#plus the fight choreography and animation is so so good
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What are your thoughts on season 2 so far??? Iām still a bit worried about lgā¦ but idc about that BECAUSE QIAO LING!!!!! WITH THE STEEL POLE!!!
yeah <3
#actual thoughts in tags lol#its sooooooo good so far like AUGH so good#sleeping on it i think its kinda fucking hilarious that lan did All That to make us think lu guang was dead#i just KNOW they were giggling and kicking their feet this whole time#also i think lu guangs in the clear but wouldnt it be so funny if they killed him now after all that#interested to see how things develop but so far i like the villains theyre establishing!#it obviously has a very very different tone from s1 (or at least the beginning of season 1)#a part of me misses the more lighthearted tone BUT i think its only natural as the plot develops that things become more serious#and it seems like they are keeping the sense of humor when appropriate which is all i need!#moments like them making fun of lu guangs age and everyone teasing cheng xiaoshi after the reveal keep the levity#its clear its still retaining its heart and remembers that whats important is these characters despite the drama and insanity around them#animation went insane also#the moment right at the start of ep 1 where lu guang is passing out. animation is INSANE god#plus the fight choreography and animation is so so good#you can really see the characters different abilities and personalities in their fighting styles which is so cool#also theyre still keeping the insane cliff hangers <3#literally let out a very loud squeak/gasp when chen bi fell at the end of ep 1#also QIAO LINGGGGGGG !!!!!#im so so glad shes becoming more involved#not that she had no role in s1 but i think its high time she got some real spot light#so overall i really really enjoyed it!! im so happy to have link click back oh my god#hearing the gang tease each other and smile at one another and support each other again was all i needed#link click spoilers#asks#shi guang dai li ren#mine
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My friend and I just finished our rewatch of Star Trek: TOS. What a fun, fun trip it was.
Purely for my own enjoyment, here are the 10 Star Trek: TOS episodes I liked the most. Heavily steeped in my love of retro cheese and B-Movies.
10. Arena
The Kirk vs A Lizard episode. The rocks are very obviously foam, the fight choreography is peak Trek and the lizardman wears a go-go dress lovingly crocheted by meemaw. At the end a bedazzled space twink shows up. A classic for a reason.
9. The Corbomite Maneuver
Structured like so many other Trek eps (ship gets in predicament, Kirk must pull a solution out of his ass in the 11th hour) but with great twist ending that blew my mind. Showcases Kirk's brand of cleverness very well.
8. Turnabout Intruder
The last episode of the series has a fascinating plot: one of Kirk's ex-girlfriends forcibly switches bodies with him. There's a lot of unfortunate gender discourse but if you decide to view the whole thing as a typically 60s trans allegory, it becomes fascinating. Spock recognizes the captain through a mind meld and defends him in court. Good times.
7. The Cloud Minders
The best episode of season 3 imo. Beautiful painted backgrounds and amazing retrofuturist interiors. The story is a really solid metaphor for classist oppression right until you learn the workers actually ARE violent and stupid because of some gas in the mines. Still loved it.
6. Operation: Annihilate!
The crew visits a planet decimated by alien parasites that look like flying rubber pancakes. Spock gets got and it's very tense and dramatic. Good Spirk vibes, plus I love it when my blorbos suffer.
5. The Way to Eden
The Enterprise picks up space hippies trying to find a fabled paradise planet. The costumes and songs are super enjoyable. A shining example of an ep that was probably extremely cringe back when it aired but has aged like a fine, campy wine.
4. The City on the Edge of Forever
Ok this one isn't underrated, everyone knows it's good and they're correct. Kirk and Spock get stuck in the past together and it manages to be incredibly gay despite Kirk literally dating a woman. Excellent story. Spock wears a beanie.
3. The Trouble with Tribbles
Another one where I agree with the general sentiment: it's silly and fun and I will never tire of seeing Shatner buried in furry little potatoes. The Animated Series episode "More Tribbles, More Troubles" is a hilarious sequel.
2. Amok Time
The Spirk episode that started it all, featuring a fascinating look into the mix of uptight decorum and violent heritage that makes Vulcan culture so compelling. I did particularly enjoy the extremely awkward conversation between Kirk and Spock about "Vulcan biology" at the beginning. "It happens to the birds and the bees..."
1. The Devil in the Dark
Shatner's favorite ep and also mine. The acting is on point and seeing Spock yell "JIM!" with obvious concern on his face is just šš». I love the retro cheesiness of the paper mache caverns and the alien who looks like a lasagna; I love how testy Bones is about having to do first aid on said lasagna; I love the horror-like story structure and overarching message about understanding others. 100/10.
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RWBY Fans talk about what makes RWBY enjoyable for the FNDM.
I want to take a moment to thank the RWBY Fandom for coming together on post
www.tumblr.com/iamafanofcartoons/714857308133441536/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
and discussing why RWBY was an enjoyable show for each of them.
Everyone here had a fantastic reason, and I am grateful to each of you!
@hmvw2015 : For me, RWBY filled the void left behind by Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
Itās one of the few shows Iāve seen (aside from Adventure Time) that grows up with its audience.
The fight scenes are so incredible! Theyāre lightening fast I would have to rewatch the same episode at least twice or thrice! Easily rivaling those done by Studios Gainax or TRIGGER, or Titmouse.
Since every character, place, and object have connections to fairy tales, mythologies, folklore, and classic novels, it did a great job portraying them to their root inspirations. Plus, Iām always digging deep into their designs and backstories.
The music is almost top tier to the music from the Disney Renaissance Era. Maybe even better than that. The songs add another layer of foreshadowing for the characters, and theyāre fun to listen to~!
It tackles issues like self-worth, abuse, and death.
The series basically screams āWomenās Rightsā and āGay Rightsā and proud of it. :D
www.tumblr.com/hmvw2015/715987868852666368/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@ammy246 :
I've always enjoyed the characters, and I like how there are 4 badass female protagonists who are each enjoyable to watch. I also like how the villains are actually threatening, so the heroes have to put effort into earning victories unlike many works of fiction. The animation always excites me, because you never know what you're going to get. And, don't even get me started on the amazing soundtrack.
@cinnamonrollfuckhead :
it tickles all the right things about me. i got in trouble for reading in classes when i finished my work early at school, it was nearly always history or mythology. i was an ancient Egypt kid. i read outside my age group. if Snapple wanted to employ me to write factoids for their caps i would take it. i was hooked on RWBY immediately despite being older than any of the main characters. i found an unlikely character to relate to in Jaune. i loved how it balanced serious and goofy themes.
@satoshi-mochida :
Some stuff I like about the show is that it's pretty fun and entertaining to watch, has constantly improving writing and animation(the CRWBY recognizing ACTUAL criticism, and working on those), with smarter and deeper than some may think moments, well-done characters, great music and songs, and probably more. I even cosplayed as Jaune(and the 'HuntsMan' with a Wonder-Zwei plush)with my then-girlfriend before COVID hit and other stuff happened, and enjoyed doing that.
@haunted-meatsack :
I'm waaaaay behind but I started watching for the fight choreography, music, and battle skirts. Plus I'm a sucker for small girls who kick ass with GIANT weapons. Then the story and characters kept me coming. I need to catch up.
www.tumblr.com/haunted-meatsack/715895495101497344/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@bumblebyfan :
I like RWBY due to a lot of reasons, for starters, the relationships between the main characters, and how they constantly help each other, I also really like the whole fantasy setting and how funny it is at times, I also really liked how they handled Rubyās arc during season 9, as someone who has had... intrusive thoughts
www.tumblr.com/bumblebyfan/715730749688561664/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@xlbingo10 :
one thing that i particularly like about rwby is that the characters aren't dumbasses. i feel like so often in shows i watch there's an episode conflict where the characters make an obviously terrible plan that will clearly backfire horribly just for the sake of the episode plot and it's always painful to watch, so it's really nice to watch a show where that doesn't happen.
www.tumblr.com/xlbingo10/715707865708527616/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable.
@sir-somewhat :
I love the cast.
I honestly can't say there is a character I am not fond of in some way and that includes the villians.
I love the idea of semblances and the faunus.
Also I want more faunus lore. Given the existence of the Ever After I have to wonder if the Faunus came from another world created by the Brothers.
www.tumblr.com/sir-somewhat/715323283721076736/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@ghost-of-sparda :
Rwby was a show I found in college that I wasnāt sure I was going to enjoy, but as I watched it- I found myself completely enthralled in the world created by Monty Oum and his friends. Itās story has me on the edge of my seat every episode, and itās anime vibes make it a treat to watch. Itās not perfect, I will admit that- and there have been times where I didnāt agree with a direction of story telling at first. However there hasnāt been a show that gets me as excited as RWBY does since I was a kid.
If you grew up watching anime, or grew up watching anime- Iād give RWBY a go. If you are still not over the Owl House/ She-Ra/ ATLA/ LOK/ Naruto/ or any other amazing series with crazy fights and an amazing story: I recommend Rwby as your next obsession.
And if you want to give anime a try, but are still dipping your toes into the medium- Rwby is a good half way point for newcomers.
www.tumblr.com/ghost-of-sparda/715237926532956160/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@aspiringwarriorlibrarian :
I really like the characters and their arcs, tragic villains, the triumph of hope and healing, and the fantasy elements.
www.tumblr.com/aspiringwarriorlibrarian/715056039519830016/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@miki-13 : I love how they use fairy tales and myths as inspiration but execute them in really interesting ways, as well as how human and grounded everyone feels while inside such a fantastic setting.
www.tumblr.com/miki-13/715136165044469760/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@thatringboy :
For the same reasons above, Iām also in love with the complex motivations behind the antagonists. Mercury hated the world and needed an enabler, Emerald needed security, Cinder snapped after a lifetime of abuse (just like Mercury), Hazel wanted revenge, Lionhart wanted to save himself, Raven wanted to save herself, Tyrian is just insane (based), Watts wanted petty revenge, Neo wanted revenge but doesnāt know what to do afterwards, CC wants to fulfill their cruel purpose, and Salem just wants to finally die. Torchwick was a comical villain who posed a dangerous threat, the Malachite sisters were doing their jobs, Ironwood was a victim of his own paranoia, Cardin was just racist, Cordovin worships her superiors, the Fennec brothers too, Adam wanted total control over everything and everyone in his life and would stop at nothing to get it, Ilia believed in a cause, Tock was following orders, itās all so varied and exciting!!
www.tumblr.com/thatringboy/715138435689676800/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@pyrokinetic-murder-hobo :
I honestly fell in love with this project immediately back when the red trailer was first introduced to me.
Though the animation for RWBY was simple and understandably a lot of people regard it as not the best. Even V1 and the original 4 trailers had a living soul to me and there was a certain charm to the characters and the animation.
What kept me coming back is I find myself being unable to predict where the show will go and it honestly keeps me drawn in that my thoughts and predictions are completely circumvented. The show doesnāt follow the trajectory of really any other media and Monty navigated it masterfully.
Thereās so many relatable characters and the situations they are put in are approached not perfectly but in a human way as to be a human (even if you have copious amounts of power) means youāll definitely trip up.
But simply put Iāve loved this project since the beginning with the 4 trailers and could write a dissertation on why I love this show and include a long list of different things I love ranging from OST to characters to design animation. But maybe a talk for another day
And it made me some awesome friends on tumblr of course too which is a major plus (you better know who you are lol)
www.tumblr.com/pyrokinetic-murder-hobo/715072709057478656/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
iamafanofcartoons:
For me, RWBY is a change of pace.
It allows for women to be shown as independent characters, just as smart and strong as male ones.
It doesnāt use fanservice , you donāt have internal monologuing during fight scenes, you donāt have people screaming random attack names, and the music and designs are great.
I appreciate the humor, its not toilet humor or degrading humor like a lot of anime.
It also tackles difficult themes like abuse, leadership, morality, and debate.
It also takes the white male savior trope so common in the fanfics that people use to promote their OCs, and takes a giant dump on that garbage. If anything, when people say āthe fanfics are better than the showā youāll see them promoting a white male savior trope above all else.
Finally? Its a pro-LGBT show on many aspects, which amusingly infuriates a lot of straight shippers who defend their straight white male character who they put on a pedestal.
www.tumblr.com/iamafanofcartoons/715040015347040256/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@grimmgrinningghouls :
for me RWBY is a comfort
It has been for 10 years
I literally would not be who I am today without this show
I'd probably still be a closeted lesbian living in a conservative household with an abusive father
and a mother who hated me
hell I may not even be here
But instead I'm living across the world from them and I'm okay
As okay as I can be
Its helped me through so much and its introduced me to people I have become life long friends with
These funky little lesbians are part of my life and they will be till the day I die
www.tumblr.com/grimmgrinningghouls/715064091163721728/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@snowqueenofmyheart :
Agreed to the above, as well as being able to enjoy a story that centers women in a way that doesnāt reduce them to simplistic tropes or fanservice. Iāve been looking for more female-centered material over the last several years, and stumbling upon RWBY turned out to be a real joy in that regard. Across the board, you have so many compelling female characters, heroes and villains alike. Not to mention two main characters being explicitly in a queer romance is a delight and a relief.
www.tumblr.com/snowqueenofmyheart/715058819349233664/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@youraveragecatastrophe :
well first i love fantasy so we're off to a good start between the monsters heroes and magic
the characters are a very strong point of this show. they're well fleshed out
(even many secondary characters including villains and despite the big cast!)
and they get the opportunity to develop and evolve
i love the themes! love and hope and caring about each other and all that
the fights are really fun to watch especially with the unique weapons and everyone's different fighting style
the story is really compelling and well written too!
also gayness. can't forget the queerness
really this show has everything
www.tumblr.com/youraveragecatastrophe/715058708953071616/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@foulfirerebel :
The music was what first made me get interested in RWBY. The hard hitting rock that also carried quite a bit of meaning into it if you truly took a moment to listen to the lyrics.
So, from there I watched V1 at a friend's house and felt it was good. It did a good job with the action scenes, and setting things up for the characters.
Volume 2, however, is where I truly fell in love with the show. The appearance of Cinder, of Ironwood, the food fight, the investigation into Torchwick and the White Fang, the dance and hacking sequence! Everything pointed to something more going on. Something hidden waiting to spring forth!
V1 was a great entry point, V2 convinced me to stay and hooked me, and when I finally marathoned V3 I was EAGER to watch V4 and onward. Any and all quibbles I may have had melted away when the Fall of Beacon happened.
So, long story short, I love the story. I love how things are built up and come back further down the line (Jaune's issues, Ruby's issues, etc.). I love how the characters do go through a lot and need help getting back up. I love how sincere and earnest everything is without a hint of irony.
I love the slow burn relationships, and that the show doesn't end with those relationships just being established. I love that, despite everything, this one little indie show has continued going past everything that's happened in a decade since it started. I love that the story is engaging, the characters are deep, the writing is great, and that I'm even feeling bad for the villains which I don't normally do.
RWBY may not be the most perfect thing ever, but frankly I love that the writers do see and incorporate feedback into their work. I love that, unlike how Halo or Star Wars do things, you don't necessarily need to have read all the side content to understand things too.
Most of all is I love how this show has improved on every level: animation, writing, voice acting, etc. It's just so refreshing. It's the Little Engine that Could continuing onward and getting better as it goes.
And hey, being a Bumbleby shipper since V3 and being vindicated in V9? Cherry on the sundae. It's been a wild ride, and I'd love it to continue.
www.tumblr.com/foulfirerebel/714989613562904576/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@maor-koren :
RWBY is one of my favorite shows, it take a unique concept and make it very enjoyable to watch.
The main and side characters are all unique in their own way and very enjoyable.
The story is really good.
The animation, fight scenes and the design of the characters and places are all very pleasing to the eye.
And the music is phenomenal.
Donāt let other people make your opinion! look at the show and see for yourself if you like it or not!
www.tumblr.com/maor-koren/714954350873788416/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@but-a-humble-goon :
Rwby is, in a word, earnest. Its characters are unashamedly sincere, affectionate and vulnerable and the show understands not only that these things are not a weakness but that there can be no greater measure of strength. Itās a story overflowing with heart that categorically rejects stoicism and nihilism and never once apologises for itself. Nothing has ever hit me harder and I do mean that.
www.tumblr.com/but-a-humble-goon/714953671346176000/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@mikey-polo420 :
I watched RWBY Because i was drawn in by the trailers when Monty was alive and i liked the idea of cute girls fighting monsters with giant weapons, then i wanted to see their journey through beacon and now i've become invested with the Messages of hope the show presents, i love each of my precious children and want to see them achieve their happiness , i want to support RWBY to it's conclusion because that's what Monty wanted, it's what his friends wanted and they deserve to complete his Brain child.
www.tumblr.com/mikey-polo420/714951464721743872/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@mooninoir :
i started watching when vol. 1 was still going, with a fansub (!) working hell and back to translate each episode as they came out. i remember waiting every week to see a new episode, and when the last episodes came, i was entirely invested in this sci-fi fantasy series with fairytale elements and wanted to know what would happen next.
and, for me, it's an endearing series that i enjoy watching, even with its flaws. it's fun, but it also has a heart. i like how it didn't shy away from telling a broader story. vol. 3's gut-wrenching finale was for me what made me realize i was not there just for the amazing fights and cool soundtrack, but for the characters and how they live in this crazy world. it was amazing to watch its worldbuilding evolve to such great lengths and see the characters i like to grow and learn and evolve along with it. they are done well and don't feel misplaced in the narrative. it just flows nicely and i guess the latest volume proved that to me (the themes, the motifs, the characters' choices, and the visuals) everything comes together, y'know?
and i just... like it. i like rwby. i really do.
www.tumblr.com/mooninoir/714949733681102848/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
Tumblingxelian:
Why do you watch this show?
I watch RWBY for the cool characters, interesting setting and engaging overarching story and arcs, plus some gorgeous animation, sets and awesome music.
What makes it appeal to you?
Women, including queer women, are center stage and given tons of dynamic personality, agency and exploration in ways I rarely see done in other series.
www.tumblr.com/tumblingxelian/714943623381303296/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@feifiefofum :
look, the ad on the tin was cute girls doing violent things and looking great while doing it. that was the impetus for me to follow the show, i was there when it started with the famous red trailer to yellow trailer.
the writing then wasn't bad, a bit condensed because, y'know, shoestring budget so everything was very tight time wise. but y'know, you didn't watch the four trailers and get sold on the story- which was good by the by, but it wasn't exceptional. it was by the numbers, hitting what they need to hit, but good. you didn't think it was spectacular.
but then volume 3 hits you out of nowhere, and you realize, oh, the writing is phenomenal actually.
rwby has deceptively good writing that on the surface is good par for the course that lulls you into complacency, and then manages to sideswipe you with incredible twists that you don't see, but on looking back, the seeds for the twist were planted from book 1 on. the world is slowly and meticulously rolled out to the viewer, the characters shine, and the action, while still spectacular, become secondary to the characters and the world.
i started watching rwby, expecting cute girls doing violent things. and they deliver on that, and if you come watch rwby just for that, it delivers that. i didn't come in for hearty world building, intrigue, and lore so deep you can get lost in it. the writers write on a razor's edge, giving enough lore for a backdrop and setting the stage, but if you decide to dig at any trail, you can get lost in it. the concept of dust, the name of the world itself- frankly i think it's a masterclass in giving enough to keep the story going but having enough in the back that every new twist that they lay out can be found to have grown from a seed that was planted in an earlier volume.
i dunno who traded their soul away to keep track of all that world building and lore, but that excel sheet must be something to behold. rwby throws u-turns that you don't expect at you, lulls you with a sense of 'okay, i see your tricks now' and somehow manages to turn you around again, and have it make sense.
frankly, it's a little frustrating, i've been bamboozled and led by the nose.
and i love it for that. i'm delighted by the ride i'm on, and i hope the show keeps going.
www.tumblr.com/feifiefofum/714920887601790976/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@aspennntree :
I watch rwby for several reasons- mostly for the characters, i find some of them really relatable
also i just genuinely enjoy the story and the visuals and find the show very comforting
i also like the people iāve met in this community that are kind and i like having people to share my interests with
iāve made many new friends being in this community and itās something iām very passionate about, i just really enjoy it genuinely
www.tumblr.com/aspennntree/714906439613906944/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@tokufan400 :
Even with everything, I can't bring myself to stop watching RWBY. I got back into it after talking with some friends in highschool, and I've been doing my best to keep up with it since. I have love for the characters (Weiss is the best), and I do feel a sence of amazement that a western project like this ha s grown so much. Not to mention the amount of art, comics, manga, and fanfics that have spawned from the show.
Do I have problems with RWBY? Yes. I will probably never stop ranting about something the show does to tick me off. But I do the same for Star Vs and Kamen Rider Zero One, both shows I still hold a love for. Hell, I might do the same for Amphibia and Owl House down the line if I do a re watch.
So yeah, still love RWBY and I want to be around to see how this story ends.
www.tumblr.com/tokufan400/714910475313446912/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@howlingday :
So, I was in high school and I was watching Red VS Blue. Then I started watching Rage Quit. Then Achievement Hunter. Play Pals.
Then my sister and my high school crush were like, hey, try out RWBY. I mocked them by saying "It should be Ar-Dubyoo-Bee-Why". Then I got into it and, well, I liked it the more I got into it until I was caught up to Volume 2. Then Death Battle had the Yang VS Tifa fight (PLEASE, NO REMATCH), and I was rooting for Yang. Then I saw Volume 3, and I was shocked, dismayed, and devastated at the sudden heel turn. I've been hooked ever since.
So, to answer your questions.
I watch RWBY because it's fun, and I want to know where the story goes. I loved the fun had at Beacon, and I want to know what happens next.
The appeal comes from the desire to see these group of friends fight to save the world from the Grimm. I want to see them thrive against a world where everything is stacked against them! And I want to see them flying kick someone in the face to the sound of the most amazing butt-rock since Crush 40 Sonic (No offense MGR)!
So, yeah, I love watching RWBY because it's a story to be told. And I'm going to openly sob when the story finally comes to an end.
www.tumblr.com/howlingday/714865441082851328/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@gorillageek27 :
i watch because, okay i was kinda turned off by it at first, just "what is this anime shit?", but i watched it and it's the most out there animated thing i can think like. Rwby is a show that somehow got me appreicating animated projects and you can tell the writers and animators have fun with it.
www.tumblr.com/gorillageek27/714864574777671680/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@lithominium :
Its endearing, the lack of amazing animation in vol 1-3 is made up for in how much love was put into it. The characters are fun and loveable and the writing is goofy but unlike some other media ive watched its very good at knowing when to keep the tone consistent. Its very gay and i love gay and its got one of the greatest slow burns ive ever seen with great payoffs which always happen when they should. I like the setting and the lore and the weapons and the semblances. Its such a good show
www.tumblr.com/lithominium/714869719134535680/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@everafterfrisk :
I love RWBY for a ton of reasons but to keep it short:
ā¢ The Facial Expressions of the characters match really well with the tones of each scene
ā¢ Amazing character designs that can just tell you so much about them before you get to know them
ā¢The animation: RWBY imo is best 3D animated series, most of the time 3D animes tend to be stiff and lifeless
But RWBY gives its fights alot of finesse and creativity to go along with
Like here's a few examples:
(V9)
Weiss and Blake using gambol shroud's blade to propel Yang while simultaneously having Yang use Arma Gigas's Sword
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9RQnk7Oueo
(V3)
Yang closing Flynt's Trumpet making his quartet backfire on him
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLu3_LKG_A8
(V4 Short)
Ruby using the recoil of her weapon to bounce out of the way from a Grimm and trip him up using her Scythe catching him into a Hurricane formed by her semblance (13:54)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivns4_clQ_c
There's even a full in depth analysis on the fight choreography from the earlier volumes to check out
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMQfm0RsY6o
ā¢ Themes of Unity,Self identity,Acceptance,Loving oneself, Finding hope in the most dreadful scenarios and the list goes on
ā¢ The Protagonist Ruby Rose is a breath of fresh air similar to say Deku from BNHA where both know the world isn't exactly kind but still try to help the best they can; even if it results in them destroying themselves to get there as their series's goes on
ā¢The Villains are all pretty realistic in their motivations being not afraid to fall victim to arrogance while simultaneously being victims of either the world's actions or their own
Ā°The show doesn't swindle you into thinking that just cuz they have sympathetic backgrounds that they're immediately good
They have to work for it and atone for misdeeds such as Ilia,Emerald and Hazel or doesn't believe their actions are unwarranted like Salem and Cinder or has a lack of empathy for the world around them like Mercury or Tyrian or Wants to do the right thing but lets the ends justify their means(Ironwood) or Living only on the fear of your actions(Lionheart) or The world has dealt so much injustice to you that you felt giving it by ten thousand fold would remedy it ( Ilia and Adam)
āŖļø The Music is just PEAK for me
The Sound design,everything just speaks volumes of the scene
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS4HvQ5BP-1gKp4Ou4PRkqdEDvnNqdTGS
www.tumblr.com/everafterfrisk/714883876389044224/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@blakistan :
I think RWBY was first suggested to be me on the grounds of ālots of really cool fightsā which, while not ultimately the point of the show is still a big plus! Monty was an absolute wizard when it came to fight choreography and CRWBY has done a fantastic job keeping up that legacy. Ofc that was only the thing that got me to look at the show in the first place - what made me stay was the incredibly well done character-driven story. Following along and exploring the arcs of all the different characters in the show helped me through tough times and shaped a lot of who I am as a person today - Blake and Weissā stories in particular did so much in helping me find hope that I could grow as a person because that what the show is: hope. So uh yeah, if you like deep, interwoven character narratives that donāt shy away from growth, change, or the ugliness that sometimes crops up along the way with those things, definitely give RWBY a watch
www.tumblr.com/blakistan/714867196992585728/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@proximio-5 :
Tbh, I don't know, there's something about it that I can't explain, I started watching it in 2018, but somehow it's one of my top 3 Favorite animated shows, it can be because of the story or maybe the background, like the people behind it and everything they've done and how far they've come
For example, Monty; first he made the Haloid animation, then he became director of animation in Red vs Blue, and then he created this masterpiece that will be a big part of me
The animation itself is one of the best things about the show, I mean looking back at the style of background in V1 and more recent volumes, saying it has improved would be an understatement, I mean just look at it, you can see how much effort the've done for it
Another reason is the development or the characters, they've changed and matured in many ways. (Speaking of, I really hope Ruby comes back different but keeping at least some of her previous self)
So yeah, this show is far of being perfect, but then again...
What isn't?
www.tumblr.com/proximio-5/714866831427567616/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@kereeachan :
Iām generally a fan of animation, and itās been neat seeing how itās improved since volume 3 (when I got into it). The story intrigues me, and I love the wide cast of characters and their development. The alternate universe is a neat one, Grimm are fascinating as a take on Evil Creatures to me, and the designs have always been cool, bar a few that never flew with me (Blakeās 1-3 outfit just kind of always looked a lil too sexy for my tastes on a āhuntressā and I initially thought Noraās 4-6 look was a downgrade before it grew on me)
I really enjoyed Ironwoodās slide from well-intentioned, if incorrect, hero to villain. Honestly his foreshadowing in volumes 2, 3, and 4 was some of the best Iāve ever seen. Maswartz above has commented on how they fool you by having him take facistic actions against people we hate more to hide how far heās falling fast until we actually GET to Atlas and Mantle and realize itās gone full Police State (if it wasnāt before). Genius.
I also adored Penny, she was my baby, she was amazing as a character and Iām so happy we got her back for a few more volumes before losing her for good (as much as anyone is ever truly gone, of course, she still looms large over vol 9). As one of the āweird girlsā of the world who took a long time to come into my comfort with being a girl due to teasing and bullying (autism, baby. they always know) Penny just always SPOKE to me. Iām glad she not only proved her Real Girl bonafides as a Maiden but even got to live outside a metal body for a few episodes before her death, finally feeling the warmth of a hug.
www.tumblr.com/kereeachan/714863784387297280/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@sevenofreds :
It's a genuinely fun and enjoyable show that can mix multiple genres together without it being jarring. There's action and comedy, there's horror, there's mystery and drama, and it all makes sense for what's happening. It has a layered and complex plot where things almost always turn out to be more nuanced than they first seem, and almost every twist/big event is subtly foreshadowed in some way. The shorter length of episodes compared to other shows also makes it really fun to binge watch.
www.tumblr.com/sevenofreds/714860874339352576/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@crowwrites2140 :
Of course it has its flaws like every other piece of media, but I genuinely find RWBY both entertaining and just a good show in general. I love the "AHA!" moments when you something is revealed that has been hinted at for volumes. I love the music and could listen to it for hours. I love the characters; their designs, their motivations, their relationships with each other and their character arcs that span the show. In regards to the protagonists, I also enjoy how they all seem so human. The writers allow them to make mistakes and fail. They aren't always the perfect heroes. And in regards to the villains, they are believable too. Nearly every one of them has some kind of motivation that drives them to want revenge in destruction. I love the plot, despite its flaws. It's complex and ties in with countless allusions. And lastly, I love the fanbase. Not the toxic side, honestly it makes me sad that a show like RWBY needs positivity posts because its hate fanbase is just so large. But there are so many in the community who are incredibly creative and create hilarious memes, beautiful art, and amazing stories, and I'm grateful to be a part of that.
www.tumblr.com/crowwrites2140/714860089114312704/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@the-god-of-nihon :
RWBY is a special show to me. Iāve been with the series since it premiered at the end of RvB Season 10, and ten years is not an inconsiderable amount of time to be a fan of something. And unlike the ācriticsā or RWDE, I donāt stick around to hate-watch because of the sunken cost fallacy, or āto learn what not to do.ā Or just for a reason to complain, more accurately. I simply enjoy the series. I have since it began, and I still do, and Iāll continue to do so.
While I donāt like everything about the show, or agree with all the creative choices; I donāt automatically assume that something I donāt like is wrong or bad. I happily take RWBY for what it is, and not what I think it should be. I, by no means am blind to the flaws and missteps, but none of them hinder my enjoyment to the degree that I feel like the show overall is a negative experience, even at its lowest points.
I watch the show because I like it. It has been a consistent source of enjoyment for me, and even now. Iāve enjoyed growing alongside it from an indie web-series into what it is today and seeing how itās changed and improved with every volume.
I enjoy and am invested in many of the characters. I like the world and the bits of world-build and lore we get throughout the main show and supplementary material. And of course I canāt not touch on the fights and character designs. Its vibrant and narrative-relevant use of color, and how thatās effected the shows aesthetic development. And Monty Oumās classic high-speed, frenetic and intricate choreo, thatās yet to be replicated. And how while different the post-Monty fights are still interesting and engaging for the most part.
I love the depictions of friendship and platonic/familial connection in the show, most prominently for me personally, Ruby & Jauneās bond. As itās so rare for a male-female friendship to be purely platonic and still be so genuinely well-written and integral to both characters. Although, I think RWBY is largely hit or miss with the way it handles romance, I think its friendships & familial bonds are where it excels.
Ruby, Yang, and Jaune are my top three favorites characters in RWBY, and how their characters and arcs have been so endearing and intriguing to watch. Especially as since V7, and what is being done with them current.
www.tumblr.com/the-god-of-nihon/714867324298182656/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
@lostdemifiend :
The biggest thing for why I love RWBY so much it is "oh that makes sense!" when something unexpected happens BECAUSE everything was set up previously that would result in this eventually, and none of it feels forced.
At the same time, its gleeful deconstruction of common shonen anime tropes adds to that sense of surprise. Subconsciously, one goes in expecting certain things to happen, but it defies that expectation in a way that feels like a natural consequence.
There's so much more, but I can't even start to unpack just exactly why I love this series so much.
www.tumblr.com/lostdemifiend/714857897499164672/lets-talk-about-what-makes-rwby-good-or-enjoyable
Thank you all of you for showing everyone what makes RWBY fantastic to all!
If you want some youtube channels that discuss RWBY in analytical or philosophic detail? Or if you want comic dubs?
Xel Writer on Youtube aka @tumblingxelian for analysis videos
@marylizabetha on Youtube for philosophy videos
and @markzschiegnerii or Mark Zschiegner on youtube for comic dubs!
I love you, RWBY Fandom, you've made my life rich with joy.
#rwby#rwby is a good show#let people enjoy things#please give rwby a chance#give rwby a chance#mark zschiegner#markzschiegnerii#xel writer#tumblingxelian#marylizabetha#iamafanofcartoons
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Bucchigiri Finale Thoughts
So I watched Episode 12 earlier today and had some time to think things over. And unfortunately, I realized that I didn't like this episode very much. Granted there are a good amount of moments that I did enjoy and contributed well to the main themes of the series. But there were too many moments that I felt undercut my enjoyment of the show. So fair warning, a lot of what I have to say is fairly critical and kinda negative. If you agree or disagree with anything I've said here, feel free to reblog this with your own comments. And if you're not into negativity, feel free to ignore this.
But I will start by mentioning the things I did like.
Just like everyone and their gyoza-making mothers, I loved the final fight scenes. The choreography was well executed and I thought the animation was top notch, both when it came to Senya vs Ichiya and Arajin vs Matakara. I really liked how in depth they went with the fighting sequences and the dark colors fit really well with the tone of the drama of the scene. The emotional range between the fighters felt incredible; the actors truly gave it their all when going about their fights.
And the part with Arajin mustering the power to save Matakara was beautifully done. I was in awe when Arajin brought up how Matakara became the very monster he tried desperately to destroy which really got a crack on his defenses. The sequence of Arajin reaching out to Matakara's inner child to help him out of his despair was gorgeous. Especially since Ara-chan used the Friendship Stone both to help the inner child and later when telling his old friend that he's not alone anymore. That was really great and genuine character growth, especially since Arajin accepted that he was in the wrong for leaving him all the time.
And as I mentioned in an earlier post, I did love the first scene with Arajin meeting Matakara for the first time. But as a twist, it was Arajin who was inspired by Matakara's dedication to being a Honki Person and volunteered himself to train alongside his new friend. That was a great twist and it adds new depths to how Arajin was actually inspiried by his old friend and not the other way around like we believed for so long.
So those were the parts that I genuinely enjoyed. Now for the parts I didn't really like..
On one hand, while it is nice that Zabu wasn't brutally beaten to subconsciousness, I do kiinda wish that he did have to be hospitalized. It just feels so off-putting how he's relatively okay despite being brutally mauled by Matakara only a few hours ago. Especially since Marito and Kenichirou wound up in the hospital after losing to Matakara. Plus I feel like it undercuts the drama and severity of the situation by having Zabu be fine enough to look for Matakara. It doesn't help that he and Komao don't really do much apart from running around trying to find their friend.
Also, I hope I'm not the only one but did anyone else feel uncomfortable with this scene?
I understand that Mahoro did it in a desperate bid to bring her brother back but the way she described Kenichirou here was just... gross.
Not insane, not weird, not quirky, not even ridiculous.
It was just gross for me to see her dehumanize one of the few dark skinned characters on the show. Even if he's not black/black coded, it still rubs me the wrong way that she would say those things so casually. Especially since Japan can be really casual when it comes to making racist/offensive remarks to brown skinned people in it's media. Plus there are tons of other ways she could have referred to him without calling him a gorilla. Like meathead, blockhead, oaf, ogre. Any other insult could have worked and been more acceptable than the ape insult. And it's unfortunately consistent since she did call him a gorilla during the Gang War Arc.
And then there's this part...
I don't know if it was Mahoro's doing or if that's what the original nurses did, but it was just uncalled for. Both for the unspoken racism and for how it doesn't even apply to Kenichirou's character. Out of the three banchos, he's always been the least violent and was always shown to be tranquil and easy to work with, unlike Marito and Akutaro who were more unhinged, wild and violent in comparison. There shouldn't be any reason for him to behave so violently that the staff would resort to shackling him like an animal. Especially given how defeated he looked when Matakara beat him in a fight.
Another reason why I dislike this scene is because the characters involved (Mahoro, Marito, Kenichirou) do nothing to contribute to the final duel between Arajin and Matakara. None of these characters actually show up until the end when Matakara apologizes to everyone. You could have made it so that during the apology scenes, the two gang leaders could have shown up while covered in bandages or crutches. There really isn't a need to show us Marito waking up since we could get that later on in the end with Matakara apologizing to Siguma Squad.
The same can be argued for Zabu, Komao, Outa, Jabashiri and Hagure. Even though they spend most of their time hunting down Matakara and Arajin, they don't exactly contribute to the final duel or offer any words to the main heroes. They just show up and the duo resolve their problem like nothing.
Regarding Ichiya's secret of him dying, while it's not the worst reason for him to be so insistent on fighting Senya, I do wish there was more build up or at least some hints to it. It just feels like a random reason for why Ichiya developed his grudge against Senya. It's not the worst reason and it does make sense for why he wanted to die like a Honki Person instead of to a random illness, it just leaves a bad taste to how it happened to him out of randomness.
And wow, Arajin is never going to overcome the internet hating him for being a perverted simp mc.
In a way, it makes some sense since Arajin's character arc was never about respecting women or learning that there's other ways to be a man apart from stealing a girl's virginity. That was never the focus as the story wanted him to confront his mistake of abandoning his old friend and not running away from his problems. That said, this still won't look good for him since fans are going to be turned off of Bucchigiri because of his perversions and how the show doesn't encourage him to change.
And as I've come to realize, the show itself doesn't seem to mind with the characters not growing out of their negative vices. A critique I have is that the show doesn't go out of it's way to challenge the beliefs of these characters or push them to grow into better people. Arajin is perfectly okay with being rude to everyone while pursuing a girl just so he can lose his virginity to her, Mahoro continues to lust over her older brother and has no interest in anything else, Marito is still a bloodthirsty bad boy who lives and breathes fighting, Kenichirou doesn't mind repeating high school as long as he gets to run Minato Kai, even Yayako prefers to act like a bubbly airhead rather then act like a responsible and respectful adult. And even with Matakara's corruption arc, he doesn't really recognize how harmful his idolization of Arajin was since the focus was more on his loneliness and trauma of being alone. Maybe because I'm spoiled by Mob Psycho 100, but it saddens me to see how these characters don't grow into better people or make an effort to change themselves. Especially since there can be potential for all of them.
And while I'm glad that Arajin and Matakara were able to become friends again, it feels like a letdown that there's no build up to it. It just rushes straight to them becoming friends again without acknowledging their negative attributes. Th same with puppy boy getting everyone to just accept him with no repercussions or consequences. It feels like letdown as there were no serious consequences for his actions. Like he could just go on a despair-induced rampage again and they'll just keep accepting him. On paper it's rather wholesome, but it does feel contrived if everything just works out without problems or how Matakara doesn't need to work hard to earn their forgiveness. That would have been for a greater character moment and to show Matakara taking responsibility for his actions. But we never see Matakara doing that and him being accepted by the gang feels rather hollow. It's technically nice that he has his friends back and that SS won't have his heart on a stick, but it feels hollow.
Speaking of taking non-responsibilities and being accepted by the gangs, Akutaro is now back with the NG Boys and they're accepting of him?
I really do wish we could have had a scene that explains how the heck he was able to win back his old gang despite them professing that they weren't going to let him beat them around like before. It just feels offputting that Akutaro is back in charge and has their respect with zero explanation or even any build up to it. He spent all his time trying out different jobs and activities but nothing to suggest that he wants to go back to his old club again.
Not to mention that this is still bad news for Minato Kai since Akutaro still has his hatred for Kenichirou and still longs to destroy him. And given how he also hasn't grown out of his negative vices, it's more than likely he'll come up with a new plan to destroy them albeit a different approach. Though the other gangs will be aware of him trying to wreak havoc on them again, I sincerely doubt that that'll stop Akutaro from having his revenge. And with the NG Boys and Girls behind his back, he definitely has a shot at it.
Then there's the resolution with the Nyan Nyaight Love segment. While it was endearing with the Receptionist wanting to help out the Customer, I'm just trying to wrap around the logic behind the Receptionist accepting him again.
It doesn't make sense to me how he'd be accepting of the guy who abducted one of your prized cats, lose her, and then just welcome him back with another cat. It's setting up a cycle for the Customer to fall in love with a new cat only for him to become obsessed with her and then try to steal the cat out of "love". And while the show focuses on him learning to lose his shame of visiting NNL, it doesn't try to challenge his dependency on cats for company along with his hostile jealousy.
Is the Receptionist aware of this potential problem and how it can happen again to another cat? Is the manager of NNL willing to accept the Customer again along with the risk of jeopardizing his business? I can't imagine how difficult it must be to promote a cat only to lose it because of a depressed nutjob.
Also, to the anon who was grossed out by Arajin's mom, I'd like to give a complete apology to you for refuting your claims. Because this...
This was not necessary.
I mean, it is interesting to know that Marito shows attraction to girls/women which gives more depth to his character. And while it is weird for him to hit on an older women, it's still technically okay since it is normal for teens/youth to show attraction to adults that catch their interest.
But what isn't okay is Yayako's reaction to his attention.
Again, she is a grown woman getting over excited because a teenage boy is trying to hit on her. And she's okay with this? Like ma'am, not only is that concerning because of the blatant age differences but you're also a married woman (according to the additional info). How are you so lenient with being hit on by a guy who could pass for your son? Like really? I used to think of Yayako as a quirky, wholesome woman who needed to not let her son treat her like trash. But now I'm seriously questioning her values and how she treats everything in her life like a soap opera.
In regards to Mitsukuni being in a coma and waking up, it was... okay. Like I'm happy that Matakara will get his big brother back and they'll be able to move into an apartment like they wanted to. But I feel that the reveal of him being in a coma undercut alot of the emotional turmoil Matakara went through. I don't know, it just feels rather hollow knowing that Mitsukuni was always there and was going to make it out alive while his little brother was running around like a war machine. It's conflicting in all honesty.
But what isn't conflicting was how much I really didn't care much for Senya returning in the last shot. I wasn't moved by Senya showing up in the last scene or how Arajin secretly missed him. Maybe it's because of how Arajin constantly yelled at him or acted like he didn't care. And while he does care in his own way, I just felt disinterested in the reunion and I had no strong emotions of Senya returning. It doesn't help that the part with Senya and Ichiya "leaving" didn't really have alot of emotional depth to make the reunion more impactful. Senya not coming back would not have me upset.
And those would be my thoughts on the final episode. For those who stuck around to read all of this, I thank you for doing so. And to those that stuck around, I apologize for the excessive negativity. And like I mentioned above, you're more than welcome to reblog this with your thoughts and whether you agreed, disagreed or have something to say regarding my post.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this along with my other posts for this ridiculous show. Your feedback means alot to me and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Nana na na, Nana na na, Nana na na na na...
#bucchigiri?!#bucchigiri#bucchigiri critical#bucchigiri spoilers#arajin tomoshibi#matakara asamine#senya#ichiya#mahoro jin#marito jin#zabu kakeru#kenichirou douman#akutaro shindo#yayako tomoshibi#nyan nyaight love#the customer#the receptionist#anime#eddy's posts#long post
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Choose your favorite!
Vote in the other polls!
What fans say:
Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus:
ITS SO FUNNY OKAY. Annika (the main character, played by barbie) is such a little shit she attempts to KILL Wenlock (the villain). Plus she has soooo much sass and attitude and sheās one of my favorite iterations of Barbie to date. Then thereās her love interest Aidan who is ALSO so funny and sassy and together theyāre one of my fav het couples ever. Then thereās Brietta, possibly my first gay crush ever (AFTER she stops being a horse btw, I LIKE HER HUMAN FORM) and ohhh boy. Annika and Brietta are sisters and they are so everything to me. Itās just so refreshing to see two sisters at the forefront of a movie, without either of them being sidelined for a reason or other, showing that sibling relationships can be as important as any other. ANYWAY the cloud kingdom. ITS SO MAGICAL SORRY. Itās so pretty and beautiful and itās a KINGDOM in the CLOUDS for gods sake. Isnāt that awesome? PLUS THE SCENE WHERE THEY PAINT THE SUNSET??? Goodness.
Rango:
The animation and art are beautiful. Everything is asymmetrical and not made to be stereotypically beautiful. The visuals itself is already amazing. Plus, it's a cowboy movie of animals! It's a story about finding your true self. PLUS! PLUS! The movie's animation makes it so that you can really really feel the dryness of the desert. It makes you feel thirsty yourself, as that was the main plot point. Also, THE MOLE CHASE SCENE WHERE ONE OF THE CREATURES WAS HANGING ON THE SIDE OF THE CART AND RELOADING AND SHOOTING A SHOTGUN WAS SO COOL WHAT THE HELL, THE ENTIRETY OF THE MOLE CHASE SCENE IS ALSO REALLY COOL.
The entire movie is gorgeous!! The visuals are spectacular, from light effects to fight choreography, the characters all have interesting design!! The music is amazing too (Hans Zimmer!!!) And blends with the scenes so well. Every frame is a masterpiece and has a beautiful composition, use of colour and storytelling (visually or otherwise) I love this movie very much adkasjsgaj
It's beautiful and funny and conveys a very unique story with good satisfying themes
#Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus#Rango#best animated movie#round 2#tournament poll#tumblr's favorite
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OPLA episode 1 - first impressions
Just randomly trying to summarize my thoughts here, because they are in no way coherent yet, but hooooly shit, I like where this is going. SPOILERS AHEAD.
I decided to start watching in English, then in Japanese, then in German - because I would assume that'd be the best order to judge both the best and worst parts of this. Best as in "the intentions of the dialogue, the framing and hinting", worst in "Oh God, the cringe is real". So far, there obviously have been a few lines that have been very obvious, because you HAVE to translate a lot of things that work for an anime INTO this setting. More tell than show so to speak, but I feel like that's perfectly fine for the medium.
Luffy is endearing - the first thing you can tell in comparison to anime!Luffy is that he's got that positive main-character-energy that not only speaks his thoughts out loud, but also tries his best to make you see what kind of character you are dealing with. He was brash, stubborn and had very one-dimensional (and toxic) ideas of what and how a man/pirate needs to be - just to be taught kindness, perseverance and a positive attitude and by Shanks and I think that is displayed beautifully here. He does not get shy to approach everyone he meets with good will - on one hand, because he obviously wants to build his crew. On the other hand - it just shows who he is. The CGI works really well for him as well, the "stretchy kind" really doesn't seem too much out of place, but I would assume it's easier to accept it when you are already used to "anime logic".
This is a comment that was made a lot on Twitter already - so here's to the bi-/pansexual squad, because this series knows exactly what it is doing with the fanservice eye-candy. Zoro, so far, got the most impressive camera-angles/cinematography. The mysterious, aloof framing, the detailed and VERY immersive fight scenes/choreography - he's not only coming across as stoic and lone-wolfey, they definitely make sure you can TELL he is kind at heart too. You can tell he has experienced pain and that's why he insists that he needs to work alone - but if people show HIM kindness, he cannot not react in return. Whether it's Rika - or Luffy, doesn't even matter. That idealistic, kinda annoying kid saved him (and man, the hearts in Luffy's eyes were so present and all over the place, he was IMMEDIATELY enchanted by Zoro and doesn't grow tired of saying it out loud either). Plus, he didn't insist on getting anything in return, even if he still wanted him on his crew... So what happens? Once Zoro sees that he's in trouble, he jumps in to fight as well. And they IMMEDIATELY work off of each other well. "You go above, I go below". As someone who has ALWAYS enjoyed Luffy's and Zoro's dynamic (platonic and otherwise), I am obviously VERY easy to please here, but man, it works. So well. I cannot WAIT to see their Captain/First Mate dynamic develop. Also... I did not expect them to actually let any character use the middle finger??? I mean, good for you, Zoro, you go be edgy as fuck, but hey... (Also, the gay subtext with Helmeppo was definitely... Something...? But I mean... The gay subtext exists with ZoLu too. "Where does the third sword even go...?" I mean... Seriously...)
On the other spectrum of the bi-/pansexual eyecandy, we have Nami. And while she visibly uses her charms (read: physical attributes) to get what she wants, I am HELLA pleased that she wasn't sexualized yet. I really liked the nudge towards her concept art design! Her cheekiness and smartness come across very well. And, MAN, the dynamic with Luffy is PRICELESS. It really has a lot of sibling energy - but it also leaves a lot open. Of course, we're still at the VERY beginning of it, but as a long-term fan of the series, it's hard not to read anything into it ("I will never join anything with you" is beautiful foreshadowing and also interestingly phrased).
Oh Romance Dawn Trio, my heart. The moment they lined up next to each other, Nami and Zoro on each of Luffy's side, insisting "Not a crew/Not together!" was just... Chef's kiss. I love these dorks and their dynamics so much and I cannot wait to see this further emphasized.
Honorable mentions for other characters - I know it has been said many times before, but I really enjoy the casting. Koby is very relatable and he fits the character so well (I literally cannot wait for his glow-up), Shanks gives the vibe of the "kind and sweet everyday guy-mentor" at this point in time so perfectly, Alvida was great so far and I could go on...
Cringe is dead, I am so excited for episode 2.
#one piece#one piece live action#one piece spoilers#one piece liveblog#opla#opla spoilers#opla live reaction#personal
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What an incredibly frustrating piece of fiction this is shaping up to be.
Where do I even start.
OK, on the one hand, the needlessly esoteric and vibey storytelling is kind of a plus. That's not a thing many anime do anymore and I kind of miss it as someone who was first exposed to the medium in part by very high-concept sci-fi anime. Also the action is great; any time a fight happened I was at least consistently having a good time, the choreography and animation are really good and I absolutely love the combat theme and find it weird how rarely they use it. In general I love how the show looks and it will remain watching for its visuals alone even if nothing else comes together.
Which is good, because everything else is a huge mess at this point. Add it to the list of anime I regret giving the benefit of a doubt.
Everything Metallic Rouge does or tries to do is held back by the fact that Rouge Redstar herself has the morality of a gradeschooler. In the early episodes, this was kind of cute and it seemed like the show would be in large part about her shedding that idealism to become....I don't know, pick one; a hero to the Neans? Some kind of cosmic avenger bound to neither side in this conflict? At least someone who has SOME kind of convictions beyond "I hate fighting!" ?
Code Eve is here revealed to be the work of Rouge's mom(?), a biophysicist, and assistant to her surrogate father, named Dr. Eva Kristella. She is the one who installed the Asimov Code in Neans in the first place, which means that in this universe, all of the oppression that the already-wonky analogue for minorities face was the work of a single person. If you disregard any stab at symbolism here, this is a fine plot twist *in a vacuum*, but when put back in the context of the show it completely defangs anything Metallic Rouge has done or seemed like it wanted to do with this material. Systemic oppression happened because Dr. Kristella did an oopsie and ended up regretting it. That regret was what caused her to make Code Eve, which can somehow disable the Asimov Code, but she didn't activate it herself (maybe she couldn't? This isn't elaborated upon) and instead planted it within the "soul" of Rouge and the other Immortals.
It's kind of impressive how thoroughly that strips out any applicability. There is no way to read anything as subtext anymore, because this is purely a genre thing and has no connection to anything real. Any bite this series might've had is gone.
But OK, fine, let's ignore that and just take it as a weird sci fi thing. Surely at least Rouge recognizes that the Neans are being oppressed to shit is a bad thing and joins the resistance, right? Especially now that Naomi has betrayed her (a plot twist that comes out of fucking nowhere btw) and revealed her true colors? Nope! A decent chunk of episode 8 is taken up by mealy-mouthed moralizing more or less dismissing the Neans' situation because, well, The Immortals Are Violent, so it's impossible to say if they're justified or not. Gene, Rouge's brother, says something to the effect of this not being "the right time" to liberate the Neans and that the inevitable violence of a revolution would only make things worse for them. I'm not crazy for reading this as complete fucking lib shit (a term I don't use lightly), am I? The show seems dead-set on playing Rouge's naivete as something admirable instead of something deeply offputting and inappropriate to the situations she finds herself in.
Like, I'm being A LITTLE uncharitable but honestly not particularly so? I'm mostly just confused, like, what even is the point of any of this? A thing I suppose I had conveniently forgotten about some of those sci-fi shows I mentioned in the opening paragraph is that they're occasionally not actually about much. Sure, the GOOD ones are, but there are plenty that have been mostly forgotten because they don't use the genre to do anything or say anything of note. Metallic Rouge's mix of aesthetics is still interesting---all of the Immortals look really cool, for example---but I would be VERY surprised at this point if the series pulled anything coherent together in its last four episodes.
Then again, who knows, I thought I had this show figured out once before and then episode 5 happened, so honestly who can say. Maybe it WILL find some way to justify its milquetoast politics and Toynbee Tiles-ass worldbuilding in a way that's actually coherent and interesting. I really doubt it, though.
The worst part is that through all of this I STILL don't actually think the show is outright bad. It has enough going for it that I'm going to watch the remaining third of the series and I will probably not completely hate those 2ish hours of remaining story, but it has JUST enough going on that the ways in which its deficient are hugely frustrating instead of being the kind of minor flaw that it's easy to brush off.
At this point my favorite character is probably Cyan, who shows up barely-foreshadowed in these episodes to try to kill Rouge for no obvious reason, but she has a fun design and a clear motive, so that makes her easy to root for, in my book.
#Metallic Rouge#genuinely like sorry if you like the show and find this post there are things I like about the series and you can go read my prior comments#on it for proof of that#but I REALLY didn't care for where these last 2 episodes seemed to be taking the show#yurisorcerer talks about media
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Best Underrated Anime Group A Round 2: #A6 vs #A4
#A6: Sad lesbians sing while fighting monsters
#A4: Immortal vampires with daddy issues and family drama
Titles, summary, trailers, propaganda, and poll under the cut!
#A6: Symphogear (Senki Zesshou Symphogear)
Summary:
The world is beset by alien creatures known as the Noise. Nothing can touch them, and if they touch a human being, both turn into carbon dust. But, with the symphogear system-magitech battle armor powered by music and singing, humanity has a chance to fight back.
Propaganda:
This is the best example of music fights Iāve ever seen. They sing WHILE fighting. Itās amazing. The fight choreography, how the music plays into it, and letās not forget the incredible character development. The entire cast is full of characters that would be the highlight of any other show. And last but not least, it is off the walls insane fun. You think it reaches its heights at the end of season 1, but no. It keeps climbing, and you are along for the ride.
Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Pedophilia, Rape/Non-Con, Suicide
#A4: Servamp
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Summary:
A normal 15-year-old boy named Mahiru Shirota, who likes to keep things āsimpleā and uncomplicated, finds a black kitten in an alleyway and decides to take him home. He names the cat Kuro. Mahiru later discovers that Kuro is actually a Servamp (a servant vampire), and that by giving him a name he has formed a contract with him. This results in him getting dragged into a war between the other vampires and a vampire-hunting organization called C3.
Propaganda:
Servamp deals with intergenerational trauma and how wars donāt always have a clear-cut good/bad guy. The main antagonist Tsubaki, the Servamp of melancholy, and his subclasses (people he turned into vampires) seem reluctant at times to fight/hurt Mahiru unless they feel like it is necessary, and they all clearly care about each other (evil found family). Tsubaki even seems to have a bit of a bleeding heart considering how often he brings in new people even if they arenāt good at fighting. But that doesnāt change the fact that he is willing to let the world burn to achieve his goals as long as his people arenāt hurt in the process.
Then you have C3, the vampire-hunting organization. They view themselves as protectors of humanity and are willing to do anything to defeat Tsubaki, even kidnapping Mahiru to try and convince him to work with them under threat of death.
Then you have how the different Servamps deal with immortality. You have Lily, the Servamp of lust, who takes in and raises kids who are abandoned or abused. If any of the kids died before he could save them, he turns them into his subclasses instead. Then, there is Kuro, the Servamp of sloth. He doesnāt have any subclasses because you canāt know if someone want to be immortal, and it is cruel to force that upon someone. And finally, Lawless, who, for some reason, has started to kill his eves (the people he forms a contract with) once he gets bored with them.
The anime also has some absolutely beautiful animation and music. Plus, all the characters are well written and fun. (Fun fact: the person who sings the opening āDeal Withā also voices Tsubaki.)
Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Suicide
When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that Iāll be sure to see it.
If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one youāre rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.
Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how theyāre presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.
#anime#best underrated anime#polls#poll tournament#tournament#anime tournament#animation#group stage#group stage round 2#tournament polls#symphogear#servamp#senki zesshou symphogear#group a
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My initial screaming thoughts on the Avatar the Last Air Bender live action remake on Netflix. Spoilers for eps 1-4 below, will watch 5-8 later today probably.
I want to hug this casting director and also ask them how they pulled the chacters straight out of the cartoon and made them real.
IROH IS SO GOOD OMG
Lol wow the dialogue is really leaving nothing up to the imagination. Exposition exposition exposition. Get why they are doing it this way but it gets reeeeeally clunky sometimes.
We must say the exact number of years that everything has happened and everyone's age
hope line in ep 1 is straight out of Ember Island Players
WOW THE BENDING
WOW THE FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY
The ostrich horses are chocobos and I am not taking any questions
š The airbender genocide is horrifying (as it should be)
Animals are a tad uncanny valley but I am okay with it
I appreciate that they kept so much of the original music even though it feels a little out of place for something live action
The tone is much more mature. The themes are different in a good way - they haven't changed much of what exists in the canon, just shifted focus. Adult side characters are getting more story. Stakes feel higher. Violence! Grittiness!
Firebenders are really fucking evil so they need to balance it with more morally gray/evil earthbenders and more upfront sympathy/development for Iroh and Zuko
This show could be enjoyable to someone who has never seen the cartoon before but it is definitely written for us, those who had our hearts broken by the movie
Sokka is not overtly sexist and honestly I'm okay with it. I like that arc for him in the animated tv show but with the tone of the live action, he couldn't just be funny sexist, he would have to be dark sexist and that just wouldn't be Sokka. Plus I like how they focus more on Sokka's sense of duty because it creates a good foil for Aang.
I was never really a big Sokka/Suki shipper but DAMN.
KYOSHI PLEASE STEP ON ME ALL I REALLY WANNA BE A GIANT WOMAN OMG THEY TOOK STUFF FROM THE BOOKS
I am getting more Zutara vibes rn than Katara/Aang idk
Okay they are condensing the plot but in really smart ways. We aren't losing much.
The set design. The costuming. SO PERFECT. Ohmashu looked great.
DANIEL PUDI AAAAHHHHHHHH
THE. CABBAGE. MERCHANT. 10/10 IT'S THE VOICEACTOR THEY CAST HIM IN THE LIVE ACTION
they mention secret tunnels. Are they gonna do it? Are they gonna keep it in?? YEEEESSSS FUCK YES OKAY THIS REMAKE IS AMAZING
I really like how they made the tunnels about sibling love tbh
Utkarsh Ambudkar disappears into the role of Bumi and it is SO GOOD
Me: *cries as Zuko comforts Iroh at Lu Ten's funeral* My husband: "Wait, listen to the music" Me: *listens* *lays down* *CRIES A LOT*
This show is very focused on showing what a 100 year war does to people and I think that was a good direction to take
Overall I am VERY happy with it. They understood the assignment, there is a ton of love for the show weaved into it, and I am excited to see more.
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EARTHSPARK IS SO GOOD, YOU GUYS. OH MY FUCKING GOD. š©
Hello boyos, gorls, and nonbinary pals. Itās been a while since Iāve written a huge writing on this silly platform, huh? Lol.
Anyways, quick updates: Iām releasing a new video sometime this month, which is me ranting about the misogyny of the Bayverse. Fun times. Fun times. :D Also, Iāll be at TFCon LA 2023 next week for Saturday and Sunday. Feel free to come by and say hi to me. :)
Back to the reviewā¦soā¦.the 2010s to early 2020s has been a very weird decade for Transformers. Not only for the Bayverse movies (my beloathed), but for the tv shows. While Age of Extinction is my guilty pleasure and Dark of The Moon is legitimately good, the movies are declining in popularity and quality, thus resulting in a huge reboot to fix up Bayās mess. That resulted in Bumblebee (2018), a gem that was the light at the end of a very frustrating tunnel. Transformers Prime started strong, but then turned into a mish mash of wasted potential and became a frustrating chore to watch by the end. RID 2015 is a show that exists. Rescue Bots is great, and Academy is fine for what it is. If you read my review of BotBots before the accidental deletion, that show is pretty good. However, itās a show where someone might gotta have to take it or leave it. In the middle of the downward spiral of the Aligned continuity and the movie universe rebuilding itself from Bayverseās mess, Transformers Cyberverse is the true outlier. Itās so great I made an entire video about it that you can check it out in the link below. š¤
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Now, I wanted to bring this up when talking about Earthspark because ngl, I was worried about the potential likelihood of the show falling into the pittraps of the Aligned continuity in the first round. Now that Iāve watched the show, I can confidently tell you that ITāS EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. WE HAVE A FUCKING MIRACLE AT THE END OF A TURBULENT DECADE.
This show is thankfully so much amazing and cool and wholesome, JUST LIKE IT HAS NO RIGHT IN BEING THIS GOOD. True, like I always say, there is no such thing as a perfect show. This show definitely have flaws, but theyāre not detriment to the showās quality. Itās basically everything I ever want from a Transformers show, including even subversions of the Transformers formula like Cyberverse.
Letās go on this little journey together on everything I like and dislike about the show. Spoiler warning here since this show is best experienced blind and Iām not like some people who decided itās a good idea to not put spoilers behind a tag or filter. Donāt be like these people. Donāt spoil the show for those who cannot access it. Donāt do it. š
Anyways. 3, 2, 1, Pingu.
The Good, The Bad, The Skullcruncher:
Letās get the elephant in the room clear: the art style isā¦an art style that exists. Itās not for everyone and it did take me a while to warm up to it. However, over time, Iāve gotten used to it since the amazing animation and fight choreography are great enough to make up for the art style.
The school episode is meh. Itās nothing interesting of note except the Terran parts and frankly, I find the two bullies pretty annoying. However, it does deserve points for having the amazing Daran Norris back in a Transformers show. At least it is not boring, but itās not worth noting.
The humor sometimes doesnāt land, especially since modern humor such as the iPad environment weāre in is a delicate line these days. The humor is Yeessss tier most of the time though.
Iām glad that Hashtag didnāt keep her weird accent when she first appeared. Thatās a plus. šš½
Bee did come across as a bit of an asshole at first, which was admittingly something I wasnāt vibing with. However, thanks to the power of good character development, I warmed up to him. However, a counterpoint is that itās a unique subversion of how Bee is introduced from other Transformers media.
I have no idea how to feel about Mandroid. It feels like he really doesnāt have much of a significant impact on the story, since GHOST are the main antagonist and the Decepticons being more of a morally gray chaotic neutral type characters. After the end of the first part, I only have questions of where the hell is he. Itās such a shame, since he has a lot of interesting potential and he has a banger voice actor behind him. At least he came back in the finale episode for reasons Iāll get to in the positives section of this review.
Anywaysā¦yeah, thatās all I have to talk about in terms of critiques. Letās move onto the good stuff: EVERYTHING ELSE. š„³
A Night of a Thousand Bumblebees:
This show gets points for referencing the Optimist Prime and Negatron meme.
The main characters are just so charming and lovable, I WILL PROTECT THEM WITH MY LIFE. The Malto family is the main human characters done right. Dot is such a badass with such an enduring friendship with Megatron, along with being a loving mom and best wife to Alex. Sheās also really great disability representation, showing that even with the prosthetic leg, sheās still a badass. Speaking of Alexā¦this man has no right in being such a lovable dork who loves his family and having so much swag. I want that Bumblebee suit. Mo and Robbie are very likable and adorable, especially regarding to their relationship with their Terran siblings. Speaking of the Terrans, theyāre just utter darlings and a joy to watch. Twitch is hyperactive and cute, Thrash has a lot of funny moments and a likable personality, Hashtag is surprisingly enjoyable considering her powers of the Internet, I would die for Jawbreaker, AND NIGHTSHADE IS THE AUTISM CREATURE. I fucking love them, not only for being already being great nonbinary representation but also has a lot of relatable quirks such as their mechanic hyperfixation and their difficulty in having social interactions with other people. Andā¦THE SCENE WHERE THEY SAY THEY ARE THEY/THEM HAD ME SOBBING SO HARD. Itās just amazing to see the franchise that helped me out so much throughout my life validate my existence and the existence of so many others like me. āØšāØ
LOOK AT FLUFFY EARS. SHEāS SO ADORABLE. š„ŗ
ELITA IS MY PINK WIFE. I FUCKING LOVE HER. SHE CAN TOP ME. āØš©āØ
Bumblebee took a while for me to warmed up to him, but he eventually becomes the Bubblewrap we all know and love. Also, his relationship with Breakdown, although brief, is so wholesome. š„ŗ
Other things I love is the voice acting, including the welcomed returns of Transformers alumni such as Steven Blum and Roger Craig Smith, the animation is beautiful, the fight scenes are bonkers and well choreographed, the humor is yeesss tier, and overall, the messages such as having a good relationship with your family and good teamwork. Delicious food. āØ
I really love what this show is doing with Megatron and Optimus. Their relationship is perhaps my favorite part of the show. You can definitely feel not only how close they are as fwiends, but you can see both sides of the idea they represent: what if every bot deserve second chances? I appreciate the nuance to the Autobot vs Decepticon conflict, something that is definitely built up from Cyberverse. Here, it explores in depth about the more gray and complex areas of the conflict, where neither side is right nor wrong. However, itās a reasonable two sides of a coin story that is explained well enough to appeal to both kids and adults. I also like how Megatron and Optimus are willing to hear each other out even through their disagreements. Optimus is also very likable and adorable, being a big ol dork you cannot help but be charmed by. Nowā¦letās focus on Megatron now.
I thought āDecayā was my favorite episode for exploring Optimusā and Megatronās relationship in depth, and bitter divorce ex Soundwaveā¦until āWarzoneā came out. This Megatron manages to fix the main issue of Autobot Megatron: it makes sure that he has to work hard to earn trust in his journey of redemption. He is someone with a lot of regrets over how much destruction and devastation done to Cybertron, because of his actions. It doesnāt sugarcoat the realities of his redemption: there are people who are not gonna accept that he wants to end the war nor understand how much the war costed the Cybertronian people everything. The cherry on top of his lessons to the baby boo boos about not repeating the same mistakes the Transformers did is the presence of the flowers from the IDW. Quick summary: they represent how much lives are lost in a conflict. Justā¦the way it fell from the monument at the Spacebridge Memorial to Megatron gently picking it up and putting it back on it, symbolizing how much he truly changed for the better. After the fight with Shockwave, including all the heartbreaking LAYERS of the gravity of Megatronās redemption, it concludes on a beautiful message that many people came learn from, especially in these current times. you cannot change the past, but if we learn about it, we will be able to not make those same mistakes ever again. Thus, āWarzoneā is my favorite episode in the entire season. In fact, I want to dedicate an entire essay to how this series portrayed Megatron once everything is done and finished. Weāll come back to the topic soon, lads.
Also, I really love how the show is exploring the not so bright side of having bots on planet Earth. The finale episode is perhaps the episode that rivals āWarzoneā for not only bringing more amazing nonbinary representation in the form of Sam (looking forward to seeing her and their relationship with Nightshade in future episodes), but for managing to tell a story of how to deal with racism (through the Terrans being treated as outsiders in the big city) without sugarcoating it and telling it in a way that kids can understand. Hashtag feels the most pain in being treated as an outsider, even with her family there to tell her that everything will be okay. Thenā¦perhaps one of the darkest scenes of Transformers as a whole is when Mandroid took over her as an attempt to get rid of the baby boo bops and try to get Bumblebeeās parts, and feeds into her insecurities over whether or not she has the right to live on Earth. Through the use of mind tricks, he is a representation of all the disgusting ignorance and stupidity plaguing our real world right now, trying to āproveā that marginalized people, who are represented by the Terrans here, have no right to exist. Howeverā¦then the Malto kids used the power of the Green Prime to reach out to Hashtag and let her know that everything will be okay. True, not everybody is going to be compassionate and understanding of people who are different from them. There are genuinely evil and hateful people who will never be negotiated with and will never understand the concept of being a decent human being. Howeverā¦it doesnāt mean that you should let them get to you. You deserve the right to be yourself and live your life the way you want to live it. You are surrounded by people who love you and understand what youāre going through. You are not alone. You are good enough. In a time where we experience such amount of racism, misogyny, and homophobia in places in and out of the Transformers fandomā¦we need this message more than ever. We should not follow Mandroidās hateful ideology. Instead, we should be the Maltos. Love will triumph over hate, and no matter how much the world tries to crush you, you are more than meets the eye in beautiful ways.
Conclusion: This is number three on the Transformers ranking list as of the time I am writing this. š
Transformers Earthspark is incredible. It has no right in getting everything so right. Itās a fantastic love letter to the Transformers franchise as a whole. Let the haters talk smack. I am confident in saying that this show is the ever rare Ultra Yesss tier 10/10.
Please check it out if you have accessibility to the show on any platform. I promise that youāll not regret this fantastic start of a promising new future for Transformers. ā¤ļø
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Legend of the Dragon S1 Ep 1-13 Watch and Rewrite
I have gone down a rabbit hole by watching a random show from early 2000s (think Liberty's Kids, Sherlock Holmes 22nd Century kind of channel) that is clearly trying to jump on the Xiolin Showdown/Avatar the Lat Airbender and admittedly, it's mediocre but I'm just fascinated by its potential so my writer brain has a loooot of thoughts.
You can find the whole series on youtube if you want to watch before reading cuz this has spoilers.
Here's the plot: The show starts when the previous Golden DragonĀ has passed on to the afterlife and Ang and Ling Leung, seventeen-year-old fraternal twins, born in the year of the Dragon, are next in line for the Golden Dragon powerband and use of its mystical abilities to defend the mortal world from evil. Ang doesnāt believe he will become the Golden Dragon, as Ling is the best fighter at the Dragon Dojo.
Ling is positive that she will become the Golden Dragon. However, when Master Chin Ho calls upon the power of the Golden Dragon to choose who will be the next Golden Dragon, it chooses Ang. Humiliated and furious, Ling storms out of the temple and is tempted by the dark and evil power of the Shadow Dragon. From then on, Ang is forced to fight his twin sister.
First, the general
Alright, the animation style, letās face it itās not the best. But after seeing 80s shows, itās not the worst. Itās just very dated. Itās a weird combination of some shots are really good, and some just look like bad flash animation yet you can also see the detail in the fight choreography. Itās weird.Ā
Speaking of fight choreography, the show is just in loooove with doing slow motion shots multiple times in each fight. Like itās supposed to be epic but since itās used all the time, I think theyāre just padding the air time. And since the speeches are generic, I have fast forward through it unless a shot literally particular interesting or seems to be delivering meaningful conversation between Ang and Ling.Ā
That or itās trying to mimic old Kung fu movies with the over the top yelling (gets grating after awhile tbh especially from Ling), people suddenly flying (just assume everyone has the power to fly) and the slow motion.Ā
As for the powers, each temple guardian has a magic armband that gives them powers related to their zodiac like turning into the animal plus extra like Bengali has super claw rips, the snake guardian turns into a shapeshifting, size changing cobra, the ram has power over avalanches etc.Ā
Which makes the powers of the dragons disappointing as they display generic fire blasts. I mean if itās the top guardian, you should put a little something special into the power like flame breath and turning into a literal dragon! So I would give the dragons a power upgrade stat.Ā
Btw, besides the generic power blasts, each dragon has a voice upgrade. Ang gets a manly hero voice while gets sexy villainess voice. Itās kinda funny because itās just so unexpected. No explanation for why these teenagers suddenly sound like adults or why thatās part of their transformations, itās just there.Ā
As for the dialogue, the show has some spark when it allows the characters to show their personalities with humorous lines that make them distinct but it is also hampered by generic hero speech tropes (like in a fight itās more about āIncomingā āI know the real you is in thereā etc. if youāre going to do the tropes, at least make it specific to your character). Like the animation, it has good potential but also limited.Ā
Now to the real meat of the show the characters: Like the summary says, the two mains are Ang and Ling who are suddenly on opposite sides due to Lingās insistence that she deserves to be the golden dragon.Ā
The first scene brilliantly sets up their personalities with them sparring. Ling dominates the fight with aggressive, offensive moves but Ang manages to outmaneuver her with observation and subtly. When Ang teases her about forgetting Master Chinās lesson on using your opponentsā leverage, Ling nearly hits him again in anger over losing.Ā
Foreshadowing. . . TotallyĀ
Ang is set up as the more laid back of the two. Into video games and movies, while Ling has been eagerly awaiting the day to be the temple guardian her entire life.Ā
As Master Chin invites to the temple, the show further demonstrates their differences and sets up Ang as the real candidate for Golden Dragon. Ling is consumed with getting the prestigious position, focusing on the power she will gain. Ang rightly points out, thereās a lot of responsibility to it too but thatās not interesting to Ling. She will rule, itās a given, because she earned the spot.Ā
And so Lingās pride goeth before fall.Ā
Itās only natural since Ling represents the yin which is feminine and dark and Ang is the yang, masculine and light (as if the name wasnāt enough of a clue).Ā
Ling may have memorized the teaching/learned all the moves, Ang is the one who has taken the education/teachings to heart and put them into practice.Ā
Ling tries to take the armband even when Master Chin tells her itās not a mistake but it electrocutes her and when he assures her that her real destiny is to support the Golden Dragon and teach the next generation like he did, she blows up and directs all her anger at poor Ang who doesnāt even want the position.Ā
Anyway, Iāll go into my thoughts about what I thought about the split in the episode discussion but from therein, Ang maintains a typical protagonist personality when one is suddenly the chosen one. He is upbeat but sometimes he gets lazy, he doubts his capabilities, he delivers a few noble speeches.
Even though heās a bit generic, heās still relatable and a good protagonist to follow. It helps that his relationship with his twin brings out his flaws. Like his optimistic belief that sheāll regain her common sense and stop trying to take his position as Golden Dragon.
Despite her many actions on the contrary, he still believes she can be good again even though no one else does. In fact, he gets very defensive when others call her evil or psychotic (no matter how accurate a descriptor). Heās just a very loyal person and will do anything to protect his friends.
I still think that he needs a different name if only because Ang is too on the nose for symbolizing Yang. And the other famous Aang from A:TLA. If youāre gonna take the name, itās gonna bring up unfair comparisons to that masterpiece. Do you really wanna be known as āthe other Angā?
Ling is arrogant, aggressive, entitled, not self aware at all. . . Pretty much a good villainess in the making. I feel like the show (so far) needs to work in more positive traits as to justify Angās intense belief in her ability to be good again.Ā
But she does make a good foil to Ang, easily countering him in battle and thinking ahead of him. Plus she makes a good snarky Shego to Zodiac Masterās Dr. Drakken, introducing such ideas as hacking Angās phone to track down other armbands and temples or to ambush him.Ā
Iāll discuss more about how to improve her characterization in the episodes below.Ā
Which brings me to the antagonist, the Zodiac Master. Heās a pretty generic villain, wanting to gain all the armbands so he overpower the Golden Dragon and achieve power all for himself.Ā
And. . Thatās it. I know itās a kidās show but this was around the same time as Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, surely they can work in more backstory and motivation than just power for powerās sake. Like how did he even get power? Was he a former guardian, does he relate to Ling in not getting what he āearnedā so he is taking it all by force? He needs more, which Iāll get to below.Ā
Iād also improve his powers which are generic power blasts (seriously why give the secondary guardians cooler powers than the protagonist and antagonists?). He does demonstrate life force draining in one episode which I think he should utilize more to make him a more dangerous threat.Ā
But between him and Ling, heās the Dr. Drakken if Dr. Drakken was more evilly competent and took himself way too seriously.Ā
Master Chin, the teacher of the dojo and all the guardians is another generic (maybe even stereotypical?) wise master character delivering vague wisdom and a sometimes humorous old man line. I also wish he had more of a backstory and developed a more fatherly guardian ie. Uncle Iroh from A:TLAĀ
Bengali is the Tiger guardian and friend of the twins. It doesnāt say how long but one must assume they grew up together and sheās a little older since sheās been guardian for awhile (seriously this show needs to work on giving people backstories!).Ā
Sheās kinda generic too. Sheās a good friend, sometimes teases, sometimes is the voice of wisdom, will go along with the others hijinks, delivers quips during battle. Sheās similar to Ang in that she focuses more on the spiritual side of being guardian rather than martial. She also has feelings for him (okay not yet but itās obvious as the only non related, reoccurring female, sheās gonna be a love interest, letās not kid ourselves).Ā
If I had to improve her, I would give more of a backstory on her feelings as being Tiger guardian. Since everyone seems to be an orphan in the show, maybe something about how being a guardian gives her a community, gives her a purpose in life, the spiritualism allows her to find acceptance in the face of so many unknowns of her origins, gave her confidence.Ā
According to wiki, Tiger personalities are passionate, stubborn, generous, and with a strong sense of justice. She can provide some contrast to Ang as believing things are black and white in Lingās case and she needs to deliver the hand of justice to eliminate the threat Zodiac Master and his sister pose. If you have the whole Chinese zodiac, lean into it.
Xuan Chi is the Monkey guardian and is exactly what you would expect. At least with western depictions of monkeys, heās a goofy jokester. Raised in the jungle, Xuan Chi isnāt quite used to civilization and is mainly there to serve comic relief. I think kids would like him even though his one note monkey jokes can get annoying after while. Luckily, he is more than one note as he provides common sense to Ang when the latter continues to ideally believe his sister can change or tries to take short cuts of his guardian training. I like their burgeoning friendship.Ā
Xuan Chi also has some mistakes in his past like the fact that he came to the dojo seeking help when thieves stole his armband. He doesnāt have powers like the others but his martial arts and tree swinging (and bananas) skills keep people off balance, providing dynamic fights. The loss of his armband provides some depth as he struggles with the humiliation and shame of failing his duty as guardian, revealing the insecure teen behind the happy face.Ā
Now the first half of the season:
Alright I described most of the first episode up to Ang getting the armband at which point, Ling blows up and the Zodiac Master appears with samurai goons to kidnap Master Chin. This gives the show an excuse to show Angās powered up Golden Dragon transformation and save the day. Ends with Ling swearing that no matter what, sheāll take that armband from Ang and become the golden dragon herself.Ā
First thing I would change is Lingās reaction, vowing vengeance and all that. She acts more like a frenemy than a twin sister. She shows no care for her brother, and is so willing to hurt him for her supposedly āearnedā position. Thereās no connection between them and makes it hard to see why Ang would continue to root for her redemption and familial bond when Ling feels nothing on her end.Ā
So I would change her reaction to her, still being angry, but trying to calm down and say that sheāll try to support him and teach him better cuz heās still the baby brother.Ā
Episode 2: Here, Ang goes with Master Chin to the dojo with Xuan Chi who came seeking help to retrieve his stolen armband. That will be saved for another episode as Ang is concerned with the sibling rift. Ling goes to the cliff side to calm down and the Zodiac Master appears to preposition her. Together, they can team up and steal the other armbands so they can eventually overpower the Golden Dragon.Ā
She hesitates for like 3 seconds because she knows heās evil but damn her resentment makes her easily give in to his proposal. He gives her the shadow dragon armband (basically evil twin, I mean yin powers), she shows up at the dojo, transformed and drunk on the dark side. Ang eventually defeats her, and kicks off the whole series arc.Ā
The major change I would make here is to continue to make Ling less psychopathic. Have her totally refuse Zodiac Masterās offer because heās everything she's been trained to fight against. She may not be the golden dragon but she has honor!
Zodiac Master would reveal his backstory-he used to be a teacher alongside Master Chin, training future guardians and warriors. But he grew weary over the years of watching guardians make foolish mistakes. He, with all his wisdom and experience should be the one with the power, he wouldnāt make those stupid mistakes. He knows better than all. So he struck out on his own and got the yin armbands (which corrupted him and so his original good albeit arrogant intentions have disappeared. Now heās all about the power)Ā
Ling refuses and returns to the dojo. The Zodiac Master vs Ang/Xuan Chin/Ling fight would happen and after several bad mistakes, Ang would triumph.Ā
Ling wouldn't be able to appreciate Angās eventual victory through his out of the box smarts. All she would focus on is his mistakes and how, if she had been the Golden Dragon as she was supposed, she would have defeated the Zodiac Master with decisiveness. She would have defeated him once and for all, she wouldnāt have let him escape. She should be the Golden Dragon and if only she had the chance, had the armband, she could prove it.Ā
So she goes to Zodiac Master and accepts the offer, becoming the shadow dragon and the dark side seeps into her.Ā
Eye on the Tiger, Hero Worship, Terra Unfirma, Master of Sarcasm: All are good episodes, introducing other guardians, have Ang put his training and teachings into practice, some generic hijinks like āDonāt meet your heroesā āWhat being a hero/warrior really meansā āAppearances are deceivingā etc.Ā
Although I must admit Hero Worship is really dumb in Zodiac Master believing a regular movie actor is an actual warrior even after Ling tells him Wang Lee is just a lame actor her brother worships, he still kidnaps the guy, convinced that Wang Lee is capable of teaching any martial arts to Ang when itās the other way around. I do enjoy the Drakken/Shego vibes.Ā
Eye on the Tiger feels a lot like filler even as it shows Bengailās Tiger guardian prowess. It was more focused on the fight scenes than character interactions or dialogue. Here, I would add more emphasis on Bengailās friendship with the twins and the characters realizing āoh shit, Ling is serious about being a bad guy.ā It does show Ling being not a total psychopath as she refuses to kill Bengali (just fight her and knock her out and steal from her but not kill)Ā
Terra Unfirma was fine though I wanted more ox guardian action. I liked Zodiac Masterās idea to combine the ram and dog armbands even if it put him over his head and Ang had to help him out in the end.Ā
Master of Sarcasm was the best. Not just because I liked sarcasm but because of the location change. Ang and Xuan Chi travel to Vietnam to learn discipline from Shoong (unbeknownst to them, heās the pig guardian though his surroundings should provide a huuuge clue). He was a lot like a gruffer, tougher Master Piando. So enjoyable.Ā
Temple of Changes was disappointing. After failing in his training because he wants to hang out at the movies and do normal stuff, Master Chin tells Ang itās time to go to the temple of changes as all the golden dragons before him have done. There he goes through some trippy sequences and fights a dark samurai before emerging victorious and more confident in his abilities.Ā
This was disappointing as Angās big test was fighting himself. Like literally fighting himself with very few psychologically painful taunts of his inadequacies. There was no reckoning with his destiny vs his wants.Ā
So I would change this with a poignant flashback to Angās past. A few months ago to be exact where Ang is playing a game on his phone while Ling spars with Bengali. In the present, he thinks about his new role and his past certainty with his future. He had thought that Ling was sure to be the golden dragon so he didnāt apply himself with the same intensity. He thought he would teach others like Master Chin. That heād be able to travel, go to university, be able to hang out with his friends without responsibilities and new foes. Now heāll be bound to the temple, always on alert for evil and he isnāt even as formidable of a warrior as his sister was. Why him?
So the temple would have him face these questions. Since Ling wants the armband so bad, why not give it to her? Why hang onto it? Because of destiny? Does he want this destiny? Is he capable of being a good guardian? Can he actually become better than he is?Ā
So the temple would force him to really think about why he chooses to stay in this role that he never asked for, ultimately deciding that he is doing it because he wants to. He wants to protect his community, his friends. He believes there needs to be a golden dragon in the world. Heās accomplished so much already, he can do more and he wants to improve, inserting some of the lessons Master Chin has taught him.Ā
Mindbender is another semi disappointing episode with a good premise that doesnāt go as far as it could. Itās Chinese New Years and everyone is celebrating new beginnings. Ang hopes that will include Ling coming back to her senses which everyone rolls their eyes and warn him that Ling wonāt change, he needs to give up the idea. Zodiac Master attacks, setting up a distraction for Ling to sneak into the temple and ambush Ang when he goes to recharge his armband. In the midst of battle, Ang gets knocked out with amnesia and Ling sees the opportunity to trick him into giving her the armband.Ā
Predictably, it nearly works but Angās memories come back and he changes to the right side at the last minute. Also, in the episode, Ling should do a better job of convincing Ang sheās the real golden dragon if she doesn't get impatient and transform into the shadow dragon so they can escape the cave theyāre trapped him. That was just so dumb.Ā
To make it more dramatic, the plot will go as shown up till the amnesia. Ling tricking Ang will have more weight as she references their past relationship (including a cute beach flashback), she is imbuing it with truth. She has always looked out for her brother, she protects him, she cares for him. She wants him on her side as always. And here, one can tell she means it even as sheās angling for him to give her the armband. Again, this will make her look like she has actual emotion instead of a manipulative psycho.Ā
Ang will regain his memories in time with the help of his friends, and defeat the Zodiac Master and Ling. Only their face off will end with Ang deciding to officially cut off all hope that Ling can be redeemed. He is too hurt that she was willing to manipulate their twinship, to corrupt their happy memories. Sheās gone too far.Ā
Episode ends with Xuan Chi, Bengali, Master Chin and Ang having a fun New Years meal with Ang appreciating his new family.Ā
But thereās a flashback to his previous happy new year with Ling and Master Chin. Flashback ends to Ling sitting alone at the cliff side, staring at her locket with their baby picture. As fireworks bloom overhead, she decisively closes the locket and walks away, a tear running down one cheek.Ā
Chow Chow is yet another interesting episode that could do more with its ending.ļæ½ļæ½
It all starts when the Zodiac Master is trying to resurrect the original dak Emperor of Yin, and tries to use Ling to do it by allowing the Emperor to drain her life force. Well, Ling isn't going out that way and realizing the danger she's in, tries to contact her brother for help. But the Zodiac Master intercepts the email and goes to ambush him, making it seem like it had been a trap all along.Ā
Now I like that idea, and the subsequent execution where AngĀ does the smart thing and hides his armband before getting subdued by the Zodiac Master in battle which enrages him when he realizes that Ang is useless.Ā
And Ling makes it much more difficult when Ang accuses her of setting him up and she gets all defensive that he doesn't believe her. I mean, girl, you have set up plenty of times before, you can't blame him.Ā
Nonetheless, when Zodiac Master threatens to suck her life force, Ang gives in and agrees to show where he hid the armband.
And while all this is happening, Ang's friends have teamed up with the dog guardian, Chow Chow to literally sniff out where he's been kidnapped. I just find these specific guardian traits/powers super fun. It also comes to an entertaining battle where Xuan Chi grabs ahold of the dragon armband and temporarily becomes the Golden Dragon.Ā
Cool but brings a few plot holes to why did it reject Ling if Xuan Chi can just take it? Does it only repel evil? Then why don't the other armbands repel Zodiac Master when he steals them?
In the end, there's a big fight and Ling returns to Zodiac master despite him trying to kill her just hours ago, proving how stubborn she is about holding a grudge against a brother who has only tried to help her. While Ang realizes she was telling the truth and admits that he wishes he could give up on her, he's sad to admit he just can't.Ā
So I would change the ending a bit. After Mindbender, Ang won't have any trust for Ling so when he gets her email, he just straight up assumes it's a trap. The plot will go on as expected only Ling will be taken aback by the fact that Ang was prepared for the betrayal and doesn't believe her. He just wants to learn what the Zodiac Master is planning. The life force draining will still take place as well as the battle.Ā
But the reason Ling stays with the Zodiac Master despite him trying to kill her will be because she sees that Ang doesn't trust her and she is totally alone. So she convinces herself that because this night turned out fine, she can handle it. She never needed Ang's help even if he had offered it. She'll show him and she will show that backstabbing Zodiac Master, furthering her evil descent.Ā Ā
Monkey Mission was a very fun episode, giving Xuan Chi more depth than I ever thought he would get. For one thing, apparently he has PTSD-esque nightmares of losing his armband. You see, he didnāt just lost a fight to some temple robbers, they held him down and electrocuted him. No wonder he has nightmares!Ā
But now, he has a clue of where the thieves are going. Theyāre auctioning it and other temple items off like any good temple robber and Zodiac Master is on call to steal it back.Ā
Why doesn't he just buy the armband since his civilian disguise looks like heās the head of a majorly rich corporation, I donāt know, but I guess heās cheap.Ā
Anyway, it was a bit of Indiana Jones and a bit of a regular martial arts movie with three separate acts and gave Xuan Chi a chance to shine and prove to himself that heās an honorable warrior even as it leaves off with a cliffhanger of the armband going missing again.Ā
The Emperor of Darkest Yin was an episode that felt like a filler with Ang and Xuan Chi disobeying Master Chin's warnings that teaming up with Zodiac Master's vengeful ex-partner. This ex partner calls himself the Master of Red Chi whose powerful blasts mostly make up for his incompetent combat skills.Ā
I liked the message, "When youĀ try to use the force of evil, it is evil that ends up using you," and it plays it straight with Master Red Chi double crossing them for another of Zodiac Master's traps as well as the twist ending.Ā
But it felt riddled with holes like why doesn't the Red Chi Master not have a name? Where did he learn red chi? Can anyone else learn or was he just born with it? His story was very vague and felt like it could have been expanded to add to the magical lore of the show.
The fight in the Hong Kong docks also felt silly with the Zodiac Master's entire samurai army in view.Ā
Like is this like Marvel New York? Are the people used to samurais and bombs in their harbor? Isn't this supposed to be a secret mystical battle? Just the concepts of what is secret and what is normal in this world is unclear?Ā
I would have kept theĀ use your enemy concept but have Ang try to outwit his sister, the way she has been doing the previous episodes and throw in the Red Chi Master for the red herring (this was unintentional, I semi swear).
The Last Dragon- I actually have no complaints with this episode. It was solid story wise, revealing that the previous Golden Dragon was the twinās father who had Master Chin erase their memories to protect him from their enemies. Of course, Ling is dumbly manipulated to turn her rightful anger toward Zodiac Master for murdering her father to being furious at her father for āabandoningā them.Ā
But the show actually pulls through and has her realize the truth thanks to Ang and of course, a cheesy flashback.Ā
And then they team up to fight the Zodiac Master!Ā
Itās a temporary truce but I enjoyed that it touched on my previous complaints that Ang was the only one acting like they had a familial bond. Also Ling was less hostile psychopath and demonstrated she may have some good after all. Also them as kids were cute.Ā I would just change the animation of the last scene because it looked less like a hug in the moonlight between twins but the beginning of something else between not siblings. . . so ew.
Spy Hard was also a fun episode. As you might guess, itās a James Bond parody! Well a parody if James Bond had mystical possession and martial arts powers. Okay, it doesnāt really follow any James Bond movie plot but the Rooster guardian,Lo Wang has a Sean Connery voice which is delightful to listen to. Ang learns a bit about thinking before acting which Iām pretty sure he learned before but I didnāt care since I was enjoying Sean- I mean Lo so much.Ā
Also, Ling continues to return to her roots by fighting against Zodiac Master again. While she was originally down for the whole possessing the dragon temple, sheās not in it for corrupting the Golden Dragon templeās spirit with the darkest yin. If sheās going to steal the Golden Dragon, sheās going to do it honorably!Ā
So yay? Sheās not quite on Angās side but sheās not the Zodiac Masterās idiotic puppet either. And Ang trying to do an awkward fist bump was surprisingly endearing even if Ling didnāt reciprocate. You could tell she kinda wanted.Ā
So yeah, as I write this down, I can see that itās really starting to improve as the season goes on and Iām excited to see what the second half of the season does.Ā
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I have to confess something, when I saw Martial Master Asumi on the MANGA Plus app, I ignored it because I thought the art they used for its thumbnail (which is shown above) looked lame. A few weeks later, I found out that the author is Kawada Sensei, who made the successful Jump series Hinomaru Sumo (ran from 2014-2019, collected into 28 volumes and had its own anime adaptation), and I decided to check it out.
Iām reading a lot of new series on the MANGA Plus app (Demon Lord Exchange!!, Ice-Head Gill, Wild Strawberry, Mikane and The Sea Woman, and Null Shojo) and Martial Master Asumi would have to be my favourite one of the new series. The mangaās story (to put it simply and bluntly) is about high schooler Nito Asumi getting into MMA. To keep it simple, Iāll just say my two favourite things about the series: 1) I really love the art (though, for some reason the coloured art used for the seriesā thumbnail did not look good to me) and 2) the biggest reason I love this series is the fight choreography which looks so good, uses real-life MMA fighting technique and is very clear in how it flows from one move to the next making it very easy to keep track of.
If you havenāt read it already and you either liked what you see, are a fan of fighting manga, a fan of sports manga and/or a fan of Hinomaru Sumo, please read Martial Master Asumi. Itās really good and deserves a chance.
Also of note, the seriesā original title in Japanese is Asumi Kakeru (ć¢ć¹ćć«ć±ć«) but is localised in English as Martial Master Asumi; the reason it was given the name Martial Master Asumi was to give it the same acronym as MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), which the series is about.
#martial master asumi#asumi kakeru#kawada#hinomaru sumo#manga recommendation#manga recommendations#manga#manga plus
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You know... I think my personal top 5 Transformers stories in no particular order are:
Beast Wars
IDW2
Bumblebee 2018/ROTB
G1 Sunbow cartoon
Earthspark
BW just overall has really good and consistent character writing and development with a nice balance of silly kids show to serious thought-provoking story. The graphics and rendering are indeed dated but the actual animation looks better than a lot of later shows (TFP, CV, and ES are some of the only computer animated TF shows that hold up against it). Say what you will of Blackarachnia/Silverbolt, Blackarachnia never once takes a back seat to SB (he's her malewife) after they get together and her story is always hers (unfortunately rare for m/f ships). Everyone wants the Dinobot arc even if they can't figure out why it was so good (I'd say WFC was the closest to replicating the true spirit of it). It's also what I grew up with.
IDW2 has so many female characters, well-known and obscure, and I love them all (no Furman nonsense here!). Plus, good queer ships right off the bat with none I dislike. I also find the setup for Cybertronian society really interesting and I enjoyed the exploration of a society that has so heavily defined itself by its war trauma. I appreciated the handling of Geomotus. Also, I very much appreciated how fair it was to organic races (pity it was canceled before Ruckley could include humans). I also felt like this series had a better handling on how to make safety vs freedom a more balanced argument (for example, I did sympathize with the struggle of the Constructicons, but WHEW! That's a good show as to why leaders held the people back even if it was a bit self-fulfilling prophecy).
BBB/ROTB are what we wanted for live action films. They're not high art, but they have good characters, fun action, decent pacing, nice character designs, and touching moments. The human drama doesn't overshadow the Transformers story the fans are here for.
G1 is the OG, what can I say? It's an 80s show meant to sell toys to kids, but it's still good (as long as you remember what it is). While there certainly are some episodes that are very... Episode, there are also some legitimately good stories. Also, I personally loved season 2 just being a long string of character vignettes (the two Tracks episodes are top tier as well as the Blaster. There are a lot of good organic characters, including some really good female characters. It's a fun time, overall.
The second youngest Transformers series has had a pretty strong showing for a first season (the season finale was rushed and wonky, but that reeked of the showrunners getting yanked around without a clear answer on whether they got a season 2 or not and, unfortunately, not unusual for the franchise). The animation is top notch, blending 2D and 3D really well. The fight choreography is exciting. The family dynamic is heartwarming. I extra love Swindle here with his brother, Hardtop. The hints of the past have been enticing and I'm curious as to what further reveals are in store.
#transformers#personal opinion#Had a thought for a type of post but wanted to be more positive#Since I can get stuck in a grumbling mood#The stuff I really enjoy#Try arguing and you get blocked
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Have you watched the new season of sonic prime and do you have any thoughts on it?
HIII š
Sorry for the late reply but OH YES I HAVE AND YES I DO
(MAJOR SPOILER ALERT BTW(I tried not to, but I just had to rant about certain moments))
Overall, I LOVED IT
As someone who can pay more attention to characters than the actual plot sometimes, I've been loving Sonic Prime since season one, and season 3 DID NOT disappoint on that front.
I really loved all the interactions we got between all the different versions of the main cast themselves and with the Chaos Council, and even if it was only one scene, I'm so happy we got some Rouge (Rebel) and Shadow interaction.
Animation and fight choreography (particularly when it came to Sonic and Shadow) had me vibrating through my seat, as per usual, and the script writing itself was really solid
(Sidenote: I LOVED when Sonic asked for Rouge's plan cause, yāknow, SHES BEEN LEADING A RESISTANCE FOR YEARS. The plan she came up with was really cool, too. And Sonic's backup plan later on was really good as well.)
I really adored all the little focus moments the characters got in the finale (Mangey and Sails!?ššš) but Knuckles the Dread and the Roses in particular had me holding back SHRIEKS. Shadow was a delight the whole time, per usual, (who am I kidding I was BEGGING for this guy to show up again as soon as the big final fight started) and the finale did a really good job of making you fear Nine but also really care for him, cause the little dude was essentially tearing himself apart to create this new world and keep the others out of it, because he felt like he had been betrayed, but he was also literally tearing all the other worlds apart, too.
But omfg that ending!? Sonic's sacrifice, the Roses and Shadow putting all their might into saving him, and the fact that he spawned right where he left off, in the exact same position mere moments before the prism shatter and he and Shadow worked together to do things right the second time around? Took me OUT, both from like, a 'science of space and time' perspective and story wise.
I know a lot of people are saying that they didn't like the ending and how everything just went back to normal with only Sonic and Shadow remembering anything, but I thought it made perfect sense in the context of how the show established the Paradox Prism to function, and only adds to the overall message imo.
My only real issue was that it was kinda...simple? If that makes sense? Like, it made sense story wise, and really made me feel for Sonic because DAMN, but the fact that the entire season was essentially one giant fight with little story breaks in between meant it was kinda getting old by the time Sonic finally made it up to Nine's level and got me all hyped up all over again. Plus, all the big character moments were really on-the-nose, and just felt like a textbook finish, but other than that, I loved every second.
#sonic prime spoilers#When I first watched it through I kinda didn't like how fast Nine turned around#but now that I think about#they were kinda chipping away at him the whole season#and he didn't actually give up until they were literally only a few feet away and had defeated his entire army#so with that plus sonics little speech it kinda makes sense that he would give in lol#sonic#sonic prime#sonic prime season 3#sonic prime season three#sorry i turned this into a whole essay btw#i just REALLY love this show
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I just finished the crossover. Spoilers. This is a half baked rant filled review from both a RWBY critic and a life long DC fan.
This animation was wonky even for rwby, there wasnt any fights choreography that stuck out to me and I just finished watching this like an hour ago. Like it was so boring my mind was just not intaking anything that could stand out. Even V5 and V9 had some good fights, and both of those volumes got huge budgets cuts because of some other project being released at the time (genlock and this crossover)
The dialogue was just such a mess. And the voice acting oy vey this was rough. Rwby usually has great VA work from the main's at RT, the funimation crew, and a boat load of others. This just felt so off, like the cast was just asleep. Did the voice director just give up like a minute in?
This story was such a mess too! I know combining 2 seperate universes is always tough I wont lie, but converting DC characters with too many varying powers, Supermans multiple powers, wonder womans godly gear, Batmans Bat-everything, Flash' speed force, Cyborgs various tech, Jess' rings many capabilities, and Vixen's animal powered necklace, its all too much to convert to 4 set abilities. Semblance, Dust, Faunus additions, and Rwbys "its also a gun" weaponry isn't enough to fit what I listed off above. Just send the rwby characters to the DC universe.
And side note, just use the teen titans. No power scaling argument needed, their strong but not stronger than the league and are still stronger than the RWBY verse. Imagine Ren and any Robin understanding one another about being orphans, or any Robin and Weiss getting some development about their rich dads. Blake and Damian can get along over their troubled past, or even Starfire and Blake since their the minorities (Tamaranian and faunus) of their teams, or Raven and Blake being goth baddies! Superboy and Yang, anger issues, Yang and Cyborg, learning to live with disabilities. Imagine the chaos of Nora and Wally west and Beastboy. Hell you could even substitute the Jessica plot with Raven struggling with her powers. Theres so much more potential here!
And jesus they did not handle the rwby characters any better. They were all so full of themselves and acting high and mighty comared to the experienced hero's. I'd argue that its cuz the league isnt all there and cant remember everything. But RWBYJNR dont remember anything either! Their all in the same boat so why are rwby treating like the league hasnt fought worse threats, as mentioned Brainiac(an alien with 12th level intellect) and Vandall Savage (an immortal from the caveman times) and while im at it why is a guy thats running a breaking and very obvious simulation a such a big deal anyway?
Shipping, oh damn right im going here. I dont wanna see it, No Superman x Ruby, no Batman x Weiss, no Wonder Woman x Blake x Yang, no Jessica x Jaune, no Cyborg x Nora x Ren. NO! NONONONO we arent doing this. Did we not learn how problematic Starco was? Did RT not learn from Ryan Haywood that grown adults and teenagers shouldn't go together? Seriously im starting to think RT has a problem, I know thats an understatement but at this point im calling it a prediction.
Alright time to speed run these individual character issues
ā¢Batman's arc on staying on Remnant was dumb. Gotham is his soul purpose, and he doesn't need powers. He has never needed them, he's always been able to overcome and keep up with these gods with his wit, skill, and tech.
ā¢Yeah Weiss was just Batman's sidekick. She felt so disconnected from the plot I thought I was looking at V4-5 Blake. Plus why was she so persistent on keeping Batman in Remnant? Was her daddy kink that bad, is she just into older men who are trapped as teenagers? Gross.
ā¢Superman and Ruby's arcs were weak. Ruby leader arc was just so lame, like her significant leader moment was just "sneak jessica and jaune away for a sneak attack" jesus that was lame. And Superman didn't have an arc really, his semblance unlocking, leadership, and blame for getting trapped was all super undercooked.
ā¢The Wonderwoman, Yang, and Blake dynamic was so forgettable. Like I genuinely couldn't remember that arc, was it like a warrior thing right? And were they like... flirting? Really? NEXT!
ā¢Oh god go back to the other one! Not the Ren x Nora x Cyborg love corner, couldnt they have done something else with these guys? This is just sad. Shame on you RT
ā¢Oh yay, Jaune mourns over Pyrrha again. This is after V6 right, so did we have to focus on Pyrrha being desd again? Like come on let her rest, even DBZ doesn't bring up Krillin death as much. I do admit, Jaune helping Jess out was nice, their interactions were sweet.
ā¢I did like Jess' anxiety arc, I think it was handled very tastefully and was a great way to write her character. She's too fucking adorable, her VA was one of the good one's. This actually gave her some great spotlight that we dont see much of besides DC superhero girls
ā¢And I actually liked Vixen, design was fine and the voice was good, even if her power was heavily underutilized. But she was cool
ā¢Barry what did they do to you? Oh Barry no! Why did they flash and make him so... nothing!? He looks like Bart and Wally mixed together. And he's the twist villian? Why didn't the technology based supervillian yake over the technology based hero!? Barry was so boring, I knew he was gonna be a side character but bro why make him the boring twist villian?
ā¢Killg%re. Oh fuck if im not using the percentage thing im not censoring it this crossover makes me too angry to follow the rules. So boring. He calls himself so brilliant and smarter than Brainiac and Vandall savage yet his simulation was so easy to pick apart cuz the grimm, their freinds and family, their timezones, and even their own memories are so muddled anybody can pick apart this is a dream! His plan was so bad, stick the league in another dimension? Good so far. In a simulation, okay it can work. Turn them into teens so their hormones kick in? No, moronic, i hate it, I hate this! And look, out of every villian, why Killgore? The idea of a crossover is to grab your big guns and use their names to gather up your audience. If you wanted a lesser known villian who can alter reality go with BatMite, Mister Mxyzptlk, reverse flash, the Legion of Doom, or jesus anybody? Not somebody so forgettable that even KGBeast is more recognized than him.
Well atleast it's over... wait, part one?
NnnnoooOOOOOO-
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once again it's "what the fuck did I do this week" time
listening (podcast): there was a new episode of Media Club Plus this week. lots of good smart conversations, including Jack saying some incredibly insightful things about the music that I would never have noticed on my own
somehow forgot to mention the all-timer of a Palisade episode from last week, which was somehow completely blown out of the water by the even more all-timer of a Palisade episode that dropped this week. jesus christ. how do they keep doing it like this. the most recent ep is very special to me personally though, on account of how [MAJOR PALISADE EP 29 SPOILERS] my favorite character is back <3 and also everything about Dahlia was perfect to me. I genuinely think it's very good that most of the antagonists this season lean more into the evil of empire as something mundane & bureaucratic in a way that makes it more terrifying. however. I also love to see an antagonist who is evil in the more melodramatic, fucked up & twisted anime villain monologue kind of way
listening (music): the only music I listened to this week was so many anime openings & endings. there are many things that can be said about Persona 5 The Animation and also Persona 5 more generally but the music does slap. I realize this is a basic opinion but Rivers in the Desert is the boss battle music of all time tbh
reading: as usual, same two books as last week. Rule of Wolves briefly gets a lot more fun when other Six of Crows characters show up, reminding me that I would much rather be reading about Kaz than any of these other people. also, I'm once again irritated by the complete lack of worldbuilding around queerness. there are implications that Fjerda doesn't approve of lesbians, which makes sense since they're obsessed with maintaining rigid binary gender roles. but never at any point do we learn shit about like, queer culture anywhere, or what the situation is like in other countries
I'm getting near the end of Water Outlaws, which still fucking rules. the chapters I read this week had a bunch of fun stuff with strategy & siege defenses. and also as usual some sick fight scenes
watching: still keeping up with Bakeoff. I was legitimately surprised that Dan stayed on after his bread was barely edible but I am thrilled for Tasha getting star baker because I love her and everything she makes looks so good. also in general bread week is always one of my favorite because I often find the dessert concepts too sweet for my personal taste but I fucking love bread
forgot to mention that we watched the last episode of the Ahsoka show last week. this is because it was fairly forgettable and I was- well, disappointed is the wrong word because I didn't have any expectations but anyway. the fight choreography was so clunky and had a bunch of weird pauses, and if you're not going to give me good writing you better at least give me cool visuals, so that was unfortunate
watched another three episodes of Hunter x Hunter to keep up with Media Club Plus, and I'm realizing that I was not remembering incorrectly when I thought that I hadn't actually seen this bit because I have no fucking memory of any of this except the scene of Killua ripping a guy's heart out, which I distinctly remember being shown out of context (I started watching HxH with some friends who were already partway through the first arc, and then went back to watch the first few episodes later but I guess never got to where I started)(something pretty significant happened in the first episode I ever saw so I'll know when I get there). anyway. epic highs and lows of this show, Killua rips a guy's heart out of his chest, Gon makes some extremely clever observations, Kurapika is the most character ever, but also there's the transmisogyny
watched a little more Legend of the Galactic Heroes. I love it when the most important part of a space battle is alternating scenes between each faction talking about what they think the other faction's plan is. this is Television to me. also I'm just now realizing that the columns on the bridges of the Imperial ships are actual literal stone columns, which seems wildly impractical but also extra as hell
most of what I watched this week was, as previously mentioned, the Persona 5 anime, because we wanted to watch something that we didn't have to pay much attention to. it's not, like, a good anime (the pacing is wild, they don't do a great job compressing the story of the game into the limited runtime, the art does not look good, they refuse to pass up an opportunity for jiggling tits or an ass close-up, the ending is thematically incoherent because they refuse to commit to any specifics of what "improving society" actually means materially even more than the game does). however. that's not the point. the point is that Persona 5 contains some of my favorite characters of all time, and also we were watching the dub (I'd already seen the sub) specifically to hear Robbie Daymond as Goro Akechi in all his flirty glory and oh boy did he deliver. also the music fucks
because we watched all of P5A we watched significantly less Zeta Gundam. I still love Four very much (rip), and I am amused by the new villain squad of Scirocco, Mouar, and Jerid, even if I find Jerid incredibly uninteresting. like, I genuinely think the show would be better if he had died instead of Lila and we got to have her as the main rival instead. but also I generally wish there were more evil women who stuck around for longer instead of dying almost immediately (or getting completely dropped from the story? not sure what happened to Rosamia tbh but it would be cool if she came back)
playing: I'm now on the final case of Ace Attorney 5. love that it's Athena's turn to be on trial for murder, a very important rite of passage. I am intrigued by whatever Blackquill's deal is but more importantly I want to see Aura again. also I miss Apollo :(
also ran another session of my ongoing Blades in the Dark campaign. they stole a cursed object for a demon, a woman got partially turned into a bird, and one of the player characters got really into celebrity RPF. normal day in Duskwall
making: we started building Miorine so that Suletta can have her wife to keep her company, and were almost immediately thwarted by how annoying the face decals are. so instead here's Suletta watching over her mostly-unassembled wife
drinking: Stormalong's Light of the Sun fucks so hard. it's yuzu & jasmine and both of the flavors come through really well
writing: finished (?) the yuri//vain fic I've been working on but haven't posted it yet for normal reasons of I've stared at it for too long so now I'm convinced it's bad. it's fine, I'll get over that and post it eventually. however I did a lot of writing on other unrelated fics. for example, I continue to be having a normal one about Integrity Friendsatthetable:
also started another Great Ace Attorney fic because I am not immune to the concept of post-canon Kazuma & Maria roommates
#reading this over is like. damn op do u do anything other than watch like 5 different animes at the same time#the answer is yes. i also work at my incredibly boring job. but that's abt it#weekly media roundup post#dreaming.txt
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