#sadly this trend does not continue through the rest of the series

[mlpoutofcontext]

[froegge]

A look into the themes in TMA: addiction

This theme is explored most thoroughly through Jon's relationship towards the tapes. At the start of the first season, he is just reading them to organise the archives, and to provide a digital-ish version of some of the statements. Throughout the second and third seasons, we hear about how each statement slowly becomes not "enough" for him, and how he feels “unwell” if he does not read a statement for too long. Eventually, Jon begins to want more than just old statements that have been sitting in the archives, which leads to him asking people on the streets to give statements about their traumatic experiences to do with the supernatural. This only stops when the rest of the archive crew find out what's happening through a complaint made by one of his victims. This shows his slow descent into dependence on the statements for his liveliness, and perhaps even his life.

In the fifth season, this “addiction” to the statements continues through Jon and Martin’s trek through the fearscapes, manifesting in him having to tell the people suffering’s stories in the form of statements. When he’s in a blind spot, where the eye can’t see him, he starts having the withdrawal symptoms shown in previous seasons, except worse, now that he’s deeper in his addiction. This all leads to the final episode, where, in the logical line of events, from Jon starting to read statements, to him feeling unfulfilled after reading just one, to him giving in to temptation and using unethical methods to feed his growing addiction, to, through all of those events, gradually becoming dependent on them for wellbeing, and finally, at the very end, he chooses to continue the trend of all of his previous decisions by giving in to the eye, and becoming the pupil.

There is also a fun parallel between the eye addiction and the smoking addiction that a lot of the characters have, where one of the eye’s blindspots is in the tunnels underneath the institute, where it’s not safe to smoke, so the characters go outside of the blindspot to feed both addictions. Also, Jon has a mother of puppets themed lighter, which parallels how the mother of puppets also subtly encouraged his eye addiction throughout the series.

Another way The Magnus Archives shows this theme is through Daisy Tonner. When Daisy is introduced to the cast, she is already deep in her addiction to her own entity, the hunt. She has been using her position in the police force to provide victims to hunt, satiating her addiction. She is introduced at the start of the third season, throughout most of which, we see her usual hunting habits, and how she justifies it by only hunting the people that she believes to be deserving of it. She even tries to kill the archivist at one point, claiming that “he murdered two people [...] Maybe more” and how he is an inhuman monster because he can “pull your secrets out like teeth, just because he asked”, a claim that isn’t entirely untrue, but is still (in my opinion) not justification for murder. After the finale of season 3, Daisy is trapped in a coffin (that leads to an underground place that feeds on claustrophobia) for about 6 or so months, which is plenty of time for her to reflect on her actions throughout her life. After she gets out of the coffin, she decides to try to recover from her addiction to hunting and killing. In season 4, we hear about how Daisy gets closer to her friends, makes new friends, and sounds happier, but we also hear how the addiction is sticking, and how difficult it is for her to no longer hunt.

Sadly, at the end of the season, she has to hunt again, and this time, does not recover, leading Basira to kill Daisy, as she promised in a previous episode.

[ohshcscenerios]

with Christmas season approaching, what kind of 'Hallmark movie premise' would you see for Haruhi x the hosts??? bc everytime I see 'city lawyer woman and small town woodsman who teaches her about the magic of Christmas' I think Mori x Haruhi and like. Disney level animal sidekicks of Mori's raccoon and chick lol. Hope your halloween went well btw and ty for the video series!!! You have the prettiest brown eyes btw ^^

This is the cutest idea and I want a fan-fiction series of these hallmark stories 😭 Also thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed the videos! I was very disheartened because they flopped on TikTok but I still had fun making them ☺️.

Haruhi x Takashi:

I can definitely see their story being a "city lawyer woman meets rugged yet shy woodsman". I can even see Takashi being a school teacher in this scenario. Maybe he still lives in the woods because he enjoys his privacy but from 7-3 he teaches history at the high school.

Now, I want to say their situation would be the classic "there are no hotel rooms available in this small town" and Haruhi so happens to meet Takashi at the only has station. He overhears her asking where she can stay the night and he knows she won't find a place at this time of night so he walks over and offers the small guest cabin on his property. He explains that's where his cousin stays when he comes to visit but she can stay there as long as she needs to.

Also, when Haruhi goes to the high school to talk to Takashi about the case she's working on his students ooh and awe at the hottie standing in the hallway and when he walks back inside they're all snickering that he has a secret girlfriend. He doesn't correct them, just tells them to turn to page 30 in their textbooks.

She offers to make them dinner as her way of thanking him for his generosity. They eat together almost every night. At first they talk about the case - or what Haruhi can disclose - and the town's history, but after a while they start talking about their lives, their families, their goals and dreams. Soon their light chatter isn't just friendly conversation anymore.

Takashi looks forward to seeing her after work and Haruhi finds a strange peace in living in the quiet wood. Then one night they're sitting outside under the stars with a cup of coffee and Takashi gathers the courage to ask if she has to leave when the case is done... or if she could stay with him.

Haruhi x Kyoya:

Hear me out; small town girl living in the big city to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer meets cocky businessman who is visiting to scope out a coffee shop. He wants to buy it so he can turn it into an office for the Ootori Group so they'll have grounds in the city. It also so happens to be Haruhi's favorite coffee shop.

They meet by accident one morning but it's not the classic meet-cute scenario. Haruhi sits down with her cup by the window and Kyoya approaches her with a tablet in one hand and a tea in the other. He asks to sit with her since the place is packed and the only seat available is right in front of her. She says yes and for a while they sit in silence until Haruhi asks what he's working on. He states it's rude to pry on other's business. Haruhi says she can see him designing a building blueprint on his tablet and it looked cool. Kyoya adjusts his glasses and asks if the people here are always this nosey. Haruhi gets insulted. Kyoya doesn't care since the coffee shop will hopefully be gone by the end of the month and leaves.

They continue meeting each other nearly every day at the coffee shop. Their backhanded insults slowly turn into sarcastic flirting. Soon Kyoya and Haruhi are caught in the rain and he offers her a ride to her apartment. In the car he opens up about his life, confessing that his father is the one who is making him do this. If he can establish the Ootori Group in this city it'll help prove himself. Haruhi considers this and asks if that's really what he wants, if he really wants to take over the family business or if that's just another thing his father is making him do. Kyoya stays awake that night, unable to sleep because of that question.

The next day he texts his father and informs him the coffee shop isn't a good location for their office. His father is disappointed and makes a sly comment of asking one of his brothers to finish the task Kyoya couldn't do on his own.

That was what made Kyoya realize - he didn't want to work beneath this tyrant forever. He didn't want a life ruled by his father.

Kyoya returns to the coffee shop and sees Haruhi sitting in their usual spot. With a smile and a newfound goal, he approaches her with a tablet in one hand and a tea in the other.

Haruhi x Tamaki:

Why did I first think of Elf 🤣. In all seriousness, I think Tamaki would be the one hoping to fill Haruhi with Christmas cheer. I can see Haruhi working at a law firm but not as a lawyer, maybe as the receptionist, and she's all business. She has goals and she's intent on climbing the ladder to her own office. Tamaki is a new intern at the firm, hired during the Holidays since the Christmas season is usually the busiest time of year for the firm. Tamaki instantly takes a liking to Haruhi and stops by her desk every morning for a hello and a smile.

Soon he's bringing her a cup of coffee. Peppermint, mocha, salty caramel, whatever sweet seasonal flavors the area has to offer. He just wants to see her smile. One day she does.

Tamaki asks her out on a date which she declines but after five more attempts she says yes and meets him at a casual restaurant a few blocks from the firm.

Haruhi opens up and confesses Christmas is a hard time for her since losing her mother. Tamaki becomes solemn and says he can relate with her, that he too misses his mother during the holidays. Haruhi avoids the holidays while Tamaki embraces them - for the same reason.

With this new bondship they unknowingly become closer.

Tamaki still tries to get Haruhi into the Christmas mood but giving her small treats every morning and she complains he's going to make her fat but he only laughs it off.

Then the firm closes for the Christmas weekend and Haruhi is sitting in her apartment alone. No Christmas tree, no Christmas lights, not even a Santa mug... But she sees the pumpkin spiced muffin on her kitchen counter from that morning and decides...

She calls Tamaki and asks to spend Christmas with him.

Haruhi x Hikaru:

Ok hear me out; Haruhi is a lawyer with her own office on the top floor and Hikaru is the computer tech who is charged with teaching her how to use the new technology the firm just adopted. He has to teach her how to use the new tablets, presentation screens, and mobile devices. Haruhi wishes they would have left things as they are but she has no choice. Time to adapt.

With all the time they spend together they begin talking - then they talk over coffee - then they talk over dinner. At first Haruhi tells herself she's just making a new friend, that her busy work schedule doesn't allow for romance, that they can't be more than friends. She's been putting off relationships for so long so she could focus on her work. Surely Hikaru would understand.

He doesn't. Within a month's time his work there is done. He's installed all the new technology into her office, taught her how to use it, and left the manuals on her desk - along with a note explaining his feelings.

Haruhi realizes she loves him just as he's walking out of building and for the first time since working at the firm Haruhi is seen running down the stairs.

Haruhi x Kaoru:

Obviously Kaoru has to be a fashion designer. I'd say Haruhi is a small town girl going to a community college when Kaoru stumbles into town. She's going to get her associates there before moving onto a big-name college in the city for the rest of her law degree. Kaoru is just supposed to be passing through on his way to a convention.

He gets caught in a blizzard and ends up at Haruhi's front door. Thankfully she's able to live on her own in a one bedroom apartment so Kaoru takes the couch for the night. It all happens so fast they don't even have an introduction until morning.

Over coffee Kaoru introduces himself as a rising fashion designer and how he's supposed to be at a convention by the next day for fresh and upcoming trends. Haruhi sadly tells him it'll take a week for the plowers to reach her street. He's stuck there.

Kaoru, bored out of his mind, goes through Haruhi's closet and tosses her bland clothing on the bed. He promises to renovate her wardrobe when he gets the chance to which Haruhi refuses. She doesn't need to look like a rich snob. Kaoru reminds her law school will demand a sense of fashion, even if it's just business suits. Name brands have a voice in the world in the law.

During their time together Haruhi and Kaoru realize they get along very well. During the week stuck inside they sit by the floor heater with their instant hot chocolates and joke that it beats a roaring fire.

Soon the blizzard stops and the roads are plowed within 9 days time. Kaoru already missed the convention and he's very disappointed but he's still hesitant to leave. He asks Haruhi when she'll obtain her associates degree. She says by spring. Kaoru smiles and tells her to live with him when she goes to college in the city. He had a spacious three bedroom apartment on the skirt of the city - with a walk in closet.

Haruhi x Mitsukuni:

Forgive me but I can't think of a scenario where Mitsukuni isn't an elf in disguise 🤣. It's the perfect job for him; he'd be surrounded by sweets and toys all day. Maybe he has to act as Haruhi's Christmas guardian. He has to help her fall in love with Christmas again.

They don't fall in love... I can just see them becoming good friends. Maybe Mitsukuni gives her a snow globe of the North Pole and says that's where he'll be if she ever needs him again.

[aspenflower17]

Finding You (Part Two of ??)

Hello again! I'm back with the second installment of my new series, Finding You, which was previously Untitled.  If you want to be tagged when I update this series, just comment below :)

 Part One Link

In this part, we finally get to Satan and what he's been doing during all this. It's not really a happy chapter. You have been warned.

I think it's important to note that I am American. In this part, there is a funeral. Since I don't know much about other cultures or religions way of holding funerals, I just wrote what I know (and that's very little actually. I've only been to two full funerals. I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have). Feel free to change the story up in your head to match your own funerary customs.

As always, likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated and help me endure the torture that is typing up this story from my notebook 😒 I also tried to make sure the editing on here was good. Any DM's for typos or things that didn't make sense are appreciated so I can fix them (please be kind though 🙂 ). I did write some of the funeral disjointed on purpose, trying to recreate how I was feeling when I attended the funerals I did.

Tags (for you lovely people <3 ): @obey-me-trashshshshsh, @naimena

F! MC/ Satan

Word count: 3,195

Warnings/triggers: ANGST!, description of funeral, loosing someone dear to you, some violence at the end though nothing too graphic (he is the avatar of wrath after all)

Satan had felt when Mc died. His pact mark had begun to glow and heat up. A terrible rending feeling in his chest, then… Nothing. He couldn’t move, fear completely paralyzing him. No, it couldn’t be…

Then he heard Mammon scream. Then Asmo. Then Levi. Soon, the whole House of Lamentation was filled with wailing. Satan scrambled for his D.D.D, hurriedly dialing Mc. No, no, no, no, no. He had just talked to her. She’d been fine.

“Hi! This is Mc. I can’t get to the phone-”

“No… No, no, no, NO!” Satan screamed, throwing his phone at the wall. Satan sunk to his knees in a sobbing heap.

The brothers never got an answer to what exactly had happened to Mc. Diavolo had confirmed she had passed, but he couldn’t get any details since she hadn’t been sent to the Devildom. He had managed to find out when and where the funeral would be, if they wanted to go. They would only be able to attend the graveside service though, since the viewing was being held in a church. 

Each brother attended the graveside service. Satan stood stoically as the casket was brought out of the hearse. He was wondering if he would be able to get Asmo to charm everyone in attendance so he’d be able to see her face one last time, when he felt his brothers all shifting around uncomfortably. He realized the religious figure he’d tuned out was quoting scripture at the congregation, promises that Mc was now in the hands of God. He decided to tune him out again. Then the casket was being lowered. He had to be physically restrained from going out and pulling her out as the first fistfuls of dirt were being thrown on the casket. How could they do that to her? A voice murmured a reminder that she was gone, and they were just saying goodbye. Well, he needed to say goodbye too. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.

Next thing Satan knew, he was at the corner of the grave, a flower he’d had a death grip on since they had started out from the Devildom in his hand. Her favorite. A shiny wood box met his eyes from 6 feet below. Was she really there? He couldn’t feel her presence from his pact mark. Where was she? When was he going to wake up?

The other demon lords watched their brother loose the fight with his emotions. He sobbed, falling on his haunches. Six hands found a part of Satan to touch, tears in their eyes as well.

“It’s time ta let ‘er go,” Mammon’s stuffy voice came from next to him. Satan looked over to find Mammon had removed his sunglasses. His eyes and face were wet.

“I… I don’t think I can,” Satan stated, tears falling freely.

“I know. I know,” Mammon said, pulling his brother in for a hug. Each of the rest of the brothers joined in the hug, pulling the fourth and second born up with them. After a bit, they all let go, moving forward to give Mc their own token and say their last words. When Belphie had finished, Lucifer put his hand on Satan’s shoulder.

“Mc’s waiting for her flower,” Lucifer said, gesturing towards the grave. Satan nodded, and walked forward. He fiddled with the stem for a second, trying to find the words to say, “Mc… Huh, I don’t actually know what to say… I guess, I… I thought I’d find some way to be with you forever. I never thought… I’ve never felt anything like you before Mc, and I don’t think I ever will again… Please… Please, if it’s possible, come back to me. Please,” he uttered as he dropped the flower onto the casket, and walked back to his brothers. He knew everyone was looking at him, confused and curious through their sorrow. They all stayed until the end of the funeral, when Satan turned to Lucifer, “I think it might be time to go.”

“If you’re sure, that would probably be the smartest course of action,” Lucifer nodded, the humans looking questioningly at the demons. The religious man from earlier was actually making his way towards them.

“I’ll visit her later when there aren’t so many people around,” Satan stated as he started walking. The brothers exchanged looks before following him.

The next couple months were quiet at the House of Lamentation. The brothers did the bare minimum required to keep the household going. They were all absent from RAD and Lucifer even took some time off from the endless amount of paperwork he usually did, to grieve. Mc may have been dating Satan, but the rest of the brothers loved her too, and missed her greatly. The only time the brother’s saw Satan was when he was raiding the fridge, finally giving into his stomach pleading for food. He still managed to look somewhat put together, though his eyes were dead and haunted. He had retreated so far into his mind if one of them managed to get him to acknowledge their presence they counted it as a win. He was a shell of himself, and everyone was worried.

Time marches on though, and life slowly returned to normal. One day, Lucifer had gone to RAD and come home with some random paperwork that needed to be done. Another, Asmo was going out to update his wardrobe because his was terribly behind the trends. Each brother found their own way of coping. Beel eventually asked if they could all have family dinner again. They all actually made an appearance, though Satan left once he was done eating.

Though he wasn’t doing well, Satan had been visiting Mc’s grave at least once a week if not more. Lucifer had granted him access to the portal indefinitely, a gesture of kindness that did not go unnoticed. At first he just cried quietly at her grave, not able to produce a coherent sentence. It slowly evolved into him reading her her favorite books or some snatch of poetry that reminded him of her. Eventually he was able to talk freely as he once had. Sometimes it was a mixture of the three. His brothers never saw him cry though. Since Mc had been the only one that seemed to truly understand his feelings, she was the only one allowed to see him cry. Through this self therapy, Satan started to heal. He started sitting in the common room with his brothers in the evening, or snorting at some joke that had been thrown around the table at dinner.

As the years passed, Satan would still visit Mc’s grave, though the frequency dropped. He slowly learned to deal with his sorrow, just like he had with love when he’d first fallen for Mc. It was much harder, his wrath often informing his depression. She became his support again, even if she wasn’t able to respond to help him through his feelings. He always visited on her birthday, bringing her a bouquet of flowers and some small piece of literature, art or playing her some music.

One year, while reading her some Shakespeare, someone came up behind him, “She appreciates it. I know she does.”

Satan stopped reading instantly, whipping around to see a woman who looked quite a lot like Mc, “Excuse me?”

“Coming to see her every year. You have great taste in art by the way,” the woman said, sitting down besides Satan, looking fondly but sadly at the headstone.

“Um, thank you. May I ask who you are?”

“Only if I can ask you the same thing,” the woman responded, smiling at him wryly. The look was so similar to one Mc would give him, he found himself instantly trusting this woman, “I’m S… Stan,” he answered, giving the nickname Mc come up with, when he had asked if he’d ever be able to meet her family. She’d laughed when she'd thought of it, saying she could never introduce him as Satan.

“Stan? I was wondering. She met you when she took that trip out of the country right?”

“Yeah… Did she tell you about me?”

“Oh, you want me to remember that far back? Hmm… I seem to remember her talking about how smart you are, “She chuckled, her eyes far away, “I remember one time, I went in to talk to her and she was furiously reading some book. When I asked what she was reading she told me she couldn’t talk to me right then, needing to catch up to where you were in the story. It was a silly little moment, but she looked so determined… I do know she was in love with you. Though she only really told me about you shortly before she died, I remember the look in her eyes when she talked about you. Telling me about how drawn she was the moment she laid eyes on you. You know what a romantic she was. As her Mother, you can guess how excited I was to meet you, especially after watching her get her heart broken before... You’re exactly her type, you know. Tall, blonde, smart. She was even thinking of introducing you to us. Then it happened.”

Satan didn’t realize the tears were flowing until she looked over and wiped a tear away. She continued, “I was disappointed when I didn’t see anyone that matched your description during the viewing. I don't know what kept you, but I am glad you made it for the casket lowering. I was surprised to see your brothers though, if that's who they were. You all look so different… Anyways, I’m sure she would've loved the intrigue you brought to her service. A handsome stranger, distraught at the thought of life without her. She always did love big, dramatic displays of affection.”

“You remember me from the funeral?”

“Who could forget? It became a topic of conversation in our family once we could all talk about her without crying. Who was that blonde guy? Why wasn’t he at the viewing? Who were the other men he was with? Did she secretly get married while she was out of the country? So many theories, each one more ludicrous then the last. It seems her best friend and I were the only ones to connect the dots as to your identity.”

“Ah. I’m a little embarrassed now,” Satan admitted sheepishly.

“Don’t be. I was extremely bitter after the funeral for a long time. How could my beautiful daughter be taken away from me? Parents were never meant to outlive their kids. I’ve never understood the reason people take photographs at funerals. Most of the time, there’s so much makeup caked onto the body they’re almost unrecognizable. There’s a photo of you from the funeral I actually saved though. You’re looking at the casket with such a look of longing and loss, just waiting for her to come back to you. That photo actually brought me a lot of peace after she was gone. Your look perfectly encapsulated how I felt at the time. It also helped me to know she was able to know that much love before she left. I never want you to feel embarrassed for showing that kind of love to my daughter.”

" She is and always will be the only one for me.”

Mc’s mother laughed, “Oh, you’re still young and quite handsome. You’ll find someone else. In fact, you don’t look like you’ve aged a day from the first time I saw you. You must’ve made some kind of deal with the devil,” she joked.

“Ah. Very funny. Yes. A deal with the devil. Haha.”

Mc's mother looked at him, slightly concerned, "Well, it seems I've made things awkward. I’ll leave you two alone now.”

“Oh, that’s okay. You don’t have to leave on my behalf,” Satan protested.

“It’s alright. I live close by, and I come and visit fairly often. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime. Good night, Stan”

“Good night, and… thank you.”

Mc’s mother smiled at him and walked away.

“Well, Mc, I guess I have your mother’s approval now,” Satan joked, turning back to his Shakespeare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Remind me why we’re here again,” Satan said, only slightly interested in the antics Mammon was trying to drag him into.

“Tryin’ to get some sucker… er, customer ta part with their Grimm, obviously,” Mammon explained, leaning back in his chair and turning to face Satan and Belphie.

“What does that have to do with us?” Belphie mumbled, eyes more closed than open.

“Well, everythin’! You two are super smart, so I need ya ta…” As Mammon continued talking, Satan wondered, not for the first time, if Mammon actually ever intended to make money with his schemes, or if he had simply found a way to work through his sin without causing too many problems. He had to understand how likely his plans were to fail… Right?

A bump on his shoulder announced Belphie had fallen asleep. Since Mc had helped him work through some of the trauma he had held onto since Lilith’s death, Belphie had gotten comfortable with his brothers again, growing especially close with Satan, their mutual dislike of Lucifer giving them something to bond over. When Mc had died, Satan had found Belphie to be the most supportive of his brothers. Though they'll lost had lost Lilith, Satan had found Belphie the most sympathetic to what he was going through.

“Oi! Listen when I’m talkin’ ta ya! Ya both younger than me, so you shouldn't really show me more respect.”

Belphie lifted his head, and rolled his eyes, “Mammon, do you really want me to do you a favor? How about this? Maybe, don’t explain how you’re going to con people in front of those you want to con.”

Mammon looked around worriedly, finally noticing the glares he was getting, before rounding on Belphie, “I was just explainin’ the plan ta ya and Satan cuz ya both asked again! If ya didn’ wan’ an explanation, ya shouldn’ have asked!”

Belphie was about to retort, when he got a self satisfying smirk, “Oh, dearest big brother, looks like you’ve got your first customer.”

Mammon went pale, turning around slowly to find a demon about as tall as Lucifer staring Mammon down, obviously angry.

Very interested in how Mammon was going to worm his way out of this one, Satan turned to say something to Belphie when he caught sight of a familiar hat. 

“Belphie, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn’t that Luke?”

“Hmm? You mean the chihuahua?... Oh, I think it is. Why do you suppose he’s here? I never heard we were getting any visitor."

"It's a little terrifying just how much you know. You're like Asmo that way."

"It's not my fault everyone just assumes I'm sleeping while they're talking."

"Belphie, you know enough, I think you store information while you're asleep."

"Huh… I'd never thought of that before… Who’s that other angel with him?”

“I don’t know… She kinda looks familiar though, don’t you think?”

Belphie looked over at him, arching an eyebrow, “Do you know any angels younger than Luke?”

“Well, no, but… She just looks so familiar.”

“I guess… Hey, you’re missing Mammon squirm.”

“You watch and enjoy. I’m going to go talk to them,” Satan said, clearly distracted, as he got up out of his seat.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a large body planted itself in front of Satan. The demon was tall, but so was Satan. He was able to look him right in the eyes.

“What’s it to you?”

“You’re with the guy that was going to scam us right?”

“You were actually going to fall for his scheme? Really? Well, the first step to getting the help you need is admitting you have a problem. Now, move. I’ve got places to be.”

“Not so fast Princess. You’re not getting away that easy,” the demon put out his hand and grabbed Satan’s shirt.

Satan looked down at the offending hand, and then at the demon, his horns already starting to sprout, “I’d suggest you unhand me if you want to keep your kneecaps.”

The demon laughed, a cocky smile on his face, “Ya think just cuz you’re an elite ya can take me? What makes you so special huh? Ya just think ya so great, just because ya pretty. Am I right?”

The rest of Satan’s demon form appeared, his eyes glowing, a menacing aura surrounding him, “No. I know I can take you because I’m the Avatar of Wrath. Maybe, if you weren’t such a dunce you’d have noticed that,” and with that Satan grabbed his hand in a bone crushing grip. The demon started yowling, trying to twist out of his grasp. It only made Satan increase the pressure. He leaned in right next to the demon’s ear, “Next time you pick a fight, understand who you’re dealing with first.”

He swept the demon’s legs out from under him, and put him in a wrist lock submission hold. The demon was now yelling for mercy, desperately trying to break Satan’s hold. Satan looked around to see if he could still see Luke, but realized quickly that wasn’t going to be possible. Both of his brother’s were currently dismantling whatever demon had decided to pick a fight with them. The rest of the area had erupted into chaos, most demon’s running away. No one wanted to be around when one of the Avatar’s were fighting, much less three! A couple idiots were trying to get in on their fight though.

Sighing, Satan leaned down again, “Well, well, well. Looks like you’re losing your kneecaps today.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Satan muttered to himself, picking up bits of trash that had been left by the fleeing demons. Because of his involvement in the fight, he had to clean up the entire park. Trying to explain to Lucifer he'd been trying to walk away apparently didn't help when you'd put five demons in the hospital before he'd shown up to stop you.

“Well, Lucifer, if you could’ve just kept your cool, you’d still be prancing around with Simeon and Michael up in the Celestial Realm, making friendship bracelets, painting each other little rocks and braiding each other’s hair as you giggle about how… Huh?” Satan crouched down, noticing a small foot peeking out from a pile of leaves. Moving around to the other side of the pile, he saw it was the small angel that had been with Luke.

Up close, the feeling he'd met her before was even stronger. She looked so familiar, but he knew he’d never seen her before. The youngest angel he’d ever met was Luke. Maybe she was from the foggy memories of Lucifer’s he still had? That was forever ago though. She should've grown up quite a bit by now...

His musings were interrupted as the small angel moving. She winced as she sat up, holding her head, “Wha… What happened? Luke? Where are you?, then noticing Satan, “Oh, hello there. I’m sorry, but could you help me find my big brother?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Three Link

[ordinaryschmuck]

Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-20th place

Have you ever watched a series that started out astounding but slowly became blander with each season? It sucks, doesn’t it? To have a show that you love to watch nearly every episode to become something you regret watching. However, while this does become grating, I still believe that a show isn’t always bad if it slowly became so. Because if suitable elements are desirable enough, you have something that is honestly worth an initial watch.

#20-Star V.S. The Forces of Evil (2015-2019)

The Plot: A magical princess from another dimension, named Star Butterfly, finally gets a magic wand that has been passed down through her family for generations. There’s just one tiny winey little problem: She’s irresponsible with it in every way, shape, and form. So, to make sure that she doesn’t destroy the kingdom-I mean-to teach her responsibility, her parents abandon-I MEAN-transfer her to an ordinary school on Earth. There she meets her “best friend” Marco Diaz, and the two of them fight monsters who want the wand, save Star’s kingdom, and eventually get together at the end (It’s not a spoiler if it’s painfully obvious).

So here’s the thing about Star V.S. The Forces of Evil: It had a severe case of series rot. Again, I don’t think it was an overall bad show because of it. The series wouldn’t be on this list if that were true. However, while it isn’t bad, that doesn’t mean it deserves to be higher on the list. Mostly because everything that made this show wonderous ended up getting stuck in a limbo of mediocrity.

The first thing that’s worth mentioning is the animation. The first half of season one had some of the best-animated scenes out of every show in the 2010s. It was smooth, fast, and really expressive. Unfortunately, the rest of the series goes through a very noticeable downgrade. It isn’t bad (at least, it isn’t by season 2) as the slow animation can actually help the series during the more dramatic bits. It just gets a little frustrating given how great it used to be. In fact, I feel like the show’s animation quality is a perfect analogy for the show itself: Fast-paced and fun in the first couple of episodes, slow and passable in every episode after. And it’s not just the animation that got a downgrade, but the comedy as well.

At first, Star V.S. relied on a LOL Random sense of humor. A person can laugh at a random moment that comes out of nowhere, and even if they didn’t, there was another random joke that came shortly behind to make up for it. The problem is that a series needs to have the right energy to match fast-paced humor, and as we already established, this show lost that energy due to the animation’s downgrade. Because of the downgrade, the show had to adapt to the slow movements by switching from acting random to acting absurd. It’s still funny (sometimes), but not as hilarious as it used to be. Especially if people preferred the show’s original randomness. It’s like a show’s comedy switched from slapstick to dialogue exchanges. If done correctly, that could be funny, but nobody would have watched the series for its dialogue. The same can be said for Star V.S. the Forces of Evil, especially when it begins to mix said comedy with drama.

A trend people might notice during the 2010s is that shows begin as purely comedic, only to slowly become more dramatic. In some cases, it works, especially if a series has a perfect mix of comedy and drama. Sadly for Star V.S., the show has more of a contrast in tones than others. While certain shows had that required mix of comedy and tragedy only to slowly lose it, Star V.S. the Forces of Evil never really started with that mix. The jokes are funny, and the drama can be endearing, but here is the problem: If you are more of a fan of comedy, you will be bored with the dramatic episodes. And if you are a fan of drama, you will think that the comedic episodes are stupid and random. Which was what the show was from the beginning! The series used to be about Star and Marco going on some crazy adventure where they fend off iconic villains while having well-written jokes sprinkled in. Now it's about having characters going through serious stuff and occasionally doing something stupid and random. Speaking of the characters…

The characters in this show are...just fine. Some have the emotional depth to them, and others are nothing more than sources for comedy. Some of them are either really entertaining, are either really uninteresting and forgettable, or they are just flat out annoying (Case in point: Princess Ponyhead). However, there is one teeny-tiny issue that this show does with its characters that frustrate me: it’s the use of romantic subplots. Personally, I don’t mind romance. Hell, I fricken’ support it as long as it’s done well. And Star V.S. doesn’t do it well. 

Here’s the thing: Star and Marco will get together in the end, and it's apparent that they do. Don’t even pretend that it isn’t, and don’t complain if that’s a spoiler. Because they are two unrelated main characters of the opposite gender in a Disney cartoon. That alone should be enough to convince you that they’re going to eventually get together. And how do the writers utilize the relationship? Do they start off as a couple early, and the show continues on from there? Do they do a slow burn where they eventually get together by the end of the series? No, and sort of. You see, Star V.S. has the one cliche that everyone is just about tired of, and that is using a love triangle. But they just don’t use one love triangle. They use a love quadrilateral. And that love quadrilateral eventually devolves back into a love triangle, only to get replaced by another love triangle. And that love triangle turns into another love quadrilateral! And weirdly, that love quadrilateral is also a love quintuple! And if you want to add shipping into the mix, that love quintuple is a...shape that doesn’t even exist! And to top it all off, that love whatever-the-hell-you-wanna-call-it has Señor Marco Ubaldo Diaz in the center of it all! 

Look. If you want to include romance in your series, that’s perfectly fine. But if you wish to use love triangles, here’s some free advice: DON’T! DO IT! They force drama, are always unnecessary because it’s obvious who's gonna end up with who, and by the end of the day, someone’s gonna get hurt. And I don’t mean the characters. No, no, no. I mean the fans who were rooting for one couple or the other!

These are the reasons why I think Star V.S. the Forces of Evil lost its touch. I still like it, but these faults make it hard to do so. The problems this show has are either a downgrade from the first batch of episodes, are problems that become more noticeable as the series goes on, or are problems that are handled much better in other shows. That is, except for one reason that makes me recommend this show: The villains.

This show has some of the best, if not the best, villains out of any animated series in the 2010s. Ludo was hilarious as an incompetent foil to Star, only to become more unsettlingly psychotic throughout the series. There is a fantastic twist with Miss Heinous that actually makes her more terrifying and even more sympathetic. And I’m not kidding when I say that Toffee scares the utter-living crap out of me, even if his motivations are a little weak. The only villain I have problems with (kinda spoilers) is Mina, mostly because her motives are flat and her personality is unentertaining. But none of these characters, villain or otherwise, compare to Eclipsa.

The writers do a great job at dancing around answering whether, or not, Eclipsa is really a villain or is just misunderstood. She does things that are seen as evil and dangerous to others, but she doesn’t do them out of malicious intent. In fact, Eclipsa doesn’t even give off that much evil energy, and it seems like she just does whatever she thinks is fun. The writers also do a great job at not only making her motivations clear, but it also makes Eclipsa a fantastic mirror for Star. Whether it’s a mirror of what she could be or should be, I’ll let you decide for yourself. And yes, eventually, the show does answer whether she is friend or foe. But even then, her character doesn’t suffer but, rather, improves. Because the answer makes Eclipsa more sympathetic and much more understanding.

Unfortunately, these great characters aren’t enough for me to rank the show higher. It’s still a fun series at first, and I highly recommend it, but it doesn’t change how it’s a bit of a mess. In the end, while this Star doesn’t shine as bright as others, there are still things that make it shine bright enough. I know that’s a weird note to end on for a top twenty list, but just note that we only go up from here.

(But do yourself a favor and stop watching after season 3. Just...use your imagination for what happens in season 4. Trust me. It’s for the best.)

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: “ACE Operatives”

We’re back, folks! I have to say, I think overall this is one of the strongest episodes we’ve gotten since “The Lost Fable.” Are there still concerns? You know it, but on the whole I’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. So with that unexpectedly optimistic mindset, let’s dive in.

We open right on the group’s first mission and for a moment I was worried that, like with Oscar’s shopping, this time skip would be passed right over. Especially after we hear Pietro apologize for “holding onto your weapons for so long,” telling us that between the Academy tour at the end of last episode and this mission today, at least a few weeks have passed. Long enough for one guy to re-design multiple combat outfits and weaponry, plus an additional boost here and there. Luckily, the first part of the episode cuts among three distinct times: when they got their weapons, when they first heard about the mission, and this present day flight/landing, which as a technique I like quite a bit. It gives us a sense of each time while keeping us moving forward. No one is thinking, “Ugh. Do we really need to hear a mission briefing when most of last episode was learning about this plan in the first place?” because we already know this is taking place in the past. Just sit through the snippet and then the rest of the info will come through voice-overs while the group jumps out of an airship. Good balance of exposition and action.

What we learn in these flashbacks is that Ironwood wants to use an abandoned dust mine for the satellite’s launch. Only problem? It’s inhabited by a very old, extremely dangerous geist. Kudos to the writing team for the Volume Two callback. I’ve always been intrigued by Oobleck’s comment that grimm are capable of learning if they continue to survive and here we finally see an example of that. This geist isn’t just strong, it’s smart enough to hide in the mines themselves.

Shot over all this we see Atlas military personnel taking out the everyday grimm in the surrounding area, proving that their weapons can handle that task in most situations. Why doesn’t Ironwood’s robots have that then? Or as others have pointed out, something even more powerful like Penny’s lasers, or some of the upgrades the team gets? Chock it up to lack of funds... or simple plot setup. If the robots had been able to take out a bunch of grimm easy-peasy then there wouldn’t have been any cool premiere fight for our group. Then again, all of this casts their snarky comments about Ironwood’s defenses in a new light. Clearly they’re a force to be reckoned with when the plot actually allows it.

We likewise see the group receiving their new gear and... okay. Here’s where the griping starts. Though it’s admittedly small compared to most of my criticisms. First off, why is Jaune receiving a random scrap of Pyrrha’s outfit? Logically this makes no sense to me. Pyrrha’s body disintegrated into a bunch of dust. I can buy Jaune incorporating other armor and fabric into his gear because they were living together and Pyrrha must have spares, but where did this come from? Did Pietro go ask a family member for a random memento for the (from his perspective) equally random teen that showed up? It’s entirely possible that I’m missing something---I’m sick as a dog at the moment and am probably one fever degree away from mild hallucinations---but the whole setup seems incredibly weird. We see Jaune open his box. We see his look of shock. He see him fingering a torn piece of Pyrrha’s skirt. But how does all that come together in any logical way?

More importantly... why? Why is this still a thing? I get it, Jaune is grieving, but to be frank this has been his one-note characterization for over three volumes now. More importantly, everyone else is grieving too. This is another case of the writing prioritizing what the audience knows over what characters know. Meaning, we got to see how close Jaune and Pyrrha were. We know they were in love, but outsiders like Ironwood and Pietro see them as a unified team. Why not give a scrap to Jaune, Nora, and Ren? Really, that’s what rankles the most: this continuing focus on Jaune over the rest of his team. Especially when that focus just leads us in circles of the ‘Jaune is sad’ variety. I thought we were supposed to be learning more about Nora this volume, so why not give her something to remember Pyrrha by? I realize we’re only through the third episode, but in a series that averages twelve each volume, that’s a fourth of our material gone. Please. I’m begging you. Enough about Jaune. We’ve watched him cry and rage and lash out for three years now. He’s gotten to move through every type of grief the writing could throw at him. Let someone else take the spotlight for a change.

(It’s also just all around weird because Jaune is smiling sadly, implying he’s moving on, but then we have Clover narrating about how they’re “going to kill this thing...” which reminds us of Pyrrha’s murder in a way not really conducive to the whole ‘moving on’ vibe... it’s just odd.)

Second gripe: why doesn’t Oscar get anything? I’ve written before about how overall the group still treats Oscar as the outsider and boy oh boy, do we see that trend continuing here. I’ll speak about this more in a moment when we get to the Ozpin situation, but for this scene in particular there’s no reason he shouldn’t be included. If Jaune can get a cool addition to his shield after updating his own outfit, Oscar can get a cool addition too. Take five seconds to have Pietro point out that, as a random farm kid buying combat gear for the first time, he didn’t totally hit the mark. Here are a few things to keep you safer. Hell, you could even have Pietro---who we have established goes above and beyond in his inventions---pull Oscar aside with an updated weapon and Oscar could have gotten all quiet, examining his cane, eventually thanking Pietro, but emphasizing that he doesn’t think he should change things just yet. Or without anther’s input. Or, if Atlas doesn’t want to waste funds on the farm boy let him get a haircut like literally everyone else! We could have allotted Oscar a few seconds of screen time instead of getting what we always get: the team banding together and him nowhere to be seen.

He’s a part of this mission. He’s integral to this mission. He is a main character now. It’s about time the writing started acknowledging that.

The final flashback, at least, includes Oscar a little more. I realize my screenshot isn’t the best, but the expressions here really do say it all: Ruby mindlessly geeking out over new tech while Oscar stands sadly in another doorway.

We hear him say, “Hey... Ruby?” before he’s cut off and we return to the present.

We’ll get back to him in just a moment. For now, the airship opens to reveal everyone’s new look, which isn’t actually a reveal because this scene dominated the trailer. 

Ah well. I have to say though, from here on out one of the main reasons why this episode feels strong to me is because of the overall dynamic among the characters. First, it was smart to break everyone up into different teams to search for a hidden grimm. If they’d tried to cram twelve characters into the same shot for the rest of the episode it would have been a disaster. Second, these smaller teams allow for the sort of teasing/comfort/playfulness we’ve grown used to among these characters, but have largely lost over the last two volumes. One of my favorite moments is when Yang is caught staring at Blake’s new haircut and we get a look at this massive blush.

Not to ship on main, but please note the parallel between this moment and Nora/Ren, two characters who are more firmly established as a canonical couple. Although... here when Nora compliments Ren’s hair he shuts her down pretty hard. There’s none of the casual indulgence we’re used to from him. Since when does Ren insist that Nora take a mission seriously, outside of making those requests in an equally teasing manner? Nora notices as much too, clearly upset, and Jaune is just... dense. It makes me wonder though if this is the direction they’re heading in for Nora. Give her romance troubles in the form of Ren pulling away now that their relationship has had a chance to sink in.

Not sure I’m a big fan of that. Granted, it depends on how they handle it, but on the whole I’m not really invested in reducing Nora’s rare and much needed development down to a cliche ‘Oh no. A boy doesn’t like me’ plot-line. We’ll have to see though.

I also really liked the moment between Weiss and Blake a little later. This is how you tackle racism in your story. Not by having the group risk their world-saving mission by Weiss impulsively throwing civilians into the trash, but by having an incredibly privileged woman acknowledge her privilege. Weiss mentions how angry this mine’s failure made her father, but she doesn’t use the abuse she suffered as any sort of excuse, like she would have in the earlier volumes. Instead, Weiss acknowledges for herself how hard that time was and then apologizes not only for what he’s done to the faunus, but also for “all my complacency in it.” Weiss was a child. We can’t hold her to the same level of responsibility as Jacques. But as a privileged woman in this world Weiss’ complacency does perpetuate her father’s active sins. So it’s fantastic that she admits as much to Blake. In front of all the others, no less. To me, that’s a far better sign of growth than what we got last week.

It’s also during this time that we see Blake eyeing the SDC boxes with anxiety. It could just be bad memories. It could imply that she had some hand in this particular attack. I hope it implies that she���s thinking about Adam because... is anyone going to bring him up? Seriously? Two teammates killed a guy. The self-defense aspect doesn’t erase the fact that they each rammed a piece of a blade through his stomach and watched him topple over a waterfall. We should be dealing with this! Not reducing it to one hug from Ruby right before a major battle. Hopefully this is setup for some (now long overdue) reflection.

Meanwhile, an interaction that doesn’t work as well is when Ruby comments on how freezing she is and Weiss notes that without proper equipment or aura insulation you can freeze to death in an hour. So... is that what the group is doing then? Wasting precious aura whenever they’re outside because Blake wants her arms unzipped, Weiss wants bare spots around her chest, and Yang needs to artistically keep one leg and one arm totally unclothed? The issue is not, “How does the group stay warm?” because plenty of stories have logistical questions like that and unless you’re a fan overly invested in the minutiae, you shrug it off. When is the group going to the bathroom during these endless missions? Who’s carrying pads for when three of them hit their periods at once? No one cares. Rather, the issue is that the writing draws attention to the question and then fails to answer it. Just like they did when suddenly death via cold was something that had to keep them in the creepy town when death via cold was never a concern up until then. Where was hypothermia when Yang insisted Ozpin hash out all his secrets in the snow? It’s a rather convenient ‘Sometimes it’s an issue, sometimes not,” situation. Obviously aura isn’t doing much to keep them toasty though if Ruby feels the need to comment on how cold she still is. And that attention then invites further questions like, “Why then are they still dressed inappropriately for the weather? Should we expect them to fall more quickly in battle because aura is going towards making sure they don’t freeze to death in under an hour?” Better to just leave it alone.

Talk of the cold leads into Oscar though because Yang comments, “I suddenly don’t feel so bad about leaving Oscar behind.” Which... no. You did leave him behind. Don’t try to make that palatable with stupid upsides like, ‘Well at least he’s warm!’ Worse, the group does nothing to justify that decision. Realistically I can buy why they’d leave Oscar out of this mission. We’ve established that this particular grimm has already taken out a lot of people and, without Ozpin, Oscar is still a newbie fighter. With the exception of the train and one grimm in the premier, I don’t think Oscar has fought many grimm at all. So really, it would take two sentences to establish this. Tell us that this mission is way out of his skill range and throw out that he’s training with Ironwood or something. That’s it. That’s all it takes, but the writing bypasses that and leaves us with, ‘The group left Oscar behind... for reasons?’ Which, in the context of his entire time with them looks really, really bad. Because they left him out of the dinner in Haven. And the hunt for supplies at the farm. And in retrieving the relic. And left him alone at the Argus house. And left him out of the upgrade joy. We’ve now established a trend of the group outright ignoring Oscar, whether it’s during bright celebratory moments or agonizing traumatic ones. Doesn’t matter, he’s left out of the loop, and now we see the same thing happening here. Rather than a simple and logical, ‘Oscar isn’t ready to fight a super old geist,’ what we’re left with paints the situation as, ‘Oscar is left behind because Ruby disagrees with him.’

Because without clarification, that’s the context. We get another (very short) flashback where he (thank you, thank you) points out that what they’re doing to Ironwood is precisely what Ozpin did to them. (Although Oscar tries to soften this by saying it only “feels like” the same thing.) Ruby looks guilty for a second... and then that’s it. We’re back to at least a day later where they’re on this mission, they’ve left Oscar behind, and Ruby is re-explaining why her morals are sound.

I’ll admit I’m pleased that Yang points out that they agreed no more lies and no more half-truths. I honestly didn’t expect her to say even that much against her precious sister. But still, on the whole this dilemma isn’t much of a dilemma at all. It’s reading precisely like the airship debacle: a few characters giving token disagreements but when push comes to shove whatever Ruby wants, Ruby gets. You know how above I pointed out how much I like the split present/past business so that we can have a balance between talking and action? Yeah, that only works if the talking is generic exposition. We don’t need a long-winded discussion about the details of this mission. We do need a substantial discussion about the absolute hypocrisy the group has fallen into. That split between past and present is important. Are you honestly going to tell me that over all these days---if not, arguably, weeks---the group never once had a conversation about this? That we don’t get to see that downtime filled with some actual growth? And we could have easily achieved that with the current setup. Extend Oscar’s flashback into something significant, leaving the geist battle for next week. Let him be angry for once, furious that after all the shit they put Ozpin through, and by extension him, they’re just going to turn around and do the exact same thing without even an apology? An acknowledgment that they were wrong? Or create space to have that discussion now. Harriet comes out of the mine saying a part of it has collapsed and they need time to clear it, giving Team RWBY the chance to really hash some things out and disagree for once. Instead, as expected, secret keeping is framed as the right decision without anyone but Oscar acknowledging the hypocrisy in that. They even go so far as to say, “Why don’t we play along for a while before me make any major decisions.” Newsflash:

Graphic design is my passion, all.

Overall it’s not quite as pro-protagonist as it could have been, but it’s not great either. We’re left with the fact that the group has this time sitting with their own lies and apparently, after all that, what they’ve settled on is denial. Great. Fantastic. I hope Oscar finds new friends at the Academy who encourage him to really call them out on this later.

We also learn that Ruby gave the relic back to Oscar. So the writing is self-aware enough for her to acknowledge that carrying it around on her belt is a horrendously bad idea, but not self-aware enough to keep her getting it back in the first place? Imagine you hired someone to transport a priceless painting to your super safe vault and then when it finally arrives you go, “Actually, you did such a good job getting that here I think it’ll be safer in your hands as you go about your life. Rather than the vault I specifically built for it.” Except the painting is a magic relic, the vault is also nearly impenetrable via magic, and the transporter is now a 14yo who, as established, is the weakest fighter of the group. For the love of Ironwood’s characterization, please let that relic be a fake.

Really, on the whole that moment could have been touching... but again, context. ‘Here’s the relic back that I basically stole and then ripped all Ozpin’s trauma from him by wasting an invaluable question.’ Yeah. All the while everyone is still talking as if Ozpin isn’t even there. Ironwood, in his ignorance, has been the one person to actually address him, despite the fact that the entire group knows he’s listening in. You know that feeling when you’re sitting with a bunch of people you’re not particularly close with and it’s clear they’re deliberately not including you in the conversation? Yeah, it’s like that only a thousand times worse. No wonder Ozpin still hasn’t tried to come out. No one cares about his vessel, they still actively hate him, and they’re all hypocritical to boot. I’d stay hidden too.

Anyway, back to the actual plot. Qrow has been paired off with Clover and at first we get a really excellent conversation about teamwork. We as the audience know precisely why Qrow prefers to work alone, but when he slips and Clover manages to catch him, it functions as a fantastic counter. See? Qrow might have bad luck, but this is precisely why he does need to be around others. They can help him when things get tough.

However, that message is severely undermined when it’s later revealed that Clover’s semblance is good luck.

Not only does that remove the previously stated wonderful message---because now it’s not about Qrow learning to accept help, it’s about how Clover’s semblance just conveniently cancels his out---it’s just an iffy stretch of my suspension of disbelief. Really? Out of all the people they could have met, that Qrow could have been paired with, he happens to find the one guy with the exact opposite semblance to him? Clover is an incredibly handsome and charismatic guy. He’s the leader of the strongest kingdom’s strongest team. He just happens to have the best version of Qrow’s greatest weakness. I know I said I wanted more passive semblances, but I would have preferred something other than this heavy-handed introduction.

Although... are they passive? I had to pause the episode for a moment when Qrow throws out, “sometimes I can’t keep it under control” because excuse me?? There are times you can keep it under control? Since when? How? I know we’re loose on our semblance rules here, but c’mon. Is Qrow’s entire life governed by a trait outside of his control or not?

We see a similar issue cropping up at the end of the episode when Harriet informs Ruby that there’s “something else” going on with her semblance. Look. RWBY isn’t Dragon Ball Z. The characters don’t need to tap into unheard of powers every season to keep things interesting. As Yang herself points out, Ruby already has super special silver eyes. 

Her semblance is speed and transformation and transforming other people along with her. Weiss is already a super special Schnee with a super special hereditary semblance that creates glyphs and summoned fighters of whatever she’s killed. Blake is already a super special Belladonna with ties to the world’s biggest resistance group. Yang... okay, Yang is admittedly an ordinary girl with an ordinary background and that’s one of the things I still love about her. She grows stronger through more training, better strategy, and turning any weaknesses into strengths---like her arm. It’s so much more powerful to give characters that kind of arc than to fall back on, “[gasp!] You were secretly special all along.” So who knows what else they’re going to add to Ruby’s semblance. Whatever it is, it’s not needed.

I will say though that semblance issues aside, I’m liking the Ace Ops way more than I thought I would. Given that introducing five more characters was, objectively, a bad move. But they’ve got real personality attached to them. I appreciated that Clover thanked Qrow for the save (they could have made a guy that ‘perfect’ way more arrogant) while the rest spent a good portion of the time teasing RWBYJNR like they’re little siblings. Which I adored. For the first time in volumes we got to see our heroes portrayed exactly as they are: teens in training. Nora says that it “feels like we’re an actual huntsmen team,” acknowledging that they’re not yet. They’re the students following the professionals, helping out without getting in the way. It stood out to me that the geist fight is identical to the one we got in Volume Four, with the exception that it’s way, way better. They come up with Jaune’s strategy to remove the limbs in an instant, rather than taking the entire fight trying and failing to do damage. I don’t think a single member of the Ace Ops took a hit, despite the fact that this geist was a huge threat to the rest of the Atlesian army. Like Team RWBY at times, there was seamless communication, perfect execution, and the one time they made a mistake? Ruby was there to help them out. I really appreciated that the writing had RWBYJNR sit this one out until their particular skills---in this case Ruby’s speed---was actually needed, as opposed to an arrogant, ‘How dare you not let us fight!’ where they endanger themselves and others by insisting that they know best. 

This is the RWBYJNR I want to see more of. Ozpin remains a huge, glaring issue, but if the writer’s can keep this sort of attitude in mind we’ll be making good strides away from the horror that was Volume Six. No more, “We don’t need adults,” please. As a bunch of adults just demostrated, they’re way out of your league.

Finally, we end the episode on Tyrian again. Showcasing RWBY’s new love of horror tropes, he appears beneath the flickering lamp light (complimenting the jump scare we got with Blake earlier on). He approaches Forest, the activist from the airship, and we end with Tyrian’s tail coming his way. Did he just poison him? Did he kill him? What’s the end goal here? Just sow chaos by leaving a bunch of bodies lying around? It’s unclear, but whatever is going on, Tyrian sure is busy.

Also, RIP #FRWBY.

Until next week!

Minor Things of Note

I like that Jaune and Blake both looked at their hair before we cut to them with new looks. Still not over Jaune’s style though. He’s french fry head now and no one will convince me otherwise.

It looks like Blake’s blade has been welded back together with a bit of yellow something-or-other...

Bad execution on an otherwise cool introduction to Marrow’s semblance. That was epic how he managed to stop both centipede grimm at once, but then Harriet just... slams them? Awkwardly? They don’t even disintegrate? Idk. Her end of that team attack didn’t live up to Marrow’s.

Team JNR has a very “headfirst approach.” True enough. Although, it’s not like they had an easy way to stop like their Ace Operative teammates. They did the best they could under the circumstances lol.

Jaune also has a landing strategy! I would have rather the writing just acknowledge that than give us that weird moment with Pyrrha’s fabric.

Not sure if I like Qrow’s new outfit or not. To be fair, that man would look stunning in a paper bag, so I’m not sure I’m an objective judge of any change here. Also to be fair, my own fashion ‘skills’ leaves something to be desired. So I think I’ll just bow out of this particular conversation.

[techouspeaks]

A Review of: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Well first establish, I never watched the old series so I’m not going to compare the two series together. With that being said, I am very aware of the He-Man series since I grew up with the 2002 series, though that doesn’t make me an expert, I do understand the lore and what that series is about.

Put it short, I’m just going to judge it as is and I’ll try to be a bit brief about it. So, I guess I should explain the complaints I and most people have with this series. First the animation. Yeah...it’s pretty bad. I mean for a Dreamworks project I actually did expect much better. Considering that a lot of Dreamworks stuff in terms of animation wise, is soo good! Like Voltron being the best but shoot, even Kulipari, Dreamworks Dragons, ect, they have really great animation and this is She-Ra! An 80s fan favorite and one that would clearly sell because at this time of age, the whole girl power is like through the roof! They could have put more time into the animation. I mean, keep the art style. Art style is fine but the over all animation and how characters move is poor. Not terrible but you can tell it’s very rushed. They put more effort into the transformation scene than the rest...

And don’t tell me poor budget or lack of time...I’ve seen personal projects done by small studios, and people doing it by themselves through their homes that done better job at animating. Yes, animation is hard and it takes time but it’s worth the effort put in and there’s no excuse of a professional team cutting slack. Shoot, even the Disney sequels have better animation than this and they’re done from the animation teams that were just starting out.

Granted, the art isn’t totally bad. I prefer this over the butter bean style that Cartoon Network, for whatever reason decides to not give up on. I will say the character designs look like human beings than beans and in some parts when the animation decides to be good, it does show. The character designs and background art is good. It’s very creative. The animation and the movements just need to be amped up more.

Don’t tell me it’s because it’s a “kids show, it doesn’t have to look good.” Here’s a good example of a kid’s show with quality

Again those are shows that are done today that clearly had more effort put into the animation. Dreamworks has done the same with other shows, they could have done so with She-Ra. Again not the art style that’s the problem. It’s just how choppy the animation is.

Another thing that I have issues with is the pacing especially in the development with the characters. All the characters develop way too fast in my opinion, at least in some moments. Some moments with certain characters are developed fine, like Glimmer’s development. Her’s I actually thought was handle rather well, others especially Catra’s was handled either forcefully or rushed. Characters aren’t given enough time to take in the moment and breath a bit. Everything is rushed.

Speaking of Catra and her relationship with Adora, that was especially rushed. When we first meet the two, I didn’t even believe they were friends. If we had gotten to know Catra and Adora from the beginning more and have Catra actually feel something other than being bitterness at Adora, I would have felt something from their relationship, which sadly I didn’t. Even when we get to the arc of learning about Catra’s past with Adora, the relationship again feels rushed and clunky. Though I will admit, the pacing does get a little better towards the climax, but we had to deal with rushed pacing through out the whole season.

I get there are 13 episodes. You know what? Voltron had that much episodes, even less than that sometimes and each character developed well pace. Yes, some seasons had to have characters have their own arcs and it took a season for some to develop but that’s just it. The team behind Voltron knew that’s what it takes sometimes to make a well paced and very well told story and characters. We at least got to know quite a bit of characters and yes, sadly some don’t get a back story, but shoot, we got more backstory on those characters than we do the princesses besides Glimmer, Adora, shoot, we dunno much about Bow even and he’s one of the main characters. He’s the main bestie of the crew! Where’s his backstory and proper development? Least we had some kind of back story about Lance, Hunk and even Coran and those are the characters sadly we didn’t get too much back story, but they were developed enough for me to care about them deeply. 

That and a lot of the story is very predicable sadly. When Shadow Weaver attacked Adora when they were vacationing, I knew exactly what was going to happen. She’s going make Adora freak out and make her friends believe they hate her because she’s destroying everything, but Adora will realize SW’s plan, stand up against her and make everything right again. Some episodes had surprisingly good moments like the episode that introduces Entrapa. That episode was pretty good, though, I again I could predict a bit of it, except for the ending.

Bitch and moan, bitch and moan, what do I at least like about the series? Well, the characters are really good. I know I said that after bitching about the development but the characters as they are, are pretty memorable and likable, though, I can tell with the boys there was some SJW interfering. 

You know masculine men aren’t all bad? Not every masculine dude is a dick. It doesn’t hurt to have at least one masculine man. Just saying but as I say this, I will admit even when with that, the boys are still rather competent. They do hold their own and have some heart to em, especially Bow, who is one of my favorite characters and I like Mermista, Entrapa though a bit too out there to be even real, maybe anyway,  I still like her character and design. Also her butler is so adorable! I wish he had more screen time!

The villains, except for Hordak are decent, I love Scorpia being one of the best. I wanted to hug her she’s so awesome. Hordak is a snooze fest. I mean there isn’t anything about him other than he has a weird baby spy for some reason, which actually makes it all the more creepy...Is that like his son or something?

Catra is okay...I mean the actress who plays her is pretty good in doing her crying scenes. She does act like a teen would when upset and trying to figure out things, but again, her development is so clunky and again, I didn’t care for what was going to happen to her and her relationship with Adora. Again, if she had shown more sympathy to her friend from the beginning, I would have shown more concern for her and cared about their friendship. As is, they don’t act like best friends. They acted more like just classmates with how rushed the development is. 

Adora herself is pretty likeable and I did want to see what happens to her. Though again, some of her development is a bit rushed. At least in say Winx Club, Bloom got more time to develop but with there being 13 episodes, I could give this a slip. 

The music is amazing though! I loved the score for this series! It reminded me of some 80s background music with the guitar and the synthesizer! That is awesome! The only thing that wasn’t so awesome was the theme song...It’s mediocre but the rest of the score was awesome. In fact, half the time I thought the score was too good for this series man! 

Another thing I did enjoy was the episodes that did lead up to the 13th episode. That’s when the development did start slowing down a bit and we had time to at least care about the characters a little bit more and how they feel about each other. The animation even got a bit more decent towards the end. Like where was that in the beginning? Though the climax...Yeah I will admit, was pretty weak. Compared to others including from not so big animation studios, the climax could have been a bit more original. I’ve seen this climax done hundreds of times. I even have this sort of climax in one of my written novels but I at least put it well paced. As is, it’s not the worst I’ve seen, but definitely expected a better climax for a season.

I really tried to open my mind for this series and as is, it’s not the worst by far. I can tell a lot of heart went into this. The art style is fine but the animation can be very bad at times. The characters are great and memorable, but very rushed in development and a bit too SJW appeal to some, thus making them a bit dated once the SJW fad wears off and people move onto the next trend. Some episodes towards the climax are decent but the climax I felt could have been more original, if anything throw in a few twists to make an already seen premise be a bit more fresh. The music is awesome and some designs are cool. 

As is it’s not terrible but I’m gonna have to rate She-Ra an average 5 out of 10 star rating. I do recommend you watch it to see if you like it or have kids that would like to see some nice characters and action scenes as well as rather easy to follow story. It’s by no means a bad series, I just think there are shows that did better what She Ra was trying to do. I will see what Season 2 will bring and see if it will be better than Season 1 so there’s a silver lining. I will continue to watch this series. Not great but not awful.

5 Stars

Level: Good!

[sparda3g]

Attack on Titan Chapter 107 Review

The more answers we deserved, the more miseries we earned. Even so, a new question is around the corner. This series continues to be a case of everything gone wrong. The upcoming anime season is almost here and it may be the medicine I need now. It was once a series that contained uplifting spirits, a new hope, and triumphant victories. The moment Eren wished to destroy the world (technically speaking), it all went straight to hell. This chapter answered questions, asked new ones, brought the fans to despair, and a sign of a downhill spiral to be continued.

The last chapter felt like a trend of good news and happiness. Under the surface, however, it was filled with consequences and this chapter exploits it with more concerns to be aware of. Eren is in jail and after this chapter, you would be wishing for him to stay there forever. I know he’s the savior in a sense, but his attitude has gotten rotten before his body has.

Hange went to visit him to discuss about the fallout. Two pages in, you will immediately notice the difference from their past days. I still remember how fun their chemistry were, especially when Hange endlessly talked about titans as Eren lost his sleep. Those days are so gone. She clearly tries to start a conversation, but Eren keeps ignoring her until he got fed up of her chatter. I felt bad for her when she remembers their first meeting; you can sense her sadness in her eye. Sadly for her, it’s only going to get worse.

The chapter then enters another flashback that takes place two years ago. Unlike the last time, this one is filled with shadiness and a choice that leaves no guaranteed promises. I like Yelena. I feel like I can trust her the most at the moment, which eerily doesn’t say much. Her expression about the promising day looks genuine; I can believe she truly feels hopeful.

The question about the Hiruzu’s presence at Marley is answered and it turns out they are working together with Paradis Island. It was expected but I’m glad we got that out of the way. I also like the small info of Hiruzu’s legacy that addressed their allegiance with the Eldian Empire. They also have a history of staying at the island; more reasons to side with them. The real interesting part is the connection between them and Mikasa.

Mikasa had a strange feeling of Kiyomi, the Ambassador, because of resembling appearance. Yelena chimed in and said that they are blood relative. That’s funny, because someone in the discussion board once thought Kiyomi is Time-skip Mikasa. I guess that fan wasn’t far off. To establish the connection, the family crest is a solid proof and Mikasa has a mark that was passed down from her mother. I don’t like how Eren essentially forced her to show it in a dominant fashion.

Kiyomi and others were awed by Mikasa. She recited that it has been rough for a nation, but seeing her on the island gave her newfound hope. So much so, Mikasa is now billed as Hiruzu’s hope. That’s quite the status to carry. I am intrigued though, since this could grant us a bigger focus on her background outside of being the protector of her only family. Nice to see Historia being playful to Mikasa’s once secret; it’s so like her. How charming it is to see Historia in high spirit…

The question about Zeke and Kiyomi’s alliance is answered, but one past info has been corrected. Zeke tried to reason with them that he’s the true Eldian Restoration Movement member. They knew about his history about turning against his parents, but he followed up with his reason. Before, it looked like he was a loyalist to Marley by selling his parents out. Now, he claimed that he only did so because he thought his parents were sloppy and would only fail in the end. Hooray?

If he didn’t act, Marley troops would have searched for the rebels and everything would have been gone. Zeke went with the option that would reward him in which we can clearly see now, but at a price of his parents, of course. Context or not, it’s still messed up. He reasoned with Kiyomi heavily, including noting that Marley has no knowledge of his royal blood. Probably the most convincing point of his argument was the vertical maneuvering equipment.

I was wondering when his discovery a while back would come into play. The inner depth of its functionality is what sold her. The equipment can only work if it contains a special kind of fuel called “iceburst stone.” Supposedly, they haven’t been mined outside of Paradis Island and yet, people don’t know its significant value except Hiruzu. With that type of resource, they will be wealthy as hell. It even has Kiyomi drooling over. I find that pretty shady. The sign of power hungry is there and with Mikasa being involved, I don’t like the possibility.

Everyone in the floor room discussed the three parts of “Earth-flattening.” The first part is pretty much intimidate the world by revealing some of their strength in public. The second part is Hiruzu’s part. The goal is to raise the military strength up to a global level that require no need for the weapon. It doesn’t sound so bad so far. The major downside is the time gap along with the third part.

Because of Paradis Island had been isolated from the rest of the world for 100 years, establishing a modern army would take a lot of time. How long? At least 50 years. At least we know what timeline the epilogue will take place. So how can they continue the process? By passing down the Beast Titan to the one with a royal blood. That’s right. Historia must become a titan shifter. That’s not all. She must give birth as many children as possible. Her charm just died…

I got to give Hange a credit for thinking logically and how the plan isn’t guaranteed for success, let alone the amount of time they have to wait. There’s plenty of chances to backfire, including relying on the future born children. Not to mention, they have to deal with users get chowed down to pass the torch. That would be fun to watch, right? Historia does agree to inherit the Beast Titan when the time comes. I know it’s her personality and I like that, but I don’t want her to be forced.

Eren decided to go with the “polite” choice and objected the plan. I guess I should applaud him to try to find another way, but realistically speaking, he’s the one that brought Historia into the subject of interest for all the wrong reason. Beside, with the knowledge that he declined the offer and tried to find alternative option, the present time now have me feeling bitter and disappointing. It also made Eren more of a prick than anything else. Care about his friends became a rare gem.

What comes next is a startling scene. Back in present, Hange has been trying to talk with Eren in a normal comradeship manner, but Eren proceeds to go somewhat crazy. He recalls that he ate the War Hammer Titan, so he possess a new ability in his arsenal. With that in mind, things go dark fast once Eren more or less threatens Hange.

The way how he intimidate her is unnerving but very alarming for where the story is heading. He pretty much said that he can escape at any time, so you can say he’s only there out of generosity. He’s still working with Survey Corps, but it’s how arrogant he came across that matters. What’s worse is he became way too cocky on his safety from anyone. It’s true that they need him and Zeke, but to use that notion to mock them is equivalent to a contract that allows the user to smack you all day and you can’t touch him without getting your family killed.

All of his anger is taken on her and she has no way to control his emotion. The only way she can “solve” is to walk off. It’s sad to see her failing as a Commander; at least when dealing with Eren. It’s no wonder she was upset of Erwin choosing her to take the role. Not saying she can’t be a good one, but the role was given untimely.

Speaking of sadness, the graveyard scene gets extended with Nicolo trying to pay his respect for Sasha. It’s the same guy who has a crush on her. I thought it was a small gag moment, but it’s actually neat that he has more role to fill. Connie’s lines hit me in the feels really good. He’s one character that I know well had connection with Sasha. Considering a friend like a twin sibling is always a strong indication of how significant that person meant. The line, “Losing half of me,” did it for me.

Not too long ago, I remember Anime Season 2 covered Sasha’s character, family and such, so I was glad to see her father return once again. It’s just a damn shame he returns now for this. No parents should bury their child. I want to salute Nicolo for being a man to honestly introduced himself and offer Sasha’s family to eat his dishes, free of charge. Only a chapter and a half and I already like this guy. For once, there’s one happy note out of this time-skip.

Before the chapter could end, it goes through a reel of developments from multiple locations. To begin with, Yelena brings the titanization formulas to the Survey Corps, only to get backstabbed soon after. Amazing how much more they are coming off more of a villain. In their defense, Pixis is taking a precaution measure, more so than portraying a full fledge villain. Still, it’s a selfish move; more reason to side with others.

Levi continues to treat Zeke like crap as much as possible without resorting to kill by giving him a “hotel.” It’s a good looking one; you can get a great view of the landscape. Seriously, he has to stay at the Titan Forest since it lacks resources for his Beast Titan to use. It’s a safe option I suppose. Zeke does find it interesting; would like Falco and Gabi to see it. Man, he really is a noble guy after everything that happened in the past. I guess he does have a sincere heart.

I can’t say the same for Gabi though. She and Falco pull an act for the guard to buy into her “sickness.” He then gets clobbered by a brick for a knockout, but she goes one extra step that essentially kills him. That shot to the head was brutal. Was that really necessary? She’s still traumatized by everything. It’s bad enough that she trusts no one in Paradis Island, but because of Zeke’s reveal, she doesn’t trust anyone now. I don’t know what lies ahead for her but death can come really soon if not calm.

Reiner finally wakes up. I wonder how long it has been since the battle. It’s strangely good to see others in Marley doing fine; lately, I feel Paradis Island truly are the devil. I don’t know if it’s a hint for a power or it’s a spiritually speaking, but he sensed Gabi and Falco from afar. In fact, he said he heard them. Again, not sure what direction am I supposed to take, but I’ll keep this in mind.

The last development is the most gut-punching one. We have seen nearly every original character in their time-skip design. We were missing Historia. This chapter finally introduces her time-skip self, watching the sun. At first, she was shown as a mystery since the panel was angled behind her. It was until the man calls her name that we learn it’s her. But the megaton is her appearance. She’s alive alright, but now, she’s pregnant. Who’s the father? It’s not Eren, that’s for sure. Being a pairing fan is suffering.

Seriously, this was hard to comprehend. She’s forced to give birth and the plan wasn’t established as far as I’m concerned. They’re supposed to wait, but here we are. It’s bad enough to see Historia all cheery in the past, now looking done with this world. The view shot of a woman sitting and watching the sun tends to mean a broken person.

All of this could have been avoided if Eren didn’t say anything after Zeke spoke about a potential to free Eldians. Eren is like the protagonist from a video game that revolve choices (ex. Life is Strange). In the past, he chose the right morale choices for the most part. As of late, he decided to go renegade or dominant, so all of his choices have been nothing but destructive to his friends. Did someone take a controller and decide to make Eren a tyrant or something? What a mess…

This was a pretty interesting chapter that continue to answer the questions we asked, only to ask more. With each new info, it leaves more and more discomforting thoughts for the future. At this rate, it might as well end Evangelion style if everyone’s future has an early dead end. There are multiple paths to look forward to, yet at the same time, feeling uneasy. Historia is pregnant and one would wonder if this is a secret or not. Eren has been drowning to the renegade’s route. There’s no way to undo it. He can only deal with it.

[adrianexists]

Spymaster for the Royal Family, huh?

@kollegekid3721 wanted a sequel. Well, I guess I’m super on a roll tonight.

(Alt. title for this story: Apartment hunting feat. the Queen)

“Spymaster?” The King spat. “Spymaster?!”

“Yes, father,” the Prince sighed, having told his father nearly six times within the last hour, all while their new Spymaster sat to the side, looking embaressed as all Hells.

“We don’t need a bloody... fucking... Spymaster!” He sputtered, gesturing to her. She felt her cheeks and ears burn in shame. These people could easily wipe out everyone, why would they need a spymaster?

“We do,” the Prince repeated with a sigh. “And why on this green Earth is that?!”

“Because she knows all of the latest trends with humans,” he replied. “We’ve been out of the game for God knows how long.” The King turned red with rage, about to spit more venom, until the Queen tutted. “I believe it’s a good idea,” she said.

The King sputtered, unable to process what he was hearing, while the Prince grinned. “Our son is right, we know nothing of the human race currently. For all we know, they could’ve learned how to fly, and we’d be all the weaker for it.”

“But... but... Spymaster!” The King whined. The Queen raised a hand, and her husband went silent. “Not a word more, because I am done with your... insolence,” she snarled. As soon as her rage had come, it was gone, and she gave a serene smile to their newest addition. “Spymaster, would you like to see your possible rooms?”

“Rooms?” She repeated, swallowing. The Queen was patient when she said, “yes, rooms.” The Spymaster blinked. This was... unexpected. “I... sure,” she blurted, standing rapidly. “Let’s go see my possible rooms.”

“Excelent!” The Queen said, standing. The King still sat there, looking awkward and in shock. “But... but...” The Queen shot him a glare, and he went silent, looking bashful. “Come along, dear,” she hummed at the Spymaster.

They continued along corridors, the Spymaster having no idea where half of them came from. “Here we are! Door one!” The Queen opened the door, leading to a room full of only white colors. It was open, yes, but that was the only positive. “The bathroom is right there,” she said, pointing a door on the left wall. The Spymaster went to the door and opened it, peering inside. The bathroom was also white and... admittedly boring. And clinical. Reminded her way too much of the Hospital Wing. She shuddered. “No, too white,” she commented when she returned to the Queen.

“Fair enough,” she replied. “Onward!”

“Door number two!” Once again, the door was swept open, and this one was way too dark. Too many fur rugs, and fur on the walls and...

“No,” the Spymaster said, shutting the door quickly. She turned to the Queen, looking awkward before asking. “Do you... have one with brighter colors?”

“Of course!” The Queen answered, pointing down the hall. “To the next room!”

“Option three!” The room was... colorful... in the wrong way. They were pastel, and still too light. The Spymaster gave a critical look. “No?” The Queen supplied. “Sadly,” the Spymaster replied.

“That’s perfectly fine. Never liked this room myself, anyhow. To room number four!”

The Queen lead them down the stairs, all the way to the Level Floor. “Why are we on the main floor?” The Spymaster asked. “Because there is a room I think you’d like,” the Queen replied cryptically. The Spymaster looked wary, but followed none the less.

The Queen opened a small door, painted teal. The Spymaster liked it imediately. “Here’s one we saved for a special guest. I believe you may just be that guest, but it would become your perminant room,” the Queen said. She opened the door, and the Spymaster walked in.

The walls were a dark, chocolate brown, with an accented wall in a beautiful alspice red. The bed was massive, a fourpost bed, with thick, beautiful curtains in browns and beiges and reds, with the comforter in purples and browns and reds itself. The windows were open and huge, with seats at the bottom, with many pillows and blankets, with bookshelves in the walls and storage underneath. Thick curtains and thin, the thin being closer to the outside, framed them. Two glass doors lead outside to a small, secluded garden, full of decedent plants. A thick rug was on the floor, and all the remaining furnature was colored in blues and teals and purples and greens and yellows.

The Spymaster walked to the door they guessed was the bathroom, to find another small room. There was another couple of doors, but she was impressed by the massive vanity that took up an entire wall, with a massive mirror. She opened the door to her immediate left. It opened into a huge closet, which she figured she could put her armor and such in there. The next was next to the vanity, and she admitted, she hadn’t skipped to something in a long time. Inside, a shallow pool and dripping shower(?) stood proud.

“Yes, that can have a shower, but a proper one is in that small cubicle right there,” the Queen said, pointing to the right. The Spymaster walked over and opened it, surprised to see it was transparent. “Uhm...”

“Don’t worry. You can see out, and they can’t see in,” the Queen assured. “Oh... that’s good.” The Spymaster looked across the way. “What’s that?”

“Hot room. Sauna. Different words in different countries,” the Queen explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’ll show you how it works at a different time.”

“Thank you.”

They returned to the bedroom. “Now, where am I to hold meetings with my spies, once we gain them?” She asked. The Queen thought for a moment before pointing to a door that was between the Spymaster’s bed and a dresser. “There’s a room through there. Originally a training room, but it’ll work for your purposes,” she said.

They walked through the door, and the Spymaster was impressed. It was large, circular, with high cielings. It’d be perfect for training and telling people what was to come. There were small areas to rest, thankfully, and seemed to be in a softer color scheme. “It’s perfect,” she sighed.

“Wonderful! Now, what do you want for your spies?”

“As in, what race or...?” The Spymaster knew how some races could get. The Elves, with their damned pointy ears, refused to talk to Dwarves on principle, and vice versa, while humans and Orcs would rather tear each other’s throats out, stating that the other was smarter and better at combat, while the Ulashgigs refused to help anyone, and even attacked those that entered their swamps.

“No, dear, what you look for in your spies. Certain character traits, body types,” the Queen explained calmly. “Oh... lithe, able to scale walls easily, or willing to learn. Not afraid to get their hands dirty. A few con artists and grifters wouldn’t be amiss,” the Spymaster mused. “Ok. Anything else?”

The Spymaster thought for a moment before looking at the Queen with a hard glint in their eye. “People who have been refused by anyone. Those that are outcasted for no reason. I don’t want monsters, but I want the orphans, the veterns, the rare and few. I want those that have no where else to go. You can always teach a large set man how to scale a wall. Give him a use.”

“And if those veterans or orphans are crippled?” The Queen pried. “Mentally ill?”

“Then we help them,” the Spymaster replied. “I lost a leg myself,” she admitted, kicking her prothsetic against the ground, letting the muffled clang reach their ears. “And I was told I was a retarded child because I refused to walk until I was 2. I know the people I want, Queen. And I want those just like me.”

The Queen’s smile turned into a grin. “My son chose right,” she gasped in joy, tears falling down her face. “We needed a Spymaster for years, my husband is just...”

“Stubborn?”

“That’s a kind way of putting it.”

They shared a laugh before the Spymaster looked over at her new training room.

“When should you be able to get my first recruits in?”

“First thing in the morning,” the Queen replied. “Good... Where shall they be staying?”

“I’m sure I can make a good argument to have them housed in this corridor.” The Spymaster grinned. “Perfect. We’ll get started tomorrow morning.”

The Queen nodded, turning and leaving out a door to their right. “I will see you then, Spymaster.”

The next day, the Spymaster was up early, staring at the room. “Maybe I should’ve gotten this ready...” she muttered to herself. The door to her right swung open, and in stepped the Queen with two recruits. “They came willingly,” she assured.

“Good.” The Spymaster clapped her hands together. “Welcome to your first Training Course. Let’s begin!”

(Sorry if it ain’t all y’all expected. If I wanna make a series outta this, gotta make sure we know where shit’s taken place at. Hopefully, if this does keep going, the castle and the lands will be touched on more, along with the different races and sides and so on and so forth. Hope it’s at least passable!)

[justgotham]

There's an episode in the eighth season of The Simpsons where the animated show within a show (within a show), "The Itchy & Scratchy Show," airs a landmark episode introducing a new character named Poochie. The Simpsons clan and friends all gather around the television to watch the episode; and it starts true to form, with the cartoon cat and mouse -- who are a more exaggerated form of Tom and Jerry -- driving to a fireworks factory. They pass signs that say "Fireworks Factory, 2 Miles," then one mile, then half a mile... And then they're interrupted by Poochie, who proceeds to start rapping about his name ("The name's Poochie D, and I rock the telly. I'm half-Joe Camel, and a third Fonzarelli"). Cutting back to the "real" world, Bart's best friend Milhouse pounds the floor with his fist, and whines, "when are they going to get to the fireworks factory?" before bursting into tears.

In Season 4 of Gotham, they finally get to the fireworks factory.

Not Itchy & Scratchy, mind you. They never get to the fireworks factory. But watching FOX's Batman origin series the past three seasons, for some fans, has felt akin to that Simpsons scene: knowing that this show is about Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) before he dons the cape and cowl, the feeling was that the show would end before we'd see Batman; or worse, get canceled first.

Personally, I haven't always felt that push. Bruce's story has often been a sideshow (sometimes literally) to the main action of Gotham, which very quickly became all about the villains. And even more rapidly, it became clear that Gotham wasn't playing by the rules of established Batman continuity when they killed off Sarah Essen (Zabryna Guevara), a character who decidedly had more to do... At least according to the comics.

The show moved on and continued to find its footing, and it became a delightful mix of arch performances and over the top action, with some deliciously soapy character plots mixed in. But as the villains embraced their destinies, from Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) becoming The Riddler to the intros of Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and more, Bruce Wayne's slow journey became all the more glaring.

While Mazouz's performance has grown in leaps and bounds worthy of a superhero, Bruce's trip to becoming Gotham City's caped crusader has been agonizingly slow. Season 1: I'm sad about my parents dying! Season 2: Maybe I should be a detective, sort of? Season 3: I don't know, should I learn how to punch and leap rooftops? Thankfully, the second half of Season 3 sped things up considerably, jettisoning the canon Batman timeline -- Bruce, just past his teens, spends years traveling the world and training before returning to Gotham, ready for some dark vengeance -- in favor of a sped up training arc that introduced his mentor/antagonist Ra's al Ghul (Alexander Siddig) significantly earlier.

That means that as Season 4 kicks off (the first two episodes were provided early for review), Bruce is Batman in everything but name. Think about how Clark (Tom Welling) was The Blur in the final seasons of Smallville, and you've got the gist. And as much as I've loved following the villains' storylines the past few seasons, watching Batman finally begin is thrilling.

Mind you, he still has a ways to go. Mazouz doesn't have the hulked out physical presence Ben Affleck does in the movies, or the guttural growl of Christian Bale (thankfully, some might say). But seeing Bruce leap into an alley and handily take down a gang of thugs terrorizing innocent Gothamites is so eminently satisfying, it's hard to begrudge the 16-year-old Mazouz that he still might have a few inches of growing left to go. And without getting into spoilers, there's an iconic Batman moment that happens for the first time halfway through the season premiere that made me clap with delight.

That's not to say the villains (or other heroes) are forgotten. Robin Lord Taylor's Penguin is also embracing his destiny in a big way, and the Purge-esque twist he brings with him allows the versatile actor abundant room to play. A more traditional twist on classic villain Scarecrow appears, and works as a neat physical metaphor for the fears Gotham City continues to face. Ben McKenzie's still, sadly, mustache-less James Gordon is back to being good cop to the rest of the Gotham City Police Department's bad cop -- which ditches the fun, dark Gordon who came out in Season 3; but also grants a moral clarity to the character that's been a long time coming. And Donal Logue's earnestly corrupt Harvey Bullock, as well as Sean Pertwee's wry, trusty butler Alfred are consistently even presences in the first two episodes.

But the bad women of Gotham are where the show really shines. The series figured out early that keeping characters like Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) pining after their man in an apartment was extremely less interesting than what happens when all the ladies are together. This frequent mix of characters that's populated the past few seasons has delivered some of the best character work on the show, as Camren Bicondova's Selina Kyle has shifted alliances, slowly learning her way towards becoming Catwoman; or Kean and Tabitha Galavan (Jessica Lucas) have struck up a complex romance that stacks as one the most fascinating on the show. This season is no different, and suffice to say that once a key character returns from the "dead" with a new lease on life, those complex and rewarding dynamics continue to grow in dramatically satisfying and surprising ways.

Ultimately, though, villains are only as good as the hero who tries to stop them. And finally -- finally! -- Gotham has the hero it deserves, and the one it needs right now. This season may be all about how the Dark Knight rises, but once Bruce starts clashing with his now established rogues gallery it has the potential to make Gotham one of the most exhilarating shows on TV.

Bring on the fireworks.

[recentanimenews]

The Good, The Bad, and the Shiraishi: Golden Kamuy is a Western?!

With the lure of mysterious, life altering riches hidden away by a criminal mastermind, a post-war soldier looks to turn his misfortunes and woes around by finding the gold… or die trying! Along the way, he meets up with some mysterious outlaws, tussles with soldiers unwilling to let the glory and carnage of war go, and befriends an indigenous girl who he decides to help recover the gold and find her missing father while learning to survive in the wild from her. If you read that and started thinking of Golden Kamuy, you’re obviously right, but if you read any of that and thought it sounds kind of similar to stories like Red Dead Redemption, Shane, A Fistful of Dollars, Unforgiven, True Grit or Once Upon a Time in the West, you might be onto something: Golden Kamuy is a Western! And not only that, but we think Golden Kamuy is the GREATEST anime Western of all time! Saddle up and get ready to ride into the wild Hokkaido yonder!

  Western movies are not fairly popular today, but they used to dominate the Hollywood landscape, influencing filmmakers from around the world, and in turn being influenced by them! Sergio Leone’s great Spaghetti Westerns could never really have taken shape without influence from Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, and the Magnificent Seven drew heavily from Seven Samurai. Films like The Searchers and Once Upon a Time in the West became classic films, cementing many Hollywood actors into legendary stars through their roles. Other actors, like It’s a Wonderful Life’s Jimmy Stewart, got their start and fame through Western movies, while resident Ronald Reagan rode his Western acting roles to fame and later the presidency.

While the Western has a stereotype of being linked to being an “American-only” genre, their conventions are broad and universal: lost souls searching for meaning in a new land, wild gunfights without the rules of society to hold them down, lawlessness and law fighting one another, exploring the untamed and vast wilderness, and of course, lots of gold! Even the idea that Western movies are just about dusty cowboys shooting each other at high noon is a misunderstanding; many Westerns ventured into mountains, plains, frigid climates, and even outside of America itself! Anime has had a small share of Western titles in the past, most notably Cowboy Bebop, El Cazador de la Bruja, and Trigun, many of which added sci-fi or semi-futuristic flair to fill out their world. But there aren’t many ‘traditional’ Westerns set during the turn of the 20th century, featuring a ragtag band of survivors and outlaws looking for fame and fortune… until now!

So what makes a Western? Well, there are so many various types that it can be hard to pin down! There are Westerns devoted to pastoral, romantic images of settling the untamed wilderness, Westerns about scoundrels and gunslingers, and Westerns about the realities and harsh nature of life in the West; there are even Western comedies and parodies. That said, a Western usually features a lone protagonist who either ends up searching for lost riches, fighting bands of roving bandits and thugs, or otherwise trying to make a living in the wild west. Many of them tend to be either mysterious wanderers, returning soldiers, guns for hire, or otherwise unattached individuals who seem to have nothing left to lose, and everything to gain! In Golden Kamuy, this rings true for Sugimoto, who upon returning from the Russo-Japanese war is simply looking for a way to earn some money so he can return to his dead friend’s wife, Umeko, and pay for her eye treatments in America. Sugimoto is haunted by the demons of war, keeping to himself the things he saw and experienced in order to come back alive, preferring to storm forward as much as possible rather than look back. Like most Western heroes, Sugimoto is serviceable with a gun, although not quite the crack shot that other characters are! Sugimoto’s grit and determination to succeed are what really fill out his role as a Western hero; you can’t kill an immortal, after all!  

Sadly, many classic Westerns today are marred by their less-than-ideal depictions of indigenous Native Americans, usually relying on stereotypes and massive mischaracterizations of the realities of American expansion into the West; even Westerns that attempted realism or less idealistic stories tended to still cast “Indians” in disparaging roles. In this circumstance, Golden Kamuy surpasses other Western-style stories in its depictions of the Ainu, particularly through the character of Asirpa. The Ainu are depicted humanely in Golden Kamuy, and the show goes to great lengths to portray their culture and traditions authentically, from food to language. Asirpa is a strong-willed and capable hunter, determined to find her father and the Ainu gold, and while younger than the rest of the cast, happens to be one of the fiercest and battle-ready companions Sugimoto has. Westerns often feature duos working together, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Sugimoto and Asirpa are a deadly and heartwarming pair of friends committed to seeing each other succeed.

Of course, Westerns also have their fair share of rascals, rapscallions, and bandits, and the escaped convicts of Abashiri Prison are almost too outlandish in their dastardly ways. While some, like Hijikata, are seemingly more normal and noble, the rest of the lot are a mixture of murderers, serial killers, thieves, and other dangerous types that would easily fill out any rogues gallery. But one thing Western films do well is make these types of characters loveable and endearing in their weird, rough, outside-the-lines of society ways, and Golden Kamuy does that to a T, making even the likes of serial killer Henmi oddly charming. The main crew of convicts that circle Sugimoto’s group are the most eccentric, as if coming to life from a grindhouse Western film, with the likes of “Professor Penis” Ushiyama Tatsuma, a man with hardened bones in his body that make him nearly impervious to bullets with a physique to match, Ienaga, a woman who has... interesting... taste in dietary trends to keep her beauty at the cost of other’s lives, and of course the lovable (or detestable) idiot Shiraishi, a man with no brains but the ability to escape any situation except his own idiocy. The Abashiri convicts add a layer of outlaw flair to the series, as Sugimoto becomes a bounty hunter of sorts, looking not to bring them to justice, but to collect their tattoos!

Many classic Westerns are set not just in the rolling wilderness of the west, but also following the end of the American Civil War. Following the divide of the country, the West became a refuge for the lost and the damned, of those fleeing persecution, and of those hoping to start fresh. In Golden Kamuy, the Russo-Japanese war has just ended, and while Japan wasn’t in a fractured civil state, the outcome of the war left numerous soldiers lost and without a cause or reason to do anything but look for new wars. The soldiers of Golden Kamuy fit into these similar roles as many Western films, from the crazed and war obsessed Lt. Tsurumi and his fanatical 7th Division--men looking to start and continue endless war as the only way to rationalize their existence in the world--to Sugimoto, a man with survivor’s guilt and PTSD looking to atone or find a reason to keep going.

Then there are men like Ogawa, a devilish and cunning sniper who may just be playing all sides against each other in order to see who comes out on top… so he can replace them! Tanigaki is another man called to war, who finds his role following the fighting to be one where he looks to reconnect with his roots, finding solace in the Ainu, similar to his own Matagi. That says nothing of the old soldiers in Hijikata and Shinpachi, men who perhaps lived too long and, while their desire to reclaim Japan’s glory days may seem impossible, fight with the fury of a thousand men to see it brought to fruition!

Of course, no Western would really be complete without, well... the West, and Golden Kamuy uses its setting of Hokkaido to take advantage of this. Many Western stories took place across the vast stretch of land west of the Mississippi, meaning not every story was a desert tale, but instead featured vast and diverse terrains including forests, grasslands, and even the cold north of Alaska and Canada. Golden Kamuy takes the wild very seriously, as the characters not only learn to survive off the land due to Asirpa’s hunting skills, but they also learn that nature can be a furious and untamed power, capable of easily felling the strongest men in a single blow! More pastoral Westerns would focus on the beauty and calm of the untamed wilderness, and Golden Kamuy has its share of that too, featuring the then not yet developed forests, mountains, and other areas of northern Japan’s wilds. The cooking and food elements of Golden Kamuy are not out of place here either, as many Westerns described how wanderers, natives and settlers learned to eat, live, and survive off the land, developing unique mixtures of food cultures and new ways to prepare and eat wild animals.

Golden Kamuy isn’t just a Western, though, it’s the best anime Western ever! Golden Kamuy takes everything that makes a great Western story, and cranks the dial to eleven! Sugimoto isn’t just a brooding loner, he’s a loud, determined, potentially crazy soldier hunting down some of the most dangerous (and easily just as crazy) criminals in order to take their skins, find the hidden Ainu gold, and hold up the promises he made to his friend before he died and to his partner Asirpa. Sugimoto’s weird gaggle of supporting characters range from a cannibalistic serial killer to a man too stupid to live, and Asirpa turns a lot of Western stereotypes on their head and kicks them right in the butt with her amazing hunting, cooking, and survival skills. And where most Westerns focus on robbing banks or finding stores of gold, Kamuy’s level of gold is so huge that it could topple the Japanese economy, putting any who have control of it into a potential bid for starting their own army, let alone taking over a country! If you enjoy Westerns, there is a lot in Golden Kamuy to love, and if you’re itching for a show to scratch that Western itch after playing Red Dead Redemption 2, Golden Kamuy has what you’re looking for! And while there aren’t many cowboy hats to be had, this anime does have its fair share of interesting headwear...

As the second season of Golden Kamuy moves forward, we’ve already met a cast of new and exciting characters, had the tease of Asirpa’s father’s identity, and even potential promise of visits to Russia itself! Golden Kamuy shows no sign of slowing down in its high paced action, and no one character is truly safe from maiming or even death, meaning that the body count is likely to rise before Sugimoto and Asirpa find what they’re looking for. And if Westerns have taught us anything, it’s that these adventures sometimes have a bittersweet ending… But hopefully, the Immortal Sugimoto will prove that wrong in the end! So saddle up, get your favorite camping mug full of coffee, prepare yourself some osom--er, miso flavored chitatap, and settle in for the rest of Golden Kamuy’s wild adventures!

Have any favorite Western style Golden Kamuy moments? Let us know in the comments!

Haven't watched Golden Kamuy yet? Don't delay and watch Golden Kamuy today!

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Nicole is a features and a social video script writer for Crunchyroll. Known to profess her love of otome games over at her blog, Figuratively Speaking. When she has the time, she also streams some games. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[nazih-fares]

If you ask me, the necessity for accurate and photorealistic facsimiles of real people are getting in the way of the fun in modern sports games. I remember the days of Pro Wrestling on the NES and Sensible Soccer when the primary concern in sports game development was making a great gameplay system rather than crossing the uncanny valley in creating life-accurate realisations of actual celebrities. At some point, that changed, and both sports game developers and their fans start placing too much importance on licensing and rosters. I understand the genre – and the expectations thereof – have changed, and this is very much in line with what people want from it now. But sometimes I still wonder what a WWE game not beholden to licensing would look like in 2018. Sadly, WWE 2K19 is not that game.

Last year’s WWE 2K18 saw the series embrace the current sports game trend of having more fleshed out story campaigns, with the introduction of a ‘MyCareer’ mode where you could explore a bit more, interact with people backstage, and be overall more involved as you saw your wrestler go through a bit of a journey through their career. This year’s MyCareer has been redesigned even more, focusing on a linear story with a fully voiced cast of characters and some decent writing.

It’s a neat little narrative but it’s not exactly top-of-the-line; especially compared to the story modes in current FIFA and Madden games, which are something even a non-sports fan like me got kind of engrossed in. On that level, MyCareer’s story just didn’t grab me. It does, however, stay pleasantly true to the theatricality that makes up for much of the appeal of pro wrestling. There’s a moment involving Kurt Angle that’s actually kind of moving. More than anything, I’m glad MyCareer’s progression loop is devoid of the kind of shenanigans that currently inform the rest of the sports game landscape.

It comes with a skill tree that you can mess around with, instead of drowning in loot boxes to unlock moves to use within the story. Moves and entrances still come with loot boxes but now you can also just straight up purchase them using the in-game currency. The currency itself is still drip-fed to you at an excruciatingly slow pace, but at least it won’t surreptitiously burn holes in your wallet while at it, so I’ll take whatever small victories I can get. Universe mode has implemented a few quality-of-life tweaks based on fan feedback, but still glaringly lacks obvious options like being able to delete promos (what gives, 2K?) It also continues to be as buggy as you remember this series to be.

In terms of gameplay, 2K19 does an okay job of giving each wrestler a unique feel. The overall pace of matches is definitely faster than the previous games, and the wrestlers’ movesets are all here and accounted for. Game feel is a bit all over place, with satisfyingly hefty punches landing with exactly the kind of wright you expect; but the focus on ‘realism’ means matches still end up going on forever, and it’s unusually cumbersome to position your character where you want them to make them do what you want them to do. There is a very gamey ‘Payback’ gauge that fills up as you take damage and, once full, can be used to do… nothing particularly interesting. You can use it to make comeback moves when your back’s against a wall, but it’s fairly pointless outside of that very specific utility.

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And of course, since this is a 2K Sports game, you bet there are some thoroughly egregious DLC practices so let’s talk about that. Upcoming NXT talents like Ricochet and Candice LaRae are locked behind a paywall. The ‘accelerator’ feature that allows you to tweak wrestler stats and attributes is also behind a paywall. Yes, that’s right. Being able to tweak player attributes in a sports game is locked behind a paywall. This is especially appalling considering the fact that other sports games have long since made this a standard feature.

And then there’s the matter of live updates. There aren’t any. Outside of DLC offerings, an update to the WWE roster in the year that follows this game’s release won’t make it in until next year’s game. Any changes to a wrestler’s appearance or introduction of new costumes, moves, or entrances in the real world that happen next month will only be seen in-game next year, which is a crying shame. For all its emphasis on accuracy and currency, WWE 2K18 throws verisimilitude out the window when it can’t lock it behind a paywall. In any other genre, this would be a minor sticking point, but when a series has gone so far out of its way to replicate something life-like, this becomes a real problem.

WWE 2K18 was reviewed using an Xbox One copy of the game provided by 2K Games. The game is also available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC. We don’t discuss review scores with publishers or developers prior to the review being published

If you like the WWE 2K series, you probably don’t need this review anyway. With everything said and done, WWE 2K18 is still a competent recreation of modern pro wrestling that can provide a fair bit of fun for some time. The Community Creations servers are already filled with surprisingly life-life player created versions of the missing wrestlers, not that that should be an excuse to axe them from the official offering. Now, can someone port Pro Wrestling ‘86 to the Switch, please? If you ask me, the necessity for accurate and photorealistic facsimiles of real people are getting in the way of the fun in modern sports games.

[iluvtv]

Fickle Favorites

Today I’d like to try something a bit different. I’ll diverge from the secular-show-style thus far employed and instead give you a quick debrief; cherry-picking favorites from the ever-growing notes I have been so diligently taking whilst I  “unwind” in front of the TV. If it works and I’m so inclined perhaps I’ll start a weekly roundup. Please don’t hesitate to leave feedback!

Let’s begin with my current guiltiest pleasure: Make It or Break It. I am just totally obsessed with this ABC Family Drama that ran from 2009 to 2012. ABC Family has since been revamped as FreeForm and I blame its blossoming relationship with Hulu for breeding this addiction. Each season has some 20-plus, hour long episodes so hacking through this series is taking quite a commitment. Hulu sadly recently let the show expire; just plain mean after inspiring this love affair.  Only half-way through Season Two I have actually been desperate enough to start streaming the series from the Freeform website through my ancient ipad to my appletv. Unsurprisingly, I am able to watch about 10 minutes at a time before the site crashes and I have to reboot. Despite this terrible inconvenience I just can’t tear myself away.  It has everything: relationship drama, friendship drama, work drama, food and body dysmorphia drama, sports drama, drama drama drama all the while coupled with tales of incredibly dedicated young female athletes and some pretty fucking awesome stunts performed by seriously strong chicks (there’s just no strong like gymnastics strong). If you’re wondering how a smart, comedically inclined girl like me could get sucked into the likes of an ABC Family Teen DRAMA this is best explained in one of my favorite SF Weekly columns ever. Archived from 2014, Katy St. Claire explains why this specific brand of broadcasting is just so deliciously disruptive (Young and Hungry, which she discusses is also absolutely fabulous). I like this show so much and as I mentioned there are just so many  episodes that the addiction is border-line dangerous. Good thing most of my clients are out of town this month.

Black-ish is a great show. It’s a lovely, heartwarming family-friendly sit-com that refuses to rest on its laurels and survive on just having an award winning cast and a typically pleasant (if somewhat generic) brand of humor. Instead, the writers of Black-ish find ways to challenge mainstream belief systems on race and class, managing to addresses very real and culturally relevant issues in American society with tremendously honest and approachable humor. While I appreciate absolutely everything about Blackish it’s one of those network sitcoms that has been relegated to “cooking time” as the true gem episodes tend to be inconsistent (often it is very, very good but still just a little too sweet for my full attention). Every once in awhile though it just does absolutely everything right and last week’s episode entitled Sugar Daddy had me laughing out loud and nodding vigorously in agreement over my saute pan pretty much non-stop. Even if you never watch this show and you don’t care about diabetes this episode is totally worth tuning into. My favorite (as always) is evil daughter Diane (Marsai Martin). Especially when she schools twin brother Jack (Miles Brown) on how to cope with being disliked: “I say embrace it. My haters give me life.” Preach.

And if this all just feels a little too heartwarming don’t worry, I’ve still found time lately for that signature Snarky Sylvie Style comedies that trend towards the subversive brand which I so adore. As of late they’re all coming from FXX. 

Hulu finally released episodes from the networks line-up from two seasons ago so I’ve been playing a lot of catch up. I Just wrapped up season two of Baskets which is cynical genius, oddly humorous and just terrifying enough that I can only watch it while I also read the news. All the scaries balance themselves into funnies I suppose. If you haven’t listened to the Marc Maron interview with Louie Anderson yet (Anderson plays the show’s requisite Matriarch) do it!* 

Continuing with the more inflammatory tv trend I also just finished up Season 13 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Since this is a consistently brilliant show and I did in fact did take frantic and diligent notes while viewing my undivided attention to this comedic genius surely warrants entire blogs of their own... eventually... In the meantime I’ll leave you with this image of the Reynolds family from episode four, Wolf Cola: A Public Relations Nightmare...

“it’s a family business, I wanted it to be wholesome.” Frank (Danny Devito) explains to his family as they all snort coke with a plastic straw straight out of an overflowing sandwich bag.

‘Tis the season to enjoy your loved ones... And indulge a bit ;)

*Pro tip, all podcasts are better in 1.5x speed

[cinedave]

REVIEW: The Dark Tower - Just about stays standing

At the centre of the film universe lies the most powerful force in existence... us. Whether we like it or not, as films are made and shaped in response to consumer trends our every decision decides our future. If we support a CG driven action movie, they’ll be many others like it (<insert Transformers reference>). If we mention that films are taking themselves too seriously we get things Deadpool in response. Everything is connected. That’s why we’re most definitely responsible for this summer’s trend of shorter running blockbusters. For years people have been vocally against films more commonly reaching 2 or even hours in length. So naturally filmmakers will see a shorter run time as a more marketable attribute. While ether cases like Dunkirk of this being a success (I couldn’t have taken 2 + hours of that intensity) there are sadly more cases of these cut run times having detrimental effects on their films. Dark Tower becomes the latest casualty of the short run summer; losing some of its magic from fast tracking out its story.

At the centre of the Universe stands The Dark Tower, pretending all from the monsters that lie beyond. The troubled young Jake (Tom Taylor – The Last Kingdom) may be the key to bringing it down for the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey – Interstellar) unless the Gunslinger (Idris Elba – Pacific Rim) can stop him.

Now I’m an 80s child; you give a young protagonist adventuring into a fantasy world and I’m all yours and The Dark Tower has more than enough potential to spark my interest. Yet my biggest problem with this adaptation of Stephen King’s literary world was its lack of depth; or rather how much of it the film skips over while racing through its story. The “Mid-World” is shown as being post apocalyptic without any explanation, with vastly inconsistent levels of technology and barely any thought given to its inhabitants. No, I don’t have the shine but I what you’re thinking fanboy. The connected 2018 TV series (in which Idris Elba & Tom Taylor will reprise their roles) is supposed to be filling in the back story of the book series. That’s all well and good and hopefully will result in a deep and rewarding viewing when able to watch them all together.  Yet that does not help The Dark Tower as single viewing experience, especially for casual cinema goers less concerned over waiting a year to fill in the blanks. Director Nikolaj Arcel would have been better off keeping his mind in the present and giving us more to go on. Instead Mid-World feels like a generic cut and paste of studio back lot sets and props.

However, despite some rushing I did like the overall story of The Dark Tower. It carried good classic themes good Vs evil with underlying ideas heroism and sacrifices for the greater good. The Gunslinger is the last hero standing and broken because of it. The events move well enough from location to location and returning to “Keystone Earth” aka Earth provides some good fish out of water material for Elba to play with. What’s more its position as a story continuation rather a book adaption is rather fascinating. For those that haven’t read the books the series concluded in a tad on the timey whimey. After finally reaching the end of his journey at The Dark Tower the Gunslinger wakes up back where it all began with no memory of the events but carrying an artefact he didn’t have last time and whispered message that if he reaches it again the result might be different. So that is the story they’re picking in the films. It’s almost like a 2009 Star Trek reboot, only sticking closer to its original events.

The visuals are at times very impressive and although there is occasional stretch on believability the gun fighting based action set pieces are entertaining and occasionally thrilling. Seeing Elba face down vast ranks of assault rifle wielding minions with a pair of six shooters makes the villains look incompetent more than the hero strong but this is saved by focusing on The Gunslinger’s precision and skill. Despite this the film loses itself in its western theme and there some frustrating points where the story doesn’t give events enough time to sink in and be impactful. The atypical fall out at the two thirds point between the heroic pair lasts barely 2 minutes before they’ve completely moved passed it, leaving it feeling rather pointless.

Another casualty of the condensed running time is villain quality. The Man in Black is quite literally Matthew McConaughey in a black shirt that’s borrowed a few tricks from Killgrave. He has no depth and no discernible personality other a Family guy interpretation of Matthew McConaughey. Similarly his lieutenants are rarely named, given significant screen time or given anything to do other than being a physical presence. The heroes fair better. Elba is certainly believable in his grub stubbornness being the product of his tragedy and holds the film together like its titular Tower. Similarly young Taylor is decent as Jake. He gets almost no establishment time to sell his , “troubled kid” angle but in fact does a lot better with it than he really should. There are moments when he seems to lose his character but despite taking a few hits he stands strong.

So The Dark Tower is an affair of promise Vs problems. It’s the promise of an interesting developing story and a decent lead pair pairing against problems of execution. The future of this tower now rests firmly on the 2018 TV show. If that delivers and successfully fleshes out the world than a potential film sequel could get away with this kind of rushing. It the show crumbles then there’s no rebuilding this tower. I’d call this film worth a watch for genre fans but keep in mind that you’re not getting the full picture.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 3/26/18

Blue Morning, Vol. 7 | By Shoko Hidaka | SuBLime – Encouraged by Akihito to pursue his own individual ambitions for once, Katsuragi becomes determined to save the workers at the spinning mill he briefly had charge of, and most of this volume depicts his plans to wrest control of the mill from a powerful ally without jeoparding said ally’s support of Akihito. It’s interesting, but of course the most important thing is Katsuragi finding something he really wants to do that does not involve serving the Kuze family. After a volume that’s 95% chaste, he finally travels to the remote villa where Akihito is recuperating and, okay, yes, they totally get it on. It’s not just smut, though; there is so much love between these men. Mutual respect, the sincere wish for other to find happiness and fulfillment… Blue Morning continues to be something special. – Michelle Smith

DNA Doesn’t Tell Us, Vol. 1 | By Mintarou | Seven Seas – Now that Monster Girls have become the new trend, it’s perhaps inevitable that we’ll get Animal Girls along with it. And so we get this series, which has animals spontaneously turning into human girls for no real reason. (Yes, always girls.) They’re still basically animals, though, so they go to a school to learn how to be human. This first volume follows the “tame” animals through the eyes of Youko, a Bighorn Sheep who is a bit more together and sensible than the rest of her goofy classmates. This edges towards the ‘fanservicey’ edge of the spectrum, but is essentially harmless, and didn’t really bother me too much. That said, I’d only recommend it to fans of animal girls—there’s nothing beyond that. – Sean Gaffney

Dragon Half, Vol. 1 | By Ryusuke Mita | Seven Seas – Before reading the first Dragon Half omnibus, I only knew the series by name, mostly due to the fans of the anime adaptation from the early 1990s. The manga itself was originally serialized between 1988 and 1994. Dragon Half is a ridiculous, absurd, and incredibly silly blast from the past. As a gag manga heavily inspired by fantasy and role-playing games, the series has its fair share of powerful, scantily clad women, including the titular half-dragon Mink. The daughter of a red dragon and a famous swordsman, Mink is on a quest to become human so that she can win the love of the dragonslayer (and teen idol), Dick Saucer. While I was amused from the very beginning, it wasn’t until about halfway through the omnibus that Mita’s sense of humor really started to click with me. The comedy can be a little hit-or-miss, but at it’s best, Dragon Half is hilarious. – Ash Brown

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 4 | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – There are many scenes in this volume of The Girl from the Other Side that elicit a pang of empathy. There’s Shiva, feeling so bad for lying to Auntie about having been touched by an Outsider. There’s Auntie, gradually losing her memory of her humanity and revealing to Teacher that the worst part about the curse is that after it fully takes hold the afflicted can’t die, putting a new spin on humans killing those who are only suspected of having been exposed. And there’s Teacher, watching Shiva and Auntie together and concluding that the girl no longer needs him, that it’d make no difference if he was around or not, and that perhaps he’s harming her by trying to keep her close. At least Shiva has other ideas about that, but it’s hard to see how a happy ending is going to be possible for this story. – Michelle Smith

Horimiya, Vol. 10 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – We don’t seem any closer to wrapping up, but there is a bit more forward progress here, though anyone expecting a straightforward answer to last volume’s proposal may be disappointed. Instead, the reader can enjoy seeing the over-serious Sengoku dealing with the pangs of love, and his conversation with Remi is also something of a proposal in a way, spoken through the plots of books. I enjoyed it. There’s also a nice helping of humor here, as we see Sengoku’s dad was friends with the Horis—and is not fond of that fact. We also see Hori’s dad with his hair up, and I straight up did not recognize him at first. We seem to be back on an upswing, and I’m looking forward to more. – Sean Gaffney

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Four-Panel Comic: Days of Goddess | By Masaya Takamura and Fujino Omori | Yen Press – These sorts of spinoffs are all over the place in Japan, but we rarely see them over here. It’s exactly what you’d expect—the DanMachi story told as 4-koma gags with the cast in superdeformed mode. Since it’s “Days of Goddess,” we follow Hestia more than Bell, as she struggles to get by despite only having one follower. It’s sort of nostalgic given how far the series has come since then. The other early cast members appear as well, though given Ais’ running gag of always eating, you’ll wonder if the author confused her with Saber. There’s another volume in the fall—twice a year seems about right for this cute and funny spinoff. – Sean Gaffney

Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park!| By Fly and Kemono Friends Project | Yen Press – Sadly, this is one of those series where the real-life travails of the franchise prove to be far more interesting than the manga that came out of it. Based on an unsuccessful mobile game that got an anime that was VERY successful… until it blew up… the manga concerns a young woman named Nene, who is hired to essentially be a zookeeper for various young animal girls who are able to talk to humans and are basically eccentric young women with animal characteristics. Cute ensues. This volume contains both volumes of the original series, and as such wears out its welcome quite fast—series this fluffy should not be omnibuses. If you really like Kemono Friends, get this. – Sean Gaffney

Land of the Lustrous, Vol. 5 | By Haruko Ichikawa | Kodansha Comics – Although the narrative as a whole remains somewhat ambiguous, Land of the Lustrous continues to be one of the most visually striking series currently being released in English. With world-building and character introductions happening in fits and starts, the manga tends to favor mood and style over an obvious, logical narrative, but the melancholic atmosphere that Ichikawa has created with the manga is a compelling one. There is an intensity of emotion that makes it feel as though the gems’ psyches are as precariously close to shattering as their physical manifestations. Phos, the manga’s lead, has suffered immense trauma over the course of the series and has transformed dramatically as a result. However, as more is revealed about the characters and world, it becomes clear that Phos isn’t the only one hiding both secrets and pain. I’m still incredibly intrigued by Land of the Lustrous. – Ash Brown

Nameless Asterism, Vol. 1 | By Kina Kobayashi | Seven Seas – The premise of this sweet but deliberately frustrating series is that all of the main cast are in unrequited love with someone else in the main cast, and none of it ever goes anywhere. As such, it can be a bit teeth-grinding to see everyone confess over and over in their head but not do anything. A lot of the unrequited relationships are between girls, which explains some of the angst—indeed, one of the girls who goes on about all the boys she dates and talks about how that’s “normal, right” is possibly in the most transparent closet I’ve ever seen in any media. It’s decently written, and the kids are all likeable, but I have to admit that the volume did not really do anything for me. Still, if you like frustrating yuri. – Sean Gaffney

The Young Master’s Revenge, Vol. 1 | By Meca Tanaka| Viz Media – An unfortunate trend of most Meca Tanaka series that I read is that I enjoy them while also having very little to say about them, and that’s the case here. The premise is also remarkably similar to Masamune-kun’s Revenge, another series licensed over here, but fortunately the core audience are almost total opposites. Our hero was traumatized by an unthinking childhood friend when he was a kid. He returns, as a gorgeous rich teen, to make her fall for him and then dump her, as a somewhat petty revenge. Sadly, she’s no longer rich. Also sadly, she’s cute, plucky and adorable, and he rapidly finds himself falling for her for real. This fits the Shojo Beat line admirably, though I wasn’t wowed. – Sean Gaffney

By: Michelle Smith