#like the battle in ep 3 being cut? i support that

[aphemera]

hotd s2 is really good if you don’t have an annoying book reader in your ear complaining about the changes

[baelatargaryen]

overall thoughts on s2?

ah. well. 😔 you know. i have so much to say really and generally, you can kinda tell how i feel about a season from how much i gif it versus how much i don't and same for each episode and character lmao. sorry for how long this is gonna be, i'm gonna split it up into general thoughts and then more character based thoughts:

overall:

if i had to sum up hotd s2, i would say two things come to mind immediately. the first is that, even with the show's heavy handed writing, i couldn't as an audience member understand where this season really was culminating. for me, there was an overall lack of tension that really drove towards a finale, in some sense it's a season that cuts short of where it should be going bc of the hbo limiting them to 8 episodes.

my other perspective is that, s1 gets a lot of flack for its speed and the significant jumps we make for characters, and yet i felt that this season actually did a far worse job juggling the appropriate amount of screen-time but also remaining consistent to the character's core motivations.

the 8 episode limitation i do think affected them for some characters. there are jumps in character motivations that are essentially a flick of a switch with no lead-up, certain storylines are really left loose and not tied up or fully reach a conclusion.

but more than that, the 8 episode limitation doesn't really matter. yes, it's limited screentime but it's still 8 hours of screentime. i've seen shows with that amount, or less, that have done a more coherent job with just better writing. ik a lot of people take issue with the show not having more "action" or battles (and some of it is probably valid!) but for me the prevalent issues where with character writing, allotting screen time and pacing.

overall, season 1 > season 2. for me, personally.

my favourite episodes were 2, 6, & 4. i do think they kinda messed up b&c but on rewatch i enjoyed it fine, still think there were some weird beats in it but phia does an amazing job. i think ep 7 was very well done but i'm not sold on the direction they're going with rhaenyra yet. weakest episodes for me were 3 & 8.

characters under cut:

warning: lot of criticism below so if you don't want to read negativity just stop here bc it's mainly me ranting about the bits i didn't like. tldr; aegon - best writing of the season, aemond & alicent - weakest writing of the season. that's not intended as character hate, it's intended as criticism of how the characters are written and utilised this season.

daemon:

i would have cut the harrenhal storyline. i know people like it, but what at first is a surprise to the audience quickly loses its luster when the contents of daemon's vision are nothing more than rehashing his season 1 storyline. and in a season of 8 episodes, you don't have time to waste somehow relitigating the same thing you have since your PILOT. it's really a fault of s1's writing for kinda putting daemon aside post episode 5, but even then what's the point? i have an issue with the harrenhal plotline because it's not believable — as an audience member, i don't expect daemon to betray rhaenyra and i don't buy that he will. the contents of the vision and daemon's reaction to them make it clear it is an obstacle for him to overcome, a lesson to learn let's say, rather than true temptation. in the meantime, the action in the riverlands stagnates and daemon is essentially made to look incompetent — rather than being able to muster an army for rhaenyra after the mistake of b&c and prove himself to her via his own actions, he loses their support, is essentially schooled by a 14(?) year-old and then an army amasses just in time for him to wake out of the visions which somehow (even when they're direct parallels or mirrors to scenes which took place in REAL life) have a more significant impact on him than, say, oh idk, the very real argument he had with his wife in episode 2.

rhaenyra/alicent/rhaenys/helaena:

this constant need to circle back to this show's primary understanding of women in power being "women are actually peacemakers who avoid bloodshed at all cost, and it's men who are driven to reckless violence and war" is actually regressive af and i don't care to see it. am i here to watch a tragedy or not, because if so the show needs to allow these elements play out for it to feel like one.

rhaenyra & alicent, & even more so rhaenys, are just pigeonholed into these women desirous of peace even when it's at the cost of the people they are supposed to LOVE most in their lives, and in doing so they no longer feel like relatable characters to the audience at times. this show is 10x better when it's female characters are allowed to be ugly, to rage and to be vengeful instead of becoming a living soapbox for the writers' "stop the violence" shtick. and helaena is right there along with them, phia saban is amazing during b&c (even if they managed to fuck that up too), and episode 2 as well, only for her grief to be resolved by episode 3 and then. then, the most staggering of all, by episode 8 her story culminates in a vision where she is bran-stark 2.0, all-knowing with her powers controlled (who knows how) but also more of a plot-device than a fully fledged character, there to apparently TELL daemon what to do (just like alys ofc, cause who knows what her backstory or motivation is. certainly not us).

i liked alicent and rhaenyra's relatonship in s1. it was fine. did i think it could cause potential issues down the line, yeah i did and i wasn't fully happy with the effect of aging down alicent to be a child-bride and a victim of marital rape, but i took it in stride. but this was their backstory. and that's how it should remain. we have 8 episodes of limited screentime, and really, if they had at least stuck with the actual friends-to-enemies that i assumed was the intent, it would be fine bc guess what — there IS a reunion in the book that they could have adapated perfectly fine. but instead, we are treated to not one, but TWO, two! reunions which are nonsensical, but more than that, are honestly...insultingly bad? i re-watched s1 directly before s2, and i also rewatched the first two episodes of s2 at one point and i have to say after episode 2 of s2, the show feels markedly different. even rhaenys death doesn't really have the impact it should? the characters just. don't act like themselves at times, and idk what it is - the lack of a court environment? the lack of domesticity and characters being separated? dialogue that is driven more by s1 plot points than what just occured last episode?

alicent. well. idk what to say. the amount of screentime that is given with giving olivia nothing to do is awful. it's three times the screen-time aemond gets for example. i'll say no more bc ik people love alicent and olivia, but the writing for alicent was appallingly bad this season - truly a disservice to the character. abandoning larys & alicent's relationship was a mistake, as she no longer even attempts to cling onto power, and once otto leaves in episode 2 there's no one for her character to essentially play off of, leaving for the most lackluster of writing. oh well.

idc about those reunions at all. i was kinda taken aback by having two, which i think undercut each other tbh, but i knew at least one would happen. and i expected the tension and energy of 'driftmark' not whatever this was. and the acting couldn't save it for me, alas.

aegon/aemond/criston/gwayne:

aegeon received the best writing this season by far. i would say its a marked improvement from the writing in s1; aegon still feels like a continuation of s1!aegon (pathetic, a drunk, incompetent and crude), but given more depth and range, with a storyline that takes him from an incompetent king, all the way through his grief, to realising he is nothing more than a pawn to his family, and to the betrayal at rook's rest after which changes him significantly and sets the stage for the third season. aegon & larys' relationship too is a standout, because it's the only part of the show that bothers with political intrigue the way it's predecessor did. the rest is abandoned.

aemond is given. well. almost no writing or screentime! i'm not really a big fan of aemond in many ways (if i could be more honest, i really don't care for him at all), but really, the guy has barely any more screen-time than he does in s1, even though he's not only a) partially responsible for the outbreak of this war (cutting the f&b scene where he informs his family was insanity.), but b) literally becomes REGENT in episode 5. the brothel plotline as an aside to justify his betrayal of aegon was unnecessary tbh, it dislocated him from the main plotline. for those first 3 episodes he feels like he has no presence in a story, even after b&c has happened. he literally commits the act of burning an entire town (sharp point) off screen. we don't see it! only the aftermath!

criston, criston, criston. tbh, i was pleasantly surprised by criston at certain points of the season (i do think he had more screentime than he should have though) — he is a FAR better and more interesting character once you remove him from the confines of the red keep. putting him opposite someone like gwayne made for much better screentime than his lackluster, completely passionless romance with alicent.

speaking of which, i thought alicole would at the very least has some effect — lying to aegon's face about what happened during b&c, helaena finding out, larys figuring it out. but no. the only confrontation comes from gwayne of all people as cole sniffs a handkerchief, and which is of no consequence. so much for 'political intrigue' right.

gwayne: a welcome addition and freddie fox is brilliant. that's all.

jace/baela/rhaena/corlys/dragonseeds/mysaria....and etc:

jace after aegon is the most consistently written character imo. harry did a good job for the most part i think, you feel that jace has gone from a teenager to someone on the cusp of adulthood, a dutiful heir, stricken by insecurity and affected by his brother's loss but also who deeply desires to fight for his mother and his own claim after hers. i wish we spent a bit more time with him in the north or the vale, but at least we know he went and achieved something, plus the idea of the dragonseeds comes from him — he definitely stepped into his own this season.

baela & rhaena: should have both received more screentime. baela's scene with corlys was good, i wish more of the scenes centred around baela's feelings as opposed to jace but i did like it even if it felt a bit overacted at times. as for rhaena? phoebe is such a good actor (honestly a standout in the minor screentime she gets), but gets so little writing even now. i can only hope we actually see rhaena claim sheepstealer and that it isn't another scene relegated to offscreen.

corlys: steve is one of the best actors in the show and he is underutilised this season imo. he is confined to that shipyard, and although his interactions with alyn are well-written, it still leaves him removed from the rest of the action. he teleports between there and dragonstone, but it's not until the last episode that you really get the sense that he's rhaenyra's hand even though he has been since episode 5 — he should have been present at dragonstone much more and earlier, and addam and alyn moved to dragonstone earlier to allow for more interaction too imo.

mysaria: clearly not her book counterpart, but i enjoyed her story this season a lot. do i think it's a bit on the nose the way mysaria speaks of rhaenyra as a cue for the audience but i'm hopeful it goes in a more interesting and nuanced depiction and in the meantime, i enjoyed their screentime

dragonseeds: meh. honestly, hugh's backstory is very cliche and i found his wife a far more interesting character but maybe that's just me, at the very least he's likeable and GETS a backstory. idc about ulf, at all bc idk who he is and his sole trait atm is being irreverent and in a story where you are personally attached to the characters he is insulting it doesn't make you sympathetic to him really (which is fine), but i would have rather seen rhaena claim sheepstealer which we built up all season, than watch ulf fly on silverwing for the simple purpose of having aemond see it so that he can become aware of rhaenyra's dragonseeds.

who gives a fuck about the triarchy and how jason lannister got them btw. just have that first meeting, even the 2nd mud fighting one okay but a THIRD scene in which he sings and gets asked to fuck someone's wives? this is a narrative choice that's being made, they could have just as easily had the triarchy capitulate and side with jason, but instead i'm treated to his aside of adventures in essos which would be fine but it's the FINALE and we need for these stories to culminate and you are giving me almost (almost) got-level writing.

anyways. sorry for all of this. i don't mean it to be hateful it's just me ranting 😭😭😭

[otakebi-cam-wao]

Produce 101 Japan The Girls ep 3 - thoughts i wrote on real time while watching

as a harowota who initially is watching it cuz of Kasahara Momona

DISCLAIMER: this is long af so UNDER THE CUT!

part 1 Re-evaluation:

Happy:

Kotone moved up to B!!! Deserved!!!! QUEEN of evolution!!!!

RAN (ran) TO A!!!!! love to see that

Joa was nice to see on A after the bootcamp from ep 2

KOTO TO A!!!! amazing (tho i like Yui more) her video was so appeleang

Sad:

Rio going from C to F was a bit sad for me smh

Ranka flopped a lot (B to F) but i didn't like her that much (also her re-evaluation video was hard to see)

Serina from C to D kinda urghhh same with Rimika (she was on HKT48 after all) but actually i was expecting these 2 to D

Keiko and the twins going down was sadly expected BUT MY AYANE!?!? ME SO SO SAD (but got B with keiko and the nakamoris, could be worse, and i didn't want it worse)

Okay, i get Ayane i'd say the same thing knowing my own abbilities, if i was her i would have been relieved to get down a class as well

part 2 shooting:

Mena's expressions are nice

Miu's

Ran's (so eye catching to me)

Miu, Ran and Kassa my choices (Kassa pls) (as if i didn't know Kassa wasn't)

OHHH Suzu and Tsuzumi solos!!! (wanted them to get something) Ran and Miu finalist for center, nice nice (f Kassa) (center was Miu, right?)

yes Miu center INTP center queen (?) (yes i support her cuz INTP first)

the prep all cute

Momoka's "kawachii" cute cuz husky

part 3 battle:

already excited cuz battle (is what i like from some dvd mags)

this funny:

Kaela "winners will have a benefit" T. Hana "meat?" Anon: No way 3k votes? fr?!

so after this was the first ranking?

OHHHH first elimination?

HALF?!?!?!?!

OMFG HALF OF THEM!!!

Top 50 stays, okay okay

Kaela changing the mood abruptly tho it felt so smooth

Kaela is trolling everyone

representatives by luck… HINAFES FEELINGS

ohhh Miu is unpickable

Ran rep. let's gooooo (wait this is for the groups performing later, realized this when ran picked Momoka)

Ran picks: Ranka ooooo A-F support!, KASSA!!!! LET'S FUCKING GOOO, KEIKO!!!, MOMOKA!!! YEI YEI YEI!!! Nonoka ohhhh (cuteness support logic, i see)

Meika pics: Ayaka, F class support; Shizuku i love her voice, Tsuzumi let's gooooo, Sakura ok i c i c (Kassa and "Gyaru ga kita" lol) and Suzu (balance on cuteness)

Yui rep OWO: Tsukushi, Nano, Nagomi bby!!!!, Moe, Joa (Koto felt betrayed?)

I'll stop with the picks

i like Fuka being rep

Miu can change anything?

Kassa didn't want Miu to pick anyone from her group, Kassa protecting mode

I like Miu liking Hazuki low tones; SHE STOLE SUZU!!! stealing Nano, and kokoro, LOL TSUZUMI SCREAMING

wait, why are the other stealing members? this got so confusing, but Ran's got no changes, nice

death battle for the song OWO

ohhhh runing

guru guru!!!

YABAI!

fights for songs on the floor nice!!! (me a bit violent)

teams w/o song must figth the ones with? HOW?!

oh, the ones w songs battle the ones without, i see; but if someone wants it can rise hand, i see

Kassa when Ran gave the appeal! Nice, i like that Kassa i see i see, interesting

part 4 choosing positions and rehearsals:

Miyu leader cuz experience, good

Kotone leader cuz older, my common idea, age or experience

Rimika must be so frustrated…

Kassa's idea to pick center was "nice idea" for me, but i got her same conclusion, they all should be center, everyone voted for Kassa to center… well i'm having a kassa on aisare route thought lapsus

it was between suzu and nano that center, sorry miu, you were boring, but you're not dissapointed, that's good

Miu helping the other team, awww (i'd do the same, it reminds me something i was told at uni, "it's a race to be better than the other, but you must teamwork and help each other anyways", i got reminded of it w Miu's action)

part 5 battle on stage time!:

lol someone w kalea's banner lol

i can't w nakasone, she's so funny

okay how you like that groups, already saw the performances tho…

Black Cats:

I have more liking here cuz Nagomi bby and Yui

they seem to have a hard time on rehearsals, specially leader/center Moe….

it's true that Nagomi fit's it the least, she's bby, but she can learn bout this…

they all want Moe as center, she just need more support, oh leader changed to Yui

awww Yui hugging Nagomi, everyone supporting her, i love it, she's so bby

bby improved while starting to enjoy, nice nice.

clapclapclap to Moe

love how Yui looks

oh Yui main vocals, ok ok

ufff Tsukushi's mic but she could manage it anyways

Joa voice, i like it for rap, cool

fuuuuu yui & nagomi gooooo

Show Up:

Mihaya has troubles to connect names to faces? me too sometimes girl

This team had it hard…

hard works made better team work? apparently

i feel like Mihaya came out of a cocoon or chrysalis as a butterfly after getting this union and team work

Hana is giving me an impression mainly and the one who is rap 1 i think?

Black cats might have the win here…

yui 41 konomi 6

nagomi 37? bby nooo chiharu 55 (tho makes sense i think?)

moe 29 hana 18, moe got less than i thought…

rino 43 mihaya 8, not surprise, tho i do feel mihaya surprised me while looking at the rehearsal footage

joa 31 rikako 25, close close i think

tsukushi 84 mei 24 doesn't surprise me even w mic accident either way black cats win, show up did their best, had a hard time to connect specially mihaya, i feel it was nice

something something melty:

there's Kotone!!

Iyota Hana has a Kubota Nanami vibe here i think…

they look so happy and enjoying this

damn that "futsuu" but yeah, enjoying alone won't give the best

the other Hana has a time with expressions, i see

poor Nana

why there are lotta shots without Kotone? i'm curious

wow the other Hana

LET'S GO KOTONE!!!

forgot main vocal girl name, but good

let's go kotone x10000000

also the other hana expresions got nice

Queen Bee:

Miyu has a interesting face shape and the curve her mouth goes is weird in a nice way

Rin's voice is nice (also weird interesting faceshape… that kinda reminds me of Ozeki Mai)

how everyone suppors ayano cuz of her dancing and Yumeki's words

what the other ayano btw? ahhh she has trouble on the singing… oh no, she has confidence troubles in general

Miyu is so cute with the others, specially Rin

poor Rin's voice tho

i also like Rin's voice Thelma

Rio cute in the sexy way

nice nice

I think i liked Hana's "narcissistic" part over Miyu's idk if in singing or expressions maybe both

shion 27 y. ayano 11, no surprise, tho ayano got better on vocals, yes

i. hana 4 rio 44, surprise the gap… tho kinda expected it? idk

kotone 30 karin 38… i lit couldn't get a grasp of karin, but god it was close, sad for Kotone

y. hana 81 miyu 28?! i said i liked more hana's lines tbf cute hana btw

nana 5 k. ayano 55… ayano got more confident on her dance and was captivating, i agree

honoka 18 rin 56… damn poor honoka… but i also liked rin's voice more

i'm sad cuz of Kotone and y. hana, but clapclapclap queen bee sad Miyu as well tho

Noborizaka6:

Ayaka crying from the start…

oofff hard time for this group and Misaki

Misaki like… adopted F class girls

poor kagura and ayaka

big change we like to see it, more confidence as leader on Ayaka i think

public support, nice

i don't think they'll win, but i feel like nakasone saying "they improved"

lowkey wanna cry for Misaki and her F class girls

they're giving their all i think, so it's nice, i don't like anyone here but i feel like a proud mother

Wakey Wakey?:

AYANEEEEEEEE

group who had hard time to understand lyrics, apparently

EMA?! NO JPOP CHOREO BEFORE?!

Ayane is me understanding songs whenever i sing and (fail to) dance in my room and imagine something

Miyu is cute in the way i found Yamaki Risa cute… idk

their dance arrangement i loved it, i swear

i love Ayane's dead looking face idk idk and how she walks in the rehearsal videos, so… idk… but mood

Miyu is interesting and apparently good leader

Miyu's idea was nice, but weird to execute

now i feel nervous

ii jan ii jan ii jan too Thelma

OMG AYANE'S VOCALS

everyone is so good in my idea

Mena is so interesting as well (is the one who left school for this?)

the wink!!!

the end is beautiful

Ema was amazing anyways i was worried

Ayane's heart was so cute (every minute i just love Ayane more, since i find out she's INTP, sorry sorry)

awww Misaki's words to Ayaka…

awwww Ayane talking is just awwww for me cuz her anxiousness

Miu 3 sae 10…

Mimi 5 Aoi 8… i'm starting to worry

poor Mayu 1 when Miyu 46 (oh! 46 like nogizaka bad joke bad joke) tho i was expecting this

Misaki 4 Ema 50 expected

Kagura 55 Mena 49… wow, i'm surprised, deserved i think, tho Mena was interesting anyways

Ayaka 45 Ayane 151 THE GAP MAKES ME FEEL SO BAD BOUT AYAKA BUT LET'S FUCKING GO AYANE!!!!

awww ayane's surprise face (tho it' was her win an obvious one with Miyu's and Ema's)

ofc Wakey won, it was pretty good performance, but i'm so sad for those F class girls now!!!!

Minx:

Rin revealing they practiced together is so cute, and again i love Miu decided to help them

ohhh Rin got alone at one point and the other group helped her in many ways I WANNA CRY!!!

Only Rin and Kano? this group has a problem here

poor Rin all worried, obviously she's the leader

i'm also proud of her nakasone

i'm proud of the 2 working alone (sadly this happened tho)

me too nakasone i wanna cry they have something i needed this to know

Rin and Kano put literally their Body & Soul there, i also wanna hug them!!!

Miu's group were yasashii oneesans

last day the other 4 joined?! at least they did, but i feel worried and sad

awww they sent they're lessons, awww… that's full of effort…

happy they joined at least

i hope they do good, at least for Rin and Kano

Shizuku hurts me tho, i liked her voice but here she dissapointed me a bit

i wanna hug Rin so badly, like "baby you have this, and Miu's group think the same

ok ok performance, but i wanna cry

kawaii Rin

ahhhhh Shizuku's ad libs v classic-y

i guessed Shizuku would be main vocal cuz classical, sounds a bit weird but nice

i loved these outfits

nice Kano!

to get all this together the last day of rehealsals, it's so good!

KANO!!! RIN!!! I'M PROUD OF YOU 2

New bud:

Miu!!! Tsuzumi!!! Kokoro!!!

NEXT WEEK… but they have all a big love cuz they were so yasashii oneesans (specially Miu) with Rin's group

part 7 ranking:

LET'S GO KASSA!!! (i missed forgot the whole ranking)

[star153]

Questions about MLP so I can redesign them EP.30

Since I'm redesigning Spike, He might need a bio. So I'll need a list of his likes, dislikes, skills, personality and abilities. I came up with a few ideas. However, I'll need to ask a few MLP FIM experts if any of them should be cut due to not being accurate to MLP FIM's Spike himself. I also need to ask those  experts if there's any to add. So Any Suggestions I should cut, add or are worth keeping?

Spike

Race: Dragon

Alignment: Good

Age: 7-9

Likes: Sleeping in the rain, Ice cream, Role playing games, Comics,

Dislikes: Being humiliated or being left out of good things happening.

He'd also dislike letting down or disappointing those close to him, And mostly with Twilight.

Personality: Unlike most dragons, Spike isn't the pleasure to do battle warrior type that try to use physically fighting the problem if it happens. As he would usually try to solve a problem with words, and not brute force. But is ok with fighting only if he has no other choice. Still, He's quite a gentle spirt. He is a playful dragon, So he'll try to have fun whenever he can I guess because he's so young. But he's mostly Horrible and loyal to his friends and Twilight. He also plays D&D, Reading comics, He's Friendly, He's social which makes him good at talking to others, typical young boy stuff which makes him a bit similar to Lincoln loud and Vergil Hawkings before he became Static. But he's his own character. He's sensitive enough to try and make a good impression to those around him and caring and concern for the well-being for Twilight, His friends, And anyone close to him. He's mostly loyal to Twilight because her looking after, supporting and being there for him from birth make her his family and Best friend. Spike returns the favour by being there for her. Mostly by being her assistant.

Skills: Twilight taught him to read, write and make letters. He  does those 3 a lot. He can Ice-skate better than Twilight could, And in fact quite well for one his age. He can make delicious nachos and a mix of chocolate and vanilla cookies. And has good very good Social skills

Abilities: As a Dragon, He's physically faster and stronger then a normal human child, Or one of a pony. He's immune to burning because of dragons normally having inner fire inside them. This might result in him and other dragons with standing more cold then a human or pony as well. However, being a dragon, he'd be more comfortable being warm. Dragons usually have wings, Meaning he has wings. So he can fly, literally. And he can shoot fire from his mouth.

[spacedlexi]

If you could make one change to TWD s4 what would it be?

a 5th episode. the whole season felt pretty rushed especially the final episode with it being an hour shorter than the 3 other eps. it wouldve been nice for it to get the breathing room it deserved. i understand its highly likely due to the fact that telltale was in the middle of going under and likely didnt have the budget to do it similar to the length of s1, and i know a lot was cut, which is really unfortunate

when it was still airing and we didnt know how it was going to end, i was expecting there to be about a full episodes length of time dedicated to the delta, but we really only get the raid at the end of ep3 which is about 30? ish minutes? out of a 2 and a half hour episode... i really wanted more delta. i wanted to know more about the actual base (not the boat) and the war they were fighting and with who. it felt like they set it up to be something bigger but it just never payed off? the kids just blow up the boat and go home lol and the delta group is no more quite easily (someones gotta be wondering what happened to an entire crew of people + a small ferry that took multiple horses with it plus weapons and ammunition, that left to find recruits for a war they were losing??). while i really enjoy the end of ep3 (its very intense), i Really wanted for the delta to be harder to fight/escape. the delta works Fine as an antagonistic force for s4 the way it is currently, but it couldve been fleshed out more. having lilly as the head of it (or at least the head of the expedition?) helps to give it more of an emotional impact but it still left me wanting...

in the beginning of ep 3 abel talks to clem about doing whatever it takes to protect his home/family (and how clem can relate to that, and how they are on opposite ends of the battle still fighting for the same thing). i wouldve liked to actually SEE more of this home and whats so worth kidnapping children and turning them into soldiers to fight for it. like they talk about how it actually seems like a pretty strong community with running water/food/heat/beds/walls/etc, like they try to make it a little bit of a grey area, but also they are making child soldiers which is...not very grey.... like we know theyve kidnapped kids in the past, and from the conversation with lilly it sounds like they take people of all ages with some sort of frequency. how does a group like that function? its definitely through fear and not loyalty. how many people are there willingly? how big is this community? is lilly the one in charge of the delta or does she also hold fear to someone higher up than her? is the only thing worth saving about this community the fact that it has created a "safe" place with bountiful resources? but is that worth saving/is it really safe if everyone there lives in fear? and how strong can a community actually be if ran only through fear?

these are not questions that are ever really asked let alone answered, and moreso are just given the middle finger to while the kids just focus on getting their friends back (which in fairness i guess still makes sense for a bunch of kids who dont care and are making their own community built around supporting/helping each other since they were all abandoned by the people who were supposed to take care of them (first their families then the school faculty). they dont give a shit they just want their friends back and fuck you die). it just feels like there was an Attempt to set something up, but they didnt have the time for a real payoff, and therefore just made them Evil... like we couldve put a little bit more of a focus on how both the delta and ericsons are fighting for the safety of their homes, but the delta is built around fear and force while ericsons is built around community and support and love

minnie is the most interesting part of the delta and its because of how conflicting she is as a character/how shes an example of this stark difference between ericsons and the delta, since she goes from being a supposedly sweet/non violent person at ericsons to being completely brain broken by the delta to the point that she kills her sister who dissented against the group. sophie wanted to go home to ericsons, minnie was brainwashed into fighting for this new community to the point she saw it as her new home, and wants the rest of the kids to be there with her, since she thinks its safer for them at the delta than ericsons as long as you "do what youre told", and she wants to kill clem because she sees her as getting in the way of this goal even tho the other kids dont want it either. AGAIN there are bits of set up here and there but the contrast between the communities feels more like a good/bad dichotomy instead of asking interesting questions

LIKE all of these aspects ARE THERE i just wanted them doubled down on a bit. with how vaguely bad the delta is they just feel like generic villain instead of something more interesting that had been alluded to with abel and how hes also just fighting to keep the home he cares about safe. again we only get about?? an hour? hour and a half? in total throughout the season dealing directly with the delta. they couldve used more fleshing out

and to completely change the topic if we got a little more time in s4 then the party scene in ep 3 wouldnt have been cut down lol. i think kent confirmed that there was supposed to be a chance to walk around and talk to everyone, but you can just tell since the camera pulls back like it usually does when you enter gameplay after a cutscene, but then it just cuts to another cutscene 😔 every time i play it makes me sad knowing what could have been. i feel like with the atmosphere of having "one last party" before everyone could possibly get taken/die in like 6 hours wouldve led to some interesting conversations

[curiousscientistkae]

may i ask what is was about save the cat that got you like that? its ok if you dont want to answer this

I'm gonna ramble under the cut cause yeah. And I am putting this disclaimer on first also cause yeah

DISCLAIMER: if this shows up in the main tags not my fault! Its tumblr's! I tag correctly so those I want to see can see it and followers can blacklist my post! If you have a problem, blacklist my tags or block me! If you start shit I will block you!

Anyway truthfully I don't know what got me. It just did. I related to Adora, a lot. Like she is probably one of my top 3 characters I relate to so she is very important to me, esp as an abuse victim who always puts too much on their shoulders and feels like they have to make up for everything wrong. Now, up to this point in s/pop, we saw the following things done to Adora from C@tra:

-C@tra going out of her way in the battle of brightmoon, clawing her back, blaming her--telling her "[C@tra] can't wait to see the looks on [Adora's] friend's faces when they find out [Adora] failed them, they [Adora] was too weak to save them."

-C@tra being like "duh the horde always has been evil" like Adora just finding this out and being in shock and c@tra is like no shit sherlock. And oh tasing her

-leaving her to die and cutting off her only support when in the temple

-hell that whole promise they made it wasn't adora who broke it (who n*elle and the fandom seem to like to blame) it was c@tra since Adora asked many times for her to come with her but C@tra REFUSED

(these all above are just season 1)

-In white out c@tra more or less drugged adora and was HAPPY at the thought of having control over her and making her attack and hurt/kill her friends

-The whole portal shit in s3, esp the "i rather see the whole world end then let you win" plus right before she said "you always have to go and ruin it, don't you" to adora. If memory serves me correctly, and based on this line, c@tra once again new something was wrong but didn't tell adora so she could have her. And just the first like with the world ending sounds a lot like "if i can't have you no one can" which is one of the BIGGEST FUCKIN RED FLAGS in an abusive relationship.

-The shit c@tra said in the last ep also

-Sending DT to fuck with Adora and Glimmer's relationship. She did that on purpose.

-If memory serves me right again, c@tra told Prime about Adora being on the way to save Glimmer

so can you see why maybe I got triggered? Adora and c@tra did not have a good relationship.So seeing Adora, someone i relate to a lot, all of a sudden being like "OH NO C@TRA I LOVE YOU AND I NEVER GAVE UP ON YOU" is utter bullshit. (not to mention with the i never gave up on you, i know she said something along those lines im pretty sure, did you see the look she gave her at the end of s3? That was the look of "get the fuck out of my life i am done with you" and in s4 there was nothing between them? did they even interact past that one ep were c@tra tried to kill Adora?

I have a lot more i can rant about with the rest of s5 (like the i have always loved you. Like no????? Trying to kill someone, drugging them, and fucking with their other relationships (like that fuckin FLASHBACK IN CORRIDORS GOD THAT IS THE WORSE FUCKIN SCENE(s) IN ALL OF S/POP) is not love, it's ABUSE! but yeaaaaaahhhhhhh. Save the cat is one of the worse eps because it goes against everything we saw and allows for an abusive relationship to be canon

And i say this all as a queer sapphic and someone who has dealt with abuse

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Ep 21

Note: I will be critical of Jiang Cheng in these posts. If you can’t handle that, please feel free to scroll on.

I really like this hug. I mean, if you've been reading these from the beginning, you know how much I love wangxian, but I'm really glad that Wei Ying's first actual hug after returning from the Burial Mounds is with Jiang Yanli. I'm not counting the hug with Jiang Cheng, because Wei Ying didn't hug him back. That hug was thrust upon him and he did not reciprocate. This reunion is very sweet, and tear-filled, and if I hadn't been up since 3 am, I might be feeling enough to shed a tear, myself. That being said, it's hilarious how they keep showing Jiang Cheng in the middle, looking awkward as he tries to balance joy and sadness. I get what the director had in mind, but it just looks weird lol.

But this part is also super sad, because Wei Ying again makes a promise he can't keep: that the three of them will be together forever. Now, I realize that if you hadn't read the novel or weren't familiar with the story, you should already know from the first two episodes that things do not turn out well for the three of them. However, if you're like me and have the memory of a goldfish, you probably didn't realize who everyone was in the first two episodes and even if you did, you've already forgotten long ago that Jiang Cheng was pissy and angry around Wei Wuxian and that Wei Wuxian's inner monologue reveals to us that JIang Yanli is dead. All that being said, his line about staying together forever hits a lot differently when you're very aware of how the story turns out, because Jiang Yanli dies, Jiang Cheng grows to hate Wei Wuxian more and more every day, and Wei Wuxian, of course, defects to save the Wens from slaughter. I think "let's stay together forever" is something you say and mean, but something that you know can't ever truly be. I think Jiang Yanli is old and wise enough to know that she will eventually marry and leave Lotus Pier, even though she will resist it for a while. The rest is uncertain, but I think at this point, Wei Wuxian really does believe and want to stay with the Yunmeng siblings and to stay at Jiang Cheng's side as he leads the Yunmeng Jiang Sect.

I will never not be heartbroken by this scene--even knowing how everything turns out--by how Lan Wangji looks at Wei Wuxian, how if things had been different in Yiling, he would have gone into that room and greeted him, how Wei Wuxian would have smiled at him and beckoned him inside, how they would have sat and Wei Wuxian would have talked Lan Wangji's ear off, like old friends. It's just so upsetting to me, and I can't ever shake that feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know what happens, but these two episodes, until they reconcile, really get to me. It's a horrible feeling when you want to help someone, but they don't see it as helping, and they only get upset with you. I deal with that on an almost daily basis, and I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. I really identify with Lan Wangji here, and I think that's why I get such a visceral reaction to seeing him like this.

I don't know if I've said this, but Lan Wangji is my favorite character in CQL and in every adaptation of this story. He is kind of my perfect character--he checks off all the boxes: one-sided love, pining, standing by the main character no matter what, practically abandoning his own family for the person he loves. I love that he has an almost child-like innocence, but he's still very wise; he's smart; he's strong; he has a strict moral code and he sticks to it without fail, even if it means going against his friends and family; he's a loner, but he loves deeply. When I first started watching the donghua and reading the novel, I liked Wei Wuxian the best, and he's still my second favorite character, but Lan Wangji has stolen my heart.

Of course, Wei Wuxian goes to this awkward dinner party, after spending three months around ghosts (and then killing a shit-ton of Wen soldiers), and all he can think about is that empty seat behind him, the one where Lan Wangji should be sitting. It's interesting how the Yunmeng siblings each react: Jiang Yanli starts to become concerned and commits it to memory. She's probably wondering why Lan Wangji isn't there, and then seeing how Wei Wuxian wistfully stares at the empty seat, she finds it even more unsettling. Jiang Cheng just seems embarrassed by Wei Wuxian here and his motivation is to get Wei Wuxian back on track so he doesn't make fools of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect in front of the other leaders. He obviously knows what happened between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, and I don't think he's bothered by it at all. He doesn't seem to care whether they're friends or not, and I'd say that even at this point, he'd prefer if Lan Wangji stayed out of Wei Wuxian's life altogether. He knows how close they were, and I think he also knows that Wei Wuxian would choose Lan Wangji over him if given that ultimatum. With Lan Wangji out of the picture, Jiang Cheng gets to maintain more control over Wei Wuxian than he otherwise would. Even later on at Lotus Pier, he wants Wei Wuxian around, helping him, being his right-hand man. He doesn't want him wandering around the city or galavanting off with other cultivators. Granted Wei Wuxian was drinking at the time, but I don't think that invalidates my point that Jiang Cheng wants Wei Wuxian to stay in line and stay at his side where he can control him. You know, because he sees the relationship (as Wei Wuxian suggested) as the same as their two fathers: where Wei Wuxian is in a subservient role to Jiang Cheng. Mind you, that's different from seeing him as a brother, and I think, while there's some of that mixed into his other feelings, it's a very small portion.

No screenshot, but the following scene, after Wei Wuxian leaves the dinner party, Jiang Cheng follows him out. And even here, he asks what's wrong--asks if he's upset because of Lan Wangji--but then scoffs at how that could really be what's bothering him. He says something like, "Why did you come here just to be disliked by him?" I think while he gets that they have a close bond, he doesn't really understand the depth of the relationship. He's jealous of Lan Wangji, but doesn't fully understand why. Ultimately, I think Jiang Cheng, because of his parents and the way he was raised, really doesn't understand what it's like to have a good relationship with anyone. And this ignorance isn't his fault--he's a product of his parents and surroundings, and no one, including himself, has ever tried to fix this. So, without being able to really understand how relationships work, he scoffs at how Wei Wuxian could still be upset over what happened with Lan Wangji. Jiang Cheng essentially gave Wei Wuxian what he wanted in that moment, which was unconditional support to carry out his revenge, and yet Wei Wuxian is hung up on Lan Wangji not being supportive there, and in fact being in opposition to him. Jiang Cheng doesn't even really have friends, so he thinks Wei Wuxian should just get over Lan Wangji and move on with his life, but it's not that simple. Lan Wangji isn't just an acquaintance, he's not just someone that Wei Wuxian partnered up with to fight a battle or carry out a mission--he's a soulmate, a kindred spirit (if you want to go down a less romantic route).

I rarely can say anything bad about Jiang Yanli (except how she's almost always making soup), and here's another example: Chenqing. She's so far the only one who supports Wei Wuxian having a first class spiritual tool. She immediately shows interest in the flute, even encourages him to give it a name. Lan Wangji immediately sees the flute as something bad, while she's completely supportive. And this is really what Wei Wuxian needs right now, and I love her for being there. She's also about the only person he will genuinely smile around. He gives everyone else forced or fake smiles, but not Yanli. At this moment, I think he only wants to be with her, and I can't really blame him when everyone else is either opposing him or just wanting something out of him. She really is coming from a place of sympathy and comfort that's different from how the others are handling things. Lan Wangji wants to help, yes, but he tries to force it.

Imagine being in this room, listening to Jin Zixun (I'm not even sure if that's his name lol) trash talk Wei Wuxian, wanting to say something in his defense, but being unable to, not just because it's not your place to do so, but also because you're not even sure if you can defend him anymore. I think Jiang Cheng is struggling with the same. He stands up to Jin Zixun, finally getting him to shut up by saying that it's a domestic affair for the Jiang Clan and none of his fucking business, but Jiang Cheng also struggles to find excuses for Wei Wuxian. And that would certainly be difficult, because Wei Wuxian is somewhat like a stranger now. He's similar, but he's not the same Wei Wuxian that Jiang Cheng grew up with. He's really a shadow of his former self. But Lan Wangji has the added bonus of not being able to speak on his behalf because he's not even in the same clan--who is he to defend Wei Wuxian? He can't even stand with the others at the table (can't or won't, I'm not sure), so he certainly can't speak to Wei Wuxian's honor in front of all the other leaders. I'm sure the conversation back in Yiling is still running through his mind: this is a Jiang Clan affair--and to have that repeated again to someone else. That very much puts Lan Wangji in the "other" position. He's not in Wei Wuxian's clan, therefore, it's none of his business. He should care about him. He shouldn't try to protect him. He shouldn't try to guide him. But the problem is he still cares deeply about Wei Wuxian, and he wants to help him and protect him and guide him.

These scenes are always hard to watch for me (thank god for the special edition cut). It's really hard to watch the clans doing to the Wens what the Wens have done to the other clans. As if war wasn't already terrible enough, you also have what happens to the prisoners of war. In this case, Wen Qing's sect are all healers and have little to do with the war that the rest of the Wen Clan was waging on the other cultivation clans. However, they are still treated as enemies and imprisoned. It's difficult to watch the other clans, who you want to root for, making the same mistakes and transgressions as the Wens, who we are supposed to look at as the proper enemies in the story.

As we've seen a few times in this episode already, Wei Wuxian is having trouble controlling all the negative energy that's surging through him and the Yin iron, and on some of those occasions, he's touched his old wound. As he does this here, everyone looks at him, but he just looks at Lan Wangji. This is the person he cares most about in this room, the person whose heart his closest to his. I have nothing profound to say--I just like it.

And of course Lan Wangji looks right back at him. He knows Wei Wuxian best, even better than his own "brother", Jiang Cheng. He knows what happened in Xuanwu Cave, he saw the effect the sword had on him. I feel like each time they exchange glances, they are both crying out to each other, but Wei Wuxian is too stubborn to ask for help and Lan Wangji doesn't want to force the issue and strain their relationship further.

The way Lan Wangji hesitates here before saying, "I don't know," kills me. To him, it's just further proof of how Wei Wuxian is getting farther and farther from him, how the chasm between them just keeps growing. He's upset here. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to force Wei Wuxian to do anything--that's against his clan rules, but more importantly, against his own ethics--yet he doesn't want to stand by and do nothing while his friend destroys himself. I think we see Lan Wangji as a character who always knows what to do, someone who always knows the right path, but here we see how that's not true at all. This is a man who is very smart, very clever, but who is also unsure of himself. He's struggling with what's right and wrong. And he consults his brother here, hoping to get a clear answer, so that he'll know what to do next, but he gets nothing of the sort.

It would have been easier for Lan Wangji if his brother has simply said, "Wei Wuxian is wrong and an enemy," but of course he's more wise than that. Nothing is black and whit, and humans cannot be judged for what's on the surface. You have to look deep inside a person, know their intentions, and then you can judge if they are doing what's right or wrong. The problem is Lan Wangji doesn't know Wei Wuxian's intentions. Months ago, he know Wei Wuxian wanted to defend the weak, protect people who couldn't protect themselves, and live by such a just moral code. But now Wei Wuxian seems like a stranger, has murdered many, many people, and has taken cruel revenge upon Wen Chao and Wang Lingjao.

What I've noticed in this episode is that Wei Wuxian will look at Lan Wangji, but he always averts his eyes fairly quickly. It's as if he's afraid if they make eye contact for too long, he'll be letting Lan Wangji in, which he does not want to do under any circumstances. Letting Lan Wangji in means admitting what's going on as well as opening up Lan Wangji to danger. Wei Wuxian does not want anyone else getting hurt or dying because of him, so it's better to reject everyone and focus on his own clan.

Honey, I'd walk away too. It's hard to tell if Lan Wangji is about to cry or about to punch Wei Wuxian in the mouth--either one would have been excellent, but I'm leaning towards the latter. Lan Wangji had to answer Jiang Yanli. She met him by chance, but it was she who initiated the conversation. Of course, angst rules being what they are, we had to have a misunderstanding a la Wei Wuxian walking into the conversation midway and making the asinine assumption that Lan Wangji was just breaking his confidence by telling her EVERYTHING. Of course, anyone who knows Lan Wangji knows he'd never do such a thing. But when Wei Wuxian's shijie comes to him, voicing her concern and asking about him, he has no choice but to empathize with her and tell her what he knows.

I really like this little exchange. Reliving the fight on the rooftop, before they were acquainted, before they were friends--before Lan Wangji fell for him. This time when he attacks, it's not about malice, it's not about breaking the rules and bringing liquor into the Cloud Recesses--it's a man, looking at the one he loves, scared out of his mind, worried that that man is going to destroy his mind and body, using a taboo cultivation method. This fight is a love letter, as far as I'm concerned. It's an act of desperation.

Also I fucking love that around four or five people have asked Wei Wuxian where Suibian is, and each time he makes up a lie: he forgot it, he isn't in the mood, he didn't bother to bring it. But when Lan Wangji asks him, he doesn't respond. He doesn't lie, he doesn't laugh it off--whatever he does, Lan Wangji will know that he's lying, and Wei Wuxian knows that.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Or just check out the #CQL Rewatch hashtag

[yume-fanfare]

wonder egg priority has a lot of unreliable narrators:

(spoilers under the cut, a long explanation/thoughts on neiru, ep 11 and ep 12 and some theories. feel free to add on! this got long lol)

all we know about neiru's sister, who supposedly stabbed her and then killed herself, was told to us by neiru, who had been told so at the icu.

we have barely seen her statue. and neiru is essentially lab-made, we do not even know what exactly constitutes as a sister. she doesn't know her parents, her sister was not mentioned at all in her focus episode, nor does she appear in the ed like the other statue girls

for all we know, maybe she didn't even have one and:

she was lied to at the icu

she was implanted fake memories

she lied to us

point 1 is the easy solution, and point 2 is included because i think it's possible, given japan plati's impressive technology. but, in the end, they mean the same thing: they position her as on "our side", a deceived girl. she was born with a purpose, for a reason, with a mission to accomplish since the beginning, and she has been raised for that.

neiru, kinda like the accas, grew up under watch, and was essentially treated like an experiment during her childhood. they can even see her Dreams, i don't think she has much privacy. even if she is the president of the company (interesting, her business card said vice-president), she may not have that much power. she is a child, after all, prodigy or not

point 3, however, is interesting, as i've seen people point out her growing resemblance to koito, the person ai is fighting for. neiru was the first girl to be introduced to us, and it looked like she'd been fighting longer than ai, yet she has not finished yet (it's interesting, really, how they're completing their missions in reverse order). neiru also knew about japan plati's involvement but didn't say anything. i don't (want to) think she's Malicious, but there may be something weird going on with her

so, in my opinion, i lean more towards points 1) & 2), but who knows

-

episode 11: the entirety of frill's story is told by ura-acca

now, i don't think i have to explain why ura-acca is unreliable. the accas have been suspicious since the beginning, filling a kyubey sort of role in the story, the ones who drove the girls to fight

so, they are unreliable narrators. they're sexist, and have odd views on the world (the comment on girls and boys suicides). neiru called them out on the suicide thing on an earlier draft, we know their words are not to be taken as truths

truth is, we don't know if frill killed acca's wife. ura-acca couldn't possibly know either, he wasn't there. we don't know about himari either, much less about all the other girls frill supposedly "tempted to death"

many others have pointed this out: the accas are looking for someone to blame, to try and make sense of a tragedy. i don't think frill has a "magic button" that she can just press and make people kill themselves. she could also just be a metaphor, too, to symbolize a death wish. but, what is a fact is that, as they've said, there isn't a link between the suicides, other than "it Must have been frill because people don't kill themselves", which is the accas' opinion, not a fact

and well, i have watched Bad anime where the conflict was, indeed, that the villain could magically make people kill themselves, but said anime was bad since the beginning, you know

the whole "someone to blame" appears with the wonder killers too. it's not like there was one single thing that drove them to the edge. ai 2 was bullied at school, sawaki isn't the Only problem she had. if he disappeared her problems would still be there, just minus one. kotobuki didn't actively kill herself, she died because of an experiment, so her reaction to seeing her wonder killer was just "huh, yeah, i guess this is the guy that annoyed me the most". the idol fans from the 3rd episode were following another person, the girl who saw ghosts wasn't antagonized by a single person. however, this is the system set up by the accas, because they think it works.

i think everything, eggs and statues, are an artificial environment that can be set up just by pushing a button, because that's how they think frill did it

and why do they do it?

there has to be an ulterior motive. even if they are deluded and truly doing it "for himari", whatever it is that they think they'll achieve, there has to be a more clear explanation or they wouldn't have gotten that many other people into it. someone pointed out, at the end of kotobuki's episode, that it looked like they had made her neiru's wonder egg so she'd turn off kotobuki's life support, and, it could be. they're also, well, mannequins, that's a huge thing we don't know about yet. at first i thought maybe it was some research on immortality, but i'm not so sure about that anymore

kotobuki's case is very interesting. it's the first one that heavily implies the egg was especially made. kotobuki had been monitorized her entire life, so wouldn't be too hard to turn her into an ia, input her personality into an algorithm and tune it in neiru's dream.

so, who's to say all the other kids weren't like that too. none of the girls knew them to say "hey, they're acting different than usual". i think the accas took them from news reports about suicides and inputted them into the program, in neat little folders, one in relation to each of the girls. ai 2 could have been made simply out of their regular monitorizing of her since the beginning

and, how do the girls who committed suicide come back to life? do they really. do they really. we Still don't know if they really do and it's interesting that they still haven't shown us

-

episode 12: mr sawaki and the dream worlds

the conclusion i got from ai and the wonder killer's battle was that that sawaki, like all the other elements in that dream (koito), were all ai's perception

the wonder killers are cartoonized and exaggerated versions of the real person they're modelled after. sawaki wouldn't say out loud all those things, he's not stupid, and neither did any of the other wonder killers actually say All of That to the victims.

the entire monologue, thus, as ai points out, was supposed to be all in her head. because the fishy things she'd seen were all from her point of view, and she hadn't actually seen him do anything wrong, so maybe she had misunderstood, and that's why she gives her mother her blessings in the end, because he's actually a nice man

things like momoe saying he rescues cats, and seeing a creepy shot of a Lot of cats instead of a tender one of him holding a kitten, were all ai's image of him

so, all of it was supposed to be just an unreliable narrator

now, i, personally, don't like this. the aged-up painting titled latent heat is plain creepy and kinda gross. and that was a real-life Fact, unaltered. someone said that maybe ai was being naive, but episode 12 is a bit late for that

so. mr sawaki redemption arc. how we feeling folks.

please feel free to tell me your thoughts about this! i'd love to hear them, maybe i'm just being too sceptic lol

[tameila]

So, I know that obviously now that TLOVM is out with three episodes, where do you think they're taking Pike's story arc in his season. Obviously, they didn't have a lot to draw from due to Ashley's absences from the lives how and there was the notion that they had to change some things around in order to fully flesh out the Briarwood Arc to evolve the entry of VM.

The love of my life deserves some good angst.

(also this is probably me being indulgent but what if they somehow incorporated something within the arc that involves Pike's first death? Like they're fighting The Briarwoods or something and one of them summons a monster and said monster grabs pike and it cuts to like a quick-PTSD induced flashback of Pike's first death with the Glabrezel??? AND WE GET A PIKELAN MOMENT BECAUSE OF IT???? my soul would ascend)

first of all, I would love that! I am here for all and any Pikelan content. I feel so blessed that we are currently averaging a moment per episode. I know that's probably not going to stick so I'm going to savor it while I can! Us pikelans deserve this.

that being said, my impression from 1) what they set up in ep 3 and 2) what's laid out in the soundtrack, it sounds like they're probably going to do a mix of the early Underdark "there's a crack in Pike's holy symbol" drama and the canonical, in stream Briarwoods arc where Pike was gone for part of it but had a triumphant return.

so, to summarize: Because of the crack in her holy symbol caused by Delilah's necromancy magic, Pike's connection with The Everlight will be severed. It's the nature of a support to put all their worth into how useful they are to their party. We already know this to be true of Pike. With her powers "gone", Pike will spiral and take time away from the party to reconnect with her goddess. Eventually, she will have a triumphant return during battle through the undead in Whitestone and will score a poetic, light-filled shot at Delilah. and hopefully, there will be many great Pikelan moments to be found!

like, I know we're probably not gonna get a Pikelan reunion that lives up to the giddy, toe-curling sweetness of ep 32 ("Hey, baby!" "Hi!!" "It's been so long! Man, you look good." "Hey, thanks!" "Aw man. I'm so distracted by your beauty. Let's kick some ass together, shall we?" "Let's kick some ass! Come on, let's go!!") ...but a girl can dream...

[willgrahymn]

Hey Virgilius. What’re your opinions on the popular SPOP episode Save The Cat and the very cool VLD episode The Black Paladins? Also can I kiss you directly on the mouth??

I’m so glad you asked >:) and yes you may receive a kissy.

SO I have many, many emotions about Save The Cat and The Black Paladins (and catradora/sheith parallels overall) and many, many screenshots to go with it ASDLKJH

Listen, if your best friend who you may or may not be yearning for hasn’t been captured by the leader of a genocidal alien empire leading you to fly across the universe in an ancient-tech alien ship to get them back, and then be forced to fight them while they’re being mind controlled because said leader of genocidal alien empire knows how much you mean to one another is it even really love?

Okok actually infodumping, I’m putting this under a cut because I KNOW it’s gonna get long (spoiler: it did, and I spent hours going over this).

So from that description alone you Probably have an idea of what the fuck is going on for both eps. There’s a lot of similarities, even down to the lines between the characters.

Okok small things, maybe not that big of a deal, right? But they just keep coming.

They both take a route of trying to get the other to give in as to end the pain–

Even the parts where Catra and Shiro break out of the mind control for a bit hurts me.

Shit, man, they even both get electrocuted,,,

And that part when Catra falls to her (presumable) death and Adora jumps after her? Keith chooses to fall with Shiro after realizing he can’t save them both, even if it means dying and risking the safety of the universe.

Both pairs also have their own little things about not giving up on each other (which is also where I have to start bringing up more episodes for this discussion).

Right at the start of season 3 after Shiro’s gone missing and presumed dead, Keith tells the rest of the team that "Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me, I won't give up on him." Later, at the start of season 7, he begs Shiro to stay alive because he can’t bare to lose him again. Meanwhile when Adora is dying, Catra begs her to live and says: "You can't give up. You have never given up on anything in your life. Not even on me." And it’s this love that’s able to give the other the will to survive. As Adora is dying, Catra tells her she loves her, and when Adora survives she tells Catra she loves her too, and they kiss. When Shiro wakes up, he tells Keith that he was dreaming and that he saved him, to which Keith responds telling Shiro “We saved each other.” and he leans in before pulling Shiro into a hug.

It’s also worth noting that before these scenes, Adora is dreaming of a future with Catra while Shiro is dreaming of his past with Keith. It’s during all these flashbacks that we meet Shiro’s ex-boyfriend, Adam, who the producers admitted was meant to parallel Shiro’s relationship with Keith. Where Adam failed to support Shiro and was willing to give up on him, Keith supported him the whole way through.

At some point, Adora did have to give up on Catra – at least in terms of trying to make her change. I don’t think Adora ever doubted that Catra was capable of being good, but I do think she was right to not make it her responsibility to see that through. Either way, the reunion after Catra and Shiro are both revived after their battles are very sweet (and bonus points for Keith and Adora both having the “we’re going home” line during their scenes).

There are other little things too, like how Keith gets Kosmo, a cosmic wolf that can teleport, and Catra gets Melog, a magic cat that responds to her emotions and can turn invisible that I just think are neat.

“All she ever wanted was you.” from the original Save The Cat script and “Your friend desperately wants to see you right now.” in The Blade of Marmora hit me right in the chest every time I think of them. Also the way other characters perceive their relationships and try to use it as a weakness, like how Horde Prime states that Adora means something to Catra, and Haggar points out that Keith’s connection to Shiro is deeper than any of the other paladin’s.

 Anyway, they both mean a fuck-ton to me in terms of representation (even if Voltron’s writing got fucked over in the end). That said, thank you for coming to my TED Talk, I had fun with this KSJDCH I leave you with two of my favorite moments:

[heartachebf]

16, 17 (Tweek), and 25 -Batz 🖤💜

fandom asks

16. favorite behind-the-scenes insight ive actually got 2 answers for this !! first off, i love the fact that kenny is based off a Real Life kid trey knew growing up, who was Also named kenny n wore an orange coat that nobody could hear him over And was the poorest kid in town. and i rly love that kyle is blatantly based off matt stone ^_^ i have a big gay crush on matt so obvi that makes kyle one of my favs

17. 3 things you love about [insert character]

1. the fact that he can play piano And sing And act ^_^ i love that artsy little dweeb so much 2. the fact that his tics slowly got better over the years... sobbing n wailing.... AND the fact that he barely tics when hes around craig.... love wins 3. i love that he can kick ass should he choose to ^_^ he could maim someone so easily and i think he deserves to bonus number 4 bc i love him so much. i love that he can bake ^_^ i like to think that he stress bakes and will try out new recipes n then he'll take what he baked to school to let his friends try ^_^ hes god tier actually

25. favorite episode of [insert season] u didnt specify which season, so ill give my favs of each season (below the cut bc this post is getting long) (id also probs do this even if u Did specify which season bc. peace and love)

s1: i cant pick between episode 7, black friday (bc i Love the feel of all the early halloween episodes) or episode 10, damien (bc damien supremacy ^_^ im forever obsessed w the fact that he, the son of satan, has a super high pitched voice)

s2: EPISODE 17, GNOMES !!!!! i think that was tweeks first introduction and as such, its my fav ^_^ i rly love his voice in that ep <3

s3: episode 5, tweek vs craig, bc duh ^_^ the beginning of an era <3 plus its proof that tweek is tough n doesnt need protecting

s4: either episode 6, cherokee hair tampons (bc i love how fiercely stan tries to help kyle + its revealed that kyle has diabetes ^_^ i will forever cry over the fact that stan didnt hesitate to offer his kidney to save kyles life) or episode 8, something you can do with your finger (bc i love their silly little boy band + i love wendy joining their boy band + kyle wanting to be the tough one of the band + randy backstory/him being a lil insane but in a funny way)

s5: episode 3, super best friends ^_^ the origin of stan n kyle being super best friends ^_^ i also kinda love episode 10, how to eat with your butt, bc kenny is very endearing in it And we finally get to see what kyles hair looks like <3

s6: either episode 9, free hat, or episode 11, child abduction is not funny bc theres so much excellent tweek content ^_^ i also like ep11 bc of how dumb the parents are in that one, thats always amusing

s7: either episode 8, south park is gay (the fact that everyone was acting a lil fruity ^_^ gay rights ^_^ and also kyle rejecting dressing fruity and getting made fun of for that. so funny considering the fact that he Is gay, i prommy, kyle told me himself) or episode 14, raisins (bc butters was very sweet that episode + goth stan was introduced ^_^)

s8: omg this ones so hard to pick. i love episode 4, you got f'd in the a, bc stan having to get in a dance battle??? comedy gold. i love episode 6, the jeffersons, bc we stan n kyle being dads to blanket, gay ptide. and then i also love episode 11, quest for ratings, bc i love the guys having their own news team And i love that craig had a show dedicated to just showing cute animals. dork craig rights

s9: episode 10, follow that egg ... more silly little stan n kyle content ... stan gets rly fruity here and im obsessed w it. that whole episode gives me silly little au ideas ^_^

s10: episode 14, stanleys cup. froths at the mouth. that one anon of mine, hockey fic anon? theyre writing a silly little fic based off an au of That episode ^_^ that ep is so quality

s11: goes insane. episode 8, le petit tourette bc i loved seeing cartman in anguish + dork craig content. episodes 10, 11, and 12 aka the imaginationland trilogy bc. god. just so good. i cant even explain it. episode 13, guitar queer-o bc it gives me Another great au idea + stan n kyle are fruity in it. and finally, episode 14, the list, bc there was lots of good wendy content And kyle got a little unhinged ^_^ as he deserves <3

s12: this is another one where its so hard to pick... episode 1, tonsil trouble, bc kyle got to go in attack mode again. episode 3, major boobage, bc we got silly little kenny content ^_^ episode 9, breast cancer show ever, bc thats when wendy beat the shit out of cartman <3 episodes 10 and 11, pandemic and pandemic 2, bc. craig content ^_^ and also ive already talked on my blog abt how its the best 2 parter ever. and episode 13, elementary school musical, bc stans gang was particularly goofy n their musical number was so fun ^_^

s13: episode 8, dead celebrities, bc kyle and ike content!!! i love them so much!!! and also episode 11, whale whores, bc stan Attacked And Killed all for the love of animals, n i love him for it

s14: episodes 11, 12, and 13, tha superhero episodes ^_^ i loved getting to see everyones superhero costumes in action And we got to learn more abt kennys immortality, which was so exciting !!

s15: episodes 7 and 8, youre getting old and ass burgers. starts sniffling and crying and collapses on the floor while sobbing. thats all i have to say about that, peace and love

s16: episode 5, butterballs (bc stan is so! hes just so !!! yknow. the anti bullying song in it is So good, And i live for butters standing up for himself ^_^ also the song at the end is god tier), episode 6, i never shouldve gone ziplining (its so fuckn funny, and i live for the live action bit at the end), and episode 11, going native (bc of that sweet, sweet butters n kenny content ^_^ i also live for butters Attacking in it)

s17: episode 4, goth kids 3: dawn of the posers. probably my fav goth kids centric episode ^_^ its so good n funny

s18: episode 3, the cissy. starts sniffling and crying again, but this time in transgender mode. i also love episode 6, freemium isnt free bc we get another Glimpse into stans issues w addiction ^_^ peace and love on planet earth

s19: episode 6, tweek x craig. love wins, gay ptide, etc etc

s20: um. i actually kinda hated this season. but ig if i Had to choose one, itd be episode 10, the end of serialization as we know it, bc it finally ended that season ^_^ no offense to any s20 stans out there, i just thought it was so boring

s21: episode 2, put it down. tweek n craig content, gay ptide ^_^ this is also the one where we learned that tweek can sing, play piano, And bake, and we also got to see craig learn how to support tweek better, which was very sweet ^_^

s22: episode 10, bike parade. i didnt super love this season either, so its kinda a case of picking the one i wasnt bored with. plus in a way it kinda felt like one of the original episodes, it was like a lil blast from the past !

s23: episode 2, band in china ^_^ we got stans band, crimson dawn !! it was great learning more abt how stan felt abt having to move to a farm, plus butters ripping it on a guitar was so funny. and then randy did stuff too idk

s24: this season has just been the 2 specials so far, but i liked the vaccination special, episode 2 the best ^_^ bc 1, the brovorce arc started, n im rly excited to see what happens with that. and also the way it ended left me hopeful that maybe the shows gonna go back to the way it used to be a little bit <3 i also liked how we saw stan gettin really mentally ill with freaking out over the pandemic, but that mightve been in the first episode instead...

[ladyc0312]

A Jikook Guide to Run! BTS: 1-20

Hi all! Welcome to part one of my overview of all jikook moments in Run! BTS and Run BEHIND. 

My biggest takeaway from these early episodes is that BH didn't quite know how to make a good variety show yet. Some of the set-ups are awkward and the guys are clearly still getting used to being on camera in this format. The jikook moments aren’t as frequent or obvious. As we go on, expect less “they look at each other in a maybe meaningful way” and more “then he sat down in his lap...” That said, this set of episodes includes both the priest skit and the cops skit, so if you’re into role-play, this was your era of Run!

Episode Guide under the cut, to avoid both spoilers and taking up half your dash...

UPDATED PER THE SUGGESTIONS OF SOME LOVELY COMMENTERS. THANK YOU ALL! New content in bold. 

FYI: When you don’t see “BEHIND” descriptions or photos, it means there were no notable jikook moments. I’ve given each ep a general rating and a special Jikook-ery rating, both out of 5. YMMV!

Ep 1  (n/a)

The one that’s just a commercial for the V app

Ep 2 “The Greatest Man” (Ep: 3 / KM: 1)

The one with the most homoerotic series of challenges I’ve ever seen to prove who’s the “best” man

6:28 - Jimin TWICE randomly announces during musical chairs that JK will win 

Not ikook-specific, but FYI, Jungkook REALLY likes being tickled. If you want a vague idea of what the beginnings of an OT7 orgy might look like, the scene at 2:09 is for you! And if you’re curious what each member looks like putting on lipstick and holding their mouths open, check out 4:24. 

Ep 3  “Theme Park” (Ep: 1 / KM: 1)

The one at Six Flags that’s not worth watching unless you enjoy shaky camera footage of people screaming on roller coasters

5:44 - When Jimin is proud of himself for having ridden a coaster, JK goes to say something to him but keeps glancing at the camera self-consciously.  

6:19 - With the camera further away, JK and JM talk with each other while waiting on line

7:06 - JK fast-walks to get to JM and then leans on JM’s shoulder to check the post-ride pictures

Ep 4  “30 Second Gate” (Ep: 1 / KM: 0.5)

The one where they do fairly boring challenges in a pool

5:26 - There’s a super brief instant of JK looking over at Jimin while shyly tugging on his shirt collar. Prob not even worth being noted as a moment, but JK looks so adorable that I’m including it anyway

Ep 5  “100 Seconds Sports Day” (Ep: 1 / KM: 1)

The one with a rather repetitive relay game

5:56 - JM playfully throws a milk carton at JK when JK fails to complete his task

7:53 - JK does some “teleporting” where he goes from being behind Suga in one shot to next to JM in the following one. He stays next to JM the whole rest of the time they’re mixing the drink. 

Ep 6 “Sketch: Confession” (Ep: 2 / KM: 4)

The priest sketch that launched a thousand AUs...

3:30 - Jungkook comes in to “confess his sins” to Jimin, who is playing a priest and calls him “darling.” JK confesses to using Jin’s razor while also claiming to be the eldest in BTS. Jimin tells him that he’s so handsome, it must be that he’s blessed by God and can be forgiven for most things. Jimin tells JK to give him a hug to get forgiveness for his sins. As they hug, both are smiling and the onscreen text tells us how happy Jimin is and puts a little heart next to his face during the hug. Jimin strokes JK’s cheek after and it seems to make JK a little shy. Jimin calls out “bye, darling” as he leaves, then calls him “cutie” for the camera.  For comparison’s sake, Jimin hits V on the forehead and makes J-Hope do 50 push-ups to earn forgiveness. He hugs J-Hope at the end of it and the difference between how that hug feels versus the one with JK is clear as day.

Ep 6pt2 “Sketch: Confession” (Ep: 2 / KM: 0 )

None (neither appear in this episode)

Ep 7 “Paintball” (Ep: 1 / KM: 1)

The one that reminds you paintball is more fun to play than to watch

I’ll be honest, guys, between the masked helmets they’re wearing and the constant cutting around, I cannot follow the paintball games in this episode at all. I’m going to go out on a limb and say nothing particularly shippy happens during them. 

9:54 - JK picks up Jimin from behind and bounces him around for a while (we don’t know how long because the camera cuts before he’s done). It will be revealed in ep. 10 that this is part of JK’s secret mission, which is to get Jimin to say “please stop.” However, despite Jimin not looking thrilled at all the bouncing around, he doesn’t tell JK to stop.

Ep 8 “Treasure Hunt” (Ep: 2 / KM: 2)

The one where they run or ride ATVs to find flags in the woods

1:15 - Jimin says out of nowhere that he thinks JK is going to be running and tells him to be careful not to bump into anyone (I think - the subs are a little weird on this one).

13:09 - JK tries to take one of JM’s meal ticket flags. JM refuses and claims JK called him “trash.” JK (kind of?) denies this and throws his one flag on the ground in frustration. J-Hope grabs it and JK sulks a bit because he’s left with nothing. 

13:33 - Jimin reverses course and gives JK one of his flags. JK is delighted. RM asks why (apparently he, Jimin, and V had a deal to share their flags?) and Jimin just responds that Jungkook is very cute (which the on-screen texts puts a heart next to).  Jimin ends up giving a flag to V, too, but he makes him beg like a dog first. 

14:16 - Jimin calls JK over and gives him a brief hug / pat on the back

Ep 9 “Bungee Jump” (Ep: 1 / KM: 0.5)

The one where it is what it says on the tin

11:25 - Some jikookers have reported hearing JK say an un-captioned “pretty” here (sounds like yebbeo or yeebeun in Korean). I’ll be totally honest that I can’t really make it out, but I will put this note here in case others with better ears than mine want to check it out!

13:59 - JM has his arm around JK at the start of the shot here

Ep 10 “Spy for Silmido Island” (Ep: 2 / KM: 2)

The one where everyone eats a meal as they learn how JK has been doing secret missions the last three episodes

6:16 - JK explains that he failed his mission to get Jimin to say, “please stop.” We see flashbacks of JK trying - in addition to the above picking JM up, JK also pulled on his hair and gave him a shoulder rub (there is no explanation for why he thought that would be something JM would tell him to stop), and spraying him with a water bottle.  The main jikook takeaway from this and the confession episode seems to be that JM will let JK get away with anything because he think he’s cute. 

7:00 - We see that JM inadvertently made JK fail his mission to feed the camera man because, when JK held out food, JM got JK to feed him instead

Ep 11 "Back to School" (Ep: 3 / KM: 1)

The one where Suga dresses as a girl and gets hit on by the rest of the band

21:28 - Despite Jimin doing nothing but smiling in the sketch, JK says he's the day's MVP and is weirdly sincere about it

24:05 - YMMV on jeon-lous, but he does indeed do the tongue thing here when JM is flirting with girl-Yoongi

Ep 12 "Cops" (Ep: 4 / KM: 4)

The police sketch that launched ten thousand AUs...

6:46 - "Detective" Jungkook pulls "criminal" Jimin away by his collar 8:41 - After Jimin acts cute and says he's bored, JK comes over and slaps his upper thigh before throwing Jimin over his shoulder and slapping his butt. When JK puts him down, Jimin just looks at him with a dazed smile for a moment before they continue on with the sketch.

9:30 - Jimin tries to flirt his way out of of JK’s interrogation, which JK says is for “setting fire to ARMY’s hearts with his smiling eyes.”

10:25 - After a brief interuption by “Captain” Suga, the interrogation starts having flirty vibes again, with JK smirking and making eye contact while Jimin acts bashful and speaks in a whispery voice. 

11:00 - JK holds a fake gun on JM as he starts his “Lie” dance, during which he directs finger hearts towards JK. The camera focuses on JM and, by the time it shows JK again, he’s lowered the gun and put his other hand over his heart. The on-screen text says “Detective Jeon’s heart is attacked.”

12:55 - JM and JK switch roles so JM is the detective. He hits JK over the head with a book. JK has basically no visible reaction, but JM has clearly flustered himself. 

Note: To explain my reasoning for these originally not being here - if you look at the other skits in this ep, they are all accusing each other of doing things to ARMY’s hearts and being weirdly flirty with each other. Like, this police station has some serious sexual harassment issues all around! That said, the vibes are unique with jikook and, upon rewatch, I came to agree with y’all that the above should’ve been included. 19:30 - Alternate version of the sketch where Jimin and JK have a dance battle that ends in both of them being put in the jail cell and told to dance.

BEHIND  0:58 - Jimin flirt-ily calls out "I'm bored; play with me, Detective" (presumably to JK since they're scene partners).  Note: Adults saying they "played" with each other is a common way to describe hanging out in Korean and doesn't necessarily have the sexual connotations it does in English. 

4:08 - Jimin stares at JK as he does squats

Ep 13 "The Spy Who Returned Part 1" (Ep: 4 / KM: 2)

The ones where they play games at an indoor water park

1:00 - Jimin does an exaggerated running motion and JK slaps him to make him stop, which JM finds funny

1:43 - JM has his arm around JK 

6:00 - JK jokingly(?) tells JM his wet hair looks cool

11:12 - JM calls JK their team's ace and they whisper about who he should call out from the other team 

Ep 14 "The Spy Who Returned Part 2" (Ep: 3 / KM: 2)

16:04 - JM jokingly hits JK for getting the answer super wrong and then they go down the waterslide together. (Note: I've seen some jikook-ers claim JK messed up on purpose so the game wouldn't end and he'd get to ride with Jimin, but I'm not sure there's actual evidence to support that theory.)

The moment that led to the picture below isn’t in the ep or the BEHIND, but I raised the episode’s KM score a full point for it

Ep 15 "The Spy Who Returned Part 3" (Ep: 3 / KM: 2)

TW for this ep: 5:14 - during the confessions game, Jin tells Jimin that whenever Jimin asks if he put on weight, Jin wants to say he looks like a pig. Jimin claims to not be upset after, but looks like he's going to cry and seems off for a while. Then, at 10:45, Jin reiterates that Jimin "got fat." Everyone laughs except JK, who widens his eyes and then starts chewing on his finger.  

6:37 - Despite being on the same team as JK, Jimin joins J-Hope's complaints about JK coming to their room uninvited, saying that JK often brushes his teeth in their room. He accuses JK of buying the exact same toothbrush as Jimin’s and complains that they can’t tell them a part. JK says it wasn't him and then there's a weird cut to sometime later when Jimin is sitting back down again...  Just prior to this, Jimin is looking unhappy as Hobi tells a story about JK seeing him naked, but it’s hard to tell if he’s reacting to that or feeling upset about Jin’s weight comments from the previous round. 

16:02 - Jimin defends Jungkook against accusations that he's the spy

BEHIND 4:30 - Jimin sits on Jungkook's lap and, when he leans over to try to get Jin to give him food, JK puts his hand on JM's hip to steady him

Ep 16 "Snowpark Winter Olympics" (Ep: 4 / KM: 1)

The one where everyone plays winter games 

4:35 - When JM and JK are the finalists for the sledding round, JM thanks the viewers for their support. JK asks "what does that make me?" and yells/sings badly, which makes JM laugh. I don’t quite get it, tbh, but they seem to be enjoying themselves

14:50 - JK helps JM get his sled in place

BEHIND 3:02 - JK smiles as he gets pushed towards JM on the ice 

Ep 17 "Arcade Olympics Part 1" (Ep: 2 / JK: 2)

The ones where we are reminded that playing arcade games is more fun than watching people play them

All of this and next episode, whenever they all reshuffle positions, Jimin and Jungkook end up standing next to each other. This happens pretty frequently in Run BTS generally, but it was particularly noticeable in this ep since it's not like they're on the same team or anything...

4:16 - When Jimin does a dramatic DDR finish, JK calls attention to it. JM turns to him and they lock eyes for a second

15:00 - JK cheers Jimin's name when it looks like he's going to win the basketball game 

BEHIND

3:36 - JK & JM play a 4D game together Also, JK has an interesting mark on his neck on his right side that does not appear to be there in the episode itself...

Ep 18 "Arcade Olympics Part 2" (Ep: 2 / JK: 1)

3:30 - JK tries (unsuccessfully) to coach Jimin on the driving game

3:45 - JK stands up for Jimin and says he's getting the hang of the game

14:36 - JM & JK laugh together at RM's failure

19:58 - It's not super clear, but it sounds like JK calls JM "Jiminie" at the end of his sentence

Ep 19 "Strike" (Ep: 2 / JK: 1)

The one where BTS go bowling together and end up bowing down to JK

4:47 - JK shares that he and Jimin used to bowl together

---

If there’s anything I’ve missed or that anyone has different interpretations of, I’d love to hear it. 

More episodes coming soon! 

[ichika27]

The World Ends with You

(Yeah, it’s the same screenshot I used for my post about ep. 1. I couldn’t get a new one so...)

Ah, first week without the TWEWY anime to look forward to. I’m actually kinda sad cause I’d miss waiting for the episode every Saturday night (Ani-One posts theirs on that day here). I have some stuff I wanna say about the anime so I thought I’d make one of these plus this is a good way to end the twewy anime blog post series I make every week. I’ll try not to spoil until the very bottom of this post which will have a spoiler warning.

Also, this will be very long and rambly as most of my fandom posts are haha.

Story:

A boy named Neku wakes up in the middle of Shibuya with no memory and finds himself as a player in the Reaper’s Game. For a week he must partner up with a girl named Shiki and both of them must complete missions, battle creatures called noise, and survive as failure meant erasure.

Characters:

Neku Sakuraba - our main protagonist who somehow lost his memories and is now playing the Reaper’s Game. He’s a loner who isn’t too keen on getting close to anyone let alone working alongside anybody - unfortunately for him, it’s a requirement if he wants to survive. As a player he has an assortment of abilities to fight off noise and other enemies (in the game this meant he can use a lot of different pins).

Shiki Misaki - the nice and friendly Shiki becomes Neku’s partner in the Reaper’s Game. Unlike Neku she has knowledge of the game and fills Neku in on things he doesn’t understand. Her ability is to control her stuffed toy called Nyantan/Mr. Mew which she uses in combat.

Beat - the tough skateboarding player, he’s somewhat more like the typical hot-blooded shounen protagonist when compared to Neku. He’s protective of those he care about especially his game partner, Rhyme. He uses his skateboard in battle.

Rhyme - Beat’s game partner who is a lot kinder and calmer than him. Rhyme tends to be the one to reason with Beat when needed and the two are always seen together.

Yoshiya Kiryu - a mysterious boy who seem to know more than he lets on and acts at times acts suspicious. He prefers to be called by the nickname Joshua.

Sanae Hanekoma - a cafe owner who helps out Neku and the others and would give them advice. His advice prove to be very helpful and Neku takes them to heart. Seem to have a lot of knowledge about the Reaper’s Game but doesn’t seem to be a reaper himself.

--

Thoughts:

(I tried my best to not be spoilery in the character descriptions so some names weren’t written in full)

The World Ends with You (or in the original Japanese “Subarashiki Kono Sekai”/It’s a Wonderful World) is an anime based on the video game of the same name. It had to compress an entire game’s worth of story within it’s 12 episode run which meant they cut out a lot of things and combined some scenes to quickly run through them. It’s theme song is the anime version of the game’s original OP “Twister” although this wasn’t what was originally planned but an incident involving the band who sang the original theme forced them to make changes. The original voice actors from the game also reprised their roles for the anime. The series is created to be watched before the release of the long-awaited sequel game.

The art style is made to be similar to it’s game version (with a bit of change to adapt it as an anime like when it comes to body proportions). They also retained the effect of the characters from the UG (players/reapers) being brightly colored while those from the RG having darker/muted colors. While the noise are obviously cg, I personally liked this since they’re said to be from a different plane anyways so it’s a nice contrast to those from the UG and RG. They had to update the setting though as years had passed since the original game’s creation and they had to model anime version of Shibuya to what it’s real life counterpart now looks. The characters are also given smartphones instead of the flip phones they had in the game (anime-only watchers who are gonna play the game would have to get used to them still using flip phones though lol).

Okay so story-wise... it’s rushed. Of course it is. They shortened it so that what’s left would mostly be important plot points from the main story but they cut out many scenes that consist of character interactions and several little things that could’ve fleshed out the characters more. The gameplay is also made simpler with some mechanics taken away and the mini games weren’t adapted (RIP to Reaper Creeper and Tin Pin Slammer, especially the latter as you’re severely missed). The game boast an assortment of characters and some NPCs have their own stories but due to the anime’s limited run time, they had to either be cut out (and are just given cameos) or given smaller roles (and their stories weren’t adapted). They did, however, give a few bits and pieces of information that weren’t in the game such as some details about certain characters and one supporting character was given a bit more screentime that they did in the game version.

Despite the rushed nature of the series (which may or may not affect how one views the story itself), the anime made sure to adapt several important scenes and the dramatic stuff is made worse... like, they really had to make some deaths harder to take. The battle scenes were nice as well although my biggest complaint about them is that the boss fights were over too quickly. There were scenes that were changed for the anime version and there are those that I liked and those I didn’t but there are many which I think was as good as the game’s version.

Do I recommend the anime? The game is better, the characters and story are more fleshed out and the way the character/relationship development happens is better paced so of course, me, biased already would tell you to play the game instead if you haven’t yet. Do I recommend those who played the game to watch the anime? Yes! Yes I do. I think the anime is better watched when you’ve played the game and know the stuff that they cut out cause it’ll make better sense that way. Plus I found it enjoyable seeing the scenes from the game animated and the characters are speaking whole dialogues and moving. It’s great!

Even if the anime wasn’t perfect, like I mentioned before, they did their best to condense the entire main story in a 12 episode series and it tried to be as faithful as it could to the original story so despite the deviations when it comes to how things got to the way they did, if you summarize important plot points, they would be the same (with some details changed). Overall, it was very enjoyable and it wasn’t as bad as I feared when I heard how many episodes the anime was going to have.

--

Some spoiler thoughts:

It would’ve been better if the anime had more episode count than just 12. Cramming a 3 week story of game into just 12 made the thing very rushed with Week 1 only getting three episodes, Week 2 getting four, and final Week getting five. They had to get to the good stuff so they cut off a lot of scenes where the characters are interacting with each other which means they suddenly get character developments and relationship developments too quickly. It might not be that obvious to anime-only watchers but to me, it felt kinda sudden and it feels like it doesn’t work out well story-wise since Neku had to learn how to trust other people and make friends and with how he started vs. how he came out of it contrasting each other.

By the way, they made the characters look good in the anime. Especially Joshua. Have you seen Joshua? He’s so pretty in the anime. I want a picture of him I could stare at anytime I want to (I do not own a phone, sadly).

I like how they gave Eri more scenes though and that they changed her outfit for the anime so she won’t look exactly like UG!Shiki. All of her scenes though made me feel like I wish the anime gave closure to Shiki’s own story by showing us her and Eri making up. Another scene I liked in the anime is Neku’s fanboying of CAT when he finds out the truth. It was adorable.

Some info was taken away from the anime. Beat and Rhyme leaving home had scene dialogue and unlike Beat just narrating it in-game but they didn’t mention specifically why he was angry and his trouble at home. Joshua wasn’t present when Sota and Nao gave Neku a pep-talk either which is a shame cause I think that helped Josh as well. 

I mentioned before how the anime made things go too fast. They cut off chunks of not-main-plot story that let the characters interact with each other more which means each game day is shortened as well. I think it made sense that Neku wakes up at the scramble in the end and not stressed out because he didn’t go through as much as his game counterpart did. That said, game Neku learned a lot from more than just the main cast in the game compared to the anime so I like his character development in the game better.

They took away Tin Pin Slammer. I am sad and disappointed. I was hoping so bad for Another Day to be adapted even if it’s an OVA. That and the ramen incident are part of Josh’s week which meant some side of him wasn’t shown (I mean, anime fans don’t know he wasn’t there on week 3 since he’s busy playing a kid’s game elsewhere and how he could talk about food like he is from a cooking anime). Speaking of Josh, they made him very suspicious from the get-go in the anime. I understand as there’s a limited run-time and they can’t really afford to be subtle about it but it meant some of the fun interactions with Neku is gone and so are some scenes where they actually got along. At least they had ice cream together, I guess?

(I have more to say when it comes to Joshua cause he’s my fave character but this is long and my thoughts on it would make this way longer. I might make another post.)

In the end, it wasn’t perfect but the anime was fun and enjoyable enough that I found myself looking forward to it every week. Seeing scenes I recognize from the game in animated form (with voice acting!) felt exciting and awesome. I’ll miss this show and I still wish it was longer.

If you’ve read this far well, thank you. And also I’m confused why but still hopefully that was a good time-killer. I have so many other things I wanted to comment on but that’s for another time. Maybe.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Manga vs Anime: Episode 30 “Bad Sign”

So let’s start with Ep 6 of the 3rd series… which is the 30 Golden Kamuy animated episode.

Some data first.

This episode last 23:40 minutes and has an opening and an the ending. It covers 3 chaps and a half of the manga, chap 163, 164, 165, & half of chap 166 for a total of around 69 pages (I’m discounting the covers) basically covering half of Vol 17.

The episode is titled ‘Bad sign’, which is actually the title of chap 164, chap 163 being ‘Wanted poster’, chap 165 being ‘Flag bearer’, and chap 166 being ‘Request’.

NB: I’ve noticed the subs in this episode diverged in some points quite a bit from scanlations and official translation (like Yuusaku saying he was avoided by others in the barraks when it was more that OGATA was avoiding him or similar things). Japanese is often vague enough to allow for both meaning even if one is more obvious than the other to who knows the plot. I didn’t cover them in this analysis as I focused only on the animation and voice acting but consider yourself warned.

And now into the anime.

ASIRPA’S GROUP

Manga & Anime: Asirpa checks the wanted poster Ilya had, which matches with Kiro. Kiro tells her of his involvement in the facts of Saint Petersburg and of how Wilk was involved as well.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga we see Ilya throwing up blood before dying, while in the anime this scene is cut, possibly because they showed Ilya throwing up blood previously.

- In the anime, after Shiraishi says the guards were after Kiro, we see an image of a clearly dead Ilya. This wasn’t in the manga.

- In the manga Shiraishi comments how it’s not surprising the Russians are angry. In the anime this is cut.

My two cents: I’ll say this bit is well done. Not only the images are faithful enough to the manga but the way they’re presented gives the scene the right rhythm and atmosphere. The colouring, which gives in the idea of a flashback, is a nice touch and is also nice to watch and the final panning on the statue is a good idea. The background too is very nice. If anything the only thing is that apart from Kiro and Wilk people are absolutely still and will remain absolutely still. I get animating them would take more work but they really feel like dolls. On a positive side I loved how they handled Asirpa discovering Wilk was involved. The revealing of Wilk face alternated with Asirpa seeing the poster,

the rhythm of the scene, the music… well it was very good… and since they didn’t want to animate the people around them I think it was a clever trick to show all that smoke around Kiro as he carried away Wilk so as to cover the other people and make unnecessary to draw them. The panning on the statue was also a nice touch.

Oh, since the anime had sunset happen in the previous episode now the characters are shown with the colours implying it’s night. To be honest I should praise their eyesight as it seems pretty dark but I guess it was clear enough to allow Asirpa to see the poster.

THE OPENING STARTS HERE

VASILY KEEPING WATCH

Manga & Anime: It’s night. Vasily keeps on observing who he thinks to be Ogata but can’t catch him moving or breathing. Plus his hiding spot is bad as he could easily be seen, which isn’t a mistake he believes a veteran sniper like the one who killed Ilya would make so he decides to keep on observing.

My two cents: The anime well transposed this scene in animation. Not only it’s faithful to the manga but it gets you in the right tension.

KIRO’S GROUP IS WAITING

Manga & Anime: Kiro’s group is waiting for Ogata. Shiraishi, holding what was likely Ilya’s Mosin-Nagant, comments Ogata is late and wonders if they should go to back him up. Kiro says since Ogata told them to let him do it on his own they should just believe in him and wait.

My two cents: This is also well transposed. As Kiro’s talk was long they even redrew him in a different position and even had him move. Well done!

PREPARATIONS FOR THE HUNT

Manga & Anime: Vasily keeps on studying his opponent. Sunset comes and Vasily notices tracks near the body of his adversary. He follows them and see they lead to an Orok casket. He then assumes this means what he had been observing is just a scarecrow made using a corpse and Ogata is actually hidden in the casket therefore he shoots at it, the noise waking up Asirpa’s group. Only it turns out he was wrong, Ogata was really under the cape and now it’s his turn to shoot. He hits Vasily’s jaw, causing him to fall on the ground then tries to move but fall on the ground, panting.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga there’s an explanation about the battle of two snipers during the battle of Gallipoli. This is cut in the anime.

- In the manga Vasily shoots 6 times at the casket, in the anime only one.

My two cents: I would have said this is a beautiful transposition as not only it’s faithful (actually cutting the explanation allow the tension to rise more) but it pays good attention to the characters’ expressions and to the rhythm of the scene. Ogata moving slowly and then the shoot hitting Vasily is great as a choice,

the bullet hit Vasily in a scene that delivers what had happened without being too gory and even the splatter of blood work.

Ogata’s colouring hints at how he’s already feeling ill, well combined with the way he breathes.

They even darkened his eyes to make them more faithful to the manga

and his fall as well as the way he pants are also well done

so it would be a great scene if it wasn’t for an AWFUL mistake. Vasily didn’t shoot just one time to the casket, he shoot 6. The whole point wasn’t just to make him shoot first, but to make him shoot all his bullets so that Ogata, who only had a single shoot rifle could use that at his advantage. I really, really hope they’ll add the sound of those 5 more shoots in the dvd version because this is a pretty bad logical mistake. On a positive side this time, differently from the previous episode, you can see the traces in the snow and the colouring is very nice.

CHAP 163 ENDS HERE.

BACK TOGETHER

Manga & Anime: Asirpa notices Ogata is back to where the Orok/Uilta are waiting so they reach him to discover he looks really pale and has a fever. Ogata tries to wave him out as him merely eating too much snow when, looking at them, he hallucinates Yuusaku.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga Kiro says it looks like everything had been taken care of. In the anime this line is cut.

- In the manga Shiraishi crouches down to look at Ogata when he says Ogata looks really pale, his expression surprised and a little worried. In the anime he’s standing and looking normal.

- In the manga Asirpa isn’t in the panel when Ogata sees Yuusaku, even though she was standing right in front of him. In the anime she’s present.

My two cents: While the previous scene was good this one isn’t that great for various reasons. Shiraishi doesn’t sound really like he cares here, while in the anime he seemed to do so. While Tsuda Ken well deliver Ogata is not feeling well, the anime had Ogata raise his eyes before he finished speaking. It can work in the manga, where time works differently but in the anime we’ve the impression for 5 second he wasn’t seeing anything abnormal then BANG he hallucinated Yuusaku, combined with ghost sounding effect. The ghost yuusaku effect is nice but the worst thing the anime does which will be a mistake through the whole of it is that they add Asirpa to the scene when Ogata was instead hallucinating that Asirpa was Yuusaku (in fact even though she was standing right in front of Ogata till a moment before as soon as Yuusaku appear she suddently disappear and only Kiro and Shiraishi remain), something that in the manga ties well with the ending of Ogata’s fever dream but that doesn’t do so in the anime.

HALLUCINATION

Manga & Anime: Ogata hallucinates being on a sled trained by ghostly reindeers, Yuusaku leading it, turning to him and asking him if he feels cold. This causes Ogata to remember of the time when Yuusaku was alive and they went to visit a brothel together. Once he suggested Yuusaku were to have fun with the women there, Yuusaku refused, apologizing and Ogata let him go, making sure he wasn’t seen by others.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga, when Ogata asks Yuusaku to come with him, Yuusaku blushes. In the anime he doesn’t.

- The anime adds a scene in which one of the women caresses Yuusaku’s hand.

- In the manga Yuusaku sweats before answering to Ogata. In the anime he doesn’t.

My two cents: Okay so I liked the run on the ghostly sled, with that odd red colouring which I think was inspired by the cover for vol 17.

Even the idea of Yuusaku’s blood spraying all around is somewhat well done in it’s creepiness.

The transition to the flashback is well done with the camera moving on Ogata’s eye which close and open and then we see Yuusaku in the flashback.

Yuusaku’s voice is always very kind and the music, while not great, well underlines the mood of the scene. I like the choice to make a beautiful very starry sky, which seems to imply hope. Yuusaku doesn’t blush but his joy at having been invited is evident. The scene at the brothel sets up the atmosphere perfectly, with Yuusaku greatly uncomfortable as Ogata goes on. The first clenching, the lips trembling, the exhaling, everything is perfect.

THE OROK/UILTA CAMP

Manga and anime: Kiro’s group reaches an Orok/Uilta camp of a relative of the men that were with them. Asirpa helps Ogata getting down from the sled while Shiraishi observes. Once inside the tent she uses Ainu remedies to try to get Ogata feel better. An Orok/Uilta shaman also joins them trying with his music, to chase away the illness, with Asirpa and Shiraishi helping to make the healing music.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- The anime expanded the scene in which Asirpa helps Ogata, adding Ogata almost falling then slowly walking toward the tent, supported by Asirpa.

- In the manga Shiraishi merely observes the scene, his face shadowed, sweating a little. In the anime he also lowers his head and turns away his gaze, as if torn.

- The anime added an image showing Shiraishi and Asirpa listening to Kiro’s explanation.

- In the manga we see an image of Ogata sweating and, next to him, Yuusaku. In the anime we see Ogata sweating and then, among the steam, appears an image of Yuusaku all curled up, and then Ogata’s eyes.

My two cents: The scene of Ogata having troubles standing is well handled, they almost had him fall and then walk really slowly which is perfect. I also like how they delivered Shiraishi’s inner turmoil. It’s also good how they transitioned from Shiraishi and Asirpa listening to Kiro to them making noise as loud as they could. Sure, the scene of Ogata saying ‘silence’ is a bit less funny as Tsuda Ken delivers it in a sick yet creepy way but it works well. I’ll even go so far as saying that the way the anime chose to make Yuusaku appear during the music scene is better than the one of the manga.

THE SECOND HALLUCINATION/FLASHBACK

Manga and Anime: We’re back at the brothel, with Ogata sitting alone with one of the girls when he’s reached by Tsurumi. At this he sends the girl away and makes his best to look proper. Tsurumi comments the rumours on Yuusaku’s personality seem to be true, Ogata counters he was probably frightened by the atmosphere and insists he can manage to deceive him. Tsurumi says if he has a strong sense of justice it would be difficult to get him on their side, after all Yuusaku comes from a noble bloodline, which pushes Ogata to reject the notion of ‘noble blood’.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga Ogata’s face is deeply shadowed when Tsurumi says Yuusaku has noble blood. In the anime it’s not but they add Ogata’s eyes widening and then lowering.

- In the manga the shading on Ogata hinted at how he was in an emotional turmoil. No such hint there’s in the anime.

My two cents: This too is well done. I must praise Tsurumi’s voice actor because he’s great in delivering his quotes and we own to him most of the success of the scene but a good moment is also when the anime had Ogata’s eyes widen slightly at the mention of noble blood, showing how Tsurumi hit the mark and then lowering, showing how that remark hurt. Good is also the pause before Ogata delivers his quote.

THE ANIME PLACES HERE AN EYECATCH

SHIRAISHI, ASIRPA AND KIRO’S TALK

Manga and anime: Shiraishi leaves the place with an excuse and manages to lead Asirpa to follow him. Once she reaches him he tell her to escape with him. He believes Kiro took them there to try to get Asirpa to remember the key and that’s why Shiraishi kept silent but now he believes it’s too dangerous to stay in Russia. Shiraishi explains her his reasoning but Asirpa insists she’s staying. Kiro joins them, explaining them his old name was ‘Yulbars’, which was his past and why they killed the emperor. They’re fighting for minorities which includes his son and the Hokkaido Ainu. Asirpa says she wants to know more about her father and that she might remember the code then wonders if the killing to get the gold will continue with an even bigger killing once the gold is found and wonders if the gold really need to be found.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga isn’t clear if they are or not but the anime showed how Shiraishi and Asirpa were still making noise, albeit more calmly.

- In the manga Shiraishi points out to how there should be someone watching them as Kiro killed the emperor 20 years ago yet the Russians were right there to wait for them and that the Orok/Uilta man had almost be killed. Plus he mentions how when in the past they asked Kiro what Wilk might want to do with the gold, Kiro said he didn’t know but it was a lie as he had to know Wilk wanted to use the gold to fight against Russia. Kiro had to know as they killed the emperor together so it’s possible Kiro’s aim is the same, which was what Inkarmat was saying. In the anime he says one Kiro is hiding things from them as he and Wilk were trying to steal the gold to fight Russia.

My two cents: I liked how they remarked Asirpa and Shiraishi were still playing for Ogata... not so much how Shiraishi’s entire reasoning got cut but I get the anime needed to cut here and there to save time. I also like the transition in which everything turns to blood which rises toward Sugimoto’s image as well. I was curious how the anime would have handled this and I’ve to say they did it really well.

CHAP 160 ENDS HERE.

BATTLEGROUNDS

Manga and anime: Russo-Japanese war. Yuusaku, holding the flag, encourages men to march forward. Later Ogata is alone shooting Russians who wanders on the now empty battlefield. Tsurumi approaches him telling him Yuusaku is brave and everyone loves him. Ogata summarizes he doesn’t have to kill him.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga the two panels showing Ogata during the battle show him aiming. In the anime only the second does and between the two there’s an image of Yuusaku.

- In the manga we see Ogata shooting then a Russian falling, Ogata recharging, then another Russian falling then Ogata recharging. In the anime we see a Russian falling, Ogata shooting, another Russian falling, Ogata recharging.

My two cents: The transition here is a tad abrupt. I’ll admit the anime managed to deliver the general madness of the war, with soldiers drunk on the belief they won’t get hit due to Yuusaku. Sure, I would have appreciated less still scenes during the battle but whatever, at this point I guess the anime thinks they’re cool. The transition from the battle to the empty battleground work well and the dialogue between Ogata and Tsurumi is well done. I’ve to admit I like very much the contrast between Tsurumi’s voice and Ogata’s but it might be just me.

AT THE OROK/UILTA CAMP

Manga & Anime: Ogata is sleeping, Asirpa cheeks his forehead and comments his fever has gone down. As Kiro thanks the shaman Asirpa is gifted with a protective charm for Ogata. They give a protective charm to Shiraishi too, for a child’s penis.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga a box explains what the headband is for. In the anime it’s Asirpa who does so, saying it seems to work.

- In the manga the protective charms are shown in a box. In the anime the shaman shows them.

- In the manga Kiro says that they’re going to give that charm to Shiraishi because he was staring at a woman’s breast while she was feeding a baby. In the anime this is cut.

My two cents: Not bad. They’ve to adapt some things as they decided not to use the narrator but I’ll say it works just fine.

THE LAST FEVER DREAM

Manga & Anime: It’s night and Ogata and Yuusaku are walking on the now empty battleground, ogata leading Yuusaku somewhere. Yuusaku worries they’ll get scolded if they’re discovered. Ogata shows him a prisoner of war completely tied, then points out since he got there Yuusaku had never killed anyone and wonders if he’s using his role so as not to get his hands dirty. At Yuusaku’s denial asks him to kill that man and Yuusaku explains him his father told him not to kill so he would become an icon that would give them courage because killing fills others with guilt. Ogata says nobody feels guilt, they’re merely faking it, everyone doesn’t and is the same as him. Yuusaku hugs him and, crying, tell him he’s sure Ogata feels guilt as it’s impossible for people who not feel guilty when killing to exist.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga Ogata’s face is shadowed as he asks Yuusaku if he had ever killed someone with a darker shadow falling on his eyes. In the anime it’s not.

My two cents: This too is a good transposition. It’s faithful to the manga, it well used the corpses around them to make atmosphere, the voice actors generated a nice contrast between Yuusaku being so emotional and Ogata so calm and flat… yet as if he had something bubbling under the surface. If I’ve to nitpick I can say I’m a bit annoyed at the anime using a still image again when showing Yuusaku in ‘action’ and that Yuusaku hugged Ogata a tad too slowly so it felt a bit odd. Also the background music is nice and fitting but it would probably work better if it was on a higher volume as otherwise it can go unnoticed. Still, this is good.

THE END OF THE FEVER DREAM

Manga: At the next charge Yuusaku gets shoot from behind, the implication being Ogata did it. Yuusaku falls. However he’s then standing again and turning toward Ogata. Only it’s actually Asirpa as Ogata has woken up from his fever dream.

Anime: At the next charge Yuusaku gets shoot from behind, the implication being Ogata did it. Yuusaku falls. However he’s then standing again and turning toward Ogata. Ogata wakes up and Asirpa turns toward him.

My two cents: And this is where the anime screwed up BIG TIME. The whole implication of the scene wasn’t that Yuusaku, despite the bullet going through his head and the fact he had fallen stood up again to turn and look at Ogata… it was that as Ogata was about to wake up he saw Asirpa turning toward him but at first he exchanged her for Yuusaku turning toward him. How anime viewers are going to understand Ogata’s meltdown on the ice if they aren’t told Ogata has subconsciously superimposed Yuusaku and Asirpa’s images? I could give the anime a pass for not figuring it when Ogata started hallucinating Yuusaku, as that one wasn’t that easy but this wasn’t so damn hard to get, the page with Ogata and Yuusaku and the page with Ogata and Asirpa are drawn so similar exactly because you have to get this point! Really, if it wasn’t for this single one mistake this episode would be SO GOOD! Why did they have to mess up this? When Asirpa turns and Ogata is staring he doesn’t look like he’s surprised to see her, it looks like he had been frozen there ages ago and isn’t defreezing yet. -_- Well… at least they understood the Yuusaku who turns isn’t real as he starts to have the red tinge of the hallucination. Ogata’s pose as he watches him though is a bit unnatural and if it was made in an attempt to mimic the one he had in the manga, in the manga his pose was hardly visible so it could work while here it feels off.

CHAP 155 ENDS HERE.

FORTUNETELLING

Manga & Anime: The Orok/Uilta divine the fortune for Kiro’s group using the shoulder blade of a reindeer. The result is someone is coming from behind. Shiraishi wonders if this is a good or bad sign and Kiro says it’s good then shows him the shape the crack should have to point out someone is going to die.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga they showed the various cracks all in a box, in the anime the showed them on the screen one after the other.

- In the manga Asirpa has a doubtful gaze (Asirpa has a long story of not believing in divination), in the anime she’s just serious, then seems to squeeze her eyes a little as if in thinking.

My two cents: It’s nicely done, except maybe for the lack of Asirpa’s disbelief but I fear the ones behind this episode might not remember it (or since they made that horrible prophetic dream at the end of ep 24 they want to retcon Asirpa as believing in this sort of things).

THE TRAVEL RESUME

Manga & Anime: Kiro’s group is ready to leave the Orok/Uilta. Kiro apologizes for the troubles then tells Shiraishi he’ll remain there as yes, staying with Kiro would put him in danger and he doesn’t need to escape from him. Ogata agrees they’ve no reason to stop Shiraishi and Asirpa thanks him for what he did and says goodbye to him. Shiraishi watch them leave, thinking a smart move would be to join Tsurumi but… ultimately ends up running after them as Sugimoto told him he was counting on him to protect Asirpa. Shiraishi joins them saying he thinks in Russia there could be many pretty girls waiting for him and that if penis were to hurt he can use his charm. As he says so the shoulder bone crack further, showing the sign that was meant death of one of them.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga Kiro looks a bit sad when he says Shiraishi doesn’t have to run away from him. In the anime he’s just serious.

My two cents: I really liked the way Asirpa greeted Shiraishi. Her expression was sweet and her voice actor did a good job. The musical background this time was more noticeable and worked better. They also took care to keep Shiraishi moving and expressive as he explains his plan. Shiraishi running after them is a beautiful moment (too bad the flashbacks aren’t up to the same quality but whatever, they’re from the second series) and Asirpa’s expression and voice as he sees him is beautiful. I like how they showed Kiro smiling too and the way he asked Shiraishi if he changed his mind. The ending with the bone cracking came out powerful so it’s really good.

TO SUM IT ALL

I think this is probably THE BEST GK episode of the 3rd series, if not of all the series. Not only it’s a good transposition of the story, but it’s one that’s not rushed and that uses the times in the right manner, with a good animation and a good care of the character expressions plus a good storytelling and an attempt to use the music that needs to be improved but shows an initial care. Really, a good work. So I really hate how they missed the tie between Asirpa and Yuusaku, which was an important part for the future developments. I could pass over how Vasily didn’t shoot 6 bullets, it’s not clever but whatever, it does no harm if Ogata tempts fate more than necessary or if Vasily is actually more careful than in the original but this.... this wasn’t meant to end here but be tied to the ice field scene and now... not it won’t be, which makes me wonder if the writers are regular readers of GK or just read the bit they need to transpose, and so it’s harder for them to figure out the characters and what they’ll do. Whatever, except for this, it was a good episode, I would love if they were to fix the mistakes in the dvd version though I don’t dare to hope they’ll do it in this case and now I really, really hope the series will manage to keep this standard and, if possible, to improve it.

And also that it won’t completely and utterly screw up the ice field episode. Really. Please, no.

[liesoverthec]

I don't get people complaining about Bucks screen time being too much when it's so even compared to other characters. It's not like Lone Star where the gap is massive and other characters are ignored except their very special episode once a season. But I hope that this season ends with Eddie 60 seconds ahead of Buck so we can finally put the narrative to rest next season.

Ah anon, I both get it and don't get it.

Like on one hand, ABSOLUTELY fucking agree. This show is honestly one of the most balanced shows I've personally *ever* watched, and it shows in the data. And it's super unique in that matter, since like you point out, not even the spin off can achieve the sort of balance. (Oh the stats I wish I could express.) So I wish people would just be satisfied that everything is being handled okay, and actually LISTEN to me when I try and express how little the differences actually are. Honestly, what I need to start doing is putting everything on the *exact* same scale so that people can actually see how little the differences are, but I 1. haven't done that for ANY of the previous 64 graphics, and also 2. it would have been impossible to make work with the Begins, and 3. it would be super boring to look at a graphic that would more or less look the same every week, just w/ everyone swapping around, cuz the differences can be THAT small. So idk. Maybe I'll start including it under the cut lol.

But then also - every show out there is led by a white cishet man ( which at this point is unfortunately something Buck is presumed to be - LET HIM BE QUEER TIM). It would be GREAT to have a show that does real well w/ diversity let a diverse character win the season. And not everyone likes Buck, which is totally fair, so of course they'd want less of him! If it were any other character I probably wouldn't consider that a reasonable view point regardless of taste in characters, but it took Athena leading all three eps at the beginning of this season to even get close to his series long total, which tells you just how much time he had. So 🤷‍♀.

Something I believe very strongly though is that every one of the mains should lead an episode, at least once a season (COVID and personal lives non-withstanding of course). So idc how much time Buck has in the SERIES, he still deserves to lead an episode this season. And as long as it's a reasonable amount of time, then that's his right, and that's complaining I won't put up with or support. It's when it gets to be unreasonable amounts of time, like I pointed out under the cut on the 5x03 graphic, that I support the viewpoints that we need less Buck.

Idk if I really had a point here anon, and sorry if this wasn't what you wanted from me lol 😂 I think Buck will just end up being my eternal battle most likely and it's something I just need to accept. At this point, people either really like him or really don't, so people will want more or less of him either way.

[taekooktimeline]

Could you please summarize the different stages they went through with the time frames including how they felt about each other at the time and what they’d told each other, and what the nature of their relationship was if you don’t mind?? (and also like big steps/milestones in their relationship like confessions, first kiss, first whatever). It just all seems kinda... muddled (which obviously it’s complicated by nature but if you could please help out i’d really appreciate it!! ty💗)

Sara & Kayla give different recaps. Sara will just do a minimal scheme while Kayla includes events. This is quite lengthy. Warning: It’s all opinion!

Sara:

— 2011-2013: Just (best) friends. Slow buildup of crushes.

— 2014: Just Friends. Boundary pushing coming specially from Tae.

— 2015: Still just friends, but they are basically “courting” each other and recognize they have a mutual attraction or - at the very least - curiosity. Possible kiss. There are moments of high tension.

—- 2016: They start an affair around May. Tae “breaks up” with Jk in August due to the unfavorable circumstances (they weren’t actual boyfriends). Jk seems upset but there is no direct confrontation. They are on good terms (meaning they don’t stop being friends). They start to mess around again during BS&T promotions until the end of Nov, which is when they stop again. BH starts cutting them out of content.

—- 2017: Tae regrets it & makes efforts to win Jk back (romantically). They both had started to hang out with friends outside of BTS which caused additional friction. Tae confesses to Jk at the start of March which is probably the first time there was an actual love confession between them. They start a serious relationship.

— 2018: Jk falls into a slump at the very beginning of the year (probs having to do with fame, identity, restrictions, etc) which causes Tae to suffer as well. (The group as a whole was also having a hard time but we are focusing on TK). This can be considered a crisis but they resolved it and came out stronger out of it, both as individuals and as a couple. As a group too !

— 2019: closeting intensifies even more but funnily enough they drop big lgbtq hints. They mature as a couple. By the end of the year(?) they start living in different apartments when they aren’t promoting which causes them to spend less time together.

— 2020: they keep being stable as a couple. Tae goes through some struggles but they are ok. Closeting reaches its peak, their first contract expires & they stage a talk to be able to change the narrative & interact more freely in front of cameras while still being closeted. (Disclaimer: I personally don’t think they have had any type of official engagement, just that they wear couple rings to show commitment like koreans typically do).

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Kayla: reminder that this is entirely opinion on the timeline of their relationship. This is a quick summary. The timeline goes into further detail. Again, you’re free to believe as you like.

2011- predebut; friends as evidenced by Tae saying in an interview he noticed Jk first + Jk bought Tae a shirt for him while in America; Jk has also said Tae brought him out of his shell

213- debut; close friends; possible attraction but not recognized yet; this can be deduced based on them singing to one another in Rookie Kings in ep 7, Tae saying “you’re beautiful” to Jk and not the girl in the “Beautiful” MV + when the members go over the VHope kiss in episode 8, Jk seems very uneasy and uncomfortable about it (prior to the kiss talk, Taekook were affectionate, linking hands and hugging, mimicking one another)

2014; close friends who have noticed the attraction each feels and begin pushing boundaries to see how the other will respond; an example would be festa 2014, when Tae says touching thighs is for pervs but then is fine with Jk doing so moments later; Tae is visibly aroused by Jk dancing in two different moments this year (April during “boy in luv” and Sept 16 when he bites his lips and gets heavy lidded); in April when BTS act out a skit of Jk falling in love, TK pretend to lean in for a kiss and neither expresses discomfort. Milestone - realizing the other doesn’t react negatively to flirting / boundary testing

2015: close friends continuing to push boundaries; suspicions by us (theorizing) of a first kiss due to Tae drawing attention to his lips in two selecas in January + Jk recommending a gay song “Memo”, in which he changed the lyrics to say he wants “one more”; 123 theory first comes into play as well as Jk starting to send messages through songs - in May he recommends a song by Eels and highlights “can’t help falling in love” + in the same month Tae and Hobi cover “hug me” and then Jk uploads a song “eat” which has the line about wanting to hug someone. In December he covers “paper hearts” and shortens the lyrics from the original by 3 seconds so “when there’s cameras and I can’t reach you” is at 1:23. He also releases “fools” half an hour before Tae’s birthday. It’s an LGBTQ song. He’s called Tae a fool before in a fan sign. In addition, there is a lot of sexual tension in 2015 - Notably, festa. In June, Tae suggestively plays with a mic and Jk puts a mic in his mouth. When BTS appear on Yaman, TK are the only ones to interlock hands + appear to share looks of complicity when the interviewer asks if the members ever touched each other. During tension escalator, both exhibit a lack of boundaries and show comfort in being in each other’s space in a way the other members don’t feel (see an in-depth analysis of the moment by BL expert Pam here - https://youtu.be/mu8K1KBcn_0). They’re still playful with dubsmash and a secret handshake. They also begin to be more aware of cameras. They’re visibly separated in November during the HHYH concert making and when a camera pans to them in December, Tae stops leaning his head on Jk’s shoulder. Milestone - in our opinion, a possible first kiss happened this year, but they remained close friends testing boundaries

2016- FWB; we believe this is when they began to be intimate, though they didn’t label it. They’re flirty in Jan when they discuss Jk being an adult / turning 20. There are suspicions Jan 26 is an anniversary due to Tae uploading “how am I supposed to live without you” on this day and jk responding the same day with “nothing like us”. They’re generally affectionate in clips, such as summer package in Dubai. Jk is distracted in BV1 til Tae shows up. Jimin claps at a heart with their name in it + TK cuddle one morning without barriers or displays of uncomfortableness. We believe the dynamics changed between BV1 and SMART based on the tension in SMART. Tae is shy and Jk looks like he won at life; both bump arms and share shy and happy glances. Taekook is also coined this year! Due to external stressors, and shakiness/uncertainty in what their relationship really is, in our opinion TK remain close friends but end it come autumn 2016. They may have reunited briefly, based on continuing to display affection and attraction to one another, but proceeded to end things again by the end of the year. Milestone - in our opinion, this is the year they became intimate; FWB/not a serious relationship

2017- they become an official couple this year. In the beginning of the year they display jealousy towards one another, and Tae is very extra in his actions to Jk (ex - GDA awards in Jan). We believe Tae was trying to win Jk back. By March 2017 they appear to reunite and enter a renewed honeymoon period, as can be seen by the private convo vlive in April, ILY signs in Chile, suspicious kissing sounds in Tae’s Brazil vlive and festa footsie + suggestive actions at that event. They are still battling through the rollercoaster of 2016, which is why in BV2 we see them be sweet (“you’re mine” “do you want to live here with me?” To jk singing “nothing like us” in the direction of Tae’s room while seeming to be melancholy). Jk sings “nothing like us” in an interview and Tae gets shy. They display general closeness, like in the Run ep filmed in Nov when Jk eats food that has fallen from Tae’s mouth. They’re overall touchy in American interviews and hold hands after the AMAs when they don’t believe cameras are on them. They also do their handshake on MAMA and don’t have space between them during the show. Milestone - became an official couple  

2018- all appears fine with them as a couple, though both struggle with disbandment talks as individuals and as a group. This year is when we see the cheek kisses and “am I your friend?”, as well as “look at me, just me” from Jk to Tae in a run episode. Namsan private date on 1/26. Tae also tells Jk his eyes are always on him and he loves him during his birthday message to him. “Taekook best unit” is said by Tae at a fan sign, further proof of them supporting their “ship”. They display consideration and support to each other, like in Run ep 52, when Jk offers to trade cards with Tae so Tae doesn’t have to go to the sauna with his skin condition, or when Jk comforts Tae about his mullet at a fan sign. They also flash the ILY sign to each to each other at the BBMAS + BV3 happens when Jk is visibly excited to room with Tae (dropping hints / members congratulate) and is distracted til he shows up. Concert nape kiss. Milestone - solid, secure couple

2019- TK continue to appear close without issues or breaks. They’re flirty and affectionate at fan signs. Jk gestures twice to Tae as his life partner in the Japanese bbq interview, while Tae flicks his chin and they play footsie. They display traditional marriage threads while at a concert in Busan and Tae says Busan has his heart. They give themselves away as roommates in the May vlive with Jin and Jimin. Tae mentions the LGBTQ movie “call me by your name” twice. Jk says “I’m still me” from the LGBTQ movie “Love, Simon” at Festa. Jk awards Tae the “I thought you’d be beyond my imagination” award. They’re flirty in the “Home” performance and affectionate during MAMA. Weverse comment in November has been debunked. Jk doesn’t acknowledge Tae’s birthday online but gives him an airport  nape kiss that day. ILY signs during the NYE vlive. Milestone - to me, it’s possible they talked about the future together since Jk confidently referred to Tae twice as his life partner in the Japanese bbq interview and Tae responded by flicking his chin affectionately when “family” was brought up + marriage threads + matching hanboks

2020: all seems fine, in fact, dynamics may have shifted to truly indicate some sort of promise as TK have gotten bolder - they both wear rings on their left ring finger at the Grammys, along with matching outfits, and Jk breaks the lineup to stand by Tae (again, rumored anniversary as this happened Jan 26); general closeness and affection can be seen in American interviews, dancing together on Fallon and during CNS (with JK flashing the ILY sign); they wear matching outfits during BBC Live; Jk continues to wear Tae’s rings throughout the year. Milestone- i believe they’ve made some sort of deeper promise to each other, hence why Jk wears the rings and their actions are generally loud.

Final reminder this is all opinion / theory. You’re entitled to believe as you like. This is our stance.