#rafiki has too many funny moments

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Mufasa (The Lion King)

Favorite thing about them: What a wonderful king and father he is. So benevolent, so wise, knowing when to be stern, when to be gentle, and when to be lighthearted and playful, so brave and fierce as a fighter, yet "only brave when he has to be," and so warm and loving to his son and willing to fight with his life to protect him. In him, the filmmakers made sure to create a character we would love and admire, for himself as well as because he's Simba's beloved father – it's no wonder that his death is possibly Disney's most heartbreaking moment.

Least favorite thing about them: Hmmm.... I guess I'll say his letting Simba practice his pouncing on Zazu, when Zazu clearly finds it uncomfortable and humiliating, even if it is funny.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I try to respect all creatures.

*I can be lighthearted and playful, but at other times serious and spiritual.

*I have long, thick hair.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm not a parent.

*I don't have a murderously jealous brother.

*I'm human.

Favorite line:

"Before sunrise he's your son."

"Everything the light touches is our kingdom."

"A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king."

"Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars... So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I."

"Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are... Remember..."

brOTP: Simba, Zazu, and Rafiki.

OTP: Sarabi.

nOTP: Simba, Nala, or Scar.

Random headcanon: Before Simba was born, Mufasa and Sarabi had trouble conceiving, and/or had another cub who died in infancy. They seem older when Simba is born than Simba and Nala are when Kiara is born, and Mufasa seems too wise and secure in his role as king to have newly assumed the throne. So my guess is that Simba was a "miracle baby." This is also fitting because the production team admitted that Simba's journey was influenced by the Bible story of Joseph, son of Jacob, and Joseph was also born after his mother was barren for many years.

Unpopular opinion: I'm not opposed to his new backstory in the upcoming prequel. I know that some Lion King fans are up-in-arms at the idea of Mufasa having been an orphan who came from nothing, because it contradicts all the well-established fanon about his childhood and Scar's too. But first of all, this prequel will only be canon for the 2019 remake, not for the original 1994 film or the Broadway musical. Secondly, none of the popular fanon details about Mufasa and Scar's childhoods (e.g. that their parents were named King Ahadi and Queen Uru, or that Scar's original name was Taka) were ever official canon. They came from an early spinoff book that Disney has always ignored. Third, it's clear that with this "commoner orphan cub" backstory, Disney is trying to address one of the complaints often aimed at The Lion King. Namely that it glorifies hereditary monarchy and conservative power structures, with the "rightful kings" who were born into privilege and power as the heroes, and vilifying the underdogs who try to change the status quo. I've personally never minded that aspect, because the original Lion King has the feel of a myth; it's not a political tract for humans. But I do understand the complaints, so I don't mind the fact that Disney is trying to answer them by portraying the young Mufasa as an underdog who rose to kingship through his own merit.

Song I associate with them:

"They Live in You" from the stage musical.

Its reprise, "He Lives in You" (also heard in The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride)

Favorite picture of them:

[longsufferingcritic]

Mufasa: Initial Thoughts/Impressions

Overall: 5/10. I probably got more out of it than most people because I went in specifically looking for things to critique as a fan of both the original Lion King and of being a hater. I laughed (complimentary) at two scenes and rolled my eyes (derogatory) at five. I'm in no hurry to watch it again, but it wasn't an actively unpleasant experience and I did find it interesting to unpack if nothing else.

(Also note I'm evaluating this as a standalone film, not considering how it affects in-universe continuity/the franchise as a whole since I don't really care. But if any Kopa truthers are still out there hmu because it would be funny.)

By far the biggest problem with this film was the pacing. Everything moved way too fast with barely any moments to breathe. Too many plot elements were brought up with not enough time to properly explore them. Even the dialogue often felt rushed, and very unsubtle/on-the-nose as well. As a result, the themes were shallow and the characters underdeveloped despite some compelling concepts.

The animation... was okay? I still think photorealism is an inherently bad idea for this sort of story, but the characters actually emoted pretty well and the uncanny valley was not as bad as it appeared in the trailers. I know the bar is on the ground but after enduring Jon Favreau's "artistic vision" in the 2019 remake, it was genuinely refreshing to have the visuals actually try to be creative and ambitious and interesting beyond "doesn't it look REAL?!"

That said, the lioness character designs (Afia, Eshe, and Sarabi) needed more thought put in to differentiate them at a glance.

I really wanted to see more of the evil white lionesses, but they were egregiously undeveloped and underutilized beyond being the evil king's hench(wo)men. Rafiki says something about the white lions having been exiled from their birth prides for "being different" but of course that's never explored in their characters. I didn't even catch their names. Boooo.

This film certainly attempted a take on gender. Taka's father Obasi is openly sexist and sees "females" (why not use the word "lioness" when it already exists? hm) as inferior, but Mufasa learns useful skills from Eshe and respects her deeply. Sarabi is given a clever heroic moment and has some personality. So I guess it's an improvement from the original but that's a low bar and I'm neither offended nor impressed.

In addition to being sexist, Obasi wanted to kill and eat a cub for the crime of being a lost orphan. Okay! Remind me why I should feel anything but relief when this asshole is killed? I get that infanticide is something lions do in real life but whyyyy include it here?

When cub Mufasa is first brought to the pride, Obasi (on top of threatening to eat him) says something like "Mufasa means king, and you're not a king, you're just a stray!" But... Taka means garbage or filth. Scar's original name was established in a 90s picture book so this double standard (one son named King, the other named Trash) has been a running joke online for years. Why not pick a different name for this film if his father (who cares about him in a "you're the true heir so you need to make me proud" sort of way) is going to actually talk about Swahili meanings??

I would describe the songs as unremarkable. Not nearly as good as the original Lion King or even the direct-to-video sequel, of course, but not maddeningly awful like Wish or other recent Disney movies I could mention. Mostly just passable and forgettable.

EXCEPT the villain song. I had already rolled my eyes at an extremely forced quip along the lines of "there will be only one lion king!" moments before and then I actively cringed as he broke into the worst song of the movie. I mean, at least it's not "Scuttlebutt" level want-to-pour-bleach-in-my-ears, but easily as bad as "The Morning Report" which was previously the most hated song in TLK canon.

The score was also unremarkable, but nonetheless extremely overbearing in a few scenes to the point I could barely hear the dialogue. If you're going to do that, at least bring back Hans Zimmer, dammit.

The main villain himself is extremely generic and uninteresting. He wants to take over "everything the light touches" (STOP IT) but also wants to kill Mufasa in particular as revenge for Mufasa killing his son. He has no real personality beyond "evil" and I don't even remember his name. Yawn.

Speaking of which, the fact that young-adult Mufasa fucking killed a man is never properly addressed beyond the revenge motive. It was in self-defense, yes (two of the white lions just randomly attacked Mufasa and Eshe while they were on their own territory minding their own business) but taking a life should still leave an emotional impact on the hero even if it was necessary or the victim deserved it. Mufasa slams this white lion against a rock, the camera cuts away, it's later discussed by the white lion pride that the leader's son is dead... and yet Mufasa never feels any guilt or anxiety or anything afterwards. What the hell?

I was sort of excited to hear this movie has multiple deaths, but none of them had any emotional impact so it was disappointing in comparison to the original. If I remember right they were all off-screen, too. I guess Taka was upset that his father died but I sure wasn't. Fuck that guy.

Mufasa and other characters discuss "the circle of life" repeatedly but it feels like it comes out of nowhere. It's not as if the adult lions specifically taught Mufasa about it the way Mufasa taught Simba, so it comes off as just yet another forced reference to the original.

I do like that Mufasa actively makes an effort to cooperate with other animal species. It was a bit startling when a giraffe spoke for the first time, and this brings up Weird Implications when you remember the lions kill and eat most prey animals, but I still liked it.

That said, I noticed spotted hyenas appeared in crowds several times but they were never specifically mentioned. So what did they do to deserve later being exiled under your rule, Mufasa? How and why did you become a speciesist, Mufasa? :/

Rafiki's backstory is shown and tries to answer the age-old question of whether he is a baboon or a mandrill (spoiler: he is a mandrill who was adopted into a baboon tribe and subsequently outcast). Sighhh. Not the worst thing in the world but completely unnecessary, and would have been better if there was more time to explore and reflect on it, but there isn't, because the film moves at a breakneck pace and has no time to explore or reflect on anything.

I did love Rafiki's characterization when he met the main gang, though. One of two genuine laughs the movie got out of me (the other being Taka's attempt to flirt with Sarabi). Still should have been a woman like the Broadway version tho.

Timon and Pumbaa were fine. Kiara was fine. I have neither complaints nor praise for their characterization, other than the fact Disney should have taken the opportunity to canonize Timon and Pumbaa as a gay couple, if only they weren't evangelical-pandering marketability-obsessed cowards.

The film seemed to be setting the stage for a CG remake of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998 direct-to-video cartoon) but given Mufasa's current financial performance that seems unlikely to come to fruition. Kind of a shame because that's one of the very few animated films I think could actually benefit from a remake, even if photorealism is still the wrong way to go. Oh well, I'll be surprised if it ever happens at this rate anyway.

[akajustmerry]

Favourite romance movie?? 🥰

omg only one?!?!?!??!? nah sorry can’t do only one, I love romance as a plot too much so here’s a bunch:

much ado about nothing (2011) - my heart combusts everytime david tennant and Catherine tate interact in this. 

the handmaiden (2016) - needs no explanation. best romance in cinema. we love romance found in double deception.  don’t watch if ur under 18 tho.

been so long (2018) - musical starring love of my life michaela coel as she falls in love for the first time in 7 years.

moonlight (2016) - the part in the script that’s like “the earth moved. they both felt it,” describing the moment kevin asks chiron where he’s staying? sublime!

leap year (2010) - it has come to my attention many ppl think this film is a joke? to those ppl I say you’re the joke and you’ll never know the pure joy of watching ana and declan bicker their way into love via partaking in the best romance tropes EVER. 

emma. (2020) - their cheeky make out at the end of the film is literally one of my top on-screen kisses of all time. they!

cairo time (2010) - this film will devastate you, seriously. its the epitamy of “almost,” its the YEARNINGGG

rafiki (2018) - 2 Black girls falling in love! the colours! the sweetness! tw: homophobic violence towards the end tho. 

the princess diaries 2 (2004) - sorry (not really) but mia/nick >>>> mia/michael. the moment when they meet literally makes me SWOON. 

destination wedding (2018) - winona and keanu talk themselves into being in love for 90 minutes after they meet on the way to a wedding. genuinely think its their best work in terms of romance. their chemistry is really high energy, despite the plot being them mostly just talking, and they’re so funny!!

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019) - Bollywood about two young women falling in love. this film has EVERYTHING! comedy, tragedy, deception- Shakespeare would LOVE IT!

george of the jungle (1997) - LISTEN!! george and ursula are one of THE great love stories of cinema. the way they learn from each other and know each other equally??? the moment when ursula realises she loves george makes me squeal every timeeee

suk suk (2019) - this one I know is hard to find, but I wanted to talk about it anyways cos its so lovely. its about two hong kong retirees who fall in love and meet in secret with their gay friends and go on dates. its so soft and beautiful. 

the conjuring 2 - horror king James wan said “i will make the soul of this terrifying haunting story the unwavering love between ed and Lorraine warren”

friends with benefits (2011) - I know this movie is problematic but I legit think its soooo funny and lovely and the chemistry between Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis is so good! 

portrait of a lady on fire (2019) - needs no intro. essentially, a lighter frencher version of the handmaiden.

enjoy! x

[mrjoelgarcia9]

Let’s Talk #Disney’s #TheLionKing 2: Simba’s Pride

In 1998, four years after The Lion King became one of Disney’s most successful films, the studio produced a direct-to-video sequel. It went on to become one of the most successful direct-to-video films ever released.

Also, it is one of Disney’s rare good direct-to-video sequels.

For a review of Disney’s The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, feel free to keep reading. There will be spoilers.

Before I begin, I should note I am aware this film was originally released in theaters outside of the United States. I am also aware of Disney Junior’s The Lion Guard and that some of the film’s characters appear in the series. 

This is only a review of the sequel, so I will not be pointing out any continuity issues relating to the show. With that noted, here is my review.

The film briefly starts with Rafiki introducing Simba and Nala’s daughter Kiara. As a cub, she meets Kovu, another cub from an outcast pack of lions formerly loyal to Scar. Simba refuses to let her see Kovu ever again. Kovu’s mother Zira sees their friendship as an opportunity to avenge Scar’s death. She proceeds to brainwash him for years to be the one to kill Simba and take back Pride Rock. Will Kovu listen to his mother or his heart?

This sequel is one of Disney’s rare good Direct-to-Video sequels. However, like Aladdin and the King of Thieves, it has several issues preventing it from being as great as the original film.

Multiple characters were introduced in this film: the aforementioned Kiara and outcast lions Zira, Kovu, Nuka, and Vitani.

Kiara is technically a returning character by her brief appearance at the end of the first film, which was recreated for this sequel’s cold open. As Nala briefly tells Simba, Kiara is a lot like him by how she acts out and winds up in trouble. She also struggles to be independent, due to Simba regularly ordering Timon and Pumbaa to keep her safe despite her objections.

The only explanation given about the outcast lions is they were heavily loyal to Scar and then banished by Simba. It inadvertently creates a plot hole involving Kovu. A throwaway line states he is not Scar’s biological son, avoiding any fears of incest, but chosen by him to be his heir. It seems unlikely the two ever met unless Kovu was chosen before being born or is actually older than Kiara.

Kovu is somewhat of a tragic character. He was brainwashed to be the new Scar by his mother, raised to believe he was right, and to avenge his death by killing Simba. He doubts what his mother told him when Simba tells him what actually happened. He falls in love with Kiara, making it impossible to fulfill his mission. When he fails, he is considered an outcast by both his family and Simba.

Zira serves as this film’s main antagonist, being written and visually presented as a female Scar. She is far more memorable than most Disney sequel villains due to Suzanne Pleshette’s great performance. Even though the film shows her favoring Kovu over her other children, she does cares for them by her reaction to Nuka’s death being the only time she is shown to be remorseful.

Nuka, the lion voiced by comedian Andy Dick, is strangely sympathetic. He is shown to be jealous of how Kovu is treated by their mother and treated as a joke by his sister Vitani. When finally given the chance to impress his mother, it leads to his death indirectly caused by both Simba and Kovu.

Of the film’s returning characters, the only ones who play major roles in the plot are Simba, Rafiki, and strangely Mufasa.

Simba is shown to be a cliche overprotective dad. He sees Kovu as a reminder of Scar and worries history will repeat itself. This is shown by a nightmare he has of seeing his father die, Scar transforming into Kovu, and being thrown down by him into the wildebeests. He is also shown to be just as strong as Mufasa by surviving an ambush and barely able to get away.

Even though he died in the first film, Mufasa plays somewhat of a major role by Rafiki. The film implies he wants Kiara to be with Kovu, with Rafiki helping him out by setting up the two to be together. A bonus feature on the Blu-ray had an unused take of James Earl Jones as Mufasa commenting about the Circle of Life coming to an end, likely meaning he would have played a bigger role with their relationship. Outside of Rafiki’s brief moments, Mufasa only appears in the cold open, Simba’s nightmare, and vocally during the ending.

Other characters were very superfluous to the film. Zazu’s only major contributions were sending out alerts and reminding Simba about his father’s laws. Vitani only served to mock her older brother and randomly confront Nala. Some might say that Timon and Pumbaa waste too much time onscreen, but they provide some of the film’s few funny moments.

The sequel’s music is better than most Disney’s direct-to-video sequels, primarily consisting of callbacks to the original film’s songs alongside new music.

“He Lives In You” does a great job replicating the tone of "Circle of Life” and is the sequel’s best song. It was originally written for a concept album, then brought over to the Broadway musical, and finally this sequel. The song was also played during the end credits of the live action remake.

“We Are One”, on the other hand, is the film’s worst song. It sounded like it was explaining the Circle of Life to a younger audience in far more simpler terms than Mufasa’s explanation in the first film. It comes off as corny and something which would be far more appropriate for a Disney Junior show.

“My Lullaby” is this film’s equivalent to “Be Prepared”, with Zira bragging about her future plans to her pack. It is a good song but has mediocre singing from Suzanne Pleshette that makes Andy Dick’s line sound great by comparison. 

This song was notably co-written by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and director of the first two Avengers films.

“Upendi” was clearly written to give Robert Guillaume an opportunity to sing. It is good and one of the film’s major highlights, with visuals reminiscent of “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King” and a fun catchy beat.

“One of Us” is the only song not performed by any of the main characters, instead sung by the normally silent animals. While its dramatic tone stands out from the other songs, the singers' performance sounds more irritated than angry.

“Love Will Find a Way” is reminiscent of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” but sounds generic. While not as bad as “We Are One”, it sounds like the first draft of what could be a great song.

The climax appears to have been sloppily edited to make Zira’s death ambiguous. Kiara tries to save her only for the next scene to be of Zira falling to her death. She is heard yelling but the animation shows her grinning.

While villains falling to their death is nothing new for Disney, it is always either caused by accident or an act of God. It appears the film originally had Zira committing suicide rather than be saved, which would have her made the first Disney villain to intentionally end her life.

Despite these flaws, there are several positives.

The main plot is really good. Basing it upon Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet similar to how the first was based on Hamlet, and Kimba The White Lion, works to present consistency between the films. Since the first film underplayed Simba and Nala’s romance, this sequel makes up for it with Kiara and Kovu’s relationship. The division among the lions may have been underdeveloped, but it is interesting seeing a pack of lions who are against Simba.

Kiara’s clashing with her father may be the cliche father/daughter conflict, but Simba is justified by how he tries everything to make sure she doesn’t make the same mistakes he made as a cub. Her declaration to Simba that he will never be Mufasa serves as a wake-up call for him.

The climax may not be as intense as the original’s, but is far more dramatic than those in some of Disney’s other direct-to-video sequels (such as Mulan II).

Most of the original film’s voice cast reprise their roles and they all give great performances. Rowan Anderson is one of only two missing actors, with Zazu now being voiced by Edward Hibbert, who would also play him in the following sequel The Lion King 1 1/2. Jeremy Irons does not reprise Scar. Jim Cummings, who sang part of “Be Prepared”, instead voices Scar’s cackling.

The animation is, to an extent, great. Compared to the two Aladdin sequels, which looked like slightly better episodes of its eponymous TV series, this film almost looks theatrical. It has muted colors like some of the studio’s other direct-to-video sequels, the main characters have a new car shine, and certain background characters looked like sticker cutouts. 

Since the sequel was theatrically released outside of the United States, it was originally produced for the widescreen aspect ratio and looks great in HD.

The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride is a good sequel to the original animated film. It has a good story, great new characters, memorable songs, and near-theatrical animation for a direct-to-video film. All of these elements make up for some plot holes, lackluster singing, and many superfluous characters.

If Disney ever decides to make a sequel to The Lion King live action remake, it would be great to see a live action remake of this film with a few improvements. It already set up the possibility by introducing Kiara in the very last minute.

If you only want to see or own one other The Lion King production besides the original animated film, this sequel comes Highly Recommended.

The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride is available to own on Blu-ray and Digital.

Until next time, thank you for reading!

[queerbrownfox]

Another Queer Bites the Dust at This Year’s Golden Globes

Awards Season!

If you’re like me, you’re probably suffering right now with an existential quandary, somehow caught in the space between knowing that award shows do not matter in the scope of things and only represent the Hollywood establishment which is only a tiny portion of the arts and being glued to your TV set to see who wins best picture this year.

And if you’re also like me, by which I mean queer (or care about queer stuff), you were probably pretty psyched for this awards season. The Favourite, The Green Book (not to be confused with The Green Mile), Bohemian Rhapsody, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Boy Erased, Rafiki, Colette, Lady Gaga’s existence, and more . . . there have been so many queer films to come out (heh) in 20gayteen. 

At the Golden Globes this past weekend we saw an array of queer films nominated, and, I’ll be honest, I was pumped. It looked like it would be a great year for representation.

But then.

So without further ado, here’s the piping hot dish of queer erasure casserole that was the 2019 Golden Globes, folks.

Thought this year was a success for queers everywhere after the Golden Globes? Well, in point of fact . . . nope. Despite wins by The Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, and The Assassination of Gianni Versace, which all told queer stories, this year’s Golden Globes failed queer audiences massively.  Let’s break it down.

1. The Green Book? More like The Story Book.

The Green Book is a film that tells the story of Dr. Don Shirley, an insanely talented black pianist, and his white driver, Tony Vallelonga as they travel through the deep South on tour. Shirley, who happens to be a queer black man, and Vallelonga, despite their early differences (like Vallelonga’s being super racist), navigate issues of race and class throughout their journey and eventually end up as friends and comrades.

Sounds great. Except. 

First off, the movie was adapted and directed by Nick Vallelonga, the son of Shirley’s driver, who wrote the book that The Green Book was adapted from. In other words, it was the white man’s version. The film has come under constant fire since its public debut from none other than Shirley’s family, particularly his brother. Mhmm. Bad news.

Next, the trailers released for the film and other promotional materials don’t even nod to the scenes in the film in which it is revealed that Shirley’s oppression is criss-crossed with his identity as a queer black man. True, the preview shown during the Golden Globes ceremony did include a clip that revealed the pianist’s identity, sandwiched between shots of Vallelonga beating up people who were attempting to assault him. 

All in all, the movie smacks not only of queer erasure, but an elixir for white guilt. We as white people love to eat up feel good stories about white people who reach across culture and race boundaries to form “color-blind” relationships built on true empathy and compassion (see The Help, Shawshank Redemption, Hidden Figures). Stories that often take place, (coincidentally?) in the 1960s at the height of segregation. Which is funny, because it perpetuates the idea that race issues are all resolved now, as a result of the compassion shown by white people to black folks Way Back When. As anybody who’s got a sense of what’s going on in the world—or their own backyards—that’s far from the case.

Just sayin’.

2. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: Or, Another Straight Gets a Golden Globe for Playing a Gay and Everyone Eats it Up.

Ah, Darren Criss. This isn’t the first time we’ve been down this road. Have we. 

It started with Glee. Criss played Blaine, opposite Chris Colfer’s Kurt Hummel, an adorable baby gay with an impossibly effeminate singing voice that was ear candy if I’ve ever heard it. Criss, of course, very talented too. I lived for their relationship as boyfriends on the show, and tried to suck it up and pretend not to be disappointed when I found out that Criss (somehow???) was not queer in real life.

Then there was Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and now, Gianni, in which he plays the famed designer’s killer, Andrew Cunanan. All gays. All roles he was praised the hell out of for performing. He even won a GG for best actor in a limited series last Sunday.

And sure, Criss recently stated in a Bustle interview that he will no longer play gay characters so as not to be “another straight boy taking a gay man’s role” as the actor said.

That’s all fine and good, but that article was published in December. And at the GG’s this year? No mention of it in his acceptance speech. At all. If it weren’t already too little, too late for the guy, that last snub certainly makes it so.

I mean, I sort of forgive him for Glee though.

And finally. The worst offender of them all. 

3. Bohemian Rhapsody, But, Like, Without the Part Where Freddie Mercury Dies from AIDS.

This one pains me. I don’t want to admit it happened. But it did. And it was REAL bad.

Rami Malek. Even as a lesbian, I love him. Okay, I said it. He’s a cutie, and he’s extremely talented (See Mr. Robot), and his voice sounds like how coffee would taste (I imagine) if I liked coffee. And when I saw the first trailers for Bohemian Rhapsody, I was PUMPED. Thank God they got an actual person of color to play Freddie Mercury who, most people don’t even know, was also a person of color (yeah, his name was Farrokh Bulsara). The likeness, too, was pretty impeccable.

Freddie Mercury was one of the most famous bisexuals of his time, rivaled only by David Bowie, perhaps, who together produced perhaps the greatest and gayest moment that rock music ever saw when they collaborated on “Under Pressure.” Malek, always an enigma, I’m not going to jump to conclusions about his sexuality since he’s never stated it publicly, but, let’s just say he’s only ever dated women. 

Which is all fine and good on its own.

But Bohemian Rhapsody had already come under scrutiny for “straight-washing” after the release of its first trailer, which completely masked Mercury’s queerness, quickly followed up by another trailer that gave audiences a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dose. As an article featured on Into stated regarding that sprinkle of queerness, “It’s the kind of passable moment that straight audiences wouldn’t take offense at and gay viewers could feel like they had some semblance of representation.”

Needless to say, we were off to a rough start.

So while I was watching the Golden Globes, watching Rami Malek walk on stage and accept his Best Actor award, of course I was nearly praying in my head that Malek would mention Mercury’s queerness. That would have made things better for disappointed queers. And honestly, Mercury’s memory deserved it, along with all the others who had their lives cut short during the AIDS epidemic.

So what brilliant lines had he to say about that? Nothing. Not a mention of AIDS or Mercury’s queerness was uttered by Malek or the production team who accepted the GG for best Drama.

Frankly, I wish I could say I was surprised. Or enraged. Or something. But as the 2019 Golden Globes ceremony came to a close half an hour late, I just had a kind of half grimace on my face.

As my mom would say about every fashion choice I made in high school: Disappointed, but not surprised. 

It was looking like it was going to be a good year for queers during award season, but we’re really not starting off on a great foot. Yet, I should add, we queers and allies should take courage, and tell ourselves that it’s not over until the last white guy receives an Oscar. Our fates are not yet writ. With a little over six weeks left, we have two options.

First, for those of you who are staying tuned in, have hope. There are a lot of queer films, TV shows, and artists in the running at this year’s award shows. The Golden’s are pretty indicative of how the Oscars turn out, but they’re not a direct reflection. And there’s still time for people, (Ahem, Rami Malek and Darren Criss) to do justice to the queer community as potential allies.

Second, for those of you who don’t care about awards shows, take pride in knowing that you’re probably right. It probably doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters, after all . . . ♫

[benefits1986]

Year 7: Final Year Na Ba Talaga?

Today, I was greeted by the watch mom gifted me with before she passed on 7 years ago. Nakakatakot. Pota. Pero it made me smile inside out. Well, after shaking my head, that is. Tomorrow is her birthday in heaven and nagpapaganaps na naman siya in her own way and style. I guess it’s one of the reasons why I hate to love and love to hate my home in Manila. It is filled with too many memories of my life’s most defining chapter.  Funny how mom never fails to let me know that while I seem to be so crappy with how I deal with my life after she passed on, she reassures me that no matter what, it’s toward the right direction. Ako lang ‘tong takot sumabak at pabebe in a way na I’d rather keep my comfort zone than to be the palovean wander and wonder girl that I am all these years. By wonder pala, I mean, laging out there for adventure and always has a hefty dose of curiosity.  The past months have been particularly interesting, the most interesting parts of my life, no matter how sedated and boring and “downgrade-worthy” they appear. The past months have been spent in Palawan then back to Manila mostly with my dogs as I prune my seven years of being stuck in a really, really bad cycle of denying myself of the bucket list that I try to postpone just because I’ve already been on a track where I’ve done more than I can inspite failing many, many times miserably.  For someone who’s strategic and really, really aware of compartmentalizing my emotions to the point of concealing them very, very cleverly and artistically, admitting that I need to take a huge step back is extremely death-defying. Notice that I use the word death-defying because for such a long time, I have denied vulnerability in order to survive a life without purpose --that is a life without my mom.  Looking back, all the doors that opened no matter how promising did not make sense. I thought back then that I do not deserve them. I thought that I am not worthy mainly because I dream dreams that have turned to realities when I lost my mom. I took so much of me even when there’s not much left of me without anyone else knowing how fucked up I am because, hey, ego over heartbreaks, right? Back then, I severely punished myself because I felt alone and cheated. Even when people tell me that I am doing a decent job or even a good one, I felt so small and so insignificant. It is because of this immense blow that I found myself OD-ing on work. Yes, work that I am kind of decent with but something that I vehemently disapprove of. I figured that every time I spent away from my family is a step toward proving something to myself --a world where my mom’s memories cease to exist, or so I thought. 

Every deadline, every goal met, every KPI delivered felt addictive. And so, it progressed to higher dosages as I found myself more unhappy, more unstable and heck, even more miserable, after the high wears off. It’s for this reason that I seem to be a weirdo when I say I hate my world and most especially my work but I keep showing up never mind the fuck ups I cause along with the chaos that is part of my strategic and creative process. Hah. So much for shit, yes? And then it progressed even more. I wanted to turn back time because I felt my mom betrayed me, hence I moved to a bigger organization in the hopes of getting into an even bigger world I denied myself of before graduation --a world where I know is tough and will eventually corrupt me, but, hell, yeah, a world that I’ve been dreaming of just because I felt that I can finally prove to my mom of all people that I’ve made it big without her help, without her approval, and without her, at all. Twisted to the core, but back then, I don’t give a shit. Really. And being the go-getter girl that I am, I managed to wiggle my way to the bigger world where I finally got face to face with even bigger matters that made the already problematic plot even thicker. The OD on work topped with a brimming social calendar and the thirst to get to the even bigger world got the best of me. I don’t even know if it’s considered the best of me when I am an autopilot mode each day because the high no longer mattered, literally and figuratively. I somehow managed to theorize that it may be because I am getting old and that YOLO is no longer part of my vocab nor my mantra. Wrong. I was beginning to see the perils of OD-ing on things that do not make me breathe and live anymore. That’s when I started thinking more and more and more and more about killing myself without anyone knowing it. Hah. That’s how fucked up I was. My reason was not that nobody loved me nor valued me. I simply wanted things to end because it’s no longer worth wasting time on. I felt that my breaths are not mine. I felt that I am taking up too much space in this already densely populated planet. And most of all, I’d like to take my chances if there’s indeed a world after this world. In short, I missed my mom and I wanted to be with her. Simple as that. No fancy shmancy shit that involves family or friends who did not look after me or watched over me. No lack of love life or dating or flirting. No loneliness. No shadows of the past. Just plain old “thank-u-next” life kind of vibe. And so, one fine day, I met a car accident, my first to be specific. And, guess what? It was a total car wreck. 

Though the car may look decent enough, thing is it’s matic, hence, the car insurance company declared that I’d rather be given a full damage claim rather than fix it. Imagine. My first ever car accident was a total car wreck. How awesome is that, ain’t it? I can never forget that day where I chose to OD once more on work. Hah. This bitch ain’t giving up back in those days. Showed up to work at 11:30 am and ended my day at around 5 am. Had decent performance that day because I was able to swing a bigwig meeting with the board of directors and our CEO and our seniors PLUS handled a trending event with co-workers while drinking and doing shamncy live social media reportage. Little did I know though that this particular OD will cause me to lose control that I thought I had all these years. You see my adrenaline is on its A-game all my life even when I lost my mom. I remember asking Manila Memorial and Trinity in the calmest and collected style if they offer 0% on credit card payments for their services. Also, I slept like a baby an hour after mom died. See? Adrenaline A-game, bitches! 

However, because I was on OD with something that kills me without me knowing it, I felt my ground shake that very early morning after my car wreck. I felt my body shut down as I quivered and felt cold sweat. Another first. I felt the pain of the whiplash I was not aware of, hence, I was shook thinking I might have unknowingly gotten a fracture. And oh, after drinking and smoking like a crazy AF kid, I discovered I had a lump on my forehead and that lump was quite big and throbbing. All these while I succumb to hailing a cab because Grab drivers think my location is out of their bounds. I cried in the cab and thank you, universe, for the driver whose face I can no longer remember. He simply assured me that everything will be okay and that I just needed to rest and calm down. He even shared that car accidents ought to be traumatic and that eventually, I’d be back on the road because I should not be intimidated by these normal occurrences. At that moment, I felt like he was Rafiki in The Lion King and that The Circle of Life is playing in the background. And I was this fucked up young Simba gone adult. 

Things seemed to be back to regular programming, inside I began to see I was rotting. I began to question why I’ve been living in a material world that I totally believe to be immaterial. I began to feel the pull all the emotional shutdowns are causing my physical stance. I began getting sick to the point that the heartburns would not allow me to get up from my bed. Flashbacks of the car wreck became random thoughts even when I try my best to go back to OD-ing with work again. And then, a glorious system failure happen. I missed deadlines. I learned the realities of this world -the small, the big and the bigger worlds. I began to see that this world that feeds me is the same world that would kill me before I know it. And that now that I finally know that this world is killing me, I am pretty much veering toward shutting it down for my sanity. Problem is I don’t want to. Problem is I choose not to know how to. Problem is I already built a life that I can’t sustain without this world. Problem is I keep making excuses because, heck, yeah. I am that strategic girl, right?  And so, I came back to a place where my dreams turned nightmares began. I somehow convinced myself that my dreams in this bubble were dreams that not only belonged to me, but were part of a grander purpose, something bigger than who I am and who I thought I am. So, after trying it out with all that I can, the OD-ing were no longer enough. I found myself in a very, very dark place that is ultimately hollow. Imagine. Dark and hollow in one go. Shit gets more and more real. I thought that if I have a dream with a dream team, things would be better and that eventually, I’d be back to regular programming. But, dreams turned realities are usually more messed up because they go beyond deadlines. They fuck up with your lifelines, big time. 

Months later, the OD-ing pulled me to a place where there is absolutely nothing except me, myself and I. Again, nobody knows this back then because I am that strategic and creative critter. Physical tolls kick in harder. The emotional turmoil escalated all the more. The self-inflicted shit fest came in handier. The deadlines kept piling up and honestly, that was the first time that I did not care at all. I thought that I was selfish, but in retrospect, that was me crying out for help not from others, but from me --the me that is still somehow breathing under all the shit pile that is above and beyond me. Of course, I was trying to solve these because I need to be fed by the world I chose to be part of, but, I failed more than ever. I had some A-game wins but the wins were at the expense of my sanity. And again, this is the first time that I am totally experience shutdowns both in the physical and the mental spheres, and I am not kidding when I say that these shutdowns make me feel more than nothing. It’s so difficult to explain, so let’s save that for another entry, shall we?  And so, I decided to make a full stop amidst everything. I just woke up one day and told myself that it’s time that I allow myself to look after myself. I just realized that I ought to be wasting my time beautifully. And that beautifully meant I am the only one to define it. For the first time in my life, I was able to let the voices inside me have a decent conversation with any trace of OD-ing on anything.  Today, I am still learning. I am still afraid. I am still figuring things out.  Today, I can say that I am back on track even if it seems like I am still lost. I can say that I finally managed to live my truths even when it seems that the world I was once in look down on me, and yes, I don’t give a shit. After all, I am still the strategic and creative girl, but now, I am also a work in progress in the name of things that make me more of the me I always dreamt of without having to run away from my mother’s memories. I am a work in progress who’s on her way to live with intent as I make more sense of how to die beautifully in my eye. Of course, I still want my mother’s approval, but now, I realized that I don’t need it. Sweet, right? 

[servinglemonade]

Once Upon A Time...(The Disney Tag)

If you don’t know already, I’m a HUGE Disney fan. I have grown up with all these movies and I love to read or watch this tag from other people (because I’m curious). So I thought: “Why not do it myself?”

I just googled Disney tag questions and found these. Here we go!

1. Favorite Disney Movie? Well, this is really hard for me, because there are so many that I love. So I have divided them into 5 categories:

Favorite princess movie: Sleeping Beauty, because Aurora has been my favorite Princess since I was little. But I also have unconditional love for Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast, Mulan, Pocahontas and recently added to this line-up, Moana (even though she is not really a princess, but the daughter of a chief)! Favorite Pixar movie: Monsters inc., Finding Nemo/Dory and Toy Story Favorite live-action: Pirates of the Carribean Favorite movie with animals: The Lion King Favorite DCOM: High School Musical

2. Walt Disney World or Disneyland? I have never been to Disneyland before, so Walt Disney World. I went to WDW two times when I was little, I still have some great videos from those trips! So it has a special place in my heart. 

3. Favorite Disney Character? This is impossible. Disney has way too many good ones.

4. The first Disney movie you remember seeing in theaters? Gosh, I think it was Pooh’s Heffalump Movie.

5. What type of Disney item do you collect? I collect pins, I don’t have a lot, but I definitely want more.

6. Your favorite Disney song? I can’t pick 1 favorite, but all my favorites are in this Spotify playlist!

7. Favorite attraction/ride at the parks? It’s a Small World, The Teacups and Dumbo: The Flying Elephant ride. I haven’t visited any of the parks in YEARS, so I can’t really judge all the roller coasters and thrill rides but these are my favorites right now.

8. What is your dream job at Disney? I would love to be a part of making a new plot for a movie. I have no idea what the official name for that is.

9. Who’s the character you never miss meeting at the parks? I don’t think a Disney trip is successful if you don’t meet Mickey Mouse.

10. What’s your most treasured Disney item? All of the Disney ornaments that my family and I hang in our Christmas tree every year.

11. Which Disney voice actor would you like to meet? I would love to meet the voice actor of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger (it’s actually the same man #what), Auli’i Cravalho, who is the voice of Moana. I think she is incredible and Angela Lansbury, who is the voice of Mrs. Potts and an absolute legend.

12. Favorite Disney movie that is not a classic/famous? The Hunchback of Notre Dame! This is such a good movie.

13. If you could say anything to Walt Disney right now, what would you say? I would thank him for all the laughs, the cries, the happy moments and just making my childhood so magical. I would also love to know his opinion on the current state of The Walt Disney Company. Like the parks and all the movies.

14. Your favorite snack to get at the parks? I have never tasted all the famous snacks, like dole whip, the Mickey shaped snacks, and churros, so I don’t know if they’re any good. But I always hear good reviews about them, so that is pretty promising. Although I do remember eating such a delicious crepe with Nutella in Disneyland Paris. So I’ll go with that one.

15. Your favorite parade/show at the parks? FANTASMIC!

16. Flounder, Sebastian or Scuttle? This is so hard, I love them all. But I have to go with Sebastian. He’s so funny!

17. Your favorite Disney memory? STORY TIME: I went to Disneyland Paris for the first time with my aunt, uncle, little niece, and little sister. We went to celebrate my 10th birthday. On our last night, we went to Café Mickey for dinner. It’s a character dining experience. So at one point, music starts playing and it’s happy birthday. So I thought oh cool it’s someone’s birthday. So I kind of start clapping along. Suddenly I see a waiter with a cake coming towards our table with Mickey and Pluto. And then I thought omg this is for me?!?! And yes it was! So everyone in the restaurant is singing and Mickey starts dancing with me and as a 10-year-old you feel pretty special in a moment like that. That’ll always be such an amazing memory!

18. Do you have a favorite pair of Mickey ears? Just the classic Minnie ones.

19. Which ‘forgotten’ princess would you add to the official line-up, if you could? Megara from Hercules! Love her sassiness!

20. Your favorite princess dress/outfit? Aurora’s pink dress, Jasmine’s two-piece, Belle’s yellow dress and Cinderella’s blue dress!

21. Your favorite Disney soundtrack? This kind of changes, but right now Moana is on repeat.

22. Genie, Abu, Carpet, Iago or Rajah? I don’t like these sidekick questions….But if I would have to pick one, it would have to be Genie!

23. Favorite restaurant at the parks? I don’t really have one. But I think when I go back to Walt Disney World (whenever that may be) Be Our Guest would be on top of my list. I really want to try The Grey Stuff!

24. How did you discover the ‘magic’ of Disney? I think I discovered this when I was already a little older, 12 or 13 maybe. I just saw that Disney was something magical and it had taught me so many valuable things in life that when I was little didn’t really know or understand until I was older.

25. What attraction are you most likely to go on when you’re at the parks? I love rides and roller coasters, so I’ll try to get on as much of them as possible.

26. Your favorite ‘iconic’ moment? (ex. Ariel on the rock, Aladdin finding the lamp, Rafiki lifting Simba, etc.) Rafiki lifting Simba, without a doubt.

27. What’s the saddest moment for you in any Disney movie? When someone dies, I always cry.

28. Best Disney kiss? When Prince Phillip kisses Aurora and she awakens from her sleep.

29. If you could live in any world from a Disney movie, which world would you choose? Oeh, this is hard. I think San Fransokyo (Big Hero 6), Neverland (Peter Pan) or Motunui (Moana).

30. Favorite Disney musical sequence based on spectacle/animation? Not really a big musical fan (although I am obsessed with Hamilton), but I would love to see The Lion King on Broadway!

31. Which Disney princess has the best sidekicks? I think every princess has AWESOME sidekicks. I can’t possibly pick.

32. If you could have a party themed around any Disney movie, which one would you pick? Lilo and Stitch! Who doesn’t love a Hawaiian themed party?

33. Are you the only one obsessed with Disney in your family? My little sister and I are on the same level. My mom and dad love Disney as well, but I think me and my sister show it a little more.

34. Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth or Chip? But…Why???? Seriously these are 4 are a package deal. You can’t have one without the other. Although I adore Lumiere and Cogsworth! But Mrs. Potts is such a mom-like character and Chip is the cutest. So yeah, I’m not going to pick.

35. What are your top five favorite Disney blogs on Tumblr? @wdwpics @thatdisneylover @thedisneyprincess @world-of-moana @mickeyandcompany

36. If you could choose the plot/adaption for the next Disney movie, what would it be? Maybe something with a group of girls going on an adventure. They don’t have to be princesses though. Or maybe this group of girlfriends meets a princess and then they have to go on an adventure together.

37. Favorite hotel at the parks? I have never stayed in a Disney World hotel, but if I could pick any hotel to stay in, it would be the Animal Kingdom Lodge. My favorite hotel in Disneyland Paris is the Disneyland Hotel! It’s so pretty, the food is great and when you step out of the hotel, you’re in the park. What could be better?!

38. Which Disney movie do you watch when you’re sad? Anything from Winnie The Pooh.

39. The Aladdin show or The Little Mermaid show? The Little Mermaid show.

40. Do you plan to have your honeymoon at a Disney park? Maybe, who knows. Although I think it would be awesome to get engaged there, in front of the castle. #goals #basic

41. Favorite piece of Disney clothing/accessory to wear? My Minnie ears and Disney Christmas sweater.

42. Post a picture of yourself that’s Disney related. I think the picture on top of this post covers that.

43. Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck? Both. (Who made these questions?)

44. Which Disney movie, even if it’s not your favorite, will always have a special place in your heart and for what reason? Lilo & Stitch, because this movie has given me a love for Hawaiian culture. I just fell in love with the music, language, and dancing. I have wanted to go to Hawaii ever since. I also love the Ohana-spirit throughout the whole movie. “Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” This line has stuck with me ever since I saw this movie for the first time. My family means everything to me and that is why the line is so important to me. Any Winnie The Pooh movie, because they always give me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It also makes me look back on the good ol’ times High School Musical, because these movies have made me so happy. So many memories have been made with my family and friends because of these movies. I feel like when these movies ended a part of my childhood ended as well. I ALWAYS cry at the end of HSM 3.

I actually had a lot of fun answering these! Feel free to share your own answers with me in the replies! Thank you so much for reading!

Stay Flawless!

XO 

Yenai

Enjoy this GIF of Walt Disney being an actual real-life Disney Princess. 

[jolteonjordansh]

Thoughts on Battle of Adventurers

So Digimon Tamers had a movie! I mean, all of the series so far have had a movie. Adventure just had one at the end of its run, while Adventure 02 had a non-canon one smack in the middle and an actual canon movie at the end. Tamers has its own neat little side story smack in the middle of it, so I went ahead and watched it.

If anyone’s wondering: I watched this movie after reaching episode 21. So the reason I’m writing about this before writing my thoughts on the second arc is because... I’m not done with the second arc yet. But I’ll be done with it pretty soon after. So how is this movie?

I remember when I wrote about my thoughts on Hurricane Landing/Transcendent Evolution that while it wasn’t an awful film, it was definitely questionable in its existence. But one of the things I did commend the film for was its sense of scale and how it really felt like a big adventure.

Battle of Adventurers also manages to capture this atmosphere as well, though in its own way and while also managing to be an interesting, fun, coherent film. It kind of feels like it takes some of the aspects of what made the other Digimon films good and turned it into its own thing--a similar set-up of Our War Game!, the grand adventure of Hurricane Landing/Transcendent Evolution and the teamwork of Diablomon Strikes Back. Maybe that sounds like a forced metaphor, but hear me out.

From what I can tell, Battle of Adventurers is the first material to establish the multiverse in Digimon, with Omegamon (yes, our favorite Omegamon consisting of Tai’s Agumon and Matt’s Gabumon) confronting a manifestation of the remnants of Apocalymon known as Mephistomon. Mephistomon escapes to the Tamers’ universe, and Omegamon cannot pursue him and only travel through digital space. Whether that means there’s separate Digital Worlds in these universes or that they’re one universe, or that Omegamon can universe-hop through Digital Worlds but not “real worlds”, I’m not sure. They don’t really clarify, but it’s not a particularly big deal.

Now, this could have been really cool if Tai and Matt were fighting along Omegamon (ala Our War Game!) and could have actually universe-hopped to help the tamers confront Mephistomon and defeat him. But that unfortunately didn’t happen and again, the whole multiverse thing wasn’t the focus here. Then again, Xros Wars/Fusion tried to do this kind of thing too and from what I understand that didn’t go too well, so...

But onto the main plot. The whole big adventure feel I was going on about goes to mostly Takato going on a summer trip, while Henry goes on his own adventure to some ruins. Rika... stays in Tokyo, because I guess someone had to. It’s been pretty clear in the times Rika has been with her mother that she’s not quite the fond traveler, at least that’s the impression I get. Unfortunately, we really don’t get to see much of what Henry does--which is odd since they’re kinda specific as to what kind of place he goes to. The biggest adventure element comes from Takato and Guilmon, who visit an island with Takato’s cousin Kai.

Maybe it’s not quite as big as the Adventure 02 DigiDestined traveling across America and I could totally be having a personal aesthetic preference here, but I really liked the time Takato ended up spending on the island with Guilmon. The scenery looked really nice and I loved some of the swimming and underwater sequences, which comes with an honestly really nice insert song to boot. Maybe some people found the beginning boring, but I honestly found it really nice, calming and just a good way to ease into the movie by not forcing our protagonists into a fight immediately and just have the Tamers, friends and Digimon having a nice time.

When the fights do start though, they really go by fast. At times, I almost felt they were a tad too fast. There were actually quite a few neat looking Digimon throughout the movie--like Tylomon, Pteramon, Archelomon and Baromon (hello Ganon)--but most of if not all don’t even get scanned or name dropped. It left me thinking “Ooh, what’s this Digimon? What is it capable of--HEY! WAIT! Don’t kill it! You didn’t even tell me what it was called!”. With how many fights there were, I guess some of them did require fast-pacing, and that didn’t even make them bad either. They still looked good and were fun to watch. I think my only grievance is when a Divermon fell through the hut roof and Kai’s grandpa challenged it, he didn’t wipe the floor with it downright Rafiki style. Come on, you know that would have been hilarious!

In regards to the animation, I found it mostly pretty standard. It wasn’t bad, but nothing that wowed me like Our War Game!. There were still some scenes that looked nice (the aforementioned swimming scene and some of the scenes in Digital Space), and honestly one of the oddest things was how well animated the V-Pet was. Granted, it also wasn’t anything mindblowing, but it was still surprisingly smooth for something that’s basically a BonziBUDDY clone. It was certainly a few levels over the actual show, being in widescreen, having nice pastel colors and shading. Still, one weird animation moment was having the Digimon Digivolve split screen, but only having WarGrowlmon’s in his usual CG while Rapidmon and Taomon were traditionally animated. And then the animators decided to cut and paste Rapidmon and Taomon with CG WarGrowlmon--it just really sticks out like a sore thumb.

The plot of the film was pretty nice, not only setting out to be an adventure but also a pretty good story about loss. I’ll be straightforward: as someone who lost her best four-legged friend six months ago, this one was a hard film to watch that hit really close to home. It made relating to Minami effective without feeling cheap, especially with the theme of irreplaceable companions. That alone worked pretty well with Takato, as a sensitive young boy who fears the idea of ever losing his Digimon partner. 

I think something I wish they could have done was had Minami with Seasarmon de-Digivolved to Labramon, considering Labramon’s striking similar appearance to her dog Mei (and I mean, how can you not adore a Digimon this cute!?). It would have been interesting to continue the theme of Mei being an irreplaceable friend to Minami, who she felt responsible for, and having to struggle with Labramon for looking so much like Mei yet--in Minami’s eyes--was not Mei. This could have also fleshed out Labramon/Seasarmon a bit more for dealing with the hardships of being rejected despite his loyalty. But hey, his sheer loyalty was really strong and touching. I can say it was downright cruel of the writers to make poor Minami lose her dog not once, but twice. Again, this hit a pretty personal spot for me that put me in tears yet again.

I still wish the movie could have done a little more with tying into the Adventure universe, but it’s nothing I’d knock it for. Even if it made Omegamon kind of a plot device to help bring Henry and Rika in to help defeat Mephistomon. Regarding Mephistomon, while he isn’t the most interesting Digimon antagonist, his origins were neat (though not really fleshed out) and he could be pretty cunning. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to be able to disguise himself as a human being to get his way, and his Digivolution to Gulfmon did give a sense of helplessness. One thing I couldn’t help but find kind of funny was his reaction to hearing Omegamon when he helped bring in Henry, Rika and their Digimon. His “oh shit it’s Omegamon!” reaction was just priceless to me, but I enjoy villains who think they’ve won only to have the one person or thing they fear come in and completely change their tune... even if it was rather brief. Still, his utilization of ordering around other Digimon, even willing to fire freaking laser beams at Minami to threaten her father was pretty diabolical.

I will say the movie actually did stress me out with some of its sense of danger, having technology shut down and fail. It is similar to Our War Game! in that way as to how Diablomon took control of things like nuclear missiles. Still, just showing me any potential of a plane being in danger of crashing or getting destroyed with passengers inside absolutely strains me. It’s a personal and psychological thing, but still showed how threatening the infection of the V-Pets was.

I do think this movie definitely had one of my favorite battles of the series so far with Mephistomon/Gulfmon towards the end. Not my absolute favorite yet, but pretty high up there--especially with the combined Trinity Burst attack. I won’t deny that I’m a huge sucker for combo attacks (you can probably blame Tales of Symphonia’s Unison Attack mechanic for that). I’m only sad to know that Trinity Burst is never utilized in the series ever again. Seriously, it’s a powerful combo attack, why wouldn’t you use that more!?

Other than that, the movie ends kind of abruptly. Even though I have a couple of minor complaints about it, they are still minor at best and most of them don’t distract from the fun, joy and painful feels I got out of this movie. As I said, it takes a lot of elements of what made the past Digimon films good and did its own thing. And I really appreciate it as a fun side story. I’m not sure if I have a favorite Digimon film so far (I’m torn between Our War Game!, Diablomon Strikes Back and this one), but I think of all of them, Battle of Adventurers is the most balanced in every aspect. For all of the little problems it has, all of the good is just really pleasant and so worth watching. And hey, even if the ending was abrupt, it had a nice ending song by AiM!

So honestly, this was a great Digimon film for all of the good stuff it has, and I could definitely see myself watching it again for how nice it was. It’s a great side story for the Digimon Tamers series.