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permets-2 · 4 years

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Your tag that says why do we have to say this, I get it's a hypothetical question but JFC this is the most racist fandom I've ever been in. I can't conceptualize why, but it is. It's the epitome of white queerness and feminism, and is just tiring.

Okay I’m so sorry this is probably a longer response than you wanted but I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and yeah. Let’s talk.

Why is the Les Mis fandom so racist?

(Disclaimer that this is based on my own experiences in this fandom, I don’t speak for all Les Mis fans of color, obviously. Also that this is not a post to “prove” the Les Mis fandom is racist. If you need that before you wanna know why, you’re part of the problem.) (There’s a tl;dr at the end)

It’s because at the end of the day, anon, no matter how many Black Grantaires are drawn and no matter how many Asian Cosettes we get, Les Mis is media primarily by, for, and about white people. I mean, on a factual level, Hugo was white, and let’s not forget he had some wild thoughts on race - saying that white people were “the highest type which the human race has so far reached” and talking about the “inferior races,” saying that Europeans would “civilize and cultivate” Africa in the letter he wrote to The London News regarding slavery in America and John Brown. Also, obviously, all the characters are canonically white. That’s part of why content of the Amis as involved in BLM protests is so harmful imo - no matter the surface story you’re depicting, no matter how you draw them or write them, these are characters who are rooted in and steeped in whiteness, and The Black Lives Matter movement is not for or about them as white people. And, however you rewrite this story, it doesn't change the fact that you'd be imposing a narrative created by a white supremacist on a movement against white supremacy. This is not to say headcanoning/drawing/writing characters as whatever race you want is wrong, or that there isn’t power in artists of color reclaiming stories that have excluded or erased us for so many years! Lord knows I live and breathe for Amis of color, especially when they’re culturally well-represented. But it would not only be naive but also factually inaccurate to pretend that Les Mis is a story for People of Color, or a story that contains acute discussions of racial dynamics, let alone actively dismantles white supremacy.

Also, anon, the culture surrounding Les Mis source material is steeped in whiteness and exclusion. Musical Theatre is one of the most financially exclusive forms of art - tickets are often upwards of $100 each especially for a big name show like Les Mis. I could talk forever about the ways theatre is used as a tool of classism and racism, but in this instance, it boils down to People of Color are directly and indirectly denied access to the world of musical theatre, as audience, writers, directors, performers, etc. We basically see only white people playing the characters of Les Mis in professional (and non-professional) theatre, which is another less tangible barrier to communities of color. You’d think the brick would be more accessible, and on a factual level, sure, most people can find a copy for $9 at Barnes and Noble or get it from the library. But by God, the amount of academic elitism in high school essays to tumblr posts about the brick is off the charts - classic lit has a long history of pushing out People of Color. Why is Hugo one of the most well-known names in all of literature and not Hurston? Baldwin? Du Bois? (This is rhetorical. We know why.) There’s a lot of reasons why the brick and musical alike have been kept away from people of color (that i could get into, starting in 1619, but honestly we’d be here a while)- making this, once again, a piece of media by, for, and about white people.

Which is not to say there aren’t people of color in this fandom, or that we don’t belong here. I know so many Les Mis fans of color in our online community (myself included) who love it here and are so grateful for this space. It’s just harder - we have to write things off all the time. Why is almost 100% of cosplay white people? Why are most all the most popular creators white? Why, when characters are drawn/headcanoned/written as POC, does it play into stereotypes- why are Joly and Combeferre (the doctors) and Cosette (the woman who does not get much agency) the ones depicted as Asian, why are Eponine and Grantaire (the characters who Hugo explicitly calls ugly) the ones depicted as Black? (My broski @everydayatleast as a great post about that here) Why are we so set on blond Enjolras, no matter what ethnicity he’s depicted as?

And here’s the kicker: because of the plotline of Les Mis, we tend to ignore any issues of injustice in our own fandom. We think that because Les Mis is about equality and revolution, we’re automatically culturally and politically progressive. We think that because “Enjolras says Eat The Rich” and “books like these will never be useless”, we have achieved Wokeness. We think that when we stan these activist characters, we’re checking our activism box. We think that because we’ve got a diversity of genders and sexualities we’ve checked the box of representation but that’s another can of worms I will not get into. And this is almost always unconscious, I don’t think any of us are actively and maliciously trying to be racist! There is nothing wrong with having a background of whiteness! There is nothing wrong with being factually or culturally white as a piece of media (or, like, a person)! It is when we fail to be critical of the ways this whiteness affects others that we create racist spaces. (Which, as you said, anon, is how we get White/Non-intersectional Feminism.)

This is not directed at anyone in particular in the slightest, and this is in no way intended as a callout - I have so much love for this online community. And no, I don’t mean every single one of you is actively and aggressively being racist on Tumblr every single day. But yes I do mean the collective us as a fandom contributes towards a culture of racism every day, myself included. We as a fandom can do so much better. As Moose said when we yelled about LM racism for a hawt couple hours today, “In a fandom that purports to be about equality and social justice, we have to live up to our own ideals”.

(tl;dr - the Les Mis fandom is racist because it is a piece of white culture and writen by/for/about white people, Broadway and classic lit is rooted in exclusionism and there’s a lot of forces keeping people of color out of our original source materials, and because of the narrative of Les Mis being about revolution and social progress, we feel like we’ve achieved that and aren’t critical of our own shortcomings)

(phat thanks to my bro moose @everydayatleast for editing and contributing and Yelling with me!!)

#Les miserables #les mis #les amis #fandom racism #sollie speaks #if you feel hurt offended ashamed bitter guilty targeted while reading this post #maybe its time to do some thinkin #Things i did not include in this bc i have self control: the complexities of Black Javert and White Valjean #White Enjolras with a raised fist (aka BLACK POWER FIST?)#how i see almost no art of latinx/hispanic amis and even less indigenous amis #i think once i saw a middle eastern feuilly #how i looked through the faculty of prestigious univerisity classics departments and found 2 people of color out of hundreds of total facult #white people dont clown on this post challenge #other people of color would Love to hear your thoughts on this #seriously lets chat #would also love if yall (poc) have thoughts for you to message me instead of publically vibe checking me #plz im doing my best here #A series of disclaimers #first op is a person of color if that wasnt clear #listen to black creators and black voices especially for issues around BLM #second i have not read all of hugos letters #but i read this one on slavery a while back for apush and it stuck with me #hugo was racist #and im not saying like hes cancelled or some shit #because fuck cancel culture #just please can we be CRITICAL here #third PLEASE dont come for me about saying cosette has no agency #this is not what this is about #you are missing the point #fourth seriously this is not a callout

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aukanemin · 3 years

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Hi I saw your post about wanting requests about Secunda and I just wanted to say... I absolutely love the game, no lie at all. The prose is so beautiful and poetic, it inspires me! I love all of the characters of course but there's just something so heady about the allure of Tizian as your soulmate and I love him so much... I don't know exactly what to request that wouldn't be spoilers, but. if you have facts to share about Tizian? that would be amazing!! Thank you for all your hard work!!

Thank you so, so much!! *--*

In fact, you can probably guess that Tizian is the most special for me - this is a character that I have been thinking about for a long time and for whom I have very related feelings. I am sincerely glad that you also loved him, and your question put me into a state of such inspired frenzy that I decided to specially make a small drawing to please myself and you;з

This is not much, but it helped me to get out of a completely devastated creative state, so thank you so much, and I am just bursting with pride that my words and art could inspire someone~

There, after the cutout, there are quite a few different things that in one way or another mattered when I wrote Tizian, and which may seem interesting. Words on different topics - sources of inspiration, general motivations, connections with other characters and trends in relationships, some words about Edwardis, Charet and Cybele also. A lot and rather generalized, simple and non-artistic language, but I hope you will like it;***

Thank you so much again;з

Tizian's cultural origins are quite diverse, but to a greater extent I imagine him as a Georgian - a man from the warm lands of a dark vineyard, a man of the sea and the refined gloom of a medieval city. But he is a traveler and absorbs culture and traditions as much as he wants, and other sources of inspiration were Mongolian, Greek and Persian culture. He has a southern sensuality and temperament, but at the same time a cold-blooded disposition and a refined gloom of the north. He changes his guises, and the modern empire of magicians, the new Epirus, which was inspired by old Rome, influenced Tizian's perception of himself as a man and a magician dramatically. At the same time, the old Epirus is more based on the Macedonian and Persian empires.

As I said, Tizian was the first for me in all respects, and, as with the creation of other characters, the Mill, a Russian folk group, greatly influenced me. Their songs have many elements that inspired Secunda and my view of creativity - ballad “Road of Dream” about kindred souls found in the world of dreams, “Believe” about the raven lord of the underworld of Colchis, who offers himself and his helping hand, as well as "Tristan" about the faithful and powerful knight-changer, and, of course “Night Mare”. Charet, for example, was inspired by the song "Hold Me", where it is sung about the king of snakes, who transformed the one who was enlisted for him alike himself and later stole them, and "My Joy" about the loving embodiment of the logos, the demon burning from the inability to be near his human. Holt was inspired primarily by “The Queen” about the lady falcon, the mistress of the northern mountains, who also comes to her bard in her dreams, but remains as distant as a star, a ghost, and partly “Winter”, and “the Lord of Mountain Roads”.

Tizian was inspired by different characters, or rather my own idea of the villain-sorcerer with all the primal passion and sophistication of the demonic image of the night. Initially he was inspired, for example, by Pitch Black or Walter Padick (Matthew McConaughey), but over time this feeling has become very blurred. Now I draw him after Lisa Edelstein, especially thanks to her curls, striking eyes, refined smile and general refined femininity, which is amazingly easy and pleasant to interpret. In my work, the idea of hyperfeminity and androgyny is in itself important, and Tizian dances between them all the time, although he remains the most masculine and close to the traditional idea of a man from all other LIs.

Tizian is extremely manipulative, he is one of those who everywhere demonstrates amazing openness and sensuality to the majority of those around him - he is a talented negotiator and diplomat, everywhere uses his natural softness and sensuality, hiding under them an unfeigned rapacity and cold calculation. He is attentive and careful, always trying to play a seemingly unsuccessful situation in his favor, Tizian does not feel any shame, playing on the feelings of others, always remaining impartial and alienated inside, but hardly worth driving him into a corner, he will strike mercilessly and deadly. He loves to confuse people with his contrasts, rumors about him are gloomy and frightening, and he will gladly use any disguise that falls into his hands.

But his attitude to the Archon is strikingly different - the character scares and attracts him, and every word you say will affect his train of thought - from the very beginning he builds intrigues and subtle games in an attempt to get closer. He is cold and passionate, distant and loving at the same time - his need and love are sincere, but he is infinitely careful and manipulative while trying to achieve reciprocal feelings. In his relationship with Archon, the imbalance of power is constantly playing, and, as with all LIs, the whole process consists in liberation from these boundaries and dangerous dependencies. But Tizian under no circumstances will become a source of danger and burdens for the Archon - on the contrary, in his plans to be the first and main ally on your side, he will try to use all the resources and opportunities available to himself to support your ambitions - and he is selfish enough so that at the same time he was not affected by the needs of others. Depending on what the Archon needs from him, Titian will behave differently - outwardly, he can either leave the appearance of mutually beneficial business relations based on the exchange of power and resources, or he will emphasize their connection, alone or in plain sight, and push the Archon by all means into a waiting embrace.

His followers do not seem to him as a family, with a big stretch they can be friends for him - in them he sees a personal interest and treats them the same way as they used to treat him - a tool and a resource. He is a talented and cautious leader, but he always treats people with deep calculation - he had a family that he was deprived of, and he does not easily replace someone, he is not able to love a random person enough. He is deprived of constancy and peace, although all his life he strives and needs them, therefore the only constant that he is able to afford is his soul mate, and for most of his life his thoughts and motivation have always been aimed at this opportunity to get everything he needs. next to them. He is very dangerous if something stands in his way, he has no other place or opportunity to realize himself, he is aware and terrified of his tendencies, but still carefully feeds his demons.

Tizian is a talented necromancer and is especially drawn to the dark arts - this is the gift of his patron, Cybele, but from his unobvious talents is the reading of runes and the creation of skillful witchcraft. In reality, he is not as interested in power and knowledge as he wants to appear - his needs and interests are met by few, he is more likely to spend time reading poetry and historical chronicles than aimless greed of arcanic knowledge. Of course, he is greedy and all-consuming in his rage, and in the worst moments his temperament quickly picks up, but anger and a thirst to dominate is not the quality that he would like to see in himself.

Once in the south, he will face many difficulties and concerns, but, like for the Archon, these lands will not be something that broke him. He is disappointed in the Secunda’s society and its orders, but not surprised, for him these difficulties are just one more step on a long path, he has no special expectations, but he knows exactly what he needs right now. Tizian is a man who needs amazingly simple and understandable things, but is forced to build long multi-walkers in order to achieve these goals.

In relationships, I would describe Tizian primarily as a person who is amazingly gentle and affectionate - for him there is a significant difference between how he is obliged to deal with the Archon who will not give anything beyond their own benefit, and the Archon who really loves and wants see him near. Tizian doesn't care about power or domination, but he is a person who is easy and pleasant to rely on - usually he will let you do and decide whatever you see fit, but he is always at arm's length if you need his help. First of all, Tizian seeks calmness and comfort, he is amazingly gentle and homey, if you know how to handle him correctly.

The first meeting with him can be described as a moment of instant recognition - as if you see a person with whom you have passed your whole life, but this is not a moment of longing and desperate need, this feeling is very soft and pacifying in itself. In this situation, the Archon will be obliged to maintain their distance and be careful, while Tizian suffers from a lack of attention and a desire to be closer. For Tizian, this will be the right time to demonstrate his ability to influence people and how he can wrap his abilities for the Archon, although to society their relationship will immediately seem strained and cold. Their real meeting, when they can be alone, will have a special impact on Tizian, but at the beginning of a relationship he prefers to play from a distance, watching your actions very closely. He is very open with his desires and feelings, but will allow you to close the distance on your own, he seems invariably reserved and careful, but he has an incredible temperament and passion, which is very easy to let flare up.

Titian builds a special bond with Edwardis, their motivations and life experiences are almost identical, and although they have a sharp difference in temperament and position in society, they have a strong relationship based on mutual benefit, interests and respect. These relationships cannot be called paternal or brotherly, they prefer to maintain a respectful distance and observe each other from the sidelines, preferring to influence the Archon separately, without mixing their feelings and attention. But Tizian has the same tendencies as Edwardis - his life was destroyed by a witch hunt, but even if he was not born a magician, he would have to live in a society and under the hand of traditions and laws that are insensitive and inhuman to anyone. Cybele guided him, gave him her own guiding star and the promise of a future he desperately needs - and thereby endowed him with a crushing rage and cruelty that swept away everything else. But as long Tizian will get what he needs so badly, as long he will be next to the Archon, the snake will twist into a ball, and he will become a completely different person - his natural gentleness and caution will be revealed, he has an amazingly gentle and calm disposition and many other possibilities self-realization, not only manipulating and inflicting pain for the sake of survival and personal gain.

With Charet, as already mentioned in novel, Tizian's relations are very difficult - in one of the outcomes they can create a powerful triad with the Archon, uniting to take care of them and their interests, in the other outcome he will be the best ally if the Archon wants reject their patron. In both cases, Tizian has the most advantages, Cybele knows him very well - as well as the fact that he can change the dynamics of the Archon's relationship with Charet for the better, and at the same time remain happy and satisfied in all respects. At the same time, Tizian has more opportunities and desire to oppose both Charet and even the Archon themselves, he is ready to go against his kindred spirit, if by this he will push them towards liberation from burdens and vices, if then they can be with him forever in the halls of Cybele Tizian tends to be an external, destructive or creative, force, and he is no stranger to being a villain for sake of himself and his soulmate.

The personification of Cybele is a mare, and Tizian has always had a tender love for horses, like a nomad he was always attached to them. He lost them in order to move to the islands - but in his belongings remains the skull of his old friend, Morena, whom he summons when he needs her. The mare who appeared in dreams was Cybele - in the subtle worlds the patrons are associated with their vassals, in the same way the Archon always feels the movement of the scales of snakes on their skin. In turn, Cybele is a Greek and Roman goddess who personifies the feminine principle, whose lamia priestesses dressed in black horse hair and worshiped the night. Her priestesses were always chosen from the most beautiful and skillful in lovewomen, but they were just as striking and dangerous, as the appearance of a black mare in dreams could be both an omen of death and great love. In the same way, another mare goddess, Hecate, patronized horse breeding and dark magic, she also led the Wild Hunt, raising crowds of the dead, red-eyed dogs and demons in the night.

#secunda #visual novel #ask #tizian #headcanons #tizian x archon #tizian x reader #imagines #dark fantasy #gothic #art #cybele #hekate #androgynous #hyperfeminine #requests

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newmusickarl · 3 years

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Mercury Prize 2021 – Ranking The Contenders

It is that time of year again – the season of the Mercury Music Prize. In the last few weeks, the albums nominated for the 2021 Mercury Music Prize have been revealed and, as ever, it is a highly diverse and eclectic list of some of the best British and Irish music released over the last 12 months – some familiar, some not so familiar. Each of these nominated records is now vying for the prestigious title of Album of the Year, the overriding criteria for which has greatly deviated throughout the award’s history.

Traditionally the eventual prize winner would tend to be a lesser-known record rather than what was necessarily the best album out of the 12, with the judges choosing to highlight the artist and record that may have been overlooked and needed the most attention. However, this has changed in recent years, with the judges choosing what has been widely regarded amongst music critics as the best album in most cases.

So, with the likes of James Blake, Michael Kiwanuka, Dave, Sampha, Alt-J and The XX being just some of the acclaimed artists that have taken the top prize home over the last decade, the big question is - who is in with the best shout this year of being named the overall winner?

In recent years a strong favourite has often emerged from the pack, but I must say I find the 2021 prize to be the most open and hardest to predict in years. There is no clear favourite this time around for me, which makes for an exciting and intriguing build to the September awards show.

Despite the unpredictability, as I do each year I’ve listened to all 12 albums and tried to rank them based on what I think are their chances of winning. To be clear, this is not a “Worst-to-Best” countdown – this ranking is based solely on how likely I think they are to win the overall prize.

To determine this, I’ve considered the front-to-back listening experience and the artistic achievement attained by the album, the popularity of the artist, how critically acclaimed the album is and how similar albums have fared in recent years too. So without further ado, here’s my final thoughts and analysis on this year’s nominees.

12. Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

This collaborative release from electronic artist Floating Points, American jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra was one of the albums I hadn’t heard prior to the nominees being announced, so was pleasantly surprised by what turned out to be quite an interesting listen. Built mainly around a twinkly harpsichord and Sanders’ saxophone, the music builds to a swell at various stages before gently disappearing in the same subtle way in which it arrived.

That said, I would be very surprised if this album took home the overall prize and title of “Album of the Year” for several reasons. Firstly, this feels primarily like a Pharoah Sanders project, who is of course American and not British. Secondly, although split into nine movements this is ultimately one single piece of music and the Mercury Prize has always been about celebrating artistic achievement in the traditional album format. Based on this, I’m surprised it has even been nominated and I think this cancels this one out for me.

Of course, there is always a chance this could prevail on the night, but I think it would be too controversial and therefore highly unlikely to get the overall nod.

11. SOURCE by Nubya Garcia

This debut album from London-born jazz musician Nubya Garcia was another record I hadn’t heard before her Mercury Prize nomination, which sees Nubya take the listener on a journey throughout musical history. As she describes the record herself, this is “a collection of thoughts and feelings about identity, family history, connections, collectivism and grief.”

Now jazz records have always found a spot on the Mercury Prize shortlist with at least one record from the genre getting a nomination each year. However, the reality is that none have ever actually won the overall prize - even in recent years with promising efforts from the likes of Moses Boyd, Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming in contention. So as impressive as Nubya’s debut is in parts, I don’t think it is the album to buck the trend.

10. Pink Noise by Laura Mvula

Singer-songwriter Laura Mvula is certainly a favourite with the Mercury Prize judges, with her third album Pink Noise representing the third nomination of her career, making her an impressive 3-for-3 so far. That said, Pink Noise is a very different record to her first two outings, with Mvula lacing these tracks with synths to give them a wonderful 80s aesthetic and neon glow. When combined with her traditional soul style, it does make for an enjoyable and fun front-to-back listen.

However, my biggest reservation with the record is that it’s not particularly ground-breaking – this is a sound that a lot of other artists have employed recently and had similar or greater success to what Mvula achieves here. With this being the case, I’m also putting this one down as unlikely.

9. Not Your Muse by Celeste

Brighton-born singer-songwriter Celeste has already proved herself a hit with critics, having been named as the BBC’s Sound of 2020 prying to releasing this debut album. Across the 12 tracks on Not Your Muse, Celeste’s powerful, beautifully toned voice takes centre stage, simply soaring amongst the glossy musical arrangements.

From the instantly recognisable groove of Stop This Flame that has been everywhere in the last 12 months, to the string-drenched majesty of A Kiss, Celeste shows off her full range with plenty of style and flair. This is an impressive debut outing to say the least, drawing natural comparisons to the late-great Amy Winehouse for her soulful voice and cinematic presentation.

Although I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Celeste was to walk away the overall Mercury Prize winner, I think the success Not Your Muse has brought her already goes against her case. With its release, she became the first British female to have a No.1 debut album in the last five years and she even already has an Oscar nomination to her name for Best Original Song. She’s also been featured on Sky Sports coverage all year, as well as high profile John Lewis and SuperBowl adverts.

Therefore, I think it’s safe to say Celeste’s career is already flourishing, so a Mercury Prize win for her would simply be another accolade rather than the career-defining moment it has been for other artists in the past, and would be for other artists on this year’s shortlist.

8. Fir Wave by Hannah Peel

Northern Irish composer, producer and electronic musician Hannah Peel makes for a fascinating entry in the Mercury Prize shortlist for me. This was another record that I hadn’t heard previously and took me by surprise, with Peel essentially reinterpreting 1972 album Electrosonic by Delia Derbyshire (famous for creating the original Doctor Who theme) and the Radiophonic Workshop.

Although this is based on source material, this is an entirely fresh composition with Peel’s style of electronica drawing comparisons to that of Mercury Prize alumni Jon Hopkins. Peel herself best describes the record as “The cycles in life that will keep on evolving and transforming forever. Fir Wave is defined by its continuous environmental changes and there are so many connections to those patterns echoed in electronic music – it's always an organic discovery of old and new.”

It is an impressive record, and I was quite torn as to where to place this one on the list. If the Mercury Prize decide to return to their old habit of giving a lesser-known record the overall nod, then Hannah Peel could well be the artist to benefit - but that hasn’t really been the trend in recent years. Additionally, Peel herself is a very successful composer who continues to score many TV programmes and films, as well as putting together orchestral arrangements for the likes of Paul Weller.

For me, the nomination for Fir Wave has already granted it additional attention, which I think makes it a winner already in that sense. It’s certainly got an outside chance for the overall prize itself but based on recent history I don’t see it being named as the winner.

7. As the Love Continues by Mogwai

At this point, ten albums and 26 years into their career, people just about know what to expect from Scottish post-rockers Mogwai, and that is soaring, grandiose instrumentals. Yet somehow with each new release, the band continue to astonish, taking their instrumentals into unchartered territory and leaving listeners in wonder with their colourful, breathtaking soundscapes.

Amazingly, As the Love Continues is the band’s first ever Mercury Prize nomination, which is quite incredible given the high standard of their output over the course of their career. That said, it is not surprising this is the one for which they have finally been nominated, as it is for my money one of their best releases.

From cathartic opener To the Bin My Friend, Tonight We Vacate The Earth, the acid-drenched industrial sounds of Here We, Here We, Here We Go Forever, and the dreamy, looping guitar riff and euphoric crescendo of Pat Stains, Mogwai’s touch for forging fascinating sonic textures hasn’t missed a beat. That said, it is the one track that contains clean vocals that stands out amongst the pack here, and that is the emotional gut punch of Ritchie Sacramento which sees frontman Stuart Braithwaite paying a beautiful tribute to all his musician friends that have passed away over the years.

This is still one of my favourite releases by anybody so far this year and my second favourite album overall out of the 12 shortlisted. So why only at No.7 you ask? Well, because sadly I just don’t see Mogwai taking away the overall prize.

Firstly, as well as their first Mercury Prize nomination this was also the album that saw Mogwai land their first ever UK No.1 album, so they are arguably more popular than they ever have been. Secondly and most importantly, the Mercury Prize has mostly favoured debut albums and younger artists throughout its long history, and I think Mogwai are simply too established and verging on legendary status at this point to get the win. So as much as I love this album, I think it’s likely to get overlooked in the same way Radiohead have been every time they’ve been nominated. Here’s hoping I’m wrong and left pleasantly surprised!

6. Conflict of Interest by Ghetts

Here’s another record where it’s quite puzzling as to which way the judges will sway on this one. On the surface, this third album from Grime MC Ghetts has all the credentials to be a Mercury Prize winner. With the likes of Dave, Skepta and Dizzee Rascal all amongst previous winners, Ghetts comes from a genre that has a winning track record, certainly in recent years as well.

The album itself is also mightily ambitious and grand in its scope, with each autobiographical, astutely written track seamlessly segueing into the next one. There are also plenty of moments throughout of stunning, cinematic orchestration that help to elevate Ghetts’ bold vision at various key points. Perhaps most importantly though, it is also one of the most critically acclaimed albums on this year’s shortlist, holding an impressive 95/100 on Metacritic at the time of writing.

However, as many reasons as there are for Ghetts to be a contender, there’s also some things working against him, which is probably why he’s landed at the midway point on the rankings. Firstly, I found the album was about 10 minutes too long and didn’t quite strike the same chord that Dave’s Psychodrama, or even Kano’s two recently nominated albums, Made In The Manor and Hoodies All Summer, have done previously. It’s certainly an impressive outing, but for me lacks the emotional punch of those records.

Also, as I said about Stormzy’s record last year and still rings true today - no album that has Ed Sheeran on it deserves to win the Mercury Prize.

5. Collapsed in Sunbeams by Arlo Parks

Into the top five now and I think here is the point where we finally arrive at what are the genuine contenders for this year’s prize. Kicking us off is young singer-songwriter Arlo Parks for her beautifully understated debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams.

Parks said of the album recording process that she trusted her “gut feeling” a lot of the time, with most tracks “taking an hour or less from conception to end.” This is very evident across this raw, no-frills debut, where her wonderful soulful voice and honest songwriting are often the main attraction across the album’s 12 tracks.

Now, there is a lot working in Arlo’s favour when it comes to acts that historically win the Mercury Prize – it’s a debut album, she has her fans on the Mercury judging panel, and her success has been modest so far in comparison to some of the other nominees. That said though, the vital ingredient this album is missing for me is that grand ambition that recent winners Michael Kiwanuka, Dave and Sampha have all had – this is certainly a well-crafted record, but not necessarily one that will set the world alight and be talked about for years to come. For that reason, my gut says Arlo will be one of the names in the mix on awards night but will ultimately come up short.

4. DEMOTAPE/VEGA by BERWYN

For me, Trinidad-born rapper, producer, and songwriter Berwyn is the real dark horse amongst this year’s nominees. At just 27 minutes long, DEMOTAPE/VEGA is by far the shortest album on this year’s list, but nevertheless still manages to leave one of the biggest impacts.

Ultra-raw, brutally honest and charmingly homemade on his laptop, this debut is the perfect showcase for Berwyn’s talent. Across the album’s concise runtime, he carves out piano-driven R&B and Soul elements to backdrop his spoken-word style of rapping. To draw comparisons to other Mercury Prize alumni with multiple nominations, think James Blake meets Ghostpoet and you’re not a million miles away from Berwyn’s sound. For me personally, this album left a bigger impact in less than half the time of Ghetts’ whole album, thanks to cuts like the mesmerising and passionate 017 FREESTYLE.

Berwyn is certainly one of the artists on the shortlist that will greatly benefit from the extra exposure that winning the Mercury Prize brings so if you want to take a punt on an outsider, this would be the album I’d recommend backing.

3. For the First Time by Black Country, New Road

Much like Arlo Parks, experimental London rockers Black Country, New Road are another artist that have a lot pulling in their favour.

Another critically acclaimed debut and one that blends multiple elements from favoured Mercury Prize genres – post-punk, jazz, alt-rock, math-rock, amongst many others - to make a truly unique and bold sound. With razor-sharp guitar riffs, cutting lyrics and moments of seismic, horn-backed musical swells, this is a record that you can see easily winning over the judges on awards night. Although at times this is a record that’s easier to admire than it is to love, there are moments in which you can’t help but get enraptured, such as the wonderfully erratic Instrumental opening, the epic and meandering Sunglasses and the melancholic, romantic groove of the stunning Track X.

For me, this one is a genuine contender that I could easily see being named as the overall winner. In terms of things going against it, I would say it’s simply down to the fact that these next two albums are on the shortlist.

2. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice

For me, the album that presents the biggest intrigue on this year’s shortlist is Wolf Alice’s Blue Weekend. This is because as much as there are factors working in this album’s favour, there is almost an equal measure working against this record winning the top prize.

Having released their debut My Love Is Cool in 2015 to much acclaim and their first Mercury Prize nomination, there was a lot of talk at the time as to whether the rock quartet could deliver with their eventual follow-up. With their sophomore effort, Visions of a Life, they actually went one better and won the 2018 Mercury Music Prize, achieving further critical and commercial success.

Now with Blue Weekend, the four of them have produced a record that has managed to exceed the high expectations set by the predecessors. At the time of writing, the record is currently sat on a 91/100 on Metacritic, with a 9.2 user score, suggesting widespread universal acclaim amongst both fans and critics alike – so it would certainly be a very popular winner. It also suggests that by all accounts, this record is a more significant achievement than the 2018 album for which they won the Mercury Prize.

So as the only previous winners on the shortlist who’ve also just created their best work to date, they’re a certainty to win the prize again, right? Well not quite.

You see the thing is with Wolf Alice, they have Mercury Prize history working both for and against them. On one hand, if Wolf Alice were to win, they would become only the second artist after PJ Harvey to win the Mercury Prize twice, and also become the first artist ever to win back-to-back prizes for consecutive albums. If they were to achieve this, I don’t think there would be any outcry from the public, as the consensus with Blue Weekend is that it is a very special album and would be fully deserving of such an accolade. However, to achieve this it would mean the judges doing something they have never done before, and something they have only ever done once previously.

Therefore, you must feel on the night of the awards ceremony, it will ultimately boil down to one big debate - Deserve Vs Need. With this album, it feels like Wolf Alice have finally evolved from Britain’s most promising young band, into Britain’s best band working today. They are at the height of their powers right now, with Blue Weekend landing them their first ever UK No.1 album, helping them to instantly sell out tours and catapulting them to festival headline slots. So ultimately, they don’t need the win like they did several years ago to take them to that next level.

That said, this is the best album on the list and feels like a generational record in the same way Dave’s and Michael Kiwanuka’s did the last two years. Just take a track like The Last Man On Earth for example - a haunting piano ballad built around Ellie Rowsell’s powerful vocals, that begins gently before eventually erupting into a glorious haze of soaring guitars and Beatles-like riffs. It is barely six months old and already this song feels like a timeless classic, and you can argue the rest of the album is the same. So, if any album really deserves to be named “Album of the Year” and make a bit of Mercury Prize history in the process, it is very much this one.

Which way the judges lean on this Deserve Vs Need debate I feel will ultimately decide this year’s prize, whether Wolf Alice triumph and make history or whether this next album pips it to the post instead. My gut says that the latter is more likely, but it makes for an exciting conundrum around this year’s winner and will have me rooting on the night for Wolf Alice to prevail.

1. Untitled (Rise) by SAULT

So here we are then, the album I think is most likely to take home the 2021 Mercury Prize…. and kind of predictably it’s the current favourite. Although it may be the boring choice to put this album first, analysing the chances of mysterious musical collective SAULT against the rest of the nominees, it is clear as to why they are looking the most likely at this moment in time.

Interestingly much like Burial when he was nominated back in 2008, no-one really knows much about SAULT other than the fact they make eclectic and vital music, with their identity still very much a mystery. However, despite their anonymity, the last 12 months have seen them create shockwaves throughout the music world, releasing three highly acclaimed and topically urgent albums for which they could’ve been nominated for any one of them. In fact, on Metacritic’s compilation of all critics’ Best of 2020 year-end lists, both Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise) landed in the overall Top 10, with the latter for which they are nominated holding an impressive critic score on the site of 93/100.

Whereas Untitled (Black Is) feels like the rallying cry, Untitled (Rise) is a record that celebrates black excellence, arriving in a year where the voice for racial equality has never been louder. Bringing together various elements of House, Soul, Disco, R&B and Afrobeats, SAULT have crafted a powerful statement through the pure majesty of their diverse sound. This is a thought-provoking and engaging album that will have you dancing one minute, then contemplating the state of the world around you the next.

Although it would be easy to say they have the benefit of collaborator and last year’s winner Michael Kiwanuka being on the judging panel, I think the real reason this SAULT album seems the most likely candidate is because it makes for essential listening that also perfectly fits with the Mercury Prize ethos. It is a musical collective still in their infancy, making important music that takes inspiration from a vast array of genres, as well as the current social and political climate around them.

Having listened to this record several times now, it is no surprise that many music outlets had this as their Album of the Year for 2020, and I would not be surprised at all to see the Mercury Prize give it that same accolade come September - if music really can change the world, then SAULT are leading the way.

#mercury prize #hyundai mercury prize #mercury music prize #wolf alice #sault #ghetts #celeste #arlo parks #laura mvula #black country new road #berwyn #mogwai #hannah peel #floating points #pharoah sanders #nubya garcia #best new music #albums of the year #album of the year

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lady-plantagenet · 3 years

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♦ for all three sons of York! 😄

Asked via the Headcanon Meme: https://lady-plantagenet.tumblr.com/post/634584063141920769/headcanon-meme.

Darling I apologise for the delay 😭😂, hope you enjoy this semi-historical train of thought. You indulge me xx ☺️☺️ (rest of you get ready for a similar level of uncalled for ridiculous levels of detail)

♦ - Quirks/Hobbies Headcanons

~Edward IV~

Ok, one more grounded in reality and some more Headcanonish:

So, in Lord Edward Lytton-Bulwer’s ‘Last of the Barons’ I uncovered a fascinating (and primary-sourced) fact about our Edward: He engaged in international trades of his own. Apparently, he had his own ships and vessels that would jettison wool to and fro Burgundy. The trading classes, with whom Edward was always on great terms, were initially thrilled and felt a bit of sense of connection because of this. However, it became a bit of a bother when his self-given exemption from custom and duties gave him an unfair competitive advantage. Since reading that, I’ve always seen Edward as someone whose hobbies revolve around these types of matters rather than military ones. I really headcanon trading as a genuine hobby of his. With that, I would also connect other practical as opposed to artistic or conventional pastimes. I always saw Elizabeth Woodville as the big account manager (based on how she ran her crown property), so I headcanon Edward as liking to meddle in the external more merchantile matters, which translates to enjoying himself by making wagers/bets with those around him and always winning whether it be on personal matters or businesses (sometimes even in appropriately on women of the court). Not to mention a talent at games like cards and dice. If he lived today he would be the grand master of monopoly 😂. He wasn’t the most intellectual of men (he was at one point planning on defunding Eton College to get funds), but I always headcanoned he was pretty strong at maths (which was part of a nobleman’s education, but at that time it was mastery of the arts that granted you the reputation of a smartman). Of course, this fits in with his historical interest in alchemy, which I headcanon he was also partly interested in because of the potential of it yielding gold, but upon his marriage, the mystical side beckoned him too.

~ George Duke of Clarence~

I’ve done one for him here, which you can check out. But hell, do I have a lot of headcanons about him so I’ll do another here.

Our George was by all accounts a talented demagogue. His performance in the inheritance dispute indeed adds stock to what chronicles such as Rous Rolls and Crowland have said about his oratory and reasoning talents (which allegedly were rival to Edward’s own). Though some personality quirks could make him appear like a bit of a (popular Headcanon nowadays) himbo: penchant for airing out his grievances, flamboyancy and a great pride which combined with a famous sense of humour leads to instances where it verges into innappropriate levels of macabre (his own death being the prime example).

N.b: and yes I do in fact believe he was drowned in a barrel of wine and by his choosing. I don’t need Shakespeare to tell me this, I need only look at the strong evidence proposing this: a) Margaret Pole’s barrel charm, b) The fact that his head was reported as attached to his body when his body was exhumed centuries later. Drowning in a bath is another possibility, but then again, it was famously a womanly execution and I doubt a man as self-important as George would have been alright with the association, c) The fact that contemporaries such as Mancini (among others) have stated that this is the manner in which he died. Shakespeare’s play just further reflects that at that time (as in closer to 1478 then we are now) this was the consensus. Not to mention that in Richard III he wasnt technically drowned but stabbed and then thrown in a barrel. Arguments against center around ‘this seems just a bit too crazy’ but stop there.

So where was I? Oh yes. So in spite of that, I headcanon teenage George as very resentful of those who thought him bumbling, giddy and unserious (young Richard especially), because well, he was very touchy about his pride and saw himself as a prince worthy of deference and gravity (multitude of evidence for this). His charming nature never left him even as he grew bitter but instead he learned to harness it into a mask in order to induce others into error and subestimation. Indeed, much of his earlier successes hinged on the fact that Edward didn’t expect that level of planning (and betrayal) from him. Nevertheless, he never hid his talents completely, he had a very astute legal mind and I headcanon him as having a hobby for the law since he was a young boy and realised how useful this knowledge would prove in time and loved it on an intellectual level as he engaged with debates on matters from trusts laws to constitutional canonical and jurisprudential matters, first with his tutors, then his brothers, then Warwick and then his chief supporters and friends at Warwick and Tutbury when he became a magnate post-1472. Of course, I feel like this fits in with the impression of an argumentative and opinionated man as exuded from the historical figure. I also headcanon him as being delighted to have had Caxton’s Games and Playes of Chess (1474) dedicated to him (becoming one of his patron around this time historically). It remains the second book printed in English (first being Anthony’s dictes and sayings of philosophers - I think) and I headcanon him as doing the head in of all those around him with discussions and debates around the book’s message XD.

~Richard III~

Richard gets a reputation in fiction (where other people get most of their headcanons from) as being extremely serious. I personally share this Headcanon and I feel it was the most striking difference between him and his brothers’ personalities. I think he had very little ‘quirks’ as it were. Though there was this author (haven’t read the book) Jonathan Hughes who somehow manages to write an entire book about Richard’s interesting divination. He draws onto some vaguely paganistic symbols among Richard III’s choice of clothing and such, and posits that he had some interest in pre-conquest Northern religious culture. Anne Neville who by all accounts seemed to have had some interest in mysticism (read and discussed Ghostly Grace by a German mystic with her mother-in-law at length) I headcanon bonded with Richard over conversing on these types of topics. Therefore, I headcanon him as having a (very very lowkey because, as I said, he took great care in presenting himself as conventional and unsuspicious) hobby for northern paganisms, myths, prophecies and the like. I think it would explain what appears to be the historical figures ‘apparent hypocritical personality: Only banning benevolences after first trying to acquire them, having Shore pay penance when he himself had fathered bastards (John probably during his first year of marriage if Kendall’s reasoning is right) and aspiring and holding others to strict chivalric values of which he often fell short. The signs of stress found in isotopic analysis on his bones however makes me think that he was aware of these contradictions. Of course, he could have been stressed around the time of his death for other obvious reasons, but I’m not getting into that here. I suppose my headcanon of him as very utilitarian (yes I know Bentham came centuries later but, you know, he didn’t exactly invent this manner of thought) in his beliefs classifies as a quirk? Haha. As for hobbies, I think his scoliosis made him eschew some of the more physically demanding types of sports, so I see him as fairly bookish and like his brother George, extremely interested in the law as a hobby (though nowadays we wrongly see it as a rather vocational discipline). Though he shared the interest in matters of jurisprudence with George (about which they both strongly disagreed Richard taking the less fiscally conservative stance), he was more interested in criminal law matters (which checks out as he had made reforms on the criminal law and bail). I think he was genuinely concerned with justice, just a bit self-contradictory in his approach and diverse in his spirituality (the last more headcanonish)

#to everyone: this meme is still open ☺️☺️#there you go sorry sorry for the delay #but as you can see I do love my detail #a bygone era #tagged that for AO3 future chapters reference #george of clarence #edward iv #richard iii #🍷❤️#will add read more function soon #basically I love them all #I love making fun of them but nothing will convince me that they weren’t indeed talented young men full of talents and smarts #which by all accounts accords with historical fact #george plantagenet

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rickyriddle · 5 years

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Kaminaga Kouko analysis

Hi there! I’m back with a new AnR analysis, this time about Kouko! After Suzu it’s time to analyze our favourite class representative. It had been a while I wanted to make an analysis of her, I was supposed to do her before Suzu but ended up doing Suzu as a request for someone. But now it’s Kouko’s time, the girl deserves some recognition, and I’m going to give it to her.

So, let’s start by examining Kouko’s past. We know that Kouko is an orphan, so her parents died when she was a child and she was ‘welcomed’ by an orphanage, who is actually a criminal organization training kids to become assassins, seemingly specializing in bombs. Kouko was good at making plans but terrible at handling bombs. It made her an easy target for bullying. It didn’t seem as intense as what Shiena went through, from what we seem it seems to be mainly mockery, but to be put down like that by people of her age and view as a failure by the adults must have given Kouko a pretty bad esteem of herself. Her only source of happiness was her senpai and mentor Irena, probably what kept her from breaking, and she, unfortunately, killed her by accident as a teenager. It didn’t help with her esteem, made her feel terribly guilty, and increase the hate her superiors had towards her. Kouko was basically sent at Class Black because it was judges as an unimportant mission and didn’t want to waste a good assassin on it.

Here’s a little headcanon about Kouko’s orphanage. I personally think they are a religious fanatic group, terrorists. The catholic orphanage could be a cover-up, but in one scene they really seemed to imply they do believe in God, which is strange for an assassin organization unless they are extremists. Irena also implied in KnR that she never kissed anyone because she “chose that kind of life”, which lead me to believe she’s an actual nun, thus religious. The fact they are religious and use bombs really give me a big terrorist vibe, but that’s only my opinion and I won’t use it for the rest of the analysis, I just wanted to share this headcanon with you (and having a terrorist among the assassin add some ‘diversity’ in the cast).

Back to what’s canon. From what we have seen in the series, well during Class Black, Kouko was acting really assertive, bossy, challenging anyone who wanted to question her authority. She was determined, focus, hardworking, smart, act confident and didn’t want to accept failure. Despite her clumsiness, from what we see she was a rather competent class representative. But in the flashback before Class Black, where she was also a teenager, Kouko looked more submissive, she lacks confidence, she was shy. Even her voice sounded different. It was way soft and high pitched before Class Black, and during Class Black, it was way deep. And it’s not like there were a lot of years between those two periods, she looked the same age. It seems to indicate that she forces herself to sound deeper now, to assert her authority and dominance, to not be viewed as weak.

Kouko tried to make herself look assertive and in control, she seeks positions of power, she wants to be in charge, she wants people to rely on her, and she can’t accept failure. It’s like she was craving for some feeling of superiority, not to put down others, but to put herself up. Even if Kouko is trying to assert her authority on others, she doesn’t try to put them down, all she wants is putting herself up. She doesn’t want to feel above others, she wants to be at the same level at them while protecting her need to feel in power.

Let’s examine a little bit of Kouko’s psychology. We don’t know at what age she lost her parents but we can assume she was young, so it’s possible that she didn’t experience much parental love as a child. She was disliked by her classmates and by the adults around her, the only person who seemed to love her was Irena. To be overall disliked by others and lacking love as a child must have a serious effect on her self-esteem. Also, accidentally killing the only person who gave her love, her only source of happiness, the person who was giving her self-worth, must have left her with a deep feeling of guiltiness, remorse, and possibly hatred against herself. All of this must have left a feeling of inferiority in Kouko.

And this is where I wanted to bring you. If you read my AnR mental illness post you know what’s coming next. I’m talking about Kouko’s mental issues. She’s a prime example of someone suffering from an inferiority complex.

Let’s start with a symptom of inferiority complex, low self-esteem. People with low self-esteem have heavy self-criticism, Kouko views herself as a failure. Hypersensitivity to criticism, Kouko was quick to challenge others who question her authority and get really sensitive when Suzu asked her question about her wish. Perfectionism, Kouko wants everything to be perfect and doesn’t accept failure. Neurotic guilt, she feels guilty over Irena’s death. Floating hostility, she’s quick to argue with people who question her authority or doubt her. Pessimism, I would say that in general, Kouko is a pretty pessimistic person. Envy, she expresses resentment against Tokaku for being an elite assassin while she’s a weak assassin.

But what about the inferiority complex. From what I read, it can be rooted in the young child’s original experience with weakness, helplessness and dependancy. As a child, Kouko was treated as weak, she was forced to be an assassin, making her helpless, and dependant on Irena, her only source of happiness. It can be intensified by comparison to others, and I have no doubt that the teachers at the orphanage kept comparing her to the kids who were more competent than her. Kouko seems to display a certain “superiority complex”, a desire to appear superior in a way, dominant, assertive, in control, a craving for position of powers. But superiority complex can be a defence mechanism against inferiority complex, which I believe is the case with Kouko. She feels inferior and to cope with it, she tries to compensate with a need for power, dominance and control over others, to try to put herself up and gave herself self-confidence. She’s so desperate for it that she literally changed her voice just to look more assertive. And when she loses or fails, she feels worthless again and breaks in cry, feeling overcome by her deep feeling of inferiority.

I have been told that I view characters too much through mental illness, so let’s talk about Kouko’s traits that are personal to her and not to a disorder. I talked about it before, but Kouko is extremely clumsy, it’s a little quirk of hers. It could be the result of her inferiority complex, but Kouko is clumsy since she’s a child, so I think it’s more something personal to her that may have gotten worst with her overall low self-esteem. But I still consider that her clumsiness is part of her personality. Kouko is also shown trying to help Haru with her homework, showing that Kouko is willing to help others. It may be related to her class representative role, but I feel like she genuinely wants to help people, deep down she has a good and generous heart, but was forced to bury it in order to be an assassin. Kouko still tried to kill Haru with no hesitation, showing that she’s capable of murder (she’s just incompetent at it… well she’s better with a gun than bombs, we have to give her that). Something I found really interesting with Kouko happened during her childhood, Irena said her “blueprint” (I think it was some bomb blueprint?) was well done, and some kid mocks her, saying that “drawing well means nothing”. Sure it was a blueprint, but I have the feeling Kouko might have some artistic talent, she’s good with a pencil. She could either be good at designing other types of blueprints (possible future jobs? Tho I headcanon her as a doctor in the future), or, she could use her skills with a pencil for more creative stuff, like drawing. Would it be cute for Kouko to have as a hobby drawing? Maybe that would help her get some self-esteem, have a passion, feel some enjoyment in life, learning to love herself. I’m all for the Kouko to become an artist later in life. Also, during the epilogue, Kouko successfully escape from her organization despite the risk, showing how brave she is, and we saw that in KnR she did it to honour Irena’s wish that wanted her to be a hope for everyone (that it was possible to escape I presume and live a normal life), showing that Kouko is someone who will go out of her way to honour someone’s wish.

So, we’re arriving at the shipping part. I suppose I should talk about Kouko’s relationship with Suzu. But I can’t do that without talking about her relationship with Irena first. Irena was Kouko’s senpai, her mentor, her role model, the only source of happiness and self-worth at the orphanage. Kouko was dependant on her, and when she lost her it left a void in her heart and a deep feeling of worthlessness. Irena was like the sun in her life, and without her, she’s stuck in a dark and cold night (okay that sounded cheesy but you get my point).

Okay, now we can talk about Suzu. She’s not a replacement for Irena, but she’s a new mature and adult person in Kouko’s life, a new person she can rely on. Suzu is like a mentor to her, teaching her stuff, helping her with her life (and literally saving her life in KnR). This is what Kouko needs in her life, an adult with experience to help her out, to heal her heart from the loss of Irena. Kouko needs emotional support, to feel appreciated by someone, someone to guide her, and Suzu is the right person for that. They are both lonely and hurt by life, and having each other can help them both to heal their own inner wound. Suzu and Kouko have more of a grandma/grandchild relationship than a romantic one, Suzu does look like she has a little crush on Kouko, but we have yet to see Kouko reciprocate those feelings. I personally ship them as a romantic couple, but as they are portrayed in the series, they are canonly pretty platonic.

Wow, working on this analysis made me realize how deep Kouko is as a character despite her low screentime, I genuinely feel bad for her, her past is really sad, and I sincerely wish her to be happy in the future (with Suzu, of course).

So in conclusion, Kouko is someone struggling with low self-esteem and an inferiority complex due to a childhood devoid of love and appreciation, she hides it behind an assertive and power-seeking persona, but deep down she’s a generous, honourable, brave and determined person, with possibly the soul of an artist. If she starts a new life (possibly with Suzu) she might finally learn to love herself and be happy, and especially, be free.

That will be all for my Kouko analysis, thanks for reading and if you have any comment, stuff you want to add or questions, don’t hesitate to ask me!

ps: may add a video later to illustrate one of my points.

#akuma no riddle #riddle story of devil #anr #kouko kaminaga #kaminaga kouko #suzukou #suzu x kouko #analysis #ricky analysis #ricky talk

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awed-frog · 5 years

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When you say romance should be 18 and over do you mean the brand of romance we know today (aka toxic) or romance as a whole? If we wrote healthy romance aimed at younger crowds or presented unhealthy behaviour as unhealthy behaviour in regular romance (for older crowds) would that be a good solution?

Well - I see three questions here, all of them incredibly complex and beyond interesting: should art be political and is censorship ever a good idea and also is the romance genre okay? The answer to all of them, in my opinion, is ‘no but’.

1) Should art be political?

The stupid thing is, art is inherently political, whether you want it to or not, but art that’s deliberately political tends to be awful, and that’s a universal truth both for left-wing stuff and for right-wing stuff. When you willingly create political stuff, what you’re crafting is propaganda, and proganda is generally sad and bad. I guess there is propaganda that’s also good art - Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs comes to mind - but the problem is, not all of us are Victor Hugo.

That said, since whatever we create is political (because man is a social animal) and will have some kind of moral message, yes - ideally we want more art with an ethically ‘good’ moral message than we want garbage, because art (and here I include everything: books, movies and so on) is perhaps the most effective and impactful mind-shaper ever. That’s why Disney is doing its very best to be a monopoly, after all. But: I don’t have a good solution for how to ensure art is nice. I think art is nice when artists are nice, and artists are nice when they grow up in good, healthy societies. So the more a society rots from the inside out, the more likely it is you’ll find art that’s also rotten. I mean, while romance as a genre was always a bit dodgy (see below), what that article was talking about - the rise of the possessive, violent boyfriend and domestic abuse as the great love story - is sort of a recent phenomenon, and goes hand in hand with the deterioration of women’s rights in (Western) society.

(As an aside, I’m not sure I agree (young) women are necessarily misogynistic for reading crap like Fiftfy Shades: I think (young) women are exhausted. Fifty Shades is, more than anything, an ode to undeserved capitalism - the only kind that seems open as an option today. After all, we know trickle-down capitalism doesn’t work and most of us will toil and toil for very little; Christian Grey is the antidote to that, the guy who shows up, basically kidnaps you, and smothers you in a life of riches for which the only thing you must do in return is give up. Having someone else decide on your job, your car, your possessions and clothes, where you’ll live, what you’ll eat and when, whether you’ll take birth control (lol: obviously not), when you’ll see your friends and family plus when and how you’ll orgasm - what women tried to escape for generations is suddenly the dream for many of us - not because of any new political ideology, but because we’re beyond tired. Women, like men, are now crushed in a neverending cycle of bs, underpaid jobs, and are apparently fed up enough in taking responsibility for anything that not only romance and ‘superhuman’ characters are booming, but a very specific kind of subset of that: essentially, slave fics.

Just give up your agency, and you’ll be taken care of and cherished - forever.

I understand a kink is not the same as your actual political opinion, but still - I’m not enthusiastic about this trend, and I’m even less enthusiastic when it gobbles up young women who haven’t had time to experience real life relationships.)

No, I think that in the end, the answer is - if you reverse the rotting of society, automatically - statistically - you’ll get healthier artists and a healthier audience. So, really, the fight is always the same: better paid jobs, better (and free) schools, more opportunities for continued education of any kind, more democracy and transparency, more green spaces and better living conditions.

2) Is censorship ever a good idea?

Sadly, no. You’d think the logical conclusion of what I just said would be, ‘In the meantime, let’s ban the most dangerous stuff’ or something, and while part of me is tempted to support that, censorship has a way of ending very badly no matter how good and noble your intentions are.

(Self-censorship should be more of a thing, though: not everything that goes through our minds deserves to be seen and shared.)

What sucks at the moment is that on the one hand, capitalism is operating its own censorship; and on the other, its desperate search for new markets has led to a disastrous disintegration of actual human interactions.

So, problem one is that we only publish and market what makes a lot of money, and while that’s normal, to an extent, the result today is that everything is ‘almost the same’ as the previous thing (think sequels, prequels, remakes, obnoxious book covers for books that are basically all the same). So if ‘asshole boyfriend who beats you up’ suddenly makes money, it becomes very hard to escape the trope, because what will be offered to you everywhere is exactly that. This was less of a thing back when our main sources of entertainment were shared (movie theaters, the one family TV, school libraries and so on); now, it’s an epidemic, and as we see with Youtube algorithms, a dangerous one, because this obsession with watching and rewatching ‘almost the same’ inevitably leads to more and more extreme stuff.

Meanwhile, problem two is that the more tailor-made our entertainment is, the less we connect to real people. I know I sound about 90 here, but when all family members are glued to a different screen - mom watching the 50th remake of Eat, Pray, Love, dad down the rabbithole of lizard conspiracy theories, big brother now exploring some milk&peanut butter weirdness on Youporn and younger sister 30 fics deep into Stucky high school AUs - what do they have in common? What do they talk about? What can they even learn from each other? Until recently, and for aeons, fiction was shared, and its primary goal was to form a connection between group members. Now, that’s gone. We destroyed it, without even realizing what we were doing, in the space of twenty years. And yeah - I know you can create new communities, but a) these communities are virtual (which means, for the most part: not real) and b) they tend to connect like with like, which is comforting, perhaps, but not very useful. The whole point here is that we need to learn how to feel empathy and trust for those who’re different, and build a community with them - instead, what the internet is doing is isolating us inside our little bubbles, so much so that any minor disagreement is now seen as good reason to break off contact.

Censorship, however, doesn’t solve any of this. For starters, we need more regulation on how big corporations can get, what social media companies can and can’t do and who can access what kind of material. And it’d be great if we could all unplug a little, but uh - fat chance of that.

3) Is the romance genre okay?

Again, just my opinion, but personally, I mistrust it. There are no romance books for men? Instead, books for men feature a Main Character doing stuff and improving himself while accidentally meeting a Sexy Lamp he can go home to at the end of the story. And, well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but isn’t this a healthier way to look at life? While good relationships are very meaningful (or even the most meaningful) part of any human life, if your goal is to get them, they won’t grow right. You shouldn’t be hyperfocused on finding love; I think it’s much better to be like Main Character: you work on your drawing skills, try a new sport, read poetry, defeat evil Russians, thus developing inner happiness and self-confidence, thus leading you towards towards a partner who’ll fall in love with who you are - not a partner who was looking for some empty shell to fill with their own expectations and preferences.

And I know - romance books and movies are full of exciting non-romantic events and stuff - but still, the fact they’re classified and intended as romance does imply that finding a romantic partner is the ultimate goal. Which, I don’t know, I don’t think it’s healthy, and is a particularly inappropriate message for young women. After all, why is it okay that young men are encouraged to go on ghost hunts, study dinosaurs and save the world while young women are taught to wait around for a broken (possibly violent, but it’s not his fault) bad boy only they can fix? It’s messed up, is what it is, and I may be extreme here, but even the tamest, sweetest romance revolves around the same message: that you’re not complete on your own, and that you should focus on relationships as a way to become a better, happier human being.

Now, as much as I love this quote -

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” — Oscar Wilde

- obviously there’s no direct cause-and-effect here - you don’t read one book and become a mindless Stepford wife - so I’m not saying, ‘no one should read romance ever’. It’s just - as I said in that other post, we should all enjoy diverse stuff. Read your romance novels, but also read the classics, read some philosophy, a random poem, a badly-written thriller - read Stephen King, read how the OED was written, or a Wikipedia article on the French resistance - anything and everything. Because of capitalism, because of this push towards personalized entertainment, we’re being forced and pigeonholing ourselves in smaller and smaller cages, and the worst thing is - we’re comfortable inside them, because this is the awful truth: cages are comfortable, and that’s why we need to get out before we forget what cages are for.

[As a final point: you say ‘if we wrote’, does it mean you’re an aspiring writer? If so, you shouldn’t worry about any of this. You write what you want, you write the stories you want to read. Just remember to get out of your cage as well - experience, discover, grow, read, dare - and then put all that into your books. I’m sure they’ll be great, whatever your favourite genre.]

#ask #books #romance #entertainment #capitalism #ya #fifty shades of grey #narrative tropes #old woman yells at cloud #the end is nigh #i miss the 90s #potentially unpopular opinion

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bbclesmis · 5 years

Audio

Exclusive Track & Interview: 28 Days Later composer John Murphy’s “Les Misérables”

Check out this exclusive premiere of John Murphy's "Les Misérables" from the BBC/PBS's Masterpiece Les Misérables now. This version is very close to Victor Hugo's original novel, and hence is not a musical. The soundtrack will be available May 3.' Murphy also dishes on the challenges of scoring such a huge, epic, and sweeping story (and a lot more) in the interview below.

Exclusive premiere: John Murphy's "Les Misérables" from Masterpiece's Les Misérables Lakeshore Records is set to release the original soundtrack to the critically-acclaimed BBC/PBS Masterpiece mini-series Les Misérables, written by composer John Murphy (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Kick-Ass). Check out our interview with Murphy and the exclusive song directly below this article. Les Mis the album will be released digitally on May 3 with CD and vinyl versions forthcoming.

This Les Mis is NOT a musical; in fact, it is relatively faithful to the source novel. It premiered April 14 on PBS, but all episodes can be watched with PBS Passport.

Les Misérables is a six-part drama adaptation starring Dominic West (The Affair) as Jean Valjean, and David Oyelowo (Selma) as Javert in this landmark take on a classic, timeless, and sweeping story. They are joined by Lily Collins (Rules Don’t Apply), in the role of Fantine.

With a striking intensity and relevance to us today, Victor Hugo's novel is a testimony to the struggles of France’s underclass and how far they must go to survive. The six-part television adaptation of the renowned book vividly and faithfully brings to life the vibrant and engaging characters, the spectacular and authentic imagery and, above all, the incredible yet accessible story that was Hugo’s lifework.

The distinguished British cast includes Adeel Akhtar (The Night Manager) and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) as Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) as Cosette, Josh O'Connor (The Durrells in Corfu) as Marius and Erin Kellyman (Raised By Wolves) as Éponine.

Liverpool born John Murphy began scoring movies at the age of 25. In 2001, following the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, he moved to Los Angeles.

Since then he has worked with some of the industry's most respected and luminary filmmakers, including Danny Boyle, Guy Ritchie, Stephen Frears, Matthew Vaughn and Michael Mann, producing film scores as prominent and diverse as Sunshine, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Miami Vice, Snatch, Kick-Ass, and the seminal 28 Days Later.

Murphy's movie trailers include: Captain America: Winter Soldier, Gravity, X-Men: Origins, Cloverfield, War of the Worlds, Cowboys and Aliens, Blindness, Ex Machina, Southpaw, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Avatar. His music has been featured in advertising campaigns for Nike, Audi, Microsoft, Louis Vuitton, Samsung, Google, and Apple.

After Kick-Ass, Murphy set up the record label Taped Noise and began work on several non-movie projects. BBC/PBS Masterpiece Theatre's Les Misérables is his latest project.

Les Misérables director Tom Shankland wanted John to tell a fresh musical story and to ultimately create a raw and uncompromising score to reflect the trials and misery of "Les Misérables." John describes the scoring process as an "experimental journey."

Initially, Tom wanted a gritty, folk-oriented score, but as they began the process, he and John quickly realized that the story would need a broader musical palette. John ended up incorporating less obvious elements such as bowed electric guitar, analog synths, experimental viola, and backwards loops, with a nod to the classic French romantic scoring of the '60s. Despite mixing instrumentation, the elements fused and the sensibility stayed true throughout.

John described the scoring process further:

"My original idea for the score to Les Mis was '1816 Velvet Underground meets '60s French film music.' While director Tom [Shankland] was thinking 'gnarly, down in the dirt, French folk music.' Producer Chris Carey suggested, 'let's do both, but throw in some vintage analog synths.' I then gleefully tried all of these elements, often at the same time. And we discovered that you can actually mix a hurdy gurdy with a Moog Sub Phatty, and we loved it. And what started out as a musical standoff, became our score for Les Misérables."

Interview: John Murphy

Hello John and welcome!

Hey Wess. Good to talk with you!

Likewise. To start things off, what attracted you to this telling of Les Mis as a project? I really appreciated how it was based on Hugo's novel, and not a musical. The novel, in my opinion, does not get enough praise.

Yeah, sadly the musical has pretty much hijacked this great novel. I read it in my early twenties. I was a session player back then and I spent a lot of time on tour buses, so I got through a lot of reading. Aside from all the ideas and themes, it's a great story – hope, despair, sacrifice, redemption, all the good stuff. I loved it.

I read it when I was in my twenties as well. Such a great novel.

So when the call came in, I did some Skype meetings with the director Tom Shankland and producer Chris Carey, and they were so passionate about it, and so hell-bent on going back to the source, the book I loved. I knew I had to do it.

That's fantastic. I was hoping we could get an idea of your overall creative process on the project. It really is very sweeping in the emotions of the story and the history it covers.

Well I've really only ever done movies so I knew the production process would be different. For example, before they started shooting I had to write a lot of the in-camera music they needed to shoot to; the scene with the band in the pimp's den, Cosette's piano pieces, Gavroche's song when he runs out to collect the bullets, that kind of thing.

Oh wow.

Which was cool because I'd never done that before. And then there was a big break while they filmed and put together the episodes. So rather than sit around and wait, I started sketching out themes and ideas from the script, which is actually way more creative than writing to picture. But having this pot of ideas was a life saver because, when the episodes finally did come, they came thick and fast.

But the actual creative process wasn't too different from scoring a film. I always write the themes first, and I try to write them away from picture. And then I'll work to picture and write the featured cues, the montages, the chases, that kind of thing. And then you're down to the underscore cues and you're just connecting the dots really.

Interesting process John. What were the challenges like?

I think the biggest challenge was time. Even though I had ideas sketched out for most of the themes, there's only so much you can do until they give you locked picture. And when the final locked cuts started coming, I had about 20 days per episode from start to delivery. And this is when I would score everything in, write the underscore, record the soloists, and mix the tracks ready for the dub. There was usually about forty cues and forty minutes of music per episode. So there were a few long nights!

Were there huge differences between Les Mis as a project and working on your more conventional titles like 28 Days Later? You've scored quite a bit in the horror realm.

I've actually only scored a few horror films. They just tend to be the ones people remember!

[Laughs] good point. I was thinking just relative to other composers I've talked to…

Because of the musical, there's kind of a skewed perception of Les Miserables. But a lot of the book is actually very dark. And, for whatever reason, I find it much easier to work with darker material.

I find myself attracted to darker art as well; not just film.

For me, it's just a deeper well to draw from. So even though it's based upon an historic work I never felt like I was writing outside of my own instincts. At the end of the day, whatever the scale, it all comes down to ideas, story and characters.

Absolutely. Any memorable or funny moments that stick out from that behind the scenes process of scoring the series?

There were, but none I could mention! [Laughs]

[Laughs] fair enough. A question I ask most everybody: what scores and films have molded you most as an artist?

I think the first time I became aware that movies used music was in A Fistful of Dollars. I must have been six or seven and it was on TV one night. I remember thinking why is there music playing? Where is it coming from? After that I started listening for it when I watched movies. So, I think my love for [Ennio] Morricone started there. And after that it was the James Bond movies, and the great John Barry themes. Another film composer I love to this day. I was just a kid, but I remember getting hyped up whenever I heard that guitar riff. A few years later, when I started to play a few things, I discovered Bernard Herrmann.

Psycho always stands out for me when I think of a great score. It may be cliché to say but it is true.

I couldn't fathom how he could make music that was so dark and so beautiful at the same time. I'd never heard anything like it and it blew me away. It was like magic.

So, those three made more of an impression on me than any specific movies. Thinking about it now it's probably why I'm so theme-heavy today. Because those guys definitely knew how to write a theme.

That they did. One other big question which is sort of related, what makes a great score?

That's such a difficult question and I don't think there's a definitive answer. But if it truly moves you and takes you somewhere else, then it's doing something right.

Well said. Last, what's next for you?

Well, Les Mis was like doing six movies back to back, so I won't be jumping into another big project just yet! I'm going to mess around with one of my own projects for a few months and then see what's around. Maybe a cool little indie where I get to play everything myself!

https://www.thefourohfive.com/film/article/exclusive-track-interview-28-days-later-composer-john-murphy-s-les-miserables-155

#les mis bbc #bbc les mis #soundtrack #audio #Interviews #john murphy

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bakechochin · 6 years

Text

The Book Ramblings of June

In place of book reviews, I will be writing these ‘book ramblings’. A lot of the texts I’ve been reading (or plan to read) in recent times are well-known classics, meaning I can’t really write book reviews as I’m used to. I’m reading books that either have already been read by everyone else (and so any attempt to give novel or insightful criticisms would be a tad pointless), or are so convoluted and odd that they defy being analysed as I would do a simpler text. These ramblings are pretty unorganised and hardly anything revolutionary, but I felt the need to write something review-related this year. I’ll upload a rambling compiling all my read books on a monthly basis.

The Man Who Was Thursday - GK Chesterton I bought the Penguin English Library edition of this book mainly because of a tweet that I saw slagging off the cover, saying that the sticks of dynamite in the cover pattern looked like tampons and that 'this could have been avoided if only one woman had looked at the cover’; this irritated me a lot because I know for a fact that the cover was in fact designed by a woman (Coralie Bickford-Smith, to be precise, an artist whose similar works I am also a good fan of), and I wanted to own this edition simply so that I could prove to myself and others that this is the case. However, whilst the cover of this book is indeed very pretty, the texts published in the Penguin English Library collection do not possess the handy introductory chapter at the beginning that the Penguin Classics include, and thus with no frame of reference, I was at something of a loss to describe this book. It is certainly an interesting read insofar as it seemingly refuses to stay as one genre for the whole book. The blurb describes it as a ‘strange and haunting novel’, and at the beginning, this is very appropriate; it depicts a sensationalist image of villainous anarchists and zealous unhinged detectives that is incredibly compelling, and I hold that the character descriptions of the members of the Council of Days (as introduced in chapter five) make for some of the best writing that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. By fuck is Chesterton great at characterising these dudes. The blurb describes the novel as a spy thriller, and all seemed to be going well on this front, with a melodramatic but consistent tone maintained for around the first half of the book, with some great twists scattered here and there for good measure. But then things start getting a tad daft, and I’m going to spoil a bit of the plot here because you need to understand how off the rails this shit gets. The adventure grows to involve much of the main cast of antagonists being revealed to be policemen in increasingly convoluted disguises, ridiculously overblown chases in different countries with the stakes being continuously raised in the stupidest and funniest ways, and the main antagonist, built up as a grand unknowable titan of crime and anarchy, escapes the protagonist by leaping over a balcony ‘like an orang-utan’, riding away on a rampaging elephant that he broke out of the zoo, and finally evading capture by flying away on a stolen hot air balloon. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of this sort of shit as a general rule, but by fuck does it seem incongruous in a novel such as this, that is so clever and so beautifully written and, whilst containing its few bits of sensational ridiculousness (as an overt parody of the genre or its tropes), generally quite a serious read. Similarly to The Heat’s On, if this book had just kept on the rails or channelled its madness into chaos that stayed within the genre’s boundaries, instead of just throwing its hands up into the air and screaming, ‘fuck it, put in an elephant chase scene!’, I’d have enjoyed it a lot more. As it is, it reminds me of the overblown nonsense of the 007 stories - this is a novel for dads, I reckon. After finishing this book I then found Beaumont’s introduction to the text, which describes the text as ‘antirealist’, and cites Chesterton’s description of ‘great works which mix up abstractions fit for an epic with fooleries not fit for a pantomime’. As a concept, I can fully get behind this - the juxtaposition of heroics and farcical nonsense puts me in mind of high burlesque, and I’ve always been fully against realism because fuck that noise. But you can’t stick with the idea of this book being wholly antirealist if it takes place in a world recognisable as our own and then suddenly changes to be ludicrous and laughable; that’s just inconsistent, and indeed mildly vexing when I was fully engrossed in the sensational spy thriller. Furthermore, attempting to justify this book’s content by saying that it is reminiscent of a ‘nightmare’ is a bullshit defence, because a) the word ‘nightmare’ could simply be used in reference to this book’s negative depiction of a world in which anarchists triumph in their nasty villainy, and b) it’s difficult to keep the idea of this book’s world supposedly being a dream forefront in one’s mind when it, as mentioned above, represents a view (albeit a sensational one) of reality, with dream nonsense hardly being a part of it at all. That is, of course, until the very end, when the book gives up all pretence of being a spy novel and instead wallows in metaphor and overt Christian imagery before ending abruptly. The ending is bullshit and I don't like it.

Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol I’ve often cited Gogol as one of my favourite authors, but for the longest time I stayed clear of this book, somewhat daunted by whether what I loved about Gogol’s short stories would translate well to a novel form. This is a different beast to his short stories, but no less interesting to talk about, and indeed possessing many of the short story’s positive attributes, for all of the excellent writing, characterisation, and understanding of the fun nuances of society abounds here as it does in his shorter works. Apparently Gogol was attempting to recreate the structure and overall vibe of The Odyssey and other such Homeric epics in prose form, and although the overall setting and storyline does not reflect the grand awe-inspiring epics of the past, I’ll be buggered if the story’s writing and tone doesn’t somehow achieve it. This is not, despite what some critics have said, due to Gogol’s tendency to ramble on about unrelated digressions (a device apparently comparable to Homeric epics), or at least it didn’t stick out to me as such when I read it - that’s just kind of what Gogol does. No, it’s the writing and tone, as mentioned above, that seems to ape the Homeric tone, in such a way that you wouldn’t notice its explicit presence until after you’d been informed of it, and yet when you are aware of the Homeric influence you see it everywhere clear as day; I’d call it an ineffable concept but that’s just me trying to cover up for the fact that I can’t find the words, because I’m bad at writing these things. But I digress. Gogol’s excellent means of conveying character voices shines as always in this text, but I can’t feel like I’m missing the extent of it because I’m reading it in English. The introduction by Robert A Maguire describes Gogol’s extensive research into ‘all the prosaic rubbish of life, all the rags’, and makes efforts to incorporate such minor details as regional slang, official jargon, outdated terminology, etc. into his characters’ voices, but I fear that I’m missing some of the nuances of these techniques by my lack of knowledge in these fields or that some of the subtleties in language don’t translate as well as they ought to. Of course there are some characters which exemplify Gogol’s skill at diverse voices, such as some of the peasant muzhiks and one of my favourite characters Nozdryov (who draws from a wide array of sources for his dialogue with hilarious results), but there are some instances in which the character voices seem somewhat interchangeable, especially considering how a lot of individual personality is often subsumed by the necessity of upholding social decorum, and thus there are many characters who only speak in refined socially acceptable manners. The characters themselves are all bloody great, be they individual grotesque landowners or incredibly detailed and often brilliantly satirical descriptions of wider groups or demographics. Whilst the writing remains as excellent as ever, the characters in the second part of the book lack the grotesque simplicity of those in the first part - indeed, efforts are made by Gogol to give them complex fleshed-out characterisation - and subsequently these new characters are nowhere near as memorable as the fantastic personifications of negative traits that we got in the first part. Yeah, I forgot to mention, this book is technically made up of two parts, the first part highlighting the problems of society and the second part intended to delve into the resolution of some of these issues; of course, the second part does not exist in its entirety, because Gogol was a great fan of melodramatically burning his manuscripts, but it’s not a major issue because what does survive of the full text is amazing enough on its own (specifically the entirety of part one). Plus, I’ve delved into my thoughts of authors trying to ‘change the world’ through their works (in that I think that it’s a fool’s notion and only really serves to exemplify the author’s delusion), so I’m content with this text only portraying the detrimental aspects of society, as opposed to trying to fix them. I am quite fond of the narrator in this book. Similarly to his short stories, Gogol employs a narrative voice that exists almost as a character in of itself, and I don’t just mean that in the sense of ‘it’s got a lot of personality’. The narrative voice apologises for the story’s content and makes changes in an attempt to preserve decorum, it makes excuses for the story’s characters (especially the protagonist Chichikov), it often reveals information at the same rate as the characters within the setting discover things and have epiphanies, and it even establishes itself as a character with a physical voice as it only chooses to speak of Chichikov’s past when Chichikov himself is asleep, and apologises all the while lest he somehow slight the man. Bringing up this also gives me an opportunity to briefly mention the 2006 BBC radio adaptation for this, which establishes the narrator as a physical character in all scenes to humourous effect (and what’s more gave me yet more reason to love Mark Heap, who makes for a fucking excellent Chichikov). But I digress. Part two of the novel, as mentioned above, does not possess the same sort of wonderfully grotesque characters as part one, and considering that this is a novel defined mainly by its characters, this is somewhat problematic. The plot of part two is perhaps vaguely interesting, even though it seems to shunt the titular focus of dead souls to the side somewhat, but all in all I found it difficult to be too invested in this new story due to its lack of compelling characters. In addition, the Homeric epic tone of part one is somewhat absent, and without a distinctive narrative voice, the narrative suffers. I feel bad shitting on part two, since it was everyone else shitting on part two that catalysed Gogol to burn the manuscript (again) and possibly starve himself to death. Honestly, the first part is bloody amazing, so just read that and then be satisfied with the knowledge that your opinion of the book overall has not been tarnished by the shoddy second part. Sorry Gogol.

Complete Short Fiction - Oscar Wilde I’ve been vaguely aware of Wilde’s short fiction for a while now, having read a selection of his fairy tales and ‘Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime’ (a favourite of mine) for uni, so I decided to give his complete collection a shot. The Penguin Classics edition of his short fiction is separated into his different published collections, but can generally be categorised as either fairy tales or miscellaneous short stories. I’ve studied a shit load of fairy tale authors/compilers (Basile, Straparola, Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Andersen, Wilde and whoever compiles the radical Russian fairy tales), and Wilde is certainly my favourite of the bunch. The specific blend of Wilde-esque traits incorporated into the fairy tale format make up my favourite fairy tales of any author - this is by no means all of Wilde’s fairy tales, but I’ll get into that. My favourite fairy tales of Wilde take place in a world vaguely recognisable as our own, or at least existing as an exaggerated facsimile of our own society, not just because the urban setting reminds me of Hoffmann’s ‘The Golden Pot’, but because such a setting allows for some heavy-handed but undeniably hilarious social commentary and satire. Such satire works especially well when juxtaposing the romanticised world of the fairy tale with the grimmer reality of Wilde’s society - the two tales that commence the collection, ‘The Happy Prince’ and ’The Nightingale and the Rose’, exemplify this excellently. Whilst I liked the satire attainable by setting the fairy tale in an urban society environment, similar levels of hilarity are obtained via Wilde’s satirical look at certain character archetypes (the titular character in ‘The Remarkable Rocket’ being my favourite example). The fairy tales obviously possess their morals and their teachings (though I was a fan of how this is subverted slightly by some characters actively avoiding, misinterpreting or arguing with the story’s moral), but the tropes that we’d expect to see in fairy tales - the morals from Perrault, the recurring overt ties to Christianity from Andersen, etc. - are not why I like Wilde’s fairy tales so much. The tales in the collection titled A House of Pomegranates are undeniably excellently written, and what’s more include some fantastic settings inspired by the Victorian obsession with the Orient that allow for phenomenal and evocative descriptive writing (the likes of which is not seen in any other of Wilde’s fairy tales), but they fail to capture my preferred positive attributes that the aforementioned tales possess. I cheekily skipped 'The Portrait of Mr W H' because I’d heard from a mate who had also read it that it was a long and dull read, and thus refrained from checking it out lest it tarnish my idealised view of Wilde. I’m sure I’ll live with myself knowing that I haven’t read Wilde’s entire body of works. Indeed, who gives half a toss about that when we’ve still got to talk about the last remaining collection contained within this publication: ‘Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories’, which is not made up of fairy tales but other ‘popular’ genres of writing. Taken at face value, the stories’ content of murder, ghosts, and mystery slot in nicely alongside the fairy tales, in that they can all be considered, at face value, writings intended to appeal to the low-brow interests of the masses. They are, of course, more than that, possessing some great subversions of genre tropes and Wilde’s typical social satire, which all comes together to make the short stories (in particular ‘Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime’ and ‘The Canterville Ghost’) hilarious and very enjoyable reads. The fact that these stories are written with the primary intentions of entertaining, rather than revolutionising the written form or making one think about grand philosophical themes, means that I can’t really offer anything about the stories other than that they’re fucking good and that you should go and read them.

Shit I read this month that I couldn’t be arsed to write about: A Short History of Drunkenness by Mark Forsyth (which I started back in December(?) last year, forgot about until now, and love immensely), and ‘The Penal Colony’ by Kafka (it was much more enjoyable than the other works by Kafka that I’ve read, but that isn’t really saying much).

#book reviews #book ramblings #the man who was thursday #gk chesterton #dead souls #nikolai gogol #oscar wilde #lord arthur savile's crime #the canterville ghost #the happy prince #the remarkable rocket #the nightingale and the rose

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meganelizabether · 6 years

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My top 10 TV shows of 2017, 9-4

9. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

This show has managed to stay flat-out funny, genuinely heartwarming, and important without being heavy-handed. Tackling police work with optimism, integrity and humor can’t be easy, but somehow, the writers manage it every season. Plus, Santiago and Peralta’s relationship is one of the most realistic and happy (i.e. best-written relationship ever eeee fangirling a little here) on television, past and present. While they didn’t make sense as a couple in season one, the writers’ smartly let Jake grow up, and showed how he enriched Amy’s life with his childish joy and unwavering love. Now, they just make sense, and it’s a beautifully simple and magically complex thing to behold (like all good relationships).

8. Glow

I’ve always had a deep loathing for professional wrestling, based entirely on early childhood exposure to its spray-tanned, greasy, ludicrous brand of hyper-masculinity. The people who watched it didn’t seem to think it was funny, which I found very confusing, and the bombastic violence never seemed remotely entertaining. Luckily, “Glow” matches its source material by allowing its characters to be big, bold and ridiculous in and out of the ring, while slowly and delightfully subverting types over the course of the season. The parts are juicy, the characters are messy, and the women are unabashedly themselves. It’s one of the purest things I watched all year, and I can’t wait to see where the next season ends up.

Also 8. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

One of (few) good things about 2017 was the diversity on television. Shows like Black-ish, Fresh off the Boat, The Mindy Project, Empire, Jane the Virgin and Insecure all got renewed, and as the year draws to a close, I can truthfully saw we’re living in a great age of television. Not only do we have a stunning variety of amazing shows, we have writers of color creating for actors of color, on shows produced by people of color. We have a spectrum of sexuality across all TV genres, written as main characters and not tokens or random friends who appear only on very special episodes. The diversity isn’t just on the surface anymore, and it shows. Some of the most original, important and entertaining stories on TV would never have existed if not for the diverse creators who finally got their feet in the door.

And yes, that is a preamble-apology of sorts for including a very, very white show like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on a fairly short list. Sure, the main characters are Jewish, but so far, the show hasn’t developed a sense of otherness, or tackled any anti-Semitism surely hanging around in 1950s New York (I haven’t finished the season yet, so maybe it’s there?). The moment where Midge (literally) upstages an African American band feels extremely privileged and a bit cringe-worthy as well. Historically, the Palladinos have been pretty tone-deaf tackling, or completely ignoring, issues like race, LGBTQ issues and politics, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

HOWEVER, the show is damn funny; the acting is great, the writing is crisp, the feminism is present and bourgeoning, and I’ll admit it... I’m a sucker for a period piece. It’s like Mad Men, but hilarious (and I do also have to admit that I miss Mad Men, for all its flaws). And we have not yet arrived at a time when I can say, stop with the funny women on TV already. There’s just too many of them. Why not some serious shows about serious women?

7. Dear White People

The movie this Netflix series’ is based on was funny and enjoyable, but it also felt pretty self-contained, so I wasn’t initially sure how this would play out over an entire season. However, Simien and his writing team totally blew me out of the water by taking the relatively broad character sketches from the movie and turning them into people who made me laugh, cry and cheer, episode after episode. Honestly, I can’t remember a show that made me feel so emotionally invested in 11 episodes. Despite losing the star power of Tessa Thompson, recasting Sam White turned out to be a boon for the show. Thompson’s iteration was heavily influenced by her trademark snarky, take-no-prisoners persona, but Logan Browning’s version highlights and deepens Sam’s inherent vulnerability and uncertainty. This adds nuance to her prickly, trigger-happy social activism, and underscores just how much this is an image of White’s own creation. Antoinnette Robinson as Coco was another standout for me--her performance was mesmerizing, beautiful and completely heart-rending. The moments she and Browning share crackle with energy, and it’s hard not to mourn the current state of their friendship. I’m rooting for them, guys, cuz I need more amazing female TV biffles in my life right now.

Other things I loved:

Marque Richardson as Reggie. He’s hot, he’s angry, and he’s got layers. Richardson does Emmy-worthy work during his run-in with campus police, and in portraying the devastating emotional fallout of the violent encounter. The back half of the season allows Reggie to move from player in a requisite love triangle to fully-formed character in his own right, and I’m looking forward to seeing more Reggie-centric episodes in the future.

John Patrick Amedori as Gabe. Ah yes, the token white boy... this could easily have been the most basic, nothing characterization, but no, not in the hands of these writers, and not with Amedori’s acting chops. Gabe is cheesy, a bit fumbling, and sometimes out of his depth, but he’s also big-hearted, brave and empathetic. It’s incredibly important that we understand and buy Sam’s attraction and deep connection, and also that his character stand up to her subconscious self-loathing, which the show deftly accomplishes.

“Dear White People” is a show that wears its heart on its sleeve, and that’s a great thing in this era of cynicism and bleakness (I’m not just talking about prestige TV). If you haven’t watched it yet, add it to your queue ASAP.

6. Master of None

This was a solid return for one of our chosen Millennial ambassadors--hilarious, awkward, expansively optimistic, and full of Ansari’s signature TRUTH. Artistically ambitious (the loving ode to Italian cinema in “The Thief”), unabashedly socially aware (Religion, First Date), and full of moments of tender vulnerability (Thanksgiving), the show proves time and again it’s as good as the hype. My only complaint: I’m not on board with Dev and Francesca. She’s cute, he’s cute, they have some cute moments... but I’m not really buying it. Maybe it’s risky to apply too much of the real world to this fictionalized version of Ansari’s life, but I can’t help but wonder if the ambiguity comes from his own failed relationships. Considering how much Ansar’s love life has played into his creative endeavors so far, it’s not that much of a stretch. Hopefully, he’ll continue to channel his life into stories that feel real, not imagined and artificial, even if that means no true love for Dev for a few more seasons.

5. The Good Place

This show never should have made it to network TV, but I’m thrilled it did. It’s a deliciously weird little anomaly, and I want MORE RIGHT NOW. I love Kristin Bell (Veronica Mars 4ever), which initially convinced me to give this pastel, candy-coated comedy a shot, but every actor is a total gem. The timing is impeccable, the pacing is ambitious, and the philosophy is... well, it’s interesting, integral, AND funny. How many shows can tackle the fundamental questions of human existence without breaking a sweat, while playing them for big, completely earned laughs? Not many, that’s for damn sure.

4. The Handmaid’s Tale

So yeah, I have concerns about the longevity of this show. As in, I’m not sure there should have been a second season. The last half of season one felt simultaneously too rushed and too drawn out, giving me pause about the writers’ ability to string Atwood’s material across 13 more episodes.

That said, the series deserves this spot on the merit of the first few episodes alone. TV this energetic, vital and fully-formed out of the gate is always worth celebrating, and Atwood’s decades-old vision of the future proved prescient and dangerously real. The show inextricably benefitted from 2017′s political zeitgeist, where white women felt the anxiety and panic most women of color have felt for... well, I guess for always.

This show is arresting and impossible to ignore. The actors, stripped of makeup, naturally lit, and filling the frames with pure, distilled emotions, suck you in and force you to feel what they feel. Sometimes (often), this is incredibly difficult, but others, it leads to feelings of euphoria and triumph. At it’s best, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a perfect distillation of humanity, both its ugliness and its beauty. Here’s hoping the showrunners can pull off another season with equal grace and artistry.

Annnd I’ll be back before New Year’s with my top three shows of 2017 :-)

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takaraphoenix · 7 years

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Best Animated Movies Through the Years

After I threw some shade at Disney with the sequel-thing I did earlier, I figured I’d do a list of what I consider the best animated movies. Not just including Disney. And since I’m shit at picking favorites and properly ranking stuff, we’ll go through them by years, in chronological order. All personal picks, obviously.

Basically, this is just self-indulgent because I want to ramble about my favorite animated movies.

Also, this is going to be really long so I’ll shorten it by making you click “keep reading” below!

And by “really long”, I mean this is literally a list of 65 animated movies through the years - yeah, that is the narrowed-down version because it’s only 65 out of the 282 animated movies I have on my overall “timeline of animated movies”.

I think the way this list makes most sense is... for scrolling through to see titles you might have never heard of before and getting a recommendation for a great animated movie that isn’t necessarily just your average Disney masterpiece (though those are of course also on the list).

1937 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney

It might not be the best story-telling wise and Snow might not be the most fleshed-out Disney princess, but you can not talk about the best animated movies without respecting the first. This paved the way and this is what set the course for Disney. The animation is beautiful, even eighty years later it still looks stunning. And while not a genius in character-development, it is still a very faithful - by Disney-standards anyway - retelling of the fairy tale.

1942 - Bambi, Disney

Thumper will forever be one of my favorite Disney characters. Who watched this movie and didn’t love Bambi and Thumper and Flower is a lying liar who lies. It is beautiful, it is emotional and it’s the start of a wonerful tradition of talking animal movies.

1950 - Cinderella, Disney

I know I said in the sequel-thing that this movie is flat. But you got to keep in mind the time-period from which it is. And for that, it still stands strong. Many shame Cinderella as just being a girl after a boy and that’s it; same for Snow White by the way. All those “new age” Disney fans who think only the princesses from 2000+ are real heroines. That both Snow White and Cinderella were abused half their lives and that literally the only escape from that kind of abuse in that kind of time would be to get married and move out, is forgotten way too often. This girl has been treated as a house-slave all her life and all she wants is one night to feel like a princess - she never even really just wishes for a prince, she just wants to go to the ball - and she fights for it. It’s more a movie about overcoming abuse and issues of self-worth, of friendship and escapism than it is just a bland “That girl wants a boyfriend” movie and it deserves respect for that.

1951 - Alice in Wonderland, Disney

As a very big fan of the books, I hold a special kind of love for this movie because it’s actually a rather faithful adaptation. Of course it leaves out a lot and changes some things, but I think it stands very true to the source material and keeps a wonderful mixture of beautiful fairy tale land and creepy LSD trip in a great balance.

1959 - Sleeping Beauty, Disney

Aurora is my favorite Disney princess so I can not skip her movie. This movie wins on character design alone. Aurora gets a lot of shade thrown at her for being asleep half her movie, but you gotta try to look past that. We have a green-skinned, horned villainess who turns into a freaking dragon and spits fire. Maleficent’s design alone is amazing, but add to that the three quirky fairies and Aurora, as well as Prince Philipp who gets to not just kiss the girl as the princes before him did but to literally slay a dragon and save the kingdom for his princess and you got a real fairy tale masterpiece right there.

1967 - The Jungle Book, Disney

If I had to pick only one Disney movie, out of an artistic point of view, it would be this. Just as an artist alone, I marvel at this movie and the love for detail that went into animating the animals. The way they walk and move was done so incredibly well, you can see the effort that went into making this movie. The drawings are so beautiful. Bagheera will forever be one of my favorite Disney characters. Shere Khan is one of the three best Disney villains in existence - also, vastly misunderstood considering he really should have just eaten the brat and be done with this, I mean come on, like a pack of wolves or a panther wouldn’t have eaten the tiny snack and I still think this movie would have been improved by 100% if they had eaten Mowgli in the beginning because the brat is the only flaw this movie has.

1970 - Aristocats, Disney

This is such a beautiful story of family and love. I feel like it nearly doesn’t even need words to describe it because it’s a given that this movie should be on this list. The humor, the heart, the music, the animation, the characters. It’s adorable, and I’m saying that as a not-cat-person.

1973 - Robin Hood, Disney

It’s impressive if you just consider the fact that it was made with so much rehashed material (they reused a lot of old animation here). But it has a beautiful story, it’s innovative in the sense that it essentially introduces anthro characters and it’s just ridiculously cute.

1976 - The Twelve Tasks of Asterix | Les Douze Travaux d’Astérix, Goscinny & Uderzo

As a German, I can not do this list without including this movie. It is maybe one of the funniest animated movies in history. No one in Germany doesn’t know what a Passierschein A38 is. Growing up with the Asterix comics and other Franco-Belgian comics in the way the stereotypical nerds in American TV grew up with Marvel and DC comics, Asterix was literally the hero of my childhood and among all his movies, this one is definitely the best and the most fun to watch.

1981 - The Fox and the Hound, Disney

This is easily one of the most heartbreaking Disney movies and the only one where the love-interest is the real villain for coming between the main characters? Like? No. This movie would be perfect if not for Vixie. I love foxes, I love baby animals (when they’re animated; real ones creep me out) and I love a good story about friendship. This is really not a happy movie, which sets it apart from other Disney movies, but it’s still beautiful.

1986 - An American Tail, Don Bluth

For me, as a German kid, this was so weird to watch because the concept of immigrants and other continents aside from Europe being A Thing That Exists, it was totally alien and following Feivel and his family on that journey was a great way of being introduced into this literal New World of America. Feivel is such an endearing character, this movie is so heartfelt and has a pure focus on family and friendship that is simply beautiful to watch.

1986 - Fluppy Dogs, Disney

I know this one is a bit of a stretch because technically it’s not a movie but the pilot to a failed cartoon series, but this might easily be my favorite Disney movie of them all? The characters are so amazing, the concept of parallel worlds will forever be one of my favorite things and I was first introduced to it in this movie, the focus of friendship and overcoming differences is great and I’m sorry but this is a movie about rainbow-colored fluffy puppies that can talk and travel between universes, how is that not amazing?!

1988 - The Land Before Time, Don Bluth

Others cried when Bambi’s mom was shot, but to me this one was way worse. The pain and fear of isolation that Little Foot went through, this scary dark world around him. Those diverse, quirky and amazing characters that you met and fell in love with within this really short one hour movie - really, you have one hour and you have five main characters and yet it’s enough to make you fall for each and every one of them. How this ragtag team of dinosaurs finds together and how they become friends. It’s maybe the purest friendship-story among animated movies and I love it. Also, it’s literally the best dinosaur movie ever made and you can fight me on that.

1989 - All Dogs Go to Heaven, Don Bluth

This is so refreshing, because we don’t have this shining, pure golden boy of a protagonist. We have the first anti-hero in animated history, really. Charlie is a selfish dog and he has an amazing redemption arc. The guts to do such a thing, a redemption movie on an animated dog, I marvel at that, considering the time and that it had never been done before. You learn to love Charlie and you feel for him throughout the journey and you also feel for the little girl.

1989 - The Little Mermaid, Disney

Ariel is a brat. Ariel is maybe the only Disney princess that is mainly relatable if you yourself are a child and rebelling against your parents. As a kid, this was the best princess movie for me, I worshiped Ariel, she was so cool. As an adult, I mainly admire Triton and his patience and love for his daughter. This movie, for me, is what shows you if you’re grown up. If you still side with Ariel, you’re probably not as grown up as you like to think, and if you came around to feel for Triton, I got some bad news for you because you are officially an adult now. But even that aside, it has one of the most endearing sidekicks in Flounder, it has one of the most compelling villains in Ursula and it has some of the most beautiful musical numbers. Not to mention, the animation is gorgeously drawn.

1990 - The Rescuers Down Under, Disney

This movie is literally the only sequel in the history of sequel-making that outdoes the first movie. Its animation is beautiful, its story-telling amazing, its characters get proper arcs and are well-rounded and cute, it’s a stunning masterpiece of an animated movie (and I wasn’t even aware that there was a first one until my late teens, so it’s also amazingly done as a stand-alone movie).

1991 - Beauty and the Beast, Disney

Since I included all the other princess movies, I feel obligated to also include this. And it does have beautiful music and animation - outstanding animation, really - and it has endearing sidekicks, but I’m just not really a fan of the story itself. The whole violent, vicious beast kidnaps girl and girl completely changes everything about him and they fall in love with each other but somehow she never even bothers to ask him for his name and continues to call him Beast even though they’re already in love, not to mention this was kick-started because a 10 year old boy was rude to a stranger, what the heck Enchantress way to be overly dramatic... Yeah. That. But aside from that, as an animated movie, beyond just as a movie, it’s really beautiful.

1991 - FernGully: The Last Rainforest, 20th Century Fox

Not the English dub though. This is my third most favorite movie of all time, but I never got over the first 10 minutes of the English original because holy shit, that voice “actor” who plays the part of the male lead has never done voice acting, or any form of acting, before in his life and it’s just painful to listen to. But the movie itself is beautiful. Basically, it’s one half of Avatar, but in good (the other half being Pocahontas, of course). The message of saving our planet is done is such a beautiful, child-friendly way, the fairies and nature and the characters are so amazingly done and Hexor is like one of the best non-Disney-animated-movie-villains.

1992 - Aladdin, Disney

The weird part where it’s all about the hero, but in the end she’s the Disney princess and wins the fame and fortune contest, even though let’s be real, her plot in this is kinda weird. “Oh no, my life is too good”, yeah that’s such a relatable complaint especially for kids, and sicking your tiger onto a political ally is really great, princess, because even if you don’t want to get married, maybe try not to start a war, mh? And Aladdin’s approach of lying to get the girl is not the best either. What really wins wthis movie is, hands down, the Genie. Also the Sultan, who is one of my favorite Disney dads. The character dynamis and the growth of them throughout are also big plus-points.

1994 - The Lion King, Disney

This is one of the Disney movies that just hits the ball out of the park and it’s probably my third favorite Disney movie. The adorable animation. The mind-blowing songs. The compelling, eccentric villain, the emotions as you sob over Mufasa like a little child even when you’re over 20, the character design and the animals themselves, as well as the beautiful set-art. This movie is really very amazing.

1994 - The Swan Princess, Rich Animation

I mentioned once before that Toy Story is a perfect trilogy. So are this movie and its sequels. Yes, the first one is superior to its sequels and thus only it will find its way onto this list but the second and third are definite must-see movies too the others do not exist though and they should not exist. Odette is the original princess who didn’t just fall into the hero’s arms and had a love-at-first-sight romance. Disney gets props for Anna in Frozen like that’s the first time that happened, but if you look past Disney, it happened as early as 19994. Odette and Derek grow up not liking each other and when she’s pretty as a teen, he suddenly wants to marry her and she asks him why - and he answers because she’s pretty. And she flat-out rejects him. He has to fight for her heart and he falls in love with her on the way, really in love, and he makes her fall in love with him. It’s a beautiful love-story, with quirky animal sidekicks, endearing characters and beautiful animations. In many ways, this is superior to most Disney princess movies, really.

1995 - Pocahontas, Disney

I have always and will always love this movie, albeit I have to admit it’s... problematic. For children outside the US, who are only taught about US history in their teens, those “romanticized history” movies are a bit of a danger because we can easily fall to believe them to be true... er than they actually are (that there were no talking trees and that he didn’t learn the native tongue via singing, that much was obvious, thank you very much). But when you’re 14 and learn that her life was nothing like in the movie, that's kind of devastating. I feel like history is not the thing that should be romanticized like that. Still, it’s beautiful and great story-telling and characters and art and songs - even though singing them now makes you feel vaguely racist so that’s also a bit problematic?

1995 - Toy Story, Disney Pixar

I didn’t like this movie as a child. Mainly due to it being computer animated and fuck computer animation, gimme my 2D back. Yeah, I still have that mindset but by now I have learned to also appreciate animated movies. Not to mention, I think that for me as a kid the themes of betrayal and darkness (Sid’s house) were just too much as a child wheras I can very much appreciate them and see the complexity of the movie now as an adult. It’s great story-telling and if you consider that the animation is from 1995, it really holds up great (especially if you compare that with the animation from 2005′s Chicken Little, which might just be the worst animation-quality in all of Disney’s history, really).

1995 - Balto, Amblin Entertainment

Steele is one of the greatest non-Disney villains. This movie is beautifully complex because you get to follow this outcast on his journey of becoming part of society and rising to become a hero. It also got a beautiful arc of self-discovery, what with Balto’s status as a half-blood being what makes him an outcast to begin with. Not dog, but also not wolf. Yet in the end, he has to learn that he’s not neither, but rather both and that both sides are part of him and make him who he is. It’s a beautiful story about acceptance of one’s self.

1996 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney

Speaking of a story about accepting one’s self. This is really daring for a Disney movie, considering the lead is... deformed, whereas all Disney movies so far only include perfect people (unless villain). Also, the main character doesn’t get the girl in a semi-surprise twist. Not to mention, it brings us the first canonically gay Disney character in Hugo. Yes, he’s a gargoyle and yes, his male love-interest is a goat and yes he is not the representation you may want, but he’s the representation you’ll get, at least for now (and stop over-analyzing ridiculous shit like “Oh, two women are at the zoo with one child in Finding Dory. They must be the first lesbians *gasp*”... that is not representation, that is cheap and a throw-away). Not to mention, this movie has the best soundtrack out of all the Disney movies.

1997 - Hercules, Disney

We have a very complicated relationship, this movie and I. I love it to bits and pieces and it’s one of my favorite Disney movies, but at the same time I’ve learned to hate what an inaccurate adaptation of the Greek myths it is and particularly Hades’ misrepresentation makes me angry in a deeply seated way but on the other hand Hades is literally the most compelling and amazing Disney villain in existence. It confuses me. I love it so much, but deep down at its essence, part of me wants to hate it for what it did to my favorite god. But at the same time, I love that character in particular for being such a great villain.

1997 - Anastasia, Don Bluth

This is it. This is the best animated movie ever made. This is my favorite movie of all times. I’ve seen it at least 50 times by now - my guess, I stopped counting roughly ten years ago and I was at 27 back then. Just like Odette in Swan Princess, Anastasia actually falls in love with her love-interest. No love at first sight nonsense. They start off antagonizing each other, but learn to work together and ultimately fall in love. We have friendship, we have a great journey and also a great journey of self-discovery - but not just on Anastasia’s part, because her love interest is not just The Love Interest, he also gets his own arc of self-discovery. We have an intensely scary villain and we have beautiful, beautiful songs. Not to mention, Anastasia kicks major butt. She doesn’t need a man to save her, she saves the man and she literally kicks the villain’s ass. This movie is a masterpiece and a gem.

1998 - The Quest for Camelot, Warner Brothers

The movie is not as good as you remember it, believe me because I experienced the let-down, but it has one very major thing going for it: It includes a disabled character as a lead. Before Toph Beifong, this movie had a kick-ass blind character in it and that’s huge because it still barely happens and that’s a real shame. For that alone, it gets major props. Not to mention, it is kind of quite the unique take on the Arthurian legend and it’s a fun movie. But as a movie itself, it’s not overly outstanding, if you rewatch it now.

1998 - Mulan, Disney

While I said earlier that Fluppy Dogs is my favorite Disney movie, I’m aware that’s a lot of nostalgia talking and I know it’s not the best Disney movie. This right here is, though. The story-telling, the love-story and character development, the stakes of this movie are amazing, the emotions are intense. People cry when Mufasa or Bambi’s mom die, but I think the single most gut-wrenching moment of Disney history is when the most joyful song in the movie stops dead in its tracks and we see this destroyed village and we know that they’re all dead down there. The movie also has the single greatest moment, when all of China kneels before this one girl and acknowledges that yes, she is the one who saved China. She did this. Mulan is a heroine, but she doesn’t start out as that. She just starts out as a girl who wants to protect her father and she actually has to learn to be a hero. It’s amazing and emotional and yet still through it all funny and that is really mostly due to Mushu, who coincidentally was also the first time of me really liking Otto Waalkes (Mushu’s German voice and a very famous German comedian).

1998 - The Last Unicorn, Rankin/Bass Productions

This movie is so artistically beautiful and keeps such an amazing mystical vibe to it throughout. It’s very weird and scarily creepy at times that are maybe too much for a kid and a major downside of its German dub is that the songs are kept in English - I only realized a few years ago that the music actually tells a story, and that’s kind of disappointing to learn so late. But it’s just... breathtakingly beautiful and tragically sad.

1998 - The Prince of Egypt, DreamWorks

I really loathed this movie as a child. Mainly due to its Christan themes and I just got enough of that in class where they shoved it down our throats, not to mention among all the religions, Christian myths are like the most miserable, dark and scary ones, in my opinion. That movie was so not child-friendly. It was so dark and scary and brutal and miserable. Now, as an adult, I can totally appreciate those tones and I marvel at the amazing story-telling, but as a child? I was scared of this movie and I did not like it. But the animation, story-telling and the music are amazing and it really blew my mind when I rewatched it as a late teen.

1999 - The Iron Giant, Warner Brothers

I watched this movie for the first time this year, because my favorite YouTube nerds keep bringing it up during Movie Fights, so I figured I’d check it out considering I never heard of it before. I guess it must have slipped through the cracks. So I saw it for the first time, 20 years after its release. And you just don’t notice that. The animation, the story-telling, the movie - it completely holds up. It’s such a sweet but also sad story about friendship. It’s really great.

2000 - The Road to El Dorado, DreamWorks

I did not like this movie as a child. Don’t even really know why, to be honest. But when I rewatched it as a teen, I really loved it a lot. Miguel and Tulio are such great, complex characters and their journey together is amazing. Not to mention, I will never stop being upset about the fact that DreamWorks chickened out of making them the first canonically gay couple in an animated movie - which yes, was the first draft for this movie. It’d have been amazing if they had pulled through with it, really. I think that is why I hate Chel so much - and my hatred for her might be the root for why I disliked this movie as a kid. Because Chel was literally just created to get between Miguel and Tulio. But other than her, this movie is rock-solid.

2001 - Shrek, DreamWorks

Definitely not the best, but a fun movie and innovative in its parodic nature. Also has fun characters and an original story and I appreciate the way they inverted the original Disney tropes.

2001 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney

Again, one of those movies that didn’t work for me as a kid but ever since I’ve been a late teen, I watched it probably ten times because it’s amazing. It’s complex, has great character developing and story-telling and it has such a diverse cast and an original idea. I’m really sad that, most likely due to its complexity, it kinda flopped and fell flat. But, if there is one movie that does deserve the Disney live-action remake treatment, it’d be this because this movie deserves the attention and I think that in today’s time, it would do so much better.

2001 - Monsters, Inc., Disney Pixar

This was actually the first Pixar movie that I liked right away. It had cute and fun characters, a fascinating concept behind its story and it was both funny and emotional.

2002 - Ice Age, Blue Sky

They’re completely driving this franchise into the ground, but the first one was really good. I have a weakness for those “ragtag team of misfits needs to band together” kind of stories, if you haven’t noticed. And this movie does it in such a fresh, new setting. It was really enjoyable.

2002 - Lilo & Stitch, Disney

After Mulan, the best Disney movie there is. This movie is so incredibly deep and emotinonal that it never ceases to blow my mind. The sibling-love, this way they deal with the emotions and with Lilo and Stitch and both their arcs of self-discovery is just singular. There is no other movie like this.

2002 - Treasure Planet, Disney

A vastly underrated Disney movie, really. It’s spectacularly done and has such a great story-arc and development and emotional scale, not to mention the imagery that it offers. So beautiful and so much fun.

2003 - Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, DreamWorks

After rewatching and falling for The Prince of Egypt and The Road of El Dorado, I decided to rewatch all the movies I disliked as a child to see if I would actually end up liking them - and this one is another one of those. It has such an epic scale and does the one thing I missed about Hercules; it gives us the monsters and gods in mindblowing sizes and scenes. Eris, also, the greatest DreamWorks villain of all time, while still keeping her mythologically in character.

2005 - Hoodwinked, Kanbar Animation

The animation of this movie does not hold up. It looks outdated, yes. But the story-telling is superb. The parody-twist to the tale of Red Riding Hood, added with how it’s perceived by the different characters, as well as the humor of it. I remember in 2006, after it was released, I was really sick that one week and I literally watched it 32 times in a row. It was just so innovative in the way it was told and I really enjoyed how clever it was. Also, I was really out of my mind with that cold or otherwise I might have also wathced another movie or two...

2006 - Over the Hedge, DreamWorks

This is such a fun movie. I enjoy a good redemption story of an anti-hero who realizes that scamming the good guys ain’t the way to go. The fact that said anti-hero is a racoon only makes it all the better.

2007 - Ratatouille, Disney Pixar

It’s such a cute story and such an interesting take on story-telling that makes me like this movie, even though it’s not very deep and doesn’t have the most fleshed-out characters.

2008 - Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks

The first one ought to be on this list, because it was fresh, it was funny and it was cute. The way the different characters played out and played with each other was really nice. Also, great action, for a kid’s animated movie anyway.

2008 - Wall-E, Disney Pixar

This is an amazing movie. With its message and story-telling, the way it connects to the viewer even though there’s basically no dialogue in it for most of the movie. I think as a kid I would have so not enjoyed it because of the lack of dialogue and its heavier tones regarding the overall message, but when I watched it when it came out - and I was 16 back then - I really enjoyed it.

2008 - Bolt, Disney

I adore Bolt. I mean, I feel totally cheated because the trailer was cut to make it look like we were actually getting the Bolt series from within the movie as the actual movie and the idea of a super-dog was really cool, but even as it stood, it was a great movie and Mittens’ arc was particularly amazing in it.

2009 - Up, Disney Pixar

Honestly, doesn’t really deserve to be on the list if you see it as an overall movie. Most people get hung up on the first ten minutes of it - and those ten minutes alone are a masterpiece and would totally win as a short-movie. But there is a lot more to this movie. And it ain’t that amazing, really. It’s funny and quirky, sure, but definitely not outstanding. It’s quite ridiculous, even for an animated movie. But for the first ten minutes alone, this movie deserves to be on this list.

2009 - The Princess and the Frog, Disney

Again, doesn’t quite deserve to be on this list in my opinion, because I hate how it completely disregards the original fairy tale - starting a startlingly concerning trend for Disney here - and the blatant plotholes. It gets plus-points for being 2D again and for introducing the first black princess, but personally I think the first black princess would have deserved better than this. I understand why this movie flopped, really. Even if it’s still a cute and nice movie, it is far below average by Disney standards.

2010 - How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks

Oh, this movie is glorious. I have to admit, this movie is actually why I went and rewatched all those other DreamWorks movies that I used to hate as a kid, because this movie was the first time DreamWorks became an actual household name, to me. Before that, DreamWorks was just another one of those “non Disney companies” and that was it. With this movie, for the first time, they earned themselves their own name and category in my mind and made me rediscover a lot of actually great movies. The story-telling in this movie is just so great and it gets extra credit for its adorable dragon characters that are so lovable and individual. Not to mention, this movie spawned an amazing animated cartoon series.

2010 - Despicable Me, Illumination

The first one is actually a really great and beautiful movie about family and self-discovery. And then the Minions took over and this franchise sank faster than the Titantic.

2010 - Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, DreamWorks

This might be the most beautifully animated movie in history. It is simply gorgeous and even if you just watch it for the aesthetics, you have to see it. Though it also has a very compelling story. I just think it’s a bit too dark and too realistically animated to resonate with children, which might just be why it flopped too. But when I watched it when it came out, I really enjoyed it because it is more for an older teen audience.

2010 - Megamind, DreamWorks

Such a great, vastly underrated movie. It’s so much fun, it’s so fresh and new while playing with old and overused tropes and the characters are really refreshingly quirky.

2010 - Tangled, Disney

Mixed feelings for that one. Hate how much they altered the original tale, but still enjoy this movie as it stands. It’s so cute and sweet and how they actually take the time to fall in love is just as beautiful. Not to mention, Flynn Rider is definitely the most compelling male Disney hero/prince there is, right after Hercules.

2012 - Brave, Disney Pixar

It’s so nice to have a princess who actually stays single. Though, honestly, with the options offered to her... not a surprise. At least one of them could have been at the very least handsome, to show that it takes more than just good looks to love someone. But that all options presented were also... not nice to look at was just so typically superficial of Disney that it was a bit disappointing.

2012 - Hotel Transylvania, Sony Pictures

This is just so funny and cute. The monsters as dorky characters, the fun of it all. This movie is just a good time, whether you’re a kid or not. And I have to say, after I did mention in many of these entries that they only really connected with me as an adult, I want to include a movie that’s a bit more... simple and just real fun, because those animated movies should be fun for kids too.

2012 - Wreck-It Ralph, Disney

I think this would have been so much cooler with more casual gaming cameos - and I’m saying this as a non-gamer, but seeing characters like Link or Mario or someone recognizable there would have been real cool and I’m hoping for that in the second one. Still, the way the princess trope and the villain trope were handled here was just brilliant and it’s such a sweet story that that alone makes it a must-watch.

2012 - Rise of the Guardians, DreamWorks

And we’ve reached it. The best computer animated movie of all times, my second favorite movie of all times (after Anastasia, the number one spot for 2D animated movie). This is a true masterpiece. I marvel at its animation - the frost in particular is just so beautiful simply to look at, but also the dream-sand and the characters. The story-telling is so gorgeous to watch, the characters are so sweet and amazing - and it gets special bonus-points for not forcing an unnecessariy love-story into this as so many other movies do even though it’s not really a good fit for the overall movie. Also, I just adore Jack Frost as a character. If there is only one movie from this list that you’re going to watch, then please make it this one, even above Anastasia.

2013 - The House of Magic, Touchstone Pictures

This is a smaller scale movie, but it’s very sweet. This story of finding your place in the world, finding acceptance and a family is just one that will never get old. And if it’s told through talking animals and a cute stray little kitten, that’s a simple hook right there, really.

2014 - The Nut Job, Open Roads Film

I have been told that this movie is not as good as I think it is and I don’t care. It’s a heist movie with a purple squirrel in the lead role as an anti-hero with a redemption arc and it doesn't have any unnecessary love-story forced into it; it is as great as I think it is.

2014 - Big Hero 6, Disney

If you haven’t cried like a baby in this movie, you’re dead inside. This, also, a movie I would not have enjoyed that much as a kid because it’s so dark, so much death. Killing off the brother of a boy who already is an orphan and then having that ending, it's just brutal for a kids’ movie. But it’s also beautiful and amazing and the team-dynamics and fun are great as well as the action and it actually deals with the process of grieving and doesn’t just throw it away carelessly as most others tended to do in the past.

2014 - Mune: Guardian of the Moon | Mune, le gardien de la lune, On Animation Studios

This is such an artistically beautiful movie that I would have probably never found if not for a reader of mine who recommended it to me. It’s gorgeous and the mythology created in this movie, about the guardians of the sun and moon, is so rich and amazing. It’s so cute and compelling and I really think more people should know that it exists.

2015 - Inside Out, Disney

Again, not a movie I’d have liked much as a kid. Way too deep and meta, really. This whole psychological aspect and the depth of it are what make it so compelling and amazing, but also why I wouldn’t have liked it as a child. It’s kind of fun, but mostly it’s really deep. Also, a bit questionable in its choices of “emotions in charge of literally EVERY being”... they should have skipped the tagged on credit scene where we see that literally everyone has those very same emotions in charge. How does Disgust beat out feelings like Hatred, Love, Friendship... and also reduces some of those into islands instead of actual emotions? Yeah, a bit problematic there. But overall a great movie.

2016 - Leap! | Ballerina, L'Atelier Animation

It’s such a cute story about friendship, family and finding your own way in life. It’s also really compelling to see a character with a passion about something, but zero natural talent. The way she has to work hard to learn and become a great ballerina is half the fun of this movie.

2016 - Zootopia, Disney

I’ve been salty with Disney since Frozen and though Big Hero 6 and Inside Out were good, this was the one that restored my faith in Disney again after that huge ass disappointment. This is such a great story about friendship and redemption - even if it’s just the redemption in one’s own eyes. Not to mention; a fox and a bunny. Literally two of my three most favorite animals. It’s so good. So much fun. I mean, they totally overdid it when they faked Judy’s death because the kids around me in the theater strated crying and wailing because that was just a little too close to looking real for a child to understand that it’s not. Keep your audience in mind, Disney.

2016 - Moana, Disney

Ah, the last entry for this. The newest Disney princess. I really enjoyed this movie a lot. It was beautifully made, it was a lot of fun, had good musical numbers, was a very interesting story with an amazing pseudo-plot-twist there at the end (I mean, come on, it was really very obvious literally right from the start, but still brilliantly executed and very emotional). Also, again, princess who not just stays single but where finding a husband doesn’t even have to be mentioned. Very refreshing.

#Disney #Animated Movies #DreamWorks #Illumination #Don Bluth #Timeline of animated Movies #Best of List

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frameflax4-blog · 5 years

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Best Selling Picture Books | February 2019

The Children’s Book Review | February 22, 2019

This month the best selling picture book from our affiliate store is The Wonderful Things You Will Be, written and illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin—a gorgeous book with warm and playful illustrations featuring a diverse set of children.

You’ll also find our hand selected titles of the most popular picture books from the nationwide best-selling picture books listed by The New York Times.

The Children’s Book Review’s Best Selling Picture Book

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

Written and Illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin

TCBR Review: Every child is unique, and parents can’t wait to see what they will one day be!

Emily Winfield Martin’s delightful book dreams of what children will someday grow to be.

This is a gorgeous book with warm and playful illustrations featuring a diverse set of children. Little ones will be drawn to the pictures, quickly pointing out which one matches what they themselves want to be. The surprise of a double foldout page at the end is a very exciting treat for children too, and my daughter wanted to look at it over and again. The prose is sweet and rhyming, drawing children in and lulling them (hopefully) to sleep before bedtime. A charming book that I highly recommend for young children. Read the full review …

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0-385-37671-6

Nationwide Best Selling Picture Books

The Good Egg

Written by Jory John

Illustrated by Pete Oswald

Publisher’s Synopsis: From the bestselling creators of The Bad Seed, a timely story about not having to be Grade A perfect!

Meet the good egg. He’s a verrrrrry good egg indeed.

But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten.

As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect.

So, he decides enough is enough! It’s time for him to make a change…

Dynamic duo Jory John and Pete Oswald hatch a funny and charming story that reminds us of the importance of balance, self-care, and accepting those who we love (even if they are sometimes a bit rotten).

Perfect for reading aloud and shared story time!

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: HarperCollins | February 12, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-0062866004

The Day The Crayons Quit

By Drew Daywalt

Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Publisher’s synopsis: Crayons have feelings, too, in this funny back-to-school story illustrated by the creator of Stuck and This Moose Belongs to Me — now a #1 New York Times bestseller!

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?

Kids will be imagining their own humorous conversations with crayons and coloring a blue streak after sharing laughs with Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers. This story is perfect as a back-to-school gift, for all budding artists, for fans of humorous books such as Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka and Lane Smith, and for fans of Oliver Jeffers’ Stuck, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Lost and Found, and This Moose Belongs to Me.

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Philomel | June 27, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-0399255373

The Book With No Pictures

By B.J. Novak

Publisher’s synopsis: A #1 New York Times bestseller, this innovative and wildly funny read-aloud by award-winning humorist/actor B.J. Novak will turn any reader into a comedian. You might think a book with no pictures seems boring and serious. Except . . . here’s how books work. Everything written on the page has to be said by the person reading it aloud. Even if the words say . . .

BLORK. Or BLUURF.

Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.

Cleverly irreverent and irresistibly silly, The Book with No Pictures is one that kids will beg to hear again and again. (And parents will be happy to oblige.)

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Dial | 2014 | ISBN-13: 978-0803741713

Dragons Love Tacos

Written by Adam Rubin

Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Publisher’s synopsis: This scrumptious New York Times bestseller has a whole lot of kick!

Dragons love tacos. They love chicken tacos, beef tacos, great big tacos, and teeny tiny tacos. So if you want to lure a bunch of dragons to your party, you should definitely serve tacos. Buckets and buckets of tacos. Unfortunately, where there are tacos, there is also salsa. And if a dragon accidentally eats spicy salsa . . . oh, boy. You’re in red-hot trouble.

The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

Ages 3-5 | Publisher: Dial | June 14, 2012 | ISBN-13:978-0803736801

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever

Written by Raj Halder and Chris Carpenter

Illustrated by Maria Beddia

Publisher’s Synopsis: Let’s get real―the English language is bizarre. A might be for apple, but it’s also for aisle and aeons. Why does the word “gnat” start with a G but the word “knot” doesn’t start with an N? It doesn’t always make sense, but don’t let these rule-breaking silent letters defeat you!

This whimsical, funky book from Raj Haldar (aka rapper Lushlife) turns the traditional idea of an alphabet book on its head, poking fun at the most mischievous words in the English language and demonstrating how to pronounce them. Fun and informative for word nerds of all ages!

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky | November 13, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1492674313

The information for the best-selling picture books was gathered from the New York Times Best Sellers list, which reflects the sales of picture books sold nationwide, including independent and chain stores. It is correct at the time of publication and presented in random order. Visit www.nytimes.com for their most current and up-to-date list.

*Header image from “Ocean Meets Sky” written and illustrated by the Fan Brothers (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018)

Grumpy Monkey and the best-selling picture books by Emily Winfield Martin and Adam Rubin are truly great choices. Follow along with our Picture Book category for more great titles to peruse.

Please show us some love ...

Source: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2019/02/best-selling-picture-books-february-2019.html

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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mailplate3-blog · 5 years

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Best Selling Picture Books | January 2019

The Children’s Book Review | January 28, 2019

This month the best selling picture book from our affiliate store is Ocean Meets Sky (A 2018 TCBR Best Book of the Year), written and illustrated by the Fan Brothers—a stunning picture book about a young boy who sets sail to find a place his grandfather told him about…the spot where the ocean meets the sky.

You’ll also find our hand selected titles of the most popular picture books from the nationwide best-selling picture books listed by The New York Times.

The Children’s Book Review’s Best Selling Picture Book

Ocean Meets Sky

Written and Illustrated by the Fan Brothers

Publisher’s Synopsis: From the creators of the gorgeous bestseller The Night Gardener, comes a stunning new picture book about a young boy who sets sail to find a place his grandfather told him about…the spot where the ocean meets the sky.

It’s a good day for sailing.

Finn lives by the sea and the sea lives by him. Every time he looks out his window it’s a constant reminder of the stories his grandfather told him about the place where the ocean meets the sky. Where whales and jellyfish soar and birds and castles float.

Finn’s grandfather is gone now but Finn knows the perfect way to honor him. He’ll build his own ship and sail out to find this magical place himself!

And when he arrives, maybe, just maybe, he’ll find something he didn’t know he was looking for.

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | May 15, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1481470377

Nationwide Best Selling Picture Books

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

Written and Illustrated by Emily Winfield Martin

TCBR Review: Every child is unique, and parents can’t wait to see what they will one day be!

Emily Winfield Martin’s delightful book dreams of what children will someday grow to be.

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Random House Children’s Books | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0-385-37671-6

The Day The Crayons Quit

By Drew Daywalt

Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Publisher’s synopsis: Crayons have feelings, too, in this funny back-to-school story illustrated by the creator of Stuck and This Moose Belongs to Me — now a #1 New York Times bestseller!

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Philomel | June 27, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-0399255373

The Book With No Pictures

By B.J. Novak

BLORK. Or BLUURF.

Even if the words are a preposterous song about eating ants for breakfast, or just a list of astonishingly goofy sounds like BLAGGITY BLAGGITY and GLIBBITY GLOBBITY.

Cleverly irreverent and irresistibly silly, The Book with No Pictures is one that kids will beg to hear again and again. (And parents will be happy to oblige.)

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Dial | 2014 | ISBN-13: 978-0803741713

Dragons Love Tacos

Written by Adam Rubin

Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Publisher’s synopsis: This scrumptious New York Times bestseller has a whole lot of kick!

The award-winning team behind Those Darn Squirrels! has created an unforgettable, laugh-until-salsa-comes-out-of-your-nose tale of new friends and the perfect snack.

Ages 3-5 | Publisher: Dial | June 14, 2012 | ISBN-13:978-0803736801

Grumpy Monkey

Written by Suzanne Lang

Illustrated by Max Lang

Publisher’s Synopsis: The hilarious New York Times bestselling picture book about dealing with unexplained feelings…and the danger in suppressing them!

Jim the chimpanzee is in a terrible mood for no good reason. His friends can’t understand it–how can he be in a bad mood when it’s SUCH a beautiful day? They encourage him not to hunch, to smile, and to do things that make THEM happy. But Jim can’t take all the advice…and has a BIT of a meltdown. Could it be that he just needs a day to feel grumpy?

Suzanne and Max Lang bring hilarity and levity to this very important lesson. This picture book is an excellent case study in the dangers of putting on a happy face and demonstrates to kids that they are allowed to feel their feelings (though they should be careful of hurting others in the process!).

Order a Copy Now: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Ages 5-6 | Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers | May 15, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-0553537864

*Header image from “Ocean Meets Sky” written and illustrated by the Fan Brothers (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018)

Grumpy Monkey and the best-selling picture books by Emily Winfield Martin and Adam Rubin are truly great choices. Follow along with our Picture Book category for more great titles to peruse.

Please show us some love ...

Source: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2019/01/best-selling-picture-books-january-2019.html

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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hallyuandthephilippines · 7 years

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The Wings Chronicles – A BTS Exhibit For A Cause

Last September 2, I attended The Wings Chronicles exhibit here in Manila, which featured fan arts and photographs of the popular group Bangtan Sonyeondan (방탄소년단) also known as BTS . The two-day non-profit event was attended by numerous Filipino fans and was organized by Army Box.

I spoke to Rosie, head of Army Box, to get to know more about the Wings Chronicles Exhibit and the team behind it. “Army Box is a fan artists community with the goal of providing artistic BTS-related products in terms of goods and services by collaborating with different fansites, fanbases and organizations that will help uplift the image of BTS. It was officially established last year August 19, 2016. The team consists of 30 members from Philippines and USA.”

The Wings Chronicles Exhibit made its first stop in the Philippines, holding it in both Cebu and Manila, followed by Bangkok and Singapore. Just like BTS, The Wings Chronicles is also ‘touring’ different countries. So better check out the list of places they will go to at the end of this article to see if they are making a stop in your city.

youtube

It was definitely fun to be in a room full of Armys (fanclub name of BTS), all full of admiration and appreciation for the group. What makes the Wings Chronicles exhibit different from other BTS exhibits I’ve seen is that they are doing the event for a cause, as the proceeds will be donated under the name of BTS to humanitarian charities such as War Child USA Organization, St. Jude Children's Research and UNICEF. This is what drew me to the event all the more. In the Manila stop, there was also a photobooth set-up that fans availed of to commemorate the day with their friends. The accumulated cash from that section was said to have been donated to the children of Marawi, a place in Mindanao Island in the Philippines that is currently in the midst of a heated war between the local troops and armed Maute-ISIS group. Over the years I’ve seen donations using the names of the groups they idolize being common, especially fans of Korean artists, and I’m glad that besides supporting our favorite singers…we’re also making a difference.

Rosie explained that the Wings Chronicles concept actually started on a whim. “The admins (of Army Box) were planning about doing a whole year project in relation and likeness of how BTS has given everyone opportunities. We decided to pursue Global Embarkation, a two part project that focuses on extending help to our fellow Armys and mankind. The first part of this series was entitled, “Army Meets What”, which was held from January to June in celebration of BTS 4th Year Anniversary. For the second part, we are now going on a journey for a worldwide exhibit in collaboration with different fansites and fanbases carrying the title, “Wings Chronicles: The Exhibit”.

The team decided to hold the Wings Chronicles exhibit in places where Wings Tour happened. We wanted to share, relive and reminisce the experience of attending the concert with fellow Armys who were not able to do so and of course to meet Armys in different parts of the world. The exhibit will be held in different countries mainly, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, United States of America, Canada, Malaysia, Hongkong and South Korea.

It takes about 2-3months to organize each stop…from venues, set up & layout and other details. The team for each exhibit also vary by country. It usually ranges from 5 and above. There is about 25 fan artists consisting of Army Box members that produced fine artworks for the exhibit.”

Fellow ‘fangirls’ who I talked to after the Wings Chronicles exhibit stated that they highly recommend going to these kinds of events. “It’s like attending a concert” One excitedly said. While another thought that being surrounded with fellow fans helped her have fun and gain new friends. I noticed that a lot of the girls who met up on the day were just friends via the internet before, the event gave them a chance to personally meet each other to put a face behind their usernames…or what is called ‘meeting mutuals’ in today’s terms.

There were numerous photos and fan arts that the fans in the event’s place gush over. If you know the ‘heart eyes’ emoji on your phone, that’s the expression all of the attendees had. Background music of BTS was played all throughout which made fans ecstatic, we sang along and even did the fan chants all together. Honestly I am very envious of people who can draw because I simply can’t, so I really admire the fan arts. Instead of the usual paintings that we grew up seeing in our homes, I imagine KPOP fans having these fanarts and framed photos of their idols as part of the interior design.

(The Wings Chronicles Exhibit held at the BTS Brick Live Café in Bangkok. Photo courtesy of Wingschronicles)

I was also able to interview one of the fan artists that participated in the exhibit, Giulia, who creates art featuring BTS as a hobby.

“Getting to participate in events such as exhibits like the Wings Chronicles is an opportunity to me. It's an opportunity for me to share my art and interact with people. It is also an opportunity for me to learn. I learn to improve myself as an artist, getting to know what people like or what they appreciate. Also, picking up details here and there.

I only started my art account (@tiramijuu) last January 2017, but I already have been doing fanarts around June last year. Instagram was my first source for any BTS updates when I got into the fandom, and I'd always see fanarts posted by accounts I followed. I got inspired by them. I decided, why not give it a try? I had a talent for drawing and this could become a way for me to improve my craft. So, I started posting them on my personal account, then later on opened an art account. I draw because I want to, because I like it. I enjoy what I'm doing, and that for me, is very important.”

For Giulia, she still feels overwhelmed whenever people post pictures of merchandise featuring her artwork. “Their reactions and feedback are rooms for improvement. This is also a main reason why I like participating in these events, it's because I get joy from people seeing my art. Simple compliments of 'It's very cute' or 'I really like it' already makes me smile from ear to ear. Overall, I greatly appreciate it and am really glad.”

A lot of people have noted that the KPOP market has been oversaturated, with more and more Korean groups and singers debuting almost every month. So I was curious what made BTS stand out for Giulia and turn her into a fan. “Their playful nature attracted me. However, their music, pulled me right in and sealed the deal. I really love the music they produce, it speaks to the heart. And the fact that they talk about unusual topics made me stay. And also, the creative cinematography and storyline of their music videos had me sold.”

As BTS somewhat brought out Giulia’s creative side more, I too can relate. As shy as I am, I never thought I’d put myself out there by creating content on Youtube, stepping out of my comfort zone and to share my feelings all spurred by my love for Korean pop culture. I can say that BTS became an influence for me to lessen my self-doubt and just take the jump.

If you’re also a big fan of BTS and want to ‘fangirl’ for a cause, here is the list of the upcoming places where the Wings Chronicles’ will be held. Do follow them on twitter (@WingsChronicles) for updates, registration, additional dates, etc. Aside from the confirmed dates below, they are also planning to bring the event to HongKong and South Korea.

SINGAPORE: Visual Arts Center

Sept 23 - 24

USA

*CALIFORNIA: Prime Mid-City Gallery Event Space, Los Angeles.

October 7 - 8 2017

*NEW YORK: Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

October 14, 2017

CANADA

*VANCOUVER: The Space Art Gallery

October 21-22

*TORONTO: Diverse Character Studio

Oct 28-29

INDONESIA: Qubicle Senopati, Jakarta.

November 11-12

MALAYSIA: Makespace LG2, Kuala Lumpur

November 18-19

Photos:

Nadine Postigo

Wings Chronicles Twitter

Giulia

#bts #bangtan sonyeondan #wings chronicles exhibit #bts wings #bts exhibit #bts fansite #bts fanart

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