#which delights me so much because it included characters based on which alice in wonderland role they could fill and NOT on popularity

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

I keep seeing people in my notes on the new collab post asking why its always the same 12 characters from all three games that get the fancy collabs, which is surprising to me because I feel like the reason is pretty obvious? Those are the 4 most popular characters from each game in Japan. When they do fancy collabs like this, picking any characters other than the ones that sell the most just doesn't make sense from a marketing perspective, even if it does from a character perspective. When they make collabs, theyre almost always gonna include those 4 from each game and then the others in descending list of popularity if and until all are included.

[brightside-brigade]

rambling about chapter 3! Under cut because spoilers and also long.

So, overall thoughts? I enjoyed this experience very much, although I feel some things could have been utilized or used better. Am I saying this because I wanted to see Catnap and the other Critters more? Kinda. I understand that this chapter was more back story oriented and not character oriented, and that kind of shows. But overall I won't complain toooooo much.

As far as everything else, it's good. We're getting into that now.

Let me talk about Catnap himself, or my nightmare baby as I've taken to calling him. Despite being under used for as much as he was hyped, I'm still very happy with his overall appearance. He's not actually a threat up until the end, but can be seen semi frequently throughout the chapter, constantly lurking and observing. Constantly stretching and contorting to find you wherever you may be. His legs are so stilted and stiff. Like fur stretched poorly over bones. As he's meant to be. His bones are visible, and it reminds me a bit of my own decrepit old cat.

As for his second form, I wish we saw a bit more of it. I can see a mix of inspirations in his design, obviously the Cheshire cat, but also the Caterpillar from Alice in wonderland, as guessed by his insect like appearance and the gas expelled, similar to how said caterpillar smoked and produced. I also see some xenomorph in there, looking at the tail and back, as well as his overall hunting patterns.

And for his "death", there's a good bit to be said, though I'm not sure how to word it. We didn't kill him at the end of his boss fight, rather just burned off all his fur. Although weakened he was still clearly alive. However he willing gave himself to the prototype, which given his character points make sense. Maybe the prototype gave him a less painful death than what we would have delivered, or perhaps he's not dead at all, not entirely anyway. He will hypothetically live on in the form of the prototype, but he could also be brought back in later chapters to some capacity Similar to huggy.

The rest of the Smiling Critters though, we do not know much about, apart from what we can gather from the audio in their cutouts. Which, while short, tell us a lot. The ones that stand out the most to me are Hoppy Hopscotch and Kickin' Chicken (who sounds like Ed). Also shout out to Picky Piggy. Cannibalism for the win! (Or maybe not, because its not the same species... hm.)

Hoppy sticks out to me due to how hopeless she sounds. It sounds like she's trying to calm someone (perhaps a child, unfortunately), into jumping "to the moon,". But if I had to guess, it wasn't actually to the moon and was instead a way out of the terrible situation, or maybe she really did think they could escape to the moon. However the last audio clip does have her screams, presumably as she falls to her death.

Kickin Chicken, though, is another story. The most obvious thing is that he's never actually been outside, mirroring the orphans, but it also mirrors his last moments before getting picked off just as he steps outside, possibly outside the playcare. This may have been during the hour of joy, but it also could have been at any time, something done to anyone who somehow escaped the playcare.

What really interests me is the cutouts that don't end in screams. This makes me wonder if Bobby Bearhug and CraftyCorn turned more violent then the others. This does include Picky Piggy, but that one is more obvious based on her audio.

Otherwise, we have Miss Delight. A robotic teacher, who as it seems, knows a lot about human organs. As all things should be. (/lh). It's also heavily implied she ate her sisters, and was highly violent and would have harmed the children if given the chance. If I had to guess, this was prevented by lights being on during the school as the light freezes her in place. She was also honestly under used, her encounter feeling a little too condensed. It's just one time, go go go, and then done. Once again I won't complain mush as this is a more lore oriented chapter.

Unfortunately this is why I have little to say on Poppy, Kissy, and Dog Day. As interesting as they were, Poppy was really just there as a lore vector, Kissy as an emotional grab, and Dog Day to... make us greatly uncomfortable? This isn't to say I don't like them, in fact, I love them! I just find myself wanting more, although maybe not of Dog Day because that was a nightmare on its own. Eugh.

What's really on me though is the overall lore. They really didn't pull any punches. Starting with the PT like section in home sweet home, in which the radios tell us about Elliott, and the child's body they found in his house that was missing bones and organs. You know it's probably on me for thinking he was chill, but. Uh. Damn man. Not cool. (Also shout out to that whole section for the hallucinations bit. Re-Village style, makes me very happy to see.). Of course, he was already dead and I suspect just as well he could have been set up by whoever took over the company.

The most viscerally upsetting thing is arguably the cribs in home sweet home. The broken and bloody toys inside them do not bode well. You look and just know something awful happened. And it did. This and one of the tapes in which a couple comes to pick up a child to adopt, only to find out he's been taken for testing. This paints an overall bleak and disgusting picture of the company, which is what we all suspected, but somehow even worse and more blatant. I'd say the whole hour of joy was warranted, in a way, minus the innocents that got caught up in it.

Aaaannnd there you have it! A very disorganized ramble about chapter 3. I overall had a great time! I can't wait to see how much worse/better it gets in the future.

[the-metaphorical-jellicle-cat]

A scene from the Cats 2019 film I’m happy they changed

Last time I talked about a scene I wouldn’t change in the Cats 2019 film. Now, I am going to talk about two scenes that were changed, for what I think for the better, based on the talent of the cast. Today is Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat turn. which is one of two songs I believe were changed based on the talent of the dancer/actor/singer rather than for the sake of story. Expect this to be a long read as I go more in depth than I should have.

Like with Mr. Mistoffelees, I listened to Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat first and OMG I was surprised! It was different but familiar at the same time. I thought it was a great idea to have Munkustrap introduce Skimble rather than it being a group introduction. This gave the tonal and musical shift from a group presentation to a personal one. The combination of the familiar musical entrance and the unfamiliar voice gives the audience an automatic take on the character. Skimble is a positive character who may not be around much but is still an important part of the Jellicles.

I actually enjoyed the fact that it was Munkustrap introducing Skimble because it fits what we know about Munkustrap’s character at this point in the film. Not only does this show his skills as a storyteller, it also shows that he has some sort of relationship with his cat. It gives a sense of mystery as we don’t hear his voice until about 50 seconds into the song. I also love how in this opening you can hear the pure joy Munkustrap has in his voice. 

Anyway, moving on, Skimbles entrance also drives that mystery. Quick reminder, I’m still discussing the soundtrack not the scene in the movie. His voice is younger yet he obviously has been working on the train for a significant amount of time. He does a back and forth with the other cats until we get to a part of the track that surprised me even more than the introduction and that is the sound of tap shoes. I love it when musicals include tap sequences on their soundtracks. It gives the song life while also giving us a hint as to what the choreography is going to be like. The combination of the tap and the music builds and builds until we hear Skimble taking over completely from Munkustrap for what we can guess is a wild ride. The fact that they deliberately don't change much about the music gives a familiarity about this song. It really felt at some points I was listening to the 1998 stage film rather than a Hollywood adaptation. That’s how much I loved this song and I haven't even watched the movie yet at this point. They didn’t have to put this much effort into this song musically and the fact that they did is surprising. 

Now I’m going to stop gushing about the track and look at the scene itself. What I really love about his introduction this time is Munkustrap’s facial expression. He seems so excited when Deuteronomy says who the next contestant is and Munkustrap gives something for the audience to think about. Why does this cat make the Jellicle Protector so happy? I also love how he just shoves Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer out of the way and they have no problem with it. The two of them go ahead and participate in introducing Skimbleshanks. I want to also point out another aspect about Munkustrap’s character in how he still includes Victoria by grabbing her hand. This reminds us that this is still through her perspective and is grinning when Skimble makes his entrance. However, Munkustrap is still smiling playing into the theatrics that is Skimbleshanks. 

I want to talk about Skimbles entrance, the use of practical props and Steven McRae’s performance. I absolutely love Skimble’s entrance. The lighting through the ceiling and the use of practical props gives him the element of surprise as he well ‘appears’. As he sings with the other cats, we get the sense that he’s important because they all join him in the chorus. 

Then we get what we got a glimpse of in the soundtrack. Tap dancing. I actually expected what I heard on the track as it was short and okay. It was nothing to sing about. But wow was I mistaken. This is what I meant in the beginning where the change was based on the actors ability. This is also the only change in the entire song. In the stage musical, tap is used in Jennyanydots’ song not Skimbleshanks. I hate to be one of those people, but I really like this change because it drives his character. It is a part of him. This is also where the cinematography is the best. Right after he blows the train whistle we get a clear close up to his shoes that he was also preparing during Gus’ song. It builds up anticipation. When he makes that first step on the wood, we hear an echo throughout the theater because no one is interrupting him. Everyone’s eyes are on him which pushes the fact how important he is and we need to care about him.

The camera benefits this character by showing half of his body with a close up and a close up of his face. Both of these shots show us two distinct characteristics. Skimbleshanks is highly talented and he knows it.Then we get a wide shot showing the other cats coming closer to watch as he gets faster and faster mimicking a train. Then the editing of the camera matches the tap. The amount of build up created by the combination of the music, choreography, and editing is perfect. 

Afterwards, we get one of my favorite references to the stage musical. Instead of using trash found in a junkyard, the cats use materials one would find in a theater such as a trombone. This then leads into a seamless transition to the train station. And that transition becomes clearer when we hear metal instead of wood when Skimble is dancing. I’m surprised that it works. 

We then have the next stanza or so on the tracks with Skimble singing and I like how it looks like Skimble is staring right at Victoria. Reminding us that this is still from her POV even though this is his song. I also like how they use tap on the rail as a way to punctuate the music because we don’t get that on the soundtrack. Instead of it being a bother, the choreography once again aids in a transition. As for Skimbleshanks, he shows his playful side which carries over to the next location.

We then get to my favorite part of the sequence: the actual train. I think having the train be part of Skimble’s song makes sense. Instead of just telling, he is showing and telling. This is also one of the few times we see full participation from the other cats and the fact they look like they want to be there. You can see the enjoyment in front of the other characters as he explains his duties on the train and you can tell he likes what he does. The only interruption is from a mouse Skimbleshanks finds but that’s the only time it happens. 

The next transition, like the one before it, is perfectly done through dance. Also, if you look closely after he finds a mouse, one of the other cats chases the mouse while he is ‘leaving’. It actually took me by surprise when I watched the scene again and loved that detail. However, I can’t tell who that is chasing the mouse.

When we get back to the theater, we get another great use of a practical prop. The drum. It’s hard to hear in a YouTube video (which I used) but if you listen to the scene with headphones when watching the DVD or Blu Ray, you can actually hear the thumps of the drum. The same can be said with Munkustrap in the beginning of the song. Then the song is abruptly cut off when he is kidnapped by Macavity. 

Overall I think this version is wonderful and a delight to watch. I found myself often veering of the analysis and more into the technical aspect of the song. Which I think I did anyway. I even rambled on about how amazing this version is. But what does this do to his character? We aren’t really given much time with Skimbleshanks other than the Jellicle Ball scene. No background interactions. Nothing. This is basically a case where the audience needs to pay attention or else they may get lost. In the stage musical, the audience is given background interactions between characters. In the film, we don’t have that pleasure.

From this one scene alone, we understand that Skimbleshanks is a respected cat that probably isn't there all the time, he works on the railway, everyone likes to listen to his stories about the railway, and he is a talented dancer. He is playful but knows when to be serious. He has everyone’s attention, knows he’s talented, and wants to be reborn. Do we care for his reason? Not really. At least I don't think so. It’s also the case where the casting benefits the character. If it wasn't for Steven McRae’s performance and talent, we probably would have been given a different Skimbleshanks. He gives us a character so full of life and different from the other Hollywood/Veteran actors in the film. His performance gives a sense of positivity and fun. You can also see he's enjoying himself which can’t be said for some of the other Hollywood/Veteran actors. When researching, I learned this is McRae’s first film and it doesn't show at all. If you want to watch a perfect example of McRae’s talent, I highly suggest watching his performance as The Mad Hatter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland – Mad Hatter's Tea Party. 

Even though this version of Skimbleshanks and his song are amazing in their own right, I still found that I wished for more. Maybe he could have had more interactions with the other cats before the Jellicle Ball or some spoken dialogue between him and Munkustrap. Or at least have dialogue after his performance between him and Old Deuteronomy before he gets Catnapped by Macavity. Unlike with the Jennyanydots, Bustopher Jones and Gus, we don’t get those interactions or dialogue. It’s almost as if his character didn't deserve it yet was given the freedom to give a kick ass performance. I also hate how his song is basically cut off for plot's sake. Like I understand, that’s how it is in the stage version, but it seemed as though it was cut off in a way that didn't seem natural. In the stage version, the song is given a bit more time on stage as a way to brighten the mood before Macavity takes Old Deuteronomy. Here it seems sudden and unnecessary. 

Like the others it's not perfect, but I would definitely suggest a friend to watch this scene, Mr. Mistoffelees, or Gus the Theater Cat over Bustopher Jones and Gumbie Cat any day.

[thataspdfeel]

that book list I promised

//rubs my grubby hands together happily

Boy howdy do I ever have some book recommendations. This would’ve been posted earlier but mobile decided to go fuck itself. Just a heads up, this is gonna be long

I mostly read series because tbh teen fiction is some of the best. It tends to take the most risks with both style and characterization. (Granted, it also tends to fall risk to some of the worst tropes imo like abuse stalker creepy guy is hot cause he loves protag)

Anything Garth Nix has ever written in his whole life. He’s one of my favorite authors and tends to stick to series. Keys to the Kingdom is 7 books and the first is Mister Monday and you read in order of the days of the week. No really. You’ll see why. His Old Kingdom series is 5 books and a short story so far and starts with Sabriel. It’s about necromancers who keep the dead down rather than raise them. Like I have the biggest boner for this series it’s not even funny

Terry Pratchett is my absolute favorite author of all time (besides Shakespeare) and he’s written over 50 books. You don’t have to read them in any particular order but he does follow characters across books sometimes. I recommend starting with Monstrous Regiment, Small Gods, or Going Postal first. If you want to start in chronological order, I think The Colour of Magic was written first

If you’re patient, read the whole Lord of the Rings series from The Hobbit onward. Tolkien sucks his own dick and describes clouds for a whole page cause he’s a world builder kind of writer. I haven’t had a chance to try the series again but I remember enjoying The Hobbit. Just know this is a very tedious option and may result in more boredom

Less boring is The Chronicles of Narnia but there are a few books that are just an absolute bear to get through. I recommend this right after lotr because these stories are a result OF THE SAME DRUG TRIP because Clive Staples Lewis (no really that’s what CS stands for) and Tolkien were college roommates. And because Narnia is a fucking fun place to visit

George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire cause it includes more detail than Game of Thrones and because I’m always a slut for kingdom musical chairs and dragons

Speaking of dragons, The Inheritance Series which is Eragon etc because it’s like lotr for people who can’t stand reading about a cloud for two pages, almost entirely action. Plus, in one of the books, they (Eragon and Saphira) do a couple of really stupid, slightly offensive things to the elves and admit their mistakes which I thought was cool cause it feels like sometimes protagonists don’t apologize in books

Chris D'Lacey also writes these REALLY COOL books about dragons called The Last Dragon Chronicles where these ladies make dragons out of clay and I’m 90% sure The Fire Within is the first book. There are at least 7 and I really need to catch up

Angie Sage writes about a boy named Septimus Heap who’s the 7th son of a 7th son and those books start with Magyk and there are at least 6 maybe 9. They’re fucking awesome and full of magic and adventure and I’m pretty sure he gets a pet dragon somewhere

Suzanne Collins also writes a lot of great stuff but I REALLY like her Gregor the Overlander series. Think Alice in Wonderland with a guy and no drugs and it’s awesome

Anything Rick Riordan has ever written in his life. I love love love the Percy Jackson series and he also wrote Children of the Lamp which is the bomb dot com about djinn children

Douglas Adams has a whole Hitchhiker’s Guide series and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the first and it’s just bonkers and loads of fun. Basically earth gets blown up and the protagonist has to deal with it. An absolute riot

James Rollins writes the Blood Infernal series about vampires and were-beings not just werewolves. The first book is Sanguine and the protagonist’s best friend is a werewolf. The first two books don’t have much to do with each other aside from being in the same universe but book three picks up at the end of book one and ties them both together. I’m pretty sure there’s sex

I’d also recommend anything Edgar Allen Poe or Shakespeare ever wrote. I know that’s more Classical Canon or whatever the fuck but honestly? Delightful. Same sentiment for Stephen King

I can’t remember the names of all the series I’ve read but these I definitely do. So onto individual books!

I, Coriander by Sally Gardener set in 17th century London and has to do with a fairy world if I remember correctly

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine about a really ugly inn keeper’s daughter and it’s kind of a retelling of Snow White (She wrote other stand alones but I haven’t read them. Based off this, though, I’d recommend them)

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about a girl who immigrates from Nigeria(?) to the US and it’s just really really good

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe set in Nigeria(?) right when colonialism happens. The first part is pre-colonialism and then it gets into the beginnings of it and all this happens within the lifespan of one man. Trigger warning though for mentions of abuse, explicit child murder and explicit suicide. Like it’s a good book but it’s gonna be a rough ride if you don’t know what you’re in for

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez is good, if tedious. It’s a Latin American book so the story is circular and told in spirals. I literally have no other way to describe it. Also don’t ignore the family chart at the very beginning because people get the same names across generations and it’s absolutely hellish. Trigger warning for incest, I think rape, definitely abuse, and a baby gets eaten by ants at the end which is more gross than anything

Black Rain by Kuroi Ame is about the bombing of Hiroshima. I’m pretty sure that’s all the trigger warning you’re going to need

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie is a collection of short stories about various Native American characters living on a reservation

Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt is about a Blackfoot medicine man who finally talks about his life but it’s less interview and more John interpreting things so this needs to be read a little critically

Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions by Richard Erdoes is a book where a Sioux medicine man talks directly to Erdoes from a Native perspective about various things from sex to politics. Was a joy to read honestly. Very enlightening

Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo basically entails the way of the bushido or the samurai code more or less. Kind of technical but I enjoyed it

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause is about the werewolf protagonist trying to fit into her pack and figure out how to be a teenager. There’s at least one graphic mention of death (I think). It could also be suicide) so heads up

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause is a vampire romance set in the 90′s and has absolutely nothing to do with the other book and was definitely something I loved. The protagonist watches her mother waste away from illness so avoid if that’s not something you can handle. Apparently, there are more stories (which I’d LOVE to read) and I’d recommend them just based off the two I have read

The Spook’s Apprentice by Joseph Delaney was amazing and I’ve just found out it’s a series not just a stand-alone so I know what’s going on my to-read list. It’s about an apprentice to The Spook who puts down evil things that hide in the dark. Kind of spine-tingling so if you don’t do horror, don’t read when it’s dark. It’s not horror-horror but if it’s not your thing, definitely read during the day

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is the only thing Faulkner ever wrote I can possibly stand. It’s a short story and the time is out of order but I still liked it

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is also a short story and my absolute favorite

Also not a book, but I greatly enjoy the Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet but not everybody does because 1 early American literature and 2 Puritan but that’s something if poetry is up your alley

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is about the life of a horse set from the horse’s perspective. No seriously. With I statements and everything. I thought it was very interesting. (I was also like 8)

White Fang by Jack London is by wolves. I don’t remember much more than that because of how long ago I read it but it was probably decent since it stuck in my mind

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman is about a prince’s whipping boy which is a thing because you can’t spank a prince directly so you have to punish somebody else. V interesting

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl was very enjoyable. I like Roald Dahl anyway but the concept of a chocolate factory was awesome. I also read it before I saw either movie and before the remake

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is pretty good but skip the epistolary at the beginning and read it after if you want to spare yourself some headache

Dracula by Bram Stoker is a classic and just really fun and I can definitely see why it’s a classic

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman was really interesting and honestly, I’d read anything that man writes after I read that

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is even better than the movie but there’s abuse mentions in it like even more so than the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie, heads up for graphic depictions of miscarriage, racial violence, and I don’t remember if the one death mentioned is graphic or not but it’s a heavy book

I’d have more but I can’t remember their damned names right now and it’s bugging me. I also have obscure video game recs because I’m one of those indie freaks. They tend to really draw me in

Also, if you like manga, I’ve read like idk how many series but a shitload and the day onemanga shut down was the day my soul died

Anyway, I hope this is fine. It isn’t even the half of what I’ve read. Like I spent almost all of my childhood reading and I enjoyed most of it. I just wish I could remember book names. Their stories are floating around in my head, just not their names. If I remember any more, I’ll probably add to this list

[scrawnydutchman]

Samurai Jack Review

NOTE:

This review contains spoilers. They will be highlighted in bold letters for readers convenience. If you have not seen this show yet or have yet to catch up on it, particularly the finale, skip over the bold lettered sections and come back to read them when you have.

My friends, the long awaited conclusion to the story of the Samurai who gotta get back, back to the past, has come to a close. The series concluded last weekend and much like the series as a whole, it did not disappoint. It had all of the heart, all the goofy humor, all the well choreographed action, all the calculated artistry and color that makes this series so great. But let’s take a step back a bit and take a look at the entire series, all 5 seasons, and see how the show holds up with all the sums of it’s parts. Before we do so, however, I feel obliged to claim minor bragging rights.

I CALLED THE ENDING!! . . . . sort of. Those who follow my blog know that before saturday came around I made a post predicting how the series would end (you can read the whole thing here: https://scrawnydutchman.tumblr.com/post/160827392693/samurai-jack-finale-prediction) but in a nutshell, I predicted that Jack would give up, find allies with everybody in the lands he liberated, they would all go on all out war against Aku, Jack would have a showdown against corrupted Ashi, Ashi would liberate herself from Aku’s control and realize she has all of Aku’s powers including opening time portals, she would fling Jack into the past the moment he was flung into the future by Aku and kill him right there.

I was mostly right. Jack’s allies go on all out war? Check. Jack has a showdown with corrupted Ashi? Check. Ashi frees herself from Aku’s control? check. Ashi flings Jack into the past at the moment Aku flung him into the future to kill him? Check. Though my prediction had a FEW miscalculations, which we will get into in a bit, frankly I’m just so proud of myself that I came that close to predicting it spot on.

Okay, now that my bragging is out of the way, let’s tackle each aspect of the show, starting with Story.

Story:

One of the major strengths of Samurai Jack is it’s beautifully simple premise summed up nicely by the voice acting legend himself, Mako.

“Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting master of darkness, unleashed an UNSPEAKABLE EVIL. But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law. Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is AKU.”

I’ve said before many times that this premise is brilliant, because it’s so broad in it’s explanation and it’s setting is ripe for storytelling possibilities. The future is a distant mysterious place, and as such you can tell any story you want in it. A bunch of rave kids falling victim to mind controlling music? Go ahead. A strange homage to Alice in Wonderland? Go for it. A hilarious quest to quell the troubles of a flatulent dragon? Yes, even that. But on the flipside you can also tell stories more heavy in drama, culture and lore, and you can really up the emotional weight of the situation Jack is in. It’s a premise that’s practically destined to become a beloved television series, and so it has. 

Characters:

To compliment this ever broad ever expanding world Tartakovsky has created we have a great likable protagonist who is just as much a curious fish out of water as we the audience are, so it’s very easy for us to project ourselves onto good ol’ Jack. But the best thing about Jack is that he’s motivated: He’s gonna get back to the past even if it takes him over 50 DAMN YEARS. Much like I said in my other and most popular blog post “Why Boyscout Characters are Underrated” It’s more important for a lead to be motivated then relatable, because that’s what ends up driving the story and the drama.

*side note: ever since this show ended the most wonderful gifs have popped up, and it fills me with glee*

Being the stellar lead Jack is however, many would argue that the best part of this series is Aku, hands down. And I would agree with that. Aku. Is. AWESOME!! Easily one of the most entertaining antagonists in all of animation history. He’s the embodiment of evil and does some truly despicable shit, especially to Jack. So much of this series is just painful to watch because it’s Jack coming SOOO close to defeating Aku but Aku causes him to fall just short. He’s just so gleeful about ruining peoples lives and subjecting them to horrendous sadness and frustration. He is what every great character is tenfold . . .motivated (because again, motivated > relatable).

That said, Aku gets to be really goofy in this too, which is a huge part of his charm (arguably the biggest part). He’s just so hammy and joyful about being so evil; I love it.

This show has a whole SLEW of great supporting characters though. The Scotsman is charmingly brash and loud and boastful, but a very loyal friend to Jack (admittedly after a rocky start). Scaramouche is a hilarious villain from the 5th season that relieved me when he came up in the first episode and proved to me that the 5th season hadn’t lost the silly charm of prior seasons. The characters from one shot episodes like the “Jump Good” guy, the British dogs, the rave kids, they’re all delightful and charming. Demongo was a great one time villain. But by far, the best supporting character . . .3 syllables . .  . SAH . . . MOO . . . RHAI

*Side-Note: One of the predictions I made about the finale was that Sah-Moo-Rhai would help in the fight against Aku and prove to be a competent swordsman. I was sadly wrong.*

Now all of these are well and good, but one of the most interesting and integral decisions made in season 5 was the introduction of Ashi to the Samurai lore. She is also very entertaining and, while her character growth isn’t as well developed and paced as say Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, She is still a solid and likable contribution to the shows final season that I welcome with open arms . .. even if many of the fans disagree with me on how things turned out. Yeeeah we should probably address that real quick.

Many people, certainly fans on Tumblr, were very disappointed with the revelation that Jack and Ashi had a romance. They felt it was incredibly forced, they felt a non-platonic relationship between a man and a woman in a show was beyond cliche, and they thought it stripped Ashi of her agency and her being her own character because in the end all she proved to be was a trophy for Jack, the male protagonist of the show, to win. They’ve even gone as far as boasted shit like “GET THIS HETERO-BULLSHIT OUT OF MY SIGHT!” (replace hetero with homo and suddenly it seems like a real asshole thing to say doesn’t it?). I suppose I agree with the sentiment that blossoming relationships between male and female leads in a show is a cliche as old as time. But there’s a reason why it is so . . . . it’s because heterosexual relationships THEMSELVES are as old as time. Cliches are a product of evident truths that mankind has known about to some degree ever since literature first began. fit and well toned people are attractive, love triangles are just oozing with drama, and capes, while a practically useless accessory, look FUCKING AWESOME. It can be nice to break these stereotypes every once in a while for variety, but it shouldn’t be necessary every time. And an audience that would LIKE to see Jack and Ashi together shouldn’t have to have their little ship ruined because you “can’t stand hetero-bullshit”, (as if the relationship would somehow be more tolerable and less contrived and forced if Ashi was a man and they were a gay couple) because surprise surprise the show creators aren’t just trying to entertain YOU and YOU alone. Just like how Legend of Korra fans shouldn’t be able to ruin Korrasami for you, you shouldn’t shit on anyone for liking Jashi. Whatever happened to “love is love” anyway? As for the point about Ashi being stripped of her agency, 1. She CHOSE to engage in a romantic relationship with Jack. She CHOSE to join his side after being proven wrong. She’s not stripped of agency just because she fucking loves a dude and is just as competent a fighter as him, okay? She even plays a major role in how Jack ends up defeating Aku. 2. She’s not even a prize for Jack in the end anyway, because she ceases to exist after all of that . . . we’ll get to that in a bit.

Design:

Much like the story itself, the design is beautiful in it’s simplicity. It’s composition and color choices are BREATHTAKING! Not a single black outline in sight, everything is angular with defined shapes so you can tell which character everyone is even in silhouette, and the scenery  . .OH MY GOODNESS the scenery. The colors compliment each other majestically, whether they need to blend together or create contrast. the imagery is awe-inspired; the show never lost it’s touch in terms of how everything is shown and communicated. This show is the literal definition of “every frame a painting”.

The sound and directorial choices of this show are great too. Genndy bases this show heavily on the suspenseful and quiet epics of samurai movies (as you can probably tell) and to an extent westerns. The show really challenges kids to have patience and sit through to the well-worth-it pay off, and it makes for some edge-of-your-seat excitement complimented with spectacular action choreography and animation. This show has some of the most imaginative and dramatic fight scenes ever put in western animation. The first and second episodes of season 5 were perhaps some of the best fighting animation I’ve ever seen in anything EVER.

But to be fair the fighting compliments the humor of the show at times too, and I ain’t complainin’

Conclusion (+thoughts on the ending):

Overall, this is a very satisfying show that’s praised over and over for all the reasons listed above and rightfully so. Genndy Tartakovsky has created something beautiful and has easily cemented himself as one of the greats of American animation. What else can I say . .  . . OH! how about the ending??

So like I said above in one of the bold lettered spoiler sections of the review, I pretty much predicted what would happen. And setting aside my pride for a moment the ending is only . . .  .okay. Yes it’s a big climactic fight, yes it’s a good twist and surprisingly it ends on a pretty somber note, so it’s by no means a horrible ending and this turnout makes the most sense all things considered, it just feels a bit rushed is all really. I wish it was twice as long as it ended up being quite frankly but eh, what you gonna do? I WAS surprised by a twist they end up going with about Ashi not being able to be with Jack because she fades from existence after Aku is defeated . . .right on their wedding day. Fucking OUCH. Jesus, Jack goes through decades of torture in the future only to finally get a final fuck you by having to let go of the woman of his dreams? That’s just cruel man. For a while when she remained in the past I was thinking “wait . . shouldn’t she fade from existence by now? how is she still here? and now they’re getting married? are they seriously going with this ending? I mean it doesn’t make a lot of sense but--” and then she falls over in her wedding dress and I was like “OHHH FUCK YOU! THAT IS NOT COOL! THAT IS JUST MEAN! GIVE THIS DUDE A BREAK!” Needless to say that was the most trolly ending we could have gotten. I can’t help but feel like the non existent Aku is having his last laugh.

But yeah, Samurai Jack . . . it’s really good. Go watch it. Now. You fools.