#which is unfortunately every single shonen anime woman

[nyxronomicon]

getting a strong urge to design some new ocs

[trulyhumblenarcissist]

Well... Shit

I've just finished Jujutsu kaisen, both anime and manga, it was a beautiful marathon like the old ones I used to have when my life didn't get in the way of my passions (but that's another story). I must say the experience was incredibly refreshing and I'm glad I've decided to finally give jjk a try. First and foremost, it definitely has its own problems: the power system is not so clear and easy to understand at times (or maybe I'm just dumb) and some characters suffer from a severe case of plot armor that gives them the edge to win fights that should be out of their league. The premise isn't original at all, but I don't think Akutami wanted to create something ground breaking. There are a lot of references to well established shonen mangas, such as Bleach and Naruto (duh). Curses born from humans' bad emotions are definitely similar the hollows that terrorized Karakura in Bleach. I'm not going to point out the obvious resemblance between Gojo and Kakashi because I guess it's already a meme at this point, but Itadori and Naruto are definitely quite similar: sunny types with a demon trapped inside their bodies. With this derivative kind of setting, you would expect jjk to be quite simple and boring, but here's the catch: this manga manages to embrace stereotypical shonen tropes while at the same time painting them in a different light. Let's talk about Itadori and Fushiguro's relationship, for example: they are basically Naruto and Sasuke on a surface level and it would've been so easy writing them as sour rivals, at least in the beginning. The industry loves this type of relationship, but Akutami said "screw that" and actually made these two boys the best of friends. Itadori saved Fushiguro's life and Fushiguro saved Itadori's in return. They are very different people and their ideologies are bound to clash: Fushiguro doesn't want to be a "hero", he's a sorcerer, whose duty is to exorcise curses, not to save every single person he meets. He has a strong moral compass and he judges things on his own, avoiding to be influenced by others if possible. To him, saving lives is not an obligation, it's something he decides to do only if he thinks it's worth it. This may appear extremely selfish and arrogant, but in reality, Fushiguro's choices don't stem from an exaggerated ego. He despises injustices, to him the world is inherently unfair, so there isn't proper way to make things "right". It's impossible saving everyone and it isn't even something worth pursuing, especially because someone's safety could easily become someone else's demise. Fushiguro came to the conclusion that, since fairness really doesn't exist, the only thing that he can do to make the world a better place is basically starting from his own world, helping only the people he really wants to help (a similar concept is expressed by Nobara, who doesn't concern herself with the problems of people she doesn't know or care about, because she understands that doing it would be the fastest way to become miserable). Itadori, on the other hand, finds humanity inherently worthy of salvation, no matter what. That's because he is strong and his strength is definitely his curse, metaphorically speaking. The strong must protect the weak because it is the moral thing to do.

If you're strong, you are gifted with something more in comparison to the average person; since nothing is given for nothing, you must return to the world at least a part of the luck you have received by birth. Things get even more complicated for Itadori the moment he realizes that Sukuna could destroy (and he almost did it) everything he cares about in an instant, forcing him to make amends for crimes he didn't even commit. That's a very tragic situation for our MC and I really, really appreciate the fact that Sukuna isn't just another Kurama, ready to become Itadori's pet friend and help him whenever it fits the plot. To this day, Sukuna intervened in Itadori's fights only when he wanted to, for a whim or because the situation could benefit him. So refreshing! Itadori is definitely cursed from both Sukuna and himself, which is a very interesting plot point and it makes you wonder who will be faster in making Itadori's life a nightmare: Itadori himself or Sukuna?

Itadori's objective to save as much people as possible is also liked to his visceral desire to be accepted and loved, to have people around him even at his death bed. But, unfortunately, his merging with Sukuna definitely suggests he will be soon forced to isolate himself, in some way, basically depriving him of the only thing he really wanted. Besides, his desire to have friends and comrades is probably the byproduct of his upbringing... He wasn't alone, he had his grandpa, but he never met his parents and this is definitely a huge gap in his life, even though he seems to not care.

This rambling is already too long as it is, sorry... The last thing I'd like to point out is that, finally, we have some pretty good female characters! No Sakuras or Hinatas and that's really nice. Nobara, the heroine, is unhinged, badass and also extremely feminine in her passions and desires. She's not the typical tomboy nor the typical girly boy obsessed princess in distress. She can defend herself without sacrificing the softer sides of her personality. She is Kugisaki Nobara and no one can tell she must be different in order to fullfil her role as a shaman woman. I really like her (sobs). Maki makes tingle my little bi heart so I will not say anything about her. I'm not gonna show my simping shameful self, not now at least.

Honorable mentions:

Call me main stream and basic, but I fucking adore Gojo... He's hot, a little sadistic and completely childsh. For once, he is a teacher that doesn't get obscured by his pupils. He is so broken and op that Akutami needed to... Well you know. Another element that gives me a bit of sadness is the fact that Gojo is basically my age... And the fandom calls him a "dilf"... A dilf! He's just 28, don't call me out like that.

Suguru's story was pretty sad, I wish we could've seen more of his descent into madness.

Mahito... Cute, but nothing special. I find him kinda boring sometimes, he doesn't tickle my imagination neither my speculative instinct, while Suguru is definitely more interesting, especially in his relationship with Gojo.

That's it for now, I can't wait this week's chapter.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter: The Complete Nirvana Videography

Heart-Shaped Box

Nirvana had originally wanted Kevin Kerslake to direct this video, who had written the initial treatment in July 1992. By the summer of 1993, he had written at least five treatments, which included a shot of Kurt Cobain kissing William Burroughs and another of the entire band hanging by their necks from trees. Yet by the end of August, the band decided to go with Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn. The director seemed initially apprehensive about agreeing to do the video as he had heard Kurt Cobain could act overly detailed in production. He would say, “But then I looked at it and I thought that actually it was pretty good. I was very amazed by somebody writing a song and having those ideas as precise as he did." The video begins with the band standing in a hospital room around an old man receiving an IV drip, then moves to a surreal Wizard of Oz type of outdoor setting. The same old man in a Santa and later Pope hat climbs on a crow infested cross as they sing the song. The video also includes a young girl reaching for fetuses in a tree, while at the same time an overweight woman appears with human organs painted on her chest with a pair of wings. Many of these ideas were actually conceived by Corbijn, not the band as he always came up with the ideas on his own for any of his videos. Upon the promotion’s release, Kevin Kerslake sued the band for copyright infringement, as the case would be settled out of court. Upon its release, the clip became the most played video on MTV eventually garnering two video music awards for Best Alternative Video and Art Direction. Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear accepted the awards as Kurt Cobain had already passed. New Musical Express named it as the 11th best music video of all time, while Time magazine called it the number 10 music video ever saying it was both “beautiful and terrible.” In 2016, Dave Grohl reunited with the young girl from the video, who had this to say about the reunion. “Today reminded me that I peaked at 6 years old but I was the most badass kid on the playground. Today was the absolute coolest. Or in Dave's words seeing each other today was a 'historic moment'! What a legend!”

Sliver

A music video for the song was released in 1993 to promote the compilation album, Incesticide. The video would be directed by longtime collaborator Kevin Kerslake. The clip begins with Kurt Cobain holding his young daughter up behind some cardboard as she dances along to the first few seconds of the track. The video moves to Cobain’s garage, where it shows the band performing the song. Dave Grohl is playing on the drums, even though he never played on the original song. Cobain only sings into a microphone, but he's never seen playing guitar. He is wearing a red mohair sweater that Courtney Love had purchased for him from a fan at a Nirvana show in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His whole garage is filled with toys and decorations the singer had placed in storage just before the release of Nevermind that he had collected over the years. The collection included a Chim Chim toy monkey that was given to him from the Japanese band Shonen Knife.

Come As You Are

This video would actually be the first one directed by Kevin Kerslake, who was hired after such a negative experience with the director on Smells Like Teen Spirit. The concept would be developed by Kerslake as Cobain could not come up with any ideas, so he let the director develop the video. The singer’s only requirement was that some kind of reference be made to the cover of the Nevermind album. The clip shows the band in a dark room as water falls around them obscuring their form. Other images include Cobain swinging from a chandelier, a dog wandering around the room, a baby swimming in a pool, and a pistol falling underwater. The end of the video shows the entire group lying on the ground as Cobain kisses the camera.

Lithium

This video originally had a concept of doing a short animated story about a female girl named Prego. This girl lives in a forest, when she finds some eggs and takes them to a king in a nearby castle. Unfortunately, both Kevin Kerslake and Cobain discovered that it would take four months to produce the video, so they abandoned the idea. Kerslake instead created a collage of concert footage for the video made up of their 1991 Paramount Theater concert and other footage from the 1992 film, The Year Punk Broke. Biographer Michael Azerrad would make this critical comment about the clip. "Although [the video] was enlivened by Kerslake's neat trick of using more violent footage during the quiet parts of the song and vice versa, it was something of a disappointment from a band and a song that promised so much."

You Know You’re Right

Chris Hafner directed this video released in October 2002 to coincide with the single of the same name. The clip shows a montage of The band in either concerts or interviews, but giving the impression that they are actually performing the song. The video would reach number two on Billboard’s music videos chart. New Musical Express would go on to nominate it for Best Music Video in 2002.

In Bloom

Two versions of this video exist. The first one showed clips of the band walking around New York City and performing at Maxwells in New Jersey. In the clip, one can see Krist Novoselic in some shots has hair and others a shaved head. The reason for that comes from the fact that he had to shave it as punishment for a mediocre performance during a show at the Pyramid Club. They made this alternate version for a compilation dvd on the Sub Pop label, Sub Pop Video Network Volume One. The second version, which most people remember is called the Nevermind version. This promotional clip would be directed once again by Kevin Kerslake and released in November 1992. Kurt Cobain’s original concept for it was to tell the story of a young girl born into a Ku Klux Klan family until she realizes the evil nature of her parents, but the concept seemed much too difficult to work out. He then switched it into a parody of 1960’s television shows like the Ed Sullivan Show. The entire video was shot in original cameras of the period in Kinescope, while the band did the entire song without a script. The actor playing the host was Doug Llewellyn, who had worked as the reporter interviewing people after their case on the People’s Court. Cobain wanted to make a funny parody video to show that there was another side to Nirvana. He felt “so tired for the last year of people taking us so seriously . . . I wanted to fuck off and show them that we have a humorous side to us.” The entire band would wear suits during their performance, while the Nirvana frontman had glasses that eventually made him quite dizzy. He would later say in a Melody Maker interview that they wanted to parody groups like the Dave Clark Five, but not the Beatles. He would never mock the Fab Four due to their influence on his songwriting. In the clip, Novoselic is wearing short hair, which he liked so much that he never changed it. They eventually destroy all of their instruments and the stage by the end of the song. In Bloom would go on to win the 1993 MTV Music Video Award for Best Alternative Video.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

This video would be directed by first timer Sam Bayer. The director believed that he actually got hired because the work on his résumé seemed so below average that Nirvana thought that it would represent the opposite of anything remotely corporate. The concept developed by the band was to stage a school concert that ended in a riot. The idea had been based on the films Rock ‘n’ Roll High School starring the Ramones and The 1979 film, Over the Edge. The clip begins with the band playing the song during a pep rally in a high school gym as cheerleaders wearing sweaters with the anarchy symbol on them cheer along. Every so often, the camera cuts to a janitor dancing alongside his broom. The video ends with the apathetic students going from the bleachers to the gym floor in a full-scale riot. The apathy from the students was actually real as they had been sitting on the bleachers all day. Cobain was finally able to convince Bayer that the students should be allowed to mosh at the end of the video. The singer said, “Once the kids came out dancing they just said 'fuck you', because they were so tired of his shit throughout the day.” The Nirvana frontman hated the directors final edit of the video so much that he went in himself creating what became the final version. Upon its release, Rolling Stone’s David Fricke would say that it was “the greatest gig that you could ever imagine.” The video would go on the win MTV Video Music Awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Video. In 1999, the video was named the number three music video of all time on a list put out by MTV. VH1 named it number 18 in the greatest television moments in the history of music as alternative music now became a “commercial and cultural force.” At the end of 2019, the video had been viewed 1 billion times on YouTube.

[annalyticall]

Anime Newbie in her Twenties Ranks her First 10 Anime

With the recommendations of my sister @ging-ler​ and friends, I started watching anime just over a year ago and within that time I’ve watched a total of 10 - some clocking in at almost 200 episodes and some with only 12. I told myself a while ago that once I had finished 10 anime shows I would rank them like some Anime Newbie WatchMojo list, so, here we are. Really this is just an excuse to force more of my unwarranted opinions onto unwilling followers.

I should also preface this by saying I don’t think any of the anime I watched this year was bad, and I enjoyed a lot about every show even if I ranked some low. However, the top three anime on my list are the ones I would recommend to anyone following me even if they don’t watch anime.

10. Death Note

Despite absolutely loathing the “protagonist” since episode one, I really enjoyed the first half of Death Note! The story was intriguing with all of its wild twist and turns and I found myself immediately invested in what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, after the death of who I thought was by far the best character, the show seems to go off the rails as it introduces new characters and contrived plot devices in the second half that were frankly hard for me to care about at that point. The ending was satisfying but I forced myself to sit through a lot of painful meandering to get there.

9. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop was the first anime I watched as suggested to me by @mcsherrybr​. The smooth and jazzy art, atmosphere, animation, action, and music were all a lot of fun, as were the lovable ragtag group of misfits that made up the main cast. I enjoyed myself a lot while watching this western/sci-fi melding pot of a show, and I only ranked it so low because the last few episodes were a huge disappointment to my found-family-trope-loving heart.

8. Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden, following the story of a child soldier learning to love, is absolutely beautiful to look at and listen to. The music in this anime is, for me, THE best music from any show on this list. This is also the only anime that made me sob several times while watching it. The collection of short episodic stories that explore the deep facets of human love and connection are incredibly resonant and will stay with me for a long time. However, the strength of the small story arcs made the rushed overarching war story and finale weaker in comparison. Similarly, the memorable characters introduced in the one-off side plots were more interesting to me than the cast of rather bland reoccurring supporting characters. While I will remember a lot of great individual moments, I can’t seem to remember a single character’s name besides Violet’s, but that might also be due to being one of the shorter entries at only 12 episodes.

7. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Going from one of the shortest anime on this list to the longest, Hunter x Hunter was an great and engrossing story during the entirety of its 160+ episodes. It’s colorful and playful, but can also be very dark and at times even heart-wrenching. Because it contains so many distinct arcs, there is a wide variety characters and stories to get attached to, and some, like the Chimera Ant Arc, I even cried over. But this also left me with issues regarding the pacing. The show has great action and introspective moments but will often drag with long drawn-out pauses between fights to explain simple concepts (though I understand that’s a common trope in old shonen anime in general). The world-building is rich but also caught me off guard with some strange ideas, and admittedly not all of them I liked. Some eccentric characters and concepts rubbed me the wrong way and ended up hindering my enjoyment of the show. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and I left with a few more endearing favorite characters, like Leorio and Killua.

6. Erased

Also a 12 episode anime, Erased was amazingly impactful for how short it was. Even as I followed the unfolding murder mystery, I was also touched by the meaningful themes and kind-hearted characters I met along the way. The already-strong story is accentuated with great symbolism, art, and music. The only problem I had was with the mystery itself; I was able to tell who the true killer was within the first 4 episodes, which didn’t lend itself well to suspense and I spent the remaining episodes frustrated that the main characters couldn’t see some obvious clues.This is a minor problem, though, since the finale has less to do with mystery and more about the morals and resolution of themes that I felt was satisfying.

5. Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is gorgeous. The stunning art style, fluid animation, and breath-taking music are all valid reasons to watch it, but the main character Tanjiro and his unwavering devotion to find a cure for his sister-turned-demon Nezuko are the reasons to stay. Tanjiro is unbelievably gentle as he shows even the evil demons he has to slay a hard-fought kindness, and it’s those tender moments between all of the amazing action sequences that really elevate this show for me. The issues I have lie with the rest of the cast. While I love some supporting characters, like the pig-headed Inosuke and the stoic Giyuu, others have very niche personalities that can get annoying if they’re on screen for too long, which they definitely tend to be. Still, the bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko is so strong that it gets me through even those dragging scenes.

And it’s written by a woman!

4. My Hero Academia

Hey so this might come as a shock for anyone who’s followed me for a while: My Hero Academia is not my favorite anime! I do love it a lot - it’s the only anime on this list that has inspired me to read the manga, write fic, and buy merch. There are so many lovable characters and exciting arcs in this show that there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy, both inside and outside of canon. It’s a wonderfully paced and animated deconstruction of the superhero genre and besides its deeper themes and commentary, there’s also just a lot of endearing teenage goofin’ to be had, and the show balances the tone of these two almost-equally engaging aspects of the story fairly well.

The downside, for me, is the show’s sexualization of female characters, especially the teenagers. With the likes of pervy fellow classmate Mineta, it’s a flaw that’s hard to avoid and takes up an unfortunate amount of screen time. There are in-universe characters that protest against this behavior, and the female characters are still well-written for the most part, but that doesn’t make up for the canon material including it at all. It’s not a huge part of the show but it’s present enough that it really knocks the ranking down for me.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Out of my top 5, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the only one that is complete. Because of that, I can tentatively say that so far, it is the best completed story on this list. From beginning to end, the pacing was perfect - the action never dragged, the characters were never unnecessary, and the plot twists were never unearned. I found myself more invested than I thought I would ever be for the large cast of characters, and everything, including its ending, was satisfying to watch. The animation is fluid and lent itself well to the most impactful scenes, especially involving the flame alchemist Roy Mustang. It’s also written by a woman! Really, the only nitpicks I have were with tonal problems - serious moments would sometimes be ruined by too much slapstick or visual gags.

As I mentioned before, my Top 3 are shows I would recommend to anyone who’s unfamiliar with anime simply because they’re good solid stories with almost no distracting anime tropes. This is a good place to start.

2. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland is deceiving; on the surface it looks like a sweet show about a bunch of adorable kids playing together in the spacious green backyard of their quaint orphanage. Once you finish the first episode, however, you will quickly discover that there is definitely something more sinister lurking under the surface. This show is an expertly executed dark horror/thriller that always had me on the edge of my seat. The cute aesthetic never distracts from the suspense, in fact, it adds to the discomfort when the horrific visuals and expressions are contrasted against the character designs. I loved all of the characters, including the antagonist, who manages to be just as sympathetic as she is menacing. The sound design and music are also beautiful and adds so much to the rich atmosphere. I am definitely excited to see where this series will go!

1. Mob Psycho 100

ONE, the creator of Mob Psycho 100, said the single word he used for the concept for the series was “kindness”. Kindness shines through so much of this story following the life of Mob, a super-psychic kid that just wants to fit in, and I adore every second of it. While many shonen anime stories force the child protagonist to get stronger, become more powerful, and fight in battles against hostile adults, Mob Psycho 100 says “that’s stupid. Kids shouldn’t have to be traumatized by immature power-hungry adults. The only strength that anyone should pursue is strength of character, motivated by self-love and love for others.” And it says it with the most beautiful animation I have EVER seen in a show. The simplistic character designs mean the animators can have as much creative freedom as they like with expressions and movement, and they absolutely use that freedom. Humor is a large part of this mostly-comedy anime, but it makes the serious and introspective scenes so much more important when they do happen. The shifts between these two tones never feel awkward or imbalanced.

Mob Psycho 100 has inspired me to become more experimental and joy-seeking with my art, as well as just become a better person in my own life, which I can’t say for many other anime or many other pieces of media period. Even though a Season 3 hasn’t been officially announced yet, I can still safely say Mob Psycho 100 will forever hold a special place in my heart.

[popwasabi]

How some stoners named “Harold & Kumar” made Asian Americans proud

Being Asian American can make you feel invisible at times or worst, the butt of every bad joke.

Sure, lots of Americans love Asian things like sushi, kung fu, anime, and tacky calligraphy tattoos that don’t mean what they say they mean but they don’t particularly care about having the people themselves present or even represented.

And typically when we are represented it tends to look like this.

Or this.

Or this.

(I said what I SAID!)

Now Asian Americans are not by any stretch the most marginalized or even the least represented people in the larger American cultural diaspora, but they’re fairly consistently forgotten or grossly stereotyped in our media regardless and this has larger consequences. Representation is important because it makes a people’s presence known to the larger majority.

Our pop culture has unfortunately played a role in erasing, appropriating, and misrepresenting Asian folk. An action movie may feature a white actor with extreme martial arts skills fighting in Hong Kong but might not have a single prominent Asian voice throughout the plot and those that do are typically gross caricatures. The Cyberpunk genre loves Asian aesthetics from its Tokyo inspired neon lighting, futurist cityscape, and ramen carts abound but boy, is the populace typically dominantly white.

(I love this movie but considering how many Asian things and aesthetic choices there are in it would it have killed Denis Villeneuve to have at least ONE background Asian person??)

It’s not shocking then that 2004’s stoner comedy classic “Harold & Kumar” starts with a pair of white dudes beginning their own adventure by leaving one of the titular heroes in the dust to do their dirty work because “Asians love math” or something. Despite not being a stoner, at the time at least, I related hard to this movie and its characters as the film touched on a number of triggers I had growing up.

2004 was a formative year for me as an Asian American. For the first time ever, my history classes were touching on Asian culture with discussions on Japanese feudalism which awakened a deep sense of pride I didn’t know I had at the time. I was watching NHK samurai dramas about Miyamoto Musashi and later the Shinsengumi which led to me begin training in kendo. Anime had suddenly become more mainstream with the premiere of Shonen Jump and pirated subtitled anime littering all of YouTube. But more importantly, and distressingly, I became more aware of my identity because it was increasingly getting called out as I was getting older.

I’ve been labeled a number of different pejoratives growing up through my teens.

“Nerd.”

“Weirdo.”

“Loser”

But none cut deeper than “Chinese boy.”

I’m not Chinese, of course, in fact I’m half white and half Japanese but try telling the various ignorant lunkheads I knew growing up to respect and differentiate between them all. Hell, better yet tell them I’m just as American as they are too.

Being labeled “Chinese” hit a very personal chord with me. To lots of Americans, unfortunately, we’re all “Chinese” and the various qualities that make each of our cultures unique are inconsequential to them. We AAPI’s all individually take a measure of pride in those unique qualities and to have it all sequestered under a blanket “Chinese” label was beyond insulting.

(And I don’t care what you tell me or how much you hate China’s government, this is a THOUSAND percent a dog whistle.)

For Asian Americans, there have been various ways one reacts to these insults. Some of course, who learned confidence at a younger age, would shrug it off or ignore it, some would outright resent it but for me at least it only made me dig my heels in deeper. Yeah, I’m Asian, so fuck you!

That energy is deep “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle” as these two Asian American characters not only navigate a crazy night of searching for an open White Castle to satisfy their stoner cravings but also confront various microaggressions from outside and within the Asian community.

Harold, of course, struggles with his confidence. He can’t stand up for himself when the aforementioned two white bros from the start of the film saddle him with extra work. He laments doing the typical Asian thing of being too passive when confronted by authority. He can’t find the will to ask the girl next door out because again he sees himself as an impotent Asian guy unwilling to make the first move. The whole movie he struggles with his inner feelings because he’s been taught and programmed to a certain extent to be timid because that’s the Asian identity.

Meanwhile, Kumar’s character is about resisting conformity to those same stereotypes but in the worst ways. He co-opts black and hip-hop culture as seen in his messy apartment room. He fights his dad who is forcing him to take his doctor's exam, something he doesn’t want. Generational pressure is common in all cultures but it’s an entirely different animal when it comes to the Asian upbringing. Kumar embodies this resist from beginning to the end of the film and though he does decide to take the test, it’s important that he chooses to do it, not his dad, and certainly not because he’s Indian. He decides that choosing to be a great doctor doesn’t mean he is becoming a stereotype because his identity is not just about being Asian.

(Every Asian kid has heard their parent make an unintentional innuendo.)

Harold and Kumar’s differing approaches create a charming pair for the film to bounce off as Kumar’s brashness often lands them in trouble and Harold’s timid demure keeps them down in its own way and the two finally come together when Kumar learns to understand the difference between conformity and choice and Harold learns conformity doesn’t define him.

Both characters confront all kinds of microaggressions against their identity throughout the film. Cops making fun of their names. The extreme sports bros making every racist joke every Asian kid has every heard growing up at them. All Asian Americans have grown up wanting to deliver the perfect comeback or “fuck you” moment against these types of people and when our heroes triumph and put them all in their place there is undeniable catharsis as it happens for everyone who has seen this movie.

(Seriously, there isn’t a more satisfying good triumphing over evil moment in film for me than the conclusion of this particular plot.)

The movie confronts stereotypes in more ways than one though. Throughout the movie Harold and Kumar are confronted by a situation that makes them think it’ll go one direction but ends up (usually comedically) the opposite. Harold and Kumar try to hook up with two beautiful transfer students who turn out to have horrible bowel issues. Harold is reluctant to go to the Asian American club party because even he believes in his own ethnic stereotypes of them but it turns out it’s a banger of a party with plenty of weed to boot. Harold and Kumar are picked up by a lonesome, disfigured tow truck driver and are shocked to find he’s married to a beautiful woman. And the aforementioned extreme sports bros turn out to love cheesy pop music and romantic songs.

Basically, the whole movie is about giving a big middle finger to all our preconceived notions we have about identity and it's brilliant.

(Nothing wrong with cheesy pop music, of course.)

“Harold & Kumar” is great for other reasons too. John Cho and Kal Penn still play greatly off each other. There’s plenty of great one-liners sprinkled between each scene. The entire journey to find White Castle burgers in the middle of the night is a fairly genius premise for a stoner comedy still. And Neil Patrick Harris playing “himself” is still iconic.

Parts of the movie haven’t aged, well of course. There’s some bad gross-out humor, some lazy gay panic jokes and not to mention some sexist quips that don’t land well in 2020. Also, let’s just not talk about the sequels.

(I still find this scene amusing though.)

That said, “Harold & Kumar’s” first film in this munchie saga is not only a grade-A stoner flick but simply one of the best films ever when it comes to bringing that much needed representation of the time to Asian Americans. Watching Harold & Kumar stick it to their annoying white antagonists while delivering a “fuck you” to every racist joke I ever heard growing up is still cathartic as hell and made me feel proud to be Asian American during a turbulent time for myself growing up.

Though it’s not Masterpiece Theater by any stretch, Harold & Kumar will always hold a special place in my heart and remains forever “high” on my list of favorite movies of all-time.

Happy 4/20, y’all!

[obsidianarchives]

Black Woman Creator: Nilah Magruder

Nilah Magruder is a writer and artist based in Los Angeles. From her beginnings in the woods of Maryland she developed an eternal love for three things: nature, books, and animation. Her young adult web comic, M.F.K., won the inaugural Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in 2015, and has been published in print by Insight Comics. Her first picture book, How to Find a Fox, was published by Feiwel & Friends in 2016. She has written for Marvel and drawn storyboards for DreamWorks and Disney. When she is not working, Nilah is reading fantasy novels, watching movies, roller-skating, and fighting her cat for control of her desk chair.

Black Girls Create: What do you create?

I create children's books and comics.

BGC: What about children’s books and comics spoke to you when you got started?

I’ve always been interested in children's media. I grew up loving animation and from a young age I wanted to work in animation. A lot of the media that I consumed growing up was targeted towards kids and as I got older I never lost my love of that. I love Disney movies and animation from anywhere really. As I got a little older, that migrated to manga and a lot of that was targeted towards teens. That’s what I always loved consuming and wanted to put back in the world in my own words.

Now that I’m older I really think the kind of content we give kids is important, because they're going to grow up with this just like I did. These are stories and experiences that will form the basis of their knowledge and understanding of the world. You don’t always grow out of those early ideas that you ingest when you’re young. I think how we speak to kids and the sorts of stories we tell kids are very important.

BGC: Why do you create?

I just need to do it. If I don’t have this I drive myself crazy. Even when I wasn’t working in the arts, I used to be a journalist and work in marketing and this was my stress relief. It’s what I did to unwind and get away from real life and the things that stress me out. I’ve always loved art. In school when I wasn’t doing visual art, my passion was music and for a long time I thought I’d go to school for music and join a symphony, but then I veered over on this path. Art is something that has always spoken to me, it feeds me in a way. It’s become this thing where I need to do it. Even when I try to get away from it and not think about it my mind always circles back to looking at art and images and thinking about story and characters. It’s always been kind of an escape for me.

BGC: Now that is your job, do you need a new form of stress relief or has your stress just gone down?

No, my work is not my stress relief, it’s just a new form of stress. [LAUGH] I don’t draw for fun anymore, when I draw it’s with purpose. It’s thinking about the next story or it’s for work or it’s freelance. So to unwind I read a lot. I play video games on occasion when I have time, I roller skate, I go for walks, I go out with friends. At some point I want to take up gardening, but right now I’m just propagating a little plant. I used to garden when I was younger but a lot of hobbies are time consuming. I haven’t found that balance yet of having a hobby I can really lose myself in but also maintaining my work.

BGC: What are some of your all-time favorite comics or manga?

I was just recently reminded of Beck, which is a manga serialized in US as Mongolian Chop Squad. Beck is a manga about music and I was obsessed when I was a teenager, I loved it. Paradise Kiss always comes to mind because it’s about art and teenagers and feelings, and the art is amazing. Smile by Raina Telgemeier, was a very real story for me because I was also a middle schooler with teeth problems and braces. For Shonen manga I love Naruto, Bleach, and Shaman King. Those are really my favorites. When webcomics came along Strings of Fate by Jen Wang was my jam.

BGC: What exposed you to manga and comics growing up?

I guess it all started with Sailor Moon and that happened around the time that home internet became a big thing. The timing of both of those things was crucial to my entry into manga. I didn’t know anything about manga back then but I knew cartoons. From learning about Sailor Moon on the internet I learned there are other anime and a most of them are based on comic books, manga. Not a lot of it was being translated but very soon after that Tokyo Pop formed and started bringing over so much manga. That was my entry point right there, really cartoons was always the bridge into comics.

I should mention my brother kind of introduced me to anime and it really took hold with my first anime-con when I was 16. I learned about this through the internet and friends going to the conventions and learned of Otakon which was our local convention. The first time I went, everything you need is right there, the exhibit hall is full of anime and manga, that was a huge education for me.

BGC: Who or what inspired you to do what you do?

I’ve just always wanted to bombard people with my stories. I have a lot of little nieces and nephews and cousins and I just want them to think I’m cool so I keep working hard. I grew up in this area where art was a very traditional thing. I feel like there’s a very different appreciation for art on the West Coast so art has room to be seen as a viable career but on the East Coast it’s traditional, more fine arts. It’s about painting and photography and it’s just not a very practical thing. I grew up being very discouraged about pursuing a career in the arts and I’d love to share with kids that just because you’re getting older, you don’t have to give up art. Art is not a juvenile thing, in elementary school you take art class every week but then that falls away. Once you get to middle and high school, arts becomes an elective and I think that leads to a lack of appreciation for art in our society. I think it’s unfortunate that people devalue art, they don’t understand its purpose or how much of it impacts our world. I would love to hit kids when they’re young and show them art is an important part our society and culture. You don’t have to give it up, you don’t have to have it as a career, you can just have it as a hobby if you want. You don’t need to be an artist to appreciate art. Aside from just loving to tell stories that’s what keeps me doing this, to be an example and be part of the larger conversation of art as a thing in our world.

BGC: Why is it important to you as a Black person to create?

"There are so many other experiences, especially in America, that get erased and a lot of people get talked over. "  -- Nilah Magruder

Children’s books, film, television it’s all predominantly white, it prioritizes one experience. There are so many other experiences, especially in America, that get erased and a lot of people get talked over. There are many Black women who do comics and who are interested in art, but I get this question all the time from people, “Where are the Black women? I never see Black women at Comic Con, I never see Black women working in comics.” I actually had one guy tell me, “In my experience Black women just aren’t interested in writing comics.” I do feel a responsibility to be here because we need people fighting this battle to break through these barriers that exist. People really will sell that lie that Black women don’t exist, don’t have agency, can’t embody a variety of roles, and have no stories to tell. I just vehemently disagree with that. I love art but also feel a responsibility to keep at it and be the antithesis to that lie.

BGC: What do you think about how difficult it is to hear that lie repeated to you and said to your face? Does it ever get discouraging to be in a place that feels so unwelcoming and how do you find the day to day strength to continue to go into an unwelcoming space and prove that you deserve to be there?  

It gets really hard sometimes. There are days when I feel animation is crap, comics is crap, why am I doing this, why am I here?  Luckily I’m apart of a welcoming community, I’m in tune with the other Black women who work in comics and work in animation, with non-Black women who work in comics and animation, and we keep each other strong and pull each other up and keep moving forward together. It still gets discouraging, I can’t be positive every single day. I can’t always put my brave face on and plunge ahead, but even on those days when I feel weak I know there are other Black women who are in this industry who are still ploughing ahead. That’s enough, there are enough of us so I don’t have to be strong every day. I do have these moments where I have to sit back and reflect. I have to ask myself why am I really doing this. I love it so much that I eventually rally, and I’ve never hit the point that the negative outweighs the positive. I’ve been very fortunate in my career, I have a lot of supportive people in my life. I try as best as I can to offer whatever resources and knowledge to other people, to other Black women, so that they can find their path too. It’s about the community, there are a lot of stupid people in this industry who have backwards or outdated ways of thinking and I don’t know if you can do anything about those people but what we can do is stay strong, stay united, and keep telling our stories. That’s something they can’t stop.

BGC: How do you balance creating with the rest of your life?

It’s really hard and I’m not doing a very good job at it right now, it gets overwhelming. Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day and art takes so long to do. I’m not always able to do as much as I want to do. Even if my brain is ready to work, my body isn’t. I’ve hit this age where my body fights against me sometimes so I’m not always physically able to work even when I want to. It’s a struggle to stay in balance. I try to be as organized as I can, and that usually helps. I try to be realistic about my capabilities and just knowing for myself, this is what I can accomplish in this amount of time. In the course of a day, these are the pockets of time that I can work with, but the best I can do is just try not to overwhelm myself because if I get burnt out then that’s it. Just avoiding over extending myself is a real challenge but I’m good as long as I can make a little bit of forward movement everyday. Even if I’m not drawing or writing. If i’m always thinking about it and always planning then usually I’m able to keep some momentum that way. It’s a real challenge and I’m not always great at time management but I do my best. Having a community, having friends and colleagues that I can call on for assistance or who can hold me accountable, that helps a lot too.

BGC: It’s nice to hear that no matter the industry, Black women creators make a point to help each other. It’s important to know that because it feels like we get pitted against each other, there can only be one, so you’re fighting for your one spot.

It feels like that’s what they want you to do because that’s a distraction. That keeps you focused on each other rather than focused on moving forward. I’ve fallen prey to that sometimes too but I’m trying to get better at staying focused on the path ahead and not dragging anyone down because I don’t need to do that as a creator. My success is not dependent on the downfall of other people, we can all move forward together. I’ve been trying harder to focus on that.

BGC: You have your own webcomic. Why is it important to you to create MFK and continue to keep it up when you are so busy? Why has that continued to maintain a level of importance to you?

I started MFK in 2002. That was around the time that I came up with the scenes of the first idea and it’s a story that never goes away. I’ve created other stories in that amount of time that have fallen away but MFK is the one that I always come back too. I think because it’s a very personal story for me. Abby was my first foray into writing a story with a Black girl lead. I’ve put a lot of time, thought, and work into developing this world so it’s a natural part of me. It’s not something that I can see ever letting go of, Abby is kind of my child. It may take a long time, I may not always keep up with it, I may have to take breaks like I am right now, but if I’m working on this for another 50 years than so be it. It’s the story of my heart and I love it and I don’t ever see myself walking away from it until the story is done. Hopefully, it won’t take 50 years but it’s a story that I made a commitment to. I had a choice, when I first decided to do a webcomic I had a couple of stories and this is the one I chose because I had already been sitting on this idea for 10 years and didn’t want to put it off any longer. I made that commitment and I want to see it through for myself.

BGC: What has been the response from the community so far?

It’s been really positive, I’m always bracing myself for the negative reviews or for someone to tell me this is crap but it hasn’t really happened yet and I’m kind of surprised. I’m still bracing myself because now that it’s being published in print it’s going to reach a larger audience. People really seem to enjoy it, a lot of people seem to connect to it which is a shock because it’s such a personal thing. I can see the relevance of it to me, but I can’t always see the relevance of it to other people so it’s always refreshing when I hear feedback and hear that people really do enjoy the story and the characters and they’re eager for more.

BGC: Do you have any advice for young creators/ones just starting?

Lately the advice I give is to start small, make some comics, don’t wait. You learn by doing, so go ahead and start making some comics and treat it as a learning experience, but start small. If you pick a problem that’s too big you can overwhelm yourself. If you want to start with that really big comic, that really epic idea then by all means do what you’re really passionate about but MFK was my first webcomic, it was not my first comic. I tried doing short comics first and also working on other people’s comics. I got acclimated to the medium before I launch my first epic. That’s what I would suggest. A big project can be overwhelming very quickly and if it’s too much for you to handle you’re setting yourself up for failure so just start small.

BGC: Do you have any future projects that you’re thinking about working on?

I illustrated a middle grade graphic novel that’s upcoming called Creaky Acres. It’s about a Black girl who moves to an all white rural community and joins their local horse riding club. It’s being written by Calista Brill and published by Dial Books for Young Readers. It’s coming out in 2019, I believe. That’s my other major project other than that and MFK I’m just deciding what else I want to work on.

Outside of comics, Canon Busters was recently announced, I did a bit of writing for that and it is an animated series coming to Netflix at some point.

BGC: Any last words of wisdom?

If art is intimidating for you, if you’re interested in comics and other medium, give it a shot. Learn to appreciate art by doing.

[ushijimawakaflockaflame-blog]

A Queen and Her Kingdom - Ushijima Wakatoshi - Chapter 3

AN: I am baaaaack with another chapter of our favorite shonen anime villain voice ace ~! I hope you are all still enjoying this ~

Introducing more characters into the mix !

CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2

English Medieval Kingdom AU featuring RoyalGuard!Ushijima and (Sassy)Queen!Reader

CHAPTER 3: Meet Your Kingdom

Another night you slept soundly in your chamber, your sleep empty of dreams and wonder. Your duvet felt like a cloud against your sore body. Training with Ushijima the past few days had taken a toll on your body. When you told him to take you seriously when training, he took your word and made you swallow it. Although you figured you couldn’t move for a couple of days, you were thankful that someone finally listened to you.

You heard a gentle knock at your door when you awakened.

“Go away,” you groaned, pulling the duvet over your head as a habit.

The door opened without command and you already knew who it was.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Ushijima greeted.

With a lazy sigh, you sat up and gave your fellow an unimpressed look, to which he returned with a raised brow.

“Thank you for knocking, Ushijima-san,” you paused, getting used to the feel of his name coming out of your lips. “But I need to approve that I am decent before you barge in again.”

“I closed my eyes this time before coming in. I decided that since I did not hear you scream, it was all right to enter.”

You were going to put a dent into your nose bridge one day from pinching it so much. It was too early to argue with him, so you ushered him to close the door.

“What brings you here, my good friend?” you teased.

You smirked at the way Ushijima stiffened at his new nickname. “Lord Steward Ukai-sama has instructed us to head to the Kingdom’s market with the Cook, Sugawara-san.”

“Just you accompanying us? What about the rest of the lot?”

“Lord Steward said it was unnecessary for all of them to come along.”

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of joining my favorite Cook?”

“Lord Steward said that it would be good for you to get some fresh air outside of the Castle and that you should get to know your Kingdom more.”

“At the crack of dawn?”

“The market is most flourishing at this time,” he stated. With a twitch of his lip, he finished with, “Trust me.”

Ushijima had a charm about him that made you trust his every word. If he told you to jump out of the Castle, you probably would have.

There was also something about the way he talked to you that made your heart beat a little faster.

“If it is not as ‘flourishing’ as you claim, then you will get a mouthful from me. Now please leave so I can change.”

With a smirk and a bow, he said, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Although most Queens in other Kingdoms wore their almost-best as they walked about the Kingdom, you wore outfits as casual as they were if you were just within the Castle. You were not one to stand out in a crowd - in fact, you wanted to be like the civilians, especially when you were still a bratty little Princess. But regardless of what you wore, your people still recognized you wherever you went.

To commemorate such a joyous occasion, you presented yourself a little nicer. Now that you were the Queen, you figured now would be a good time to actually look like one.

You met your two companions at the front gate with a little skip in your step. You hadn’t been out of the Castle too often after your brother’s assassination, and admittedly, you were excited. But naturally, you were a little cautious of what today’s events have to come.

“Ah, my Queen ~!” Sugawara beamed.

“My Master Chef, how I love you so, but how dare you pull me from my slumber at 6 in the morn?”

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I am not! Please appreciate your beauty once in a while, will you? And to be quite fair, your good friend Ushijima-san gave me the suggestion. You know those heirloom tomatoes that I always search for but can never get? He claims he used to see them all the time when he went in the early mornings with his father!”

“I do not claim, I speak the truth,” Ushijima corrected. You swore he almost had a pout on his face.

“He seems to claim a lot of things,” you noted.

“Well, we shall see then, hm? Chop chop!”

“We’re walking there!?”

“Taking a carriage would be a little obnoxious, no? Walking will do a little good for you, anyways.”

You supposed walking to the market wasn’t too bad. The three of you arrived a lot quicker than you assumed. All of your senses tingled the second you walked through the wooden archway. Your eyes saw the colors and your nose smelled the sense of all the vegetables, fruits, meats, breads, and flowers. Your ears perked up at the chitter chatter of all the buyers and merchants. You wanted to taste all of the foods and you wanted to feel what it was like to be a local.

“My _____-hime! And Sugawara-san! What a pleasant surprise ~” a familiar florist beamed, bowing to your party as he stepped away from his stand.

“Akiteru-san!” you beamed right back. Your favorite blond-headed florist was no stranger to you when you were younger. He and your brother were always good friends in their teen years whenever they dropped off their weekly arrangements and you grew to adore him like another brother.

“To what do we local folk owe the pleasure of you two in our presence on this fine morning?”

“I am back on the search for those tomatoes that I am so determined to find,” Sugawara said.

“You’re in luck. Shimada-san just got a new shipment in.”

“You don’t say!? I will be right back, you two.”

Sugawara left to sprint to Shimada’s stand while Akiteru eyed Ushijima curiously.

“So who’s this? A suitor?”

Your face turned as red as those heirloom tomatoes. “N-Nonsense! He is part of my Royal Guard.”

“Ha!” Akiteru scoffed. “You are the last heir that should receive a Royal Guard!”

“Rightfully so, but Lord Steward says otherwise.”

“Ah, that Ukai-sama. Quite a character, that one. Well, I have some flower-tending to do before Kei arrives and messes everything up. I shall see you off with this.”

He handed you a small bundle of lavender tied with a black ribbon.

“You are no longer a fiesty little Princess, but you are now a fiesty little Queen. The lavender represent refinement, grace, and elegance, so you better act that way now that you are older,” he scolded.

“Yes, My Lord,” you mocked.

“That’s right. You better come visit us again! Send us a formal invitation to your Courtship Ball, I’ll send Kei as the Tsukishima family representative!” Akiteru yelled as you walked away with disgust on your face.

“Is this Kei your potential suitor?” Ushijima asked.

“Never in my life would I have such a brat as a suitor. Akiteru was joking, I hope.” With each person that acknowledged you both, you slightly bowed.

“Are you to be wed soon?”

“Unfortunately,” you sighed. “I would much rather rule the Kingdom single-handedly than be forced to marry someone unworthy.”

“So it seems,” he chuckled. “No man is up to your calibur, Your Highness.”

“Damn right, you are,” you pouted. “Well, whomever is to be my husband will live in fear.”

“Why is that?”

“For one, as you can probably already tell, I am not a damsel-in-distressed woman that many men in this Kingdom seek. And for another, now that you are to be by my side, I bet they’d cower in fear just at your very presense.”

You couldn’t help but smile proudly at the last sentence, and Ushijima didn’t miss it. He looked at you with curiosity and his smile said flattery.

“What?” you asked.

“Is it my job to scare all the men away from you?”

“Well, it’s a part of it, no?”

“I suppose, if your husband-to-be tries to assassinate you.”

“That’s the spirit,” you encouraged. “Besides, why do I need a husband-to-be if you will be my Right Hand-to-be?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know a husband would stay with me ’til death do us part. As a Knight and my Right Hand, your oath is one in the same, correct?”

“Quite a literal comparison, Your Highness. Are you saying you want me by your side forever?”

You nearly tripped over a barrel of wine when you looked at smirking Ushijima with wide eyes. Your body was hunched over the barrel, embarrassed to look at him. You felt his hands grip your waist as he helped you stand straight. Looking back, his face was close and his breath was warm.

You straightened up immediately with a bright blush on your face. “W-What have I told you about saying things like that so flippantly!?”

“To not.”

“Yes, correct, s-so please obey!”

“Duly noted, Your Highness. But to continue, I must remind you that I will protect you with my life.”

“Yes, you’ve told me this several times -”

“’Til death do us part.”

When you looked up at him, you felt your Kingdom come to a halt. His words, the way he looked at you, were so sincere.

You hoped his actions would be the same.

You sighed, but couldn’t help the growing grin on your lips. “You and I are going to have lots of fun in this lifetime, aren’t we?”

With a chuckle, he said, “I would truly hope so, Your Highness.”