#watching that resident show and why are the camera angles weird why is every song techno sounding why do i not care about a single character

[aturnoftheearth]

the problem with most bad tv shows is that i end up loving them sooooo much that i get genuinely defensive about them. which is why discovering shows that are bad that i actually think are bad is such a treasure. i’m having a blast

[rqs902]

on one hand im happy that this means there’s gonna be a lot of official content since the eps are supposedly so long that they gotta cut them in half. 

youku has been pretty consistent with giving us a relatively good amount of official content. but on the other hand im always slightly concerned that by splitting up perfs, those whose perfs get aired first will have a competitive voting advantage since (as long as they do well) those kids will have a full extra day of persuading people to vote for them through their stage performance. It’s not as huge of a deal as when other shows split performances across weeks, because a whole week ahead is a much bigger advantage than one day ahead. but every day can help those who need the votes. at least akey and zhan yu got aired today.... feels bad for jin fan because he really needs the votes. 

also another down side is just this show’s eps are SO LONG they’re eating up a ton of my free time LOOOL but thats how these shows always go for me... because I always end up taking like double the amount of time to watch an ep, just to pause, digest, rewatch sections that i like (sometimes multiple times), make sure i understand, etc. i feel like these shows always consume my life during the few months they’re airing so i’ll just enjoy it while I can HAH

..

anyway ep 4 starting with singapore buddies huang junrong and sun yinghao speaking english with their singapore accents!!!!! lol can totally relate to yinghao tho, like when you cant read chinese you gotta find someone to translate for you

yang chaowen with dog!!!!! i wonder if the dog really likes him LOL they seem to appear together on camera often. akey with chen junhao!! and zuo linjie!! making friends!!!

lol i feel like the group leader choice method is some sort of extended advertisement for knock off apple products lol.........

HAHAHHAHAHAH LIN MO’S VIDEO STARTING OFF ALL FORMAL AND NERVOUS AND THEN XUE EN’S CUTS HIM WITH HIM BEING STUPID. I LOVE IT. there’s two types of people. how did they not vote for xue en HAHAHAH

interesting that they picked the songs for the self-composition group ahead of time, rather than make them make the song as part of the competition (looks at produce camp... fireman is my jam but the east binhe road team ran into complications with that, so I can see why it’d be more risky to let them do that again) but lucky for zheng renyu and li chenxu tho! I’m interested in hearing their music so i dont mind, just kinda wondering what the other kids who picked composition would’ve brought to the table

oh theyre still giving yan an screen time... every time i see him im happy but then feel oof

oo zhanyu’s first stage look is just so nice oof xikan talking to lin mo but lin mo looks ded and is all eye patched up :( 

LOL su er all jubilant over a sexy concept song - good luck with that

oooof this shot of jin fan’s perfect side angle 

aw akey being bested by shaopeng at every match... but im so excited to see what they can do together, theyre both so good at making music!!!! the resident music makers for each of their respective groups, tyger and coreone, theyre both so talented! def shaopeng has and deserves the credit but hopefully people will see akey contributed too bc im sure the two of them really led together, being the most experienced rappers hahaha

WHOA csp opening up to qu boyu and saying he has older step brother and sister who have a different mom from him and encouraging him to just be real when writing because there will be people out there who connect with his lyrics awww hes really taking this child under is wing and teaching him from zero, hes really like a big bro taking care of him and enjoying watching him grow. im glad csp is opening up and is self reflective enough to realize that he hasnt done so enough in the past and that he should involve himself more with the others. 

im happy cui shaopeng got to feature in the bts clip for his group, he deserves it and hasnt gotten much screentime relative to his talent before. im happy akey got a little time and some recognition for his skills too. honestly just happy akey FINALLY got to do a rap stage..... wish we couldve gotten more huang enyu and huang junrong but im happy they got to show off their vocals!! for being young vocals in a rap performance, their stage presence were both really good too! csp’s entrance is epic wow. 

wow this is the most hyper performance ive ever seeeen wow im so happy for akey because we know how long hes been waiting for a rap stage and wow csp’s leadership must be top notch to get this group to somehow be cohesive with such a not cohesive song LOL i respect that csp really respected akey’s skill and let him shine too. akey was a second c if ive ever seen one lol. they both got to shine and so did everyone else in their group, which is telling of his leadership and why this stage turned out so well that even all the teachers like jackson were so hype LOL 

OOF shen bohuai and lin mo talking about how akey’s lyrics are so moving like lin mo wanted to cry and bohuai felt like he could tell akey’s been through a lot

lol xikan and bohuai being all tough and lin mo being like lol i feel the pressure. shaopeng smiling like a proud parent when boyu gets good comments c: oof rip akey and shaopeng’s votes tho :c 

lin ran’s look tho LOL but zhan yu’s is so questionable?? why is he in this group ?? LOL but i guess its his turn to do something cutesy. mannnn why does zhan yu look like hes surrounded by children but hes not even that much older//?? hahahha ooooo is this the center zhan yu of legend?? ?hahahah yayyy hopefully more people will notice him! you know when i heard zhan yu was gonna be center, this was not the type of song i was imagining, but hey if it takes a cutesy happy song and a bunch of little kids around to get zhan yu a chance to be center, ill take it! i wish they’d show us some practice footage?? im confused why there isnt any?? i think sun boran’s stage presence is good! zhan yu’s voice so powerful yess somehow he managed to show off different aspects of his vocal skills in this very plain song LOL  im surprised lin ran didnt stand out a lot but when they pointed out that he purposefully put himself in the back to protect his team members i think that makes sense bc he knows being cute isn’t going to be able to win them as many votes but if the less popular kids in his group dont get votes, its a lot more devastating for them than for himself. lin ran didnt want this song and he didnt want to be cute but he really didnt want kids to suffer from choosing his group. lin ran has a cute image but i appreciate that this time we got to see a more serious side of him. isnt it ridiculous that theyve literally trashed zuo qibo and lin mo about being old but then literally i didnt realize until now sun yinghao is the oldest??? (he looks really young wow and so tiny aw) but also like they never bring up akey being old either?? some sort of weird bias going on... but i mean good for yinghao and akey lol 

but aw im glad theyre giving yinghao some attention... 10 years and starting off with jackson? oof... 

ayy zhan yu getting the most votes!! 

kou cong being older bro to zlj but also ultimate mentor to cxh aw yay for him getting some recognition from the judges and jin fan supporting him too heheh but it says a lot that he recognizes cxh’s efforts and wanted to put in his own effort to help him

i wonder if them giving zlj less audience votes is an elaborate scheme to get him more pity votes from the general public lol.... well im excited to see the rest of the stages tomorrow! 

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

What is your rank of the Jojo OPs?

Oooooh, that’s tough. It’s hard to rank them because Jojo openings are kind of different from your standard “song by some popular band set to formulaic generic cool anime shots”, so like, music-wise I like Bloody Stream but Sono Chi no Kioku is cooler as an opening for example... How about instead of ranking them from best to worst, I’ll critique them all instead! I’ll put it under a cut because this gets long.

Sono Chi no Sadame

Music: ★★★★☆ - It’s really good, and Tommy’s singing is always great because you can always tell he’s having lots of fun. That being said, it’s a little bit of an acquired taste. If someone who normally listens to pop music put on Sono Chi no Sadame in front of someone who doesn’t know Jojo, that other person would probably be very confused and might not like it. (As a side note, depending on my mood I sometimes prefer the metal version from the anthology CDs, but they’re both so good...)

Animation: ★★★☆☆ - It’s pretty cool, and I love the use of manga panels especially the split second where you can see Jolyne. It’s very well synced with the music, like the part where they shoot Dio? Holy shit dude... I also like the part where Dio walks up the wall. That being said, the stage feels a little cramped, and since this was the first of the 3D Jojo openings it’s not quite as polished as the others. I feel like the models look a little weird at times, and I’m not so fond of the shade of teal used for Jonathan near the end...

Jojolity (to borrow the term from EoH): ★★★★★ I would have honestly ranked this one a little lower, but I mean, come on. It’s Sono Chi no Sadame. It’s iconic! While the lyrics don’t have as many direct references to the series as some of the other openings, I like the frequent references to the Joestar legacy (both in the lyrics and at the beginning of the animation). And as I mentioned, Tommy’s singing is so fun it’s infectious. Plus this opening deserves a whole extra star just for the iconic “JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOJO!”

Bloody Stream

Music: ★★★★☆ - This is definitely one of my favorite Jojo openings, but again, it’s a little weird compared to most anime music. It’s not as energetic as Sono Chi no Sadame, and the lyrics aren’t all that imo. The bridge (or whatever, you know the “kyoumei suru / unmei no hamon / kokoro ni) part is kind of weird tbh. But still, I really like this one.

Animation: ★★★★★ - I absolutely love the visuals on this one. I love the Battle Tendency aesthetic in general, and this opening practically oozes that aesthetic. The way they combined 2D and 3D is really cool, and I love the use of color, patterns, and silhouettes. The typography is really cool too! I love that while it does manage to incorporate some story elements like the other openings, it’s mostly at the end, and overall it’s a lot more abstract and focused on the main characters as individuals. I also really love the beginning, with Joseph kind of walking onto the scene and getting ready to show off, like it’s his turn now! Welcome to part 2! However, with  all this being said, why the thing with Lisa Lisa... why. I’m so tired of Jojo fanservice moms.

Jojolity: ★★★★☆ - This is a great opening that, while certainly different from the others and not as connected with the series as a whole, couldn’t suit part 2 better. It’s not just another Jojo opening, you watch this one and you KNOW it’s Battle Tendency. There’s a lot of fitting use of patterns and motifs in the animation- stars and the manga’s “JOJO” for Joseph, plus the brief foreshadowing of Hermit Purple, then for Lisa Lisa we’ve got some swirls and ripples, and Caesar has the Zeppeli family checkerboard/harlequin pattern. And of course, the blood bubble, the bandana, and the scream at the end are fantastic(ly painful).

Stand Proud

Music: ★★☆☆☆ - It’s good, but it doesn’t really stand out among the other Jojo songs. It’s a lot more generic sort of sound, like a normal anime opening. Even as a song on its own, I don’t think it’s especially noteworthy. Maybe that’s just personal taste though. That being said, I like the lyrics a lot! And I don’t know if everyone realizes this in English, but the “alright now, alright now, alright now” part is pronounced in Japanese like “ora now, ora now, ora now”, so it’s kind of a neat pun, even if I feel like it sounds better when it’s pronounced closer to English. (You’ll notice the “ora” a lot more if you listen to that one clip of Daisuke Ono singing it.)

Animation: ★★★★★ - This is the third of the CGI openings, and the experience shows. The models are a lot smoother and nicer looking than the first two openings, imo. The camera angles are pretty cool, and it manages to have a good blend of overall story scenes with more character-focused, “cool factor” type visuals. The colors are nice, the space theme is really cool, and my favorite part is the bit where Jotaro’s kneeling at the bottom of a sort of Joestar family tree.

Jojolity: ★★★★★ - While this is not my personal favorite opening, the animation and the song do a fantastic job of living up to the series. Part 3 imo is sort of the “big finale” of Jojo (even if it’s only the third of eight parts, it’s one of if not the most popular, and sort of the culmination of the Joestars vs. Dio rivalry), and Stand Proud- both in animation and music- is suitably badass, as well as connected to Jojo as a whole. There’s a lot of references to the Joestar legacy, both in the lyrics and a lot of visuals that literally show past Joestars and lead up to Jotaro taking his place in the spotlight and carrying on the family destiny. There’s also some pretty cool references to manga art.

Sono Chi no Kioku

Music: ★★★★★ - There’s really no term to describe it other than “grand”. It’s almost orchestral or like an opera, very dramatic and cinematic in a way, but still has a rock style to it as well. The use of a heartbeat-like sound at the beginning is cool. The lyrics are great, and I love that not only is it sung by the singers of the previous three openings, but if you listen to the full version, in the bridge they all make references to their respective openings (”The destiny of light and darkness” “the swirling history is bloody” “an inheritance of undying pride”). And of course, my favorite part is where they yell “STAAAAAAAAAR PLATINUMMMM!”

Animation: ★★★★★ - I don’t have too much to say about this one, since it’s pretty much the same quality as Stand Proud, but it’s also full of little blink-and-you-miss-them details and foreshadowing; You can actually briefly see stylized examples of how every character dies, and if you watch very, very carefully during the shot with Jotaro frozen in time, the finger on his right hand twitches. I like the bit on the stairs with the Egyptian god silhouettes, and the broken clock motif is also really cool, while at the same time it ties in with the space theme of Stand Proud.

Jojolity: ★★★★★★★ - This, to me, is the ultimate Jojo opening. It’s so dramatic, so part 3, so very Jojo, and in a lot of ways it really is the culmination of everything that came before it. The animation and the music are both fantastic. Then on top of all that we have the unforgettable “ZA WARUDO” edition, which to this day is absolutely the coolest thing I have ever seen any anime opening do, by far. Sono Chi no Kioku is absolutely perfect for the end of part 3 and does a great job of embodying “This is it, everything has been leading up to this, this is the final resolution of 100 years of Dio tormenting the Joestars, this is where it all goes down.” I love this opening so much and I don’t know if any anime opening will ever live up to it, for me.

Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town

Music: ★★★★☆ - Dude, this one gets stuck in my head SO easily. It’s a lot of fun.

Animation: ★★★☆☆ - It’s really unimpressive after the amazing CGI openings, and doesn’t even have as much movement as most anime openings. But the colors are really fun, and it definitely shows of Morioh, with scenery from all over town as well as montages of Morioh’s residents.

Jojolity: ★★★☆☆ - It’s just pretty disappointing compared to the first four openings. It doesn’t have nearly the same level of dramatic action, nor as many references to the actual story. It’s much more mellow. Overall, it feels less like a story about Jojo, and more like a random dance party. However, one might argue that that’s perfect for part 4; with no more vampires and a protagonist who wasn’t raised as a Joestar, part 4 has much less to do with Jojo overall than the previous three parts, and is a lot more slice-of-life, so a Morioh dance party makes sense. I’ll also say that I do genuinely like Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town, and both the music and the animation remind me a lot of Bloody Stream. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but either way, I feel like it’s a great homage to the fact that Josuke is Joseph’s son.

Chase

Music: ★☆☆☆☆ - While I like the song itself decently enough, it’s even more generic than Stand Proud, and the only direct references to the series in the lyrics are the use of the word “arrow” in two lines. Also, the singer doesn’t sound especially passionate, and holy shit dude take a cough drop. You’re killing me here. I’d actually like this song if I could stand the singing at all.

Animation: ★★★☆☆ - It’s much more drab than Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town, but it does have a lot more action and movement to it, and more references to the story. I like the Killer Queen emblem thing, too. I feel like at times it’s not very well synced with the lyrics. However, Reimi is in it, so there’s that. I love you Reimi

Jojolity: ★★☆☆☆ - It just doesn’t feel like a Jojo opening. Jojo should be weird, fun, colorful, fashionable, and Chase just... isn’t. It’s dull. It’s generic. Where are the funky trumpets? Fun patterns and colors? Keywords like “stand” or “destiny” dropped into the lyrics? There are none. If you replaced the characters, you could use this as an opening for Death Note. A Jojo opening should be very unique to Jojo. That being said, at least the darkness of both the music and the animation are very fitting for the horror of knowing that Kira is out there somewhere, and it’s cool how they throw in things like the fingernails or the Killer Queen emblem as if he’s watching everyone.

Great Days

Music: ★★★★☆ - Now THIS is a Jojo opening. It’s no Sono Chi no Sadame, but it’s fun, hopeful, and has plenty of references to the story. Not to mention that right of the bat, it incorporates the main theme from the OST, which is awesome.

Animation: ★★★★☆ - Again, it doesn’t live up to the CGI openings, but it’s got some cool angles and such. There’s a nice balance of plot-appropriate darkness and Jojo fashion aesthetic, and it shows off the town and also includes story elements. There’s some cool emblems and poses, too. Not to mention that Reimi is right at the forefront of this opening! I love you Reimi

Jojolity: ★★★★☆ - Like Sono Chi no Kioku, this one definitely has a sort of “penultimate” feeling, especially due to the use of the main theme. It’s really fun and suited to both the part 4 finale and Jojo as a whole, and the pointing pose is straight out of the manga. And then of course we’ve got the “Bites the Dust” version, like The World and Sono Chi no Kioku. Great Days is perfect for the end of part 4.