#the music is still great the animation is great...gosh i love the character movements in some scenes like misato confronting shinji

[happyfunf3tti]

i remember seeing my mom as a kid watch dragon ball on toonami late at night. other than pokemon, this is the only other anime ive ever seen her watch

[jayjaysocks]

Listing my favorite animes (because I’m jumping on the bandwagon)

❗️⚠️ *spoilers!! (Duh)* ❗️⚠️

5. Deadman Wonderland

I was really really sad when I found out this anime got cancelled. The music was fantastic, the animation was really good, and the voice acting was incredible. Even the fucking dubbed version (I loved the voice they chose for Senji. God he was hilarious). I binged this show so fucking fast it wasn’t even funny. I loved watching the characters go through their own struggles and grow as people in the very small amount of episodes provided. There was a lot of development within the snippet that we actually saw, and I was thoroughly impressed with how well it was done. I wanted to scream or something when I found out there wouldn’t be a second season.

Sigh. Oh well. At least we got some of the manga’s masterpiece translated into a show, even if we were missing some fucking awesome characters.

4. Guilty Crown

Ugh, don’t even get me started. This anime was beautiful and I got so invested so freaking quickly. I literally go back every few years to rewatch it because I get ship starved.

Shu and Inori’s story was so beautifully done; between Shu uncovering his courage and Inori’s journey of self-discovery, I was continuously awe-struck and filled with feelings—I mean, I had never felt such raw emotion while watching something and I was completely blown away by the affect it had on me. Anger, hatred, sadness, it was all there (even for the main character lmao) and it was one of the first times I had ever felt a ship so heavily that I literally cried at the end. It was one of the very first Animes I’d ever seen and was one of the reasons I got such a taste for them. Thanks for throwing me down that rabbit hole, GC.

3. Soul Eater

This was literally the first Anime I’d ever seen, and my god I couldn’t have asked for a better starter. What I like about this one is that it’s style is so unique and different. It’s very punk and grunge, something I admired and appreciated in a genre that is normally the opposite (like Guilty Crown, for example). Also the fight scenes were badass, like holy shit just look at that gif ??? Freaking amazing.

I loved the way the show transitioned from light hearted to intense and adrenaline pumping so effortlessly. That can be said about a lot of shows, but this one went from *haha cute show* to *holy shit, like they’re actually gonna die ohmygod howaretheygoingtosurvivethis* so smoothly I was genuinely surprised. They made one of the main villains actually cool and each character had their own beautifully done arc. I loved and adored how the show solidified and expanded on the different friendships/relationships that were involved—specifically Soul and Maka’s (also, holy shit, Stein’s arc? Fucking prime, dude). There was a lot of growth in each and every friendship (CRONA!!!), and that really pushed the viewer to invest in the individual characters.

I am fucking delighted that this was my first anime, and (though the ending was a little anticlimactic) it remains one of my top favorites to this day. It set the bar pretty fucking high, and for that I am extremely greatful.

No one asked for Soul Eater: Not! It is the unspoken sin of the Soul Eater world (then again, it is called Soul Eater: Not!)

2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

If you have been following me for a while, then you are no stranger to my love of FMAB. Some of my most popular posts are about this anime, and for good reason.

Unfortunately, I was late to the party. I actually didn’t watch this until last year, but got invested really damn quick. I have a tendency to be extremely picky about the animes that I watch/like (which is why NONE of these shows are that recent), to the point that I will literally research them before I start watching (a bad habit, do not copy me). I have an incomparably hard time finishing a show when I start, because I get bored really quickly, but this was an exception. I started watching and I just... didn’t stop. I spent a straight week watching FMAB, gobbling it up during any small amount free time I could manage, and finished it before I even knew what happened. I wasn’t picky about it, I didn’t research it, I just dove right in and gosh, I was not disappointed.

The subtle romance that was alluded throughout the entire show was super cute, the devotion the brothers had for each other was to die for, and the struggles that each person went through was more than moving. I never once found myself bored while watching, and that’s saying a lot for my adhd ass. I was invested in each and every second of that damn anime and I was never, ever left underwhelmed. That probably had to do with the fact that every. Single. Character. Had a purpose. I’m not even kidding. Every single person contributed to the big fight at the end and that alone is fucking fantastic.

Not to mention ALL the women, every female character, was a badass bitch. None of them were reduced to sex appeal or romantic subplot, they all had real feelings, real arcs and real, unadulterated badassery that I thoroughly admired and appreciated. I could watch this anime over and over again every single month and I wouldn’t get bored. Between the emotional struggle, self discovery, and personal development of each character, I promise you will not see a lack of plot or meaning here. The more you watch, the more you discover and that is not a lie. There are so many layers to its story, which only makes me wish I had watched this sooner.

There is nothing I have to offer in the ways of criticism, and for that I couldn’t be happier. Thank you, Hiromu Arakawa, for such an incredible piece of art. You deserve every bit of love that this manga/anime gets. You go girl.

1. Cowboy Bepop

Holy shit holy shit holy shit this anime is so fucking good and it has been my favorite for so damn long. I have been watching anime for years, and while some of the shows in my list have moved around, this one has yet to be bumped down from the top (and I doubt it ever will). There’s a reason it became such a cult classic.

For starters, the animation. I mean, just look at Spike and the way they animate his fighting (yes I am aware that this gif is from the movie, but that still doesn’t change my point). The sequences in the show/film have been reused in many other shows and for good reason. It’s good, incredible, actually and they make him look so badass with just a few hand movements. I was consistently impressed with the way the fight scenes were portrayed and wasn’t ever left underwhelmed or disappointed (or, for that matter, feeling like they completely over exaggerated/overcompensated the scene with huge close-ups and tons of debris and lights). I loved watching this and my heart was always pounding with every intense interaction. I didn’t feel bored during any of the episodes and always found myself laughing when they cracked a joke—pretty much all of their funny lines hit and that’s saying something, dude.

The show, while having a lighthearted surface, has a heavy meaning that you don’t see at first glance. It’s about dealing with grief and loss, and how the characters themselves accomplished that in different ways. The most prominent quote is the biggest indication of its moral “you’re gonna carry that weight”. Basically: ‘You’ve gotta pick up your baggage, because the world moves on, with or without you’. Or ‘You’re going to carry that weight whether you like it or not, because life keeps going’. When I figured out the show’s actual message, while staring at my ceiling in the long hours of the night, I almost cried. This realization brought something entirely different to the table, a new understanding of the show’s characters and overall essence.

The main characters, all of them, had depth. They had real, palpable depth, and even if you didn’t want to care you found yourself seriously interested in their lives. Each of them had relatively shitty pasts. Faye with her lost memories, Spike with Julia and the people who fucked him over, Jet with his old flame and the ISSP, Ed and her/his father... throughout the entire show we got to see how all of them dealt with these things, whether they wanted to continue on with life or not. The way they portrayed it was engaging, because the characters individual, contrasting journeys weren’t repetitive or one note. The beauty that the show holds so achinging close to its core, the layers of grief that the characters are wrapped in so delicately is almost suffocatingly real—because they’re all different. It’s something you discover when you think on the subject in a deeper light, which is another reason why I enjoy it so much. It has both a surface story and a deeper one. You can either take the show at face value or choose to understand the underlying moral.

This show inspired my very first, thoroughly fleshed out OC, and continues to inspire me to this day. It has contributed to my own personal growth, and has helped push me to continue my art and writing. It is beautifully written, beautifully executed and even though some of the episodes seem like filler, it has never disappointed me. I rewatch it all the time because there’s something so infinitely refreshing about the beauty of this anime, whether it be the way we watch the characters develop or the overall moral it portrays. This show has given us a message that is essentially timeless, it can be ‘carried’ through generation after generation, and still have the same impact—something I absolutely fucking adore.

I owe so much to this anime, including my very own artistic development. I discovered it during a really shitty time in my life and I couldn’t have asked for better timing. I will never tire of the bittersweet message or the thoroughly fucking fantastic animation. Everyone who contributed to this masterpiece deserves love, because it’s seriously fucking gold.

[sluggishtin]

for the obscure asks: ALL OF THEM!

Oh gosh okay

1. Fave way to dress

Glam. Like Steve summers, Sami yaffa, and mark slaughter all had a child

2. If I could change anything about myself

Probably either my stomach or my face but perhaps i would just like a new self esteem

3. What movie/game/etc helps me calm down

Rock n roll high school

4. What does your room smell like?

Depends if I wanna use the hot chocolate candle, the marshmallow whatever it is candle or the one that reminds me of Disney.

5. Do you like to organize?

Oh heck I have to be organized or it bothers me.

6. What kind of music would you listen to if you could only choose one?

If we mean genre then perhaps 2000s Finnish rock. Or maybe 80s glam. But if we’re going for bands Poison and Pretty Boy Floyd never get old.

7. What song is your aesthetic?

MOONCHILD!!!

The song, the video, ALL OF IT!

8. What color do you think goes best with your personality?

Although my favorite color is green I’m usually associated with black or red.

I’ve been told if I was a color I was without a doubt the color black

9. Do you believe in auras?

Perhaps so.

10. What do you wish you hated but actually like?

Apulanta 😂

Well not really but it’s hard to explain them to people. I could probably name a few things but nothing comes to mind off the top of my head.

11. Vague about your crushes.

Well, he’s got the most beautiful eyes and voice and the warmest smile. I think he lives in France with his girlfriend so he’ll never like me but something about him just gives me a warm feeling. He has a message with his music and I just wish I could be like him. Is that too much to be vague?

This ones definitely been through a lot but I feel like I need to try and make a difference in his life. Frankie knows who he is cause I’ve told her this before but ever since I first discovered him I fell in love with him and most people don’t support that I like him but that’s okay. He’s funny to me and his music is comforting to me.

12. Is there someone you have mixed feelings towards?

It’s hard to pinpoint my emotions. Especially when I first meet people. Sometimes I just don’t know how I feel about one of my friends that I dated once. Do I love him or not? I’d like to know.

13. An Au or story I came up with.

I have a lot of crack stories about poison and Jekyll and Hyde I’ve yet to write. All I gotta say is cc’s insults give me life.

14. Do you like makeup?

I liked it better on me when my hair was long now I just don’t vibe with it but concealer has saved my life a few times. It’s just better on guys.

15. Do you prefer space or ocean?

Y’know it may come as a surprise but I’ve always kinda wanted to visit space. I absolutely love the stars and I’m kinda a space geek.

16. If I could pick any planet besides earth, where would I live?

I wanna say Uranus as a joke but on a serious note I think Venus or Mars would be neat.

17. What form of government do you like most?

Monarchy. It’s just easier than this american shit.

18. What animal would I keep as a pet?

Omg omg I always wanted a snow ermine🥰

19. What do you think the purpose of our universe is?

Well I’m a Christian so I could go deep into it but I’ll just leave it at that.

20. Do you believe in god(s)?

Yes if my last answer wasn’t obvious enough.

21. Is there a song you can’t handle listening to even tho I like it.

It was hard enough to get into this song but when I discovered why mark wrote it it’s hard not to cry when I hear it.

22. What ex do you miss most?

Well I wouldn’t quite say I miss any of them. I’m still best friends with my most recent. I feel like I haven’t found a great relationship yet. Sorry val babe.

23. Do you like soft fluffy rough or smooth blankets.

I have a fluffy one hanging on my bed frame haha.

24. What is your fave thing to learn about?

Hmm I love a lot of stuff, as much as finnish fascinates me I absolutely adore mythology.

25. What country’s history do you find most interesting?

I’ve been in too many American history classes to enjoy it anymore. The Finnish history is very neat to me.

26. What do you think about genderbent characters?

Heck I used to love them but now I’m neutral

Perhaps depends on the character.

27. What breakup was the hardest.

Oh none hit me very hard but my last boyfriend took it the worst I’d bet.

28. Do you have someone where you can’t decide if you like them romantically or just as a friend?

Still with Val. I just don’t know how to feel.

29. What do you think about tumblr discourse?

Ugh I came here to get away from it but as long as it’s sporadical and not constant I can put up with it.

30. What instrument do you wish you could master?

I’d just like to pursue bass decently rn, we’ll talk about that later.

One day I’ll drum hot for teacher. I just needa buy a better drum set. I guess just being able to play both instruments decently would be a blessing.

31. How easy is it for you to be honest?

As easy as it is to lie.

I’m very honest and trustworthy but I could also be the exact opposite.

32. Do you have any strange interests?

Oh god okay so while y’all are over here obsessing over guys hands I can’t help but look at their stomach like omg I just wanna lay on it while my man tells me how much he loves me.

It’s not weird but I love Finnish accents. Just less common to hear someone say that rather than English.

Well I could go on and list a lot of stuff but then again

33. Do you have any strange fears?

Peter steele 🤣

Obviously a joke but anyways

34. What food do you binge when you’re lazy?

Fries usually but I could eat pasta or fish sticks or rice galore.

35. When you get angry how do you show it?

Usually through cursing a lot but when I’ve got the hots for someone I curse a lot too. I speak more violently when I’m mad though I probably won’t act as violent as I sound. Don’t be afraid.

However as much as I say it I will gladly break your nose and you’d better believe it so it better not come to that point.

36. Do you have any impulsive movements?

Eh idunno but when I get bored I’ll put my index finger on my nose (up to about my eye. So if my hand is on my nose you better spice up the topic.) oh I also play with my hair when I get bored.

And if I get anxious it’ll be obvious. I’ve also been told when I get scared I have a death grip so if you try and work up my nerves just expect your hand to be broken 😝

37. What do you listen to music on?

That depends. If I want 80s music I’ll go to amazon, if it’s not on Amazon or I want something specific from Spotify then I go to YouTube. If I don’t know what I want or I want Finnish music I’ll go to Spotify.

38. Are you left brained or right brained?

I don’t think I have a brain. As much as my mom wants to tell me I’m left I seem to be more right brained.

39. Earbuds or headphones?

Ugh earbuds. I don’t like headphones unless I’m using my Walkman. Headphones are so 2010s/elementary school 😂

40. Do you like light blankets or heavy?

Meh light. I just don’t get the thing about heavy blankets. Plus they’re frustrating to get settled in.

Yay that was super fun! Thank you!!

[theraspberrybushes]

Just..

I just need to let it out. Here is my reaction to watching Frozen 2.

SPOILER WARNING

First, the animation is gorgeous. I just love the little details they put in expressing emotions. Also the setting with the autumn season is breathtaking. The water movement in one scene is amazing. All of their dresses are beautiful. Totally worth watching in the theater.

The music and soundtrack really added to the atmosphere of the scene. Kristen and Bobby Lopez are brilliant as ever. I like that there are some tunes from the original frozen that were added in this movie. My favorite song, which I've been listening since I've watch the movie is Show yourself. Add it to a spectacular transformation of Elsa on screen. JUST JAWDROPPING... Special mention to Evan Rachel Wood. Such a gorgeous voice of Queen Iduna. Also Kristen Bell, aka Anna's, Next right Thing song. The lyrics hits hard. The way it describes Anna's grieving from losing 2 important persons in her life was heartbreaking. And the words, "take a step, and another", was so real I felt it so hard. And the emotion in KB's voice was amazing.

Next is the voice acting. Everyone was superb. But the one that took my attention was Kristen Bell. Gosh the way she spoke just after her grieving scene was heart breaking. I can feel the desperation in her. I just.. She's amazing. Anna is my favorite character in this movie, that's for sure.

And the story... I just want to say I felt empty after the movie. I sat there in the cinema trying to understand what I was feeling and to calm down. Good thing for that because I was able to see the post credit scene about Olaf telling the story to Marshmallow and Snowgies. Anyway, it took me days later to understand what I was feeling and it was sadness. Yes just sadness. I went to that movie to watch the sisters tackle the challenges they are facing TOGETHER. Because I love them so much, I want to see them interact and grow and bond. But... Why did they do this? I was not ready to see them separated. This hurt. I wish they went with this separation thing in a third movie, not in this one when the original movie was still fresh. They were separated as kids, but then reunited in the end of the 1st movie. But then suddenly they needed to be separated again, this time permanently. No. I need to see them more together, maybe for few movies and then bring out the separation thing.

Let me add that I did not understand why they needed to be separated. Why. Because Elsa is now a Goddess so she has to stay in the forest? Or is that her choice? Is it because she wanted freedom. But Elsa never strike me as someone who would want to live in the forest. Away from the comfort of secure castle walls, that a BIG change. If anyone, I can see Anna living in the forest, not Elsa. I can't imagine her cooking her own food, making her own bed and tent, and dealing with dirt, bugs, and mud. I'm lost. She was so OOC.

Anyway, Im happy to see Queen Anna. She deserves it. I love it, she looks stunning in her Queen outfit. Just.. Dress is too black, but its beautiful.

The first part of the movie was ok. The sisters facing uncertainty and going on an adventure to save Arrendale TOGETHER. But the ending really weirded me out.

I heard there was a big change in the script so close to the deadline. But the one I heard was so absurd, I dont believe it.

Anyway the movie is great. Be sure to check it out.

[naruseii]

Myu review 7: 1997 Eien Densetsu

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Before continuing further, I’d just like to mention this. This review is purely based off of my personal opinion. I personally am not that fond of SenShi and since this Myu contains that ship, my comments/views differ from the majority, which is okay! Whether we agree or disagree, let’s keep the discussion civil and let’s also respect each other! Thank you and enjoy this (long) review!

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First impression: I was actually pretty excited for this Myu!! With Stars K being so amazing and this being the second to the last Myu of the First Stage, I really expected a lot!

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Impressions: Actors/Actresses

Anza Ooyama (Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon)- OH YES QUEEN ANZA!! She was so good in this, it’s like she saved the Myu. I really liked how she portrayed Usagi in this Myu. Sad/Mature Usagi is so essential to the Stars arc and I think Anza pulled it off pretty well especially during I Miss You and her talk with Setsuna about Mamoru. She had her fun, silly Usagi moments but I think her more sad/mature/serious moments were the highlights of her character. Her Super Sailor Moon was pretty okay!! She had the mix of funny and serious Moon which created a good balance. Her Eternal Sailor Moon is obviously my favorite. I have to say I wasn’t as impacted as I was in Stars/Stars K but her Eternal Moon was still pretty good!! She makes her so strong/powerful and also really mature and lady-like which is why I love her as that version of Moon so much. Of course, she did well in all aspects and I just really really enjoy Anza-Moon a lot!! 💕

Ayako Morino (Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury)- Ah s***, here we go again. I really can’t stress enough how much I don’t like boy crazy Ami. I’m not a fan of the SenShi pairings so automatically I didn’t enjoy the ZoiAmi bits. This is not Ayako’s fault of course (it’s First Stage/general Myu writing) but seeing her act it out really didn’t settle with me. Ayako’s pre-Zoisite Ami wasn’t too bad?? She kinda overdid the “innocent Ami” but that’s nothing new. I quite enjoyed her Mercury though, because she really did break out of her “innocent Ami” character and showed her true strength as Mercury. Normally with these reviews I always prefer her Mercury over Ami and it’s the same with this one. She’s either lacking or too much, really.

Misako Kotani (Rei Hino/Sailor Mars)- MISAKO WAS SO GOOD IN THIS MYU!! I love her strong and sassy Rei and all her Rei scenes were so fun and interesting to watch! I really like how her relationship with the cast is shown through certain scenes (like the teacher-director switch scene) because it really added to her charm. Just like Ayako, she was given many scenes to showcase her character/character development and I think she gave off an amazing Rei and Mars. I love her voice and her acting so much here!! I’m sad Eien K is her last Myu because I’m really starting to like her a lot :^( .

Akari Tonegawa (Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter)- Akari wasn’t too bad of a Makoto/Jupiter! I really love her little movements and her facial expressions because they add more to her character. Her Makoto was more on the masculine side although she had moments which showed her girly side. Her Jupiter was lacking but, it’s more on the writing than her acting. I can’t really judge her voice on the singing aspect since she didn’t have a solo but, I do have to say her voice is quite powerful. Her dancing was okay and overall, I think she did pretty well despite not having much to do!

Akiko Miyazawa (Minako Aino/Sailor Venus)- Akiko was sooo cute!! I super love her Minako!! She portrayed the perfect fangirly Stars Minako and you can definitely tell from her gestures and how her voice becomes higher than usual (which was a nice touch)! Just like Akari, her senshi counterpart was lacking due to the writing. I think she had the potential to show a really great leader Venus! As mentioned before, her Minako was amazing and I think she touched on every aspect of the character pretty well!! I’m really excited for her next performance (and future ones)!!

Yuuta Mochizuki (Tuxedo Mask/Prince Endymion/King Endymion)- Just like in the previous Stars musicals, Tuxedo Mask/Endymion was hardly present. And when he was, he was typically walking around, getting attacked, kneeling and having few lines of dialogue. Even though he didn’t do much, I still think he did well in what he was able to do!! I hope they give him much more to do in Eien K since it’ll be his last Myu as Tux!!

Sanae Kimura (Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus)- Oh yes!! Sanae was pretty good in this Myu!! She’s had really good scenes especially with Hiroko because their dynamic is just that great. Her Haruka really got to shine when she was with Hiroko. Their scene in Kick Out A Bloody Mystery and Orurean no Sei Senshi really showed off Haruka’s humorous and serious/dedicated side well. Her Uranus is still pretty strong. Her scenes with Moon, the Starlights and Galaxia really highlights her strength as Uranus (especially during the betrayal). Although Uranus (and Neptune) weren’t too memorable in this Myu, I think Sanae did a pretty good job in all aspects and got to portray her character pretty decently!!

Hiroko Tahara (Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune)- Hiroko is just so so good. She makes me enjoy Michiru/Neptune so much!! I really do love her dynamic with Sanae because she actually gets to shine more/take the lead at times and she isn’t just Haruka’s femme gf on the side. As mentioned before, the mystery scene and Orurean no Sei Senshi were probably her best scenes as Michiru. As for her Neptune, she had much more of an impact that before. Especially during the betrayal scene where she said she’d follow Haruka anywhere she goes (she’s basically just re-enacting the scene from Act 1), it really felt genuine and I felt like she encapsulated Neptune and her emotions very well. She’s pretty great in all aspects and again, Uranus and Neptune weren’t too memorable in the Myu but she got to pull of her character pretty well!!

Rei Saitou (Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto)- Oh my gosh I love Rei!! I really loved her scenes where she talked about spending her entire life alone yet still believing in love (or something like that). She really encapsulated Pluto’s loneliness and strength as a person and a soldier. She’s also had her funny moments which gave her a good balance of being humorous and serious. Her voice is amazing and she still dances pretty well!! Overall she did really great!! I super duper love her Pluto!

Chihiro Imai (Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn)- I think Chihiro did okay for her first and last role!! But I do think she could’ve done better. She captures child Hotaru a bit better than Keiko since she’s younger although, her delivery wasn’t too good at times. There were some points where she would sound emotionless and her movements were also kinda stiff. She has a good voice (especially for her character) but the way she says “Saturn” in To A Brand New World bothered me just a tiny bit. But otherwise, I think she was pretty okay!!

Mao Kawasaki (Chibi Chibi/Sailor Chibi Chibi)- I’m so glad Mao returned for this Myu although, her role as Chibi Chibi was very minor. Since Mao had exposure playing a child role in the past (Chibiusa), I think she was able to keep her acting pretty child-like. She didn’t have as much freedom as she did as Chibiusa but her monologue as Sailor Chibi Chibi and her song “Mou ii no” really amazed me!! She was really good!!

Sayuri Katayama (Seiya Kou/Sailor Star Fighter)- Oh my gosh can I just yell about how charming Sayuri’s Seiya is?? She got a good balance of leader Seiya/Fighter and soft/caring and charming Seiya/Fighter. I think her best moments were with Usagi (I Miss You) the other Starlights (Kick Out A Bloody Mystery) and Kakyuu (Kakyuu Ouhi to Three Lights). I think she captured more of the manga Seiya while having some bits of anime Seiya as well. To be honest, her strongest character is Seiya. Her Fighter had the leadership and care/concern but honestly, it doesn’t strike as much presence as her Seiya does. She has such an amazing singing voice and she dances pretty well so yeah!! I loved Sayuri!!

Hikari Ono (Taiki Kou/Sailor Star Maker)- Um...😔👉👈...I REALLY LOVE MY GIRL A LOT. She was so good okay. Honestly, she makes me less annoyed at Taiki altogether. She’s had her moments as the know-it-all (a.k.a ((sorry, language)) smartass) Taiki but she also had her funny/laid back moments too. I loved her scenes with Momoko or the Kinmoku gang because we really get to see the true character of Taiki/Maker which Hikari portrayed very well. I was surprised she had such a strong Maker because she didn’t really do much as her for the past 2 Myus!! She has the dedication (to mostly) Kakyuu and a strong will. Her singing is great and so was her dancing!! So yes 8/8 my girl did great!!

Momoko Okuyama (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer)- Momoko is the CUTEST Yaten and you can’t convince me otherwise. I was watching the Stars anime when I watched this Myu and her Yaten was a breath of fresh air from her anime counterpart. She’s had her sassy moments but she was such a goof ball in almost all her scenes!! From solving mysteries to deciding on who the next leader of the Three Lights is, she was just so fun to watch! Her Star Healer was very strong and caring! I think she did pretty well in all aspects and I just love her!!

Sakoto Yoshioka (Princess Kakyuu)- YES FINALLY A KAKYUU!! I loved Sakoto!! She has such an amazing voice and I’m so glad they gave her more than one song to sing in this Myu! She really has the “other worldly” presence that Kakyuu has when she makes her first appearance. She was also very kind and motherly but in a different kind of way than Setsuna. She portrays Kakyuu’s emotions so well and she moves so gracefully which really made her capture Kakyuu’s character!! I’m looking forward to seeing her again in Eien K!

Tamami Matsumoto (Sailor Galaxia)- She's definitely different from Saori!! She has a lot more power and a lot more stage presence. She shows off Galaxia's dominant and villainous side really well. Although, I think she’s too mature for Galaxia. I see Galaxia as an intelligent kid but with lack of experience. Tamami’s Galaxia seemed like a queen figure (like Beryl or Nehelenia) who’s seeking revenge when she’s really just someone new to the scene. Nonetheless, I think she portrayed Galaxia well especially with her movement and her voice! And her reformed Galaxia was just as great!

Shadow Galatica (as a whole)- I’m surprised they didn’t include Iron Mouse in this one but even Aluminum Siren and Lead Crow considering that the Stars anime already ended by then and people should know Shadow Galactica but oh well I guess. They removed Pewter Fox as well for some reason but they made up for these losses with Tin Nyanko and Mitis (formerly known as Titanium) Keroko! Both Toni and Megumi did such amazing jobs portraying their characters in all aspects. Sailor Chi, Phi and Theta were amazing dancers and complimented scenes really well. I enjoyed them a lot!

Ryuji Kasahara (Kyaos/Chaos)- Don’t get me wrong, I love Ryuji as an actor and I did enjoy him in this role! But I really didn’t like the build/the writing for Chaos. In the manga he’s just like any other final boss at the end of each arc and since Chaos is the very last villain, he should be portrayed as the most evil creature to exist. Ryuji usually plays playful villains which is probably why they had to rewrite Chaos’ character. The teacher/director Kyaos was really fun to watch and he really played the two really well!! I just wish we could’ve gotten more of a serious/powerful Chaos from him.

Yuri Nishina (Queen Beryl)- So glad they brought her back from Gaiden! She makes an excellent Beryl!! Her voice is really suited for her character and she really shows the evilness of Beryl so well. She doesn’t do much dancing so her only movements are just swaying her arms when she attacks. That aspect kind of bothers me a bit in some scenes because it looks so lazily done even if her lines/scenes hold so much emotion. Regardless, I enjoyed her evil Queen Beryl as much as her reformed Beryl! She did well in both!!

Hidetaka Asano (Kunzite) & Akira Tomemori (Zoisite)- OH YES MY SHITENNOU BOYS!! I mean this time we only have half of them, but it kinda works! Zoisite had more of a role than Kunzite since he somewhat pursued a relationship with Ami. Due to that, Zoisite showed more of his masculine side than feminine side which really changed the atmosphere around his character. Kunzite on the other hand, was less of a leader and more of a casual person. Despite these, I think both Akira and Hidetaka were able to carry on their characters very well! They delivered their lines confidently and they have good singing and movement! I really enjoyed their performance!!

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The story: I’m gonna change this part up! Normally I’d tell the story while inserting my opinions in at certain points but since Eien is longer than previous Myus (I think this one’s 2 hours?), I’ll just give my opinions on the story instead.

It was SO MESSY. This is like the first Stars Myu but even messier. The best way I can describe this story is that they fused both interpretations (anime and manga) of the Dark Kingdom and Stars Arc but also kinda tried to revise Stars K? There was just so much going on in general. Some parts can be understood if you’ve seen the anime or read the manga (or both) but if you’re a Myu-only person then maybe those things may seem unclear/unnoticeable.

[ACT 1]

I’m assuming this is because of the 2 hour time mark but Act 1 was super long. It kinda felt dragging at times. They also inserted a scene that wasn’t really necessary which was the “Little Match Girl” scene with (who I’m assuming is) Chihiro. It was just her talking to this entity (I think it’s Beryl?) while lighting her last match. The entity was talking about how darkness is gonna swallow up the world and how that last match won’t help her (which it didn’t) and through that, Queen Beryl got resurrected. Do you get what I mean??

But aside from that, the rest of Act 1 was just okay. It was a super long act and since there was so much in it, I didn’t find the transitions from scene to scene to be well executed. I think each Senshi/character got a fair amount of screen time although some didn’t really do much. All the musical numbers and scenes were great!! It’s just that there’s too much, really.

[ACT 2]

Act 2 was way shorter. By this point you should be getting the story but I still didn’t understand what I was watching. There was definitely a shift in atmosphere between the acts as Act 1 was more lively and fun (although it had a few serious moments) while Act 2 was more heavy and probably tried to focus on the story more. Most characters were well developed by then until we discover that some of them get redeemed or some of them are actually evil (or maybe they were pretending to be evil but were just good all along). I’d have to say that I preferred this section of the story more than the first. It just seems more well put together although it still hardly makes any sense. The unexpected shift of stance from the villains (evil to good or “good” to (very) evil) was a nice touch on their part. All in all, I think Act 2 or just the ending of the Myu really wrapped up everything pretty well. Despite all the many ups and downs, the ending was actually quite decent.

If you want to know about the story, I suggest you read the ‘97 Eien page on the SM Wiki: https://sailormoon.fandom.com/wiki/Pretty_Soldier_Sailor_Moon_%7E_Eternal_Legend

•

•

Overall opinion: As much as I really wanted to like this Myu, I can't. I had a hard time understanding what was going on & I had to watch this a second time just to make this review. The actors and actresses weren't bad, they all did such an amazing job; the story is just terrible. The concept they went for is good, it's just that the execution wasn't. I'm really hoping for the best for Eien K especially since it's the last Myu of the First Stage.

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FINALLY!! GOSH THIS TOOK A WHILE. I actually watched this Myu with @missemperor back in May and we DID NOT enjoy it. I had to watch it again because the story never stuck to me and I forgot what everyone did in the Myu. To be honest, there were moments that are likable but the problem really is just the story. I’m really crossing my fingers for Eien K!! How about you? Did you like ’97 Eien? Did we agree on things? Feel free to leave your thoughts!!

((Character profiles are from @myu-resource , CD cover is from @galaxycosmos​))

[onepunchmiss]

OPM s2e2 Liveblog

The Human Monster

So I posted my (vague) predictions for this episode yesterday, lets see how wrong I was! As last time, I’m watching this from the perspective of someone who’s read the manga and webcomic. Long post ahead, but let’s get to it!

Alright, looks like we’re picking up right where we left off. This marks the first legitimate Garou episode, doesn’t it? I’m so excited to see the trash son in action.

Garou’s! VOICE! I know we’re already heard it briefly but AHH! I didn’t look into the voice actor ahead of time so I didn’t have much more of an idea as to what he’d sound like but I was expecting it to be...deeper? And honestly I like this way better than what I thought it would be please keep talking my boy you cocky bastard please please

Woah ok I had to pause again to point out how much I appreciate this music. Is this gonna be the recurring Garou theme? I hope so, it’s way darker sounding than any other music in the show that I can recall and I am LIVING

Oh FUCK Heavy Tank’s arm is some body horror right there why is the skin so lumpy???? “Baaaka~” Garou is not one of my top favorite characters but at this rate I think the anime might get him there pretty quickly. And I see JC staff is cutting no corners when it comes to animating his physique I’m sure LOTS of people are gonna be happy for that

Oh my fuck Aaaand more body horror, the sound effects make it worse. I knew this was coming but I forgot. Somehow.

Um excuse me but JC STAFF WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? WHAT ARE THESE COLORS. WHY. ITS NOT EVEN LIKE YOU’RE CENSORING IT. YOU’VE ALREADY SHOWED THE WHOLE SEVERED HAND AND THE BLOOD WHAT IS THIS EYESORE. Like, the sudden randomly fast animation of Blue Fire’s hands caught me off guard completely and had me laughing even though I don’t think that was supposed to be funny? I though that was a kinda jarring animation choice but what the hell is this?

Ah yes thank you opening theme please cleanse my eyes of what just happened.

Yeah I’m never gonna get over seeing Zombieman’s pissy face at least TWICE every episode thank the heavens for that really. Also Phoenixman. I just think he’s neat ok

Also, I just realized they gave Choze silver hair when I totally imagined it blond. I guess they figured the Nazi imagery would be TOO MUCH given the character already?

OH MY GOSH ARE THEY GONNA DO A DIFFERENT S CLASS EVERY TIME?? LOOK AT THIS BABY. DOES THAT MEAN Z WILL GET ONE TOO IT WAS TATSUMAKI LAST WEEK FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

As expected, on to the Fubuki confrontation. But first I’d like to take a moment to appreciate Geno’s apron. Oh sonic SONIC! we ARE getting the TOASTER VS NINJA THIS EPISODE YES! YES! WAIT a 20 minutes later cut?? I swear they better not skip the action….

“Yo, I’m Saitama” Fucking hell the inflection of his voice when he says that is perfect. Anyway- the boarding in this sequence is messing with me. Is it just me or is every really monotone? Something just feels kinda off. There’s so many panning shots? Keep the screen still its making me a bit motion sick. This isn’t an action sequence there doesn’t need to be movement 100% of the time, it doesn’t fit well here. I’m gonna need to rewatch this beginning to end without pausing for the blog to judge it better [EDIT: after watching it in one go, its still noticable, but not AS BAD. Slightly more forgivable imo]

Fuck the fucking obligatory boob jiggle god damnit

“Are you gonna fight me with rocks n stuff? Better not” Was that a Geryuganshoop callback??

ok I put my finger on it. This whole sequence has been riddled with unnecessary panning of the camera. (90% of which is focused on Fubuki for whatever reason). This shot for example would have been fine with just gusts and rocks flying everywhere. but instead they panned up in this shot in a crooked gliding motion. why?? It keeps happening?

Why is it zooming in and turning sideways it’s getting distracting when the subject matter within the frame is relatively stagnant. Also, it got much better quickly with more action, but the Saitama speech on newbie-crushing felt kind of underwhelming. Maybe it’s just because I was already so distracted but it felt much more impactful and forceful reading it than listening to/seeing it just now.

WAIT

YES! YES!

Please let this fight be on a better note! aww, no smug Genos face. Let the boy smile for once in the anime pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee? And side note- I can’t wait for every single Shot of genos to be turned into a compilation of gifs, cause thats how the fandom do these days

This whole fight just had me shouting YES at the screen THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT it got so much better! So much better!! A huge sigh of relief from me over here. There are so many good shot of Genos here oh my god thank the heavens yes. Oh that muffled voice effect with the clones is cool too, oh man. JC Staff loves sonic I’m convinced. Yeah, some bits are over the top with the flashing but I kinda don’t care

YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SAITAMA YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I’m so glad they nail this art style! Also I’d like to say that the anime delivered the serious series: Serious consecutive side hops 100% that is some GOOD SHIT.

OH MY FUCK did they seriously just rip the face directly out of the manga panel???? I Mean it’s perfection so i can’t blame them???? Oh Shit that’s fuckin gold and the now-vocalized ‘DOAUGHU’ is perfect.

Y’know, I knew they had to animate the tatsumaki spoon panel that shit was just too cool looking to not include. AH! Atomic Samurai’s Disciples! Oh my god I can’t wait to see them actually! Look at Kama my QUEEN

And ya know, I was completely willing to forgo the lil Aamai mask cut away but here it is. I’m gonna spare yall his stupid face. If you like Amai mask I’m sorry, you’re stronger than me.

Hah, “there’s also King, the world’s strongest man.” I just paused it before he walks in the door. Little do you know, gurl, little do you know. Oh, I appreciate the little ‘Hmph’ Fubuki does, too. Reminds me that she and Tatsu really are sisters. Ah, aaaaand there King is. AAAaaaaaaand its over just like that. Lets get through the end credits before I summarize my thoughts i guess!

well FUCK I WAS SPOT ON WASNT I?? The episode ended with Saitama and Genos getting their Hero Names and Garou walking away from Tanktop Vegetarian. Not gonna lie I’m proud I called it to a T.

All in all, I didn’t love it as much as the first episode, but I loved it nonetheless. Aside from the one color disaster and the Fubuki confrontation scene (which admittedly, is a big deal) I was REALLY digging it all the way through. It seems to me they struggled with making an emotionally impactful scene with only minor elements of action. The King scene last week was great, no nauseating camera movement or anything- just exactly what it needed to be. The full on action sequences were also fine this and last week. I don’t know if it was the combination of dialogue and static characters mixed in with Fubuki using her telekinesis that threw them for a loop but it definitely felt like they had issues with that scene. Not as bad as I initially felt, like I’m not mad at it per se, but they’re still there. Otherwise no pacing issues or anything- actually they covered exactly as much ground as I guessed they would and it felt great! I have today come to the conclusion that JC Staff loves Sonic and also has a weird thing about panning shots of Fubuki. Good episode still had me shouting YES repeatedly at the screen.

Seeya next week!

[karmadash-is-shippingtrash]

I watched the 2019 The Lion King

So, here i’m going to give you a mini(ish) review on my 

Gonna put my full set of opinions under the cut to save space and for those who don’t care to keep scrolling. My overall feeling about it is that it was actually a great movie.  I say having been one of the people obsessed with this franchise fro over 20 years since I was a child and to this day it’s still my favorite movie of all time. I’m hoping this would encourage those on the fence to see it. Here goes.

First things first, the cast was outstanding, I honestly loved the new flare everybody brought as well as the new dynamic of Timon and Pumba, and personality of Zazu and Rafiki, although I do miss some of the old humor and eccentric Rafiki, the new VA’s really do bring a new side to the characters and by gosh do they make it WORK. You can tell they wanted to play tribute to the original VA’s (RIP to those who sadly passed on unable to see this) without trying to be them.

The music. Honestly, I really like the new versions the changes are understandable wen taking into account new context (spoiler content at the end for those who want to know) and you can FEEL the new emotion and mostly everybody nailed their parts. Other than Beyonce. So, although she’s great and does an amazing job, she really made ‘Can You Feel The Love’ tonight all about her and it really feels like she’s singing over Donald Glover instead of wish him and it holds no candle to Joseph and Sally. (This scene also doesn’t take place during twilight but in the day so that didn’t help my feelings here.) Donald Glover, you’re doing amazing sweetie, where can I get your solo version like Eton John thanks.

The realism animation isn’t lifeless! The expressions may be more subtle, but honestly you can really feel what they feel through the small movements with really makes the movie without needing everything to be wildly expressive like everything else, honestly the small ear flicks or their eyes really give off the emotion with little movements which should be applauded. The opening was practically a frame by frame re-creation (which made me cry) and apart from certain changes and line re-writes he whole movie follows the story exactly the same way, so have no fear. (Honestly, we need to stop calling it a live-action remake, and a realistic re-telling)

*Now for the ‘spoiler’ content, don’t read if you wish to experience the movie without knowing anything like I did.* 

The scenes they changed with differences that I personally liked/didn’t like are quite few surprisingly. To start with, many of the scenes are longer adding more life and context to them which I actually find brilliant. Mufasa and Simba at the beginning are really shown to be exploring much more of the pride-lands, the entire ‘Can’t Wait To Be King’ scene no longer has the brightly coloured animation sequence but oh my it is flourishing with personality and fun with all the animals around the watering hole and I honestly adored every second (and the extra Nala lines in the song make me very happy as a Nala stan). 

Its then here that is the first (and pretty much only) change. The hyena are not in an alliance with Scar from the start, in fact Shenzi is the leader of them all and hates Scar as much as any other lion, until Scar’s proposal though the new ‘Be Prepared’ (kudos to Chiwetel, my gosh this song gave me chills in the best way) in which he builds up the union of himself as their leader. 

The stampede scene is just as upsetting, maybe even more so with the new dynamic Chiwetel gives Scar, as well as some additions as instead of simply throwing Mufasa, he full out hits him down and it made me cry more than I was setting myself up for. 

‘Hakuna Matata’ is sung with the jungle friends that Timon and Pumba have, it adds such a nice layer to them and adding to plot oles of them seeming to be the only animals living in such a lush area. They occur often in many jungle scenes and I love them. Also baby Pumba is SO adorable. An issues I have here is also when Nala meets Simba again they instantly recognize each other after the squabble just from being pinned unlike the hesitance the classic has.

They added the scene of Nala leaving Pride Rock and it was very well done and suspenseful really adding to just how bad things had gotten as well as showing Sarabi being a badass in denying Scar in being his Queen. 

So, a big scene from me, is Mufasa appearing withing the clouds, and although the change was fitting for the re-telling i’m not as attached. Rather than the clouds forming his shape, they instead cover the sky and a storm causes lightning to flicker within them revealing Mufasa’s head to be outlined within them which looks brilliant. 

Simba leaving to return home is accompanied by Beyonce’s single, its a pretty ok song in my opinion (personally, I was glad it wasn’t a solo she sang and was just over the top of a scene) and man did they flex on sand animations in the movie.

Now for the whole ending things play out in mostly the same way, the Hula scene has been replaced with a mocking of Beauty And The Beast (it’s actually hilarious).  With the added dynamic of Shenzi taking her role as a leader of the hyena in a battle with Nala (this was very nice) and all the lioness are present for the battle up to the point of Simba and Scar. This fight also happens in the same way, but other then Simba slipping him over the edge he actually slips and falls to where the hyena approach him, in which he still tired to manipulate them to his bidding once again. Rafiki is still a bad-ass who wails on the hyena with his staff. (It was awesome).

Honestly it was a great movie, that filled some plot holes and added so uch more depth in many areas that really do make this movie so good, and it stands very well with the animated classic counterpart. Its worth the watch, no matter what many people are saying about it being lifeless and bland, you really should form your own opinion than going along with those that live to hate.

So that’s just my opinion as a lifelong fan, so anybody that has any hate toward this retelling of the story can please make their own post as I don’t want any discourse here thank you.  If anybody has any serious questions about a particular scene feel free to drop me an ask or a DM

[dcarevu]

Batman TAS: Perchance to Dream

“It’s a big hole in the ground, with a big car in it that’s all black. Remember?”

Episode: 30 Robin: No Writers: Joe R Lansdale (teleplay), Laren Bright (story), and Michael Reaves (story). Director: Boyd Kirkland Animator: Dong Yang Airdate: October 19, 1992 Grade: A

This should go without saying, but because of the nature of the episode (and because it was spoiled for me before I ever saw it), I am issuing a MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING. Take this as me telling you that going into this episode blind is highly recommended, and part of the fun of it is the mystery.

Are you ever disappointed to wake up from a dream? For me, it is usually a matter of not having finished the story that was playing out, or forgetting details. I don’t like waking up and causing cliffhangers which go forever unsolved, especially when I can’t even tell people about them. Then there are the dreams that you are so glad you woke up from. Usually these dreams consist of the scariest things we have ever experienced. Isn’t it crazy to think about? For many of us, the scariest moments of our lives never even truly happened in the real world. Batman lives these moments practically every episode. Things like our friend getting half of their body demolished and then turning into a contradicting gangster, or a clown who turns all the fish in the area into smiling, trepidatious frights. These events have very dreamlike qualities. They likely would never happen in real life, and don’t make all that much sense. Ironically, when Batman has what starts out as the best dream of his life, providing an escape from all that we try to avoid at night, he wants nothing to do with it. Because even though our REM thoughts are his conscious ones, and he probably could have lived the rest of his life in bliss, it means nothing to him if it’s not real. Looking the other way is not something that Batman is capable of. This is why he has made the enormous impact he has. Not only did the night at Crime Alley send his life into a gothic cave of despair, it also seemed to cause him to purposely repel any hope of happiness. Happiness to Batman is irresponsibility. Yet he stops at nothing to allow the innocent to live the happy life he is incapable of.

This is one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, even though I never got to experience the unknown. Batman falls into a mysterious trap, but wakes up immediately afterward. Suddenly, his life is completely different. His parents are alive. Selena Kyle is set to become his wife. He is no longer Batman. The weight of responsibility has been removed. He is set to live life as a rich playboy, while someone else swings around the city in a bat-mask. But there is a nagging feeling that none of it is right. There are inconsistencies and problems that prevent him from enjoying. Through a series of events, he ends up at the top of a tower in a cemetery, in a fight against himself, eventually jumping to what seems like his death. He wakes up from a dream that the Mad Hatter set up for him, and apprehends the criminal. What makes this episode so sad is that Bruce so desperately wants the dream to be real. At one point, after talking to Leslie Thompkins, he actually does begin to accept things. He tells us, “The nightmare is over!” Bruce considers his life a nightmare. He hates being Batman, but he is an addict. Right as he is truly about to throw his old life away, he opens up a newspaper and can’t read a word. The text is all jumbled. This is proof that this new life is not real, as he knows that in dreams, it is impossible to read. Cleverly, at the beginning of the episode, there is a sign on a building that is jumbled up, and no one mentions it. A very subtle detail that one can appreciate on a second watch. Another Easter egg is the music that plays immediately as soon as the title card pops up. It’s the Mad Hatter’s theme music, and we have only seen Hatter one time, so one is not likely to recognize it. But if you know it, you know it. Figuring this detail out yourself can give one a sense of accomplishment, and discovering a twist ending on your own rather than a spoiler is incredibly satisfying.

I also noticed that certain characters are nowhere to be seen, most notably being Robin. At first I wasn’t sure how to take this. Does Batman regret inviting Robin into his life? Why is Robin not there? This is supposed to be his desired life. But after talking to Char, I realized that in Batman’s ideal world, Robin’s parents never would have been killed in the first place, and so Robin would have no reason to be living with Bruce. Alfred is here, but his usual warmth seems to have vanished. I think this is less a reflection of Bruce, and more that Alfred never had to become such a fatherly figure. He lived with Bruce’s parents, serving as the butler, and not much more. He is still fairly friendly, but there is not as much between he and Bruce as there typically is at all. Also, I’m not sure if this was an inside-joke, but there is one point where Alfred helps pick out something for Bruce to wear. He selects a brown coat and says, “This should be just the thing for your meeting.” In the DVD commentary, the crew has joked about Bruce’s sense of style, making fun of his typical mustard-yellow and brown combo. The way Alfred says it makes me wonder, but I could be looking way too much into it.

Perchance to Dream is mostly action free until the ending, but Dong Yang still manage to knock it out of the park. Their best work yet, and they especially shine during the climax. There were some incredibly beautiful shots, and other points in the story are great too. There were a couple instances where the animation was massively smooth, reminding me of the pilot The Dark Knight’s First Night. I’m wondering if they blew their budget on this one, and that is why their work on Robin’s Reckoning is so poor (coming soonish). Credit should also go to Boyd Kirkland who’s angles and ideas give us a sense of wonder at every step, even when fairly mundane. The voice cast does the same. I swear the police officer is voiced by the dude that did a bunch of trailers in the 90’s or early 2000’s. Because I am so used to hearing it in that environment, yes, it sounds very out of place in Batman, but in a good way. His delivery is startling, and it acts as icing on top of the dreamlike cake. While we’re on voices, though, it should be noted that Bruce doesn’t talk in his Batman voice for the majority of the story. if this is his natural speaking voice, I think he should have been. I’m sure there’s a way to make it sound happy. They did it in Batman Beyond. At the same time, lines like “I’ve never felt better in my life, sir” have such perfect delivery they make me tear up, and said any differently would not have been as stellar. Oh gosh, and Mad Hatter’s delivery. The anguish made you feel for him, and he is not a character I held any sympathy for previously. I found him to be the ultimate incel. Many people see him as a tragic character, he’s a creepy asshole who carries the dreaded “nice guy syndrome”. Does he mean well? Don’t know, don’t care. But hearing him scream at Batman, explaining that he was willing to give Batman the life he always wanted just to prevent him from being a bother anymore, it’s heart-breaking. He simply wants Batman out of the way, and he decided to do it humanely this time. I find this very interesting, and this Mad Hatter episode dwarfs Mad as a Hatter.

Batman’s wipers come on after his car is coated in gunk. It’s the little details.

Nothing good ever happens on catwalks in this show.

Pictured here is a 13-year-old in the presence of Justin Bieber. Or whoever the kids listen to these days.

Little known fact, the Batcave is very much there. But this is. obviously an episode where it’s located behind the bookshelf, not behind the clock. Silly Bruce! Must have forgotten to read that part of the script.

Well no wonder he always wears that jacket with those options. 

I’m wondering what types of things Bruce does with his parents still alive and all. Then again, nothing in this world exists beyond the boundaries of when the dream starts and ends.

Bruce has been wanting Selena practically since her first appearance. But that face says it all. Is this relationship any more genuine than Mat Hatter and Alice’s?

This is the point of the episode where I could really sense the gears in Char’s head working. It’s the point where things go from being wrong to impossible. 

Notice the sign. 

Love the movement of Batman’s cape.

Some of the unusually smooth animation I mentioned before.

Great takedown. Batman holds the guy and spins down a pole, making him so dizzy that he faints. 

These two have the most conflicting colors on...

“Then... The nightmare is over.”

Kinda wish we saw Bruce shed a couple of tears.

Not only is the text all jumbled up, but there also seems to be way more text than what would fit on the paper. Even more strange, we see a smiling Batman. 

A look of madness on Bruce that we hardly ever see. it’s a great facial expression. 

The text here is also unreadable. Also, we’re getting to the point of the episode where virtually every angle is perfect. So here is a series of shots:

Boyd Kirkland and his team clearly cared a lot.

Batman comes in mysteriously like a kite. It reminds me of when Dorothy was trapped in the tornado. 

Bruce gets a taste of what criminals get almost every night.

Seriously, how can a figure with cute little bat-ears be so threatening-looking?

The Mad Hatter’s model isn’t quite as finicky this time around, and while I still feel that it was probably hard to translate to animation, it works a lot better. He looks like he belongs on the show.

Look at that smug face. He is sure that Bruce will never escape. I also like the thought of Bruce reaching a waking point, so even though he’s still asleep, he still picks up conversation going on around him. His subconscious recognizes Jarvis’ voice, and that’s how dream-Bruce was able to reveal the truth. But that’s just my interpretation. 

Bruce took a gamble, and you can tell by his expression that he may regret jumping. He truthfully has no idea if this will do the trick or not.

This is weird, but I love the shape of Batman’s eye here. 

Char’s grade: A Next time: The Cape and Cowl Conspiracy

Full episode list here!

[believerindaydreams]

GBU rewatch followup

...cleaned up, readable version, now with fewer typos and after-the-fact commentary in parentheticals. 

things I am looking out for in particular:

- how to write trios 

- everything that Angel Eyes does (less than I thought, it turns out; I was bang on the money with “Animal Magnetism” having him only exist for Meaningful Moments)

- the state of Eastwood’s hair (with the hat you don’t really notice it except in the desert scenes, when it is Absurd)

- some of that sweet, sweet Morricone music because it’s the one part of the film that no amount of clever writing will adequately evoke and I love it to pieces (still true)

let’s do this thing then

like, the opening credits are pure stylish flair. That can’t be a book. It’s gorgeous. It’s perfect for what it is. has nothing to do with translation to a 70s au but that is entirely, utterly besides the point

Tuco’s “I have a gun in one hand and a dead chicken in the other” will never not make me laugh

SPAIN: specifically the Spanish landscape and how gorgeous it looks. it all sort of runs together, appropriation and reappropriation and Spain standing in for Mexico…oh hello Angel Eyes,  you look a lot more impressive than Tuco does. Nice entrance.

Also we don’t actually know at first that he’s The Bad? He’s just wandering into frame like he could be the Good cowboy or something, it’s not the music that tells you. It’s the way that the guy’s family respond to his presence and just Go without saying anything. Something about Angel def. invokes silence. No wonder he and Blondie get on.

…like, this whole scene where he’s like “I am going to enjoy your delicious soup but stare at you“ is actually hilarious? Like he’s def. got a sense of humour- it’s just that everybody looks subdued with Tuco in the picture.

There’s a very thin divide between the tension of comedy and the tension of “is he gonna kill me” and Angel Eyes just straddles all over that line.

I like you, Man Eating Soup. Too bad you gotta die now.

…yeah, I think my characterisation of “bounty hunter who keeps his given word but has no qualms” is bang on the money.

last time I didn’t notice how Lee’s voice shifts to being more amused when he’s about to do something incredibly violent. Or how great his voice was at all. Like that was clearly a mistake, he’s great.

Tuco! *hearts* With a trio of men surrounding him in a triangle. ‘m sure that’s thematic.

Clint sounds like Rowdy but more terse.

Oh hell I love the way that we get closeups on Tuco staring at things. I love characters who stare at things in general (cf. Stargate and a team who communicate by looks), and Leone delivers there.

“how much you worth now” and Tuco’s just lol I dunno.

oh Tuco you theatrical hooligan nobody believes your absurd accusations. also geez I couldn’t write that many swears if I spent all day over it.

That is a DAMN sexy wanted poster.

Forgot about Blondie calling Tuco “known at the rat” part. Hmm. I wonder what that’s about?

I always forget how choreographed the duo’s escapes are, like it’s not just shooting a rope, there’s a lot of effort that go into those.

you smug thing Clint. you smug thing. (I assume this was just one of his wry looks past the camera, as he does a lot).

does trans! Angel Eyes in the 70s smoke a pipe. Yes. Yes he does.

“even a filthy beggar like that has got a protecting angel” oh Angel Eyes you has a crush. also a pretty good sense for a scam- are we meant to infer that Angel and Tuco used to play this game? (Also he has correctly assessed Blondie’s Divine Status or whatever it is that keeps him clear of disasters.) 

the way that Tuco jumps on the horse is just. pure sex appeal.

“sawed off runt” Blondie gets in 1 insult but it actually means something, as opposed to Tuco doing 10,000 for the sake of the audience

I see what you did there with putting “the good” on screen just after Blondie abandons Tuco to die horribly in  a desert. I see it.

yeah, I thought I remembered Tuco saving up all the really good insults for Spanish.

(now that I know that Eli’s from Brooklyn, I can’t *not* watch a performance of a deeply pissed off New Yorker who’s in this godsforsaken desert for the dosh but refuses to budge an inch on being a fast talking SOB. The rapid fire line deliveries for sure.)

had forgotten this bit about Angel slapping around a girl….

Aw, Tuco as soon as he finds water is A. drink some and B. play with it. awww you’re adorable Tuco

must go figure out what that thing Tuco wears on his hand is. also contemplate whether the 70s one wears braces.

yeah, like, “I got dumped so I’ll pull myself together and also drink this man’s crazy red liquor and take a hat cos I need a hat” that is peak Tuco right there.

no wait that wasn’t. What is is the exquisitely judged moment where he decides that the guy will probably want the liquor to drown his sorrows afterwards and leaves it.

I am very fond of the way that the war is presented as a disaster that is Happening but which none of the three leads give a __ about. The much maligned poster got that bang on the money.

everything looks so lived in, always, even though I assume they were building sets? Why can’t American westerns of the period look This Real, did they actually build houses or what

Blondie has vividly green eyes. Right then. Tuco’s are brown.

Tuco hires some backup to help him with Blondie. that’s…smart.

I think, actually, that Blodnie’s blue circle calico shirt is something he oughta wear in the 70s. It suits.

“your spurs” like a knight, ha. That’s a terrible gag, Blondie.

why is there so much blood on Tuco’s face. what was he doing to get banged up like that.

so he’s on a stool with a noose, with a gun pointed at him, and Blondie is still not acting like this is anything serious.

ohmigod I LOVE this bit with the cannon and the house collapsing. Hah. It seriously is like Blondie’s a force of nature though

Tuco tracks Blondie by favourite cigar stubs. Also smokes them after. Tempting to borrow that. (like they’re in bed together, Tuco steals his cigar, that kinda thing)

…is he. Is Tuco wearing flares in the 1860s. Yeah I think he is.

“I brought TWO guns” lol sure you did Tuco.

And Tuco winces when Shorty dies and is it like, two against one would make things too complex for him, or he’s mad that Blondie replaced him that fast, or what’s going on here that he let another man hang like that. Blondie doesn’t seem to mind much.

black horse = black car for Tuco.

Tuco mocking Blondie’s fair skin, like yeah there’s definitely a bit of a racial thing here.

“You’ll die. Very slowly, old friend.” also I have an umbrella ain’t it pretty

I think one of the reasons I glom on this film is because for all its length there is literally something happening every single minute. Like most films have dead time when I could, you know, breathe or something, but I haven’t stopped typing since I turned this on.

(the comedy sensibility there as well. You can’t have dead air when you’re writing comedy, things have to be leading somewhere. )

course at the moment the point is “look at this very big desert with two very small people in it”...here comes the whump. Clint sure knows how to lean into it.

sweet jesus Tuco with the sun behind you there you look like some kinda avenging 70s disco angel yourself. also the headband.

here comes the celestial music. here comes the cavalry. see, when Tuco gets into a mess he has to get out of it himself, but this is the second time that Divine Intervention has saved Blondie.

…gosh it’d be funny if that watch in the stagecoach was the Few Dollars More watch. I’m sure it ain’t.

Tuco’s not very good at interrogation. I’m sort of comforted by this, because it suggests he doesn’t do it very often.

when did Blondie get to the stagecoach. seriously when. (oh right it’s Leone. movement is a free action as long as it’s off camera)

that’s twice that Blondie’s called Tuco a rat though. what is about rats for Blondie.

maximum Clint hair fluff here. why do I have a thing for heroes with daft hair. tis daft.

I don’t think that New Mexico has goat skin waterbottles? Whereas they are all over the place in Spain. Hmm.

…okay, I have missed something. Why is Tuco wearing an eye patch now? Like, did he just look at Bill and say “that’s great I’m having that��. Anyway the way he forgets and shoves it up his face to look at the wall hanging is a hoot. (he keeps doing this like a kid playing pirates)

battle between “keeping on hat” and “oh I’m praying”- hat wins. Figures. 

Tuco still has a nasty cut on his face from before. Either this is very good continuity or Eli got hit by a brick during filming and it’s still healing. I honestly cannot tell.

Tuco genuinely doesn’t know nothing about Blondie’s past. Figures.

oh you *bastard* Tuco trying to exhort a deathbed confession. that’s probably his lowest moment in the whole movie actually- cos Blondie started it with the whole “let’s play who dumps who in the desert”

of course Blondie doesn’t fall for it. course he doesn’t. (I do wonder how much of this is Tuco wondering what Blondie will let him get away with.)

also there’s an implied passage of time during which Blondie thinks it’s hilarious to have Tuco fetch and carry for him. That tracks.

ohhhh and the Pablo scene like I have a lot of feels about this. mostly about the way that Tuco is genuinely happy to see Pablo and it all goes wrong, and I already write bits of this relationship into fics but aww…Pablo is genuinely disappointed. Tuco genuinely loves him.

(cannot tell whether Tuco shags a lot of girls or is angry with Pablo and wants him to think he shags a lot of girls. could go either way.)

BLONDIE WHY ARE YOU WATCHING THIS you creep

in which Tuco just straight-up makes up junk about his brother cos he has an audience. and Blondie goes along with it to the extent of giving him a cigar, and it’s- aw. actual partnership moment. for reals.

“god’s not on our side” yup, and maybe Blondie would have done something if he hadn’t been asleep? But I get the idea he’s happy to take cues from Tuco for improv. 

 Tuco’s “oh fuck” moment inf. relatable.

hello Angel. And our duo knows him, too.

…I, uh, honestly can’t figure out why Blondie thinks it’s a good move for Tuco to pretend to be Bill Carson. Like I honestly can’t see how they’d even think that was a thing to do unless they’d seen the movie up to this part. Like, Tuco and Blondie basically have to be plugged into the narrative to know to do anything here except keep their mouths shut and hope to get to Sad Hill at some point?

Angel Eyes is a practical bastard. Also a sergeant. heigh-ho.

these three definitely know each other and I can’t figure out how. What’s this friendship thing about? It is a mystery. (def Tuco and Angel have a past though. What kind?)

Also Tuco figures that Angel is gonna straight up poison him at first, so that couldn’t have been a wholly easy relationship.

…okay, I’ll have to have a scene where Tuco finally says “yes I think your being called Angel is a hoot”- it is, after all, Here.

Is it that Angel doesn’t like getting his hands dirty, or that it’s easier to fob off the trouble on somebody who does like it, or that he genuinely thinks that anyone less hefty than Wallace might not be able to shove around Tuco like this? mysteries.

I wonder what Blondie is thinking. The prison choir is the goddamn creepiest thing.

yeah, Blondie, you think you’re tough but I think you’d spill your guts out also if the alternative was gouging. That’s not Tuco being a coward, that’s just Angel Eyes treating the object of his crush/a stoic/the white guy better than Tuco. It’s not like there’s a Great Moral Principle at stake for Tuco not to talk or anything.

“We’re going for a ride” is like custom-built to be an Epic Catchphrase though.

…blood doesn’t puddle like that. Someone on production screwed up. (blood is always theatrical in this film. too red and technicolour.)

…where was I? Oh yes. Tuco’s now worth 3000 dollars and is proud of it.

And Wallace is enjoying hurting him. Wallace is exactly the type that Tuco doesn’t grok; hurt somebody because they hurt you, or because you’re mad at them, or they have something you want, but just for the sake of hurting, that I don’t think tracks for him.

(Tuco and Blondie’s scam sure has got around if Wallace knows it. I guess that could have been Angel who told him, but it’s…it’s more like this thing where everyone in the film knows things that were said on screen before? I’d have to do another watch to contemplate this, but the notion fascinates me.)

That “I can’t do it while you’re watching me” is almost cute. Like, obviously it’s a ploy to kill Wallace, but also, it’s cute.

Oh yes, the “we nearly killed Eli” scene”. Thank christ the man had a natural sense of self preservation.

Lots of people in this film wear sexy short cloaks. I love those. I want one of the trio to have on in the 70s, anachronistic or no- maybe Blondie? Dunno.

all three leads have a bit where they’re just spying on the other two. v. sexy.

I’d just like to note that as somebody who has infinite patience for wandering around deserted lonely locales, I love this desolation hotel scene.  

YES BATH SCENE, LOVE THE BATH SCENE

…dumping in all the nice bath salts cos he can. Completely undeterred by being a naked man in a bath facing a gun. continuing with the bath afterwards…

And also Blondie knows Tuco just by the gun. That’s not tracker smarts, that’s, um, divine inspiration.

kitten. Aw, you little kitten.

the way Blondie says “old friend” Angel Eyes actually suggests that it was Tuco who met Angel first.

“So that’s why you came to Tuco”. Yeah, I love mutually necessary relationships, and this one sure counts.

“I want that blond alive” yes we know Angel. We know.

“Were you gonna die alone” oh that IS shippy. 

sometimes Tuco crosses himself after a death, sometimes he doesn’t. there’s no apparent logic there.

the way that Blondie whistles and shoots a guy is max. cowboy aesthetic. also messed up.

Blondie seems cool with Tuco killing Angel. Okies.

(I guess he figures at this point that Angel will have to be waiting...)

I’d remembered the “it’s for you”. Had not remembered Tuco tearing up the paper after, but whatevers.

where does Tuco get all these hats. How? Does he just steal hats whenever he sees a new one?

Leone’s favourite trick of ‘things off camera don’t exist” is amazing. really it is. A whole army camp…

and really, this is all extra, they could just go ahead and have the cemetery duel now, but that’s not really the point.

Actually, Blondie does seem perfectly content to let Tuco do most of the talking when it needs to be done.

That whole bit with the liquor swigging- goes along with my notions of Blondie not actually being a very heavy drinker, Tuco being more enthusiastic. also I do like Tuco’s genuine “really?!” upon being told he could make colonel, like this is the first time somebody’s told him he could be something other than a priest or a bandit, and maybe he would have gone for it if he wasn’t hip deep into the 200,000 thing.

And the mutual Blondie/Tuco “this guy’s insane” looks they swap when the captain’s not looking at them, tis fab.

it’s so weird that nobody in this camp is talking…until they start yelling.

Tuco’s notion of avoiding getting killed by cannon fire is to hide as far out of frame as he can. Given how Leone framing works, this is maybe not so dumb.

it takes the entire civil war for Blondie to render a moral judgement, i. e. war is bad. I feel like he’s obscurely irritated that circumstances have forced him to profess an opinion about something.

Hang on, didn’t Blondie learn the name of the cemetery from Angel Eyes earlier? Does he actually need Tuco at this point?

Blondie next to a big case that says “explosives” is…uh, very Bugs Bunny.

…oh, yeah, it does help having a partner to blow up the bridge. Right.

it is genuinely fun, though, watching these two work as partners. They’re very practical when they want to be.

Tuco taking several minutes to gulp his way into telling Blondie his half of the secret is…interesting. Trusting. And I suspect probably saves his life later. Cos Tuco’s right and blowing up this bridge is dangerous and one of them could easily die…and he is, for once, actually doing his best to do right by his partner in a completely stupid and insane world.

lighting your cigar on the explosives is also very Bugs Bunny.

Blondie, just cos Tuco went to sleep with his arse in easy kicking position doesn’t mean you have to kick it. Also I wonder what Tuco’s whimpering there.

and the young soldier scene. I have notions about the utility of Useless But Kind Gestures that I’ve been ranting about in various 1984 postings for a while, and Blondie gets one here. Oughta contemplate that at length later.

oh look it’s the cemetery. Tuco throws away his map.

…and three minutes go clean out of my head, as they do, because the simple fact is that even with the grave name this is a ridiculous task - how do you find one grave in all five thousand? and Leone is covering for it with a mystical quasi-religious invocation to get Tuco to where we need him to be. Thing is, it works on me. Can’t talk sensibly about the Ecstasy, there is is.

The framing of Angel Eyes coming in is epic, I gotta say. First person. Have we had any first person all film?

…but Blondie, why were you having Tuco dig up Arch Stanton’s grave when it’s the wrong grave, unless you knew Angel was coming? He knows Angel’s coming is all I can think of.

also I think we’re being asked to assume that Blondie took Tuco’s gun while Tuco was asleep with his arse in the air, unloaded it, then put it back, and then kicked him awake. dang if that isn’t a sequence I would have enjoyed Leone committing to celluloid.

okay, so. Three-way.

Tuco’s thinking “if one of these people is gonna shoot me, it’s probably gonna be Angel. So I’ll shoot Angel, and Blondie probably shoots Angel too, and then we see where we are. if they both shoot me I’m dead anyway.”.

Angel Eyes, I bet, is just figuring he should get off a shot at the better shooter first, and he figures that’s Blondie.

Blondie knows who has a weapon, so he just has to spin this out and make it look good for Angel Eyes. Easy. I wonder what he would have done if it wasn’t, though?

(we aren’t ever gonna know are we)

I can’t tell who Angel Eyes is trying to shoot with his last shot. I assume it’s Blondie, but the framing makes it hard to tell?

Tuco, you hafta bring all that money back to civilisation, wrecking the bags doesn’t help there.

Ah yes. The noose. Where did Blondie even get a noose? Is it worthwhile asking the question?

I spent a long time the first time I watched this, genuinely wondering if Tuco was gonna get killed. (I didn’t want Blondie to kill him.) And I was genuinely unsure…until I realised that we were setting it up just like old times, and Blondie was gonna have to shoot him free because he always *had* shot him free, and was always going to, and it was a oroubous of a movie. Which is all the more so in the day of easy DVD rewatching.

which is not to say I didn’t quiver when Blondie levels the gun.

anyway after all he’s been through, I think Tuco’s entitled to shout that last line.

whew!

and some followups for the notes 

...yeah, it definitely makes more sense for Angel Eyes to be an old acquaintance of Tuco’s (unless you’re writing a fic where Blondie is a Weird Force of Nature and trying to reconcile two different people’s connection to him is a driving force of the plot, but I’ll remember this for the Animal Magnetism sequel).

I guess that Tuco is definitely pretending to be Bill Carson, but why? How does that help them? (I assume Blondie doesn’t see the whole torture-by-Angel Eyes coming...)

Yeah, I can see Angel Eyes as someone who’s perfected his gunslinger because his hand-to-hand isn’t so hot. Tuco’s the one who’d probably win in a straight bar brawl, but unfortunately for him that’s not the movie he’s in. 

[dwtspd]

DWTS 25 Week 6: Movie Genre Night

We finally have an opening number. Not a lot of dancing though. Mostly shimmying. Jordan is looking VERY NICE in that suit. Nikki is gorgeous. Victoria looking cute as always.

Still no idea why Shania Twain is here.

Nikki and Artem - “Foreign Film” Argentine Tango I don’t know why “foreign films” is a genre. Just because the movie wasn’t made in Hollywood doesn’t mean it can’t have the usual genres like comedy, drama, action etc. Have you seen French or German comedies? EUROPEAN MOVIES AREN’T ALL MELODRAMA AND ROMANCE. They are great. Anyway, lovely dance from Nikki. They lost balance at one point - Artem says its his fault. I think her legs could have been sharper. Great choreography. There was a series of leg action from Nikki that reminded me very much of Denys and Antoinette (DNA) (but with less finesse, because DNA is...well, fierce as heck.) 9-9-9-9 T36 They are also revealed safe.

Also safe: Drew, Frankie

In jeopardy: Nick, Terrell, Victoria

Drew and Emma - Action Paso Doble Drew always wanted to be an action movie star and has been in competitive karate. Another great dance from Drew. Very strong, very intense. Drew needs to control his arms and he went off time once, but he totally owned the character. When he lunges he also needs to make sure his back foot is not flexed at the ankle. I would 110% watch this dance again though, finesse or no. 7-7-9-7 T30 Eh, I would have given 8 so it works out I guess. Shania earns a point in my book.

Nick and Peta - Western Samba Why does Peta have aviator goggles if she’s doing a western-themed dance... Okay. Pretty basic dance, but better to give Nick something he can handle than force him to do something hard and make him look like shit. He totally owned the group section. Managed to get some samba bounce though it wasn’t very consistent. 7-6-7-6 T26 I think Bruno could have spared a 7 but Len doesn’t surprise me.

Victoria and Val - sports movie Paso Doble Okay so, I think Victoria got the fierce character for the paso doble, but two things were in her way: first, she couldn’t really get the kind of purposeful, strong strides you need in a paso because of her legs. Second, the hockey pads seem to be affecting her arm movements. 8-8-7-8 T31 I’m surprised at Shania.

Terrell and Cheryl - Spy Jive Their mission was to go into Len’s house and steal the elusive 10 paddle. Wow! Terrell is really improving and working hard. He had bounce, he had nice kicks without his feet being too floppy. He moved with ease and control. His performance quality is going up and up. LOL at his cheap disguises. 9-9-10-9 T37  I dont think he is a 10 yet but he can get there. Cheryl is a great teacher and can help him for sure.

Did I see Dexter Darden in the audience? Definitely saw David Ross.

Frankie and Witney - Animation Jazz Frankie is so cute. This was like the Mario freestyle 2.0. More of a freestyle than a stylised jazz again *sighs*. Frankie had a few stumbles. Or, since this is an animation, do we call it glitches? 7-8-8-8 T31 Len looked so offended by CAI’s 7 lmao. It’s usually the other way around.

Jordan, Lindsey and Vanessa are all safe.

Vanessa and Maks - Musical Quickstep This hairstyle suits Vanessa. I dunno why they had to lose the long skirt? It was perfectly fine. Well it wouldn’t have suited the chair section but the chair section shouldn’t have been there anyway Very obvious break hold in the middle. Style and character on point, though. 9-9-9-9 T36

Jordan and Lindsay - Drama Rumba Gosh Jordan dances with such QUALITY. His HIPS. His FLUIDITY. His EXPRESSION. Len is being extra extra nitpicky wtf. 10-9-10-10 T39 THIS SHOULD BE PERFECT.

Lindsey and Mark - Sci-Fi Argentine Tango Hate to break this to the producers but...Mark already is and has always been a mad scientist. This is a classic Mark Ballas dance. Over-the-top costume (those contacts, jeez), clever choreography, I’m honestly surprised Mark’s hair isn’t a frizzy mess. 10-10-10-10 T40

So Victoria, Nick and Terrell are in jeopardy. Victoria is safe. Leaving is...Nick. His days were numbered since a few weeks ago.

Halloween week next week.

[buytabletsonline]

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a quirky, pixellated video game breathes new life into the Mario-like side-scroller genre. Or, well, those games used to breathe life, before they became commonplace. Super Meat Boy set this kind of resurgence into motion nearly a decade ago. That’s a long time in side-scrolling years.

A peek at this week’s Celeste—which favors pixellated designs and squishy, bouncy characters—could make any skeptical passerby sigh in that “Gosh, another one of these?” way. I get that.

But I insist there’s something here. In the past few years, we’ve seen a few super-beautiful, far-from-pixellated platformers emerge with serious fans. Cuphead made a huge splash in 2017 by emphasizing brutal difficulty and hand-drawn beauty. Fans of 2014’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze swear by its breadth and production values. And 2015’s Ori and the Blind Forest injected gorgeous designs and wild platforming maneuvers into a “Metroidvania” adventure.

Celeste doesn’t look much like those three games, but its brilliance comes from borrowing their best ideas—and boost-leaping past their pitfalls—to deliver the most intense, memorable, and satisfying platformer yet released in the 2010s. Put Celeste at the top of your side-scrolling shelf, right next to Super Meat Boy and Yoshi’s Island.

Tower… climb?

How the heck are we going to get that key?

A great example of a tricky Celeste room, which forces players to figure out, and then execute, a perfect series of jumps and air-dashes. This green gem will refresh any expired air dashes, so you’ll probably want to go through it to finish this room.

Red spheres launch your character in a chosen cardinal direction. But you can air-dash out of it, in any direction, whenever you want.

One challenging portion of the game sees a ghost copy your moves, always a few paces behind. In some cases, you’ll have to run a certain path just to give yourself an escape option when you backtrack.

Don’t walk on, or wall-jump off of, any of that red-and-black stuff. You’ll instantly die.

You’ll need those yellow feathers to fly through this room.

If Celeste looks familiar, that’s because its creators have cut their teeth on some serious pixel-art games before, particularly Towerfall. (We love Towerfall.) On its face, Celeste looks and feels similar to Towerfall, as if retooled as a solo game. Your character design almost looks lifted from Towerfall, as is her default move suite: running, jumping, wall-jumping, wall-climbing, and a cardinal-direction “air-dash.”

In the bow-and-arrow combat of Towerfall, this air-dash is used primarily to dodge attacks. Celeste doesn’t have any combat, however. As a result, the air-dash becomes something else entirely.

You control an unnamed young woman (if left unnamed, she’s called Madeline) on her unexplained quest to scale a massive Canadian mountain. A story eventually plays out as Madeline encounters a friendly fellow climber, a strange old lady, and a few mysterious locals. Before the conversations pick up in length and depth, there’s the matter of climbing. Just climb.

The game’s opening challenges are simple enough. Enter a room, use the air-dash to effectively “double jump” to higher platforms, and go through an opening at the top-right of the screen to enter the next room. Almost immediately, Celeste teases you with its common “strawberry” collectibles, which are always placed in tricky spots to jump, wall-hop, and air-dash toward. (What’s more, you don’t get to “claim” the fruit until you finish a series of jumps and climbs and land safely on your feet.) They gently goad you into flexing your air-dash muscles, though the game makes abundantly clear that these collectibles don’t affect your progress or unlock anything.

But nobody who plays these types of games ignores collectible shinies, a fact that Celeste is very appreciative of. Forget the collect-a-thon bloat of series like Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie. There are truly only two types of collectibles in this game: strawberries, which each world hides roughly 20-25 of, and a very small number of super-secret “hearts,” which requires clever methods, movement, and sleuthing to uncover. Celeste keeps it simple.

More importantly, the game places these collectibles around its world to tease out something I’ve encountered in my own real-world hiking and climbing experiences—that the most satisfying traversal comes from a nicely paced mix of tricky-but-doable grabs and “gosh, I am so close” challenges. The satisfaction of picking up another strawberry in Celeste doesn’t come from ratcheting your count one higher; it’s in stopping once you’ve landed safely and pocketed the fruit, then looking at the screen to examine the jumps and maneuvers needed to snag it. Like, look at that. Look at what I just accomplished right there.

But simply air-dashing around a bunch of clever corridors wouldn’t cut it, which brings us to Celeste‘s other genius: putting Madeline’s increased powers and maneuvers in the game world, not in her required button layout. Each world introduces at least one new thing that Madeline can touch or manipulate whilst climbing, jumping, and air-dashing. The first is a green, mid-air gem that refreshes her air-dash ability; normally you only get to air-dash once per jump, with the ability resetting whenever you land. But if you can jump-and-dash all the way across the screen to a green gem, you can keep that single jump going longer.

Scaling past its platforming peers

Occasional story and dialogue moments strike the right balance between setting the tone and not getting in the game’s way.

You won’t like this creature when it wakes up.

One of the game’s best parts is when this old lady laughs at you; her cackle emanates in a chip-tune “heh heh heh” manner.

Madeline faces off against “Badeline.”

The game eventually digs into some heavy subjects—yet its writing and tone make these parts quite memorable.

As Madeline advances, these new elements increase in drastic fashion. A series of otherworldly blocks soon appear, which you can’t walk through—but if you air-dash into them, you zip through them in a straight line, which can either quickly propel you where you’re supposed to go or send you directly to your death. (Either way, your air-dash power resets when you burst out from the other side.)

Meanwhile, floating red spheres will fling Madeline in a rapid, one-way line if she touches them. She can air-dash out of the line at any time (and will need to escape from it at precise moments for harder challenges), while yellow feathers let her float in whatever direction she wants for a limited time.

Those are but a few of the in-the-world objects that do something really neat: they take the very cool, high-speed superpowers of a game like Ori and the Blind Forest and distill them in a way that removes the backtracking, item collection, level-up system, and controller complication of that game. Players walk into challenge rooms using only one joystick and two buttons, and the room itself feeds all of the exotic complication—and exhilarating “I can’t believe I pulled that off” moments.

Throughout my gameplay, I couldn’t help but think back to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, a platformer that fans argue wasn’t received as warmly as it deserved when it landed on the Wii U in 2014. I like DKC:TF as a beautiful fulfillment of that series’ momentum-heavy exploration, but I am far more smitten by how Celeste lets players walk into a challenging room, size up its insanity, and then manage a series of fast jumps, dashes, warps, and more. I’d start exploring (and dying many times) in a Celeste room, come to grips with how the game wanted me to beat it, then find the right pattern of timing and movement to pull it off—which is a very different kind of “momentum” than the almost automatic roll-and-react movement of DKC.

Somewhat related is my appreciation of Celeste‘s pixel art style, which players will surely differ on. For my money, the frame- and pixel-perfect movement tech of Celeste lives and dies by reading its large, bold pixels, typically offset in clear, colorful fashion by a variety of game worlds. A tough-as-nails boss-rush platformer like last year’s Cuphead can work with expressive, musical art and design, but I only needed about 10 minutes with Celeste to appreciate—and express gratitude for—how the latter uses meaty, chunky pixels for equal parts utility and expression.

You need this kind of art style to believe in its movement tech, and yet the design team at MattMakesGames still infuses so much personality into these blocky forms—whether by animation, by wild screen-filling effects, or by incredibly touching storytelling—that it begins to creep up through your travels in appreciably organic ways.

Nice view up here

Celeste release trailer

Each world in Celeste is made up of roughly 100 rooms, and its seven primary worlds will take a relatively skilled player no less than 30 minutes each to understand and master, should you opt to collect some, but not all, of the worlds’ toughest strawberries. (Related: the gorgeous soundtrack, which combines the classical beauty of Final Fantasy VI with the big-beat oomph of Mo’Wax Records, is particularly good at keeping players engaged as they die upwards of 250 times per half-hour world.) Unlockable “B-side” variations of each world add another slate of challenges, and these crank the difficulty and insanity up, should you be that guy at the virtual climbing gym who craves nothing less than a “level 9” Celeste wall. (I’m nowhere near beating all of the B-sides. They’re insane.)

Super-hard platformers have exploded in recent years, particularly ones made by enthusiasts using simple toolsets (or Super Mario Maker) for the sake of torturous Twitch and GamesDoneQuick runs. I would argue that sheer brutality is not a suitable measure of quality—and that Celeste understands this in much the same way that Super Meat Boy did when it first blew us all away in 2010.

Celeste does so many amazing things. It organically teaches players while cleverly inserting new game-changing powers into its worlds. It gives players breathing room so that they can play however they want, all while choreographing some of the most memorable platforming sequences I’ve ever played. It pays homage to classic, tough-as-nails platformers while climbing its own unique path.

Celeste left me breathless at the top of its incredible mountain. I love the view from up here. C’mon and join me.

The good

Side-scrolling, Mario-style gaming hasn’t felt so simultaneously familiar and refreshing in years.

A simple control suite is bolstered by wild twists built into the game’s surreal worlds.

Pixel art makes frame-perfect jumps possible, yet looks gorgeous and has great design variety.

Take the tricky-yet-breezy route if you want. The game is fun no matter how hard a path you opt for.

The bad

Normally, I’d say “it’s not long enough” here, but the “B-sides” mode adds a ton of brutally hard levels, should you feel like the five-hour campaign is lacking.

The ugly

The screams you may utter after failing many of the game’s “gosh I was so close” challenges.

Verdict: Buy. Celeste is the first must-own single-player game of 2018.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); http://ift.tt/2Bt8575 January 25, 2018 at 10:06PM

[onepunchmiss]

OPM s2 e9 Live Blog

“The Troubles of the Strong”

GOSH DANG 2 HOUR COMMUTES FROM WORK I woke up at 4am just to get to work early specifically so I could leave early I could watch this episode sooner because THIS IS THE EPISODE IVE BEEN WAITING FOR FOREVER OK Ive just been vibrating at my desk all day fluctuating somewhere between ‘awerstdyfcvgbjhkn’ and ‘SADFVYNTBGVRFCE’ IM NOT mentally or emotionally prepared so WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY IMMA WATCHHHH

as always I’m watching from the perspective of someone who is up to date on the Web comic and Manga

“I know that head” *Immediatley cuts to opening theme* I SCREAM i wasnt expecting that nor am I prepared to see Zombieman not even the same 2 pictures of him that ive seen all season help my stomach is in knots and i cannot

asdfghjkl I can tell already this live blog is gonna be SOOOOO BIAS just cause IM WAITING for THE THING annd the rest is great and all but I CANT FOCUS ON ANYTHING Im really not gonna do the episode over all justice im sorry sdfghjk

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I CALLED IT IT WAS SONIC THE DOODLE WAS SONIC i was holding my breath cause I knew there was a VERY SLIM CHANCE it would be Z but i felt it in my gut It would be sonic uhg phew ok not dead yet

lol Bakuzan stopping mid boast and just screaming dude you should’ve known then and there to quit oh my god the music is SO excessive right now I’m very distracted it better be part of the gag… or not ok

Saitama just casually explaining stuff I love him so much sweetheart,,, pft “I was bored”, honestly I just appreciate how anime captures the beats every time Saitama delivers a line like that, we expect it but it never fails to make me cackle. Also, “that kind of strength should be illegal” he says to SAITAMA yeah ok

OH!!!! GENOS BB stop getting obliterated please Dr. Kuseno is old what are you going to do when you can’t rely on him for repairs and EYYY Shout out to Atomic, Tatumaki, Flash, and King for the cameos. Genos, are you really underestimating your Sensei like that?? Are you the real genos?????

OH MY GOD DID THEY JUST GIVE SUIRYU A SAITAMA FACE WHAT IS THIS CURSED IMAGE

ok in all seriousness Suiryu’s voice actor is killin it like I legit feel bad for they guy getting dragged by Saitama, U hav my respect Suiryu I still might not like you all that much but damn u makin me feel that character development

THIS IS SUCH A CUTE FACE

guys I love saitama so much be still my heart it hurts ;-; this scene chouldne be as heart warming as it is right now hhhhhhhhhhh

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PRISONER PRISONER FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFSDGFSDGS I FORGOT U WERE GONNA SHOW UP I HAVE AN ODD LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHARACTER BUT GD ARE YOU ENTERTAINING AS HELL HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYOU BIG HAPPY IDIOT IM SCREAMING IM SO CONCERNED OH MY GOD THEY SHOWED THE BUTT RINGING I FEEL SO CONFLICTED AM I EXCITED?? SCARED?? PROBABLY BOTH

ok ok ok ok ok ok ok so now that the tournament is officially over I know theres still a lot to cover this ep before Z???? BUT my bloodpressure WILL NOT CALM DOWN cause WHAT IF they do thingS OUT of ORDER IM ON HIGH ALERT HIGH ALERT WHAT IF I DIE

OH HI KING HELP IM HAVING ANXIETY YOU KNOW HOW THAT BE RIGHT MY DUDE aw omg how are they both so cute looking right now??? WAIT also that was a smooth transition from Saitama Face™ to serious face woah ?? You know, with all that talk I wonder what the end game is for Saitama? Like, will the series end seriously or on a joke? He gonna find a real challenge or will it somehow be another one-punch? I am completely undecided tbh…

...i wanted king to finish saying “daze” so badly right thereu said yare yare plz give me the meme plz Ok the way Saitama keeps saying ‘Kinggu’ is weirding me out also ng is great and this is very nicely drawn

...plussireaditinamanga… PFFFTTT the VOICE ACTING-- King is such a good friend for Saitama really thank goodness for him ASDFGHJKL THE WHOLE REST OF THE EXCHANGE IS SO GOOD ‘OK JERKOFF’ im d y i n g

I MISSED YOU PLZ COME BACK TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED BEING A LIL SHIT PLZ UR BEAUTIFUL also the king movements on the bike looked pretty neato

OK Honestly though why does no one know what the Hero Hunter is supposed to look like?? How is that not common knowledge among heroes by now?????

SCREECHING IM SCREECHING THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THIS EPISODE (i hope???? its running kinda late and I’m worried???????) THE NINJAS THE NINJA DUO ITS THEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM theyre so pretty i cri ????

OK MONSTER WIND LOOKS REALLY COOL I DIG I DIGGGG also I REALY dig the ominous music  and as this scene is nearing its end MY HEART IS POUNDING HELP  

MARSHALL  GORILLA IM HYPERVENTILATING AND SCREAMING AND MY PALMS ARE SWEATING ARM SPAGHETTI HELP MY EYES ARE WATERING TOO

my hands are shaking as im typing and i cant stop laughing nervously and my through is dry this is NOT NORMAL typing is hard im afraid to push play im afraid

its been 5 minutes i cant push play i cant

I MADE A MISTAKE THEY DIDNT SHOW THE OTHER HEROES FIRST HES ON MY SCREEN I CANT STOP  MY LEGS SHAKING I BREATHE

tfw ive been just mumbling oh my god oh my god nope nope nope for 10 minutes help help help nope

hes on my screen but i cant push play i cant open the tab i cant

everything is so much easier if i didnt FEEL but I have FEELINGS \

I cant even look at him i cant hes too perfect help

30 minutes i can breathe but like shaking ???? ???

ok it only took 45 minutes alright ok ok ok open the tab and PUSH the BUTTON

I lied it took an hour i still cant look at the screen im gonna die this man will be the death of me I CANT GO 2 SECONDS WITHOUT PAUSING AND SCREAMING WHY CAN I REREAD THE CHAPTER OVER AND OVER BUT CANT LISTEN TO HIM FOR 2 SECONDS WHY

OK im gonna start counting how many times I’ve paused from now on its been AT LEAST 8 so lets start there.

9

10

11 long pause his voice im crying his face

12

13 just look at him I cant my stomach

14 “DRAT” help me

15 i keep switching tabs but cant push play again oh no

16

17

18 I just noticed he definitely has eyebrows here asdfghjkl

19

20

21

NO COME BACK TORTURE ME SOME MORE WITH YOUR PERFECT GENERAL PRESENCE that was the most exhausting 1.5 hours asdfghjkl what if they dont make a season 3 what if I never see him in motion again what if i just die

OH MY GOD DRIVE KNIGHT MY MYSTERIOUS SON THANK YOU I CAN BREATHE DISTRACT ME PLZ

WAIT

DESTROCHLORIDIUM I CANT HANDLE THIS EPISODE I JUST REALLY CANT I JUST AND THE HEKKIN CAPTION HE GOT A BAD CASE OF THE RUNS AND OMFG MY FAVORITE GAROU MOMENT FROM THE MANGA THUS FAR NEXT WEEK I !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i… no recap this week. i think my feelings on the ep are obvious.  Thanks for reading and somehow managing to get this far? I appreciate yall so much really. Thank you for following me being nuts as I am. I seriously mean it. I’ll see yall next week with the next with the next episode!

[naruseii]

Myu review 6: 1997 Sailor Stars Kaiteiban (Easter special!) . . First impression: Extremely curious as to how they decided to revise this! Since the first Stars was kinda messy, I was hoping the story would be changed up a bit. • • •

Impressions: Actors/Actresses

Anza Ooyama (Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon/Neo Queen Serenity)- My gosh, I LOVED ANZA SO MUCH IN THIS MYU. She pulled off such an amazing Usagi AND Sailor Moon!! She also improved so much from last time; making her Usagi/Moon less dramatic. The way Anza portrays Usagi can vary for people but I honestly think she was soooo into character for this Myu. She really showed off Usagi/Moon’s tragic/serious side extremely well and just as good as her silly side. She was perfect for all aspects (singing, dancing, acting) and I can’t wait to see her performance in Eien!! 💕

Ayako Morino (Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury)- I think I liked Ayako here better than the original Stars! Unlike the before, she got to play Mercury (or had more to do as her) more than she played Ami and I still love her Mercury! I still don’t like the “boy crazy” aspect of Ami but, what can you do. I do think she sounded great in most of her songs but her voice was just a bit off in Sorezore no Elegy. She still dances pretty well and overall I think she did great!

Misako Kotani (Rei Hino/Sailor Mars)- I’m really loving Misako now!! She seems to have improved a lot even on the little things which makes her Rei more lovable! Her Rei and Mars resemble her anime counterpart and I noticed that during the trial scene. I loved her chemistry Hiroko and with her other cast mates as well! Misako was great!! ❤️

Emika Satou (Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter)- Again, Emika played a very minor role but I still found her to be really enjoyable!! Though there’s not much to see, her Makoto was really good! Her Jupiter was barely present so I won’t talk about that. She has a very nice Mako sounding voice and she’s great at singing as well! She’s a good dancer and a great actress and I enjoyed her performances for both the Stars Myus!! I wish she stayed longer 💔.

Kanatsu Nakaya (Minako Aino/Sailor Venus)- Just like Emika, Kanatsu played a minor role but that didn’t stop me from enjoying her performance! Her Minako felt more like Minako in the sense that she has more energy & quirkiness in her which is a big improvement from last time! And there’s not much from her Venus as well but, overall she was really good in all aspects! 💛

Yuuta Mochizuki (Mamoru Chiba/Tuxedo Mask)- Yuuta barely had a role as his actual character but his overall performance was great! I loved his duet/interactions with Anza be it as Moon/Usagi and Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru or Kin-san and the “Rat Boy”. His role in the Edo period scene was so good and so funny as well!! I’m so glad they gave him more to do for this Myu because he’s so fun to watch!!

Sanae Kimura (Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus)- Sanae definitely improved a lot since her past performance! She had more emotion (especially during Neptune’s death) and she seemed really into her role!! I can agree that her Haruka isn’t much but I think her Uranus is passable! So far, this is where I think Sanae was at her best for this role but I’m looking forward to her next performances!!

Hiroko Tahara (Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune)- I love Hiroko oh my gosh. I love how strong and mature her Neptune is. She barely got to play Michiru but, her Michiru was so poised and even funny at times. She really reminds me of anime Michiru/Neptune (but more on Nep). I love her voice and the way that she dances and I love how she knows when to be reserved and when to be dead serious. I don’t really care much for Neptune but Hiroko makes me like her a lot!

Rei Saitou (Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto)- I looove Rei!! I love how funny and motherly her Setsuna is and I love the seriousness of her Pluto. I especially loved the way she acted during the Edo period scene! Rei really knows how to make Setsuna and Pluto seem like two separate beings and how she expresses her emotions which are what I love about her acting ability! Singing and dancing, they’re all still amazing!! Super love Rei!!

Keiko Takeda (Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn)- I loved Keiko but I feel like she had less of a role here (probably due to the revised story line). Her Hotaru seemed better here though! I loved her little bonding moments with Mao and it really seemed like she was a kid unlike last time. Her Saturn was also really good! It reminded me of manga Saturn at the ending of the Dream Arc. She still has a nice voice and her movement/dancing has gotten better! Overall, she performed really well!

Mao Kawasaki (Chibiusa/Sailor Chibi Moon)- I kinda liked Mao in this Myu!! She’s very different from Tamaki which makes their Chibiusas unique. I do think that Mao has a kiddie feel to her Chibiusa while Tamaki has more maturity but regardless, Mao pulled off her character well!! She still sings and dances nicely and although she can seem “out of it” in her acting at times, I still liked her Chibiusa nonetheless!

Sayuri Katayama (Seiya Kou/Sailor Star Fighter)- I’m so in love with Sayuri’s Seiya and Sayuri as Seiya. She really gives life to Seiya and she embodies her so well, it’s like she actually is Seiya. Her presence looks so warm and friendly and that’s what I liked most about her in her performance. Her Star Fighter was really good as well!! Singing, dancing, it’s all perfect. Much love for Sayuri!! 💙

Hikari Ono (Taiki Kou/Sailor Star Maker)- (I’m gonna try my best to not make this sound super biased) Taiki isn’t that much of an interesting character in general but Hikari gives her that aspect. She gives Taiki the qualities she lacks (or basically, she brings the character to life) which I really liked! Not much to her Star Maker but she was definitely more serious. Her singing and dancing’s still great and I’m really loving Hikari in this role! 💜

Momoko Okuyama (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer)- I love Momoko’s Yaten so much :(( . She makes her so fun/quirky and a bit of an airhead which is different from how Yaten’s usually portrayed! Her Star Healer was the more serious one and she pulled her off well! She still sings and dances well (and is cute while doing so)!! Looove Momoko!! 💚

Saori Sara (Sailor Galaxia)- I think Saori pulled off Galaxia really well here! Her Galaxia had more power and more emotion than last time. She has a powerful singing voice and I love the way she moves/dances. She had such a big improvement from last time and I really loved her performance! 💛

Shadow Galatica (as a whole)- I think Shadow Galactica was better here!! They were kinda all over the place before but here, they seem fully fleshed out. In place of Shadow Bee, Bug and Mantis were Sailor Theta, Chi and Phi and they were really good dancers! The Animamates were really good as well although, I prefer Rei over Junko for Pewter Fox. Ryuji was great as always and…we don’t speak about Sailor Buttress… . . . The story:

Act 1: This part was almost the same as the original. There were a few changes to the events like how the characters spoke to each other, how they felt during some scenes and much more minor things. One noticeable change (in terms of songs) was in Sailor Busters wherein Makoto and Minako’s “solos” were removed. This act ended the same way as before which is with the Sailor War Supreme number (which I still love)!

Act 2: There were quite a lot of changes in this act! During the music festival, MC Fly has his monologue and it goes straight into Knockin’ Down Hesitation; completely removing Usagi’s nervous “breakdown” and Chibiusa and Hotaru’s audience participation. Mamoru also makes his early and very subtle appearance after It’s Chou Very Bad. The Edo Period scene has completely changed but I’ll leave that up to you to watch ;) ! And the very surprising addition to the labyrinth scene was Princess Kakyuu (although she didn’t say anything)!!

The rest of the scenes were played out the same way as Nehelenia’s trials from the Stars anime! Neptune, Jupiter and Venus are the only ones who pass meaning Uranus was spared and was a part of Sorezore no Elegy! Everything else is the same throughout until the battle scene with all 10 soldiers and the Starlights together, they sing Solar Miracle Make Up instead of La Moon. Galaxia actually dies in this version but, Sailor Moon gives her a second chance at life and Galaxia is reborn elsewhere. And finally, L'Amour D'Amour Moonlight was the closing song instead of Usagi Circus Show Time. • • • Overall opinion: I’m really happy with how they revised Stars! I don’t know if it’s because I’ve seen the original Stars Myu but this version was much easier to follow!! So far, this is my most favorite Myu of the First Stage but, let’s see if Eien Densetsu and it’s Kaiteiban will change that ;) . . . AAAAAA I’M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!! Also sorry this review is really long in general, it’s been a while since my last one. Anyways, this wasn’t meant to be an Easter special but life gets complicated sometimes. As I mentioned before, I watch Myu on my phone now and it’s really difficult!! So I’m really trying my best with these. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this review and feel free to share your thoughts!

((Character profiles are from @myu-resource , screenshot is from Sea Of Serenity , posters are from vk.com ))

[drink-n-watch]

Genre : Drama, Action, Science Fiction, Symbolism

Episodes: 12

Studio: Orange

  Kids are just the worst aren’t they? It’s always the youngest one’s that get in trouble and drag everyone else down with them. No matter how hard you try to keep them safe, they always end up getting hurt. And once you’ve manage to make them better, they go out and get hurt all over again. It’s like they never learn. And they’re always impatient, wanting to do things and try things, when you tell them it’s not wise. Then they give up way too easily. No matter how much you try to protect them, some bad things are always beyond your control and it’s the little ones that suffer. Then all you can do is try to comfort them. It’s always like that. You give everything you have and they end up questioning you. But what else can you do, you love them after all.

I did it again. I created one of those symbolic synopsis of the show that somehow manages to be misleading while giving pretty much no information. I’m sorry about that. I can do better.

In a distant future, on a world populated by sentient gem structures, young Phosphophylite wants to help her brethren in the fight against the Lunarians who harvest them for their beauty. Unfortunately, Phos is fragile and unsuited for combat so they must find another place in the world. Will this search for belonging reveal more than they ever wanted to know?

shadows of birds over Phos is a recurring visual

Gosh, where should I start with this one. I guess we should get the easy stuff out of the way. If you haven’t seen Land of the Lustrous, you still may have heard that it is one of the best examples of CG in anime. I’m not entirely sure about that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good but I prefer Ufotable with it’s more judicious and blended use of CG or Oranges later offering Beastars, that was absolutely breathtaking.

The CG in Land of the Lustrous is good but does fall into the uncanny valley at times and movement is occasionally jagged. The said, you could argue that the odd rigidity of the character models is a choice and a smart one at that since they are in fact made out of mineral and a certain stiffness should be visible. But as it’s not completely consistent, it does break the illusion a bit.

The acting is similarly a little too deliberate for me. This time, I have zero doubt that it was a choice and I understand it. In fact, I will just say that this is personal preference. Objectively the acting was great and fit the tone of the story well.

And that is those are and only not great things I have to say about the production. The rest is stellar. The designs are fantastic. The music is amazing and the animation is impressive.

showing animation in stills is tough

There is this great emptiness to the settings. Wide open fields, huge mostly empty skies, an unending almost barren ocean and a single spartan building. Normally I would clock this as a cost cutting measure but in Land of the Lustrous it was a symbolic visual element that had a visceral effect difficult to explain. That emptiness, those huge open spaces that reflected a sense of timeless and unchanging eternity. It was both pretty and lonely. A little frightening and yet ultimately devoid of purpose.  Haunting and sad and yet comfortable and attractive. It’s been a while since I got so much meaning out of the backgrounds of a series. The only ones that compare to me would be the Garden of Sinners movies and they didn’t do it as successfully or Shin Sekai Yori but those were more difficult to appreciate.

The character design can only truly be appreciated once they break. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. Even after watching 12 episodes in the span of 3 days, I wasn’t numbed to the impact of seeing a person shatter. And those flashes of bright shining iridescent colour on stark white just hold your eyes and refuse to let your attention wander.

this will haunt me

And then there’s the music. This may be my favourite score ever. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like a soundtrack full of bangers that you should listen to in the gym or something. It’s atmospheric mood setting music but it’s both odd and classical at the same time. It fills you with this sense of something huge and wistful happening at all times. And it’s just so pretty. Kudos to Yoshiaki Fujisawa, I think this is his best work to date.

Oh my…and that was the easy part. Even I’m a little weary of what’s to come.

surely everything will turn out great

I’m not sure I’m able to review the story of Land of the Lustrous because you see, I don’t know what it’s about. I know what it was about to me but that’s almost meaningless. Fitting I would say since the search for meaning in what is an ultimately meaningless existence and the necessity of creating it for yourself is one of the themes that I associated with the series. But it’s not the only one and honestly, you could easily have the opposite reading. That existence itself is inherently imbued with a meaning that comes from something beyond oneself and one can only appreciate it through faith…

The fact that both of these readings sound true to me is what makes the series special. It’s strength is in it’s ambiguity and it’s capability of adapting itself to the viewer without loosing its identity. Because although the message may be completely up for interpretation, the series itself has a wistful yet loud and proud voice that is unmistakable.

Let me try something. I put off watching Land of the Lustrous for a long time because when it aired, it inspired all these beautiful essay like posts from more talented bloggers than me. I admired those posts a lot. And somewhere along the line, I got the impression that Land of the Lustrous would make me sad. I don’t particularly like being sad. I don’t have patient for drama for drama’s sake. I find that too often narratives will default to cheap tricks or manipulation to get an emotional response from the audience and those end up just annoying me.

wait, hear me out

Still the unique premise and striking imagery compelled me to at least give this show a chance. It did make me sad. It also made me laugh and had me biting my nails in suspense. It made me scratch my head and desperately want to find out what was going on. It made me care for characters that were supposedly only bacteria and rocks and made me worry for people that cannot be killed. And it made me sad, in a way that made me feel human, and vulnerable and grateful. If dramas were all this nuanced, I would love them.

I find it difficult to think of someone who would not like this series. If the high concept open ended story isn’t your thing, then surely you’ll enjoy the cute characters and pretty colours. If the CG annoys you then the sound design might redeem it. There are moments of genuine silly glee that made me giggle out loud, moments of actual tension where I was scared for what would happen next and moments that were just devastating.

And best of all we get to see it through the eyes of a character that has one of the most intense growth spurs ever. So the vision of the world and the story presented to us grows and matures along with the protagonist giving us a narrative evolution that is hard to come by in 12 episodes. I’m saying I liked the show. I hope you like(d) it too.

there really are a lot of impressive images

Favorite character: Rutile with Antarticite as a close second

What this anime taught me: Bort is the name for industrial grade diamonds. Cool.

“When I read about the evils of drinking I gave up reading.”

Suggested drink: Jewel

Every time Phos breaks – take a breath

Every time Phos gets called  by their full name – take a sip

Every time Bort gets mad – cower

Every time Rutile enjoys their work too much – take a sip

Every time Lunarians appear – take a sip

Every time Cinnabar gets tsundere – smirk with a sip

Every time anyone mentions inclusions – take a sip

Every time Seiki gets creeped out – sympathize

Every time Sensei looses his temper – cower more

Every time Rutile gets called a quack – raise your glass

Every time a new gem is introduced – take a sip

Every time you worry terribly – calm your nerves whichever way you think is best

Every time Sensei falls asleep – take a sip

I’m going to try to give you an idea of the visuals but it’s a you gotta see it kind of show

Land of the Lustrous – Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend Genre : Drama, Action, Science Fiction, Symbolism Episodes: 12 Studio: Orange Kids are just the worst aren't they?