#such a fun premise and very unique ep stories as well

[dollopheadsandclotpoles]

Rabbit | EPISODE THREE

[goldenharmony]

tumblr user goldenharmony im. head in hands. i am losing it over click link or whatever that show was called surely i dont remember. im fine (hello) please tell me you experienec with this show i neend to talk owiwiuwewiwijedhwejd.

LOL OK 😭

Idk how you discovered Link Click (or mentioned it in your reblogs), but I use MAL a lot and noticed that s1 was pretty high on the rankings during its airing.

Then later that year, I watched Gigguk's vid on Link Click since he's an anituber I like. I do laugh at the fact that I read the title and was like "Nah, it's not better than Steins;Gate :) " since that's MY favourite anime (and a time-travel one), and he basically implied that it wasn't as great as Steins;Gate when handling certain aspects LOL (although still is praising the series throughout this review). Fun Fact - his vid on Oshi no Ko is the whole reason I checked out the OnK manga eventually since I read Aka Akasaka's Kaguya-sama and wanted more but the premise of "simp doctor reincarnated as his idol's child" sounded rlly sus LOL.

It's why I was also kinda confused when later on MAL, I saw that Link Click had a s2 but didn't hear any hype for it despite hearing a bit for s1. I guess that was cause of Gigguk's influence on the anime community since I don't think he watched s2 so there was no big anime influencer hyping it up sadly.

Eventually late last November, someone in the AquaKana server was being very vocal on wanting to push the Link Click agenda soo I decided why not - its been a long time since I watched a time-loop series. She was also a huge fan of Steins;Gate so I trusted her judgement.

Watched ep 1 in original before having to switch to Eng Dub after cause I was not clicking with the show due to being distracted by a new language that I wasn't used to hearing yet 😭But after that, I watched a few eps per day, binged s1 ep 7-11 in one sitting, and then binged s2 in one sitting as well LOL. I was also was waiting for CFE results to see if I passed - my major career-defining exam and watching Link Click actively helped me not stress on the days leading up to it because my thoughts were preoccupied by it.

S1 gave me a Vivy/Violet Evergarden feel with its short stories, and S2 reminded me more of Death Note with it being a suspenseful murder mystery involving supernatural powers. One thing I loved is finding some stuff that Link Click does unique compared to other time-loop series. For example - actively trying to NOT change the past, and instead using the looping to understand how to resolve issues in the present. I also like it leaning into the thriller aspect more compared to other time-loop series I've seen.

CXS and LG also fall into the 2 looper categories that most loopers do. CXS being the impulsive and emotional type and LG being the stoic and serious type who has gotten jaded from all their looping.

Also I am pretty fine with how QL has been handled so far, since its not a "female character" thing to me in how she isn't as prominent as CXS and LG but more of a "character who isn't CXS and LG" thing considering the series has a lot of characters but we don't dive too deeply in most of them. Plus she's been handled much better compared to other anime series that have the set-up of "2 male leads in a suspenseful thriller show, with a girl as an almost secondary character". Thinking of Misa from Death Note and Lisa from Terror in Resonance, who are disappointing in their roles.

I also like how the fight scenes are actually well-animated since most non-action anime included fight scenes are....not great LOL.

[gothicbarbie]

Top 25 BL Series of 2024

It's that time of year once again, and I will be ranking my favorite BL's from 2024. Nothing I watched this year was God Tier imo sadly, but there were some great series. Overall though I think I was a bit disappointed with 2024 series compared to previous years. Hoping that 2025 is better for me.

Also just a reminder, nothing that started in 2024 but is still airing will be on this list, they will be on the 2025 list. And if a 2024 series is missing from here it means that I haven't checked it out yet, or I tried 1 episode and it didn't grab me. It might show up on a later list.

TOP TIER 10/10

1.Unknown the Series (Taiwan) - Of all the shows I watched this year I think that this one was the one that grabbed me the most. I actually paid to watch episodes so you know how much I was drawn to it! The chemistry with the main two was so good and I loved the plot so much. I am a bit over step brother type stories at this point, but this one was just so well done. The tension and the chemistry was just insane.

2. The Sign (Thailand) - Like with Unknown ^ this series also really grabbed me and had me waiting for eps week to week, especially in the beginning. I became OBSESSED with BillyBabe and rewatched the eps like 3 times after they aired, that's how into the show I was at the start. It did fall off a bit for me at the end, but the premise and production value of the series was just so good. I def. think it's one of Thailand's Top BL series ever! Gimme more BillyBabe PLEASE!

3. Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea) - Def. my favorite Korean series this year, it was great. There were definitely frustrating moments and episodes but overall I really enjoyed this from start to finish. I just love shows that have tension and angst and drama but also happy endings and the main pairing had a sort of sweetness but also sexiness to them that I just really loved watching.

4. Love in the Big City (Korea) - This series/movie was SO GOOD but I don't really view it as a "BL" in some ways because to me it just felt like a really well done film? I think because it wasn't just about a ship, and it had so many other storylines going on and it was so well rounded. I love that we got to see the story of this man and the different relationships he experienced in his life. The bitter ending sorta left me unsatisfied, (tho I think it was hopeful), and that's why it's not even higher on my list, but everything about this was fantastic.

5. I Hear the Sunspot (Japan) - One of Japan's best series this year imo. It was really great. I really love that we got a deaf character and I also loved the plot and seeing how the main two came together. They had a really subtle sweetness to them that I really enjoyed. It was just a nice (mostly easy) show to watch.

GREAT 9/10

6.Pit Babe (Thailand) - Overall I had some issues with the plot of this, but for the most part it was a very fun and unique series. The main pairing had SO MUCH DAMN CHEMISTRY goodness and their plot was really fun to watch. The side pair was nice too. Babe as a character was just so interesting, I love characters like him that have such a tough exterior until someone can break through. The acting by everyone in this was great and I liked the ABO elements as well. Too bad it sounds like they might remove the element in season 2, but it also wasn't as implied as it should have been, minus a few comments here and there from the characters.

7. Love for Love's Sake (Korea) - Another great series from this year with a super fun plot and cute romance. I wish I had more to say about it but because I binged it SO quickly it's a little tough to remember exactly what it entailed. Definitely one I will need to rewatch soon.

8. Time of Fever (Korean) - This was super short and I binged it so fast but I do remember really loving it. Just wish it was longer. The kiss scenes were great too.

9. Love in the Air Koi (Japan) - Really loved this series, it was such a fun series. A great adaptation of the OG series and a bit more cohesive/concise. I was so pleasantly surprised by the kissing scenes too! Shoma is just so beautiful!

10. Living with Him (Japan) - A very cute series with a sweet plot and nothing too dark or serious. The chemistry between the main two was great.

11. Perfect Propose (Japan) - IMO this was a darker version of the series above lol. I get them a bit mixed up, but this one started off a bit racier and imo had a few more issues. But it was still fun to watch.

Good 8/10

12.Twins the Series (Thailand) - This series was kinda dumb at some points but there is something refreshing about sports BL's sometimes, and I absolutely loved the main pairing in this one. Not sure why but I really enjoyed watching the build up of their story and the overall plot of the show also kept me entertained.

13. Playboyy the Series (Thailand) - This series was MESSY AF. But it was also just a total blast to watch. I was always interested in the plot even if there was so much going on and if some things were dumb/didn't make a lot of sense. It was def. the raciest BL we got this year, and I am def. curious to see what will happen next season.

14. Rebound The Series (Thailand) - Another sports BL. It wasn't super exciting and I skimmed a little bit but overall I enjoyed watching it and I liked the chemistry with the main duo here as well.

15. This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Thailand) - This was a fun series to watch, I really shipped the side pairing more than the main pairing and I found the overall plot a bit boring, but it still held my interest.

16. My Love Mix Up (Thailand) - Loved to hear they were adapting this show cuz I liked the OG version. This one didn't hit the spot for me as much but it was still a nice series. And of course loved the main duo. Can never go wrong with GeminiForth in my eyes, their chemistry is just so natural.

17. Takara's No Vidro (Japan) - This was a great little series from Japan. The main pairs chemistry was good and I really liked the progression of their story. Super easy watch.

18. Love is Better the Second Time Around (Japan) - This was actually a great series and prob. should have been higher on my list cuz it was very well done, but I guess I just wasn't as invested in the chemistry of the main couple as other people were, But, I still really enjoyed it.

DECENT 7/10

19. Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (Taiwan) - Nice to see more representation for deaf characters this year! This was another show I enjoyed but I did skim some bits/had some issues. Overall, good series tho.

20. Last Twilight (Thailand) - I know everyone LOVED this series and I can understand why, but for me, it wasn't my favorite. I like JimmySea but dont love them, and I think it started better than it ended. It was just a bit too sad in parts for me but it was a well one series.

21. We Are the Series (Thailand) - Wanted to love this series but I found myself a bit bored with it overall. Of course I loved joongdunk and all the pairs but it was a bit dumb for my taste.

22. 4 Minutes (Thailand) - Another series I wanted to love, but didn't. Probably my own fault for not paying as much attention to it as I should have, I think I missed a lot of what was going on. I found a lot of stuff a bit boring… But the main pairs chemistry was fantastic!

23. Smells Like Green Spirit (Japan) - I loved the premise of this series because we rarely get to see trans/questioning characters on TV like this and I really liked the way they did it for the most part. I had a few issues of course, and overall the series felt a bit wacky at times and there were some yucky moments, but I still thought it was good.

24. Anti Reset (Taiwan) - Very weird premise and I don't usually like silly plots like this one, but I had a good time watching this series. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was fun.

25. Jack and Joker (Thailand) -YinWar are AMAZING and they did a great job in this series. I loved the characters they played and the couples storyline. But as a whole this series bored me a bit, I just don't really care for the mafia type plots on shows. But I think it was a great show.

HONORARY MENTIONS:

These shows missed the top 25 this year and I didn't think they were strong enough to highlight, but I will still rank them because I did enjoy them in parts.

His Man 3 (Korea-Reality) - As a reality series I didn't include this on the list, but it's def. worth the watch. I enjoy this series more than #27 personally. I like all the different dates they have the men go on and how they all mingle with each other etc.

The Boyfriend (Japan-Reality) - So glad Japan sort of did their own version of His Man, but this series fell flat for me. I didn't ship the main couple at all, so that might have been part of it, but I think overall the series was pretty boring. I hated the commentary too. I think the men should go on more dates etc. But, it was a fun show to watch and binge quickly.

Wandee Goodday (Thailand) - Didn't love this one the way other people did. I think the first few eps were interesting but after that it fell really flat for me. I liked the main pair but didn't love them. Overall I just think it could have been better and sexier and the promos made it look way more exciting than it ended up being imo. It was a tad cheesy, actually.

Cosmetic Play Lover (Japan) - Also binged this series quickly so I don't remember all the details. I found the plot a bit boring but I liked the main pairing. Nothing outstanding but enjoyable.

My Stand In (Thailand) - Another sort of weird premise, but I think it worked and I enjoyed watching the plot play out. But overall it was just a bit too toxic for me. I couldn't really get past the abuse, even if the scenes between the main pair were hot.

City boy Log (Korea) - Not exactly a BL and I wasn't super happy with where some of the plots went, but overall I still enjoy the series. The chemistry with the main duo is just TOO GOOD!

Bad Guy My Boss (Thailand) - Super toxic premise but I just had so much fun watching it. I love the main couple and was intrigued to see how they got together. After the first few eps the show started feeling super repetitive and boring and I kinda lost interest, but regardless, I enjoyed skimming through it.

Cherry Magic (Thailand) - Wish I could have loved this series but it just didn't really do it for me. It was okay, and at times I preferred some things to the OG version but it just didn't really have the same charm for me.

Eccentric Romance (Korea/Thai) - These mix series don't really work for me because it just feels forced, but this was a fun little dumb series that I enjoyed lol.

7 Days Before Valentine (Thailand) - Very strange series I thought I was gonna hate but I found myself kinda liking more and more as it went on. Interesting premise and I loved the "main" pairing even though we didn't get a lot of progress for them.

Two worlds (Thailand) - Premise isn't really my thing at all and I skimmed a lot but MAXNAT ARE SO GOOD. I loved their plot and their chemistry.

Love Sea (Thailand) - Loved FortPeat and their chemistry in this but overall I found the plot a little boring. And Peat's character is always such a baby in every series, I'm not a fan of the writing for him.

Cooking Crush (Thailand) - Similar situation here. I like the main duo's chemistry and overall this was a cute series, but cooking shows aren't really my thing. But I still had fun with it.

The Only1 (Taiwan) - This series had good and bad moments for me. I felt overall it was just way too slow. I did like the main pairing and their chemistry but wanted it to move faster.

Night Dream (Korea) - This series was short and I watched it really fast so I don't really remember a lot about it but I think I liked it lol.

+++ Fragile (Korea) - Didn't know where to put this series because its not really BL, but I felt it was worth mentioning because we did get a BL kiss in the final episode and will potentially get a seasons dedicated to the character. I think the series was really fun and worth checking out.

Non-Asian BL series that I enjoyed in 2024:

Rkyter (Norway) - So good and definitely worth checking out! Sadly season 2 didn't deliver so I didn't bother with it but I have hopes we will get more potentially. This isn't technically a BL but the BL ship is good.

Prisma (Italy) - Another great series with a great BL pairing, sadly was cancelled but regardless, still worth checking out.

These series I just didn't love. Maybe I enjoyed the plot, or the ship, but not both. Or I liked it at first, but it kinda lost my interest in the end. Regardless, they were all enjoyable for different reasons and still worth checking out. FYI these are in no particular order:

Happy of the End (Japan) 25 Ji, Akasaka De (Japan) Deep Night (Thailand) Sunset x Vibes (Thailand) Kidnap the Series (Thailand) For Him (Thailand) I Saw You in My Dream (Thailand) OMG Vampire (Thailand) Gray Shelter (Korean) First Note of Love (Taiwan)

Can't say there were any series I HATED but I just found a lot of them boring. I skimmed through most of these series below and don't have a really good opinion on them. But I found a few enjoyable things about them, like the main pairing, or some nice kiss scenes etc. Some of the Korean ones were good, just way too short for me to get invested in. Overall these just weren't my favs that I watched this year and were forgettable to me.

Thailand: Battle of the Writers Memory in the Letter Knock Knock Boys OMG Vampire Only Boo The Trainee Summer Night Series To Be Continued

China: My Intimate Relationship with my Teacher (China)

Taiwan: VIP Only

Vietnam: Vian the Series

Japan: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru My Strawberry Film I Become the Main Role of a BL Drama Sugar Dog Life Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka

Korea: Boys Be Brave Blue Complex Match Play Blossom Campus My Damn Business Seoulblues Blue Boys Bad guy

Older Series that sadly can't make the 2024 list but that I watched in 2024 include: -Oxygen the Series (Didn't love but I liked the pairings) -I Will Knock You (Had some fun bits but felt a bit too platonic for me and toxic in the beginning) -Unforgotten Night (Great first ep imo and then went nowhere. Promo made it look way better than it actually was) -What Zabb Man (Super boring and unforgettable)

FAILURES OF 2024:]

Jazz for Two (Korea) - The one was just a mess. Started with SO MUCH POTENTIAL but starting from ep 3 it went downhill so quickly. It’s not often that Korea gets it wrong imo but this one was so disappointing. The two couples had great chemistry but storyline wise were just so badly done. Both of the “bad boys” in those ships were just straight up abusive and mean? Literally the bully character kicked him in the stomach and face, tried to SA the main character… and both were so homophobic after getting kissed. There were hardly any nice/sweet moments, and the ones that were there felt super rushed. -Addicted Heroin (Thailand) - Just couldn't get into this at all, and I found it really boring and the main duo had zero chemistry. Not to mention it was very platonic feeling imo. -B x J Forever (Filo) - Completely ruined the main pairing and the season 2 plot was such a dud! -Love is like a Cat (Thai) - What were you thinking Mew? This one was just sad (as in bad) and weird lol)

Here's to things hopefully looking up in 2025!

And stay tuned for my top BL pairings from 2024!

Oh, and here are all previous lists since TUMBLR is not saving my tags.

2023: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/737844075622023168/top-30-bls-of-2023

2022: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

2021: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021

2020: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020

2019 and earlier: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier

[namtanlovesfilm]

Hi axelle! 😸 I've seen almost all bls but I haven't watched any gmmtv het show. which one would you recommend to a newbie? I prefer something light and funny. my favorite actors are Off, Gawin and Neo

hi! I'm glad you're gonnna give non bl thai dramas a chance, and as for your fave actors... TASTE 😌 here's my fave non bl gmmtv shows from best to still good but not the best:

the gifted: simply an amazing & super unique show with very little flaws & one of the best open-endings ever. haven't been able to bring myself to watch the sequel so watch that at your own discretion.

midnight motel: my favorite show of the year so far, fun & quirky, super tight execution, great plot twists, iconic characters & simply one of the most underrated shows ever. contains off & neo so you'll love it 100%!

ps: I hate you: the best female-led show I've ever seen. there's messiness & drama and the characters are all super flawed but you still root for them! the performances are also incredible & this show is truly one of my all time faves!

angel beside me: the first more classic romcom of the list, but despite being kind of a silly premise with an angel falling on earth, it actually tackles some really deep issues like depression & poverty??? and the chemistry & bond between the characters was crazy good. I definitely recommend!

happy birthday: this show will make you cry for 13 eps straight but you'll love it. it has some of the best performances ever & is just the kind of show that hits you right in the chest with feels & beauty. absolutely one of my most beloved thai dramas.

a gift to the people you hate: such an underrated show but absolutely iconic! if you like messiness & plot twists, you'll love this one! it's just unhinged & has a really cool world-building!!!

girl next room: richy rich: since your 3 faves are off, neo & gawin I really recommend you watch this! richy rich is off's most popular straight series bc he's simply perfect in this role (and biconic!!!), and gawin is in the motorbike baby story as mook's second lead & he???? absolutely ate, he's so dreamy in that! neo is in every story & absolutely hilarious (especially in the scenes with off, you cannot miss girl next room!

love at first hate: classic romcom but the chemistry is some of the best & the male lead??? IS DADDY MCDREAMY!!! a really enjoyable series!

46 days: another series with the offmild pairing from girl next room, and this show is crazy but has such fun characters, great chemistry & even the villain is my fave??? the whole cast is the best & it's the only show by this director that is truly genuinely so good!

mint to be: another romcom with mook bc she's the romcom queen lol, this one is short & sweet, the chemistry is excellent & the cast is really fun. there's none of your faves in it BUT one of the characters is obsessed with off who's an idol in that show & she has pillows with his face on it and it's ICONIC!!!

who are you: one of the most acclaimed gmmtv shows, notably for its actresses namtan & jan who acted their ass off in it! it's a really well done show with insanely good acting, but the reason it's not higher on this list is that it's a bit forgettable? it was in my top 10 fave shows from 2021 though.

my dear loser: monster romance: another romcom with mook lol no one is surprised, this one actually really surprised me bc it was the first time I saw lee outside of his usual perfect role. look, I love the man but most of his roles are kinda... boring? and here he ate. the whole universe of the show is super different from usual & the love story is very cute, and honestly it immediately became one of my fave straight thai romances!

baker boys: another show where lee plays a really good role! this one contains queer characters but is not a bl at all. I LOVED the found family trope of it, and literally cried when it ended bc I got really attached to the characters & me crying when a show ends is a huge indicator that I loved it. sadly this show is pretty tainted now bc my fave character was played by foei who's famously an anti-lgbtq+ bitch so yeah... but if you can stomach his bigot face I'd say give it a try, pluem plays one of the cutest characters in existence!

(also just realized I completely missed the light & funny prompt lmao. the most light & funny shows in this list are: girl next room, love at first hate, 46 days & mint to be!)

xxx

[perryhedge]

Why is Gleipnir Like This

So I'm watching Gleipnir right now. Why am I watching Gleipnir right now? Well, for one, it seems like the Japanese is pretty easy, so that's a big motivating factor. I also am in the mood for edgy stuff, because I do like that every once in a while to please my lizard brain, and this fits the bill. There's definitely something unique about this show that reminds me of watching Toonami as a kid, back when anime seemed cool, different, and transgressive (I'm thinking stuff like Black Lagoon and Hellsing, but even Cowboy Bebop or Naruto to an extent). At this point in my life where I've gotten pretty desensitized to everything, there's still something here that kicks up my fight or flight response.

I have only heard that this show is absolutely weird and out of control, and I would say that so far halfway through (7/13 eps) I exactly half agree with that assessment. I mean, I haven't read the original manga, but it is definitely part of the not insubstantial genre of "manga made to explore the fetishes that the mangaka had". Not that there's anything wrong with that. Sure, there's a lot of probably objectionable and definitely weird stuff in this show, and it's definitively Not My Fetish (which applies to a lot of the aforementioned genre of manga). But I still try to approach these things with an open mind, as an amateur weirdo anthropologist.

The show starts off strong with a very bizarre setup (fursuit, metaphorical pegging, body horror, death game) but it is true that it mostly front-loads the weird stuff. As the show goes on it does kind of dull that weird edge and right now seems to be settling into a fairly standard battle royale action show (which, on balance, I still do actually like as a genre). The narrative decisions that lead to each battle are pretty barebones and sometimes stupid, but the powers and character designs are consistently pretty fun and interesting. I did roll my eyes a bit when the main character is defeated and then picks himself up off the ground revealing his previously unheard of nine tailed beast form, but really my primary reaction was surprise (?) that something so weird and off-kilter would slide so quickly into a standard shounen narrative. Then again, it's clear to me that the setup and characters were the clearest part of the plan for this story. The rest is sort of being made up as it goes along, which often seems to be the case (and that's understandable, since I'd argue the primary driving force in anime is making a show with your OC in it).

The show also looks really good, which surprised me. The BGs are pretty standard but don't look bad at all, and the character designs look pretty good (despite arguably the most appalling key visual I have ever seen from any anime, just look at the blurb on MAL), and there's actually sakuga. There's some weighty and dynamic action scenes (especially in the 2nd ep) and even when that's not happening there's still a good sense of space and choreography and the violence has impact. It doesn't come off as lazy whatsoever, and in fact on a moment to moment basis that's probably what keeps me interested.

So, I was struggling to figure out what is that "weird thing" that made this anime still feel unique, even after the initial premise wears off. And I realized it's absolutely the music, which is uniformly great. There's some high energy drum and bass and some really weird off-kilter melodies that make the whole thing sound like an Adult Swim bumper. I think it's this more than any other single factor that gives this show that nostalgic (?) edge that I was looking for. The OST veers from Brainfeeder-esque jazz trap to drum and bass and back, and even when it's just doing "basic anime music", there's a momentum to it that keeps things interesting. I also love the ED, which again has that surreal, eerie, melancholy, drugged out Adult Swim flavor that I really cannot liken to anything else in anime except 2 other OSTs:

Gleipnir's ED:

Compare to Yasuke's OP, by none other than Thundercat:

And the unbelievably underrated ED from Un Go

So yeah, I don't really have anything else to add or an interesting note to end this on. Gleipnir is pretty cool and I hope it gets even weirder. It delivers in ways I definitely didn't expect and even though I have somewhat lower expectations for the second half of the show it's been a fun ride.

[yukipri]

Bad Batch end of season thoughts/ramble, bc it's been a week and I just wanna get it all off my chest...

(end of season spoilers and very disorganized rambling)

First off, I do want to say that I enjoyed watching the show. It fulfilled its primary purpose: entertainment. It was nice having something to look forward to every week, and even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was fun. The animation was gorgeous, I liked all the references and tie ins. I will likely watch it again, and will watch season 2. This is by no means meant to be a hate post.

That being said, it is critical so please just skip if you're not into that!

The thing is...it takes very, Very little for me to love a clone. He doesn't need lines, or a face, or even a name, and the default is that I will love him. He can even be a little bastard, like Slick, and it's fine. I always want to know more about them, and wish they had more screen time and time in general to develop their characters. So given that we were getting 16 (20 eps total if we count TCW S7 pilot arc) centered around these guys, I was expecting to absolutely adore them by the end.

And I wanted to love the Bad Batch, I wanted to love them so damn much, and I tried. But I think one of the reasons why they never fully clicked for me was that their thing seems to be "we're unique, we never fit in, we're outsiders in our own home, among the people who are supposed to be our own family, and so we've found our home with each other."

Which! That's usually a wonderful message, and not a particularly rare or unique one either for stories! I usually dig these kinds of stories!

The problem here is the extremely unique situation of the clones. They are literally created to be identical, brain washed to be uniform. They must conform, or are killed off by their creators, and their conformity isn't a choice in the slightest, but one of fear and necessity.

Their uniformity is something that they are also entirely aware of--it's unavoidable, they're clones. Once out in the real galaxy, they all strive to find and establish unique identities for themselves, struggling against a galaxy that just wants them to be faceless products. It's a shared struggle, and all they have are each other, and their brotherhood is sacred as a result. Shunning unique identity is the opposite of who a clone is--it's what they all want.

So on one hand, it's understandable that the Batch stuck out (when all others who would have also stuck out were culled, when individuality isn't allowed). It's understandable that they would have yearned for the brotherhood shared by the other clones, and when they couldn't have it, they stuck closer to each other. It's even understandable that they would feel bitter, having experienced bullying at the hands of the other clones (but isn't it also understandable that the other clones would feel bitter that the Batch gets special treatment, when their own brothers with less-than-beneficial mutations were taken by the Kaminoans to never return?).

And so we have this batch of clones, who the Kaminoans call "mutated," but also specify that their mutations are "desirable" (implying what happens to mutations that are undesirable...). They have their own unique unit, in which they're able to improvise and act freely with seemingly little to no oversight, so long as they complete their mission. No Jedi to obey, no nat-born officers who look down on them. In fact, they look so different from standard clone troopers that most of the galaxy probably don't even know they are clones. They have their own ship (personalized), they have their own possessions (which we don't really see any other clones have), they have their own barracks (probably also very unique), and they even have access to superior weapons and armor (most of the Batch, minus Echo, seem to be wearing modified Katarn-class armor which is supposed to be for Commandos. we KNOW it holds up better than standard trooper armor).

So I'm sure they had some unpleasant experiences growing up, and I do get it. But at least at "present" end of clone wars, they honestly seem to be living infinitely better than all other clones? They still need to follow orders but they have more freedom, and perhaps most importantly, they have clear uniqueness that is denied almost all other clones. And yes, some of the clones on Kamino bully them, but we've seen NONE of the "regular" clones that we know to be particularly nasty to them, and in fact it's Crosshair who starts it by calling them "Regs."

And how does the Batch respond to this situation? By acting superior. It's Crosshair who says and it believes this firmly, and I do feel that the others are likely mostly influenced by this, but it's also true that Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech don't really deny this either. They don't like the "regs," they do act like they're "better." Poor Echo, who they repeatedly seem to forget is in the room, and who they call "machine" and such...yikes yo

So I guess the point is, I just really struggled to feel sympathetic towards them, and was already on a kinda eh about their premise. They're marketed as "the special clone squad"--and yet they're not nice to the clones I love. I thought that wasn't great, but also hoped that the series would work towards them understanding the other clones better, and I love character development so that woulda been fine--but, nothing. A glance from Hunter at Howzer. Extended camaraderie from Gregor, who I feel they mostly just tolerate for the mission, other than Echo who genuinely cares.

And on top of feeling not feeling particularly sympathetic towards what I saw as a pretty privileged group of clones, the Batch seems to place primary blame of their woes on the "regs" themselves, who again, honestly seem far worse off! There isn't blame directed at the people who demanded the conformity from the other clones in the first place, that made it so the Batch couldn't fit in. The Batch was modified due to the Kaminoans (and implied specifically Nala Se). She's the reason why they don't fit in. And the Kaminoans are also why the other clones have to be so uniform, why they must fight to be people and not products.

Bitterness and pettiness can be fine in characters. But it's frustrating to see in a group supposed to be competent and elite, especially when those feelings have consequences. Sure, it sucks when someone throws a food tray at you. You can throw food back. It's not an equal reaction to feel no remorse when you shoot that guy dead in a blaster fight, when for all other clones, having to kill another clone is one of the most horrible, tragic things that one can do (thanks, Umbara).

Fives was the only clone to actually point a blaster at Nala Se.

We know Omega has deeply personal history with Nala Se. She was Nala Se's personal medical assistant. We see her cry when she takes off her head ornament that matches Nala Se. We know that being back in the lab gives Omega complicated, and probably not entirely positive feelings. But we barely learn more about this relationship, other than these glimpses.

And I get the feeling that to Omega at least, Nala Se wasn't all terrible. If Omega grew up with mostly only Nala Se for company, she had to have gotten her sheltered outlook on life, and her willingness to help others from somewhere. Nala Se intentionally let Omega go, to be "safe."

I think Omega's adorable, and I do like her. But I wasn't able to fully love her to the extent I wanted to, because there was always the fear that she was involved in the creation and implantation of the chips. She knows about them, she would have been positioned to do so. I want to think she would never, and I was hoping the show would reassure us of that, but it never did. We don't actually know how Omega feels about Nala Se, or even the chips and their presence in other clones. Instead, all we know is that Omega doesn't like "regs."

And again, "they call me lab scrubber," and "I helped put (or am complicit in putting) mind control devices in their heads," are kinda, unequal. Again I hope it's not the case. But it definitely kept me feeling uneasy throughout the show.

It really boils down to I don't trust or forgive Nala Se, and the Batch's lack of stance against her and the other Kaminoans, and clear distaste for their other clone brothers, really puts them in a situation that makes it difficult for me to take their side entirely.

And then gosh, Hunter. During Crosshair's whole "you never came back for me," spiel, I couldn't help but think he's kinda right. He had 15 episodes. Sure, it's difficult to get Crosshair back. But they could have done something. They could have done research. We could have had scenes of them wondering where Crosshair is, discussions on how best to find him, even if that discussion ended in, "but we can't risk it right now." They could have grilled Omega for information on the chips, which they really shoulda done either way, but especially since that knowledge is important to understanding what (they thought had) happened to Crosshair. Instead, they just ran every time Crosshair showed up. The show could have done better to show that they cared, and were trying, instead of just, y'know, doing chores for Cid. One, "I kinda miss him," doesn't really count as working on getting him back, at least in my books.

The sole exception to all of this, of course, is Echo. Who really, he works with the Batch fine, he's a former ARC and can more than keep up. Skillset-wise, he fits in well enough. But this season really made me wonder why he's with them at all. Crosshair's revelation and true feelings at the end of the season were no surprise to me, as they're consistent with what we've seen of him from TCW S7. But for Echo, a former "reg" to have to work with someone like Crosshair...even if Crosshair thought Echo was "different" enough to accept him, those are his brothers that Crosshair thinks he's so superior to, and has no issue speaking disdainfully about.

The increasing tension between Echo and Hunter, Echo's interest in helping Rex, in helping other clones, in doing something...I do hope they reach a point where Echo demands they go help, or he's leaving.

They gave Crosshair a chance, despite the fact that his choices were willing. I really hope Echo can convince the Batch to help save the other clones who don't have a choice. Because even if the Batch doesn't consider them their brothers, they're certainly Echo's. They matter just as much as Crosshair, and I really hope season 2 shows it narratively.

To conclude, again I'm interested in seeing what happens next, and I want answers about Omega and Nala Se. I find it interesting that they tied the facility where they took Nala Se in with the scientist dude collecting data on Grogu in the Mandalorian and those cloning labs. All of this is interesting, but at the same time I feel like it's trying to build up to Snoke/Palpatine stuff in the sequels which...I don't care nearly as much about, but who knows, could be neat ^ ^;

I'm okay with, and have made peace with the fact that the Bad Batch probably isn't the "clones-centric" show I wanted, and that they'll continue their own story, and probably continue to not care much about other clones in upcoming seasons. That's unfortunate, but alright. I'm interested enough in their story too.

But at the same time...I can't help but think man, if they have the time and budget to do a season 2, after seeing what was (or wasn't) accomplished in season 1...I wish they'd also make a Rex/Cody/Wolffe/"regular clones" show, because in the end, if you're going to do a "clones show"....that's who I want to see most.

If you got to the end, thank you for reading, and being an ear to my ranting ^ ^; Again this is literally just getting this off my chest. If this take isn't one you agree with, please just ignore. For people who did fall in love with the Batch, I'm happy for you, and regret that it just couldn't happen for me. But, I'm hoping that S2 will change my mind, but we'll just have to see! ^ ^;

[gizkasparadise]

cdrama rec/review: go ahead

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: go ahead Episodes: 40 Genres: family, healing/melodrama, slice of life, romance Spoilers in the Rec: for the first 20% ish/set-up If You Like, You’ll Like: reply 1988, le coup de foudre, find yourself (same production company/main male actor), rain or shine/just between lovers, found family stories, meet again stories

Rank: 10/10** (see Drawbacks section)

PREMISE

widower hai chao and his 6 year old daughter jian jian live happily above his noodle restaurant despite the recent, tragic death of his wife. one day, dysfunction junction a married couple (he ping, a police officer, and chen ting, a real piece of work) move into the same building with their 7 year old son, ling xiao. immediately, jian jian attaches herself to ling xiao, who is unexpectedly grim for a small child. 

because ling xiao’s family is less-than-healthily grieving the loss of their youngest child, ling xiao’s sister who died in a terrible accident. The Apartment of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms eventually implodes, ending with chen ting abandoning her husband and son. he ping, suddenly a single father, and hai chao come to a friendly partnership that is clearly alluding to gay marriage where they co-raise both of their kids--hai chao as the primary caregiver, and he ping supporting them financially through his job as a policeman.

meanwhile, the neighborhood busybody is dead-set on getting hia chao remarried. eventually she introduces him to a divorced single mother, he mei, and her son zi qiu, who is ling xiao’s age. they sort of start to date, but it culminates in he mei skipping town and leaving zi qiu behind. hai chao, man with a heart of gold, informally adopts him and zi qiu becomes jianjian’s foster brother.

from there, the trio grow up happily and become inseparable. but once zi qiu and ling xiao graduate high school, the bullshit parade their respective childhood skeletons reappear in their lives. circumstances lead to the boys moving overseas, leaving jianjian and their fathers behind. 

they reunite after 9 years, when the boys return to a home where they hope to pick things back up from where they left off. things are more complicated than that, as jianjian finds herself in a new life and surrounded by new people. 

MAIN CHARACTERS

li jian jian

hai chao’s daughter and the only girl in the family. she attended the required short-hair-low-grades training program required of all cdrama youth female leads. super positive and outgoing, as well as the youngest of the three pseudo-siblings, jian jian grows up spoiled and over protected by her father and brothers, and as a result is completely devastated once her family falls apart. it’s so sad.

after the time skip, she’s an on-the-verge successful artist who makes woodcarvings, and exudes big art bro energy. inhales sugar like it’s nobody’s business. she inherited her father’s disease called caring too much, and it’s incurable!! 

ling xiao

the eldest brother and resident fun police. ling xiao comes from a seriously toxic home that finally seems to improve once his mother leaves. but then she comes back. fucking great. introverted to the point of being withdrawn to anyone but his chosen family, ling xiao’s had to carry a lot of emotional weight that takes a larger and larger toll on him as the series progresses. please get this boy some therapy. 

becomes a dentist because jian jian needs one. wears a lot of monochromatic outfits with low necklines because heavy angst but make it fashion. has been in love with jian jian since high school and is still carrying that torch 9 years later.

he zi qiu  

the middle child who grows up in hai chao and jian jian’s home, and is her foster brother in all but paperwork. hotheaded, zi qiu and jian jian basically share two brain cells that ling xiao routinely takes from them for safekeeping. he spoils jian jian, sneaking her snacks and junk food and wants to become a pastry chef so he can open a sweet shop for her!!

my favorite character. just wants to be wanted 8( him and hai chao’s relationship is my favorite dynamic in the series. will sob while driving a pink moped. is too proud to beg

li hai chao (left) and ling he ping (right)

the greatest (hai chao) and okayest (he ping) dads in the world! noodle dad/hai chao has never done anything wrong in his life, ever, and we know this and we love him. he ping isn’t a bad person, but demonstrates pretty classic absentee parenting/isn’t as emotionally present in his son’s life as hai chao. hai chao is the heart of the family, and would do anything for his kids 8( 

SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS 

tang can (left) and qiu ming yue (right)

jian jian’s #GirlGang and roommates. they, like literally everyone in this drama, have some severe mom issue hang-ups. tang can (left) is a former child actress who is struggling with her lack of success as an adult and gives well-meaning but absolutely terrible advice on the regular. 

ming yue (right) is jian jian’s best friend since childhood and as an adult is trying to break free from her mother’s controlling nature--she’s also had a thing for ling xiao for the last 9 years. raises fish for symbolism purposes.

chen ting

ling xiao’s mom and certified garbage human. unable to cope with the death of her daughter that was her fault lbr, she abandons her family and disappears for ten years. she forces her way back into ling xiao’s life when he turns 18, where it’s revealed that she’s remarried and ling xiao has a younger half-sister chengzi (”little orange”). shit goes down, and soon ling xiao is forced to move back to singapore to serve as primary caregiver to both his mother who abandoned him and the half sister he barely knows. 

emotionally abusive and basically hits every single square on the toxic parent bingo card. i just. i just hate her. even typing this out is making me mad.

he mei

zi qiu’s mother. after a few dates with hai chao, she ends up ditching her kid and disappearing for unknown reasons. is a slightly better parent than chen ting but that’s like saying some poison kills you slower. the show tries to bring us around on her but it didnt work for me. 

SOME OTHERS

zhuang bei, zi qiu’s best friend growing up who i would like a lot less if he wasn’t played by the same actor who played my beloved dachuan

zheng shuran, jian jian’s first boyfriend and fellow artist who’s got a weird thing for women’s waists and pretentious artists’ statements

du juan, jian jian’s friend who co-owns their woodworking studio. has absolute trash taste in men

chengzi, ling xiao’s half-sister who can be a brat but dear god does she need to be protected/saved 

**DRAWBACKS

so this is a weird one for me. what i didn’t like i really didn’t like, but what i loved i really loved. ultimately, the factors/uniqueness of this show and the loveability of the main characters outweighed the negatives and it’s one of my favorite dramas.

THAT SAID. i got some #thoughts on this one. 

first, there are literally no positive mother figures in this show. not a damn one. they are all negligent or controlling at best or down right abusive at worst. no woman over 30 is portrayed positively and that’s a big No from me. 

the last 10 eps have some pacing issues and focus on the wrong people. spending the remaining episodes focused on one of the most universally hated characters vs. the main family was a bad move 

the show tried to redeem or make us sympathize with characters that were, to me, completely irredeemable. one case is worse than the other, but both of them were terrible people that deserved to be cut out of the main family’s lives.  

REASONS TO WATCH

the main family. the characters are so wonderful and nuanced, and their dynamics with one another were amazing. you’ll fall in love with hai chao aka noodle dad and the trio. they go through so many trials but they still stick together and it’s ultimately a healing drama and i loved it very much.

the central romance was less in focus, but the pining is enough to make jane austen emerge from the grave. i loved the leads together, and while LOL ling xiao’s attachment to jian jian was not always healthy, they supported each other and it made me smile. i love me a tortured pining dude.

#Acting. everyone played their parts to perfection. the child actors in particular were so well-cast (esp baby zi qiu)

the soundtrack lmao. you watch the opening credits and know you’ll need to buckle up

idk it’s a very unique show, and i haven’t seen one like it. reply 1988 comes close, but it doesn’t tackle the same issues and it was all just very real and earnest. 

Final Thoughts.

GOODNIGHT, GOOODBYYYYYE MY CHILDREEEEEEEN

[shinygoku]

Top 10 CSatM Episodes (2/2)

See part 1 here

As a few paragraphs and pictures for 10 episodes in a row makes a rather long, unruly beast of a post!

The second half of my personal preferred picks for a Top 10, though the order they’re being listed in doesn’t correspond to my favour, but the order how I watch them on my DVDs. I still suggest you read the first half of the list before this one, all the same~

Spoilers below the cut, be warned! ✂

Crater 101

So this ep is pretty much a sequel to Lunarville 7, and is followed up with Dangerous Rendezvous. Neither of those made the cut of my list though, and even isolated from those it makes a solid story. The most Space-y of all the episodes and a visual treat, cause while we mostly stuck to the stark accommodations of Lunarville 7 in that episode, here we see the grey grimy gloom of the outside of the Moon, and the sharp, delightful contrast of the Mysteron’s fantastic plastic Complex. Here, vivid marbled colours and flashing lights join inorganic shapes that suggest something of the Mysteron’s nature, but as always, nothing conclusive.

Moving away from the lovely Aesthetics, this is also a strong one for characterisation. We get some sweet interactions with The Lads and for this episode only, the Best Female Character in the whole show. Linda Nolan is the controller of Lunarville 6, a smart, capable woman who had her own cool space mission referenced and in fact critical to the plot. She is also relatable in that she catches feelings for Scarlet, so while she’s barking up the wrong tree I still have nothing but respect for her, hehee.

Eerie, tense, interesting and still somewhat funny, this is another episode that eeks into an even higher ranking list than 10, I could comfortably put it in 5 and mmmaybe 3. Though I’m not gonna be able to say definitively as the best episodes all bring something different to the table, and this may just be the strongest in the uniqueness regard.

Fire at Rig 15

I get the feeling this may be an unorthodox choice, somehow? But yeah, I just really enjoy it. It’s not a funny episode, but it is rather exciting, and contains some lovely new music and a sweet scene at the end. The Mysteron’s plot is pretty simple, but should it succeed, devastating as it would be crippling Spectrum’s operations by removing the unique type of fuel all the craft uses.

In a way, it’s kind of like a dark mirror to a typical Thunderbirds setup; whereas in that show the initial fire would be more likely to be accidental or just maybe some ne’er do well like the Hood, this time it’s as simple as the Mysterons reopening the master valve. When traditional firefighters would eventually retreat to make room for International Rescue, here Spectrum themselves have a rather passive role as a professional rolls in. And of course, said man finds himself very, very dead due to further Mysteron interference (see picture), with Black seemingly hypnotising the poor bloke into standing too close to the explosion.

From there his duplicate half buries his original corpse and later receives direct instructions from Black to suicide bomb the nearby refinery, and it’s en route to this is where the thrilling car chase takes place! Scarlet saves the refinery but the whole SPV he was driving is completely ablaze at the end of it. Like my thoughts on Point 783, I really appreciate the human touch to the last scene, with soft music as arrangements are made for Scarlet to recover from the horrible state we’re spared of seeing. Seeing how his ability to recover from death is one of the cornerstones of the whole premise, I love it when we’re allowed a bit more insight into what the other Spectrum personnel do in the situations, in this case White specifically instructing Dr Fawn to make sure Scarlet is comfortable as the process takes place.

Treble Cross

A notable and unique spin of an episode, where a rather routine Mysteron threat takes quite the turn when their assassinated target is brought back to life! It seems by the 2060′s we’ll have cool machinery to do CPR for a couple of hours as well as doctors ready to play god when they happen to drive by the car crash scene, heheh

Seriously though, this is a really fresh premise, that the villains who have been using doppelgangers for their devious schemes get the tables turned. This time the duplicate gets perma-killed while the original Major Gravener willingly participates in an undercover mission to help draw Captain Black into a trap at last... However, an easily overlooked factor in the driver who was also killed had been duplicated offscreen, so even with this amazing chance Spectrum can’t catch Black. But the World Capital, Futura City, is saved and Spectrum find the Mysterons themselves can’t tell their own copies from the original person, so it’s all in all a net gain!

Also this episode contains the World’s Happiest Clock, so that’s a neat plus.

Flight 104

We start this story on the incredible note of Captain Blue singing in the shower of the Hotel room he shares with Captain Scarlet. Scarlet then orders them both room service for some lunch. And if that sounds like the start of a fanfic plot, it may well be, but it’s also literally right there in the episode, baybee!

Charmingly domestic opening aside, I love this whole shebang. Again it’s the usual Mysterons threatening of an individual who Spectrum are bodyguarding, but the way both our heroes and villains go about this is different from the norm. Scarlet and Blue are trying to avoid drawing attention, so they spend the whole episode in normal clothes (Blue spending 1/3 of this in that comfy bathrobe!), and don’t have their comms. What’s more, they get a pair of reporters suspicious, and the two trail them looking for a Big Scoop.

When I was first watching this, I was expecting the journalists to get killed by Black to be the Mysteron Pawns, but no! They’re both fine from the start to the end! Then we find Black doing ....something.... to the Flight Crew of the titular Flight 104, but they aren’t killed either, just drugged. Instead, the Mysterons remotely pilot the plane on a slow collision course with the Alps, but are undone when an Electrical Plant interferes with their control.

As breaking into the pilot cabin had the side effect of jamming the landing gear, the plane has to crash land at the airport, but almost everyone being unharmed makes this one of the most gentle episodes of the lot... of course, Scarlet himself is still heavily implied to have been killed from the crash, but even his injuries seem pretty minor this time. And yet, it’s not lacking in excitement, as the tension of Spectrum trying to communicate with the two without their Comms and the inability to override the Mysteron’s control until that pre-established Electrical weakness kicks in holds for a while.

Inferno

Those who know of me from Thunderbirds are Go (the 2015 TV series) discussion are likely to know how much I love the episode from Season 1, Tunnels of Time. It heavily features my favourite ship in that show as they explore an ancient South American Temple which is full of peril. The temple is destroyed by the end of the episode.

So anyway, Inferno features my favourite ship in this show as they explore an ancient South American Temple which is full of peril, and tragically the temple is destroyed by the end of the episode! Heheeheheee~

Ok seriously though, eerie parallels aside this is another utterly beautiful instalment, with set design and lighting that really blows other episodes out of the proverbial water. And the pyrotechnic team clearly had fun with the seemingly unending explosions at the end of the adventure. An all-around visual feast!

Main plot is relatively simple, like in White as Snow, the Mysterons kill a Satellite and its crew and steer the reconstructed version towards their target of the week. Unlike WaS, they succeed in the end, a reminder that they’re still not to be underestimated. No human lives are lost, but the important complex and more tragically, the 800 year old temple that’s otherwise intact, get bombed to smithereens. Something something additional cost of warfare on Culture and History.

But while this is the end of my personal Top 10 list, it’s not all bad, because the Scarlet and Blue antics in the temple are utterly lovely and [chef finger kiss] splendid cinema~!

That about wraps up this Two-part post of mine! Picking 10 out of 32 is easier than 10 out of 100, but it’s still tricky as most of the episodes are very good, with only a few I’d promptly write off as a candidate for the list. And in some ways I wonder if I went about this the right way, some eps I only saw once and might feel strong enough to pip one’a the ones I did choose.

I have been rewatching each of the eps covered, and a few that didn’t make it, but my initial choice was made looking at the full list and letting my gut grab a few, having to think over more as the slots filled. Some fan favourites like Lunarville 7 came close, but I hope I’ve been able to clearly convey what it is about this selection that gave them the edge ;3

I will write further posts on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the future, but after this mammoth and also the Notable Episodes list I’d quite like to enjoy it for a while without thinking about points to talk about, haha

[aros001]

First time read through light novel vol. 8. Random thoughts.

...So...does anyone else feel a little uncomfortable with that cover image between Reinhard and Felt? I mean, I know he's not going to do anything sexual to her and she's not as young as I originally thought she was (I think vol. 1 said she was 15, while ever since the anime I thought she was like 10 or something), but she still is underage, being forced into wearing and doing something she doesn't want to by a grown man, and I think just the way he's got his hand holding her bare thigh makes it feel more sexual than it should be.

Also, is Wilhelm floating? The heck is he sitting on?

Subaru was afraid of death. Dying constantly trashed his life with an unbearable sense of fear and loss. He thought it was like that for everyone; he assumed that was how it had to be. Subaru, who had experienced death more than anyone via Return by Death, didn’t want anyone else to know what it was like.

I'm definitely seeing more similarities between Subaru and Ferris here than I did in the anime. I like how they both have a more unique perspective on life and death than most people would; Subaru from his Return By Death and Ferris from being such a powerful healer (to the point he can even regenerate himself from near death, I guess). Again, for a series where death can be undone so easily, it really knows how to use that premise to show just how weighty and serious death is. While the two will and do kill, it sits with them more than it does for others because they know just how awful death can be.

Something I've really enjoyed when reading through various LN series after watching the anime first is that I end up liking certain characters that I didn't in the anime. I didn't hate Ferris but the cutesy way he talked really bugged me and I didn't focus on him much. Here though I'm definitely getting a better feel for his character, especially with how much he values life, cursing at the suicidal witch cult members for tossing theirs away so easily. He and Subaru's back and forth makes the ending feel that much more heartbreaking when Ferris has to mercy kill the possessed Subaru.

Also, just to clear up any confusion I have, is Ferris in drag or does he identify as a woman? I don't have any problem referring to him from now on as a "she" (I never had that problem with Magne in My Hero Academia) but I'd prefer to get my facts straight. Ferris also makes a joke about Subaru swinging over to his side of the fence but I'm not sure if that means he's gay or not. It's a little hard to tell how far his affection for Crusch runs, for example.

Similarly, there's Julius, a character I never disliked in the anime, but I can definitely see more of a path to him and Subaru becoming friends here. It is funny that a comment from Ferris got me thinking how something to two have in common is how easy it is for them to get others to immediately dislike them just by talking. For Subaru it's because he too often talks without thinking, shoving his foot into his mouth, and for Julius it's how unintentionally snobbish and "better-than-you" he can sound. It's also nice that the story is getting Subaru to try and work through his issues, acknowledging that he's being unfair towards Julius, whom really has done nothing wrong aside from unintentionally pricking at Subaru's inferiority complex.

Like Subaru, I thought demon beasts and monsters were just so common in the world that a barrier around a lord's domain was a very common thing. But from how the other characters in-story are talking, it sounds like Roswaal deliberately put his domain and the village in the center of (or at least nearby) a demon beast habitat. Even in the anime I always believed he knew more than he let on but here he feels like a straight-up mastermind with everything he's been pulling behind the scenes and all the things he's done that, as of yet, have no explanation or reason behind them. Just what is he up to?

One thing I'll say about this series in comparison to some others I've seen/read; the dark magic here, like with the Witch of Envy, Return By Death, the White Whale, and the Unseen Hands, really feels like DARK magic. I've seen series that have their own version of dark magic that'll make bad things happen or summon demons or sacrifice people, but this? Everything to do with the witch feels creepy and unnatural, like it's not or should not be part of the world. With how much suffering it's caused, the mystery behind the gospel, just how unhinged Petelgeuse is and his body jumping, it all feels like stuff you should really not be messing with. Even at the end with Subaru running off and Julius finding him, getting no response at first from Subaru, feels like something out of a horror movie.

Subaru keeps getting asked if he's Pride, to which I'm assuming they mean if he's the one to become the Archbishop of Pride. Personally, my theory is that because of how much the witch seems to "favor" him, Subaru is Envy, like, well, the Witch of Envy and the only one of the seven sins they never mention to have an archbishop, given Satella destroyed the other witches. If that's the case, I can only imagine how much that's going to piss off all the other archbishops, that after all their shows of devotion some schmuck came to their world out of nowhere and became Satella's favorite.

“Lending one’s strength does not mean merely swinging one’s sword. It means challenging the same foes, worrying over the same obstacles, sharing the wounds and the weight of the burdens. This we can do. This is the lesson I learned in the past.”

Obviously this is meant primarily for Subaru but I can't help but think it can apply to Rem and Emilia as well. With the exception of Puck, Emilia tends to go out of her way to avoid involving others in her problems or having them feel they owe her anything when she helps with theirs. Rem dedicated a good chunk of her life to live as her sister's replacement after Ram lost her horn and tried to kill all the demon dogs on her own after Subaru was cursed saving her. They both seem determined to bear the weight of their burdens solely on their own, like they're the only ones who need to suffer. Subaru goes back and forth on how much he involves others in his problems, but while he's more than willing to help ease the burdens on others, his problem for the longest time was that he was so fixated on "swinging his sword", as he thought fighting and strength was the only way to help (probably because strength would honestly solve a decent chunk of his own problems).

“Two days ago, the forest around the mansion became unnaturally calm... to the point that even my eyes could catch nothing. Thereupon, an armed group appeared bearing the crest of the House of Karsten, which had declared war with the blank letter... Surely you cannot blame my little bird’s heart for being on the verge of breaking?”

Ram, I had no idea how much I missed you until you came back.

Namely, that someone out there had swapped his letter of goodwill, aiming to turn Emilia and Crusch against each other.

I don't think a line or speculation like this was in the anime, which it probably should have been. Without it, it just seems like Subaru's an idiot and made a stupid mistake, but now it seems like someone is directly manipulating events behind the scenes. Personally, I'd say my money's on Roswaal if I didn't have terrible luck when it comes to gambling.

“Silence! Cease your prattle! Give that book back, right—”

“Hey, don’t shout. If you get too angry, you know—your brain’ll shake.”

...

“G...gah...! How dare you, dare you, dare youuuu! My disciple of love!!”

“Don’t gimme that, you’re the one who mixed us up! Tunnel vision! What, are you lazy?!”

HA!

Overlord was the first light novel series I read (the only other LN I'd read before was Death Note: Another Note - The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases and that was years ago), so naturally it's the series I tend to make the most comparisons to for the other series I've been reading. In this case, something I really like about both Ainz and Subaru is that, despite how they're presented sometimes, neither is actually stupid (though they too often suck at reading the room). They're both just in situations way over their head and they have no frame of reference for how to deal with these fantasy world situations. Subaru, like with tricking Sloth into getting attacked by demon beast or figuring out what was up with the flowers, has plenty of times where he shows he can come up with decent plans or quick thinking that can pull off a win. His flaws are based more in his own immaturity and need to grow more as a person.

Honestly, Ainz and Subaru are fun to compare because, of the LN MCs I've read so far, they both seem to get every break the other doesn't. Ainz is obvious. He's got actual power, tons of resources, and numerous people whose faith in him is absolute, while Subaru has almost nothing save for the curse and the clothes on his back and has to continuously struggle to make any difference. On the other hand, Ainz has no one in his life he can relate to or be his real self around, making him feel incredibly empty and lonely, while Subaru has attracted a surprisingly wide web of people around him whom, despite some hiccups, do genuinely believe in the real him.

I am 90% certain Emilia and Puck fighting Sloth wasn't in the anime. Well, no wonder anime-only fans have trouble liking her when you cut out nearly all of the character's best sh*t! [Edit: I was wrong. Another post pointed out it was at the end of ep 23. Like I said, it's been a bit since I saw the anime and I remembered none of this fight. Though I still stand by that LN Emilia is better than anime Emilia] Like I've said before, it's not like anime Emilia could just be replaced with a sexy lamp and nothing would be different, but compared to the LN version she really didn't get a lot to do in the anime outside of the first arc. She wants to be queen and sometimes heals people. Otherwise she was mostly off-screen or serving as Subaru's object of affection (and sometimes obsession). Just being able to fight isn't everything but Emilia here certainly feels like she has a lot more fire to her personality and does more when she appears. She's not just a nice, pretty girl for the MC to fight for.

Somehow, he’d died again. He’d probably lost it all once more.

He surrendered everything to the abyss. This was the familiar embrace of failure after he pathetically lost his life.

Look back at the world.

Look back at your failures.

Don’t forget. Don’t forget. Do not forget.

Ferris’s tear-filled voice. Wilhelm’s lament, shaking with regrets. Julius’s resolve and remorse, so great he probably gnashes his teeth over it—Don’t forget, ever. No matter how low you are, don’t ever let go.

Is this Satella saying this to Subaru? I'd assume so since it ends with the "I love you" line Subaru's been getting before he RBDs. But if so, why is she saying this to him? One theory is that she has her own regrets from her life and is giving Subaru a chance not to have the same. That assumes she is a good person and that the stories around her are wrong. Another theory, given the Witch of Envy title, is that she's insisting Subaru never let go of what's his. It's his (and hers, since he is hers) and no one else can have it. I mean, that applies more to greed than envy, I suppose, but stretching a bit you could say she'd be jealous of a world moving on without her.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Re_Zero/comments/gwjfwy/novels_first_time_read_through_light_novel_vol_8/

[waywardfacegarden]

my turn for the __ or __ ask game >:)

red or blue? apples or oranges? long or short sleeves? shorter (11-24 ep) or longer anime (24+ ep)? friends to lovers or enemies to lovers? bakusquad or dekusquad? deku, iida, and uraraka or deku, todoroki, and bakugou? sukuna or mahito? itafushi or nobamaki? (for research purposes:) mask gojo or sunglasses gojo? kagehina or iwaoi? grepre or fkbu?

ngl i just kinda spat out whatever came into my mind so have fun LOL!

ask me to choose between a character, pairing, show or anything

hello, audrey!!! thank you so much for the ask! <3333 hope you’re having a nice day!! my answers got a bit too long adkflsdfj so:

red or blue? red! red is one of my very favorite colors. (funny thing, though, blue was my top #1 favorite color when i was like 13-16 i think? haha.)

apples or oranges? oranges! natural orange-juice, for example, it’s one of my very favorite things in this world, haha. 

long or short sleeves? hmm, i don’t particularly care? guess it depends if it’s hot or cold. but ig i like long sleeves more (bad thing i would melt if i wore long-sleeves a lot, here’s like. hot as hell 95% of the year *sighs*)

shorter (11-24 ep) or longer anime (24+ ep)? shorter! it has its disadvantages, of course. if the plot is heavy and they put a lot of topics and the author doesn’t know how to handle it in a short amount of eps, it feels lacking. but yeah, all in all, the story moves faster and if they know how to do it, you don’t have “wasting eps”, because you need, as a writer/author, to take advantage of every ep you have. idk if it’s bc i got used to the pace of that kind of story (bc i don’t have so much free time lately so i’ve been looking up for shorter ones so as to watch them in a free weekend or so), but now a lot of longer animes feel pretty slow and boring to me. not all of them, ofc, you have jjk and haikyuu! and bnha that still has me hooked (tho i haven’t really watched the anime in a long time ajhksdfh) and more, but, to end all my rambling, shorter, haha.

friends to lovers or enemies to lovers? definitely enemies to lovers! friends to lovers is lovely and fluffy and makes my heart melt (and if it has pining, all the better), but enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes ajsfksdfh. the sexual tension! the rivarly! the “idc about u” slowly melting into fondness and closeness. god i love to see it

bakusquad or dekusquad? BAKUSQUAD, BAKUSQUAD, BAKUSQUAD, BAKUSQUAD, BAKUSQUAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how am i not gonna love supportive, chaotic dumbasses together with a grumpy, caring, cleaning-freak, nerd mom friend (ily baku ashdksajfhdf) asjdkslh. all the chaotic and sweet energy/vibes they share and absolutely dumbassery is my favorite thing. i think disaster squad (baku + todo + inasa + camie) is the only squad that matches in regards of how much i love squads in bnha jsdfldsf 

deku, iida, and uraraka or deku, todoroki, and bakugou? deku, todoroki and bakugou definitely ajsdkhldsjf. bakugou is my fave character, and todoroki is my second favorite, and bkdk and tdbk are in my favorite favorite dynamics/friendships in bnha! also. i love the contrast in their personalities and how well they team up and work together despite that. also the emotional layers they have together is unmatched wow

sukuna or mahito? SUKUNAAAA. hell yeah you god demon or whatever you are lol. i love how he’s so freaking,,,, idk, he doesn’t take shit of anyone AJSDLDJF. he’s such a bitch and little shit i love it KSJDLFJ-- also his obsession with megumi is hilarious LMAO i get it sukuna, i get it

itafushi or nobamaki? THIS ONE WAS THE HARDEST, I LOVE THEM BOTH SO MUCH, DON’T DO THIS TO ME AKJSDLJ. um. uh,,,, itafushi maybe? like just a bitttttttttt more. just bc they have a bit more emotional moments in canon but gAH dude, i thought about this one for like half an hour KAJDFLSJDF. just,,,,, strong, pretty girlfriends?? they’re awesome and they love each other sm and they can and WILL kick your ass and JLFDSJFASKDL maki is the absolute LOVE OF MY LIFE and NOBARA GOD NOBARA i’m in love with her as well and and her obvious crush on maki is the cutest shit ever and aaaaaaAA. but also,,, yuuji and megumi GOD. like you have these two dumbasses who care about each other so damn much, and yuuji is so sweet and dumb and strong and cares so GODDAMN MUCH and megumi just wants him to be happy and and respects him a lot and like. they support and believe in each other sm and just want the other to take care of themselves and be safe and and,,, like YUUJI IS EXACTLY MEGUMI’S TYPE TOO AAAAAAAAAA i just. love them. they make me so soft. i love them both i love them both

mask gojo or sunglasses gojo? kay this one was hard as well bc i love him either way and he looks hot as hell in both but ig,,, mask gojo?? THO I LOVE HIS EYES DUDE ASJDLADFKSHDF. maybe without anything (nor mask or sunglasses) but it would feel kinda weird aksdjlasjd,,, like he’s,,,, naked or something idk LMAO

kagehina or iwaoi? kagehina but god iwaoi man,,,, kagehina was my first haikyuu ship, i fell in love with both in the first ep and they just KEPT growing on me sm. they make me so goddamn emotional, i love the mutual respect, the admiration, the bickering, the dumbassery,,, (as you can see, idiots in love is a fave trope of mine lmao) but YEAH, ah. the last ch and bit extra always manages to break me in tears LMAO, just,,, i’m so proud of them and i feel like they both understand and complement the other SO WELL, it’s mindblowing. dorks. bu t actually iwaoi is my second fave ship in hq! childhood friends and all the LAYERS they have god my heart,,,, my HEART. they make my soul ache

grepre or fkbu? grepre!!! the characters and arcs and dynamics are so well-done, and overall, as much as i love love love and adore fkbu, grepre was more unique and interesting!!! the premise, everything. i loved seeing all develop. i watched the case 1, 2 and 3 in one sitting, and the first one had me hooked from beginning to end. but every single case has SOMETHING to it. like watching abby thrive and grow was amazing, watching both cynthia and laurent’s backstory was mindblowing. and i just. love abby and cynthia and dorothy so goddamn much. all the main characters tbh yES

[katacombzimmerman]

My brain has been hiding under a rock...

.... and it refuses to come out and let me enjoy anything.

As such I have had nothing to say and nothing to post about. DAMN YOU DEPRESSED BRAIN! I finally created a tumblr so I could share my thoughts and scream at others about my drama addiction and now you make me hit a drama slump. How dare you....

ANYWAY, I haven’t been able to keep up with anything as of late and my progress with watching dramas is slow as fuck. I’m still trying to finish Vigilantes in masks that I started like 3 months ago or somethin. 

But, since I can’t focus on anything I started in the last 3 months I’ve managed to side track into Jdramas. 

One because they tend to be much smaller series. 8 episodes or so. This is much less overwhelming than like the 40/60 something I’m used to. 

Two because it’s something new. Lots of Kdramas and Cdramas have the same vibe. Which isn’t a bad thing but it’s not catching the attention of depressed katacomb brain that craves new things because if we can’t find something new then automatically I’m somehow wasting my life and have no value or some shiz... heeeee...

So some recommendations if anyone wants to watch some Jdramas. (Assuming you read this far. If you did congrats. I love you for it.)

Recently I’ve watched, by way of recommendation or just seeing it in the recents of the drama7seas:

- Soroban Samurai

The story of a samurai who doubles as an accountant. Yes, an accountant. He’s pretty darn cool and he’s also something of a detective too. I’m pretty sure his role in life is basically a jack of all trades. The production leaves something to be desired in quality but it’s a wonderful story and I stayed for the characters. There’s 9 episodes and each story line is independent of each other told over the span of 3 episodes. So, 9 episodes = 3 storylines that have almost nothing to do with each other aside from the main character and a few side characters. If you want an over reaching storyline then this does not have one. But, I really enjoyed it cause it was simple and I have a thing for detectives. Not much for whump either. But It’s still a fun drama for the side lines.

- Shikaku Tantei Higurashi Tabito

More detectivish MCs. NOW this is a drama everyone should watch!! It has a movie (Which should be watched first but really only gives some character introductions, it’s not hugelly important to story line so you could skip it if you wished.) and a 9 episode series. The series is where it’s at tho! SOoo much whump and amazing found family and angst. I love the premise of this series. It was absolutely fascinating. I’ve always loved series that explore the different ways people with unique disabilities see the regular world or that the world appears differently to everyone in general. The MC was amazing. I loved him and his intensity but also goofy and traumatised self. The actor did any amazing job with this character. From the way he swayed during conversations while trying to keep peoples lips in view so he could read them since he’s deaf. It’s like they never forgot that he only had the sense of sight, literally nothing else. From the way he walked to the things he ate. it was all very well done. 10/10 would recommend.

And lastly, Meiji Kaika: Shinjuro Tanteicho

Oh look, another detective MC. Is anyone surprised? Not me. 

Though dunno if I recommend this one yet since I’ve only seen the first ep but I’ve been waiting for all 8 eps to be subbed and now they are. So, Imma binge this. Drama7seas says 2020 but I’m thinking not from the production. It looks hella old but I don’t pretend to know how film develops in Japan or if this is specific style or whatnot but I really like the rustic vibe to it. MC looks super cooky too and I like it.

Opening shot, is pretty and certainly a painting of somesort.

(I couldn’t get the bar at the bottom out of the way so sorry.)

What is he wearing around his neck? Anyone know????? Genuinely curious about this fashion choice. It’s not like most ties I’ve seen in historical type dramas.

I like him. He has a fun sense of style.

This has been my tumblr post for the month. I think. Maybe. Hopefully not. Maybe I’ll collect my thoughts somewhere along the to have an opinion on things or finish the dramas I’ve started.

[stargazerdaisy]

Listen to me ramble about The Code

So my brain has been totally stuck on The Code for last week or so, and it is soooooo my happy place right now.  I won’t lie, I pretty much was giving the show a shot just because it was Luke Mitchell in a Marines uniform.  Is that shallow?  You bet your ass it is.  Was it worth it?  Way more so that I expected.  Before I saw the first ep, learning that Philippa Soo and Dana Delany were in it helped me take it more seriously.  I watched the first episode one weekend when I was sick and home alone.  

It was better than I had expected.  Like, a lot.

Basic premise:  It follows a group of lawyer in the military justice system.  Specifically, Marines.  It shows how the military justice system is quite a bit different from the civilian court system.  Which is to say, more than I expected.  

Colonel Glenn Turnbull, played by Dana Delany, is the boss of the group.  Captain Maya Dobbins is in the Defense office.  Major Trey Ferry is in the Prosecution group alone with Lieutenant Harper Li and Captain John ‘Abe’ Abraham.  All of them are super smart, very driven, impressive lawyers.  At their core, they all believe in truth and justice, and serving those principles as best they can.  They are each unique people too.  

Abe is a familiar archetype.  He’s cocky and confident, he knows how good he is, and he doesn’t hesitate to make it known to others.  He likes cracking jokes and teasing others.  He’s a third generation Marine who was injured in combat, and upon being told he could no longer be infantry, had to find a new path.  

Maya is THE BEST AT EVERYTHING SHE HAS EVER TRIED.  (Except one thing she admits sucking at during my favorite scene, which is funny and telling of the character.)   She isn’t taking crap from anyone.  She knows the law inside and out and has proven herself over and over.  She makes sure there is never even the sliver of a chance that anyone could question her skills.  But she’s not the no fun, no personality kind of character.  She is funny and whip smart.  

The competitive tension between Abe and Maya is probably my most favorite thing to watch.  Their relationship (friendship? partnership? colleague-ship?) is based in firm respect and admiration.  They just know each other well enough to have an easy banter and be able to bring out the best in each other.  

Colonel Turnbull is a firm but even handed boss who cares about her employees, and deeply about the Marines.  She is wise and gives a lot of good advice, while still maintaining her own sense of self and storylines.  Trey is a great straight man to Abe’s wisecracker, but he has a sense of humor as well, and knows when to go along with Abe’s pushing of the limits in order to serve justice.  Harper Li hates all the jokes about her name, and is working hard to prove herself to everyone.  She has a ton of sass and my favorite lines of hers are when she’s observing others (usually Abe) and commenting on when he’s acting different.  “Did he just say furthermore?!”  And Rami.  Oh Rami, I adore him.  He’s that quiet observer of everything, anticipating needs and contributing to execution of strategy.  He knows the value of a well place suggestion.  

Let’s be real: this is another CBS military/police/law procedural show.  That sets a certain expectation.  And it really does fit that mold.  But don’t let that fool you.  This show is good.  The stories themselves focus on different aspects of military life, not just combat.  The cases rarely follow the trajectory set up in the beginning of the episode, but when they twist, it’s in a way that is earned and honored.  The ultimate goal is to uncover the truth and find the best outcome for everyone.  Sometimes that means sacrifices or compromises that don’t feel great.  Sometimes that means taking huge risks personally and professionally.  Sometimes it means riding right on the edge of protocol to secure a victory for the betterment of the USMC.  It reminds me a lot of Law and Order, because there is a huge focus on the investigation - just as much as the actual courtroom action.  But in this setting, instead of being very Us vs Them (Prosecution v Defense), there is a bigger team feeling.  That leads to cooperation in ways that you wouldn’t see in a civilian court.  Which makes for a stronger core team of characters.  

Thus far, they haven’t had any stumbles in the storytelling.  There are a couple storylines developing that I’m not a fan of.  However, I have a feeling they are better set up to have Abe fail at something, probably in a really big way.  It sounds like I’m rooting against him, but I’m really not.  Right now his gambles have all paid off.  That’s not sustainable.  And with his personality, it would lead to hubris and true arrogance.  (He’s cocky, but not arrogant.)  He needs to be leveled a little bit, and I suspect the growth that comes from that will be significant.  We’re still getting to know all the characters, but everything we do learn is consistent with what has already been revealed.  Right now, the show is reminding me of The Blacklist in the focus on solid characters and letting the action follow that.   We’re only 5 episodes in (#6 is tonight), which means there is plenty of time for them to screw up.  But for right now, they’re on a good path.  It’s not the most exciting or unique show ever, but it’s solid and it’s not making me yell at the TV, which let’s be honest is way more than I can say for pretty much all my shows right now.

Also, everyone is gorgeous.  The end.

[getoffthesoapbox]

[anime] fall season initial impressions

This season took forever for all the first episodes to come out, and by the time they finally did, my own life got a little crazy, so this is extraordinarily late. Better late than never, I guess. 

“God Tier” of season so far (i.e., shows I’ll probably blog about):

Goblin Slayer - For reasons I can’t explain, this show really sunk its claws deep into me and hasn’t let go yet. I love the GS’s character, I love the side characters, I love the premise and the storyline and the angle they’re taking. It’s possible this story will fall apart entirely before the end, but for now it’s the one I look forward to the most this season. 

“Best” of season so far (i.e., shows I’ll probably watch to the end):

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru - I. Love. This. Show. If it maintains its current trajectory, it’ll move to God Tier by next season. Sports anime aren’t usually my wheelhouse, but this one is my sport--I love running. Moreover, the characters are so different from the usual sports anime. This is truly an ensemble cast where each character has his own life and his own unique traits to bring to the table (Ouji is the best seriously). Even better is the drama fulcrum of the story--our two leads have issues that are very different from the melodrama of stories like Free. One is dealing with a serious injury he’s had to overcome (and of which we still know nothing) and the other is dealing with having been a superstar who couldn’t work with his team properly and thus lost out on the joys of being a part of a team. I can’t wait to see where the story goes; I love how it gives each character room to breathe rather than making them revolve around the two leads, and how it lets them all have goals and lives and dreams of their own that merge into the mix that is this team they’ve formed. 

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu - I actually almost dropped this little gem because a.) it’s Kyo-Ani, and I’m not really a Free fan (though I love Kyo-Ani’s other works, I don’t appreciate their fujoshi pandering as a fujoshi myself) and b.) I already had a superior sports anime on my hands. But damnit, the second episode cut my heart to shreds and so it’s got me for now. The hero’s target panic really hit home in my heart, and I adore his best friend’s silent but cutting loyalty. The team is less fanservice-oriented than Free too, so I feel this is could genuinely become a great sports anime as well as a great slice of life. 

Irozu Sekai no Ashita kara - This show reminds me so much of Mahou Tsukai: Natsu no Sora, only it’s more cheerful. The grandmother character is my favorite--something about her both in the past and future gets me. But all the other characters are wonderful, and I’m quite enjoying all the relationships and the mysteries so far. 

Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet - I cannot express how much I love this show. All the characters are just absolute fun, and I adore how devoted the main pairing is to each other despite the revolving secondary love interests at both their disposals. The RxJ premise doesn’t hurt either. 

Rerided: Koku Koe no Derrida - This show is what I’d consider a “solid staple” of the season, but not a stand-out. The characters are just interesting enough to hold my attention and the scifi premise is quite entertaining, but it does tend to make safe/bland choices rather than trying bolder directions. I did really enjoy the psychotic breakdown of the researcher when she faced the evolved android last episode, though.

Beelzebub-jou no Okini Mesu Mama - I have a huge love of angels and demons and cute things, so if you mix them all together in one slice of lifey soup, you’ll find me at the table. This isn’t spectacular by any means, but it’s sweet and endearing and nice to watch after a hard day’s work.

Hashiri Tsuzukete Yokattatte - This is a cute short series about two kids working toward their goals of being voice actors. It’s just a nice little series. 

On the fence (i.e., shows that more than likely I’ll drop within 3-8 eps):

Tensai Shitara Slime Datta Ken  - I like the premise, I love the dragon/slime relationship, I like how silly this thing is, I like the human design of the slime before he becomes slime, but I despise the “heroine” designs and I’m not sure their personalities will be much better. It’s taken a long time to introduce the heroines, so we’ll see how long this story can hold once they’re involved. 

Yagate Kimi ni Naru - The yuri showpiece of the season, and I like it quite a bit better than some of the other yuri shows that have been out in recent seasons. The heroine is a bit on the annoying side, though, and so I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stand her. We’ll see.

Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu. - I’m a diehard fujoshi, so of course I’m going to watch this silly show even though I ache for better BL series to be given anime. I don’t know why TPTB always choose these silly BL stories rather than the well-crafted ones, but it is what it is.

Ingress - Other than Goblin Slayer, Banana Fish, and Golden Kamuy, this is really the only action-oriented show I’ve got this season. It’s decent enough, but the subtitles are terrible so I’ll probably wait ‘til a more decent variant comes out. 

Otona no Bougaya-san - This is just a silly short gag series that makes me laugh. There’s literally no substance to it, just game nostalgia and debauchery. 

Jingai-san no Yome - Another short series that is so weird it makes me laugh. There’s nothing worth shipping in this, but the premise is ludicrous and humorous for now. 

Sono Toki, Kanojo wa - A series of josei short stories. It’s all right, but nothing to write home about. 

Dropped after the first episode:

Conception 

SSSS. Gridman 

Ulysses: Jeanne d’Arc to Renkin no Kishi 

Holdovers from last season and sequels:

Banana Fish

Golden Kamuy

Overall this is a pretty solid season, though not so great in the music department, which is a disappointment. 

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: May 2018

Not a lot of TV in May but plenty of comics and movies! And now that the Bachelorette is back on, this will all change. Here’s how I spent the month!

……….FILM……….

Isle of Dogs (2018) So this was a tricky one. I’m not going to say anything new regarding Wes Anderson’s directorial style or how great it translates to stop motion. I love it and it works just as well here. What didn’t quite connect was not translating the Japanese characters. I think the comedy of the dogs and humans not understanding each other would’ve worked just as well if we, the audience (assuming an english-speaking audience), could understand both sides of the conversation. It just felt strangely distancing. Also the women in this movie are thoroughly underused. It all just seemed like a misstep from a director who likes to shine a spotlight on the humanity around us.

Game Night (2018) What a charmingly insane movie. It’s weird, it’s funny, and it has just enough heart. The two leads had enough chemistry to believe in their insane journey and I just really enjoyed them both gagging over a gunshot wound. Totally worth checking out. 

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) There are so many great things going for this movie. Armie Hammer’s super serious Russian spy, Henry Cavill’s transatlantic weasel, and a lot of great style, but I found it never seemed to click. Maybe Guy Ritchie is just better at directing smaller, more personal movies (as the character and smaller set pieces are where this film shines). Oh what could have been.

……….TELEVISION……….

Riverdale (Episode 2.17 to 2.20) A consistent opinion from anyone I’ve talked to is that Archie is a big ole dummy and I love it. I admit I’ve never read the comics but he’s always depicted as a doofus so I’m glad it’s a character trait that’s transitioned (albeit in a somewhat distorted way) to this melodramatic universe.

……….READING……….

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Complete) Call it morbid curiosity. The film didn’t do it for me (though there was some good) and figured I’d try out the book. In short, I felt the same way but for different reasons. I think the movie improved on a lot of character stuff in the book, but clearly the problems I had with the romance stemmed from the source material. I get why this book is popular and I think what Cline has capitalized on is a stroke of brilliance, but it just doesn’t work as a story. The character doesn’t do anything redeemable or likeable within the first 170 pages, and there’s no conflict. All of the challenges put in front of Wade are deus-ex machina’d  away as “I’d already planned for this.” As wish fulfillment, it works. As an engaging story, it’s missing a few core elements.

Head Lopper Volume 1: The Island Or a Plague of Beasts by Andrew Maclean (Finished) Super fun sword & sorcery story and I love the simplicity of the premise. A barbarian who decapitates stuck with the severed (and living) head of a witch creates a lot of great character moments to compliment the plotting and violence. It’s fun and smart and worth checking out.

Pimo & Rex by Thomas Wellmann (Complete) This is a charming Sword & Sorcery tale and the titular characters are charmingly appropriate for their heightened world. I will admit that the writing is a little eclectic due to the translation but it leads to some fun exchanges and unique onomatopoeia. Worth getting it now that the second edition is out and it’s much easier to find!

Batman: Year 100  by Paul Pope (Complete) Batman: Year One is such a touchstone for Batman comics (and comics in general) and this is a worthy successor. It’s such a departure from Year One’s tone but in rereading it, I really appreciate the subtle similarities: simple and grounded plot revolving around a mystery, limited tech, and themes that really explore what it is to BE Batman. Plus Pope’s style is so visceral and wild that it really plays up more of the...fear elements of the character.

Ultimate Spider Man Ultimate Collection Book 4 by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley (Complete) I remember not loving this volume the first time through and now I think I’m a little closer to understanding why: the two main arcs have little to do with Spider-Man/Peter Parker. The first is basically an X-Men story and the second is mostly there to introduce Black Cat and Electra. Peter is slightly affected by both of these encounters but nothing like the previous volumes. The saving grace is a single issue that features Aunt May in therapy and it’s fantastic.

……….AUDIO……….

Bad With Money (Podcast) What started out as listening to a single ep about the glass ceiling has become a crazy dive into the entire series. Seriously, if you think you could benefit from hearing someone else learn about investing, contracts, and money in general, then you should check out the podcast.

Welcome to Bonkers by Nekrogoblikon (2018) I like my heavy metal with a healthy dose of silly.

……….GAMING……….

Horror At Havel’s Cross (Winghorn Press) This was a great one shot Dungeons & Dragons adventure for first time players! The module plans for a 4-5 hour session and we got roughly half way in the two hours we played so I think that’s about right (but it’ll depend on your players). There’s a little role playing, a little fighting, and lots of mystery. If you’ve never run a game before then it’s also a great introduction! You can pick it up here and it’s super inexpensive.

Dungeons & Dragons Hexcrawl Campaign (Wizards of the Coast) The party has started exploring the dragon temple! They’ve saved an imprisoned young dragon, procured a relic, and are now trying to decide if the lizard folk hoard that guard the ruins are friend or foe. It’s all very dramatic.

And that’s it! As always I’m keen to hear your thoughts and recommendations and happy Thursday!

[musicismorepodcast]

On Tumblr's Artist of the Month BENEE

A Review of Her Latest EP Lychee!

I've decided to do a review on each new artist of the month! This month's review is on @benee-music's newest EP Lychee!

Track One: Beach Boy

Love the juxtaposition of the sometimes explicit lyrics and the carefree and sweet vibe of the song. That vibe goes along well with the premise of the song, that BENEE and the beach boy only have a limited amount of time and so its best to enjoy it.

Track Two: Soft Side

Distorted vocals on top of a pulsing synth helps to illustrate the harder places within their relationships and then her sweeter softer voice and the cuter motifs throughout kind of represents the soft side she wants to see. I think I can hear some house influences on this track which is really fun.

Track Three: Hurt You, Gus

More stripped back instrumental opens the floor for a more in depth story. I have a hard time imagining falling in love with someone named Gus, but I almost could listening to this song. It feels very personal and descriptive.

Track Four: Never Ending

More melancholy, the distorted, monotonous vocal fits well at the beginning of the song, as its demonstrative of the numbness that can come with heartbreak. As the track progresses so does the sound, it gets more expressive. The distortion is also kind of a shield, protecting the more vulnerable feelings she wants to keep close to her chest. We hear more of her real voice near the end, a breath of fresh air after the almost mechanical soundscape earlier in the song.

Track Five: Marry Myself

Love this more uptempo track! Pretty simple premise but you can interpret it in multiple ways, which makes me like it even more. Awesome vocals on this track as well. I'd play this in the morning with my lofi faves.

Track Six: Doesn't Matter

A change of pace after the faster Marry Myself.

A cool down song. An anti-anxiety hit. I found lots of comfort in it as someone who occasionally deals with bouts of anxiety or intrusive thoughts. Very relatable, and useful for those times you need a reminder. Although the lyrics were the star of this song, I also like the acoustic instrumental as well.

Track Seven: Make You Sick

Another song that serves as the perfect reminder when you're feeling a little down, that you are a bad bitch. I love the soundscape created here, even the instrumental intro was fun to listen to. It also changes throughout the song, I was never bored listening to this track, which can be hard to do, when the track is 6 mins and 47 seconds long. I think this could've been multiple songs but it is interesting that its only one.

Final Thoughts!

This was an eclectic listen. The mix of acoustic sounds and instrumentals, with more distorted, synth, electric instrumentals made for a unique experience. I enjoyed these tracks my favorites include the final stretch of Marry Myself, Doesn't Matter, and Make You Sick. I'm excited to hear more from BENEE in the future!

[starry-kfics]

Hello!! So, I've recently taken an interest in ASTRO? And I was wondering if y'all knew of any performances/comeback stages/ whatever that would be good to watch to get a good feel of the group? You know? Lol, anyway, thank you for your time!!

i legitimately got so excited when i saw this ask bc one of my favorite things abt astro is their live stages and i have an entire playlist of my favorite live stages (from all my groups) so i’m hype to rec some for you!! literally any astro performance is good, they have such an incredible energy on stage and unique stage presence that they blow me away in every single one. i’ll go from debut up through crazy sexy cool [under the cut]

sorry if this is like way too much for you; if it is, feel free to watch just one from each era or something!!

cat’s eye

- quick breakdown of this song, it was like their predebut debut; it was the featured song in their predebut webdrama ‘to be continued’, and so the mv was released before they debuted

- mv - show champion live stage (cat’s eye + their other Fantastic Song polaris) (polaris is the origin of eunwoo’s iconic ‘gachi gallae?’)

hide & seek

- okay so now we’re officially at debut; their concept for their first four mini albums was to make one for every season, and hide & seek is the title track of the first one, spring up; also has the Most Iconic astro dance move imo (the lil pyramid thing they do @ the beginning w bin on top)

- performance m/v - showchampion live stage (i’m partial to the green outfits whoops) - dance practice (always watch to the very end of astro dance practices)

breathless

- first comeback!! this mini album is titled summer vibes and features literally one of the most catchy astro songs ever i get it stuck in my head once a week; another Iconic astro dance move is born with eunwoo holding mj and moving him like a lil airplane

- dance practice - inkigayo live stage (the orange outfits were the cutest fight me) - special stage (they’re wearing cute animal hats what more could u want; also, skip to 2:15 for the actual performance)

growl

- this isn’t astro’s song nor is it even all of astro lmao; it’s a rookie special stage of knk, snuper, and astro covering exo’s growl. the astro members that participated are rocky, moonbin, and sanha!!

- link

can’t help myself

- this also isn’t the entirety of astro, just jinjin; it’s actually an eric nam live stage where jinjin was featured for the rap part!! he absolutely kills it, and he’s like bffs w eric now (fun fact: vernon from svt was featured in another performance of this song and did the rap)

- link

fireworks

- this is another song from summer vibes that they were able to do a live stage of and it’s super cute!!!

- link

confession

- boy oh boy autumn story was The Era for so many reasons but mainly bc confession is just such a damn good song (R-O-C-K-Y) and they promoted it really well too!!

- performance @ the 26th seoul music awards (not typical stage outfits for this era: RED AND BLACK SUITS) - mnet presents performance (filmed during baby era!!) - music core stage (red outfits were superior dont even @ me) - relay dance

replay

- astro did special stage cover of shinee’s replay where rocky and jinjin sing (aka the birth of vocalist rocky, the best thing to grace the earth in 2016)

- link

winter dream

- i didn’t put a specific song, i just did the mini album title bc they didn’t really promote normally during this era with a bunch of live stages on music shows of a title track, they have some stages where they sing should’ve held on (also called again), and they also did some stuff with you&me, which is their song to aroha (their fans) saying thank you for everything and its real cute

should’ve held on/again

- dance practice - kcon la performance - kcon mexico performance - kcon japan performance (intro + again) - kstar live power music (again + baby)

you&me

- special ddoca (this isnt a performance its just them being dorky and cute;; basically a self mv of m&y) - astroad to dc (fancam)

don’t look back

- this is their first time on immortal songs 2 (i cant tell you much abt the premise of the show but from what i can tell they have to prepare a medley or cover or special performance of stuff and astro kills it every time)

- link

baby

- the truly ‘refreshing idol’ era with dream part 01 and it’s also the one that made me fall in love with astro; their stage outfits are literally the best thing ever the aesthetically pleasing ergonomic lines and colorblocking makes literally every baby stage my favorite whoops

- performance mv - dance practice - mcountdown stage - 2x faster vers (from when they went on weekly idol) - relay dance

la bamba

- they were in mexico for kcon mexico and these kings of language did a wonderful cover of la bamba 12/10 would recommed

- link

with you

- their second time on immortal songs 2 and they killed it yet again

- link

because it’s you

- they had a couple short stages of it and its one of my favorite songs so

- link (short) - another link (short) - one more link (full; mwave meet&greet)

crazy sexy cool

- their most recent comeback song in dream part 02 (as of march 2018 when i’m writing this) and they finally have completely dropped the super cutesy stuff; this one was a much more mature comeback but they maintained their refreshing imagine somehow being ‘refreshing sexy’ idk what that entails but they did it

- simply kpop (leather jackets lord have mercy) - dance practice - special dance practice (they goof off and they’re six entire dorks that i love so much) - relay dance - music bank (red!!suits!!) - mbc music (arohas are in the background making shapes and words with little white papers or smth its so cute!!)

run

- they also did full and short stages of this upbeat ballad (is that even a thing) from dream part 02 and its real cute; vocalist rocky has returned to murder us all and jinjin gets to sing again (he’s rlly improved since the last time im proud of my sweet rap boy)

- show champion (short) - simply kpop (full) - mwave meet&greet (full)

beautiful lady

- their third time on immortal songs 2 and this is by far my favorite its funny and well done and just some hq astro content

- link

to you

- they went on a show called sugarman 2 (again, idk much abt the premise of the show but they were on the same ep w red velvet which was cute) and im p sure this is a song cover but anyway i love it a lot (and there’s a pro recording of it available on apple music)

- link

christmas songs

- they had a couple christmas special stages this season that were absolutely adorable

- carol medley - must have love

so that was my list of astro live stages that i hope will help you!! i’m sorry if its too much, i kinda went overboard bc i love pretty much each and every performance they do

i went back to look @ the original ask and i realized that u wanted just a few to get a feel of the group but instead i spent 1.5 hrs making an exhaustive list of quality astro live stages my bad my true trashy aroha self is showing again

if there’s other arohas who have some more good live stages to add, feel free to reblog with those links!!

- mel