#and I liked Zhens arc

[neofelis----nebulosa]

Watched kfp 4 and it’s definitely the weakest of the kfp movies but I still liked it.

#I’m a very visual person so even though the writing in many ways was Not The Best the visual storytelling like the first 3 movies … #…was on point #as for the negatives I mostly agree with the overall consensus #but there are a lot of things about it that were really good #and I think that outweighs the bad by quite a bit #as for the chameleon I was kinda right about her when I said it seemed like she had a lot of potential but wasn’t explorer enough #*explored #but yeah like I said before I even watched it everything about her visually was incredible #in any other animated movie I think she would be a great villain #but in this franchise she doesn’t live up to the standard #there were interesting paralels between her story and pos journey in the movie but it’s never expanded on #I think there was a big missed opportunity with her whole rules of the streets thing to explore her backstory and worldview #but it wasn’t taken #and I think with the whole villains from the previous movies returning thing they sort of set themselves up for disappointment #bc they used tagt to market the movie so heavily #fortunately I had already gone in accepting that they wouldn’t actually play an active role in the story #so I enjoyed their appearances for what they were #same with the furious 5 #still unhappy with the decision to take the story in a direction that didn’t include them but I had accepted that they wouldn’t be in it… #…and I had come to peace with that #and I liked Zhens arc #it was extremely predictable but so are these movies in general #I don’t watch these movies to be surprised I watch them to see the characters grow #but I like that she was inspired by Pos kindness #no one had ever really shown her true kindness before #and I thought the significance of that was conveyed well #anyways I have a lot of thoughts on the movie but basically it was very imperfect but I think we got a lot of good stuff out of it

[kennexara]

i watched five mission impossible movies in two days let’s goooooo

#rogue nation is still the best #i don't give a fuck what the critics or ppl who only saw fallout or ghost protocol think #3 has the best team though #crime against me personally that zhen and declan aren't in any others #so do we think they're gonna kill ethan off in 8? #or ~kill him~ but sike he retired and is living with a girl his friends just all think he's dead #either way am i gonna throw a fit about it YOU BET #look i'll admit it's harder to give ethan an out #given he already tried the 'i'm just gonna train the other agents and not be in the field' before #and he's not really the type where it's like 'why don't we just make him be the director' #but STILL #it's not...it's not that i think they would do such an ending badly exactly #it's just...well it's just hard to trust again #after so many franchises ended so fucking badly #and....i'm not gonna say he deserves a good ending bc like ppl are weird about that word #or well maybe i've just been using that word wrongly #(there's that whole post like 'it's not about what a character deserves #it's about what's satisfying to their character arc' #and it's like...yeah that's what the fuck i'm talking about when i talk about what they deserve!!) #I WANT A SOFT EPILOGUE MY LOVE OKAY #HE'S BEEN CARRYING ON SO LONG I WANAN SEE HIM GET SOME PEACE WHEN HE IS DONE!!!

[alleycatchitchat]

Thoughts on the KFP4 Trailer

Okay so this seems to be getting a lot of hate?? And that's fair, because I think expectations for this movie were high, and people are desperate for dreamworks to not mess up one of their biggest franchises. But after seeing the trailer I'm actually pretty excited for this movie! Let's talk:

FIRST, THE CONS:

Where. Are. The Five. Where are the furious five. It looks like they're cutting out old, beloved characters in favor of introducing new characters, because exciting! And I'm really really worried about that.

On a similar note, I know Po is supposed to be training Zhen to be the new dragon warrior, and this REALLY rubs me the wrong way. I have nothing against her character so far, actually, but I'm furious that a completely new character is taking over the most important role in this franchise YEARS after the last movie came out. If anything, Tigress should be the new Dragon Warrior; watching her finally accept herself as she is, achieve Inner Peace, etc, would be FAR more satisfying. And it's just logical: as the deuteragonist of the series and leader of the furious five, I assumed she would be the second choice for Dragon warrior anyway.

NEXT, THE PROS:

Tai Lung's back. He's back. HE'S BAAAAAAACK

I NEVER thought this day would come. Reading the synopsis, I assumed the Chameleon's shapeshifting would be the full extent of seeing Tai Lung on screen. That his appearance would be used but he wouldn't actually be there. Having him SHOW UP, ON SCREEN, has honestly completely redeemed the entire movie for me at this point.

I want to see his redemption arc. I want to see him interact with Shifu. I want to see him team up with Po to take down the Chameleon. Even if he has a TINY role in the movie, I don't care, this is more than I ever hoped for. I will settle for ANYTHING I absolutely don't care.

yeah i had a bunch of other things i wanted to say, but tai lung brainrot has taken over. sorry guys. scream at me in the notes or whatever if you're just as excited as i am

#tai lung #kfp tai lung #tai lung kfp #kfp #kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kfp 4 #kung fu panda 4 trailer

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 1, bracket two

Propaganda:

For Kiku:

She is almost 10 feet/3 meters tall and is a gorgeous trans woman and samurai, who is very loyal to her allies. She gets recognized as strong by the main character multiple times and proves it by being one of the most resilient badasses in the entire series. Helps break said main character out of the enemy's prison and takes part in a rebellion against the corrupt prison staff. She stands up to a tyrant who enslaved her country, said tyrant can also turn into a giant dragon. When the highest ranked sumo in the area is abusing class privilege and harassing both the townsfolks and her, she cuts his top knot off in public, effectively ending his career. Then after cutting the sumo's not knot, she uses her great acting skills to win the crowd to her side by playing the innocent maiden and being all "oh, no, what have I done?" (She knew exactly what she did >:) After her country is free, she also gets to enjoy being girly and mellow once everyone is able to relax, and everyone respects that side of her too. All of this at just 22 years of age, what a cool lady

She's a samurai who's great with a sword and she's also trans.

She is cannonically trans and is a very cool swordswoman!

Trans samurai!! Kenshi is gender neutral, but this is a swordsWOMAN

One of the most powerful samurai in her country, also a trans icon.

She’s canonically trans and awesome and pretty and she’s so tall! 🏳️‍⚧️

For Luo Binghe:

This boy not just studied the blade, he learned the blade FROM HIS CRUSH. And not only that but he actually has tons of symbolism around BOTH of the swords he wields over the course of the novel. His childhood sword gets broken when he's about to be thrown into his corruption arc, but the pieces are carefully preserved by his crush, and later he rebuilds the sword in question. Once he is fully freed from corrupting influence of his other sword, he uses this one again! It represents his inner goodness that gets broken, but is never really gone. The other is a cursed sword representing toxic masculinity that corrupts his mind and pushes him to harm himself and others. It gets destroyed in the end thru the power of gay love!

His sword is first broken symbolizing his trauma and loss of innocence when he is kicked into hell. Then his other sword, Xin Mo, which he finds in hell, represents toxic masculinity and he breaks it at the climax of the novel. It can also dimension travel and is evil.

Binghe has two different songs in this book and a complicated relationship with both of them. First there is Zhen Yang which breaks at a dramatic moment and is mourned over by his teacher/love interest "like a grieving widow". And then there's Xin Mo! His "golden finger". The most ridiculously overpowered sword in the world, it can even cut rifts in the fabric of the world. It also runs on sex and violence and drives him to madness which can only be cured by the aforementioned love interest sacrificing himself... or by sex!

#sword gays showdown #luo binghe #the scum villain's self saving system #svsss #kikunojo #one piece #okiku

[l-egionaire]

Just saw Kung Fu Panda 4. Here are some thoughts.

Plot was... okay. Nothing super special, but it was fine enough for the kind of story the movie was trying to tell. And there were some great imagery and animation moments. I honestly don't get all the complaints about the animation. I saw one thing on TV tropes say it'd because it's not something like Puss in Boots Two or The Bad Guys, but I'm honestly fine with it not being like those. I feel like if all animated movies used that style, people would just start to complain that they're all the same.

Zhen was fine as a character. Bit of the usual "thief with a heart of gold" type character, but while I do think her changing was a bit fast, I can get why it happens. Po's the first person to show her genuine kindness with little alterior motive, and combined with a later betrayl, I can see her motivation for becoming a better person. Her voice acting wasn't too bad, but I think it could've been better in some dramatic moments. Also, while the movie doesn't draw attention to it, I do think there's a lot of parallel that could be drawn between her and Po, not just with how they grew up but also in their parental figures. Not to mention, they ultimately aren't THAT different as characters. They're both goofy people but grew up being looked down on by others and seem to use humor or goofiness as a defense mechanism. Just that she uses snark whereas he uses his big happy personality.

I REALLY like Po in the movie. Not just because he's his usual big fun self, but because he's still just as, if not more competent as he was in the previous movies. A big issue I had with the How To Train Your Dragon franchise was how Hiccup seemed to keep being less competent or capable in the movies. But no. Po's still able to kick ass and is the skilled warrior he should be after three movies of fighting. And I do think his fear of losing his dragon warrior title is understandable since that HAS been a big part of his identity across all three movies. Some might say that it's odd he's so afraid of change since he became a teacher in the last movie, but that was just adding on to his the responsibilities he already had. I would say his arc of becoming a spiritual leader was neglected some by the end and could've used a bit more focus.

Po's dad's are great. At first, I thought their subplot was just a comedic b-plot, but I liked how they ended up getting their and providing Po emotional support. And again, while it's not given much focus, their relationship and how they encourage Po creates a nice parallel between Zhen and her parental figure.

The Chameleon as a villain isn't THAT interesting, but she's not terrible. Personality wise, she's okay, but nothing spectacular. I do think her backstory was interesting, and, like the past three villains, her backstory mirrors Po's in a way. Which I honestly kind of wished they'd focused on a little more. I think it would've given her more depth that she's hinted to have.

Yes, the Furious Five aren't in this move for 99 percent of it. But.....I think it works. Because the whole point of the movie is about Po and Zhen. Them building their trust and relationship to get to the point they are by the end of the movie. And having the Furious Five their might have made things feel overstuffed.

Ultimately, I think it's a good movie. Nothing AMAZING but it's good and It does pick up more in the second half. Overall I'd say this around a 7.5 out of ten if I had to describe it.

#Kung fu panda #King Fu Panda 4 #KFP 4 #po kung fu panda #zhen kfp #Movie review

[skull-pun]

I'll never forgive KFP4 for not making Tai Lung the Vegeta to Po's Goku. That whole summoning thing should've happened at the beginning of the movie and he should have had his fight with the Chameleon then got his powers stolen and then escaped to get help from Po.

And yes I know she needed the staff to open the portal to the spirit realm so she couldnt have summoned him before she got it but idk maybe Zhen could have just stolen it from under Po's nose at the beginning so like now Po is more willing to trust Tai Lung since he knows his staff has been stolen? Man idk I just rewatched it and I'm still pissed off.

I just wanted my funny british snow leopard to get his redemption arc man.

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kfp #kfp 4 #dreamworks #movies #animated movies #animation #rant #tai lung #dragon ball

[accio-victuuri]

i pulled some early reviews of FPU, related to yibo and his character yang zhen. 👮‍♂️

i chose the ones on the top of the FPU page on weibo to share. credit weibo accounts/bloggers/media etc who watched the premiere and reviewed.

beware or spoilers!!!!

二火山:

The most outstanding thing about the whole film is the sniper Yang Zhen played by Wang Yibo. He has a complete character arc. After watching it, you will not feel that the sentence "I want to maintain world peace" in the trailer is half-hearted. The resolute look in his eyes as soon as he appears makes people have a deep impression. Only later did I learn that Yang Zhen chose to become a peacekeeping policeman in order to complete the unfinished business of his father who died in the line of duty. This is also a kind of inheritance.

This character is full of passion, not afraid of danger, and always regards the lives of civilian children as more important than his own. Looking at the previous roles of Lei Yu and Wei Ruolai, Wang Yibo's characters have a firm sense of mission and belief. I think this is why the director took a fancy to him. In the movie, Yang Zhen encountered danger many times without fear, and was even willing to sacrifice himself for a just cause. He created this righteous, brave and witty image in a very three-dimensional way, making people feel immersed in it. It is difficult not to feel deep respect for the peacekeeping police.

Among them are several scenes that left a deep impression: due to punishment, Yang Zhen got up immediately after doing push-ups and ran to catch up with the team's car, even if he was panting at the extreme state; He mistook him for a child and did not fire, causing his teammates to be injured and feeling guilty; especially when he was shooting at the enemy sniper, the rain kept making his eyes wet, but he was still able to aim hard and consider the wind before finally hitting the target with one shot.

水片

Wang Yibo's casting is particularly successful and outstanding, and according to the chronological sequence, this film is Wang Yibo's first film to enter the film industry. The performance is sincere and not sloppy, and the clues of his growth trajectory are particularly touching, especially in the setting of his deceased father. And with the support of producer Liu Weiqiang, the screen narrative is compact and intense, and the film is full of texture.

啵塞東東

In fact, rather than saying that Yang Zhen is an "impulsive" player, I think he is too upright and kind. (Slight spoiler warning for the next sentence) (It's harmless, don't call the police). He doesn't defend himself when the captain scolds him. It's not like he doesn't shoot. He just didn't want to hurt the child (so when he entered the house and found it was not a child, he said nonchalantly, "It turns out it's not a child").

Wang Yibo was responsible for almost 80% of the action scenes. The parkour rainy night sniper scene was frightening to watch, but they were all very beautiful action scenes, and Yang Zhen's brave young character was something that only he could play. He also looks particularly good in the peacekeeping uniform. He is very tall and handsome.

轻抚油箱85_杨震版

The plot and rhythm are very tight, basically one scene after another, like the last heavy rain, the loss of life, the sacrifice of comrades, the hard-won peace that can only be temporary, are all It happened in this hour and a half. The scenes actually focus more on the portrayal of group portraits. In addition to the peacekeeping team, more focus is placed on the refugees who have lost the envelope of peace.

Action scenes still account for a large proportion. Jumping from high buildings, falling into water, and gunfight scenes are all enough to satisfy the action movie audience. The few literary scenes and daily scenes have a little bit of the flavor of the training camp in the sky, very humorous, and overall ups and downs. there is urgency and slowness. I really like the cooperation and tacit understanding when the team fights.

Next, let’s talk about Yang Zhen. He appeared twice, once for an arm-wrestling event in the early stage and once when he walked into the dormitory on the phone. At that time, a sentence came to my mind: The show is coming. On the big screen, Yang Zhen is wild, occasionally confused, and young enough. Compared with Major Lei Yu, Lei Yu is more mature, more confident, and has clearer goals. It is also because he is young enough that he has the appearance of a newborn calf (I'm sorry, Teacher Wang Yibo didn't mean to scold me by saying you are a calf). He is not afraid of the fierceness of a tiger, and Yang Zhen's "wildness" also comes from this fierceness, which transcends bravery and is a kind of justice that is more inclined to life.

In terms of acting, it can be said that Wang Yibo's performance is still at a high level. Those who go to the cinema for Wang Yibo can rest assured that his eye movements and micro-expressions are still smooth, but the scary thing is that this smooth flow happens. Three years ago, when you went to watch this movie, you would know where Mr. Ye, who was nominated for the Golden Rooster, and Wei Ruolai, who was in the CCTV came from. Every role he played in the past was involved in it, and he became every role in the future with it. flesh and blood.

The lines are as good as ever, whether it's in English or a dialogue in a literary drama, my ears are always happy when I watch his works.

Revisiting the movie three years ago, I have the illusion of peeking into Wang Yibo during the Yang Zhen period, but it is also very romantic and I have not missed Yang Zhen. From this movie, I can conclude that you can always trust Wang Yibo when it comes to acting.

陆支羽

In my opinion, Wang Yibo is very suitable for the role of sniper Yang Zhen. There were two life-and-death collective battle scenes. The first time he risked his life to chase the murderer, and the latter time he didn't fire for fear of accidentally injuring a child, both of which almost resulted in serious consequences. At the same time, the dedication and sincerity of the character Yang Zhen is very three-dimensionally portrayed. From this, he gradually becomes more and more aware of the importance of team spirit and grows into a better peacekeeping policeman.

#wang yibo #formed police unit #accio victuuri translation

[mseirtaku]

Me watching travesty that was Kung Fu Panda 4.

Under 'read more', I have my full (unsolicited) thoughts on the fourth film - warning, I don't have much good to say about it 〔´∇｀〕;;

SPOILERS! + LONG ASS POST!

So... I'll start with the positives, because honestly, I do love aspects of this movie.

Any scenes featuring Li and Mr. Ping are the absolute highlights of this film. Love them, ship them, hilarious chemistry between them. I'd watch a whole film dedicated to just them.

Though not as funny as the previous films, it’s genuinely funny, like, some jokes are deadass hilarious. (See above for example lol)

Genuinely, the main villainess, the chameleon, has such a cool design and Viola Davis provides such a good voice for her. The animation whenever she transforms is so cool.

Jack Black as Po is just so charming, you can't help but find Po so likeable.

For what little we saw of Tai Lung, he was a treat to see.

Great animation, lovely scenery, love the little animation flairs during the action scenes

Alright, now time for the negatives... Which unfortunately there is a lot of. I’ll go step by step and build up to the bigger picture I’m trying to visualise here.

The Kung Fu Panda

Po’s character arc was pretty much complete at the end of KFP3, when he has his epiphany and finds that his true self lies in not restricting himself to one label, but by embracing everything that makes him Po. His identity by this point is very well realised. Unfortunately in KFP4, the tacked on conflict of him needing to retire the Dragon Warrior title and choose a successor just… Doesn’t make sense for his character at this point. Not to mention, the movie repeats a joke ad nauseam where no one knows who Po is, or of his adventures, jokingly chalking it down to a ‘regional’ tale. You’d think the literal saviour of China would be well known. The world-building feels so much smaller for it. Unfortunately, this movie is very determined to undermine the impact of the last three movies, all to prop up the wisecracking and super cool shitass Awkafina character. Sorry, not sorry, but Zhen is a terrible character just for that reason alone. If Kung Fu Panda wanted to pass the torch down, Tigress or even Tai Lung would have been a much more compelling option, seeing as both were telegraphed to be potential Dragon Warriors in the past. Speaking of…

Tai Lung

Man… The trailers got my hopes up that KFP4 would feature a long awaited redemption arc for the OG villain of the KFP films. Instead, he’s delegated to a cage for half his scenes, and received the barest minimum of character arcs in the finale. Granted, he was still entertaining to watch, but he was totally under-utilised.

To continue the topic of identity, the film missed the chance to ask this: “Who is Tai Lung without his kung fu?” All his life he’d been raised with huge aspirations to become the best kung fu master, and to eventually gain the dragon scroll (which he was denied.) In KFP4, the chameleon summons him from the spirit realm, and drains him of all his kung fu skill. Therein lies the missed opportunity for a compelling character arc, now that he’s been cast out as a supposedly useless body into the real world. And who better to help him figure out his identity other than Po himself?

I could go on forever about the various fanficy rewrites and plot ideas, but I don’t want to let this get any longer. So I’ll talk about one more topic.

The Chameleon

I love her design, I love her voice acting, but compared to Tai Lung, Lord Shen and even General Kai… She’s simply a weak villain. (Too small to learn kung fu… Really?? With characters like Mantis and Viper who deadass exist in the same franchise???)

‘I’m the Chameleon! I do nothing but change!’ holds such potential for a far more interesting backstory. Instead of being rejected for her size, suppose that it was seen by many king fu masters that she simply didn’t possess a true spirit of a kung fu warrior. As explained in this film, their abilities are harnessed in the spirit/soul, not just the physical body. Perhaps she didn’t want to work for those abilities properly. She wanted the easy way forwards. She didn’t want to put in the proper time and effort to become a master of the craft. Spurred on by what she sees as rejection, she learns sorcery to take on any number of identities of kung fu masters. So many identities she could use to fool herself into believing she was someone talented and gifted in the art of kung fu. But it’s only a lie she tells herself. And so, she takes the drastic action, and decides to start summoning these masters from the spirit realm. But even as she slowly grows in power through the course of this film, maybe a strong sense of imposter syndrome starts to set in. These powers aren’t truly hers - what value does a carbon copy of something original have? Nothing. She never properly worked for them and made them her own.

Anyways. I’m almost done writing.

Quick fire round of criticism;

Akwafina’s shitass character

Furious five just tossed aside except for a non speaking cameo. Tigress got done so dirty - if there are gonna be like three more films, they should have been about her

WHAT DID THEY DO TO LORD SHEN’S CHARACTER MODEL

The goofy-ass way he was attacked and then thrown into the cage, the disrespect lol

Li (the victim) and Lord Shen (the genocidal maniac who destroyed his village and killed his wife) somehow existed in the same space and did not get into a conflict.

Why does Kai still exist in the spirit realm? I thought he was literally skadooshed to be extra double dead lol. Like spirit literally eradicated

Akwafina’s shitass character

The villains bowing to Po feels super unearned given how under-utilised they were. I can see it working, just not in the plot we got in the end

Po’s character feels weirdly dumbed down, it’s hard to put my finger on it

Fart joke :(

The innocent and cute but secretly psycho baby bunnies are the definition of anti humour. They’re so fucking obnoxious and cringey

For some reason, the character designs of new characters feels super incongruous and out of place.

The Dragon Warrior isn’t an inherited title, it was given during a time where China needed a hero. Why does it need to be passed down?

Ȁ̸̺͚̮̘̔̌̇̋͛̀́́̒̉̅̐ķ̶̲͍̘̖͈̭̮̝̩͐̃̎̕w̴̙̖̫̿̿͜a̸̧̠͎̰̲̠̮͇̰̼̱͂̋̃̇̑̍̊̂̎̾̓͝f̶̛̼͓̱͖̖̭͓͍͚͋͛̍ḯ̶͕̈́͛̀̎̆͛n̶͖͓̻̉̆̎́͆̌͌͂̾̉̚a̷̡̻̟̟͍̳̙̰͔̬̜̐̏̾̍̊̎́͂͊͝’̷̢̢̭̬̹̪̟̰̣́̈́̌̈̑̄̔͗̓̃̄̐s̶̡̹̙̖̲̝͎̳͔̍͑́ ̷̢̤̈͊͛̚s̸͓̪̠̼̪̤͈̜̎ȟ̵͇̥͈̟͖͈̣̞͚̘̩͍̓̅̀͐͗͛̏̉̀̒͘͜i̸̛̦͕̖̙̲͔̗̙̘̥̣̰̖͖̭̓̄͂̋́̍̓̃͘t̴̯̯̔̑̈̽̇̋̈́͌͛á̴̡͍͓͎͍͈̖͖͎̼̀́̅̿͌̂̌̆͠s̷̢̳̙̦̯̥̮͕͍̃̃͑̂̎̑̍̀͒̊͘̚͝͠͠s̴̪͖̼͈͂̏̚ͅ ̶͕̺̟̙̲͓̘̟̠͇̩̖̠̦̫̄̅̋̓̈́̓̆͋͝͝c̴͕̤̮̎̿̎͐̀̐̊̆̓̍̾̈́͠h̵̛̝̑̋̎̃̈́̆͋͒̅͊́͑͠͝a̷̡̹͍̳̘̪̰̰̤̼̎̄̈́̚ͅŗ̷̝̲͚̻͚̮͕̳̙̭̻̄͆̇̐̄̐͂͘a̴̡̢̯̩͓͓͂̄͑͗́́͂͠͠c̸̨̺̖̪̙͖̯̟̠͙͐́͊̾̅̎̏͠͝t̸̛̗̣̳̠̯͎̫͔̣̱̞̂̅͑̀̈̄͋̈́̆͘͝e̸̢͎͙̻̩̦̹̜̩̦̖̫͍͂́̌ͅr̵̨̄̅͐̍̏̅̀̃́̇̇̅̕͝

That’s all I have really. Sorry for straying so much into fanfiction territory, but it’s an integral part of my criticisms. I could honestly write forever, but I mainly wanted to share this silly redraw of the Tai Lung meme using Lobster and I’s silly Kung Fu Panda Hetalia gijinka crossover AU nonsense lol

If you read this all the way to the end, congrats! And sorry - I never do long text posts like this lol

#hetalia #hws thailand #crossover au #kung fu panda #kfp 4 #kfp 4 spoilers

[awesomex7]

May contain slight spoilers for KFP 4:

Okay, saw Kung Fu Panda 4 and... I liked it.

Will say it's the weakest entry in the franchise, but at the same time, I am happy we get another adventure with Po.

I actually like the concept of Po training someone to carry his title, there is a lot of story potential there. The problem is that it isn't done well or focused on enough for the movie. It makes me wonder if they are saving the passing of the torch plotline for the last 2 possible movies that Jeffrey Katzenburg talked about.

The Chameleon though, wasted potential. She could have been the biggest villain in the franchise, but felt like a "Legends of Awesomeness" villain of the week.

Her motives, I am not saying they couldn't work, but they could have if MANTIS was there. Like make it so that her problem wasn't her size, but her dedication. Mantis facing the same problem she did, but worked hard to over come people judging his fighting prowess based on size. There would have been a nice talk too.

I don't mind the Furious Five not being involved this time, Po needs his own adventure to show how far he has come and prove he can stand on his own. I understand the frusteration. I mean I would be too if The Bad Guys 2 only has Wolf and Diane with the rest of the gang MIA. I just hope the Furious Five makes a return in a future project, even under different voice actors as long as the protrayals feel true to the characters.

Also, they hyped up the return of the villains of the previous movies and... Only Tai Lung appears to matter, like Shen and Kai don't talk or interact with Po, they are just there. Why even bother bringing back? Just to have people point and say "OH MY GOSH! IT'S THE VILLAINS FROM THE TRILOGY! THEY ARE ALL HERE!". They didn't do anything with them to help make this entry feel epic or climatic.

Li was there too. I really, really wanted Li to meet Shen so he could go through a character arc about the trauma he faced when his village was attacked and he lost his family. Ping could have comforted him and helped him find the strength to be a hero and help save the day alongside the others.

Lastly, Zhen. She is essentially Diane, but more mischevious with a hint of clumsiness and isn't OP. A complete breath of fresh air and Iiked her, but... I really hope they aren't gonna do what I think they're planning for the char, even if I do think the passing of the torch is being handled far better than with Rey in Star Wars or Indiana Jones The Dial of Destiny. Gradual, not instantaneous, and doesn't corrupt or downplay the original male hero.

But I would like to see Zhen try to find her own identity and be a better version of herself. Like maybe the next film could dive into Zhen feeling incapable of handling the burden of being the Dragon Warrior, or heck, Po having to deal with what Shifu did with Tai Lung and have Zhen go rogue. Zhen trying to do what she thinks is best for China. This could be used to dive more into Zhen's backstory and motivations (Destroy kung fu and wipe it from history or take away everybody's chi so they won't abuse it).

After all said, this feels more like a stepping stone for a follow up with fan service than anything else. 😅

#kfp 4 #kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #critique #thoughts #zhen #po #tai lung #the chameleon #spoilers #li

[mortallyclearwonderland]

Tai Lung's story in Kung Fu Panda 4

I, like a lot of people, am excited and scared at the same time for the 4th Kung Fu Panda movie because the franchise is regarded as one of the best in cinematic history, so the expectations are quite high. One of them is how they will handle Tai Lung and other returning characters.

There are many possibilities and I would like to list them.

One of the biggest worries people have is that the original villains will only show up to get their looks and kung fu stolen and get sent back to the afterlife and from then on it will be just the Chameleon parading as them. I'll be honest. I can live with that option but if it is true then the advertising feels very manipulative, over hyping us for the return of the villains only for them to be in like a minute of a movie, if not straight-up falls. I can see a lot of people getting angry over it. I would love for the villains to have more to do in the plot besides getting their life sucked out of them. But not at the cost of the plot. If they escape before she can send them back or if she needs to keep them around because she needs to suck their power regularly because its effect wears off (like in Trolls 3) than let them stay. But if you have nothing for them to do then send them back.

Tai Lung's possible redemption arc and becoming the new dragon warrior. At first glance, it sounds quite logical and possible. Until you watch the trailer and read about Zhen online to understand that she's supposed to be the next dragon warrior and not Tai Lung. Add that to the list of reasons why the internet will hate her character. They try to not be so obvious by using their words carefully, for example, ''She'll potentially become the new Dragon Warrior.'' but we know what they're saying. It's like the text ''Will the heroes save the day?''. YES, THEY WILL! But besides that, I don't think Tai Lung should get what he wants but what he needs. He should learn the lesson Po tried telling him before he got skadooshed. That he doesn't need the Dragon Scroll or to be a Dragon Warrior. He can go on a journey to find himself.

Who knows? Maybe the writers came up with an interesting third option. Let's wait for the movie to come out and judge it for what it is and not for what we wish it was. That's what we have fanfiction for.

#tai lung #kung fu panda 4 #kfp 4 #kfp Zhen #kfp tai lung #dreamworks animation #kfp po

[thefeastandthefast]

Since I promised Mr. Feast I wouldn't watch ahead of him and he's slowly catching up, I've taken a pause in my gleeful binge of 一念关山 A Journey to Love to jot down a few of the disorganized thoughts I have about my best beloved favorite girl Yang Ying in the wonderful first eighteen episodes of this drama.

MILD SPOILERS BEYOND.

I cannot wait to see little pocket sized wolf cub Princess Yang Ying do her thing in the next half of the show. Honestly feel so blessed to have this character; there’s no one else like her in cdrama or American TV for that matter!

One of the themes I enjoy in stories about royal power struggles are narrative arcs for female characters who transition from naive to knowing, usually borne out of experiencing the inescapability of their femaleness in a treacherous sexist environment and consequently the limited array of tarnished tools at their disposal and the ways these tools are then deployed. I enjoy that type of story- Book Sansa Stark, my nostalgic fave! Zhen Huan! Minglan, even, in a way. As for historical examples, Empress Matilda! Isabella of France!

But I'm also absolutely relishing this twist on the familiar theme in A Journey to Love.

Because Yang Ying is a royal woman being explicitly trained to grasp the duties and wield the power of a prince, not the oblique power of a princess. The success of the mission, and the lives/fates of the Wu emperor, her subjects, and her now beloved friends in the delegation, depend on her ability to convincingly wear the mantle of princely responsibility, power, and prerogative and to physically and mentally embody this role. And for a child who is as malleable as she is in the beginning of the show, this incredibly formative AND transformative extended roleplay will inevitably become forever entrenched in her conception of self and her sense of possibility.

The kind of limited power she might have been able to achieve as an impoverished minor princess requires a very different skillset from the one she's acquiring. It would only be a contingent and conditional power, a la her sister-in-law the Empress of Wu or the Noble Consort Chu or Chuyue, the tomboy princess from the state of An, who perfectly demonstrates how a clever, capable, wealthy, beautiful royal woman with a powerful family is still a blunted sword.

What would be fascinating to explore, beyond her triumph as Prince Li of Wu (which, to reiterate, I'm SO EXCITED FOR), is the inevitable friction of what she would feel and do after mastering and embodying princely power but then must contend with the expectations and limitations of the identity she has long outgrown but will still be expected to perform once the mission is complete.

I don't think the drama will have time to cover this- after all, she is a supporting character and it would be a thematic tangent. But I suppose that's what fic is for! Maybe I will once again be inspired to write fic, depending on how they end Yang Ying's story...

Stories and characters that reveal emotional truth through pretense will always be my jam. In addition to the unexpectedly delightful Ren Ruyi/Ning Yuanzhou, I love this show so much for giving me Yang Ying.

#a journey to love #一念关山 #cdrama #wuxia #once again I wish cdramas had better title translations #mildly pained every time I have to tag this delicious show with the english title #my commentary

[neofelis----nebulosa]

against my better i ended up seeing some of the clips people are posting from kfp 4 and i actually really like it

#id have to actually watch the movie to form a proper opinion #but based on what ive seen they made a lot of choices i dont love but i love what they did with the direction they took #and everything they did with the effects on the chameleon are just so cool #i feel like its worth watching based on that alone #and ik a lot of people are not happy about zhen but she actually looks like a pretty interesting character #i wish they had hired someone other than awkwafina to play her but you win some you lose some #all and all it looks like it works well as an epilogue to the original triology #like the trilogy is pos journey with body mind and spirit #and the 4th is what happens after that arc is complete #but i hope they stop the main series after this one #but i would love a furious 5 spinoff movie #or just more short films set in this universe #like secrets of the scroll and secrets of the furious 5 #wow the people who make these movies really like the word secret #but yeah i can see why a lot of people feel let down by the movie but from what ive seen it has a lot of merit in its own right #but as i said havent actually watched it yet #so whos to say #ill probably wait until i can rent it or it goes to streaming bc i dont know anyone who would watch it with me who would actually want to #like i have people who would be willing to but i dont think they would actively want to and i dont want my experience watching it to have.. #...to be me forcing someone else to watch it with me #and i dont want to go alone bc that would be embarassing #(unless another secret option presents itself before its available to rent or stream #which dreamworks if youre reading this that was totally a joke i would never watch your movies in a way you would not profit from)

[tesla-runner]

I never expected to have to make this post

I've talked to different people in the last while, and I've realized something: Most of the people in the KFP fandom are men.

And it may seem like a small thing, but that explains several behaviors I've seen in the networks regarding the franchise itself, like assuming traditionally feminine roles to characters like Tigress, Capitain Marvel effect on Zhen, or, and I consider the worst case scenario, sexualizing characters like The Chameleon to a point of outright disgust.

(NSFWish image below, TW for rape implication)

And I've always found it curious why people are so interested and invested in the idea of "humiliating" a character whose arc is based on a wound of being humiliated and rejected in the past, but then I remembered that with Po, this phenomenon does not happen, and that it seems to be a phenomenon exclusive to female characters, which, in turn, reinforces to me the idea that many do not hate The Chameleon for writing errors or lack of depth, but that they hate her for the mere fact of being a woman, using the other reasons mentioned as a cover up.

And not just the "I will humilliate humilliated women bc its sexy" but the fact many people changes her whole character, and most important her power, in order to turn her into a "submissive slut"

Not just this kind of content is already disgusting, but the fact many young people are into this fandom, and specially tiktok where this image came from, are openly interacting with this idea of "The Chameleon getting gang-raped in the Spirit Realm is so funny" is directly dangerous, bc its sends the idea that "rape is a valid way to humilliate women" and that is directly rapist rethoric. Im not saying everyone that likes this idea is a rapist, but im saying everyone that shares this idea involves themselves in the way a rapist would think and excuse themselves

Even if this is more as a way of "satire" as I discussed with a friend about this whole phenomenon, this kind of shit is repulsive and I hope with all my heart that none of the people that engages with this bs gets close to a woman irl.

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #the chameleon #kfp chameleon #kfp 4 #the chameleon kung fu panda 4 #kfp4 #kung fu panda chameleon #fandoms hate women so bad its pathetic #fandom culture #fandom community #fandom cant stand women istfg #rapeculture #rapesurvivor

[symphonyofsilence]

That episode of SpyxFamily where Yor goes to her tsundere coworker to learn to cook for her family has the strongest Mu Qing teaches Xie Lian to cook for Hua Cheng vibes. It's basically the same as when Mu Qing teaches Xie Lian to sew a golden belt for Hua Cheng.

So, now I'm thinking of Xie Lian who thinks that after eating so many godawful poisons and dangerous unknown chemical compounds and pretending that they taste like heaven, Hua Cheng deserves a good meal and goes to Mu Qing to learn to cook at least one proper dish, while Feng Xin watches (much like Yor's tsundere coworker's husband might I add) and snaps at Mu Qing whenever he loses his patience with Xie Lian. XL eventually kinda gets the gist and cooks something relatively acceptable. Later at night, there comes a knock at Xuan Zhen palace and Feng Xin appears with a bowl. He says that he wanted to see if the food MQ was teaching XL earlier was really that hard to cook. (FX insistently claimed that it seemed very hard, it wasn't Dianxia's fault he couldn't get it) He shoves the bowl into Mu Qing's hands and asks him to taste it and see how it turned out. Mu Qing lowers his head to take a sip and when he lifts it to announce the final verdict Feng Xin has disappeared and Mu Qing is left with the bowl in his hands.

Unbeknownst to everyone Feng Xin was also going through a "learns to cook for his beloved from a tsundere" arc of his own.

(somewhere far away HC gave the warmest most heartfelt compliments of gege's cooking but when XL said that MQ was the one who taught him HC stated that the food tasted good because gege cooked it. gege's cooking is much better than that of MQ's. gege's cooking is the best.)

#tgcf #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #hob #mu qing #feng xin #fengqing #xie lian #hua cheng #hualian #my two cents #mxtx fanart

[artsywriter25]

Let’s talk about the Kung Fu Panda 4 Trailer 

Okay, we finally got the trailer after waiting for so many months! 

First things first, my reaction to the trailer. I thought it was decent, I didn’t react too much but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I couldn’t stop smiling seeing Po again, I was expecting to see more but this is just a tease. There probably is more that they can’t show us just yet. I watched this trailer multiple times. I’m gonna go on and talk about the things I like and things that I didn’t like. 

=

The Pros: 

- The animation looks great as always. I was hoping they add in the hybrid animation but the one they’re using is still amazing. 

- Po is now using his jade staff to make combo moves which is awesome and I can't wait to see the creative battles. 

- I like Zhen so far and Aquafina’s voice fits her. I know people are saying her design looks weird but I think it looks fine, and I have liked Aquafina since seeing The Farewell. 

- The Chameleon looks beautiful! If you pause during her transformations she actually looks scary. DreamWorks made a frecking chameleon scary, how do they do that?!

- I like how they kept the animals at their accurate heights like it took me the fifth watch to realize how small Chameleon was compared to Tai Lung yet she took him down easily. 

-Speaking of Tai Lung, he is so back! The fact that he is on the poster could be hinting at a possible redemption arc so for those die-hard Tai Lung fans out there, I’m happy for you. 

-I’m also happy they even got Ke Huy Quan to join the cast. I grew up watching The Goonies and after seeing him in Everything Everywhere all at once, I said that he should be in a KFP film and I’m glad he is.

The Cons:

- The jokes are okay, the only one that made me laugh was Po choking on the flower petals. I hate fart jokes, I know that’s what made DreamWorks famous like Sherk but it doesn’t fit well with KFP. Hopefully that’s the only one and there are not too many gross jokes. 

- I like we’re getting new characters but I’m afraid they won’t be complex characters with arcs of their own but just there as comic relief. 

- I’m already annoyed by those crazy rabbits. 

- Tai Lung cannot catch a break. First, his chi was taken from Kai and now the Chameleon took his chi, I hope he doesn’t end up as a punching bag for the rest of the film. 

-I noticed there is a lack of a color theme, I had always theorized it would be purple but I keep seeing gold, green, and white. That’s not a good sign.

- Okay this is just my nick-pick but I was shocked to find out they got Viola Davis voicing the villain. I like her in some movies but she gives me this impression of those actresses with big egos. Honestly, her voice is nice but I need a full clip of her to get a full impression. 

- Lastly, there is no Furious Five. I saw how the fandom is freaking out about this, but I think they are in the movie, just not for long. While I’m sad we don’t see them, the reality is there really is no other purpose for them but to help Po. I still think they may show up at the end for the final battle. I don’t know what the actors are doing right now, but Seth Rogan came out with his movie this year, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, so he’s probably busy writing the sequel. As for Tigress, I won’t be surprised if she doesn’t have speaking lines because Angelia Jolie is too busy dealing with her personal issues and her divorce right now. 

=

Okay I got the pros and cons out of the way, now I want to talk about what I think may happen in KFP4. There are some things I’ve noticed in the trailer and I have too many theories and so many questions running in my head and I need to write it out. 

So Po’s Jade staff is definitely going play an important role in the story, it seem to have a connection to both the living world and the spiritual world. My guess is the Chameleon wants the staff for a higher purpose of her plan or she needs it to travel to the spirit world herself. We can see her summoning spirits over to the living world, capturing them, and literally eating their chi away. Chi is what helps the spirits stay in living world but Tai Lung’s chi was taken and we don’t know how this will affect him. He may be stuck there until he can get his chi back. 

I noticed in one shot of the trailer there are these strange boxes in the room where Tai Lung was fighting and I realized those are cages. The Chameleon is probably planning on keeping the villains as prisoners to take more chi from them. Knowing Po, he’s going to see this as wrong and wants to save the villains. I know it’s a stretch but I think it could happen. It would be so cool seeing Po, Tai Lung, Shen and Kai working together to take down the Chameleon.

But the question is what is her motive in all this? Why does she say to Po ‘we are not so different you and I’? If she is a powerful sorcerer then why does she need his staff? They better not say that she was never taken seriously enough, there’s gotta be more to it.

And there is Zhen, who I want to know the most. I’m sure they would show some flashbacks to her story and show why she became a criminal. For some reason, I keep thinking she maybe leading Po to a trap, which I hope that’s not the case, but she seems to know more than she lets on. Po didn’t know who the Chameleon was until Zhen explained to him and she knows where she lives. I hope she doesn’t end up being a backstabber because this character is supposed to be the next Dragon Warrior, it would be hard to forgive her if they went that route. 

But these are just my theories and questions that I have. There’s really nothing else to say other than despite my cons, I’m still hyped to see this film and praying to god this will be still good. They may put up another trailer later on, if it’s good enough I’ll write my reaction to it too.

But tell me what you guys think? 

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kfp 4 #dreamworks #po #zhen #the chameleon #discussion #sorry took me long to write this out #busy since the holidays are coming #my thoughts #artsy's writing

[wolf-tail]

Watched Kung Fu Panda 4.

Twas good, not great though.

Cons:

Felt less original and more like nostalgia bait

Writing not all that great (2 was a fucking masterpiece)

Awkwafina is not as funny as casting directors seem to think she is

The Kung Fu Panda movies take place in what's essentially Magic And Anachronistic Furry China, a country name dropped multiple times by the first three films. Feels a lil sus that they don't do it even once.

The Five were snubbed AGAIN!!! Were their actors all busy or smth??? I feel so robbed.

Animation seemed more focused on hyperealism than the style and pizazz of the older films

Felt cliche but not in a fun way

Jokes just aint hittin as hard

Po's character "arc" felt like a weakly rehashed version of 3's.

Pros:

Po's dads are gay as hell

Zhen is cute

Soundtrack slaps

Tai Lung still fuckable af

At the very least less explicit fat jokes, impressive for a series built on them. Still a few there tho -_-

Po, for all his slapstick humor, is still treated as a serious, talented, and fucking scarily strong martial arts master and a genuinely kind and good guy. Determined as hell and really fucking loves his job.

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #kung fu panda po