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murasaki-murasame · 5 years

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Thoughts on Fruits Basket 2019 Episode 10: “It’s Valentine’s, After All”

And with this episode, we’re officially starting to cover material that the 2001 anime completely cut out, just to make it even more clear that this is going to be a complete and faithful adaptation of the manga.

I can’t wait to see new viewers react to Shigure’s true nature as this goes on, lol.

Thoughts under the cut [plus some big spoilers for the entire manga]

Even though this episode was a pretty 1:1 adaptation of stuff from the manga, there’s a lot to say about how it compares to the 2001 anime’s take on the same part of the story, since they’re surprisingly different, and really highlight how much the 2001 anime cut out from the manga.

To put it simply, this episode adapted chapters 15 and 16 of the manga, whereas episode 11 of the 2001 anime [kind of sort of] adapted chapters 15, 16, and 17 of the manga. It’s been a while since I watched it, but I think they did it by removing everything from chapters 15 and 16 that wasn’t specifically about valentine’s day. Which meant that they cut out all the set up for Kyo’s character development and Shigure’s darker side. It’s understandable that the 2001 anime would have cut that stuff out since it’s some very long-term set-up that only pays off in parts of the story that hadn’t even been written by that point, but it’s a very good example of how the 2001 anime cut out a lot of the darkness and depth of the series and focused way more on the comedy.

I have a feeling some people might be a bit confused about why Momiji and his story about the foolish traveler weren’t in this episode, but that’s just because that part’s from chapter 17, so it should just be in the next episode.

The next episode should cover up to the same point as the equivalent episode from the 2001 anime, but the hot springs part itself should probably feel a bit less slow and drawn out than it was there.

Anyway, even though this episode is mostly just a straight adaptation of the manga, the fact that so much of it wasn’t adapted in the 2001 anime makes it feel really fresh and new. It’s a really effective set-up episode for a whole bunch of future plot points and character development.

The stuff with Kyo’s traumatic flashback to Kyoko’s death is one of the things I’ve been most excited to see in the reboot, and I think they handled it really well. They even added a short original scene at the start of the episode with Kyo waking up from what was probably a nightmare about Kyoko’s death, which he then flashes back to again when Shigure points out how irrational his hatred of Yuki is. The panel where he has that flashback is probably one of my favourite individual panels of the manga, since it’s so sudden and visceral and different from the style of anything else in the story, and comes way before the story really digs into it’s darker elements. I knew that they wouldn’t handle it in the exact same way, artistically, so I was a bit worried it might be a bit of a let down, but I think they handled it nicely. Having it be a very sudden, choppy black and white flashback to some scattered visuals of Kyo watching Kyoko die was really effective. And at least going by what I’ve seen anime-only people say, it was ambiguous enough that people who don’t know the truth of it seem to be assuming that it’s just something to do with Kagura, or his true form. So hopefully the eventual full reveal of his backstory with Kyoko will still be shocking to them when it happens.

But on the other hand, the real MVP of this episode was Shigure, which a lot of people who just watched the 2001 anime might be surprised by, since I don’t think he really played a big part in the original Valentine’s episode, and in general the 2001 anime didn’t get into his actual backstory and character development at all. But a fair bit of this episode was devoted to teasing at the darkness going on in his past, and his selfish schemes and motives, with the whole Valentine’s double date with the main trio and Kagura quickly becoming more of a background detail than the main focus of the episode. I’ve seen a lot of anime-only people who’ve been really wanting the show to focus more on Shigure, so I hope they’re pleased with this episode one way or another, lol.

I’m not sure how much I should say about Shigure and his relationship with Akito now, and how much I should just save until later so I don’t end up repeating myself, but to put it simply, I actually really like their relationship, and both of them as characters, so this episode was really exciting for me. I think they’re doing a great job of setting up Shigure’s motives and plans while still leaving a lot to be explored and revealed later.

I feel like I need to attach a whole list of disclaimers to me saying that I like their relationship, though, since I don’t like it in the same way that, for example, I like Kyo and Tohru’s relationship. It’s hard to say that I ‘ship it’, because I don’t think their relationship is healthy at all and I don’t even really think they should have ended up together in the long run. I just think that their relationship is really interesting as a plot point that acts as the crux of basically the entire story. I like it because it’s dark and unhealthy and a lot more ‘adult’ than basically all of the other major relationships in the series.

Since this episode at least introduces the idea of Shigure’s dream from when he was a child, I may as well make it clear that that’s basically the core aspect of their relationship which set the whole thing in motion, and it defines what it’s all about. It’s up for interpretation, to some degree, but I view it as a sort of dark, realistic take on the romanticized notion of ‘soulmates’. You know how soulmate AU fan-fics which premises like ‘your soulmate’s name appears as a tattoo on your body when they’re born’ or whatever are really popular? I view Shigure’s dream as exactly the same sort of thing. Broadly speaking, the dream is a reflection of the supernatural bond between the god and the zodiac members, and most of them don’t like it at all, but for Shigure specifically, the dream effectively forced him from that day onward to view Akito as his soulmate. Those feelings came to him in a dream, and as he himself put it in this episode, it was over for him from that point onward. He had no choice but to devote himself to claiming and preserving that feeling.

A big part of why I like their relationship so much is because it goes so far to expose how incredibly messed up the entire concept of having a supernaturally designated soulmate from birth would actually be for someone. If you knew that you had to do everything you could to be with one specific person, or else you’d live your life with a feeling of hollowness, because you’ve already had a glimpse of that intense emotion, which no other person can give you. Just like Shigure says, it probably makes him the most cursed of all the zodiac. When the curse eventually gets broken, most of the zodiac are able to just move on with their lives and slowly separate themselves from Akito, and they wonder why they ever cared so much about her in the first place, but even after all of that, I think Shigure still had no choice but to be bound by his feelings for her.

The whole underlying thread of how Shigure seems both genuinely in love with Akito, and aware enough of his situation to be bitter and resentful about how his feelings for her are basically an inescapable curse placed upon him from childhood, is one of the most fascinating parts of the story to me, even if it only rarely gets touched upon.

I just have a lot to say about these two, lol. They’re definitely two of the most polarizing and controversial characters in the story, but for better or worse, the entire story wouldn’t exist without them.

On a more random note, we finally get to see Shigure’s editor in person in this episode for the first time, and let’s just say I wasn’t expecting her to have silver hair. Come to think of it, I don’t think she ever appeared in any colour pages in the manga, so I don’t think we’ve ever seen her canon hair colour before this. It’s kinda funny that it’s basically the reverse of what’s probably gonna happen with Kazuma later in this season, since he had silver hair in the 2001 anime, but he has brown hair in the manga.

She also sounds a lot more young than I imagined, but I never really put much thought into who would voice her in the anime.

Anyway, this was a really great episode in a whole lot of ways. It makes me really happy that these elements of the story are finally being adapted, especially with so much care and attention to detail. I’m glad that both manga readers and anime-only people seem to be really enjoying where it’s going.

And since it seems like the reboot is gonna be 63 episodes long in total, there’s a whoooole lot more left to come, so we’ll at least actually get the full pay-off to all of these things being set up.

#murasaki rambles #fruits basket #this might have been a fairly heavy and dramatic episode #but let's just say it still feels so comforting and fluffy compared to the emotional storm of yesterday's episode of sarazanmai lol

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my-last-anywhere · 6 years

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Humble Beginnings - TW

Author: @my-last-anywhere

Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall, Sheriff Stilinski, Lydia Martin, Melissa McCall (mentioned), Supernatural!OC, OC’s Mother

Word Count: 2709

Dedication/Author’s Note: This is dedicated to @writingsbychlo because she gave me the courage to write this fic a long time ago. A/N: I wrote a TW fic in 2016 with an old friend that I eventually posted. However, that person and I aren’t friends anymore and so I rebooted the fic starting from Season One of TW in my own image which Chloe gave me the courage to do also! I’m thinking of posting it in it’s entirety soon to like fanfiction.net or something. Please give me feedback and let me know what you think!

Jada’s P.O.V.

It’s Sunday night. First day of sophomore year is tomorrow and I am..excited. Yeah I mean I’m going to try out for dance, Scott and Stiles will hopefully make first line, and we’ll be slightly less unknown to the general population of Beacon High. Or at least known enough to get invited to a party, I’ve never been to a party. My phone dinged and pulled me out of my thoughts. Ah, speak of the devils - well one of them.

Troublemaker🙄: JADA! Are you awake?

Yes Stiles

Troublemaker🙄: GOOD. Cause I’m downstairs

Dude it’s like 10 at night we have school tomorrow my guy

Troublemaker🙄: there’s a dead body in the wooooods

Im putting on my shoes.

“So exactly how good is it?” I said once I got in the jeep.

“Let’s just say it’s the best thing to hit Beacon Hills in awhile.” He smiled.

“I thought I was the best thing to hit Beacon Hills in awhile.”

“A close second at best.”

“Woooow,” I said and he laughed. “Just drive the car, Stiles.”

“Hey text Scott for me would you?” Stiles said as he put the car in drive. “Let him know we’re rescuing him from boredom.”

As we drove I texted Scott but he didn’t answer of course because he’s either asleep or overthinking about lacrosse. Or both, which is entirely possible. We pulled up to Scott’s house and the light was on in his room but he still wasn’t answering either of our texts.

“I know he’s up there.” I said.

“Maybe he’s sleep?” Stiles offered.

“Nah,” I replied. “And even if he is, he’s gotta wake his ass up. I have an idea.”

While Stiles climbed up on the house I found tiny pebbles and threw them at Scott’s window. I also rustled a few leaves for good measure. I saw the light to his room go off and then I hid behind a bush with my phone. The front door opened and I had a to cover my mouth so I didn’t laugh out loud at the sight before me. Scott McCall scared, with a baseball bat.

I signaled to Stiles and then he dropped down causing both him and Scott to scream. I couldn’t take it anymore and fell down from behind the bush laughing. Scott looked from me to Stiles and then started yelling.

“Stiles what the hell are you doing!”

“You weren’t answering your phone!” Stiles yelled back defensively. “Why do you have a bat!”

“That’s a good question,” I dusted the leaves off my jeans. “Why do you have a bat?”

“I thought you were a predator or something!”

“A predator? You know what that’s not important. Listen, I saw my dad leave like twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called and they’re bringing in every officer from Beacon department and even state police.” Stiles said.

“For what?”

“There’s a body in the woods!” I jumped up and down. “Two joggers found it!”

“A dead body?” Scott’s ears perked up.

“No,” Stiles said as he jumped down from the roof. “A body of water. Yes dumbass, it’s a dead body!”

“So like murder?” Scott said.

“No one knows yet. All they know is that it was a girl and she was probably in her twenties.” Stiles explained.

“Tell him the best part.” I smiled.

“Is there a best part? If they already have the body then what are they looking for?” Scott looked at me.

“They only found half.” Stiles and I said in unison.

“Holy shit are you serious?”

“Yes!” I said. “And we’re going to everyone in the Jeep.”

On the way there we argued over which of us could find the body first, this of course went on for several minutes before I had to remind them that we’re the three musketeers for a reason and we’ll find the body together. They rolled their eyes at me but agreed nonetheless.

As well pulled up to the Preserve I could see Scott getting uneasy. “Are we really doing this?” He asked as we all got out of the car.

“Yes!” I grabbed his shoulders. “It’s gonna be awesome.”

“Besides,” Stiles said as he clicked on his flashlight. “You’re the one always bitching that nothing ever happens around here.”

“Yeah but I was trying to get a good night sleep in before practice tomorrow.” Scott said as we started to walk through the woods.

“Right,” Stiles laughed. “Cause sitting on the benches is such a grueling effort.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” I hit him. “You guys could get off the bench this year!”

“You’re cute,” he smiled at me.

“I’m serious!”

“She has a point you know,” Scott said. “We’re playing this year. In fact, I’m gonna make first line.”

“You know what, I admire the optimism.” Stiles said.

“Really?”

“Yes! Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one.” He smiled at us.

“You’re such an asshole,” I laughed.

“Moving on,” Scott said. “Out of curiosity, do you know what half of the body we’re actually looking for?”

“You know what, I didn't even think about that.” Stiles replied. “But hey, that’s the fun part!”

“Okay, well what if whoever killed the body is still out here?”

“Also something I didn’t think about.” Stiles said.

“You didn’t really think this through did you?”

“Not really.”

“Both of you are just, tragic.” I shook my head at them.

We walked in silence for awhile until we came up to a steep incline. Scott and Stiles went up first and then they helped me up. We were all winded by the time we were all standing and the cool end-of-summer air wasn’t helping the sharp intakes of breath we were all having.

“Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight huh?” Scott exasperated as he took a hit from his inhaler.

Stiles ignored him and continued walking. I shrugged at Scott and then the two of us followed closely behind. I looked up at the moon and saw that it was full, full and absolutely beautiful. Especially on a clear night like this one. Bumping into something hard pulls me from my fixation. When I looked up I saw that I had bumped into Scott’s back. Before I could ask what the hold up was, Stiles yanked us both down. I was just about to yell at him before I saw the twinkle of other flashlights followed by police and police dogs.

Before I could acknowledge that this was probably not our best idea, Stiles bolted up and took off around the array of flashlights. Scott and I whisper yelled his name but he either didn’t hear us or ignored us because he kept going. I rolled my eyes and then we both got up and chased after him. I, a little faster than Scott who kept taking hits from his inhaler. I caught up to Stiles and was about to grab his arm when the sound of a dog barking and a light being flashed in our face caught us off guard. We fell to the ground screaming and holding onto each other.

“Oh my god please don’t kill us!” I screamed. “We’re sorry, we’ll leave! I’m only fifteen! Oh my god, Stiles this is all your fault!”

“We’re about to die and those are your last words to me, really!” He screamed back.

Only after hearing a distinctive voice did we realize we were not going to murdered. At least, not in the literal sense. “Hang on!” Sheriff Stilinski yelled. “These little delinquents belong to me.”

The officer rolled his eyes and pulled the dog away from us and then looked at us with a very, very disappointed face. “Hi, Sheriff Stilinski.” I looked down at my shoes.

“Dad,” Stiles said sheepishly.

“So,” he started. “Do you listen in on all of my phone calls?”

“No,” Stiles answered. “Not the boring ones.” I hit him in the arm and he looked at me. “What, Jada?”

Sheriff Stilinski sighed and then laughed. “Where’s the other part of the three musketeers?”

“Who Scott? Oh he’s at home. We tried to get him to come but he stayed like the good kid he is.” Stiles said.

“Yep,” I nodded. “That’s exactly where he is. He said he wanted to get a good night of sleep before the first day of school tomorrow. It’s just me and Stiles. We should really follow in his example, huh?”

“Mhm,” Stilinski smiled at me before he started pointing his flashlight. “Scott are you out there!”

I silently prayed Scott would just stay wherever he was hiding. Stilinski called his name again but he thankfully didn’t answer. He sighed and then turned his attention toward me, “Jada does your Mom know you’re out here?”

“Technically, no.” I smiled. “She’s working a double with Melissa and it would be super awesome if you didn’t call her.”

“Alright how about this,” He smiled as he put his arms around the two of us. “I’m gonna walk the two of you back to the Jeep. Stiles, you are gonna take Jada and Scott home because I know he’s around her somewhere, and then you and I are gonna have a little talk about invasion of privacy, okay?”

“Okay.” Stiles and I grumbled.

After Stiles dropped me off I texted Scott and told him to tell me when he got home and then subsequently passed out. When I woke up the next morning I was full of energy and excitement, I mean it was the first day of sophomore year! I jumped out of bed and got dressed. I did my makeup, made sure my hair looked good, took several selfies and then headed downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen to find my Mom leaning against the counter eating cereal. A matching bowl was waiting for me. “Good morning!” I said before I got a giant spoon full.

“Morning,” She smiled. “Are you excited for the first day?” When I nodded she kept talking. “You know, Sheriff Stilinski called me this morning.”

“Okay before you get mad, it was a last minute thing! And it was a dead body! Plus you know how hard it is for me to say no to my best friends.” I said.

“Your best friends as in plural or just Stiles? Cause you say no to Scott all the time.”

“Really, Mama?”

“I’m just saying you should tell him you have a crush on him.”

“No!” I said a little too loudly and a tiny gust of wind went through kitchen. “Oops, sorry. But no, you and Scott need to let it go. I’ll tell him when I’m ready, which will be never as to not upset the delicate balance of our trifecta.”

“The wind you just sent through the house says otherwise, Jada.”

I ignored her and scarfed down whatever was left of my cereal. “It’s fine, Mama. Everything is under control.”

“Uh huh,” She said as she put both of our bowls in the sink. “Let’s keep it that way,” She handed me my backpack and grabbed her keys.

We were halfway to school when she brought up the wind, or rather the cause of the wind today. “I know you already said you wouldn’t but do not use magic to help Scott or Stiles at lacrosse practice today.”

“I won’t,” I grumbled. “But when can I tell them I’m a witch? It’s literally one of the only secrets I’ve ever kept from them.”

“Soon.” She squeezed my hand. “You have good control but you still have a few slip ups like this morning, your powers are in a direct line with your emotions.”

“I know.”

“You just have to make sure you’re the one controlling the magic not the other way around, okay?”

“Okay,” I smiled as we pulled up to the school. “Thanks, Mama.”

“Of course,” she said. “Oh I see the knuckleheads.” I climbed out of the car and shut the door. She rolled down the window and blew me a kiss, “Have a good day! Remember what I said and remember I want a full report at the end of the day!”

I caught up to Stiles and Scott just as Scott was lifting his shirt to reveal a giant piece of gauze on his side. “What the hell happened!” I screamed.

“My thoughts exactly,” Stile said.

“It was too dark to see anything but I’m pretty sure it was a wolf.” Scott explained.

“A wolf?” I said. “Is that why you didn’t answer my text about when you got home?”

“Yeah,” Scott said as he put his shirt back down. “I was slightly preoccupied.”

“Nope, sorry, there’s no chance a wolf bit you.” Stiles said as we started walking into school.

“And how would you know?” Scott looked at him. “I heard the wolf howl.”

“No you didn’t,” Stiles responded.

“I know what I heard.”

“Well then you heard wrong because California doesn’t have wolves, okay? Not for like at least sixty years.”

“Ah, well then if you don’t believe me about the wolves then you’re definitely not gonna believe me when I tell you I found the other half of the body last night.” Scott smiled.

Stiles and I stopped walking and whipped around. “Holy shit, you didn’t!” I said.

“Dude I wish,” Scott said. “I’m gonna have nightmares for at least a month.”

“Nightmares! You should’ve taken a picture, I would have loved to see that!”

“Exactly!” Stiles said. “I mean this is the best thing that’s happened to this town since the birth of Lydia Martin.” I felt a pang of sadness when he said that, I mean I know he has a crush on Lydia but I was hoping maybe he would have one on me too.

Lydia was walking in our direction and Stiles smiled. “Hey Lydia,” he started but she kept walking. “You look like you’re gonna ignore me.”

Scott and I laughed, although mine was forced and Stiles rolled his eyes at us. “This is your fault, you know.”

“How is this our fault?” Scott said.

“Well it’s not Jada’s fault she’s awesome but you Scott, completely bringing us down with the nerdiness. We are nerds by association. You have scarlet nerded us.”

“We’re nerds anyway,” I rolled my eyes as we walked inside the school. “In case you forgot Stiles you and I literally spent roughly two and half days watching all the Harry Potter and Star Wars movies not even a month ago.”

“That is completely beside the point,” Stiles smiled at me.

“Is it, though?”

After that we went our separate ways before class. Stiles’ locker is on the other end of the hallway from Scott and mine which subsequently are right next to each other this year. I was taking all my books out of my locker for the week, leaving only the one I needed for our first class, when Scott slammed his locker shut.

“What!” I yelled. “Geez why are you slamming your locker like that?”

“Because you need to tell Stiles how you feel about him!”

“Keep your voice down!” I shut my locker and swung my backpack back on my shoulder. “You want the whole school to find out!”

“The whole school does know! The only people who don’t know how you feel about Stiles are you and Stiles.”

“Excuse me?”

“You like him more then you let on! Your eyes do this weird sparkle thing plus you looked like someone punched you in the stomach when he mentioned Lydia.”

“I’ll tell him when I’m good and ready okay?” Scott sighed and rolled his eyes at my comment which in turn made me skeptical. “You’re not gonna tell him are you?”

“No, God!” Scott looked at me. “I would have to sedate you if I did. I’m just saying, we’ve been the three musketeers since third grade and nothings gonna change that. Not even the two of you being together. When you get over that fear I’ll be right here.”

“Worst best friend ever,” I rolled my eyes as we walked into class.

“Love you too,” He laughed as we sat in our seats waiting for Stiles and then the teacher to arrive.

#teen wolf #scott mccall #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski x oc #supernatural oc #lydia martin #sheriff stilinski #melissa mcall #witch!oc #teen wolf fanfiction

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beastgamerkuma · 5 years

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Good Morning fellow gamers and Happy New Year. We made it once again and of course it is a New Year to look at some titles that you might want to keep on your radar. So, this Beast gamer right here is here to tell you my personal list of games that I am keeping a close eye out on. Just a heads up that some links will take you to Play-Asia.com which helps us in the long run. All right shameless plug over lets get to that list.

Anthem First Up!

This is one of the highly anticipated games that also has me worried. You know that feeling when something looks damn good and the developers show actual gameplay from jump. It just looks way too good to be true, but I am still all in since this might be the game I am looking for. It has that nice Iron Man feel to it and a hint of Fantasy as each soldier has their own special abilities.

This new Bioware title will be available on Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 Pro and PC. Thankfully you obtained more time with a February 22, 2019 release date.

“The game features a shared-world where players can either play it solo or through a co-operative multiplayer. Team up with up to four members of your squad and fight savage beasts and ruthless marauders. Explore lost ruins and encounter massive, world-altering terrain occurrences.”

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Looking forward to that and of course we have to share some of the features.

Venture into danger – In this shared-world action-RPG, you and your friends are Freelancers – the bold few with the courage to leave civilization behind, explore a landscape of primeval beauty, and confront the dangers you find

Unite with friends – Up to four players band together to take on whatever perils you discover as a heroic team. As your friends support you in your journey, so do you victories and rewards benefit your friends

Rise to any challenge – Wield an arsenal of Javelin exosuits, each equipped with unique weapons and abilities. Customize them with gear you earn and craft, then use them to fly, leap, and climb through a contiguous open world

Chart your path – Experience massive, world-altering occurrences like Shaper Storms. Fight savage beasts and ruthless marauders. Delve forgotten ruins as you seek to defeat the forces plotting to conquer humanity

Control your fate – Your power grows with every step into the unknown. Whether plunder, revenge, or gory lures you onward, your choices will irrevocably change you – and the world around you.

Be sure to pre-order here.

Devil May Cry 5

This is a long lineage going back from the PS2 days and now with the fifth installment will it live up to the legacy? It was a hit or miss with the DMC titles, I am one that enjoyed the reboot which had more of a badass western feel towards it. The combat has always been my favorite and of course the monster designs were top notch.

Several years after the Order of the Sword incident… An unusual phenomenon suddenly appears in Red Grave City. A gigantic tree pierces through the surface in the middle of town, attacking with roots that drain the poor citizens of their blood. Young Devil Hunter Nero races into Red Grave aboard the mobile Devil May Cry vehicle with his partner Nico, a self-styled “artisan of arms” who provides Nero with his new weapons.

Nero seeks to recover many things in Red Grave: Lost pride…stolen power…and a man left behind. Brandishing his beloved Red Queen sword and custom Blue Rose revolver, Nero plunges into Red Grave, routing the demon hordes as he makes for the menacing phenomenon in the city center. All the while, a new power crackles through his right arm. The all-new anti-demon arm known as the Devil Breaker. “Not bad…let’s see what this can do!”

Now there is a playable demo on Xbox One, but many of you might not have that chance, so check out this video.

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Features:

Legendary action series returns – The 16 million unit selling series is back with original Director Hideaki Itsuno at the helm of development

A battle of good and evil – A demonic invasion begins with the seeds of a “demon tree” taking root in Red Grave City. This hellish incursion attracts the attention of the young demon hunter, Nero, an ally of Dante who now finds himself without his demonic arm, the source of much of his power. The supernatural family drama also continues as Dante, the Son of Sparda, seeks revenge for his brother’s corruption and mother’s murder

High octane stylized action – Featuring three playable characters each with a radically different stylish combat play style as they take on the city overrun with demons

Groundbreaking graphics – Developed with Capcom’s in-house proprietary RE engine, the series continues to achieve new heights infidelity with graphics that utilize photorealistic character designs and stunning lighting and environmental effects

Take down the demonic invasion – Battle against epic bosses in adrenaline-fueled fights across the over-run Red Grave City

Demon hunter – Nero, one of the series main protagonists and a young demon hunter who has the blood of Sparda, heads to Red Grave City to face the hellish onslaught of demons, with weapons craftswoman and new partner-in-crime, Nico

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You will be able to fight your own demons come March 8th, 2019 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Be sure to pre-order here.

Dead or Alive 6

This is a personal favorite of mine actually being a fan since day one since it has an interesting fight system. The counter attacks are one of the best in any fighting game and going back and forth is where the challenge begins. So what do we expect for this sixth installment and hopefully it is not a cash grab like Core Fighters was.

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After a sinister incident in a village… Kasumi, a successor of the legendary Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, abandoned her clan and became a “runaway ninja,” secretly living in a hermitage in a mountain village. Meanwhile, Helena Douglas, president of the new DOATEC, is involved in an incident…And yet another…. A so-called genius chuckles at a mysterious light emitting an aura… Behind a quiet time, a sinister plan is set in motion.The passing days are about to be unduly overturned due to an open desire. As Kasumi writes to her mother, her pen overflows with hesitation. …It’s not over yet.

Features:

Break Gauge System – A Special Attack meter new to the series. use the Break Gauge to Execute new tactics such as a Break Blow or a Break hold.

Break Blow – A Break Blow is a special skill which has a powerful smash while parrying an enemy strike.

Break Hold – A Break Hold is the ultra hold which returns upper, middle, and lower attacks.

Fatal Rush – Fatal Rush is a powerful combo attack of up to four neatly animated punches and kicks making a first time player look like an expert.

DOA Central – The new DOA CENTRAL mode is open! Customize your favorite characters before joining the fight!

Danger Zones – These are special regions found in most stages that cause heavy damage when a fighter gets knocked into them. Danger Zones can range from basic walls to blockbuster explosions and careening cars. Some Stages also have Danger Zones within the Floors as well.

Rumble Danger – If a fighter is blown into the crowd, the spectators around the edge of the ring can push the fighter back in and will lose their balance and stagger. This creates an opening for the perfect chance to attack.

Mass-Destruction – Stage Objects such as boxes or jars are destructible. Earn extra damage by blowing opponents into them. Broken items do not regenerate, but you may want to break them before your opponent decides to use them on you.

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Be sure to pre-order your copies here.

Ace Combat 7

Hitting the Danger Zone is a nice thrill for any pilot looking for a mixture of Ariel combat and Sci-Fi creativity. You will have access to maybe planes with a rich story to get a hold of.

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“ACE COMBAT players and fans looking for more ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN goodness will want to reserve their copy of the ACE COMBAT 7: Aces at War Bundle which will be produced in limited quantities and offered exclusively on the BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Official Store. The ACE COMBAT 7: Aces at War Bundle will include the game, a special SteelBook® case, and a 150-page ACES at WAR: A HISTORY 2019 art book containing exclusive illustrations, interviews, and four short stories written by Japanese writer-director Sunao Katabuchi. Players can check out the goods for both the PlayStation®4 and Xbox One versions of the Aces at War Bundle.”

Features:

INNOVATION IN THE SKY – Breathtaking clouds coupled with highly detailed aircraft and photorealistic scenery make this the most engaging Ace Combat to date.

RETURN TO STRANGEREAL – The alternative Ace Combat universe composed of real-world current and near-future weapons, but with a history steeped in Ace Combat lore.

VIRTUAL COMBAT – VR missions made exclusively for the PlayStation VR that provide unprecedented immersion.

Ace Combat 7 will drop on Janurary 18th, 2019 and please pre-order here.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

It is not Tenchu but it is as close as we are going to get and I am impressed. Saw Sekiro first at the Sony Experience last year and I was quite amazed by the action and story lore that goes with it.

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Features:

Kill Ingeniously – FromSoftware delivers their best in class combat in this fast-paced, action-adventure game featuring all new mechanics.

Exploration is key – Players will experience the thrill of exploration and discovery in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice like never before. Through exploration, players can uncover new items, meet new characters, and encounter hidden enemies.

Armed – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice gameplay is centred around sword combat, enhanced by a variety of prosthetic arm attachments that supplement or change the way a player fights. Achieving strategic mastery of “Sekiro” or the “one-armed wolf’s” techniques and abilities, from prosthetic tools, swordplay to stealth and the grappling hook is no easy feat. To overcome difficulties and bring each situation under control, gamers must discover, integrate and use a variety of new tools when heading into combat.

One-armed wolf – Play as a highly talented shinobi in the service of a young lord raised in isolation. After suffering defeat at the hands of a shadowy Ashina samurai seeking the unique heritage of your master, the two of you are separated. Deep in the mountains, in a dilapidated temple, you reawaken to your fate. You must take back your master and exact revenge on your enemy at all cost.

Hard to the core – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a hard-core game worthy of the name FromSoftware. Miyazaki designed Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice this way! Fans of FromSoftware will find the gameplay challenging, yet fun and rewarding. The quality of combat, level of challenge, and creative enemies and bosses are something that can only be found in a FromSoftware title.

Reimagined world – This reimagining of Japanese aesthetic blends a withered, yet vivid, world of the late 1500s Sengoku Japan as the age of warring states nears its end. Witness a world brought to its knees by constant bloodshed; a ravaged world on the brink of destruction. Explore these environments, rich with FromSoftware’s intricate design and steeped with secrets to discover.

Larger than life enemies – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice features fantastical fearsome enemies and bosses. Players will battle with larger-than-life enemies that will test their mettle in a variety of situations. From hidden enemies to discover to 3D combat, the quality of creative enemies and bosses are something that can only be found in a FromSoftware title.

Resurrection – Used as an opportunity for a tactical retreat or to deceive an enemy and go on the counter-offensive, this new combat strategy allows players to resurrect on the spot, even after a hasty death.

A fantastical, dark, and twisted new gameplay experience awaits you in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice. It is developed by the notable dev team, From Software, and published by Activision. It is an action-adventure game combined with RPG elements. The game is directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and is played in a third-person perspective.

March 22nd, 2019 is your day to deal with the Shadows so pre-order here.

Fae Tactics: The Girl who Destroyed the World

Indie titles are always on the list because the creators have a lot of heart and catches my eye.

Team Vs Speed – Endless Fluff Games went back and forth on this idea on how their game would be. Luckily they settled on a Hybrid style makes it the best of both worlds. “The combat is still locked into rounds and each unit only has one turn per round. The Speed stat determines where they are on the turn order, so having a higher speed gives you the advantage of going first or the flexibility to delay your turn until you feel the moment is right to make your move.”

Spell Talisman – You will be allowed to have up to 3 spell talismans, but there are over 40 spells in development. As of right now, there is 29 which gives gamers a lot of room to strategize on what they will need and utilize. Either be defensive or offensive or mix it up as well as support spells. Keep in mind you and the enemy can only use one spell per round so think on that. Expect some cool down with spells as well.

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As prior post stated you will be updated as time goes on but for now keep an eye on on Humble Bundle. Coming Soon.

Hades – Battle out of Hell

Defy the god of death as you hack and slash your way out of the Underworld in this rogue-like dungeon crawler from the creators of Bastion and Transistor.

Rogue Like video games are quite fun in a frustrating way which is hilarious to me. Hades Battle Out of Hell shows the fun in rebelling against your parent and this time you will have to deal with the entire house. I find that funny because all you want to do is leave!

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Right now there is an Early Access Offer for PC which goes for 20 bucks and that not that bad.

We got to work on Hades less than a month after our previous game, Pyre, launched on July 25, 2017. Each time we’ve completed a project, we’ve found ourselves eager to dive into something new. This time around, we wanted to make something that combined aspects of all the best ideas we’d picked up over the course of working on our three previous games: the immediacy and accessibility of Bastion, the rich atmosphere and combat depth of Transistor, and the big and colorful cast of characters and forward-moving story structure in Pyre.

Hades is also our first game adapted from an existing mythology — the world of Greek myth. We felt we had a unique perspective on this theme, and saw the adaptation process as a new and exciting creative opportunity to explore. Our take on Greek mythology assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. Yet, those familiar with Greek myth should find our take on it to be true to the spirit of the source material, from Homer to Hesiod. Greek myth comes from stories of ancient gods and heroes filtered through new points of view; we’re excited to share ours.

Epic Games website can provide you with Early Access and you can check that out here.

Crackdown 3

It was a smart move on Microsoft to have Terry Crews as the front runner for an explosive action packed game! I still remember the first time trying out crackdown on because we got an opportunity to play a new Halo title. Too our surprise Crackdown was actually good. They kind of dropped the ball on the sequel but I still had my fun. Here is to hoping with Crackdown 3.

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“Our fans’ response to the signature antics and explosive gameplay of “Crackdown 3” has been incredible. To ensure we deliver the experience they deserve, “Crackdown 3” will be launching in Feb 2019. We look forward to sharing more on “Crackdown 3″ this Sunday during the Xbox E3 2018 briefing.” – via WindowsCentral

As an Agent it is your duty to take down the criminal element even if the city must go through a lot of collateral damage. It was supposed to be slated for release in 2018, but I stated before I rather developers take their time on video games instead of rushing them out the door.

Features:

Skills for kills – Level up your super-Agent skills to jump over skyscrapers, hurl trucks at your enemies and fight like a boss

Dangerous open-world playground – Play with up to four friends over Xbox Live to take out a violent criminal empire and use the city as a weapon against your enemies

Crime claps back – Lure vindictive crime lords out of their strongholds by roughing up their street soldiers, attacking criminal operations and taking out high-value gang captains

Boom goes the dynamite – Join with up to 10 agents online to tear the city apart piece by piece in a 100% destructible multiplayer arena, available with your purchase of Crackdown 3

Pre-order here!

Resident Evil 2 Remake

Our very own Kikee took first jabs at this new in her previous post last year which you can check out here.

In Resident Evil 2, the classic action, tense exploration, and puzzle solving gameplay that defined the Resident Evil series returns. Players join rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who are thrust together by a disastrous outbreak in Raccoon City that transformed its population into deadly zombies. Both Leon and Claire have their own separate playable campaigns, allowing players to see the story from both characters’ perspectives. The fate of these two fan-favorite characters is in players hands as they work together to survive and get to the bottom of what is behind the terrifying attack on the city. Will they make it out alive?

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Features:

A spine-chilling reimagining of a horror classic – Based on the original PlayStation console release in 1998, the new game has been completely rebuilt from the ground up for a deeper narrative experience

A whole new perspective – New over-the-shoulder camera mode and modernized control scheme creates a more modern take on the survival horror experience and offers players a trip down memory lane with the original gameplay modes from the 1998 release

Terrifyingly realistic visuals – Built on Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine, Resident Evil 2 delivers breathtakingly photorealistic visuals in 4K whilst stunning lighting creates an up-close, intense and atmospheric experience as players roam the corridors of the Raccoon City Police Department (RPD)

Face the grotesque hordes – Zombies are brought to life with a horrifyingly realistic wet gore effect as they react in real time taking instantly visible damage, making every bullet count

Iconic series defining gameplay – Engage in frenzied combat with enemies, explore dark menacing corridors, solve puzzles to access areas and collect and use items discovered around the environment in a terrifying constant fight for survival

See favorite characters in a whole new light – Join rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy on his first day in the job and college student Claire Redfield, who is searching for her brother amidst a terrifying zombie epidemic

Step into the rookie shoes of both heroes – Enjoy separately playable campaigns for both Leon and Claire, allowing players to see the story from both characters’ perspective

This is an exciting time for horror fans and I do hope it keeps to its style of fear and great jump scares. In that definitely pre-order your copy here.

Jump Force

This one is pretty simple to get into. What do you get when you add all the Shonen Jump characters into one Universe to brawl and you get something intriguing.

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Standard Edition ($59.99)

JUMP FORCE software

Deluxe Edition ($89.99)

JUMP FORCE software

Character Pass

Nine additional playable characters post-release

Access each DLC character release four days before they are available on digital storefronts

Ultimate Edition ($99.99)

JUMP FORCE software

Early access to full JUMP FORCE experience three days before official February 15, 2019 launch date

Character Pass

Nine additional playable characters post-release

Access each DLC character release four days before they are available on digital storefronts

16 Avatar T-shirts used for Avatar customization

Jump Start Pack

Includes various consumable in-game items to give players a jump start at the beginning of their journey

Jump Force will star the world’s most popular and classic anime franchises such as Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto, and many others. Players are tasked to form their three-character anime dream team and bring them into battle. Get ready to fight in Jump Force’s unique setting. The game introduces you the merging of the Jump World and the Real World. Battle with your foes with stunning backdrops of various landmarks around the globe. This includes New York City’s Times Square and the Matterhorn in the Alps.

The borders that separate our world from the Jump world have been destroyed. With this, the evil forces from the other world are spreading all over the real world to rule over mankind. Now, the greatest manga/anime heroes such as Goku, Luffy, Naruto, and others must work together to turn down the evil forces of the Jump World.

Features:

A unique setting, merging the Jump World and the Real World

The Jump Force, an alliance of the most powerful Manga heroes from Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto and much more

Realistic graphics bring Manga characters to life like never before

Jump Force releases on February 15th, 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Grab your pre-order here.

BONUS STAGE: Kingdom Hearts III

This was an obvious choice, but I can’t help but add this title to the list. Kingdom Hearts has always been a unique title being that it is a mixture of the Final Fantasy universe and the Disney Universe. I think they go hand in hand with dreams and fantasy as well was tragedy. There is a sad story to be involved with, but it is a strong story of friendship.

KINGDOM HEARTS III tells the story of the power of friendship as Sora and his friends embark on a perilous adventure. Set in a vast array of Disney and Pixar worlds, KINGDOM HEARTS follows the journey of Sora, a young boy and unknowing heir to a spectacular power. Sora is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy to stop an evil force known as the Heartless from invading and overtaking the universe.

Through the power of friendship, Sora, Donald and Goofy unite with iconic Disney-Pixar characters old and new to overcome tremendous challenges and persevere against the darkness threatening their worlds.

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Features:

Adventure in Disney and Pixar Worlds – Embark on an adventure that spans the Disney universe: Travel across Disney-Pixar worlds to protect them from the Heartless invasion, and befriend and join heroes from Toy Story, Big Hero 6, Tangled, Hercules and more

Unlock the Power of the Keyblades – The powerful Keyblade can now transform into additional forms with new attacks, moves and animations. Players can equip multiple Key-blades, and combo their attacks between different themed Key-blades.

Experience the Magic – Cast visually stunning, powerful magic spells to battle the Heartless. Call upon Disney-Pixar friends and partner with them for support. Turn the tide of combat by summoning theme park inspired attractions using the all-new “Attractions.”

Prepare for Battle Interact directly with the Disney-Pixar world. Players will fight off swarms of Heartless as they scale massive cliffs, dive deep underwater or even as they fall freely through the air

Relive Classic Disney Shorts Through Mini-games Take a break from saving the world with mini-games inspired by classic Disney short films.

Kingdom Hearts III finally embraces fans on January 29th, 2019 so please pre-order here.

This is just the beginning of the new year and please feel free to share your own persona list in the comments below. I hope everyone has a great New Year and lets make 2019 popping. – Beast Out –

Beast Top Ten Games for 2019 to Grab Good Morning fellow gamers and Happy New Year. We made it once again and of course it is a New Year to look at some titles that you might want to keep on your radar.

#Ace Combat 7: Skies Unkown #Anthem #Crackdown 3 #Dead or Alive 6 #Devil May Cry 5 #Fae Tactics: The Girl Who Destroyed the World #Hades: Battle out of Hell #Jump Force #pc gaming #Play-Asia #PlayStation 4 #Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice #Video Games #Xbox One

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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Just when you thought it was safe to relax, for no further new TV shows were coming to humbly request your eyeballs, The CW decided to start premiering most of its shows this week.

The tiny network — home to some of TV’s best shows, like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend — traditionally waits for October to debut its series, where they can premiere slightly outside of the biggest crush of fall TV season. But with the network expanding to Sunday nights for the first time this fall, it’s got more new series to flaunt than usual, to say nothing of all of its returning shows.

Thus, this week, we offer thoughts on The CW’s new high school drama All American, as well as its reboot of the venerable witch show Charmed. Finally, we have thoughts on HBO’s new series from Girls producers Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, Camping, which also marks Jennifer Garner’s return to TV.

Few of these shows are great, and as critics, we often have limited information on whether they’ll get better. (It’s rare to impossible for broadcast networks, especially, to send out many episodes for review beyond the first couple.) But there’s something in all of these shows worth checking out, especially if you’re a particular fan of their genres.

(A note: We’ve only given ratings to shows where we feel we’ve seen enough episodes to judge how successful they will be long-term.)

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Who doesn’t like a teen drama about a boy from an underprivileged background getting a hand up into the world of the rich and comfortable? It’s been the story of many, many teen soaps over the years, but perhaps most famously on The O.C., where Chino-born Ryan Atwood found himself suddenly living among the spoiled and pampered denizens of Orange County.

The CW’s new series All American takes that format and mixes it with Friday Night Lights for one of the strongest new dramas of the fall. It has its rough edges, but there’s something hard to beat about a good-hearted kid discovering the excesses of money and power, while those who have the money and power discover just how much they have in common with the new kid.

At the center of All American is Spencer (winning British newcomer Daniel Ezra), a football star at South LA’s public Crenshaw High. Spencer is black, and he comes from a majority-black neighborhood. (He’s also based on the real NFL player Spencer Paysinger.) When a coach for a Beverly Hills high school — played by Taye Diggs, who I never thought would make a great Coach Taylor but makes a great Coach Taylor — turns up to offer Spencer a chance at a role on a higher-profile team, Spencer worries about betraying his community before eventually realizing going to Beverly Hills could cement his future.

You can sort of see where this is going from there, but creator April Blair shows a refreshing willingness to keep the story moving throughout the first three episodes, unveiling a healthy dollop of plot twists and soapiness, while also giving her characters a whole lot of heart. Indeed, the twist at the end of the pilot takes the show from “pretty good” to “something I’ll give at least a season to figure itself out.”

There are issues here and there (the ensemble is perhaps a little too large for a show this young, and there’s way too much music to drive every emotional point home), but All American is an intriguing stew of teen soap tastes that taste great together. —Todd VanDerWerff

All American debuted Wednesday, October 10, on The CW and is available on the network’s website. Future episodes air Wednesdays at 9 pm on The CW.

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For whatever reason, The CW’s new spin on Charmed has been embroiled in controversy over its status as a reboot starring brand new actors, rather than a revival starring the show’s original cast. And, sure, the original series has die-hard fans, and in a climate where seemingly every other popular show from the ’90s is being revived just as it was back then, it’s not hard to imagine a world where that happened with Charmed, too.

But if those disgruntled Charmed fans tune in to the new version, they’re likely to find a show that, despite a pilot that’s a bit of a mess, has the right elements in place to become just as fun as that earlier series (if not more fun — that original show could be a bit of a mess itself). Most importantly, Jessica O’Toole, Amy Rardin, and Jennie Snyder Urman (of Jane the Virgin fame), who developed this new Charmed, have nailed the single most important element of the show: the casting.

To make a show about three sisters who are witches — and so much more powerful when together than when apart — you really need three actors who simultaneously exude raw supernatural power and a sisterhood that feels real, not assembled right before shooting the pilot. (Even if you know that’s what happened.) And Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffery absolutely seem like sisters, with all the attendant benefits and baggage that relationship carries.

Plus, revamping this show to be about a Latina family offers a subtly powerful twist on the idea of those without traditional political power having untapped reserves of raw power. The pilot could do more with this idea (and the series hopefully will), but at least the sisters never feel like they’ve been made Latina to score empty diversity points.

The pilot gets stuck trying to do too much, establishing the sisters’ powers and setting up a longer mystery about an unsolved murder and offering up a #MeToo metaphor as its monster of the week. But with this cast (including a very game Rupert Friend as guardian angel Harry) and smart writers behind the scenes, Charmed will hopefully find itself very quickly. —TV

Charmed debuts Sunday, October 14, at 9 pm Eastern on The CW.

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Watching the four episodes of Camping that were sent out for review, I couldn’t help but think of another recent HBO series: Vice Principals. The shape of that series wasn’t immediately apparent in the first couple of episodes, and what it ended up being was vastly different from (and better than) what its beginning suggested. It rewarded the viewer for watching through to the end.

It seems as though Camping might fit a similar bill, though I would hesitate to presume that it’ll pull off the same gambit. Created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, and adapted from the British series of the same name, Camping doesn’t really make any progress in the first half of its season.

The reasons to watch are apparent from the start: The cast is absolutely stacked, with Jennifer Garner simultaneously playing to type and against type as Kathryn, who works day in and day out to make her life as flawless and meticulously ordered as her Instagram account. David Tennant is perfectly cast as her husband, Walt; he’s as easygoing as Kathryn is wound-up, as embodied by his lankiness and penchant for bucket hats.

Filling out the rest of the group of friends (just imagine quotation marks around the word) out camping in celebration of Walt’s 45th birthday, there’s Ione Skye, Chris Sullivan, Janicza Bravo, Brett Gelman, Arturo Del Puerto, Juliette Lewis — there’s not a weak performance in the bunch.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite enough. By the season’s halfway point, Camping seems to be fixated on showcasing people behaving badly — whether on their own or due to outside influence — without necessarily having a larger point to make. It’s thin ice for any series to skate on, but even more so when a series asks its audience to invest in characters written to be annoying or self-involved. These people are poison to each other — why keep watching them?

A few moments shine — again, the cast is terrific, and manages to find bits of truthfulness in the way these characters tear at each other — but without a firm sense of plot or structure to keep it all together, the show falters. —Karen Han

Camping debuts Sunday, October 14, at 10 pm Eastern on HBO.

As mentioned, basically everything on The CW is back this week. (Some shows — notably Jane the Virgin — are being held for midseason, of course.) That includes the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Friday at 8 pm), which kicks off with a bang, as Rebecca Bunch finds herself in prison. A happy ending to this saga might seem a stretch at this point, but we’d settle for a “mostly okay” ending, honestly.

If you love streaming shows, this is a hectic week, too. Netflix brings the terrific new cooking docu-series Salt Fat Acid Heat (Thursday), based on the book of the same name, and the superbly spooky Haunting of Hill House (Friday). Amazon, meanwhile, launches the first season of Mad Men creator Matt Weiner’s The Romanoffs (also Friday), while the new streaming service DC Universe unveils the gritty Teen Titans reboot Titans (whaddaya know, it’s debuting on Friday). We’ll have full reviews of some of these in the days to come.

If you’re a fan of podcast hosts, HBO launches its TV version of Pod Save America (Friday at 11 pm) and ABC launches The Alec Baldwin Show (Sunday at 10 pm), should you require a TV version of something originally designed to appeal to your earballs.

Finally, if you’re me (Todd), then the only thing you care about is adult swim’s Harvey Birdman: Attorney General (Monday at midnight), a brand new special reuniting the voice cast of the original Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, one of the great, silly spoofs of the 2000s. Sing it with me now! Whooooooo is the man in the suit? Whooooooo is the cat with the be-eak!

Original Source -> This week in TV: a teen drama to check out, a new spin on Charmed, and Jennifer Garner

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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kcaruth · 7 years

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Most Anticipated Films of 2017

Can you believe that we are already in the second month of 2017? What better time is there to talk about my most anticipated films for this year? I thought I would take a break from the rankings on this one and simply go through the films in the order of their release dates. Let’s get started!

The LEGO Batman Movie

2014′s The LEGO Movie was a surprising hit, and Batman was a big part of that success. As a result, he now gets to star in his own LEGO movie. Is it sad that this has a higher chance of being the better Batman movie than DC’s Batman flick at this point?

Logan

If Oscars could be awarded for trailers alone, Logan would be a front-runner with that Johnny Cash masterpiece. Logan has a very distinctive feel to it that is quite separate from the X-Men film universe, which might turn out to be a really good thing. Let’s be honest: Who is actually able to keep track of that all over the place timeline from the main films anyway? This Last of Us inspired solo film looks like it will do justice to the character of Wolverine and be a fitting sendoff for actor Hugh Jackman.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was not one of my favorite Disney movies when I was growing up, but this live-action film looks gorgeous. Emma Watson, beautiful as always, is the perfect fit for Belle, and the voice acting for the servants sounds like it is going to be spot-on. The music sounds great too. All signs seem to point to Disney having another hit on its hands.

The Circle

Let’s follow up Beauty and the Beast with another Emma Watson film, The Circle. Based on Dave Eggers’ 2013 novel of the same name, The Circle imagines what the world would be like if a powerful and influential technology company like Google took control and created a surveillance society, leaving no room for privacy in the digital age. The book was written well enough that it was hard to put down, so I hope the film is just as good, if not better.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film was an overwhelming success for Marvel. With C-list characters that casual fans had never even heard of, the first Guardians paved the way for other characters like Ant-Man to have their own films. The chemistry between the actors looks even better than before, and the Soul Stone might make an appearance and be the connecting tissue between the Guardians and the Avengers. I doubt this Guardians sequel will buck the trend of Marvel’s less than memorable villains, but it should be a hilarious, entertaining ride with another stellar soundtrack nonetheless.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

In the fifth film of the series, Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon while Javier Bardem’s Captain Salazar hunts him down. Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa will also turn up again, and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner will make his return after being absent from the fourth installment. Who knows? Kiera Knightley’s Elizabeth Swan may also make a surprise appearance. I will be the first to admit that I was not a fan of On Stranger Tides. It was so forgettable that the only details I remember were mermaids were in it and Penelope Cruz was a new addition to the cast. I wish the series would go back to what made it so enjoyable in the first film, but the trailer for Dead Men Tell No Tales indicates that it would prefer to spiral further into mysticism and supernatural ghost crews. To be honest, I am only anticipating this film because of three reasons: (1) I want to see if it turns out to be any better than On Stranger Tides, (2) I miss the character of Captain Jack Sparrow, and (3) I am interested to see how Will Turner is doing in his stint as captain of the Flying Dutchman.

Wonder Woman

DC desperately needs this film to do well. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were both a mess. Wonder Woman gives DC the opportunity to scale things down a bit and focus on one single superhero. With Patty Jenkins at the helm as director, I am optimistic that Wonder Woman can follow in the footsteps of the first Captain America movie and turn out to be a fun blockbuster film with World War I as its setting. Now who else has Wonder Woman’s theme stuck in their head?

Spider-Man: Homecoming

One qualm before we move ahead: the above scene is a ripoff of the train scene in Spider-Man 2. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, it is nice to see Marvel gain control of Spider-Man again. Was I asking for yet another reboot of the classic comic book hero? No. Personally, I liked Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in the last series. There is no hiding the Amazing Spider-Man movies’ flaws, but they had their tremendously well executed moments too, most memorably this spoiler. However, this new reboot already has some good things going for it. Tom Holland killed it in Captain America: Civil War, and it is going to be great to see Robert Downey, Jr. come in as Tony Stark/ Iron Man as Peter Parker’s mentor. Let’s just hope that Michael Keaton’s Vulture is not Electro-level goofy as a villain.

Dunkirk

Slap Christopher Nolan’s name on a film, and tons of people are going to wait in line to see it. Nolan is the kind of director that can make the audience feel immersed in the world, and Dunkirk looks to be no different. The cinematography should be amazing, and Hans Zimmer should bring an epic score to the film. The fact that filming took place at the same location as the real historical evacuation during World War II only adds to the excitement for this war thriller.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Matthew Vaughn′s Kingsman: The Secret Service was one of my favorite films of 2015. The action was thrilling, the humor was hilarious, the soundtrack was amazing, and the acting was excellent but over the top when it needed to be to fit the film’s tone. Did I want a sequel? No, but I won’t be complaining so long as it does not tarnish the first film.

Blade Runner 2049

I did not see the original Blade Runner until my sophomore year of college. I did not come away loving it, but I appreciated it for what it was, especially for its notable moments like Roy Batty’s “Tears in Rain” monologue. Yet again, I have to ask: Did I want a sequel? No, but Denis Villeneuve, the masterful director of Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival, has been turning everything he touches into gold lately. Plus, Roger Deakins is handling cinematography responsibilities, Harrison Ford is returning, and Johann Johannsson is teaming up with Villeneuve once again to compose the score.

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor’s films can be utterly dull at some points, but the addition of the Hulk and Doctor Strange should add a much needed kick to Thor’s third solo film.

Justice League

DC has been rushing toward this film, and its track record so far does not leave much room for optimism. Fans can only hope that Zack Snyder can pull it all together and do justice to the comic book characters we grew up loving. I am most interested to see how he will introduce franchise newbies Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.

Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi

You didn’t think I would finish this list without mentioning Star Wars, did you? Disney and Lucasfilm recently revealed the title for Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. That sent off a wave of speculation. Why is the font red instead of the traditional yellow? Who is the last Jedi? Is it Luke? Will Luke die leaving Rey to be the last Jedi? Jedi can be singular or plural, so does that mean they will both survive? After the somewhat disappointing Rogue One, I am just ready to return to the main episodic storyline where we last left our beloved characters. Both the Resistance and the First Order will be scrambling, with Hosnian Prime decimated and Starkiller Base destroyed. Poe and Finn will probably go off on a mission together while Luke trains Rey, paralleling Snoke’s training of Kylo Ren. Hopefully, we will learn more about the mysterious Snoke and get to see some of the other Knights of Ren. I also hope we will get to see Luke in action as a central character of the film after we only got to see him for the last minute of The Force Awakens, and I have to wonder how they will handle Leia after the saddening, unexpected passing of Carrie Fisher. Tears will undoubtedly be shed when she first appears in the film. In the end, I trust that Disney and Lucasfilm will handle the character with respect for Fisher’s legacy. These 300-odd days will fly by before we know it, and we will all be back in that galaxy far, far away once again.

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