicals about things that you wouldn’t really think about being adapted into unauthorized musicals (it’s a bigger ever-burgeoning world every month it seems), the staged reading of this My Favorite Murder-inspired musical that we saw was phenomenal. The full stage production to come in 2020 will undoubtedly be something really great. 

49. Pedro Gonzalez-Pedro’s jokes are so expertly written and crafted that you forget that he immigrated to America as a teenager from Colombia and learned English as a second language.

50. Garry Starr Performs Everything-UK comedian Garry Starr’s solo show is a genius send-up and celebration of theater as a whole. The physicality and the sheer madness of the whole show are so thoroughly hysterical.

51. Kira Soltanovich-We just want to take a moment to appreciate the agility of the comedy of Kira Soltanovich. Not only does Kira play any room or any show as far as we’ve seen, but her drive is just unstoppable (see ep. of The Honey Dew).

52. Mike Birbiglia’s The New One-Though it seems almost too routine that Birbiglia comes out with a new hour special that garners tons of acclaim for its ornate and complex and, ultimately, very satisfying tapestry of stories, Birbiglia delivers exactly once again with one such solo show/special on fatherhood.

53. Michelle Buteau-We saw Michelle headline just a few months ago at Dynasty Typewriter and were reminded of just how good Buteau is. She combines being heartfelt, having a fun bit of attitude, and an absolute command of the stage in such a beautiful way.

54. Gareth Reynolds’ Riddled with Disease-Many folks know how great Gareth is from his madcap riffing on The Dollop, but Reynolds shows he is fantastic with a sharp, hilarious, yet still fast-and-loose-feeling hour.

55. Sara Schaefer’s LIVE LAUGH LOVE-Sara, above most folks working in comedy today, goes to great lengths to be considerate, inclusive, and vulnerable in her comedy and it’s so, so wonderful because of that. This album is yet another great example of that mix.

56. Sean Patton’s Scuttlebutt-Sean Patton’s latest album is a fantastic note to any and all that Sean is, hands down, one of the best comedians ever to spin a yarn (and also share some damn fine true stories) and deserves way more accolade and attention for that now and going forward. 

57. Matt Rogers’ Have You Heard of Christmas?-Rogers had quite a 2019 in putting culture on notice, but his queer and subversive holiday musical extravaganza might be one of the best pieces of holiday themed comedy of all time.

58. The Chris Gethard Show with Robby Hoffman-Not only does Robby Hoffman keep the punk rock, conventions-be-damned spirit of TCGS alive, but she makes it so much her own and lets her hilarious, domineering persona transform the show into another very special, unique round of controlled chaos.

59. The taping of Eddie Pepitone’s latest special-Eddie’s sound and fury and his irreverent stream-of-consciousness-seeming comedy were flawless in this latest hour. Everyone in attendance, including ourselves, were in stitches for the whole taping. Props to director Steven Feinartz for one of our favorite looks of a special that we saw last year (which you’ll all get to see soon in 2020).

60. Eric Dadourian’s closer on Nebraska 2-Dadourian is always all in for the sake of a real bold, imaginative bit and, as such, pulled off one of our favorite closers of the year on his very first full length album.

61. Jessica Kirson: Talking to Myself-Kirson’s hour special on Comedy Central really let Jessica cut loose and let her showcase her stand-up expertise. From the way that Kirson contorts her face to her deep well of voices/characters to razor-sharp quick wit to, of course, her signature asides to herself, Jessica really kills it in this hour. 

62. Brody Stevens-Long live the “jock doing performance art” comedy (one of our favorite descriptions of Brody’s comedy by his dear friend Zach Galifianakis) and may he rest in peace. Yeeeees! Enjoy It!

63. Byron Bowers on Colbert-Byron Bowers and his clever, yet sincere, dark, vulnerable comedy put up one of our favorite late night sets this year. From the opening to his frank jokes about his dad make us think that it’s just a little crazy that this is his network TV debut.

64. Desus and Mero on Showtime-With the upgrade of being on Showtime, Desus Nice and The Kid Mero are having the most fun in late night with the freshest voices and format (and they’re able to pull that off with only being twice a week).

65. Fleabag Season 2-creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge assuredly has more masterpieces ahead of her, but managing to top herself from one masterpiece season of dark romantic dramedy with another one is something that deserves all the accolades and awards that it has gotten.

66. Kenny DeForest on Corden-Kenny dismantles toxic masculinity so incisively through the whole set that he most certainly earns all the applause breaks he gets the whole way through.

67. Josh Gondelman’s Dancing on a Weeknight-Gondelman is often thought of as one of the best, sweetest people in comedy. This latest album, for all of its being clever and genuine, is proof that he indeed really is that sweet and funny.

68. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 3-The perennial prestige comedy from Amy Sherman-Palladino earns its keep by having some of the best writing (it’s almost impossible to write jokes that are contextualized for the 50s/60s and make them actually funny for 2019 audiences) and also being one of the most gorgeous looking shows in all of television.

69. Nick Ciarelli and Brad Evans-Whether it be pulling pranks on Twitter, their plethora of hysterical sketches doing an impression of Jack FM on shows around town, or their monthly live sketch character showcase Atlantic City, Nick and Brad are a damn fine comedy duo and have been for quite some time. 

70. Caitlin Gill’s Major-It’s quite the magic trick to make an hour of comedy that’s entirely clean and have it being clean not be a thought that you’re thinking about at all when listening or watching it. Caitlin Gill spectacularly does just that with this album as Gill can make all of her earnest rants, imagery, and observations work in any way that she needs to.  

71. 97.9 The Rat Race-Ben Roy’s satirical reimagining of a morning radio “zoo crew” is so spot on, then gets real twisted to make this one of the most surprising and rewarding podcasts of 2019.

72. Mike Lane’s Picture Frames-This short film from Lane heightens the idea of remembering those you love after they’ve left this mortal coil to such a ridiculous level every step of the way (and is more and more enjoyably unpredictable the further it goes).

73. Paige Weldon on Corden-Paige’s upbeat self-deprecation is just hard to resist and it makes the best impression in this late night set on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

74. The Righteous Gemstones-Danny McBride’s latest HBO series that darkly and comically dissects the South might be his most ambitious yet, but, of course, he nails it. The constant suspense perpetuated by hysterically tragic characters in the world of televangelists is profound.

75. My Friend Chuck-Comedic erotica author Chuck Tingle (one of the absolutely most unique voices and cadences we’ve heard in awhile) and friend McKenzie Goodwin celebrate their friendship every week for a podcast that’s preposterously funny and, also, more heartwarming than almost anything we’ve heard or seen. 

76. Joey Clift’s Telling People You’re Native American When You’re Not Native Is a Lot Like Telling a Bear You’re a Bear When You’re Not a Bear-Clift makes such biting, pun intended, commentary with this short film/PSA that is also so playful that the message about Native identity will undoubtedly stick with you.

77. Megan Gailey’s My Dad Paid For This-Gailey strikes a wonderful balance of charm and attitude and fervent desire to burn down the patriarchy. Such a mix accents her very delightful observations about herself and the world around her in this marvelous debut album. 

78. Robin Higgins as Baby Yoda at Tournament of Nerds-Higgins might have made one of the best, first attempts at Baby Yoda cosplay. She also, for what’s supposed to be a roast-style competition between fictional/pop culture characters, perfectly imagined how Baby Yoda would roast someone while maintaining Baby Yoda’s sweetness that has captured the hearts and minds of the Internet.

79. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote-Terry Gilliam went through hell, did a few laps, and came back over several years to get this meta-quixotic tale about reimagining the legendary novel Don Quixote made. The finished film, for us, was worth the wait. 

80. Jo Firestone on The Tonight Show-Jo’s sense of play is so pure and present that it’s kind of irresistible. Combined with a perfect amount of self-deprecation, Jo really delivered a terrific set we’ll probably never get tired of.

81. Paul Rudd continues his time honored tradition of playing that one clip of Mac & Me on Conan-Rudd evolves the arc of this long running bit on Conan where, instead of playing a clip of what he’s on Conan to promote, he plays the same exact clip of the universally panned alien comedy Mac & Me. We all know what’s coming and yet, without the benefit of surprise, Rudd’s annoyance of Conan still keeps on being so damn funny.

82. Billy on the Street featuring Reese and Mariah-This year, we were lucky enough to get two instantly classic episodes of Billy on the Street with Reese Witherspoon and Mariah Carey that gave us our fix for our obsession with Billy Eichner yelling at strangers on the streets of NYC.

83. The Dollop England & UK-As Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds embarked on an entire England & UK tour of The Dollop, they thought it prudent to do a mini-series specific to Great Britain and did a smashing job making fun of British history. The Cyril the Swan episode is particularly brilliant.

84. Lost Moon Radio-The live musical sketch comedy theater troupe (Lost Moon Radio truly lives up to such a description) marked their 10th anniversary and put on an absolutely fantastic “Summer Block Party” this year that both showed that they still got their ingenious musical sketch comedy chops. 

85. Nate Bargatze’s The Tennessee Kid-The calm with which Bargatze pervades all of his comedy is part of what makes it beloved by nearly any and all that see or hear Bargatze’s stand-up. That’s such the case now that Nate gives updates to stories from previous specials on this latest hour. 

86. Beth Stelling on Kimmel-Every detail of this set on Jimmy Kimmel Live is pretty stellar. That includes Beth, in general, for her warm demeanor, smile, and cleverness, the Chippendale’s story, Beth’s mom being there in the crowd, and, of course, the surprise guest at the end. 

87. Liz Climo’s Please Don’t Eat Me-This illustrated book is just the latest in a long line of uber-adorable and genuinely-funny-for-all-ages books from Climo. Liz seems to have quite the knack for making unlikely animal friendship jokes. 

88. John Hodgman’s Medallion Status-Hodgman’s journey through the various statuses of airline privilege/celebrity is a superb serving of existential humor, done up with Hodgman’s painstaking attention to the exactly right details. 

89. Jane Curtin’s 2019 New Year’s Resolution “My New Year’s Resolution Is To Make Sure The Republican Party Dies”-Said during a CNN interview with the SNL alum, this was the first thing to make us heartily laugh in 2019.

90. Alex Kavutskiy’s Squirrel-Kavutskiy’s short film dives into the concept of forgiveness unlike we’ve really seen and, as is Kavutskiy’s style, is so darkly spellbinding and so pointedly funny at the same time.

91. Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show-The long running comedy troupe known as Astronomy Club really ran with their chance to do a full-fledged sketch series on Netflix. They’re so endlessly clever on in their sketches, especially when it comes to the subjects of identity and oppression, and pack in so many jokes and sight gags that you’ll definitely want to watch it more than once so you don’t miss anything.

92. Dolemite Is My Name-Eddie Murphy seems poised to make a real return to comedy (and stand-up comedy in particular) and this marvelous biopic of comedian and blaxploitation star Rudy Ray Moore AKA Dolemite is the perfect way to start.

93. Anna Drezen on Corden-Drezen has such a perfect sense of farce and misdirection and puts on a beautiful display of those two things from start to finish in this set on The Late Late Show with James Corden. 

94. BUTT’s Yoda themed dating app sketch-This sketch is so prescient of the resurgence of the world’s current (baby) Yoda obsession. Also, while this is so absurd with its deep dive into various Yoda fan art and cosplay, Joe McAdam and Chris Stephens’ take on dating apps is so sharply and deeply funny. 

95. Mel Brooks Unwrapped-The never ending bit of attempting a documentary between Mel Brooks and the BBC’s Alan Yentob is yet another display of the true, unquestionable genius of Mel Brooks.

96. 50 First Stephs-The amazing, hysterical Steph Tolev kicked off 2019 with a show where 50 or so of her compatriots and contemporaries did various impressions and characterizations of her. Part roast, part loving tribute, part amazing showcase of the depth of creativity in LA comedy, Tolev’s night for herself was something really special.

97. The Bongo Hour with Sandy Honig and Peter Smith-Honig and Smith brought their wild variety show that featured such wonderful bits, characters, drag, and burlesque to LA and showed, truly, how much better life is when you’re fluid about nearly everything.

98. How Did This Get Played?-Hosts Nick Wiger and Heather Anne Campbell and their take on the “worst and weirdest” video games do their namesake, the beloved How Did This Get Made?, proud. Even if you’re not a gamer, the way they dissect the most bizarre video games ever made along with Heather and Nick’s chemistry is very, very enjoyable.

99. Joe Pera Talks With You Season 2-This second season of Joe Pera’s unique talk-to-the-viewer series is so calming that the comedic twists sneak up in the most delightful way possible. There is a certain beauty to Pera’s show that makes us want to have Joe Pera Talks With You playing on a loop in a contemporary art museum.

100. John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch-John Mulaney does “it”, yet again. “It” being releasing another hour of comedic brilliance that’s so markedly different than whatever he did before, yet, somehow still stamped with an indelible mark of Mulaney’s comedy of obtuse hyper-specificity. 

[takaraphoenix]

Let’s Talk About Shark Tale

I’ve been doing a bit of a spring-cleaning on animated movies, to see which ones of the more recent releases I haven’t seen yet and when doing so, I noticed this old thing. DreamWorks. 2004. Haven’t seen it since its release back in the day. Genuinely did not remember it. And I remember the plot of every animated movie I’ve ever seen, which is a total of about 300 by now. So it was a bit... confusing for me, to see this movie that I don’t seem to remember at all.

Which means I rewatched it.

For fuck’s sake, this movie did not age well. I mean, it was obviously not good the first time around, or otherwise I’d remember it, but good gods, this has not aged well at all.

Also, seeing it in English... explains a lot. I think many of the things they were doing just completely went over 13-year-old Phoe’s head back in the day, because dubbed and also me generally not caring too much about American culture.

But. Wow. Those are some seriously heavy stereotypes and it is... very cringeworthy for the most part. Like. All the parts.

How does the sushi-chef fish look Japanese. It’s a fish. (Not to mention the whole... cannibalism.)

And damn does Will Smith play Oscar very... black. Not exactly in a good way, but in a parodic way. Like. The way white people in the 90s would have made the black guy look. But... how did this happen, Will?

And then there’s the Jamaican jellyfishes and I’m not even going to... *shakes head*

And of course were the evil bad sharks Italian and Really Very Mafia. Of course.

It doubles down hard on stereotypes in a very... disturbing to watch way.

And then there’s the sexualization of fishes.

Not just the part where all the boy fishes have boy-colors and all the girl fishes have girl colors, but the part where Lola has essentially boobs, Angelina Jolie lips and... hair. The way her ““fin”” looks is mighty impractical and unrealistic and dumb. Because the fishes don’t need hair. Really not.

And the humor.

The humor is so bad.

You... You have Jack Black and Will Smith in your movie and yet somehow you managed to double down on cringeworthy with not just the racial stereotyping of fish, but also the humor...? Really? How is that even possible...?

Its “witty” one-liners that often fall flat. Or are over the top.

Potty humor. Of course. A shark farting and making an orca faint with the smell. Ha... ha.. ha.

The death scene? Seriously? Lenny’s brother is dying and you use it as comic relief? That is just so misplaced. It wasn’t a fake-out where he survived in the end, he actually died and you tried to make it into a comic-relief moment...

And the funeral. You... You had a corpse floating up and away from the funeral. Because it’s under sea, get it, haha... ha...

And then there was that domestic abuse joke! When Lola literally beats the crap out of Oscar in public and the fishes seeing it start laughing because “Young love!”.

There’s kind of a gay joke too. The shark who “isn’t like other sharks” and has a “big coming out” about being vegetarian and dresses as a dolphin - you know, because all dolphins are gay sharks *wink wink* - and it’s kind of weird.

The racial meta joke. When the Will Smith character is trying to get a proper bro-fist from his boss and then comments that “many white fish can’t do it”. That doesn’t even work. If the other fish were white - you know, the actual color white, because fishes come in various colors - then you could have had a semi-clever meta-joke, because get it, he’s white, but his voice-actor is also white. Instead, he does it with a brownish-beige fish and... it makes no sense in the universe.

I mean, I generally don’t get why fish-movies are A Thing, because fishes are... not... interesting or cute. I’m guessing it’s because it’s fun to animate the underwater world, or something, but good lords, fish movies are the worst.

And if that fish-movie is trying very forcibly to mirror human society, that’s... sort of doomed to fail.

Especially if it’s not even trying to make sense of the world its building. Somehow... microphones work under the sea? They have lava lamps and electric bill-boards? How?

I like when a sub-society of animals is being clever. If they build human-esque societies with the things that actually exist in their own surroundings. This just... took human things and slapped fish things on them. The Walk of Fame with star-fishes and fish-puns on the stars. Coral Cola. Never mind how the fishes even drink anything, because another joke in the movie is that the tea just washes away when the octopus is trying to pour it.

And... the main love-story. It’s the kind of love-story I might just hate the most. Even more than the stereotypical “childhood friends to lovers”. Then again, this movie DOES use the “one party is super pining for the other who is Totally Oblivious To It and urgh isn’t being Friendzoned THE worst, am I right, fellas?”-trope and couples it with the worst part of “childhood friends to lovers”, namely the “they haven’t said a word about their feelings ever but now that the party they’re pining after has A Love Interest, now they can angrily declare their love like somehow it’s the other party’s fault for not reading minds??”. No. The trope I actually hate even more than that is when the Good Kind Character is paired up with the womanizer badboy who is an egoistic asshat, but the asshat realizes that He Can Change in the end and they Live Happily Ever After. I absolute loathe that because the Good Kind Character deserves better and people don’t just make a 180° over night.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing about this movie has aged well.

Not the pop-culture referrences that were kind of outdated back when the movie came out.

Not the over-the-top racial stereotyping of fish.

Not the sexualization of fishes to make sure the viewer knows that This Is A Girl Fish.

Not the bad humor.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing and I now know why my brain opted to just delete the experience of having watched this movie. I hope it does that again.

[jinjojess]

Can you say what you think of each Exile Election character and the impression they left on you?

Sure, that sounds like fun.

Cut for length.

Ichijou Kaname

Kaname’s alright. I don’t love him but I don’t hate him either. His design is kinda dumb with the white hair, but I also kind of like that it’s just a touch of flair in an otherwise sort of normal uniform attire. The headphones are cool too and I really like that they actually have a story purpose and aren’t just decoration.

Personality-wise, so far Kaname’s very white-bread VN protag material, though the being able to see lies as a result of his synesthesia is kind of interesting. I hate how he talks most of the time because it’s so stereotypically anime douche-style, but I do like that he doesn’t spend all of his internal monologue thinking about how he needs to protect Ichika or anything. Plus if he’s filled with murderous revenge rage, that’s always a plus for me.

He’s flawed, is what I’m saying, which is really nice.

Houshi Ichika

I just cannot even with this design. What the fuck. Like I mentioned in my LP, she ticks so many boxes on the trope-o-meter that she just about breaks it: childhood friend/probable love interest; stupid pun name; love of sweet food (strawberries in this case, also relating back to dumb pun name); dog collar; chain; dog collar; thigh belt; ribbon; DOG COLLAR; school uniform no school would ever assign; etc.

However, despite her constant “I’ll do whatever you say, Kaname” thing, she actually seems semi-reasonable? I did like the part where she physically held Kaname’s face in place so he couldn’t see Misa get eaten because it could either mean that she’s a good friend concerned about his emotional state, or she knows that something else is going on here and wants to keep his attention focused elsewhere.

Fingers crossed for crazy mastermind-type but not of the yandere variety.

Ichijou Misa

Misa’s okay. She’s a stereotypical anime kid sister. Served her role in the story so far just fine I guess. May or may not be Noori. Makes me appreciate how dynamic Komaru is in comparison.

My only thing with her is that the game’s website claims she’s 13, but she doesn’t act 13, she acts like she’s 6. This is a common problem a lot of fiction has when people are not used to being around actual kids and pre-teens–this is what made later seasons of Buffy after Dawn was introduced so obnoxious.

Official site also calls her a moodmaker which in VN lingo is never a good sign.

Noori

Totally Not Misa You Guys. Man I really hope they subvert that…

What’s kind of interesting about Noori is that the game is treating her amnesia as the serious condition it would be in real life. Like there are drawbacks and side effects to it like not knowing how to speak or process what’s going on around her. Makes the situation less tropey and moe and more realistic and sad, so I appreciate that.

Since Alice already lampshaded the Imouto Route thing, I’m hoping we get to avoid that as well and instead Noori will be like…the personification of Kaname’s pathological desire to protect his sister and infantilize her rather than recognize that she was an individual.

(My hopes are not super high about that though.)

Himeno Miori

Textbook shy girl with glasses trope so far. It is a little interesting how her brother and Michimune sort of try to override her opinions all the time and we get to see her fighting back for once in the first(?) election in the flashback. She seems poised to get a character arc revolving around breaking free of her trio and being her own person.

Since Miori is only two years older than Misa and yet is recognized as acting more as a real person and not as a toddler, maybe the game could be setting up a clever parallel between how Michimune and Yuuri try to babify Miori and how Kaname never wanted to admit that his sister was growing up?

Hush, let me construct a more layered and nuanced story for myself to enjoy okay?

Himeno Yuuri

Shouta character extraordinaire. Yuuri hasn’t really done much so far so I don’t have much of an opinion on him yet. I do think it’s weird that Kaname recognizes him as a boy in the dark square just after a massacre but then gets confused in the relatively calm setting of the observatory under actual lighting.

Again, only one year older than Misa, yet acts completely different. Does ascending to chuuni suddenly make people rapidly mature mentally in this universe?

Also, is he wearing garters under his knees to hold up his socks? Watch yourself, boy. You’re edging in on Ichika’s dumb design territory.

Isurugi Michimune

I don’t know why, but I just really like Michimune’s design. Perhaps it’s the relative simplicity of it, or the fact that I just happen to like navy and orange as a color combo, who knows.

I don’t have much of an issue with Michimune so far–I like that he’s kind of hot headed but trying not to be. Like he’s easily goaded into starting to go for Alice just by Izuki calling him a pansy, despite that he knows deep down it’s a bad idea.

Basically he’s also clearly flawed and I like that. He’s a character dealing with an internal struggle–trying to temper is own natural inclinations for the sake of his friends. According to the website he’s best friends with Yuuri and wants to protect both him and his big sister Miori, which is a kind of interesting parallel with Kaname that I hope goes somewhere interesting.

Ayara Izuki

I love this guy. I just…look at him. Fucking look at him. Look at his blue hair. Look at his neon pink hoodie. Look at his skull spider tattoo. Look at his highlighter yellow t-shirt. Look at his 90s hi-tops and his edgelord piercings. Look at his black neck bandanna. Look at how he wears a pair of handcuffs as a bracelet. LOOK AT HOW HIS HOODIE HAS THE SAME DESIGN AS HIS TATTOO. 

This character’s design is a fucking train wreck, but in an entirely different way than Ichika. Like the game both kind of does and doesn’t seem to be taking the character designs seriously (Alice does make a quip about Ichika’s chain) but like…oh my god. This is just so fucking wonderful. It’s like a kaleidoscope that’s been sharpened into a butter knife.

Anyway, Izuki is your standard combative bad boy archetype. He’s 20 and jobless, according to the website. Nothing TOO interesting so far but I just love his stupid design so damn much that I want him to hang around for awhile (and ideally subvert the obvious assumption that he killed someone in the past, but hey).

Ninchouji Issei

So if Ichika is here to bait in thirsty otaku dudes, Issei is a little something for the ladies. His design is basically “Togami, but a chef” and his personality is…well, basically it’s kind of just “Togami, but a chef and without the really obvious disdain for everyone”. What I mean by that is that he’s the character who seems almost intrigued by the premise of this game and has a bit of a haughty, I-know-more-than-you-fools vibe going on.

That might be because he’s 25 and a chef and he’s stuck in this theme park with a bunch of kids, but who knows.

Isumi Hakushuu

I am still not over the fact that his first name sounds so close to the Japanese word for “applause” or the fact that his design is best described as “preppy Amami” (I can picture Amami going undercover as Hakushuu and Avril Lavigne singing “Complicated” as a result). He’s 20, he’s in college, he’s apparently the twins’ neighbor in their, I assume, gated community with high HOA fees.

So far he seems like he’ll be the calm, smart character, possibly betray everyone later on in the story. Or like maybe he’ll seem like he’s really in the game to win but then later he and Kaname become bros or something.

Personally I’m about as meh about him as I was about Amami.

Tadenomiya Aasha

One half of this VN’s twin set (the older one iirc?). Seems like Aasha is more interested in Western Gothic fashion, and she wears a black rose-shaped patch over her left eye, perhaps as a fashion statement or perhaps because she and Kaasha share an eye or something I dunno.

God this design. Half blue/half green hair, the handle to her parasol being shaped like a gun, the headgear…like what is that? Is she some kind of maid queen? 

Anyway, the twins so far are both overly formal, seems haughty and antagonistic, and obsessed with Hakushuu for some reason I assume will never be adequately explained.

Also of note is that both twins are the same age as Misa, and the website says that they’re very advanced for their age. No, game, they’re not really. They act like typical chuunibyou mofos. They are being pretentious and embarrassing and act like they know everything, and I have encountered many 13-year-olds who are just like that.

Tadenomiya Kaasha

Other half of this game’s VN twin set (I think the younger one). This one comes in Japanese flavor, with the hakama and sword handle to her hikasa and white…what kind of flower is that? Anyway, a white flower over her right eye because in my mind the twins share an eye between them that gives them the ability to see other people’s abilities and that’s how they find out about Kaname’s lie-seeing thing and sorry. Trying to keep myself entertained.

Anyway, Kaasha so far has pretty much the same personality as Aasha. I really hope they both team up to mess people up rather than fight each other for Hakushuu’s attention, but if I’m being honest I already know that’s where we’re headed.

*sigh*

Yurizono Shihori

We’re still troping it up but we’ve now hit the trope I personally like–resting bitch face. Shihori don’t give a fuck about what’s going on here. She doesn’t have time to wear a bra, to emote, or give one single shit about the situation. She’s also strangely absent in the flashback but I don’t know what that means yet. Possibly that she will be a fake-out mastermind candidate later on in the game?

Design-wise I’m not sure how I feel about the boots or the fishnets, but other than that it’s fine. Pretty simple and more to my taste than the complicated stuff. Love the Kingdom Hearts-inspired design on her shirt too. Also her last name is literally just “lily garden” I mean come on. This hole was made for me.

Shihori is apparently 21 and a college student, hence her apathy about life probably. Also according to the website she has poor eyesight and carries around glasses but doesn’t wear them. See, that’s the kind of small personal detail that makes a character likable. That’s like a DR character trait.

Alice

Alice is my actual fave so far. She’s not TOO close to Monokuma, but there’s just enough resonance to make her fun. Alice is the only one who seems to be lampshading these dumb design choices or stock personality traits too, which I appreciate immensely.

As for her design, I like it. There’s that one weird ¾ sprite that looks kind of odd, but other than that she’s really cute and otherworldly. Like she’s clearly robotic but also clearly a rabbit which fits with the Wonderland theme, and she’s got the cute voice that’s really expressive (and a nice change of pace from the human characters, who for the most part are all pretty monotone so far…especially Kaname).

So yeah. There’s my thoughts so far on the Exile Election cast. I suppose I can update as I continue to play.