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upontheshelfreviews · 6 years ago

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Of all the animated Disney films out there, few have had a history as troubled or as fascinating as The Black Cauldron. Shaped less by the average process of transforming a novel to film and more by the decade, regime, mindset towards animation and internal struggle of power of the studio that made it, The Black Cauldron is considered the black sheep of the canon; those who worked on it have few fond memories of the experience, and the result of all that blood, sweat, tears, and voodoo curses hurled in Jeffrey Katzenberg’s direction is an odd creature Disney is content to let wallow in relative obscurity. To this day it’s looked down upon by all but a few loyal fans who’ve elevated it to semi-cult status. The story of how and why this is is worth a documentary of its own.

As for my thoughts on the film itself…well…

“It’s complicated.”

I honestly can’t talk about my feelings towards The Black Cauldron without putting it into some context first. And there’s a LOT of context that needs to be explained. Hence why I’ve decided to split this review into two parts. This first half will go over the history of the movie and behind the scenes shenanigans, while Part 2, which is the review I know you’ve been anticipating, will be released next week. So if you want to avoid an engaging history lesson that discusses the climate in which The Black Cauldron was created in depth and go right to the film itself, I suggest you return at a later date. Or go watch Waking Sleeping Beauty. It’s a fascinating, personal look into the struggle that shaped Disney’s Renaissance era and they devote a good chunk of the beginning into what went down during the making of The Black Cauldron.

By the 1980’s, Walt Disney had been dead for nearly twenty years and his enterprise as a whole was lacking a good leader to keep everything together. The live-action films were woefully behind the times, Walt Disney World’s recently-opened second park EPCOT wasn’t meeting attendance expectations, and while the animated films were holding up surprisingly well, the department had to deal with their budgets continually being slashed in order to make up for the failures of the previous two branches of the company.

Politics within the animation studio threatened to tear it apart as well. It was time for the stubborn old guard of Walt’s day, which included the revered animators known as the Nine Old Men, to pass on everything they knew to a ragtag band of fresh recruits with newfangled ideas about how Disney animation should be. Needless to say there was plenty of headbutting and saltiness from each end throughout the ordeal. One of the outcomes was that two no-name pipsqueaks decided to jump ship – Don Bluth, who committed high treason in his contemporaries’ eyes by forming his own animation studio (and giving Disney some admittedly much-needed competition to get their act together), and Tim Burton, who was dissatisfied with the direction The Black Cauldron was taking and felt his own inventive if bizarre contributions were going unappreciated. Bluth is still considered a persona non grata in Disney’s circle for his mutiny, but I can imagine their parting ways with Burton going something like this:

“Tell ya what, loser, if you manage to gross over a hundred million with those weird little films of yours, we’ll make that stop-motion singing skeleton picture you always wanted!”

Things came to a head after it was announced that Disney’s next animation project would be Lloyd Alexander’s popular high fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain – or rather, taking the first two books of said series and combining them into one 80 minute film.

“It worked for Ralph Bakshi!”

“No it didn’t.”

“Come on, what kind of cockamamie studio would we be running if we devoted an entire movie to each entry in some crummy little fairy tale saga? Or hell, splitting one book into two movies to cram everything in! How do you expect to make bank on that? We’re not made of money, you know!”

“Sir, the contractors are here to go over the building of your swimming pool to contain all your other swimming pools.”

“Thank you, Ramsley. Tell them they’ll receive their deposit once we get the box office returns on Herbie Goes Bananas.”

“Of course, sir.”

Now the 80’s were a golden age for cult fantasy flicks. You couldn’t swing a dead elf around without hitting a Labyrinth or a Princess Bride or a Last Unicorn or a kajillion overlooked Baron Munchausens. Disney tried their hand at this genre with fare such as Return to Oz and Something Wicked This Way Comes and I think they’re good films. Like, really, REALLY good films. But unfortunately they share something in common with the previously mentioned fantasy movies, and that is they were major flops upon release. Yet the animators’ toiled away under the sincere hope that The Black Cauldron would be the one to break that losing streak. They were going to do something unique, something that no other animation studio – least of all classic Disney – had ever done before…

…or they might have if the old guard hadn’t kept stepping in to curb their creativity.

I understand where the former generation was coming from; I’d be pretty grouchy too if I had to train these too-big-for-their-britches whippersnappers who were going to replace me, but one of the reasons why the Disney company was this close to declaring bankruptcy in the decades after Walt’s passing was because it was adhering dangerously close to the mentality of “What would Walt do” instead of trying new things and evolving with the times. The very idea of “What would Walt do” is a paradox; none of us – not me, not the most religious of Disney fans, not even the workers who knew him the longest – could ever really know what his course of action on creative decisions might be, and yet the one thing we do know for certain is that Walt Disney always chose to move forward instead of clinging to the formulas or modes of thinking that were deemed the most successful. His whole body of work reflects that. Walt was one of the first studio heads to embrace television as another method of entertainment instead of fearing its growing popularity over theatrical venues. He not only revolutionized the theme park business but he kept building upon what was already there to enhance the experience and bridge the gap between man and machine, rather than just letting Disneyland sit in the middle of Anaheim and churn out money while it gathered dust. And as for features, well, after he was pressured into making sequels to the successful Three Little Pigs which proved to be less popular than the first, he infamously said “You can’t top pigs with pigs!”. Walt hated repeating himself in order to triumph, and he took every opportunity to push the envelope when it came to the story or technical aspects of anything he touched. He dove head first into the new, and if he made a mistake along the way, he learned from it instead of retreating back into the safe zone. Sadly, in a misguided attempt to keep Walt’s legacy alive, the old regime forgot about that and micromanaged every aspect of the company until it became a time capsule instead of a thriving creative business.

Look no further than the artwork made during the concept stage of the film’s production if you need an example. Here’s some of what the new crowd came up with:

Pretty neat, huh? Now here’s what Milt Kahl and some of Walt’s homeboys pressed on to them.

Compare these sketches to something from Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone or any silver-era Disney film. It’s too close to the house style from back then. You’d think it was rejected concept art from one of those films. Poor Tim Burton got the worst of it. He shared some awesome ideas for the Horned King’s henchmen, his gwythaints (aka dragon things), and just about anything having to do with the guy not excluding his own living space. The animators adored them, but management, in a move that would be the last straw for Burton, told him they wouldn’t spare the time or expenses needed to revamp the look for the film.

“Redo a bunch of doodles so it’ll look like a bunch of DIFFERENT doodles?! We’re stretched for cash as it is!”

“Sir, your 30-foot diamond sculpture of yourself has arrived. Where shall I have the men place it?”

“Eh, stick it in the ballroom with all the other diamond sculptures, I’m busy!”

“Very good, sir.”

To further quash morale, the animation department was unceremoniously booted out of the original building it was housed in from back when Walt Disney built the studio. They now worked in what was basically a cramped little trailer park across the street.

Tensions were high all around.

Animation, once the lifeblood of the Disney company, was now on life support.

Certain higher-ups were even questioning if they should pull the plug and turn their focus to the parks and live-action films.

“Hmm, they did make those wacky duck cartoons I liked when I was five…then again, I’ve been wanting my own private archipelago for some time now. Oh, nobody has it harder than I do!”

“Sir, just a reminder, you have a meeting with Misters Eisner, Katzenberg and Wells at four.”

“Who?”

“Your new bosses? The former heads at Paramount Pictures? The men who greenlit hit after hit for film and television including Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Star Trek motion pictures?”

“…Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Indeed, a solution of sorts came in the form of a sweeping management makeover. Out went Ron Miller, in came Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. Together they were something unprecedented – they ran the company in a manner parallel to Walt and his brother Roy, and it WORKED. See, Walt was the idea man as well as the amicable people person; he was able to generate ideas and see them through thanks to his power of persuasion and ability to inspire others. Roy was the sensible subdued banker who calculated what could and could not be feasibly done and brought Walt’s dreams into reality. Through their lifelong partnership and ability to compromise commerce with art, they founded one of the biggest entertainment enterprises on the planet.

I’ve noticed any time where Disney’s CEO is just one person, they’re rarely able to handle that balance of creativity and finance without leaning heavily towards one aspect – which nine times out of ten is always the financial one. When it’s a partnership like these two pairs, however, the company has flourished. Wells was approachable, knew how to appeal to his employees, a good risk taker and vicariously enjoyed the process of bringing a project to fruition. Eisner was known for having some pretty stupid ideas – ideas he’d carry with him once he was given full command – but his business savvy brought the company out of the red and into a new golden age. Working together they shaped Disney into the company we know it as today. Wells was Walt, and Eisner was Roy; the only difference between them being it was Eisner who was the charming face of the company thanks to his many appearances on TV via holiday specials and the Wonderful World of Disney.

“…which is why it came as such a FUCKING HUGE STAB IN THE BACK when he cut corners in the parks, started the direct-to-video sequel line, and divorced Disney from traditional animation, the greedy bastard!! SHELF SMAAAASH!!!”

Also along for the ride at Eisner’s behest was Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was tasked with overseeing the animation studio. Eisner recognized from his years in television that there was money to be made in marketing nostalgia, and what gets people more nostalgic than Disney animation? This decision proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Sure, Jeffrey was one of the pillars in revitalizing Disney’s animated films, but his adjustment from working with the live-action medium to pencils and paper was rocky at best. He quickly developed a reputation among the staff for being passionate about his work but highly volatile. No one knew what could piss him off one day or make him laugh the next. The one certainty was that Katzenberg was a man with a mission. He wanted to bring Disney animation back to its glory days. To the days when the name Disney meant something. In his own words, to wake Sleeping Beauty.

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Joel Hale, producer on The Black Cauldron, scoffed at this. He already didn’t approve of the new animators acting like privileged children and he certainly wasn’t fond of these Hollywood big shots coming in and shaking up the status quo. “Who do they think they are? Sleeping Beauty’s already awake,” he replied.

He was fired almost immediately after.

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And so, down one producer, up several more, nearly seven years after production began and several million dollars over budget, The Black Cauldron finally entered the most anticipated and dreaded stage of the Hollywood assembly line, the test screening. When it got to the part with the cauldron born, animator Mike Peraza counted down to the second the moment he knew the screaming in the audience would commence. And he was right on time. According to well-documented testimonies, the children there not only screamed and cried but fled the theater. As for Katzenberg’s reaction to The Black Cauldron as a whole, it wasn’t a far cry from what was happening on screen.

Indeed, the animators succeeded in creating something Disney had never done before – and Katzenberg HATED it. It was too violent, too frightening, and too distant from all things associated with the Disney name. Granted, I can see why he would feel that way; Disney has gone dark before (The Headless Horseman, Fantasia’s Night On Bald Mountain, the entire second half of Pinocchio, you get the idea), but at this rate The Black Cauldron was coming very close to earning Disney its first R rating. Not mincing words here. The film we have today is the freaking Care Bears Movie compared to the original cut that was screened. There were some pretty gory deaths in the action scenes, the Horned King’s own demise was somehow even worse than the one we’re familiar with, and most notably the cauldron born sequence not only had them kill some unnamed henchmen onscreen but explicitly showed one dissolve alive in the mist. To this day, individual cels of that scene circulate the internet as proof of its existence, and I can only imagine the awe and terror of seeing it play out as it was meant to.

Desperate to salvage whatever he could with as minimal mental scarring as possible, Katzenberg demanded the directors cut fifteen minutes from the film. Not any specific fifteen minutes, mind you, just fifteen minutes. It went down almost exactly like the scene from Amadeus where Emperor Joseph praises Mozart’s opera but asks if he could cut a few notes because he thinks there’s too many. He thankfully backs down when Mozart pointedly asks him which notes he wants him to cut. Unfortunately, trimming a couple of seconds here and there wasn’t enough to mollify Katzenberg, and he took it upon himself to fix his own perceived problem.

Pictured: Katzenburg preparing for an editing session.

Katzenberg shocked all present when he said that this film needed to be edited. They protested that there’s no way you can edit an animated movie, to which Katzenberg replied “Of course you can!” In a way, he was correct. All films, including animated ones, can and should be edited to some degree; either to give a moment some breathing space or get to the point of a scene. The problem is, Katzenberg was NOT an experienced editor in his own right.

Imagine you’re given a fine steak to eat and someone offers to cut it for you. They trim off the fatty bits first, then carve it into equal portions. Seems good, right? But then they start to cut away parts they think may have too much gristle, or look burnt or undercooked, or has one peppercorn too many sprinkled on – parts that you might actually enjoy and would make the experience of enjoying this meal more complete – and you’re forced to watch as they turn a culinary treat into a dinner with an unfortunate amount of its flavor and meat stolen from you. Once you recognize where Katzenberg made those haphazard cuts and alterations, you see the film in a new light, like that steak. You’re left wondering what could have been, how a pretty decent movie could have become a potentially great one.

And how is it that I am privy to such arcane truths?

Because, hand to God, my boyfriend managed to procure a shooting script of The Black Cauldron that was produced before Katzenberg did his hack job.

What, you don’t believe me? Then tremble before me and despair, you heretics!

“BRING. IT. ON.”

• TO BE CONTINUED •

Artwork by Charles Moss.

Milt Kahl and Andreas Deja production sketches courtesy of Andreas Deja’s blog Deja View, which I can’t recommend enough.

October Review: The Black Cauldron (1985) PART 1 Of all the animated Disney films out there, few have had a history as troubled or as fascinating as The Black Cauldron.

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askroahmmythril · 3 years ago

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Are you ever afraid to do art for others for free, even if they're your friends? From my experience, I have done just that, only to never feel truly appreciated, and eventually backstabbed by them when they no longer needed me.

I don't mind doing it for close friends that I know appreciate it, or if it helps them out with something like character concept sketches or such. I have in fact been backstabbed by doing free art for someone I considered a friend, so it definitely felt unappreciated, and thus I tend to be far more sparing offering my services outside of close friends.

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gracexharrisx · 3 years ago

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Evaluation week 1

For these two weeks I had to do some initial research about brands and think about the brand I was going to be. I decided to be a sport brand as I love watching and playing sports, but instead of being a sport brand overall I decided to be a sport brand aimed at women as when I look to the sport industry there is hardly any recognition to them playing sports which can make them feel unappreciated.

I also had to create typography concepts in my sketchbook, this is where I thought of name ideas which include: Grace, Glorious, Infinity and Premier Royals and for each page I used one of the names and experimented with how I can create typography as some of them are cursive, bold and 3D. I used paint, marbling, stencils, fineliner and pencil which shows a range of techniques and how I can used different mediums to create beautiful typography

Within these weeks I also choose the name that stood out to be and it was Infinity. I choose infinity as I thought that having a brand name that shows women that they deserve a chance to achieve greatness and can exists forever. In my sketchbook I used 5 pages and on each page I drew out an rough sketch of an idea for what I want my logo to look like and then used a programme called procreate on my iPad to create the idea in a digital form and bring it to life. In my sketchbook I also can use explained my process and how I found the process as procreate was a new programme for me to use.

Overall I really am pleased with my outcome and the work I produced as I was a home and got to work at my own pace and take my time to think and brainstorm my ideas.

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Best Anime On Amazon Prime Video

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Isn’t it just the worst when you’re out with friends at your favorite restaurant (masked up, of course) and everyone’s discussing Inuyashiki but you’re unable to jump in? How about when you’re waiting for the bus to arrive and people are discussing the latest Happy Sugar Life plot twist? Or when your cashier at the supermarket tries to make small talk and naturally namedrops the eternal equalizer, Re: Creators, and you just have to quietly look at your shoes?

Okay, so anime’s presence might not be quite at that level, but the popularity of the once-niche area of the animation industry only continues to blossom and become more mainstream. Not only are there now ample anime series that are available on popular streaming services, but this is even used as a selling point in some cases! There have never been more anime titles readily available to audiences, which is certainly exciting, but it can also be overwhelming.

Not only are more legacy titles being added to streaming services every month, but there is also a steady stream of new series that are being added. To guarantee that the various libraries of content at your disposal don’t swallow you whole, we’ve done the hard work and narrowed it down to just the top and most important titles!

Inuyashiki: The Last Hero

Inuyashiki is easily one of the best anime to come out in the past few years. Its storytelling even rivals that of great American serialized television. It’s just that good. Right from the start it presents the sort of story that immediately gets your attention and lets you know that you’re watching something special. Inuyashiki is an elderly man whose family seems to hate him and are totally unappreciative of his existence. One night he goes for a walk in the park and some sort of alien explosion rocks the area. When Inuyashiki comes to, he appears to be a super powered robot with insane abilities. He uses these new powers to help those in need and even learns that he can heal and bring people back to life. Suddenly Inuyashiki has a purpose in life and watching him reawaken straight up made me cry on multiple occasions.

A bratty teenager is also at the park when the explosion happens and he turns into the same robot that Inuyahsiki becomes. This kid, however, is a psychopath and begins mass murdering individuals at an alarming rate. It’s terrifying how callous he is and what this power brings out in him. Some scenes are genuinely hard to watch and it doesn’t take long for him to become one of the most dangerous murderers that the country has ever seen. Suddenly Inuyashiki has a “rival” and the two are pit against each other in a bizarre, infinitely interesting way. This series is a thrilling examination of what people do with power and it balances humble moments of humanity with disturbing violence and insane action. Everything it does hits hard and its ending is perfect in its precision and poignancy. The animation is also stunning in its depiction of these human/robot hybrids and the “minimalist” (ie. finger guns) approach to the violence.

Inuyashiki is a series that I will be absolutely shocked if some savvy American director doesn’t opt to turn into a movie within the next few years. It’s an absolutely beautiful story that boils down to the universal concepts of good and evil. Catch it now and get ahead of the game. At eleven episodes it’s an extremely easy commitment that you’ll wish was longer.

Watch Inuyashiki: The Last Hero on Amazon

Kokkoku: Moment by Moment

Kokkoku: Moment by Moment is a bleak, surreal mystery that plays with time and space in a way that feels fresh and exciting. Juri Yukawa is your typical underachieving teenager who’s failed to find her calling. Kokkoku quickly pulls the rug out from under the viewer and transforms this slice of life anime into something substantially trippier. Juri’s brother and nephew get kidnapped by a cult and Juri’s uncle reveals that their family has the power to stop time, which is exactly what they’re going to do to save them.

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It’s fascinating to watch Juri learn more of the secrets about her lineage as well as her own unique powers. When Juri and her grandfather freeze time, this frozen world is called Stasis, but there are also terrible monsters that lurk in Stasis that prey on those who stay in there for too long. Kokkoku creates such a rich, fully formed story with a deep history to it, but it also initially keeps the audience in the dark to simulate the same overwhelming experience that Juri is going through. Kokkoku slowly parses out answers as Juri and her grandfather become more entwined in the world of Stasis. It’s such an engrossing story that’s so much bigger than the characters and what they’re caught up in.

Watch Kokkoku: Moment by Moment on Amazon

Happy Sugar Life

Happy Sugar Life is one of the darkest series that you’ll ever come across, anime or otherwise. It may even cause some viewers to tap out due to its extreme subject matter, but those that stick around will see a gripping character study that chronicles cyclical abuse and the worst versions of Stockholm Syndrome.

Happy Sugar Life looks at Sato Matsuzaka, a high school girl who kidnaps a small child named Shio because she’s madly in love with her. Now this isn’t a sexual love, but purely romantic and this child is just so innocent and pure that she tunes out all of the darkness in Sato’s life. Sato goes to any lengths necessary (like murder, for instance) to keep Shio locked in her home and a secret to the public. The series follows the very worst of deviants, but its dark perspective and Sato’s sugary sweet fantasies make for a strangely addictive curiosity.

Watch Happy Sugar Life on Amazon

Re: Creators

Re: Creators is extremely awesome in the sense that it delivers sprawling, insane battle sequences, but is also all about the struggles of creation and failing expectations. Sota Mizushino is an avid manga and anime fan and hopes to one day create his own series that finds an audience. Suddenly, characters from all across media—manga, anime, video games— get brought to the real world and Sota somehow becomes the middleman between two factions of creations where the fate of the Earth is at stake.

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Re: Creators is far from the typical “lost characters need to get home” narrative and it manages to continually add surprises throughout the season (it also features one of the more creative takes on the “recap episode” that you’ll ever find). The series mixes existentialism with flashy fight scenes and Re: Creators creates something very bold and memorable in the process. It’s a great deconstruction of the medium in general.

Watch Re: Creators on Amazon

Vatican Miracle Examiner

Vatican Miracle Examiner is essentially “The Exorcist: The Anime” and isn’t that all you really need to hear? The series follows two priests from the Vatican who investigate alleged “miracles” and supernatural faith-based murders. Vatican Miracle Examiner operates with a fun episodic approach for the most part where each new miracle that the duo go to explore put them in the orbit of things like demonic possession, deals with the devil, and killer clowns. As the anime gets further into these investigations, it becomes clear that there’s a much deeper conspiracy afoot where a shadow organization aims to take control of the Vatican. Immortality is also on everyone’s minds and you’d almost expect Indiana Jones to show up in the final stretch of episodes.

Vatican Miracle Examiner feels like it shouldn’t be an anime, but it’s definitely refreshing to see supernatural and conspiratorial elements worked into religion and faith in an anime series.

Watch Vatican Miracle Examiner on Amazon

Pop Team Epic

Pop Team Epic doesn’t give a fuck if you like it or not—in fact it probably hopes that you don’t—and it’s why this manic, insane series is so special. The show is a parody sketch anime that operates with unpredictable, frenetic pacing. Any topic is fair game, but the animation style also radically changes without notice and the series tries to break itself down more than it presents a polished anime. Hell, the end of every episode even presents a “Next Time On…” preview for Hoshiri Girldrop, a fake series that they made up. Just watch the show’s legendary “Hellshake Yano” sequence to get a glimpse of its crazy style and fall in love with it.

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If the show’s unleashed attitude wasn’t enough, each episode is basically eleven minutes long and then the following eleven minutes is the same footage that preceded it, but with minor differences. The voice actors will be changed the second time around, animation touches will contrast, but it’s an incredibly bold experiment to play with the audience and their patience. There seems to be an equal split on the people that love and hate the show’s “Bob Team Epic” halves, but they have people’s attention. With Pop Team Epic recently joining the irreverent Adult Swim’s Toonami lineup, the cult series has become more popular than ever.

Watch Pop Team Epic on Amazon

Sagrada Reset

Sagrada Reset is set within the town of Sakurada, a special community where everyone that lives there possesses some kind of special ability. Kei Asai, for instance, has an exceptional case of photographic memory to the point that he hasn’t forgotten a single thing that’s happened to him in Sakurada. Kei eventually comes in contact with Misora Haruki, who has the ability to reset time for as far back as three days. This is an exceptional power, but through these resets Kei still retains his memory of the now-deleted time. Accordingly, Kei and Misora team up and use their powers in tandem to help out individuals and solve a much larger mystery that’s afoot in Sakurada.

The dynamic here between Kei and Misora is so loving and beautiful, but the show also creates an interesting world where special abilities are not only common, but monitored by a shady corporate board. One of the biggest joys of the series is watching how various abilities overpower and cancel each other out. Kei and Misora have to put some real quick thinking into play to get out of their problems and this thoughtfulness to the stories is why the idea works so well.

Watch Sagrada Reset on Amazon

Onara Gorou

Okay you guys, Onara Gorou isn’t freaking Shakespeare, but it’s a supremely weird series that looks at the antics of Gorou, “the most admirable of farts.” Gorou attempts to help out individuals (all while connected to the human that’s producing him) and every moment of this show elicits questions that you’re not even sure that you want the answers.

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Onara Gorou almost feels like the early seasons of South Park where this crudely presented idea looks juvenile at its surface layer, but there’s something more intelligent going on underneath. Make no mistake, Onara Gorou isn’t a smart series, but it’s unrepentantly silly and it will make you laugh and question the laws of nature in a way that more shows should. How did you live your life without having this show and its nightmarish ending theme in your world!?

Watch Onara Gorou on Amazon

GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka

Great Teacher Onizuka is such a twisted morality story that it sneaks up on you slow subtly that you don’t even realize what’s happened. Eikichi Onizuka enters the series as slacker ex-gang member with few prospects. After an unattractive teacher steals Onizuka’s date, he determines that teachers must hold a strong sexual power over their students. This random event reshapes Onizuka’s entire life and he becomes a teacher! However, through the process he inadvertently develops a strong sense of morals and is no longer interested in doing something as depraved as hooking up with students.

As Onizuka’s quest goes on, he finds himself hungry to become the best teacher of all-time and happy to dispense his unique outlooks on life to help his class. Onizuka turns into an inspiring mentor to dozens and it’s amazing to see how this “bad guy” finally figures out what his passion is in life. Great Teacher Onizuka will make you feel warm inside, but it’s also funny as hell. Onizuka’s embarrassing antics never disappoint and the show finds the perfect rhythm for its comedy. With 43 episodes available, Great Teacher Onizuka is the kind of comforting comedy that’s there for you to binge watch and relax. Live your best life.

Watch Great Teacher Onizuka on Amazon

Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga is the kind of anime that’s absolute joy for not just fans of brutal action, but also historical dramas. The anime is set during the height of conflict between warring Viking nations and the series does not hold back from the violent nature of these battles. The anime centers around Thorfinn, a child who is forced to come of age during this conflict after his father meets his end courtesy of the enemy. What follows is an impressive look into Thorfinn’s gradual evolution into a warrior as he matures. It’s a painful saga that’s both epic and personal and Vinland Saga manages to make its antagonist, Askeladd, just as compelling as Thorfinn and a complex anti-hero in his own right. It’s the perfect series for anime fans who want something a little more adult.

Watch Vinland Saga on Amazon

Kaiba

Kaiba is a 12-episode anime masterpiece by auteur Masaaki Yuasa that’s really like nothing else out there. It’s almost as if Charlie Kaufman tried to write a Philip K. Dick story and the thing that honestly feels closest to Kaiba is Duncan Trussell’s The Midnight Gospel, but that still only scratches the surface of this anime’s unique, curious, and chaotic nature. Kaiba exists in a world where society is divided by wealth and bodies and memories are treated like rejuvenation tools. The aristocracy effectively live forever by coasting between different bodies and there’s an incredible story that’s told here about identity.

Kaiba wades in thoughtful territory, but it also utilizes a warped, fluid art style that reflects the incestuous themes of replication and individuality. The anime is as gorgeous as it is emotional and there’s a deeply cathartic payoff to everything. Kaiba’s story is so beautiful that you won’t want to leave this universe. It’s one of the most enriching and satisfying anime series on Amazon Prime Video and there are so few programs that create the awe-inspiring energy that drives Kaiba.

Watch Kaiba on Amazon

Lupin The 3rd, Parts 1 And 5

Lupin the 3rd is one of the longest-running anime institutions and prolific names in the industry like Hayao Miyazaki even cut their teeth on the Lupin franchise. The anime tackles the “gentleman thief” archetype with an elusive protagonist who always finds a way to evade capture and outsmart the authorities, even if he’s simultaneously a bumbling mess. Lupin the 3rd offers a strong variety of both episodic and serialized storytelling that’s perfect for anyone who’s a fan of mysteries or procedural crime programs. Amazon Prime Video has the first and last series of Lupin the 3rd, which highlight the diversity of the crime and adventure hybrid series.

Lupin the 3rd, Part 1 introduces Lupin and the eccentric cast of characters that become linked together, for both better and for worse. There’s a balance between adult-themed crimes as well as broader and more fantastical schemes that are appropriate for all ages. Lupin the 3rd, Part 5 offers a more modern take on Lupin’s hijinks with advanced technology like drones, the dark web, and cybercrimes playing major roles in the season’s cases. It’s very easy to get lost in these affable characters and the fast-paced and surprising mysteries that are Lupin the 3rd’s specialty.

Watch Lupin the 3rd on Amazon

Flame Of Recca

There are dozens of shonen anime series and many of the weaker examples can feel interchangeable and derivative of the action genre’s basic archetypes. Flame of Recca is a shonen series from the 1990s that is emblematic of its time period in the best way possible. Recca Hanabishi learns that he’s the descendant of the Hokage, a powerful group of ninjas, and that he has the ability to manipulate fire.

Recca aligns with many others with impressive and contrasting supernatural abilities and even though Flame of Recca also touches on the typical shonen touchstones like a demon enemy who’s hungry for immortality and an extensive tournament, it feels refreshing rather than lazy. At only 42 episodes, Flame of Recca doesn’t drag on like other anime of a similar nature. It’s not bogged down in filler so it’s able to just deliver satisfying action. Flame of Recca is an underrated shonen title that deserves the same level of attention as Bleach or Yu Yu Hakusho.

Watch Flame of Recca on Amazon

Kabaneri Of The Iron Fortress

Attack on Titan is airing its final season and about to conclude, which means it’s the perfect time to check out Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, an anime that cultivates a very similar energy. The series is set during an alternate version of the Industrial Revolution where a gruesome plague of undead vampire-like monsters known as the Kabane wreak havoc on humanity. The only way to kill these monsters is to pierce their iron-coated hearts. There’s a heavy steampunk vibe present with the weapons that get developed and the wall that’s erected around the city to keep the people safe.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress does an excellent job in how it mixes action and horror and it makes the Kabane threat feel real and dangerous. At the same time, it’s also careful to make sure that its characters are actually people that the audience cares about. Much like in Attack on Titan, the brilliance of the humans and the strategy that they develop is some of the most gripping material and it’s an exciting take on a deadly outbreak that’s completely different from the norm.

Watch Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress on Amazon

Elfen Lied

Elfen Lied is easy to dismiss as it looks like the kind of disposable, generic content that gives anime a bad name, but not judging a book by its cover is exactly the point of Elfen Lied. The anime follows Lucy, a mutant experimental reject that is hungry for revenge against humans for their negligent treatment towards her. Lucy looks almost identical to a human, which allows Elfen Lied to unpack a deeper commentary on themes like prejudice and social ostracization.

Part of what makes Elfen Lied stand out so much is that it’s decked in bright colors and an expressive and soft art style, only to juxtapose this with an extreme amount of blood (Adult Swim even deemed that Elfen Lied was too violent to air on their Toonami block, even in an edited form). Elfen Lied is constantly shocking and will make the viewer wince, but it succeeds in its bold and memorable message.

Watch Elfen Lied on Amazon

Also Available On Amazon Prime Video: Made in Abyss, Black Jack, Land of the Lustrous, Blue Submarine No. 6, Samurai Pizza Cats, Monster Rancher, and a number of excellent anime feature films like Redline, Robot Carnival and Toriko the Movie

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gttherapygroup · 7 years ago

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LifeTip: Time, Is There Ever Enough?

Time – that never-ending beast that we seem to fight against each and every day. Between work, grocery shopping, walking the dog, and getting that overdue oil change done, we seem to find ourselves in this strange game of time manipulation. As tough is the game can be, we always seem to find a way to make it all work out and get our relegated tasks complete. Often, though, we tend to leave out one of the most important tasks. We find ourselves grumpy and tense wondering “what is it that I forgot to do?” The checklists are complete, the laundry has been folded, dry cleaning has been picked up, and the gas tank is filled…what could possibly be left unfinished? Well, that unfinished task is you. Take two seconds and ask yourself, “when was the last time I spent quality time with myself?”

If you’re anything like me, you may be feeling a little bit of anxiety just thinking about trying to fit one more thing into your day. What happens to us, though, if we don’t take that extra time for ourselves? Perhaps we start to feel cranky, unappreciated, overwhelmed, tired, burnt out, complacent, and edgy. That fire that used to burn brightly within us has started to die out and the excitement that we used to have has morphed into resentment. We all keep doing our own version of the hokey pokey, but is this really what it’s all about?

The answer is no. Life is meant to be lived and not merely survived. We tend to spend so much time and energy in taking care of other people and other things, that we neglect the most important person that we know – ourselves. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were able to re-ignite that passion and zest for life and not feel so bogged down by the daily grind? That fire can be re-lit and the person holding that matchstick is you. You are the person that needs the attention, compassion, and nurturing. It is through this continued act of self-love and self-care that we can refuel our gas tanks and regain that passion.

Below are a few easy yet effective ways of giving back to yourself:

Go for a walk

Make yourself a nice meal

Take yourself to the movies

Enjoy a nice latte at your favorite coffee shop

Set aside your phone, iPad, computer, etc. and pick up your favorite book

Journal – take 10 minutes every day and just write. Put pen to paper and just let your thoughts flow.

Open up that sketch pad and let your creativity fly.

Put on your favorite music, snuggle up on the couch in your coziest blanket, and just take in the serenity.

Go in the backyard and play fetch with Fido.

Take in a yoga class

Treat yourself to a relaxing mani/pedi

Find a relaxing spot in the park, sit down, close your eyes, and just breathe

No matter how simple or mundane you may think the activity is, it is essential that you take that time for yourself. Self-care is kind of like the airplane emergency concept. We’ve got to make sure that the oxygen mask is secured on ourselves before we can try to take care of anyone else. The concept of time doesn’t have to be a beast to be conquered. If we can work our own self-care into our daily schedules we can quickly find that life is truly meant to be lived and not just survived.

Love yourself. You are the most important person that you know.

#self-care #self-compassion #self-regulation #mood #happiness #coping skills #justin

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hallomuffin · 8 years ago

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10 x 10 CHALLENGE RECAP

So, the challenge has come and gone. It was certainly an interesting exercise. I was definitely getting a bit bored of wearing the same clothes over and over again by the end, though. Ten items is too few for me to feel satisfied with my wardrobe.

The day before the challenge began, I quickly sketched as many combinations of outfits as I could think of. I actually come up with fifteen possibilities (I’m sure there are even more).

Most of these outfits were not worn out, as the days between work and other outings, I was just chilling at home.

NOTABLE OUTFITS

Outfit 1 - Georgia Dress + Sneakers - A simple, effortless combo. I love my Georgia, even more so now with the slightly shorter length of the dress. It is so great for hot days!

Outfit 2 - Wraparound Top + Wrap Skirt + Sandys - I really like wearing these two together. The emphasise on the wrap silhouette makes me feel feminine and chic.

Outfit 4 - Linen Jumpsuit + Sandys - I LOVE THIS JUMPSUIT. Any and every iteration of it. With and without the belt. With sneakers or with flats. It is just so fucking comfortable, flattering, chic and makes me feel a million bucks. It is amazingly versatile and suitable for a variety of occasions: lounging at someone’s place, playing with a baby, going out to a show, going to a gallery opening, sitting around in a park, etc.

Outfit 5 - Petra Crop Top + Linen pants + Sandys - This one was rather pleasing to wear. I really like the crop top and how substantial it feels despite being sleeveless. The lightness of the pants balances it out.

Outfit 7 - Wraparound Top + Linen Jumpsuit - I tried to include some layering in my challenge, and this one actually turned out quite nicely. A good way of getting extra wear out of my top, but also adding a bit of extra warmth to my sleeveless jumpsuit (without wearing a tee underneath, as I’d normally do). It felt kinda avant garde.

Outfit 8 - Emma Kimono + Georgia Dress - These two were made to be together. What a comfy silhouette that still felt pulled together.

Outfits 13 & 14 - Georgia Dress + Skirt/Pants - Aha! I got to finally try the concept of wearing a dress over bottoms for summer. I’d tried this towards the end of the winter, purely out of a desperation to wear different combinations of the same shit. (I wore my navy sweater dress over blush jeans.) And I’d quite liked it! There is honestly something so sophisticated about wearing a dress over bottoms. You feel extra cool, too. The linen pants gave it an extra Japanese-chic feel. The skirt gave it a lovely softness. I will be trying more of this!

STYLE FINDINGS

1 - GO EASY ON THE LOOSE SILHOUETTES - Many of the items in this challenge were quite loose and oversized. While I normally revel in this kind of silhouettes, I was kinda craving something more fitted/tailored by the end of the challenge - particular in the form of pants. How interesting, considering I’ve been straying from fitted things lately. I guess balance is important.

2 - JUMPSUIT LOVE - As mentioned above, I FUCKING LOVE MY JUMPSUIT. I definitely would like to add another jumpsuit to my wardrobe. They are just so, so versatile and perfect for a lazy dresser like me. Plus they’re an alternative to my favourite of dresses!

3 - A PRACTICE IN SEPARATES - This exercise forced me to wear my separates in a more considered way. It was good practice for me, as I tend to just gravitate towards shlopping on a dress and calling it a day. I have developed quite a fondness for separates over the past year, probably partially due to the more mindful acquisitions of them into my closet.

4 - COLOUR BALANCE - I love wearing blue, probably more than any other colour. But having warm neutrals thrown into the mix made everything more palatable and interchangeable. I wanted another colour by the end of the challenge, though - like a peach or a green.

5 - LINEN IS WONDERFUL - Seriously. I am a total convert. It is such a comfortable and breathable fabric.

6 - I GET COLD VERY EASILY/MELBOURNE WEATHER LOL - I don’t know why I always forget this. But the forecast for the ten days started off with super hot summery weather, and turned into COLD RAINY WEATHER. Damn you, Melbourne. I had to swap a jacket in every now and then because the light linen layers, bare legs and short sleeves just weren’t cutting it. Long sleeves and jackets are the unappreciated heroes of my closet and I should pay more attention to them.

7 - SUMMER WARDROBE GOING SWELL - Overall, I’m really happy with the state of my warm weather wardrobe. Mostly everything is in a harmonious palette, things can be mix and matched, and it’s all comfortable, simple and chic! I just need to be mindful of including a few more transeasonal things for the colder/unpredictable days.

8 - CONSIDER ACCESSORIES AND MAKEUP - I felt pretty fucking samey on a lot of the days, as I was mostly makeup-free and wore little to no accessories. Occasionally I would throw on a bit of blush or drape a necklace, and it really lifted the outfit. It has made me realise that I’ve really overlooked quality jewellery for the past few years (focusing primarily on colourful little earring studs).

9 - I LOVE MY SANDYS - They are the fucking best. Beautiful, versatile, comfortable. The tan, almost neutral-coloured leather goes with everything!

#wardrobe analysis #style study

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