#the son dvd review

[spryfilm]

DVD Review: “The Son” (2022)

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Audio: Montréal's Wizaard Returns with Languid and Trippy "OMG (son style me désole)"

New Audio: Montréal's Wizaard Returns with Languid and Trippy "OMG (son style me désole)" @wizaardmusic @LisbonLuxRec @heygroover @romainpalmieri @DorianPerron

Montréal-based psych pop outfit Wizaard — currently, Marie Hèléne Coutu and Jean-Nicholas Doss — quickly became mainstays of the French Canadian city’s psych, Anglophone and bilingual music scenes with the release of their first two albums, 2016’s Starfish Buffet and 2019’s Supernatural Mystics while going through a series of lineup changes. The Montréal-based outfit supported both of those…

[oneofusnet]

Digital Noise Episode 312: Supersons and Supermonsters DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 312: SUPERSONS AND SUPERMONSTERS Chris and Wright have a mighty stack. So mighty, they don’t quite get to everything they planned on. But what you do get is a look at some supersons vs Starro, 80s wide-release horror classics getting the 4k and a 90s one that was rightfully overlooked, a loving… Read More »Digital Noise Episode 312: Supersons and Supermonsters read more on One of Us

[matchalovertrait]

The switch-up is craazzzyy 😓 Dulce is wondering why this is her bothering her so much.

AND FOR THE REVEAL...

BLESS!!!!!!

Thank you Sims Gods 😭😭😭 The way I held my breath, omg. "Reasonable"! We'll take it.

Transcript

DULCE: You guys are here.

NOEMÍ: We want to support you, mija.

ERICK: That’s right, Bug.

ERICK: It’s such a pleasure to meet you.

NOEMÍ: Hello! It’s wonderful to finally meet you.

ANTONIO: The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. and Mr. Alegría. How was your flight? How do you like it here so far?

NOEMÍ: It’s like a whole different world here compared to Mexico and Italy.

ERICK: California is nothing like Ohio either!

ANTONIO: Absolutely. That’s the beauty of living on this planet, right? There are many marvelous regions to visit.

DULCE: What the hell? So, he DOES have the capability to smile and have a conversation!

NOEMÍ: Oh! You’re a gentleman in every aspect! By the way, thank you very much for helping my daughter. You’re an angel sent from above.

ERICK: Noemí is right. You swooped down to save the day.

ANTONIO: Please, señora. I’m flattered, but I am a mere lawyer doing his job.

ERICK: Attorney! Be proud of your accomplishments, son.

NOEMÍ: Are you sure you aren’t also an actor? Something about your face tells me you’re famous.

ERICK: We are near Hollywood after all!

ANTONIO: [Chuckles] No, no. I can assure that this is my only profession.

ERICK: You might want to take up modeling as a side gig.

DULCE: I see Ángel and the rest of the family!

NOEMÍ: Oh, let’s head over!

ERICK: We’ll see you two inside.

ANTONIO: You may go see them too, but I need you in there in 5 minutes to review things.

DULCE: Yeah, whatever.

DULCE: Jerk. At least he’s nice to my parents... and helping me, I guess.

[Daniela & Yoltic are flirting and laughing.]

ANTONIO: Sorry to crash the party, but we need to head inside now.

YOLTIC: Hey, what’s the rush?? 5 more minutes!

ANTONIO: No. That’s for not returning my Star Wars DVD yet.

DANIELA: He seems extra passionate about this case, doesn’t he?

YOLTIC: Ha, no kidding.

[aihoshiino]

chapter 153 thoughts

Heads up, this chapter review contains canon typical discussions of abuse, CSA and suicidal ideation.

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: Ten! TEN chapters since the 143 kiss happened and went entirely unacknowledged and unaddressed! Ah hah hah! [<- read this in count von count's voice]

Aqua Hoshigan Status: (Still) white

LET'S

FUCKING

GO

After like 140 chapters and an RPF jumpscare, we finally get a continuation of 152's impromptu father-son therapy session and start digging into the real deal no bullshit Kamiki Hikaru's brain and his relationship with Ai. A lot of the stuff laid out here are things that I had personally speculated about in prior posts and it once again feels really satisfying to see that I've been keyed into what the series has been laying out for its characters now we're getting some answers.

Before digging into the meat of things, the usual shout out to Mengo's art for this chapter. I am repeating myself on this point to the extent that I say "i know I say mengo's art is really good every chapter, but" every chapter but holy fuck, dawg. The expression work, especially on Kamiki and Airi is so fucking good and the way it contrasts the movie's portrayal of those events is insanely effective. I am Once Again begging the universe to conspire events such that Mengo draws a horror manga someday pleeeeeease I have been so good

kamiki's production house being called EYES is so on the nose it looped back to being genuinely hilarious to me.

Honestly this chapter is soooooo hard to talk about w/o me wanting to just break down every single line of dialogue in it and I already know i'm gonna go sicko mode talking about the flashback so I'll broad strokes it for now. What I WILL say is that Hikaru fucking quoting the opening monologue of the series got me right in the gut. These last two chapters have been really laying it on thick with the volume 1 callbacks and while this too is ridiculously on the nose it did make me start barking like a fucking dog so who's to say if it's really good or bad.

Hikaru's POV here in general is just fascinating. It's so juicy finally getting some insight into his weird little brain right from the man himself. The way he's characterized here - or rather, the way Hikaru chooses to characterize himself - is extremely compelling. He seems resigned and weary, almost - surrendering himself to the role of the despicable villain with a sort of wry self-awareness that got a bit of a dark chuckle out of me.

What's most interesting though is the final exchange between the two of them. Hikaru dismissing the idea that Ai ever loved him is understandable but what really jumped out to me was Aqua's respose to this - he honestly seems like… not just confused but almost mad that Hikaru supposedly still doesn't understand Ai's true feelings.

also. can i just say. i earnestly and genuinely thought the DVDs had been completely forgotten and were never going to come back up. what a jumpscare.

real bold of aqua to say this is nonfiction after the whole rpf debacle btw

We transition at last into an actual honest to god flashback to his past from Hikaru's actual POV, the likes of which I didn't think we'd ever get lol. I take Hikaru's lack of quibbles with his portrayal in the movie and that the flashback begins at Airi and Uehara's funeral as an indication from the story that 15YL's portrayal of Hikaru and those events is true enough that it doesn't need to relitigate them and thus, we can analyze this flashback with those events as context.

Something I couldn't help but notice immediately is that Hikaru's hoshigans start off as white this chapter. Given the future/hope (white) futurelessness/despair (black) dichotomy the last handful of chapters seem to have cemented, I think this makes a lot of sense in representing that while Hikaru is certainly not over his trauma, he seems able to conceptualize a future for himself now that he isn't bound to Airi; he has escaped her grasp. Or so he's able to believe, for a moment.

God, Hikaru's little meltdown once he spots Taiki is so heartbreaking. Kindaichi obviously means well, but his words must have sounded like a horrifying curse to Hikaru - the idea that for the rest of his life, he would never escape what Airi did to him.

hikaru begging ai to save him is soooooooo…… augugugugugh. this is all in line with what i'd predicted for their relationship but seeing it actually on page is such a gut punch. I just feel so fucking sorry for both these kids - both of them so desperately hurt and trying to heal and struggling in their own ways.

Because like… man! Not to be like "this rape victim's trauma is so hard for this other person to deal with" but… yeah, I'm really glad that even in just the framing, OnK makes it clear what a tremendous weight and pressure this is on Ai. I've talked before about the potential for her need to love and be loved to lead her into unhealthy and codependent dynamics and I think the HKAI relationship (as seen from Hikaru's POV) is exactly the sort of thing I was imagining.

With that in mind, even though we haven't seen her side of the story (YET……. IF WE GET AI POV NEXT WEEK AUUUUAUAU CAN YOU EVE N IMAGINE), it's not hard for me to imagine why Ai might have needed to withdraw. Because the sort of love Hikaru wants from her - something utterly all consuming, all encompassing, a world containing only two people and shutting out everything else - is not something she can or wants to provide. She's too full of compassionate curiosity for other people to give her love exclusively to one person alone… especially if a certain two troublemaking twins are already in the mix.

Admittedly this is as far as I can go in my analysis of this bit until we actually see how the breakup as a whole went down because I am admittedly still very confused as to the timeline here lol. The impression I'd always gotten was that Ai and Hikaru broke up before the twins were born, but the pacing of the flashback places it after Airi died, which we know wasn't super long before the Dome concert but I feel like Hikaru looks way too fucking young to be like a 17-19yo person here…. so who even knows. Hopefully we'll get some clarification next chapter. In ether case, I do think the twins threw a wrench into the HKAI relationship one way or another so I guess we'll see.

The fact that we're actually getting the real deal HKAI breakup happening on-panel also makes me feel a bit less insane about the Movie Arc skipping over that in recording (though I still ain't ever gonna forgive not focusing on how everyone felt about filming Ai's death even when we do see the final product). That said, I do still have issues with it that I talked about in an ask just the other day so I'll just repeat what I said: "Not only is [the HKAI breakup and the 'I can't love you'] line given a huge amount of weight, so is the fact that Aqua and Ruby had seemingly misinterpreted or even actively twisted it. If that’s the case then I’d say it’s even MORE important for us to have seen what 15YL’s version of events looked like so the contrast with the real thing can hit all the harder."

We already saw that with this chapter having a page very strongly echoing a similar one from the Movie Arc, a direct representation of the real version of events the movie fictionalized and it hits like a truck. I mentioned it up top but fuck, man. Hikaru and Airi's faces here are incredible. Hikaru's blank, innocent expression contrasted with that vile grin on Airi's face with her hair splayed everywhere… if Frill's portrayal of her was like a snake, the real thing made me think of some kind of spider.

That same page also seems to imply that Hikaru didn't only suffer abuse under Airi but may have suffered CSA prior to meeting her that caused him to become hypersexual. This is, unfortunately, in line with the way a lot of CSA victims will cope with their abuse and it really surprised me to see this aspect of it portrayed the way it was with Hikaru - already an exceptionally rare sympathetic and tasteful portrayal of a male CSA victim's experiences in manga. I've said over and over that I'm really impressed with how OnK is handling this aspect of the story but it really does continue to catch me by surprise.

Hikaru only ever to hear 'I love you' as a lie, while Ai can only ever say it as a lie… ouuughhh that's juicy.

Moving on a bit, the Ruby/Hikaru parallels are still going strong… Hikaru's insistence that so long as he has Ai he can endure anything very strongly echoes Ruby's speech in 143 about how if she has Gorou, her oshi, then that's all she needs. This means Aqua/Ai parallel stonks are on the rise which makes me very happy. I also hope this is a lead in to more directly addressing something that has been quiet subtext for a while - how destructive the pressure of being someone's singular saviour can be and how unhealthy this dynamic is, even for the person being saved. The idea that isolation and a lacking support system causes dysfunction is something we see sort of gestured at across the series so I'd love to see OnK explore codependency more explicitly through this angle, too.

No break next week…! Going by the editor's note in the JP version of the chapter, it looks like we'll be continuing this flashback and getting some of Ai's perspective so I'm really looking forward to it. After what a slog to keep up with the Movie Arc turned into, it feels sooooo fucking refreshing to be getting material I feel excited and energized to chew on. It sure did take until the last arc to explore some of this though, huh………..

hey ai. why did you break up with your boyfriend while you were brushingyour teeth. are you okay.

[tokuvivor]

Due to circumstances beyond the control of any others, @violetganache42 and I are splitting duty on this week’s highlights post (Competition Night edition). She did it for the shorts and episodes, I’m doing it for An Extremely Goofy Movie.

So without further ado, here we go.

“Polar Trappers”:

We bring ‘em back alive

@puffyducks: bro where is pabo

Donald hunting a penguin, which is now illegal to do so

Not the kid!

The baby penguin’s tear becoming a massive snowball

“Need 4 Speed”:

QUACK PACK (Again!)

Disney Ducks meet The Fast and the Furious

@spamtoon: huey you guys aren't in phineas and ferb

Daisy appearance!

The idea of Comet Guy Night

@ducklooney and puffy going off about humans being in the Duckverse

Us calling Donald and the authorities to kill Rocky the Rocket Throttle

From Negaduck ass car to Ratcatcher

@writebackatya: "This is like the Family Guy of the Duckverse"

Ludwig appearance!

puffy: "where's dick dastardly"

Puffy, Missy, and I using 90s slang

Daisy seeing the triplets in the race:

RIP ethnically stereotyped racers

WriteBackAtYa: "DuckTales 2017 needed a car race episode"

Violet: "Would Huey and Launchpad be commentators?"

WriteBackAtYa: "Yes Always"

Violet: "SOLD!"

Ludwig's toy kangaroo winning the race

@tealottie: erection joke

“The Missing Links of Moorshire!”:

Webby giving Scrooge semi-permanent hearing loss

Launchpad: "This lake will be used for the swimming portion of the competition."

Huey: T_T

Violet: "Cue theme song!"

Missy betraying Della with Daisy

Tony the Tiger?!

The entire coin toss scene 🤣

Us praising Glomgold

Missy commenting how Scrooge and Glomgold can't tuck their tails for golfing

The audio glitching like CRAZY

Fluttershy and Bubbles the Kelpies

Webby: "Talking animals wearing clothes?! :D"

@fantasticenthusiasttale: "Webby…"

Violet, internally:

"Bologna. Trampoline."

THE MUSIC USED FOR THE MONTAGE!

Louie yoinking money out of Glomgold's sweater pocket

Emo Dewey

"You people are no fun."

Webby: "Not everything has to be a life lesson."

Violet:

Violet pretending to be turned to stone by the Medusa Mist (as I like to call it)

Launchpad ending the episode with a life lesson… before trying to devour golf balls

“Dog Show”:

puffy: "you know who else is an orphan"

Dreamy: "Everyone in this shit is an orphan"

The dog show people being dogs

Goofy literally begging

Pixar ball

Mickey unleashing his inner dog

An Extremely Goofy Movie

Calling out all the characters from the previous movie as they show up

The fact that Pete is celebrating his own son leaving💀

How is Goofy single?

Goofy having major rizz (this point comes up quite a bit during the movie, and for good reason)

Max’s character development from A Goofy Movie being undone

Sad Goofy☹️

HDL mention!

Bradley Uppercrust III

@kaitosduckmania: “god this shit is so pretentious LMAO”

Will: “I want this review on the back of the DVD”

Max/Roxanne vs. Max/Bradley on Tumblr

Beret Girl!

Puffy: “you know who ELSE is called tank”

Violet: “MY MOM”

Puffy: “they’re snapping at us…MENACINGLY”

Bradley having the same VA as Johnny Bravo (also, The Man with the Yellow Hat)

Max’s horrified face when he sees that he and his dad are in the same class

Bobby wearing pink panties/briefs

Hidden Mickey

Goofy’s mispronunciation of the word “trigonometry”

Puffy: “the WHAT decimal system”

Sylvia being adorable

Goofy does a Donald-esque voice

Kai: “WHAT THE FUCK GOOFY YOU CAN MAKE THAT VOICE?”

Will: “Max’s whole character is that he doesn’t want to be like Goofy but like he is so much like his father that he doesn’t even know it”

More cheese pull (pizza in the last movie, nachos in this one)

BONGO MUSIC

PJ has rizz, too

Goofy and Sylvia dancing to Shake Your Groove Thing

Papa Dog

Us dumping on the inherent cult-like nature of fraternities, sororities, and the National Honor Society

The German judge low-balling everyone

Dreamy: “Is this the olympics all again”

Puffy: “this is MY olympics”

Max shooting down Goofy in the worst way possible

Goofy’s weed/acid trip dream (plus the Goofy holler!)

More Goofy sadness

Meta humor about almost everyone wearing gloves

Missy betraying Daisy with Sylvia

CHEATING!!!!!

PJ flying off

Dreamy: “He went to visit Della”

“Mud! My only weakness!”

Will mentioning that the scene with the X crashing down was removed from the broadcast version of the movie after 9/11 (which we completely understand, because holy shit)

Also, sort of a Hindenburg reference

Goofy graduating! (And then telling Max he was getting a job at the school)

Sylvia having the same VA as Emma Glamour

Spam floating the idea of Max vs. Gosalyn for the X Games

Disco end credits!

Also, that was a goofy movie. Extremely, even.

[fancoloredglasses]

Captain America (Could you stop the film, please? I think I'm going to be sick), part 1

(Thanks to Chas Blankenship)

[All images are owned by Marvel Disney and 21st Century Films MGM. Please don’t sue me]

Oh gods…where to start…

First off, I had previously reviewed a pre-MCU interpretation of Captain America. This film, made over a decade later, was supposed to be a theatrical release in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the character. Unfortunately, it missed the anniversary by a year…as a direct-to-DVD release (mainly due to reviews being savage). I’ll get to the bad acting and poor writing choices lates, but I want to address on HORRIBLE costuming choice first…

CAPTAIN AMERICA’S COWL HAS RUBBER EARS!

WHY?!?!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…

One of the first issues with the film is casting an inexperienced actor in the title role:

Matt Salinger, son of Catcher In The Rye author JD Salinger. Now, I’m not saying nepotism was involved, but…

Salinger looked the part but lacked the ability to pull off being the center of attention. The writing certainly didn’t help matters either.

Of course, you can’t have a Captain America film without the Red Skull. However, in this film he is not Johann Schmidt, Nazi (and VERY German) zealot who volunteered for the procedure that transformed him. Instead, he is Tadzio de Santis, an Italian boy who was kidnapped after his family was slaughtered by Mussolini’s forces, then subjected to the procedure and brainwashed.

There are one or two names worth mentioning in the cast (neither of the main characters are) that I’ll cover when they’re introduced, but now…on with the show.

If you would like to watch the film, it’s available out YouTube or behind your favorite paywall.

We open in Italy in 1936, 3 years before the start of WW2 (for those who didn’t pay attention in history class) where a young boy is doing a piano recital (with a tape machine recoding it for posterity) in his home when Italian troops break through the window and enter (wouldn’t the front door be easier since you’re destroying property anyway?)  The father objects and is gunned down for his trouble. Mussolini then orders the boy to be taken as his troops slaughter the rest of the family while they make him watch.. Why this particular boy?

Oh sure, that makes sense. Take a prodigy against his will and kill his family. I’m sure he’ll be totally cooperative after that! Besides, the kid is what, thirteen at most? Surely there are genius adults they could recruit, or maybe Mussolini could’ve just appealed to the family’s sense of patriotism and asked for the boy for the good of the country.

 We then switch to an Italian fortress where we have an Italian officer showing a bunch of German officers a film of a rat for some reason, then reveals…

…and this is a good thing???

The Italian claims the rat is much stronger and more intelligent (yeah, but good luck getting it a date in Saturday night!)

We are then introduced to Dr. Vaselli, who created the process (as opposed to Dr. Erskine in the comics, since he’s German and the producers wanted to do this in Italy for some reason), who is appalled that the military is using her process on the bot (you mean she’d be less appalled if they used it on an adult?) so they have her restrained, but she breaks free and flees.

We then fast forward to 1943 (three years after Cap’s comic debut? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to kidnap an older lad and have this be 1940?)

President Roosevelt is being briefed on Project Rebirth, which is Dr. Veselli’s research now in the hands of the Americans.

The President is told that the first volunteer (at least he wasn’t kidnapped?) as a man named Steve Rogers. Should the test be successful, many more will follow.

Out in California (wait, isn’t Steve from Brooklyn? Can’t the writers get ANY details right?) Steve gives a tearful goodbye to his friends and family before Uncle Sam comes to retrieve him.

Steve is then whisked away to a secret lab, where Steve is pumped full of whatever Vaselli’s formula is and electricity until……

(Thanks to Video Club Random)

[QUICK NOTE: Lt. Fleming is played by Bill Mumy, who played Will Robinson on Lost In Space and Lennier on Babylon 5)

With Vaselli dead, Steve Rogers (Code Name: Captain America) is the first and last of America’s super soldiers. Unfortunately, he was critically injured from his gunshot wounds. Col. Louis (Played by Michael Nouri, who played the Love Interest in Flashdance) tells the doctor to patch him up quick because the Axis has a rocket capable of targeting anywhere in the world, including onto US soil, within a week. So no pressure or anything.

As the doctor leaves, Steve forces himself up and wants to know where he’s going in order to stop that rocket.

Within hours, they’re on a plane.

…with Captain America trying out his new fireproof outfit (with his new shield) Once over the area the launch site is supposed to be hidden, Cap parachutes down.

(Thanks to TheMovieDump)

As the rocket speeds toward Washington…

(Thanks again to Video Club Random)

(The boy’s name is Tom Kimball, whose family happened to be visiting Washington. You’ll be hearing about him again in about 50 years)

Later, in Alaska…

…the rocket crashes, but somehow doesn’t explode. Instead, it buries itself in the ice.

Later, when the Kimballs go home to Ohio, young Tom tells the story about the rocket to his best friend, Sam Kolawetz.

Eventually, the war ended and time marched on until 1993 (3 years after this movie was made; again, why not set he WW2 bit in 1940, then have the present be 1990 (which would be Cap's 50th anniversary)) where young Tom Kimball has grown up to become President Thomas Kimball (Played by Ronny Cox, who was Lt. Bogomil in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise and Dick Jones in RoboCop)

He is preparing to travel to Rome for an environmental summit (considering we’re STILL trying to fight climate change, you can guess how successful it will be)

Before he leaves, Kimball meets with General Fleming (who is NOT played by Bill Mumy, but Darren McGevin (who voiced the crime lord Tony Dracon on Gargoyles)), who seems to give Kimball a veiled threat to cancel the summit.

Let’s switch to Italy and a familiar stronghold we last saw 50 years ago.

…where the Red Skull isn’t so red or skull-y anymore (and is sporting a shiny new prosthetic hand so the actor doesn’t have to pretend he doesn’t have one) Skull is holding a summit of his own to oppose Kimball’s environmental agenda. His compatriots want to kill Kimball, but Skull suggest a brain implant to control him instead.

Meanwhile in Alaska, a group of explorers discover.…

OK, if Cap was THAT close to the surface, then there’s no way (a) he’d be frozen enough for suspended animation and (2) it would’ve taken 50 years to discover him!

The explorers cut through the ice and bring the block of Cap-sicle to their base camp. Suddenly the block shatters and…

…Captain America is alive, well, and very fucking confused. He walks out of the tent into the cold (is he trying to become an ice cube again?)

Later, at the White House, Kimball is reading the morning paper…

Kimball pulls out the photo he took of the man on the rocket from 50 years ago to discover it’s the same person (or at least the same outfit) He then calls Sam Kolawetz (now a reporter for the Washington Dispatch…

...played by Ned Beatty, best known for being Lex Luthor’s flunky in Superman and getting sodomized in Deliverance) Sam (because Kolawetz is too hard to consistently spell) starts going on about the legend of the Red Skull and the man in the ice could be a link to the Skull.

Meanwhile in Rome, Skull is making plans for Kimball’s visit. He wants to know where Kimball will be at all times and any dirt his people can dig up on his Secret Service agents. Then he gets the morning paper and sees…

He then tasks his daughter Valentina (wait, you mean someone had a kid with him? Well, that would explain the change in his appearance) to deal with the good Captain.

Later, in the Great White North (What? You can’t expect Cap to get from Alaska to the Lower 48 without going through Canada!) Cap is wandering aimlessly when helicopters (led by Valentina) approach and Sam is driving toward his location. Cap ducks into the woods, so Valentina has the choppers land and she and a couple of goons give chase on motorcycles they just happened to have aboard (why? Couldn’t the choppers be armed and shoot at Cap from the air?) Cap manages to somehow lose all of the goons except Valentina.

(Thanks to Tales From SYL Ranch DARKROOM)

Cute, but there’s no way in hell anyone else would be dumb enough to fall for that.

To be fair to Cap, just a day ago by his reckoning he was in a war against the Germans and the Japanese.

As Cap drives away, he thumbs through Sam’s notebook (after all, he was frozen before it was ill advised to drive while distracted), checking a map to discover he’s in Canada, and drives until he’s out of gas.

Packing up the notebook and disguising himself (good thing Sam had an overcoat that just happened to be Steve's size) he hikes until nightfall, where he finds a truck stop and a trailer that the driver apparently forgot to lock.

…falling asleep next to the Champaign of Canadian Beers as the truck drives through the night, eventually ending up in Steve Rogers’s hometown.

…eventually realizing this isn’t 1943. He finds his girlfriend’s (Bernice) home, but when he approaches the owner (who looks a lot like her)…

She then calls for her mother to call the cops, but…

…her mother’s his old flame (emphasis on old, since it’s been 50 years) and reality finally sets in.

Meanwhile in Italy, Valentina reports failure, but somehow she bugged Sam.

However, all the Skull can think about is her inability to kill Captain America (he shouldn’t be so hard on her. After all, he couldn’t do it either) and sends her away.

Back in Washington, Sam is tracking down the origins of Captain America.

Wait, if that file is Top Secret, how the hell did he get his hands on it?

Sam goes through the file and finds the hometown of Steve Rogers. He immediately calls President Kimball (remember him?) to give him the news (Wouldn’t Kimball have security clearance for that file, being the President and all?)

So naturally, Valentina now has the information and can improve her father’s opinion of her.

Back in California, Bernice' daughter daughter (Sharon) is letting Steve crash until he gets himself caught up. While at Bernice’s place…

…Sam has shown up looking for Steve Rogers. Suddenly he’s shot from behind (nice to see Ned Beatty continues to be cast as the guy who gets shit on)…

…as Valentina storms in looking for Captain America!

At Sharon’s place, Steve is caught up and realizes Sam was telling the truth, and that the Red Skull is still alive. He remembers Vaselli kept a diary that might have Skull’s actual name. Then the phone ring.

We then shift to outside Bernice’s home, where the occupants are being loaded into emergency vehicles and the place has been cordoned off as a crime scene! Sharon’s father is alive despite being shot, but Sam and Bernice…

…refused to talk and paid the price!

The next morning at the hospital, Sharon sits with her father and turns on the TV to comfort him when a Special Report airs.

Well, THAT can’t be good!

Looks like Captain America is taking a trip to Rome (where Kimball was abducted), but first Steve needs Veselli’s diary. Sharon takes Steve to the diner where the lab was hidden. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been converted into a Denny’s yet. Steve goes to the spot where the secret door should be, only it’s a ladies room now.

As management calls the cops, Valentina and her goons arrive at the diner (how did Steve not know he was being tailed?) Steve then finds a space between studs and punches a hole through the drywall to find the secret door into the remains of the lab.

Steve finds the diary as Valentina’s goons arrive at the diner, guns waving. Steve and Sharon hide as Valentina enters the lab. They manage to sneak out while Valentina’s back is turned, but…

What? You didn’t think Valentina would plan for that? Steve uses the darkness to play cat-and-mouse with the goons, making short work of them. They then leave before the cops arrive. Sharon goes through the diary (so she can read Italian?) and while it doesn’t give the Red Skull’s name, it does give the town where he’s from.

So…trip to Italy?

CAN Captain America save the President?

WILL Steve and Sharon become An Item?

WHO the hell thought ANY of this was a good idea?

These questions and more will be answered in the exciting conclusion!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, October 13th

Coach Marin: (faces her) After the fall of the Soviet Union, documents came into light detailing experiments with fish DNA on their Olympic swimmers. Tarpon... mako, shark... But they couldn't crack it. Buffy: And you did... sort of. Why? Coach Marin: What kind of question is that? For the win! To make my team the best they could be! Do you understand we have a shot at the state championship?

~~Go Fish~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Pricey Business by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Self-Love by Val_Creative (Buffy/Buffybot, T)

Full of Memory by unendingwanderlust (Buffy/Giles, Explicit)

I might run out of time by latinadoll (maxfenig) (Buffy/Spike, Explicit)

The Edwardian Cult by LaFoiAveugle (Faith, T)

Poultry by Sdhuskerfan (Buffy/Giles, M)

Irony by KaibaSlaveGirl34 (Marcie/OC, T)

Memo: Buffy, vampire Slayer Re: My death, you by KaibaSlaveGirl34 (Mayor Richard Wilkins, Buffy/Angel, T)

Moving On by esskay123 (Angel/Spike, T)

An Issue of Betrayal by satinsafe (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Who's the Big Bad? by Holly (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Pricey Business by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Lawfully Wedded - Chapter 1 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, T)

Life's a show, and we all play a part ... - Chapter 1-3 (COMPLETE!) by MCorey1317 (Buffy/Angel, T)

The Dysfunctional Family Reunion - Chapter 1 by Sterek16_2003 (crossover with Bones and Teen Wolf, Buffy/Spike, Willow/Faith, Connor, Illyria, Gunn, Cordelia, M)

Vengeance, Chapter 1-10 (COMPLETE!) by Belladamon29 (Buffy/Angel, Explicit)

Soul Mate Magic - Chapter Twelve by emma-m-black (Giles/OC, 18+)

Leaving the Dead Man's Party, Ch. 2 by rkm (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2] Ch. 56 by Ragini (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Little Light, Ch. 12 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Love Letters You Never Sent Me, Ch. 3 by Spikelover4ever (Buffy/Spike, R)

Unholy Matrimony, Ch. 13 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Be Back Before Dawn, Ch. 7 by Blissymbolics (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Science of Being Yours, Ch. 3 by Maxine Eden, ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Breaking Point, Ch. 2 by though_you_try (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

reciprocity, Ch. 3 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

There's A Crack In Every Wall, Ch. 1-7 (COMPLETE!) by bunniesarebad (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

From trash to treasure, Ch. 1 by Sweetbutnutty (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Son of a trickster... or huckster... 6 by CrazyDan (Xander, FR18)

Hellmouth Munchkins: A Slayer's Story, Ch. 6 by JoshuAB (crossover with Munchkins and Superman, Buffy, Xander, Willow, FR15)

Everything Has Changed, Ch. 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by acekoomboom (Buffy/Spike, PG)

I Do! Ch. 38 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Meme: the buffy-cordy dichotomy by shkspr (worksafe)

Manip: A song for a love that shouldn’t have been by spyder-baby (William Pratt/Drusilla, worksafe)

Some quick sketches for Faith Lehane day by aa-arttss (Faith, Buffy/Faith, worksafe)

A fanvid set to Dean's song "DIE 4 YOU" by bananabeans88 (Buffy/Spike)

A Buffy/Giles manip by thecrazyknight (worksafe)

Collage #199 LANY - ILYSB by thedecadentraven (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Collage #201 by thedecadentraven (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Prophecy Girl banner by RachM (Buffy, worksafe)

A digital drawing by R383CCA (Buffy, Spike, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

BtVS Season 03 Episode 05 “Homecoming” is iconic for... by freackthejester

So I never completed my Buffy dvd collection growing up… by eto-bee

Angel Rewatch as an Adult: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been by wizard_of_ahj

Favorite guest star on Buffy by Fatbunnyfoofoo

New Moon Rising by Buffy the Vampire Straya

[Recs & In Search Of]

✨ Spuffy Fic Recs — September by veronyxk84

What alternate Buffy do you want Faith to meet? [some Buffy/Faith fic recs in the replies] by juanabaloo

I wanted the Spuffy scene in Spike’s crypt in 6x03 to be longer [and a related rec request] by thequeenofsastiel

404-na is looking for advice while watching (how to do a more in depth watch and get the most out of it)

OtherwiseFortune4 seeks fic recs where either Faith or Buffy loses their powers

[Community Announcements]

Fanged Four Family Bingo 2024 Roundup

[Fandom Discussions]

Poll [closed]: There are 4 categories of railroad spikes, which one would Spike BTVS use as a nickname for his penis? by aphony-cree

Re: Saw your post about the SA only making Spike the focus, and I agree... [anti-Spike, anti-Spuffy] by becomingpart2

xander is NOT riley’s number one fan by camellcat

do you guys think spike would want to take buffy's name if they ever got married? by camellcat, aphony-cree, girl4music

y'all ever think how the thesis of buffy at the end... by recallthename

i keep getting tripped up by how strangely woke angel the series is (this whole show is trans coded) by notdamien

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 1950s Super Panavision 70 [discussion of a trend in AI-generated videos] by NileQT87

Mine is better.... [Spike and Cordelia have an argument about whose soul is better] by GoSpuffy

Jasmine vs the First by DonutDaniel

Angel season 4 borrowed ideas by anthonycaruana

What's your take on Gunn? by enrichyournerdpower

Which villains have kind of weird goals? by purplemackem

Parents on the Hellmouth by Lady_Alisandre1066

What do you think of the Slayer bonding between Buffy and Kendra? by jdpm1991

‘Forever’ and season 6 foreshadowing. by JarvisCockerBB

Spike and Buffy were linked from the start by mavelits

Was Pylea’s lack of music a way to keep Sweet banished? by AnAngryPlatypus

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

James Marsters & Emma Caulfield Comic Con Holland 2024 Reports, Pics & Videos via dontkillspike

Video from Comic Con Holland Amsterdam (includes cosplayers) by James Marsters - The Official Page

James Marsters' next scheduled con appearance is Winnipeg Comiccon 25-27 October via jamie_marsters

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[penguinkyun]

chapter 155 review

cw for references to canonical unrequited incest and suicidal ideation

i wish there were enough words in all the four languages that i know to express just how much glee this chapter filled me with

but since there aren't y'all are going to have to deal with this hopefully coherent chapter review

first things first is the hikaru (part of the) revenge is over!! leaving him absolutely emotionally devastated! and also leaving me devastated because i was kinda hoping we'd finally address the AqRb Kiss from 12 chapters ago because of the very clear parallels being drawn between aqrb and hkai in terms of the toxic codependency formed between ruby-hikaru and aqua-ai respectively and the way ruby was standing outside with a dark shadow on her face (because we had no idea if she knew where the revenge was happening yet or not) but oh well. guess she does know whats happening but when she found out? who even knows. another thing offscreened sigh

also uh. about the "mama" in the internal narration. i really wish i could confidently say its aqua finally calling ai "mama" but unfortunately both aqua and ruby are in frame, ruby notably being under the text box. (also if anyone else was as confused as i was about the panelling in the beginning, ruby is already present inside the room and is following hikaru out when aqua stops her)

so it's still unclear whether its aqua speaking or ruby so i'll hold off on cheering there (and also imo that if aqua does finally call ai mama i just think it deserves to be bigger moment)

anyways this particular sequence (and the one with ichigo) raises several interesting questions which is how the fucketh did ruby know about where this retelling of the hkai breakup was taking place and also does not answer anything about rubys acting.

by that, i mean we've been told ruby somehow forgave hikaru in the movie but uh...her trying to chase after him with double black hoshigans doesnt exactly convey that she's forgiven him (and neither does her acting considering we don't see any of it. all we see is ruby thinking about if she can forgive hikaru or not in 147 and then all thats shown is her acting out ai's death without a smile on her face (unlike how ai was smiling at the end of her life. so unless that particular tidbit is being saved for later chapters who knows even)

in that same vein it sure is interesting aqua says "your revenge" is over. wonder if that has any implications (it definitely does and i will get to that in a minute)

so with aqua framing the DVD reveal as ruby's revenge being complete, its no surprise that the next few moments are ruby's homecoming.

HEY MIYAKO I THOUGHT AKASAKA FORGOT YOU

god this scene was so so cathartic to read with rubys hoshigans turning to permanent white with her homecoming from her revenge, miyako embracing both the twins and aqua finally getting to break down.

and the parallels with 124 too! in that chapter, miyako was worrying over the twins while a meal was being cooked for her, lamenting that she couldn't understand them as she wasn't their real mother but in 155, she finally gets to embrace them after making a meal for them, getting to finally comfort them in a tangible way

HER CALLING AQUA HER SON!!! FINALLY!!! SHE GETS TO DO THIS!! SHE GETS TO SAY SHES PROUD OF HIM!!! AQUA FINALLY ACCEPTING THE COMFORT HES BEEN DENYING HIMSELF FOR LITERAL YEARS!! BREAKING DOWN AT BEING TOLD HIS MOTHER IS PROUD OF HIM!!!

ahem. right so that felt incredibly good to read thank you akamengo.

(i will say that there is still that niggling thought of like. why miyako didn't follow up after being told point blank that aqua was breaking down and like. i guess you could say she knew he wouldnt accept that comfort and thus opted to wait until he would but it'd still have been nice to see a panel of her at least checking up on him because the only thing we get is her bullshit answer in 142 regarding the incest bait lol and then she just disappears from the movie arc entirely)

anyways im of two minds regarding the ichigo conversation

because if we assume aqua isnt lying here then i dont...really like the implication aqua only chose to not kill kamiki because ruby forgave him (not only because ruby clearly didnt considering her actions earlier lol) but because as a major part of his arc, aqua choosing not to kill kamiki has to be his and his own conscious choice because its been emphasised over and over that aqua cannot kill someone without causing severe psychological and physical damage to himself leading to his own death. him choosing not to kill kamiki is his choosing not to kill himself in the process and thus him consciously choosing that he wants to live.

but i think (and my theory is) that aqua was clearly lying to ichigo here because he's the one to stop ruby from going after hikaru and also because he told ruby her revenge was over. hers, not his. for ruby, her revenge consisted of ruining kamiki and the same went for ichigo. you can see his moment of deliberation here, where he pauses before answering ichigo, without meeting his eyes.

this way, in saying that rubys revenge is over, he has set it up so that both her and ichigo are now free from their self imposed duty of avenging ai (and goro for ruby), essentially giving them the same grace he had during his no hoshigan arc without letting them in on the final act of his play.

WHICH IS MISS FUYUKO NIINO, EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR HER!!

(sidenote its so funny that aqakn are both back into their love now hairstyles. and also akane saying she doesnt have to imitate ai is a textual confirmation of her purposely changing her looks to match who she wants to be like. but as is with the case of this entire arc i sure would've loved to see the character development that led her to finally letting go of ai here!)

(also justice for katayose yura finally shes mentioned again after *checks notes* around 45 chapters!)

(this is the third sidenote i should plan these out better but lmao is this what akane and aqua were doing during the movie arc?? searching for other evidence to hikaru and accidentally stumbling on nino?? itd be hilarious if the only reason nino noticed akanes stalking was because it wasn't hikaru she was stalking but nino instead lmao)

i cannot tell you the sheer delight that filled me when nino appeared. i had been wondering of her role in all this and i had the tentative theory she was also involved in the events leading to ai's death especially considering the hospital sequence because how the fuck would either ryousuke or hikaru gotten that address but man it sure is validating to see that she was somehow involved confirmed!

toxic yuri wins once again!

(that being said, as happy as i am to see nino as the final boss, i will be holding back some of my delight because how her involvement unfolds is important considering how her and ai's fight is framed as an ordinary fight between friends that would've been solved if it was anyone else in the main manga and her character in main manga.

but i suppose that is the point isn't it? love can rot and nino's certainly did, evolving into a complicated mixture of hate, love and unwavering belief in ai as the perfect idol. and well. all a fan wants is to see and help their idol rise to the top, isn't it? why should nino be any different?)

(but also yeah i have a few issues with this im not sure how to put into words ahsjd)

also please read 45510 its very important as a basis for ninos character and this twist as it is a short side story which is in her first person narration discussing her view on ai right before the movie arc!

(also def interesting aqua only attributes ryousukes, goros and yuras deaths to nino and not ai's huh)

no break week!!!

[period-dramallama]

What's your opinion on The White Queen and the other shows in the PGCU?

*stares out of the window, eyes full of memories* The White Queen… now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time…

Ah, 2013. Springtime. I was excited for the White Queen to air through the Beeb. Since 2011 I had devoured the first four books of PG’s Cousins’ War series: The White Queen (loved it) The Red Queen (loved it even more) The Lady of the Rivers (you mean best girl Jacquetta gets her own book? RESULT!) The Kingmaker’s Daughter (whaaaat the story is completely different from another person’s POV? MIND BLOWN!)

Yes, people don’t like the role of witchcraft in the story, but I didn’t mind it at all. It made sense to me that women might practice white magic, because medieval people really did believe magic could work. And if the Tudors felt special by claiming descent from King Arthur, it made sense that descent from Melusine would feel special to Elizabeth Woodville and her family. After all, as far as back Julius Caesar people were claiming descent from heroes gods and mythological figures. And yes, it’s a cliché to have your Empowered Woman practice herbology or witchcraft etc Divine Feminine etc, but Margaret Beaufort was a HBIC while explicitly rejecting magic, and the same goes for Anne Neville.

The tabloids were already grumbling about how the show filmed in Belgium because the medieval architecture there was less intruded-upon. Then the first episodes aired and the tabloids were grumbling about zippers, straight teeth, concrete steps, guttering, handrails, Rebecca Ferguson’s accent. ‘It’s not as good as Game of Thrones’. What was this show, ‘Game of Thrones’? I felt rather envious/jealous. I wanted my show to be good. I wanted my show to get good reviews and have people enthused about it and be genuinely objectively well-made. Now I’ve moved beyond this attitude; and if a show is better than ‘my’ show I don’t resent it because there’s nothing to stop me enjoying the better show too.

(….mostly moved beyond this attitude).  

Funnily enough it was because of the White Queen that I landed upon this strangely-formatted website called ‘tumbler’. Sorry, ‘tumblr’.

Ah, the cast! I wouldn’t change a single person. Janet McTeer! James Frain! David Oakes! Rupert Graves! Amanda Hale! Veerle Baetens! Eleanor Tomlinson! Faye Marsay! Aneurin Barnard as Richard the Frodo!

Also, Leo Bill as Reginald Bray, he was great! I remember at the time saying that Reggie B and Maggie B should have their own sitcom spinoff called Saints’ Knees.

Episodes 6 and 7 were my favourite because I was a big Richard/Anne shipper. Even the reviewers came around to the show with episode 9 ‘the Princes in the Tower’.

And then the finale….how I hated it. Bosworth FIELD in a wood?? In winter?? Bullshit! Torpedoing the Richard/Anne ship with INCEST? UGH.

I particularly hated the last scene because it was such a damp squib. The show should have ended on a high note, with Margaret’s triumph, with her dream coming true, with her sheer relief that her only son has gambled his life and won. With mother and son gloriously reunited. But no, it ended with Elizabeth of York, the least interesting character in the whole show. SNORE.  I have the White Queen on DVD but idk if I’ll ever rewatch it.

Then the book The White Princess came out and W-T-F? I loved the first 4 books but the 5th book was a SLOG to get through. What was PGregs thinking?? This wasn’t Henry VII. This wasn’t Elizabeth of York. This wasn’t the Margaret of the Red Queen, with her flaws, her loves, her fears, her strength, her dreams, her humanity. I finished the White Princess but I only got through 2-5 pages of The King’s Curse before I gave up, suspecting that the book would be another 500 pages of whining about the Tudors and nothing else. Yes, it’s unfair to call Margaret Pole whiny as she had legit reasons to be unhappy, but it felt whiny.

Years passed. Empires rose and fell. Ironically, I got into Game of Thrones and read all the books. Then 2015 arrived and I watched the first episode of series 5, realised they made a huge mistake killing off a certain major character, and I was right because it was DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY.

2017. I didn’t watch the White Princess but I followed the Discourse, especially the excellent analysis by MelinaPendulum (now Princess Weekes). In theory, the show should be right up my street. A vengeful princess in love with her shady king uncle? Her shady king uncle is killed in battle and she must marry the conqueror? Vengeful princess vows to be ‘hidden and patient’? It’s enemies to lovers? The conqueror reveals hidden vulnerabilities? She realises she wants her son to be king after his father? She’s torn between her ambition, her mother’s ambition, her brother’s ambition, and her burgeoning desire for her husband, a sexy mop? She destroys her brother, the Rightful King ™? She executes her brother, just as her father executed his own brother? She finds her own power but loses a tiny and precious part of her soul in the process? SIGN ME UP.

The show should have been historically inspired fantasy. Just change the names! The costumes were more fairytale than medieval anyway! Change Richard III to Gorlois, Elizabeth to Igraine, Henry VII to Uther Pendragon.

I loved the posters for The Spanish Princess series 1 but I had no reason to watch it.

And then… The Spanish Princess series 2. What an event that show was! We didn’t know what Fraham would give us each week but we knew it would be illogical, hilarious, terrible, TASTELESS. Reading everyone’s reviews and liveblogs each week, the endless meme potential, the consensus that the show was utter shlock, so lowbrow that it made The Tudors look like Breaking Bad in comparison. The show was so stupid that it was almost beneath contempt. And there were unironically good things about it: Georgie Henley and Sai Bennett acted their socks off and I wish them all the best, I hope they get good parts in better shows. Their characters were genuinely interesting and engaging: fun, sassy, flawed. Me gusta. Maggie Pole, Lina, Oviedo… sympathetic characters with little to do, but it was nice seeing POC and ‘middle aged’ women and I wish they were the protagonists instead of poor Charlotte Hope desperately struggling to speak Spanishly. (Ruairi O’Connor also tried hard, he just wasn’t well-cast or well-written.) In a way, maybe it was more fun than Becoming Elizabeth because at least there was no wasted potential and no frustrated expectations: we expected shlock, we got shlock. The show wasn’t good but the community around the show livened up the end of a….not terrible but definitely WEIRD year of my life.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (June 18-24, 2023)

The big news of the week, of course, was Netflix finally releasing Skull Island, the first new Monsterverse story in over two years. It's a surprisingly standalone piece, with no Monarch and minimal references to Kong: Skull Island, and going off his Twitter, creator Brian Duffield largely prefers to let the work speak for itself. I have quibbles with some of the creature designs—not enough florafauna!—and the characters can be too flippant about their life-threatening circumstances, but overall I had a good time. Annie's a great character—think Saeko from Son of Godzilla as a bloodthirsty teenager—and the obligatory Titan nemesis is a cut above most of the Monsterverse's original creatures.

As for its future, Season 2 is already written and recorded, but won't happen unless Netflix sees big enough viewing numbers for Season 1. I'm frustrated by that, especially given how many loose ends the season finale had, but it's pretty typical stuff from the company.

Dismal news about the American Shin Ultraman Blu-ray/DVD from Cleopatra Entertainment: they didn't bother to include translations for the ample on-screen Japanese text. That was enough for me to cancel my preorder; I tend to be pretty tolerant of the various unforced errors by the companies releasing this stuff, but that level of laziness (the translations already exist!) just renders the discs pointless in my eyes.

Toho is crowdfunding another Showa suit replica for a character's 50th anniversary this year... Jet Jaguar! If successful (or semi-successful, like last year's Gigan campaign), it'll feature in a new short film to premiere on November 3, as has been tradition since 2020. Interesting that they went for Jet Jaguar over Megalon; I suppose he'd be cheaper to produce, and the largest film studio in Japan seems hellbent on hamstringing these wonderful little shorts.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1 is out. Hard to judge it so far as it's mostly setup.

In other news related to Godzilla vs. Megalon's 50th, Bandai will release a Movie Monster Series figure of the 1973 Godzilla (MegaroGoji) on July 28 as a Godzilla Store exclusive. Pretty big news, as they've only released figures of the tweaked '74 and '75 suits previously, and those were back in 2003 and 2004, respectively. NECA didn't get to this one either.

[save-the-data]

Just read a review that I typed about Murakami-kun way back during his debut, where I said his style is effortless and laidback like father like son. Still believe that 100%.  Now thinking I might GIF some older movies and series, maybe Tenshi no Naifu and Aogeba Toutoshi, cause both those had a very good male young cast. Also need to watch The Gun and Soiree, the DVDs are just in the stock pile in the lounge room. 

[ecargmura]

The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons Episode 3 Review - Gakuto's Worries

Since Gakuto was absent from the previous episode, this episode makes up for it by being the entire focus. We learn about what worries the young Gakuto, how he overcame it, and lives every day peacefully now.

Gakuto is very precocious. He is currently six years old and he was four in the flashback. He’s rather well-spoken for his young age and even plays shogi with an elderly man. As we can see from the first episode and this one, he holds back from what he wants a lot. He has a hard time voicing out what it is he truly wants because he feels as it will burden Hayato for the eldest already does so much for the younger ones. He even has a desire to want to be older so that Hayato can rely on him like he does with Mikoto. This episode shows that it’s okay for Gakuto to voice out his thoughts thanks to Kojiro’s advice, but also that he should still enjoy his youth while he still can. I feel like Gakuto grew up too fast because no kids around Gakuto’s age should think about these things. He feels completely different from how Minato was at that age as shown in the previous episode; if anything, his personality feels a bit similar to Mikoto’s. Though, given Gakuto’s way of talking and such, I wonder if he was born more intelligent than his peers. He does feel as if he has the qualms to become a child prodigy.

The standout character for this episode is Kojiro. Kojiro is Uta and Waka’s grandfather and Gakuto’s first friend before he met Waka. I think the best aspect about Kojiro as a character is the fact that he treats Gakuto as an equal and not as an inferior. Like how Gakuto recalled how adults never introduced themselves after he did, Kojiro never did that and he even gave him his name after Gakuto did. Kojiro bought children’s educational shows on DVDs, but Gakuto was more interested in the period drama for adults; he even apologized for assuming that Gakuto would like the educational shows because they were for kids. I love how both learn to overcome their bad habits as they befriend each other. Despite Kojiro’s awkwardness around others, he truly wants to be of help. I really like his respectful demeanor. I also find it cute that he and Gakuto have so much in common despite the generation difference.

Hayato’s really the best brother to the point that he’s giving the other anime onii-chans a run for their money. He was only a college student when his parents died, yet he declared to his relatives that he’d take care of all three of his younger brothers and that none of them will be separated from him. It also shows that, while extremely kind and selfless for his brothers, he is still far from perfect. He overexerts himself to pick up Gakuto from kindergarten every day and that he is constantly tired because of this—he even fell asleep after eating lunch one day and he woke up way past the usual time, which freaked him out and yelled out Gakuto’s name in panic. In fact, Hayato’s major flaw is shown here: he’s unable to rely on others. Later in this episode, it is revealed that this bad habit stems from a negative thought and belief that if he asks for help, it means that he’s incapable of taking care of his brothers. Seeing how Gakuto finally voiced out that he wanted to stay at Kojiro’s house after school and how that eases Hayato a bit after asking Kojiro if he could still accept his offer was definitely a lesson learned for Hayato.

What I like about this anime is that they like to use childish drawings to describe things. Like in this episode, there was a hilarious drawing of a mean and scary looking Kojiro that Minato is running away from. I think this represents the childish mindset of the characters like how the childish scribbles from the last episode symbolized baby Mikoto’s mindset. Since Minato was 10 years old during the flashback, it makes sense that his drawing feels very childish and over exaggerated that befits the childlike mindset.

The first episode focused on Minato and his desire to be relied upon by Hayato; the second episode focused on Mikoto and how he dealt with the eleven-month age gap between him and Minato. This episode starred Gakuto and his worries. Since these episode focused on an introspective of each Yuzuki brother, I believe the last one will focus on the eldest Hayato. I do wonder what Hayato’s episode will be about. I can’t wait for next week! I really like seeing the Yuzuki family each Thursday. Before I go, I noticed that the ladybug and the beetle in the post-credits segment are voiced by the voice actors who voiced the Yuzuki parents. Think of that how you will. What about you? What are your thoughts about this episode?

[a34trgv2]

Why It Worked: The Pursuit of Happyness

Introduction: The Pursuit of Happyness is a biographical drama film produced by Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Overbrook Entertainment and Escape Artists, with distribution by Sony. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film stars Will Smith, his son Jaden, Thandiwe Newton, Brian Howe, Dan Castellaneta and Mark Christopher Lawrence as Chris Gardner, his son Christopher, Linda, Jay Twistle, Alan Frakesh and Wayne. Released on December 15, 2006 and received positive reviews from critics with most critics praising Will Smith's performance. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 67% out of 177 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The film was also a box office success, grossing $307.1 million on a budget of $55 million. I liked the film well enough when I first saw it as a teenager, but I appreciate it more so now as an adult. Now is the perfect time for sing this movie's praises and go into detail why this film is relevant now that I'm an adult.

The Plot: Based on the true story of Chris Gardner, the film follows him during the recession in 1980s San Francisco where he struggles to make ends meet while taking care of his son. Chris goes from being broke, to getting arrested for not paying parking tickets, losing a couple bone scanners he's trying to sell, having all his money seized by the IRS, and ending up homeless. All these struggles, plus his wife leaving him, would've made a lesser man give up. What makes the film engaging to watch, though, is that Chris NEVER gives up. Every time he's knocked down, he gets right back on his feet and does such a good job as an intern, he's ultimately hired as a full-time stock broker, making all his efforts worth it. In addition to having really strong writing, the film also has some pretty funny moments to balance out the hardship Chris goes through, such as Christopher's God will save me joke and Chris' joke during the interview. The film also has a very well made score by Andrea Guerra with soft piano cues and fitting song choices. Chris' journey wouldn't be fun to live through, but his optimism and the well earned happy ending makes it all worth sitting through.

Cast and Characters: Will Smith definitely earned his nomination for Best Actor for this film. He oozes with optimism, wit, and determination in every scene he's in. I also thought him and his son, Jaden, worked perfectly together. For his acting debut, Jaden nails the innocence and loyalty of Christopher and gives his father ample reason to keep trying. Thandiwe Newton also did a really good job playing Linda, making her sound rightfully frustrated and tired of Chris' failure to make decent income. I really like how kind and understanding Jay Twistle was and Brian Howe gave in a solid performance. Dan Castellaneta was really good as Alan Frakesh, making him sound very busy and authoritative. Walter Robbins was also a really nice man and Kurt Fuller gave in a really good performance. All the other actors did a good job in their respected roles, and I especially like the little cameo at the end of the real Chris Gardner passing Will and Jaden.

Where It Falters: Yikes! This is the only instant in the entire film in which Chris was NOT being a good father. I don't care who you are, where you're from or what your mental issue is: don't EVER tell your child to shut up! This leads to the child thinking they're an annoyance or a burden to their parent.

Conclusion: The Pursuit of Happyness is such an amazing film that I appreciate more as an adult. It has a really good script, well rounded characters, a heartfelt score and an Oscar worthy performance by Will Smith. If you haven't seen this film yet, definitely check it out on Netflix or buy the DVD on Amazon. Trust me, this film will be well worth your time.

[usergreenpixel]

JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 31: DANGEROUS EXILE (1957)

1. The Introduction

Hello, Citizens! Here I am, ready to commence our brand new meeting with a brand new review for everyone to (hopefully) enjoy!

So, “Dangerous Exile” is a swashbuckling Frev movie that is based on the alternative history premise: What if Louis 16th’s son (Louis 17th) survived Frev instead of meeting an untimely end in prison?

To be honest, I discovered the movie while scrolling through IMDb and got hooked on the premise since I have a soft spot for adventure stories. However, I ran into two problems.

Firstly, the movie was hard as fuck to find so I had to settle for a rather shitty Russian dub. Apparently the original English version does pop up on YouTube from time to time, but it’s mostly available on DVDs that have to be purchased. So yeah, not readily available at all and I couldn’t find the English version even on Russian sites…

Secondly, I know that the real Louis 17th was treated horribly in prison and, just to avoid royal family fans and anti Frev neighbors coming for my Montagnard ass, let me make something clear: While I’m not a fan of Louis 16th or Marie Antoinette as monarchs, I don’t think their children deserved to suffer and my admiration for Frev in general doesn’t automatically mean that I condone everything that was done by revolutionaries. Hopefully that’s out of the way now.

Anyway, this review is dedicated to @pobodleru , @lanterne , @anarchist-mariner and @revolutionfairies . Okay, now that I explained myself, we can officially proceed.

2. The Summary

Louis 17th gets rescued by a group of royalists and accidentally lands on an English island on a hot air balloon. There, in England, the boy is taken in by a woman called Virginia and her family.

However, royalists and jacobins alike are still looking for the boy to further their own agendas and will stop at nothing to find him.

To me this sounds like a cool premise, but let’s see if the execution is good.

3. The Story

It’s a pretty classic and formulaic swashbuckling movie and I happen to like those so I liked the story and was completely hooked. However, it’s definitely not for everyone and I wouldn’t recommend to look for something very original in the storyline.

While the premise spoils the twist on who the boy from the hot air balloon is, I did enjoy the way that mystery unfolded in the movie itself. It also has hints of my beloved “found family” trope as Virginia and Louis bond and he develops a precocious crush on her (innocent childlike crush) and they become close friends.

As usual, I didn’t care for the romantic subplot and I personally would prefer to cut out flashbacks and the nightmare sequences - “show, don’t tell” is a good thing, but it just doesn’t work this time and a bit of dialogue would replace it just fine. Who knows though, maybe the director needed to stretch out screen time. Maybe romance was there to stretch out screen time too…

Here’s something that surprised me though. The movie has nuanced characters on BOTH sides so we have sympathetic jacobins and asshole royalists AND vice versa. We even have an asshole IN THE ROYAL FAMILY itself! And FINALLY Robespierre isn’t the villain! Yay!

(Think what you want about the man, but having him as a villain is just fucking boring at this point.)

As a matter of fact, historical figures (except for the boy) don’t actually appear in the movie and the cast aside from the dauphin consists out of original characters only. A welcome break from the usual stuff we see, if you ask me!

4. The Characters

Louis is a sweetheart here. He’s understandably traumatized by his ordeal but he bonds with his found family (especially Virginia and her aunt) and, in spite of the wishes of the royalists, doesn’t want to be a king and take revenge. Honestly, I can’t blame him for not wanting to return to France.

Virginia is, surprisingly, not a flat character. She’s one of the few people who actually cares about what LOUIS wants and needs but she’s also in a difficult situation because the royalists and the jacobins are searching for the dauphin. Still, Virginia does her best to protect the boy from harm and stands up for him when royalists try to pressure him into becoming the next king of France.

Duke de Beauvais is… not an asshole, but I didn’t like him at all.

He will stop at nothing to help Louis become king and sacrifices HIS OWN SON for that cause (placing his son into the dauphin’s cell). He also seems to be really fanatical at times and doesn’t seem to actually consider what LOUIS wants.

I do understand that de Beauvais himself is in a difficult situation and he IS concerned about his kid, but I still have a feeling that sometimes he just goes a bit too far.

As for secondary characters, unfortunately most are flat but I liked Virginia’s aunt. She’s that one cool caring aunt who makes jokes and loves her family fiercely.

5. The Setting

It seems to me that the settings are more or less accurate, but accuracy isn’t the strongest point here. Not just because the movie is an AU, but also because of this:

Please, for the love of the Supreme Being, get your damn dates right! The monarchy got overthrown BEFORE the time you show!

(Editing Citizen Green Pixel (ECGP) here: Apparently this movie is an adaptation of a novel but I’ve no idea if this mistake is in the novel too or just in movie. The novel is called “A King Reluctant”.)

Other than that, though, the settings and the costumes are done quite well!

6. The Acting

Unfortunately, the absolutely atrocious dub prevented me from fully enjoying the acting but I think it was quite good.

7. The Music

Pretty good, but nothing outstanding, if I’m being honest.

8. The Conclusion

Honestly, this movie was packing quite a few pleasant surprises for me and I actually enjoyed it. Not my favorite and still doesn’t beat “The Black Tulip” when it comes to swashbuckling Frev movies, but still pretty good.

Please check out this movie if you like swashbuckling stories. It’s cheesy, somewhat predictable and cliché at times but it does have nuanced main characters, decent twists and an interesting premise.

On that note, I declare today’s meeting of Jacobin Fiction Convention to be over. Stay tuned for more updates, everyone!

Love,

- Citizen Green Pixel

[cerenemuxse]

So i finally watched the movie from the trailers that repeatedly played in Disney DVDs, Lady and the Tramp

Including its 2001 sequel, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, and its 2019 remake of the original 1955 film.

My very useless review of all three Lady and the Tramp movies because I said so

This one isn't going to be thorough because I suck at that. If you've read my BWBA Season 24 review, then expect that here-

Please make your own opinions. Don't be like me (way before this) and base yours off of everyone's else. That's why I put useless, because it is if you hadn't made your own.

I don't use streaming services. Never have, never will. Physical media is better anyways so hopefully I can get my hands on these someday.

Disclaimer: I love dogs. A lot. Probably some bias but that's how it goes lmao

Also sorry to anyone who's here for TTTE. There's steam engines in all three movies, being more prominent in the 2019 remake so I hope that helps. /j

I initially thought that the movie was about Lady being abandoned, with the Lady and Tramp plot line, based on the trailers I saw growing up as a kid. Well, I wasn't too far off.

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

Jim-dear and Darling spoiling Lady at the start is so sweet. The introduction is just *mwa* chef's kiss! But it also provides context as to why Lady was in such a poor mood.

There's two layers of how the story is being handled when it comes to scene where Tramp and Lady get into an argument after Lady is brought home from the dog pound. And this has to do with how one is able to understand it and the time the story takes place.

Lady and the Tramp takes place in the near end of the Victorian era, in the 1900s (1900 - 1909). An unwed woman being with a man who is not of the same class and is involved in an inappropiate manner was looked down upon. People were not easy on these women, especially if they fall pregnant.

It's implied that Lady could've fallen pregnant with the way the scene Jock and Trusty offer marriage is written. They could very well have wanted to protect her reputation, something rare at the time, because of her circumstances, and her because of her possible condition. (A dog's gestation period is 3 months, which is enough time for the pups to be where they're at by the end of the movie.)

There's a mature view and a "safer" view to this scene, which I adore. Children understand differently than adults do. It's "family friendly."

Also, there's room for what happened between Lady and Tramp from rescuing Tramp to Christmas (of that same year, presumably), which I kinda wanna explore- oops. <3

Again, I really love this movie. Lady is so sweet and feisty. Tramp is lovely. GOD, i love dogs. <333

But GOD, did I hate that scene with the Siamese cats. Music was extremely out of place, and the way the cats are portrayed is insulting. It was stereotypical, and it doesn't help that the movie was produced AFTER WWII, when the US had camps where they locked away any Japanese person after taking everything away from them.

Also, Disney, i don't think that's how genetics work with pups- Where each one is a carbon copy of one of the parents.

Overall: I absolutely adore this movie.

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)

Mediocre- It was part of the "direct-to-video" era of Disney.

Scamp and Angel's love-story plot was not that interesting. It was just a gender reverse of Lady and Tramp's relationship in the first movie, but the wants are the opposite. Scamp wants to be a street dog and Angel wants to be a house dog. Would've been more interesting if Lady and Tramp had been more involved and noticed the similarities of his son's relationship with Angel to their own. Maybe. I don't have much to add.

Speaking of Lady, I really wish she had as big of a role as Tramp did, being that she's Scamp's mother and knows what its like to be a house dog. By this point, we can assume Tramp has been a house dog for a year (probably moved in during the summer). Her presence is so small that when Jim-dear addresses Tramp directly, he doesn't address her when she's right there.

The musical aspect didn't go as hard as the first movie did. Also, The Man with the Yellow Hat, is that you?

"It's not a phase, dad!" - Scamp

Speaking of the VAs, I have to give this movie credit where its due for hitting the bullseye with them. On point with the original VAs for Tramp and Lady. Just know that "Ted, The Man with the Yellow Hat" Tramp will live rent free in my head for days. Oh, and Patrick Star is there, too, i guess.

Buster being mad that Tramp ditched him for Lady has me howling. Like damn, ok.

Overall: It's not bad, but its not good either.

Lady and the Tramp (2019)

I love this one. And I usually don't take interest in live-action content (the live-action aspect makes it boring-) but hey, I adore this movie.

The structure is the same but the changes do affect the storyline. Its a what-if version of the 1955 original and its so well done.

mostly-

If you've seen the trailers or the movie AND know when the story takes place, you might've noticed this issue.

The interracial couples.

1900s was not a great time for them. At all. This is the Jim Crow era this happened in. I get that Disney wants (for the money and reputation) to show more diversity in gender, race, and ethnicity, but you got to do it properly with the period being worked with.

The classism between Lady and Tramp is portrayed differently. The scene that implies what they did that evening is different since the dogcatcher finds them. And its the dogcatcher who is the gossip train about their relationship and point of the classism. When he meets with Jim-dear and Darling, he calls out Lady for being involved with Tramp. Again, this can be taken in both ways. Getting romantically involved or being involved with Tramp, a troublemaker, at all.

Scandalous! they would've said if Disney wasn't try-harding their PG movies and not getting canceled.

The gender swapping? I originally didn't like Jock being a girl because of the voice but I warmed up to it as I watched the movie. I don't care much for it lol. It's not being shoved into your face (T&F: BWBA), which is a good thing.

They added more to Lady and Tramp's personalities. They're the same characters but they offer a little more. Know-it-all but actually naive Lady? Yes, please. <3 Tramp being more cautious about the pound but still his cocky self all around? Yes please!

I actually like the change in Lady's owners once the baby arrives. This is the what-if I was talking about. They start to push her away, a natural reaction when a baby arrives. All the attention is put on a small, helpless being, and Lady feels abandoned.

When she's rescued from the pound by her owners in this version, they rekindle with her. They become aware of her behavior and involve her. They would reasonably have been worried that Lady might hurt the baby, intentionally or not, hence why they didn't involve her from the start. Having a baby messes with your thoughts and perceptions about things and people. It happens, and I'm glad we got to see how it played out with Lady.

Also, this movie has one thing the 1955 film didn't achieve. There's more going on between Lady and Tramp. More time to access things. Between Lady being rescued from the pound to Tramp finally visiting her, its been days. Lady is busy rekindling her relationship with her owners and the baby but misses Tramp. Tramp is guilt tripped for not rescuing or even trying to go after Lady once the dogcatcher caught her.

He could've gone after her but keep in mind that this Tramp is aware that if her gets caught, Lady could possible not be free. In this version, Lady's collar was removed at the pet store when they tried fitting on muzzle so there was no guarantee of what would happen to her. He was there when they picked her up. He realized that yes, things turned out okay, so maybe he shouldn't feel guilty.

So if he shouldn't, why does he?

And the conversation? It KILLED me. Tramp states his worth. He's exposing himself and Lady immediately protests, saying that's not true and that he has value to her. She ends the conversation with the line "you deserve love. Im just sorry that it can't be with me." You know, the same energy as "But who's going to watch the baby?" from the original 1955 film. It killed me.

o7 to the nickname Pidge/Pigeon and Tramp's "iconic" scratch. Pidge is such a cute nickname. Why did they leave it out?

Note that Lady almost got Tramp killed by accident when she tried to rescue him and succeeded. They made it more tragic between these two. My cup of tea /hj

Disney live-action remakes have a reputation of automatically being shitty and staying shitty. But Lady and the Tramp did not disappoint. Yes, there was a major historical inaccuracy that is disrespectful to the people who had to suffer during the time period, yet I love the movie the same. If that hadn't happened, I would love the movie more than I do.

Overall: I love it. Would love it more without the historical inaccuracy.

And that's my review! Very illegible, I bet.

I should've seen me being obsessed with a movie about dogs from a mile away. and here we are.

Also, i just rewatched the sequel for the third as I wrote this. Girl, help-