#like did they do a better job with the same plot points & similar characters? and if so: how??

[fingertipsmp3]

Okay, I know I set a resolution not to buy any books this year but consider: what if I accidentally bought and read a really bad book and it made me sad and I wanted to buy a different book to make up for it

[sir-subpar]

Blitzo

All right! Redesigned/reimagined Blitzo.

So, heres the thing, I don't hate his current design, but I don't love it either.

Under the cut I will talk more

Alright, Blitzo. Biy do I have some thoughts on Blitzo.

I do love the idea of a failed clown turning into an assassin. I love the idea of an assassin from hell slaughtering people that sinners pay him to. I like the idea that this is his way of proving others wrong and trying to redeem himself. Him not wanting to be a failure anymore is a decent idea for a character.

The issues I have:

His treatment towards other characters. I am not opposed to him being an asshole. I like characters who start off terrible but then become good people through consequences and change in Behavior. But blitz's Behavior doesn't actually change for the better in the show. It's more like everyone around him changes to justify everything that he does.

Stalking your employees? Barely addressed.

Setting your best friend on fire? And insulting and guilttripping said friend in a half-assed apology? Apparently good enough.

Stealing from your girlfriend? (I have thoughts on Verosika too, I'll get to her at some point). It brought up in maybe two conversations and never again.

My big issue here isn't so much that Blitz is a bad person as much as the fact that there's no consequences for him except for when the plot demands it. And then said consequences go away an episode later. Especially if we're meant to sympathize with him.

I hate this line. So much. This is one of those times where you can't really redeem a person. Not when they say something like this:

Anyway, back to the design.

Once again, like usual with Viv, there's too much red.

It's kind of easy to lose track of details in his design.

His feet are just really weird to me. Why are they shaped like shoes? His heels are really weird

As mentioned in some of my concept sketches, I feel like if he survived a fire that did *this* to fizz

It should have done more damage to Blitzo. Hence why I made him blind in one eye

I gave him fingers similar to his sister Barbie wire, it just looks better to me. And since they're twins I think it makes sense. Once again, I will do her design as well soon

I do keep his striped horns, as I feel like it makes sense for him to have them with the whole ex clown thing, but since a lot of the other characters aren't clown based they won't get the same stripes on their horns. I know Viv said that hell is like a circus, but it so rarely comes up outside of the jester designs that I decided to omit that in my rewrite

I really want to lean into the idea that he goes through change and improves his behavior bit by bit. With little hints of his soft side towards the beginning, that comes out more clearly as time goes on. Him learning something different from each character

He could learn to take accountability from fizz. Learn professionalism and good business practices from Moxxie. Learn boundaries from his daughter Loona. Etc.

I made him pink as I've heard a few ideas floating around that he might be part succubus or part lust imp and I think that fits him.

And finally... the elephant in the room. Where does Stolas come in?

Look. The way it's portrayed in the show, I don't like it. I liked Stoas better in the pilot. He was just a rich 1% who did what he wanted regardless of who it hurt. I like the idea of that for an antagonist. Blitzo uses him, he uses Blitzo. They both did things for selfish gains.

I also liked the idea that he would send IMP on hit jobs as well. That would have been really interesting to see in the show

I will discuss more about their Dynamic when I do stolas's design. I will give some quick bullet points for now

Blitzo and Stolas don't fall in love.

Stolas constantly holds the grimoire over Blitzo's head to get what he wants. He knows Blitzo's business and livelihood depends on it and he takes full advantage of it.

Blitzo doesn't want to be Shackled to the prince, but doesn't see any other options until Striker appears (again, I will explain that when I get to it).

He resents stolas (and himself) for being trapped in this arrangement

[pouralaura]

writer interview game

tagged by @pricemarshfield, thank you as always for giving me the opportunity to talk about myself

When did you start writing?

pretty much as soon as I could hold a pencil tbh - I was always the kid who had notebooks full of stories featuring my friends as characters; said friends would always be eager to read my latest updates. I started trying my hand at fanfiction around age 11 or 12, always written in a shitty wide-ruled notebook.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

themes/genres? not really. I write what I want to read. I'd say the biggest difference between what I write and what I read is length - I don't write plot well for more than a couple of chapters. I can do vignettes, shorts, or a few chapters up to 20k words or so and that's as far as the plot part of my brain gets, oops

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

here's a link to my favorite fic of all time. be warned; it's Mad Men stepdad/stepdaughter (very distant, everyone is of age). I've read it a thousand times and it's influenced my writing style so fuckin much. this author writes a lot of stupidly good shit too if you like this one

I don't really get compared to anyone (at least, not to my face) which is fine. I don't know if I want to be.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

it's wherever I am, but mostly at my office desk in our spare bedroom with my rainbow glowy mechanical keyboard and a nice-smelling candle. sometimes I listen to nine inch nails

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

read something else, by someone else. look at somebody else's art. find something that speaks to you in something you didn't do. search for that point of connection, that thing that you feel too, and let it make you think differently about something you've been looking at the same way for a while

also watch a horny tv show or movie that helps too

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

indecision, reluctance, stubbornness, hot old men. this is not surprising to me

What is your reason for writing?

to entertain myself, first and foremost. like I said, I write the stuff I wanna read. and I don't think I had a good reason for writing until I started doing that. I always used to write what I thought I was supposed to write, or what would make my friends ooooh and ahhhh. I guess I still do that to some extent but it's sickos only baby

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I love when someone points out a favorite line. it's usually one that I had in my head for a super long time; one that I wrote first, before anything else. makes me feel Understood

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

as just some guy! because I am! I've made such good friends on the internet from writing my dumb bullshit, please feel free to be one of them! love to chat and share opinions and invent scenarios and what-ifs. I'm also just a thirty-year-old woman sitting in my little house doing my silly little job and it's really fun to meet people who are also doing Exactly That but make time to create in a similar way.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I've been very kindly complimented on this numerous times and I think it's fairly accurate - if I write a character, I take Great Pains to ensure that their voice is accurate. I exploit their flaws for views. (raphael I am talking about you) I make it funnier and sadder until it feels real - or, as real as I can make it in a fantasy setting.

How do you feel about your own writing?

it's better than it's ever been because, again, I am finally writing what I want to read. it's visceral and silly and fun and horny in a way that makes me really proud of myself!

I think all my writer buddies on here have been tagged already, but if I missed you or you wanna participate please feel free!

[meraki-yao]

I wanted to get your point of view on an issue. I've just been reading you, but your answers are always precise and intelligent, so I'll proceed! I'm not someone who likes to compare different works, or who gets stuck in one thing while denying the rest or what a biased part... but let's face it: the TIOY will probably only be saved due to Nicholas' singing performances. The plot is really obvious and banal (and I won't go into comparisons with Harry Styles because it's a real minefield) and honestly I haven't even seen this incredible chemistry with Anne (which was missing from the RWRB trailer immediately outside). I'll get to the point: I noticed that the two times Nicholas talked about the

project (the last one just the other evening) he seemed not totally at ease, contracted, not enthusiastic in short. The narrative of calling on his co-star Annie to show off the chemistry (I remember he didn't answer the famous question promptly, but said "I should probably say her") is obviously a PR move so I expect them to try to make pass it all off as something it isn't. So I think he is aware of the mediocrity of the product. I also found him cold for M&G but in that case it was clear that the matter had involved him anyway. I won't say anything about rwrb because his eyes speak for themselves. What do you think of all this? Thanks for the reply ❤️

Firstly thank you for the compliment, that's very kind of you 💕

I don't think it would be fair to judge TIOY so soon since the trailer's barely been out for a week, but I will say my own opinion on the project first:

I haven't read the book, frankly I don't have access to it, but while I don't hold any really negative thoughts regarding the premise, it isn't ... that exciting to me? Like it sounds fun, but I've read a fair amount of fics across fandoms with the same/similar premise. Plus from my Chinese celebrity experience, it kind of feels like it's feeding into the "dreamgirl" mindset which I feel iffy about

I also don't see the "incredibly chemistry"with Anne, it's better than what I saw in Cinderella with Camila (that was really freaking felt like besties) and it's there, but it's not what I felt with rwrb (then again I'm not sure how objective I am) but then again, we only have the trailer, so we'll have to wait and see to make a fair judgement

I actually got an ask about Nick answering the chemistry question that I haven't gotten around answering (I've gotten a lot, and I mean a lot of asks these couple of days and I'm also a full time student 😅) so I'll probably answer this point in more detail in that ask, but basically while I don't know it's a complete lie and he did have some genuine connection with Anne, it might be slightly exaggerated because of promo/PR reasons.

Forgive me, but I don't really look too much into how they talk about their work unless it's blatantly obvious, so I won't comment on what you said about him being tenser.

As for M&G:

I don't think Nick's acting cold when it comes to M&G, but also please keep in mind that M&G is something VASTLY different to any of his previous projects.

I actually have thoughts on what M&G means to Nick: it was a really, really hard job, arguably his hardest to date, but he's happy with what came out and has a sense of satisfaction from the work done: Nick often describes the process of shooting M&G as "gruelling", and he got hurt a lot, A LOT on that set. Also a lot was demanded from him in that role: (mild spoilers for M&G till *) a complex character who's recognizable from who he was in the first episode, sleeping with a lot of people, fencing, dancing, speaking French, horse riding, falling off a horse and deliberately running into a tree, filming in a flaming forest, etc. It was a lot, and a job like this doesn't come with entirely happy memories. Like I do believe the cast and crew were great, and Nick made really good friends, but just what entailed definitely took a lot out of him. So I think he's happy with the final product, but if you have him summarize the project, I think he'd say something along "learned a lot", "fulfilling" rather than something like "a joy", what he used for rwrb. So Nick might have a little more complicated feelings towards M&G, but I really don't think it's entirely negative.

But rwrb is something entirely different. It arguably gained the most traction and caused one of the biggest positive changes in his career, and there's also a bunch of personal, private connections and emotions there that we don't know about. So while M&G is a roller coaster, RWRB is a mostly happy experience.

Althought disclaimer, all of the above if my observation from what Nick has said, posted or done, and my own understanding of it. I do not or cannot actually speak for Nick.

I hope this helps? I think I might have gone off a tangent (I'm answering this while taking notes in a law lecture, fuck yeah multitasking 😅) so let me know if I missed something

[quaranmine]

I know I already commented this on AO3 but I literally cant stop thinking about this fic and I so want to talk someone's ears off irl. Cuz holy fuck. I just absolutely the characterization in the story. The voice and expression of Grian is just so palpable and well-written. You sympathize for the guy even as he digs himself deeper into the abyss. Like, I know from the beginning, from playing Firewatch, that there is no conspiracy, just circumstances. But you understand where Grian is coming from, you hope that he is in some ways right, that Mumbo is still out there (doesnt help that Im a mumbo main lol). At some point, part of you just believe the conspiracy along with him even as everyone else, including the back of your own mind, tells you otherwise. And the other part wants to grab Grian from the other side of the screen and shake him til he realizes. That fucking dread of in some way knowing the ending just created that underlying layer of tension when reading. And, as someone else has pointed out, Grian's agency in his search for Mumbo being like denied somewhat fits in so well and just hits home that, nothing is really in his control, that its all just an accident. Its that gut-renching punch and realization that is stuck in my head after reading chapter 11. And im glad that chapter 12 presents some closure and breathing room. Its not the ending, but its an ending and a start. The melancholy of the last chapter, of Grian's acceptance and him finally meeting Scar. All of it is just, GOD. Anyways, excuse my ramblings, I love this fic and its genuinely one of the best Ive read. You did an amazing job.

THANK YOU!!!! I love this review of my work so much, as well as your AO3 review :)

I like that you bring out that having played Firewatch clued you in on the lack of conspiracy. I know the game's ending is controversial, but I actually like it a lot. I love the way the game makes you paranoid and how the remoteness of the setting reinforces that. I love how it's just a story about broken people running from their problems. Whenever I think about the game, I think about this Medium article I read (massive game spoilers.)

And so with this story, I didn't want to do the same thing as the game's plot, but I wanted to harness some of the same themes and explore them in my own way. I think the fic works well alongside the game because it sort of complements it, neither requiring prior game knowledge to read nor spoiling the game--but having game knowledge makes it even better.

I worked backwards knowing I was going to have an obvious ending. It's obvious because it's the most realistic option. But there is also an interesting extra level of writer-reader meta to play with, which is that nearly everyone is primed to sympathize with and believe the pov character. Everyone is also generally primed to expect better ending, or to expect that impossible will somehow happen because it's a fiction story. So I knew that readers would start off with a similar hope to Grian. And I knew that as the story went on further and further, I could direct readers toward the real conclusion. At some point, the very length of the fic itself and number of chapters left with make readers realize they're running out of time for things to happen. At some point, the reader is going have an objective picture of events and realize how irrational some of Grian's actions are.

I'm glad it worked to create a lot of tension! I also think the way a lot of other characters interact with Grian creates tension, because most of them are sort of "scared" to be direct with him since they know it'll upset him. And the way every one of Grian's actions keep adding and adding until the potential consequences grow greater and greater continue to add to the out-of-control feeling of this story. My goal for his character was always to keep pushing him to see where it led. It was a sad story to write, but it's a fun one to analyze for me.

I'm glad you liked chapter 12. I wanted it to try and resolve some of the things that needed to be said still, and provide a little bit of rest from the last three major action-filled chapters. The story is really 11 chapters of getting Grian to the first step in healing, and chapter 12 is that first step. It isn't the last one. Just the first.

Also my condolences for being a Mumbo main, I really need to get my blorbo rights revoked. I've been privately joking for the past year about fridging the poor man 😭mumbo ily i promise

[ca-suffit]

I have been in fandom spaces for a long time and there are good and bad people everywhere obviously, but I truly have never come across a fandom as hateful as iwtv. I watched season 1 shortly before season 2 aired and went looking for what people where saying about the show, here, twitter, reddit, the usual spaces and I was shocked at how awful and racist so many where and not only that, their tweets would get thousands of likes, I just never would have expected that. With the race change in the casting I assumed everyone watching would know what it means for the overall story and the layers added to the relationships, but no. Just racist people being racist. I had heard of the reputation books fans had, but I never expected it to be a majority of people online who are like that. Ignoring how the season ended, I think the show did a great thing by having the audience of the lynching represent that part of the fandom and yet it went over their heads completely. And if a miracle happens and the show continues to be able to have nuance in season 3, I can see them do something similar with fans of rockstar Lestat, only for it to once again not register with that part of the fandom at all. It must suck to be a writer and to call out those people only to be met with them not understanding a single thing and keep up with their racist views of the show and the characters

this season has been v weird bcuz they're writing all this stuff in there but then rewarding the same fans otherwise IRL. so idk wtf they're doing. by doing that and then *not* putting emphasis on the racial aspects of their plots in any bts stuff, they end up undoing the point of it. idk who is involved where and who makes all these decisions between writing and marketing but S2 tanked a lot of opportunities for doing a better job at this.

this fandom also *is* uniquely hateful in ways and it's been going on since before the show aired. there's more to this fandom than u ever see bcuz most ppl leave interacting in public spaces due to this shit and how outright insane levels it gets. me doing this shit anon with most everyone else interacting anon too is big evidence to that. anne rice inspired a lot of ppl to be v loud and abusive. that's rly her main legacy.

[eleonkraken]

Someone said Empire of Death was better than Wedding of River Song which I really felt couldn't be true. So I decided to skim through Wedding of River Song and watch some scenes to see if my gut feeling was right. But then I watched the whole thing because it's really well executed and engaging and fun even if its resolution is messy.

In Empire of Death I felt like once Sutekh turned the universe to dust there were no stakes anymore because I knew anything that happened was going to get undone. Wedding of River Song is kind of similar because that takes place mostly in a parallel type universe. But that story still feels like it has stakes somehow? I don't exactly understand why I feel this difference but I think it has to do with how well I know the characters and how much I care about them. Ruby is still a bit cookie-cutter to me, and her relationship with the Doctor is less fleshed out and meaningful compared to the Doctor's relationship with Amy, or even River. Eleven's tardis team really feels like a family at this point in the story whereas Ruby still feels very much like a guest. (Probably the fault of the short season but then when you have a short season maybe you shouldn't write this kind of world-destroying-and-rebooting conflict as your finale.)

And in TWoRS, Amy's actions towards Madame Kovarian in the parallel universe did end up actually mattering to her even if that was never "real".

River and the Doctor basically considered themselves married after the fact even though the ceremony wasn't technically real.

The Doctor, even though he didn't actually die did appear to die for the rest of the universe, which had some consequences going forward.

What are the consequences of turning the universe to dust and then reviving it? I'm interested to see that but none were presented in the episode itself.

The mysteries and their solutions- it's often said that TWoRS has a really underwhelming solution to some of Moffat's loose plot threads. The main complaint being that the solution of having Eleven hide inside a robot version of himself to escape a fixed point in time feels like a cop-out. It is, but at the same time, the existence of these robots was established before, and as a solution, it makes intuitive sense on a first viewing. Even if it was disappointing on a larger scale it did make sense in the moment. I feel like that's infinitely more satisfying than RTD's non-answers in EoD which basically boiled down to 'the birth mother is magically significant because we bestowed her with significance' and never you mind the spooky cloak or the changing memory or the invisible road sign.

And I do like Ncuti and Millie (and Bonnie) and the rest of the cast and think they did a great job, but it just wasn't nearly as engaging or enjoyable of a viewing experience as something like TWoRS.

And I still feel like the pacing of RTD2 is very weird and the scenes go on for far too long. And I think if RTD isn't going to take the conflicts and their solutions seriously then he needs to lean into the comedy and charm of the show a lot more to make it satisfying and fun to watch (like Rogue or Dot and Bubble!).

[kendrixtermina]

It baffles me that some ppl will still defend Chibnall because we actually 100% know for a fact, as in explicitly said in interviews, that:

Chibnall didn't even want the job, executives just thought of genre fiction as lesser BS anyone can do

He submitted first drafts

He had no plan for plot or characters

He decided to "simplify it for children"/ dumb it down (...by not thinking about the moral implications of anything??)

He explicitly told Whittaker NOT TO WATCH PAST EPISODES

As a writer, I am so angry because imagine getting such a big chance & then being so cavalier about it... If I got to be in charge of a beloved big-name sci-fi franchise, you bet that I would put in some fucking effort!

Like I've always been baffled by how ppl keep saying Whittaker was so good in her other shows when I only saw her being aggressively bad & forgettably meh in Doctor Who, especially considering that Colin Baker consistently managed to be the most interesting thing on screen even with bad script & hostile execs, to the point that he's one of my faves - and no, it's not to do with gender. I really liked Gomez' performance because she actually bothered to, you know, play the Master. You really bought that she's a dangerous inhuman creature but at the same time she still had nuance & depht going on like the Delgado incarnation.

but... now I realize that Colin Baker had the advantage that he was a fan before he got the job.

He knew what Character he's supposed to be playing; Whittaker only had Chibnall's superficial-ass scripts to go on, no wonder we ended up with what feels like a completely different character.

I wonder if Chibs wanted a lead author that wouldn't argue with him, especially given how he insisted on writing 80% of the episodes, the rumors that he turned down Capaldi's offer to stay longer & that he brought in someone who had previously worked for him. Capaldi would have called out OOC stuff. So would a new hire who was actually familiar with the show.

It's such a difference from having super-fan like Capaldi or Tennant on the job who deeply cared. (This is also why hearing that Gatwa had a similar background was actually the main thing that made me give the show a chance again)

But that said, Eccleston & Smith were new to the show when they got hired & still kicked ass. The difference being that, of course, Matt Smith DID watch past episodes & quickly decided that he loved & wanted to emulate Patrick Troughton.

As much as Whittaker sucked, there's no doubt in my mind that ANY actor in the world would have done better if they had seen past episodes, especially if she really is so much better in those other shows.

[maddy-ferguson]

controversial opinion but i dont think the duffers set up byler well, lets be real most of the fandom outside of our echo chamber doesn't think byler is going to become canon. and like idk but i agree that they should have at least broken up mlvn and resolved the monologue issue (preferably not include it even) if they were going for the byler route. same for will's importance or even mike's importance for the plot. removing them from the show's main narrative doesn't make a good case for their importance in the story in the penultimate, esp when they received minimum screentime in this season. it's not the audience's fault to think mlvn is endgame or will or mike are unimportant when the way they've been handled were lackluster and when cali plot.... Was Like That. plus they gave it all to el's character lol. ofc ppl gonna think she's the protagonist when she was the one who opened the gate and created vecna and when mike spends the entire season talking about her. redpill but it's not making much sense here when the narrative is criticized in the byler fandom, acting like the writers did a perfect job in terms of setup is just being wilfully blind atp.

i think people not expecting it is the point though. like yeah it's obvious because when they did the same thing on a smaller scale with nancy's love triangle at the end of season 1 (her spending most of the season with jonathan them bonding and her and steve fighting but then still being together in the epilogue) most people could see that jonathan and nancy were gonna be together and not one person was called delusional for thinking that. but i really think the juxtaposition is the point, it's a queer couple so even with a similar storyline people don't expect it because of heteronormativity etc which is kind of depressing but it's also what's gonna make it happening even better...#imho

for the monologue, obviously i don't ENJOY IT but i don't hate it because i think it's interesting for el? whether you think she believed him or not, whether or not you think she was gonna break up with him at sbp, i think having him tell her he loves her makes it so no one can be like "but if mike had said he loved her everything would've been fine!" i like them going all the way in that sense. i think it's good for us as an audience to have that, this way there's no what ifs. it makes it apparent that their relationship couldn't be fixed by mike saying i love you and also that their fight in lenora wasn't only about mike and about their relationship, like mike never thought she was a monster that was all el, and him telling her that she's not a monster won't fix that internal struggle for her. and it also won't help her grow beyond the monster/superhero dichotomy.

i don't like will and mike being away from the supernatural plot either but yk i do think it's because they're important for the resolution of that storyline and that that's also supposed to come as a surprise. for mike well i don't actually know that he is, but i certainly know will is and i think they did set that up pretty well. he's not in episode 7 but they reveal that the upside down is frozen on the day he disappeared, he's in hawkins for five minutes but the season ends with him talking about his connection to vecna and everyone and their mother is reminded of the fact that will is a vital part of the supernatural plot. people don't necessarily think he's gonna be the key to resolving the upside down and vecna thing for good (no matter what that looks like, i'm expecting it to be both el and will because it kind of is the el show + we'll fix it together + lucas and erica (siblings) being the mvps of the basketball game and the dnd game that has a lot of foreshadowing in episode 1 etc) because el's the one who's always done it pretty much by herself...but it's also never worked. not for long anyway. i would say that like byler (but not as shocking because it's not someone assumed to be straight turning out to be gay) it's supposed to make people go oh why have i never thought of that of course will would be an integral part of the ud resolution this makes so much sense!!! when it happens. and characters also always expect el to be the one to fix it just like they don't expect byler to happen. meta.

and again i don't LOVE mike and will's thing being the conversational roadtrip only in season 4, but i get why they did it like i see the vision. i see where you're coming from and i agree that most people not seeing byler coming isn't necessarily their fault (even though i said it's similar to nancy's s1 triangle and everyone expected it then. nancy never gave steve an i love you i've loved you forever i'll love you forever speech, major difference), i really think it's NOT supposed to be that obvious. even though it is kind of. i get wishing they had broken up mlvn in volume 2 and i certainly would've liked not having to see bylers be called delusional 24/7 but i think mlvn breaking up would've made byler endgame wayy too obvious and if they wanted it to be obvious to the girls that get it only i think they've accomplished that. same with will and the supernatural plot. and everyone is free to not like it still, i just don't think that means the set up isn't good.

very last paragraph. i don't think everything they've ever written is perfect. i don't even think every decision that's been made by the st team regarding WILL's queerness is perfect like (this is another conversation) having noah deny the gay allegations on will's behalf a month before having him say oh yeah he is gay it's obvious is crazy to me it's no surprise that people feel like it's an afterthought and like byler is never gonna happen. even though i obviously disagree with them. fin.

[bulbabutt]

say what you will about bay april (and trust me, megan fox deserves so much better) at least she's proactive about looking into things and does things without the boys-hell she's the reason they're even alive in the first place, she saved splinter and the turts as a kid

doesn't erase vernon and mikey being constantly horny on main for her or that weird technique they force her to do to get info out of stockman in oots's opening segments but still, give her credit, she's strong-willed and has a sense of justice and tries to do what's right

hmmmmmmm ok. theres a lot to say about bayverse april. and i specifically avoided talking about movie aprils cuz it was going to get repetitive and long (like 1990 april is very similar to 87 and 07 april is basically 03 april)

but with bayverse, you're right, she is the central character in that movie who drives the plot. but thats because of the megan fox of it all, being that shes the biggest star there and also because bay had an obsession with her (to her detriment bad vibes all over the fucking place holy shit leave this woman alone) we're still framing aprils ass in the shot, still being creepy about her, despite the fact this movie is trying to be from her perspective (for more info on that aspect i think you just gotta watch lindsay ellis' "the framing of megan fox" video about transformers, because its the same shit here)

and just because its like 87 april (because this movie is pandering to 87 fans) doesnt mean theyre really add anything or even understand the concept of what makes 87 april good in the first place. like i said in my post about 87 april, what makes her great is that the turtles fall into her story, and that we are centred on the news room politics of it all. the human world the turtles interact with is her life.

(this got kinda long so its under a cut)

in this movie, we change the misogynistic boss burne thompson into: whoopi goldburgs burnadette thompson. which. hm, color and gender blind casting for burne thompson is. a way to do it i guess. (i do know whoopi is in this movie because she wanted to be in a turtles movie, no disrespect there) but it removes that core element of reporter april fighting her shitty boss. in this she's now just a regular reporter working at a normal news station, but also we're still giving her the girly aerobics story. so, who's decided that if her boss is a black woman? thats kind of fundamentally changing the implications of why shes stuck doing that job, its no longer because shes the woman reporter, and is now just because thats what shes been assigned. now its not her fighting sexism, its her just not wanting to do her job. a shitty one, but its no longer because of a sexist work place.

and then her story of being a reporter is she gets FIRED for being a BAD reporter, because shes crazily rambling about turtles to her boss with no real sources. which...87 april didnt do that, her point wasnt to find the turtles, it was to use her job to help them. the turtles are the secret, not the story. for a movie that likes pandering to 87 and nothing else, they missed this concept entirely

(side note that isnt important, when shes rambling to the roommate about them.... this movie panders enough to 87, why is the roommate not just named irma. shes only in that scene. seriously, it should have just been irma.)

and then. the vernon fenwick of it all........ why the fuck. did you do this. why make him the only character who believes her? oh sorry, not even believes her, simply THINKS SHES HOT. SO GOES ALONG WITH IT. i know they wanted to put casey jones in this movie, but then went NOOO that would be SILLY if the guy hanging out with her is casey (we want to save him for the seqeul) so lets make it another reporter. uh vernon. hes from the original! and thus we change vernon from being the rival reporter who hates her because shes a woman whos better at his job than him, into just: her creepy co reporter who has a crush on her. and since he's the co star here, she has to not tell him off for his bad behaviour. maybe he'll even get a date out of it!

(again, if she needed a sidekick, irma is right there, you put the other two here, why not irma)

and the choice to make her a part of the turtles origin story is, in my perspective, very much like my issue with 12 april's destined to be part of the story thing. shes part of this story because her dad created the turtles. yes, she saved the turtles and splinter, but its less of her own choice in the matter, its because she was the daughter of the man who made them. its the opposite of what i think makes her a good character in the franchise, someone who is hunting for a story and gets in too deep, and happens to be near enough by the turtles that they get her out.

like lets compare her to the april closest to her, 1990 april. thats an april who gets into the plot via going hunting for a story on her own. there's some kind of gang up to no good and she wants to get to the bottom of it. she does get to the bottom of it all on her own, she learns via interviewing immigrants that the foot is the organization behind it. shes doing something no one wants her to do, shes going against what her boss, and what cops think she should be doing, and the foot literally try to kill her because SHE is hunting for THEM. she ends up in turtle plot because raphael HAPPENS to be around when the foot find her. its HER story. the foot is after HER. the turtles in that movie end up losing splinter and then fighting the foot BECAUSE april was looking for them. THATS what makes her have agency in the story.

i do think a lot of you guys are missing my point here though (no offence!) so let me try to explain it better.

its not just about if we see april be a self sufficient character who's central to the plot, or even what her personality is like, its whether she exists in a real way outside of the men around her. its if her choices are important to the story. she doesnt need to have saved the turtles, know how to fight, kicked the shredder, or have been right about whatever story is going on. the question is: is she in the story because she did something on her own to get to it? is she a character who matters without the men in her life? can she stand on her own? do you care about her life? what are her aspirations, how is she trying to achieve them?

based on all that, i think 2014 april is in fact the weakest april. they're only making her seem like 1987 april because, and i dont know if ive said this anywhere yet, men who watched 87 when they were kids think shes hot. that is the only value a lot of people have placed on her. thats her legacy to a lot of people. its fucked up, and this movie doesnt do anything to dissuade you from thinking that.

sorry to go off on your ask, but bayverse (specifically the first one) really got no aspect of any tmnt thing correct. not april, not shredder, not splinter, not casey, and not the aspect of how these turtles are even ninja (i think everyone involved shouldn't be allowed to make another piece of media for putting that fucking ninjitsu book in the fucking sewer)

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog 6: analsysising harder

I am having a finals' nightmare week in university, but finally found the time to sit down and relax, so here's to episode 3.

He's so supportive. For all his faults as a father, (like the fact that Joris might not be able to read yet in here, despite seemingly being pretty ready to be taught how to, as was pointed out to me by @dullard during our separate rewatch from this rewatch) the fact that Joris can sell things at the market all by himself at 7yo and knows what a commission is, is actually really cool. Good job, Keke! This once, I will not kill you with hammers.

Do start teaching your son to read/write soon. Please. Please.

ANALYSIS EVENT LEVEL 10 ALARM WEE WOO WEE WOO. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS.

Joris is seven years old. Kerubim was, by his own words, "barely older than him," during his confirmation ceremony at the Orphan Temple. Can we actually ask what Kerubim Crepin was doing, at seven years old, in the orphan temple??

As we know from Dofus Heroes Kerubim comic, he was busy being an orphan, plotting to resurrect his parents, (either adoptive, or step-father and biological-mother. It doesn't really matter !) and being sad, to the point that, as an adult, even while amnesiac, he empathizes greatly with a stray kitten.

Having dreams of not wanting to be lonely, projecting his loneliness onto stray animals... It's the reason why he's afraid of showing people that he's weak and driving them away, and what makes him a compulsive liar, as I've pointed out in the last post. He can't bear being alone.

No wonder, then, that despite being old, and having a decrepit house, he didn't try to find Joris a better home. It would be a betrayal of his own ideals of protecting children from what he went through. It would mean that someone so similar to him would, too, be all alone. And, a bit more selfishly, he does need someone by his side.

I would point out, that Atcham was in the temple, implied to be mistreated, that they are both full brothers who grew up in the same family, and that him and Kerubim didn't have the best relationship even as kids, — with Bashi also disliking Atcham heavily, for unstated reasons, — and how it all might tie into Kerubim also adoptng Joris out of guilt, because he feels like he might end up like Atcham, but I don't have ten hours.

And also bc Atcham doesn't appear often, and I am mostly delusional about this.

Kerubim avoids mentioning Atcham or any of his adventures in Brakmar, so... man just give us anything to work with.

Despite Keke playing it off now, he really didn't have an easy childhood.

For all the times I say he's a bad dad, or that I want to beat him up, it is all in jest. I think he's a very tragic character who was just... never really given a chance to develop a healthy way of interacting with the world.

And for what it's worth, he grew up to be as decent of a person he could have, and did the best he could, at becoming a family with Joris and raising him, as flawed and uneven as it is.

He really just wants this kid to have a good childhood, or an approximation of one, with no violence, loneliness, or fear he went through — and it's all going to be ruined in the movie, isn't it?

It won't stop me from joking about beating him up in the future of this blog, but I wanted to make my stance clear. No non-joking slander of Kerubim in this household. Ever.

I think he was scared shitless of having a deadly quest here, but HAD to pretend he wasn't, for the public. He looks happier now than seconds ago in the queue line, lol.

Low self-esteem can result in seeking attention through being loud and obnoxious, as well as a fear of embarrassment, so, it checks out. Lying is a likely thing for Kerubim to do, and I love and respect him for it.

His immediate reaction to being embarrassed by getting a clothespin, and made fun of, as audience laughs? Double down, baby! Though, his angry facade doesn't last until the end of the line. He's just... looking sadly to the side.

By the way, considering he's only a bit older than seven, the "I've been training for years" is a bit haunting.

Do you know who DOES deserve to get beaten with hammers for real, non-ironically? The god Ecaflip. Can I get an amen?

No wonder, Kerubim coddled Joris and wanted his life to be better! His life sucked!

Of all the things not to lie about, he seemed not to lie about being trained. Doesn't stop him from being beaten up, though...

We have to beat God Ecaflip with hammers. There is no other way.

For all his cockiness, he's so stressed out. His facade is so, so ruined, the second he realizes his plan is not working.

Really, this whole scene puts their relationship together the best. He's a God, holding Kerubim, a 7-9yo orphan, on a tiny string.

His whole life, Ecaflip just belittles him over some random bullshit, makes him hate his brother for being bald, and then gives him a gambling addiction before putting him into a mental asylum to treat it. All of that because he loves him that much.

We have to kill him. There is no other way. I may be a wakfu season 3 hater, but Oropo was right.

Yay, trauma bonding, in its correct definition!

If my whole family died, and a god cared so much about me, he made me the protagonist of various sad cringe stories of overcoming personal adversities mostly caused BY him, I too, would develop some sort of complex to cope. So I get it.

But I feel like, even if Kerubim will never voice it out loud, considering what repercussions may follow, deep down he knows that Ecaflip himself is one of the reasons for his loneliness, and that most of all, he's scared of him.

[the-other-art-blog]

I’m going to rant. I’m going to rant so much because Secret Invasion was so awful.

I really was hoping this would be a grounded, Winter-Soldier-style show. I mean, they keep getting these A-list actors to do this! They got Olivia Coleman! After she got an Oscar! I understand if five years ago, every actor in Hollywood wanted in, but now? Honestly, if I were one of them, I would get as far away as possible. This is a sinking ship. Especially because the MCU gives almost no information about the characters before hiring them. But what ends up happenning is that once they’re committed, they realize the shitty script they have to do. Isn’t one of SAG-AFTRA proposals is to let actors have information about a role/project at the time of audition? And it was rejected?

I saw an interview from the actor who plays Gravik and I was very upset because he was very apathetic. But after seeing what he had to work with, I get him. Again, he probably had no idea of the script but trust Marvel and he shouldn’t have. His evil monologue at the end! 😖 And it’s so frustrating because in the Barbie movie, he’s lovely! He could have been a very charismatic villain with a good script and director.

Olivia did a great job. But I doubt we’re going to see her again. She said she wanted to be in the MCU no matter what, but she deserved a better project.

Unfortunately, Giah has no personality. Even in the show, who cared about her? Talos loved her of course, but she turned against him for an organization who didn’t give a shit about her. She had no authority there. When she got killed, who cared? And she’s a terrtorist. She didn’t stop the explosions, which no one ever mentioned again, btw. Let’s pray, the low ratings make Marvel forget about her. Don’t tell me Emilia Clarke didn’t think this was worse that s8 of GOT? At least that one had 7 good seasons before that. This was bad from start to end.

AND, she stole those superpowers. Didn’t we have a whole Agent Carter season about Howard Stark keeping Steve’s blood and how inmoral that was? And now Nick Fury did the same to everyone!!! What the hell was his plan? Clone them? Are the avengers ever gonna learn about this? What about the Black Panther. It was on the list. But those powers are attached to Wakanda. Like, what did we have Wakanda Forever for? T’Challa and Shuri had to go through a whole ritual, they went to see their ancestors!!! The powers are not the most important part of the character. There can be ten heroes with superstrength, but it is the backstory and the personality what makes each of them special.

I get a similar feeling from the revelation that Rhodey has been a Skrull since Civil War. Because now, all those heartfell moments mean absolutely nothing. 

Does Feige honestly believe that people are going to be happy with the show just because of that final fight scene? I really think so. At this point, Marvel thinks that of they make a CGI fight with lots of superpowers, everyone will love a show/movie, even if they promised something else. Talk about being in denial.

I don’t even think Maria was fridged because no one cared. Her death meant nothing to the overall plot and to the characters.

Fury being married was an interesting idea (actually I think this is the kind of attention that Clint and Laura should have had in Hawkeye), but it’s not enough to save the show. And, I want to believe Clint knew about them. But the MCU doesn’t keep relationships anymore. And then I remember that Fury turned out to be a horrible person whose morals are all fucked up. He uses people, literally takes their blood for his own plans, abandons his wife, doesn’t keep his word, leaves his friend’s corpse behind, and now he’s not even a good spy.

Also, how are all those people not dying of radiation poisoning? I have no scientific knowledge on this, but they spent years in Chernobyl. Surely they should have cancer in the near future, at least. They showed how dangerous it still is!

And I’m not even going to get too deep into the budget, but someone is definitely doing some serious money laudering there. GOT had only $15 million per episode in the last season and the had dragons and White Walkers. How is a 212 million budget not enough to give a realistic depiction of an attack on the US president! I had no idea that their economy was so bad that the president can’t even afford a proper security team. His gabinet is somewhere? Seeing how the female secretary was treated, I’m not suprised if no one showed up!

[thebrisingamen]

ESCAFLOWNE VOICE MEME; Read More for anyone who hasn't watched the series. Tons of spoilers ahead, you've been warned.

Introduce yourself! When did you first watch Escaflowne? What brought you into the fold?  Hi, I'm Norse, an internet Elder. My Uncle knew I liked anime from my watching Inuyasha, and he would buy me and my cousins birthday/Christmas presents. He, however, never asked what anime I liked lol. He picked up the Fox VHS tapes and I watched them so much my father started quoting parts of them and the tapes had lines in them. Nothing else truly compared to this story before or since in anime, especially in other Isekai stories; no other story genuinely gives me a feeling that this IS another world; there's no overpowered protagonist, just a teenage girl and the worst powers to have during wartime.

Who is your favorite character and why? Was it love at first sight?  Has any of their qualities or quirks swayed you on characters in other series?  I like a lot of characters in the series, however, my psychotic boy Dilandau is probably my favorite. On the surface, he is just an insane, pyromaniac child soldier but there is SO MUCH to unpack with his character. Not only is he unstable and insane, when we get the reveal that Dilandau was/is a manipulation of Celena, it's very interesting. How many children were just like him in the Empire? He can't possibly have been the only "success" in the Empire. Aside from Celena, does he have any false memories implanted in him? Was his personality chosen for him or was in the influence of all the manipulation on his body and fate? With the Dragonslayers added in, are all of them also the same age as their commander? Does Zaibach regularly have child soldiers? He's just such a fascinating character to me, in these regards. I wish the transformation between Celena/Dilandau wasn't so thorough, though. Like that there were still some remnants of the Dilandau personality in her. Second favorite character is Folken, solely because of Paul Dobson voicing him, but his personality is also pretty interesting to me. As far as other characters, nah, I tend to like these psychos often, they just seem like they're fun.

Which side are you on? What do you think happens Post-Hitomi when she leaves? Who do you think will be the next opposing power?  I think the show does a good job of showing us that there are no good or bad sides; even Zaibach only started conquering because their new leader gave them the knowledge and power to defend themselves at first and they lived in a barren wasteland. I am on Fanelia's side, however and I hope that they are able to restore their Capital City in full and that everyone is able to reach a tenable peace I think a lot of peace talks and treaties and marriages of political convenience end up happening between several of the allied countries and that there will be a pause in the conflict; Zaibach will more than likely pull back and maybe crumble from the loss of leadership and the split in power. Though they were wiped out militarily; I can't imagine General Adelphos spending funds on the Sorcerers anymore. I forsee similar issues that plagued Europe in our history happening to the world of Gaea, but I think that the next opposing power will likely be Basram or Zaibach, potentially Asturia if their influence reaches over to Zaibach.

Least favorite plot point? Was there something you think should have changed? What do you think would have made it better.  I hate the love triangle here, as per usual. It makes sense and removing it would be bad because it is critical for our characters' growth, but I still hate the Allen/Hitomi interactions near the later half of the series solely because its there ONLY to delay Van/Hitomi. Which is the point, of course. I also really don't like the REVEAL that 'GASP' Emperor Dornkirk was...SIR ISSAC NEWTON?? All along??/ Like bitch how'd you fuckin' SURVIVE that long.

OTP? What kind of art and fiction would you like to see? What are some head canons you have for them? What is you NoTP OTP; Van/Hitomi; I think their romance is well developed and I like them. They definitely have more of an equal footing with one another and support one another, with believable roadblocks. SOMEONE PLEASE DRAW THEM KISSING WE NEVER GET IT IN THE SERIES. As for fan pairings, I actually liked Folken/Dilandau before some reveals, but honestly Folken getting TWO partners is pretty funny for me, even if it's in the afterlife. NOTP: Allen/Millerna or Allen/Hitomi; gross, he's SO MUCH older than both of them. Dilandau/Van is also a big No from me.

What would you like to see in a figurativ remake/sequel? Would you include more minor characters? Would you want a whole new story that could be a stand alone?  Honestly, I'd love a stand alone or if it's a sequel series, mostly focusing on the internal politics of Gaea. Possible focus on Merle, Chid and maybe Dryden and Millerna. Or maybe just references too them, I have questions about the world but I'd like to leave the main story alone.

Movie, Series, Game, or Manga preference? What are things you did/didnt like of each?  Series; The manga is awful and the movie is wildly different from the series. I'm most familiar with the series.

Do your favorite impression! Bonus points if you can do a conversation with a scene cut in! LORD VAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

What do you think about the idea of a re-dub? What are your feelings about the current cast selection for Van (and others if more are introduced)?   Well since we had the Funimation re-release at the time of doing this, I think a new dub really forgot the deeper charms of the original dub; there's no depth of feeling to most of the voices and the acting feels phoned in, not to mention that several of the characters that are supposed to have a commanding presence and deeper voices don't, and it sounds the same as all current Funimation voice work...Awful and Samey. I find that Aaron Dismuke was actually a good choice for Van, same with Alexis Tipton for Merle, as while Aaron gave a slightly different flavor for Van it was still a good portrayal, and Merle seems to be an easy character for VAs to portray. However, once again Funi ruins things by casting Vic Mignonana (idc how to spell his last name) as Folken, like are you SERIOUS? He can't compare to either Paul Dobson OR Jōji Nakata in terms of rich toned voice, or a commanding sort of voice at all. And my boy, Dilandau, is ruined. My poor little meow meow isn't psychotic enough, isn't funny enough and isn't threatening enough. Joel MacDonald sounds exactly like 30-year-old man reading for a teenager and doesn't understand Dilandau's character at all, even on basic level. Bring back Andrew Francis. Basically the Ocean Dub is superior, if you're gonna watch in dubs imo. I prefer the sub just because Maaya Sakamoto as Hitomi is just BETTER than either English VA imo and both English VAs made me actively hate her for a lonnnng time. But if I watch in Dub its gonna be Ocean Dub.

Recite your top five characters by name.  Dilandau, Folken, Van, Hitomi and Dryden

[neerons]

Omg I just read read your analysis of the 3s friendship to whom Kei is close to, and you have captured it so beautifully. You are extremely observant and have a knack for reading between the lines. The entire read was so good. Keep it up. I hope you write more about MK in the future. If u don't mind me asking I would love to know what you personally thought of kazuomi season 4 ofcourse when you have time (saw a lot of negative reviews and people saying that mc character was destroyed) what do u think about that? Anyway. Take care, and have a great day:)❤️

Now that's the kind of message that makes me very happy to receive 😭💖

Thank you so much for your words. Really. It makes me extremely happy whenever people send me asks, and it's even better if it benefits others when I answer to help or give more insight to the stories. I really like studying the psychology or philosophy of characters I love, so I'm glad I get to do that through these stories ❤

My thoughts on Kazuomi's Season 4

And of course I don't mind you asking that! About Kazuomi's S4, I replied to a similar question HERE if you're interested. Now that some time passed, I have forgotten a few things about what happens in this season but mostly, Kazuomi's S4 seemed to be used to take a "step back" in Kazu and MC's relationship. Possibly because a bigger plot twist concerning Kazuomi's past might happen later on, which will make him change his mind again about his relationship. That's what I originally thought after reading it.

At that stage in the route, Kazuomi and MC were very close. MC was in a new situation professionally and had to make her talents shine. MC trusted Kazuomi a lot, as he had once said he wouldn't do anything she'd dislike. She had also witnessed many times that despite appearances, he was always good and saved situations. However they went back to their "roots", if I could say, when Kazuomi actually tested her and their relationship when he got involved in a drug cartel.

I don't understand why people would say that about the MC being "destroyed" in this season, as the situation she faced was a test for her own character development from my understanding. What I mean here is that originally, the MC is a very ethical person. She's a literal moral compass. That's why she's often described as a saint in Kei's route, and why Yuzuru relies on and trusts her so much as well in his. But she knows that where there is light, there is also darkness. She's not unaware of it and states it in the first prologue of MK herself:

"Light and dark don’t exist in separate worlds. They live on the same street and breathe the same air. And each one of us is one slip-up away from falling into the dark."

Despite that, due to her job, she has a hard time accepting and seeing the benefit of the darker aspects of the world. In this season, Kazuomi showed her that what she was fighting against isn't completely and utterly bad for the people she wants to protect. He showed her that the world isn't just black and white. That there's a grey area to it, and that innocent people she wants to protect sometimes benefit from that grey area.

Kazuomi who has experienced living in poverty knows what it's like to have everything and suddenly be left with nothing. Due to this, he knew that people who did well with the money they got from the drug cartel would become poor after the EAC takes the cartel down.

I would describe this season as being a philosophical conflict between Kazuomi and MC. Their worldview and beliefs were opposed, which was bound to happen at some point in Kazu's route. Due to their positions in society (MC being an agent dedicated to protect the ordinary life of innocent people, and Kazu being a man with so much power he is often involved in suspicious dealings) it's only natural that they couldn't act as if nothing is happening and had to wonder if they should stop their relationship.

I didn't dislike that season personally. From my memories, their problem was that their relationship, as it had developed, didn't suit them and their lifestyle much. Kazuomi likes that MC doesn't trust him completely, because she then chases him, which is what he likes. That's what spices his life up.

Their relationship relies on the thrill of it, not knowing if the other is an enemy or not. Therefore, them completely trusting each other when a situation makes them enemies doesn't work for them. They had to put distance to make that dynamic work. Also, there's the fact that Kazuomi is at a stage where he doesn't believe in "forever". He even thinks MC won't be forever by his side as well, and he believes he's irrational for actually wanting her to always be next to him (that's because he loves her so much hehehehehe).

In a sense, while it's sad that this decision results in them not being 24/7 together and banter as much as before, I think this type of plot twist will be the key of them realizing that their love is even stronger than they had anticipated. And maybe, and I hope, that Kazu will change his view when it comes to "forever", and will understand that he just can't live without her. Their relationship seems stuck right now when it comes to them having only that kind of "enemies and lovers" dynamic, but for now that's what they desire. Maybe in the future season, they'll meet another target and situation that will make them want to actually live a more "stable" couple life where they still allow trust to be part of their relationship.

The ideal thing would be for them to trust each other and still have a thrilling relationship, but it would be hard to make that happen. I'm so curious to know if that's something that could even be possible, and what will happen in the future stories. How else would I be able to see what their kids look like if they don't settle down anyway?! I want to see if their canon daughter looks like the one I made up. Is that too much to ask for 😭

Jokes aside, I really love them and their dynamic. Despite what they decided, they still are very close physically (and emotionally of course). They already can't live without each other even now. They're down deep. They fell, and they fell so hard they made one with the floor. They're depicted as soulmates whose paths are intertwined. It's only natural that they will end up as a power couple who can't get their hands off each other

Thank you for the ask, and have a great day as well!

[its-a-kasshu-thing]

Escaflowne Voice Meme

@coverteyes suggested I do this so here’s my take on Escaflowne as a whole:

Anybody that wants to fill it out feel free. I will tag it ‘escaflowne voice meme’ to easily find the original.

1. When did I first discover Escaflowne?

I first heard about it around the time (2012) I discovered Gundam (G Gundam and Gundam Wing to be exact) but never watched it. I saw many of the English voice actors for Gundam Wing were in Escaflowne like Kirby Morrow (Van/Trowa) for example. I figured I’d give it a shot just recently this year (2023) and liked it a lot. Yasuhiro Imagawa was originally set to be the director but instead he left the project to work on G Gundam. I thought Escaflowne looked interesting regardless but add a mere mentioning of Imagawa, I was sold for sure. (Fun fact it was Imagawa that came up with the name ‘Escaflowne’) G Gundam is my all time favorite anime so I’m glad things worked out the way they did and the director that actually worked on Escaflowne did a better job then what was initially planned with adding Tarot and making Hitomi into the strong female lead we know and love. I ended up watching the Funimation dub and I believe it was a stellar performance.

2. Favorite character and why?

Van hands down. Him and Domon (main character of G Gundam) share the same Japanese voice actor which I think is kinda funny because their characters are pretty similar. Glad that the director kept some of Imagawa’s initial concepts. I also just really like Van. Like Domon, he’s pretty relatable to me and those are the characters I go for. I loved the way his character progressed throughout the series too and I just want him to be happy. He’s quite adorable :)

3. What do you think happens after Hitomi leaves Gaea?

Don’t know. All I can say is she’ll be back lol. Aside from her mother, I don’t really think there is anything calling her back to Earth. Her friend likes her crush and he seems to like her back plus she seems really depressed when she does return. Why would she go back when she could be a queen in Gaea? Not to mention, she finds true love in Van which isn’t easy to come by so why just throw that away? She can take her mom with her and start a Tarot reading business :D

4. Least favorite plot point?

When Hitomi did that reading for Millerna regarding her marriage to Dryden. I like Dryden and he wasn’t a bad guy at all. He literally saved Van when he paid the bill for Escaflowne’s repairs. Plus, I couldn’t see the appeal anymore for Allen either towards the end… I know Hitomi is only fifteen and understandably boy crazy but that was just plain mean and manipulative what she did. Van suffered from that dirty stunt too.

5. What would you want to see in a possible sequel?

The sappy ending Imagawa would have definitely delivered lol. Hitomi could help Van rebuild Fanelia. I honestly think this is what the movie should have been but instead they took out the Tarot and I personally didn’t like the way her depression was handled. Her friend literally laughed at her suicide note (what kind of friend is that?) and her depression was already starting to show at the end of the anime. I think they should’ve just went with it as a continuation of the anime and eventually bring her back to Gaea to stay but that’s just my opinion.

Thank you for inviting me to take part in this. It was fun to really organize my thoughts on the series!

[yukine-sakamoto]

I finished Bocchi the Rock, so here’s a little review. Mild spoilers, but it’s a slice of life so nothing major.

Overall, I liked it. I’m normally not that interested in music themed anime, so initially I dismissed it as a some kind of generic K-On clone. It got so many good reviews and so many people talking about it though, so I had to check it out, and it generally lived up to the hype. Very cute, very relatable, the music was pretty good, it was really well made with a lot of interesting shots and some very funny animation style changes. I especially loved the exaggerated expressions they gave everyone. That’s one of my favorite parts of animation as a medium, and they used it really well. So I’d definitely recommend it. That being said, I do have some criticism.

The show’s main draw and the thing that separates it from similar shows is Bocchi’s introversion and social anxiety. I appreciated the effort that they went to in order to show her inner thought processes which lead to her otherwise strange reactions and behaviors. It makes her more realistic, dynamic, and relatable to the audience and less like a flat side character that’s used just for laughs but considered foreign to the way “normal” characters think, as these types of characters sometimes are. (And I appreciated that they showed the other characters getting to know her and helping her with her struggles rather than just thinking she’s odd.) This deeper characterization sets up one of the main threads of the show, Bocchi’s growth in overcoming her social difficulties, but that arc felt kind of hollow to me.

We want to see characters overcome their various plot challenges through hard work. That feels satisfying, and that’s especially true, I think, for characters that have struggles that the audience identifies with. It’s inspiring to see someone better themselves through hard work. It makes you think you could do it too. Bocchi definitely put work in, and she did things that she wouldn’t have done before, that were difficult for her. However, it felt like she was just being carried along for a lot of the show. There are several instances where she feels she can’t get out of doing something, like the job, or the first show, or the street concert, and yes it was hard for her, and yeah maybe she grew a little bit, but it wasn’t necessarily through her own power. In a couple of pivotal moments it was pure chance, and that felt like a (very mild) deus ex machina.

In the first episode, in the moment that sets the whole show in motion, Nijika happens upon her through chance and just happens to need a guitarist and happens to be the type to approach a total stranger. It’s partially because Bocchi had her guitar; she chose to openly display something she’s interested in, hopping to find someone like minded. That’s good, except we saw that fail to work for whole episode up to that point. Bocchi acknowledged that being passive and putting the onus on others was a bad strategy, but then Nijika swoops in so that’s left unaddressed. Same thing with meeting Kikuri, it was a random encounter. I think most introverts want an extrovert to come and adopt them, and I get that, I do too, but it’s still unsatisfying as a plot point.

This also sets up another problem I wrote a bit about in another post. It’s obviously a Bocchi-centric show, she’s the title character after all, but I was hoping for more from the others. It’s obvious after the initial park meeting that Nijika and Ryou like her and want to be friends, even if it started as just needing a guitarist. And when Kita joins the cast, she becomes fast friends as well. But they all comment on how they don’t understand why Bocchi has trouble at school, why no one hangs out with her. In many ways they are part of this random chance as well; their behavior hasn’t changed much either. We see in the summer vacation episode that, left to their own devices, they just forget about Bocchi. It’s likely Kita never would have approached her at school of her own volition, as she hadn’t up till now, but ironically seems confused seeing this behavior in her classmates. It made their relationships feel a bit shallow, like they were taking care of Bocchi as almost a charity case. I honestly started to feel a little, like, secondhand guilt for how far out of their way each would go. (I did like that they started to understand her behaviors and her triggers, so to speak, but that feels pretty minimal) I mean it’s normal and good for friends to cover each other’s weaknesses with the other’s strengths, and Bocchi’s definitely weak where the others are strong as far as social skills, but this felt off somehow, unbalanced. Perhaps, in a second season, we’ll see more from the perspectives of the other band members and see their relationship as a band deepen.

It also felt very slightly like a classic teen movie nerdy character arc in which introverts are painted as sad, pitiable creatures who have no joy in life, and if only someone would show them how to have fun the extroverted way, the correct way, then they could be saved. I mean it’s minor, but loud concerts with bright lights and lots of people are very stimulating environments. That’s not generally where introverts thrive, and there’s nothing wrong with that; it’s a matter of taste. I’m just surprised that Bocchi seems really into that, especially based on the lyrics she writes.

Anyway, I gave it an 8/10 on my anime list. I’d definitely recommend it, and I’m looking forward to season 2.