#plus all the 4th wall break jokes are really funny

[skayafair]

The fact that Kayne critically misjudged John's true feelings and how much their relationship with Arthur have progressed, brings me so much joy.

Not that all-knowing and all-powerful anymore, are we?

It'd do him good to be brought down a peg or two.

[zeggyzone]

d&d / fantasy valorant

has been on my brain. so here’s my little masterlist on what i think everyone would be.

DISCLAIMER

i’ve played d&d like three times so don’t expect all of these to be accurate/they’re my opinion :(

astra // astral elf monk

hey, i just think it makes sense. monks can deal damage and since astra derives her power from the astral guardians, it makes sense, no?

plus, i think she’d be really badass with astral elf genes…

breach // centaur barbarian

WALK WITH ME HERE. just listen to me. A CENTAUR. HE’S SO CENTAUR.

he’s very tanky and i think it very much fits his whole vibe— and if you think he’s annoying with two legs, he’s gonna be ten times more annoying with four. can totally see him absolutely destroying someone by bucking his back legs into someone.

brimstone // dwarf paladin

honor is huge for dwarves and i really want to play that in with brimstone. i want to say that kingdom could’ve been this crazy god thing but maybe i could look into that later. all i know is that he is a paladin with a heart of gold.

in a little doodle i did, i made him a tavernkeeper… so maybe he’s an ex-paladin now-turned a humble tavernkeep.

chamber // high elf artificer

i wanted to make him a ranger, but an artificer makes me giggle. probably because one of my d&d characters is an artificer and was loosely based on chamber. (she’s a rich tiefling seamstress of many talents, if you even care.) also you can imagine chamber as a tiefling too, but, i think high elf works better.

deffo still a weapons designer, maybe even a blacksmith. probably works closely with magic users to make custom weaponry to channel their mana in.

clove // fairy bard

look, as much as i’d LOVE to make clove an immortal god watching over the whole fantasy world, i just HAVE to include them as a fairy who CONTINUOUSLY breaks the 4th wall. it’s so funny.

clove would probably have DEADPOOL level fourth wall breaks, and constantly make jokes and references of ‘the real world’ and how they’ve ‘seen all of you before.’

cypher // tiefling wizard

WALK WITH ME HERE. he had his horns ripped off. WALK WITH ME.

he hides his identity partially because iirc tieflings aren’t exactly … liked by the public eye? i also like to think he uses his wizardry to fuel his whole information broker schtick. he uses arcane eye and everyone hates him for it.

deadlock // snow elf beast hunter

i know that beast hunters aren’t exactly a CLASS but come on. lets be honest with ourselves.

deadlock who lost her team to a rabid mythical beast, now dedicating herself to hunting them down and neutralizing them, one bounty at a time. i like to think that she doesn’t necessarily kill them if they can be saved, or at least put them down painlessly. otherwise, she aims for the fuckin’ throat.

fade // half-elf sorcerer

walk with me here. fade is a MAN in the universe OKAY walk with me. i made a hc video on tiktok where i made fade a half-elf sorcerer that is haunted by the voices in his spellbook. his character name is demir, and upon further research, i have found out that sorcerers CANNOT use spellbooks. (stupid, i know.) so work with that as you will.

i think she works for nightmare to feed it in return to find information on her father. she's a bounty hunter, but ONLY for nightmares and for information. you feel me?

gekko // tall-man druid

i think this one’s a given.

i’m practically making him beast boy, BUT IDGAF!!!! he has a connection with his buddies and often shifts as needed. he likes turning into a dog and cuddling. trust. his character name is oetam. yes, it's mateo backwards.

harbor // warforged artificer

this one is kind of me fucking around. as much as i wanted to make him a water based race, he was chosen to hold the artifact.

i think he was made by realm to be their historian and antiquities expert, but as soon as he was the chosen one, was shut out, just like in the cinematic.

iso // half-orc fighter

i know i could've put iso as a tiefling or something like that but i think him as a half-orc is cooler. he's tall, bulky, and TANKY.

i originally wanted him to be a paladin, because he could change oaths from hourglass to the protocol through a huge quest in sparing omen... that whole thing, but i think a fighter works better.

jett // air genasi rogue

let's be so fucking for real JETT WILL BE PUT ON SOME ROGUE SHIT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. I WILL FORCE FEED IT TO YOU WITH A GOLDEN SPOON.

if omega earth isn't canonical in the d&d world (which i highly doubt) she has an evil twin that does shit on her name, henceforth, she has to hide. otherwise, same backstory.

kay/o // warforged fighter

HE. IS. WARFORGED. [actively shoving food down your throat]

very much strikes me as a robot learning how to be normal. definitely works along brimstone-- he got a job at the tavern and helps him sort out bounties and act as security. he's also totally a bodyguard for money.

killjoy // tiefling artificer

she's so tiefling u can't say anything. she's a PINK tiefling thank you very much. definitely a party girl, too!

i think she's the same idea as chamber, but she's paid by brimstone! i wanna think he took her in as his protégé but atp he might as well be hers. initially he wanted her to help with kay/o, but she just ended up control-freaking everywhere and upgrading everything in sight. she has matching names with oetam. it's aralk.

neon // wood elf ranger

neon is a speedster, so it makes sense to give her one of the fastest races in d&d (based on walking distance, at least). i wanna think she's a knight... stay with me here.

ex-k-sec makes sense for her to be a knight? so maybe she just has the title, but kind of just does contract work? also! the whole lightning thing... mayhaps cursed? or maybe just a lightning god didn't want her. choose which one you like out of those two.

omen // tall man-tiefling rogue

hear me out; he used to be a tall man, but after the whole 'incident' was turned into a tiefling. LISTEN BRO IT MAKES SENSE.

he works as a merc, sporting a cloak to shield his 'hideous' self. he frequents brimstone's tavern for jobs, and always emerges from the shadows instead of using the door. he's become accustomed to showing up after closing with the bounty, and in return, spooks everyone working there. killjoy had to hit her fantasy equivalent of an inhaler after a few spooks.

phoenix // dragonborn bard

[shoveling food down your throat] that is a fucking dragonborn if i ever did fucking see one.

and, he's a bard because he was in theatre school, duh. i like to think phoenix is a very popular entertainer but also uses his talents for other jobs on the side. otherwise... maybe he's a knight! i don't know. i like the performer idea better.

raze // dwarf alchemist

she was also in the d&d video! her name is razinho ('little raze' haha). probably a merc with a very, err, explosive personality. wandered in the tavern a lot and hit it off with aralk.

if i had to assign her a class, maybe a fighter or a barbarian.

reyna // vampire warlock

listen. i want to say that the vampire side of her is empress. she has to devour souls (or blood!) to keep empress happy. you see where i'm going here? [fade bulletin board spray]

she's tied to empress so long as lucia is sick. gekko and her met after she found him injured in dog form... guys please i love them so much.

sage // high elf cleric

her healing is a gift. come on bro. she's as cleric as it can get. while i think she also derives power from the earth (she's in fact a geomancer) i think the majority of her mana comes from the higher power that gifted her.

i want to think she also works as a ... well, sage. she does so back in shaanxi. otherwise, she's found at brimstone's tavern providing her healing. sometimes she goes into dungeons and does free revivals.

skye // dryad druid

[shoveling food down your throat] dryad skye [more food] druid skye. also isn't it crazy how THAT is the only skye picture we have. rest in peace.

i wanna think that her pack is a bunch of animal-shaped plants that she helped escape a garden. i think that's really funny. 10+ points if it's a garden belonging to kingdom.

sova // avian (owl) scout

a former knight in charge of reconnaissance. he left after a tragic accident.

he lives with his babushka and takes care of her-- sometimes he takes up bounties for extra cash, and brimstone is trying to work his way into sova's good side-- he could really use a scout.

viper // naga shifter alchemist

probably used to be a cleric but renounced her belief-- even better, after doing what she did to omen, she lost her power and took it as a sign to take up researching death.

yes, she is a naga. it makes so much sense, nobody talk to me. her and brimstone are old friends and she frequents the bar also because of omen. the reason he was sent to kill her should stay the same i think.

yoru // changeling rogue

last one! he was also in the hc video. except he was a fighter. his name is kurayami. no, not kuronami. he's a runaway samurai and hella edgy. oetam bullies him. demir, too.

changelings can impersonate people they've already seen, so maybe yoru uses paintings of his ancestors to decide on his identity. he has the mask still, too! he uses it when he's on his rogue shit.

thanks for reading! would love to hear what you guys think about these!

twitter | tiktok | archiveofourown

[creonininkwell]

Creon, strangest thing you’ve seen in either your interdimensional travels or in Inkwell Isles, go-

Strangest? To be honest, lots of dimensions were pretty strange. Are you talking "Alice in Wonderland" strange? Or just strange to me? Cuz there were quite a few. Disturbing ones? Well you didn't specify about that so moving on.

I think one of the strangest one was a literal cartoon dimension, almost like here. I literally fell into a dimension where cartoon characters were breaking the 4th wall. No joke, they looked at some random space and talked to no one in particular. That dimension had a school that taught teenage "toons" how to be funny for future show biz. Oh but "Wacky land" was such an acid trip. Never want to go back there again.

I was stuck in that dimension for almost half a year. It was chaotic as hell, but fun. Still super weird to look at a live cartoon universe, including yourself drawn out like a cartoon. I thought I was tripping on acid or got a concussion from the initial fall. I've kinda gotten used to seeing toons chucking dynamite at each other or falling to pieces, then coming back like nothing happened. I swear that dimension was trippy. Still not getting over how people's eyeballs can pop out & then be shoved back in.

Another trippy place Moo-ee? Meow-nay? No, Mewni! I hate that place! This is probably where the my dislike for magic started. It was already bad that the local monsters were discriminated and living like second-class citizens in their OWN dimension. And whose idea was it to give a magic wand with cosmic powers to a teenager? Do you know how unhinged and chaotic teenagers can be? And it's so weird to see about 3 moons in the sky. I know other planets have more moons, but it's surreal to see in person.

Most of the "monsters" were actually chill. But the flora and fauna and some of the actual feral creatures were really deadly. Don't get me started with the warnicorns. The place is some sort of twisted version of my world. How there are certain kingdoms have "monster" people yet all the other "monsters" are harassed and dunked on. There's a literal kingdom of pigeons. Oh and there's some sort of "High Magic Commission" or something convoluted. How these guys are cool with the $h!t that goes on while they're blatantly "monster-ish" is plain f****d up. Well looks like no dimension is ever safe from same exact bull$h!t from home. Oh yeah! I accidentally got cursed there too! But only temporarily.

The Dungeon & Dragons dimension was strange, like it kind of nerfed my strength a bit. Like the universe or the laws of reality seemed to actively dunk one me. But thankfully, it didn't hinder me too much and I could always rely on other skills. On the bright side, I picked up even more weapons to add to my arsenal. Plus, it was much more easier with a party. I called this dimension Dungeons & Dragons cuz it's one of the few things I'm familiar with. It could've been some random fantasy world, but everything seemed so similar to the game.

Weirdest part was that sometimes my Time Brace worked, and sometimes there were areas that interfered with communication back home. I regrettably had to do some heinous stuff in order to find an area where I could get a clear reading and activate a portal. Also, f*** the pantheon! The gods there can suck a huge d*ck for all I care.

Another strange one was a literal world where you hunted and killed monsters for your food. Imagine if you were to compete in a cooking competition, except you had to get your own ingredients, survive in the harsh wilderness, and kill the beasts and other competitors to stay alive and get to the next round. Felt like I was living in some f***ed up video game.

The only reason I competed was for any hopes of finding possible resources or connections to someone who could help me. Seriously, it's ridiculous how the judges there have huge political power. The judges are actual representatives from major empires and regions so they have access to places or people I wouldn't be able to reach. I'm just glad I found a reliable partner to tag team with. We were barely able to make it as final contestants. Oh yeah, my sous-chef was a goblin who was missing his legs from foot to kneecap. He was a stabby little b@$tard, but really helped me out in that world. I have been spoiled too much by modern conveniences.

But nothing will EVER top the literal endless white void where eldritch entities roamed. I'd categorize THIS place as disturbing, but it was by far the most strangest place yet. By the way, that was the most recent one I hopped from. I had no sense of time and there was no telling if anything was truly from afar or nearby. Sometimes I ended up running in a loop or running into a wall. The only reason I survived from being eaten or having my brain melted was because I took the stupidest gamble of all times. Saving a huge looking parasitic worm. I couldn't even contact home because those eldritch monsters would follow the signal. So it was always a risk to even ask for help on possibly dealing with those things.

I don't know why, but with the last few experiences, I should've killed that thing and eaten it. But some reason I took pity on it. I just felt sorry for it, laying there alone and defenseless. I really didn't know that was a baby eldritch god at that time. I only knew that once I started carrying "Rue" in my bag, things got less confusing, and "Rue" was able to communicate by tapping its tentacles on my shoulders or giving these weird mental nudges. Also it helped to have an actual living being to help keep my sanity in tact. Probably a good call since "Rue" is the only reason why I'm still alive in one piece.

*sigh*...I just want to go home.

[nanoko-aishino]

Helllooooo~ <3 12, 21, and 35 for the ask game, please!

Ooh Hello and thank youu hehe ^^

Tbh I haven't played MM for a while because I am one of the people cheritz decided(?) to delete acc for whatever reason plus not enought space on the phone orz but I wanna do it anyway ^^

12. Favorite chat

Hmm first thing that comes to my mind is chat in AS with Ray after kiss <3 But I like as well one of the first chats at night CS where Yoosung comes for a while and he tries to pretend he is a wolf? but eventually give up on it haha I always choose to tease him lol.

21. Favorite character interaction with each other

Except for Saeran and Saeyoung brothers moment (which is very rare) hm... Can't decide between Seven teasing Yoosung or Zen. Sometime I feel bad for Yoosung.

35. First impression for each character

Yoosung I thought he is cute and kinda similar to me. When I started playing MM he was 1 year older than me I guess. He was cute, sweet and adorably clumsy haha but back then I couldn't understand why he was failing classes all the time and thought "get a grip dude, for once. You go to the library more or less regularly. What do you do there, sleep? You could do a little bit better than F..." Now I know haha ^^; But I don't fail classes... also I'm not med student in Korean Ivy uni(?) so...

Jaehee Tbh the very first time I thought she is guy... sorry lol and Later she seemed to be very nice although reserved(?) or rather serious, until someone mentioned Zen or his musicals, and I thought "okay, so you are more normal than I thought... sort of ^^;;" An I actually treated her like big sister or good friend to almost very end. I finished her route as one of the last, because while playing I messed up something with participation, got BE , started another route and forgot about it.

Zen So he always have been the cool popular sexy flirty type... so not my taste. Since I remember I never liked such people because in the past I met at least few who were like that and they were just judging, narrow-minded, and couldn't understand that I am different from them and feel good with that (f.ex. I am introvert). For long I felt like I can't even trust too much such people. I rather avoided them if I could, no grudge, just two different worlds. I noticed Zen is okay. Still two different worlds, but I alway treated him like an older brother.

Jumin he was from the world of 'adults' so serious, boring and something I totally couldn't get. Until he tried to tell a joke sometimes, It often was awkward but I appreciated it lol I picked Jaehee over him because I was pretty sure I never could even keep up with her workload. I am allergic to cats so I have never been a cat person... First he felt distant because his seriousness, but I felt him and supported him when I noticed he doesn't want to nececerly date just anyone, he is just waiting for someone he can trust, probably doubting such person exists. I know this might be because his father's relationships and such, but back then I felt almost like "yeah, you don't nececerly need to be in a relationship or desperately crave to be in one. As a single you are not less worthy as a human". That many craves for physicality and such, which is cool, but understanding, love, apreaciation support and even platonic feeling in romantic relationship? Gosh I feel like those thing are underpreciated. And we shared the need not to just date someone but find someone who understand them. For a short moment I wanted to be such person.

Seven/Saeyoung I don't really remember, but probably I thought that for such people I am too quiet and boring so If by any chance there won't be much interaction MC with him, that's fine, but there was, he was funny, I thought about him as a good friend untill I come across breaking 4th wall thingy and got more interested, like we share a secret *sink wink* Eventually I liked him more and more and even planned to stop playing after his SE but soon after they announced something new. I am IT highschool graduate (I sucked pretty much OTL so I felt similar to Yoosung) and I still remembered thing or two and well... I choose such hs for some reason so I kinda liked his tech-savvy IT programming jokes and I was more religious than I am today so I apreaciated the christian part. I wanted to help him so badly i think. And he is kinda weirdo(in a good way), I consider myself shy weirdo, but probably less than he is.

Saeran/Ray *cracking knuckles* so... When I first met him as an Unknown my common sense tried to keep me from him as far as possible, I gave up to this but kinda I was almost like peeking throught the keyhole in the locked door lol I-it's not like i like him, he is so sus > :-( and a bit later I-I defenitely am not into bad boy kind of characteres, others might be, but I am NOT (but peeking throught keyhole of the locked doors). I was kinda interested, but never let myself actually be really interestedin him, untill the end of SE where he is back with his brother. Then I was thinking more like "preacious (angy) bean, must protect uwu". And I mostly wanted to play his route for A. curiosity because new mode(AS), B satisfaction for myself that I actually finished the game, but most importantly C. To save HIM for SAEYOUNG :)

But when I played AS for the first time, when there was only V route, I forgot everything, got few times bad relationship ending because of him. V who? Saeyoung who? Head empty only him. And then It was almost like in case of Yoosung that I saw in him part of me, plus head empty, only Ray.

Sometime I feel like it was so shallow of me, but then I think that this is a game, and maybe, just maybe I can be 'a little' shallow in that case.

Especially since for the very first time I was... obsessed? with a fictional character. I've never understood such thing.

>>MM ask game<<

[vic-chaos]

ok on the special.... I’ve only seen it once and some bits cut out from bad connection, so I might have more to say tomorrow when I've rewatched and been able to pay closer attention. But here is my jumble of thoughts so far (under cut for spoilers):

okay.......... the ending fucked me up so badly that its hard for me to focus on anything else jsjdsjdjsd.... so i’ll talk about that first 😭

my main issue is that I don’t really understand why they broke them up at the end despite everything, especially after it seemed they had reunited??? like when they finally got the vaccines to the teachers and Cartman had that line about how “their broship could survive anything”.... it felt so much like that was the resolution and they were back together. But then the final scene came out nowhere anyway, why?? 😭 it makes no sense to resolve something then unresolve it at the last second?

I don’t think they will stay split up though... I’m sure it will get fixed eventually. It’s too sad, and also wouldn’t make sense for the show in general to keep them apart??? My first guess is that the next season (hopefully a season and not another special) will be beginning the process to get them back together. I think one possibility might be that as soon as they start going off with different friend groups they will realise it’s not the same and that they miss each other too much....... or another possibility might be Kenny intervening? Because even though they were trying to do everything for whats best for him, they never actually consulted him about any of it?? Plus even though they were putting him in the role of their child for the sake of the joke, he is actually the most emotionally mature of the boys. So I wonder...

That said though the stylennyman content is still making me scream, Cartman bringing his boyfriends to couples therapy.......... and (even if they got “divorced” by the end ;_; ) the way it was framed as if Stan/Kyle/Cartman were married is gonna be making me crazy for weeks jsdsjdjsdjsjdjs, all of Cartman’s dad/husband behaviour with the custody schedules PLEASE lmao.....

And the kenman at the beginning with them being little shits together jsdnsdsdjsd I love them so much aaaaaah.... I need to add that scene to my compilation video of kenman laughing super hard at each other’s jokes while everyone else is like 😐 lmaooo

Ok I have been complaining a lot, but OVERALL I thought it was actually really good and I loved it actually. The very last scene like obliterated my heart, but everything before that was so good, and we got SO MUCH good main 4 content fucking finally 🥺 I’m so happy to see them joining forces again and being adventurous. And we even got more Kenny screentime too!!

The jokes were legit funny and I think it made me laugh more and was just generally better written and just overall better than SP has been in a while. I’m relieved they didn’t depict qanon as being sympathetic in any way (since I made some posts before worried abt that lmao... and I forgive Butters for being part of it bc all he wanted was be out of his house/away from his dad and didn't care what they believed as long as he could escape, so it didn’t mean anything jsjdsmdsdsd) I’m also glad we have confirmation that Cartman would never believe in like the alt right or any of that garbage, so please no more depicting him as any kind of n*zi in fics ever again thanks 🙏

The scene with the 4th wall break and all of the animation stuff was really good too, it was wild omg.... also all of the little cameos and stuff at the end, I’m weirdly so happy to see background visitors again omg!!! It reminds me of old school SP 🥺 I did straight up think Stuart and Kanye were gonna make out for a second though LMAO

UHHHHH a few other things:

There were some scenes from the trailer that didnt appear in the special??? Cartman threatening Stephen and him giving that speech in the boy’s bathroom..... I wonder what happened to those, cut for time maybe? Give me the buttman content 😭 they better release that as a deleted scene 😤

Garrison..... IDK........ I know some people are happy to see him back but I hate him so I’m kind of 🥴 about it, though he was more tolerable in this ep than normal so maybe he’ll be ok in the future lmfao.

And finally...................................... NO RANDY!! 🎉 We did it guys. I’m actually kind of surprised they didn’t try to resolve any of his storylines that were left open or anything lmao, but I also don’t care about him at all so god bless.... we finally got a break 😔🙏

[chemiste]

Foresight ~ ch. 1

A/N : hey y’all, this is the very first chapter! please let me know what you think of it, feedback is greatly appreciated :) love Anna

You were so fucking excited for the concert.

Maggie and you had been saving up for a trip to Europe during spring break and were floored to get to go. It also helped that her father had been kind enough to take you girls with him on his company jet since he had a meeting in Germany (CEO of one of the biggest companies had its perks). 

After Maggie and you had parted ways with him, you both spent a few days traveling around Darmstadt when Maggie got a call from her father saying one of his colleagues had gotten concert tickets to a show in Basel for his daughter’s birthday but she wasn’t going to be able to make it and gave them to him for Mags instead.

“Ya dad, what’s up?—no way really? Of course we’ll go! Okay, tell him thank you for us!”

“You got concert tickets.” You stated, after taking a sip of your lemonade you bought from the small German woman that had been selling them at the farmer’s market you both stumbled across.

 Maggie rolled her eyes at you, “I can never surprise you can I?!” You laughed, “Sorry! It’s not like I can help it.” “I know, you’ve got your super psychic abilities that unables me to throw you a surprise birthday party!” She exclaimed, then blew a raspberry as if to prove her disappointment.

You were psychic, sort of. Your parents first noticed it when you would say the delivery line of a joke in sync with the late show host of whatever was playing on the TV. 

At first, they thought you must have heard it beforehand but then it just kept happening during things they knew were new airings. You also were never surprised, ever. Which probably was a bit of a bummer but it’s not like you knew any different. The moment they knew you had some sort of ability was during your middle school’s raffle at a spirit week fundraiser. 

They both watched in awe as you recited the 8 number combination of the winning ticket before it had been drawn.

After that significant event, they took you to a doctor who referred you to a colleague that dealt with psychological abilities. They were the ones to inform your parents you basically just knew things before others could. It couldn’t be classified till you got older and even if you did more tests, it wouldn’t do anything so you’re parents just decided to leave it at that. 

You weren’t conscious of yourself doing it when you were young but as you got older, you could catch yourself thinking about something like it’s going to rain in 8 minutes and 36 seconds or I feel really bad that the little girl just dropped her ice-cream just seconds before it happened.

Well, it was a great party trick to use at uni shindigs.

Maggie smiled as a notification popped up on her phone. “Dad just sent over the concert tickets, let's go to the train station and see if we can get a ride straight to Basel.” 

Fortunately, you both had your suitcases with you since you were originally going further down the road to France and then Switzerland, but oh well, you could just reroute. Both you and Maggie were buzzed to be able to go see a concert on your trip and didn’t hesitate to change your plans.

It was easy to find the station and after a bit of horrible German from Maggie to the ticket booth woman, you both had boarding tickets to Basel. 

“I’m really excited to see Harry Styles, the new album is really good.” You said as you both settled into a train booth and hoisted the suitcases to the overhead compartment. 

“I never told you— oh never mind, yeah I’m pumped! These tickets are for the floor so you bet your ass we’re squishing our way to the front. I’m too damn short to be anywhere else!” You chuckled at her statement. 

You started humming the melody of a song that had been stuck in your head all afternoon and scrolled through some pictures on your phone and decided to post something on Instagram.

The ride was uneventful, plus a great time to book a room on Airbnb and catch a small nap before the concert that night. Maggie and you took a cab from the train station to the lovely home you were spending the night in, or rather the spare guest home that was in the backyard. 

It was a fantastic find since most motels had been already booked for other spring breakers, apparently, the couple that was supposed to stay that night had to cut their trip short cause the man’s sister was going into labor in London. 

Well, that’s what the elderly lady—Martha call me Martha— said as she took you girls to the back house.

While Mags rummaged through her clothes looking for something to wear, you very graciously flopped onto the king bed that was pressed to the back wall.

Her head popped up from the other side of the case, “What are you gonna wear Y/N?” She stood up with a sequin pink top stretched out between her to hands to examine it, “I’m thinking this sparkle top thing I shoved in my bag last minute and my black denim skirt.” 

You let out a whine and sat up, “Yeah that will look nice, I’m thinking I’ll wear my Ramones t-shirt and some high waisted blue jeans—ya know the ones that make my ass look fantastic?”

Your bubbly brunette friend nodded her head excitedly at you and then suggested getting a quick bite to eat before the show. “We’ve got several hours to kill before.” After you got dinner, you headed down the street to a small bakery that you snapped a photo of to post later and got some goodies to snack on.

Maggie moaned as she chewed her Mandelgipfel, and you unwrapped one of the Biberlis you purchased. On the walk back, you thought about the setlist (which you had conveniently pulled up on your phone to see what you’d be watching).

“I’m really excited to hear Carolina, he sings like he’s sex on legs during that song.” She told you as she threw her napkin into the bin as she walked by.

You threw your head back and laughed, Maggie could sure be blunt sometimes, you thought to yourself.

Once back at the AirBnB, it was a bit of a mad dash to get ready. You did your favorite makeup and a good hairdo that would last threw all the headbanger songs. Mags went with space buns and bright pink eyeshadow to “match her sparkle shirt of course!” 

Before you knew it, the pair of you took a cab to the concert center and were into the venue without a hassle.

“Excuse me! So sorry, trying to get through!” Maggie demanded as she pushed through the crowd, her 4th beer in one hand and yours in the other, having a pushy small friend has its perks. Somehow, you don’t really know how (too busy trying to make sure your vodka didn’t spill) she managed to get you both to the very front of the stage.

People in black were on various parts of the stage, clipboards in hand. Some had walkie talkies and would speak into them every so often, you wondered how they could hear a response with such a loud crowd.

Maggie and you finished your drinks and put them into the bin over the barrier that was thankfully just an arms reach away. A few minutes later, the lights went dark and everyone started to cheer. Mags leaned over to you, “I think Mabel is coming on!”

The songs Mabel played were fun and the pair of y’all bounced to the beat of God Is A Dancer, the girl bowed and finally the rubric cube showed above on the large screen.

Screams filled the arena, you hollered while your friend jumped up screaming like a preteen.

And then there he was.

Only Angel was fantastic, and Harry looked amazing. He was decked out in a black sequin jacket and pants that shined with every minuscule movement the man made. It was jaw-dropping, to say the least.

After you jammed to Woman, snapped a picture during Ever Since New York, and rocked with Maggie to Two Ghosts, he took a pause to speak with the crowd.

“‘ello! ’m Harry Styles, nice to meet you.” The crowd erupted in cheers. “It’s lov’ly to see all your beautiful faces t’night, ‘m so glad you could make it t’ the show!”

“This next song is one of my favorites to perform, this is Carolina.”

Maggie nearly had a heart attack when he said the first syllable, and you were having a blast as well. Also good to note that yes, Maggie was right, he does look like walking sex when he performs that song (but I mean, when does he not).

You were mesmerized by the way he owned the stage, like it was his lover. You closed your eyes and rolled your body to the beat.

As the song ended, Harry seemed a little jittery which intrigued you, just a moment ago he seemed so confident. Maybe it’s because he’s nervous to perform his new songs.

Wait, what?

“— and uh, we’ve never play this before, this is a new one, this one’s called Medicine.” Maggie and you looked at each other with wide eyes and screamed with the crowd as well, the vodka was starting to kick in and your mind was floating in bliss.

Here to take my medicine, take my medicine

Treat you like a gentleman

Give me that adrenaline, that adrenaline

Think I'm gonna stick with you

Here to take my medicine, take my medicine

Rest it on your fingertips

Up to your mouth, feeling it out

Feeling it out

You were singing along with the song having a grand o’l time of it, what you didn’t realize is that Maggie was standing next to you, staring at you with the pikachu surprise face. 

She grabbed your shoulder, “You know the lyrics?!” You looked at her with a mild expression, “ya? Don’t you? It’s what I was humming on the train.”

I had a few, got drunk on you and now I'm wasted

And when I sleep I'm gonna dream of how you—

“—TASTED!” You yelled up during the pause. Immediately you knew something was up when Harry’s head snapped over to look right at you. You were the only one to scream that to him. “Oh, fuck! Nobody else knows this do they?!”

If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive

You got the salt and I got me an appetite; now I can taste it

You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy

La la la la la

You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh

You said to Maggie as people around you gave you a funny side-eye. She shook her head and laughed. “It’s no fair that you were jamming to this hours before I was!” It’s whatever, just enjoy the show Y/N!

Tingle running through my blood, fingers to my toes

Tingle running through my bones

The boys and the girls are here

I mess 'round a bit

And I'm okay with it

The boys and girls are here

I'm messing 'round with them

And I'm okay with it

As you went back to dancing, your fuzzy state of mind didn’t seem to register that a certain singer was watching you as you sang every lyric with him.

Oh god, there must have been a leak somewhere, Harry thought as he finished the chorus.

I'm coming down, I figured out I kinda like it

And when I sleep I'm gonna dream of how you—

“—Ride it!” You yelled out subconsciously. Fuck I did it again! You thought. 

Harry couldn’t believe it, there you were, in the front row acting like nothing was strange about you yelling out lyrics he had purposely not sung. He kept going and let his eyes skitter around the crowd of people close to you.

If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive

You got the salt and I got me an appetite; now I can taste it

You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh

La la la la la

You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh

They seem just as confused as I do, so luckily, maybe it’s a fresh leak that can be fixed quickly. God, I’m going to have to get a new laptop aren’t I? How are people so damn good at hacking, Harry thought.

I had a few, got drunk on you and now I'm wasted

The rockstar shook his head and waved his hands during the ending of the lyrics. The lights went out and he took a deep breath. It’ll be fine.

If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive

You got the salt and I got me an appetite; now I can taste it

You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh

La la la la la

You get me dizzy, oh, you get me dizzy, oh

The song ended and the concert attendees roared with praise of hearing a “supposedly” unreleased song. Maggie pulled you down into a crouch as she saw the singer looking with hawk eyes over the area they stood. 

“Y/N, He totally heard you! And I don’t think he’s too happy about it.” You both slowly stood up to see him walking over to Mitch, his guitarist and whisper something in his ear. The man in question looked over to where you were and it made you die a tiny bit inside. 

Oh god, I really hope I’m not in trouble.

Surprisingly, you hadn’t ever gotten into a bad situation because of your psychic abilities, it always helped most of the time, like when you were able to stop your friend from running around a corner of a building, not knowing a bicyclist was racing down it; Saved her and the cyclist from a bad crash.

 Now, feeling the eyes of multiple, very important people, made you think this was revenge for all the times you did a good deed. Ugh, I thought karma was supposed to reward good deeds! Not punish them!

Everything seemed to return to normal as Harry started Meet Me In The Hallway, then chatting with a couple fans, sang Sweet Creature, a lucky catch of a lavender bra which he quickly threw back out, and then If I Could Fly, everything was fine and dandy.

Till he announced the next song.

“This song is called Anna, and it’s new. 1,2,3,4!”

As the intro played, Harry kept an eye on you. There was no way you could know this one, they had never recorded it in the studio, only practice. If you did, oh god he didn’t even want to think about it.

Don't know where you're laying, just know it's not with me

Don't know what I'd tell you if I passed you on the street

Okay, it seems fine right now, she’s not singing along, just dancing with her friend as she said something to her. He continued.

I don't want your sympathy

But you don't know what you do to me

Oh, Anna

Fuck. There you were, pretending to have an invisible mic in your hand and belting out the lyrics. He watched for a moment as your brown-haired friend grabbed you by the arm and ‘discreetly’ nodded her head up to him. Wait, did you look surprised that you were singing along too?

Every time I see your face

There's only so much I can take

Oh, Anna

“Oh my god I did it again Maggie! He’s gonna call security isn’t he, and then I’ll be taken down to the station and locked away because he’s rich and famous and I’ll never see the light of day again!” You cried.

Don't know how you taste when there's smoke in your perfume

So chew me up and spit me out, nothing left to lose

I don't want your sympathy

But you don't know what you do to me

Oh, Anna

Every time I see your face

There's only so much I can take

Oh, Anna

Mags took hold of your chin and pulled you down to her face, “It’s alright, we’ll figure it out Y/N, plus they might just check online to see if someone had put up a recording beforehand that they didn’t know about and they’ll just think you’re a crazy dedicated fan. I really don’t think Harry Styles is going to lock you up for knowing his songs.”

You let out a large breath and nodded at her. You purposely kept your mouth shut during the next chorus, not wanting his eyes on you for a bad reason again.

I don't want your sympathy

But you don't know what you do to me

Oh, Anna

Every time I see your face

There's only so much I can take

Oh, Anna

Hope you never hear this and know that it's for you

I don't know what I'd tell you if you asked me for the truth

I don't want your sympathy

But you’ll never know what you do to me

Oh, Anna

Every time I see your face

There's only so much I can take

Oh, Anna

Some guy behind you pushed forward, causing you to squish into the barrier. It distracted you enough that when you looked up, Harry Styles and you were having a little duet.

Well I guess it would be nice

If I could touch your body

If I could touch your body

If I could touch your body

If I could touch your body

That’s it, how the FUCK does she know that part? Harry and the band had only decided to add it to the song yesterday for a fun spin-off of a classic. He was starting to freak out inside but oddly enough, it looked like she was too.

I don't want your sympathy

But you’ll never know what you do to me

Oh, Anna

Every time I see your face

There's only so much I can take

Oh, Anna

The song ended and you whipped around to face the crowd rather than him, back still pressed to the barrier. “Maggie I’m so screwed.” She put her hand on your shoulder and whispered to you, “Are there any more surprise songs?” 

You shook your head, “The setlist is altered a bit but that’s it. Wait, why do I know that?!”

You leaned your head back and looked to the ceiling, “Maggie, my psychic-ness isn’t usually this strong? I guess is the word?"—you looked at her—“why is it so easy to just know this stuff because of him?”

The space bunned brunette only shrugged. “Let's just enjoy the rest of the show, ‘kay?” You nodded and turned back around only to be met with an intense stare from the man on stage, but the stare wasn’t mad—more a confused look, which surprised you.

The rest of the show went very well. Maggie nearly burst into tears when she heard his rendition of TWMYB and then Sign Of The Times. His encore was phenomenal and you sang your head off to The Chain and rocked your socks off to Kiwi.

“Thank you eve’yone!” Was the last thing shouted out by the singer as he left the stage, but not without sparing you one last glance. 

“Let’s try and get out of here as fast as possible.” Maggie agreed and hand in hand you weaved your way through the crowd.

Just as you thought you made it home free, a security guard stopped you.

 “Ma’am, if you would please follow me. You’re needed backstage.” 

Your stomach dropped, oh no.

telephone hour for this chapter

ch.2

let me know what you think! 

~ Jess

[spiderman-homecomeme]

Day Two - Remember Me

AN: Y’all we made it!! I’m so excited to share this one with you guys and to see what our talented fandom has done! Here is my contribution to day two! It’s all kinds of sappy, soft, sweet, sad (peep the title) and just emotional in general, and I hope you guys enjoy it. <3

Again, thank you @spideychelleweek for making this all possible!

Prompt: Meet the Family

Here is some 2.9k odd of fluff and hurt/comfort! 

.

.

“Listen, I know you’re a huge nerd and everything, but..." Michelle’s voice holds a teasing, slightly judgmental edge as she struggles to hold three DVDs in one hand, hastily catching one as it falls out of her grasp. “Do you really need more than one copy of The Force Awakens?”

“Okay, first of all,” Peter starts, defensively holding one finger up, “One of those is Ned’s.”

MJ blinks slowly.

“Second of all, May bought me one as a random gift after I’d already pre-ordered it, and I couldn’t just… you know, give it back,” He reasons. “So, yeah. To answer your question: I do need three different copies.” Peter turns his attention back to organizing the box of various electronics hastily thrown together by past-Peter.

MJ still seems less than impressed with that explanation. “Okay. Why?”

“Well,” Peter shrugs, mouth pulling into a slight frown. “What if I lose one?”

When she doesn’t respond, Peter glances up, not surprised to find her staring blankly at him, her expression as impassive as it’s ever been.

He relents, letting her toss one of the three into the “give away” bin before promising to give the second back to Ned.

MJ, out of the kindness of her own heart— or out of boredom, either one— has been helping Peter, in her own words, “get his shit together,” for most of the afternoon. Too many times has she tripped over a stray book, his backpack, a hoodie or even a lone pair of boxers on the floor of his bedroom; times where she’s been unable to find the spare iPhone charger through all the spare papers, pens, and God knows what else in that mess he calls a “stuff drawer.”

Now, none of this is to say that Peter is the messiest person in the world, per se. He can be a relatively tidy person when he needs to be; his room is never littered with trash or the general grossness that comes with some teenage bedrooms.

But...

The cluttered state of Peter’s room is often a reflection of his own mind.

Which is why Michelle is there.

Plus, she’d seen one episode of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo one day when she was home sick from school, and with her room already pretty damn organized-- if she could say so herself-- she has to have some kind of outlet.

So, in a way, they’re really helping each other.

“Oh, hey,” Peter’s voice cuts through her internal monologue, his attention drawn to an ancient— by today’s standards, at least— video camera at the bottom of his second ‘random tech’ box. “Uncle Ben’s camera!”

For a moment, MJ’s ready to go into full-on Comfort Peter in the Best Way She Can Mode at the mere mention of his late Uncle, and she’s trying to decide whether she should do a full or half-hug when his fond, distant smile stops her.

“Wow, really?” She inquires cautiously, craning her neck slightly to get a better look at the artifact. “What’s on it?”

Again, Peter shrugs, flipping the screen open as he examines the device. “I dunno. Old home movies. Probably embarrassing videos of me.”

And he immediately regrets that last part, not having to see the cheshire grin that stretches across her features and the playful quirk of her brow to know that they’re there.

His shoulders sag as he rolls his eyes, fighting back a smile. “You don’t wanna watch any, do you?”

“Um, of course I do.” Her brows furrow as she glances side-to-side. “Are you kidding?”

“It’s not even charged, though.”

“So charge it.”

A beat of silence passes between them.

“Okay, fine,” Peter gives in, though he seems to be far from annoyed, searching for the charging cable near the bottom of the tangle of wires.

MJ cracks another smile at him before continuing to sort through his DVD collection.

--

The old camera feels strange in Peter’s hand, heavier than today’s technology, screen casting a faint blue light as it turns on for what may be the first time in a decade. He’s surprised they’ve even been able to charge it, judging by how old this thing is.

MJ sits on the bed beside him, head resting against his, watching as he navigates the almost laughably ancient menu, an audible, very dated beep-click sounding at every push of a button.

Neither of them know what to expect as Peter clicks “play” on the first video.

The screen flickers slightly, the lens focusing on what they assume to be the old dining room. A man and a woman are setting the table, chuckling quietly to themselves as they joke with one another. They continue to chat idly as they place the plates and cups down, the context of the conversation lost.

They’re at first only vaguely recognizable to MJ, but the feeling is fleeting, the realization almost instantly dawning on her when she sees the mop of curly brown hair and dark eyes on the man, the cheery smile on the woman’s face.

Richard and Mary Parker.

The date at the bottom of the screen reads: August 4th, 2005, 6:07 PM

Her eyes pass a quick glance to the boy next to her, gauging his reaction. There’s a faint, barely-there grin pulling at the corner of his mouth as he watches his parents interact, neither of them paying any attention to the person filming.

“I wanna help!” A tiny voice sounds from behind the camera, and the view shifts quickly, showing a much younger Peter bounding into the room, napkins in his tiny hands.

Mary turns, beaming as she talks to her son, crouching down to show him how to fold the napkins.

MJ feels herself mirroring the expression on his mother’s face.

Peter is still silent beside her, and she can only wonder how he’s truly feeling as they both watch. While she has certainly experienced loss in her near seventeen years of being on this earth, she’s never gone through the pain of losing a parent, much less two biological and one emotional.

“My mom and dad,” Peter finally speaks, as if introducing them to her, his voice quiet.

Under normal circumstances, she might tease him for pulling a Captain Obvious, but she refrains.

She hums in acknowledgement.

“It’s crazy…” He starts, eyes never straying from the screen. “I— I don’t really remember much of them, you know? They… Well, they died when I was really little, so I didn’t really get a chance to make very many memories with them, and everything I did remember I kinda forgot. But—” He pauses, a fond smile playing on his lips. “Hearing their voices… Even though it’s not really something I actually remember… It’s almost like… like it all comes back. Like, it’s so clear, you know?”

It’s said that the the voice is usually the first to go, the first thing one forgets about someone else after they’ve gone. And the more she thinks about it, the more MJ realizes just how true it is. She remembers, very specifically, the last time she heard her grandfather’s voice, but it had been so long since then. In that moment, right then and there, she can just barely recall it in her memory.

She knows, however, that if she were to hear it in a recording— or in this case, a home video— she’d remember once again.

Memories are funny like that, she guesses.

“Yeah,” she nods, gently knocking his shoulder with hers. “I get it.”

The video goes on, with the cameraman— who Michelle can only assume at this point to be Uncle Ben— having moved to the kitchen.

A younger Aunt May stands in the room, poring over a recipe on the counter. “Damn, May,” MJ jokes appreciatively, laughing as Peter gives her a playful shove.

“Don’t even!”

The lens zooms in on May’s face, and she turns, an exasperated grin breaking across her features as she rolls her eyes. She swats at the man behind the camera with a dish towel.

“Hey, how ‘bout you put that dang thing away and make yourself useful around here!” May teases, her eyes sparkling as an immature-for-his-age giggle is heard from the cameraman.

The video ends as the screen pans down, the next playing with only a second in between.

The date reads: August 7th, 2005, 3:36 PM

“Whatcha got there, Pete?”

This time, Aunt May’s voice can be heard from behind the camera, the smile in her tone infectious as the little boy beams up at her through a mop of curly brown hair. A slightly-too-big cowboy hat sits on top of his head. He proudly holds up the pinto hobby horse, jumping with excitement.

“It’s a horsey!”

Aunt May oo’s and aw’s. “What’s the horsey’s name?”

Little Peter pats the neck of the toy with semi-gentle, reverent hands. “Shunshine!”

“Shunshine?” MJ asks incredulously, doing absolutely nothing to hide the snort that had escaped.

MJ can hardly blame the kid though; she’s pushing seventeen and she still has trouble with consonant digraphs every once in a while.

“Hey!” Peter laughs along with her, though there was no stopping the red tint that settled over his features. “It’s a great name!”

“Very creative.”

“Shut up.”

Their joined laughter fades as the next few videos play, falling into a comfortable silence as the old Parker living room shows up on the screen. Red and blue streamers adorn the walls, dozens of balloons in the same shades touch the ceiling, a comically large Happy Birthday! is strewn across the banister.

The date reads: August 10th, 2005, 4:14 PM

The camera circles the room, showing off the decorations, before finally landing on the birthday boy himself.

“What’s your name, sir?”

A new voice full of mirth and humor asks from behind the lens; his father.

Young Peter looks up, a toothy grin stretched across his chubby face. “Peter Benjamin Parker,” he answers, emphasizing each word with a firm nod.

“And how old are you today?” His mother asks, tone laced with hushed excitement.

The boy smiles again, eyes wide, holding up four fingers.

“Four years old!” Both of his parents gasp-cheer.

August 10th, 2005, 5:23 PM

The birthday cake is simple; funfetti with chocolate frosting and red and blue sprinkles, a giant “four” candle placed in the center. Peter wiggles in his chair, eyes wide with wonder as he watches his mother light the wick.

“Are you ready, Peter?” She asks him, and he nods happily.

Happy Birthday is sung as it should be; full of enthusiasm, each singer being in a different key by the end of the song, cheers filling the room as the candle is blown out.

His mother plants a loving kiss on top of his head before smoothing down his unruly curls.

August 10th, 2005, 6:16 PM

The lens briefly goes in and out of focus, showing young Peter as he sits among torn wrapping paper and discarded boxes, his mouth stretched into a toothy smile as he looks at his presents. He jumps up, running around the room to give everyone an enthusiastic hug, thanking them over and over again for the toys.

August 10th, 2005, 7:02 PM

“Happy Birthday, Pete!” His family cheers in a happy chorus.

Peter responds with an excited, “Thank you!”

Aunt May briefly glances up, flashing a smile at her husband behind the camera, before looking back at the young boy in her lap. Her arms surround him in a loose, but loving embrace.

“Did you have a good day?” May asks.

Peter’s answer is an excited nod, followed by an appreciative hum.

Though the snippets of this past life are brief, they’re still able to elicit a familiar warmth from within present day Peter, and he huffs out a quiet chuckle at the way his younger self babbles on and on about how cool his brand new cowboy boots are.

And it’s infectious, as MJ feels the stirrings of the same, incandescent feeling.

The next clip starts from a whole new perspective, it seems.

Seeing as now they’re much closer to the ground, and the excited giggling coming from behind the lens, it seems as if young Peter, at some point, had gotten a hold of Ben’s camera.

August 12th, 2005, 5:50 PM

The view is shaky as the little boy darts throughout the apartment, pausing every few feet to film one of his relatives— though he only gets their legs in the shot; he’s only just pushing 3’1”, after all.

“Whatcha doin’, Pete?”

A new voice can be heard as a pair of work boots come to a stop in front of the boy, one they hadn’t heard yet.

Michelle can feel Peter freeze at the sound, and she glances at him through the corner of her eye; his gaze is still trained on the small screen, his smile tightening.

Uncle Ben himself crouches down, his tall body barely fitting into the frame, the top of his head partially cut off. A broad smile is stretched across his kind face, green eyes looking over the lens and at the boy holding the recorder.

“Filming,” young Peter says simply.

“I can see that! Got anything good yet?”

The camera moves as the boy nods proudly. “Uh-huh. Just like you!”

“Just like me?”

“Yeah! Are you proud?” Though the word comes out more, “poud.”

“Of course,” Ben chuckles gently, reaching over to ruffle the boy’s hair, eyes crinkling as his smile widens. “I’ll always be proud of you, bud.”

The video pauses, the screen frozen on the happy scene.

Present-day Peter hasn’t relaxed, his lips pressing together into a thin line, releasing a weighted breath as his thumb hovers over the play button.

MJ’s stomach churns with a new sense of guilt. “We don’t have to watch anymore… if you don’t want to.”

He nods quietly, slowly closing the screen, gripping the camera in his hands, knuckles nearly turning white at the pressure. Michelle sits, arms folding across her chest as she faces the internal struggle of what to say next, still unable to shake the unease festering in her gut.

“It’s just—” Peter starts, his voice cutting off. He sniffs again, glancing away as he preemptively wipes at the corner of his eye. “Hearing him again… his voice… seeing him actually talk...” He shakes his head. “It just— It got to me, I guess…” He trails off, his gaze still trained on the wall in front of them.

MJ places a hand on top of his, watching his face as he continues to speak.

“And I thought I was… good now? I don’t know. I mean,” he swallows, trying his best to keep his voice even. “I know that you never really forget them, that you never really move on… And everyone always tells you that it’ll get easier but it doesn’t... But, I guess I just thought that I was actually doing better. That it really had gotten easier. Maybe I was the exception... I stopped thinking about him every second… I had some voicemails— that he’d left me, before he… you know… but I’d never listened to them, I guess… because I was too afraid. Of what? I don’t know...”

She gives his hand a comforting squeeze, her own heart pounding in her ears.

“Like, I know that it makes sense that I don’t really remember what my parents sound like, their voices. ‘Cause, you know, I didn’t get the chance to. But I never—” His voice is caught in his throat, the shakiness making it harder and harder to speak. He finally turns to look at her, bloodshot, red-rimmed eyes clouded with tears.

“I never thought I’d forget his.”

At that, without a second thought, she opens her arms, and he falls into them easily. She wraps him in a warm embrace, his face burrowing under her chin. He doesn’t weep, tears falling silently instead as she rubs soothing circles on his back.

And she doesn’t know how long she holds him like that, how long they sit there. No words are exchanged between them, though none are really needed.

“Sorry… For making you watch that,” MJ’s voice is nearly inaudible as she mumbles into his hair. “I shouldn’t have pressured you.”

“No, uh—” This time, he shakes his head, the quiet sniffle between words not going unnoticed. “No. No, it’s okay,” he reassures her, finally pulling back, though he still stays in her arms. “It’s actually really nice… seeing my parents. Seeing Ben. I’m not gonna say that it’s like they never left... But it’s like they’re still with me, he’s still with me, in a way.” His lips quirk into a sad smile, his hand reaching up to wipe at his eyes again. “And… I’m glad you got to see them.”

Michelle finds herself easily returning his bittersweet expression.

While she’d never had the chance to meet his parents, from the short clips she saw, she could tell that they loved each other and that they truly loved their son. She’d also never properly met Uncle Ben, only seeing him in passing as he’d pick up Peter from middle school, or come to decathlon meets in their Freshman year. It wasn’t much, only snippets of their actual lives, but even the smallest glimpse made her feel closer to Peter, to his family.

It was a feeling she’d treasure for years to come.

Perhaps in a more emotionally stable state, she’d make fun of herself for being so cliche, so dramatic. But at this point, right in this moment, she didn’t care.

Her lips press together into a small, faint smile as she takes his hand in hers again.

“I’m glad I got to see them, too.”

[bookdragonlibrary]

Second Tuesday YJ appreciation

1-3 ; 4-6 ; 7-9 ; 10-13 ; 14-16 ; 17 ; 18 ; 19 ; 20 ; 21 ; 22 ; 23 ; 24-26

—————————— First Impression

- Is that... a Reach ship? Could it be linked to the machine? It’s fonctionning, nothing good...

- 4 days later. 

- I love how Garfield is respectful and aknowledges Kaldur and M’gann efforts despite the situation. Batman should take him as an example...

- A public Team. So is that what he had in mind in the previous episode? I’m relieved. So much clever that what I thought! But the bad guys will probably guess if there is a public Team, there also is a covert Team. Not all of them were aware of this...

- Kaldur being a protective Big Brother :)

- Lex restricted even more the JL? What does he want them to do? Charity missions and gala?

- Strikes against meta people :( Not really surprising as we have strikes against POC and queer people... Humankind really doesn’t like difference, does they? :(

- Of course bad guys would find a way to make profit of humans. We already do it with pollution,

- Gar has good points actually! My boy had mature so well!

- It’s me or Traci is drown way differently when she is in civics and hero costume? Her face seems different.

- It’s them at the end of the previous episode! And there’s a picture with Gar and Perdita. #RelationshipGoals I agree!

- “We’re gonna start a revolution! A... a small one anyway.” xD It would be a revolution in YJ verse and against the Light actually :)

- “Get on board or get out of the way!” xD And Conner is not really proud about this and probably wonders who told this to Gar xD Who bet Wally?

- “Green skin. Can’t hide.” He’s already a famous star anyway. But easily recognizable because of it.

- “Public doesn’t always get I’m a different guy.” Aw sweetie :( 

- “They already know what I have become. Now I want to show them who I have become.” So powerful :)

- “And there were no way I was gonna let this be a no girl squad.” / “Group needed a little color.” Seriously writers? Can’t they have real character motivation? Like Cassie wanting to be aknowledged as a true hero (to show her growth since her insecurities in season 2) or Virgil wanted to be known as a hero (since in the previous episode the girl didn’t know Static). This kind of comments are in the 4th wall dimension, something the fans see, not something the writers say to show they have included diversity in their characters. It’s something you show, not tell, or it doesn’t have the same impact on the fans. 

- But I like Jaime and Virgil friendship

- “Not ready. Noy yet.” That would also have been a great occasion to give them character development. Like Forager is supposed to be dead, Terra still copes with her abduction and Traci doesn’t trust her control on her powers yet (her hero insecurities) and develop why Halo isn’t ready yet. 

“Guessing we’re too old. Whoa. When did that happen?” Technically Conner is 8 so he can still be part of their Team and I would have love Artemis being with them as their Team lack of martial arts :)

- So it’s Teen Titans Tower but in Hollywood instead of San Francisco? And it’s called the Hub.

- Wait... where’s Traci? I know she’s the only one who isn’t part of the Outsiders or lives there but still!

- “This is so crash!” I agree Bart!

- “Finally! I mean: thank you!” Brion is so glad to have his own personal space again :) The bioship should have felt pretty small compared to his room in a royal palace.

- “Who’s paying for all this?” “Gretchen Goode.” xD

- “Now that what I call payback!” “This is a sympathy bump.” I love Cassie and Virgil frienship! Finally a girl and boy being BF without love involved! :D Please, writers, let’s them stay BF! :( I want Cassie to give poor flirty advice to Virgil when he meet a girl he like xD But fans, still feel free to ship them ;)

- Poor Forager :( 

- “No way 6 teenagers are gonna to live here alone and unsurpervised.” *she says while looking at Violet and Brion* “Yeah, who knows what might happen?” Those two make love (with their respective boyfriend) in the Cave, didn’t they?

- “I would be happy, honored to act as a den mother.” Helga, stop saying honored, that’s weird and suspicious... What everyone else doesn’t find it suspicious?!

- 3 days later. It feels like it’s the same day, doesn’t it?

- Nowadays teenagers reflex: record it before to go in safety...

- Does he... play against himself? Super cute!

- EyeSpasm? What kind of technology is that? Something to make livestream? I don’t like the “Spasm” on it... Look like Granny’s goggles to me...

 - So the Reach ship makes a move 6 days after?

- “Mother of God!” Brion is still so funny while he’s angry xD

- “No drill, the Reach are back!” “No, just no!” My poor babies, please no more trauma for them :( maybe we’ll have flashbacks of Bart’s past and Jaime’s while on mode?

- Kaldur is so great and... beaten to easily? I know it’s Reach tech but I thought he would manage longer as he put Blue inconscious in season 2...

- He’s DEAD? No, he’s ok! Don’t give me heart attack like that! I had enough with Forager already!

- “Chill, Aquaman!” Is that supposed to be a joke? You know, because it’s winter and/or Kaldur is Atlantean.

- *fangirl laugh* I hated that... I just hope she won’t get hurt because the fangirling makes people dumber...

- “My spectacles” Is that an old word for glasses? “Gratitude.” This girl definitely has a high rank vocabulary.

- “Stay calm, citizen, and stay inside.” Cassie feels a little unease and  in a confident character :) Not confortable yet with speaking with the population yet :)

- “Superamalgamated.” No clue of what she said...

- Love that Virgil has a techonological plateform now :) 

- Helga seems so proud of Brion :) Ok, maybe she’s not evil, but just overprotective like I thought...

- “Please, miss, you must get to cover.” Give up, Kal, she’s a teenager AND a fangirl, no way she stay out of danger...

- Wait, why Joan is at hospital? What happened to her? :(

- Aw... Ed showing the Team to his proteges :3 And Wendy is laughing!

- “Maybe it was a bad idea to do this in mid-air.” You think? Didn’t Scarab tell you about this? “This is a really bad idea, Jaime Reyes. You should...” “Don’t worry, Scarab, I’ll handle this!” By the way, why we don’t hear him? It would be interesting to have his pov since it’s the Reach in front of them!

- The scream doesn’t seem to be Jaime’s voice but Brion’s...

- Aw... Mom Arty is sad they’re leaving :( Or did they already have? Violet is crying :( “One last sleepover.” They haven’t leave yet.

- So cool Gar is introducing his team :)

- The Sheriff is funny but what kind of American accent is that? Is it cliché? I find it annoying :/ (no offense, it’s just difficult to understand)

- “We prefer protégé.” = “don’t call us sidekicks!” in season 1 xD But more diplomatic.

- Whisper A’Daire and Intergang are back! Blue already met her in season 2 with Superboy. And here are Scorpia A’Daire (her little sister I guess?) and Cairo Defrey. Is she from Egypt? Is she old or does she have metapowers with her white hair?

- Scooby Doo vibes? I mean the Team appeared in an episode, so why not? Wait, so the two girls are from Scooby Doo Team too? (Don’t know their names in English...)

- This bip doesn’t look good... The big ship is awake again! So the Reach will come? But it seems pretty empty so? Did the signal activate because of Whisper’s line? As she said they didn’t succeed?

- “Look what they’ve done to our library!” It’s just a glass sir, pretty sure it’s no big deal compared to a destroyed city... Have you seen Central City after Neutron?

- Tommi Tompkins, sound like a boy name... Wait! Is Tommi transwoman and his dad just use his dead/birth name? He’s really a jerk :( 

- He’s on Lex Luthor’s side, that’s why...

- The ship is huge! Is it the same than where the heroes and Runaways were abducted in season 2?

 “This is so moded!” “No way...” “Yes way! I mean: look at us! We’re in chackles!” They still have the same dynamic! :’)

- When the bad guys told you to call the JL, you know you’re in trouble! Except if you’re a dumb jerk...

- He called the US Air Forces. Is he dumb or... No, there’s no other explanation that stupidity (I mean a lack of knowledge, but essentially common sense...)

- And... they’re dead... Mayor, your stupidity caused two deaths (maybe 4?) of soldiers. Are you proud? Remorsed? “No, no, no!’ He’s a stubborn dumb jerk, isn’t he?

- “Mine aren’t (tied). Just handcuffled.” and they break free so easily it’s funny xD Why do you think they use collar in Belle Reve, stupid mayor?

- Tara’s flashbacks are heartbreaking :( She couldn’t see her parents again after her kidnapping :( 

- “Do you see how brave Tara and Violet are? You can be brave like them.” *Violet hides because of thunder* It was sweet and funny :) And Artemis is educating Lian to be brave like her parents and auntie :)

- Big sisters Artemis and Tara :) It’s rare to see Tara smiling, those family moments do good to her :) 

- Gar still likes to perch on people’s shoulder :) 

- “No baddies, just their bones.” Bart, the Reach are insect-base, they don’t have bones... Wait, could be the bones of the abducted teens in season 2 who didn’t have the metagene? Virgil said there were kids they never saw again and they were only 5: the Runaways plus Chimmer. Where were the other kidnapped kids? Dead. And that won’t make any sense the Reach stay on that ship to die at the end of season 2... And the Team didn’t kill anyone while saving the abductees. So yeah, it have to be the murdered abducted kids :’( 

- “bad news, there are still militaries air force.” The mayor is really stupid or the soliders didn’t get the memo their colleagues are dead in one blow?

- “Good news.” “Please no bad news, Please no bad news.” “Bad news.” “Urg!” xD

- Virgil’s sarcastis comments are back! xD

- Gar still has clever solutions :) 

- Of course, Ed is worried :) And Wendy doesn’t have the collar anymore! The Team did inspire her! :D 

- Joan :( 

- Big Bro Kaldur is so proud of them!

- “No concept of how much that thing is gonna cost to get out of my lake?” Sorry, mayor, we thought Brooklyn was a democraty, not Tompkins’ kingdom... And the taxes aren’t your money either but serve the city... --’

- “A Young Justice League” that a recall of the show title, isn’t it?

- “We are all Outsiders.” Catchy indeed!

- “Relax, your time will come.” Tara can’t wait to act, but against what? against who? Those family moments didn’t stop Tara for working with Slade :( 

- Is she looking at Lian? Why? :o :(

- So the ship was indeed empty for 2 years. Man, Jaime and Bart would be so mad at them when they’ll learn the Anti-Light thing and that they knew there were no Reach on it... 

- Lag’aan! Is still in the hero game! Only for Atlantis or he’s part of the League now?

- Oracle!

- So Kal was indeed holding back!

- Who is the second guy? He looks like Garth’s old brother. Edit: name’s Wyynde. he appeared in the tie-comics. 

- “I don’t think he’s ready for that, for this.” M’gann also talks about the lies and secrets the Anti-Light has to come up with. She doesn’t want that responsibility and burden on her brother’s shoulder. And maybe fears his reaction to this.

- What is the Anti-Light mission?

- Brucely and Wally plushie! Wait... is that text sounds? This’s Tara but where is... In Lian’s room? In her own room? Are they sleeping in the same room just like Violet and Artemis?

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Cells at Work! 13 (FINAL) | Double Decker! 2 | Slime Datta Ken 1 | Run with the Wind 1 | Bakumatsu 1 | Zombieland Saga 1 | DakaIchi 1 | Radiant 1 | SSSS.Gridman 1

Warning for discussion of 18+, potentially triggery things within the DakaIchi discussion...and the nature of that show being a yaoi will tell you whether you want to read that discussion in the first place. (There are full stops and lines around it in case you want to dodge that particular part, since Radiant comes right after it.)

...Otherwise, have at it.

Cells at Work! 13 (FINAL)

Apparently “distal” just means your extremities…

For some reason, I already knew about the fact that you can die from losing one third of your blood…because I read a Tumblr post that was meant to be for action writers and it was about blood loss.

…Huh? Was this a blood transfusion? That would explain why these new RBCs are so clueless about our RBC. Update: Yup, guessed it.

Come to think of it, there’s a WBC Nendoroid and a Platelet one but no RBC. That’s a bit disappointing…

The WBCs using that wobbly stick thing in the background are amusing, eheh.

Anyways, that was fun, even if I did get used to the routine of RBC getting lost and WBC fighting antigens in the end. See you next time!

Double Decker! 2

We’re now properly in the fall season, and of course now that the first drop’s out of the way, we’re starting with the best show this season (at least for the moment).

So does that mean if we’re NEETs we’re not paying for these detectives…? Is this an incentive for people to pay their taxes (LOL)…? (Okay, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Sheesh.)

DD Partners…? Sounds…uh, partnery, considering what DD stands for.

Why is Travis blinking so much when he’s apologising…?

Snarky narrator is fun. I thought it was Kirill during ep 1 (or at least, it was for a bit), but now this narrator’s talking too much in 3rd person for it to be true. Maybe…it’s future Kirill. *collective facepalms from the peanut gallery* Or maybe it’s Kirill and a narrator, and Kirill will then break the 4th wall somewhere.

Now that’s monkeying around…LOL. *gets pelted by tomatoes* Oh c’mon, can’t I get in a decent joke around here?!

Well, as much as the can thing Doug does to Kirill is tropey for anime, I gotta admit this ain’t monkey busin-eh? You want me to stop with the jokes? Aw. Fine then, I’ll stop…

There’s something utterly relatable about having gone down the path of your dreams, only for it not to work out. In fact, I think I’m going down that path right now and I need to decide where to head next. That’s why I’m watching this episode right now – to make sure I don’t regret my future, by focussing on the present with a good anime.

According to this link to Google Books I got when I googled “ignis” and “desperatio” together, this might have something to do with a Panegyric of the Saints…something to do with hell, worms, fire and despair…? Uh, wuh? Am I just investigating this the wrong way?

Sanctus Bridge? As in “sanctuary”? Wow, that’s…ironic.

The rabbit police mascot…you can see it on Deana’s dashboard, LOL. Plus the bird police mascot that goes with it.

The name shots you get of these criminals aren’t nearly as good as “dick suck” (sic) in Kekkai Sensen, but they’re pretty close. Plus they actually do have correct Japanese translations, unlike “dick suck” (LOL).

Seriously, what’s up with Doug’s head prodding? Is it to stop him from trichotillomania (which is the pulling out of hair)? I can see it getting vaguely annoying when the excitement of a new season wears off…

The CGI is kind of awkward in this. You’d need to stare at it for a bit to realise it’s CGI and it’s not the worst effort I’ve seen (*grumbles* Tsukigakirei *grumble*) but it’s still pretty bad…

Oh! Those doors! Is Doug’s car…a DeLorean? (dramatic piano SFX in background)

Was it just me, or did Kirill’s face go funny for a second as he was moping about how he didn’t get to do anything…?

“Let me be your Double Decker!” – That’s what he says as a double decker bus goes by…clever wordplay, huh?

“One is poverty. The other is class.” – Okay, my studies tell me that’s pretty much impossible. Even in social situations, you have a clear leader and subordinates. Poverty is fine and dandy in regards to giving the boot – heck, that’s why things like the Millenium Development Goals exist (or rather, existed in that case, since those were replaced in 2015) – but class? That’s a bit of a difficult one, unless you want to resort to hardline socialist methods, Marxist methods…or communist ones. Not that any of those are bad, it’s just that I happen to like capitalism,even with its flaws and no matter what imbalances it causes to others. It’s just that not having capitalism would mean everyone’s equal, but then everyone’s worse off as a result…because if everyone has the same stuff, no one is different and no one is diverse enough to make anyone special. Get what I mean?

I think this episode sold me even more on the show, the premise…the everything. Except maybe that “I want to get rid of class” part.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 1

I just memorise this show as “Slime Datta Ken”, so if you’re wondering what that is…now you know.

What was that opening segment for, man…? This is just a boring isekai intro.

I’m laughing! He values his computer over his life? As much as I know I’m attached to my computer, you should prioritise 1) getting Mikami an ambulance, 2) stopping the blood flow or 3) just getting Mikami to preserve his own life. Not that I’ve ever been in a life or death scenario, but that’s common sense, even if it’s a bit nihilistic or unrealistic.

Seriously, there’s currently no pull but how intriguing these unexplained “acquisition” scenes are. Like seriously. Those effects are cool and somewhat intriguing in the same way as Juuni Taisen was.

The picture of a flower…where did it come from? A child? Hmm, interesting way to express such a though process.

The CGI of the reveal was actually really good. Like, Houseki no Kuni good!

Actually, this is very Houseki no Kuni. Reestablishing what it is that makes humans human and what causes a creature to live and all that.

I never knew a slime could be this expressive…

“I see you have guts.” – That’s probably something you shouldn’t say to a slime, LOL.

Oh! This reminds me of a writing piece I had to do one time where you had to tell a tale from a monster’s perspective and make them sympathetic. I wrote about a dragon, so there’s something nostalgic about this.

There really isn’t a lot of movement in this show. Not that I mind it – Juuni Taisen I used to love a bunch and that was based off a novel, but this is an LN-based show…the level of writing in this show is clearly from the LN camp, for one thing. How it got such great production values, however, is another question entirely…

The slime and dragon friendship that just formed made me wanna go “ET!”, just because the gesture they did to seal said friendship did kind of look like that, haha.

Mechasoft Doors MX…hey, I am getting my fix of anime OSs this season after all! Just…not in Gridman yet. Update: There are zero OSs in Gridman, not in episode 1 at least...

Oh wow! That fight scene was so darned cool! It makes me wanna see more already! And the fact he (I already know from promo material the slime’s name is Rimuru) uses his slime form and human form interchangeably…that’s even cooler!

The font down the bottom and up the top of the next episode box appears to say “Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken” (due to the frequency of one of the symbols that appears to be an S, then you do the same for E and you realise it works…then you realise the text is just stylised romaji). There are zeroes and ones on the left and right sides, which might correlate to Rimuru’s “analysis voice”…whatever that may be. Anyways, I’m pretty confident this’ll be something for my lineup, but it’s too early for judgement calls. It’s a keeper…for now.

Run with the Wind 1

Now here’s a show I didn’t expect to follow going in…I picked it up merely on ANN recs.

I’m laughing like a maniac! As much as it was a compelling opening, after the dude arrives on his bike and asks “Do you like running?” to a thief, I lost it. For some reason, I find it almost so unrealistic it became hilarious, in a stupid sort of way. Or maybe I just have a really bad sense of humour. Who knows?

That one guy running in the back in the OP is basically me every time I’m meant to do something physical. Even going up three floors via stairs gets me out of breath though and I live a fairly sedentary lifestyle, so I ain’t a good comparison.

That nickname “Shindo” puzzles me. I can’t think of a kanji combo that would result in wordplay with the characters for “god” and “child” using the name “Takashi Sugiyama”, but I guess maybe we’ll find out in a later episode…?

Thank…uh, goodness for the censorship on Musa…

Musa speaks unusually politely (because I noticed he used “gozonji desu” at one point, which is a keigo variant for “shitteiru”). Maybe it’s because they barely know each other that there’s keigo being flung about. That seems reasonable, at least.

There’s something authentic about this sense of camaraderie. I can tell because my extended family is huge, so gatherings are often like this but multiplied in scale.

“Tsuru no Yu” – Technically that translates to “Crane’s Bath”…”Public Bath” is the place’s purpose.

I was wondering why we’d somehow reverted to not having 10 dudes, but then they show this is actually Haiji’s perspective of the event from the start of the episode and show the scar on his knee. That’s gotta be important for later.

…and Haiji left his towel, LOL.

I still laugh every time I see Haiji’s stupid face (the one he makes when he asks “Do you like running?”).

I’ve associated the slurring of words like “yakusoku-ssu” to be for smol bishies like Yumoto, so having Haiji use it is a bit of whiplash. Then again, apparently that slurring is only used by men to assert their masculinity as far as I know…so, uh, yeah.

Actually…I’ve been wondering. How long are courses at this uni? Where I am, being a straight literature major is 3 years (assuming you also do other stuff that fulfils a straight Arts degree). Also, Fune wo Amu (by the same creator) is about a dude making a dictionary…hmm, so the creator really likes books.

Wait, as far as my short term memory operates, most of these guys at Chikuseisou do arts majors, aside from the law student and the smoker (who does engineering). They do literature or sociology, mostly. So if that’s correct…the author also likes sociology. I’ve been thinking about doing some sociology myself, it would really complement what I know about international studies.

As explained by Kyra, chiku – sei – sou. The sei means blue/green and the chiku means bamboo. Switching the two and reading them differently gives you “Aotake”.

Rent’s $300? Must be cheap, eh?

Also see Kyra’s post for information about the food-based suicide note.

The Kanto Gogakuren refers to this manga, Sakigake!! Otokojuku. It’s basically Again!!, but with more Fist of the North Star-style dudes.

Hmm…turns out you can refer to this show as KazeTsuyo. That’s going to make me confuse it with SekaTsuyo, though…(SekaTsuyo = Wanna Be the Strongest in the World!) Also, it turns out the character for “Kakeru” in this case means “to run” (normally it means “to dash” with a kanji normally used for flying). Wait…did I ever mention how much this show’s aesthetic visuals always look as if they’re a Powerpoint theme (see images below)? They do look like that, don’t they?

I still have no idea why Kakeru has a bad case of resting b**** face, but…uh yeah, forget I said that. The sound direction in this show’s really nice. It really takes advantage of quiet moment to insert natural sounds.

I think if you go “yes!” when Haiji says “I’m going to win over all the dudes”, then you’re sold on the show. I did go “yes”, just without speaking. You know those feelings you only get in your gut and heart? Yeah, like that.

Huh? I noticed a dude called Bruce Chiou is in the credits and he’s definitely on RErideD this season too…

Out of this one, Slime Datta Ken and Double Decker it’s ranked last, but this show’s still a pretty strong addition to the seasonal lineup. Only time will tell if I kick it out or not…

Bakumatsu 1

The only experience I have with this era in anime is Bakumatsu Rock, I think…and that means I don’t know much about it.

Actually…considering the OP, scratch that. I know a bunch because of Touken Ranbu and other similar historical shows.

A…boob window? On a man? I get the black skintight vest is meant to be sexy, but I can’t see the point of that diamond…it’s just something extra for the animators and the illustrators to deal with.

C’mon. Can we not have Dudes Swishing Their Swords at the 4th Wall as something meant to hype up the audience? It’s a cliché, almost as bad as the running scenes you often get in OPs and EDs…Seriously, I can’t believe I’m getting mad at 10 dudes swinging their swords like this (specifically I’m getting mad because they were all in succession – doesn’t matter if it was in time to the music or not).

Okay, who transplanted WWI into this? I know that’s the point of the show, but the sepia really sold the idea of “this is meant to be Old-Timey Wimey Stuff and whoever’s meant to be watching is meant to be a history buff so they can spot the difference”.

Part of the ep title is “Mou Ichido no Bakumatsu”, so a better translation is “The Bakumatsu (Era) – Again!”

Wait, I thought Kondo was meant to look hotter than this (especially because he had what appears to be a coin – or an old-timey family crest – on his head). The frumpy mouth doesn’t sell the goods, yo.

Somehow…I knew Katsura would have glasses. He has them in Bakumatsu Rock. But is it historically accurate to have glasses in the Bakumatsu era, though?

Come to think of it…something that controls time would be pretty hard to destroy, no?

I think I read on ANN that swords being too big to draw in ship quarters is accurate. Hmm.

If this is such an important treasure…then why not have more padlocks on it? Or more guards closer to it (although those guys probably ran away)? Or some other protection around it? Couldn’t this supposed Yoshinobu-sama fight for himself?...Then again, I think this is just a case of overthinking. (insert MST3K mantra here)

Puh-lease. As much as I want a kunoichi (lady ninja) in my shows, don’t make them Naruto run. That’s one of my pet peeves…

Uh…Hagi? That’s probably it, considering there’s a river in the show.

Kakesoba.

Kamaboko.

Tanuki soba.

Well, there’s something to be said about being able to steal Shinsengumi jackets while the men are eating noodles. At least it didn’t involve knocking them out though (weak LOL).

Okay…why do the Shinsengumi look like waiters now? As much as I like a dude in a waiter suit, if I wanted a waiter, I’d go to a fancy French restaurant…

I feel like I’m being clubbed over the head with themes in this show. C’mon, have more tact than that.

There’s basically no chemistry between these guys (Katsura and Shinsaku). How did they meet?

Wait, so Darker Blue is Sakamoto if Green is Katsura and Red is Shinsaku? Sakamoto (Ryouma) is the redhead in Bakumatsu Rock, isn’t he? Okay then. But who’s White?

Seriously, Shinsaku. Learn from the kunoichi and stay quiet and stealthy. I don’t need another shonen hero…

Oh man, Toshizou is normally one of the Shinsengumi I like best (or at least I recognise his name more) out of these kinds of shows. If he has Perma-Scowl, I can’t possibly like this version.

Oh goodness. Souji’s a friggin’ sadist. Come to think of it though, I think this (Okita) Souji looks like the one from Gintama.

Why does Toshizou sound a frigton like any given Touken Ranbu sword…?

If that katana is symbolic…Toshizou must be hecka masculine, LEL. (Note: A “LEL” is not quite a LOL, it’s mostly done in jest. If anything, it’s probably about half a LOL.)

If that blonde ain’t Abe no Seimei, Yoshinobu-sama or some other important historical figure I know the name of, I’m eating my hat! (Not that I’m wearing one, it’s a figure of speech.)

I like Sakamoto’s face here, but man, I get distracted by the man candy below it…(i.e. his abs and bare chest, LOL. What did you think I was referring to?)

Oh great. (sarcastic) Sanada Yukimura almost always has that silly helmet, ever since Sengoku Musou I’ve pretty much tried to run away from it. I’d recognise it anywhere.

Who had the grand idea of letting Sanada keep his horse, anyway?

Okay, as much as I like making snarky comments, I made one too many here, methinks. Time for the drop pile.

Zombieland Saga 1

I read spoilers just a little bit, so I know the main twist is “zombie idols that sing death metal” already. If you didn’t want to know that at this point…sorry.

Whoa! They killed their protag off the bat? Not that I didn’t know that wouldn’t happen (already knew it would), but that’s gutsy. Truck-kun, go back to your darn isekai shows already.

Okay, I know this is a schoolgirl, but can we not with Sakura’s Schoolgirl Run for Dainty Ladies? This is a zombie show, dangit. Run properly. Can we also not with the boob jiggle?

Well, that’s one way to defeat a police officer (or get yourself arrested): Spade to the Brain.

Otsumami appears to be the name for the squid in Kotaro’s pocket.

You can’t see Kotaro’s eyes, even behind those sunnies…hmm…

Wow. Miyano sounds like he’s having such fun voicing Kotaro, y’know?

From the flyer: “They are coming soon from the underground...” Yup, that’s right, alright. Zombies have already come from the underground.

Tae’s credited under ????. They’re still holding out on us!

It seems like a pretty good keeper, provided you can keep up with who’s who.

.

..

...

DakaIchi 1

Yep, the BL anime. Thought I’d never try one? Think again.

As much as I do think I’d want to be hugged by Takato, his face…makes him look like he came out of Junjou Romantica…? Uhh…awkward.

Please don’t let this be a work full of sadism and BDSM. I’m not that kinky, y’know…?

Uh, if you ever knew “boundaries”, Azumaya, that would be great. Thanks.

LOL, what a way to win a dude over. $10! That is cheap for a star.

I’m still wondering if this all constitutes “assault” or some other illegal business. I mean, Takato agreed to everything under the influence of a bunch of drinks.

LOL, the director’s shirt says “concentration”. As in, “focus on the stuff you’re doing”.

Hey wait, how does anyone pull off a kabedon on an operation curtain?!

Uh…maybe it’s just my inexperience with the genre, but…what the heck was that scene with the feathers?

Dangit, Yaoi Hands. If I weren’t so aware of you already, you wouldn’t be breaking the immersion of this show!!!

Random Dance Ending? I so did not expect that, I’m laughing as a result.

Uhh…I cannot believe I did that. I watched an episode of a yaoi anime and coveredit without it ruining my pride! To think I watched 18+ shoujo ai before 18+ shonen ai is really something I cannot get my head around, though…not that I will ever tell you which shoujo ai show I watched. So…uh, it was actually pretty decent aside from the “I don’t get what the heck this scene is meant to be” bits which are probably staples of the genre.

...

..

.

Radiant 1

Uhh…why do I feel like I’m watching Deltora Quest for the 3rd time? Not that Deltora Quest is bad, it’s just too stereotypically high fantasy.

Mahoutsukai. Literally “mage”, but could be “wizard” or “sorcerer” if you went with it loosely. Then again, the French word for sorcerer must be pretty close to the English one which should be enough of a guide for translators, right?

Eh? It’s an…elephant –cow? What is this, Avatar  the Last Airbender? (half-snarking)

I think as the show goes along, its comedic timing is actually getting…better. That’s something, huh?

The show’s just a tiny bit too heavy-handed with its themes of racism or whatever sorcerers stand for. Then again, this is a shonen show. It’s allowed to be this way.

Geez, stylised English really is the order of the day for anime these days, huh? Lessee here…Alma’s…uh, Observatory, I think it says…?

Uh…all this talk about grimoires is giving me bad flashbacks…bad, screamy flashbacks involving a certain Asta…

I just noticed Alma gets referred to that way by Seth. Are these two not related, even though they share the same house (?) and hair colour?

Oh great. (sarcastic) Toilet humour. One of my worst enemies, aside from fanservice…

What’s up with the bat (?)? It knd of seems to be Alma’s…

Hey, I…think I know this kind of story too well. It’s going to eventually end, after a long run, with an adult Seth and that girl from one of the key visuals together…or something. Shonen are weird like that. They always end with a happily ever after and an adult protagonist, or the “the adventure just keeps happening!” sort of thing…y’know?

The plural of Nemesis is “Nemeses”, but it seems the book Seth read said “Nemesis’ Egg”. So the plural is the same as the singular in this case.

Huh? They chose to put both fancily-written French and then Japanese under it, as a homage to the French origins of this work? Huh, interesting.

Tommy’s saying “Gyaaaaah!” not “Yaaaaaaah!” - there’s a difference between those two, y’know?

SSSS.Gridman 1

As a self-professed fan of heroes who never actually got into tokusatsu because I keep missing Power Rangers when it airs on local TV stations, this and Garo are filling in a genre space I never really had until I started wandering tokusatsu wikis...which was before the live-action Power Rangers came out, methinks.

Why do I feel like I’ve seen this font (the one “SSSS.Gridman” is written in)? I thought it was a Calvin Harris music video, since I have a few downloaded legally (due to a CD I found in one particular library), but Harris’s font is slightly different to this one…Well, after some experimentation, it seems to be Arial with extra kerning.

“Amnesiac” is starting to become an anime trope in itself…

Seven-Two-One, LOL.

Ahh, children in puberty. Can’t tell whether relationships are romantic or just platonic. (wistful)

If Utsumi isn’t the goth dude from earlier, I’m eating my hat! (Not that I’m wearing one right-oh, I’ve used this joke before, haven’t I?)

…dangit, now I have to eat my metaphorical hat. By the by, I thought Utsumi was an Ume sort of character (as in, the type who would usually get voiced by Yuichiro Umehara), but no, it was Soma Saito.

The girl with the purple hair reminds me of the Administrator (or whatever her name is, the AI) from Yakusoku no Nanayamatsuri.

Regardless of whether the scene was with volume or not, that awkward pause between Shinjo, Utsumi and Hibiki went just a weeny bit too long…

When Takarada approached Utsumi and Hibiki, the colours of her earphones and eyes really popped!

They seem to treat memory loss as something minor, like a cold. It’s a bit awkward, I think.

Utsumi, kid. If you think computers from the 70s and 80s are huge, you should see server rooms! Those computers are huge! Not to mention, the first computers filled up entire rooms (just like servers do). Even portable server units are about a good 160 cm tall with wheels…oh, you don’t want to hear me prattle on about this? Okay, moving on.

“This really is a pile of junk, huh?” I had to go back and check someone hadn’t skipped a word – they did skip the word, in fact.

T-This is what Trigger have held out on us for? A monster like this looks terrible in CGI, man. Even if it is one of the better efforts. I mean, the eyes don’t even look in the same direction…

Why does Utsumi refer to the computer as “Junk”?

The Ultra series? Y’mean Ultraman?

Let’s just say…Gridman looks much better than the kaiju here.

They didn’t even dispose of the kaiju head properly, LOL.

I feel like the battle didn’t quite get my blood boiling. (Probably because I was grumbling too hard at the kaiju and the parts where the execution got a little too silly.) I’ll put it on hold and see if it gets better in a few episodes, but I’m not holding my breath. Since this is Trigger, it could pull off some great stuff if it tried…it’s just this seemed a little soulless in comparison to everything else I’ve seen them do. Or maybe my increased consumption of anime this year has left me jaded...

[imorca]

Petite Analyse: Deadpool 2

I didn’t have any real expectations for the film, and I have to say...at least it didn’t fail to meet them?

Basically, I was unimpressed. The story was paper thin. The cgi for Collussus nd Juggernaut wasn’t good. Negasonic Teenage Warhead was hardly in it, which sucked hard. The stuff that garnered the R rating wasn’t good or interesting, making the whole hoopla about how it is this adult franchise just sad. They wasted a great character like Cabal in a story unworthy of him - just to ensure that Deadpool could get a time-travel device in order to make a post-film Easter egg about fixing the Marvel crossover continuity errors. Plus, the only thing I could think of when seeing Josh Brolin was 1) Why the fuck is he playing 2 Marvel “villains” in one month? and 2) This would be so much better if Kurt Russell was playing it. What’s left then? Oh, right. It’s supposed to be funny and clever.

They gave away all the best jokes in the promotional materials - the people in the audience even finished those jokes out loud in the theatre. They killed off characters in horrible ways as a gag. That’s not funny. There were prison rape “jokes.” Not funny. They disabled Juggernaut with an anal electrocution. Not funny. They dragged out Deadpool’s “death” scene for nearly 5 minutes with fake out after fake out...to what we all knew would be a final fake. It just wasn’t funny. Breaking the 4th wall is a funny juxtaposition in a genre where you’ve got to believe really hard in a fantasy to make it work. That is, until you experience a movie like this one where it happens every 2 minutes. It stops being funny. The Marvel vs DC crossover references usually amuse me - but they had pretty much been given away so I knew more were probably coming. The lack of “discovery” of those little gems ended up leaving me disappointed rather than delighted at the joke.

Um. I liked Domino and Peter. 

[cosmicpopcorn]

Deadpool 2 (2018)

So, your favorite crazy ass pansexual assassin/mercenary...antihero...whatever the fuck he is (let’s just go with fucking awesome)...has returned in Deadpool 2 ready to kick ass, take names, and make us laugh with the crudest of jokes. Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead return with him, while the X-Force, Cable, and Firefist are introduced.

Before he made it to the big screen, Deadpool had a humble beginning when he first appeared in the comic book series, The New Mutants #98, cover-dated February 1991. Your girl Domino also makes her first appearance in this issue as well. The New Mutants series is a spin-off series from the X-Men franchise - it centers around a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training. In issue #98, Deadpool has been hired to kill The New Mutants and Cable...such a wonderful way to meet your favorite neighborhood assassin/mercenary, right? He then began appearing as a regular character in the X-Force series and went on to make guest appearances in several Marvel comics such as The Avengers, Daredevil, and Heroes for Hire. After getting a couple of his own miniseries (The Circle Chase and Deadpool), he eventually got his own ongoing title/full series in 1997. Now this fool got two movies...he’s finally got a piece of the pie!

In the 2004 comic book series Cable & Deadpool, Deadpool describes his appearance as “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei.” And since 2016 (if you don’t count Ryan Reynold’s appearance as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Ryan Reynolds has taken on the task of being our beloved Deadpool and he’s pretty damn good at it. It was clearly meant to be. In Deadpool 2, starring alongside Ryan Reynolds, we have Josh Brolin as Cable (yes, that’s the same dude who did a fucking fantastic job as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War), Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Julian Dennison as Firefist, Zazie Beetz as Domino (guess who I’mma be for Halloween?), T.J. Miller as Weasel, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapicic as the voice of Colossus, Deadpool’s wonderful friend who puts up with all his bullshit and possible love interest/sex buddy? (I’m just saying - even Vanessa told him not to fuck Colossus when she spoke to him in the afterlife, so clearly something may be happening there).

Before we get into the pros and cons for Deadpool 2, let me just say this: I’ve seen a lot of Marvel movies lately and I gotta be honest, they have set the bar high for not only superhero movies but movies in general. At this point, even the most “average” Marvel movie is gonna have great acting, writing, and special effects. This makes it hard for a nigga like me who is trying to find something to critique when writing these reviews because who the fuck just wants to read about me fangirling over a movie (e.g. my Avengers: Infinity War post). I don’t even enjoy writing fangirl posts, which is why the one for Avengers was as short as it was. So unless Marvel starts randomly fucking up their movies for no damn reason - which I doubt is ever gonna happen - I’m not gonna have half as much to critique as usually do. 

Anyway, let’s get into the pros and cons:

Pros:

From what I know about comic book Deadpool (antihero characteristics, humorous - especially crude humor, breaks the 4th wall, pansexual), the movie Deadpool appears to be a pretty accurate representation of him. They didn’t try to make him kid/family-friendly, I definitely see them playing on and/or hinting towards his pansexuality (if anything I swear he flirts with men more than women - the only woman I really see him flirt with is Vanessa), and movie Deadpool is crude as fuck. They even have movie Deadpool continue to break the 4th wall (in case you didn’t know, breaking the 4th wall is when a character is aware that they are a fictional character and may actually interact with the audience) and you can check out this Deadpool 2 trailer for an example of him breaking the 4th wall - he actually interrupts the trailer to discuss the special effects. You’re never too sure if a sequel is going to actually be just as good as the original...or good at all. Another concern is whether or not the sequel continues to build on the character while remaining true to the character’s essence/core personality and this is especially concerning when a movie is an adaptation of a comic/book. Deadpool 2, if anything, continues to emphasize Deadpool’s core personality while building upon it at the same time. 

Going off of the first pro, Deadpool 2 emphasizes his core personality traits (humorous, individualistic, sexual) while attempting to give him more emotional depth. The first half of the movie has us watch Deadpool experience grief after the death of Vanessa. Even before her death, watching him interact with her and plan a family allows us to see the side of him that desires stability, commitment, and family. This first half is important because it shows us that while Deadpool is securely individualistic and doesn’t necessarily need a team like the X-Men or The Avengers, he does still desire family and companionship. It lets us know that even the Merc with a Mouth isn’t beyond the basic human desire to connect with others. In the second half, while more fast-paced and action-packed, we still get to see more of Deadpool’s sense of morality and belief in the goodness, or potential goodness of others when he fights to save young Firefist from Cable. In fact, I would say that Deadpool has an even stronger sense of morality than Colossus - Colossus was willing to leave Firefist in the hands of the headmaster even though it was pretty obvious he was being abused because he refused to play “judge, jury and executioner,” while Deadpool was so sure of how wrong it was that he started killing the orderlies immediately. We also get to see him try to form his own family with the creation of the short-lived first version of the X-Force. 

Ryan Reynolds was made to play Deadpool. Makes me forgive him for Green Lantern and almost makes me forget it even happened! By the way, that post-credits scene of Deadpool shooting Ryan Reynolds in the head while he holds a copy of the Green Lantern script is PURE GOLD.

Zazie Beetz does an awesome job as Domino - she makes a big impact on the audience even though she may not have as many lines or scenes as some of the other characters. The directors and writers also did a really good job of showing the audience Domino’s power of luck - a power that seems so abstract and would be believed to be difficult to display well in movie format.

Cable is a character that I feel you can empathize with and who I actually kind of liked by the end. I really enjoyed how at first he was portrayed as the villain, only for things to be switched up and for us to find out the real villain was the chubby kid from New Zealand (aka Firefist). 

While being hilarious and action-packed, Deadpool 2 does take the opportunity to give you something to think about if you pay attention. First, they have Firefist point out how there are no chubby superheroes. It’s no secret that our society often discriminates, shames, and is prejudice against those who are larger. In media, they are often portrayed as the butt of jokes, being romantically and sexually undesirable, lazy, unhealthy, not athletic, etc. So, is it really a surprise that there are no chubby or plus-size superheroes? I love that Firefist is not skinny or unrealistically built and that he points out how there aren’t any superheroes who look like him (Fun Fact: In the comics, Firefist is a white, skinny, blonde kid from Tulsa, OK, so I’m digging the changes they made - both to Firefist and Domino, whose comic book version was a woman with chalk-white skin).

Second, Deadpool himself points out how the name X-Men forgets that there are female mutants in the group...this is why he chooses X-Force, a gender-neutral name for his group of superhero misfits. The language we use in a patriarchal society is often masculine - for example, we tend to say mankind instead of humankind or things like, “come on guys” to refer to an entire group of people who may not all identify as male and it’s because men are seen as the default. Deadpool’s jokes and commentary in this movie sometimes calls out societal biases that have also made their way into our comics and superhero movies and I’m here for it. Not only that, but Deadpool does not look like your typical hero - his skin is scarred and disfigured, despite him being fit and we still see him being a sexual and romantic being and I think that’s powerful when you have nothing but a bunch of super fit and conventionally attractive superheroes running around.

The soundtrack for the movie is perfect and they perfectly match the songs and scenes. 

All the references are so fun to pick up on - if you’re really into comic books, superhero movies, and honestly just a TV and movie junkie in general, you will love picking up on all the references they throw at you. 

Cons:

So, while those references are great for TV, movie, comic book, and superhero junkies, they’re not-so-great for those who just watch movies here and there and aren’t necessarily fanatics. I’ll go as far as to say if a person isn’t really into comics, superheroes, and doesn’t really know a lot of television and movie shit...a lot of stuff is going to be lost on them. Some movies are made for everyone and some movies are made for fans or at least those with a strong interest - Deadpool 2 is one of those movies and unfortunately that may alienate other viewers/audiences.  

Deadpool’s humor can be hit or miss - at times, the jokes didn’t really hit and weren’t really funny. The first half of the movie’s humor wasn’t as good as the second half of the movie. At times, I found myself laughing just because I knew I was supposed to and the humor and crudeness felt forced. 

Overall, Deadpool 2 is a fun, fun movie that poses some important questions about morality and makes commentary on aspects of society. Ryan Reynolds not only starred in but was also one of the writers and producers of this movie, and his talent shines throughout the entire 1hr and 59min of it. I’m proud of him, and I’m sure Deadpool is too.

Rating: 4.5 Caramel Popcorn Pieces 

[purecinema23]

Thor: Ragnarok - 3 Stars

Directed by Taika Waititi

 YouTube

Podcast

Those that know me will understand that I don’t love superhero movies.  It seems to me that some people have a default setting which allows them to think that some of these movies are the best things ever made. Good luck to them.  For me, a superhero film has to really push some boundaries to be truly interesting.  I think of Batman Begins, an origin story par excellence about a deeply troubled protagonist who becomes a ninja and then a vigilante because of his deep-seeded hatred of injustice.  I think of The Winter Soldier, the second Captain America film which, as well as being a well-executed action film with a bloody great nemesis, was also a great piece about surveillance culture, which has only become more prevalent since the release of that film.  So how does Thor: Ragnarok stack up?  Well, it goes ok.

 I was very curious to see what bringing Taika Waititi in as director would do to the cut and paste style of literally every Marvel film ever.  He’s an independent filmmaker from New Zealand who has cut his teeth on films which mainly express a quirky, awkward humour and a lot of heart. Waititi’s strength is that he can find humour in odd places, and is capable of making an audience quietly chuckle or roar with laughter, depending on what is needed in the film.  Ragnarok is the best Thor film in the franchise because of his influence, but is still disappointing because I’d say it’s the worst film that Waititi has made.

 On the plus side, Waititi absolutely steals the show as Korg.  He is hands down the best and funniest thing about this movie, and interactions with him bring out the best comic timing in Hemsworth as well.  But people are talking about how hilarious this film is and frankly I felt like a lot of the jokes fell flat.  It was ‘marvel funny’, which is to say that it’s a light-hearted jaunt through comic book nostalgia where no one takes anything so seriously that they can’t have a little joke about it every now and then until the final act where it gets all super serious until the baddy is dead, then we can tell flat jokes again. Almost every one of the almost 20 marvel films does this and sometimes you have funny people (like Robert Downey Jr.) delivering those lines, other times you have unfunny people delivering them. That’s what ‘marvel funny’ is.  And this movie is that, except for Korg, so in terms of humour it is above average.

 The action scenes are exactly what you expect from one of these sort of films, so you could call it competent.  The soundtrack was a mixed bag, with the best moment being comfortably the use of Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant Song, which had a strange feeling of catharsis because of its use in the trailer and the anticipation of it being used in the movie delivered a kind of pay off.

 As for the cast, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Ruffalo don’t bring anything extra to the characters that they’ve already established.  Cate Blanchett looks like she’s having a lot of fun as the villain while Jeff Goldblum adds a bit of quirk to the middle third of the film, as you’d expect from Jeff Goldblum.

 I think the main problem for me with Thor specifically that doesn’t extend to all Marvel films is that Thor just doesn’t seem that interesting a character.  For the same reason that I’ll always prefer Batman to Superman, I just don’t understand the appeal of a God that is as virtuous as Thor is. I can’t relate to the character, I can’t see their problems through their eyes.  While other characters have a deeper level of complexity, Thor just jumps around quipping jokes, always supremely confident that he’ll escape whatever predicament he is in while winking to the camera with a cheeky 4th wall break.  Watching him is just not that interesting for me and the film suffers because of it.

 If you’re someone that absolutely must see all of the Marvel films to understand the greater story (they may not make brilliant films, but they are brilliant at marketing), then you should indeed see it.  And for the most part it is competently made and can occasionally be hilarious whenever Korg is on the screen.  In a cinematic universe full of absolute mediocrity this film shines just a little brighter and gets 3 Stars from me.

[weebywolfreviews-blog]

Himote House: Ep 1

Himote House got me really excited actually; I love slice of life anime, and I can’t resist a comedy revolving around cute girls. But this was a little disappointing. From Bouncy Studios comes Himote House--a very bouncy (even perhaps a little bumpy) anime.

Episode 1 starts abruptly with a still frame (not a fan), and immediate burst into dialogue. I thought I was in for lazy animation, but I was in for something totally unexpected: 3D animation. This is something I’ve seen industries work with, but have never been a fan of. Most of the time, I find it makes the characters look dead, act dead, and move like corpses on string. However, Himote House does have better 3D animation than others I’ve seen before, despite obvious lip syncing problems. I can tell some real effort was put in, at least.

However, one animation sin I hate is the use of still frames. In Himote house, a series of hand drawn still frames is used in a flashback to explain the personality of Kokoro. This use of still frames I don’t totally hate, actually. It did emphasize that it was a flashback, due to the breakup of the flow in animation and even the different art style. But the timing and purpose of the first, introductory flashback was God-awful in my opinion. Instead of having the main character, Tae, explain the personality of her friend and the set-up of the anime, I’d much rather watch an anime that can achieve that by simply letting the story play out. We aren’t stupid! Not to mention that this flashback interrupted the music, the humorous vibe going on following a joke, the story, and even interrupted the art/animation. Sigh! There was a redeeming quality of the flashback, though. The humour following didn’t feel to forced, and the break of the 4th wall was done well in my opinion.

The music of the episode was rather disappointing, too. In general, sound was quite unbalanced through the whole thing--especially during the first part of dialogue between Tae and Kokoro. The music was upbeat and distracting, while playing at almost the same volume as the upbeat and bouncy dialogue of Tae’s character. It was extremely distracting and easy to get lost in. There were also strange, clunky fades to different music or just fades to no music, such as in my hated “first flashback”. Overall, I think the music during the show just took away from the funniness of the anime. Definitely didn’t help with the clunky flow, either. The ending song was good, though. Absolutely beautiful piano piece panning over various drawings of the characters. But many of these characters were unrecognisable and the piano piece didn’t match the fats paced, bubbly, goofy nature of the anime.

Despite all my complaints, the comedy of the show was really funny in my opinion. It felt so natural, and seemed like it’d be really fun to be a part of. Plus, the tropes weren’t too cringey or forced, and that is something that really great in my opinion. Himote House’s relaxed comedy stlye definitely shined the best in the after-credits scene, in which it seemed like the voice actors all just improvved. It was absolutely hilarious, and totally natural--a comfortable, relatable vibe I want with my slice of life anime.

Like the comedy style, I find the characters to also feel pretty authentic and entertaining. They all have little quirks and oddities, some of which we have seen before (e.g. tsundere/responsible friend), but some which we haven’t seen much of at all (e.g. the polite, rich girl that is actually pretty dorky). One oddity they all share is that they all have super powers. No!!!!! This was the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen integrated into anime. They literally just sat down and were like: “So should we talk about our powers?”. The main character never even knew super powers existed, was hardly shocked though, and then seconds after managed to multiply herself. Totally unecessary idea in the anime. I suppose you could say that it just adds to the quirkiness and relaxed nature of the show, but that vibe would survive without it. I suppose we will have to see how it pans out. Regardless, the characters work together well and I enjoy them so far, looking forward to seeing how their interactions develop over the course of the anime too.

Overall, I find the anime to be lacking in some areas, and definitely not polished. But nonetheless, it is actually one I’d gladly go back to. The vibe of the comedy and characters is so great, so natural, and so lighthearted that I feel comfy watching. To me it seems that although the anime is lacking in good production, it more than makes up for it in the fun that the cast and staff must be having--in turn allowing me to have fun. So have fun I will, by watching the next episode.

Thank you for reading!

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Houseki no Kuni 3 - 6 | Girls’ Last Tour 3 - 6 | Boueibu OVA | Netjuu no Susume 6 | Juuni Taisen 7 | Mahoutsukai no Yome 6

Apparently there’s a bonus if you watch until the end of the 5th ep of Netjuu no Susume…I’ve seen it, or else I wouldn’t be telling you it exists.

I’ve rolled out the simulcast commentary tags for the seasonal shows that don’t have tags yet (aside from Netjuu no Susume’s replacement when that time comes).

Plus, as you can see in the title…there’s the Boueibu OVA in this bundle of notes, for completion’s sake.

Houseki no Kuni 3

That snail sure is a lively thing.

Really? A poop joke? Well, that’s one way to rub Phos’s new state into Dia’s face.

…welp, not much to talk about this time, I guess.

Houseki no Kuni 4

What the heck? The snail has a type???

This OP is lovely. Its best aspect is the visuals, though. It sounds kind of plain compared to even Saturday Night Question (Netjuu no Susume).

That snail makes a nice wig for Master Kongo, doesn’t it?

I’m listening to this show for the first time, and Phos uses “boku”, interestingly enough.

The snail's urge to go back to its home in the sea reminds me that lots of Chinese people go back to their country for Chinese New Year. I wonder if the same sentiment is involved in both instances?

The ED is nice, but not as good as the OP.

Houseki no Kuni  5

Watermelon? I feel sorry for the gem which has that name.

Ahh! These jellyfish are cute (and practical)!

“No getting all weak-kneed now!” – Says Phos, who’s got legs potentially harder than their body.

Houseki no Kuni 6

Trust exercises. I did some with some members of my anime club once. (Haha.)

I noticed the spikes were blue, so they might be Sapphire. It’s kind of like Rabbit’s necromantistry (Juuni Taisen), but…in a slightly different form.

Girls’ Last Tour 3

Kanazawa???? *thinks about King’s Game, where the protag and the author share the surname Kanazawa*

There’s some extremely glaring CGI during this episode. For a moment, you can discern Chi’s made of CGI while in her Kettenkrad.

Please don’t ship the grown man with the loli.

That’s some grim humour they attempted with Kanazawa. Kinda like Zetsubou-sensei (Nozomu Itoshiki).

Boueibu OVA

I almost wasn’t going to cover this, because it’s an OVA, but hey, why not make an exception? This may be the last time we Boueibu fans can talk about this stuff again…(Plus I think I’ll have volume for the entire thing if I hurry.)

Haha, the volleyball scene. Notice En talks first.

Yumoto’s being basic as always. *sighs happily*

Trump, eh? The word for playing cards is trump, but…y’know?

(about “graduating in a storm of cherry blossoms” and En saying it sounds lonely) I was just about to say that, En. However, that may just be OVA feels speaking.

Itsumo Ichiban? Rememer that guy? Well, there’s Itsumo’s brother on Kin-chan’s list. You can tell because he’s literally Itsumo Nisan. Geddit?

(about Zundar’s meeting with Kin-chan) The manga! It was correct after all!

Yep, that’s exactly how it went 2 years ago. In fact, I think it might be recycled content…(?)

Wombat speaks very formally. I learnt about keigo in the past year so I only picked up on that this time around.

The word used by Aki is “sad” according to the subs, but hazukashii means “embarrassing”, which puts a new spin on it.

They’re literally just using montages of s1, which is why I want Pony Canyon to bundle the OVA with s2. It’s more money, but for the consumer, it’s more worth it. However…having Bi…Egoism in an anime segment at all is new.

Akoya must be popular in the fandom. Either that or the staff are acknowledging how unloved he is.

Yay! It’s Star the VEPPer!

It’s good that each of these side characters is getting their own montage. Plus we’re getting official translations of the character songs, which is the best thing you can get for free when character songs aren’t distributed normally in most cases.

4th wall breaking! I guess you never expected that, eh? (Actually, you probably did, considering it’s been a montage for almost everyone now.)

(I love En’s little snarks in the middle of the song.) The only one left after this is Atsushi, right? Update: Oops, forgot Kin-chan. Sorry Kin-chan.

I never really realised Atsushi’s song was so hard rock compared to En’s more pop-like one.

“But do I really have that fire inside of me?” – I think I heard the song go atsui which is a real funky (in a good way) pun on Atsushi’s name.

Aww, they missed out in such a good pun! Haru went haru and Aki went aki. The translator didn’t pick up on that though…aww.

Whoa! Yumoto got all scary! Botan Yuzuru though…gotta look into that later for magicalgirlsandcerulean.

This (Spanish?) guitar reminds me of this track from The Dog Island.

A-ha! This is what you get when you translate the Japanese in the ads too.I was quite right indeed, although it really is the dang 132nd graduation ceremond.

It’s literally a button monster. Don’t wanna mash his buttons! (I bet you’re all groaning from my jokes, ahaha…)

Dadacha’s voice sounds kinda ridiculous now because Yasumoto is clearly using the deeper voice he normally uses for Zundar.

Notice the monster’s face is made from the character 高 (the first character in the Japanese word for “high school”).

Salty Sol is still salty after all this time…sad life.

That train station is the same one from the beach episode!

I’ve seen enough spoilers so I know where this is going…I already identified in the spoiler chat what Wombat is going to catch as a reference to a Kenji Miyazawa work.

This train is somewhat obviously CGI…

Spinach curry? When’d Wombat eat that?

Ths slideshow appears to be all the clean art for everything they’ve ever produced in the Boueibu canon! Even events and collabs!

“So wipe away your tears.” – I’m not crying, you are…*tear leaks from corner of eye*

I don’t recognise two of those pictures…(EnAtsu beach pic and a yukata one with the Defence Club on the roof.)

Oh…my…it’s over? Well, frankly I was expecting the fandom’s end in 2015…so, here’s to the future. Farewell, and remember: love is forever! Separations are only a new beginning!

Netjuu no Susume 6

That was a really bad Glico man in the back (of Koiwai)…

I think something’s wrong with my eye. It just gave off a few tears…(kidding tone)

Whose car is this that Morimori-chan is sitting in??? Update: It’s a taxi. Whoops.

I think Morimori-chan used the word douryou (colleagues, coworkers) instead of employees. The word for employees would probably be very different.

Nikunokiya??? (thinks about Kinokuniya)

(Koiwai goes Ai no chikara ne…) Boueibu reference…kind of.

Notice Koiwai said he was low on health in the text but he said zombie in the Japanese. That’s where Fruits de Mer comes in for Morimori-chan.

“There’s no way I’d say something like that!”

I think the cup this ED is new. Plus the headphones.

Oh! I spotted Morimori-chan with the medium length hair in the background of Sakurai’s bit of the ED.

There are some blurry pictures of Koiwai in the ED and they’re so hilarious!!!

So the ED actually evolves along with the show. Interesting.

Juuni Taisen 7

Rabbit stores his blades in his tail. That’s weird, but funny.

Literally, the episode title is “Dragon Head, Snake Tail”.

Dragon and Snake really are like the Beppus! I keep thinking that. I want a crossover fic now…

Tatsu = dragon.

I only just realised but…a naga is a snake. Nagayuki is the younger bro, isn’t he? Dangit, Nisio Isin! You bested me again.

150 doesn’t have any significance in regards to the number 12 now does it?

It’s Rabbit! Who’s not wearing his trademark booty shorts or high heels! Rabbit in a waiter’s outfit is really something, though.

“Hot guy”? Not by most people’s standards Tora/Kanae, considering he’s currently missing his head.

It’s tiger versus…aww. It’s not tiger vs dragon…

How can Ushii still talk after being strangled by Snake’s arm???

Whoa! Incendiary components are cool in Bond movies, but fiery liquid? That’s a step up!

Mahoutsukai no Yome 6

Admit it. You saw it in the next ep preview (unless you skipped it or read the manga)…It’s TITania time!

“She touched me for the first time.” – Elias, what a dork you are…

The birbs around Chise are so fluffy and adorable! It’s cute.

Geez, it really is TITania…these fanservice wiggles are destroying my Mahoutsukai no Yome experience…

Seing the Faerie Queen facepalm…is something else. *sweatdrops*

In the same way I want a koala sheep from Avatar the Last Airbender, I want one of those sheep bug things.

“Every creature of the night, including she and you, are my adorable little children.” – No wonder you have such big hooters, TITania…

A wild SIMON appeared!…Thought we’d forgotten about him for the rest of the episode. He would’ve made a better brick joke if his return were prolonged, y’know.

Strange question, but do priests wear pants?

Girls’ Last Tour 4

I’m listening to Ugoku Ugoku for the first time and it’s…strangely catchy…

That thing with the face is really creepy…

That thing is a stone statue???

“What IS cheese?” – Considering sometimes cheese tastes pretty bad, I don’t blame you for not knowing what cheese is.

Couldn’t they check the camera for what Kanazawa was doing with it?

I just saw the number 3230 on the camera’s inside frame for taking pictures (whatever you call it). That might be the year this show is set…

Notice the word for temple that’s used is jiin, a Buddhist temple. A Shinto version of that might be jinja.

Kanazawa was voiced by Akira Ishida? The guy who did Kiku (SGRS)??? NOOOOOOO! I missed a prime opportunity! I’ll have to go back for it later.

The ED is even more catchy than the OP. Is that even possible???

The camera breaks in the ED…that’s so ominous…

That post-ED scene was cute. A little bit.

Girls’ Last Tour 5

The slightly-electronic-sounding OP doesn’t quite fit the show, does it?

The phrase used was definitely ie dake ni. I’m not quite sure what that means, but…okay. I’ll just believe the subs on that one.

I wonder if Sentai is planning to dub these…I can imagine this show being dubbed.They wouldn’t need to pay too many VAs for it, for one thing.

Akogare is the word for desire or longing. It would be no surprise f there was an akogaru or akogarareru made from it as well.

Notice it’s “Yay!”, but with the word for house (ie) emphasised.

What is this fish dream, a metaphor for lesbians…?

The soundtrack guys must’ve had lots of fun striking cans or whatever.

I think this ED is different to the one last ep…Its name appears to be Amadare no Uta and it’s sung by the main VAs.

I bet the soundtrack guys hit a bell or two there…

Girls’ Last Tour 6

Oh no! It’s an Anime Scientist! Last time we had one, it was Shinawa (Kado), and you know how badly that went…

Interesting that the word for “takeoff” is “separation [from the] ground” literally.

Okay! I’m caught up to the weekly episodes now!

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Prince of Stride: Alternative 2 – 12 | ACCA 1 | Hand Shakers 1 | Nanbaka 15 | Marginal #4 1

(ep 2)

I don’t think I noticed this last time, but the dropped item is a Stride headset.

“…that won’t affect your future…”

That technique, where the memory becomes “movie footage”…I like it. Plus, Kyosuke was basically half of the reason why I stuck around with this show…haha.

“Fubun ritsu” at least translates directly…

Without context, the dialogue sounds pretty funny, especially because Diane should be (half) British and maybe should’ve picked up on the fact D’s sounds like…well…

The “D for Demon” pun is an English only one. The D in the Japanese is for doge (and not Doge, mind you). Doge is short for dogeza, or putting yourself on the ground and bowing furiously (to regain respect, for example).

Even Kadowaki is into the photoshoot!

Ah…without fanservice, this show would never get off the ground. Judging by how well sports anime fare from having pretty boys, that is.

There seems to be a theme of “letting go” in this, which makes it a perfect character study for One Wish They Never Wanted. Unfortunately, I’ve basically finished the story now…

Note tobu is also the word for “to fly”.

It vaguely bugs me that every time the subs go “Takeru”, the Japanese goes “Fujiwara-kun”.

The dude’s name is Asuma (you can hear it in the Japanese clearly), but the subs said “Yuma”.

I never questioned it, but…why is there laundry in the Stride clubroom?

I dunno about shogi, but apparently “a mistake leads to progress”.

(ep 3)

Andromeda is a maiden in the mythology. So Reiji’s right. Also, he’s voiced by Mamoru Miyano. You can’t go wrong with the dude.

Who in Dante’s Inferno is the flashing light head man?

Yeah, I wonder where the “Mee-chan” comes from too.

LOL, biology joke. Luckily, I understand it.

Sometimes Takeru sounds too deep for a teenager.

(ep 4)

Sometimes the humour can be a bit hard to follow in this show, but the visual quality is second to none!

Riku specifically asks to trade bentos, so the “trade bites” thing is deceiving.

I dunno what the “Japan Deep” is, but I think this is it.

Gelidium jelly. Aka agar…in some cases.

Back to Takeru observing muscles. It doesn’t get overdone, which is a good point of this show.

Basically Nagatsuka is Yamato from Nanbaka…haha.

The English is really good around the “on your mark” bit.

(ep 5)

Apparently you can get a motorcycle licence starting at the age of 16. I’m not good with balancing though, so a bike is hardly appropriate for me.

That shot of Hozumi, with the “Kuga” locker in the back…hmph. Nice foreshadowing/suspense shot.

I can’t quite make out what Ayumu’s saying when the subs go “Bering Sea”, as I don’t know the equivalent in Japanese. However, it most likely isn’t “Bering Sea”.

I don’t know what the equivalent to the “KGB” thing is either…Update: Okay, I know it now. It’s “ka ge be”, at least in its audio version.

(ep 6)

What are the helicopters for?

There was a kaitenzushi that Kuga-senpai passed…(hey wait, what am I saying? Kuga’s not my senpai!)

The English on the subway sign behind Yuri is really good. Why are these fine details in this show so good?!

It’s moments when a character smiles and you smile along with them, that’s why I watch anime.

I think “Yuniko” was a parody of UNIQLO, a Japanese brand. Apparently they’re pretty cheap, and I’ve been able to find it in my home city for a good few years now.

Really? Gainaxing? On Diane? I must’ve wiped that from my memory.

Hozumi, don’t leave Kuga-senpai hanging!

(ep 7)

*nods* Heath, Riku, I know your feels.

I dunno what a Kankokukan is…

I think they mean the Sea of Okhotsk…since that’s close to Japan. At least there was a warning that this would indeed be stupid talk and nothing more. However, the “Stop getting creative with my memories!” means that that gibberish was actually a bunch of locations in Japan, characterised by that weird stuff in the animation. I bet only people who are really acquainted with Japan and its geography would get it…because I don’t.

I dunno what a “Jangara” is. Or what “Jangara ramen” is.

It’s really hard to tell who’s bros with who here. Probably because they have completely different hair colours.

If you watch the Riku and Asuma scene carefully, you can see Ayumu, Hozumi and their Saisei counterparts sliding on the balls in the room behind them.

In the back of the “salt to the enemy” scene, it says shio (in romaji), salt (obviously) and shio (in katakana). On Riku’s bag, it says shio (in kanji).

Myogenesis.

Poor Mr Dan…

Shizuma! That loose hairstyle suits you so well!

Batsu ge-mu, LOL.

That Reiji really seems to like Kobe products recommended by Takeru, huh?

Here’s a little something on the Tamaya and Kagiya bits. Kadowaki-ya is a pun on that.

LOL, that manservice.

(ep 8)

4th wall break…?

Hokkaido is known for being snowy…so yeah, “northness” it is.

Of course, when they say “Lee”, “Chan” and so on, it’s Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The Dragon Awakens belongs to…I dunno, actually.

Is Riku’s hair black when his face is hidden by the magazine (last part of ep with credits)?

(ep 9)

I only just found out, but that fanboy from Saisei, Kaede? He’s voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga, meaning he’s Yuri Katsuki (Yuri!!! on Ice). Kyosuke is voiced by Junichi Suwabe, making him Viktor Nikiforov. Yeah...that happened 3 seasons before Yuri on Ice...

Stick figures…that’s not a very conventional way to save on anime budget, but it’s a way nonetheless.

Gendo pose!

Seriously? Toilet humour? At least it didn’t last for too long.

There’s a box in the hallway that says “Aomori apples” on it.

(ep 10)

Did I just see Kyosuke with no eyes…? No, the aliens got his eyes too! That was so close to a perfect run (pun intended) without those face stealing aliens!

The question about snow is just an equivalent to “something impossible happened”.

“The devil getting sunstroke” was probably due to it being really hot.

Panda bread…the reason why it even exists is because pan da means “It is bread” and panda…is panda.

I know that feel, Riku… I’m only average, I used to not be so average…and that’s the sad part about me.

The rainbow of change…I hope it comes for me too.

(ep 11)

A high touch is a high 5, by the way.

LOL, 5th Symphony. Of course…

LOL, Shizu-man. A cross cultural pun…you don’t see those very often. Update: Apparently, that’s “Oshizu” in the Japanese.

That deadly look in Reiji’s eyes…it’s hard to look away from.

(ep 12)

Hopefully this show helps to motivate me long into the future…!

*yells into the breeze* …Idiots!

Even Hachiko has an EOS decoration, LOL. Hachiko is a dog known for his loyalty, having waited for his master right up until his death. However, his master had died before him.

So whose plan was it to see Honan in the first place (in regards to Galaxy Standard)?

Naked Speed…? What kinda name is that?

So did they…never mind. You know at the end.

Ah, bookends. At least they’re satisfying, even if they’re a little cliched.

The end of summer will last forever…until the winter comes. Heh. Of course I’d see that viewpoint. (Whaddaya mean, I’m too much of an optimist to be a constant whiner? I assume you’ve been through the POSA eps with me so far, and some of them twice.) Anyways, hope to see you again when our decisions once again collide…

Update: The name “Amatsu Ida” was on my mind and I couldn’t figure out why until I realised it’s the same pun as Tenya Iida’s. The POSA staff must’ve thought they were really funny, eh? Also, I thought they all had numbers in their names (Tasuku Senoo, Bantaro Chiyomatsu etc.) but I was wrong about most of them. However, there’s continuity between Shizuma and his bro (they both have the “horse” kanji, Asuma is “playing horse” – playing as in “frolicking” and such – while Shizuma is “quiet horse”) and Tasuku is “task” in katakana.

(ACCA 1)

I’m here because of Natsume Shingo and the stuff he showed on One Punch Man.

Okay, question. How do you spell Jean(?)’s name?

I love how there’s one shot that looks like it’s going to be a mouth to mouth kiss but turns into a secret telling instead.

Fweh? So, the part about the 13 districts suddenly starts to have echoes of the Hunger Games in it, and considering I suddenly decided to implement a Hunger Games parallel/parody into one of my fics one day, I know the exact makeup of such a story.

You can’t really tell Eider’s surprised aside from her open mouth…okay then. Moving on.

There was some very limited animation during that conversation (where Jean learns ACCA won’t be dissolved).

I don’t live in a family of four, so I actually questioned the squabbles over the flan for a second there.

“…or an ACCA chopper.” Speak of the devil, it’s a chopper! *Ahnold voice* Get to za choppaaaaaaaaaa! (Haha.)

What’s up with white uniformed Yurio’s hat? (Assuming Nino is the black haired dude.) Update: Turns out Nino has blue hair, while Knot is the dude with black hair. White uniformed Yurio’s name is Rein.

Pan = bread, apparently in Portuguese as well as Japanese. Also, Rein likes donuts and since he’s the “police” in this area…that sort of seems like a cliché…?

Mauve is the only one I really recognise (aside from Jean), after downloading all the ACCA icons I wanted before I saw this show. Mauve has some really distinctive hair. I recognise Rein from the icons, but not his name…hence the last dot point.

Trembling grey-haired dude’s hand was…actually pretty funny.

I love how Mauve is characterised by indigo hair that moves in the wind. It makes for some very limited yet LOLworthy animation.

Apparently, the café in the east staition (?) has American coffee (albeit lowercase) and blended coffee. Someone managed to stick that in…I’m impressed.

The ED looks arthouse, and I mean that in a good way. So…basically, although this seems to be a weaker showing than SGRS, it looks pretty good and I’m keeping it on for another ep.

(Hand Shakers 1)

Thought it had potential…but then the previews came out, and yet again, I have stumbled across the…problematic anime…of the season.

If there’s one thing I have to question, it’s the giant turtle on one building’s wall. Who thought a giant turtle on a wall was a good idea?

Yeah…if there’s any way to describe me after I see Gainaxing + torture, it’s “losing all attention”. Plus, they didn’t really explain anything yet about this boy who’s (according to the CR synopsis) called Tazuna or his girl Koyori. The CGI is hardly impressive either.

Gainax counter no. 2. Yet again, the scene is hardly impressive by any count. I think they’re trying to go all out with their visual techniques, and they’re achieving nothing.

When the camera specifically rotates around Pres’s mammaries…you know that’s a problem. Problem no. 2 is that I focussed more on a (purple) ad that says “Do Tarot Divinations!” instead of Tazuna. One last chance before I nope out of here, and that’s only because AniList was down earlier today just as I was using it.

Gainaxing no. 3. That’s it – I’m out of here.

(Nanbaka 15)

*groans* After Hand Shakers, I need therapy…ugh. I decided to rewatch a lot of my “worst shows ever” after Hand Shakers, too, which should very well explain my sore throat, feeling of a headache and any other symptoms I may exhibit during this simulcast commentary.

Rin! Rin! Hi! Hi! sounds more nasal. That’s what’s wrong with it.

Shut up…in English? I guess so.

Liquid nitrogen, in English? Hmm. Futamata-sensei’s good...or maybe just whoever was responsible for that.

Ooh…pretty screens…dang you, Hitokoe for being in the pretty screens’ way.

Poor Hitoshi. Doesn’t that hurt?

Where did the splat sound effect come from?

Why do they have to be so direct about…erm, that stuff? Hitoshi wears…those?

You said there were other traps here, eh? *raises eyebrows*

CGI prison bars…? Really? Plus, Hitokoe, you’re already annoying.

Even if parts of this ep were a letdown, Nanbaka is much better than a series of my worst anime…in a row. Ugh. *shivers*

(Marginal #4 1)

Idol anime are hard to access, so I’ve finally got one to cover…maybe.

Minimal CGI…that’s good. No gripes there, then.

Huh. It’s rare to find kanji that are assigned completely different romaji to their usual ones. Tsukuru has its own kanji, but those kanji are for bukatsu or club activities.

I knew it was coming…but L and R? In English, it just sounds uninspired.

Kirihara’s yet another Toshiki Masuda role…haha. Of course.

Marimo? The lil’ fluff moss?

I was confused at first about this “Starclusters” thing, but it turns out it just means the fans. Like Beppu Apes.

Yet another weird name I was prepared for, but got overwhelmed by when it showed up in the show proper. Shy…what a weird name…

I dunno why, but I react more to Lagrange Point’s hair being implausible rather than Marginal’s.

Hah, biology joke. That Atom is such a Masuda character, it’s cute.

Okay – complicated pun time. That kanji (it means “well”, as in the one with the water in it) is one letter I, but the word for “good” in hiragana is two Is but they sound roughly the same.

Of course, the iPun comes from iPhones, but the Taisho era is definitively Japanese.

The I-400 exists…but no one handles things like that at an elite school, right?

Tetranacci exists too, but…you know.

You can tell from their behavious that despite their hair colour, they really are bros, that L and R Nomura.

I think they tried too hard with L…or is it R? Welp, it’s one of them. The gaming twin. Update: It’s R. L’s the green marimo one.

Wow. Swanky room, kid.

Okay, whose idea was it to make Korean barbecue sauce flavoured soda?

Mayuge means eyebrows…

These guys are genre savvy. The specific word I used to describe them were “hideously genre-savvy”, but they hit the sweet spot between “too cliched” and “too much savvy, they ruin the entire genre”.

Wait, who gave the tomato then?

Mai is apparently the name of the group’s manager.

Okay, I’m keeping it on for another episode or so. It’s not completely out of the box, but it’s likeable.