#nero is the most relatable and understandable character in the franchise

[sailordiavolo]

i read something somewhere abt nero in the novel o’ whateva and it basically confirmed my headcanon that nero was either atheist or went thru a angsty god-hating atheist phase (or the in-world equivalent thereof).

like i KNEW it!! i could smell it from a mile away!! nero is a ball of pent-up angst who questions everything who is prone to telling people to get fucked if they push him too much

i mean look. in dmc4 he’s literally a teenager wearinv a hoodie inside a jacket

side note: religion for nero=order of the sword, therefore god=sparda, so i bet nero had a fun time learning that A) sparda is real and B) sparda is his own grandfather

[dr-nero-is-god]

i felt the urge to riff on the hive streams for a little bit since discussion came up on the hive discord, namely, holding issue with the idea that the alpha stream is inconsistent in that it is about leadership when otto is the only leader, and that it’s also possible that the alphas are just kids with specialized skills, and not actually bonded by any particular unifying element.

and, in response, @vulpix-sinistre brought up a quote from the abridged hive fanfic, that goes something like: “there are four streams: main characters, stereotypical bullies, ?, and nerds.”

and i disagree with the first two ideas, but almost completely agree with the abridged fic quote. that is pretty much how the streams work, and it is IMPORTANT that that is how the streams work. 

in the end, you may conclude that the streams system still doesn’t make sense. you won’t be like “well clearly dr. nero was just logically dividing the labor of his students to reflect a specialized training program” because it’s more complicated on that. i  hate to do this to y’all, but a lot of everything streams-related requires an out-of-book explanation to get where you’re going, but i can promise that i will at least try to go

first, let’s think about why h.i.v.e. would have streams at all

on the one hand, it’s inescapable to consider that one primary reason that hive has streams is because harry potter had houses, and for the same reason that percy jackson had cabins, the 39 clues had branches, hunger games had sections (or counties, idk), divergent had factions, and so on and so on. the rise of fandom spaces on the internet was concurrent with a big ya/mg boom in the post-2005 world (after twilight was published), and within those fandom spaces it became important to identify with an aspect of the fantasy world as part of your personality. that became a very marketable thing for a while, and so separating children into streams would, to a publisher, seem like a pretty solid storytelling choice.

however! the alpha stream is not the same as gryffindor house. on the one hand, it seems easy to make an alpha/gryffindor and henchman/slytherin parallel, because one group is good (relatively) and one is bad (or at least antagonistic). but it doesn’t work because while slytherin has a reputation for constituents of poor moral character (which has been largely revised in fanon), being a henchman is where you go, according to the books, if you are unintelligent and burly. it’s not a really sexy stream, is what i’m trying to say. and though there are undoubtedly some readers who would look at the henchman stream and see themselves, i think the majority of readers would likely find the henchman stream a completely undesirable stream to be in. 

and, given how little importance the role of streams have after the first book, i will go out on a limb and say that mark walden knows that the henchman stream is unsexy. we aren’t interested in the hopes and dreams and motivations of the henchman stream; as we learn in book two, the ideal henchman is weak-minded and easily led—so what dreams would they even have? this leads me to conclude that while mark walden might have sold h.i.v.e. on the “there are personality-based groups in the school!” idea, he had something completely else in mind when he started writing and that, I think, is actually far more interesting.

but really, why would h.i.v.e. have streams at all

a few things about mark walden: 1) he studied english lit in school, 2) he has a background as a video game producers, and 3) he likes james bond. i know the first two things because i have read his bio and i know the third thing because i have read his books in conjunction with seeing all the james bond films. so we will call 1-3 facts. 

if you are wondering what a lit degree, video game production, and the james bond franchise all have in common, then let me connect those dots: all three of those things depend heavily on the study and understanding of repetitive structure in storytelling as an interpreter and creator of meaning. each one of these fields requires an understanding of how stories and words work to create meaning in order to be successful. 

and, to quote mr. walden here directly (sourced from this here link):

“So, I was playing with this cat one day and it got me thinking that those old-school Bond villains always just seemed to appear out of thin air with very little back story and that got me thinking about how they became world- conquering megalomaniacs in the first place.  It was only a short mental walk from there to HIVE.”

so, imagine you’re a writer trying to tell a story about a school for villains like those in james bond—you’ve studied storycraft and you have a lot of experience in a job finding believable and compelling obstacles for people to interact with in video games. you have noticed patterns. and you need to make those patterns work for you.

enter: streams

i have watched all the james bond movies (all of ‘em) (i mean it) (just not the unreleased one yet lol) and you know what? 

there’s probably just about four kinds of villains in those movies.

henchmen include the likes of jaws, oddjob, and tee hee. often physically disabled in a cinematically interesting way, these guys are the muscles and the machines in every bond film. they are the ones who tail bond as he takes long train rides and who try to personally throw him into shark tanks. they are the hands and feet of their evil masters and they don’t have a lot of emotional depth or backstory. 

politicians/financiers abound in the james bond franchise because he is a government employee who often hangs out with other government employees (he has no friends). these people are like colonel rosa klebb, georgi koskov, prince kamal khan. there are a lot more, as a matter of fact, because the whole point of james bond is that they are in the cold war and even people without titles have political and financial motivations for screwing around with stuff. these types of villains depend on being well and truly embedded in an existing infrastructure or hierarchy, somebody who worked their way up from being a foot soldier or clerk into a powerful leadership position that gives them a lot of state-sanctioned trust and authority.

technicians and inventors include folks like henry gupta and boris grishenko, who use technology as their primary weapon. they are often inventors or innovators and are really good at making high-tech stuff. however, i think this stream is also a direct result of the character Q, someone who is actually on James Bond’s team and who runs an entire department of people who test sometimes outlandish gadgets for Bond to use in the field. (but we love the gadgets. they are fun.) in other words, Bond arguably has a technical stream at his disposal in MI6, which means the idea isn’t necessarily evil, but, likewise, our James Bond School also needs Qs. it’s the rules. if you are familiar with Q from James Bond at all then you understand

and that leaves us with alphas... the “supervillains.” these are the famous ones. dr. no. mr. big. scaramanga. le chiffre. blofeld. max zorin. emilio largo. goldfinger. these are the ones with the master plan, the dreams to recreate the world as they see it, the passion to see their desires to fulfillment and the resources to make them happen. they are rich. they are fancy. they are larger than life. is it weird that karl stromberg tries to incite a nuclear war between Britain and the USSR so that a lot of people can die so that he can colonize the ocean? yes. but by god, it’s fancy and dramatic, and that’s what counts. 

are there other kinds of villains? oh, definitely. lots more. but you have to understand, that those kinds of villains generally don’t appear in Bond. sometimes! but it’s not a staple. for example, not many people in the bond films are motivated by revenge because each movie is kind of designed to function as a one-shot. villains don’t come back and so there is no revenge. the villain who gets the most notable reprise, jaws, actually ends up finding his true love in space. 

compare: every movie is going to have henchmen. every movie has government stooges making morally questionable decisions. (almost) every movie has Q, or some gadget stuff going on. and every movie has a big bad that has to be better than the last. 

so that explains why the streams are what they are. 

it was a jumping-off point for mark walden to figure out what this universe might look like and how different character types need to function. consider that while the core four are all alphas and are kind of insulated as a group, the teachers all kind of roughly align with one of these groups. colonel francisco, raven, and chief lewis are henchmen types, doing on-the-ground work to get stuff done. ms. tennenbaum and the contessa are political af, they are all about the corruption and infiltrating institutional power. ms. gonzales, ms. leon, and professor pike all have technical skills that help keep an organization moving forward. and over them all is the singular alpha, dr. nero, who is coordinating and monitoring it all for his own evil plan: to run a high school.

honestly, dr. nero’s hive idea operates just like a james bond villain plot! it works, or it does when pitching the idea. the problem is that the books continued after the pitch did, and with worldbuilding came some complications. namely, the fact that the megastructure of james bond villainy does not replicate well into a small friend group on which the narration focuses. so let’s return to the question presented at the beginning:

how can alphas really be alphas when not everyone on the field trip can be a mastermind?

i’m gonna give this to you in two ways. one, the way i personally interpret it as an in-universe explanation, given the background premises we have already established. and the other, why the stream system kind of ruins the structure it sets out to create.

so, for me, the alphas can be alphas because there is more to villainy than being a mastermind and there is more to being a mastermind than being in charge. as i think about it, this novelization is actually the backstory for every one of the students, who will go on to do great and scary things. they will manage big projects and come up with interesting ways to terrorize the British government, because that is what James Bond villains do (and James Bond does canonically exist in their universe). much like your actual teenage years, this is not the main event.

as students, the core four need to learn to do a little bit of everything. you gotta learn some lock-picking, that’s essential. everyone has to be able to climb a rock wall. it’s the rules. and everyone needs to be able to do some programming. that’s just the way school is. though everyone has a different personality and a different way of looking at the world, their education has to cover the basics because the fact of the matter is, none of them are villains yet. will they become one? that remains to be seen. but they are being given the tools to become the greatest villains if that is something they choose. 

the main problem that remains when holding this attitude is that the specialized skills of otto and his friends might be better suited to other streams, in which case, what is an alpha anyways?

here’s the facts: if everyone were assigned to a stream by talent, then there wouldn’t be an alpha stream.

franz? political/financial stream. 

nigel? laura? otto? technical stream.

shelby? wing? henchman stream. 

you can debate me on the specifics of those assignments, but the point is this: all the other streams are based on hard skills. franz can manage a ledger and that is a financial skill. laura can build a computer from scratch and that is a technical skill. wing can do martial arts, and each martial art is a physical skill that can be taught and performed in a measurable level of proficiency. 

the idea of being a “mastermind” is a much softer skill—which is to say, there’s no one recipe that will make it work. my manager at work has coached me by saying that leadership is often about having a “style,” and working at it that way. leadership requires interpersonal flexibility, being able to stay organized and to make important decisions rapidly, it is about being able to prioritize and delegate. and it’s very much open to interpretation, every day, all the time. 

let me tell you something else about james bond: there is a lot of classism, racism, and sexism embedded into every aspect of those films, but that goes for double when it comes to the villains in the show. to vastly oversimplify that very concept, it shows up in the bond films like this: henchmen are working class folks, the villainous equivalent of “the help,” and the supervillains are (usually) rich and glamorous and powerful. henchmen are uneducated (read as: stupid) and ugly and poor. no one cares if they die. (there’s more complexities, as always, but this essay isn’t actually about james bond so we’ll fast forward through My Opinions to the end)

the problem with replicating james bond in your villain school universe is that some of the biases of the james bond universe get replicated in there, too. poor and uneducated folks get turned into disposable henchmen whose lives are irrelevant. people who are educated and talented get fast-tracked to a more glamorous and interesting stream that will catapult them to the top of the ladder as soon as they graduate. if you look at the dialect with which block and tackle are written, they are clearly meant to be seen as a different social class than otto, despite the fact that otto is coming from basically nothing. and we understand that when otto graduates, he will be able to do basically anything that he wants to at all.

so, if you’re asking why wing has a role in the alpha stream when he doesn’t seem as leader-y as otto, there’s a simple answer: because dr. nero believes that wing can be more.

the climax of book one is dr. nero explicitly telling otto, wing, laura, and shelby that they are in his school because he believes in them and he wants to see them grow. they are given an elite status other students do not have despite the fact that they have just literally tried to escape. as we see in the case of duncan cavendish, the main way to get on that highway to a guaranteed career is to convince him that you’ve “got it.” for those who are not believed in, there is no way to make up for the special grooming. you’re stuck with the stream you’re placed in, doomed (perhaps) to be a second-in-command at best.

is all this intentional? probably not. but it is implicit in the structure of the story and, alas, that’s the way it is.

all i can think to say in conclusion is that while the stream system tends to replicate some of the unfair and classist realities present in other media and the world we live in, i think part of the reason we read h.i.v.e. is because the alpha stream is so appealing. imagine! you are competent and you have a desirable, specialized skill as well as a proficiency in many general skills and you are certain you are going to do good things—and all because someone believes in you. to receive someone else’s support and confidence can be life-changing. the magic of h.i.v.e. is that yes—lives are changed and ordinary, boring people were elevated to the level of supervillains. we are only left to wonder, are they the only people who deserved that honor?

[buffaloborgine]

A research on character building, character symbolism of Genesis Rhapsodos (Part 1)

So, in my last theory writing I said I would write about Genesis somedays, well, here it is.  It has been a very long time since I first started to follow FFVII, and the hardest-to-understand-in-the-whole-franchise award goes to, apparently, Genesis Rhapsodos.  And I don’t mean his story in Crisis Core, no, the plot in Crisis Core is very straight forward, the events are well explained so there’s nothing to say about Crisis Core story of Genesis.  What I want to talk about is what Genesis represents thorough the franchise. At which he is the beginning of the “Crisis” (he was the one who ignited the event of Crisis Core) and the one that ends the original timeline (by appearing at the end of Dirge of Cerberus, the last chronological point of the timeline, if we don’t count the final scene of Advent Children Complete).  Thanks to @calsyee pointing out this to me, although his interpretation is a bit different than mine, basically, we see something related to this:

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8)

Here you can take Genesis’s first appearance in the order of release of FFVII, also probably his last appearance in the chronological event of the original timeline before Remake, you can imagine this as his “beginning” is also his “ending”.  However, if we take Crisis Core into the discussion, we will come to the point I have said above: Genesis is the beginning “Crisis” (Crisis Core), also the ending “Crisis” (Dirge of Cerberus).  Here is where it becomes tricky to dissect. How could Genesis be the ending “Crisis” if he has never appeared once in DoC, except that secret cutscene?  To discuss about this, we have to take other characters into this larger picture of DoC’s story. Yet, the most important ones to me for this, are Nero the Sable and Weiss the Immaculate.  Like I have explained in my last theory writing, there are two scenes where it feels like Nero and Weiss are relating to someone unbeknownst to the player, both in chapter 11: 

Nero: Let us become one. Let us come together, so that none may ever tear us apart. [Nero hugs him] Weiss: Yes. Let us... Let us go join him. Nero: Weiss... [Nero begins to disappear] Weiss: Nero... Hojo: No! Stop it! You can't! This is my body now! [Hojo disappears; Weiss stands up and begins to walk towards his throne] Hojo: No!

[Another flashback; Shelke is standing around in a room in the Deepground complex. Nero is in front of her] Shelke: Who is she? Nero: Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. Shelke: So I am to collect the data files-- the fragments she left within the network? Nero: Correct. Then you are to use that data to find the Protomateria. Nero: That is where he requires your assistance. Shelke: He...? 

Another details to take into account here is the differences between Hojo’s and Nero’s interpretation about the impurities that need to be purged from the Lifestream. To Hojo, it is Jenova’s cells that are the impurities. However, we knows that Vincent doesn’t carry Jenova’s cells insides him (since we know that from Advent Children), and Nero also said that Vincent is “Soul Wrought of Terra Corrupt”, which means Chaos. That means, although Hojo believes that he is the one who taught Nero about the purging process to call up Omega, what he doesn’t know is Nero has already been taught about it before by the unbeknownst person. Yet, we can see that both Nero and Weiss know exactly that they are following someone totally different than Hojo. And the only person who could be leading Weiss and Nero, as they see him as their brother, is Genesis Rhapsodos (they have his genes mapped on them from birth, also when they go to retrieve him in CC, they acknowledge him as their brother).   Therefore, if we assume that Nero and Weiss are working under Genesis’ guide, then the whole DoC event was caused by Genesis, not Hojo. So we have two events that start and end the chronological timeline, both caused by Genesis. 

In conclusion, Genesis fits the reference of that verse in the book of revelation, being the “Beginning” and “Ending”, who signals “which is, which was and which is to come” in FFVII. 

Thanks a lot to @calsyee for his Ted Talk that helps me come up with this writing.

[dmcofficial]

i really love how dmc approaches the relationship between human and demonic selves, especially in the light of it acting as contrast to how regular, average people struggle to accept parts themselves, the beautiful, the ugly, the parts that are both. dante has the most development simply bc he's the longest running protag of the series but also he's had games entirely dedicated low-key to his developing relationship and eventual acceptance of his human and demonic sides, even tho i think his are more clear cut (dmc1 & dmc3) meanwhile nero (dmc4 & dmc5) and vergil (dmc5) have more subtle and almost cramped development in a way

[ranting abt dante, vergil, & nero's character development throughout the franchise under the cut bc this also got rlly long,,,]

dante is interesting post dmc3 just bc he's both written 2 b a continuous character w no real conclusion to his character in order to continually write him into dmc games and content, BUT he still reaches SOME conclusions to character arcs in dmc1 and dmc3, and afterwards we see how those conclusions have aged with him— aged is the important word there, because changes in dante's character are both from the perspective on nero (his villainous aura at the beginning of dmc4) and the simple fact that where a lot of characters don't actively age and mature the same way real people do, in video game media especially, dante DOES and this changes how we would expect him to react in games liek 4 and 5

i think part of the reason the dynamic between vergil and dante has shifted by dmc5 is not only bc of vergils speedrun development in the same game, but also because you could reasonably say that while vergil expects a fight w him similar to their past fights, you could argue he is also a little bit unsettled with how dante's changed in the time theyve been separated. because despite how they tend to mirror each other as children and their journey thru dmc as a franchise can be framed as the same One character put thru different yet similar traumatic events, vergil even remarks about it at the top of the qliphoth, that difference here is that by dmc4 and DEF dmc5 dante has evolved past that where vergil is just beginning to really see it.

dante has had the time to process it. he went thru all this development years ago. it's had time to sit with him and age and ferment. dante is now tired, almost apathetic. he's disinterested with life and the cards he's been dealt with. at least in dmc4 and between dmc1 and 4, the anime too, he was sort of. rueful and upset about it? but he's seemed to move past that at this point. he is a character who has done everything there is to do. there is nothing and nobody who can challenge him, and even the concept doesn't catch his full attention. vergil is a trigger topic, it sets him off instantly, probably because vergil is the only constant in his life that will live as long and is as impossibly stubborn as dante is.

he doesn't chase vergil because he's necessarily hurting people with the dmc5 red grave massacre or trying to end the world in some great fashion and dante will have fun or at least get a thrill from defeating him or dying trying— cutting thru urizens forces are a pain in the ass and a waste of time. he wants the main course. he wants to be done with it. not to say he wouldn't have fun fighting, but he doesn't get the thrill he does when he's younger anymore. he wants to end their feud, seeming to be with the intention of making up with him even if he's come to terms with vergil's pride being what will force dante to kill him in the end

fighting with vergil in the underworld afterwards, having someone like him to keep him company, to share those experiences with, it's everything he needed and more i think. the repairing of their relationship, the new partner in a life none can truly relate to. i mean, both brothers treat nero like a child, he's the closest either of them can get to someone who understands, but nobody will understand truly like they will

vergil meanwhile, decides very young that power is all he needs and it will solve all his problems. and you know, at the time maybe it does. but eventually, when forced to admit it isn't, when put between dante and more power despite it being a hollow motivation, he chooses power and the end of dmc3 to the events of dmc1 happens.

dmc5 is unique in that v is forced to retrace vergils steps. they're put through the same paces: he is put in a position of fear after his 'birth', he chooses life, and then goes hunting for power to keep himself alive afterwards. but not only does he have his familiars to balance him out in a way vergil never had (and that dante has in trish and lady,) but his demonic tendencies can't overwhelm him, he has room to grow and accept and come to realizations he can only reach as a clear headed human. he is able to actively use empathy and sympathy, even against his will. he realizes that power isn't everything. that the atrocities he's committed in the name of his own growth in power are just that, atrocities. that he feels regret for what he has done. that he wants to find away to atone for those actions.

he is forced to accept the strengths and weaknesses of his humanity, but also the same coin's other side, the horrible things he's done in the past, the horrible things his demon self is currently doing unchecked, and v resolves to change that even at the cost of his human outlook, even at the gravity of his actions being leveled against vergil in all their horror. he learns to accept that part of himself, both parts, everything bad he can commit with his two hands, but also with nero, nico, his familiatr, the good that can be done. the weeds that can fight to grow through the cracks.

nero spends dmc4 learning how to be a demon. hes force to learn how to deal with and manage his demonic changes. for a few weeks he has his demon arm, when he previously believed himself to be entirely human, and is then forced to come to terms with his yamato trigger and all the changes that brings. he even promises to himself, having grown up on a hyper religious island that loathes demonkind and reveres sparda, that even if humanity learns to hate him and fear him, he will still stick to his steadfast morals, his drive to achieve his goal of saving kyrie and greater fortuna. i also think a lot of dmc4 is nero becoming comfortable with his true nature. he comes into himself in dmc4 as a mouthy, demonic-warped demon hunter with a bad attitude in contrast to the bored, slightly tempered teen who broods in church even as kyrie attempts to wrangle him at the beginning of the game

dmc5 i think is nero's human game in the sense that he's forced to relearn how to be human. he spends five+ years as a demonic freak of nature, powerful on an island of human people with no demonic power. he's downright untouchable. after losing his bringer and his powers, he's forced back to square one, human again. i think dante believes nero is deadweight in the sense that nero is weak again, without any kind of demonic power and will get himself killed easily fighting urizen despite his hybrid resilience that still lingers. nero is angered by this— by his weakness, by the fact that he promised dante to keep the yamato safe and had it stolen from him, by his lack of agency. dante wasn't even going to tell nero, v, some random-ass goth, had to fetch him. he feels he isn't enough anymore, and dante's words are poorly timed— they sting particularly hard i think, considering he is nero's only unofficial family at the time, and family is his soft spot.

i also think nero coming to terms with vergil and dante being his father and uncle respectively takes up a lot of this arc of his– he is forced to grapple with what family means to him, what he is willing to do for family, when his only relationship with family has been his experiences as an orphan with strange white hair and a bad attitude in fortuna of all places, fostered by kyries parents who seemed to only take a liking to him at first for how much he resembled the Savior™. kyrie and credo were his only family after they died, and it's kyrie who reminds him of his own beliefs, in his own love and stubborn, headstrong dedication and determination for the well being of his found family, even as that found family suddenly includes actual blood family. he also has to try and understand dante and his perspective, who hid this from him. maybe out of fear of disappointing him, maybe out of concern of how he would take it, maybe because he thought nero was better off with the family he found than with the knowledge of how much bloody weight he carries, the heavy history of their family, didn't want to give that weight to him.

nero sort of learns here that seemingly good people do bad things for the right reasons. sometimes bad people do bad things because they think it's the best of the shitty choices. sometimes bad and good people just don't exist, and there's no good choice. he learns unwavering forgiveness, unconditional and true. all of these lessons he's lost between dmc4 and 5

[sublimegentlemanalpaca]

What’s a piece of media you either have a love/hate relationship with or just have a mixed opinion on?

To answer my own question, I suppose one piece of media I have a love/hate relationship with (if that’s the right phrase) is the FATE franchise. I shall give a brief explanation of what the heck that is. It’s this franchise that to my knowledge began as one of those visual novel things. The basic premise being about Seven wizards/mages are chosen/choose/ get together to participate in an all out battle royale to be granted a Wish in an event known as the Holy Grail War. The weapons of this War being their own magical ability (or lack there of in some cases) as well as summoning heroes and figures of Mythology, History and so on called Servants in one of Seven Classes. Saber, Archer, Caster(usually magical people. Also almost always the EVIL ones), Rider(having some kind of cool mount/vehicle), Lancer, Berserker, and Assassin. They play with the premise in some cases (one being two teams of Seven each with their own Servants. Or one where there’s a real one and a fake one going on simultaneously), but that’s usually the basic idea. My familiarity with the series comes from watching the Four anime adaptations available on Netflix and searching TV Tropes while bored. Once I give a brief thought or two on those, then I’ll get into the reasons for liking and disliking...

Fate/Zero adaptation of a prequel novel series to the original Fate Stay Night. The best of the four I’ve seen, and quite possibly my third favorite anime behind Stein’s; Gate and Spice and Wolf.

Fate Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works. Enjoyable. Good, some elements which weren’t so good.

Fate Apocrypha. Was over all terrible suffering from the elements I dislike which I’ll get into shortly. Had a handful of good things which I could expand on..but another time perhaps.

Fate EXTRA. Bad. Bad, just...bad. That’s it really.

Now, to sum up this entire franchise in my opinion, it has some really good ideas here and there with and overall nice premise....but it is plagued by poor execution, stupid or insulting character motivations/ Designs (mostly in terms of  the legendary characters). 

For the Good, you’ll have some cool and likable characters doing cool and awesome things (fight scenes being a highlight), you’ve got some nice arcs, and a handful of pretty good relationships. Some romantic, others surrogate familial, and so on. You’ve got some characters with interesting motivations ( one character’s motivation and wish in Apocrypha being perhaps one of the few good things to be said).

But then there’s the bad. Oh dear, the bad.

First there’s the character design, that’s the big one. For one you’ve got several figures who are white washed...which is kinda ridiculous because clearly dark skin tones can be done in all these series....they just...don’t? Then you have other designs that are just...No. one of the worst that come to my mind is Jack the Ripper. So get this...in this universe Jack is apparently the amalgamation of the spirits of Children who were abandoned by Prostitutes....kay...but what they dress said child in is just....wtf Japan? Give her some damn clothes! And this child Jack...just wants to eat Souls or hearts or something...What’s weird is they have a second version of Jack the Ripper, and that Jack works so much better as a design and for a motivation. Going off the legend of Jack the Ripper, so the Fake Jack’s ultimate wish (the Spirits all have their own wishes) is to know who the hell is Jack the Ripper...

Another thing with the franchise is what I understand to be called the Saber Problem. Referring to the character of Saber (aka Arturia Pen Dragon) one of the most popular characters from the Stay Nights, and Zero...and a bunch of others no doubt. For one thing a bunch of other characters keep looking like her for really no reason? Also...they keep genderbending Historical figures? Like doing so with Arturia, that works that’s your own thing, your staple and stuff. You go and what not. But they keep genderbending Historical figures? Which for one seems like they’re just not doing enough research to find Awesome women from History and Mythology? Which is just..what? Like for example in that afformentioned awful show Fate EXTRA two of the first Heroic Spirits we meet turn out to be Nero and Sir Francis Drake? And with Drake I’m just sitting there wondering...if you wanted an awesome Lady Pirate wouldn’t it have made more sense to have that Chinese Pirate Queen whose name escapes me?

Another problem is motivation and the wishes of some the Heroic Spirits. For example in that Apocrypha series you have Achilles summoned as the Rider of Red team or some such...his whole wish is the vague and dumb ‘I just want to be a true hero’. Really Achilles? That’s it? You sure you don’t want to ..oh I don’t know wish to go back to the Trojan War and get out of your tent and fight so as to avoid your lover dying to inspire the troops? You sure you wouldn’t want to accomplish the specific goal of saving Patrolocus? No? Just be a hero? This worked with Diramuid in Zero because he kept being betrayed and stuff.. but you just want to be a hero? Okay Achilles. Other wishes are actually interesting. Take Vlad the Third, his wish is simply to eliminate the existence of or him being connected to the Dracula Vampire stuff.

Another thing of wasted potential/confusion relates to the special anime bs superpowers the Servants have. This will be some nitpicking I suppose. Abilities which are supposed to be derived from their legends/lives/etc. Some of these are awesome. One character for example is able to become instantly proficient with whatever weapon he is using. This can be Swords, Spears, Machine guns, Jet Planes you name it. Hm. Come to think of it...there’s only like two I can think of off the top of my head (that I recall anyway) that either confused (didn’t live up to it’s potential) and frustrate (because it clearly should have belonged to another character).

So yeah. Great premise, some really cool characters, and a lot of misteps, dumb ideas, poor execution. I can recommend Fate Zero...and I suppose FSN Unlimited Blade Works? If you have Netflix. The other two...Apocrypha has like three to four good things? But the rest is just bleh. Don’t bother with Fate EXTRA. Should note, said shows can get quite violent so..keep that in mind. Another note is that in Fate Zero there’s a lot of uncomfortable harm done to Children (given who one of the characters turns out to be..) and that’s all really...unpleasant. It can be a very unpleasant show I will not deny that.

Has some of the best fight scenes I’ve seen in anime (Fate Zero and UBW I mean)Best character of the Franchise is probably Isekander from Fate Zero?Mordred was one of the good things to be found in Apochrypha. I’m reminded of a failed attempt in college to try and make a home brew Whatsit based on the Franchise. Thought of how John Dee would work as a servant, but I digress.

So yeah. There’s that. Hope that answer is sufficient Bliss. My apologies for the Walls of Text.

Make of this what you will.

Al, the Chronographing Cottager and Prince of Naming.

[mageinabarrel]

2018 was yet another year of evolution in my journey as an anime fan. Throughout the year, I spent less time watching anime and less time engaging in anime-related activities like doing freelance writing, blogging, and livetweeting shows. So as I started to consider “my year in anime,” I wondered if I would have much to say.

I needn’t have worried. The year is 2018 and anime is still good, so in the spirit of the 12 days of anime project (that I didn’t do this year)—here are twelve anime things that brought me some joy this year.

I Rediscovered Anime Crushes

It had been a long time. A long time since I’d felt those little flutteries you get when an anime character is really cute, really good, and really nice. But even before I knew that Ginko was a space princess, I was enamored. Cute anime girls are a dime a dozen, but characters that exude genuine warmth and care in the way Ginko does—from her time as a princess all the way through her cathartic moment in Planet With‘s finale—are something special.

So I spent a nice time with Planet With, amidst all of the show’s other wonderful strengths, feeling a cozy bunch of crushy feelings about Ginko Kuroi. It’s silly, but it was nice to be reminded what it felt like to have an anime crush once again. And, seeing as Ginko is far and away the Best Girl of 2018, my heart couldn’t have made a better choice.

Space princess! Space princess! Space princess!

Finding My Fate Anime Niche

I’ve never really been much of a Fate fan. After an extremely poor experience with Fate/Zero, there’s never really been much to attract me to the sprawling franchise. But when you’re needing an that you can put on while washing the dishes and cooking and Netflix shoves Fate/Apocrypha into your face, what can you do? You can watch it, be surprised at how much you enjoy it (especially Astolfo), enjoy the fact that the two opposing Ruler characters are both Catholics, be wowed by the stunning animation of #22, and finish the show somewhat more positively disposed to Fate than you’ve been before.

This will lead you to give Fate/Extra LAST ENCORE a shot, and after the show gets over its early inclination to appeal to the audience’s presumed base desires for Nero, you’ll be stunned as the show pulls a truly evocative atmosphere out of the now-cliché SHAFT stylings you thought were too tired to be effective. You won’t understand quite everything that happens, but the tremendous thematic coherence and the way the character relationships evolve from dull to genuine will grip you. It’ll be one of your favorite anime of the year. And, in combination with Apocrypha, it’ll leave you feeling like maybe alternate universe Fate series are the ones for you—which is good to know.

3 Perfect Episodes

If you asked me to name my favorite episode of TV anime of the year, I’d probably give the honor to Hugtto Precure‘s #16. But, fortunately, I don’t have to make such a specific choice here, so I can also add Yama no Susume S3‘s #10 and SSSS.GRIDMAN‘s #9 to that list. If you watch these three episodes (honorable mention to Hugtto #4), you’ll likely see the stylistic similarities between them. Of course, there are also plenty of things to distinguish them from each other, but it’s those similarities—a strong affiliation with cinematographic language, a tight grip on the power of atmospheric storytelling, and a webgen animation-adjacent visual style favoring bold and flat colors—that stayed with me.

But more important even than those smaller details is a sort of ideological unity that these episodes share. Each is distinctly a cartoon, yet also displays an impressive level of cinematic sophistication. Although some might be tempted to place cartoon and cinema in opposition to each other, these three episodes are a brilliant refutation of such narrow thinking—they embrace, even dance, in the best qualities of both. They are proof that cartoon-making and film-making are not separate arts but, rather, one and the same.

Hisomaso Wins Everything

When it comes to TV anime this year, one show stands head and shoulders above the rest for me: Hisone to Maston. Yet another show confined to the Netflix dungeons, I wasn’t prepared to let the streaming giant deprive me of my chance to watch Mari Okada’s return to TV anime weekly, and Hisomaso, yes, was worth it. From story to scripts, background art to character design, OP to ED, Hisomaso had it all—including the X-factor of the adorable dragons.

In short, there was really nothing else that aired that was anything like Hisomaso. Cute and quirky throughout, thoughtful and incisive at times, funny and dramatic in turns, this anime had basically everything. In the final rundown of the year, I expect it’ll likely go criminally under-watched, underrated, and under-remembered, but such is the reality of the anime times in which we live. I, at least, will remember Nao head with immense fondness. We salute you, brave solider, and all you stand for.

An Ode to a Strawberry

What do I think of Darling in the FranXX? I think it’s bad. I didn’t finish it, but I watched enough to consider it a representative portion, so I’m comfortable making that kind of wholistic statement. Basically, I think the very early criticism I made of the show proved to be a crucial flaw in the whole dang thing. But Ichigo? Ichigo was very good. She might have done a few things wrong, but not many. I liked Ichigo. 苺 means strawberry, and Ichigo was a very good strawberry with a killer character design.

No anime watcher is unfamiliar with the phenomenon of a good character—or even just a character the really appealed to them personally—stuck in a bad show, but I’d be hard pressed to think of another character who surpasses Ichigo’s gap between her relative goodness and the quality of her show. Not only was she cute and a childhood friend, but it was fascinating watching her navigate her complex feelings for Hiro, try her best to be a good leader for her team, and struggle against her own flaws. Best girl? Heck yeah. Eat your heart out, Zero Two stans!

Matsumoto Chocolate

This year, Rie Matsumoto (Heartcatch Precure! Hana no Miyako de Fashion Show…Desu ka!?, Kyousougiga, Blood Blockade Battlefront) storyboarded a few random episodes for other anime here and there. But in the time that she’s had a last major project, which if you’re counting like I am is THREE DAMN YEARS, other of her contemporaries have had multiple films released and done other great things. Meanwhile, aforementioned storyboards, the Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond ED, and whispers of a possibly discontinued film project aside, Matsumoto’s existence itself has been in question.

That’s why, when “Baby, I Love You Daze,” a music video/commercial directed by Riechang-kantoku herself and backed with some legitimate animation power, appeared almost out of the blue, I experienced a rush of joy unlike anything else I felt this year. Not only was Matsumoto back with something completely original, but it was a delightful, energetic little thing emblematic of pretty much everything I love about her as a director.

Please 2019. Give us something, literally anything. An announcement, an actual show or film. I don’t care. Give us back Rie Matsumoto.

This Bit is about Liz and the Blue Bird…

Wow, I saw a lot of anime movies (in theatres!) this year! Thankfully, I wasn’t asked to be on any year-end anime panels, so I wasn’t forced to make a choice that would kill me—to pick my favorite anime of the year. Liz and the Blue Bird, which is a stunning, delicate, spectacular, [blah blah blah how to make actual words about this damn thing] film, would be one of the top contenders, although as you’ve seen I can barely articulate what about it impressed me so much. But this is a blog post, so I will try.

If we set aside the craft elements (HA! You coward!), the heart of Liz is that its resolution is about something like learning to let go. Mizore and Nozomi are different people, with their own paths to follow in life. And yet, at the same time, they love each other deeply, and that love makes such realizations difficult to even perceive—as both struggle to do throughout most of the film—and to accept. But that catharsis of letting go, which is in many ways similar to the slow process of grief after the death of a loved one, is healthy. Love can tempt us to possessiveness, to illusions of control and ownership. But we may find in letting go that love can flourish in newer, healthier, and truer ways than we’ve known. [Editor: This paragraph might be complete garbage. Please give Bless some leeway if you think so. An attempt was at least made.]

…and This Bit is about Maquia.

I could not pick between Liz and Maquia if you asked me. I could not do it. Unlike the previous pair of Yamada/Okada analogues, Koe no Katachi and Anthem of the Heart (which is dominated by Anthem), these two films are at once so similar in concern (love) and yet so different in every other way that I could not, in my great fondness for each, possibly choose between them. They are, together, the best anime I saw this year. Fortunately, unlike with Liz, I’ve already struggled through the pain of writing about stupidly good things with Maquia. So you can read that if you like.

Maquia‘s merits left to my prior writing, the other thing that made Maquia particularly special for me as a moment in my 2018 anime-watching is what it represents for Mari Okada’s career. Okada was the first anime creator’s name I ever learned, and it was because she had been involved with so many anime I loved. So seeing her continue to grow as a writer over time, seeing her reputation improve, and seeing her career flourish to the point that she was the chief director for her own movie has been really special—and Maquia is, in many ways, the culmination of that journey so far. Here’s to you, Okada-san! May you have many more works to come!

Owned by Macross. Again.

Early in the year, I watched Macross Flashback 7. Now, Macross has some horribly gratuitous parts to it—and I love them all—but you could make a very, very compelling case that FB7 is caps them all. The plot of the OVA/movie/special/whatever is that Ozama Lee finds some VHS tapes that basically contain the footage of Macross 7, which results in most the main members of Macross Frontier coming over to his and Ranka’s apartment to watch them. Yes, the Macross Frontier characters get together to have a Macross 7 watch party. I could type that out again in all caps, but I won’t.

That on its own is pretty pandering, but then the whole thing concludes with a Sheryl and Ranka mega-medley of Macross 7 songs with Basara even appearing in some of the background vocals. I was basically in tears by the end of the performance, which is just ridiculous, but that’s just what Macross does to me. It swings for the fences, trusts you love Macross, and gives you the fanservice you want, with big guitars and Sheryl and Ranka belting “OMAE NO MUNE NI MO LOVE HEART” in unison, and the gleeful stupidity of it all just smacks you in the gut and you feel the tears coming because it’s Macross, dammit, and you love Macross. Point, Shoji Kawamori.

A Comic Girl Isn’t As Good as a Doujin Game Artist, but I’ll Take It Anyways

If 2017 was the year of Saekano Flat, then 2018 was the year of me desperately hoping I’d find another show about creatives that would move me in the same way. I didn’t, but I did find Comic Girls, which gave me enough periodic artist anxiety that it earned a mention here.

Actually, looking back on Comiga, I think I actually didn’t give the show the credit it deserved at the time. While it was airing, one of my main complaints about it was that Kaos’ perpetual incompetence made it difficult to believe that she was indeed a manga artist with an editor, but then I think about my own haphazard art practice habits and my own incompetence despite my desire to be an artist and suddenly I feel like maybe it was spot on. So, just like Kaos, as down in the dumps as I might feel about my work and my talent and the speed at which I’m progressing, I’m not going to give up. Even though it hurts sometimes, I’m not going to give up! So yeah, thanks for that, Comiga.

METAL OVERMAN KING GAINER

In 2018, I finished watching Overman King Gainer. Inspired by my positive experience with Reconguista in G, I was interested in watching another original Tomino show, and settled on King Gainer mostly because I’d seen the OP on YouTube, and thought it was awesome. This proved to be a good choice, as King Gainer has many good reasons to watch it. I enjoyed the show quite a lot, and had fun tweeting about it and learning about some aspects of its production.

But that OP… I went out a bought it and let me tell you, there is nothing like coming to the end of a run with the Overman King Gainer OP pumping in your ears as your make a final sprint to the tree that marks the end of your workout. King Gainer‘s broadcast ended in 2003, but that song is timeless. 2018 may have been a crappy year for the world as a whole, but according to iTunes I listened to “King Gainer Over” about 60 times, so it’s impossible to say whether the year was truly bad or not.

And those were the highlights of my year in anime! I’ll probably put together a little graphic at some point for my top shows, but this’ll be the only blog post from me wrapping up the year. Happy New Year’s to you all, and here’s to a wonderful 2019!

What were some of your favorite shows, episodes, moments, or anything else of anime in 2018?

12 Anime Things that Made Me Happy in 2018 2018 was yet another year of evolution in my journey as an anime fan. Throughout the year, I spent less time watching anime and less time engaging in anime-related activities like doing freelance writing, blogging, and livetweeting shows.

[mineofilms]

Star Trek (2009)

0) Forward: When I decided to write a blog on the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline I went digging in my back up hard drive to see if I had any notes on the subject back when the first and second movies came out, 2009-2013. What lies beneath is a review/blog/Myspace post I had about the 2009 reboot film.

After reading through it and correcting some poor grammar on my end, what else is new; I found the subject matter still pretty insightful. It makes me want to come back to this subject of where the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline could have been great, over just being…. Alright�� I decided to keep the original layout format. This was way before I started writing as something more serious… Enjoy more Star Trek…

David-Angelo Mineo 4/20/2022

1) Introduction: To all the readers, web-bloggers, movie fans, haters, webzone fans & Star Trek fans.  As I sat in a half full movie theater on May 7th 2009, in Port Charlotte, FL to see the newest edition of the Star Trek franchise, tag-lined, “Not your Father’s Star Trek.” I wasn’t disappointed at all.  It had everything I thought it would have.

Now many people are on forums, asking loads questions related to; plot-holes, the characters, technology, alternate timelines, Star Trek canon.  You name it, it is somewhere, pending on your choice of forums you all like to vent/query on.

So I am here to “attempt” to clear up some of these questions.  Am I qualified to do so? Well, that is opinion… I have been a Star Trek fan my whole life. I grew up on the TOS films. I still remember sitting in a drive-in in Erie, PA, in PJs watching a double feature of “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” & “The Last Starfighter.” I obtained an AS Degree in Motion Picture development in 2004 where I specialized in Video Editing & Script Writing.

The fact that I have done very little in the field of Motion Pictures is irrelevant. What is relevant is that I understand; Plots, Character Development & Pacing. My grades showed that to be true. I also study Quantum Mechanics as a hobby, granted I don’t understand most of the complex mathematics in Quantum Mechanics but I get enough of it to understand concepts. I at least am open minded to “possibilities.” So as a fan and as someone who might have some insight on these movie points, I have elected to share as much as “I believe” is what was intended by some of the confusing but yet, clever script, called “Star Trek (2009).”

2) Characters: Some on the webzones have been saying how they do not like the character development of the key players in this film. We all forget that these characters are not yet established as the characters we grew up on. At this point in the story and due to the events of the first 10 minutes of the film, everything is being sped up. All the key players are affected by the destruction of the USS Kelvin. We don’t see every little character detail, but it is there.

We only see this with Kirk… Kirk’s life has already been changed by this event. By the time they are all grown up and meeting up on the USS Enterprise this single event has changed the way they all react to their environment. Towards the end of the film you notice, mainly in Kirk & McCoy, that the mannerisms we are so accustomed to see start to appear. Kirk has the swagger and the talking mannerisms as he sits in his chair as Captain of the USS Enterprise in the last scene of the film. We see McCoy at his side with his glum, “why me” look on his face. These are all signs that things are working themselves out within the parameters of the characters we are used to seeing.

3) Technology: This one sort of got to me in the theater as I watched the film. I know my Trek lore pretty good and with all the web tools out there, getting exact dates of when events happened and ships being built, where and why. The event when Nero came out of the black hole and attacked the USS Kelvin changes everything from character development to technologically advancing, even within the confines of Star Trek.

This is the single starting point of the story and where things change. I will say this over and over. Due to Nero’s actions the Federation is now stepping things up from; ship production, weapons enhancing, recruiting & advanced ship production. The Federation, worried about this attack is going forward with experimental new ship designs. The Constitution Class Starship is rushed into production and is the first of these new class of starships.

The USS Constitution is the first of her class, but in this “alternate timeline” we are unsure if the ship is even constructed. The only constitution class we see is the USS Enterprise. She is the newest, fastest, most advanced ship in the fleet. By the time, Kirk is captain in the TOS era, the USS Enterprise is already at least 10-15 years old. Here, it is brand new, on her maiden voyage. This ship is bigger too. In length, the original USS Enterprise from the TOS era was 288.6 meters. This Kelvin Timeline USS Enterprise is 725.35 meters in length. To give even better perspective the TNG USS Enterprise D is 642.5 meters in length.

The Federation is building nearly superior ships of the 24th century in the 23rd century. The federation also has cracked the Transwarp Threshold as well. That could be its own separate subject but just know even in Star Trek, Transwarp = Ludacris Speed…

This is another sign that this has become an “alternative timeline.” Nero’s ship is a hybrid mining/drilling vessel of a merger between Romulan/Borg Technology from the 24th Century.  Their shielding/weapons/propulsion/damage control is much more advanced than anything the Federation has seen to this date in this alternate TOS era.

The USS Kelvin, USS Enterprise, a small Federation task fleet of about 8 to 10 ships & 47 Klingon Ships, were no match for Nero’s “Beast,” the Narada… We do see the ship take damage but due to Borg Technology I wouldn’t be surprised if the ship repaired itself for the most part with little Romulan intervention.

With all that had happened with the destruction of the USS Kelvin.  The Federation Technology we do see in the film makes complete sense. It only doesn’t make sense if you believe the timeline they are in, is the one we are used to seeing, which we now call the prime timeline.

This is where Star Trek (2009) falls short. They released a series of comics that fill in the backstory as to who Nero is, what the Narada is, how Picard and the USS Enterprise E have their say in all this. What the red matter is and why it’s created. Where Spock (Prime) fits in. Why a single supernova is hazardous to a quarter of the galaxy. Pretty much everything one would need to understand the first few minutes of the film and when it time jumps to grown up Kirk/Spock. Most people, grown-ups, are not going to do all that work just to prep for a movie that is supposed to be about new beginnings and “not our father’s Star Trek.”

With that said this movie might have lost people it could have had. There is a whole subplot of how Nero and crew get captured by the Klingons and how they escape 20 years later only to bump into V’ger along the way to capture Prime Spock. Yeah, its all kinds of jacked up that way. However, it still gets a lot right. If you are really into Star Trek technologies this alternate timeline could really pump out a geek show for nerds. This is the first of at least four possible films, so we’ll see…

4) Plot: The plot isn’t easy to understand if you are not a supernerd but it is understandable.  It all comes down to this new substance they call “Red Matter” apparently when outside it’s electromagnetic shield, this stuff implodes an creates a temporary singularity (black hole) that is powerful enough to swallow a planet whole or consume all the explosive energy of a supernova traveling at transwarp. That is why this supernova is so dangerous because it is traveling at transwarp speeds.

Star Trek has been legendary for creating new “things” that has extremely destructive power or change the fabric of space/time how we are used to seeing it. It’s all fiction but that is the beauty of it. With the creativity you can make things up as you see fit, and leave the imagination to fill in the gaps.  

Basically, that is what this whole thing is all about, what you are reading here is just my creativity filling the plot-gaps I saw in the film. They do this in just about every Trek movie from the first one, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).

Things Star Trek Made Up During Movies to Drive the Story aka the “MacGuffin.” The MacGuffin is simply an object, device, or event, anything that is necessary to drive the plot and the motivation of the characters, along their journey:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture:

• V’ger – an almost planet sized living space craft.

• V’ger/Ilea/Decker new lifeform – a physical merger of V’ger, Ilea & Commander Decker

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan:

• The Genesis Device – a device that can create a living/breathing planet from a dead space body.

• David Marcus – Kirks estranged son

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock:

• Kattra – The lifeforce of a Vulcan embedded in another living being, essentially 2 souls in one body.

• Genesis Planet – The Genesis Device created a planet that is unstable and decides to blow up when everyone is on it.

• Klingon Bird of Prey – New ship we have never seen that can become invisible and is a staple for the Klingon’s battle fleet for the next 150 years in universe.

• Transwarp Drive – Apparently you can go faster and farther in less time, it was a failure.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home:

• The Probe – An unknown probe that has the ability to vaporize oceans and deem all star ships in firing range weapons powerless.

• Time Travel – “Sure, you slingshot around the sun, pick up enough speed you're in time warp. If you don't, you're fried.”

• Whales – A pair of Humpback whales from Earth in 1986 can talk to the probe and send it on its merry way.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier:

• Sybok – Spock’s half-brother, hey who knew?

• Sha Kha Rhee – The Vulcan word for GOD, so GOD is trapped on a planet that lies in the center of the Galaxy. You know I thought there was a super massive black hole there, not a strange looking glowing blue planet, where nothing grows and GOD just chills there, with “deleted scenes, Rock Men;” Right...

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:

• Federation/Klingon Peace talks – in the TOS era, well I guess that is a cool idea, it tied into the TNG show pretty good, and it was a nice send off the original cast.

• Bird of Prey (prototype) – A Bird of Prey that can fire torpedoes while cloaked, they never even did that in the TNG, almost 100 years in the future.

Star Trek VII: Generations:

• Nexus – An unknown energy ribbon that bends space/time so much that when in the ribbon space/time/place/even being, do not matter, call it a dream like reality that can become anything you want.

• Kirk in the 24 Century – Yeah Spock/McCoy/Scotty are all here, so why not Kirk, oh wait, let’s not tell any of them what happened after the fact.

• Generations – Generations sucked for the most part, it would have only worked if they had the future TOS players come for an epic funeral at the end of Generations or make Star Trek VIII based on William’s Shatner’s book, “Star Trek: The Return”

5) Alternate Timelines: Star Trek fans are upset thinking that what has happened in the new “Star Trek (2009)” film is what is now going on, this is not the case. The TOS/TNG 24th Century is moving along on its merry way. Vulcan is still there, Pike commands two 5-year missions before Kirk assumes command. Spock still dies at the end of the “Wrath of Kahn.”

This is an “Alternative timeline.” It is separate from what we all know, this is why there are so many changes in characterization/technology/timelines. Spock & Nero did not time travel to the past on their own accord. The time travel device that was used was an artificial black hole made by “The Red Matter.” Therefore all the properties that are associated with what we know as black holes/singularities/time travel within the confines of Star Trek lore are different.

I have a theory about timelines, especially within science fiction stories. Nero went in first, he ended up on the day of Kirk’s birthday, attacks the USS Kelvin, which is way way out gunned. Kirk’s father sacrifices himself to save what is left of the crew. The USS Kelvin probably wouldn’t even have been in the area unless they were dispatched by Starfleet to monitor the spatial-anomaly.

This “Red Matter” material punched a hole so hard into space/time that it opened up a rift to another dimension that was very close to the one they were in, this happens in Star Trek all the time, just this time we didn’t get to see it, so everyone is roaring about it.

It’s explained in the prequel comic series but not enough in the film.  This event, changes everything. This is the single starting point of the story and where things change.” From the point that Nero’s ship comes through the singularity, space/time tries to correct the problem time and time again, like it is its own character. It is like an unseen force in this movie. Over and over again we seen things that are familiar but yet, different.

The USS Enterprise being built in Iowa, not in SF. Pike recruits Kirk to join Starfleet. In the TOS Menagerie: Part 1 Kirk says he has never physically met Captain Pike, but yet, in the movie Pike recruits Kirk to join Starfleet. Even Scotty being on the Ice World could be explained by Nero’s coming and destroying of the USS Kelvin.

Spock is stuck in this alternate timeline as well. All the “Red Matter” that was accumulated was destroyed during Nero’s last minutes. Nero could still be alive though, we never actually see him die, it is assumed he dies, but a man as hell bent on revenge and using Borg Technology can do a great many things. I wouldn’t be surprised if somehow he could be brought back in a future installment or an installment that fixes all the changes.

Space/Time attempts to correct the singularity in several ways.  Bringing the USS Enterprise, Pike, Kirk, Spock, Spock (Prime), McCoy, & Uhura together in the same place at the same time.  Regardless if the writers are the ones pulling the strings, they are. It is just another “thing” I can use to say, “look, when it is all over with, things are almost as they should be.”

Kirk is Captain, all the senior USS Enterprise staff is there. Captain Pike is in a wheel chair. It just happens way sooner than it was supposed to and in a different way. The only way it could have ended was with Nero’s ship being destroyed.

Space/Time started putting the pieces together as soon as the ship appears. One could argue that the USS Kelvin’s appearance where Nero appears is all part of the motion to correct the singularity. Kind of like how in “Final Destination” Death keeps trying to kill the people that were supposed to die in the plane crash.

This is a common theme in Star Trek (2009) and in most sci/fi time travel pieces. However, what about the V’ger/Nero connection? What about V’ger? Star Trek (2009) really opens a Pandora’s box of new possibilities considering where/how/what V’ger does in this timeline and does V’ger know of the prime timeline? All these things could be explored, but will they choose to explore these idea in older plots/characters or do stray even farther from Star Trek and more into Fast & Furious territory of senseless, unrealistic action followed by poor characterization?

 Star Trek (2009) by David-Angelo Mineo 5/8/2009 2,764 Words

[translationandbetrayals]

Milky Holmes' Rise to Fall, or How to Find Hope in Troubled Times

Milky Holmes reminds me of Žižek. And while it might seem quite nonsensical to tie this sentence together, it’s also something that gives us light about the times we’re facing.

Milky GODS

Always controversial, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek does have some interesting things to say. But even though he’s mostly known for his approach of leftist politics, the analysis of his that has stuck with me the most doesn’t relate to politics, or at least not directly. It’s his commentary about the animated film Kung Fu Panda, produced by Dreamworks. He has referred to the film a couple of times while highlighting something that has now become sort of a recurrent topic of his mythos. The idea of faith. This idea, also explained by him in the form of an anecdote about a scientist (Niels Bohr) who didn’t believe in charms, yet used to put one in his house just because he was told “it would work, even if he didn’t believe in it”, is essential to Kung Fu Panda and to Dreamworks as a whole (even if Žižek doesn’t directly acknowledge it). While the film works as a parody of Chinese martial arts films, and spends part of its runtime satirizing Chinese philosophy, in the end these principles are embraced, as Po’s wu wei defeats Tai Lung’s ambition (and we can say the same about the way Shrek and Megamind relate to fairy tales and superhero fantasy, just to cite other examples). 

But what does any of this have to do with Milky Holmes? What is this Milky Holmes, even? And as many of you might not be familiar with this long running multimedia franchise, it wouldn’t do harm to recapitulate its history. To understand Milky Holmes, we must first understand its seeds, which are in Broccoli and Bushiroad, two Japanese companies which were both founded by a single man, named Takaaki Kidani. Kidani started Broccoli in the late ‘90s, which first worked as a doujin management company for events, then expanding itself through Gamers, a goods store directed towards the otaku market. Gamers was immortalized and popularized through the Di Gi Charat franchise, produced by Broccoli and extremely massive through the late 90s and early 2000s. Spanning various anime adaptations, numerous manga, and lots of merchandise, the now classic characters were a boom within this same otaku market, and part of this success even crossed overseas, as you might see if you venture into old anime archives.

This really handsome dude is Takaaki Kidani

Now the success of Di Gi Charat probably wasn’t just because of the mascot made designs, though of course that had a part in its popularity. Aside from the already obvious fact, the Di Gi Charat franchise, at least in its first animated adaptation, had a pretty good sense of humor and irony. In a way, it was mocking the very own otaku it was targeted towards, and while it sure wasn’t the first to do so, this style of self-deprecating and sometimes grotesque or even infantile humor the series subjected its viewers to was something special. And while Di Gi Charat had quite the acid tone, it wasn’t without its share of tame and even heartwarming moments. It was moe, marketable of course, but there was something else as well. This series had a heart.

The heart of the show has a name and it’s Puchiko

It’s this spirit that Milky Holmes, more than 10 years after the creation of Di Gi Charat, held as its foundation as one of the star projects of the then recently started Bushiroad, founded after Kidani left Broccoli. Learning from his success in Broccoli’s projects such as the aforementioned Di Gi Charat, and also the media franchise Galaxy Angel, Milky Holmes was thought of as a multimedia project from the start. In the case of Milky Holmes, radio dramas, a manga, a PSP video game, an anime adaptation, and, perhaps most importantly, a seiyuu/idol unit were launched. I say most importantly because it was the disbandment of this unit that signaled the end of the franchise as a whole. In January’s 28th of 2019, Milky Holmes gave their final live performance at the Budokan, in fact ending the decade old franchise.

The end of Milky Holmes

On the anime side of things, the last installment was Psycho no Aisatsu, a crossover special episode featuring the main character of the Cardfight!! Vanguard franchise, a trading card game series for kids that was also created by Bushiroad. It was the symbolic pass on the torch to a younger, still profitable franchise in Bushi, that hopefully might keep the spirit of the Milkies alive. But we must not be sad for what has ended, as this franchise will always stay there to be revisited, even for people who never got to experience it when it was still active.

And it’s because of this that I have not forgotten about Milky Holmes, even though it has been years since it ended. I feel especially partial to the anime, particularly its first two seasons, and the 2016 movie: Milky Holmes' Counterattack (and what a movie is that one). One common thing about these three is that all of them feature Makoto Moriwaki as a director. And I feel she’s the one who better captures the spirit I mentioned above when talking about Di Gi Charat. It isn’t the only way to understand the series: there’s the video games, that might be seen as the source material; the Alternative OVAs, that are a closer adaptation of the games; and the two other anime seasons, which are completely different to anything else (and most people don’t seem to like); but Morikawi’s interpretation is the most interesting one, at least to me.

Now, you might be tired of so much anticipation and context, but it’s important to understand the background of this director to realize what she brought to the franchise (because yes, it’s a she) to, as I believe, perfect it. Makoto Moriwaki has mostly made a career out of directing children’s anime, more specifically anime for girls. Series such as the Sanrio based My Melody and PriPara have been directed by her, along with some Jewelpet seasons and even some Doraemon episodes. But a sort of black sheep among all that family friendly content is the raunchy adult comedy Ebichu, which, in spite of its cutesy visuals reminiscent of Hamtaro, is a series mostly targeted towards older women, full of jokes about adult life that, of course, involve a lot of sex.

it means a dirty word, if you didn’t realize

The Milky Holmes directed by Moriwaki is a middle ground between those two poles. On one hand, the cynicism, irony, and hidden sexual references in an outwardly kids friendly series, and on the other, the fantasy and the hopeful nature of magical girls and idol anime. And this dichotomy is also highlighted when we understand the target of this series. Despite its looks, Milky Holmes is not directed towards children. It’s not a kids show, but rather, a completely otaku business. It was broadcasted as shinya anime at 11 pm, it has its share of adult humor, and of course, the moe characters are exactly that, there’s no ambiguity there. It’s made to sell merchandise, discs and BDs to fat weirdos. But it’s quite interesting how the show treats its own audience, because if we’re to take Milky Holmes as an otaku product, it isn’t simply cynical.

Yes, that there is a ****plug

We have talked about Milky Holmes as a product and as a media franchise, but let’s review the series itself. To those who don’t know, Milky Holmes is set in a fantastical time and space called the Age of Great Detectives. In this world, Great Detectives and their eternal rivals, Gentlemen Thieves, are in constant struggle. They’re aided by their Toys, special powers whose name might be an irony on Bushiroad’s own status as a company.

A fascinating part of the Milky Holmes franchise for any crime or detective fiction freak is that most of the character names are taken from legendary detectives and criminals. There’s the 4 Milky Holmes members, which are respectively: Sherlock “Sheryl” Shellingford, the always energetic and optimistic leader (named after the most famous detective of all); Nero Yurizaki, a greedy, egotistical bokukko (named after the gluttonous Nero Wolfe); Hercule “Elly” Burton, a shy girl who has the most awareness inside the Milkies (named after Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot); and Cordelia Glauca, the shoujo-esque dramatic and delusional member of the crew (named after Cordelia Gray, the only character of the four that is originally female).

From left to right, unlike your Japanese mangos

They battle constantly against the Gentlemen Thief Empire, led by the intense and prideful Arsene (after Arsène Lupin, the French gentleman thief also recalled by the Monkey Punch character); and completed with Twenty, a narcissistic nudist that weaponizes his erect nipples (based on Menso Nijuu, a villain from the Ranpo Edogawa canon); Stone River, a prude warrior with a samurai pride (based on Goemon Ishikawa, the outlaw hero from Japanese folklore, also referenced by Lupin III); and Rat, who’s victim of everyone’s forgetfulness (based on Kozo Nezumi, a folk hero from the Edo period).

Twenty, Arsene, Stone River, and Rat

There’s also a third party in discord, that can either work as ally or enemy depending on circumstance (much like in your typical detective story) which is of course formed by the cops. The G4 is the “elite” patrol of law enforcement whose effectiveness also depends on plot convenience, and their leader (and child genius with infinite amounts of IQ) Kokoro-chan’s (named after Kogoro Akechi, the famous Ranpo Edogawa detective) mood. The other members are Tsugiko Zenigata (after Heiji Zenigata, a Japanese legend), a somewhat tomboyish girl voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro; Hirano Hasegawa (after Heizo Hasegawa, from the Onihei Hankacho novels), a traditional Japanese girl who is a master of combat; and Saku Toyama (after Kagemoto Toyama, a historic character made legend), the technological expert of the gang.

She just keeps it going up

Don’t call her Kokoro-chan, she’ll get angry

However, the main source of conflict (and comedy) in the series is that, despite being quite powerful and capable as detectives with the aid of their toys, the Milkies are pretty much nothing without them. Dame dame (useless), is something they’ll often have to hear, as they constantly struggle with the loss of their toys at the start of almost every new installment (save for Futari wa and TD, in which they weren’t the main characters because of this exact reason). Nonetheless, in spite of how hard they might fall, how much they can be humiliated and degraded (and they sure will), and basically turn into dumb slapstick cartoons, they will always stand up again, never losing hope even when taking a detour, or when they’re becoming farmers instead.

Milky farmers

In this acknowledgment of the cyclical and absurd nature of their misfortunes, made explicit in the movie by the (unintentional) use of words by Sheryl: “it’s rise to fall”, the philosophical implications of the series are unlocked, at least from the Moriwaki iteration of it. It’s an absurd reality, in which no matter how high one can be, one can always fall to the lowest of the low. Yet, when you have fallen, there’s nothing else you can do but go up, try and hope for the best, never giving in to life no matter how discouraging or absurd it might become.

It’s existential philosophy, right inside a moe anime, and one can’t be anything but thankful of someone who is giving such messages inside a work that could conform to just offering a product for profit. Instead, what Milky Holmes is doing is to tell its audience that no matter how hard their lives might get, no matter how repeatedly they might hear that they’re useless, that they’re dumb or hopeless, they must never give up. It’s quite beautiful, even more so when you’re aware of the darker sides of the otaku and the stigma and social alienation a lot of these people face in their country. And so, Milky Holmes might be a ray of light amidst a rabbit hole of isolation, which can be relatable to most of us as we face the current pandemic. A sign that even if we can’t see it, there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, she’s saying that when they’re in prison

Closing on a hopeful note, I’ll let you in on a cool fact. Do you know who directed the Milky Holmes movie alongside Moriwaki? I will give you some lines to guess, if you think you’re smart detectives.

… 

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Yes! It was Hiroaki Sakurai, who, coincidentally (or not), was the series director for most of the Di Gi Charat anime versions since its first installment in 1999. It’s really cool how everything circles back to a now almost prehistoric franchise, but it also circles back in a less symbolic way. 2021 seems to be a new year for Di Gi Charat, as the franchise is getting a revival as “Di Gi Charat Reiwa”, a new generation of the series which contemplates lots of merchandise and, most importantly, a new anime series, helmed by no other than the same Hiroaki Sakurai. Here’s hoping for a revitalization of this lively spirit, a hopeful affirmation of the disgusting manchildren we all have inside.

Promotional image for this era’s own Charat

Salvador González Turrientes

Links and additional sources of information:

Žižek on Kung Fu Panda 

The Milky Holmes article from the English Wikipedia 

Wikipedia list of the Milky Holmes characters (in English)

Takaaki Kidani's article (in English)

Takaaki Kidani’s article (in Japanese)

Di Gi Charat's Wikipedia (in English)  

Hiroaki Sakurai's (in English) 

Makoto Moriwaki's article (in English as well) 

The news of the Di Gi Charat Reiwa anime (from ANN) 

[nyalisa-landale]

in which i accidentally 2000 words about goddamn phantasy star

i ended up pulling up the phantasy star page on wikipedia to win a discussion with my brother wrt video game prices, and ended up finding out that

1) you can unlock it on the ps3 sega’s ultimate genesis collection (super easily, too) and

2) apparently it’s actually considered an Important Game and shit, ranking at 26 on a “top 200 videogames of all time” list as recently as 2006 - and i’m talking specifically phantasy star 1 the master system game, not the series as a whole. like, being one of the first, if not the first, rpgs to not be a dungeons and dragons clone and/or take place in a generic fantasy setting; “event scenes” which are basically the precursor to cutscenes; actual characters with, like, names and backstories and motivation and shit; and, also, one of the first games with a female protagonist. metroid did it first, technically, having come out two years earlier, but while everyone knows samus is a girl now, back in 1986 you only found out if you beat the game fast enough and got to see her out of her suit (in a bikini, because 8-bit graphics); in phantasy star you knew right up front and center that you were playing as alis, younger sister of nero, whose tragic death the game literally opens with. also pseudo-3d dungeons, animated monster battles, and three fucking planets you could travel between. 

(there’s a read-more after this; apparently i have a lot of feelings about phantasy star. rip anyone on mobile... including myself.)

don’t even get me started on phantasy star 2. you know what came out (in america) two months before final fantasy? this fucking shit. you know what pulled an aeris nine years before final fantasy 7 ever existed? this fucking shit. final fantasy was busy pulling a fifty shades on dungeons and dragons while phantasy star 2 was throwing characterisation and introspection and self-discovery and fantastic fucking worldbuilding and reversing the usual “humans vs aliens” plot (spoiler: we’re the invaders here) and just generally being amazing, well before final fantasy would start even thinking about it. did the sega genesis have a killer app? yes, and it wasn’t fucking sonic the hedgehog.

it’s not even fair to compare phantasy star 2 to final fantasy, what with them being from two different console generations and phantasy star 2 also being the largest game ever released at the time on any console (six megabits!), although for american audiences that’s the comparison they’d be making, since final fantasy came out so goddamn late here. ps1 vs ff1 is a fairer comparison, except that it isn’t, because everything i just said about ps2 vs ff1 still applies. (also - in japan, at least - ps1 came out literally two days after ff1.) 

the worst goddamn thing i can say about this series is that it is, afaik, super obscure now. if you look up phantasy star stuff now, most of what you’ll find is probably going to be phantasy star online-related (let me get to that in a bit). much like everything else about sega, phantasy star was too goddamn ahead of its time and ambitious. EXAMPLE: fucking phantasy star 3, widely regarded as the worst game in the series - so much so that when sega was attempting an updated ps2 rerelease it was a phantasy star trilogy consisting of 1, 2, and 4 - had multiple generations, branching storylines, and four different endings. IN 1990. it was a gaiden (side story) game before the actual phantasy star: gaiden came out, let alone fire emblem: gaiden (although not, i don’t think, before the phantasy star 2 gaiden games, of which there were several; i could be wrong on that but it’s within the same series so it doesn’t really matter). i was going to call zelda 2 a gaiden game as well - fe2 apparently got compared to it a lot, both of them being the second game in a series and both of them taking a decidedly different approach to gameplay than the first had - but zelda 2 is actually literally a direct sequel, so it’s not gaiden in the slightest.

ANYWAY, ps3 appears at first entirely unrelated to anything in the previous two phantasy stars - dark force, the series Big Bad, gets referenced near the beginning but i don’t know if they actually call him by name until much later - and appears to be a fairly basic fantasy romp, except then you get a fucking robot party member (followed shortly thereafter by a second) and the “passages” to different “worlds” are inexplicably mechanical-looking, and then in the second generation you GO TO THE FUCKING MOON (which moon depends on which 2nd gen character you’re playing) and find out that actually, your home with its tiny “worlds” and weird fucking “passages”? IS A GODDAMN SPACESHIP. 

you know what other game starts out super fantasy but, in the end, you go to the goddamn moon? final fantasy 4. a year later. my knowledge of super famicom games doesn’t extend that much farther than final fantasy and fire emblem with a side order of zelda, so i might be entirely off the mark on this one, but as far as i know the next game of that era to do a multiple generation thing was fe4, genealogy of the holy war, in 1996. six fucking years later.

unfortunately phantasy star 3 spent a bit too much effort being super innovative, because it literally is objectively the worst of the quadrilogy, but it is by no means a bad game? phantasy star 2 set a high fucking bar and phantasy star 4 picked up where ps2 left off (only not really, because it’s 1000 years later); 3, with its barely-there tie to phantasy star 2 (in an entirely optional town, at that) and weird-ass mechanics that only it has, gets forgotten pretty easily in the middle of that. you know. like a fucking gaiden game.

and speaking of phantasy star 4, it expands even more on the “event scenes” of previous games, as well as the script, and guess what? it did combination attacks two years before chrono trigger did. (or a few months, for us americans. still.) this is the phantasy star i have the least experience with, so i can’t comment as much on it, but i do know that it is a long fucking game, and not because it’s grindy as hell. because plot. STORY! (also apparently, in the us at least, it retailed for ~$100. yikes.)

also, i lied, because ps4 is not the phantasy star i have the least experience with; that would be everything that came after.* i, personally, love the quadrilogy to pieces and pretend that nothing else came after it, ever (which is really easy to do, because none of it is fucking related to the quadrilogy except for set dressing), but I CAN’T NOT MENTION PHANTASY STAR ONLINE, not if i’m talking about sega being tragically too ahead of its fucking time. it was literally the second online console game - i think the first mmo - and the first��online console game - chu-chu rocket! - was made literally so that sega could figure out how the fuck to make pso work. chu-chu rocket! came out for the dreamcast in 1999; phantasy star online followed in 2000. ps2 online multiplayer wasn’t a thing until the year after that; followed another year later by the xbox. (final fantasy xi also came out in 2002.) attempts at online console capabilities were made as early as - i want to say as early as the snes and the genesis, with stuff like downloadable games, and a whole host of companies attempted to produce consoles with online capabilities, to compete with the pc market, but nothing actually took off until the dreamcast.

( * actually it’s gaiden and adventure, the two game gear titles. i have literally never touched anything related to them at all, ever, and i actually forgot they existed until i started looking shit up for this post. i do at least own a copy of phantasy star universe; i missed the bandwagon on pso, though as i understand it, if i were to emulate it, i could still play online with other people.)

hey, guess what phantasy star online was a direct inspiration for? the .hack series. SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKERS.

unfortunately sega seems pretty content to forget that this franchise even exists; the most recent release was the japan-only phantasy star portable 2 infinity in 2011 (phantasy star portable 2, regular version, hit english-speaking audiences in 2010), but is part of the phantasy star universe line, a... spin-off, i guess? of phantasy star online, but for ps2 and 360, well after sega dropped out of the console race for good. the original quadrilogy? well, 2-4 get included on basically every genesis collection sega shits out for any console whatsoever, but ps1, having been for master system, usually gets left out - sonic’s ultimate genesis collection, mentioned way back at the top, is the outlier here, but even then you have to unlock it. (by... beating the first boss of sonic 2 with two active controllers - that is, with a second player joined but not actually in two-player mode. so two controllers. it’s not hard to unlock; you can do it in like five minutes. you still have to do it, though.) there were attempts to remaster them - i mentioned the updated ps2 rereleases, and ps1 and ps2 were actually released in japan; ps4′s never happened, though¸ and so neither of the first two were ever localised, though there are translation patches. (as i understand it, ps2′s is still kind of a work in progress.) apparently these new versions ended up scrapped in favor of a ps2 port of phantasy star collection for the saturn, both of which were released in japan only. the saturn version (1998) had all four games (and a few unrelated ones); the ps2 version (2008), phantasy star complete collection was... uh, exactly what the name implies: all four main games, all of the ps2 gaiden games (text adventures, apparently, previously exclusive to the sega meganet network service and also japan-only), and both game gear entries (gaiden and adventure); it also added the ability to make the games even harder, if you wanted to, as well as several different graphical filters you could use or not use as you preferred. this compilation was apparently also released over psn for ps3 in 2012. have i said “japan-only” enough times yet? it was japan-only.

there was also a phantasy star collection for the gba, in 2001/2; this consisted of the first three games - but not the fourth, as it wouldn’t fit on the cartridge - and no extras or improvements other than what was required to make them run on the gba. this version is notable for being the only goddamn one released outside japan. i have two cartridge copies and it is consistently the first game i play on any given gba emulator.

...and that’s how i ended up spending two goddamn hours writing way the fuck more about the phantasy star series, and specifically the original quadrilogy that is older the fuck than i am, than i ever actually intended to. idk, maybe there’s a huge active cult following for these somewhere on the internet that i haven’t found yet - yes, i’m aware of most of the fansites, they’re old as fuck and afaik mostly inactive, so they don’t count - but it sure as hell feels to me like everybody’s sleeping on these. what do people remember from the genesis? sonic and fucking ecco the dolphin. sega could totally pull a square enix and ff7-remake the shit out of these (except for real), but they could barely do it for the playstation 2; they’re sure as hell not going to do it for the playstation 4. so instead, all i can do is dream of what we could have had. (and, uh. play phantasy star generations 1 with the translation patch, the closest there is to “what we could have had”.)

i guess when sega saddled ps4 with the subtitle “the end of the millennium” they fucking meant it. 

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #234 - Home Alone

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) The opening music (by the iconic John Williams) does well to establish this film’s tone. It’s playful and mischievous, a little dark but contains a far amount of holiday cheer to it. It’s one of my favorite John Williams scores ever.

2) Oh hey, this film was edited by Raja Gosnell! He directed the two live action Scooby-Doo movies among other projects.

3) The opening of this film does well to show off the insanity which is a big family Christmas! Everything is chaotic, everyone is running around, it’s hard to get a sense of what is going on.

4) Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister.

Kevin is the base/heart of the film. In many ways, Kevin IS the film. We spend more time with him than anyone else. It’s his POV the story is largely presented through. The fun adventures of a kid home alone, that’s the entire movie. And he’s the kid! So Kevin and Culkin both have to be grade A protagonists for the film to work. And let me tell you: they are.

As a kid, I always saw Kevin as an innocent victim who the entire family just dumps on. Of course he needs help with his suitcase, what kid wouldn’t? As an adult, I see that Kevin is a bit of a brat at the beginning. The fact that the filmmakers and Culkin are able to balance these two qualities, to make Kevin likable AND flawed, is a huge bit of what makes him interesting. Culkin plays the character is intelligent, honest, funny, witty, and an honest kid. It’s all great and makes Kevin appealing enough to be the literal face of the franchise.

5) I will say that yes, Kevin is a brat. But you know what? Everyone in this house is being an asshole! His brothers, his sisters, his cousins, his uncle, they’re all being real jerks. You have a cousin (brother?) calling him a disease, an uncle reprimanding him when that’s not his job, and his mother guilt tripping him like crazy because he’s a nine year old kid being a nine year old kid. But no one else gets grief? It’s like they’re all frustrated and decided to put it on Kevin. Ugh!

6) As an adult, I HATE the rumors that people spread about Old Man Marley. Granted I’m not a fan of people talking behind other people’s backs in general so that might just be a pet peeve.

7) Little Nero’s, for when Little Caesar’s won’t do your movie.

8) Honestly, Harry’s cop-con to get information about the houses is REALLY convincing. Not only does he have the uniform down, but the demeanor. It all works.

9) The mad rush to the airport is done so well, it is so hectic and madcap, that it has two results. First: it’s incredibly fun to watch. Second: it makes it crazy plausible that the family actually forgets Kevin.

10) This film’s pacing is strong for the most part, but some of the extended bits with Kevin on his own can feel a little long. That’s probably the film’s weakest point.

11) One thing the film does remarkably well is embrace the point of view of a kid. We see that when Kevin is alone with the furnace and it comes alive, as well as when he thinks HE made his family disappear. And it’s at this point that the film really takes off. Kevin on his own, doing fun kid things in a house with no one else, is incredibly entertaining to watch and Culkin owns it all.

12) Angels with Filthy Souls is not a real movie, but it looks real doesn’t it?

13) The Wet Bandits.

The extra ingredient that makes the film a classic. Daniel Stern’s Marv and Joe Pesci’s Harry almost transcend analysis. The pair fit together perfectly with brilliant comedic chemistry and timing, while also being able to being strong individuals. They’re incredible holiday villains and I freaking love them.

14) Catherine O’Hara as Mrs. McCallister.

O’Hara captures the heart of Mrs. McCallister wonderfully. Her frustration, struggle, worry, and passion are all great. You understand her motivations clearly and O’Hara is able to carry that with her in every scene without getting boring. A truly great addition to the film.

15) The bureaucratic BS Mrs. McCallister has to go through is so relatable, honestly.

16) The scream!

The reason this is iconic is because of a few things. For when, Culkin’s scream is just gold. But more than that, the burning of the shaving cream is unexpected to him but the adult audience sees it coming a mile away. So it’s not a question of WHAT will happen but more how he will react and the fact his reaction is so golden is just great.

17)

Harry: “See, I knew something was up. Why would he run?”

Because two old guys who almost just ran him over are following him around in their creepy van?

18) I will say that Kevin works in a number of great gags in this film. Particularly: his use of Angels with Filthy Souls and the VCR player is great!

19) One of the nicest things in this film that you might not necessarily get as a kid is Kevin’s development into a more responsible person. He does laundry, he gets the groceries, he stands up to the furnace. He spends the first day or two doing fun kid stuff but then he steps up his game and starts being almost an adult.

20) According to IMDb:

There is a legend that Elvis Presley (who died in 1977) makes a cameo in this movie. Many of those who believe that Elvis is still alive maintain that the heavily bearded man standing in the background of the scene where Mrs. McCallister is shouting at the desk clerk (just before she meets John Candy) is Elvis.

21) John Candy is a WONDERFUL late addition to this film. He brings his trademark heart and sincerity, while also being remarkably funny. You can tell he improv’d so much of his stuff just by watching Catherine O’Hara react to it. But more on that later.

22) The santa scene is nice. It shows that kids aren’t totally stupid, they get that mall Santas aren’t the REAL Santa, but also remind us that kids are hopeful enough to still believes in Santa Claus all the same. I dig it.

23) This is my favorite part of the whole movie.

The church scene is the beating heart of the film. All gags and jokes are put aside for just an honest heart to heart between two characters, showing that adults don’t have it all figured out either and leading to a nice moment of vulnerability from Kevin. You also learn how freaking nice Old Man Marley is! The use of choir music underscores it perfectly and I could just watch it on repeat forever. I love it.

24) The climax of this film works as one extended slapstick sequence but is freaking iconic for that very reason. It’s some of the best slapstick put to screen since the days of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin! Each gag is incredibly hilarious, keeping you guessing each time with their intelligence and surprises, while the reactions from Pesci and Stern are just golden. It’s hard not to watch Home Alone and not laugh your butt off at the climax.

25) One of John Candy’s greatest moments in the film is the moment where he talks about leaving his son at a funeral home. But what’s more fun is knowing that it’s all improv and watching Catherine O’Hara just react to it.

26) The reunion between Kevin and his mom, accented by the reunion with Marley and his family, is a sweet way to end the film. It just leaves you with a great holiday message about family and I love it.

Home Alone is a holiday classic. Filled with warmth, heart, incredible humor and great characters, it’s hard not to love this film. ESPECIALLY around the holiday season. With some of the funniest slapstick in ages and a great performance by young Macaulay Culkin, I definitely recommend a viewing.

[recentanimenews]

The Ultimate Fate Series Beginner’s Guide

Editor's Note: This is a republication of a feature by Kevin Matyi that originally appeared on Crunchyroll News on 6/27/19.

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  Fate is a strange franchise for those curious about becoming fans. Including adaptations in various mediums and multiple sequels, throughout its 15 year history there have been over 50 entries in at least six different continuities, some referencing or relying on each other for background information despite not directly connecting. Making things more difficult, many of the entries have never received an English release, including the progenitor of the franchise, the Fate/stay night visual novel.

  As a result, many potential fans, myself included, asked the very simple question of where to start, and then need to stare at a flowchart of continuities and timelines, trying to make sense of names like Fate/strange fake and Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Battlefront Babylonia- before they can even attempt to get into the franchise.

  Understandably, this turns many people off from Fate. With that in mind, what’s the short answer to the question? Where can a potential fan go to start watching or reading Fate property?

    The absolute simplest answer is to just pick an entry and jump in while trying to avoid anything that looks like it’s clearly a sequel. With the number of different continuities and interdependencies on lore as well as the insanity inherent to some of the decisions (there is an Archer Servant who attacks with bales of rice, and that’s barely odd by Fate standards), it’s practically impossible to not be confused as a new fan, so just embrace the madness, pick something with the word “Fate” in its title and enjoy the ride.

  For a more in-depth answer, get comfortable!

    To start with, a bit of terminology that most of the entries use:

Master - A magic user (magi) who has successfully summoned or is in command of a Servant.

Servant - A famous person who is summoned as a soldier in the Holy Grail War. Generally one Servant per Master, classified into one of seven classes (more, in later entries) based on fighting style, weapon choice and personal history.

Holy Grail War - A battle royale between magi using Servants. The last one standing can use the Holy Grail to grant any single wish.

Holy Grail - An extradimensional magic battery of effectively infinite power. Sometimes becomes a portal to Hell, other times used to build an airport.

    The simplest of the Fate continuities is probably Fate/Apocrypha. It was originally going to be a multiplayer video game with a focus on a continuing story, but eventually the idea was shelved and the setting became the basis of the Apocrypha light novels, later adapted into an ongoing manga and also into a single season anime dubbed by Aniplex of America and given a global release.

  In Apocrypha, after the Third Holy Grail War in Japan the Yggdmillennia family of magi took the Holy Grail from Fuyuki City to Romania and kept it a secret for decades. At the start of Apocrypha, they have initiated a new Holy Grail War, but due to all of the Masters being from Yggdmillennia, a new set of seven Masters and Servants are chosen to oppose them, creating two factions of Masters, and the Grail summons a Ruler Servant to preside over the War.

  Due to being set in Europe with an entirely new cast of characters, there is almost nothing connecting Apocrypha to other Fate properties outside of some background details about the timeline. Thanks to the global release, the anime is readily watchable in English, subbed or dubbed. However, neither the light novels nor the manga have received an English release.

    The next easiest continuity is Fate/strange fake (yes, that’s seriously what it’s called). It started as an April Fool’s joke labelled Fate/states night that followed an attempt to recreate the Holy Grail War via data from a previous War but set in the United States. It was later turned into a story in a magazine, then later still adapted into an ongoing light novel and manga. Sadly, there’s no official way to read any of F/SF’s adaptations in English.

    Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA (or as many people know it: the one with magical girls) is the middle complexity continuity to understand, since it's something of a tangential continuity to the original F/SN, using many of the same characters and settings but in sometimes significantly different roles. Originally, ILLYA was a manga that received two sequel series (2wei! and 3rei!!), the most recent of which is ongoing. It has been adapted into a total of four anime seasons (Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA, 2wei!, 2wei! Herz and 3rei!!), the final episode of which announced a movie, Oath Under Snow, licensed by Sentai Filmworks. All of the anime’s seasons are available with English subtitles, and at least to the end of season three is available dubbed in English.

  In the beginning of ILLYA, Rin Tohsaka and her rival Luvia Edelfelt (both appearing in F/SN) are tasked with using special "Magic Sticks" to transform into magical girls and collect the seven Class Cards in Fuyuki, which manifest in a mirror dimension as corrupted versions of the original F/SN Servants. Due to the two constantly fighting, the sentient Sticks leave and select new users, Illya and Miyu. Later seasons expand on how the girls can use Class Cards in combat, add in Chloe, Illya's twin, and generally raise the stakes in various ways, such as having an Eighth Class Card and adding in a new magi tasked with collecting the final Card who destroys the main cast's base of operations.

  ILLYA has also has a video game adaptation by the same name for the Nintendo 3DS, a two volume light novel adaptation made while the anime was airing but are not available in English, an OVA Dance at the Sports Festival (available as a special on the first season’s DVD) and an upcoming OVA Prisma Phantasm.

  Then there are the more complicated continuities.

    The first of these is the Extraverse, where everything is set in a virtual environment on the Moon in the future, specially around 2030, since nothing in Fate is allowed to make sense. The main Extraverse entries are: Fate/Extra (published by Aksys Games), Fate/Extra CCC, Fate/Extra CCC Fox Tail (published by Kadokawa), Fate/Extra Last Encore (licensed by Netflix), Fate/Extella (localized as Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, published by Marvelous!) and Fate/Extella Link (also published by Marvelous!).

  In Extra, humans discover a magic-based computer on the Moon called the Moon Cell Automoton, which had been built by a pre-human civilization and was observing all of human history up to that point. The Moon Cell then makes a virtual high school and starts a Holy Grail War with 128 Masters, effectively taking over the role of the Holy Grail. The main character has no memory of their past, and so must fight through the War with nothing but their Servant, Emporer Nero Claudius, to try to reach the Moon Cell to reclaim their memories. In Fox Tail, the same plot takes place, but instead of Nero, the main character's Servant is Tamamo-no-Mae, previously the main Caster Servant from Extra. Last Encore is a reimagining of the same plot, but with the main character showing up 1,000 after the start of the War.

  CCC is a sequel and companion game to Extra and follows the main character as they try to escape the labyrinth on the Far Side of the Moon with their Servant. CCC also introduces advanced artificial intelligence characters, like BB and Meltryllis, as antagonists. Extella and its sequel Extella Link are set after Extra (or at least later in a closely related continuity, since a few details don't line up between the different entries). Nero is in command of the Moon Cell, the main character has been split into multiple pieces, each following a different Servant and both the Moon and Earth are under threat from an alien invasion that occurs once every 14,000 years.

  The good news is that that list is all a self-contained continuity with practically no connection to other properties, and it also has some of the most recent entries in Fate. Last Encore aired in 2018, and Extella Link released earlier in 2019. Also, most of the Extraverse entries, with the exceptions of CCC and Fox Tail, have official English translations. 

    The bad news is that CCC and Fox Tail, which Last Encore and Extra build on, don’t have an English release, and the Extraverse isn’t consolidated into one medium or platform. Extra and CCC are on the Playstation Portable, Extella and Extella Link are on the Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, PC and Nintendo Switch. Fox Tail is a manga following CCC’s story but with a different Servant, and Last Encore is an anime set 1,000 years in the future. 

  For side entries, Extra as a sound drama CD, a manga and a parody manga where the masters are turned into babies and the servants need take care of them (called Fate/Ikustella), CCC has a manga adaptation and Last Encore has two drama CDs. The Last Encore CDs are bundled with volumes one and five of the show’s Blu-ray release, but otherwise the side entries of the Extraverse appear to not have any official English releases.

    The next continuity is Fate/Grand Order, the mobile game, which is pretty easy to understand in a vacuum. The original idea for Apocrypha that was shelved later became the basis for F/GO: a multiplayer video game that still has a focus on a story that progresses over time. In fact, F/GO’s story is still ongoing and will likely continue with regular updates for at least the next two years.

  In F/GO, the player is the last Master in Chaldea, a building complex in the mountains that uses magic and technology together to allow both the ability to directly view the past and limited time travel. After a severe incident in the prologue, you are charged with restoring humanity by fixing singularities, points in time where history has gone wrong.

    The reason why F/GO is a more difficult continuity is because while its actual story is self-contained and does not rely on other Fate properties, the game has three complications. First, it has various events throughout the year for holidays, milestones and other Fate properties being released, so the main story isn’t the only content. Second, the game has become so popular that many other properties use F/GO as a basis. Finally, it expands on much of the previously established lore, which is great for fans but confusing for newcomers. For example, originally there were only seven classes of Servants in Fate lore. F/GO currently has 13 (12 in the North American release with the final class, Foreigner, releasing in December).

  As a result, someone using F/GO as their introduction to Fate will get a self contained story that stands well on its own, but also a ton of other stuff to confuse them until they have an understanding of almost every other entry in the franchise.

    As for the other properties connected to F/GO, Fate/Grand Order Arcade is exactly what it sounds like: F/GO but as an arcade game. Fate/Grand Order VR feat. Mash Kyrielight, published by Aniplex and available with an English dub, lets you interact Mash, one of the major characters from the game, and Altria Pendragon, the original Saber Servant from F/SN.

  Fate/Grand Order x Himuro's Universe Seven Most Powerful Great Figures Chapter is an anime short made by ufotable based on the 4-koma manga Himuro's Universe Fate/school life. The same crossover also created another spinoff called Himuro March - Fuyuki Game Over. The basic premise of the original Himuro manga is simply following side characters from F/SN as they go through normal high school life, while all of the cool magic and life threatening battles are going on off screen. Unfortunately, all of the Himuro properties appear to have no official English releases.

    In terms of anime, F/GO has a few adaptations, including more that are scheduled to air later this year. Fate/Grand Order -First Order- is a movie that adapted the first chapter of the game’s story, and has an English release for both subtitles and dubbed. Fate/Grand Order -Moonlight Lostroom- is a half an hour special with an original story set in the “Lostroom” of Chaldea and is available in English. In terms of story, Lostroom acts something like a prologue to part 2 of F/GO’s story, which will begin around the start of 2019 for North American players.

  Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Battlefront Babylonia-, an anime adapting the final singularity of the first part of F/GO’s story, is set to air in the fall. Finally, Fate/Grand Order -The Sacred Round Table Realm Camelot- Wandering; Agateram (now THAT'S a mouthful!) and Fate/Grand Order -The Sacred Round Table Realm Camelot- Paladin; Agateram (how long could these titles possibly get?!), a two-part movie adapting the Camelot singularity in the game, is currently set to air in 2020. 

Image from the official FGO Twitter

F/GO also has a few manga spin offs. Learning With Manga! and its sequel series More Learning and Even More Learning are comedy manga made by Riyo, one of the artists for the game, and officially published as a web comic on the main F/GO website. Each chapter is supposedly designed to help players understand the mechanics of the game, but generally make fun of some of F/GO's more ridiculous aspects or just joke around. Learning With Manga! also received its own anime short on the official FGO YouTube channel, however it does not have any English subtitles.

Fate/Grand Order -mortalis:stella-, published by KODANSHA COMICS, and Fate/Grand Order -turas realta- both adapt the story of the game, with mortalis adapting Mash Kyrielight’s viewpoint and turas adapting the player character’s. Of the various manga, turas is the only one with no English adaptation.

  There’s also the Guda Guda Ace manga and related Fate/GUDAGUDA Order. Guda Guda Ace is technically a TYPE-MOON properties (the parent company that owns Fate) that uses Fate Servants and which F/GO adapted several popular characters from, rather than an entry into the Fate franchise itself. GUDAGUDA Order is "the official Fate Grand Order support manga," according to its first chapter, but mostly it follows the same structure as Guda Guda Ace, just with more focus on F/GO. Both properties are self-referential comedy manga with a purposefully deformed art style that do not follow much in the way of an overarching narrative.

    The final and most confusing continuity is the one that the most people are familiar with, which might be part of why it is so difficult to explain where to start with the franchise. This is the set of six Holy Grail Wars in Japan and includes the original Fate/stay Night. F/SN has a total of three routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel, each of which has some kind of anime adaptation. Studio Deen adapted Fate into an anime and Unlimited Blade Works into a movie, while ufotable adapted Unlimited Blade Works into an anime and is currently adapting Heaven’s Feel into a trilogy of movies.

  The adaptations are especially important for F/SN because the original visual novel has no official English translation, but each of the routes do via their anime and movies, with the Blu-ray for the second Heaven’s Feel movie, Lost Butterfly, likely coming out later this year and the final movie, Spring Song, set to release sometime early 2020. Even the manga adaptation of F/SN is available in English thanks to Tokyopop and later Viz.

    The basic plot of F/SN follows Shirou Emiya as he gets sucked into the Fifth Holy Grail War and tries to survive while challenging whether his ideals of becoming a hero of justice who saves everyone can stand up to reality. However, each of the three routes explores this differently. In the original visual novel, players needed to play Fate before they could play Unlimited Blade Works, and only after the other two they could play Heaven's Feel. This is largely because Fate explores what his ideals are, Unlimited Balde Works gives an answer to whether the ideal is possible and Heaven's Feel creates a solid application of whether such ideals are possible.

In terms of gameplay, the three routes are differentiated by which of three main heroines Shirou most closely allies himself with: Saber for Fate (technically King Arthur, but because it's Fate, she's female and her name is Artoria Pendragon), Rin for Unlimited Blade Works and Sakura Matou for Heaven's Feel.

    However, F/SN is far from the only entry in the main continuity. Later, Fate/hollow ataraxia released as a sequel to F/SN. F/HA also does not have an official English release, but unlike F/SN, it also doesn’t have any anime adaptations or an English release for its manga adaptation. 

    After F/HA came Fate/Zero, a prequel to F/SN. F/Z started as a series of light novels, later adapted into a manga then later still into an anime licensed by Aniplex. There is also an eight volume release of F/Z in manga form available in English via Dark Horse. F/Z was popular enough to also get audio drama CDs, like The Outsiders’ Performance and Artoria Romance.

  F/Z's basic story follows the Fourth Holy Grail War, set 10 years prior to the one in F/SN.F/Z largely expands on the lore of the world, with Masters from each of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War, the Einzberns (who enlist Kiritsugu Emiya, Shirou's adoptive father), Tohsakas (specifically Tokiomi Tohsaka, Rin father) and Matous (Kariya Matou, who agrees to win the Grail in exhange for Sakura's freedom), two from the Clocktower (essentially the major governing and educational body for magi in the Fate universe), as well as Kirie Kotomine, the priest from F/SN who was supposed to be the overseer of the War, and a serial killer due to no one else becoming the seventh Master. The Einzbern family has lost the three previous wars, so emlists Kiritsugu Emiya (Shirou's adoptive father) as a Master on their side. The other two founding families of the Holy Grail Wars, the Tohsakas and Matous, also send in Masters to fight for the Grail.

    Then there are a few entries that are technically not in the same continuity, but are also set during the Japanese Grail Wars. First is Fate/prototype, which is set during the Second Holy Grail War and uses many of the original ideas that were going to be in F/SN but were cut during development. It was only available as an animated short that came with with the third season of the spin-off show Carnival Phantasm.

  It also has a drama CD, Fate/prototype Drama CD: On-Ship Christmas Murder Case and a prequel, Fate/prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, set during the First Holy Grail War. Fragments of Sky Silver was originally a light novel, later adapted into an audio drama, and even received its own side story called Fate/Labyrinth, a light novel set in the middle of Fragments of Sky Silver. Unfortunately, none of F/P’s properties have any official English release.

    For those who want to keep track, in terms of Holy Grail Wars:

1st HGW - Fate/prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver (not available in English)

2nd HGW - Fate/prototype (not available in English)

3rd HGW - No entries.

         -Different continuity-

4th HGW - Fate/Zero (anime available in English)

5th HGW - Fate/stay night (anime and movies available in English)

6th HGW - Fate/hollow ataraxia (not available in English)

  That is not quite all of the entries that use F/SN’s setting and characters, however the remaining entries are all spin-offs that are designed to work as standalone properties.

    Today’s Menu For the Emiya Family is one of them, originally a manga then adapted into an anime, which follows various members of the F/SN cast making (and eating!) delicious-looking food. Both the manga and anime are available in English, with the manga being licensed by Denpa.

  Then there's the previously mentioned Fate/school life, which follows various minor characters from F/SN going through their normal high school life. This is the same Fate/school life that has a few spinoffs with F/GO, and does not appear to be officially available in English. Finally there's Lord El-Melloi II Case Files, which follows one of the masters from F/Z, Waver Velvet, and his apprentice as they solve various magic-based mysteries. The anime adaptation is set begin airing this summer!

  After that, there are still a few entries remaining in Fate, however they don’t fit into any overarching continuity.

The aforementioned Carnival Phantasm is an anime by studio Lerche based on a Tsukihime parody manga that includes Fate characters, Tsukihime being another property in the overall universe that Fate is set in (yes, the total continuity for Fate includes even more things). Despite being a fan favorite, it's not officially available in English.

Fate/tiger colosseum is a fighting game published by Capcom for the Playstation Portable with characters from F/SN and F/HA, and had a sequel called Fate/tiger colosseum UPPER. Neither are available officially in English.

Fate/unlimited codes was much the same as tiger colosseum, even down to being published by Capcom, but for arcades, Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable. Unfortunately it was discontinued from the Playstation Store in 2012 due to an expiring license. As a result, there is no way to get the English release of the game anymore. 

Fate/Requiem is a light novel set after a Holy Grail War in which everyone has a Servant. It is not available in English.

  Finally, there are dozens of art, concept, reference and materials books for the various properties, many being limited offers during the initial release or anniversary of their respective properties. These include the likes of Fate/complete material, Fate/stay night Visual Collection, Fate/EXTRA CCC Void Log: Bloom Echo and Fate/prototype Tribute Phantasm.

    With all of that in mind, how can a potential fan get into Fate? It honestly depends on what that fan is looking for. Currently, the ILLYA and Apocrypha manga, Prisma Phantasm, Lord El-Melloi II and Babylonia anime and the Camelot and final Heaven’s Feel movies are all ongoing, so starting with any of them will let you be a part of the current conversations more quickly.

    If you want to jump in and experience things as they were released, then one of the F/SN anime or movies will be the best place. If you want something simple that isn’t connected to anything else, then Apocrypha is one of the better options. If you want less drama, action or bloodshed, then the likes of Today’s Menu For the Emiya Family is preferable.

  Personally, my first experience with Fate was ufotable's Unlimited Blade Works anime. While it was airing, I was interested in watching but knew that Fate had a bunch of other entries that I knew nothing about. I went to my local anime club to ask about where to start getting into Fate, and after some nervous laughter they asked me about whether I meant just the anime entries or everything. After some discussion, they said that UBW would be a fine starting point.

    It turned out that they were mostly correct. Since F/SN followed a character who doesn't know anything about Holy Grail Wars or Servants, the show fills in a lot of the details for newbies. There are some plot points that are just kind of throw at the viewer, assuming that they have experienced the Fate route of the novel or seen the anime adaptation, but even those fall more into unexplained details, rather than stories that a newcomer wouldn't be able to follow. 

  My advice would be to do pretty much what I did: start with a title that is currently airing or recently released and give it a try. As mentioned, in terms of anime at the moment that would probably be this summer's Lord El-Melloi II Case Files, or F/GO for the more adventurous.

    Worst case scenario, there are a lot of other previous entries that you can fall back on to give the franchise a second shot. Best case scenario, it works as a starting point to learn about Fate and there are a lot of other properties to delve in to later. Either way, finally taking the first step in trying to get into Fate is more than enough to become a fan of the franchise, it just takes some guts to make the leap!

  Did I miss any Fate entries? Is there a better way to understand the various continuities and relationships between entries? Do you have a better way to get into the franchise? Let me know in the comments below!

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Kevin Matyi is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. He's been watching anime for as long as he can remember, and his favorite shows tend to be shonen and other action series.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #159 - Star Trek (2009)

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) This was my first encounter with Star Trek. Ever. There may be a chance I saw The Motion Picture before this but I didn’t remember it. At all. This was it for me. And I have to say I’m grateful for that because it really pulled me into this world which I now thoroughly enjoy.

2) Our very first experience with this film are the soft notes of Michael Giacchino’s theme for the rebooted universe. I think Giacchino is the finest modern day composer around and I think Star Trek is his finest piece of franchise fare (while the score for Up might be his best work ever). Giacchino’s more fits like a glove with this world. It is new yet feels familiar, relating to the feelings of hope, adventure, and danger which is such a trademark of the series. Like all great scores, it helps hold up the film and I love it for that.

3) The attack on Kelvin is a gripping and excellent way to open the film. It features tense action and opens on a note of darkness and unexpectedness which will come to define the dangers of the film.

4)

Captain Robau: “You’re captain now, Mr. Kirk.”

(GIF originally posted by @kamala-khan)

Chris Hemsworth features in a noteworthy pre-Thor role in this film. The referring to him as Mr. Kirk almost plays against expectations, because one might observe that he looks more like William Shatner in this film than Chris Pine does. In his short time in the film, Hemsworth’s George Kirk is able to do some incredible things. He is more a plot device than a character, establishing Kirk’s loss as well as the enemy this film will feature, but that doesn’t mean you don’t become invested in his character. That doesn’t mean his death doesn’t have impact. I think it’s a testament to Hemsworth’s performance, as well as the writings & directing of this film, that he leaves such an impact on the audience.

5) Fans of “Once Upon a Time” (among others) will recognize Winona Kirk:

6) The goodbye between George and Winona is heartbreaking.

In a scene which is elevated by pacing, the performances from both Hemsworth and Morrison, as well as Giacchino’s touching score, this scene breaks my heart a lot more seven years later than it did in 2009. Granted I’ve dealt with more loss (some of it pretty recent), so maybe that’s why I teared up. As an adult the scene strikes a deeper chord with me. It sets up the loss Kirk has to live with and the sacrifice of his father which will weigh on his shoulders for the first three of these films. It is an excellent introductory scene into the film and - in one specific line - even shows just the love and respect this film pays to the original.

George [after Winona suggests naming him after his dad]: “Tiberius, are you kidding me? No that’s the worst. Let’s name him after your dad. Let’s call him Jim.”

7) JJ Abrams has a lucky charm in actor Greg Grunberg, who makes an auditory cameo in this film as Kirk’s stepdad via radio. Abrams includes Grunberg in almost all his films (he is notably absent in Star Trek into Darkness) and the pair have known each other since Kindergarden.

8) Young Kirk and Spock.

The initial scene with an adolescent James T. Kirk shows off his conflict quite well. He’s a rebel. Much more than Shatner’s Kirk-Prime and that is saying something. Closer to Han Solo than a Starfleet captain, he is dealing with the pain in his life and the constant lowered dismissal of others. No one expects anything of him yet as the film goes on he grows more and more confident in himself and trying to do what’s right. It’s a wonderful conflict and journey we get to go on with this character.

Much like Kirk, Spock’s initial conflict is introduced brilliantly in his initial scene. There is a dissonance between his human half and his Vulcan half I have not seen in any of the media before (I’ve never watched The Original Series, so maybe it’s in there). But the deep examination of these two halves and the conflict it brings about in Spock is a wonderful arc for the character to go on throughout the film, helping to lend it its epic feel.

10) I don’t understand Vulcan bullies. What part of bullying is logical? Assholes.

11) This line from Spock’s father is very illuminating of the Vulcan culture, in a way which surprises and delights me.

Sarek: “Emotions run deep in our race. In many ways more deeply than in humans.”

12) Winona Ryder as Spock’s Mom.

If you’re wondering why someone as young as Winona Ryder is aged up and playing Spock’s mother, there is actually a reason for it. There’s a deleted scene in the film featuring her giving birth to Spock where she is not aged up at all.

From the very start of Ryder’s brief appearance in the film we understand their relationship. We see just how deeply the pair are connected and how much Spock loves his mom. It lends to the humble pride he takes in his human half as well as the sorrow which is to come.

13) Vulcan’s are supposed to be purely logical creature, so why the hell are they so freaking racist?

Vulcan Council President: “It is truly remarkable, Spock, that you have achieved so much despite your disadvantage. All rise.”

Spock: “If you would clarify, Minister: to what disadvantage are you referring?”

Vulcan Council President: “Your human mother.”

Although I must say that Spock sass is the best.

Spock: “Council... Ministers, I must decline.”

Vulcan Council President: “No Vulcan has ever declined admission to this academy!”

Spock: “Then, as I am half-human, your record remains untarnished.”

14) Zachary Quinto as Spock.

It is incredibly hard to fill the shoes of any of these characters, but Spock was probably the most difficult to cast. Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal is iconic not just in the realms of sci-fi but across cinema in total. Yet Quinto does a fantastic job in the film. He is able to create a Spock which is unique unto itself, taking the opportunity given by Spock’s identity conflict in the writing and take it to its full potential. We see Spock’s sorrow, his pain, his intellect, his logic, his emotion, all of it is present throughout the film in a wonderful balance orchestrated by Quinto’s performance. The audience is never distracted by the fact that this isn’t Leonard Nimoy, even when Nimoy himself shows up later in the film. This is Spock. New, fresh, unique Spock.

15) Chris Pine as Kirk.

Pine’s performance - in lesser hands - could have just been a really bad William Shatner impression (which he showed off on “SNL” a few weeks ago). But like Quinto, Pine is able to take the new conflict featured in the script and make Kirk his own. He makes the character much more roguish, taking him a different direction that Shatner and creating a future-captain who feels knew and fresh. This is still a portrayal which is worthy of the name James T. Kirk: he cares about his crew, he pushes things to their limits in an effort to save the day, he’s a fundamentally good man. But add to that a heavier amount of pain from the death of his father as well as an inclination to rebel and you have a career making performance from Pine.

16) Zoë Saldana as Uhura.

Having my experience with Uhura only be the films and not the original series, I actually really prefer Zoë Saldana’s Uhura to Nichelle Nichols’. Not based on their performances, I think Nichols made Uhura iconic. But because I think the writers make Uhura much more active in the rebooted timeline than she was in the original films. She’s a bit sassier, a bit more of a fighter, and much more inclined to call people out on their shit. Saldana is a gem in any and all movies she is featured in (See: Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Book of Life, The Terminal) and her role as Uhura is no exception. I fell in love with her as an actress because of this film and I am forever grateful for that.

17) Kirk is also someone who actively seeks out fight more than Shatner’s Kirk did, I feel.

Starfleet Cadet [after Kirk is being a pill to them]: “There are four of us and one of you!”

Kirk: “Then get some more guys and it’ll be an even fight.”

[Kirk gives the cadet a pat on the cheek before getting his ass kicked.]

18) Having watched all of the films with the original cast now, I see much more of the respect and love the filmmakers have for them than I did back in 2009.

Captain Pike: “Something I admired about your dad: he didn’t believe in a no-win-scenario.”

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

19) Kirk is also someone who enjoys defying the expectations others set for him, even if it is more for his benefit than their’s.

Kirk [after Pike says he can have his own ship after 4 years Starfleet]: “Four years? I’ll do it in three.”

20) Karl Urban as Bones.

I remember reading (but can’t find) that Leonard Nimoy found Urban’s performance as Bones so spot on similar to the late DeForrest Kelly that it brought him to tears. That right there tells you a lot about the portrayal. Urban is in my not-so-humble opinion the finest character actor in cinema right now, and even though he plays Bones closer to what he has always been (compared to the rest of the cast) that is never distracting. Kelley’s performance is a clear influence on Urban but he is still a character, not a caricature. He is able to both keep Bones the same character he’s always been without it being distracting and I love him for that. There are so many actors who I now love in film after I first saw them in this.

21) Eric Bana as Nero.

I might not be able to say this objectively, as this was my first experience with Star Trek, but I think Nero is an incredible villain and that Eric Bana is transformative in the part. Nero is not like the villains we’ve had in the past. He is not genetically engineered or trained for tactically superiority. He’s a miner from the future. He’s a blue collar worker with no military experience, driven mad by an  incredible grief at the loss of those he loves (something both Kirk and Spock deal with in this film). Bana is able to portray this madness, this vengeance with incredible devotion. You don’t see Bana, you only see Nero.

22) Ah, the test...

Bones: “Jim it’s the Kobayashi-Maru. No one passes the test!”

Using the concept of “show don’t tell” to it’s full advantage, taking what was only mentioned in Wrath of Khan and showing just exactly how Kirk cheated on the (in)famous test. Although in that film he said he, “Got a commendation for original thinking,” whereas here he is given academic probation and held before a council hearing (which seems a bit extreme to me but whatever). Also, according to IMDb:

In the scene where Kirk is taking the Kobayashi Maru test, he is eating an apple, which is also what he is eating while recounting his tale of taking the Kobayashi Maru test in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). (According to director J.J. Abrams in the DVD audio commentary, this was not intended to be a reference to The Wrath of Khan. At one point, he was simply told that lead actors seem cocky eating apples.)

23) This was Tyler Perry’s first movie role outside of his own projects (according to IMDb). That’s all. Moving on.

24) There is this incredible and deep conflict between Kirk and Spock which I love to see turn from adversary to friendly.

These two are famously best friends and I don’t know that we’ve ever seen them so at odds with each other. They freaking hate each other. They disagree with each other and each other’s methods on EVERYTHING. It is only through this conflict, through pushing each other, and through the trials the movie puts on them that they are able to respect and admire one another. I freaking love enemies-to-friends in movies and I’m so grateful they did that for this one.

25) John Cho as Sulu.

To start with, the fact that we are re-introduced to one of the most experienced pilots in science-fiction by having him make a mistake is a strong way of differentiating Cho’s Sulu from Takei’s Sulu. It helps to remind us just how green the crew of the Enterprise is in this movie and sets up the journey to come. I really like Cho as Sulu and I think he’s great in this film. You see him as someone who’s a little more unsure of himself early on and grow into the assurance that Takei had. But I also think he has some great moments to shine in Star Trek into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, maybe more so than the rest of the crew, so this is not the last you will be reading of Sulu.

26) Anton Yelchin as Chekov.

I will talk about Yelchin’s unfortunate passing last year when I write my recap for Star Trek Beyond soon, but I will say that I miss his presence in film. Yelchin is able to make Chekov such a youthful and fun character. He’s only 17 and is eager/excited to be on this ship. He’s smart, enthusiastic, optimistic, and able to serve to the fullest of his capabilities. In some ways more so than the rest of the cast (and I know this is blasphemy to old school Trek fans) Yelchin will always be Chekov to me (more so than even Walter Koening). I’m gonna miss him in future films.

27) The scene where Kirk is running around the Enterprise is great for me.

Not only is there some intense physical humor with the continuing set of symptoms Kirk is going through and the constant amount of shots Bones gives him...

Bones: “You got numb tongue?”

Kirk [with his mouth full]: “Numb tongue!?”

Bones: “I can fix that!”

But it also shows off Kirk’s intelligence. When he puts aside the bullshitting and the need to rebel he is the captain we all know him to be. He KNOWS they’re heading into a trap and it’s not just a bullshit feeling. Even though Spock and Captain Pike all write him off at first Kirk FIGHT to be heard and he is. He is confident and demands to be listened to, earning the respect, trust, and belief of the crew (even if temporarily). He trusts Uhura’s skills in xeno-linguistics, he read Captain Pike’s paper on his father’s death, he even gets Spock to agree that his logic is sound. It is this moment when he starts on his journey to becoming captain of the Enterprise.

28) This is an interesting parallel with Spock and Kirk’s father.

Captain Pike [after Spock wonders if making Kirk first officer is a prank]: “It’s not a prank, Spock. And I’m not the captain, you are.”

The obvious choice would be to have Captain Pike utter these words to Kirk but his using them with Spock is a nice deviation from expectation.

29) Olson is wearing a red shirt/suit.

In the original series, a “red shirt” was a character who’s role was primarily (often exclusively) to die horribly to show just how real the danger was.

30) I think the fight Kirk and Sulu have on top of Nero’s drill is not only a great action scene, but helps build the relationship between the two in a not so obvious way. When Sulu falls off the drill Kirk jumps after him without hesitation and then it is Chekov who pulls their ass out of the fire. It is a moment of deep trust between the Kirk and Sulu (and even Chekov) which will help the pilot get behind Kirk as captain later in the film.

31) Under the trivia for Galaxy Quest (the 1999 Tim Allen film) on IMDb:

In the Audio Commentary for Star Trek (2009), Director J.J. Abrams says, "By the way, I think we've all gone on record as saying one of our favorite 'Trek' films is 'Galaxy Quest'. And this sequence [where Kirk and Sulu are falling toward Vulcan without a parachute] is clearly an homage to Tony Shalhoub's great save in that film."

32) Spock’s struggle with the destruction of Vulcan and the loss of his mother ties directly into his conflict of identity. The universe needs him to be a Vulcan much more than it needs him to be a human now as he is now a member of an endangered species (and even identifies himself as such). And Vulcan’s try to outweigh emotion with logic, meaning that he is burying the grief he feels over his mother’s death in a way which is totally unhealthy.

33) I might be in the minority, but I like the Spock + Uhura relationship.

In some ways I wish it were developed more in future films, but I like how it is a quiet part of their relationships. You can tell it is based on deep compassion they have for each other as well as a total trust. They respect each other fully and never underestimate they other. There is no deception in their relationship, it’s just them. And I think Quinto and Saldana portray this wonderfully.

34) This version of Spock does not make a good captain. It is probably because he is trying to bury his emotion with an overcompensation of logic, but logic is only the beginning of wisdom and just because something is logical does not mean it is right. A lesson he has yet to learn.

35) And THIS is why this reboot works as well as it does.

Uhura [after Spock explains what the ramifications of Nero’s time travel means for them]: “An alternate reality.”

Spock: “Precisely.”

By creating an alternate reality which exists separately from the original timeline you are able to have more freedoms with your story. It is not a full on prequel or reboot. It very much respects what has come before it while clearing the way for something new to come. THAT is why - in my personal opinion - this is the best reboot of a series ever. And a method that X-Men and Terminator have tried to duplicate with varying degrees of success (X-Men doing it well, Terminator not so much).

36) Leonard Nimoy as Spock-Prime.

Now that I have seen the original Star Trek films with Nimoy his appearance in this movie carries a lot more weight for me. When I saw this in theaters the audience freaking cheered when Spock showed up as it was almost a total surprise, meanwhile I had to double check with my father that he was who I thought he was.

Spock: “I have been and always shall be your friend....I am Spock.”

[Beat.]

Kirk: “Bullshit.”

(Kirk’s bullshit made me laugh so freaking hard the first time I saw this.)

Nimoy is great in this film and passes the torch in an incredibly respectful and heartfelt way. It is a nice juxtaposition to see this wiser Spock with Quinto’s greener one and Nimoy is at his best in the part. According to IMDb:

Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and J.J. Abrams personally called upon Leonard Nimoy's home to request for his role in the film. According to Orci, the actor gave a "Who are you guys and what are you up to?" manner before being told how important he was to them. He was silent, and Nimoy's wife Susan Bay told the creative team that after their conversation he had remained in his chair, emotionally overwhelmed by his decision to return as Spock after turning down many opportunities to revisit the role. He decided to act in this film as he was turned on by the script's scope and its detailing of the characters' histories: "We have dealt with Spock being half-human/half-Vulcan, but never with quite the overview that this script has of the character's entire history, his character growth, his beginnings and his arrival into the Enterprise crew."

It is also through Kirk’s brief time with Spock-Prime that he learns truly who Spock is. He sees him at his most vulnerable, at his most trusting of Kirk since to him they are old friends. And he knows that’s in Quinto’s Spock and he respects him a bit more for it, even if that respect is not apparent upon their initial reunion.

37) Simon Pegg as Scotty.

(GIF originally posted by @stnetwork)

I like how Scotty is included in the plot. It feels more organic and makes him a bit different. He’s not like the rest of the crew who we met in the academy and on the Enterprise. He shows up when he’s needed and Simon Pegg is great in the role. A major fanboy, Pegg is absolutely hysterical in the part. You can clearly see the James Doohan influences in the role but Pegg - like the rest of the cast - is able to make the part his own and fit in with the rest of the crew perfectly.

38) I freaking love this.

(GIFs originally posted by @zacharysquinto)

39) Beaming Scotty and Kirk on the Enterprise only for Scotty to end up in the water tube illustrates a simple rule in storytelling: always have things go wrong. It’s more interesting that way.

40) Kirk pushing Spock is incredibly powerful for me, because Kirk does not enjoy doing this. He does not want to do this. Despite what animosity they may have towards each other, Kirk is only doing what is right. What Spock-Prime told him. He is doing what he has always done: what is best for the crew of the Enterprise. But that doesn’t mean he’s so sure of himself.

Uhura [after Kirk takes the captain’s chair]: “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, captain.”

Kirk: “So do I.”

41) And then the crew starts to take their places. They come together to go against Nero in a way that is reminiscent of the original series.

This image also reminded me of Kirk’s costume: he is the only one not in uniform until the VERY end of the film. He’s the black sheep of the crew who grows into his role.

42) There are a few small moments in the scenes to come which show how Kirk is already filling his duties as Captain. Namely: his telling Sulu to fire on Nero’s ship even if he and Spock are still on it/his covering Spock on Nero’s ship without hesitation (despite the conflict they’ve had up until this point).

43) Remember how I said you should have things go wrong whenever possible?

Scotty: “If there’s any common sense to the design of the enemy ship I should be putting you somewhere in the cargo bay, shouldn't be a soul in site.”

[Kirk and Spock are beamed onto the enemy ship in plain sight of the crew and are immediately attacked.]

44) Similar to Khan (since, for better or worse, Khan will be the villain all other Trek villains are compared to), Nero let’s his need vengeance leave him open to vulnerability.

Romulan Crew Member [after Nero has ordered them to fire on Spock’s ship]: “Sir, if you ignite the red matter -” 

Nero: “I WANT SPOCK DEAD NOW!”

45) This was always my dad’s favorite line in the film.

Ayel [Nero’s secondhand]: “Your species is even weaker than I expected. You can’t even speak. [Kirk, who is being choked by Ayel, chokes something. Ayel pulls him closer] What is it?”

Kirk: “I got your gun!”

[Kirk grabs Ayel’s gun from his belt and shoots him.]

46) And Spock makes peace with his human side.

Kirk [after offering to rescue Nero, the man who killed Spock’s mom]: “It’s logic Spock, I thought you’d like that.”

Spock: “Not really. Not this time.”

47) The entire final escape from the black hole ties in not only to the idea of making things go wrong whenever you can, but also an idea found in many Hitchcock films: it’s never over when you think it is.

48) Spock & Spock-Prime.

The only scene the pair share in the film, it is also an incredibly impactful one. A true passing of the torch, Spock Prime is able to share more than logic with Spock. He is able to share his wisdom and help guide Spock down a path as fruitful as his was. It’s a wonderful moment that the film truly needed and that I am forever grateful for.

Spock Prime: “As my customary farewell would seem oddly self serving, I shall simply say good luck.”

49) The end of this film could easily have been just that: the end. The series could have stopped here and it would have been a wildly satisfying ending. Leaving the future open for hope and opportunity, but also getting these characters in the places we are familiar with. Leonard Nimoy does the iconic monologue for the film, and Michael Giacchino incorporates in his ending score his own theme as well as Jerry Goldsmith’s theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the original television show theme. It is just a wonderful ending.

Star Trek is epic. It analyzes the characters and their relationships with a depth not yet explored in the series, specifically with Kirk and Spock. Abrams directing yields some beautiful imagery and the acting is absolutely phenomenal. At its core this film is a big fat love letter to the original series and the hope it brings, paying that hope forward to a new generation who (like me) find these characters through this film. I love it, with all my heart I love it.

[recentanimenews]

The Ultimate Fate Series Beginner's Guide

Fate is a strange franchise for those curious about becoming fans. Including adaptations in various mediums and multiple sequels, throughout its 15 year history there have been over 50 entries in at least six different continuities, some referencing or relying on each other for background information despite not directly connecting. Making things more difficult, many of the entries have never received an English release, including the progenitor of the franchise, the Fate/stay night visual novel.

  As a result, many potential fans, myself included, asked the very simple question of where to start, and then need to stare at a flowchart of continuities and timelines, trying to make sense of names like Fate/strange fake and Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Battlefront Babylonia- before they can even attempt to get into the franchise.

  Understandably, this turns many people off from Fate. With that in mind, what’s the short answer to the question? Where can a potential fan go to start watching or reading Fate property?

    The absolute simplest answer is to just pick an entry and jump in while trying to avoid anything that looks like it’s clearly a sequel. With the number of different continuities and interdependencies on lore as well as the insanity inherent to some of the decisions (there is an Archer Servant who attacks with bales of rice, and that’s barely odd by Fate standards), it’s practically impossible to not be confused as a new fan, so just embrace the madness, pick something with the word “Fate” in its title and enjoy the ride.

  For a more in-depth answer, get comfortable!

    To start with, a bit of terminology that most of the entries use:

Master - A magic user (magi) who has successfully summoned or is in command of a Servant.

Servant - A famous person who is summoned as a soldier in the Holy Grail War. Generally one Servant per Master, classified into one of seven classes (more, in later entries) based on fighting style, weapon choice and personal history.

Holy Grail War - A battle royale between magi using Servants. The last one standing can use the Holy Grail to grant any single wish.

Holy Grail - An extradimensional magic battery of effectively infinite power. Sometimes becomes a portal to Hell, other times used to build an airport.

    The simplest of the Fate continuities is probably Fate/Apocrypha. It was originally going to be a multiplayer video game with a focus on a continuing story, but eventually the idea was shelved and the setting became the basis of the Apocrypha light novels, later adapted into an ongoing manga and also into a single season anime dubbed by Aniplex of America and given a global release.

  In Apocrypha, after the Third Holy Grail War in Japan the Yggdmillennia family of magi took the Holy Grail from Fuyuki City to Romania and kept it a secret for decades. At the start of Apocrypha, they have initiated a new Holy Grail War, but due to all of the Masters being from Yggdmillennia, a new set of seven Masters and Servants are chosen to oppose them, creating two factions of Masters, and the Grail summons a Ruler Servant to preside over the War.

  Due to being set in Europe with an entirely new cast of characters, there is almost nothing connecting Apocrypha to other Fate properties outside of some background details about the timeline. Thanks to the global release, the anime is readily watchable in English, subbed or dubbed. However, neither the light novels nor the manga have received an English release.

    The next easiest continuity is Fate/strange fake (yes, that’s seriously what it’s called). It started as an April Fool’s joke labelled Fate/states night that followed an attempt to recreate the Holy Grail War via data from a previous War but set in the United States. It was later turned into a story in a magazine, then later still adapted into an ongoing light novel and manga. Sadly, there’s no official way to read any of F/SF’s adaptations in English.

    Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA (or as many people know it: the one with magical girls) is the middle complexity continuity to understand, since it's something of a tangential continuity to the original F/SN, using many of the same characters and settings but in sometimes significantly different roles. Originally, ILLYA was a manga that received two sequel series (2wei! and 3rei!!), the most recent of which is ongoing. It has been adapted into a total of four anime seasons (Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA, 2wei!, 2wei! Herz and 3rei!!), the final episode of which announced a movie, Oath Under Snow, licensed by Sentai Filmworks. All of the anime’s seasons are available with English subtitles, and at least to the end of season three is available dubbed in English.

  In the beginning of ILLYA, Rin Tohsaka and her rival Luvia Edelfelt (both appearing in F/SN) are tasked with using special "Magic Sticks" to transform into magical girls and collect the seven Class Cards in Fuyuki, which manifest in a mirror dimension as corrupted versions of the original F/SN Servants. Due to the two constantly fighting, the sentient Sticks leave and select new users, Illya and Miyu. Later seasons expand on how the girls can use Class Cards in combat, add in Chloe, Illya's twin, and generally raise the stakes in various ways, such as having an Eighth Class Card and adding in a new magi tasked with collecting the final Card who destroys the main cast's base of operations.

  ILLYA has also has a video game adaptation by the same name for the Nintendo 3DS, a two volume light novel adaptation made while the anime was airing but are not available in English, an OVA Dance at the Sports Festival (available as a special on the first season’s DVD) and an upcoming OVA Prisma Phantasm.

  Then there are the more complicated continuities.

    The first of these is the Extraverse, where everything is set in a virtual environment on the Moon in the future, specially around 2030, since nothing in Fate is allowed to make sense. The main Extraverse entries are: Fate/Extra (published by Aksys Games), Fate/Extra CCC, Fate/Extra CCC Fox Tail (published by Kadokawa), Fate/Extra Last Encore (licensed by Netflix), Fate/Extella (localized as Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, published by Marvelous!) and Fate/Extella Link (also published by Marvelous!).

  In Extra, humans discover a magic-based computer on the Moon called the Moon Cell Automoton, which had been built by a pre-human civilization and was observing all of human history up to that point. The Moon Cell then makes a virtual high school and starts a Holy Grail War with 128 Masters, effectively taking over the role of the Holy Grail. The main character has no memory of their past, and so must fight through the War with nothing but their Servant, Emporer Nero Claudius, to try to reach the Moon Cell to reclaim their memories. In Fox Tail, the same plot takes place, but instead of Nero, the main character's Servant is Tamamo-no-Mae, previously the main Caster Servant from Extra. Last Encore is a reimagining of the same plot, but with the main character showing up 1,000 after the start of the War.

  CCC is a sequel and companion game to Extra and follows the main character as they try to escape the labyrinth on the Far Side of the Moon with their Servant. CCC also introduces advanced artificial intelligence characters, like BB and Meltryllis, as antagonists. Extella and its sequel Extella Link are set after Extra (or at least later in a closely related continuity, since a few details don't line up between the different entries). Nero is in command of the Moon Cell, the main character has been split into multiple pieces, each following a different Servant and both the Moon and Earth are under threat from an alien invasion that occurs once every 14,000 years.

  The good news is that that list is all a self-contained continuity with practically no connection to other properties, and it also has some of the most recent entries in Fate. Last Encore aired in 2018, and Extella Link released earlier in 2019. Also, most of the Extraverse entries, with the exceptions of CCC and Fox Tail, have official English translations. 

    The bad news is that CCC and Fox Tail, which Last Encore and Extra build on, don’t have an English release, and the Extraverse isn’t consolidated into one medium or platform. Extra and CCC are on the Playstation Portable, Extella and Extella Link are on the Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, PC and Nintendo Switch. Fox Tail is a manga following CCC’s story but with a different Servant, and Last Encore is an anime set 1,000 years in the future. 

  For side entries, Extra as a sound drama CD, a manga and a parody manga where the masters are turned into babies and the servants need take care of them (called Fate/Ikustella), CCC has a manga adaptation and Last Encore has two drama CDs. The Last Encore CDs are bundled with volumes one and five of the show’s Blu-ray release, but otherwise the side entries of the Extraverse appear to not have any official English releases.

    The next continuity is Fate/Grand Order, the mobile game, which is pretty easy to understand in a vacuum. The original idea for Apocrypha that was shelved later became the basis for F/GO: a multiplayer video game that still has a focus on a story that progresses over time. In fact, F/GO’s story is still ongoing and will likely continue with regular updates for at least the next two years.

  In F/GO, the player is the last Master in Chaldea, a building complex in the mountains that uses magic and technology together to allow both the ability to directly view the past and limited time travel. After a severe incident in the prologue, you are charged with restoring humanity by fixing singularities, points in time where history has gone wrong.

    The reason why F/GO is a more difficult continuity is because while its actual story is self-contained and does not rely on other Fate properties, the game has three complications. First, it has various events throughout the year for holidays, milestones and other Fate properties being released, so the main story isn’t the only content. Second, the game has become so popular that many other properties use F/GO as a basis. Finally, it expands on much of the previously established lore, which is great for fans but confusing for newcomers. For example, originally there were only seven classes of Servants in Fate lore. F/GO currently has 13 (12 in the North American release with the final class, Foreigner, releasing in December).

  As a result, someone using F/GO as their introduction to Fate will get a self contained story that stands well on its own, but also a ton of other stuff to confuse them until they have an understanding of almost every other entry in the franchise.

    As for the other properties connected to F/GO, Fate/Grand Order Arcade is exactly what it sounds like: F/GO but as an arcade game. Fate/Grand Order VR feat. Mash Kyrielight, published by Aniplex and available with an English dub, lets you interact Mash, one of the major characters from the game, and Altria Pendragon, the original Saber Servant from F/SN.

  Fate/Grand Order x Himuro's Universe Seven Most Powerful Great Figures Chapter is an anime short made by ufotable based on the 4-koma manga Himuro's Universe Fate/school life. The same crossover also created another spinoff called Himuro March - Fuyuki Game Over. The basic premise of the original Himuro manga is simply following side characters from F/SN as they go through normal high school life, while all of the cool magic and life threatening battles are going on off screen. Unfortunately, all of the Himuro properties appear to have no official English releases.

    In terms of anime, F/GO has a few adaptations, including more that are scheduled to air later this year. Fate/Grand Order -First Order- is a movie that adapted the first chapter of the game’s story, and has an English release for both subtitles and dubbed. Fate/Grand Order -Moonlight Lostroom- is a half an hour special with an original story set in the “Lostroom” of Chaldea and is available in English. In terms of story, Lostroom acts something like a prologue to part 2 of F/GO’s story, which will begin around the start of 2019 for North American players.

  Fate/Grand Order -Absolute Demonic Battlefront Babylonia-, an anime adapting the final singularity of the first part of F/GO’s story, is set to air in the fall. Finally, Fate/Grand Order -The Sacred Round Table Realm Camelot- Wandering; Agateram (now THAT'S a mouthful!) and Fate/Grand Order -The Sacred Round Table Realm Camelot- Paladin; Agateram (how long could these titles possibly get?!), a two-part movie adapting the Camelot singularity in the game, is currently set to air in 2020. 

Image from the official FGO Twitter

F/GO also has a few manga spin offs. Learning With Manga! and its sequel series More Learning and Even More Learning are comedy manga made by Riyo, one of the artists for the game, and officially published as a web comic on the main F/GO website. Each chapter is supposedly designed to help players understand the mechanics of the game, but generally make fun of some of F/GO's more ridiculous aspects or just joke around. Learning With Manga! also received its own anime short on the official FGO YouTube channel, however it does not have any English subtitles.

Fate/Grand Order -mortalis:stella-, published by KODANSHA COMICS, and Fate/Grand Order -turas realta- both adapt the story of the game, with mortalis adapting Mash Kyrielight’s viewpoint and turas adapting the player character’s. Of the various manga, turas is the only one with no English adaptation.

  There’s also the Guda Guda Ace manga and related Fate/GUDAGUDA Order. Guda Guda Ace is technically a TYPE-MOON properties (the parent company that owns Fate) that uses Fate Servants and which F/GO adapted several popular characters from, rather than an entry into the Fate franchise itself. GUDAGUDA Order is "the official Fate Grand Order support manga," according to its first chapter, but mostly it follows the same structure as Guda Guda Ace, just with more focus on F/GO. Both properties are self-referential comedy manga with a purposefully deformed art style that do not follow much in the way of an overarching narrative.

    The final and most confusing continuity is the one that the most people are familiar with, which might be part of why it is so difficult to explain where to start with the franchise. This is the set of six Holy Grail Wars in Japan and includes the original Fate/stay Night. F/SN has a total of three routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel, each of which has some kind of anime adaptation. Studio Deen adapted Fate into an anime and Unlimited Blade Works into a movie, while ufotable adapted Unlimited Blade Works into an anime and is currently adapting Heaven’s Feel into a trilogy of movies.

  The adaptations are especially important for F/SN because the original visual novel has no official English translation, but each of the routes do via their anime and movies, with the Blu-ray for the second Heaven’s Feel movie, Lost Butterfly, likely coming out later this year and the final movie, Spring Song, set to release sometime early 2020. Even the manga adaptation of F/SN is available in English thanks to Tokyopop and later Viz.

    The basic plot of F/SN follows Shirou Emiya as he gets sucked into the Fifth Holy Grail War and tries to survive while challenging whether his ideals of becoming a hero of justice who saves everyone can stand up to reality. However, each of the three routes explores this differently. In the original visual novel, players needed to play Fate before they could play Unlimited Blade Works, and only after the other two they could play Heaven's Feel. This is largely because Fate explores what his ideals are, Unlimited Balde Works gives an answer to whether the ideal is possible and Heaven's Feel creates a solid application of whether such ideals are possible.

In terms of gameplay, the three routes are differentiated by which of three main heroines Shirou most closely allies himself with: Saber for Fate (technically King Arthur, but because it's Fate, she's female and her name is Artoria Pendragon), Rin for Unlimited Blade Works and Sakura Matou for Heaven's Feel.

    However, F/SN is far from the only entry in the main continuity. Later, Fate/hollow ataraxia released as a sequel to F/SN. F/HA also does not have an official English release, but unlike F/SN, it also doesn’t have any anime adaptations or an English release for its manga adaptation. 

    After F/HA came Fate/Zero, a prequel to F/SN. F/Z started as a series of light novels, later adapted into a manga then later still into an anime licensed by Aniplex. There is also an eight volume release of F/Z in manga form available in English via Dark Horse. F/Z was popular enough to also get audio drama CDs, like The Outsiders’ Performance and Artoria Romance.

  F/Z's basic story follows the Fourth Holy Grail War, set 10 years prior to the one in F/SN.F/Z largely expands on the lore of the world, with Masters from each of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War, the Einzberns (who enlist Kiritsugu Emiya, Shirou's adoptive father), Tohsakas (specifically Tokiomi Tohsaka, Rin father) and Matous (Kariya Matou, who agrees to win the Grail in exhange for Sakura's freedom), two from the Clocktower (essentially the major governing and educational body for magi in the Fate universe), as well as Kirie Kotomine, the priest from F/SN who was supposed to be the overseer of the War, and a serial killer due to no one else becoming the seventh Master. The Einzbern family has lost the three previous wars, so emlists Kiritsugu Emiya (Shirou's adoptive father) as a Master on their side. The other two founding families of the Holy Grail Wars, the Tohsakas and Matous, also send in Masters to fight for the Grail.

    Then there are a few entries that are technically not in the same continuity, but are also set during the Japanese Grail Wars. First is Fate/prototype, which is set during the Second Holy Grail War and uses many of the original ideas that were going to be in F/SN but were cut during development. It was only available as an animated short that came with with the third season of the spin-off show Carnival Phantasm.

  It also has a drama CD, Fate/prototype Drama CD: On-Ship Christmas Murder Case and a prequel, Fate/prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, set during the First Holy Grail War. Fragments of Sky Silver was originally a light novel, later adapted into an audio drama, and even received its own side story called Fate/Labyrinth, a light novel set in the middle of Fragments of Sky Silver. Unfortunately, none of F/P’s properties have any official English release.

    For those who want to keep track, in terms of Holy Grail Wars:

1st HGW - Fate/prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver (not available in English)

2nd HGW - Fate/prototype (not available in English)

3rd HGW - No entries.

         -Different continuity-

4th HGW - Fate/Zero (anime available in English)

5th HGW - Fate/stay night (anime and movies available in English)

6th HGW - Fate/hollow ataraxia (not available in English)

  That is not quite all of the entries that use F/SN’s setting and characters, however the remaining entries are all spin-offs that are designed to work as standalone properties.

    Today’s Menu For the Emiya Family is one of them, originally a manga then adapted into an anime, which follows various members of the F/SN cast making (and eating!) delicious-looking food. Both the manga and anime are available in English, with the manga being licensed by Denpa.

  Then there's the previously mentioned Fate/school life, which follows various minor characters from F/SN going through their normal high school life. This is the same Fate/school life that has a few spinoffs with F/GO, and does not appear to be officially available in English. Finally there's Lord El-Melloi II Case Files, which follows one of the masters from F/Z, Waver Velvet, and his apprentice as they solve various magic-based mysteries. The anime adaptation is set begin airing this summer!

  After that, there are still a few entries remaining in Fate, however they don’t fit into any overarching continuity.

The aforementioned Carnival Phantasm is an anime by studio Lerche based on a Tsukihime parody manga that includes Fate characters, Tsukihime being another property in the overall universe that Fate is set in (yes, the total continuity for Fate includes even more things). Despite being a fan favorite, it's not officially available in English.

Fate/tiger colosseum is a fighting game published by Capcom for the Playstation Portable with characters from F/SN and F/HA, and had a sequel called Fate/tiger colosseum UPPER. Neither are available officially in English.

Fate/unlimited codes was much the same as tiger colosseum, even down to being published by Capcom, but for arcades, Playstation 2 and Playstation Portable. Unfortunately it was discontinued from the Playstation Store in 2012 due to an expiring license. As a result, there is no way to get the English release of the game anymore. 

Fate/Requiem is a light novel set after a Holy Grail War in which everyone has a Servant. It is not available in English.

  Finally, there are dozens of art, concept, reference and materials books for the various properties, many being limited offers during the initial release or anniversary of their respective properties. These include the likes of Fate/complete material, Fate/stay night Visual Collection, Fate/EXTRA CCC Void Log: Bloom Echo and Fate/prototype Tribute Phantasm.

    With all of that in mind, how can a potential fan get into Fate? It honestly depends on what that fan is looking for. Currently, the ILLYA and Apocrypha manga, Prisma Phantasm, Lord El-Melloi II and Babylonia anime and the Camelot and final Heaven’s Feel movies are all ongoing, so starting with any of them will let you be a part of the current conversations more quickly.

    If you want to jump in and experience things as they were released, then one of the F/SN anime or movies will be the best place. If you want something simple that isn’t connected to anything else, then Apocrypha is one of the better options. If you want less drama, action or bloodshed, then the likes of Today’s Menu For the Emiya Family is preferable.

  Personally, my first experience with Fate was ufotable's Unlimited Blade Works anime. While it was airing, I was interested in watching but knew that Fate had a bunch of other entries that I knew nothing about. I went to my local anime club to ask about where to start getting into Fate, and after some nervous laughter they asked me about whether I meant just the anime entries or everything. After some discussion, they said that UBW would be a fine starting point.

    It turned out that they were mostly correct. Since��F/SN followed a character who doesn't know anything about Holy Grail Wars or Servants, the show fills in a lot of the details for newbies. There are some plot points that are just kind of throw at the viewer, assuming that they have experienced the Fate route of the novel or seen the anime adaptation, but even those fall more into unexplained details, rather than stories that a newcomer wouldn't be able to follow. 

  My advice would be to do pretty much what I did: start with a title that is currently airing or recently released and give it a try. As mentioned, in terms of anime at the moment that would probably be this summer's Lord El-Melloi II Case Files, or F/GO for the more adventurous.

    Worst case scenario, there are a lot of other previous entries that you can fall back on to give the franchise a second shot. Best case scenario, it works as a starting point to learn about Fate and there are a lot of other properties to delve in to later. Either way, finally taking the first step in trying to get into Fate is more than enough to become a fan of the franchise, it just takes some guts to make the leap!

  Did I miss any Fate entries? Is there a better way to understand the various continuities and relationships between entries? Do you have a better way to get into the franchise? Let me know in the comments below!

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Kevin Matyi is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. He's been watching anime for as long as he can remember, and his favorite shows tend to be shonen and other action series.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[recentanimenews]

The 5 Most Loved and Hated Hair Antennas in Anime

The humble hair antenna. A cowlick that can say a lot about a character. A single strand of disorder in an otherwise immaculate air or, showing that the character isn’t all business or, perhaps, will just never be as cool and composed as they want. A single standing follicle might top of off a disorganized appearance like a cherry on a sundae, showing you that, from top to bottom, the character is incapable of keeping things together.

Love them or hate them, you have you admit, they have a certain charm. Although you may not say that about the character wearing them. Our friends over at Anime-Planet spend day and night cataloguing these unique features and leaving it to the fans to vote on the best and worst possessors of this springy crown. A note before we again, these are the result of popular votes that I can and will disagree with. Only your democratic will can determine who makes it on this list. With that out of the way, below are the 5 most loved and most hated anime characters with hair antenna!

Loved

5. Furukawa Nagisa - CLANNAD

Nagisa is exceptional on this list as a two-for-one, possessing a pair of antenna where with most we have to settle for one. As a character you can’t really argue with her being loved. Showing kindness and understanding despite struggling with her own issues and with one of the most charming character quirks in whispering the name of snacks to motivate herself. You basically spend the series hoping she finds a happy ending. Or, at least I did.

4. Saber - Fate

Saber’s a character hard not to love, possibly because there are so many of her. Arthur, Nero, or whatever sword-wielding conqueror takes her form, Saber always appears as a central character with the same springy hair. Filling in so many roles in the famous Fate franchise, you’d be hard pressed to find at least one you didn’t like. Her antenna was an inspired bit of character design, adding just a bit of disarming charm to her usually dignified aura.

3. Izumi Konata - Lucky Star

  One of the fan favorites from an iconic self-referencing slice of life, Konata may be a surprise on this list, but definitely a welcome one. As an otaku and insomniac gamer who happily reflects a lot of the habits most of us try our best not to slide backward into, she’s definitely relatable. Umaru might be considered a more modern spiritual successor, but lacks the credentials to creep up on Konata in this list.  

2. Alex Louis Armstrong - Fullmetal Alchemist

Like the rest of Armstrong, his hair antenna is superbly thick, causing it to droop into more of a curly q, but if those things on moth’s heads count then I can’t think of any reason to disqualify Armstrong. Making number two on the list is only natural with his larger-than-life attitude, musculature, and fighting style. In fact, the only character that could beat him would be...

1. Edward Elric - Fullmetal Alchemist

  Arakawa has a thing for antennas and the popularity of FMA in the West means her characters are sure things for this list. As one half of the main duo of the series, it’s only natural Ed edges out Armstrong on the top of his list. Although lacking the same flash and remarkable supportiveness, his imperfections and dedication to his goal of getting his beloved brother’s body back make him impossible not to root for. His antenna's a bit short, but so's he, so it all balances out.

Hated

5. Rose Thomas - Fullmetal Alchemist

You monsters. Gonna have to disagree with everyone here and if you don’t like that you can meet me down in the comments. Rose serves dramatically different roles depending upon which FMA anime you’re talking about but it’s likely this vote was the result of her drastically expanded role in the original ending of the 2003 anime. But, like, she’s been through a lot, okL She’s just trying to do her best. How could you do this to her?

4. Horada - Durarara!!

  Easy to forget this jerk even had a hair antenna but I couldn’t agree with his spot on the list more. You don’t really have to go much further than attempted murder followed by trying to frame a 16 year old to land him here. He’s a bully and a coward without much in the way of redeeming qualities, not even an intriguing villain but just a pathetic thug. Perhaps the least charming of all characters possessing antennas. There, I said it. His antenna sucks. He sucks.

3. Solf J. Kimblee - Fullmetal Alchemist

  I gotta say I was confused with Solf even buying on this list until I saw the above screenshot of him. There’s just no other way to justify the lift those two strands of hair get over his face. He definitely qualifies and deserves his spot among the most hated. Basically just a mass murderer with a fetish for explosions who unbearably plays off his villainy as some higher art. He’s Megumin except evil and not cute or funny. Not a whole lot going for him, basically.

2. Saionji Sekai - School Days

  Oh boy. How do you even judge an anime like School Days? It makes sense Sekai’s here since she did some pretty messed up stuff, but that’s basically what the anime is about? I guess she initiated the daisy chain of events at the very end (after a STRONG push). Basically this isn’t too surprising although I can’t help but notice Makoto has an antenna himself but isn’t up here. Honestly, I mostly resent everyone who voted on this for making me think about School Days...

1. Rossiu - Gurren Lagann

  Normally I’d say we should cut Rossiu some slack given the position he was put in, but we all know the reason he’s up here and I have to admit I’m getting a visceral sense of satisfaction seeing him up here. It’s kind of Rossiu’s fate as a practical, down-to-earth character in a series as relentlessly over the top as TTGL to come off like a stick-in-the-mud but his betrayal of Simon in the second half really sealed his fate. He should’ve believed in the Simon who believed in him..

Agree or disagree, it seems like Hiromu Arakawa possess an unmatched mastery over the use of hair antenna, making memorable use of it on both characters we cherish forever or… don’t. Personally, I’m surprised Hetalia’s America didn’t make it anywhere on either side of the list.

Didn’t see your favorite on this list? Want to know where they appear among the most loved and hated on their kind? Head over to Anime-Planet’s list of characters with hair antennas to see where they rank or comment below with your most beloved flipped up follicle. Tune in next week, where the subject will be the lovely snaggletooth.

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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com