#like any other anime with fanservice in it is going to be RUINED by this. nothing else will hold up if they don't have these themes.

[ladyofthebookcase]

can't stop thinking about how kill la kill said sexualization is just one of the many tools fascism uses to oppress and violate people and therefore the desexualization of the naked human body represents freedom from those systems of violence and harm. can't stop thinking about how it's barely even a satire. can't stop thinking about how more characters and people should be allowed to have their tits out and how, in a lot of ways, the sexualization of breasts is just a way to exert control over people's bodies.

[faunandfloraas]

Okay so!! Im back now and its journal entry time. highlights of dominATE sydney, in no particular order:

Chan starting the show by stealing the joke from the reporter from the project by being like we're straya kids hehehe

Lee know not really introducing himself but rather just chanting OI OI OI immediately (he continued this the rest of the night

Seungmin started the night by singing SYDNEYYYYY very passionatly and kept adlibbing Sydney into so mang songs for the rest of the night. My fave being "Cause stuff it all cuz I'm gonna go SYDNAYYY"

Han at one point was suddenly laying on the floor being all silly and then chan feigned stomping him ?? And my brother was like HUH lmao

Lee know kept feeling up Changbin (understandable) he also gave changbin the mic during lee knows part, so he had to sing them 🩷

Chan FINALLY saying fuck /into the mic/ after 150 years of me talking shit 🫶

The dad in front of me who honestly seemed more into the show than his teenage kids, perhaps helped by the fact he was smashing back beers- could hear him passionately trying to keep up with Han rapping at one point so automatically I respect him

The girl behind me who went CHANGBIN really deep and evil when she thought it was time for his solo but it was not in fact LMAO

Saw Hannah bahng! Saw Mr and Mrs Bang. They were very smiley, it was cute!

I got to see chan annoy seungmin briefly <3 with my own eyes 🥰

AUSSIE BOY HWANG HYUNJIN!! SYDNEY BOY HWANG HYUNJIN

Innie walked in front of the camera slightly ruining a hyunjin and han lil gay moment and made > :0 this face before ducking. Also him being all My stage Ahhh sexy 😇

Just any and all changbin.

Lee know and seungmins vocal lesson were really on display bc they Made Sure you could hear their voices over the music and I loved every second!

Chan railway was truly An Experience. He had me enthralled. He had my bro enthralled. He had the drunk dad enthralled.

Seungmin thanking chans dad for food LMAO

Hyunjins repeated winks at the camera being met with ungodly roars was totally expected and yet I roared along. Fanservice king if im honest.

Felix and chan being lil gronks together was so funny.... so good. I love them....

They faked it was the end and people did get up to go but I was like NUH UH seungmin was not the last one on that stage they're coming back!! And I was RIGHT and when they did end he was the last one and he ended the night with an evil cackle and it only cemented my love more 🫶

Lee know happy birthday!! Not to be a gay lil thing but I was so happy we got to sing it for him! And confuse him and hyunjin with the HIP HIP HOORAY also im p sure chan thinks its HIP IP lol

I also saw him eat shit and slip a lil which was funny, right at the end of the show.

Also lee know lifted seungmins arm in the air at the end this time! Not the other way around!! He did that for me, I think. Also put his arm around his shoulders- so 🫶 I got chan and seungmin and lee know and seungmin 🫶 my fellas 🫶

All in all it was so fun and the band was amazing too, the light show... such a good night.

And Bang Chan. Well. I love him. Lol. I really kinda do tho. He said I'm chris from Sydney and I was like Yeah! you are!! Idk. Everyone was amazing but he was the main event, maybe bc he's the sydney boy... also the fan event at the end was a sweet little animation and he was the prince and it made me laugh bc I do keep saying he's the crown prince of Sydney.... he's honestly really someone I think I'm quite happy to see representing us on such a big world stage, bc he does really seem to have such a big heart and a lot of love- idk. Christopher Bang. What a fella. His smile is truly like a beam and he was so happy and every time he was smiling, I was smiling, too. I hope he feels proud tonight, lol.

And I still wanna bite seungmin on the cheek 🫶 Suffice to say- best concert to break my many years no concert streak with 🩷 it was a lovely night.

Also felix went from being bone dry to soaked head to toe in about 3 seconds when I wasn't looking 😭

[saiscribbles]

Lily seeing the painting in The SU Movie: What’s this Oedipal, Freudian, Jungian, Narcissistic painting?!?! (Despite the panting being a normal cherub painting and misusing a psychology term… again)

Lily seeing the Marcille and Fallon bathe together: This is just fan service! They’re naked and therefore it’s there to appeal to weebs!!! (Despite that bathing/ being in a hot spring with friends is a common thing in Japan and other countries as well)

Lily with “A place farther than the universe”: Oh yeah the high school age girls shake their boobs in front of older men but you can easily skip that part the rest of the anime is so wholesome!

Yes and Lily conveniently didn't mention the two scenes of teenage girls bathing together in her Antarctica anime.

Cause after all if Falin and Marcille bathing together in Dungeon Meshi is a "fanservice bath scene" then these must be too right?

Lily also censored the scene of Hinata bouncing her boobs at Kimari while the girls are all encouraging each other to seduce grown men to get on the Antarctica expedition because "we're high school girls, after all". Which just makes it look even worse.

Have I mentioned this show was entirely written by a then 50 year old man Jukki Hanada? Who was also a writer on Re:Zero? Which Lily makes fun of at the beginning of the video?

Who writes a ton of these moé Cute Girls Doing Cute Things shows which are generally aimed at grown men with the appeal being how simple-minded, bubbly, uncomplicated, pure and cute the girls are. Generally paired with highly niche male autist interests, you know such as big ice breaking ships.

Non-sexual objectification is still objectification. Yes sorry I'm gonna be one of those feminists ruining your anime.

By the way these screenshots are from a cut I put together of things Lily would normally complain about in any other show:

I watched it in Japanese subtitled because that's the only thing available on Crunchyroll. The dub is only available on the Blu-rays which I doubt Lily actually bought. Which means I have officially supported this show more than she has lol.

Needless to say I'm not doing a react to her video on it and this mini react is enough. The show is a boring paint by numbers affair about teenage girls and grown women all wanting to go to Antarctica for no real reason other than the plot demands it because that's the premise. Like Shirase's missing mother wasn't even a scientist or an engineer or anything she and her two friends also just spontaneously decided to go to Antarctica, one of the most dangerous places on Earth, cause it sounded fun.

The writing is lazy and contrived at every angle because it's just in service of watching moé anime girls be around highly detailed machinery. Also there's no lesbians Lily is lying to you.

[theloganator101]

The Great BNHA Review: Characters or Check Lists?

Oh Characters...

The bread and butter to all stories.

The thing that gets a story from Point A to Point B, the thing that allows us to connect with the story and helps it feel alive. You can pretty much make any character for your story, from the gentle and kindhearted to the more rough around the edges... to making them likable or unlikable. There are many ways to write a character and how they can make your story come to life.

And by bringing this up you know where this is headed... that BNHA utterly failed at expanding their characters into being people we're supposed to care about.

I could make a long fucking list of how BNHA failed every single one of it's characters it introduced but to keep that from happening, I'm just going to either list certain characters or just group them together since some of them share one common thing that's holding them back from being good.

Starting off with!

Shota Aizawa:

He was supposed to a hardass with a hidden heart of gold for his students, but what he ENDED up as was a walking hypocrite who hated Izuku for no other than he was associated with All Might and couldn't control his quirk... and then CONTINUED to give Izuku a hard time and labeled him as the "problem child" like... I don't even have the energy to get mad here, I'm saving THAT for another time in this review.

Oh and then there's him holding up this ridiculously high standard for his students to reach or else he fails them... which is exactly what happened when he failed Sero in the finals but allowed Bakugou to pass for doing the same.

Which again his hypocrisy gets in the way of that!

And not once does he ever get called out or punished for his blantant abuse in power and instead gets complimented and praised for his methods as if he's the next Einstein.

Fucking end me.

The Todoroki Family:

Oh how Hori totally fucked you guys over in the end... Natsu I'd give a pass since he ended on a more believable note, but sadly I can't say the same for Rei and Fuyumi.

As they were never allowed to think bad of the guy that made their lives hell and were instead to jump on the forgiveness train and take Endeavor's side so they can be a "Happy family" again. Which... no, that's literally stockholm syndrome.

Class 1-A:

... (Sighs)

Oh my babies... oh my favorites... look how that monster Hori ruined you all...

He tried to have this found family dynamic for them all, only for it all to fall apart since... you know, they barely interacted at all and got any screentime.

And it also didn't help that Hori had all of them as bystanders to Izuku's suffering, make fun of his interests, and follow Bakugou when he led them to beat him into coming back. So it really doesn't work when you have these things on your mind and fails to convince you that they give a shit about Izuku and his wellbeing.

And the worst part is that they ALL look like they have stories waiting to be told, but we don't get any of that. At most they're only used to fight against the minions while the Cash Cow Triplets fight the big hero.

Every Female Character in this Series:

Oh boy what even is there to talk about? Since they barely have any personality of their own and are only made to be fanservice for the pervs that likes watching anime girls in bikinis. They definitely deserves much better and to be in a story that'll treat them with respect and dignity.

ESPECIALLY to those like Hagakure and Miruko.

All Might:

Oh All Might, how the story did you dirty.

If there's anyone in this story that I feel sorry for the most (That isn't Izuku) It's All Might.

All because of how he started off at the beginning, people clung to the idea that he's a quirkest asshole who Izuku needs to steer clear from... even though he's literally the one to save Izuku from literally living in misery.

All Might deserves to be an actual mentor and father figure for Izuku, not fucking Aizawa who openly expressed his hatred for the boy.

The League of Villains:

I already made a post on how the narrative did them dirty and I don't feel like repeating myself, so I'm just gonna leave a link here while adding this.

What was even the point of building them up to be forgiven by their foils if they were just gonna die in the end? It was all just a big time waster.

And of course, we can't talk about characters and how the author failed them without talking about...

Izuku Midoriya:

Oh Izuku... the most tragic and wasted main character I've ever seen in an anime series.

He started off so strong only to get worse as the series went on. He should've been the shining definition of what a hero SHOULD be! He should've been the one to realize how fucked their world was and strive to change it for the better and to prevent others like him from suffering like he did.

But... we didn't get any of that.

We don't get acknowledgment of his past, we don't get him rising from his pain and become something more. Instead we get a watered down version of him at the beginning who has NO reaction or introspection to anything whatsoever, not to the world they live in, to the way things are handled, and even to him losing OFA.

For some odd fucking reason, Izuku is never allowed to grow out "I'm worthless" mindset or realization that everyone in his life has failed him in one way or another. He just praises it all like the fanboy he is and just stays where he is.

And then there's the fact that he just flat out refuses to ever acknowledge his past in any meaningful way, as whenever he DOES bring it up, he talks about his past self as if he's a different person from him. To which I can kinda see how this could be symbolic of something... But it just doesn't work as it only makes him look horrible for forgetting his roots and just wanting to fit in with the other people with quirks. To which it somewhat feels like "Fuck the quirkless they're useless so why even focus on them?"

He's a hollow version of the idea of his character, just blankly reacting to things in front of him and praising Bakugou for being the best thing to come around. He honestly deserves better and deserves to be with a writer that won't bully him and give him the depth and development he needs.

Now who else am I missing...?

...

Oh yeah!

Katsuki Bakugou is still trash.

Look forward to the next part.

(Roundabout starts playing)

[fabuloustrash05]

Some of My TMNT Hot Takes (PART 2) 🔥

Warning: More Opinions

Part 1 Here

I don’t like that in Mutant Mayhem Donnie is not a “science guy” but instead is more of an anime and pop culture geek. I’m not against him being an anime fan (I love anime too) but I wish we saw more of his science and being a tech genius side instead of him just liking stereotypical “nerdy stuff”. If that makes sense.

I don’t like the Punk Frogs (any version).

The 87 crossover episodes in the 2012 series (as much as I did enjoy them & are great episodes) should not have happened. They leave no real impact or development to 2012’s overarching story and just waste time. These episodes could’ve covered more important things that 202 was desperately lacking like like character exploration and character dynamic development. It was just nostalgic fanservice. The arc in S5 specifically would’ve work better as a movie instead of a 3-4 episode arc in the (most likely non canon) final season.

Shinigami being Mikey’s second love interests ruins her character a bit (for me personally). That was a pointless decision that did NOT need to happen. She would’ve been our first recurring female character to not be a love interest, but nope!

People are allowed to like/ship Donnie x April in ROTTMNT (this is coming from someone who’s not crazy about April being shipped with the Turtles).

I ship Yuichi with 2012 Leo more than Rise Leo (still ship Rise Leoichi, but I just think 2012 Leoichi is way more interesting, plus 2012 Leo deserves a good love interest).

The humans in Mutant Mayhem look ugly af (I know that was probably an intentional design choice but still. It looks bad.)

I hate Raph x Casey (any ver). I��ve stated in part one that I don’t like Raph (any version) being in a romantic relationship with human characters and yes, that meant him with Casey. Not only that but Raph and Casey being a couple ruins their whole dynamic and iconic friendship I love so much. I’m all for friends to lovers but they are a line that should not be crossed. Not every friendship needs to turn romantic.

2012 Karai’s hair looks bad.

Fans often over exaggerate Rise Donnie’s character and badly mischaracterize him in fanfics and fan comics to the point it makes him feel like he’s an entirely different character.

Shinigami should have been revealed to be a villain.

Rise Donnie was just as mean to his brother as fans claim 2012 Raph was to his. Yes, they both do love their families and I’m NOT saying either of them are abus!ce (they’re not), but fans praising Rise Donnie for doing similar things fans criticize/hate 2012 Raph for doing just makes them hypocrites.

Venus does NOT need to be in every iteration of TMNT. It gets kind of annoying when fans keep on saying that she should be in all the other iterations when in truth her presence would not make sense based on the already established canon story. The only (recent) version of TMNT where I think her being included would’ve fit the best and deserved to make her comeback in is ROTTMNT.

The side plot of 2012 Karai being mutated and later getting brainwashed by Shredder was a waste of time and the most boring arc in the series.

2012 April, Donnie and Casey being in a poly relationship does not fix anything with their problematic dynamic and massive flaws with one another. I'm not saying you can't ship all three of them together, you do you! Idc But in reality their relationship would be a train wreck, that's why I personally don't ship 2012 Capriltello.

Renet is probably one of the most powerful allies the Turtles have in the 2012 series.

Rise Donnie would NOT hate 2012 April. He’d go crazy over her psychic powers and want to study them to help her explore them more.

From what I've seen so far, Leo x Usagi seems like the only GOOD ship in the 2003 series (this hot take might change tho).

Raph had the best character arc and development in the 2012 series and changed the most out of the four brothers. Next would be Leo. With Mikey and Donnie have little development (or none at all sadly).

[centrally-unplanned]

Oh speaking of manga I have been casually rereading the FLCL manga while doing the translation work, and finished it over dinner today - god I love the ending. This manga is a hot mess btw, there are moments where the conveyance completely falls apart, but Hajime Ueda is just not the kind of guy to care about shit like that. It carries itself on its visuals and character dynamics, which is fine - it just means it isn't going to have 'plot' payoffs per se.

But the ending man, for its all Ueda-core irreverent violence and FLCL's commitment to toxic relationships, when Haruko has burned everything down and Naota has rejected both Mamimi and Ninamori as crutches for his own lack of self-awareness... then Haruko just pops up out of his forehead wielding a shotgun and wearing a bunny suit one last time, and Naota's response is "wanna make out?" which, obviously she does, and they even have a bondage joke thrown in on top:

Its A: very hot, but more importantly B: the kind of tonal irreverence that only 'anime' can pull off. The semiotics of the medium is just full of events close enough to this kind of stuff that what would be whiplash in any other medium is punchline or even organic here. And Naota deserves to get some after all the shit he has been through, good for him!

Idk I think as I have been deep diving into the FLCL interview database how the manga works has crystalized for me. Saying the FLCL manga is controversial is a bit of a stretch, but its not very popular as it is extremely different from the show - way more surreal, way more slapstick, and of course a full blast of Hajime Ueda's edgy goth-punk stylings. For a lot of fans these changes are a bridge too far, its "Not FLCL".

As you start to understand Tsurumaki's 'intent' though, it comes together - this is a work devoted to the goal of trying to open 'anime' up to new directions its not going in. He goes on about how the anime industry is overly obsessed with realism; uncomfortable with throwing the silly and serious into the same scenes when it shouldn't be; and neglectful of the diversity of themes present in manga such as the emo-seinen works (and the troubled girls who populate them) Tsurumaki is so fond of. FLCL is self-indulgent but also intentional in its industry 'critique'.

To adapt that to a manga, the critique has to fit the industry; it wouldn't make sense to adapt 'manga themes' into, well, a manga, that wouldn't send a message! Hajime Ueda is actually perfect for this role, taking an artistic style that is completely different from anything out there, seemingly incompatible with the story being told, and stretching that story the bounds of its tonal diversity to make the fit work. You can't 1-to-1 the intent ofc, but if you are going to try this is how you do it. From that lens the story works, and the ending is great; from full-on ruin apocalypse to makeout fanservice to entirely silent metaphorical ending in maybe 15 pages. The semiotics of 'anime' were built for this, you just have to not be afraid to try.

[crimsonxe]

Rant below:

Dumbass on YT who has a record shitting on the RWBY has decided to do a vid where he says the community is responsible for the delay of greenlighting; because y'know people don't support AU's (and I doubt he means the good ones, instead likely thinking of "Ruining RWBY" type that are an insult to the show) or don't support sexualizing of characters or straight-washing characters. I guess everyone should continue to blindly support those people cause "fandom", instead of going "nooooooope".

Also while giving Miles credit for his voice work, making sure to put in a backhand to everyone else likely the female VA's; because ofc a piece of shit incel/neckbeard is going to do that. Which shouldn't be shocking cause iirc this neckbeard asshole has already taken shots at Barb and Arryn in the past.

The moron also thinks that rich vs. poor is a wrong concept probably in general but he's talking about the Atlas arc; y'know where it was repeatedly shown that such divide existed. But as usual this crowd doesn't care about that, just whatever bullshit they think matters or doesn't. And this jackass gives off the exact vibes one would think of from someone that takes issue with a commentary about poor vs. rich as a concept. Also directly mentioning Celtic thus confirming that the likely AU was "Ruining RWBY"-'s bullshit.

Keep in mind Ruining RWBY did:

faunus heat cycles

putting in shipping push for Velvet/Cardin

inserted in fanservice sauna scenes

brought back Roman in an asspull fashion and put him with Ozpin, even though there's not a shred of commonality between them

had Ruby blush towards Roman

Blake join what amounts to a police squad against other faunus (like people want to take issue with the show proper for its WF arc, this is an actual OOF on that front)

side-lined the main female characters to boost up male characters

fucking tries to redeem and boost up Cardin aka Mr. White Supremacist Douchebag

Like nah, fuck that shit. I'll keep shitting on that and any other disgusting ass fan-work that does certain things till the cows come home. I won't support a fan artist that makes wlw art, yet doesn't believe in irl same-sex rights; I won't support a racist, homophobic, sexist, and overall disgusting piece of shit like Celtic; or anyone else for the sake of "being a good fan" and "part of the community". Community isn't an accepting all thing and instead good ones root out the bad.

Anyway point is if you do searches on YT, ignore the one with Anime in the channel name.

[ketchup-monthly]

N for DC

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

oh god there are so many more things than 3 that i would like to see in the DC fandom that i dont see. but i'll shave it down to 3

MORE LANTERNFAM -dear god please give me more lanternfam. i want hal! i want guy! i want john! i want kyle! i want kilowog! i want carol! i want razer! i want aya! please god i just want more lanternfam -on that note, i also just want the lanterns to get more respect???? they wield the most powerful weapon in the known universe and are insanely powerful to be able to do so. lets get some respect on their names, please?

midnighter and apollo actually getting the credit they deserve instead of being watered down little bitches -dear god please dc ruined their characters and took away all interesting factors that either of them had and left them soulless shells of the men, nay, gods they used to be. they took away their marriage. they took away their daughter. they took away their beautiful codependency. -instead, midnighter is an edgy batman knockoff and apollo is a superman fanboy -they would not fucking say that -and a lot of fans are seeing their new 52 and rebirth versions and accepting that as who they actually are as characters, and no! they had a rich and vibrant history before the new 52 ruined them -i just want them to go back to who they were, together and apart, before the new 52, where their story actually had meaning and a political message instead of the watered down fanservice "oh look we have gay characters" that their comics are today

more content that separates other characters from the bats so they can get an actual story told -ive complained about this in some of my tags recently, but as someone who is in a lot of other parts of the dc fandom that ISNT the batfam, i'd like to be able to sit down and actually have content for characters, ships, and dynamics between characters that dont involve any of the bats. -im a lantern fan. do you know how hard it is to actually find content for that? there is so little guyhal content, or superlantern, or green lantern the animated series, or hal's relationship with literally any other character when compared to the content for bruce and his kids. -i want to be able to read clark kent content without it being about bruce. i'd like to read superbat where its not about clark being a stepdad to the batkids and completely ignores clarks kids. he has kids and this is as important to his character as bruces are to his. -i want to read flash content without dick in it. i'd like to have comics coming out where i wont have to read about the bats and their misadventure of the year -please stick the bats in an alternate dimension where nothing happens for a year so i can enjoy literally anyone else doing anything else -duke can stay bc he already has literally barely any content for him and i think he deserves to get to grow as his own character for a bit. im putting him in a terrarium with shelter, food, and enrichment and gently misting him with water as we speak. i shall take care of him as he becomes independent and gets to be a kid for a little while. he is being taken care of well -that being said can i please have more fics where we take bruce's kids from him and they actually get to grow a personality other than "gotham vigilante"? let hal steal bruces kids! let clark! let barry! let dinah! please im asking very nicely

[muffinrecord]

Muffin, what do you think are the best and worst transformations?

Ohh that's a great question.

For transformation scenes, I prefer when an actual transformation occurs. I don't really like the ones where the emphasis is on the weapon appearing or just some pretty animation. Also, this goes without saying but I don't like fanservice in it. Lastly, I really like it when the video tells you a little bit about the character. I don't mean like... "this character likes books" or things like that, but stuff you can read into.

I'm just gonna go through the playlist...

Imo, Tart's is pretty bad. It's got some weird frames, it focuses a little too much on the weapon going from a banner to.. whatever, and her expression looks weird as fuck in the last shot.

Holy Alina's is great. It's a transformation but also insight into her state of mind. It's artsy and confusing and feels like a fever dream. I especially like the last couple seconds with the flash of light and dark (although I do wonder if this could possibly trigger a person with epilepsy or migraines? so there is that)

Seira's is bad. It has some REALLY questionable frames in it that expose her bare ass for no reason, and also imo it's kind of hard to tell what's going on in it. A shame because Seira is great.

Yozuru has a great one imo. It's artsy and I like the music. The transformation in the beginning is good but I love the layering and the final shot. It really brings to mind how Yozuru closed off an entire aspect of herself through her wish.

Swimsuit Mami's is good. I'm impressed they made a long-ass video about Mami in a swimsuit and none of it feels like fanservice.

(actually a lot of the videos from this time period are really well done imo).

Vampire Kanagi had a really artsy one.

Yuna has my favorite henshin of all time. It's just so good-- the music, the visuals, the character...

Hm... Let's go through em again.

A lot of the Suzune ones are pretty bad imo. Chisato and Haruka have awful ones from the fanservice alone. Tsubaki actually has a decent one though imo? I really like the detail where the flame forms in the shape of a flower for her.

Haregi Sayaka has one of the prettiest ones.

Moka's makes me laugh. I still remember a reddit comment that described her video as "hallucinating candy and almost getting her ass cut in half with her own axe"

Chika's is sooooo unexpectedly pretty??????

Sudachi's could have been so good if it wasn't for a few really gross frames. It has this unbearable sense of loneliness to me that's really beautiful, but the nakedness ruins it.

Jun's is. blargh.

Uwasa Sana has a beautiful one. That opening shot of her falling is great.

Alexandra is suffering.

Konoha & Hazuki's is fucking stunning.

Nayuta's is??? amazing??? with awesome music.

Hmmm... After Final Oriko, I can't really say I liked any of the henshins, up until Mikoto's maybe. Oh, and Dark Mitama had a good oneish. But you can def feel that the budget is being put into other areas. Some of them are decent (Urara) but rely on still shots for energy, some of them have good ideas but really fall on their face in terms of animation quality (Himena), and then some are just. why. (Swimsuit Madoka).

But I think criminally, some are just kind of forgettable. Rabi's is... idk it should have been better imo.

Granted, a bunch of earlier videos are kind of bland to me as well, but it's kind of a shame that the quality stepped down. However, like with Tsuyu's recent one, I think that even if you don't have a lot of budget, you can still make a decent transformation video. You just need to make good choices.

I think Mikoto has a better transformation than Infinite Iroha does. If you compare the two, Infinite Iroha has more stuff going on and actual animation while Mikoto has a lot of stillness, still frames, and zooms-- however, Mikoto's tells a story and teaches you about the character, and Infinite Iroha's is kind of boring. It also has some really interesting shots, like where she appears in handheld mirror. You can do a lot of reading into it, about who is "the real" Mikoto, if she's made up of many different faucets of herself or if it's something she's crafted, etc, but the point is that it's possible to do that with that video and not for Iroha's one.

Thanks for the ask!

[whatyourusherthinks]

My Adventures With Superman Season One Review

Yes! I finally caught up with My Adventures With Superman! I waited for the entirety of the second season to come out so I could binge it and then I got to busy, but no matter! I've seen it now. It's just a shame that everyone I know who is into superheroes isn't into cartoons or anime, and everyone I know who are into cartoons and anime aren't into superheroes. Oh well, I guess I'll stew on my feelings forever...

OH WAIT I HAVE A BLOG WHERE I TALK ABOUT MEDIA. I CAN GUSH ABOUT IT HERE. Yeah, I am so hyped about this show, and now I'm going to make it everyone else problem! Muahahahahahaha! Yes, yes, you're truly the Lex Luthor of Tumblr, now get on with it. Fine, begrudge me a little fun Buggnutz.

Superman, when written well, is like my third or fourth DC superhero ever. Even if you include the Marvel and third party characters, he easily still makes it into my top ten, maybe top five. He does have an issue with the fact that it seems like half the comic book and other medium writers just not knowing what to do with him, which is so stupid. He's a pulpy space hero whose character is just good ol' farmboy with the power equivalent to God, how can you not find something interesting to do with him without ruining his personality. Not calling out any Zack Snyders I mean names. Anyway, this really long winded and rambling opening is just so I can establish my single criteria for this show: Is Superman in My Adventures With Superman what I would consider to be a well written Superman? If he is, I can easily recommend the show. If not, well, it gets the reject.

Seriously. This is like the only criteria I want. Obviously it would be a better show if classic Superman stuff makes it in and that Jimmy Olsen isn't sidelined (or shot in the head ZACK WHY DID YOU DO THAT YOU MOTHERFUC-) or if they did more obscure DC fanservice, but it isn't necessary. I just want a good, well-written Superman.

Oh, real quick technical stuff. I'm gonna review every episode individually and just quickly relay my thoughts in several paragraphs. Also, yeah I will rank every episode. If you've read my Columbo reviews you know what to expect. I'm splitting this review up into three parts, one about the episodes of the first season, one about the episodes in the second seasons, and one that's the wrap up and episodes ranking. Seriously? Why aren't you just doing one post? I don't wanna half to skip past three different posts just because I don't care about Superman. Well I was gonna do one post, but I ended up having a LOT to say about each episode. Trust me, it's best split up. (Also you could just blacklist tags you want to ignore.)

Season 1 Episode 1 'Adventures of a Normal Man Pt. 1'

Four minutes. It took four minutes for me to realize that this is the best Superman has been written outside of comics in 16 years! (I'm being generous and assuming Superman was well written throughout the entirety of the DCAU. I've unfortunately watched very little of it.) His entire character, ideals, and motivation are set up perfectly and all he does is get ready for work, worry about appearing normal, and sav e a cat from a tree. This is peak Clark Kent. This is Superman perfected. THIS IS A GREAT SHOW. And they not only nail Superman, they nail almost everything surrounding Superman! Who's the second person we see? Jimmy Olsen, Superman's best pal and the third most, maybe second most depending on the story, important side character in the Superman mythos. I love the juxtaposition of Lois and Clark getting ready in the morning. I like that Clark is clumsy especially with his powers. The comics kinda vary with how well young Clark gaining and adjusting to his powers are written, but this. Mm, this is good. And Lois and Clark are a cute potential couple immediately after meeting. I love that after falling in love at first sight, Clark immediately tries the "Heeeyyyyy" side lean, realizes immediately it's a bad idea, and then reverts back to his normal awkward self. I also love how diverse the cast and the background characters are. I think it is an awesome worldbuilding detail that in Metropolis people have like holographic phones and clear glass computers, and that there is little cleaner robots all over, and how the cars look kinda future-y, but it's still somewhat restrained and not like "a million years in the future" future-y. Jimmy just has a regular camera, even though there's probably like super 3D holographic cameras in this world. Or at least a more powerful camera on his phone. The leads have such good chemistry right off the bat. Not even just Jimmy and Lois with Clark, Lois and Jimmy have good rapport. The animation is super good and I absolutely love how expressive the characters are. And of course there is a lot of fanservice and deep cuts for comic fans. The second signifier I have that the writers knew what they were doing and loved the source material was when the Newskid Legion showed up. Please writers do a... Actually I'm save this.

There are some changes the show makes to give it it's own identity, and I love them as well. I already mentioned the diversity of the cast. While Jimmy has been black before, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that Lois hasn't been white (At least the first time she wasn't white from the get go. There's a horrendously racist comic from the Silver Age I think where Lois Lane does blackface to get African Americans in Metropolis to talk to her for an interview. I'm not making that up.) and that's awesome. They don't do it in this episode, but they have her make various cultural signifiers of her new Korean nationality. I just like seeing cultures being expressed in little ways especially when it is a culture not focused on too often. This series is just a magical girl anime but with Superman instead of Sailor Moon. And nothing crazy fucked up has happened yet. The show balances fighting giant robots and supervillains with little meet-cute moments with Clark and Lois and interpersonal drama, investigating via character interactions, and dealing with personal problems. Almost every character is changed in someway from the comics, and I like every change. Admittedly it is mostly superficial stuff, like race and gender, but sometimes character backstories or personalities are shaken up. The big one in the pilot is Jimmy, who's super into conspiracies and we learn in later episodes that he has a social media channel where he talks about aliens and reports on Superman. I really like this characterization for him, not only does it give Jimmy his own thing without having to create a whole cosmology like Jack Kirby did for the New Gods, but it's entertaining way to insert some easter eggs too. I like they way they showcase Clark getting more of his powers. Not only does he get it in moments of desperation where he really needs to PROTECT someone else (Very rarely is it because he's trying to survive a situation, it's almost always because he is trying to save someone. And sometimes he's not even trying to save Lois, because he cares about everyone, not just his girlfriend ZACK!) but I like the blue glow-y effects. It kinda reminds me of solar radiation for whatever reason.

Of course, because I was watching this episode for like, the eighth time doing this review, I do have some nitpicks. Why is Clark wearing glasses as a kid before realizing he has powers? Does he actually have bad eyesight? Pa doesn't wear glasses in this version (Which I totally wish he did, that's a bit of characterization from the comics that either Clark wears glasses not only for secret identity purposes but also to emulate his father or because he can use Pa's old ones without needed to fake a prescriptions, and I think it would have helped balance out both Ma and Pa supporting Clark as Superman. As it stands right now Ma is the main support and Pa is mostly comic relief, which is perfectly fine but I'd just like a little more, y'know. Pa dying in the comics is supposed to be a huge deal for Superman and as it stands right now I don't think the audience would have that emotional punch as they could if they decide to do that in a future episode. Jesus Roan this is an incredibly long sidebar. SORRY NOT SORRY I LIKE SUPERMAN A LOT.) so am I just supposed to assume that this Clark had bad eyesight before he got his super senses? Actually, if that actually is the case and it turns out he's actually not physically peak compared to most Kryptonians that'd be pretty funny and a cool bit of characterization. I'm also not a super fan (puns lol) of mixing CGI with regular 2D animation, but it's not too bad. In this episode they do add drawn outlines to the models to so it fits better, but I still think it's weird. I'm also not really a huge fan of Livewire, so I don't really care that she's positioned to be Superman's first big villain. I mean it makes sense why it is her for later storylines, but with the way she's set up in the pilot I'd want her to be replaced with Toyman. Not only would that make more sense for this individual plot I like him as a character and villain more. Livewire is better in future episodes, and speaking of which, so does Jimmy. In the pilot he's just played as a common sense competent comic relief, there to make jokes about aliens and cryptids and also give Clark a hard time about his obvious crush on Lois. I mean, each episode is only a little over 20 minutes so I am cutting it slack, but so much Superman adaptations either sideline or completely cut out Jimmy Olsen that I was worried the first time watching. Plus the editing and pacing can be wack sometimes. There's literally a part where Jimmy and Lois look up to see a crane moving a giant robot from a distance, and in the next cut they are right under the crane. Did they teleport? AlsoLoisshould'vecalledClarkSmallvilleattheendoftheepisode I KNOW IT DOESN'T MATTER but I would've liked it.

Okay I see what you mean about 'having a lot to say'. YEAH. Count your blessing that barely any superhero movies are coming out this year.

Season 1 Episode 2 'Adventures of a Normal Man Pt. 2'

Haha they call a Conspiracy Board a Murder Board. Wait, is it actually supposed to be called that? Wikipedia calls it an Evidence Board or a Murder Map... Anyway, not important. Ma Kent is the best mother to every exist. The moment kid Clark is like "I'm not you're son?" She was like "Hush now baby boy you're totally ours no matter what a creepy hologram says!" Speaking of which, Jor-El speaking only Kryptonian is a good touch, but I feel like they made him extra aggressive early one just to mess with the audience? Like they wanted Superman's bio dad is actually nice to be a twist which is... dumb. I'll get into why when I talk about the second season. Jimmy and Lois get some good one-on-one time together (even if half of their conversations are about Clark) and their dialogue is quick and witty, just the way I like it! Anyway I really love that Ma makes Clark wear briefs over his space costume. That is such a good little touch. Superman absolutely needs the shorts on his costume this is a hill I will die on. (Yes, they do add a lot Martha. I agree.) Everyone has already touched upon it too, but giving Clark a transformations sequence for when he got his super suit is great, 10 outta 10 choice there. A 10 outta 10 choice I actually like more is Superman cleaning up after the finale fight. This is what I mean by this show understanding Superman. Clark is there to help. He's not here to punch everyone into submission. He makes sure everything is fixed. He takes the time to make sure everyone is okay. (Usually, they actually cover that in later episodes.) Including the his villains, by the way! He'd rather take a hit than hurt anyone. He's a hero who wouldn't call himself a hero. That is Superman. Not a brute who mopes around because no one likes him who kills anyone he thinks is a threat to this one person he's obsessed with ZACK!

Oh yeah, They introduce you Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke the Terminator in this episode. I feel like I should have a hot take like everyone else has about him, but I don't. He's fine, he works with what they are doing with him in the series. I love sassy villains but I get why fans of the character from the comics would be annoyed by his portrayal in this show. I don't really like that he has a mech suit to keep pace with Superman, I wish he was just so skilled and crafty (plus has a healing factor from a super soldier serum) that he can fight Superman. But like all the villains are tech based in this show, and I get mechs are more anime. Eh, I'm generally positive towards him. His fight with Livewire was cool. It's a shame he becomes kinda a stooge after this episode since he his ending line was super cool. I also don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I really like Perry White. Honestly he might be the character that is the least changed from other Superman stories, because as far as I can tell the only difference between Perry in the comics and Perry here is that he's black, which is something other adaptations have done.

Again, nitpick time. Why does Jimmy switch between using his phone and his camera to take pictures? Yeah he took the one picture of him and Lois to send to Clark, but why not just have him use this phone all the time? This is also the episode which establishes him as Flamebird, an online streamer which is major plot point in a bunch of episodes, and most phones have excellent cameras nowadays, so it would just make sense for him to always use it. I'm don't love this version of Superman's S. I don't hate it either I guess, but I prefer it actually look like an S instead of this angular whatever. Actually, if they try to do the "It's the El family crest"/"It's a symbol for hope" that would actually work better than it does in any other adaptation since it looks unlike any other version of his symbol. I think it would have been better if Ma added the Symbol to his costume like she does the shorts. Hell, She should've added all the Red to his costume. All the blue with a little yellow highlights are what Jor-El gives Clark, and Ma sees it and is like "Mm my boy ain't going out there in a skintight suit, put these shorts on. And while we're at it I'm gonna add a little flair to the chest here. What did that Lois girl call you, Superman? Well clearly it needs to be an S then, and oh! I best I have an old linen I can modify for a cape." etc... Would've been cute is my point. It makes even less sense that Jor-El would give Clark a cape when we meet Kara in the second season and she doesn't have one until she starts cribbing off of Clark. The last nitpick comes with the anime territory, but I don't really like the over the top expressions. Like where the eyes bulge out the head, and the mouths get super big, you know what I mean. Yes, it's just because I don't like anime, but I honestly feel like they undercut how expressive the characters usually are anyway. The best faces come from Perry when he's throwing Lois and Jimmy out of his office at the end of the episode, and they didn't have to resort to any big head chibi stuff.

Season 1 Episode 3 'My Interview With Superman'

This episode starts with Superman saving the pilot of a crashing zeppelin! I'm going to say it in every episode rundown, this is peak. Superman. I love that it's a blimp too, like in this technologically forward city they still have the most explosive means of transportation around. That's so funny to me. Speaking of funny, Intergang is my favorite villains in the whole season. They're like if Team Rocket were punks instead of theater kids. This is also the episode where they start getting into anime tropes, but with Clark instead of whatever anime blow-up doll. Mm that comment will age well. They're fictional simmer down. Anyway, I'm of course referring to Lois accidently walking into Clark's massive chest. I'm being a dick, but I actually love this entire interaction between Clark and Lois, it's just super funny. Everything from Lois being too hyper focused on trying to get Superman for an interview she completely misses that Clark says he'll do anything for her, to Clark trying to catch himself from doing the Superman voice (He doesn't just hide behind a pair of glasses people!), to "It was a long jog.". Jimmy is a great wingman, I love how he slides out of frame when Clark and Lois are flirting. I hope Clark does him the same curtesy when he and Kara start flirting. Another little detail I like are the guns the cops and security guards have being like electro-pistols instead of regular ones. I'd say it's because of kids television censorship, but this show airs on Adult Swim, and they show WAAAY more heinous stuff than guns on there. Ever watch Moral Orel? Clark freaking out when he finds out Jimmy and Lois have been getting captured on purpose was pretty funny too. It's something that could've been a good reoccurring gag if they kept Clark's identity a secret longer, but I'll talk about that later. Superman versus Intergang was a pretty awesome fight. For starters I love that Clark give the villains a chance to surrender before even coming close to them, very Superman move there. Heck the security guard kinda does that too, I wasn't expecting that nuance. Second, I really like how Kryptonian tech looks. It's kind of a shame they aren't going to do a Fortress of Solitude because it could look super cool. I'll get into more details later, but there's some other worldbuilding stuff that is awesome. I don't even mind that Intergang do counterproductive stuff in the fight, since they are established to be massive dumbasses. Anyway, onto the nitpicks!

I don't like Steve Lombard and Cat Grant. To be fair, I don't really like them in the comic either, and they are slightly better here than they are there. But they are still caricatures in a sea of more well rounded characters. Steve does get some nice moments in later episodes with Jimmy, and at least Ronnie is reasonable here instead of an obnoxious nerd. I don't find their introduction particularly funny either, they only funny thing is when the gang try to copy it and Clark absolutely wants to fly away but he can't. It is weird that swiping their press passes let's the gang into the prison. They look nothing like their counterparts. I'm thinking that the animators/story boarders didn't talk to the writers that closely for this one. I'm also a little mixed about Clark being completely straight-laced. On the one hand, if feel like it comes from a misinterpretation of Superman that's always a boy scout and never does anything that isn't by the book, which simply isn't true. Clark is not only willing to bend the rule of law when he is doing something he thinks is right (Hell, 40% of Luthor's schemes involve tricking Superman into doing something illegal to get the public angry at him, and it's not like Clark doesn't know what the laws are.), but he's actually mischievous in a lot of stories. He's a trickster hero, especially in the Golden Age. (Here we make a token nod to the ending of 'What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way', otherwise known as 'Superman Versus The Elite' for people who don't want to read.) Also is it weird that Silver Banshee reminds me of Red from OSP? Yes. Drat.

Season 1 Episode 4 'Let's Go to Ivo Tower, You Say'

Let me get this out of the way. I think my favorite change from the source material is swapping Lois's affection for the Superman/Clark identities around. If you don't know, in the comics Lois Lane is usually in love with Superman or feels attraction to him, while she doesn't really think about Clark Kent at all. (Unless she knows Clark is Superman, obviously. There's probably a fifty-fifty chance Lois knows in any given story.) For the first half, Lois is super crushing on Clark, and absolutely hates/is frustrated by Superman. Which I think makes a whole lot more sense. It's been said by others, and I agree which is why I'm repeating it, that Superman is Clark Kent's customer service voice. That's such a good way of putting the energy the best written Supermen give off. It's not necessarily professional, but there's no vulnerability or emotion necessarily to connect to. This isn't some "My secret identity is the real mask" bullshit, no! Clark is a guy who wants to help and Superman is the way he can help. You fall in love with the stranger the chats you up in the bar, the bartender who politely serves you your beer. (Hopefully, I mean.) This is another thing I kinda wish stuck around long, but again I'll go into more depth later. Anyway, I adore how Lois is kind of a dumb ass in this universe. I mean, Clark all but tells her he's Superman at the end of the last and beginning of this episode, but it still takes her a minute to figure it out. To be fair, her track record is much worse in other universes, and the story does acknowledge how oblivious she is. But that doesn't change the fact that's she didn't realize that the guy she's all moony over has the exact same eyes, hair, and build as the alien she's chasing. I guess that is something that works better with Lois being in love with Superman not Clark now that I think about it. I think this is the first episode with the theme song. I like it, I wish they changed the animation for Season 2. This is a gala episode too, so all the gang gets all dolled up. I unabashedly love episodes like this. Not only because it's fun to see characters you like in fancy suits and dresses (And also whatever the clothes Lois is wearing is called I'm sorry I really like the outfit I'm just an uncultured swine so I'm unfamiliar with it.), but also because there is a much higher chance than average for a dance action scene! Unfortunately there isn't one of those in this episode, but there is an incredibly cute moment where Lois talks about her dad while fixing Clark's suit jacket and it might be my favorite moment of the season. By the way, not to brag or anything, but I knew who Lois's dad was the second she mentioned him in this episode. Because you read about him in the comics, right? ...Well I also knew the assistant was Lex Luthor! Yeah everyone did dumb ass. You take the fun out of everything Buggnutz. I kinda like that this Dr. Ivo is basically Tony Stark if he even more of a douche bag, and I absolutely LOVE that Clark goes straight for the throat after he insults Lois. Also, Ivo's definition of the "finer bachelorettes" is the thiccer ladies, nice. Gross. Don't hate, I've learned to appreciate the finer things. Anyway, I think tying Parasite to Dr. Ivo was a really smart way to fold some more Superman mythos together. I always like it when comic book adaptations streamline some of the more esoteric corners of the stories. My only nitpick with this episode is that the Daily Planet seems to write a lot of interest pieces about bachelors and bachelorettes. This is probably just because the gang are interns/new journalists so far, so they aren't being given any super heavy-hitting assignments. But I still think it's weird that the regular paper seems to care so much about who's single. I'm with you Lois, get thrown out for asking about corruption charges and criminal connections. Anyway this episode has the funniest end credit picture okay ready for the next episode?

Season 1 Episode 5 'You Will Believe a Man Can Lie'

First, love the title. You've been saying love a lot. WELL THE SHOW'S GOOD, WATCH IT. Second, finally a Jimmy centric storyline! Great Rao my boy has needed this! I will admit, this is usually the kind of episode I hate. It's Lois and Clark having a million misunderstandings while they ignore Jimmy. And Steve Lombard plays a huge part in this episode too. But I don't hate this episode. In fact, I like it a lot. For one, MAWS is an ongoing storyline show, so there is considerable build up to Clark and Lois having this particular confrontation, unlike one-off story shows where these kinds of conflicts come out of nowhere. Also, this is a perfectly understandable confusion. Clark thinks he's got this secret identity on lock and since he and Lois had a really intimate ending to the last episode so the only thing on his mind is asking her out, and Lois is so ADD-coded in this show that OF COURSE the only way she thinks to make Clark reveal he's Superman is to trick him into revealing it, and when that doesn't work, jump off the fucking roof of the Daily Planet. And since they are both so preoccupied with each other, they naturally forget about Jimmy and this weekend he's been excited for. Besides, Jimmy and Steve are a surprisingly good odd couple, them together might be the funniest duo in the whole show. Speaking of comedy, this is definitely the funniest episode of the first season. I giggle uncontrollably at the "Me, you and Superman in a room together. At the same time." line every time. LOIS LITERALLY HANDCUFFS HERSELF TO SUPES THIS EPISODE IS HILAROUS. Also, I kinda got my dance fight I wanted from the last episode. Speaking of fights, the final fight in this episode is super cool. I'd have to think on it more, but it might be my favorite fight in the show. I don't even have any nitpicks about this episode. Not even when Lois jumps off the roof? Are you kidding? That's classic Lois Lane stuff! Besides, they point out how fucking insane it was immediately after she does it, and it makes sense with the backstory they are setting up for her, and it's been established she does dangerous and reckless things when chasing something she wants. Why would I be annoyed by this? Because Clark could've changed into Superman, rescued her, then changed back. He's totally fast enough to do that. No he isn't. If he was, couldn't do like an after image thing where he pretends to be in two places at once? And even if he was fast enough to do that, Lois would notice that Superman has the same "shaving" scars as Clark. I win yet again Buggnutz! Grrr! One day I shall defeat you in this witty repartee!

Season 1 Episode 6 'My Adventures With Mad Science'

FINALLY THE BEST CHARACTERS IN THE SHOW ARRIVE! I was not expecting Monsieur Mallah and the Brain to be in the show. (When the ape silhouette appeared at the end of the last episode, I thought it was gonna be the Ultra Humanite.) And to double down, I was not expecting them to switch from a somewhat fraught doomed evil couple, to a sweet old, yet catty, true love. I keep saying, but this is fucking PEAK! Seriously, I goddamn absolutely LOVE this Mallah and Brain, I'm so happy they came back in season two, and I can't wait for their episode in every season. Right? They have to be in at least one episode every season now, since you rolled back the best ending for them to have together. Plus they both have, like, the best lines in the entire show. Maybe it is just their accents, but I was cracking up every other line they said. Also, human Brain is hot? Seriously, they are so good it makes up for Lois being kind of a bitch for the entire episode. *Sigh* She has good reason to be mad and it's not egregious, but she's still a little too catty for my liking. At least this episode's main plot is a Jimmy focused story, and it's so damn good. It was sorely needed for the character, and the support Mallah (and the Brain too a little bit) gives him is so sweet, even after he kinda trivializes his backstory. And I actually really like that Jimmy new Clark was Superman since they met! Not only is Jimmy usually in the know in the comics, I think it makes a lot of sense here! Jimmy does usually act like he knows Clark is Superman, and doesn't want to let on that he does. Except he was totally freaking out trying to find Clark in 'My Interview With Superman'. Yeah but did he see Clark fly out of the fight? Maybe he assumed be got blown out of the back? My only nitpick (besides Lois's attitude in this episode) is that OMACs are in this episode. And they don't work in an "OMAC, Attack!" line. You're complaining about the weirdest shit in this review. Yeah. I know.

So we got bored hiding, like, one year in and made a bunch of mutants, okay?

Season 1 Episode 7 'Kiss Kiss Fall In Portal'

Damn, I wasn't expecting this show to bring in the Multiverse this heavy in the first season. Neither was I expecting Mr. Mzyixpiddle... Myzerlickdib... Myxerpit... Mr. Mxyzptlk. Mzmer- Mxyzptlk. Miamar. Dude they say it in the episode. Whatever! Anyway, Clark fretting over the perfect date with Lois is cute, so is him immediately dropping all pretenses when the villain pretends that Lois is in trouble and only Superman can save her. I actually think it's super interesting in the grand canon to have a multiversal strike team of Lois Lanes and Jimmy Olsens that stop bad Supermen. And I like... Mr. M's... Design in this episode. It is very anime, but I think it works. Also the implication that this character is the same as every other version we've seen from every iteration, it weirdly makes sense that there is infinite of our 4th dimensional space, but one one 5th dimensional space. And I actually kinda like that they make him seem like a potential good guy at the beginning of the episode. Not only did we just have Monsieur Mallah and the Brain in the previous episode plant the idea that this adaptation can change some alliances of pre-existing characters around, but they do show us the League of Lois Lanes stalking this universe's Lois and Jimmy, thus planting the idea that they could've been kidnapped. Plus Clark doesn't get fooled for too long, nor is he tricked into doing anything too stupid, so he's not extra dumb this episode. This is a thing that doesn't happen too often but I kinda love when it does, is a different version of a character introducing themselves as themselves. The "I'm you, from the future!" moment. Oh man, this is also the first time Krytonite shows up in the show, and this is probably the coolest it's been. Ever. First, it's just the green variety which is absolutely for the best. And while it effects Superman in the way it usually does, I really like the extra effect of more Kryptonite crystals growing out of his skin. This isn't the first time something like this has happened to Superman, but if you want to know about first time for ideas. You first see it in a later episode, but even Kryptonian tech is effected by it, and in the same way. That's something that seems so obvious yet I don't think it's been done before. I also really like Lois and Clark have this sweet romantic moment in the middle of the massive chaotic brawl with a literal chaos god. That was fun.

Here are my nitpicks: Why you hating on talking gorillas Clark? The one you met was incredibly lovely! And also left to travel the multiverse for a bit. If anything you should be worried/dog on giant robots, those seem to be everywhere. The League also seems to jump to a lot of ridiculous conclusions in this episode. Like they know Mr. M is a trickster, but they completely discount the possibility that Clark is being fooled by him. It's clearly because they've seen too many evil Supermen in the multiverse. That's another thing that kinda bugs me, and by no means is this exclusive to this show, but why does everyone assume that there are just as many evil Supermen as good ones? There's like 4 evil Supermen, 5 if you wanna count Superboy-Prime, and countless other good and righteous versions of Clark. Yet so many writers just assumes that the main Superman is the only good one. My point is, I will not stand for this Calvin Ellis slander.

Season 1 Episode 8 'Zero Day: Part One'

Yes, Clark gets his super hearing in this episode! It was so smart to make this a power Clark gets later. Not only does this give us the great line "I can hear everyone. And Jimmy! Jimmy! Jimmy! They have problems." but it's cool to see the issue being Clark now noticing everyone's issues and trying to help rather than just plain old sensory overload. Roan. Plus almost all the villains from previous episodes show back up again, even if they are just stooges for General Lane. It's just nice to see them all team up, y'know. Roan, hang on- Also I'm glad they go out of their way to show that Superman still goes out of his way to save cats in trees and help lost little girls, even while he is trying to investigate bigger problems and can hear every disaster as it's happening. Roan Vicki Vale is in this episode- Also, hey Lex Luthor is back! And he's a massive little bitch! I'll talk more about him later, but for now I'll just say I love this characterization for him. Roan talk about the potential- I actually really like the emotional conflict of this episode. They took what BvS tried to do and actually made it a good story. Like it makes sense that people start to turn on Superman a bit based on what happens in the episode, but the bad thing he did isn't out of character for him. (Basically Clark tries to save an invisible guy and ends up causing a truck to crash, harming no one.) There's a bunch of little moments in this show that are taking ideas that stories of a lower quality had, and making them actually good. Zack. Roan Bat- And my god is the darkest hour of the episode good. You jump from Lois accidently insulting Clark to Supes getting jumped by Task Force X and it's so damn bleak. The atmosphere in the episodes is actually lowkey amazing, but I think it stands out the best here. Metropolis immediate gets overcast after Superman saves Mist and it's gloomy until the end of the episode. ROAN! WHAT? Talk about Batman! Why? This is a Superman show. They have Vicki Vale in this episode. So what? She's a Batman character. Yeah, and? Don't you want to see Batman in the show? Absolutely fucking not. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure if they did it it would be in a really smart and entertaining way, but not only is Batman way too overdone, but adding other heroes I feel like requires set-up and plotlines that the would take away from the Superman stories. Is it so wrong to want my Superman show to just be about him?

Season 1 Episode 9 'Zero Day: Part Two'

...Y'know something I realized. Zero Day (both parts) is directed to Snyder fans who were complaining about the show early on. And there is one scene in particular I think proves it. The scene where Clark learns about Zero Day. See, General Lane shows Clark his backstory, to with Clark's first response is "All those people got hurt, that's horrible!" Y'know like Superman would. And General Lane, the bad guy, immediately thinks he is lying. Because how realistic is it that Superman would actually care? Not at all. *Sigh* You're missing the point Buggnutz. First off, the point of Superman isn't to be realistic. He's an alien in a blue and red jumpsuit who can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes (Sidenote, I like how minimally Clark uses his laser eyes in the show. I feel like way too many writers rely on it to be Superman's only attack, and he never uses it for utility reasons. Probably because it's the closest Superman has to like, a gun. Which is fucked up. Nah, this show so far has used it in like two episodes and it was more useful fixing things than it was attacking bad guys. He should use his freeze breath more though.) he's already not a realistic character. Secondly, the whole idea behind Superman is he's the hero who can do anything and will always make the right choices. Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster were two Jewish men and Superman debuted in comics in 1938. Think about who they were. Think about the times they lived in. Which do you think was their intention: An overpowered figure that would defend everyone from the tyrannies of evil? Or a nihilistic Jesus who only saves people on a whim, and actually is the real problem you guys. Superman is a pop culture icon at this point though, he has evolved past what his creators intended. Sure, but why did he become a pop culture icon? Besides, my last point is the hard-hittingest. What character is making the same point as you are Buggnutz. General Lane. And what is his role in the story? Okay, I see you're point- No no no. Answer me. *Sigh* He's the antagonist. EXACTAMOI! Haven't you heard of a bad guy with sympathetic and understandable motivations? Of course I have *eyeroll* but that's not point the show is trying to make. Showing off that General Lane has a reason to believe what he does isn't the point. Not believing Superman is being genuine when he says he cares is a bad thing is the point.

I like how the big bad villain of the season is Parasite technically. Not only is his new backstory really fun, but it makes sense that he's a greater physical threat than all the other villains. Plus Parasite become a kaiju is fucking awesome! Parasite, in my opinion, can be kid of hit or miss in the comics. He's either a really interesting threat, or just a dumbass thug. I also think switching his power to absorbing energy and converting it into physical mass rather than "He touch you you die" is super smart. I also really like how subtle the show is with his weaknesses. Sure, Kryptonite gets a big spotlight in 'Kiss Kiss Fall In Portal' but they're never like "This mineral is making me feel weak!" or "That rock is hurting Superman!" or whatever. They just showcase the effects and the audience draws their own conclusions. I'm pretty sure the only time they name drop the red sun weakness is in 'My Adventures With Mad Science' and it's not in relation to Superman at all. And magic... Well magic hasn't shown up at all in the show yet. Jimmy helping save the day is awesome, I wish this wasn't the first time he made a major contribution to the solutions. Luckily it becomes much more frequent in the next season. My only nitpick is more related for a season two episode than this one, so I'll save it for later.

Season 1 Episode 10 'Hearts of the Fathers'

Alright, to start out, I like that the Parasite shell is still around. It give the world a more realistic feel, y'know? "To commemorate the time our city also got destroyed by a giant purple bug-lizard, we decided to leave it's petrified molting up in the city park where Superman stopped it." Next, I like how the gang get promoted to being reporters. I just like this Perry White in general, it feels like what they were trying to do with Lawrence Fishburne in BvS but actually good. Zack. (I think I already mentioned that.) I love that Ma and Pa are instantly just in love with Lois as Clark is. Ew. I meant in a nurturing, parental sense Buggnutz, getcher mind outta da gutta. Also Pa fussing over the turkey is cute. Jimmy refusing to get pulled into everyone's drama was great, I always love when characters subvert plot conveniences that are only used to artificially increase drama. And great Scott, the shot of Superman pushing his ship above the clouds! It looked so good! When I first watched the show, I was really confused why Zero Day wasn't the season finale, but after watching the episode, I totally get why. But here's my nitpick. I think the way they play the reveal of General Lane being Lois's dad is really good, mostly. I like that Clark is freaking out the entire time, I love that Ma fucking HATES General Lane without even realizing that he kidnapped Clark, and I love Jimmy's role in all of this. But how the fuck did General Lane not realize Clark Kent is Superman by the end of the episode? In the next season there is a bunch of conflict between the General and Clark because he doesn't realize Clark is Superman, which not only seems out of place due to the ending of this episode, but seems out of character for General Lane. Like the show has displayed that he is a really smart guy. But he can't put together that the person he is living with who is constantly sneaking out and spent Thanksgiving with at a middle of nowhere farm is the Superhero he was chasing for a whole season and who's spaceship just so happens to be at the middle of nowhere farm he spent that Thanksgiving at? REALLY? And I totally thought the character at the end was gonna be Zod. I think it was intended to be, but they changed their minds in between seasons. Eh... I'll get more into it in the next post.

And those are my thoughts on Season One. In a couple days I'll have both my Season Two and Wrap Up posts for the show. Probably. Thanks for reading!

[warm-soda-solutions]

SUMMER ANIME FIRST IMPRESSIONS/RANKING WOW!!!!!!!

bunch of shows are coming out and i'm watching some of them!!!!! now that each show has 3+ eps i'm gonna rank them from worst to best by my enjoyment of them so far. 12. My Deer Friend Nokotan: probably a controversial pick for last place but i dropped this one after 2 eps because it was painfully unfunny and also not nearly as wacky as i was hoping it would be.

11. Days With My Stepsister: i don't get the generally positive reception this show was getting. dropped after 1 ep because it was real boring. this kind of premise is trashy no matter how you try to dress it up, and doing that rather than leaning into the trashy aspects like Domestic Girlfriend makes this show a lot less entertaining than that one. essentially this is a trashy show pretending to not be one and i dislike that sort of thing greatly. 10. Narenare -Cheer for you!- : dropped this one after 2 eps because it still wasn't really clear what the motivations of the protagonist were or where the plot might go. felt like it was juggling too many characters and i wasn't super interested in any of them. parkour was cool though. big gap in quality between the bottom two and this one. 9. ATRI -My Dear Moments- : dropped after 1 episode not because it was bad, it was honestly pretty solid, but because i found the whole robot girl thing to be done in a way that's kinda cliche and uninteresting to me. definitely check this out if you want a Key-esque thing but other shows were just more interesting to me.

8. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin: this is where we get to shows i'm actually still keeping up with, and this one is just a cute little farming show. i like the character designs and the world a lot, but i'm pretty mixed on the characters themselves and the focus on rice farming after the premiere is expected and done solidly but also not quite as interesting to me as the more fantastical elements from the premiere. unsure if i want to stick with this the whole way through 7. Wistoria: Wand and Sword: absolutely killer visuals and music elevate a very generic Harry Potter/Mashle/Black Clover thing into a solidly enjoyable spectacle. if this were at all dumb or annoying i'd probably drop it but it's fairly inoffensive when it comes to dumb anime bs surprisingly.

6. The Elusive Samurai: some of the best art and animation i have ever seen in a TV anime (less so in the newer episode for justifiable reasons) and a very solid premise mixed with some awful, tonally dissonant humor and not super interesting characters so far. thankfully it seems like the show is getting the humor in check but it's gonna have to keep up the good elements of the story and the quality of the animation to keep me watching. 5. Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!: this one is mostly a very good romcom so far with a great, kinda grounded visual style that i really like. the op and ed here are also both fantastic. i think this shows's got a really good sense of comedic timing and a very likeable cast of dorks so i generally feel quite positive on it BUT i'm worried it could very easily become some garbage-y wish fulfillment harem stuff, and an awful, out of place fanservice scene in episode 2 has made me highly suspicious of the show's direction in the future. if this stays good, which it so far has, i will keep watching, and if it doesn't i will not. 4. Senpai is an Otokonoko: this is kind of the unexpected sleeper hit of the season for me. i was worried going into this one that it would handle its subject matter poorly since i don't really trust most anime to handle LGBTQ+ issues sensitively or all that well in general (not that i can particularly speak to this personally). however, it turned out to be mostly very good in that area and all the characters are quite layered and enjoyable. it's a great mix of fun slice of life shenanigans, a little bit of romance, and some surprisingly compelling if somewhat too quickly paced character drama. likely sticking with this one all the way through. 3. Mayonaka Punch: just a super fun romp about making YouTube videos from a lot of the same people behind Ya Boi Kongming, which i also loved. i think this show's got a really strong sense of style visually, and i enjoy getting an anime where the protagonist is actually an adult, i feel like that sort of thing is far too rare. every character here is fun in their own way, and the show seems intent on meaningfully developing them as well. i also like that the protagonist is really not a great person, so i'm curious how she'll change over the course of the show. 2. TASUKETSU -Fate of the Majority- : this show sucks really really bad but it's so unintentionally funny that it's easily one of my favorites of the season. the combination of an edgy nonsense premise, beyblade looking characters, limited animation, and completely out of control pacing make for the most fun i've had with a trainwreck of a show since EX-ARM. this honestly might be at number 1 if it weren't for the pacing grinding to a halt for no reason in the 4th episode, but even that just kinda adds to the fascination of this show. 1. SHOSHIMIN: How to become Ordinary: i really like Hyouka, so unsurprisingly this is my favorite of the season so far by a decent margin. it's a ton of fun to watch the two leads solve such incredibly mundane mysteries. you'd expect that kind of thing to be boring but the characters and direction work really well together to make it actually super engaging. i also love that the leads are something of a mystery themselves, with the audience slowly learning more and more about why they are the way they are each episode. it seems like it's just beginning to get to some even meatier character stuff so i'm very excited for that. i also really love the ED for this show, the live action settings with the anime characters just fits the whole show's vibe so well.

[olivieraa]

this scene is so funny to me.

like, I've seen my fair share of anime. If there's anyone that's aware of the sexualisation of female characters in media, esp anime, its me. my liveblogging consisted of two main things. loving on VA's and hating on what happens to female characters in... almost every damn show I've ever watched. it was constant.

it got to the point where I got nit-picky. there were shows where it was excessive, where it was a part of the show. and there were shows where it had maybe one or two scenes. and I still called those shows out, bc I was always baffled as to why there had to be even one scene where a woman's body was the centre of attention.

I could go into heavy detail on that but I'm tired.

so this anime. this anime is the second type. its not a fanservice anime. its an adventure anime. but to be who I am today watching anime vs who I was years ago, I see this in another light.

so like, we know that there's a lot of things girls and women cant do without it being sexualised. we know that femininity is so engrained in how we're raised and the standards all around that we're either "happy" to portray them and fit the mould of what we think a woman should look, act and dress like, or we're pissed off about it.

about not being able to eat a banana in public, about wanting to play outside in the dirt but you're not allowed ruin your dress, or if that's not mentioned, its the monitoring of opening your legs while wearing a dress in front of boys, its the desire to cut off all your hair so its not in your way when you're playing or eating but your mother says your hair is too pretty to cut off, etc etc.

yes I thought the close up of this girls ass was unnecessary. its the second time in 6 eps (which shockingly, is not a lot, but still too much), and they advance the plot in no way. I've talked about that enough.

but what I see this time around is-- I'm imagining a real life girl. she hasn't talked much this whole time. idk what her deal is. but two characters have brought up that she's a tomboy. she got naked in one scene not caring who saw (legit doesn't care if a dude sees her naked), and then there's this scene. and also she mentions that she's herself (a human, basically) before she's a girl.

so basically the universal rule here is "a girl shouldn't climb a ladder first because then her ass is visible (no matter the clothing type) and the guy can't NOT look like its right there why wouldn't he, so therefore it should be the guy that climbs first bc its not like the reverse would happen"

and this guys quote is basically him saying that she needs to be more conscious about what her body can do to a man. what her existence can do to a man. that she has to monitor herself bc if something happens to her, its her fault. that a womans life consists of making DUMB FUCKING DECISIONS like NOT CLIMBING A LADDER FIRST and over-thinking and over-analysing everything bc she dares to have a female body.

and then... we all know... what happens... when girls and women get absolutely fed up of these rules

they opt out.

they opt out of it.

and we're supposed to accept that as normal. somehow. that bc you decided you dont want to follow these "rules", you decide to... go a different path, rather than just, idk, not follow the rules.

that's literally an option.

to stay as you are. a woman. a female.

and not follow the damn rules.

nobody is forcing you to.

you're not breaking any grounds when you decide to go the other way. you're really not.

[the-celluloid-correspondent]

Ahsoka Season 1 Review

After the fall of the Galactic Empire, former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.

There are many words that are running through my head to describe my feelings towards Disney Star Wars, Ahsoka. But to summarize it in a single sentence, " Disney and Dave, I am not mad, but I'm disappointed". Since Disney has taken over Star Wars it has been nothing but one disaster after the next. After the failure of the sequel trilogy, the ruining of The Mandalorian, Boba Fett, and Obi-wan Kenobi, with only Clone Wars, Rebels, and Andor being the only glimmering hope left for the franchise, Disney knew that Ahsoka was their last chance to cling onto whatever fandom is left in this franchise. Yet somehow Ahsoka is a complete failure, even with Dave Filoni, George Lucas's successor behind the wheel. It's a failure of storytelling that is filled with some of the laziest storytelling and filmmaking I have seen in this franchise.

One of the biggest issues with Ahsoka is that it is not really about Ahsoka Tano. She becomes sidelined in her own show as the series is more so a sequel to Star Wars Rebels. Because of this, if you have not seen Rebels, or even Clone Wars, you are going to be quiet lost in the story. Yes, you would be able to piece together relationships and what happened previously, but you don't really care about these characters and their relationships. The series never puts in any attempt to fill in the gaps of those who have not seen Clone Wars and Rebels. Even the Sequel Trilogy, with all of its faults, at least attempted to tell everyone what happened in the Originals Trilogy. For myself, I have seen Clone Wars and Rebels, but if you haven't it's going to be very hard to care about what is happening.

The story is a poor and lazy MacGuffin treasure hunt filled with contrivances and horrible internal logic. The story meandering from one plot point to the next with nothing really connecting them besides coincidence (how does that map lead to Grand Admiral Thrawn, no explanation is given). Characters make illogical decisions so the story can move forward (the opening with the general letting "jedi" board his ship just to tell them to their faces that they are not jedi). There are many story elements that are introduced that for the sake of suspense but add nothing to the overall story, and when the tension is gone, it's immediately dropped and forgotten by the story (what lesson was Anakin teaching to Ahsoka in the World between Worlds, other than does she want to live or die). These are all the failures that plagued the Sequel Trilogy, and I would expect Star Wars, and especially Dave Filoni to not fall into the same trap. But some how he did.

This is some of the laziest writing I have seen from Dave Filoni. He has proven himself to be a good writer with Clone Wars and Rebels, but Ahsoka feels like a personalized fan fiction for himself. At any moment he gets he shoves in a many memberberries and fanservice references that he can. He uses these tropes as a means to cover up the very poor story that was written. Now there are moments when the series does hit its strides and the story is cohesive and compelling. I respect the show for expanding the world of Star Wars, especially with the lore and worldbuilding. Seeing the master and apprentice relationship being shown on screen again was refreshing. However, these moments are few and far in-between. Now for the most mindless of fans, this will be a crowed pleaser, but the moment you are told to actively think about the story, it entirely falls apart.

It wouldn't be Star Wars if there wasn't some very wooden acting. Now in this case it was obvious that this was caused by the direction and writing, rather than acting, but it leads to the same problem, boring and uninteresting characters. Their animated counterparts were lively and charming, while here they are dull. Rosario Dawson does the best that she can with the material and direction she was given. But when her only blocking is for her to stand around with her arms crossed, she ultimately does not feel like Ahsoka Tano. Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are also in the same boat as Dawson. Neither actress feels like their animated counterpart. Diana Lee Inosanto is a very boring villain. While Lars Mikkelsen owns the screen as he makes his live action debut of Grand Admiral Thrawn. However, he feels wasted as they make his character an idiot instead of the cold, calculating, and militant mastermind that he is. Mikkelsen is one of the best actors in the ensemble and to see him be wasted in this manner is insulting.

Eman Esfandi is one of the few actors who actually felt like his animated counterparts. He had the charm and charisma of the original character, but at points feels very limited by the material. Ivanna Sakhno could have made for a compelling antagonist, but feels wasted by the material she was given. However, the two biggest standouts where Haden Christensen and the late Ray Stevenson. Christensen returns as his controversial character and is finally given the chance to prove himself as an actor. He has finally has the gravitas of his character as both the mentor and the villainous Darth Vader. This performance might earn him an Emmy nomination for best guest actor. While the late Ray Stevenson easily gives the best performance of the show. Despite having very little to work with, he makes one of the most compelling villains seen in Star Wars. He brings a sense of integrity and morality to his performance, that makes his character fascinating. It's tragic that he has past away because I wanted to see so much more of his character.

Another aspect of the show that is incredibly frustrating was how poor the action pieces where. The lightsaber battle were pathetic as the battles were incredibly slow and messy, riddled with horrible technique. Haden Christensen was the only actor who really knew how to use a lightsaber, while everyone else looked like they had no idea what they were doing. The accompanying score was sufficient, but when fans put John William's iconic score from the prequel trilogy in certain scenes, they are elevated to a new level. The production design goes back and forth as some sets look immaculate while others look cheaply thrown together. Even the costume design suffers this same fault. At least the character design looked great as the actors were physically transformed into their characters. The visuals were a bit of a mixed bag as some shots were stunningly beautiful, while others were obvious green screens. Overall, it's not the best looking Star Wars show, but it's better than most.

Ahsoka is the testament of the mediocrity that has become Star Wars. The series is mediocre as best. Now this series will please the most mindless of fanboys where shallow fanservice will please them. However, if you want a compelling story with compelling characters, go watch Andor instead, because that is nowhere to be found in Ahsoka. And until the Star Wars fandom rejects the constant sludge of mediocre content from Disney, this is the best that they are ever going to get. I believe I am official done with Star Wars shows. The only Star Wars story that interest me now is Andor. The rest have been burned at the stake.

My Rating: C-

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King

Genres: Shounen (VERY), Fantasy (Magic) // 1 movie (2h) // S01 (x)

As I don’t keep up with anime news very much, I’ve lived under the assumption that this movie was a continuation of the main series. It isn’t. My disappointment was immeasurable and my day was ruined... Okay, not really, but the first 5-10 minutes of this movie gave me whiplash.

✧  story  ✧

Now I’m not sure if this is considered canon as a freshly minted booklet/manga was made alongside the movie, explaining the plot and characters. The story takes place after the (VERY LONG) Elf Arc but before the Spade Kingdom Arc. Now, considering that the whole lead-up to the latter is the Magic Knights training to become stronger because they are too weak to take on the Dark Triad, I’m going to file this away as an AU because the cast is way too OP in this movie.

This movie is the most Shounen thing I’ve seen in ages. It’s literally 2 hours of non-stop battle sequences with barely any downtime and... it’s great! If you like that thing (and if you’re a Shounen fan then you most likely do). It’s basically an arc without the filler. 

The plot itself is paper thin on the surface. The former Wizard King, Conrad, breaks Julius’ seal that was keeping him imprisoned. Then using the Sword of the Wizard King, Elsdocia, he revives 3 former Wizard Kings who held very similiar ideals to him: in order for an equal society to be born the current one needed to be completely destroyed because it was rotten to its core. I’ll further go into these characters in the next section but yeah, that’s about it. Four incredibly powerful Wizards are trying to destroy the Clover Kingdom and our main characters try to do everything in their power to stop them.

Also, the fight choreography! Probably the best parts of the original season were the fights against the powerful villains, however those fights often only included 3 or max 4 characters using their magic together. In this movie, the scale is MUCH bigger. It was a lot of fun!

✧  characters  ✧

A few mentions on the already existing cast: Asta and Yuno probably interacted more in this movie than in the last 50 episodes of the original season, the side characters didn’t get much screentime but the ones they did were used very well and highlighted the most important part of their personalities and/or skills.

An absolute highlight of the movie was definitely the treatment of the female characters. Probably some of the best I’ve seen from any Shounen in recent memory (this includes the original season!). Noelle finally wasn’t used for fanservice nor was her entire arc framed around Asta. I do think her reaction to what happens to her was pretty mid but the character focus was like a revolving door so nobody really got any meaningful focus (besides Asta) so that’s more of an overall complaint I have not specific to Noelle. Nero’s new "job” was great, that science lady who showed up for like 5 minutes was great, and the obvious GOAT that cannot go unmentioned, Mereoleona, was insaneeee here. I cannot put into words how much I loved her chemistry with a certain other female character.

But that directly leads me into probably my biggest complaint with the movie, the villains. The way the 4 of them want to go about creating their equal society is portrayed as crazy, and while it’s definitely extreme, everything they say is true! In fact it’s SO true that their argument, the fact that the Wizard Kings have no power and that basically nothing has changed with the class divide and the treatment of people with weak magic powers through GENERATIONS was one of the thing I complained about in my review of the original season!

And that’s why I’m deeply disappointed that their backstories were not shown or explained *in the movie*. That booklet/manga they gave out with the release of the movie? It’s in THERE. But that makes absolutely no difference to me, and most people who’ll only watch this movie who will not understand where the villains are coming from. Because it’s such a great exploration of the world itself and proper worldbuilding has always been a weak point of Black Clover. I do understand that the flow of the movie might’ve been broken if we had flashbacks but then do what every Shounen does: make the characters drop exposition in the middle of combat. The things they say gives us a glimpse into their personalities but not where they’re coming from that they’d literally agree to come back from the dead to carry out this plan.

Of course, with the lack of any insight into their pasts, who they were teamed up against didn’t really matter but as I read their backstories on the wiki, I thought the final team ups could’ve also been tweaked so they were essentially fighting their “past selves” . I won’t go into detail about their backstories, I linked the wiki if you want to read it but I would’ve went with Princia vs Noelle, Edward vs Yuno, and Jester vs... I dunno. But he is perfectly gremlin shaped and loved him for that. Actually, by the end of the movie I grew to like all of them. But, as I keep repeating, putting more of their backstories into the movie itself would’ve made them even better.

✧  art  ✧

I was initially really scared because the movie starts off with some mad ugly CGI establishing shots but thankfully that was pretty much the only time they stuck out like a sore thumb (not a good first impression though!). For the rest of the movie, there’s so many angle changes that the CGI wasn’t noticable anymore. Princia’s soldiers were probably the weakest part of the whole movie visually but everything else around it was so high quality that I’ll give that a pass.

The animation in this movie absolutely blew me away. Especially with the length! 2 hours long and not a single drop in quality??? It was insane, BIIIIG props to the animation and art department, for real.

This movie also fixes what I mainly complained about with the original season which was that the colours were very washed out making the battles much less exciting to look at. Not here, though! A beautiful and, most importantly, vibrant colour pallette makes the fight scenes POP like they should’ve in the original.

✧  sound ✧

Probably the only part of the movie I found quite disappointing. Most of the OST felt like some Disney knock-off ‘badass fight music’ and whenever something good came on I realized that they were just the OP’s from the original season.

But holy hell, did the VA’s put on a PERFORMANCE. They were fantastic, and especially seeing how much Asta’s VA improved was a treat.

✧  overview ✧

I took off a point for the lackluster villain backstories and honestly, as much as I like bombastic Shounen fight scenes, there was so little breathing room in this movie that I kind of zoned out a few times. 

My Rating: 8/10

[magicalgirlpictureencyclopedia]

EXCUSE THE LONG COMMENT/RANT BUT UMMM... LET ME SPEAK ON THIS!!

So like, I run the MagicalGirloftheDay page on Twitter and the negativity from fans on there is beyond draining. It is to the point where I have considered leaving several times because people do these things constantly:

1. Constantly beg for me to recommend them titles. Here's the thing - I have posted girls from EVERYTHING. Anime, manga, visual novels, commericials, American, Korean, etc cartoons. Name it and I have posted a character from it. People could easily search the page of what I posted, but instead dm me things like, "wahhh, Precure is too immature for me!" and then go on a rant in my dms at 7AM to then be like, "Can you recommend me titles?" Fuck off, please.

The first two or three times is one thing, but when people are too lazy to find media and always ask me for recommendations (or even links to idk, books on people in the anime industry who have worked on magical girl titles they can Google themselves to purchase), it gets really annoying.

2. Claiming that "Madoka/[insert show here] ruined the genre!!" or other complaints to get my attention. It is clear I find these opinions reductive, but followers eagerly want me to agree with them, so they come to me about this stuff for attention. LISTEN - none of the shows before Madoka or after it stopped existing. You want to enjoy the genre? Stop being lazy and complaining about titles and go on Google. Stop spamming me with, "do other magical girl mecha shows exist? Does mature mahou shoujo exist? Are there any with [×]?" SEARCH IT UP.

3. Demand that the genre is not doing enough, even though several titles diverge from dark material, or have LGBT representation, etc. The "MADOKA RUINED THE GENRE WAAHHHH!!!" crowd highly exaggerated, as it was only 6 shows including PMMM itself that fell under that category. 3 of them are no longer running, with one that had severe issues even getting recognition to the point where plot details are only really listed on a site for the show itself (Daybreak Illusion.) Magical Girl Site has been highly criticized, to the point where it is rare to even find fans of online anymore out in the open.

As for representation, if the only show you're looking at is Precure then yeah, I guess you would miss out on things like black characters, lesbian, gay, bi, or trans ones, or even characters with autism, ADHD, etc. There are several Western comics and games featuring such aspects, such as Adorned by Chi (now on hiatsu to my knowledge), Mahou Josei Chimaka, Vampire Magicka, and even Witch Hat Atelier features black characters. Magical Girl Warrior Diamond Heart has a black girl as its protagonist, who has ADHD, along with one party member with autism, and three trans characters who are part of the main cast. Even when you look into older majokko titles you had Little Witch Parfait, a game from 1999 that has yuri. Even one of its follow up games, Little Witch Reinette, focuses on romancing Parfait, her close friend.

But, you know, since magical girl fans aren't actually interested in untranslated titles, or anything that is not a nostalgia title (Sailor Moon, for example) or Precure, I get to see a lot of complaints and accusations like this. I have even heard, "WE NEED MORE MAGICAL BOYS!!" and I made a collage of at least 100 of them and there are several more where those came from.

And it's not just Twitter that's like this, either. I've seen whiners on Tumblr and Reddit as well, who would rather scream about fanservice anime. Years ago it was regarding shows like Moetan (one that isn't even really popular, nor do most care about), but now MahoAko and some others get flak. You don't have to like these shows, but there is no need to whine about them nonstop. Again, you can easily find things you like, but magical girl fans LOVE instead to choose to be upset over goofy stuff that they can easily disengage from.

I've never seen a more divided and boring/linear fanbase, either - it's to the point people have told me "only the girls who fight count", or "magical girl idols don't count", "Cutie Honey doesn't count", and I guess now otome games don't either. It's a fandom that will never be satisfied cause the fans who are loudest never welcome change, hate everything, and refuse to do actual research/read up on the actual genre they claim to love so much.

Like, when people began telling me MACROSS DELTA was a magical girl idol series but people refuse to even watch Creamy Mami, Fancy Lala, Waccha PriMagi!, etc, actual magical girl idol series... that's when I knew it's all a bunch of bs.

@ackee replied to your post “@ackee replied to your post “i always be seeing...”:

FR? thats kinda funny. the solution to yalls problems but yall too busy fighting 😭😭😭😭 welp try the indie otome sub then, i found a few cool games from looking on there every now and again

​mg fandom will do literally everything except interact w magical girls they actually like its so much. every 3 business days they start whining about madoka ~ruining~ the genre forever like we didnt just get *pulls out list*:

a sequel to CCS, a TMM remake and a spin off manga, we're getting a Doremi sequel anime, Mermaid Melody got a sequel manga, Sailor Moon got a new movie, Sanrio came out with new magical girls (Mewkledreamy), Waccha Primagi got officially subbed on bluray, a new pretty series magical girl (AiPri), Saint Tail got liscensed subs, Acro Trip is getting an anime, The Magical Girl And Evil Lieutenant Used To Be Archenemies is getting an anime, Magilumiére is getting an anime

and this is not counting anything non-japanese like all the korean magical girl shows, the Winx reboot, possible Lolirock S3, the Princess Gwenevere reboot,

and the multitude of Indie projects including, MWDH of course, Wheels and Roses, 24/7 Magical Maiden Mimi... Like this is all people who like follow accounts dedicated to magical girl news asking where all the wholesome shows went. I have mutuals that sit up and post news every single day and their replies are full of ppl complaining about madoka and pervert shows 💀

[nagirambles]

Okay, so I wanna go on for a bit here.

In the Dragon cry sketches, we actually saw Mashima draw a suit as Capricorn's SD which was actually perfect for his taste and clothing choice. AND his own personality. But Mashima also drew another SD, which was most probably a Draco constellation dress, not sure. And I'm most definitely sure he merged the two designs to come up with the current one.

Personally, as a dress I love the design of the current one but as a SD of a spirit like Capricorn, it is awful and doesn't make sense at all. Like I agree that the dresses are to reflect the personalities and choices of the spirits themselves. Capricorn choosing a outfit like that doesn't sit right with me.

Ofc Leo's would be a gorgeous gown, Aries' would be a cute and soft and fluffy dress, Taurus' would be a sexy one(tho I'd have loved if Lucy got a jacket with the bikini top), Saguttarius' would be a beautiful green shooter-type(I actually love how the anime added extra black leggings), Virgo's would be a maid costume, the Aquarius one being bikini makes sense, Cancer's is the most amazing with Lucy having twin blades to counter the enemies(and I'd have loved to see Cancer wield big scissors instead of the small ones). AND then the Gemini and Scorpio designs are my most fav ones (as SDs). A badass hairtyle like Scorpio and a red scorpion tail to top it off. The Gemini one actually goes with their magic type since it's actually a lot like real magic, how they copy people and transform. So the magician-ish dress is perfect!

But did you see the AxS design, I hate it even more than the AxG one. The design makes even less sense than the recent one. It looks like a nonsensical costume that seems like can do heavy lifting but actually can't. Lucy has literally no use of those robot-ish parts of the mix. It was used as a way of adding some unwanted fanservice. And with the recent mix, I have lost hope of getting proper outfits. At this point I don't want any, literally any SD to merge with Aquarius. It'll inevitably ruin the dress.

The most modest ones like Scorpio's and Gemini's unique outfits turned into a sturdy bikini and the other one a glittering bikini made me give up hope. I don't even look at outfits now, only consider her achievements. I've talked about it many times how ridiculous it seems for Lucy to suddenly loose her clothes in a battle. I'm tired of it now.

But I've seen many people say, "Lucy did nothing except get naked" or "Laxus did all the work" or "she's JUST fanservice and no might" and I do think they're the vocal Lucy haters. But in general, people complaining about the dress mix aren't them. And I share the same feelings.

Oh dear, you are so right on all this. 

Capricorn’s SD is really sad to see. I begrudgingly admit it’s kinda cool as it is, not going to lie, love the glasses and the braids and the sexy mature cut on the dress, it manages to set itself apart from Loke’s despite both being off-shoudler dresses, but it just... why, Mashima? Why? Capricorn would never approve of this! Where is the super serious butler that respected Layla? Layla (and Anna, now that I think about it) are some of the most modestly-dressed women in the show, so I definitely believe Capricorn would want Lucy to dress like them simply because he knows she’ll look good in it. 

Yes! the base star dresses all look beautiful. I do think some of them could be better or more developed to the spirits (Cancer and Sagittarius are a bit strange because they don’t match the spirit appearances at all, but eh, that’s details), but as single designs, they are all wonderful for what they are, Capricorn aside. I love Aquarius’ the most because it’s a bikini, but it’s at least more functional and comfortable than panties and a bra. It’s a really good balance between fanservice and genuinely something I’d want to wear if I had the assets to pull it off. I love that some of them gave Lucy more combat abilities as well (Cancer, for example). I do kind of wish Loke’s was a bit more functional though, since his main thing is close combat. But it makes sense for him, so it’s fine. The concept of the dresses is just so fun. I could talk about them, both positively and negatively, forever. 

Oh dear I agree. AxS is awful. There was way too much robot against the stupid swimsuit and it just looked bad. But I at least appreciated the creativity, you know? Honestly, I feel we could have found a balance with a thinner tail or shorter glove/boots, Mashima just didn’t try too hard since it only showed for a panel or two. It needs to be reworked so badly. 

AxG was just a swimsuit. Just a swimsuit. They couldn’t even retain any of the magician/clown parts of Gemini, that seriously annoys me! And Aquarius’ contribution is even worse, does Mashima know that mermaid-cut dresses exist? MERMAID? Aquarius can be something other than a typical swimsuit, geez! And they can be ASYMMETRICAL and layered, too! It’s perfect for a Gemini fusion! 

I think it’d have been great if the fusions weren’t literally mixing them together, but the product of “what would both spirits give Lucy?” Honestly, I think among the spirits, Aquarius and Scorpio are totally the type to give you crap about your fashion sense. Aquarius is a very girly girl, and Scorpio is a rockstar! Choosing what to give Lucy as a fusion star dress would be like, a funny way to actually give these two depth in their relationship. Like, their first time ever having a disagreement. 

...I wish the spirits still got personality exploration... I’m sad now...

As for your final point-- you know what? You’re right. Haters gonna hate on that regard. Love to see Lucy finishing a battle on her own, and it’s sad that even after coming this far and going as far as using the spirits’ powers, her achievements are still credited to the damn guys around her. People who think that way are never going to change their minds, they’ve already decided what they think about it.