#so i will watch the ace attorney live action. or the like a dragon movie

[anonshu]

Hello a long awaited post,

Welcome to Shu's "Ranking Media My Friends Have Gotten Me Into"!!! If I missed any, feel free to say, and I will make a part 2 if there's enough I missed! Let's go!!

Hazbin Hotel - 5/10

I really enjoy the songs of this show but I found the story too rushed for me to care for the stakes of what's going on. I also didn't feel any strong connections with much characters. Maybe Sir Pentious, but his character, much like the others, didn't feel very.. complex, so his death didn't that impactful to me. Which is unfortunate. I found the show concept interesting, but it just felt a bit lame to me by the end.

Dungeon And Dragons - 10/10

This is a category with many subcategories, but the overall concept and game and everything of DnD? LOVE LOVE LOVE. My desire to be in a fantasy world is somewhat documented well, so the concept is perfect for me. The idea of being able to create a character and a story and be able to EXPERIENCE it is my heart's only oxygen. And to play with friends and experience their stories they've created? BEAUTIFUL. LOVE LOVE. I love DnD

DnD The Movie - 9/10

I really liked this movie. It really captured the essence of what I imagine is a stereotypical dnd session would be. It was so fun to see that in a movie. Just a bunch of idiots trying to do a mission. Gorgeous. I didn't like the romance they added for Doric and Simon, seemed unnecessary. Should have had more Xenk in the movie. I loved him, he was so goofy

Epithet Erased - 6/10

I already made a post detailing my thoughts on this show but to re-iterate it, I really liked the characters and the first part of the show but I did find the plot structure a bit strange? Read my old post for my proper review, give me views.

Baldurs Gate 3 - 6/10

I think I'd really like this game if I could make it farther in the story without my mac exploding. I do really like what I've done though. The battle system isn't my fav but I would have sucked way more if it was any other system. The designs of the characters and the world is absolutely stunning though. And I love Karlach, my wife.

Dimension 20 - 9/10

I love what I've seen from this. I love the variety of stories, and Brennan DM-ing is so delightful. I love how he does it.

Dungeon Meshi - 10/10

LOVE LOVE LOVE. SO FUN. GREAT SONGS. GREAT CHARACTERS. AMAZING STORY. LOVE LOVE. Only downfall is the changeling arc, not my cup of tea BUT EVERYTHING ELSE STUNNING

Good Omens - 9/10

I love love this show. Beautiful. Gorgeous. There's so much to be said about this show. I love the dynamic of the Aziraphale and Crowley. I love seeing their past experiences together. The pining?? It's beautiful. I just- AUGH!! The characters are my particular favourite, as I just love that I can reason with what's happened because I have an understanding of the characters. Augh, beautiful

One Piece/Live Action - 9/10

I absolutely adored this so so much!!!!! This connects both anime and live action because I watched the anime because of the live action. I absolutely adore this show. I love the diverse goals and abilities of the characters. It just feels so real that way. I love the bright, exciting adventures portrayed while also showing more serious moments when necessary. I love stories that aren't so down and moody, and are about a group of friends going on stupid little adventures!

Six Of Crows - 9/10

To go against what I just said. This is found family like how one piece is but has a different tone. As opposed to being friends connected through fun, they are co-workers connected through experiences. I love the fact that they are on a mission and begin as co-workers, but later on, trust is formed, and I just love seeing that. I'm realising my review is gonna be very one note soon.. oh well

Ace Attorney - 7/10

I am not that attached to the characters of ace attorney yet. But the game concept is so my thing. Investigating and solving a crime. I love puzzle games sm ahdhhrf I do find some stuff really stupid and tedious BUT that's honestly fine because I feel like a genius every time I complete a trial whdht

Shrek 1 & 2 - 7/10

Stupid, fun kids movie. What can I say? Watching it on a bus.. was an experience.. but I really liked going to the cinema to see it. I found it really fun to watch this with friends. Love

Tom Cardy - 10/10

This is a small addition, but I love love love this man. Such good songs. Love it.

Spiderverse- 9/10

Also a small addition, but the art of this movie was so incredible. So excited for the next one! Loved loved loved the chase scene and the ending scenes

[luimnigh]

That's good advice, me.

(FYI: Partial means I watched a significant amount, but not enough to count as a full watch. Might get back to it, might not.)

January:

Movies:

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit: First Movie I watched this year. Weird way to start a year.

How To Train Your Dragon: Still a fantastic movie. Quite possibly the only animated film my parents consider art.

Honey I Shrunk The Kids: Hadn't watched this in years. Pretty good. Practical effects don't hold up.

Nimona: Maybe should have saved this film for Easter, being a movie that came back from the dead.

Mary Poppins: We watched Mary Poppins Returns over Christmas and my Mom couldn't remember if she'd seen the original.

My Neighbour Totoro: My first Ghibli. Should probably get around to watching more.

In The Heat of The Night (Partial): I caught the last hour of it on TV and holy crap do I need to track down the rest.

Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (Partial): Caught the last half on TV. Fun enough movie.

The Revenant (Partial): Once again, the last hour. Fairly interesting.

Series:

Arcane: ...how do League of Legends show be good?

Percy Jackson: Damn good adaptation. I've seen some criticism, some I agree with and some I don't, but I was satisfied.

Jet Lag: The Game Season 8: Okay, so this is technically a Youtube series, but it's weekly 40+ minute episodes of a game show. It counts.

Murder Drones (Partial): Also a Youtube series, but it's 20+ min episodes of animation, it counts. Watched this because my nephew is really into it, and I wanted to be able to talk to him about his interests.

February:

Movies:

Groundhog Day: Yes, I watched it on February 2nd.

Zoo (2017): A based-on-a-true-story kid's movie about a group of Belfast children trying to save a baby Elephant from being euthanised alongside the rest of the Zoo's large animals, because the authorities are afraid of them escaping if the Zoo is damaged by Nazi bombing raids.

Quadrophenia: The story of a young man who sacrifices his whole life to live out a subculture that nobody else takes as seriously as he does. Based on an album by The Who.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Partial): When I say I partially watched it, I was in the room playing Ace Attorney while my parents watched it.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (Partial): Now I just need to watch the last half of To Sir With Love to partially complete the Sidney Poitier 1967 trifecta.

Missing Link (Partial): Breaking with the pattern, I caught the first half hour of this film. Gotta love a Laika.

Dr Zhivago (Partial): When I say I caught the last half of this film, I mean I watched an hour and a half of this movie, and it still only counts as half.

Series:

Mrs Wilson: Three-episode miniseries about a woman uncovering her late husband's infidelities and secrets, complicated by the fact that both of them worked for British Intelligence. A true story about the lead actress' grandmother. It's fucking good.

Video Games:

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Good game, though I feel like the DLC case tacked on the end dragged it out a bit.

Phoenix Wright: Justice for All: I really do like how the Psyche-Lock system gives uses for the evidence in the investigation stage.

Books:

Iron Widow: Fun book, good read, some heavy subject matter, really liked learning about the elements of Imperial China that ended up in the story. Climax felt a bit rushed, though, it escalated fairly quickly.

March:

Movies:

Last Action Hero: If you're aware of my taste in superheroes, it should come as no surprise that I fucking love this movie.

Logan: Still makes me cry. Goddamn.

Death On The Nile (1978): I have genuinely been on a riverboat down the Nile, and now I feel cheated with the lack of murders.

The Devil's Own: IRA man goes to New York to buy Stinger missiles. Grows attached to cop he's staying with. Can't tell if Brad Pitt's Irish accent is bad or not.

Nobody: Love a good action film where you can see the main character get progressively more beaten up.

Master And Commander: The Far Side of The World (Partial): Long title. Long movie. Literally could not watch it all.

Series:

Blue Eye Samurai: You know, this is the first time I've really liked an Irish villain in non-Irish media? Usually it's just stereotypes out the wazoo, but Abijah Fowler's a breath of fresh air. It's just... true that people who suffered under colonisation can turn around and join their oppressors in oppressing others. He's a man who had great cruelty visited upon him, and decided the only way to never be hurt like that again is to visit that pain on others. The rest of the show is damn good too.

Delicious In Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi (Partial): Oh, it's an absolute delight.

Jet Lag: The Game Season 9 (Partial): Genuinely forgot to add this to my March roundup. Maybe because in between March ending and me posting the roundup the season finale aired and it stopped being Partial. Anyway, honestly, I felt this season suffered from the concept. Hide and seek is hard to make look interesting.

Books:

Gideon The Ninth (Partial): I really need to just sit down and dedicate a few hours to reread it to completion. I'm sneaking a few pages whenever I have time at the bus stop, and it's taken me weeks to get to the sparring matches organised by Coronabeth.

Looking back, I spent most of last year in a depressive funk. There were some high moments, but after about March I just stopped doing the stuff I enjoy. I didn't read books, I didn't watch movies, the last videogame I played to completion was in May, I only went to the Cinema twice...

I just took the quick dopamine hit from stuff like youtube videos and social media scrolling.

I gotta fix that. I gotta get back to the things I enjoy.

So my New Year's Resolution, probably the first time I've ever seriously done one, is to enjoy more art.

I'm gonna record every movie and series watched, every book read, every game played- and I'm gonna finish a bunch of those I started and never ended.

No goal, just more.

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- The Sandman (TV) - Netflix I am begging you for a season 2 please.

- Monster High (Movie) - While the Monster High franchise definitely sounds right up my ally, I was a bit too late to experience its heyday and never really got into it. I’ve always been curious though so this G3 reboot seems like a good time to check it out, with an introductory live action movie and an upcoming TV show with some pretty cute looking animation. The movie was cute, very original Disney channel-ish, I doubt I’d recommend it to anyone but I had fun. Frankie in particular was a standout, both in the movie and cartoon/doll line they have a great design and I liked most of their fashion-Also, nonbinary rep in kids media! Very cool. 

- Breath Of The Wild (Video Game) - Playing this game as free therapy, the relaxing vibes are what I’m here for.

- Golden Kamuy (Anime) - Glad to be back, this season should have some of my favorite arcs and scenes. Vasily is here and very cute as well, love his little Ogata fanart.

- Mob Psycho 100 (Anime) - Yes.

- Spy X Family (Anime) - Still super cute!

- Hollow Knight (Video Game) - Started a playthrough and man. The gap between the adorable designs and hauntingly lovely visuals and the actual lore of this game sure is something. Little Ghost can go right next to Kirby in the “adorable non-verbal game protagonists who can and have killed Gods.”

- Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun (Anime) - It’s back! It’s so unbelievably nice to get some good wholesome monster content, I missed all these characters and I’ve heard the upcoming arc is a lot of fun so looking forward to it.

- Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Webnovel) - Yup.

This season is pretty stacked, I’m also keeping up with Lower Decks, Ace Attorney, Jojo’s, Last Week Tonight, and Made in Abyss

Listening to: Right Where You Left Me by Taylor Swift, House of Memories by Panic! At The Disco, Ultraluminary cover by Caleb Hyles, Cut To The Feeling by Carly Rae Jepsen, Reprobate Romance by Blacklisted Me, The Bones by Maren Morris and Hozier, Venus by Sleeping At Last, People Watching by Conan Gray, Bones by Imagine Dragons, A Good Song Never Dies by Saint Motel

[mattkenzie]

My Highlights of 2019

So with 2019 coming to a close (and I have to say that the year has come and gone... but I strangely had times that slowed down). This year I recently started to use hashtags so that is a learning experience and maybe get myself noticed for a while.

Ships of 2019 ❤️

Beau and Jester (Critical Role Season 2)

Catra and Adora (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Movies 🎥 🍿

This year my local cinema was closed for refurnishment so I never got to watch much movies this year. I used to like going to the movies but there is this unwritten rule where ‘you can’t go into a cinema on my own’ and ‘going to a U-Rated (Universal) as an adult without a child is frowned upon.’ So I think you know what? I’ll get the movie physically so I can watch it twice as it pays for my cinema ticket. Maybe in the new year I’ll hunt down the MCU Boxsets.

Avengers: Endgame 🥇

🍿 Captain Marvel 🥈

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse 🥉

Sonic the Hedgehog (So glad Sonic got an update!)

Avengers: Infinity War

Spider-Man: Far From Home

🍿 Steven Universe: The Movie

🍿 Black Panther

Doctor Strange

Frozen 2 (My principle still stands that I detest Frozen)

How to Train Your Dragon

💿 Lord of the Rings

💿 Thor Ragnarok

Guardians of the Galaxy

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Spider-Man: Homecoming

🍿 Toy Story 4

The Hobbit (ONLY the first 2 films!)

Spirited Away

Movie Characters

Live Action TV 📺

Animated TV 📺

TV Characters

Music Groups 🎤🎸🥁

Musicals 🎭

Just the one musical that I’ve enjoyed this year and that is...

Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice, being young and naive doesn’t mean that I’m an easy mark.)

Books 📚

This year I have promised myself that I’d read a new book once a month back in 2018 and it came back with a vengeance in 2019 and I have been enjoying reading more that I prefer fantasy and built such a small library. Yes, this year I’ve been spending less time watching television and giving my imagination a creativity an exercise. I think in 2020, I’ll try to give YA novels a chance... yet I noticed the YA protagonists are female. I want to try Leigh Bardugo’s Trilogy, The Throne of Glass, The Mortal Instrumentals and more of Rick Riordan. I do kind of feel bad for not reading The Simarrillion (as I never got into books as a child/teenager).

Harry Potter series 🥇

Percy Jackson and the Olympians 🥉

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)

Discworld

Good Omens

Authors and Poets 📚✒️

Video Games 🎮

So I’ve been spending less money on video games this year it feels like it’s a good thing but sometimes we have to be adult about things in this day and age because responsibility demands sacrifice. I do find life difficult at times but I know that I can pop in a CD and find enjoyment in the games that I want to play. So what about the video games that aren’t on the Tumblr fandom list? Well to abridge my list... Trails of Cold Steel 1 & 2, Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2: Enhanced Edition and Planescape Torment & Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, King of Fighters 2000, King of Fighters ‘97, Fatal Fury Special and Garou: Mark of the Wolves. I was ecstatic to hear Terry Bogard being in Smash. But what about those games that are no Tumblr but not on mine? It’s simple, I’m not interested in them.

Overwatch 🥇

Minecraft 🥈

🎮 Fire Emblem: Three Houses 🥉

Undertale

🎮 Pokémon Sword and Shield

🎮 The Sims 4

🎮 Persona 5 (I can’t wait for Royal)

Deltarune

🎮 Danganrompa

🎮 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Can’t wait for the sequel)

Stardew Valley

🎮 Borderlands 3

🎮 Kingdom Hearts III

Detroit: Become Human

🎮 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

🎮 Ace Attorney (Still salty about not having Miles Edgeworth Investigations and The Great Ace Attorney though)

Taletale: The Walking Dead

🎮 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

🎮 Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Cyberpunk 2077

Dragon Age Inquisition

🎮 Fallout 4

Minecraft ⛏

I’ve stopped watching Minecraft videos for about 2 years now (as I loved the Yogscast), but I somehow do miss playing it on my phone or on a console, I think in 2020 I will get a copy on the Switch because one of my friends have been playing Minecraft on the Switch.

Mobile Games/Apps 📱

To be honest, I don’t do any form of mobile gaming (I’m mostly against the idea of ‘micro transactions’ just the sake of pay to win). Like when it comes to video games on computers and consoles I will gladly get the DLC to give my games more depth and longer replay value.

Video Game Characters

Raphael (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Pokémon

So with Pokémon Sword and Shield being released, I was having some mixed feelings about it. Did I like the Thanos snap? I can live with it. Did I like the new pokémon? Some of them are a hit and miss (I liked the starters, I chose Scorbunny at first but when I was spoiled with Grooky’s final evolution... I jumped ship). Do I like the Dynamax/Gigantamax system? To be honest I was hoping for Armoured Evolutions.

Brand New World

Grooky Gang

Anime & Manga

Web Celebrities

Web Series

So with me losing interest in television comes a rise in watching my shows online. I normally do enjoy watching Critical Role on Monday (as I need some sleep on Friday at silly o’clock in the morning) but I have enjoyed discovering Sander’s Side (YouTube’s version of Pixar’s Inside Out) and listening to The Adventure Zone that I bought the comics (I can’t wait for Volume 3) and Dimension 20’s Fantasy High.

Critical Role 🥇

RWBY 🥈

Sander’s Sides 🥉

The Adventure Zone

Camp Camp

Hazbin Hotel

gen:LOCK

Dimension 20

Memes

I will never understand memes (so please don’t ask)

OK, Boomer!

Raiding Area 51

Thicc is the new Phat

Tumblr Communities

So I stated that this year that I would be reading a book once a month and I have started to appreciate them more than I do with Television and Video Games so I’ve been blogging what books that I have read and eventhough I don’t know what is getting released (like I do with video games and movies). I have been enjoying starting out with bookblr.

Bookblr

Art Styles

Beauty & Fashion Brands 👕👖🥾

Sadly, I gained a lot of weight this year that I now have to get size 46 waist jeans and chinos so I buy clothing from Bad Rhino (I am not proud of myself for that), but the good news is that my brushing/flossing have been improving and I have stopped biting my nails ever since I bought myself nail clippers.

Astrology ♒️

I don’t really follow astrology but I like to look at the Aquarius posts for fits and gigs so apparently Aquarius is in 3rd place in the trending.

Aquarius ♒️🥉

Tumblr and Social Impact

LGBTQIA+

[entamewitchlulu]

Homura’s Flash Reviews [February 2019]

This will be my first review post for 2019!!  I’m watching winter anime currently which I won’t be reviewing til the season is over, but for those who are interested, here’s what I’m watching for winter!

The Price of Smiles

Ace Attorney

Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka

The Promised Neverland

Mysteria Friends

I’m also gonna be adding a few other things to these Flash Reviews and also review the movies I’ve seen during the month, just cause I rly like having opinions lol.  So without further ado, here are the anime, shows, and movies that I saw this February and January!

Castlevania

Not technically an anime in anything other than style, Castlevania is the animated adaptation of the third Castlevania game, following the adventures of Trevor Belmont, the last of his vampire hunting legacy, Sypha, a nomadic magician, and Alucard Tepes, the son of Dracula and his human wife who was killed by the church, and their struggles to take down Dracula before he wipes out all of humanity.

I don’t know much about Castlevania the games, as they really aren’t my genre, but this adaptation was incredible!!  Proof that video game adaptations can and should strive for greater heights!  The dialogue was funny and witty, the characters were interesting and even the villains were endearing, and there was this incredibly crafted atmosphere of both sadness and hope.  Not to mention, the animation was top notch.  Plus, I have to give it credit for finally letting characters say “fuck” realistically.

overall: 9/10

Futari wa Pretty Cure

The very first, original start of the popular magical girl franchise, Pretty Cure chronicles the tale of Nagisa and Honoka, two very different girls who are brought together when they are chosen to become Pretty Cure, the legendary warriors who will defend light from the darkness!  Together with their mascot friends Mepple and Mipple, and juggling their real lives along with their supernatural battles, Cure Black and Cure White will do whatever it takes to protect the world from evil!

I’ve intended to watch Pretty Cure for literally years now, and no one could agree with where I should start, so I decided to just do what I usually do and watch from the beginning.  I’ve only seen the first season of Pretty Cure and not the Max Heart sequel yet.  Overall, it was about what I expected!  I’m a bit of a sucker for the traditional 2000s magical girl genre, with its repetitive formulas, catchphrases, poses, and the usual five episode plots that every single one of them has.  The designs were super cute and I love how Black and White look so distinct and yet are still clearly a team.  Pollun especially is super adorable!!

Definitely I can see why Pretty Cure became such of a behemoth in the magical girl genre today; it has staying power.  This season was definitely full of a lot of generic magical girl filler, and I will be honest that I started to lose steam for it towards the end, plus the villains were not at all endearing or interesting (like, Poisonny and Regine are both very pretty, and Kiriya was okay, but other than that, no one stands out), but it was still a great and adorable experience that I’m glad I experienced.  I’m not sure when I’ll get to the next series, but I’m sure it won’t be long!

overall: 7/10

Incredibles 2

I took my sweet time going to see this sequel, but here we are.  In the anticipated sequel to the original Incredibles, the family faces new challenges as Elastigirl is scouted by a CEO to help make superheroes legal again, while Mr. Incredible has to learn the challenges of taking care of the family by himself.

 I guess overall it was a good movie and well made for its intended audience.  The animation was pretty good and I usually like their cartoony anatomy designs which are more concerned with a comic-book-esque aesthetic rather than proper anatomy and perfect realism.  Definitely the quality has soared since the first Incredibles.  For me personally though...as much as it was entertaining, in hindsight I don’t think it was really made for me.  There were a lot of plot threads that didn’t seem to get resolved or even addressed.  Bob never fully confronts his jealousy for Helen’s new job, and is never quite confronted about the fact that he hid Jack Jack’s powers from Helen either.  The new superheroes were...honestly not my favorite designs in the world outside of Void, and I felt like their only purpose was to become fight fodder for the final battle, which could have been done with almost any other means.  For as long as the movie was, it felt like a lot of the threads were simply not deeply solved, and only shallowly addressed.  As this is a movie for kids, though, I can look past that; this wasn’t the story for a hugely deep look at things.  It did affect my personal enjoyment, though, but it was still a greatly fun movie to watch.

overall: 7/10

Dragon Ball Super: Broly

Finally coming for the canon after a couple of decades, DBS Broly brings the legendary super Saiyan Broly into the main cast.  When the young Broly is sent away from Planet Vegeta for being too overwhelmingly powerful, he and his father are stranded on a barren planet for forty years, until they are found by some of Frieza’s soldiers and brought into the Frieza Force.  Frieza immediately pits the super powerful Broly up against our heroes Goku and Vegeta, who must pull out every trick in the book in order to stop him from destroying the planet in his growing rage.

I never ever thought I would say this about anything relating to Broly, but GODDAMN that might have been the best Dragon Ball media in years.  Let’s get this part straight: I’ve disliked Broly since he first appeared in the DB movies.  He was boring, had a ridiculous backstory, and was just there to be a Gary Stu to really push Goku and Vegeta to their limits.  But this movie??? This movie singlehandedly shot Broly to my top ten characters in Dragon Ball.  He is endearing, gentle, a recovering abuse victim with a rage he cannot control, and his strength is more dangerous to himself than to those around him.  In TFS’ review of the movie, they made a great point: the real stakes of his movie aren’t whether Broly is going to destroy the planet; they’re whether Broly himself is going to be okay.  I’m focusing a lot on Broly, but Goku and Vegeta are in top form in his movie as well.  It’s great getting to see Vegeta have a massive fight where he isn’t immediately jobbed for Goku’s sake, and Goku himself is at the top of his game as the fun-loving, battle-crazed but still sympathetic hero that he should always be written as.  Not to mention our new additions to the main cast in Cheelai and Lemo, two of Frieza’s soldiers who found and ended up befriending Broly, who are equally endearing and fun especially in their dynamics with Broly himself.  

All in all, this was a fucking excellent movie, and the first DB media that I can imagine wanting to rewatch!

overall: 10/10

Fireworks

When Nazuna is about to move away, she asks Norimichi to come with her to the fireworks, though she plans instead to run away.  When this doesn’t work according to plan, Norimichi finds that a strangle marble belonging to Nazuna has the power to turn back the clock, giving them a second chance to be together.  However, with each reset, they move further and further away from reality -- can they return to a world where they’re able to spend at least one day with each other?

This is pretty much, in a nutshell, everything I love about anime movies.  It’s beautiful, fluid, full of amazing music, and the emotions hit so close to home.  While the story itself doesn’t explain much, it really doesn’t have to -- the surrealism of the surrounding world sells it more than any exposition would, proving you don’t need to slow down your story to explain something as long as you can make people feel something for it.  Despite having so little to know about both Norimichi and Nazuna, I was still more than sold by their romance. And once again, the surrealism of the animation and the story are something that only anime can pull off.  You just can’t do stories like this live action.

The only thing that really dragged this story down were some of the CGI bits, which I found unnecessary and weird against the otherwise gorgeous backgrounds, but I guess this is where animation is going lately so I might have to get used to it.

overall: 8/10

[arcaneranger]

Final Thoughts - Spring 2018

Oh, I am so very late on this one, but in my defense, I did warn that I had too much to watch during the spring, so much so that I actually have to have MAL open in another tab while I’m writing this just to remember everything.

I’ll start with what I skipped.

* Tokyo Ghoul:re, FLCL Alternative, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness Season 2 and High School DxD Hero because I have neither watched the previous seasons nor read the manga.

* Cutie Honey Universe and Gurazeni because by the time I would have gotten to them, I had only heard bad things.

* Dragon Pilot: Hisone to Masotan because Netflix picked it up and we’ll have to wait until September for it.

* Gegege no Kitaro because I didn’t hear any buzz about it and frequently forget that it even exists, I’ll get around to it if enough people ask me to.

* Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory because Funimation has inexplicably removed the dub from VRV and that’s how I want to experience it.

* Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits because I already watched Konohana Kitan and didn’t see much of a difference.

* Captain Tsubasa because Viz licensed it and then just kinda sat on it everywhere except the Philippines.

* Inazuma Eleven because it just went completely unlicensed/unloved.

So, with those out of the way, from the bottom to the top, here’s everything I did manage this season.

Worst of the Season: Fist of the Blue Sky Re:Genesis (2/10)

Oh my god, it’s just the ugliest thing this side of Berserk. I don’t remember a damn thing about this one, and I’d bet that most people who watched it are with me on this one, because I was just distracted by how astoundingly awful the CG production in this show is.

Butlers x Battlers (3/10)

Ugh, what a boring slog of a premiere. I still pretty vividly remember this one, if only because it’s so painfully generic that it swung all the way around to be memorable again. Butlers spent almost its entire first episode on absolutely nothing before remembering in the last five minutes that it was supposed to have a plot and smash-cutting to it in the middle of a scene.

Caligula (3/10)

Where to start? After one of the most interesting premieres of the season, this adaptation pretty immediately sank into complete nonsense, and it’s such a massive waste of potential that this was the work of the writers behind the original Persona titles. Caligula is a show where the main characters literally forget the plot is happening and decide to go to a theme park while they’re trapped in a virtual world with a bunch of digi-zombies trying to murder them. Are you kidding me?

Devils’ Line (3/10)

I just did my write-up for this, so it’s a little fresher in my mind, but honestly, it’s just Twilight with adults and the edge factor turned up, and it looks damn silly trying to be as serious as it is. Sentai needs to choose a little more carefully than this if they want to promote their new service.

Libra of Nil Admirari (3/10)

This one was just so boring to look at that I don’t remember anything except that books were evil and it was a visual novel adaptation.

Dances With the Dragons (4/10)

I’m aware that I use the word “generic” an awful lot, but this season’s worst had quite a lot of that quality, and it applies here, too. Trying its hardest to be a mid-aughts grimdark action piece, it just does almost nothing interesting in its premiere, aside from giving the protagonist an already-existing girlfriend, which may have just been an attempt to quell any yaoi-baiting the two main dudes have going for them, because her only qualities demonstrated were “can’t cook” and “looks hot”.

Real Girl (4/10)

As I said in my write-up, I wanted so badly to like this one, but you need a budget of more than fifty cents to make an anime, and nearly every shot betrays just how little the studio was working with. We’re talking about the kind of show where the main cast goes to a summer festival, and appear to be the only people there. The story and writing just aren’t enough to make me put up with it.

Gundam Build Divers (4/10)

What a total letdown from this franchise. Fighters was an incredibly well-written show that was aimed at kids but could appeal to all Gundam fans, Try was divisive but the people that liked it (like me) got a lot out of it, but Divers just flounders. A relatively decent first episode gives way to episode after episode of Villain of the Week shenanigans that I cannot bring myself to care about because the main cast just aren’t interesting; they’re pretty much just generic shonen cardboard cutouts. This was one case where I was almost hoping for a sudden death game turnaround, because the idea of a bunch of kids being trapped in a game with lots of adults and giant robots would at least be a workable plot, but just fighting Team Rocket over and over again is boring schlock.

Magical Girl Ore (4/10)

I held out hope for too long on this one, but I had an inkling from the beginning that the humor was just going to turn me way, way off, and I was right. This one just carried too many bad implications if you thought about it, and they all piled up and crashed down on me the more I tried to keep going.

Magical Girl Site (4/10)

This show just couldn’t stay above water. The writing only got dumber as the plot carried on, and the fact that I was still watching became embarrassing, because most of the community watched one episode of this and dropped it like a hot rock. Hopefully I’ve learned my lesson.

Darling in the FRANXX (5/10)

What total bull, huh? I’ve never seen public opinion on a show turn around as fast as the community ripped Darling to shreds. While it’s visually gorgeous (most of the time), the writing in the second half of the show is just humiliating to everyone involved, as the script becomes a child Godzilla-stomping through a carefully-constructed castle of wood blocks. Once again, I yearn for Inferno Cop.

Persona 5 the Animation (5/10)

I said for the longest time during the lead-up to P5A that I didn’t really see the point of it. Persona 5 is the fastest-selling game in the franchise, and ultimately an adaptation would only serve to recap the plot, because that’s all it would have time to do in only six months. I actually enjoyed Persona 4 The Golden Animation, because it sold itself as a companion piece to the existing plot rather than a retread of it, and seeing the Scooby Gang just hanging out more was precisely what I wanted from it. A-1 Pictures just didn’t learn enough from the sins of Ace Attorney, because while this is better, it’s still not worth watching if you’ve played the game.

Last Period (5/10)

This one got some early buzz for halfway-decent production work and a skewering of gacha-based RPGs, but ultimately ended up repeating itself so often that it became boring, and sidelining the highlight of the show (the villain trio Wiseman) into having barely a few lines per episode. Just goes to show what happens when repeated gags get stale.

Now that those are out of the way, we can get to the stuff I actually finished!

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These (6/10)

Barely worth watching for how badly condensed the plot is, and barely worth talking about until the movies happen. That’s assuming we actually get them stateside, but I won’t hold my breath on that one. I coulodn’t even find a decent GIF for this one.

Crossing Time (6/10)

A fun, yet not especially memorable set of vignettes about people waiting for the train to go by. Some of the episodes were less enjoyable than others, but still worth a watch if only because it’ll only take you half an hour and anything you don’t like will probably be over quickly.

Golden Kamuy (6/10)

The last thing I finished for the season, Golden Kamuy’s failure to live up to high expectations lies in its inability to focus on its serious tone, constantly inserting dick jokes into its brutal fight scenes and dragging a poop joke on for entirely too long throughout the show, but it’s still good-looking enough to be worth watching, and it was the only decent show this season to pull out the announcement of a continuation in its last episode, without which it probably wouldn’t have gotten a pass from me.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby (7/10)

I still am amazed by the legwork that went into this silly little mobile game adaptation. While parts of it remain half-assed and unnecessary (the random idol performances being at the top of that list), it’s still a competently-written story about a protagonist who won’t let anything stop her from being The Very Best Like No One Ever Was, and I never get tired of that. The constant timeskips do get a little hard to keep track of, though.

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (7/10)

This one could have been improved by just tweaking a few things. While the characters were endearing and the comedy on-point, the story needed a little interference just so that we didn’t end the final episode in pretty much the same place as the second, because I didn’t get any sense of progress in the main relationship. Still, totally worth a watch if you were disappointed by the news that Recovery of an MMO Junkie was directed by a Nazi.

Comic Girls (7/10)

A very cute story of four artists living together and sharing their passion for manga. This one grew on me a lot over its run, and while I had been pretty certain it would be a 6, a satisfying ending and unnecessarily pretty production elevated it, and I’m glad I wound up finishing it.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (8/10)

This one has the distinction of being the first review I got hate mail for, because I said that Sigsawa was a far better writer than Kawahara and that the female characters in Alternative actually had agency, and boy are those things true. As it turns out, without Kirito-sama, Sword Art Online can actually be decent, or even great. A solid buildup, well-defined characters (that don’t want to bang the main character!) and a spectacular climax lead up to the best story in the franchise. Can’t wait for Alicization to bring SAO crashing back down to mediocrity-at-best.

Tada-kun Never Falls in Love (8/10)

The only HIDIVE show I finished this season! And the best of three romantic comedies we got this spring, because it gave us the progression and satisfaction that Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun wasn’t able to. While it hit a few stumbling blocks, Tada-kun was brought up at least two full points by its fantastic ending, and that was a great surprise since I was really skeptical going into the final few episodes, as they are a big shift in tone and setting from the rest of the show, but the story pulled it off brilliantly.

Hinamatsuri (8/10)

The funniest show of the season, hands-down, Hinamatsuri is the strange tale of a girl with psychic powers from another dimension coming to live with her new yakuza dad, and the hilarity that ensues. Hina herself is a great character, as her dimwittedness is the basis for a lot of the comedy in this show, but the real heart is Anzu, and the coming-of-age journey she takes over the course of the story. This series shows a great and uncommon sympathy to the downtrodden members of Japanese society, and ultimately is able to bring every character’s arc to a meaningful and satisfying conclusion...except for one. Shame about that final episode.

Food Wars: The Third Plate (9/10)

I’m surprised at the lack of heat I’ve gotten about my opinion on Food Wars, and maybe it’s because I’ve been too subtle about my feelings, so I’ll spell them out clearly now: Food Wars is better than My Hero Academia, and you should be watching it.

Lostorage Conflated WIXOSS (9/10)

Man, was this a satisfying turnaround from the disappointment that was incited. The decision to bring the original cast back for a Massive Multiplayer Team-Up was a great one, and meant that almost every character, but especially Midoriko, got the conclusion they really needed. I’m hoping that this is the end for this franchise, if only so it can go out on its highest note. Oh, also, the soundtrack is still awesome.

Best of the Season:...

...

...

MEGALOBOX (10/10)

This shouldn’t surprise anyone, because MEGALOBOX was perfect from beginning to end and anybody who watched it is well aware of that fact. The sleeper hit of the season was everything the first episode promised; a gritty, 90′s-flavored story of one man’s journey to prove himself the best, and damn the consequences. MEGALOBOX is so great that it’s difficult to pick out individual elements of its awesomeness, but special mention should go to the music, because it is amazing. The OST of this one should go down in history along with that of Bebop as the best that anime has to offer.

[sleepyskye]

my friend @eejoon tagged me in this a while back and i finally have the chance to do it!!! yay!! (thanks bro!!) i’ll put it under a read more bc it’s so long lksjndvk

rules: answer all questions, add one question of your own, and tag as many people as there are questions (or don’t)

1. coke or pepsi: coke 2. disney or dreamworks: disney 3. coffee or tea: tea 4. books or movies: i mean normally i’d say books but i haven’t read in ten years so movies!! 5. windows or mac: windows 6. dc or marvel: i don’t watch too much of either but marvel! 7. xbox or playstation: playstation 8. dragon age or mass effect: idk either!!! 9. night owl or early riser: night owl 10. cards or chess: cards (and by cards i mean uno... the only card game i play) 11. chocolate or vanilla: chocolate!!! 12. vans or converse: i don’t wear either but converse 13. lavellan, trevelyan, cadash, or adaar? i have no idea what these are 14. fluff or angst: fluff 15. beach or forest: the beach!! 16. dogs or cats: i love both i can’t choose 17. clear skies or rain: rain bc that usually means it’s not 100 degrees 18. cooking or eating out: eating out bc i’m so afraid of stoves 19. spicy or mild food: mild food 20. halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: christmas!! but they’re both really good 21. would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: a little too cold bc it’d balance out in this hot cali weather and i could forever sit in ten blankets 22. if you could have a superpower, what would it be: hmm idk.. maybe invisibility would be cool!! 23. animation or live action: animation! 24. paragon or renegade: iuhh idk either of these 25. baths or showers: baths!! but i never have time to take them 26. team captain america or team iron man: honestly idk...

27. fantasy or sci-fi: fantasy! 28. do you have three or four fave quotes: i can only think of one: “why did the chicken cross the road?? he crossed the road.. to reach his future.. and today, we are all that chicken, crossing the road between middle school and high school,” -my valedictorian speech in the 8th grade 29. harry potter or percy jackson: harry potter (eejoon i never knew you liked percy jackson woah!!) 30. when you feel accomplished: i’d probably get super excited and tell my friends about it!! 31. stars wars or star trek: star wars bc i’ve never watched star trek 32. paperback or hardcover books? paperback 33. handwriting or typing: typing 34. favorite film: THE BEE MOVIE KJDNCKLND 35. favorite place in the world? ooo this is so hard but either being in the city or riding in the car, both around nightime!  36. cds or vinyl: cds 37. song lyric that’s important to you? “i want her everywhere, and if she’s beside me i know i need never care”

38. what’s your form of self-care? giving myself some nice spa treatment and watching something cool 39. what language/languages would you like to learn? tagalog and japanese! 40. fave song currently? ahhh this is so hard but i think i’ll say graceful ghost rag bc i’ve been listening to the video of ness playing it!! but also every single hxh song and garasu no hanazono are close seconds

my (eejoon’s!) question! 41. favorite game? i mean obviously ace attorney and love live aka the two things i base my entire life around

and my question!!

42. favorite color? mine’s purple!!!

and i’ll tag @starleybucks @torchiwick @sharpcollar @garyuukenjii @todoloki again, but also if anyone else wants to do it just say i tagged you!! i’m blanking out on names of my other friends rn rip