#just. chefs kiss it's so well animated and it's SO fun and interesting to watch all the little details

[srapsodia]

man i could spend all day just going through all the haikyuu shots in sakugabooru and watching them frame by frame over and over 😍

[stemclann]

Hi! i’m going around asking different clangens for different clangen reccs bc I’ve been interested in reading more! Do you have any reccs?

Oh I DO !!!

A lot of the blogs I follow feature heavily stylised characters and colorful pages, wich I love. For some of them I'm not even quite caught-up but I just love seing their art coming across my dash because I love making my tumblr feed an inspiring place (don't we all) Also, I'm fairly new to the Clangen side of the WC community tbh, so some blogs featured here might be already pretty well known in the community.. But who doesn't love a nice shoutout <3 🥰 For some of these blogs I don't know wich pronouns their user might want to be used, so I'll refer to them as they/them.

☁️ First off, the blog that litteraly inspired me to start my own : https://www.tumblr.com/vaporclan @vaporclan // I just LOVE their character designs and expressions. plus the intrigue is REALLY GOOD. They also have a side-blog wich is very promising : 🐅 https://www.tumblr.com/tigeroftheskies

💧 Second one that I came across : https://www.tumblr.com/moons-of-dewclan @moons-of-dewclan // BEAUTIFUL artstyle. The composition of each page is gorgeous and the ambiance is always on point. Can't wait to read more about their traumatized cats.

🪴 @gray-thistleclan // I realize from the amount of notes that their art is already pretty well received in the community, but I LOVE the character designs featured on this blog, plus the intrigue is really unique and fairly new in the WC community (depending on if you were here when we all thought Bramblestar was gonna get rabies lol) But yeah, gorgeous art with very intense moments of drama!! Can't wait to read more!!!

🪩 splinterclan.tumblr.com @splinterclan // Artstyle is *chef kiss*, immaculate, very modern, I love the way they portray their character interactions it's always very believable.

🍄 https://www.tumblr.com/sporeclan @sporeclan // First of all how great is this Clan name --- Second, I found this blog throught the official Clangen blog, and fell in love with the way the artist composes her pages, it's beautifully done. Her colour palettes are also very pretty, and tho I'm not perfectly caught up with the intrigue I admit that I followed her when I saw the family tree she composed for her allegiances. Very efficient, beautiful, and the expressions are very cute.

🪷 @lotusclans-luck // This blog is kinda on hold right now but their artstyle is just a joy to watch, very delicious, I would eat it for breakfast everyday. Very 2D animation style, I can't wait to see more of their art in the future if they update it !

🐌 @snailstep-and-her-clan // The story here is really interesting, I love the main character, Snailstep, and her developement. Also, the character designs (I feel like I'm saying it about every blog ahahah) and colour palettes of this blog are so cute, unique, and original. I love when artists have fun with their palettes,, ugh...

🌿 @juniper-clan // This artist has been posting about his clan for almost a year now, and I LOVE how it evolved. It's very refined, the setting is unique and their characters have a beautiful depth that's a joy to explore. I can't wait to read more about Heronstar, she might be one of the characters I like the most out of all these blog listed. (With Snailstep)

🔊 loudclan-clangen.tumblr.com @loudclan-clangen // Very unique and interesting artstyle, designs are handeled with a lot of care and efficiency, you just can feel that the artist knows her characters on the tip of their fingers. Alos, character interactions / jokes are GOLD omg the writting is so good. I wanna be able to write such good dialogue that naturally (but the neurodivergence is holding me BACK fljgdjgs).

𓀒 fallenclan.tumblr.com @fallenclan // The story is immaculate and I can't wait to read more even tho there's so much lore that I know I won't be able to keep up entirely 🥹 But the artstyle is very efficient here as well and the character designs are very memorable. Once again, character interactions are on point and very natural, it's a pleasure for the eyes.

🦋 @the-blight-of-mothclan // Who doesn't love a good lineless artstyle ?! It's so pretty, and the soft colour palettes pleases my eyes a lot. Beautiful backgrounds also ! It must take so much time to paint those, couldn't be me 😭

And finally :

🎍 @black-buttercup-clangen // HUGE inspiration when it comes to palettes. I don't know how they manage to make their art so textured with such effective and "simple" (NOT derogatory, quite the opposite) details. The artstyle is SO effective and the colour palettes are just beautiful. Go check them all out they all deserve support and love <3 I hope I helped you discover some gem that you will like :D 🤌🏼 🎨 Also, for more discoveries, you should DEFINITELY check out @officialclangen - They often reblog some very interesting and cool blogs, that's how I came across a lot of these.

[thanks-for-the-crabapples]

Initial thoughts while watching arcane s2 act 1, spoilers below

Ep 1:

Literally in disbelief that Mel ended up alive, surely thought they were going to kill her and thus spark off Ambessa's arc

Absolutely unhinged that Viktor's last wish was for Jayce to destroy the hexcore and he uses it to save his life. There will surely be no repercussions from this action

Caitlyn and Vi hugging stfuuuuuuu

I really wish we had gotten to see Caitlyn defending Vi to the Enforcers instead of just hearing about it. I think that would've been really helpful for Cait's arc as well as made their future rift more impactful :/

That chem baron attack had me on the edge of my seat !! If they actually killed Mel in that moment I would've been so mad that I wondered about her for three years then found out she was alive then saw her die.... not yet at least :|

Okay but was the chem baron lady always that fit? Like,,,,hello

Cait and Vi fighting together is *chef's kiss*

Made a joke that Ambessa was late to the party cause she was watching her own music video to hype herself up. If only :(

Caitlyn storming in and claiming herself as a decorated officer and leader of House Kiramman to get her way holyyyyyy shit girl get it

Ep 2

These little differently animated opens are so slay

Very fun to see behind the curtain of this power grab. Love Sevika saying they don't give up their own people. She has changed somehow??

Super fun watching Sevika and Jinx reminisce about being Silco's henchwomen. They say behind every strong man, lol

Viktor waking up?!?!? Hehe he's nakey. They made Jayce give him a blanket so we wouldn't know about his arcane pee pee, sad

Affection that held us together??? Yaoi

They just love throwing more and more irreparable moments at Vi and Jinx's relationship huh? Talking about the arcade and how sad Jinx was to see Vi as an Enforcer using the gas :((((

Caitlyn's rage??? Okay girl go off. Let us see your rage. I support women's wrongs

Jinx's line about taking out the only family she has left kill me

Viktor as Jesus is not what I was expecting but I'm here for it

Ep 3:

So fascinated by the Kiramman lore and The Gray

Also, just have to say that the intro is so good and I never would have expected comfortable clothes for everyone but it's giving. Whoever put Cait in a black turtle neck thank youuuu

*kinda blacked out and missed stuff in this episode cause* CAITVI KISS LETS GO HAJAFHSJSKFK

Scientist team up is delightful

Definitely thought the temple fight was gonna be ep 9, very interesting fight and dynamic, it makes me very sad :(

"You're not my sister" ahhhhhhhh

I've taken ventilation classes before and idk how Jinx made the air do that lol

Cait and Vi break up scene, hundreds dead thousands injured. It's me, I'm dead

I'm so ready to witness all of Caitlyn's wrongs

Def blacked out most of ep 3 and missed quite a bit of note taking cause so much was happening. Can't wait to go back and process it all again. Until then I'm going to keep wallowing

[miradanii]

Beast Wars First Watch - Complete

I almost teared up at the end. 52 episodes of a old ass Transformers show. For a primitive CGI show about toys beating each other up from 1996 it holds up like REALLY. The issue is that we're in the year 2024 and it's very understandable that it wouldn't be easy to go and watch janky polygons for 52 episodes. So if anyone was interested in Beast Wars but couldn't go past the first episode because how weird everything looks, here's what helped me:

This is the second CGI tv show ever to air on TV, so give it a break.

1996...Beast Wars was animated by Mainframe. And their first CGI show in 1994 was called Reboot the first ever CGI show ever made. Sure when Toy Story came out and changed the game in 1995, they worked within their limitations. All the toys were plastic for a reason. They were very simple. Beast Wars said fuck that and in each 20 minute episodes contain characters with various textures, performing complex animations during whatever tv schedule they were on. If you ever spotted a character's face or body sliding when it's not supposed to, they were probably running out of time or there's an error that just couldn't be fixed as easily as it could now. I studied Maya in college years ago and I'm telling you rendering was a bitch if your sequence was long. Keeping in mind with what the team had to work with or possibly even invent on their own was just enough for me to be massively impressed. Our standards for CGI in TV have risen over the course of the years. We had Transformers Prime in 2010, 2015 Miraculous Ladybug premiered, CGI films became experimental such as Spiderverse and Puss in Boots. So think of Beast Wars as an early part of history in animation. It's nice to see how far we've come.

If you crave a silly time, this is for you. Whatever choices the animator's made were really funny (not the ones they had no control over), or just bizarre. When you get used to the style, over the course of the series the animation of the characters start becoming more expressive. Season 2 I think Megatron got increasingly expressive with his body movements. Whoever was animating him, they were having a lot of fun (at leas that's what it seems like). Inferno is a character to keep an eye on because he does a lot of fun motions with his body too. I kept losing my shit on the choices on how they animated in certain scenes. Kept me entertained until the very end.

2. Banger Voice Acting

The voice acting is one of the standouts from this show. Though the animation may not hold up well, the voice acting does. Garry Chalk is such a sassy young Optimus. A bit more fun than the young Optimus Prime that David Kaye (oh shit I just realized he's Megatron in Beast Wars...wow yeah this guy has range) plays in Transformers Animated if you were looking for anything similar like that. You'll still get some goofy 90's voice acting though like with Dinobot and Terrorsaur, even Rattrap but I think it's part of it's charm. I once again bring up Megatron as a reason to watch this show. The way this man delivers his lines is just *chef's kiss*

3. Fun and Weirdly Dark...

After finishing the series holy shit. I cannot fathom how you have a show with a rollerblading t-rex AND a decent onscreen death count. Hanna-Barbara cartoon noises alongside characters being constantly impaled and ripped apart (sometimes its for a teehee haha but then spin it around adding in some tension and that sweet composition and suddenly its not so funny anymore). Shakespeare. I don't know if it was just me but I couldn't predict most of what would happen next. Because being a high budget show to sell toys...knowing the 1986 movie...these characters aren't safe. I lost my shit, multiple times. More than I thought it would. Before finishing this show I did sneak a peek at what other people had said about Beast Wars and what was constantly being said was that nearly every episode was important to the over all plot of the series. And it's true! You miss an episode and you might be a little confused. I wanna know how kids who were first tuning into the show after a couple characters die and what their thoughts were...cause it's not like Batman Animated where you could watch the show in any order and be fine. Even before the box sets were released too.

Overall in the year 2024, I love Beast Wars. Obviously it's a product of it's time and no doubt has its flaws. But, that's what happens with a lot of beloved older series. Out of all the Transformers stories I've been watching/reading the past few months, Beast Wars got the biggest reactions out of me. It's also the one I had a lot of fun with because it's so unhinged and goofy/bizarre. I cannot stress that enough. Because Transformers is already bizarre enough and Beast Wars shot past it for me. How is Beast Machines gonna go after it???

I dunno. It's next on my list.

Even more thoughts and spoilers (end of the show spoilers) below:

I...yeah Beast Machines is next for me. I am gonna miss the silly polygons of the original Beast Wars crew. NGL I thought I had one more episode since the youtube playlist said 53. There must have been a double episode or something. I am aware that Beast Wars had complications later on in its run. Similar to TFP so it's obvious to say that I think they needed at least like two max three more episodes for certain plot points and just...character life span. No shit I would have wanted one more season. The lil ol 12 episodes and a 45 minute special at least. Dude...Dinobot 2...when that clone came back for a while, I really didn't think they were gonna do anything with him. There weren't any reactions to Dinobot coming back from the Maximals other than...a Pred...always a Pred...so I'm like okay Dinobot 2...different character...I don't need to think about it. Thanks for pulling my heartstrings show...really gotta push me off the ledge when I'm not looking huh? Man finds his honor, do his good deed after being released from the grasp of Megatron's control....looks at Optimus to fully remember himself and FUCKING DIES IN THE END...AGAIN???? That's so cruel. owie.

Tigerhawk after over 20 episodes an INSANE character reveal and clever way of bring back two characters for the price of one (because they can only afford so many voice actors and animate so many characters). This was a good concept. I would have loved to see it be explored...IF THEY DIDN'T DIE...AGAIN. Especially Airazor can't catch a break...this poor woman.

Okay bye Death Charge. You got what you wanted. At least he technically didn't die in vain? The shock that Rampage just let it happen...yeah those two are a character study.

dsafghjghtrjy yeah give Waspinator what he wants. The potentially immortal robot a good ending. At least he's not evil anymore????? Man does not care his former coworker's body parts are used as musical instruments and cooking ware.

This show has a higher onscreen character death than Transformers Prime (Vehicons don't count). Sheesh. Transformers die...a lot. However, Beast Wars surprised me the most with it. I noted from above that these characters get shot, torn apart, flattened?, and beaten senselessly throughout the show. So when a character dies for good its somewhat shocking in my opinion.

All the love for Blackarachnia. I was in constant fear about her character because I couldn't tell what was going to happen. There was a good chance she would either die or disappoint and become Megatron's goon again. The best version is her Transmetal upgrade and recognizing the design as inspiration for Blackarachnia in Transformers Animated. I screamed when I saw her design. I was so happy. I love her and Silverbolt. What a healthy relationship.

This is a show I do want to rewatch it at some point and even just...be one of those people that make a 45 minute video essay some day. I want physical copies but the site where they supposedly sold it is...not there last time I checked? Which is odd because I had a paper ad for it on the TFP blue-rays I got for my birthday.

Also...I do like this series better than Transformers Prime...not because it's better overall, like if you seen it, you know. Also just rewatching Prime simultaneously cemented my feelings about it. I still love both though. Prime is close to my heart since it's what I grew up with, but Beast Wars has a Dino on rollerskates and Optimus Prime as a blue gorilla riding a hoverboard...like...idk man. I just think it's neat.

[ace-reviews]

Fall 2024 First Impressions Digest Part 2

Part 1 here.

Ranma 1/2: Hey, Mappa, cut out Happosai.

Puniru Is A Kawaii Slime: This show is going to be formative in nurturing the slime kinks of a bunch of young kids. Also, Puniru is the colors of the trans flag, uses a masculine pronoun (boku), and Kotaru keeps loudly insisting that she's "not a girl", but I'm sure none of that means anything. Anyway, it's a cute show but not my thing.

TsumaSho: I read a chapter or two of the manga this is adapted from a while back and completely forgot about it until checking the description of this anime to see if it could be interesting. It's not. I have very little patience for mothers being portrayed as perfect saintly beings at the best of times, and her being turned into a grade schooler gives it a layer of weird I really don't want to deal with. Ultimately, though, it's biggest problem is that it's boring. This premier dropped with two episodes and I didn't even make it through the first one.

Nina the Starry Bride: This one is also boring.

*thousand yard stare*

Magilumiere Magical Girls INC.: It's a good show. Wish the uniforms looked different.

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth: If the universe expands infinitely in all directions, then wouldn't everywhere and nowhere be the center of the universe? Either way, this is one of those shows that's so good that I have nothing to say about it. I'm not much of a medievalist but I do like a well-made, talky cartoon that portrays Catholics like horror movie villains.

Haigakura: Holy inelegant exposition, Batman! A premier opening with a history lesson immediately followed by some character explaining the protagonist's motivation to him is generally a bad sign. And it certainly doesn't bode well for this premier, which is roughly 50% characters explaining things to each other that they already know for the benefit of the audience and 50% lame slapstick. Anyway, it's bad.

Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga ii: I do not like this art style and never have. That's the only negative thing I have to say about this premier, however. This is trash, but it's fun trash. We love a man voiced by Akira Ishida who can beat a man into a crate of beer bottles and then make this face:

he's like hakkai without the sister fucking

I might not stick with it all season (there are already a dozen other anime on my watchlist for this season and we're only halfway done with the premiers), but the way it delivers it's last-two-minutes-of-the-episode twist was chef's kiss.

You Are Ms. Servant: Do.... Do the people who decided on the English title not know that 'maid' is a common English word? They have to know, don't they? Maids are popular in anime and among anime fans why would they take the word 'maid' out of the title? That's so weird. I haven't even watched the episode yet and I can't concentrate on anything except how weird that is.

That aside (for now), this premier is worth checking out just for the OP & ED and their really extremely cool mix of really extremely cool visual styles. The actual episode is pretty good, too. Still, it is very weird that they translated 'meido' as 'servant' instead of, y'know, 'maid'.

A Terrified Teacher At Ghoul School!: This is another one I read a couple chapters of the manga of a little bit ago. It was cute. I mostly stopped reading it because it was on one of the official manga reading apps that's really bad (I think the Square Enix one that split one chapter into like 4 chapters and then limited you to only one 1/4 of a chapter per day).

way to be motivational, sensei

Regardless, the anime is also cute. The pacing is a bit hectic, but it's a fun time. It also makes for an interesting double feature with Kimi wa Maid-sama since Maid-sama kept making me think of Mahoromatic and this one makes me think of GTO, which are both classic anime that are better than these (though they're both fine).

[red-riot-unbreakable-heart]

Random JJK Rant Because I Am Confused and Understand Nothing

I wish I had a better understanding of JJK. I tried to watch season 1 and I got really confused/couldn't stay interested in the plot. Maybe someday I will attempt it again and have a better grasp on what's going on!! Like...how is what they do considered "school?" Why is Gojo so hot? Why does the main pink haired guy have super strength/agility (sorry I forgot his name Ik I'm lameee)? If the uniforms are customizable, why isn't everyone balling out and making coolass uniforms!? Why is the principal of the school's power to animate stuffed animals and will that come into play later on? Why does the scary possession demon guy (Sukana) have so many body parts (and why do people on here think he's hot AF? Please explain this to me so I can be part of the horny Tumblr nonsense properly)?

I feel like I need to watch more in order to get more about the backstories/motivations of all of the female characters. The show is just moving too fast for me and I want a very slow, methodical explanation of absolutely everything. Like MHA moves at a glacial pace sometimes and I love that. The Sports Festival feels a million episodes long and that is *chef's kiss* for me.

Also all of the monsters in JJK are slimy. Which is both a pro and a con depending on how slime-oriented one might feel on any given day.

Here are the things I did like so far:

Gojo being hot and cocky about it. We stan an unbothered king.

I like the plot about the sorcerer with the tie who becomes a businessman and then goes back to sorcery. That was kinda cute! Love the commentary on corporate lifestyle

One of the girls from the sister school wears a suit and I think that's very cool

Everyone has a different power kinda like quirks (!?)

Domain expansion seems cool

Everyone has good hair

There are a lot of emos + goths

The panda. I just enjoy his presence. He seems like the most down to Earth character on this insane show and I appreciate that.

The lost in Paradise song and dancy scene. So well animated!

The beefy guy who keeps asking what kind of women people are into

The guy who has cursed speech because he's cute

Please encourage me to attempt to watch season one all the way through again and to stick with it!! I'm a dumbass and I long to be part of the JJK fun but I haven't hit the point of really enjoying it yet!

[hhbluedynamite]

Curse this sinus infection! Whatever was going on with my niblings have gotten to me and now my throat is jacked up...

And it had to have happened when the TADC Ep4 drops!!!!

But... I digress.

(Spoilers Ahead)

First and foremost...the freakin' animation looks even better! The lighting, how the characters move, their expressions *chef's kiss!*

I love how...mundane this episode was. I can see why Gooseworx warned us about it being boring, but...I don't know. I kinda liked the direction this episode went.

Also...I lowkey knew we were gonna get some Gangle and Zooble interaction, which inspired me to write my recent fic...but this was soooooo cute!!! Not to mention the 'Aw shucks' motion Zooble did when Gangle thanked them for the mask.

And we learn that Gangle was in a managerial position before, so that's interesting. But...man. We also learn that she had dreams of making a webcomic before having them shut down...it really makes me feel sad for her cuz, at a young age, my mom and my dad would always encourage me to improve with my art and writing and, now, I'm trying to improve my writing more and getting into the swing of my art (and might be thinking about doing commissions as a way to make money; why not do something fun for money?). So...seeing that Gangle probably didn't get the same encouragement really broke my heart.

After what happened near the end of the episode...I wonder if Gangle isn't gonna wear her Comedy mask as often or none at all. Granted, she didn't say anything about not wearing it again, but, wearing a 'fake mask' like that isn't exactly good for you. Hell, her keeping her plastic mask on seems to be mentally draining.

I was reading through TV Tropes and whoever was in charge of the edits referred to Gangle's new mask as a Manic mask...which I feel is pretty much fitting. Manic episodes, while typical in bipolar disorders, can happen to people with depression...well, seasonal depression specifically, but as someone who goes through the throws of both seasonal and regular...they're one and the same to me. Manic episodes are like a bad drug, dear Lord...

One of the other highlights of the episode was Jax's reactions to...everything. From him realizing in horror of what their next adventure is gonna be to him being forced to watch the training video, nearly Clockwork Orange style.

And Gummigoo is baaaaaaaaaaack! ...And he doesn't remember Pomni... T.T And Pomni...honey...you are too sweet...I just realized that Pomni was slightly put in the backseat. Which, fair, this is the Gangle episode and I ain't complaining.

In regards to Ragatha's words about preferring Gangle being sad...I want to say that she always didn't like the comedy mask as...well, it's one of those metaphorical masks many of us wear to hide away our true feelings. And Ragatha (maybe) wanted to tell Gangle that, but couldn't think of the right words to say and while high, the words she wound up using was...poorly chosen, at the very least.

Seriously, what is up with that Stupid sauce and how the hell can it effect Ragatha? ...You know what? The less I know, the better.

Caine is still a flippin' delight...but what was up with that glitching near the end? Was it for comedic effect orrrr....

And lastly, Kinger...why were you riding a bull???!!! lol

[mobumi]

Who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them...Thanks if you want to answer.

Hi! Thank you for this ask, it's always fun to answer😊 So these are my current or most recent favorite ships:

Itafushi (Jujutsu Kaisen)

It's my number 1 right now, like i love them so much! Their ship is really cute and i love the contrast between them and how they work so well together as friends and more! I'm always giggling and shit when i think about them even if they're doomed by the narrative :(

Zolu (One Piece Live Action/Animanga)

I really liked their dynamic after watching the live action so i mainly ship opla! zolu, but any content of this ship is cute and catches my interest! This ship literally made me write fanfics again lol More Zolu please!

Miyusawa/Misawa (Ace of Diamond)

Miyusawa my beloved ❤️ The first time i watched this anime it had been an instant ship, their chemistry is amazing, the pitcher/catcher dynamic is chef's kiss and just the development of their relationship throughout the show was the highlight for me! I watched everything again recently and i still love this ship very much, fave fave fave :')

Shiguang (Link Click)

They are everything honestly! The angst of it all and their beautiful relationship is just aaaah and the show is INCREDIBLE?? Whether it's friendship or more, they love each other so much. In my head they're canon, i mean after what Lu Guang did, for me that's just proof of his love for Cheng Xiaoshi... they make me ill

Renga (Sk8 the Infinity)

Sk8 was the anime of the season when it came out, the serotonin was just high with this one, especially during covid time. Reki and Langa's friendship was the cutest thing to watch and it was so genuine and then ep 7 happened and the ship just sailed really hard for me! So many cute moments while a beautiful relationship blossomed in front of our eyes!! Love!!

Kazurei (Buddy Daddies)

A new favorite from last year! The premise of the show was so engaging to me when it first came out and even though i knew Kazuki and Rei weren't going to be canon, we were still fed so well? Like Queerplatonic, same-sex parentality, friends to lovers trope??? we got everything and more, especially last episode like omg they're canon idc!!

Dreamling (The Sandman)

Fell in love with this ship instantly with just one episode and little content... the fandom got my back though, i was well fed and shipped them even harder thanks to all the fanarts and fanfics! i want season 2 right now and more of them!!

EmiSue (Dickinson TV)

Not my first wlw ship but definitely my favorite! From the first episode i knew they were soulmates and i wanted more of them together! The show gave us everything we wanted and i'm glad i got to witness it :)

Satosugu (Jujutsu Kaisen)

They're not Itafushi but they are Itafushi in some ways?? like parallels we can't ignore. It's a big ship in the fandom but i'm not as invested as many stsg shippers are, though i really like the ship, i read fanfics about them and i love their story in the first part of season 2! So much angst though...

Nobamaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)

I love them together, i think their ship is cute and has a lot of potential! I don't obssess with them enough and i should read more fanfics, but they're amazing so they stay at the top of my list!

Other favorites but not current (or more like 'not in an obsessed phase' type of way): Villaneve, Hannigram, Narlie, Willex, Thominho, Kagehina, Daisuga, Asanoya, Kuroken (I watched Haikyuu again so yeah), Furuharu, Sanarai...

Old ships that i used to love, but not as much now or just not at all: Sterek, Merthur, Sasunaru, Spirk, Cherik, Romione, Drarry, Johnlock, Stony, Spideypool, Zarry, Datesana and others I might be forgetting...

[themuse-if]

I have to say that I was interested in the dynamics of the Rebel Rejects, they seem like a really cute and fun group to be around. For some reason, I can see my Mc being part of this and becoming the baby of the group, like the one who is always being protected by the three of them, or the one who ends up sharing a room with them because he always spends time there (doing university work or just doing a little slumber party🤭).

And if it's not too much trouble, I wanted to know how the three would react to Mc, who wakes up scared, after a nightmare, in the middle of the night and goes to their room with a small pillow in his hand. (I took reference from an anime I watched, I thought it was so cute!!)

-Remember to take care of yourself and drink lots of water, bye.

Hey! Super cute scenario! Lets say The Rebel Rejects are having a little movie night in a makeshift pillow fort of blankets two chairs and all the pillows they could find, in one of their dorm rooms. Then MC wanders in all shaken up.

De: Hey MC, what's up? You seem upset. *pulls MC into the room and pats them on the head*

Ro: Uh huh looks like MC can't stay away for too long. *cheeky grin*

MC: I...well I had a nightmare...and I couldn't fall asleep. *grips pillow tighter*

Jo: That's ok we were planning to stay up pretty late anyway. *gestures for MC to join them and Ro in their pillow/blanket fort*

De: I'll be right back, I'll grab some drinks and snacks.

MC: *squeezes in between Ro and Jo, and points to the laptop* So what're you guys watching?

Jo: Ro is making us watch Velvet Goldmine...again. *mock eye roll*

Ro: Oh whatever you know it's an underrated cult classic. And the costume design is *chefs kiss*

MC: *chuckles* Would you mind starting from the beginning I've never seen it before.

De: We don't mind at all. *walks in carrying popcorn, cookies and a few drinks* Lets get this party started. *grins, and crawls into the fort*

[talkingperfectly-loud]

Okay! So, I’ve finally watched the Netflix Live Action ATLA and gathered my thoughts! Spoilers under the cut…

Overall score: 7/10

Overall thoughts: I was actually pleased! I wasn���t going in expecting it to be like the original series, and I was really excited to see how they would tell the story, what they would keep, and what they would change. I think that they did a great creative job melding a bunch of story lines together in a way that made sense, but, on a negative note, they did miss some key character beats that ranged from baffling to unforgivable. I loved this cast, and I think they all embodied their characters so well (Dallas Lui as Zuko?!? Hello?! *Chef’s kiss*). Deliveries were a bit stilted (to be expected with young actors just starting out), but I actually found it endearing, and they’ll only get better with practice. The bending wasn’t nearly as punchy or fun to watch in live action (especially the water bending. Oof), but it was leaps and bounds better than the Movie That Must Not Be Named. Below are the major takeaways:

Things I disliked

- Making the discovery and freeing of Aang completely passive. In the animated show, this was brought about BY Katara and Sokka. Their characters and their bickering, which caused Kataras rage, which caused her to waterbend, which caused her to free Aang. In the live action, it just… happens? Randomly? Nothing caused it, and it was a much weaker moment because of it.

- They took away Zuko’s crucial moments of mercy. Yes, they have him save the 41st, and yes, they have him hesitate during his Agni Kai with Ozai… BUT he was about to burn Katara on Kyoshi island? When she was down and unarmed?? At the North Pole, he was about to burn Zhao, who was also down and unarmed?? Absolutely not. No. No way. He wouldn’t even burn Zhao in the original show, because he knows what it’s like to be burned and despite his rage, he is a good person. There is absolutely no way he would be willing to harm someone who is unarmed.

- Sokka not explicitly asking Suki to train him. We NEEDED to see that humility where he asks for their help, not just him staring wistfully through the door and her taking pity. Humble him!!!!

- Sokka not being involved in the Jet storyline. I know that Katara is more obviously the choice to get involved here (love interest, etc), but Sokka and Jet are foils! They are both young men tasked with protecting people they love. Not having Sokka’s moment where his skepticism and independence saves the day is such a loss for his character. This could have even been kept in the Omashu storyline, with Sokka evacuating a building before a bomb goes off, etc.

- Why the literal heck did Bumi himself come to the front of the palace to receive the inventions from Sai?? What the hell even was that scene??

- Cutting the Haru storyline. This episode is crucial for Katara, who has WAY too little to do in this show, tbh. Her rallying the earth kingdom prisoners, and encouraging them to fight back is so so so important. I think they tried to move this to the Northern Water tribe storyline (when she rallies the women) but we don’t SEE it!! It happens offscreen!!!!

- Minor, but the blue spirit mask looked kinda dumb. I wish they had taken inspiration from real kabuki masks and made it more scary.

- I personally feel that Ozai is TOO personable in this adaptation. I’m guessing Daniel Dae Kim probably had a lot of say over the portrayal of this character, but I don’t think they made him dark enough. Ozai is cruel and that is CRUCIAL. He is abusive and manipulative, and hateful. Framing Zuko’s banishment and mutilation as if these were deliberate “learning moments,” rather than cruel, unjustifiable abuse is character assassination.

- Azula isn’t Azula. No shade to the actress, but the script has her written as a hot-headed, temperamental teenager desperate to prove herself. That’s ZUKO! Azula should be able to make grown men per their pants. Do her bidding. She can command armies. She never lets you see her weaknesses or her walls. She is cold, calculating, and terrifying. She is 13 steps ahead of you. Live action Azula loses her temper during a fight, talks back to Ozai (?!?!), and whines to Mai and Ty Lee about her frustrations. That’s not Azula.

- The “ice moon” thing at the North Pole? Why? Why aren’t there any spirits in this world? There’s no need to change that.

- Zhao’s death!?! What the hell was that!?!? No no no no no. Absolutely awful in every possible way. Where was his karmic justice?!? Why introduce the Fog of Lost Souls if you weren’t going to show Zhao getting pulled down into it?!? Where was Zuko, offering him mercy, despite everything? Where was Zhao’s pride, refusing his hand?? Furthermore, you make Iroh of all people a murderer?!? Fine, you could have him intervene and push Zhao into the water like he pushed him down after the Agni Kai in the original series. But to kill him?? Unprompted?! In cold blood?! Zhao wasn’t even his opponent!! Horrifying and disturbing. Unforgivable.

Things I loved

- The order of events. I actually love starting 100 years in the past and not making it clear what is about to happen. I also love that it isn’t clear just how long Aang has been asleep for! I love love love that dramatic irony if you know, and the reveal if you don’t.

- Aang stealing Zuko’s notebook. Finally, it’s explained how the gaang knew Zuko’s name lol

- Aang & Iroh meeting and chatting on the ship when he’s captured! It’s such a small scene, but felt so reminiscent of their conversation from Book 2 that it made me happy.

- Suki being so awkward!! Yes girl!! You have clearly never flirted before and it is obvious! I also loved having her mother be the matriarch of the village. Makes total sense tbh.

- Fleshing out Omashu! I love that they combined Jet & the Mechanist here. It makes Omashu feel more real, and it’s a natural place to put these storylines. I think this was really well done. Also bringing Iroh & Zuko into the story here was seamless, and worked to further both their characters (Zuko choosing Iroh over Aang, Iroh sacrificing himself to save Zuko)

- Having Bumi be an angry old man. This is controversial, but if we put aside Legend of Korra for a second where canon says Aang and him stay bffs, this actually makes a lot of sense. It’s not fair that Aang got to be asleep for 100 years. Bumi, as he said, had to struggle and suffer during that entire time. I’m glad that not everyone is like “it’s okay, it’s not your fault” because it kind of is!! I’m glad they had someone to actually hold him accountable a bit!

- Aang and Zuko connecting during the Blue Spirit episode. Aang making Zuko smile! Them joking! Them feeling pity for each other! The star-crossed friendship of it all! Gorgeous, gorgeous scene.

- Expanding on the theme of friendship vs. isolation. It’s such a key theme in the animated series that flies under the radar, and I really like how they took it and seemed to run with it.

- Azula collaborating with Zhao. It makes so much sense, since Zhao is just some rando tbh?It sets up both the Dai Li storyline and sibling rivalry nicely in season 2.

- Having Zuko’s crew be the division he saved?!?! A stroke of absolute genius.

- No Kataang!! I’m so sorry, but I honestly always felt that any romance in the original series was gratuitous, odd, and oh so Western. This is a story about children at war. I’m glad the romance is taking a back seat.

- Having Pakku see Katara for HER, rather than for her grandmother!! I always hated that in the original show! She fights her damn heart out and he still won’t train her UNTIL he sees her grandmother’s necklace. It always felt like the age-old blight of men not being able to care about a woman unless they have, or can image having, a personal connection to them (What if that was your mother, daughter, etc). I LOVE this change.

- Katara rallying the other women!! Pulling up everyone!! This is such an obvious change I can’t believe they didn’t have this in the original show. As I said, though, I do wish we saw her speech to them. That’s such an important character moment.

[fallloverfic]

Solo Leveling Episode 11 Thoughts

This episode had me screaming in joy! Spoilery thoughts for the anime, novel, and manhwa below:

The job-change portal opening effects were so pretty. Did not expect it to be that neat! Also still love that it's purple (that's a manhwa thing). It's a nice little hint of what's to come >:3

Sung Jinwoo's fights were also really amazing! Just the movements all looked gorgeous. They were fun to watch! Him ripping apart the knight with his hands was amazing. Also really loved the animation on the archer.

And we finally get character art of Yoo Jinsung! Yoo Jinho's shitty older brother at last. He shows up a little in the novel, but doesn't appear at all in the manhwa (other than in reference), so it's neat to see him. Poor Jinho at this terrible meal with people who are awful to him. Jinho looks so sad seeing his brother, with how much is on the line and how awful their relationship is and how their father pushes them to do well. This is really a miserable time for him. I like the extra anime expansion here. It's fun to see more to these characters. I'm wondering if they're moving up a novel-only event (Jinho goes to a dinner party later, where Jinsung also shows up), or if they'll have both? It'll be interesting to see, anyway, particularly given if this is replacing that, it's removing one character who does show up in the manhwa, which is odd, given the anime's tendency to expand on characters.

It'll be cool if we meet Hunters outside Europe, North America, and central/east Asia. So Jinsung's useful for something, anyway.

Yoo Myunghan just watching his older son being a dick to his younger son and doing nothing about it. Great father, there. /end sarcasm

It's fun to see Jinwoo thinking about the pitfalls of his choices in stat placement and what this or that stat might do. Yeah, intelligence might be important <.< For someday <.<

I really love that we get to actually see the investigation for Jeju. They only talk about it afterward in the novel and the manhwa. Also always appreciate more Choi Jongin time XD And we get to see the team early (hey Son Kihoon)! And the women in all their still shitty manhwa outfits :D Like just... why with Gina and Lee Bora's outfits (mostly Gina, Bora is... whatever)? And is there a reason y'all can spend bank on Igris and aren't able to properly draw boobs in shirts (or give Gina actual pants)? (That was rhetorical, I know why.)

I do love the reminder that Jinwoo is still wearing a literal dog collar. We just can't see it cause it's invisible. Bless. Truly, bless. If only any of his husbands knew

Igris' introduction is just -chef's kiss-. The train of his helmet, the slow sweep. His armor is gorgeous. He looks amazing.

The fight is incredible. Words don't do it justice. The sound design, the sudden dash forward, the slow-mo, the destruction after attacks emphasizing just how strong Igris is and what kind of hits Jinwoo is taking/avoiding... It's visually gorgeous. Just the way Igris moves or even stands is beautiful.

The anime kind of switches between very clean and shiny and close-ups that are kind of gritty (not sure how to better explain it), and I like to think it's a nod to Dubu's art (this is volume 3, chapter 8 in the Ize Press release). Igris in the manhwa has that kind of gritty visual look to him.

I think it's just the difference of close-ups and farther away shots, because overall the anime just did this really lovely blend of the manhwa's style and its own thing that just looks truly incredible.

And we get another anime-only scene with Go Gunhee and Woo Jinchul, and some chat with Choi Jongin!

The colors in these outside shots are just really pretty. Choi Jongin looks lovely.

Jeju never ended for Choi Jongin, poor man T-T Love all this extra anime angst, bless.

Meanwhile, the fight with Igris and Jinwoo continues to be amazing. The sound design, the art, just ahhh. It's so good. Love the emphasis on Igris' legs and hips. He leggy boi.

Igris ripping out part of the floor to throw at Jinwoo is my everything. I just love when characters do that lol

For all my criticisms of Dubu's art (and I don't hate his art, he drew wonderfully, he just wasn't perfect), I prefer how Jinwoo sitting on the throne here looked in the manhwa. I think the anime makes it more understandable for why Jinwoo didn't break the armrests/his legs when falling onto the throne, because the chair is wider, and given who was supposed to sit in the chair, it makes sense it's bigger, but still.

(I flipped the anime shot horizontally for better comparison). (Though thinking about it, it's funny to imagine this again as a parallel universe with one Jinwoo leaning to his right, and the other one to the left... so Igris can sit between them aldkjlajda)

Igris just looks so good. I could take a bajillion shots of him standing.

I also love his belt. Just admiring all the little details on him in this art style. He looks amazing.

It's interesting we get these moments with Sung Jinah and Park Kyunghye (Jinwoo and Jinah's mother). Another anime addition, which isn't bad! It highlights just how much Jinwoo has on the line, and that people are waiting for him. Also still love how much Jinah loves her brother T-T She made him dinner!

The music for the attempted beheading is so nice. The soundtrack for this series is incredible, and it's used really well. I love how soft it is initially, and then how it explodes with Jinwoo fighting back (I could barely hear it first watch initially, and that was almost neater, effect-wise, but listening with the volume up, it's also just a lovely track).

There's something really compelling about Jinwoo shoving Igris across the floor, making the metal of Igris' armor heel scrape over the ground. Top/bottom discourse in action aldkjalj

The rest of the fight was also really amazing! The way the style changed during the kill shot is always really fun :3 It works wonderfully here. Igris defeated!

And now... the trial of stamina. While the time for his daily quest ticks down. XD And again, Jinwoo thinking about using something rather than just doing it lets someone knock the teleportation stone out of his hand. >.< Ah well.

This episode was amazing. Just phenomenal overall. Loved it. We finally have Igris, best boi XD So happy.

Looking forward to the resolution of this and the season next week!

More episode thoughts:

S01E05

S01E06

S01E07

S01E08

S01E09

S01E10

S01E11 (you are here)

S01E12

[shadesofgrace88]

I watched Elemental for a second time last Friday night. It was really neat to take in more of the details (background, music, character design, etc.) this time--while also still enjoying the movie. I really wanted to appreciate it on the big screen again and help the box office (even if it was a little). It was just as exciting and touching to watch as the first time.

[I kind of wish this was the title screen in the movie, but alas...]

Now, some further thoughts...

🎨THE ART🎨

I got the art book as soon as it was available, but made myself wait until I watched the movie to open it. I got it a month before the movie released. Legit left the plastic on, haha. The art in it is so mesmerizing. I do wish some of the behind-the-scenes 3D stuff had been added as well, or even a single layout from the movie. (hopefully some bonus features for the DVD!)

As much as I love and admire 2D art (which the art book is full of), I'm not sure if that alone would have displayed the emotions this movie needed and portrayed as deeply. I'm also pretty sure 3D has always been Pixar's thing anyways...Correct me if I'm wrong though!

But reading through the art book and learning about how they handled the process, how long they studied certain things for animating and creating this world was so fascinating. Finding ways for it to connect and work together made my art-loving heart so giddy. I remember coming across a Twitter post where one animator talked about how they managed to animate fire hugging by putting two matches together. Sounds simple, but it's so interesting and with the level of lively detail given to the fire characters, I imagine it was difficult to construct and render.

On the second watch, noticing when Ember lit up when happy was so cool. It wasn't just a smile or happiness of the eyes, but the entire character! I also found the stretch and squish of the characters to be really fun and cute. How the different elements reacted to their world was cool. Wade's hair! It's a wave that constantly moves! There's so much detail hidden in so many little things. The way they reflect onto one another. The glow from her fire. I love the outline to their characters. I think the art book referred to it like a membrane? It's more visually pleasing being kind of sketchy and not just a slab of bold lineart.

There are so many stunning panoramic scenes throughout the movie that showcase the brilliance of the world-building and characters. Such as the rainbow shot in the gif below. I honestly love the underwater scene so much. I found it more romantically alluring than even the Tangled boat scene.

💞THE ROMANCE💞

It's not just a slap-them-together-and-call-them-a-couple kind of romance, in my opinion. They have a plausible meet cute into not really "enemies," but they each have their reasons for the events that mesh them together. They have arguments. Like, realistic arguments...For a "kids movie." (I honestly hate that mindset so much because I prefer animation over live action stuff, but that's an entire essay, so moving on). The arguments aren't petty and stupid or miscommunication. They help each other to grow without being controlling or overbearing. And omigosh, THE CONFESSION! The date montage!

The romcom moments matched the evolution of a typical romcom beat sheet. (I'm writing a few myself so I've referred to it often). They have individuality as much as being a unified couple. Their relationship progresses fluidly along with the story. Low key kinda sad the gif below was just promotional, haha. She's like a gremlin teasing him 🤣

🎶THE MUSIC🎶

Gosh, the music. I get so excited with how well it matches the movie overall, and how well it crencendoes and grows quieter at just the perfect moments. There are so many scenes where it's just chef's kiss, but I don't want to spoil them, so...yeah. It's so whimsical. The Firish music is imagative and charming. Some of the musical bits reminded me of Spyro the Dragon, which is my favorite game series.

Thank you Thomas Newman for bringing Elemental alive with such a gorgeous score. And to Lauv--"Steal the Show" is such a bop.

✍️THE WRITING✍️

One critique I've seen a lot from people is how the story is unoriginal. To be honest, tropes exist for a reason. It's not the tropes that's the problem, it's how they're executed. And Elemental does it splendidly. Me personally being a hopeless romantic, I of course adore the romantic aspect of the film, but the relationship between Ember and her father is so vital to the story. It's practically why the story even kind of exists. Especially after watching it the second time and catching how many beat sheet moments align with her and her dad. When Ember said THAT near the end, I was crying even more, because...relatable.

As for the immigration part of the story, I can't speak much on it since I haven't had to experience that. It doesn't feel like my place to talk about, but from what I've read from others who can relate to that, they've mentioned it being well done. I hope this message of the story can find more audience, because as much as I enjoyed the trailers (that teaser was perfection--no plot spoilers, simple, cute, awesome introduction to the setting and characters), the official trailer and TV spots did not do justice to the heart of the story, in my opinion. I really kind of despise how much they advertised the "toot toot" joke when it could've involved more about the central theme of the movie. Like I said, Ember's relationship with her dad is so important.

Whoever marketed it as "Romeo & Juliet," I have a question...Why??? That play is a TRAGEDY. Just because "they can't be together" should not have meant they passed the advertising as a story similar to Romeo and Juliet. Wade and Ember are also more clever, lol. People are saying they haven't seen Elemental marketed, while others say it's been everywhere (signs, billboards, etc.). BUT, either way it was marketed poorly. The official trailer really should've delved more into the family and father/daughter dynamic more. For releasing Father's Day weekend, why was that not a decision during marketing???

By the way, it's not just Zootopia but with elements like I've seen people saying. This is an actual romcom, meaning the romance is actually crucial in it. I ship Nick and Judy, but it's not confirmed--let's wait for Zootopia 2 though, which announced back in January. Both films handle discrimination (and I love Zootopia), but where Zootopia has an actual villain, the "villain" of Elemental is the pressure Ember feels being an immigrant daughter and the opposites attract. External forces vs internal. Just because it's a modern city in both films, it really seemed like it had to be that way for Elemental. Like how the elements live among their world. The intro scene when the parents first arrive paint such a good image of the setting immediately.

I also feel like Wade and Ember are older characters. At least 20s, considering the passage of time mentioned and worrying about careers. Which is cool to me as an older audience member. I really want Elemental to survive and possibly maybe continue the story in some way, but after reading an article stating that a writer said there was going to be a baby at the end...Like, please don't. Let them live first, lol. As a couple. As Ember getting new experiences. Let her have her internship. What's Wade doing after they move? If they did a kid route, please do it as an epilogue or later short like Carl's Date. I just hate how society/movies/books are like "the couple has to have kids to prove their love" kind of thing. Bro, I think Wade has proved his love...

Anyways...

The casting was also terrific! Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie really did an awesome job bringing Ember and Wade to life. The emotion in so many scenes hits hard. Side characters were done really well too. I know some people wanted air and earth to be shown more, but maybe they could be more in the future? In the art book, the reason water founded Element City was because it was assumed the most opposite to fire.

I've read that people will just wait until it's on Disney+ because of fast releases anyways. Cheaper too, I guess. But Elemental really deserves to be enjoyed at the theaters with good sound quality and epic graphics. As much as I can't wait to own this movie to re-watch at home whenever I want, I'd gladly wait an extra few months to let Elemental shine in theaters to try to make it's money back and more.

Again, I'm begging people to give Elemental a try. It touches on so much more than romance, even though it did an amazing job as an official animated romcom. Family is a subject that is just as important to the core of the film. It's fun, funny, and artistically and musically awesome.

Thank you to Peter Sohn for pitching Elemental. For getting this story told and made. Thank you to each and every Pixar crew member who helped bring this world alive. I appreciate your time and effort put into this movie so so so much. You deserve so many awards and love for this project 🩷

PS, hubby found the classic Pixar "A113." Did you spot it?

[metalleafy]

BFDIA 15 thoughts

As always spoilers.

Wow, this was a doozy. It was weird (not in a bad way, it just was stacked with fun strange elements) and felt like something created with a lot of Huang interests in it.

First I am going to talk about the promo pic, it had what looked like a leaf and a bubble in it so I thought Leafy and Bubble would be in it. I should never get my hopes up about ANY nontestants, I should have learned from the "I'll heat up some dirt cake" fiasco. I know Bubble was technically in it but it was a few seconds and why didn't Pencil just blow her again?

I admit to being worried about Teardrop, but apparently Roboty can cry? I wonder what I.L.T.B. is meant to represent? I Love Tennis Ball? I love the Blocky's Funny Doings Investigation Agency, the BFDI(A) acronym gag gets me every single time. And the "Hold Him Accountable!" banner was just chef's kiss. I just saw Ice Cube in the logo, does she investigate Blocky?

Pin having a battery pack is convenient but she doesn't have a tail anymore... The ABCDEFG Chameleon is adorable. "goikiolus" is so cute and the life cycle page has a Leafy on it :3 I love TB's laptop. The Cake at Stake pun got me.

How did they get the Teardrop cake out of the LOL? I like that they show people's comments like in 5a, nice to see characters recognizing their voters again. Irrelevant but MIMISYDIMISY is a cute name. HORRIFYING SLUDGE IS BACK AND SHE IS CRYING GLITTER!!! Gaty and Lollipop got to speak <3 And the rivalry between Lollipop and Book from BFDIA 1 is so peak. Also bfdi second season voting mentioned.

I HATE STEALER will reach legendary status like "i vote pencil shee never got a vote" and "i like match cause shes is awesome". This is the first episode where the prize is given out after the elimination. Did Pin just make a korma reference? ROBOTY TALKS INSTEAD OF BEEPING??? I was watching this in my BEEP shirt oddly enough. Was that a ref to the Nonexisty moment in BFDI 18 and does it count as a nonexisty mention?

The one-second Bubble appearance was still a rip-off. Book's pages being sentient is so unhinged and a start of the real weirdness. Printer is cute though. Better add Goikywood to my Goiky lore mental map. Wheel is the best character, I hope we see more of them. I thought about the song "Birdhouse in Your Soul" when they chose the contest, it's also Liycore. Unfortunately no Liy to be found here.

The colosseum is so cool and I like the soundtrack they chose for it. Firey Jr being silly about the birdhouse is great. The Power of Three teams are cool and them being divided in the other way than they expected had me messed up. Of course Balloony did it that way /neg. I like the unhinged shape gag the Huangs seem to like using. Of course TB is a total Cary about it /pos.

I hate Movement Proposition because it reminds me of Leafy being chased, they should stop using it. Coiny just folding up Fries... that's his competitive spirit! Needle being interrogated by Bomby and not accepted for her efforts by Pencil made me Like her out of sympathy. She is so cute. "Don't worry, I'll swing with you!" was such a funny moment.

The whole Stacy thing is confusing, even though I saw her in the dewdrop. Is it some kind of Total Drama: Revenge of the Island thing? Book's latent reality warping thing is one of her best traits. I hope we get to see more of those five islands, and the pole descending was so well-animated. Mini-Pencil is so cute, and people's relative sizes corresponding to their voice pitches is something I like to see.

Between Pencil in Fries's fries and the whole TB fuzzland thing, "character worlds" continue to be intriguing. Evil Leafy started it though. Pin just had to defend Coiny with a BFDI acronym reference and I love her for that. At least everyone hates Fries. And Nickel being a coin with a hole in him is so numisma-awesome. I like these new team dynamics because we get things like Coiny and Pin working together.

The Shiny Tech sequence was the best part of this episode. Objects being used as themselves? You love to see it. Otherwise it could just be a human show. Is Disventure Camp a human show? And Pencil getting inside Pin's inner workings is iconic and creates another character world that no longer exists in IDFB. I just realized Firey Jr likes the birdhouse so much because he could already go inside.

I read Book and she likes Pin's red coloration which is so lesbian of her in retrospect. And there's a GB in the book who is really a billion years old! One thing I like about this new model of BFDI is that eliminated contestants can still shake things up. Did Nickel just make a Reading Rainbow reference?

Another look inside GB's factory, but this one wasn't really used that well. Needle's arc is getting really hard on her, so I hope she doesn't get voted off BFDIA as well. Idk why TB would call Nickel non-intelligent, I thought he and Nickel were friends, but maybe caterpillars are just very smart.

Lots of the stuff inside the droplet is a reference to the Htwins.net game Tidepool, which is awesome. TB nerding out in this episode is so darling every time, and I have to wonder how much of it is from Cary. Why is there so much chanting in post-hiatus BFDIA? I don't know why Bomby had to be tied to a mini-chair, or where Fries got a mini-chair in the first place.

I think TB will get along fine without GB to guide him. Bomby just screaming away the growth ray was so cool. I wonder what the giant gem will do? I love how Pin's circuits have a compassion unit inside. Pencil is too sharp to be crushed! Book using her pages to hide Pin was adorable.

The inside of Book is the best character world ever, and it even has characters (text and object). The rich yoyleian family was cute. Typewriter is as adorable as Printer omg. Loved the design of the letters melting off, and the Firey/Coiny relationship between Shield and Air Fryer. Quill Pen's voice is amazing, I'll have to check who did it.

WHO GAVE BOOK THE MEDAL? THE CATERPILLAR???? The lead paint in the water frustrated me really badly. Needle exploring TB's fuzz was so cute but why does he have eyestalks in it? Fries throwing the creacher at Bomby was such a certified 2024 BFDI moment. Needle inputed the Konami Code on TB, right? And the Pencil-Exclusionary Recovery Center is back. I hope it excluding Pencil becomes relevant soon.

Why would they just go in a circle using the anti-lead on each other without getting anywhere? Are they stupid? Pencil is disappointed in hitting Needle, she really does care. The whole thing devolving into a mess of shrink ray wars just didn't speak to me. But you know what did speak to me? Just going in and removing protons from the lead atoms to turn them into gold. The A in BFDIA stands for alchemy

I happened to notice the "Waltz of the Flowers" was playing during the proton ballet. Is Flower coming here soon? It's a nice song even if she isn't. Barf Bag with the Owl City reference really got me. The Huangs must have loved making this episode. Subatomic Pin with the disembodied voice is great and reminds me of the voice in the underworld. I wonder if Pin will find out who controls everything.

Pin almost having a Pinfinite Rage moment but not getting it really got me. Of course the birdhouse was a disappointment but at least it has a DDS on the floor... And we get a Pan Flute image in the Michael outro. I just realized "who plays Pan Flute" has a double meaning. ALSO THE HOMESTAR RUNNER MENTIONED!!! I think Homestar Runner characters should appear on screen in BFDI more often. And every BFDIA episode (except Insectophobe's Nightmare episodes) needs a title drop but this time around Michael got it.

[alexbutrandomthoughts]

Thanks for answering my ask....If you don't mind me asking (again), what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....

OKAY SO I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN THIS WAS IN MY DRAFTS CUZ I WAS BUSY IN UNI AND THEN IT JUST GOT ERASED FROM MY MEMORY I AM SO FUCKING SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO LET IT STEW FOR SO LONG

1) Haikyuu!!

Honestly this is just a comfort show for me. No matter how many times i rewatch it, it's always like the first time, even if you know what's about to happen, you still cheer and clap and groan in every match. Just AGAIWBAIWBSKBDIS such a good anime, i bawled my eyes out when i finished the manga, honestly this will go down as one of my favorite anime ever (update: watched the movie, it's good but man i wish we had whole season)

2) Undertale/Deltarune

I cannot beat the weird kid allegations, toby fox has me by my (totally legit) balls. Istg toby fox drugs his games, or else idk how to explain how am i keep coming back to this (lies this franchise and story is just pure masterpiece)

3) Fnaf

Yeah definitely doesn't help the weird kid allegations. Well you know what they say, when you start getting into fnaf you sign off your life into eternal servitude. I would describe my relationship with Fnaf as - toxic ex i keep coming back to. Somehow 8 years of this bullshit and we're still going. Counting animatronic toes and reading yet another wtf is this book

4) Bungoe Stray Dogs

Sighhhhhh. The gayssssss. THE GAAAAAYSSS. But nah honestly it just has everything to get me on the board. The drama, mysteries, pretty WOMEN, silly characters, gut wrenching angst, and of course gay ass mfkas. The manga is better though. I don't consider this a masterpiece (not by a lOng shot) but it a good show to watch and talk about, the characters are all fun and silly, cliche at times but nonetheless entertaining and the fan work is just CHEF'S KISS

5) Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

This is a relatively new one but GOD. DAMN. HOW DOES JUST MAKE THIS MASTERPIECE. IT'S SO GOOD. THE EMOTIONS THE PLOT THE CHARACTERS. HOW DOES ONE EXECUTE EVERYTHING SO PERFECTLY AND JUST LEAVES YOU CRYING AND SOBBING MESS BUT IN A GOOD WAY. Genuinely consider this one of the modern classics that will be talked about in years to come. Exploring the how would an immortal perceives time, is not something everyone (or anyone) really explores in fantasy stories but damn frieren absolutely slays with it. Not cherishing the people she was with only to realize how much they meant to her when it was too late, and they're already gone, is just so. UGH. AND THEN SHE SLOWLY LEARNS TO CHANGE AND APPRECIATE THE WORLD AND PEOPLE AROUND HER WHILE GOING THROUGH THE OLD MEMORIES IAISBSJSBSNSNKS. anyway. I do recommend frieren (they better announce that second season)

6) The Apothecary diaries

Also one of the recent ones. What can i say when we get an imperial china not china setting, with inner palace politics, hierarchies and murder mysteries, packed with probably the greatest female protagonist we had in how many years? How can not love it? Maomao my personal spiritual animal. She is just such a compelling character and breath of fresh air in anime community cuz god knows we need more of em. She just feels so real compare to what we usually, she is just one or the girls and that is beautiful. There are of course others aspects of this show that i like but honestly she is probably the main reason this show is just UGH so good

7) Stanley Parable

Okay, this is a bit of an odd one, but hear me out. This game is so GOOOOD. I remember playing way back when, and it was just so different than anything else that was coming out at the time. The meta narrative of this game was truly amazing, the amount options we had and so many interesting dialogs, the THINGS TO EXPLOREE. I also just loved the narrator, he is so goddamn funny, the banter with Henry (even though it's one sided) is still great

These are the ones i can think of, honestly, there are probably others but i cannot remember them rn

[redrocketpanda]

Thanks for answering my ask before. If you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......

Hello again - thanks so much for all of these questions!

Hmmmm, I have so many favourite things across so many different forms of media that choosing a top 7/10 is super hard. I've gone with my gut of the first things I thought of that I love, but the list could easily be wayyyyyy longer. I'm sorry - I tried to keep this as short as I could... In no particular order:

My Hero Academia (anime + manga) MHA is the first anime that I think I ever really properly enjoyed. I watched it in 2021/2022, immediately fell in love with it, and proceeded to devour both the anime and almost all of the manga. I obviously adore all of the characters, but I also love the way that MHA portrays superpowers - both in terms of how they function (w/ there being unique limitations to them) as well as how it depicts/explores superhero society. I don't normally go in for superhero type media anymore, but the combination of all of the above (plus literally the sickest soundtrack from Yuki Hayashi) easily makes it one of my fave ever things

The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers (books) I could write an entire dissertation on why this is one of my favourite series of all time, and why Becky Chambers is one of my favourite authors. But the shorter answer is: literally everything about them. Chambers' writing is beautiful, her narratives are full of love, hope and community, and her characters are incredibly diverse and well written. My fave book from the series is Record of a Spaceborn Few.

Dragon Age series (video games) I first came across Dragon Age at a fan convention back in 2016/2017 during a panel on queer media (I think). In addition to the panel discussing the general queer relationships/characters in the series, they specifically highlighted Dorian and Krem in DA: Inquisition. The following day I went out, purchased all the games, and then played them through from the first game. IThe games are super fun to play, the writing is *chefs kiss*, and I love the themes that the games explore. I love them so much I've even written an article and done a podcast episode about them!

Jurassic Park franchise (films, books, games) Jurassic Park is one of the franchises that I was raised on (along with Star Wars) and I have been obsessed with it ever since. I've seen all the films (up to Jurassic World), read the books, own books about JP, played a bunch of the games, and even have a poster map of Isla Nublar on my wall. Dinosaurs are one of the big reasons I love them, but also I think the films have always been very interesting to me for how they give us a lens in which to think about animal rights + conservation in a science fictional setting (something else I have also done a paper on!)

Final Fantasy XV (video game) I'll keep this one short and sweet: best boys on a roadtrip that will both make your heart full of joy but will ultimately leave you a sobbing mess on the floor (Honestly I didn't play FFXV until the end of 2022 and I am still !!!!!!! over it)

Haikyuu!! (anime) sksalkkljsa. I don't even know what to say about this. HQ is just the fucking best.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (video game) I don't talk about it so much anymore, but Exocolonist is still one of my favourite games and it makes my heart feel so much whenever I think about it. I love the entire aesthetic of it. I love how impactful your choices feel and how many different routes you can go down. I love how inclusive the game is, not just in terms of gender, race and sexuality but also with polyamoury + family/community dynamics. The worldbuilding is beautiful, the soundtrack is *cries*. Just...it's such a wonderful game.

Manic (film) There are a lot of films I could choose for this list, but if I can only choose one (bc space) then I think Manic is a good pick. It's the 2001 indie film with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Don Cheadle, etc, and is set in an adolescent psychiatric ward. This film means a lot to me personally, I'll just leave it at that.

Xandri Corelel series (books) I spoke a bit about why I love the series so much in response to your favourite characters question but to summarise: cool as fuck science fiction series where cool as fuck autistic bisexual polyam protagonist, Xandri, is the head of the xeno-liaisons team. It's got stellar worldbuilding, excellent characters, and explores lots of interesting issues. Also, my favourite book is Tone of Voice (2nd in the series) partly bc its got space whales in it.

Mass Effect (video games) I think by now its pretty clear I love science fiction, so Mass Effect was always gonna be a big hit with me. I actually played Dragon Age first, and then a friend told me I had to play ME. The entire series is just sooooo good for very similar reasons to a lot of my other favourites: well-written, beloved characters, cool ass narrative/s, choice-based, fun FPS moments, cool worldbuilding, sick soundtrack!

[digitalgate02]

SO, THOUGHTS! THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MOVIE I WAS WAITING FOR SO LONG TO WATCH, believing i’d never watch it that fast like happened lol.

First of all, I’ll assure EVERYONE who’s afraid of the Brazilian dub of the movie that the dub of it is not like that PV and i was right – the final dub is way better and incredible! I loved them all, all of them.

(Thoughts ahead -- spoiler-free btw)

The new voices for Davis, TK, Kari and Wormmon are WONDERFUL! Davis is very much like he used to be in the original dub, but older. I was curious if he would sound goofy like Davis in the series’ dub or like in the Japanese version. Well, the voice is perfect for the character, he sounded pretty fun and I’m glad they picked someone who nailed this role wonderfully. I think the new Kari is also okay, and i’m glad the legacy of the late OG BR dub TK’s voice actor is in good hands now.

As for Lui… He got not one, not two but THREE voice actors. And the adult one is one of my fave VAs… who also dubs Adrien/Cat Noir. So yeah, it was interesting. I don’t think he was unfitting or weird, but I think no one can beat the highest bar that is casting Ogata Megumi as him. Again, i love his BR VA! It’s just i think if you see someone saying something like “it’s weird” be aware it’s because there’s a very very HIGH bar here to surpass. And i don’t think the purpose was to beat it. So I’m here like “I love both VAs equally.”

Ukkomon’s is very good too, his voice is very sweet and soothing? smooth? idk how to describe it now. I’m glad we had amazing VAs in this movie, and i totally recommend watching it dubbed too if you want to!

As for the OG cast returning… GDI I WAS FULL OF HEART EYES AT YOLEI’S VA RETURN – I’VE BEEN ALWAYS DREAMING WITH A DUB OF A NEW MOVIE WITH HER IN IT. Like, I've been a real fan of this lady since i was a kid!! SHE VOICED SUPER PIG/CASSIE c’mon!! And also Yolei in the OG dub is so bright and energetic and now adult Yolei’s voice is so… soo… [chef kiss] Like gdi man! I’d watch this movie again and dubbed again and again and again AND AGAIN because of her! (oh and the rest of the cast too!!)

But you might understand my peak curiosity was about Cody. Because if you don’t know… Cody in the BR dub of the series was voiced by a KID! Yeah, it was a kid! And when i saw that he was returning… I was like “WOW THAT THE NATURAL GROWTH HERE!?” It’s fantastic witnessing a young VA returning to this role, as an adult! And Cody is an adult (ok almost) in the movie too!! I’m so shook about this!!

And then Ken. Ngl i think Ken sounded like an adult after the Kaiser arc in-series. His VA suited pretty well for the Kaiser role though. I like him okay, don’t get me wrong!! And I’m not surprised that his voice also sounded exactly like the OG series LOL Which means… yeah, i think it fits Ken-chan now haha (pls forgive me, sir… I’m glad you came back to voice our beloved Kenzinho orz)

The digimon made me nostalgic as well – all the main 5 returned, also the voices for Angewomon and Stingmon too (yeah, they were voiced by different peeps here) – I know they didn’t talk too much but man… I’m happy with them all. I’M HAPPY OKAYY!?

[Ni don’t just gushes about the BR cast of the movie and talk about the movie itself challenge]

Ok. About the MOVIE itself… Its pacing is much better than Kizuna’s. I think this movie is the kind to not hold many surprises to the audience – you get big warnings when something is going to get bad and creepy. Like, A LOT OF RED FLAGS by the music, coloring and especially by the animation. The movie is PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. Yes, something that’s very rare to happen in Adventure/02 material. This movie is simple to understand, there’s no big plot twists that could catch you off surprise. You see things coming. And yet, it hits you hard in the feels. Also the scenes are well placed too.

And if you think there’s no battle… Uh, there’s some sort of a battle yeah, so it can be a mandatory digimon movie. Also i’m still laughing internally about the faux padding effect this movie has with the evolution animations. It felt as if this was 02 episode 51!!

The music is so fantastic! OH THE REMIXES ARE SO GOOD but there’s also new tracks in it. The insert songs in it are very good too and they feel they connect each other in their style of music (yes, a friend told me this and now that i saw it by myself i agree with her) – I hope they release the OST album soon ;o;

“Various Colors” is my favorite song now. It's very good and refreshing, it’s not sad and it’s fitting for both Rui and Ukkomon’s story. I hope to see the lyrics translated someday so i can see if my feelings were right about it.

Anyway, the movie is so beautifully animated. I love the usage of the colors in it, it’s pretty and it made me not blink a second! Except for one scene, but… yeah, you might know when you watch it. The design of the characters are so cool and i loved them all!! I’m happy that Hikari-chan and Ken-chan got scarves in the end!! Oh man, they all are stylish~

But my only only ISSUES with it were the fact Wormmon himself couldn’t pronounce “Wormmon” correctly. Ken did pronounce it correctly alas. Also it was a little weird how Paildramon is pronounced in it as well. Oh and Shakkoumon too… But okay, besides that…

… Oh yeah, the other thing that made me chuckle nervously was them translating “Motomiya Ramen” as “Macarrão Lamen” (TL: “Noodle Ramen”) – because it was weird for me… But okay, i know it’s a little hard to read もとみや (Motomiya) in the paper sign lol

Anyway, i wish i could go watch the movie again and subbed this time but it’s too far from my place and i can’t afford to go there atm ;o; But i’m glad i was able to watch it at least dubbed, and it was a good idea in the end. GO WATCH IT, SUBBED OR DUBBED!! RIGHT. NOW!!

I’m totes buying a Blu-Ray of this movie. I hope they release it here too, this dub deserves to be preserved!!

Thank you and see ya~