#telenovelas of the early 2000's

[thekatebridgerton]

Speaking of how much I like a well written drama, Shoot me a message about your favorite telenovela. I've talked a lot about how much I like well written inlndian movies here. But I never seem to mention that old telenovelas are my guilty pleasure.

My personal favorites are The 1998 version of La usurpadora (rich Evil Twin forces poor Nice Twin to take her place and pretend to be her with the husband she hates, but Nice Twin falls inlove with the husband and the kids). Carita De Angel (cute little girl gets into lots of trouble, her dad is a hardass, the pretty nun who always takes care of the little girl, falls inlove with the hardass dad and I shipped them!), Lola Erase Una Vez (Mexican version of Floricienta, I've got OPINIONS about this one okay! Lola and Alex were bae). And of course Colombian classic, Passion de Gavilanes circa early 2000's (Franco and Sara were the perfect friends to lovers couple, in this essay I will...)

What about you guys what's your favorite telenovelas

[garzasheart]

general valeria garza headcanons

summary: just valeria being her silly self + some relationship headcanons

author notes: nothing to say, i just love this woman

━ valeria is definitely the type to watch telenovelas and pick sides when characters have conflict

━ walks around the house in a wife beater and boxers

━ always needs the air conditioner on and gets all bitchy if it isn't freezing cold

━ somehow wins every argument she starts even if she is in the wrong

━ unless it's an argument with you than she will let you win

━ listens to 90's spanish music and maybe even some 2000's american rap & rnb

━ if your first language is english than she will ask you what the lyrics mean in the american songs

━ loves tupac just because he can get real violent

━ says the most unhinged shit at random moments because in her mind it's normal. "amor, should we be buried together when we die?"

━ a total cat mom. on her list of people she will kill for is you and y'all cats

━ if you have her meet your mom, she becomes a total mommy's girl (because she misses her own mother) and always be like "how was my mom?" whenever you go to visit your mom alone

━ always has a grumpy lil frown on her face, but smiles when she sees you

━ if you introduce her to games her favorite is mortal kombat because it's violent & she always wins against you

━ chronic eye roller™

━ low-key sassy and doesn't give no fucks

━ super sarcastic especially when annoyed

━ figured out she was lesbian in her early twenties and was like "oh, that figures"

━ HATES bugs. will act like she's all tough if others are around and a bug is nearby, but by herself she moves as far away as possible

━ can actually cook pretty well

━ loves spicy food AND sugary food. she's just versatile like that

━ probably got addicted to coffee once when she was younger, but broke that addiction once she hit her 30th birthday because she refuse to let a little drink control her mood

━ has trust issues, attachment issues, abandonment issues, and commitment issues

━ a stomach sleeper 100%

━ doesn't care for holidays, but will go all out if you like them

━ a lil menace who sometimes acts like a bad ass little kid

━ "gimme a kiss" whenever you ask her to do anything

━ gets annoyed when you don't reply to her text messages right away. you take an hour to reply? alright see you tomorrow girlie because that's when she's going to text back

━ p e t t y

━ a little toxic but it's fine because she loves hard

━ once she found out how to do 0.5 photos just know that's how all the photos she takes of you are taken now

━ laughs loud asf when people fall. might even point too

━ loves freezepops in the summer and winter, no difference to her

━ loves to play fight and wrestle

━ if you two get a dog, she will always rile it up and than complain about it

━ dances a little when she's tipsy

[amatorysacrivn]

Hello hello ^^ what are the LI's favorite and least favorite movie/tv show genre?

hi hi! ^^

tiffany’s favourite genre is early 2000’s coming of age while least favourite is historical fiction!

rosaline’s favourite genre is serial killer documentaries while her least favourite is hallmark christmas movies!

vesperia’s favourite genre is mystery/thrillers while her least favourite is musicals!

elita’s favourite genre is adult cartoons while her least favourite is romance!

cy’s favourite genre is romantic comedy while her least favourite is horror!

aziel’s favourite genre is whatever you call bill nye the science guy’s show and his least favourite is adult cartoons!

leviathan’s favourite genre is slasher horror and his least favourite genre is vomit gore!

lazaria’s favourite genre is kdramas while her least favourite genre is nature documentaries!

zack’s favourite genre is historical fiction while his least favourite genre is comedy!

casanova’s favourite genre is telenovelas while his least favourite genre is western!

konstantin’s favourite genre is apocalyptic while his least favourite genre is medical dramas!

kastiel’s favourite genre is science fiction while his least favourite is cop shows!

lorelei’s favourite genre is fantasy while her least favourite is adventure films!

[prettyboybuckley]

So I probably got the idea after reading it in another fic, loved it, and just started using it a lot myself, but I love writing about Eddie (or Buddie, if it's an established relationship fic) having a radio in the kitchen.

And I think the reason I love it so much, is because I grew up with the radio always on. We didn't have a TV and I'm an only child, so the radio kept me company. There was always music playing, and in the early 2000's this was mostly 80's and 90's music, both Dutch and English.

I'd hear the same voices every day or every weekend when the DJ's talked, and the radio station my parents had it on would play the same song every Saturday at 9 am to start the day, and I would sit on the ground in front of the radio and listen to it.

My point is, having the radio on feels like home to me. And the idea of the radio playing in Eddie's kitchen while he cooks or while Christopher does homework at the dinner table or while Eddie does the dishes with Buck—that just gets me.

Music drifting through the whole house and any one of them humming or singing along. Eddie playing it on full volume when no one else is home just because he can. Christopher pretending to be embarrassed when his dad (and Buck) do(es) a silly dance to whatever song is playing. Buck pausing whatever he's doing in the living room to try and catch what the DJ is saying because it sounds like some fun fact he'd like to know. Practicing their Spanish not only with telenovela's, but by listening to a radio station that plays Latin music.

Buck or Eddie coming home after a long shift without the other for whatever reason, and hearing the radio the moment they step into the house, however faint, and getting that feeling of I'm home.

I don't know, man. I feel like Eddie, Buck and Christopher are all people who would thrive with music around them all the time, even if they might not want to admit it.

So, yeah, I think having the radio always on can create a sense of home. And I think there is a radio in the kitchen of the Diaz house, and maybe another one elsewhere, and if there isn't, that there should be.

[yolixpan]

House of Gucci

Firstly, I have to say that I liked the movie and I thought Adam Driver looked so fine! And I loved the costumes and the heavy make up on Lady Gaga.

But, when I saw House of Gucci I couldn't help to find funny all the different accents all actors used in the movie.

While I was watching the movie I was remembering Telemundo telenovelas, the ones of the early 2000´s when the members of the same family had different accents: the father with a Puerto Rican accent, the mother spoke with venezuelan accent, one son talked as a Miami native, the daugther with a strong mexican accent, etc. All spoke spanish but it was difficult to take them seriously because there was no congruence with the accent of the characthers of the same family.

I can understand with Telemundo, as there were not a lot of actors who dare to left their countries and work in th US at that time, but with a movie of Ridley Scott?? The lest they should have done was to assure everyone had the same accent. Sorry for the rambling.

[two-dolla-bills]

Great news, op, you ended up accidentally drawing a character from a telenovela from the early 2000's!

I’ve been enjoying TMAGP so far :) Alice is the only one I have a clear picture in my head of so far, so here’s my take on it. I don’t think I hit the nail right on the head yet, but it’s still pretty close.

Commission me 💛 ko-fi 💛 print store

[ID: the image is a digital illustration of Alice dryer from the magnus protocol. She has long curly brownish-green hair, light skin, big glasses, and piercings on her ears and nose. She is looking to the side and her mouth is open as if talking. She is smiling and wearing a dark shirt with pink lightning bolts on it. End ID]

[rainfrazier]

Reason 4 why Byron and Tristan should have separate bodies: So Byron can actually enjoy his goddamn soap operas when Tristan *isn't* at the gym

EXACTLY. let him watch “days of our lives” in peace. he deserves it

[applefan28]

Ok, So here's an interesting one for the headcannon thing, Dough :) I wanted to suggest it seen you seem to be a Dough liker! :D

YAAAAY YAY YIPPEEE DOUGH ENJOYERS HEY :D

Sexuality Headcanon: This guy lives by like no labels, Dough isn’t all that connected to the such but if you had to label him, gay but in a very aromantic way where he does kinda forget he’s gay because being with someone intimately never crossed his mind nor was of importance in his life. Like sure, if Dough WERE to date he knows it’d be only a guy of sort because “yah, they’re cool” but overall he isn’t going out of his way to be in a relationship. He never caught onto it, and to be frank he kinda doesn’t care nowadays, he might find the occasional Man That Could Carry Him Bridal Style attractive but that’s about it (and it goes by pretty quick). Though i think also Dough, being his contrarian ironic self, would be like “nah im not gay im an ethical incel” or something if you’d ask him from the fact he’s into romance-focused telenovelas and novels.

Gender Headcanon: Much like how it is with sexuality, gender as well is done with no labels other than just “not cis”. The most you could say is probably agender or demiboy, but even then that’s too concrete of a way to pinpoint Dough’s gender (also wouldn’t care much for it anyways). Dough is just some “guy” but not in a cis way, also goes by both he/him and she/her with gender presentation remains as basic as wearing an ironic “my sister is lame” or “gamer” shirt with cargo shorts. I think also because she looks up to Bow and tries to be somewhat like her in some ways, would try to dabble in her clothing style only to not feel comfortable with them #autism. Though i can definitely see him wearing skirt with, yes, a mid early 2000's gamer shirt and really bad knee high socks. She would also enjoy the funny combo in wearing the first outfit using she/her and the second using he/him, gender is a joke to him anyways and is just kinda dumb. Bloke who does fuck all!!!

A ship I have with said character: None i can think of honestly, he’s not about the dating life.

A BROTP I have with said character: DOUGH AND APPLE ok yeah i know i talked about this on the Apple post but idc. My blog my posts.

I’ve talked about their potential dynamic on this post, but tldr; they’re weirdo kids with a longing sense of alienation who fulfill a sibling relationship in the others’ lives that weren’t provided or met in their own lives (Apple in a large family but not being given enough attention, Dough as an only child but with Bow now who doesn’t want him). In Dough's case, much like Apple on a more self-aware aspect, he sees himself in Apple and not only has that sorta need to make up for what he wished he had, but he doesn’t like seeing another feel the same she has. I’d imagine the first couple of months to year, Apple and Bow’s relationship still isn’t well mended. Apple feeling not welcomed along with feeling like a bother to Marshmallow, she’s gonna have a sense of being left out. She wanders about the mansion and with Bow at times taking Marsh’s attention, she’s kinda left on her own. I can see her striking up a convo to Dough out of not wanting to feel alone, and Dough, feeling pretty much the same, takes it up. She catches on quick on Apple’s intentions behind it and immediately Knows, to not have this girl feel sad and alone. From then on, they just click and talk to one another. Apple feeling like she’s got another person that likes her, and Dough not only feeling the same way for himself, but helping her feel more at ease at the mansion. I’m thinking he tells her about the shows and books he’s read (books taking a slight interest in Apple because she does wanna improve in her reading), their shared taste in oldhead dad music, having been internet kids sharing ideas and thoughts on forums, their love for animals as it was what kept them company growing up, dude they’re just neat as a duo. Dough is like an older bro to Apple, well one that went out their way to hang out with her at least, and he feels the same about Apple. It’s like they’re making up for that somewhat lonely childhood, with jam sessions and My Little Pony marathons, and of course the feelings talk.

They’re both closed up on how they feel most of the time but i think Dough is more willing to put his own feelings out there if he feels like he can trust someone for it. Pointing back to the Bow Takeover Event where he tells Apple she and Bow should get sibling counseling, reveals a lot about her allowing to be vulnerable enough to seek some form of help from another. So often is he all nonchalant and resigned to whatever, as much as that face he puts on is translucent it’s still a wall put up to avoid the uncomfortableness that is in showing your insecurities. I’d say this is further down where Apple and Bow are in better terms than where they were in the beginning, so Apple has an upper hand in being a communicator for the two, especially for Dough. Apple may not be easy with her own emotions, but she’s good at knowing if someone isn’t feeling Good, which she notices in Dough (and pays more mind to than Bow and Marsh). With Dough now having Someone to talk to, she confides in her own conflicts with Bow in particular and does want something to be done. I love the idea of Dough showing more than what he puts off, and doing so comfortably with another person. He’s been shafted to the background too much and she deserves to not only be seen for once but to be heard.

Also when Apple brings animals to the mansion making a little farm, Dough has the privilege in naming them all like cheeseburger, ketchup, salsa, mayonesa, honestly just food names especially in spanish (half mexican swagger). Dough also gets her own chicken, horse, and his favourite, a highland cow (how Apple found + brought these is anyone’s guess).

A NOTP I have with said character: Bow because well, they’re alleged siblings. Other than that, just about any other girl in the show honestly.

A random headcanon: HOMESTUCK FAN DOUGH OH MY GOD honestly i dont have anything to back as to why but i just think it’d be mad funny if Dough had been into homestuck since the beginning (internet kid like Apple). He made a trollsona, fan trolls/kids, part of the mspa forums, made amvs, etc. I wanna say her interest in romance/relationship focused media and speculation in media started as a kid when watching telenovelas with his widowed dad, but for sure was taken more into an actual interest with homestuck once Act 5 hit with it’s quadrants and Karkat being the one to be all about that sorta stuff. Dough enjoys analyzing and speculating bonds and relationships between one another, it gets her thinking and being able to understand the world around. Not to mention the drama he LOVES both eavesdropping in and maybe partaking in a little gossip (he was massively annoying on the forums talking about pairings). I’d like to think one of her faves were Gamzee, which is how she got into ICP LOL, also greatly enjoyed Caliborn’s antics later on. Also i remember seeing a John Egbert fancam to MSI’s “Tornado” on twitter and thought “Dough would SO make this”. He’s a homestuck veteran, has witnessed the horrors of it all, could recite the fan songs and Octopimp homestuck comic dubs, Dough’s a homestuck </3. Oh, and as for his thoughts on Homestuck^2 and the Epilogues, he doesn’t like them at all but will be a bastard and play devil’s advocate about how good it is for it subverting fan’s image of the franchise :^)

SORRY another headcanon because i just remembered it but because there’s that one clip of Dough singing the Adventure Time intro, she enjoys watching cartoons and would wanna do cartoon night at the hotel.

General Opinion over said character: I love Dough, he’s just this annoying weird guy that hides a lot of his genuine emotions behind a flimsy facade of contrarianism and irony. She deserves all the love she gets from the 5 other Dough enjoyers ive seen, and im glad he’s a part of the purgatory mansion family :) If you hate on my boy there will be trouble, blockhead.

[jamespotterthefirst]

i don't even know why i never asked this but now that you bring up the telenovelas thing and that Lilac loves them... did she watched the ones that were for kids? because my god, i was so into them lmao it's where my crush for Lilac's ex (Jessie aka Diego Boneta) started jajaja i don't exactly remember the year she was born but she enjoyed late 90's-early 2000's, which is the best era, talking about telenovelas for the kids lmao

OMG FJDKDK

Once again, thank you so much for Diego as J's face claim!

Yep lmao Lilac definitely watched Misión SOS lol! And the Belinda classics for sure. She was born in 1992 so she was around for all of them. The Televisa Golden Years

[ladysophiebeckett]

Re Betty\Armando: he did ask for exclusivity (and got it). The Gaslighting Arc is literally about him thinking she's cheating on him. Betty is supposed to be faithful to him, while he's still engaged to Marcela. It's Betty who can't ask for more.

Talk of boundaries doesn't exist in telenovelas. You're seeing events by today's standards and it's doesn't match up to the 1999\2000 setting. A lot of YSBLF is about lack of boundaries, between the personal and professional. It's pretty clear, I thought.

If Aura Maria got kicked out bc she was simply a bad mother who received endless warnings then why did they kick her 7 yr old son out too? They could have kept him housed. Why is he being also thrown into it? It's not just about how Aura Maria acts. Just because she's immature and makes early 20's mistakes doesn't mean she and her son deserve to be homeless.

All the recent posts in the tag about Aura Maria this week carry a slant of misogyny, which is unfortunate as YSBLF itself is not misogynistic novela. So these emotional opinions leave me perplexed.

There is a difference between not liking a character and then judging them because they're not acting how you think a woman in her situation should act. It's unfortunate that a lot of people can't see that and then justify men (real and fictional) who do the same thing.

Some of you are being really weird about Aura Maria in regards to her treatment of Freddy and her overall character\personality traits. Overall, if you dislike a character its fine. It means nothing to me. But these posts about Aura Maria are getting a little misogynistic.

The facts are, that yes--she is immature, she does string Freddy along, she is very extroverted and charismatic and a lot of men like her.

You know who else is immature, strings someone around, is very extroverted and charismatic and a lot of women like them?

This guy right here.He's gonna string around his assistant for at least half a novela.

But there's already some excellent meta on Aura Maria and Freddy vs Betty and Armando and u can read them here and here. so I'm not gonna get into that.

Again, if you don't like Aura Maria thats fine. She's a flawed character in a show with other flawed characters. I don't like Patricia, for example. I think she's annoying, she's mean, her goal is to find a man to fix all her problems and she fails at it. She's immature. She's classist. She gets paid 3x more than the other secretaries bc she's a nepo hire and yet still can't make any payments bc she's terrible with money. I could go and on.

But a lot of you like her and sympathize with her and her problems and how nobody wants to help her.

Aura Maria is also sympathetic character. She became a teen mom. The guy that got her pregnant is not in the kid's life nor in hers. She's a receptionist at a company who's alternate slogan is 'women don't advance here'. Her parents kick her and her son out, yes it was a consequence of Aura Maria's party girl antics. But that's not a good enough reason to kick out your daughter and grandson. Knowing that she's a receptionist and doesn't make much money to begin with.

And then the Mario of it all. No, she shouldn't have gotten involved with him but he's the one in the position of power. He shouldn't have gotten involved with her, he shouldn't have encouraged it, nor should he have been seeing her and Patricia at the same time. Both women who work where HE works. And who does he want to fire when he gets caught? Aura Maria. She's the one who gets the low end of the stick.

Aura Maria and Patricia are looking for men with money to support them and don't do well in this endeavor bc the only man that looks like a prospect is using them in some way. That or the men they encounter don't take them seriously.

Freddy likes Aura Maria and yeah she does like him but she doesn't take him seriously as a prospect bc he's not rich and when you're a poor young single mom--bc REMINDER Aura Maria is in her early 20s forced to grow up quickly (she was a child having a child)--living in your friend's\co workers house--he doesn't completely fulfill her list of requirements of what she needs financially. She's not looking at the full picture. Much like Patricia, who doesn't look at the full picture when it comes to her transactional relationship with Nicolas.

So because Aura Maria mismanges her relationship with Freddy, I'm supposed to what? Have her burned at the stake? That because Freddy is kind to her, and does things out of his own free will over and over again, that Aura Maria needs to be devoted to him? Automatically? Because people think she owes him?

If you don't like Aura Maria, that's fine. But a lot of the posts I've seen in the general tag are past not liking a character bc the vibes are off--it's becoming about hating her bc she's not reciprocating to one guy bc you think he's earned it. Or it's about her not being a good mother bc she's not acting 'like a mother'. And want to see her punished for it as a result, as if getting sexually harassed by Gutierrez (ON TWO OCCASIONS) isn't punishment on it's own.

Because reminder (again)---that Mario AND Gutierrez have taken advantage of Aura Maria in some way bc of their position of power. Bc Aura Maria is young, beautiful, and poor. She can be easily be taken advantage of and tossed away. (Much like another character who gets utilized as a consequence of financial fraud)

But Freddy is the true victim in all of this bc Aura Maria sometimes take advantage of his kindness. Do you realize how dumb that sounds?

There is a double standard in how Aura Maria is being viewed bc she's not acting grateful or humble or self sacrificing enough to gain sympathy. She's being judged solely on how she's treating (1) man and not about all the other factors she's living in--some of them out of her control.

If one can feel bad for Patricia even tho it's primarily her fault that she's in the predicaments she's in, then I don't see why one can't extend that same grace to Aura Maria.

[thekatebridgerton]

Girl, you are speaking my language when it comes to old-school Spanish soap operas that’s how I learn how to speak Spanish even if it’s broken lol I recommend the app ViX  they have over 100 old school shows and all the classics on there it’s free with ads but you can pay 799 and take away the ads if you want but some thing I would recommend

Funny thing about me is that half of my childhood was spent watching telenovelas and the other half was spent watching Indian movies. Once I hit my teens I discovered book adaptations, it was the end of my telenovela-indian movie days, which was basically when the Twilight, TVD craze was raging, Plus the rise of the Period/ fantasy drama era of that was Pride and Prejudice, Once Upon a Time, Reign and Game of Thrones.

But old telenovelas for me are like comfort food. The good ones just never stop being good no matter how much time passes.

What you said about learning Spanish with telenovelas happened to me but with K-dramas. I pretty much learned most of my paltry Korean watching K-Dramas in Viki.

Thanks for recommending the website, I'll go check it out. It looks promising

[paulsbettanys]

So, for the past couple of days, I’ve been checking Paul’s filmography (again), and whatever is below 2008 (with the exception of the well-known projects), it’s quite obscure, as in, you can barely find anything. But, Paul has always understood the assigment.

“Gangster No 1″ and “Killer Net” were surprisingly easy to find, and I haven’t actually watched them. I checked a bit of “Gangster...” while it was downloading and thank god Paul decided not to be type-casted.

In the other hand, as someone who watched 200+ episodes of The X-Files (with three being about computers and whatnot), I couldn’t take “Killer Net” seriously, it’s just so damn funny seeing that 90′s technology 😂(even though I’m a 90′s person🤷‍♀️), checked a few parts while it was downloading too.

I dived a bit deeper yesterday and tried to find: “After the Rain”, which is close to impossble to find. Is not in english (or with english subtitles), so I just checked a few bits. I think he had an accent, he was the though but actually soft character, and that’s about what I got. (Watched the end, obviously, lol)

Tried to find any other early 2000 projects but landed on “Every Woman Knows a Secret”, and, what a telenovela. It’s quite overdramatic, and... it was a bit funny at times. Not gonna lie, felt a bit uncomfortable watching some bits 😅, but it also had sad parts, the end it’s quite moving.

And the last finding (there are only two sites) I ended up watching today was “The Heart of Me”, kind of a weird drama that I didn’t quite understand, you know, how all happened, it was all very rushed, and I’m sorry but brunette Bettany is not my cup of tea 😂

[vumanenc1102]

2D Animation’s Past, Present, and Future

(Pencil test for Sleeping Beauty) (original video source)

Traditional animation, also called hand-drawn animation, classical animation, cel animation, or by its modern handle, 2D animation, was the main form of animation from the late 19th century up until the creation of the modern computer, when computer-generated animation became the norm. Thanks to animation programs, there’s now a new mode of animating called computer animation, also known as 3D animation, where a figure is rigged to move about in a determined stage, similar to how real-life programs and films are made – the only difference being that the actors are now the animators through a character. Many North American studios had started out with 2D animated movies, but then shifted to focus on creating 3D animated movies thanks to the ease of the technology.

(Gif from Toy Story 4) (source)

Today in our modern world with many technologies at our hands, 3D animation has become the favored animation style, as proven by how much gross they procure at the box office compared to 2D animated films. Disney has virtually abandoned 2D animated movies, seeing as how their last movie in the medium was The Princess and the Frog released in 2009. The movie did well at the box office, but not as good as other 3D animated movies released since then. Seeing as how Disney has monopolized the animation film industry, anything they do will be copied in other animation studios, most notably American ones: DreamWorks Animation, once a studio where both 2D and 3D animated films were worked on in harmony, hasn’t made a 2D animated movie since 2003, when Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas was released. 2D animation just doesn’t cut it anymore, and is the main reason why North American studios have opted to stop using it entirely in their films. Because of this shift in power, 2D animation can now mainly be seen in T.V. programs and commercials, with many programs being made from independent creators who’re not affiliated with any studio.

(Gif from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) (source)

Since 2D animated movies have been booted out of the theaters, it seems that 2D animation will – and has been able to – find a home on the T.V. screen. Thanks to many streaming services available, the services are able to host a multitude of programs and movies, included in these would be 2D animated movies and shows, making them accessible to a larger audience. Independent, or indie, creators are creating their own shows and movies in this medium, examples including Cannon Busters, Urbance, Ernest and Celestine, Hullabaloo, among many others. Additionally, television channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon are creating and hosting majority 2D animated shows, these including Steven Universe, Adventure Time, The Loud House, and SpongeBob SquarePants. Even bigshot Disney, on their channel Disney XD, has been creating and hosting 2D animated shows like Phineas and Ferb and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. While there are T.V. programs that’re rendered in 3D animation – Miraculous Ladybug, Lego Ninjago, etc. – this goes to show that 2D animation isn’t going anywhere, it’s just migrated someplace new.

That being said, many indie creations aren’t able to access a large audience due to needing the economic support of traditional animation fans who want to see the content. Since indie creators are working alone without much support aside from their small teams, they’ve had to resort to creating Kickstarters in order to raise enough money to start working.

(Gif from Spirited Away) (source)

On the other side of the ocean, Japan has had a long history of 2D animation, so far as to say that it’s its only animation medium. Astro Boy, originally a manga – Japanese comic book – circulating from 1951 to 1981, was first made into an animated program that ran from 1963 to 1976. While the show has been remade two times, with a third adaptation being made, the first show was the one to set in motion what would become known staples of anime. Since then, innumerable animes have been made for every genre, ranging from robot and mecha anime Gurren Lagann to romantic comedies like Ouran High School Host Club. Anime isn’t just programs either, it boasts many exceptional movies such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell (1995), Ponyo, Wolf Children, and more. One of the biggest anime studios is Studio Ghibli, who can be said to be the Japanese Disney. Studio Ghibli has even collaborated with Disney to promote their movies in the North American venues, most notably with Spirited Away.

(Gif from Samurai Champloo) (source)

American audiences love anime. Everywhere you go, there’s anime: today’s kid’s cartoons are always making references to Sailor Moon or Naruto; Pokémon Go made a giant impact all around the world as people of all kinds are trying to catch Pokémons; millennials and Gen Z’rs keep using slang that relates back to anime, like “You are already dead/Omae wa mou shindeiru;” even Disney has been making references to anime, as seen in their films Frozen and Brave, which feature intrepid female leads, something that can be owed to changing gender attitudes, but ultimately “owe a direct line of thanks to Studio Ghibli’s humble hand-drawn animations of years past”. Anime itself was inspired by old Disney cartoons, so it has now come full circle. But why? Why are American audiences so captivated by anime? For one, anime is now more accessible than ever. In the early 2000’s, there wasn’t readily-available subtitled anime, much less dubbed anime, and what was subtitled was made by fans and hosted on YouTube, or it was a collector’s item that would cost a pretty penny. Thanks to new streaming services, especially ones that focus on animes, anime and manga is a lot more accessible now. Take for example Crunchyroll.com: it’s an American company created by university students that streams anime, manga, and dramas (what we Latinos would call “telenovelas”) for free and offers a paid subscription for an even wider access. The website has anime available in eight languages, and has offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chișinău, and Tokyo.

(Gif from One Piece)

Another reason why anime has been such a hit is that anime is as diverse as Western media: there’s something for everyone, and it’s just a matter of exploring and enjoying the content available. Part of that is the creative liberty authors are given, letting them be the one to decide how long the story will stretch for, an example being Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, an ongoing manga and anime. He’s been stated to willing “die for One Piece,” a level of dedication “manifested throughout his series.” On top of that, the East doesn’t have the same sensibilities as the West, making for a larger range of topics that anime can touch upon that Western shows and films would be too frightened or just plain embarrassed to broach, especially given how nowadays people have many hang-ups about many things, and don’t seem to tolerate differences – just look at the outrage Starbucks caused in 2015 when they rolled out a new holiday cup that was just plain red. Every year since then, Starbucks manages to somehow anger everyone about their holiday cups. Anime isn’t made to reach a wider audience, it just wants to tell a story in its own way, and authors and content-creators should know what it feels like to want to tell a story that you know not everyone is going to understand. The movie Spirited Away blew everyone away at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003 where it beat Disney’s two films Lilo & Stitch and Treasure Planet for Best Animated Feature Film, and because of it, put Japanese animated film under the spotlight. Now everyone is informed that anime is not just for kids but can be a compelling medium for storytelling in films, enough to be able to win an Oscar.

(Gif from The Artist) (source)

Noticing how 2D animation is falling to grace in the West despite Western audiences clamoring for anime, a 2D animated medium, makes for a very interesting oxymoron. That being said, this could open up new – or old – doors for 2D animation in the entertainment industry. The Artist is a silent, black-and-white film released in 2011, directed by Frenchman Michel Hazanavicius, and it won Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards. It was the first silent film to win an Oscar for Best Picture since Wings won it in 1927, and the first totally black-and-white film to win Best Picture since The Apartment won it in 1960. The Artist is mentioned here to demonstrate that old formats such as silent films and black-and-white films can still be successful in this modern age, even going so far to be the most awarded film in France. If silent and black-and-white films could make an astounding comeback, even if just for one moment, then surely the same could be said for 2D animated movies. It’s just a matter of someone driven enough to achieve it.

(Ramen from Gobelins, L'École de L'Image) (also here)

2D animated movies have started to lose their luster in the American film industry. Because of this, 2D animation has seen a new life in T.V. programs and commercials. Unlike their Western counterparts, the East has been producing a vast array of 2D animated anime and films, being able to even win the highest award a film can get in the West, an Oscar. This proves that 2D animation doesn’t have to be a lesser artform in film, because it can be revitalized and recontextualized just as if it were a silent movie being created in the modern age. 2D animation doesn’t have to be a medium of the past and can instead gain some of its grace again as a respected film mode.

Bibliography

Jozuka, Emiko. Japanese anime: From 'Disney of the East' to a global industry worth billions. Ed. Takashi Murakami. 28 July 2019. Article. 12 November 2019. <https://www.cnn.com/style/article/japan-anime-global-identity-hnk-intl/index.html>.

Macdonald, A.G. Why Western Culture is Beginning to Embrace Anime. 7 August 2017. Article. 12 November 2019. <https://the-artifice.com/western-culture-embrace-anime/>.

Mc Bain Jr., Everard J. Is 2D Animation Dead? Not Really. 2 February 2018. Article. 12 November 2019. <https://celflux.com/is-2d-animation-dead-not-really/>.

Morr. Why We’re Seeing Less 2D Animated Movies and Why They Probably Won’t Make a Comeback. n.d. Bloop Animation. Blog Post. 12 November 2019. <https://www.bloopanimation.com/why-were-seeing-less-2d-animated-movies-and-why-they-wont-make-a-comeback/>.

Riki, J.K. Why Should 2D Animation Be Abandoned? (Part 1). 2015. Commentary. 12 November 2019. <https://www.animatorisland.com/why-2d-animation-should-be-abandoned-part-1/?v=7516fd43adaa>.

Shutterstock. How Hayao Miyazaki Influenced American Animation with Spirited Away. 20 July 2016. Article. 12 November 2019. <https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/miyazaki-influence-on-american-animation>.

Smith, Brandon. Former Disney Veteran Explains Why Big Studios Have Abandoned 2D Animation. Ed. Kelly Conley. 27 February 2015. Opinion. 12 November 2019. <https://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/02/27/former-disney-veteran-explains-why-big-studios-have-abandoned-2d-animation/>.

[escailyyy]

Takes one to know one, anyone feeling nostalgic about early 2000's teen telenovelas must be going trough something really deep.( My show of choice is usually Lola Erase Una Vez, which was basically Mexican Floricienta. ) So don't worry you're not alone, everything is going to work itself out, you'll see.

What's up with the floricienta nostalgia? Bestie are you okay?

i feel so called out cause going back to cris morena shows is usually bc im in a weird place emotionally 😭

im graduating from college this month and im feeling insecure about my long-term plans for the future so im turning to media from my childhood for comfort i guess!

[mexicancherry]

just told my mom "pero eres necia¡¡ eres necia.... y no entiendes razon" and felt like i was in an early 2000´s telenovela

[dadawestern]

The linguistics and politics behind Latinx.

I found myself explaining the evolution of the Spanish language and queer identity to some friends last night and wanted to write down the interesting conversation we had.

Latin languages are often thought and spoken within the binary system of linguistics, feminine and masculine.  (There is a third often misunderstood category  neuter or “neutral” which denotes “[a] gender of nouns in some languages, typically contrasting with masculine and feminine or common.”)

Pronouns are used in place of a previously expressed or discussed noun. Examples: Anything is possible.                          They go to the store.                                  The burden belonged to him..

Though unlike Ingles, Spanish often comes with an agreement in grammatical gender with Spanish determiners and Spanish adjectives. The rule goes as followed:

The masculine (masculino): As a general rule, nouns ending in -o (libro 'book', zapato 'shoe') and nouns which refer to males (profesor, padre 'father') are masculine. Exceptionally, mano ('hand') is feminine. Also some colloquial shortened forms of feminine nouns end with -o: la foto(grafía) ('photograph'), la disco(teca) ('discothèque')

The feminine (femenino): As a general rule, nouns ending in -a (casa 'house', boca 'mouth') and nouns which refer to females (madre 'mother', mujer 'woman, wife') are feminine. Similarly, the endings -ción, -sión, -dad, and -tad indicate feminine gender. Exceptionally, día ('day'), mapa ('map') and sofá ('sofa') are masculine. Likewise, nouns of Greek origin ending in -ma (drama, problema) or "-ta" ("planeta", "profeta") are masculine. (These "Greek" nouns can often be identified by their derived adjectives ending in -mático.)

Chicano and queer Latin American activists have been struggling to create a pronunciation of nouns that is inclusive to genders for years. Third person Nominative pronouns, Usted, are gender neutral yet distancing of the person. It is a formal matter of linguistically presenting distance or unawareness of the person you are interacting with. Through a less formal matter, there had been no sound to create as a gender neutral pronoun. Like English, the masculine pronoun was unmarked, or the dominant idea of the word.

markedness is the state of standing out as unusual or difficult in comparison to a more common or regular form. In a marked–unmarked relation, one term of an opposition is the broader, dominant one. The dominant default or minimum-effort form is known as unmarked; the other, secondary one is marked. In other words, markedness involves the characterization of a "normal" linguistic unit against one or more of its possible "irregular" forms.

The first time I encountered a gender unifying word was in the early 2000′s while using my mom’s Microsoft Windows ‘98 software computer. In a message board for one of my favorite childhood Telenovelas “Aventuras en el Tiempo” I saw someone write “Hola chic@s”

The “@” had been re-appropriated by Spanish speaking internet users as a binary gender inclusive noun hacker. Instead of writing “Hola chichos y chicas” some genius (to twelve year old me) had used the “@” as a “O” and “A”

In a way it reminds me of the letter ñ in the Spanish alphabet. The letter ñ is not native to Latin but was created in the beginning of the 12th century by Spanish scribes (the people who copied documents by hand). The squiggle or tilde placed over letters N was to indicate that it was a double n (for example, nn became ñ and aa became ã). For the sake of time and resources, scribes created a code they could understand for pronunciation.

I’ve read controversy of the letter X being used to replace a “o” or “a” in the end of a noun and I can’t help but wonder if people believe language as a non-evolutionary aspect to culture. Especially since although Spanish is a dominant tongue in Latin American countries it is not the native language but rather implemented by colonizers, along with Catholicism and other hetero normative, patriarch worshiping institutions. Though admittedly the pronunciation is still debatable, any person in Mexico could also tell you the pronunciation of the letter “X” is according to whatever part of the Republic you are in.

In Xalapa, a city in Veracruz, is pronounced Jalapa a more Medival Spanish pronunciation like in the word Mejico or Tejas. Yet Nahuatl words like Xochimilco or Xochi, pronounce the X as a “ch”. Activists have also re-used the “X” for Xicano, an ode to Nahuatl language or sometimes even including both x like in “Xicanx”. Simply put, the “x” in Latinx is a “eccsss” much like the American X.

I think though it defiantly is a newly created term by higher educated Latin Americans in the United States( and elsewhere) and therefore there is a slight privilege in class and education. I also think it is a expressive linguistic idea for a resistance of  the dominant expectations of young Latin Americans. With the influx of the internet and better education, colonized communities are now understanding how religious and patriarch ideologies have shaped them into a slave force for First World countries. Poor brown people are not allowed to be expressive or have thoughts, unique ideas of self or others. Latinx are expected to be categorized for the workforce, to procreate for the good of the Church. Yet the Church that we worship buried all the temples and history of not just one but several separate societies which existed in our land, exploited for the fruits and packaged away for others.

I do believe that Latinx can define themselves by their own terms and “X” can just be the beginning or a newly re-appropriated language. A sort of “mestizaje” or much like the Creole culture of the South. For centuries, Mestizos were forced to worship like the Spanish, speak like the Spanish but not be considered Spanish but subhuman.

It’s dismal to think that the concept of a neutral gender or ever evolving duality of gender is new or exclusive to Western ideas yet the use of the “X” pronoun could be a regional creation by Latin Americans in the United States. Children of immigrants, decedent of natives but implemented the colonizer’s ideology. Often Chicanos are shamed for not knowing Spanish but who’s to say that Spanish was to be their native language, Europeans?

The creation of the “X” pronoun is the creation of a new expression to an experience or a yearn for Freedom from what has enslaved our ancestors. Ideas and language barriers that limit how we think and see ourselves.

I cannot speak for Chicanxs, Tejanxs or any one who was born in the North or their family has been in this side of the border for decades but as an immigrant and a newly understood person with no ambition to be defined by my feminine or masculine characteristics I think it is exciting to create a language of our own that creates identities outside of the ones that have been created for us by our Masters.