#sorry in advance if I sound annoying stupid or pretentious or all three at once

[onewomancitadel]

Hello again. What are the most appealing aspects of anime to you? what draws you in?

Hi again anon, hope you're having a good evening! XD Thank you for asking for my opinion, I hope I give an interesting answer.

Well, I don't like most anime fan culture. I find it unappealing and uninteresting. I don't like anime for the sake of anime, BUT I like a lot of anime, because it's very obviously artistic and thoughtful. Artistic and thoughtful enough for Black Swan or Inception to joyfully 'borrow' from Satoshi Kon, or equally considered too artistic and thoughtful in making live action adaptations such as Ghost in the Shell (2017). The director literally said the original film adaptation had too much philosophy in it and wanted to take that out. Gut the original Ghost in the Shell film of its thematic drive and you're left with shallow action schlock and no motivator. Oh wait, that's exactly what they did!

So anime as an artform is in this sort of weird position where you get anime films such as Angel's Egg or Ghost in the Shell (my two favourites) as being formative to video games and film, and other such bleedover entertainment (I'm pretty sure Angel's Egg really inspired the Dark Souls series - Ghost in the Shell, obviously, The Matrix) and then you kind of get that dismissal of anime as a serious medium for conveying ideas, because animation is for children. (My issues with certain anime probably has less bearing on the issue).

I think the conflation of 'animation is for children' is interesting because you can probably make the argument that it is true, in a sense; animation can reach heights of fantasy it's hard for live action to do, and fantastical things - especially bright and colourful stuff - is generally considered for children. I'm with C.S. Lewis on this one: 'Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.' But I think most anime viewers would agree that with that heightened fantasy, you can also get some of the most out of this world stuff with adult themes conveyed appropriately.

The thing with animation too is that essentially every single shot is controlled, and is profoundly purposeful. This isn't something I'd immediately dismiss in live action (for instance, The Matrix does this a lot, though I would argue here this may be the anime influence) but I like thoughtful things, and I like metaphor a great deal. But on this front, I prefer hand-drawn anime. Which is ironic, since I'm a fan of R/WBY, but I actually just prefer the commitment to 3D animation. I find digital 2D very, very ugly, and I would rather just not watch it. In fact, most modern art-styles of anime I really don't enjoy at all. Little bug-eyed things which need to be swatted with a newspaper. I think the effort and the kind of texture you get from hand-drawn anime is like nothing else, and it distresses me when the swiftness of digital is prioritised over the artistry of hand-drawn. *shrug* I'm not the one being catered to anyway, so I'm not sure my opinion matters. (Obviously with R/WBY here as well, the 3D animation lets an independent team make their art, so you win some and lose some, but again, I like just the 3D).

So I'm very picky with anime, but I'm picky with most things in ways other people are not picky. Ater all, I'm a huge fan of R/WBY, and I've heard enough from people who don't like it. But we probably don't share anime opinions either. As I've noted before, Ghost in the Shell and Angel's Egg both utilise Jung in their storytelling, which I notice and am a fan of in R/WBY as well, so I'm not interested in the same sorts of traditional things. (If you're an Eva fan, you know it's packed full of Freud; Freud is a bit more unusual. Yes, I like Eva, I'm like that, but I don't want anything to do with the rebuilds. Icky. Leave old stuff alone).

But yes, I like anime the same way I like film. I wouldn't say I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of it at all; I just watch what I like. I've heard it all from anime fans before in high school about Bleach, Naruto, whathaveyou, and I don't like it, but I don't like the Marvel films, but that doesn't mean I don't like cinema.

(I promise I'm not a total contrarian. I am an avowed Reylo shipper, the most normie ship of all time - seriously, you should see the numbers on that ship, and how many people were into it that had never shipped before).

Anyway, I think animation is great, it's moving and very beautiful and thoughtful (I especially like the pacing, quite often) and some of my favourite moving picture shots are from anime. See my pinned post lol.

Also yeah I watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Fruit's Basket when I was a kid online, after DBZ, before I knew the annoying kids at school who kept me captive at a sleepover to watch Naruto. (One of the girls went to school dressed up as Sasuke on no-uniform days and non-uniform days, though the others wore their Akatsuki cloaks). So they are kind of the exception to the 2D digital animation rule, but I haven't seen those in years. Also Haruhi Suzumiya is a weird one because it's obviously SO referential to other anime and watching it without a frame of reference is really funny. Also Fruit's Basket and yummy yummy monster romance, very formative. I remember watching a choppy 240p upload of Tohru confronting The Monster Boyfriend in his monster form in the rain and yeah, that explains a lot.

Anyway, big epic fantastical pictures.

My favourite shot ever of all time. I actually saw it the first time at a rescreening at the cinema. Walked out of there not the same.

[libralita]

Title: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Illustrations: Hayley Lazo

Summary: On his thirteenth birthday, foster child Alcatraz Smedry gets a bag of sand in the mail-his only inheritance from his father and mother. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bag of sand. It is quickly stolen by the cult of evil Librarians who are taking over the world by spreading misinformation and suppressing truth. Alcatraz must stop them, using the only weapon he has: an incredible talent for breaking things.

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

I really regret reading this book because now it’s going to be a stiff competition between this and Oathbringer for my favorite of the year. I forget if it was a review or someone told me that you should wait until you’re familiar with Brandon’s humor. I will also recommend that. I’ve read all of Brandon’s other books and this was just beautiful. I have a love for meta humor and sarcasm. I love Deadpool and this is basically Middle Grade Deadpool in the best way possible. If your kids have grasped sarcasm then read them this book, they will adore it and so will you.

If you’re a childless Cosmerenaut then I also recommend you read this. It has A Series of Unfortunate Events vibes but I liked it better because it was just funnier. Part of it was because Alcatraz is familiar with our world and is being thrust into this weird world so he has hilarious reactions. Also, weird and hilarious things happen more often in this series. A Series of Unfortunate Events is more dry wit while this is just blunt sarcasm which is more my type of humor.

Also, I highly recommend the audiobook for this one. The narrator has perfect comedic timing.

“In the Hushlands—those Librarian-controlled nations such as the United States, Canada and Eland—this book will be published as a work of fantasy.”—Page 11

I…um, okay.

“Then I went inside my house and set the kitchen on fire.”—Page 16

Well, that escalated quickly.

“You realize, of course, that you are worthless.”—Ms. Fletcher, Page 24

The realism in this book is amazing. Also, considering that Fletcher is revealed to be Alcatraz’s mother is a little concerning…Like, you just called your son worthless.

“I’ve been many things in my life. Student. Spy. Sacrificed. Potted Plant.”—Page 25

Potted…?

“However, at this point, I’m something completely different from all those—something more frightening than any of them. I’m a writer.”—Page 25

Brandon is having way too much fun with this book.

“Now, looking back, I realized that this was a silly thought. Everybody has a grandfather—two of them, actually. Just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. In that way, grandfathers are kind of like kangaroos.”—Page 29

Kangaroos? But…this book is weird.

“Hyperventilating Hobbs”—Page 31

Like, Robin Hobbs? Cute.

“Obviously, you are a person of very poor judgment. I would ask you to kindly refrain from drawing conclusions that I don’t explicitly tell you to make. That’s a very bad habit, and it makes authors grumpy.”—Pages 34-35

Now, who would ever do that?

“Instead, his dogs will die. Or, in some cases, his mother will die. If it’s a really meaningful book, both his dog and his mother will die. (Apparently, most writers have something against dogs and mothers.)”—Page 58

Brandon knows what’s up.

These Talents are hilarious. Breaking things, arriving late, tripping and falling to the ground.

“Grandpa Smedry laughed. ‘Bad aim! He didn’t have a chance of hitting me. I arrived late to every shot. Your Talent can do some great things, my boy, but it’s not the only powerful ability around! I’ve been arriving late to my own death since before you were born. In fact, once I was so late to an appointment that I got there before I left!’”—Page 70

Okay, that last sentence doesn’t make a lick of sense but I love how Sanderson makes these stupid Talents awesome.

“Remember, despite the fact that this book is being sold as a ‘fantasy’ novel, you must take all of the things it says extremely seriously, as they are quite important, are in no way silly, and always make sense. Rutabaga.”—Page 74

I laughed so hard at this and I don’t know why. Just rutabaga. Also, did Brandon just sum up the Cosmere?

“‘I—’ I began. ‘Must I remind you, Alcatraz,’ Grandpa Smedry said, ‘that you shouldn’t swear?’”—Pages 75-76

What.

“The wiry man nodded. ‘Cantaloupe, fluttering paper makes a duck.’ I frowned. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ ‘Don’t mind him,’ Bastille said. ‘He says things that don’t make sense.’”—Page 90

Rutabaga.

“Sing frowned. ‘Why would a bottle want to win a prize? In fact, how do bottles even go about claiming prizes? Have they been Alivened? Don’t your people understand that Alivening things is dark Oculary?’”—Page 94

I adore Sing. Also is Alivening a reference to Warbreaker?

“‘So,’ I said, holding up a finger. ‘Let me get this straight. Our strike team consists of a loony old man, an anthropologist, a grad student, and two kids.’”—Page 95

Y’know the fact that you have three people that are over the age of 18 is an improvement on most Middle Grade strike teams.

“Children cried, clutching picture books about aardvarks in their terrified fingers.”—Page 106

Arthur!

“You see, that is the sad, sorry, terrible thing about sarcasm. It’s really funny.”—Page 113

Truer words have never been spoken.

“Since nothing I can say would be able to pierce your delusions, let the fact that I make no arguments stand as ultimate proof that I am right.”—Page 124

Tumblr discourse.

“‘Don’t be silly,’ she said. ‘Why would elevators be more advanced than stairs? Obviously, stairs take more effort to climb, are harder to construct, and are far more healthy to use. Therefore, they took longer to develop. Don’t you realize how stupid sound when you claim otherwise?’”—Page 130

By that logic our cars are more advanced because it takes more effort to control a car than to not.

“Bastille poked her head into the room. ‘Dinosaurs,’ she said, noticing the cages. ‘Useless. Let’s move on.’”—Page 133

But, but, but…they’re Dinosaurs who can talk and have British accents. How could that possibly be useless?

“‘Ah, very well, then,’ said Charles the pterodactyl. ‘We’ll just sit here. ‘In our cages,’ said the T. rex. ‘Contemplating our impending doom,’ said the triceratops.”—Page 137

Aw, let them out.

“Are you annoyed with me yet? Good. I’ve worked very hard—perhaps I will explain why later—to frustrate you. One of the ways I do this is by leaving cliffhangers at the ends of chapters. These sorts of things force you, the reader, to keep on plunging through my story.”—Page 147

I think this Brandon Sanderson talking directly to us.

“Hooks and cliffhangers belong only at the ends of chapters. That way, the reader moves on directly to the next page—where, thankfully, they can read more of the story without having to suffer some sort of mindless interruption. Honestly, authors can be so self-indulgent.”—Page 148

The amount of meta in this book has added an extra 10 years to my life.

“She was silent for a moment. ‘I lost my keys,’ she said. I frowned. It seemed like an odd comment to make. Blackburn, however, simply laughed at this. ‘It still has the better of you, doesn’t it?’”—Page 159

Losing her keys is Fletcher’s Talent. She’s a Smedry, calling it now.

“Some people assume that authors write books we have vivid imaginations and want to share our visions. Other people assume that authors write because we are busting with stories, and therefore must scribble those stories down in moments of creative propondidty. Both groups of people are completely wrong. Authors write books for one, and only one, reason: because we like to torture people.”—Page 163

So that’s why Kaladin Stormblessed will never be happy. Also no, I didn’t make a horrible typo, ‘propondidty’ is in there because Brandon is a dick.

“If you don’t believe what I’m telling you, then ask yourself this: would any decent, kindhearted individual become a writer?”—Page 164

Nope.

“I’d always kind of thought of myself as a defiant rebel against the system. However, the truth was that I was just a whiny kid who threw tantrums and broke things because he wanted to make certain that he hurt others before they hurt him.”—Page 175

Literally Tumblr.

Well, it’s Fletcher’s fault for answer Alcatraz’s questions before getting what she wanted.

“‘I think I bruised something,’ he muttered, rubbing his side. ‘One of these pistols jammed me in the tummy!’”—Page 201

Awwwwwww.

Oh, c’mon, if you’re not going to take the adorable dinosaurs then at least take the cute wittle Alivened.

“You can even scan to the end and read the last page. Know that by doing so, however, you would violate every holy and honorable storytelling principle known to man, thereby throwing the universe into chaos and causing grief to untold millions.”—Page 225

Basically, yeah.

“They, of course, filed out of the room in a very gentlemanly manner—for, as everyone knows, all British are refined, calm, and well-mannered. Even if they are a bunch of dinosaurs.”—Page 232

Of course, I think the bizarreness is starting to make more sense to me.

“‘Wasing not of wasing is,’ Quentin added.”—Page 235

*Shakes fist* SANDERSON!

“You see, that last chapter ended with a terribly unfair hook. By now it is probably very late at night, and you have stayed up to read this book when you should have gone to sleep. If this is the case, then I commend you for falling into my trap. It is a writer’s greatest pleasure to hear that someone was kept up until the unholy hours of the morning reading one of his books. It goes back to authors being terrible people who delight in the suffering of others. Plus we get a kickback from the caffeine industry.”—Pages 238-239

I knew it!

“Blah, blah, sacrifice, alters, daggers, sharks. Blah, blah, something pretentious. Blah, blah, rutabaga. Blah, blah, something that makes no sense whatsoever.”—Page 239

Literally ever Sanderson book ever.

“Rutabaga, I thought. I’ve heard that word recently. Rutabaga…fire over the inheritance!”—Page 260

RUTABAGA! I HATE THIS BOOK.

I knew it! I knew that Fletcher was a Smedry and thought that she might have been Alcatraz’s mother. Aw, that’s really sad. I highly doubt that she’s going to stay librarian and will eventually come to our side.

Wait a minute, you’re telling me that there are foster parents who aren’t evil? I’m sorry this book just became too unrealistic! My suspension of disbelief has just snapped. There’s no possible way that parents who aren’t magical and foster parents aren’t spawns of Satan in Middle Grade book. Y’lost me Sanderson.

Okay, that letter from Alcatraz’s father was really heartwarming.

“What did you expect? That I’d leave you here all summer, in the exact place where your enemies know where to look? With people that aren’t even your family? In a place you don’t really like, and that is depressingly normal compared to the world you’ve grown to love? Doesn’t that sound a little stupid and contrived to you?”—Grandpa Smedry, Page 287

Okay, yeah it would have been stupid and contrived but…THEY JUST HAD A REALLY SWEET MOMENT! I’m a little sad…but the fact that Brandon Sanderson is taking a crack at Harry Potter makes me kind of happy. Great way to end a story.