#or you can pirate it

[smitethestate]

Hey guess what I've been doing? Watching all the cult documentaries I can get my mitts on.

I recommend The Garden: Cult or Commune because it's low emotional stakes and highly entertaining.

I do not personally think it's a cult at all, there's just too many messy bitches in that commune and not enough adherence to good commune policies and anarchist values.

Now if you want fucked up and disturbing, i recommend The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping. Trigger warning for all forms of abuse including CSA. But so fucking good. Made by a survivor of the "tough love" teen torture industry. On Netflix.

[mechazushi]

Bartender: Glass of God. The manga, the Show, The Reboot.

TL:DR; A review about some rando's take on a little known bartending manga that got turned into a show and just released a reboot of the same show.

F*ck it, I'm doing reviews now and I just wanted to shout out a great slice of life anime about the one thing that weirdly tickles a random cluster of neurons in my skull: Aesthetically pleasing looking drinks.

Lets kick this off by getting everyone on the same page about a few things. The manga is called Bartender and its a finished series. The first run of the anime was in 2006 and lasted 11 episodes. Today, as of April 5, 2024, they are reproducing an updated version called Bartender: Glass of God. There is only one episode (obviously) so this review will only cover differences I've noticed between the three and how I feel about this. (also I haven't finished the first show and I just read, like, The first three chapters and skipped a volume/ read some chapters from that no less that 2 minutes before writing this. the next review I make of this, I will probably be reading more to make this more credible.) The story is about a man named Ryu Sasakura. As far as I can tell, he doesn't really have a resound, Earth-shattering goal for himself. He's just there to make cocktails and give advice/fix relationships. Bartender is accompanied by a somewhat steady cast of reoccurring characters, mainly one woman in particular named Miwa Kurushima.

Got all that. Good. Here we go.

The Manga (spoilers)

While this is the material I have previously admitted not to have studied the most intensely, It is the basis from where these shows originate from and should be given center stage at the moment. The first chapter starts with Miwa in a bar fretting over a task from work, she argues with the guy behind the bar about her drink, then gets interrupted by Ryu. She pieces together that Ryu is a bartender and manages to convince him to show up at a testing and interview at a newly built hotel that's trying to open a bar inside. He shows up, aces the test, then rejects the offer to work there, saying he wants to try other places first.

Having this be the last thing I looked made everything else I was about to watch a bit of shock to me. Most people read the book before watching the movie/series, which causes most people to compare the two. In most cases, in a negative light because people tend to really attached to the source material and get fussy when something gets changed. Not to say that someone going in the opposite direction like I have couldn't act the same way, but it also helps that I haven't had the time or the well aged, rose colored glasses to view everything through.

So when I saw that Ryu doesn't immediately start out working in his famous Eden Hall. It gave me an odd platform to (hopefully) objectively compare the shows to. Also, a lot of the major story points that get touched on in the first episodes of both of the shows, are not present or given different context in the manga. There are things that remain consistent between all three. That being the two phrases "What two professions should you never betray the customer?" and the speech about "why is a bartender called a bartender?". What I found to be the most decisive creative difference between all three was how they portrayed the first drink served in all three first episodes/chapters. In all three, is a whiskey/ water mix with a higher ratio of water to whiskey ( In the reboot, they changed it to a High ball, which is just sparkling soda instead of water, but I think that's because a water cut is more of a Japanese thing.) The drink and how he comes at the presentation of the drink reflects his personality for the rest of the series. To be honest, I think a lot of people would be surprised at how the creation and the aftermath of the High ball scene definitively sets up just how different Ryu's personality is in each iteration.

In the manga, Ryu is smart, but not right off the bat. Given time to prepare and he can come across as amazing and otherworldly. But catch him off guard with something can cause him to fumble. He is also portrayed as impulsive, running off to steal a specific type of ice and staging (At least one that I know of) happenstance meetings. The man knows what it takes to impress someone, but through it all, he's still human. Albeit, it doesn't show through normal human behaviors like a clear expression of goals or bad habits, This doesn't make him come across like a robot, but as a man wiser than his years whose had time to perfect his perception of people and how to cater to a distraught stranger. This is helped by the fact that this story has actual plot that is subcontextual in every chapter with a slow, but not a slow-burn level of progression. That last bit is absolutely no where to be seen in the 2006 iteration of Bartender.

Bartender: The 2006 release (Spoilers)

The 2006 version was the one I had stumbled upon first. Thought it was interesting, watched two episodes and didn't pick it back up again for several months. Not because it was bad, mind you. but the thing about the story Bartender is that... its not meant to be binged in one seating. The show is meant to be savored slowly, like an actual cocktail. The way the original anime variation is set up like this; Ryu already has Eden Hall, and the lore acts like he's always been there, where in the manga he was actually living in France for years before he decided to come back to Japan and start his own bar. And Ryu didn't even start with Eden, he worked somewhere else as a new guy before befriending Miwa's grandpa and gramps (gifting? convinced? not sure haven't found the chapter yet) Ryu the Eden Hall. So the story the show sets up ends up acting like Eden Hall just... grew out of a side street and there was Ryu behind the mahogany.

This isn't helped by how they depicted the doorway in the show verses the manga. The entry is down a set of stairs and off to the left, hidden underneath a deceptively simple sign in the manga; while in the show its just... in the wall facing the street. Its framed by three square stone pillars set in the wall around it with a small, lit potted tree sat beside, making the entry feel more like you're stepping into an underground temple than a bar.

The show then continues like a abridged and condensed rendition of the manga. The b*tchy personality that was given to Miwa was given to her supervisor. She meets Ryu at the Hall and he correctly guesses the drink order she always had when she got off work when they both were in France several years ago, He wasn't asked or even showed up to the bartending test, and the setup to the water-cut whisky scene was way different. Instead of making the drink at the test and then later giving the supervisor a taste of Ryu's Sherlockian level deduction skills at a different bar; the events leading to the drink, the making of the drink, and the key speeches that define the core of the first chapter were shoved into a scene that lasted probably less then 10 minutes and it never left Eden Hall.

Having the show frame it like this, left me with the impression that Ryu... was some sort of God. Like a benevolent being whose sole purpose of existence was to make drinks and help others emotionally. It isn't helped by how the show is presented. Its episodic, prioritizing facts and answers to relatable situations over chaining lore beats. Unintentionally making Ryu feel inhuman; he's helpful, sure, but comes across as vaguely omnipotent, and there's also no scene where Ryu is outside of the bar, making it feel like he only exists to serve. This could just be Japanese work style mannerisms at work, but if that isn't the case, then him acting with no changes in demeanor like that just tacks on to the whole not human allegations.

The reason why I feel like this is comes out in one particular scene. In the making of the water cut whiskey, there's another speech that is given. The two of them talk about why Eden Hall was named Eden Hall. Turns out it relates to an English Folk tale about a group of fairies leaving behind a glass and a note saying "You break this, bad luck comes to Eden Hall. (paraphrased, of course)" After the speech is given, Ryu walks over to a glass cabinet that contains an ice sculpture recreation of the famous Eden Hall glass... and promptly BREAKS IT IN FRONT OF THE GUY! He uses the ice from the sculpture for the drink and that becomes part of the reason the drink is so good, its because of how special the ice is.

Having not read the manga before hand, I didn't know at the time that this was the show writers way of introducing the so important ice sculpture needed to make this Glass of God, but without having Ryu being all the way at the hotel for the test. Not knowing this, I think, unintentionally made Ryu feel like he viewed anyone that walked through his door, was just a toy to him that he could fix or break emotionally, and that he only helped as many people as he did was because he felt like it. Seeing Ryu break the sculpture after giving that speech and serve the drink to a man that had been openly hostile to him gave this whole scene an unintended shock factor that I didn't see coming. And the thing is, the origin of the name for Eden Hall speech takes place in like, midway through VOLUME 2. It was never supposed to be in the first episode. Having everything unfold like that was a deliberate choice of the writers, so it makes me wonder if they were doing this intentionally. Again, having not read the manga first and seeing Ryu portrayed like this had me unprepared to meet the Reboot variation of him

Bartender: Glass of God (Spoilers, duh)

Having only one episode to draw from for this part makes me hopeful that this will be shorter than what I have written so far, (God, what have started). I think this will be more of a description of what changes were made and hopeful expectations since there isn't much to stack up, material wise.

Starting off, this looks like its going to be more lore based than its earlier counterpart. We get to see Miwa actually interacting with her supervisor and a friend that appears only occasionally in the first run. Miwa was a bitch before and then had next to no personality in the show, but now seems to have regain a little of the b*tchyness and is now more...judgemental? Definitely a reads book covers first kind-a person, but is paired nicely with her bubbly and eager friend. We still have the bartender test, but instead of the reason behind it being that the supervisor is stingy and judgemental (or outright hates bartenders) him, Miwa, and her friend are all on a mission to find the bartender that makes the Glass of God, and this is on orders from above the supervisor. Honestly, the writers did a really good job with everyone that makes an appearance across all the media, because they even took their time and gave the three bartenders that show up for the test their own personalities. They didn't have to do that and I love them for it.

After the test fails they meet Ryu in the park. And this is where the show kinda slapped me in the face a little. Again, the only other reference to Ryu that I had seen was the earlier 2006 run, and (hopefully) you saw how I felt about him. So to see Ryu act as this forgetful, awkward, goofy goober of a person really threw me for a loop. He leaves behind a book from the library and Miwa ends up holding onto it. The two of them meet two more times and because Miwa's whole mission is to find the maker of the Glass of God, finally finds Eden Hall. Again, the show decides to have Ryu have Eden Hall to start off with instead of him working somewhere else and then earning the right to have Eden Hall. I'm not going to have a strong opinion on which direction is better yet because there's a shot where Ryu is looking dramatically at a fenced in, empty lot, that and crossed with this being more lore heavy so as to tie in better with the original manga, it seems like a better plan to let this play out and see where it goes first.

Anyway, Miwa and friend show up and realize its Ryu. (If you can't tell by now, we're about to hit the High Ball sequence.) This time, Ryu has more customers in the room with him, setting it up to be what I thought was the best iteration of the whole "realization that Ryu is d*mn good at his job". The test from earlier actually becomes important this time around because it sets up two scenarios that a good bartender should be good at if they want to be considered good. And of course, Ryu passed with flying colors. We now enter the High Ball scene. And honestly, nothing really stands out about this version, but I think that's because its blending in with the momentum kept from the previous drinks, making it that from the moment they enter the bar, the High ball itself doesn't stand out specifically until after Miwa comments on it, drawing out what so special about it. She asks for hers after seeing the other two get made and gets hyped for the drink as she sees whiskey being brought out, thinking shes going to get something fancy... only to get handed the (infamous) High ball. Miwa writes it off, thinking that nothing special could come from something so simple...only to have a Studio Ghibli level blast to the senses. Which is here we tie into the voice lines about how Ryu knew that a water cut whiskey would be perfect for her at the moment, going into the same spiel about how observant he is and makes the viewers know that Ryu is that guy. This episode so far has been a wonderful take on a lesser know story and I'm glad that the lore is getting a turn in the spotlight this time around.

This is a whole different take on the characterization of the bartender named Ryu. Going from unusually wise but young bartender, to possibly omnipotent God of cocktails and relationship advice, to a socially awkward and unashamed of it human who's just a beast behind the counter with a cobbler shaker in his hands. There isn't enough footage of the Reboot variant of Ryu being a free therapist or being a relationship solver yet so this is where I leave this review of Bartender: Glass of God for now. Again, I haven't finished the 2006 run or the manga yet, so take everything I've been saying with a grain of salt

If you have managed to make it this far, I applaud your tenacity, or severely pity your level of boredom, but nontheless greatly appreciate you taking time out of your shitty sleep schedule and joined me on my first review. I don't think I'll be doing this too often. And if I do, there will be an attempt to condense it all down much more succinctly. Here's hoping that a brief glance ( cuz' lets be honest, no one is going to read this whole thing) might of convinced you to check out an amazing slice of life that just focuses on taking advice and swallowing down the bitterness of life with a chilled and well crafted glass (of god).

THANK YOU EVEYBODY! ILL BE HERE ALL WEEK!

[miserable-something]

the history book on the shelf

[drag0nerd]

poor phrasing not gonna lie

[otaku553]

Fire (part 4)

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(Spade Pirate Sabo AU Masterpost)

We're finally here!!!!!! BABY'S FIRST FIRE FIST!!!!!

MASSIVE THANK YOU TO @where-does-the-heart-lie for writing the broad strokes of this 4 chapter arc!!!! it's been absolutely amazing having you as both a beta reader and a sounding board for comic ideas! thanks for being here since pretty much the very beginning :DDD

I've had this chapter sketched out since 2 months ago...... at long last it can see the day of light......

[sungodnikaa]

you have changed me, gently, unknowingly. you have changed me with your love

[rhysuje]

that vine is somehow always in my head.

Happy birthday to our precious Monkey! 👊🐒👒🎉 05.05.

(obviously Shanks is behind the camera, I can just hear him shouting excitedly)

https://ko-fi.com/rhysuje

[luckylectio]

Halloween with the Chain, featuring our LU heroes in their various "costumes"!

[rebelsafoot]

HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY BLACK SAILS THANK YOU FOR GIVING THEM TO ME

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF stickers are coming to the Patreon soon!!

[akans-dead-at-sea]

I mean, it's an absolute gem!

[rooksunday]

thinking about fox getting his first poll card after the vode get citizenship. the guard scattered after sithsplosion day, but he and a score or so that were functionally useless without each other, like nervous space greyhounds with military training, all ended up bundled together on some planet in the mid rim.

he’s been working on a book about his years at the senate. no one knows about it aside from thorn, who has been checking his basic, and advising him where he needs to wind the reveals back a little because libel. the rest of the time he does payroll for a number of small businesses, picking and choosing his hours, and delighting in sending invoices for his business: the shiny security fund, he’s called it, to continue the tradition in a more official manner.

(when they’d been on triple zero, the fund had been for rations. blankets. bacta. they’d conned credits from tourists and stolen them from senators and turned those credits into hope for the poor bastards shipped to the city that ate shinies before they could ever earn paint. these days, the fund was for whatever his guard wanted. aside from a pony. fox couldn’t figure out where hound would keep the pony.)

the book had been born from two lists. one was the blackmail and gossip the guard had collected during their stint on coruscant; that was where thorn needed to check for dangers, but since most of those senators had died in sith-related incidents, or had been jailed when the media got hold of their dealings, all fox was doing was providing context.

the other part of the book was fox’s List. thire sometimes called it a manifesto, because he had been studying for his degree and liked to show off occasionally. the list was a suggestion of changes to the republic, some small, some large. it was a silly fancy of fox’s, as the whole book was, but if he couldn’t indulge himself in his own karkin’ book then they might as well have punted him off the high levels back on coruscant.

yet for all that he’d settled—and paid taxes, even—fox hadn’t felt part of the citizenship of the planet. then the poll card had arrived. and suddenly he mattered in a tangible way. just like the bothan baker next door did. just like the twi’lek downstairs, the one with the noisy kriffin’ speeder, did.

thorn found fox in the kitchen, still staring at the scrap of card. he rapped his knuckles on the doorframe.

“you okay there, chief?” he asked. he’d been trying out alternatives to ‘sir’. “noise complaint again?”

fox shook his head. he didn’t look up. “voting thing. there’s an election.”

“oh! yeah, we got ours yesterday. are you— what’s that face you’re making. i don’t think i like it.”

fox raised his head and gleamed his smile at thorn, who backed away slightly, one hand drifting to where a blaster once hung. fox’s eyes felt very wide. he jabbed the poll card like a vibroknife.

“do you know what this means?”

“democracy comes in two postal batches?”

“no! well, yes, apparently, and that’s inefficient, but— no!” fox jabbed the card again. “this means i am a citizen and i am about to make that a senator’s problem. where’s my manifes— list, thorn? it’s time for an update.”

[scullcrusher101xd]

if you had one shot, one opportunity to take a nap. To sieze everything you ever wanted in one moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?

[redinthesea]

"The Unlucky Groom" or "Have You Fulfilled Your Dream Yet?" or "Back Where You Started" or "Why Is He Cinderella Though" or "I Still Think He Needs to Be Put Down" or "Smoking is Bad"

[otaku553]

Fire (part 3)

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(Spade Pirate Sabo AU Masterpost)

[badly-drawn-doflamingo]

[ slams doors open]

I MADE IT JUST IN TIME!