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marumafan · 2 months

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Helloo! So, I'm just getting into this fandom as of like... a day ago. I want to read the light novels, but I keep getting hung up on the fact that they're unfinished. It's just I don't want to invest so much time and energy into somethig that I will ultimately be left unsatisfied with closure-wise, you know? From the research rabbit hole I've found myself in (how I came across this blog to begin with) it seems like the story has a few different arcs. If I were to read up to the last complete arc, would it wrap up in a nice place or would I still be left on a sort of cliff-hanger?

Thank you!

Hello! I would say: maruma is a journey, not a destination. Picture it as a mildly BL Dragon Ball.

Technically, the last available novel ends in cliffhanger. However, if you read the manga, plus all the novels, plus all the extra stories,+ listen to the drama cds, (everything's available online), you might get a pretty good idea of how it's meant to wrap up. The last arc available pretty much foreshadows how it will end, plus some of the extra stories throw in some nice stuff.

If you'd like to consume everything: - I'd start with the anime, which is the worst adaptation of the novels. However the Japanese seiyuus are amazing, and if you listen to the drama cds those lovely voices will be easily recognizable and you'll associate voices and character design to what you will read in the novels.

If you'd like to skip the anime completely: Understandable and you will miss very little, the character adaptation in anime was garbage. (the plot changes completely after episode 40) . However, if you'd like to know why a lot of people in the fandom have a completely weird idea of certain characters' personalities, well... that's because of the anime adaptation (which, as you can imagine, is the most popular format to consume this series).

As for my recommendation... I mean... I love this shit. Watch it all, consume it all, bathe in it, roll in it.

If you wanna skip the anime, my recommendation would be, read all of the manga first to get an overarching idea of the plot/characters. Then, read the novels. along with the extra stories+ drama cds. Here're some links to guide you a bit in terms of drama cds and extra stories Drama cds: https://marumafan.tumblr.com/post/626611889351327744/list-of-drama-cds-canon-rate-and-when-to-listen

Extra stories: https://marumafan.tumblr.com/post/174365388404/hey-how-are-you-doing-i-found-out-about-kkm-some

I'm always here to answer questions, also my DMs are open.

tl;dr: anime-> manga-> novels+extra+dramacds (There's more stuff like musicals(3), radio shows (6 seasons) and games (2?3?), so you can get really into it if you want to... there's a lot of media to get through) If you only read the novels... please read the extra stories too!

#kyou kara maou #kkm #kyou kara maou s #maruma

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lucky-bishop · 6 months

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Do you think Peter ever feels regret?

Oh, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Without having more context of pre-fire Peter, we don't have a great picture of him, and the one that we do have isn't particularly pretty. From the Paige situation - even his retelling of it, which is sure to make him look better than he did in reality - we know he's manipulative. We know he has shady motivations at best.

All that being said, after he claws his way back to life, what does he do? He stays. Yes, he mocks. Yes, he's often less than helpful. But he stays in Beacon Hills.

Why? Surely, he could seek power elsewhere. Surely, he could run off, especially as he sees Gerard fucking Argent and a goddamn kanima. Surely, he could go be not helpful anywhere else. So why Derek's? Just to rub it all in?

No. The pettiness is part of it, sure, but I believe Peter feels regret (differentiating regret from guilt here, for sure, by the way) for Derek at least, if not also Scott and Lydia. He killed Derek's sister, made Derek into a killer for the second time. He bit Scott and dragged him into this life and he bit Lydia and dragged her into this life and it wasn't right. And if he'd felt like he had choices maybe he wouldn't have done it. But he didn't - he felt backed into a corner, and he made the decisions that he did.

I think the fact that Peter sticks around Beacon Hills - seriously, the guy doesn't try to leave until Season 6 - is a testament to his regret. Why not leave after the alpha pack? Why not leave after the nogitsune? He doesn't leave after his attempt at double crossing Kate because he's locked up, but even after he later escapes the Wild Hunt, he stays. Why?

Because he has regrets. Like I mentioned earlier - not guilt. Peter doesn't feel bad about the things that he's done, because as I've talked about before, power and control are his overarching goals, and he fully believes his actions have always been justified. But in the clarity - in the moments after - Peter's still a person. And he regrets involving others, their suffering, and so he stays.

#Peter Hale #Teen Wolf #character analysis

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incesthemes · 3 months

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final thoughts: supernatural season 10

wow holy shit that sure was a season. i'm not actually sure how i feel about it???? aside from the obvious brainrot it's given me and also the mental illness. idk i'll put down my thoughts and maybe by then i'll figure out how i feel.

for starters, this might rival seasons 6 and 7 for the "fewest amount of episodes i enjoyed" award. specifically, i liked 1-4, 8, 12, and 18-22. the finale... i'm unsure about currently. i'll have to think about that and come back to it in a few paragraphs. so 11 of 23 episodes is... whew. this season was rough for me for sure.

overall the balancing of the A plots with the B plots felt rather juvenile, even though the overarching plotling felt so much more present than it has since like, basically kripke era. it felt like for the most part, episodes started with a topical conversation between sam and dean, then they went off and worked a case that was hand-crafted to parallel the seasonal arc, and finally at the end they sat in the impala and discussed the lessons they learned today. feels more like kids programming than the TV-MA rating suggests, lol.

but see that's the thing, right? like i said, the seasonal plot felt so present compared to past seasons. everything was tied in together, nothing felt really out of place, it all circled back to the big picture of the season. for a post-kripke season, that's pretty damn awesome and a much needed relief. i've gotten used to half-baked filler episodes that hardly relate to the story at all and feel hamfisted in because they don't know what else to do, so it does feel nice that the plot was actually relevant, always an undercurrent to every episode and informing the characters' actions.

i just... well, i probably feel this way because of the poor pacing of the story. i mean don't get me wrong, i didn't necessarily love the A plots of those episodes either (for the most part), but like i mentioned in a previous post, i just don't think it's handled well. it's a GREAT concept but the execution is lacking in so many places between season 9 and 10. the dearth of serious developments throughout most of the season dampened the urgency of the plot, the lack of consistency in the mark's effects made it hard to predict where the show was leading, and the empty promises bored me. they're all absolutely terrible ingredients for a tense plot, so even though the plot was relevant in all these episodes, it felt stagnant and barren. there's really only so many times sam can fret about "dean getting worse" without dean actually, tangibly getting worse before i have to roll my eyes.

at the same time, a lot of those episodes i didn't like had some AMAZING dialogues and scenes in them. i know i've been raving about the parallels and mirroring between season 8 and seasons 9-10, but these seasons really are phenomenal at painting a Big Picture. they know what they want and how they want to do it; they just seem to really struggle with the details. dean confessing in a church to mirror sam confessing in sacrifice? sam lying to dean about burning the book of the damned to save him to mirror dean lying to sam about gadreel possessing him? sam getting charlie killed because of those lies to mirror how dean got kevin killed because of his lies? sam comparing himself to claire in order to highlight how he's abandoned his desire for independence? these are all really impressive story beats that on a higher level serve to contain these three seasons in some kind of sick brotherfucking ouroboros that's like, a narrative metaphor for how wrapped up in each other they are. they spin in circles around each other like binary stars, repeating each other's mistakes, throwing everyone else in their lives away, clinging to each other with a toxic ferocity and devotion that should kill them, that does kill them so many times, that ruins their lives and leaves them broken and bloody and alone except for each other. and still the story spins and spins and spins and never stops, because they never stop because they're insane. it's deranged. they're deranged.

i don't understand how there can be such a clear, amazing vision that's fucked up so spectacularly on an episodic level. i guess because i'm so used to seeing the opposite: the details are great, but the big picture is messy and unsatisfying. supernatural continues to defy logic, and it's utterly fascinating to me.

anyway i said i'd come back to the finale so here i am. i know cain foreshadowed the whole "dean will kill sam" thing in the executioner's song, but i really... don't think there was much substance to that to warrant the sudden development. sam continued to be, throughout both season 9 and season 10, pretty much the only person dean didn't nearly kill—and quite the opposite, since sam was the only one capable of placating dean when he had the first blade in his hand. sam functioned more as a grounding presence for dean, so the textual dialogue between the characters and the visual reality of it all just did not match up. and so when dean brought sam to him to kill him, it didn't really make any sense at all.

also frankly, the conversation between death and them wasn't all that convincing either: death claims with such self-assurance that sam would go to the ends of the earth to save dean at any cost, but sam and dean have both individually proven that they're capable of, well, not doing that. dean went to lisa after swan song, sam found amelia after survival of the fittest. and if sam is meant to be a mirror of dean in this season, then it stands to reason that, if sam made a promise to dean to move on (like dean promised sam in swan song), then sam would have made good on the promise. yes, sam is psychotic about his brother, but there's not only precedent for sam "moving on" (loose definition), but it would have been narratively cohesive to finish off the role reversal, if dean really had been sent into fucking outer space (lol). again: the textual dialogue does not match with the visual reality here.

so why did sam have to die? because, of course, they needed the cain and abel parallels. but they just... set it up so poorly, and they fumbled the mirroring, and in the end it felt weird and cheap. sure, bringing sam there to explain the circumstances and threatening him on pain of death if he interfered was totally warranted (sam is psychotic about his brother), but when he gave up? why would he need to follow through? there's a poor foundation for it, so the development felt very contrived and poorly executed. which is unfortunate, because i was looking forward to the fratricide. what's even more unfortunate is that this would have been such an easy fix. just make dean more aggressive toward sam. like deadass just have them fight more, have dean get uncharacteristically angry with him (though the thing at charlie's cremation was a nice touch), have dean actually visibly contemplate fratricide, yknow. something that isn't "oh my baby brother is the only person who keeps me sane" followed immediately by "i'm going to kill him." if you're going to have a prophecy, you need to commit to it!!! i'm just saying!!!

and now that i've written all that out, i think thaaaat's why sam's emotional speech at the end felt so cheap. there was no real reason for him to be in that position in the first place, and there was no support for the weight it was being given. honestly a shame, because i think the speech itself was very good and emotional; it just did not hit without the buildup to it.

and then not to beat a dead horse, but everything i said before was proven TRUE in the very next moment: dean killed death to save sam, because sam is his rock and his reason for living and he could never hurt sam, past present or future. like i said! dean really was a negative threat to sam this entire season!! sam was the only person who could even influence him positively!!! cas tried to do what sam so consistently did and dean beat him to a fucking pulp!!!! the tension was NOT there because dean is weak to sam; there was never any other option, or even a hint of it.

i suppose all that answers my question... i don't think i liked the finale, no. which is honestly surprising, because i think supernatural generally goes very hardcore with its finales. this might be the first one i've disliked? maybe? or no, i don't think i liked the season 7 finale either to be honest. but season 7 is season 7 so like. it is what it is.

i don't know. this season was bizarre, and there were a lot of moments that made me so, so much worse than i thought possible—like i thought the season 9 finale made me bad, but then they just kept going and good lord. i will not get over this role reversal plot any time soon. the concept was amazing, and i appreciate the level of commitment the writers had to this development. the mediocre execution really dragged things out longer than i feel they should have though, and as you can see i have plenty of criticism. it has so much charm though, and it finishes off the three-season wombo combo in what was meant to be a satisfying way—like i see what they were trying to do i just think they failed at it. so it's definitely no season 6, that's for sure. the vision was its redeeming feature, and GOD what a vision it was. i adore what they were trying to do with seasons 8-10 so i really can't dislike it yknow. because holy shit!!!

anyway i guess that's all. which means it's time for my detox, and after that i'll officially be in Late Season Supernatural, finally. i can't wait to see where that'll take me (i'm looking respectfully at red meat). i'm also watching season 1 with a friend, which is a delight because jesus christ this show has such an incredible foundation. if i get a chance between that and reading fanfic, i think i'll watch sharp objects finally, since it's short and sweet (not actually sweet, from what i can tell). so that'll be fun :)

#liveblogging: supernatural #this post is so fucking long i'm embarrassed for myself #.txt #spn reviews #spn10

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isagrimorie · 11 months

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I think cherry picking episodes from Voyager makes it seem that Voyager is a really good show with more or less a coherent emotional continuity.

Like how it feels logical Hope and Fear would directly contribute to Kathryn’s depression in Night.

If you choose select episodes from seasons 4 to 6, it’s a really good run.

Season 7 is where it feels like the writers were really phoning it in. Braga and Berman should have really started handing over the reins to Bryan Fuller and Ron Moore, instead B&B alienated them. No wonder they were creatively exhausted by the time they started producing Enterprise; and basically killed the franchise until Discovery entered the picture.

Of course, a machete style Voyager watch can’t solve all problems– like how there should have been more consistent B’Elanna episodes.

But also, while Voyager wasn’t perfect there are often many episodes where the writing and directing let the actors work. Moments where they won’t say what they’re feeling but showing it, and not every emotion or lessons learned is talked about.

Sometimes, there are episodes with thorny philosophical issues and then the show just lets the audience sit in it with no easy answers or pat words to fix everything.

Like in Drone where it started out as a ridiculous wacky thing happens but at the end of the episode, Seven is bereft but the show doesn’t say so, instead we just see Seven alone and Jeri Ryan shows us how devastated Seven is at that moment. And then the beautiful thing where the episode is bookended by mirrors.

(On the other end of the spectrum there are all plenty of episodes where they are heavy handed).

Rewatching DS9, Voyager (and now Farcape) made me miss the slice of life scenes in the show, where the characters just hang out together. The luxury of having more than 10 episodes is how easily it can build character relationships and dynamic.

Seeing the crew just chatting in the mess hall or Quark’s or even just relaxing in the Holodeck.

I know they were just mostly padding time but it also let moments breathe.

I miss when Trek shows did that, I suppose Strange New Worlds is bringing that back but I also still feel the limitations of a 10 episode season.

In an era of tightening budgets and uncertainty, we don’t know when that format will return.

Also, I can’t believe how in a few years I’ve become an advocate for longer episodes with cases of the week/episodic shows with serialized arcs.

Back in Person of Interest days in season 4, I chafed against the case of the week format thinking they were squandering opportunities.

It turns out, like all things, a balance of both is what would make things great. Pure serialization can be boring, so is pure episodic that resets everything back to status quo.

Case/Alien of the Week but with consequences building on top of everything with one overarching seasonal theme. Ala Farscape and DS9.

#thinky thoughts #tv show format #star trek #star trek voyager #farscape

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wgc-productions · 10 months

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Live Blog: The Magnus Archives 6- Squirm

Question: can y'all see the embedded player? I think there might be a glitch in the system?

Anyhow, the description of this episode (i.g. Statement of Timothy Hodge regarding his sexual encounter with Harriet Lee and her subsequent death.) is already pretty fun in the sense that I feel like I'll be reading/listening to a particularly salacious early 20th century tabloid which I think at least 1/5 of all entertainment should achieve.

Let's go! (The actual live blog is under the cut)

02:25- The way this guy says "schedule" is so fun to me. There are always going to be a few words that, when said with a British accent, just inspire delight and that's one of them.

04:02- The beginning is a very good place to start.

04:16- Single-Narrator/ Single-Actor podcasts are so economical to make. Like, we raised approximately $10,200 for Season 2 of Small Victories and the majority of that money went to Cast and Crew payment. I can only imagine how slim of a budget you can run on when you only have one cast member.

07:11- Anytime someone mentions dancing at a club I picture The Bronze from Buffy. And, more specifically, I picture the scene of Buffy and Faith having a whale of a time there. Funny how that works out.

08:16- Man, hope she isn't a shedding praying mantis or something messed up like that.

10:20- Oh! Alarming!

10:53- To be frank, if a woman is lying face down in the street she clearly needs help. Don't really have to ask.

11:29- I don't know if any of you guys have read Department of Truth (if you haven't I would totally recommend it, it's a comic about a secret government agency that combats the destructive reality bending power of conspiracy theories, also the devil is there) but the woman in the red dress reminds me of this character in DoT who is also called The Woman In The Red Dress. She's is also genuinely unsettling (she has x's where her eyes should be and she bends reality around her and is maybe the Whore of Babylon, I'm not done with it yet. Good read if you're into horror).

13:42- ABSOLUTELY NOT! ABORT MISSION! GET UP AND OFF!!

14:02- Oh no, this is horrible.

15:53- Okay, out of all the episodes I've heard so far this is the one that is actually freaking me out. Like Episode 5 had the teeth which was freaky. The coffin episode was a little unsettling. But body horror is so ~eugh~ to me, especially when the image is in my imagination. I just don't like it at all.

17:13- WORMS!

17:21- Concerning? Way to understate it Johnathan. I can not imagine what the thing that's going to make him a believer. I feel like Mulder and John is Scully. Don't you want to believe, Sims!

18:24- Now, it may have been too long since I last listened, but should I know who Jane Prentis is at this point?

Okay, I'm getting into the flow. I'm intrigued by this Jane Prentis person (again, have we already been introduced and I'm spacing, or is this a new person that I'll learn more about?) and what she means in the context of the overall story.

I love mysteries quite a bit (I love them more than horror) and so starting an overarching mystery in the midst of what is, ostensibly, an anthology is great for me!

#fiction podcast #audio drama #audio fiction #wgc liveblog #liveblog #the magnus archives #tma spoilers #tmapodcast #Spotify

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zalrb · 2 years

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For your Stelena masterlist, do you think the show was hinting at a Stelena getting back together plot line in Season 5, especially in the earlier episodes? Or were the writers just baiting to keep their audience? I say this as a Stelena fan and I go back and forth between the two.

I've spoken about this before and I'm pretty sure there are posts about this in the masterlist so this isn't going to be a post "for" the masterlist but I just see it as they never stopped writing for Stefan and Elena, which is also why in season 6, they don't spend much time together although I've also spoken about how season 6 weirdly becomes a season obsessed with Stelena.

Stelena is intrinsic to both characters on a narrative level, (that isn't hyperbole and I explain why in both the SE masterlist and the chemistry masterlist) and I don't think the writers knew how to stop writing for them on top of which they didn't know how to actually write for Delena, which is why we don't actually see Damon and Elena together and when season 6 comes around they have to retcon first dates and rain kisses and insert pictures of Nina and Ian together at a photo booth to give them some semblance of an actual relationship while also erasing Elena's memory and building that relationship back up because they don't know what Damon and Elena actually look like together.

I think what they did to keep audience attention was Steferine because it was seeing Paul and Nina together but as a different dynamic and one that Caroline Dries, who had taken the reins that season, liked more than Stelena

Another pairing that has sprung up is Katherine and Stefan. When did that become a reality?

We’ve known since season two since they were first onscreen together one she was established to him as a villain, that their chemistry sizzled. They just had a different feel than Elena and Stefan. There’s an element of danger to it. There’s intrigue. You know it’s a no-fly zone but that’s what makes you want it more. It finally felt earned in this moment because he needed someone and [even though] she’s such a villain, but she opened up and helped Stefan. Even though she has a clear agenda, which is “I want Stefan,” there’s something lovable about her too. I think the audience has embraced Katherine even more this season because she’s been so fun and fallible. It finally worked in this moment. This episode will be about the fallout of when you sleep with the woman who has been your enemy for 150 years.

Moving onto Katherine and Stefan, people seem to love them together. Dries: I'm so pro-Stefan and Katherine too and I think it's because they have such deep dark history. I mean she really put him through the ringer and yet there is something about Stefan that softens Katherine. So to see a little shade of vulnerability with her, even just a peek, it feels like you're getting so much satisfaction out of it. He's her Achilles heel and that's what I like about the relationship. And they have such great chemistry between them.

it's the same way she describes Damon and Elena:

What is the overarching theme for the fifth season that has helped shape the arcs?

We knew that it would be a season of Elena dating Damon and what does it means to date the bad boy. And if you date Damon, you date all of his baggage too. You have to believe in him and be able to justify his backstory to even love him. A lot of it for Elena is meant to be this gray area: “Am I changing because of my boyfriend or can I find a way to bring the light out of him?” The gray area is what we were trying to go for thematically. We wanted to pay attention to Damon’s backstory and deepen his history on the show. That’s where we introduced Augustine. That also helps us connect him to Elena’s college world.

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lord-radish · 1 year

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Looking back on the Blacklist so far, my ranking of each season would go like this:

1 > 4 > 2 > 3 > 5 > 6 > 8 > 7

Season one was so good because it had a strong sense of mystery to its myth arc, as well as fully capitalising on the episodic potential of the show's premise.

Season 4 actually starts off pretty weak, but that initial storyline helps to build a case for a very good and extremely prominent fan theory and the second storyline - basically a civil war within the confines of a criminal empire - is genuinely the peak of the entire show.

Season 2 is okay, and so is season 3. They're weaker than the first season and they don't have the same punch as that second storyline in the fourth season. Perfectly average network television.

Season 5 is basically a game of cat and mouse, and it's okay - with a big reveal at the end of the season that's very juicy - but this is where it becomes especially clear how formulaic the show is getting and how much people are phoning it in.

Season 6 ends on a wet fart, although it has a slightly compelling couple of episodes, and season 7 is where the overarching storyline begins to involve previously omnipresent characters having massive, gaping blind spots to facilitate the story. I think season 7 was the point where the Blacklist hit critical mass and needed to start wrapping things up.

Season 8 is where the show's boundaries begin to really show. The last two episodes are fantastic, but while I sympathise with the general gist of what this season was going for, this was the point where the whole criminal underworld setting just stopped being all that compelling. I stopped buying it. Those last two episodes elevate it, even if I'm not a fan of how they handled the last episode, and also the villain of season 8 is the best villain since season 5.

I haven't seen much of season 9, but I know it's a soft reboot and the tenth season is going to be the last season of the show. So as it stands, here's what I think about the show:

Watch the first four seasons if the premise interests you - those first four seasons paint a very captivating picture of the world, and it culminates in an incredibly satisfying conflict. There's also an excellent plot hook into season 5, so if you want to keep watching into season 5, go right ahead. It has some dynamite plot twists.

But past season 5, it's all downhill. It's partially the Chris Carter effect taking hold, the show feeling less tight and "cozy", characterisation beginning to loosen and just a general weakening of the show's episodic and overarching plotlines. It's not "worthless", per se, but the show gets harder to watch.

#the blacklist

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glapplebloom · 2 years

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The first of my re-reviews that match my modern take on doing text reviews.

Before I begin, starting with this review the old ones will likely look similar to the new ones. By this time, I finalized the size of the images and most likely shared the same thoughts as originally. So why am I still going to review the following episodes? Because these Re-Visits come with the addition of knowing what is going to happen in the future. So that’ll give me some new thoughts to come based on the episode.

It begins with Spike distracting Starlight by recapping the Season 6 Finale. Why? Because Twilight is measuring her wall to give her a mirror. And it is a really thoughtful gift as it will have pictures of all her friends so when she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she’ll see is all her friends. It’s honestly a brilliant gift and I do wonder if there’s anyone who did this gift in real life for someone else.

At the party, everyone is invited. You got the newly reformed Changelings, the Ponies of Ponyville, even Sunburst and Twilight’s family. And sadly Discord is there putting pressure on Twilight. While he’ll later claim this is to give a hint at sending Starlight his way, this is still an annoying trait he’s going to display later in the series. And it's all going to come back and bite him in the butt.

Twilight, seeing Starlight pretty much learned everything there is to learn, asked Celestia for advice since she’s been where Twilight was. And sadly, she thinks that this means she has to send Starlight away like Celestia did. Granted, Celestia did send Twilight away because Twilight wasn’t making friends and was needed to find the Elements of Harmony while Starlight has a group of friends already that she does care for. But this is Twilight and worrying is one of her character traits.

So thinking she needs to send Starlight away, Twilight begins a magical projection of her thoughts on where to send Starlight. First, with Thorax to help the Changelings get adjusted to their non-Chrysalis reign. You know, Compromise. Ignoring an obvious joke, it seems like a good idea until Twilight begins to worry about a bad changeling among the reformed. After all, it takes one bad impression to ruin people’s views.

So with the Changelings not a good choice, Twilight tries the Dragons. This is ruined thanks to Garble and this scene is very funny in hindsight. Twilight said “Who knows what their dynamic would be” while picturing Ember and Starlight being Bros and Garble attempting murder. But in the future, we’ll see Garble is actually a nice guy while Ember can’t tell the difference between her and Twilight.

And Rule of 3 dictates we must have a final one and this one is with Sunburst. The two together do make beautiful magic together (and will when they get together). But Twilight worries they’ll be too ambitious and destroy the universe. Celestia laughs at this because she was exactly like Twilight in this situation: knowing that she has to let her go while worrying about what could happen. And Celestia’s Celestial Advice? Just because you let them spread their wings to go on their own doesn't mean you’re not important to them. And if all else fails go write letters.

So Starlight not only gets awarded for her bravery but is the first graduate of Twilight’s teaching curriculum. But luckily for Twilight Starlight doesn’t want to go either so she gets to stay. Overall, a fun episode. It’s the only time we don’t get a two part opener for a Season and there is no obvious overarching story like the last few seasons. Like Season 1 or 2. But there will be from Starlight’s friendship group to Legends returning.

Click here to see the original review and how it fits in GLAB canon.

#mlp review #MLP Revisit #Green Lantern Apple Bloom #season 7

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kittyreading · 3 years

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Manga Master List: Recommendations and My Personal Wish List

!!//PLEASE READ//!!

Below is every manga from my amazon wishlist I would recommend(as of February 11 2021) with a picture and a 3-5 sentence explanation of what the manga is about. Underneath will also be the number of volumes I have read, the number I own, and it’s status of ongoing or complete and how many volumes it has. This way you can decide for yourself if you think I have read enough of it to give an accurate recommendation.

This list only includes manga you can purchase (including digital purchases) from the wishlist. I decided that I would in fact include my personal amazon manga wishlist here and at the bottom for people to buy THEMSELVES a copy of any of these manga they would like. Keep in mind many of these won’t have volume 1 in the list but you should be able to get to the series page from the list. If a manga shows up on the amazon list that I did not include in this one that is because I have not read enough of them(or any of them) to recommend. Ok? Cool, enjoy the list!!

1. The Girl from the Other side is about a little girl living with a gentleman monster. It is a supernatural mystery with beautiful art.

Own: 0

Series: Ongoing at 9 volumes

2. Pumpkin Scissors is a military fantasy about a War Veteran named Randal Oland who joins the pumpkin scissors core to help with war relief and uncover the deep corruption of the government. It is similar in themes to FMA in the sense it appears to be based on a World War, and corruption of government but it more focused on the power of the noble houses in government. There is also a fun science element but it is not as in focus as in FMA. The two but are very very different overall tho. Only 5 volumes were distributed in physical English copies as the publishing company went bankrupt, all others are only available digitally. (I couldn’t get the manga vol. 1 cover to work so the picture above is a poster for the anime)

Own: 0

Read: around 10

Series: Ongoing at 23 volumes

3. Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun is a slice of life about a bunch of highschoolers. Nozaki is the mangaka of a popular Shoujo manga who uses his personal experiences with friends to create his monthly comic series. It is a fun gender stereotype reversal manga with a large cast of both male and female characters (one could be HC as genderfluid but she’s still canonically female at this time) The manga is one of the easiest to read as the panels are mostly in straight down rectangles so the pages are extremely easy to follow and is very funny.

Own: 1

Status: Ongoing at 12 volumes

4. Yu-Gi-Oh! is well known to be about the card game yu-gi-oh, using magic and myths to further the story, HOWEVER, Yu-gi-oh! is the “Season 0″ of the series it is much darker than to be expected and there is no card game. The Yu-gi-oh most are familiar with is Yu-gi-oh Duelist (just found this out myself) and is the Yu-gi-oh you probably already know. There is no overarching plot to this mini series it is just Yugi fucking shit up playing games and destroying some bullies. I have yet to read any of Duelist as of the creation of this post therefore I cannot recommend it :/

Own: 5 (1-3 & 6-7)

Status: Completed at 7 volumes

5. The Way of the House Husband is about a former yakuza who gets married and flips his script. He becomes a house husband for his working wife and carries on doing chores and errands while still looking and acting scary unintentionally and getting himself in trouble. It is a slice of life comedy with some adult jokes but is over all extremely funny and pleasant to read.

Own: 0

Status: Ongoing at 7 volumes

6. Hikaru no Go is about a highschool boy who finds a haunted Go board. He meets the ghost who once was a prolific Go player. Together they work to become a world class Go champion meeting new people along the way. This series was cut short due to legal issues with a real Go player and therefore will remain unfinished but the story that is there is golden. It is still one of the most popular manga in Japan.

Own: 0

Status: Complete at 23 Volumes

7. Zatch Bell! This manga is about a teenager named Kiyo who gets sent a young boy with amnesia named Zatch Bell who turns out to be an alien called a momodo. Now the two must battle other momodo in order to understand what happened to Zatch and to make Zatch the new king. Along the way they make many friends and save both the momodo and human worlds. This one is difficult because it is a classic that did not do well in America so the volumes are expensive and the series is unfinished in English. You can only buy 27 of the volumes in English and a few of them are almost impossible to find, however it is well worth the money if you can afford it and it is available online.

Own: 6 (1-5 & 13)

Status: Complete at 33 Volumes only 27 printed in English (you can finish series online)

8. Fullmetal Alchemist is a cult classic most have read it, watched the series, or heard of it at the very least. This is one of the most popular Manga of all time and for good reason. The manga is about 2 brothers Alphonse and Edward on a journey to return their bodies to normal after committing the taboo of human transmutation. The manga has themes of racism, government corruption and manipulation of the military. The versions on my wishlist are the special Fullmetal Editions so they will have a different price point and volume number than the regular volumes or the omnibuses’

Own: 12

Status: Complete at 27 Volumes

9. Princess Jellyfish is about a young woman who is sort of an outcast otaku living with 5 other otaku women. She has a deep love for jellyfish as they remind her of her late mother. She meets a beautiful woman who turns out to be a male college student and slowly comes out of her shell making new friends and growing with old ones as well. This manga is very sweet and I really don’t know what else to say haha.

Own: 0

Status: Complete at 17 volumes

10. !!!HUGE TW FOR EATING DISORDERS!!! In Clothes Called Fat is a, oneshot, non romanticizing story of an office woman trying to lose weight and developing several eating disorders in the process. She goes through hardships in relationships and bullying as well. It has a bittersweet ending and should be read with caution but it is beautifully done. Please do not read this if you are under the age 16 at the very youngest there are NSFW moments as well as just generally not being a topic for younger audiences.

Own: No

Read: Yes

Status: Completed one shot

11. My LOVE Story!! Is an adorable Slice of Life shojo about a highschooler named Takeo Gouda, his girlfriend Yamato, and his best friend and hear throb Suna. This series is rather refreshing as the relationship starts pretty much immediately, the best friend is very supportive, and it is focused on Takeo’s personality over looks as he is often compared in manga to a gorilla or bear. It is a generally heart warming story with some emotional side plots. The ending is sort of sudden but it’s really enjoyable.

Own: 6 (1-3,8,10-12)

Status: Completed at 13 Volumes

12. Soul Eater is pretty popular but if you don’t know what it is about it is about a Weapon named Soul and his Meister Maka. They attend a school that teaches them how to defeat people before they turn into Demons, saving the world in the process. Once a weapon eats 100 evil souls and a witches soul they can become the new death Scythe! That is the plot presented, and it of course goes off into a much more complicated storyline. It is super fun and engaging with a fascinating plot near the end.

Own: 5

Status: Completed at 25 Volumes

13. D. Gray-Man is a little complicated. Similarly to Soul Eater D. Gray-Man is a story based around defeating people turned demon and the saving of the world through an organization, however the plot gets very complicated very quickly. The art is some of the most interesting and beautifully fun art I’ve come across and the characters are (so far as I’ve read) all amazing. The story has a lot of christian influence and is one you have to really keep up with to understand but I recommend it regardless!

Own: 10

Status: Ongoing at 27 Volumes

14. One-Punch Man is also very popular and is about a man who becomes so strong he only needs to punch you once to completely annihilate you, and it greatly annoys him. This manga greatly touches on the themes of self worth as Saitama becomes a hero that no one seems to want. The fights are fun and engaging, tho at times can be difficult to read. The art is gorgeous, with some of the most heavily detailed work I have ever seen.

Own: 3

Status: Ongoing at 21 Volumes

15. The Boy and The Beast is the manga adaptation of the movie by the same name. This is a bittersweet story about a boy who finds a family in the land of the beasts and the repercussions of this intermixing. It is sweet and sad and there’s not much else to say, but that it is a beautifully crafted story.

Own: 1

Read: 1 (but I’ve seen the movie and read the light novel)

Status: Complete at 4 Volumes

16. MAR is not a manga I should be recommending as I genuinely don’t think I have read enough of the story to do so but I love it so much I’m going to anyway. MAR is a classic Isekai Shonen, a kid goes through a door into another world and has to fight a war to save it, there is a super fun magic system and some wonderful story building with genuinely enjoyable characters and battles. I am recommending this more based off the anime than the manga itself because it was one of my absolute favorites when I was younger, so take from that what you will! This manga has the same issue Zatch Bell does however, the series did not do amazingly so the volumes can be expensive!

Own: 3

Status: Complete at 15 Volumes

Thank you for your time haha! I hope you liked the list, here is my wishlist again and if you have any questions please let me know!! I will try to keep this master list updated as it and the wishlist will only continue to grow, but I make no promises for doing it often. Making this took me a very long time so I hope you like it!

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todaydreambelieversfic · 3 years

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Author Spotlight: Spaceorphan18 Day 2

Author: @spaceorphan18

Share one of your strengths.

I like to think I'm funny -- whether or not anyone else agrees I suppose is subjective. ;)

Share one of your weaknesses.

I have a hard time with detail. Setting up the scene and getting from one place to another can be difficult. I also think my vocabulary is limited, and I tend to be repetitive. I also have the impulsive need to post before it's clean and edited.

Which fic has been the hardest to write?

Right now, probably Chasing Pavements... I've been away from it for a long time. It's also fully Blaine's POV, which I'm finding is a lot harder to write than Kurt's.

Which fic has been the easiest to write?

I can’t believe I’m going to say this - but the Smut Challenge has been the easiest thing to write. Maybe because the chapters are so short and I don’t have to worry about an overarching plot line.

Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

Both. ;)

Is there an episode or character or arc above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Well - I mean anything Klaine related inspires me to write something most of the time. I like to fill in the blanks of their story -- or just explore the characters in different kinds of situations. I don't think there's one specific arc or anything. Though I think Seasons 4 and 6 lend themselves to a lot of fill in material.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Just keep writing.

What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Not sure -- maybe write what you know. There's an abundance of stories about forlorn white middle-aged men with mid-life crisis because of this advice. :P

If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

I mean, all of them really ;)

What’s your process? Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order? Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines? What are the perfect writing conditions for you?

I like to outline and plan and work from that. I have a tendency to kind of look at the fic big picture and sketch out where I want it to go. I then fill in the details from there. I usually write pen and paper first before writing things on the computer - I find this kind of thing helps me think through things a little better. It also has to be really quiet, and I prefer a lack of distracting things around me to write.

***

Check out Spaceorphan18′s Fics

Thirty - Kurt turns thirty, Blaine gives him birthday sex.

Wednesday - Just an average day in the life of Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, and their baby Katie.

The Spaces In-Between - The story of Kurt Hummel's life in the spaces between what we saw on the show -- goes through the entire series, and follows his adventures throughout, including falling in love with Blaine, his friendships with Mercedes and Rachel, and his relationship with his dad.

#author spotlight: spaceorphan18

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thecarrieonokay · 3 years

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Season 6: Monica Macer’s TVLine Interview: My Ramblings

If you haven’t already read it, here’s the link: https://tvline.com/2021/04/30/macgyver-recap-season-5-series-finale-season-6-spoilers-mac-riley-desi/

Also, for those not already familiar with my particular brand of speech: Swearing included.

Episode 3 people!! WE ONLY HAD TO WAIT 3 MORE FUCKING EPISODES!!! *sigh*

To be honest, I always kinda figured that the writers were planning a ‘first kiss’ in the 100th episode (by my count that would have been 6x06 but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong!). To find out it could have been sooner than that… I mean, FUCK!! That would be really fast in my humble opinion. But, for the record, it’s not always a straight line from ‘first kiss’ > ‘full-blown relationship’. I kinda thought that there would be a bit of Macriley angst before that was fully settled… because, as we all know, MAC + THERAPY is the priority ship. They’ve all got emotional trauma/ shit to sort out. And Mac and Desi need a positive resolution. AND MAC NEEDS A MOMENT!!

It’s blatantly obvious to fans of Mac and Riley that they belong together. In ep 3 it might have become obvious to Mac too… but I suspect that for Riley, it might have been harder to see. Prioritising protecting her heart and keeping her family’s functioning dynamic intact, Riley might have kept Mac at arms length for a while moving forward. Hence, a gap between ‘first kiss/ brief moment of passion’ and ‘we belong together’.

That would be my prediction, anyhow.

Of course, her loyalty to Mac would never waver and I LOVE the idea that Riley would go undercover in a Manchurian Candidate-style storyline. After all, Riley is the only one who has an idea exactly how violated Mac would be feeling. AND at Matty’s request, no less (because of course she knows Riley would risk everything to help keep Mac safe).

Plus, WHAT an opportunity for a ‘dark Mac’ story arc.

Seriously though, this interview makes it sound like season 6 would have kicked off with a fucking BANG. They weren’t going to waste any time bringing back Evan and tumbling the fragile dominoes that are Mac and Desi’s relationship. The moment Evan was mentioned in 5x12, I could see how his being alive would be a slightly more ‘healthy’ device to break up MacDesi without causing enough trauma to split up the whole team. I honestly didn’t think they would do it though… it seemed too obvious somehow. But, hey. I’m happy to be wrong. And this angle would’ve given Desi a fully fledged arc that gave real meat to her backstory.

As for the other elements, I think the treasure hunt is the one I’m most sorry to be missing out on. Sofia was a great addition. As a character she allowed Russ to expose his more un-trusting and flawed facets. She gave him depth. AND the idea of ‘the boys’ going on a treasure hunt is EPIC. I mean, let’s face it, ALL of our guys harbor a secret/ not so secret desire to be Indiana Jones, right? I can’t be the only one picturing Mac with that hat and whip… ?!

AND Bozer’s parents weren’t just a one-off. We were going to see more of them. HELL YES we were. This indicates to me that MM was putting an end to the previous era’s disastrous record of leaving promising story threads dangling in the wind.

If there’s one overarching thing this interview reveals it’s this: The trail was set. The foundation was all laid. Season 6 would’ve been Monica and her team’s first real opportunity to tell a FULL story. No shoehorning structure into old arcs. No trying to piece together a coherent picture from fractured puzzle pieces. Just a full season with a plan and the episode count to see it through. And I don’t know about you all, but I feel fucking CHEATED out of that. Season 5 was a PL era web of leftover threads that needed to be carefully untangled. It took all nine MM episodes to do it but we got there. AND THERE IS SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR MORE!!

No matter what happens with the #SaveMacgyver campaign (I see you all, I love you and respect you all, you total HEROES!!), I’m glad for this interview. I don’t feel ‘spoiled’. And that’s simply because I respect what Monica did here-- She made sure that the fans knew she cared. She gave us what little closure she could. And she confirmed that everyone was blindsided by the news (as we all suspected) and in a way that’s the greatest ‘fuck you’ to CBS that she is capable of making. Because, yeah: FUCK CBS. No matter how you spin it, the execs did MacGyver dirty. It’s unprofessional at best and cruel at worst. This basically confirms my suspicions about the network and my expectations about their reluctance to relinquish the rights to a valuable property. Because of this, I am managing my expectations for the future VERY carefully (I’m not being negative. I just don’t like being burned or blindsided). But this interview has definitely spurned my desire for a season 6 like nothing else could.

So. In conclusion: Fuck CBS, Mac dressed as Indiana Jones would be hot as hell and ALL HAIL MONICA MACER!!

#macgyver #Macgyver season 6 #tv line #all hail Monica Macer #carrie's thoughts #SOMEONE WRITE AN INDIANA JONES AU I'M BEGGING YOU!

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oh-boy-me · 4 years

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If I had to summarize my review of season 2 of obey me into one thought, I think it’s that the story was pretty dang good but the pacing messed it up.

--Entirety of Season 2 Spoilers Below--

The concept was really interesting: MC is a human, of angelic descent, with seven incredibly powerful demonic pacts, and the three realms literally can’t handle all of that. We spend time with our beloved boys, while everything slowly mixes together into a perfect storm, where when you look back (almost) everything either was a hint or tied into the big picture.

And the flow got really nice by the end of it--Levi’s time loop game led right into the reaper plot, which didn’t directly cause Lucifer to collapse, but the transition still felt natural. It stopped feeling like events, with 2-chapter isolated stories that have nothing to do with each other. Obviously, it was revealed that most of them were connected in some way later on, but at the time we had no way to anticipate this.

The characters (well, most of them) got really interesting development, with Lucifer softening up, Mammon being more open, Asmo learning some self love, etc., etc. Obviously it wasn’t perfect, like I think Satan got super overlooked, though I’m glad the Anti Lucifer League gave him some good moments. And yes, I feel like Asmo’s second arc was a direct result of us complaining about a lack of screen time and development, which would explain why it feels kind of separate from everything else. BUT, I can’t call that a bad thing, because it means they listened to us.

There were some really funny points too, like Solomon insisting that everyone needs to try his udon to the point where they’re pretty sure they’re going to die that evening. And some really emotional ones too, like the brothers giving gifts to MC (especially Satan’s and Mammon’s, I LOVE how they called back something that old). And thought provoking ones, like when Asmo had so much trouble saying something genuinely good about himself and had to face his shallow interpretation of his self worth. Or when they strongly hinted that the name “undateables” might be outdated soon 👀.

But... like I said, it was slow. It wasn’t until lesson 37 or so that I started to understand what was going on, and not knowing what the big picture was for so long really messed with my enjoyment of the middle of the season. I started putting off reading the new chapters, something that never happened in season one, because I couldn’t be bothered to catch up. Once chapter 36 ended the delay dropped from weeks down to only a day or so, and I wish my investment could have been that high the whole time.

I think this could have been fixed with one change: we should have known about the ring’s problems much sooner. It doesn’t feel right that this issue that had been building up for 16 lessons got resolved in only two. Solomon and Diavolo knew about it for ages, it’s not like the information was unknown. Lucifer collapsing could still be the catalyst for things, but maybe it would put them in a code red situation, rather than being the thing that let’s you know there’s a situation at all.

Season one worked as well as it did despite its many cliches and mini-arcs because from lesson 5 on we had an overarching goal: get 6 pacts and free Belphie from the attic. Even when we were on a retreat, or solving a murder case, or ending up in a video game, that goal was still there to drive us forward. The goal stayed with us for 11 lesson, getting slightly revised and then resolved. This time, we don’t have any real conflict/goal to look towards until 17 lessons in, and I think that’s the root of most of the problems I’ve had with this season.

There are some smaller things too, like the trip to the Celestial Realm being underwhelming and unfulfilled even with the connection to the big picture. I also kind of have trouble remembering the play existed even though it was the main focus for like eight lessons. And this is personal, but I kind of wish some of the brothers wouldn’t come on so strong before you choose a romantic answer. Maybe I just feel guilty for turning them down too easily though, haha.

But! I think it ended really strongly, and that the characters and world grew from where they were before. (And technically I finally got my cultural festival so.) And like I said, pacing aside, they really did bring cool ideas to the table.

I hope they’ll take a little more time planning things out, and maybe space things out a little better than once a week (honestly I think two every two weeks felt better? idk). And if we don’t harass them to get the new season out and then immediately turn around and complain that content is coming out too fast (looking at you, Twitter), I think we’re still on an upwards path of interesting stories.

I’m looking forward to what they come up with next!

#obey me #obey me one master to rule them all #obey me shall we date #shall we date obey me #obey me swd #swd obey me #obey me!#obey me season 2 spoilers #noodle stews

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afreakingdork · 3 years

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Jessica Jones Season 3 A.K.A. Morality

I genuinely believe that the writers of Jessica Jones season 3 have no idea what morality is supposed to mean or how it applies to basic situations. We can start on this, of course, with the friction between Trish and Jessica. The series starts with Jessica doing everything she can to keep ties severed with Trish, while Trish tries in vain to chase Jessica down like a puppy so they can ‘team-up’ like old-new times with Trish’s shiny new powers. Episode 2, “ A.K.A You're Welcome,” paints a more full picture by showing Trish’s side of the conversation. Overall, the whole thing falls so flat for a variety of reasons. I can applaud Trish’s dedication to really honing her craft, but even this is something she tries to hold over Jessica. She offhandedly remarks that Jessica could train once in a while and hints often at her inferred superiority because she actually wants to be super, or she has the right attitude to be super, or she has the actual drive to be super. All of which, paired with Rachael Taylor’s insufferable acting, makes seeing Trish feel like nails on chalkboard every single time. Trish doesn’t understand that her store bought powers and being a hero aren’t something to play around with or have moral superiority about, but she refuses to listen to anyone or even reason. It’s mind boggling because while, we know Trish has always been jealous of Jessica’s power, she of all people should know about what Jessica has been through. They were sisters against the world their whole lives, Jessica doing her best to protect and support Trish from her mother’s abuse and Trish full well knowing Jessica is basically alone in this world, not to mention all the time and everything else that she lost to Kilgrave. Jessica is a wounded soul and her powers have everything to do with that, but all that just goes out the window because Trish wants powers and Trish thinks she knows better and the show is happy to say both Trish and Jess are equally bad. Even in the end when Trish finally realizes she is the bad guy, she has to go off the deep-end and then even further into the pool before the show will even let her admit it and then it gives no time for the weight of this statement to take affect and instead just moves on.

However, let’s move back to respective family histories, there’s a line that really enraged me in episode 5, “A.K.A I Wish,” where Gillian says “I'm sick of people throwing away friends and family like there's plenty more where that came from,” because Trish and Jessica won’t talk out their issues. There are some things that you can’t come back from with family and friends, especially when they aren’t willing to move their opinions on it. There are plenty more people that you can become friends with or even make your new family (it’s called found family and is huge especially in comic books) because it’s insanely toxic to stick with someone just because you’re related to them or have been friends for a long time. It’s really hard to play along with this sentiment, especially when in episode 6, “A.K.A Sorry Face,” you have Trish and her mom, Dorothy, really go head to head about Dorothy’s abuse towards Trish. Trish’s whole life has been shaped by her mother’s abuse. She never had a moment to think for herself because Dorothy was always controlling every second of it and it was the reason Trish has resorted to drug use and relapsed multiple times, but the moment Trish, justifiably so, tries to mention this her mother flips out and still has the gall to make it about herself. When Dorothy storms out you can see that from Trish’s weak attempts to roll back on it, again a completely justifiable comment, that the show thinks that Trish is in the wrong here. Sure, Dorothy’s points on Trish’s flippant attitude towards her own safety were, in my opinion, needed; Trish is heading down an insane path where all she can see is the glory of supering and can’t see how dangerous or miserable it is (which is crazy because she’s been Jessica’s sister basically their whole lives and seen all the horrific shit Jessica has had to go through, but I’ll get to that later). Good and bad aren’t so black and white, and this show refuses to play with that. Just because Dorothy and Trish have the most precariously stable relationship now, doesn’t mean Trish isn’t still allowed to be upset about the lifetime of verbal and physical abuse she’s had to endure.

When you compare that matter to Trish telling Jessica that she needs to get over being upset that she shot her mom, it adds a whole new layer of ‘what the actual fuck?!’ to Trish that the story isn’t particularly interested in delving into. The story seemingly wants you to agree that both Jessica and Trish are equally at fault for what’s happening. Jessica is being too callous and gatekeeping Trish, while Trish is acting rogue and playing like being super is fun. It’s insane because we see Jessica already struggling with her mother’s influence. She was already destroying herself in season 2 because her mother was evil, but also she was the last vestige of her family who still happened to be alive. In her last moments, Alisa was going to turn herself in to the police and imparts on Jessica that being a hero is worth it. It’s almost comical looking back on it now, seeing how holier-than-thou Trish has become, and knowing that she shot Jessica’s mother in cold blood because she believes it was right. Sure, Jessica doesn’t seem to have told Trish the full details of her mother’s turn in those final moments. The show fails morality yet again, when even the question comes up in conversation between Jessica and Trish, Jessica only goes so far as to say ‘it was my mother.’ Jessica completely neglects to mention that her mother turned good in her last days after getting a taste of heroics and instead plays the ‘she was my family and you didn’t give me a choice in whether or not I should keep them’ card, that makes no sense to the total overarching argument to who is in the moral right. You can say that Jessica is a terrible negotiator when it comes to getting her point across verbally, and you’d be right, but that isn’t what the show is trying to illustrate and it’s beyond irritating.

This piss poor morality spread and infects other characters in season 3 also. We have the manifestation of morality with the introduction of Erik, who gets a physical response to evil. Nothing has bothered me more than when Malcolm scores a 3 on Erik’s bad-o-meter. Malcolm is grappling with the bad things he has done for Jeri because he thought he could justify it with the money and experience he would get now to fund him fighting for justice later, but even that wasn’t enough. Long before Erik pinged Malcolm as bad, Malcolm was already trying to atone for what he had done, physically might I add, he should have gone to the hospital for peeing blood after getting in a car accident to get a drunk driver off the streets. It makes Malcolm physically and mentally ill and he even takes time off work to consider his position and this is the moment that he pings a 3 (and, not to mention, Trish doesn’t ping at all)!? How can someone who feels guilt, knowns what he’s doing is wrong, and even takes a break to take a look at himself ping at all on the scale when Jessica is supposedly so good that she is anti-bad-dar for Erik and acts like aspirin for his bad guy headaches?! To add insult to injury, Malcolm cheats on Zaya with Berry because he’s... struggling with maybe becoming evil for some reason, but only long enough for him to immediately roll back and work as a double agent for Jeri so he can actually help Jessica put Sallinger away. Even that is short lived, when he just comes clean and quits to clear his conscience and starts to atone. It’s like the show realized that the tension between Malcolm and Zaya wasn’t enough of a morality issue and they had to have Malcolm do something extra bad to justify, again, that both parties are equally wrong in the matter. In the end though, they end up just reinforcing multiple times that Malcolm was the bad guy and Zaya never had an issue. Progression is a good thing, right?

Malcolm and Zaya are at each other on the ethics of lawyering, something that was handled much better in Daredevil and even that show had it’s faults, but nothing will enrage me more than Jeri’s line in episode 7, “A.K.A The Double Half-Wappinger,” of “...it is not our job to assess guilt or innocence.” While that is technically correct, there is a huge glaring problem with how the show is using it. The show is obsessed with the alleged portion of Sallinger’s guilt, in that he is so smart he leaves no evidence behind and is always multiple steps ahead of investigators trying to find a mistake on his trail. Only criminal defense attorneys do not decide if the client is innocent or guilty. While that is Jeri’s position as Sallinger’s attorney, this type of attorney's concern is whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that someone has committed a crime since the jury or judge will be the one’s actually deciding the verdict. The thing is, especially based on her past history with Jessica, is Jeri does have this information, albeit not as evidence, but she still tries to proceed as if Sallinger is still innocent until proven guilty. It’s a complete implosion of Jeri’s character when she already is grappling with everything falling apart with her ALS and Kith. It’s mind boggling to think this is the same Jeri who entrusted Jessica in episode 1, “A.K.A The Perfect Burger,” to take her life when she can no longer make the choice herself due to her illness. Jeri then goes on to declare war on superheroes, for what? Short term retainer of Sallinger could distinguish her firm from it’s accused ties to powered people, but long term she knows he is in truth a serial killer and having taken his case knowing so will destroy her firm a million times more than Peter Lyonne’s suicidal statement ever did. She feels like supers are undermining her as if Jessica is trying to take advantage of her ALS and make her look weak? This is a far cry from the Jeri Hogarth that was accused of murdering her first wife or the Jeri Hogarth that was ten steps ahead to blackmail her partners from trying to force her out of the firm she helped build and get her fair share. This isn’t the Jeri we love to hate, this is just hatred to put more pressure on Sallinger’s inane hatred of super people. She’s somehow, even though she never showed interest and expressively talked back to him when he was spouting his drivel, bought into the weaker man philosophy of supers having cheated to better positions in life and has, in her mind, made her whole existence of failures hinged on them trying to make her feel weak. An unfathomable turn for her character indeed, but this is a show that thinks that digging up dirt on someone and releasing it to try to get with their wife is equivalent at all to a man pushing his wife into an open marriage to cheat and skimming money out of their dead daughter’s non-profit foundation. Jeri should have told Kith no question. I don’t think she should have done it the way she did or for the reasons she did, but we are operating on a 20% bad scale vs. an 80% bad scale. Also, Peter Lyonne was such a shithead that he would rather kill himself and blame Jeri in the process than deal with a little jail time for being a fuckface. Crying that he should have had his chance to tell Kith like he was planning on it. Through Laurent they insinuate that the show absolutely makes Jeri out to be the monster in that situation. It honestly makes me think these writers need to take a course of morality or even just watch a few episodes of The Good Place so maybe they could have a real actual human opinion on what is good and bad. I’m worried about them.

#me #review #tv show review #jessica jones #jessica jones season 3 #morality

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wits-writing · 4 years

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Ultraman Z Ep. 6: “The Man Returns!” (TV Review)

(Original Air Date: July 25, 2020, Director: Koichi Sakamoto, Writer: Sotaro Hayashi)

This week on Ultraman Z, a training routine between Windom and Sevenger is interrupted when the mechanical monster Gillvalis, previously seen in Ultraman Geed: The Movie, crashes to Earth. However, the genocidal AI isn’t the only thing crashing down as its immediately confronted by the dynamic return of Ultraman Geed.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

Tatsuomi Hamada’s return as Riku Asakura, aka Ultraman Geed, for this series was a key factor in my decision to write these episode reviews for Ultraman Z. The self-titled series where Geed made his debut is my personal favorite among the “New Generation” era of the Ultra Series. Riku’s character was central to that show’s appeal in his upbeat, determined demeanor and love of superheroes. That storyline dealt with the discovery of his origins as the son of the evil Ultraman Belial, how he reacted to that, and how he grew into a hero with the help of his friends, including Zett’s “master” Ultraman Zero, who had his own on-going conflict with Belial. Riku’s role here is a natural extension of that arc. Seeing him presented as the more seasoned hero compared to the rookie Zett is a fun way of showing how far he’s come.

Riku’s brought some other stuff from his show back with him, including his show’s opening theme “Geed no Akashi” and the insert song “Fusion Rise” during his fight scenes. It was a blast of adrenaline to hear these tunes again as they kicked in during the action. Also returning from Ultraman Geed is that show’s main director, Koichi Sakamoto, and his style of faster paced action. For those unaware, Sakamoto got his start in tokusatsu related projects as a longtime director and stunt coordinator on Power Rangers, but when the Disney era of that franchise came to an end he started to work on various Japanese tokusatsu productions, including several Ultraman shows and movies. The action here reflects the style mention before, especially with the use of pyrotechnics in the last fight against Gillvalis. That action also gives Geed the chance to show off what he can do in his new form, Geed Galaxy Rising, which uses a Z-Riser to combine Geed’s power with those of Ginga, X, and Orb, the three “New Generation” Ultramen that preceded him. It looks like an armored version of Geed’s base form with access to a new variety of energy attacks that get quickly demonstrated as soon as he makes the scene.

Most of this episode is built around establishing how Riku will fit into the bigger picture of Ultraman Z’s overarching storyline. Once we see him for the first time in human form, after his dynamic entrance and fight against Gillvalis, Juggler approached him to confirm whether he’s here about the Devil Splinters. Riku confirms this and that a Devil Splinter was responsible for the Gillvalis’ resurrection. The conversation further establishes Ultraman Z’s place in the overall canon of the Ultra Series, namely in how Riku is surprised that Juggler’s on this Earth, reminding the audience that Ultraman continuity operates within a multiverse. Confusing Riku even more than Juggler’s presence is the fact he’s managed to get into a position of authority at STORAGE, with Juggler taking delight in teasing him over the confusion. They do confer with each other over the danger the Devil Splinter infected monsters represent to existence, especially if they’re resurrecting beings a powerful as Gillvalis.

The origin of the Devil Splinters is made explicit for the first time this episode, likely because of how it connects to Riku. The Splinters are fragments left of Ultraman Belial after his various rampages across the universe. Since they have that connection to his father, Riku takes it as personal responsibility to track them down and rid the universe of their influence and getting rid of the last remainder of Belial. On the other side of the conflict, we see Kaburagi in his pocket dimension attempting to use Devil Splinters to manufacture a Belial Medal for his own purposes. We also get to see that he’s still out there doing his job of taking care of monster remains after STORAGE’s operations to gather more material for his work. This look into how both sides are approaching the existence of the Devil Splinters makes this episode have some of the greatest plot furtherance we’ve seen so far in Ultraman Z.

With all the material related to Riku’s return and discussion of the Devil Splinters, Haruki and STORAGE are left with a relatively minor role in their own show this week. Which isn’t to say they’re unimportant to it in the slightest, since they still show off their characters in the support roles they have. We do get a sense that Juggler, even in his deception, cares about the team’s safety as he orders immediate retreat during their training exercise once he realizes Gillvalis is heading right for them. Yuka has a small story this week of trying to win prize money to increase their organization’s funding by solving a near-impossible math equation called the “Millennium Prize Problem.” The payoff of that coming in during Zett and Geed’s fight against Gillvalis at the end, where she figures out the problem’s complexity could preoccupy the AI’s processes long enough for the two Ultras to finish it off. The delivery method for the problem into its system being a punch from Windom being a wonderfully goofy moment.

Haruki himself is mostly an exposition receiver this time, as Zett gleefully fills him in on Geed’s past at the Ultraman that defeated Belial once and for all. He also refers to Geed as a former “disciple of Ultraman Zero”, an idea that Riku attempts to correct him on before the fight against Gillvalis takes priority. The two meeting and fighting alongside each other is a strong example of how Ultraman Z pulls on the legacy of series past to build something new with its story. As Haruki and Riku wrap up the episode telling each other about their side of the story, Riku asks about Zero’s whereabouts since he last heard about Zett being assigned to Zero. With this being our first reminder of Zett’s idol since the first episode, we cut to him still caught in the fourth dimensional warp he was sucked into. After which we cut to Kaburagi observing Riku, targeting the son of Belial for the next step in his plan.

The return of Geed and the high energy action from director Koichi Sakamoto keep the momentum of the series going after last week’s big reveal and display how thing will be going forward in the future. Ultraman Z hitting its stride in consistently entertaining fashion.

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

#Ultraman Z #Ultraman Geed #Ultraman #Wit's Writing #TV Review #tokusatsu #Tsuburaya Productions #Riku Asakura #Haruki Natsukawa #Koichi Sakamoto #Sotaro Hayashi #tsupro #toku

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lanonima · 4 years

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10 Reasons I like Chinese dramas better than American shows

I'm actually only going to be talking about fantasy shows because that's what I like. The only "modern style" shows I tend to like are mystery shows, but I've only seen one mystery show from China so I can't actually talk about that yet.

That being said, these are reasons why I've come to really appreciate Chinese military, historical, and fantasy dramas. I'm not putting this under a read more, because it doesn't deserve to be hidden.

1) Absolutely amazing female characters. There are so many female characters, so many, and they're always fantastic. Not only fantastic but different. These are female characters who are huge breakaways from American stereotypes (although there are archetypes in Chinese media and they're great, like the overbearing and unyielding badass lady warrior who uses a whip. Excellent archetype, I really love it). They're so much better written and so much more enjoyable. They almost always seen like real people, you know, how women are real people with diverse personalities, interests, and goals? Even on the more comedic side where they’re not as realistic, they're still so much more diverse. Also they can be super badass, and usually don't become not badass as soon as a dude enters the picture.

With the exception of Guardian which was based on a BL series, I haven't found a single drama with bland or boring female characters, and even that one had some interesting lady characters.

2) The costume design is absolutely incredible. Traditional Chinese clothing is so pretty and I just love looking at it. While period shows made in America and Europe can be interesting, they usually use costumes from periods of time where I think the outfits were honestly pretty boring. I’m much more into folk outfits and traditional clothing so watching Chinese dramas for that reason, you can't ever go wrong. Because the source material is so interesting, their fantasy takes on it are also interesting and beautiful.

3) The backgrounds and set designs are gorgeous. I wanted to talk about clothing specifically, but it should be mentioned that Chinese dramas just look good. The country itself is gorgeous and so they have so many places where they can film, and traditional Chinese architecture and aesthetics are beautiful in a completely different way from traditional Western looks. Basically from an aesthetic standpoint Chinese dramas are amazing.

4) Dramas are a single season which tells a contained story. While they may have between 50 to 80 episodes usually, they're all filmed at once, released at once, and are a contained story, one with possibly many subplots but one overarching plot. There may occasionally be a sequel, and there are still some issues with pacing and filler depending on the show (like Lingjian Mountain, which is based on long source material and so it has a very abrupt ending when they decide to stop telling the story), but they don't drag on for years and years and years like American shows do. For that reason they seem much tighter and well-written, and I always appreciate a story that is actually planned and not the writers making shit up as they go along.

5) A lot of them are based on books. This is really cool, because it allows stories to be told from many different writers and sources. A lot of them are based on published novels, and a lot of them are based on popular web novels, so things don't get stagnated and bogged down. It also kind of goes along with something that I wish Americans would do which is really embrace the miniseries as opposed to movies as far as book adaptations are concerned. Also it gives me lots of new things that I want to read in the future.

6) Chinese dramas based on gay source material are better than American shows that are gay. Yes, censorship is an issue in China and it probably will be for the foreseeable future. However the people making the shows (at least now) care so much and try so hard. The relationships are still very obvious to a Western audience, and so much effort is put into portraying them in the best way possible that they come off as so much more sincere than queer media here, which I almost always dislike.

7) Honestly even straight relationships in Chinese dramas are better. While I don't dislike sexual content, it's way oversaturated in the American market. People seem to think that a show can't be for adults unless there is sexual content, and a romance isn't complete without it. Comparing something like Game of Thrones (which I hate anyway but you know) or the Witcher (which I love) to something like the Story of Yanxi Palace, or the Untamed, or the show I'm watching now the Legends… There is no comparison. I think the reason why the censored gay relationships still work in Chinese media is because even the straight relationships are very tame. They take a long time to build up, which gives them ample time for chemistry to develop, before any sexual content happens or is alluded to. Basically! If you like yearning, and pining, and slow burn, watch Chinese dramas. If you don't like overly sexual shows, watch Chinese dramas. You will not be disappointed.

8) The cheesiness of their special-effects is constantly entertaining (to me). When it comes to 3D animated shows, China is way ahead of the curve and their animation is fantastic. But when it comes to their live-action shows they don't usually seem to devote a lot of budget to it. But every obviously fake weapon, and piece of foam armor, every line of red paint to indicate an injury, every weird CGI monster, they all fill me with such delight. I understand that this is not for everyone but I personally love it.

9) They're not held back by a fake idea of "historical accuracy”. We all know that Western fantasy is bogged down by stupid ideas of "the way things were back then" which are actually not true, but people refuse to think in any depth about the past whatsoever. And they refuse to take advantage of the fantasy genre to make their own rules. How can a fantasy story be historically accurate? Don't ask me, ask a lazy white male writer who does not care about thinking.

In Chinese dramas anything goes. Do you want there to be more women in fantasy, women with agency? Watch Chinese fantasy dramas. Do you want historical dramas that include really strong interesting female characters? Watch Chinese historical dramas. Same goes for queer characters as mentioned above. Do you want historical and fantasy stories wherein sexual assault is not a constant factor for female characters? Watch Chinese dramas. I won't say it never happens, but they do so many more interesting things and the times were does happen actually seem important to the plot. Chinese history is so long and interesting, but they also don't seem to care about historical accuracy a lot of the time. And that is so refreshing. Even though in doing so, they probably are being more historically accurate, but compared to the idea of “historical accuracy” that is wedged in the American subconscious, it's such a breath of fresh air.

10) The dialogue is amazing. If there's one thing that I really wish I could take away from the books and dramas that I'm consuming, it would be how to write dialogue like a Chinese author. God damn. What the fuck. There are so many lines that I remember Word for Word because they're just that good. There are lines that make me literally yell. There are lines of dialogue that I think about on a daily basis. I want to be able to write like this!!

BONUS ROUND: Xianxia is an incredibly unique genre. It's exactly what I was missing in fantasy, and this doesn't only apply to shows and movies but books and the entire Western fantasy genre as well. Actually when I started reading it, I realized that a lot of ways that I conceptualize magic in my work is kind of proto-xianxia. The history that led up to this genre, the tropes that it has, the character archetypes, the kinds of stories that are told… They're all so interesting and unique. It's a whole new world to explore, and I really wish people would give it a chance because it's absolutely full of interesting, hilarious, wild, and downright bizarre things. For anyone who wants to be a writer you should always try and expand your horizons and this is a great way to do it.

#basically Chinese dramas are good #long post

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