#man. his plot arc is short but surprisingly compelling for what it is. i still think about it a lot tbh

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

every now and then I just spontaneously remember that Arkk exists and that he was coded as a member of Scarlet's Army for reasons left entirely unexplained and I just go. huh.

#my posts #GW2 #Guild Wars 2 #arkk fascinates me for many many reasons tbh #aside from him being another entertaining antagonist with funny dialogue he's just. interesting. #there's an inherent tragedy to characters that are doomed by the narrative not just once but eternally #it's not enough that he can never win. he can also never stop trying and failing endlessly forever. he hasn't just lost he is Always Losing #every time he thinks it's the first time but the truth is he's already been dead in all the ways that matter for a long long time. #he's a ghost that will never find peace because his grave is a recording that will replay continuously until the universe itself unravels. #man. his plot arc is short but surprisingly compelling for what it is. i still think about it a lot tbh #anyway hcing that he knew Scarlet/Ceara at some point and that's why he's in her 'army' for coding purposes #you would've thought they'd make him like. inquest. but nope they did that and I still wonder what the thinking was tbh #timeline-wise it'd probably make the most sense if he was already in the Inquest building up a debt by the time she joined there #with his departure into the Mists most likely taking place sometime shortly after her expulsion from Rata Sum #i need to think about him and Dessa more tbh (especially since they're both core characters at the Turnabout... haha...) #you thought I was just kidnapping Mai Trin? joke's on YOU I adopt EVERY character that canon leaves in the dumpster #and they didn't do anything with finding the 'real' Dessa or Arkk in SotO so I doubt they ever will. which means... mine now. #it's free real estate! stuffs them both in a bag and carries them away never to be seen or heard from again

[yui-kuromori]

I watched Squid Game a few days ago and I have a hot take for y’all.

EPISODE 6 WASN’T THAT SAD

And here’s why:

And don’t get me wrong, I was still very upset after it was over. It was wonderfully acted, cinematography was beautiful and the way that the game unfolded was incredibly well written.

The whole issue with this episode is its buildup.

Let’s take for example Alice in Borderland’s dreaded episode 3, a counterpart to Squid Game’s episode 6. The episode that killed many favorite characters in a short span of time that broke the viewers’ hearts.

What makes AiB’s episode 3 work so well is the element of surprise that makes it so much more impactful. Firstly, its placement. By putting the “kill everyone’s” episode so early on in the season, the writers put this expectation that they’ll somehow make it out alive. Arisu has already proven to be able to save everyone from sticky situations and we as the viewers think that surely, they wouldn’t kill half their main cast so early on in the season. Characters like Karube and Shibuki usually make it out to at least half the plot, so it was shocking how they actually did die so early on.

Secondly, we have Chouta playing a red herring for this episode. Chota is the typical first death sacrifice. A kind hearted, innocent character that would probably die early on in the season to put the stakes higher and mature the other main characters. Since we were all somewhat expecting Chouta’s death, Karube and Shibuki’s come as a surprise. The underlying expectance that at least Karube will somehow survive the 7 of hearts makes the episode’s impact so much stronger, to the point that the entire fandom still theorizes on how they could have all survived. The open nature of the game also contributes to make the episode even more heartbreaking. They could *all* have lived, but didn’t.

Now, Squid Game’s “Kill half the cast” episode came a little later on, and anyone that has any experience watching battle royals types of media was already expecting it at this point. There was no way that the entire main cast was making it out alive, and honestly? They made it farther than I personally expected.

The construction of the killed characters also does the episode no favors.

The old man was never going to make it all the way through. He had an overall well rounded character arc with the Main Character, and as sad at it was, his death was fully expected. There was no wonder in there, no question. From the moment the game was announced we all knew which one of them was going to survive. I was also kind of expecting for him to die in his sleep because of his illness, with the buildup of him laying in the bed, sickly and all.

Ali had also no chance of survival. He very much fit into the same category as Chouta did. When he was first introduced, saving the main character, grim faced and strong, I had hope that he would make it, but as soon as he blinked those innocent eyes, smiled and trusted Sang-Woo, I knew he was done for. As soon as the games started, I knew he was going to die. I was expecting his death the entire season. As well written as Sang-Woo’s betrayal was, there was no way his death could pack a huge punch without the element of surprise.

Lastly we have Ji-yeong, the girl who sacrificed herself. She had some wonderful dialogue, and her actress was doing the most, but surprisingly, she was the death that least impacted me. When I first saw pictures of her and Sae-byeok on Tumblr, I was expecting for them to have walked in the games as friends already. There were so many parallels drawn between her and Karube from AiB, which made her feel like even less of a well developed character to me.

With Karube, we have two full episodes with him as a main character to get to know him. As little time as that may look, it was enough for us to know everything we needed about him. We see his love for his friends, his desire to marry the woman he loves. We see the uglier sides of him and the kinder ones as well and by the time he dies, we actually have something to mourn over. His relationship with Arisu is what really sells his death for me, they clearly had so much love for each other.

Ji-yeong however, had roughly two episodes, one where she had very few lines and the one she dies in. All that we know about her has been told us, rather than shown us. She shows up, has a beautiful 20 minutes of wonderful chemistry with Sae-byeok, literally tells us her tragic backstory and dies. There was little to mourn, little connection between the character and audience, and that really weakened her impact as a character for us. She also had no relationship with Sae-byeok other than some sort of friendliness. We saw that they had time and means to build compelling relationships in Squid Game, like the main character and the old man, so it’s kind of a shame that they didn’t develop the girls any further. Sae-byeok also barely mourns her (logically so, they didn’t know each other) whereas Arisu, who screams, goes suicidal and spends up until the very last episode still mourning his friends, keeps digging on the grief that their deaths brought to the audience.

Overall, episode 6 was kind of a disappointment. On its own it’s a pretty solid episode, with nice dialogue and emotional scenes, but the lack of buildup and characterization kind of kills any real punch that it might have had.

#alice in borderland #ima wa no kuni no alice #squid game #round 6 #jdrama #kdrama #netflix

[i-am-an-accidental-hipster]

Anime and Animation Recommendations (Includes shows I would never recommend, please read the accompanying text)

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: I feel like this is what would happen if the album Clockwork Angels by Rush was turned into anime, but the main character was replaced by two brothers who actually have a personality and an interesting backstory. Essentially, it is a mix of a compelling take on western philosophy from an eastern perspective, good character writing, and FANTASTIC art direction. Characters undergo meaningful development, it has no filler, and it avoids the problem of power creep fairly well. Adding to that its heavy use of Sakuga an minimalist animation, and it is one of my favorite anime of all time.

Mob Psycho 100: Criminally underrated. With a plot borrowed from a japanese web-comic maker who is surprisingly good at making comedy and relatable themes meld seamlessly, and animated by Studio Bones which is basically my favorite studio, this show is absolutely fantastic, to the point at which it competes with ol’ Fullmetal for my favorite anime. Like its sister anime One Punch Man, this show uses VERY heavy use of both Sakuga and minimalist styles of animation, switching between them in a way that is hardly noticeable but also really captures the feel of the situation; it even switches art styles regularly, and the animators are not afraid to try new things, making the show an absolute blast to watch. Despite its comedy focus, the main characters undergo extensive development, sometimes in the span of a single episode, and the combat sections are mesmerizing to look at.

One Punch Man: Really good show, slightly overrated, but mostly deserving of the attention it gets. As someone who was unemployed for a long time, this show really captures the difficulties of someone in that situation. The plot, such as it is, is pretty repetitive by it’s very nature, but it’s animated by Mad House studios, and is basically composed entirely of Sakuga with short spurts of minimalist animation to remind one of the original web comic (you may notice a theme in the anime I like), making it a blast to watch. Would recommend.

Hero Academia: The Naruto of our generation, and it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. The character designs and personalities are all memorable (such that you can actually remember all their names), and basically all of the main cast gets at least some screen time; as a result, it is really easy to remember basically everyone’s names. Because of the memorable character designs, it is no surprise that the fandom is bursting at the seams with shippers, but for the most part it’s non-toxic and results in a lot of pretty good fan art. And of course, as you guessed, it has Sakuga, and makes good use of it. Finally, as an aside, it has one of the best portrayals of a paragon archetype character I have seen in a long time, in the form of All Might. Would recommend, but I really don’t have to because it’s all over the place.

Guerren Lagann: Good animation, good character designs, stupid nonsensical plot. A really fun anime if you turn your brain completely off and just watch the GIANT ROBOT FIGHTS.

Kill la Kill: Good animation, but I can’t stand the character designs and the plot is so physically painful I couldn’t watch past the fourth episode (I only watched in the first place because some idiot on youtube said it had interesting themes, which it does not). Do not recommend.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team: Good anime, but the fanservice is too much for me. Just as I was getting invested in the plot (a treatment of the Gundam war from the perspective of the grunts on the surface), BOOM NAKED BOOBS HERE. No seriously, it came out out of nowhere so suddenly it gave me a heart attack. Mixed feelings on this anime.

Death Note: Good anime. A little melodramatic. I love L, ‘cause he’s basically me but smarter. Would recommend.

Bleach: SO MUCH POTENTIAL WASTED. Season 1 was GREAT, season 2 was ok, and then I couldn’t get past the Bount arc. Would recommend for the sake of the first two seasons.

Attack on Titan: two words: CRIMINALLY OVERRATED. It’s basically edgy trash with little depth or nuance, and a plot that seems ripped from Starship Troopers.

Assassination Classroom: Really good, actually. Well animated, decent character designs, a little weak on character development. Korosensei is my spirit animal (I’m a teacher). Goodness gracious, he embodies everything I want to be in terms of being a teacher, except perhaps his obsession with big boobs. Would recommend.

Psycho-Pass: Very cerebral, very interesting, very mesmerizing, has complex themes. Only downsides are that it’s basically a torture porn during the entire first half of the first season, which means you don’t want to eat before you watch it, and really only the main two protagonists and the main villain have good character designs. Would recommend for those who don’t mind seeing a lot of mutilated bodies and who like complex themes.

Now for shows that look like anime:

Avatar the Last Airbender: No surprise, this is a really good show. Minimal filler, and what filler there is doesn’t feel like filler. Good action, excellent handling of complex themes, good magic system. The plot starts out okay and then ramps up significantly after the season one finale. Where this show really shines, though, is it’s characters, who are almost all memorable and have great voice acting. Better yet, almost all of them get character development. Also a good exploration of eastern philosophy. Would recommend to those three people who haven’t seen it yet.

Legend of Korra: Good action, good art direction, really good animation. Not sure I like most of the characters, though. to be honest, Varrick, Zhu Li, Bumi, and Bo Lin are the only protagonists who I like in this show, besides of course the returning caste from the previous show. Season two was pretty bad, but the plot was very strong for seasons 1, 3, and 4. Some things felt very shoehorned. Almost all the villains were so incredibly compelling that they almost made up for the bland protagonists, and each one represented an individual theme, which was a very nice touch. Kinda screwed up some of the lore and the magic system, though. Mixed feelings on this one.

Dragon Prince: Season 1 was good, introduced a really cool magic system, nice complex themes, and a diverse and likable cast. The down side was that it suffered from some... questionable choices in animation style. Season 2, on the other hand, is... just really, really, really good. It has a good chance of becoming the next Avatar the Last Airbender if it keeps this up. It explores the magic system in fascinating detail, the themes are developed with a depth that rivals that of Korra, the plot has thickened, and the characters have developed significantly in likability and relatability. I highly recommend this one.

Voltron Legedary Defender: Starts out really good with Sakuga all around, kick-ass action scenes, and a decent plot. Unfortunately the shippers infested the fandom to the point where they were actually influencing the direction of the show, and the plot suffered as a result. Over the course of eight season, the show slowly decayed into a hollow shell. Mixed feelings on this one.

Ben 10: Kinda overrated, but still good. A nice watch on day you just want to relax and watch well-animated fights, but don’t expect it to make much sense.

Generator Rex: Criminally underrated. I love all the characters, all the action is great (even if it doesn’t make sense sometimes), animation is pretty good throughout, and it actually has really good technobabble. Honestly, it is my favorite show out of all of the ones on the list, despite its problems, just because of the really cool aesthetic. The main character starts as an obnoxious stereotypical Cartoon Network Protagonist, and develops into my second-favorite depiction of a paragon archetype. All the villains are memorable (even the silly ones). The first season has the best stand-alones (with some absolutely hilarious comedy episodes, dark edgy episodes, and fascinating pieces of science fiction); the second season has a season finale so good it made me cry, and the third season has by far the most interesting plot. I have a recommended watch order if you want to watch it.

Samurai Jack: Minimalist, very stylized, has some kick-ass fight sequences. Each episode has it’s own plot with not much in terms of overlap, but even the minor characters are memorable. My favorite is the Scotsman, but that is really no surprise if you watch the show. The Yin Yang dynamic between Jack and Aku is really interesting in its own right. Would highly recommend.

Teen Titans: Starts out mediocre, quickly gets good by the end of the first season, then ramps up to amazing by whichever season had the Trigon arc. Characters are almost as instantly recognizable as those in Hero Academia, and each one gets character development. It also has some standalone episodes that are almost as good as the standalones in Generator Rex. YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS SHOW.

Young Justice: Very similar to Generator Rex in many way. Memorable characters with good character development, good sci-fi, good action, and a similar season structure. It’s having a new third season right now which, despite the drop in animation quality due to limited funds, still manages to be engaging (especially the Vandal Savage origin episode and the three-episode arc devoted to Cyborg’s origin). Would recommend.

Transformers Animated: Criminally underrated, largely because of its... different animation style which is more like the animation for Teen Titans than the original G1 series, and the fact that they changed a lot of the lore. It has surprisingly complex themes, the voice acting is spot-on, and they do a good job of handling power creep. Though many of the protagonists start out kind of unlikable, they get really good development as the series goes on. By season 3, every single character has become so likable that it becomes legitimately distressing when they get hurt, and they play it to good effect. To give you an idea, when my sister saw the season finale of this show, she had an enormous melt-down at the end when her favorite character died (not telling who). It took three days to calm her down (the only way to do so was to introduce her to the idea of fan-fiction. I HIGHLY recommend this show.

#fullmetal alchemsit brotherhood #anime #young justice #dragon prince #generator rex #my hero academia #mob psycho 100 #transformers #samurai jack

[airlock]

airlock grades the Camus archetype

next in this series, we delve into the world of fancy jackets, ebon horses, and loves that cannot be. that’s right -- it’s the day in the lives of the one who was fortunate enough to fuck off into the ocean with no memories, and all the other ones who just straight-up died!

(do note: under cut are spoilers for… everything, and also a significant amount of me criticizing or blamming characters that you might like. you’ve been warned! but if you’d press on, then I’m afraid I have no choice but to face you on the battlefield-)

a foreword

so, I’m not trying to end up rating every single semi-sympathetic miniboss out here; to this end, I will be working with a very specific definition of a Camus for this exercise. I do not claim it to be the definition of a Camus; it’s simply what I’ll be working with. it’s as such: a Camus is a secondary villain who is characterized as virtuous, but tragically doomed to stand against the player characters, either in keeping with the aforementioned virtue, because of an overpowering external circumstance, or both.

so, let us dig in!

camoo

(7/10)

there he is, folks! the man whose dick launches thousands of ships, hurtling into each other on a maelstrom of tragedy.

a multitude of appearances -- matched only by a certain trio of flying girls -- has given him incredible room to expand as a complex, dynamic character. where his original appearance alone might blip as gently tragic but not incredibly compelling, he’s incrementally gained a robust character, and ultimately got to be one of the ones who managed to elude the pits of data size issues in Akaneian characterization.

screaming camus

(1/10)

is it a stretch to tout him as a “virtuous” character? perhaps, but for the purposes of classification alone, intent weighs a little more than execution, and I think it’s clear that the writers had intended for Berkut to be sympathetic, but tragic, as far as secondary antagonists go.

unfortunately, though, they failed big time. Ian Sinclair’s stellar voice acting counts in Berkut’s favor, but little else does. his character is nigh-on pastiche and he seems to hog a lot of screentime without adding anything of significant interest to the story or to other characters. his motivations, while genuine enough, are irritatingly played by the narrative as being sympathetic when they absolutely are not; and worst of all, his fall from grace is severely cheapened by ending on a note of easy redemption that he does not at all deserve.

mongolian camus

(4/10)

in concept, this is a brillant player punch; as if Hardin wasn’t enough, you have to make enemies of even more of those who fought by your side on the previous game, and this guy -- alongside his underlings bar Roshea -- aren’t even fighting you because they’ve gone mad; they’re the same as they were before, and it’s only unfortunate that now, their master is no longer on your side.

however, further labor on the execution front would have been invaluable here. as far as Camuses (camusi? camii? camee?) go, the ole Wolfpack has a lot less time in the limelight than is par for the course, and the one-two maps they haunt don’t leave enough room to draw out the drama.

I’m not docking points for this, but New Mystery of the Emblem also does the Wolfpack a serious disservice in making them all recruitable. besides being a cowardly evasion from the tragedies of war that Fire Emblem is well-known to mercilessly portray, it’s not even a better outcome for them personally. like, have you seen Wolf’s epilogue? and it’s only further a shame after Shadow Dragon went and made Wolf and Sedgar so busted they may have had a better chance to leave an impression on the player -- which would then have made it all the more of a gut twister if they’d remained as full proper... goddamnit I’m not doing the plural Camus thing again.

wine camus

(10/10)

without hesitation, one of the most effective... camus characters, okay, there, I settled that... ever written. it’s sad enough when you have to snuff out someone nice because war is hell and the world is an awful place, but having the guy be the protagonist’s best friend is just ruthless.

and it’s not just text, either; it’s set up brillantly. Eldigan and Sigurd’s good bond is put well on display before it’s brutally shattered. he’s even given an unusual out in that you don’t have to kill him -- but if you don’t, Chagall will! hoohoohoo, Jugdral is the bestworst.

seriously, though, I think I’ve honest to god cried at least once about Eldigan, and making me cry is pretty difficult -- like, outside of an argument or other situation where crying totally sabotages me so of course my body will do that to me.

thunder camus

(5/10)

I appreciate an extremely powerful female character as much as anyone should, but other than that, I will have to admit that I don’t find her incredibly compelling.

although Genealogy of the Holy War may have been the game that gave us Hilda, it very much betrays the Kagaman’s hesitancy in letting women be villainous, and there are not many better examples of this than Ishtar here. as far as Camus characters (hahahaha! I am unstoppable!) go, she’s one of the most virtuous -- and also one with the flimsiest reasons for staying the course of villainy anyway.

like, sure, she has a boyfriend who turned into satan. we sure get told that. and then it stays as absolutely nothing other than text, when she tends to act like she’s being forced by the greatest of all powers to continue opposing you. Thracia 776 at least strengthens the script by depicting the extant relationship as an abusive one, which would shed a little more sense into things, but it’s too little too late; too late because it’s one whole game later, and too little because Ishtar and Julius are not focal characters of that game and don’t have enough room to expand in there. (plus, it’s not a great idea for Julius anyway -- he’s hellspawn, not a smooth operator.)

tiny hand camus

(5/10)

curiously, I’d actually bill Reinhardt here as a hybrid Camus-Michalis -- while his arc swallows elements of inevitable tragedy such as a star-crossed crush and a superior that he won’t defy, it never feels like he has to fight you in the way that a Camus normally does; rather, it feels like he chooses to anyway because of his shortcomings, in the way that a Michalis normally does.

and putting these things together... well, I’m grading the whole character here, but let’s be real, he’s far more effective of a Michalis than a Camus. intent regadless, sympathy isn’t usually the sentiment that he flints up, and I believe even Olwen is ultimately of that mindset; still, it gets to be a shame that he makes the choices he does when he’s otherwise not such an overtly repugnant type.

(I went this whole time not talking about Heroes, yes? that’s because I’m not going there. not the memes, not his thorougly botched characterization there, nothing.)

alamo camus

(2/10)

I believe that Galle and Murdock are intended as Camus characters (booyaka booyaka! shakalaka!) as well, but they’re so painfully inconsequential I’m not going to get sidetracked in their direction here.

Brunnya is not that much better off than they are, alas; she gets a little more screentime, but remains underdeveloped until her one chapter in the limelight. she does get to play an interesting role as a Camus who outlives her master and still decides to carry on his will, but we’ve seen better and more compelling all over this list.

double camus

(9/10)

oh, snap, there are two of them! ... well, so there were in Genealogy of the Holy War, but these here bros aren’t to be analyzed in isolation.

the moral complexities that they play at together are interesting, but I think that the coolest aspect of their character, by far, is that they play at being direct counterparts to Eliwood and Hector. the charming, reasonable one and the brutish, straightforward one who strengthen each other through their balance -- they’re shining mirrors of what could have been, or what comes to be when you take the same strengths as those of the heroes but place them irrevocably in the path of the villains. ... hmmm, I wonder if they’d have a non-adoptive sister if Lyn were, like, relevant at that point of the story.

their screentime is surprisingly short, but all indicates that they make tidal waves on the little time they have. I’m certain they’d have benefitted from more, but they’re still amongst the best of the Camus characters (I did it again!! I did it again!!).

not severa camus

(8/10)

although her tale is not as gut-wrenching as Eldigan’s or the Reed bros’, she’s one perfectly adequate Camus. virtuous, and impactfully so, but loyal to the end, and justifiedly so -- both in a relevant backstory and in a string of deceptions and misfortunes that play her stronger qualities against her.

I don’t find her to be a standout, but she’s a perfect execution of her own concept -- and considering the staggering amount of unfulfilled potential we’ve seen up to here, that deserves its due praise.

tincan camus

(4/10)

although he’s fairly interesting, the sins of his master befall him -- the reveal of his identity is severly dragged-out for also meaning very little until the additional reveal of his brand. and by then, it’s doomed to be only a blur out of the many unfulfilled twists in the Tower of Guidance.

even beneath the mask, he’s had a lot of chances for player punches that he missed out on. his confrontation with Greil emphatizes his role as Ashnard’s underling, instead of his role as Greil’s former student and Ike’s newly-made archrival, and I feel like that’s a severe mistake -- for one thing, it forces the cutscene to end with a lame halfway intervention from Caineghis, where it would’ve been perfectly viable for Ike to walk out of that one alive exclusively due to Zelgius’s own motivations.

even beyond that, his appearances in both Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn often play him as a plot device instead of a character; as a matter of fact, that ridiculous magic warp powder of his accomplishes no purpose other than enabling him to be a plot device wherever plot needs him (aside from how it silently explains how he lives a double life in two different countries, but that’s kind of a pointless detail).

and lastly, just how impossibly lame is it that he’s given a deadly final confrontation with Ike, that he’s just going to walk off of by the sequel anyway? it’s easy to see why it’s necessary for the plots of the two games it affects, but it’s laaaaaaaaame.

samurai camus

(1/10)

easily the least compelling of the list. he comes in to carry the half of a nonsense arc that doesn’t have enough room to fully build him, and it shows. and to make things worse, he’s one of the most notable sufferers of a syndrome that thorougly afflicts antagonists in Awakening and, to a lesser extent, beyond: a tendency to try to paint them as unambiguously evil before you fight them, but tragic and redeemable right after you fight them. which ultimately completely fails as the player punch that the writers ostensibly intended and robs the confrontation itself of much-needed gravitas.

if-conditional camus characters

(??/10)

hahahahaha!!! hahahahahahaahhahahahaaaa!! sockeye!!! I did the thing again and right in the middle of a nickname too!!

but yeah, I haven’t played Fates any more now than at the time of the Gharnef post.

anyways, what do you all think? have I earned your undying loyalty, or does chivalry demand that you slaughter me for my vile takes? if the upcoming Three Houses is to have a Camus... oh, who are we kidding, of course there’s going to be a Camus. in another life, things have been different, but this fate is inescapable. the only mercy we can extend for it now is to wonder what it’ll be like. once again, I welcome your comments in the replies and reblogs -- would you wrong your country by keeping them to yourself anyway?

#airlock grades the villain archetypes #fire emblem is tagged in this post

[itshansolo]

my review of the last jedi

spoilers, very much so

It’s easy to understand why the critics love this film. It’s very different from The Empire Strikes Back, it’s got some excellent acting, surprising moments and good action scenes. For people who get paid to analyze films as their own entities and do so countless times a year - and as such probably don’t remember much about The Force Awakens aside from “Han was killed as Luke showed up in the last few seconds” - that’s all it takes for a 10/10 experience.

The film ends on a high note, so you walk away from the theater in ecstasy and still absorbing what you just saw. But the euphoria doesn’t resist 10 minutes of critical thinking. For a film that praises itself for digging deep into its characters, The Last Jedi is surprisingly superficial. Presumably, one of the first questions Rian Johnson asked himself was “what is Luke Skywalker doing on that island?”. Turns out he feels guilty about what happened to Ben Solo and the Jedi order he was building. Wait, you might say, I thought the previous movie had already made that clear? That’s because it did. The Last Jedi was supposed to be Luke’s movie and we get no insight whatsoever into his character that we didn’t already know or make educated guesses about.

Except for one thing. Turns out he tried to kill his nephew when he sensed the darkness inside him. Yeah. Exactly. He didn’t give up on Darth Vader of all people, but he was ready to slaughter his teenage nephew. There is no plausible explanation for this. That was before shit hit the fan in the Skywalker household, so any psychological trouble that might excuse his odd behaviour when Rey finds him does not excuse this.

That’s not the full extent of Luke’s iffy characterization. We all remember how he went against his masters’ teachings and faced Darth Vader with nothing but compassion under his sleeve. So tell me how does it make sense for a Force Ghost Yoda to appear and lecture him on all that was wrong about the old ways of the Jedi? It doesn’t. Their respective beliefs were flipped.

In the last few months, the powers that be have repeatedly stated in interviews - as a weird badge of pride - that each director is entirely free to come up with the story of each film, with nothing but the previous instalment as a starting point. Long story short, the trilogy is being written as they go along. And it shows. Snoke was nothing but a plot device. The Knights of Ren are nowhere to be seen. There’s no explanation for how and why the Skywalker lightsaber ended up in Maz Kanata’s possession. Maz, by the way, has the most inorganic introduction I’ve ever had the displeasure to watch. I just have to presume it was in Lupita Nyong’o’s contract to be in at least two films.

If Lupita’s contract might explain Maz’s atrocious cameo, Benicio Del Toro can only be a close friend of Rian Johnson’s with a lifelong dream to be in a Star Wars movie. The character, whose name we do not learn, is completely useless and badly portrayed. The necessary skills that he has could have been easily transfered to Rose. As a side effect, the whole Canto Bight detour - also a waste of time - could have been thrown out altogether.

Speaking of Rose, she’s one of the few elements that actually work in this film. Kelly Marie Tran is excellent and the character is immediately likable. We learn more about her than we learned about Rey in two goddamn movies. Her storyline with Finn, as mentioned above, could have used a little trimming, but I have to disagree with critics who claim it’s the biggest/only weakness of the film. The sheer charisma of Kelly and John Boyega carries the storyline. 

The truth is there a lot of weakness and they are spread out. Case in point, the dynamic between Amilyn Holdo and Poe, my least favorite part by far. Rian Johnson came up with the character of Amilyn and Claudia Gray borrowed the name to write a different character in her novel Princess of Alderaan. Those who have read this book know that she’s the Luna Lovegood of Star Wars and her charming personality completely vanishes in the film. She’s virtually a different woman. Did the story group of Lucasfilm and their supposed responsibility for continuity in a galaxy far far away take a vacation while Claudia was writing the book?

It’s clear that Holdo was introduced in the movie to prop up Poe Dameron’s character development, but the trouble is that such development is not necessarily welcome or well done. I don’t know how a movie that lasts two and a half hours can feel rushed, but here it did. Poe and Holdo’s altercation is truncated, confusing, almost impossible to get invested in.

Did you notice how I failed to mention Rey until now? You may think Daisy Ridley was just being humble when she kept saying in the press tour that Rey is not necessarily the main character. She wasn’t though. Rey does not feel like the main character at all. As a matter of fact, Poe feels more like a protagonist this time around. And that’s saying something, considering his character was supposed to die early on in The Force Awakens.

I’m not gonna ramble at length about the godforsaken topic of Rey’s parentage. I’m just gonna say that, aside from being almost comical how The Force Awakens missed the mark when introducing the child of literal nobodies, The Last Jedi takes its sweet time to settle the debate once and for all, as it continues to tag people along like Lucasfilm and Disney have been doing for two years. As soon as Rey and Kylo have their first bizarre Sense8-esque Force meeting, my seatmate whispered to his friend “wait, are they siblings?” and I wanted to take a bullet to the brain right the fuck there. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE. Mere seconds after one of their Force connections, Luke has a similar scene with Leia. You know… Leia. HIS SISTER. At some point, Kylo tells Rey that he knows she’s gonna join him eventually… because he’s seen who her parents are. Geez, Louise. I wonder why the identity of her parents would compel her to get closer to Kylo. Maybe because they are HIS PARENTS TOO?? No, that would have just been too good.

And it doesn’t end there! Remember that teaser in which something sinister is calling to Rey and Luke yells “RESIST IT”?. That was awesome, wasn’t it? Who was calling to her? Snoke? Kylo? Turns out it was… a cave. A cave in which Rey has a borderline psychodelic experience that involves mirrors. She asks to be shown the face of her parents and the music intensifies until… we see Rey staring at her own reflection. That’s brilliant, Rian. Keep building up the mystery only to reveal later on that her parents were alcoholic junkers that may or may not remain nameless for eternity (and Rey shall remain just “Rey” forever).

I’m still trying to figure out the purpose of that cave scene. This goes back to how disappointingly shallow the movie was. We were supposed to learn some pretty interesting lore about the Force and what did we actually get? We learned that the Force doesn’t belong to the Jedi (duh)… and that’s it. Are you serious?

Let me get into what I did like about the film. Like I said, John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran are a tour de force of charisma. They’re the most endearing pair and just plain fun to watch. Although Finn has been criminally demoted from his leading man status, his confrontation with Phasma (who’s Phasma again?) brought nice closure to his arc as a former stormtrooper.

I know many of my mutuals and followers cannot stand Adam Driver. I have side-eyed some of the things he said recently myself. But the guy is phenomenal in this movie. I caught myself looking forward to his appearences, because he is simply magnetic. I have no idea what’s gonna happen to Kylo, but I’m invested either way. The one thing The Last Jedi taught me is that speculation is pointless, because fans put way more thought into the story than the powers that be. That’s depressing, but it’s the reality of the situation.

I think my favorite scene in the whole movie is Kylo and Rey in Snoke’s throne room. The tension was palpable. The way Kylo ended Snoke had everyone in the room on the edge of their seats and the battle against the Praetorian Guards right afterwards was simply breathtaking.

Carrie Fisher is so Leia in her last appearence. I’m pretty happy with her send off, all things considered. She felt way more at ease in the role when compared to The Force Awakens and we gotta give Johnson some credit here, even if I want to strangle him most of the time. The infamous Superman scene is pretty awkward, but it was about time she showed some badass Force powers. The old hologram from A New Hope being what motivates Luke to finally help Rey was a stroke of genius. Such a simple plot development, but literally no one saw it coming. There wasn’t a single dry eye in the audience.

LUKE AND LEIA REUNITE! Well, sort of. But it was enough for me. Which brings me to Luke projecting himself across the galaxy. It sounds cartoonish on paper, but boy did it work! If you didn’t get goosebumps when he became one with the Force to the sound of Binary Sunset, something is wrong with you. The shoulder wipe was LEGENDARY. Some of the humor didn’t work in this film, but most certainly did, especially Chewie and the porgs (which are adorable and thankfully not overused) and Luke hitting Rey in the hand with a stick when he asks her to reach out.

As a standalone film, I give The Last Jedi an 8 out of 10. But as a follow-up to a seven-part saga, it’s a 6/10 with a pinch of generosity.

#i talk

[applrcorn]

edr: Mob Psycho 100

tl;dr: Highly enjoyable anime, would definitely recommend this to new anime viewers. Genuinely love it.

For the last couple of weeks, I spent my time watching Mob Psycho 100 on Netflix (side note: it’s crazy how Netflix has been acquiring the rights to air so many anime series. They obviously have the anime market in their sights, and I can’t really complain because that means I get to enjoy the perks of downloading content on my phone & watch it whenever I feel like it; plus the user interface is so convenient). So it went like this: I was watching about an episode per day, every other day or so - then yesterday night, I decided to binge watch the rest of the series because I was simply enjoying it too much and that’s how I consume most of the anime I watch. Nevertheless, this is really an anime I would revisit, perhaps because I know that there is still so much enjoyment and appreciation I can squeeze out of a second viewing.

In this review, I will be explaining a bit about the features of the anime that I really enjoyed, but the bulk of the rest would be making comparisons to other anime - such as One Punch Man, and briefly Devilman Crybaby. Mainly, because the former is written by the same author, and the latter, because I want to draw comparisons between two vastly different styles of anime to illustrate how MP100 is really easily digestible & accessible to people who are new in anime.

// spoilers ahead, as usual //

What I loved about MP100

Mainly, the characters themselves, who are extremely endearing and you really do feel for them as you progress through the story. Throughout the course of the anime, I really get the impression that each of the main characters have their own complexes, struggles and insecurities. This is actually quite a big factor in this anime, that is: it explores the inadequacies of the individual, rather than constantly linger on the strengths and accomplishments of the powerful. Of course, I would not say that the anime delves deep into the respective psyches of each and every character, but as the viewer you are given just enough information about the inner workings of each character than you feel more invested in their story and their world.

From Mob himself, which is a simple-minded, down to earth kid with a gentle personality - and yet, when he gets serious or when the lives of his loved ones are threatened, he is a certified bad ass. Or his ‘Master’, the con-man Reigen that is equal parts charming and hilarious and surprisingly provides a good role-model for Mob is some ways. Or even the side characters, like the muscle-building club which quickly take Mob under their wing and consider him their little fledgling baby whom they fiercely protect. The characters are all extremely likeable, and this really played a large part in the whole viewing experience.

Speaking of the viewing experience, MP100 is really an anime that is easy to watch, doesn’t particularly invoke much deep philosophical thinking, but it is an extremely fun, wholesome experience that almost anyone can enjoy. More of this later. 

Why I liked MP100 more than OPM

When I asked my brother, off-handedly, if he has watched MP100, he shrugged and simply remarked, “Isn’t that the anime that’s from the same guy who made One Punch Man? They have pretty similar plots and themes.” And of course, it is easy to see the similarities. Over-powered superhero. Subversion of the typical hero/shounen anime stereotype. Even visually, there are many similarities in the art style and subsequently their adapted animation design. And I really liked OPM as well. It was a very comically driven series that I really enjoyed, and the dry humour (that usually purposely falls flat due to the main character’s monotonous execution) in MB100 is very similar. However, the main difference for me was that MB100 had a story line that progressed in a more meaningful way than OPM did. Throughout the series, we witness Mob’s growth as a person and as a psychic, learning how to gain more confidence in his abilities while also just generally learning how to be a normal teenager. That goes for other characters like Ritsu, Mob’s younger brother, who works his way through an inferiority complex; or even more secondary characters like Dimple and Teru, another psychic that was initially introduced as an antagonist to Mob who eventually becomes a strong ally. On the other hand, OPM’s episodes usually just consists of sprinkles of humour, meta-commentary, and a big boss fight where all the heroes struggle valiantly while Saitama easily demolishes the threat in one big (anticlimatic) fell swoop. While OPM has some kind of plotline going, it really isn’t as satisfying as watching a more conventional story arc, where the protagonist goes through stages of struggle, emotional turmoil, and a resulting growth of character. While I enjoyed the elements of MP100 that reminded me much of the dry wit and fun of OPM, I liked it especially so for how it differs from OPM.

Why it’s an easily accessible anime

I believe that MP100 falls into the category of anime like My Hero Academia, where the story and characters are simple enough that most people can easily get into and enjoy, but still has a compelling enough story to sustain one’s interest. It is a pretty short season, with 12 episodes in total, and the anime rounds itself up in a natural way, with a cohesive and satisfying ending. It isn’t as visually and thematically edgy and raw as Devilman Crybaby, for example, which was another anime that I watched very recently. Perhaps because it is so fresh in my mind that I somehow wanted to draw comparisons and contrasts between the two. Devilman is an anime that leaves a deep, almost disturbing imprint on your mind, bringing you through an emotional rollercoaster that ends off with a rather... unsatisfying? ending. On the other hand, MP100 is a completely wholesome, enjoyable, fun anime that kids, teens and adults can enjoy just the same. For me personally, I love having a good mix of both; definitely the former may be more daring, more thought-provoking, but sometimes you just got to have some fun and light-heartedness in your life to keep you mentally and emotionally sane. Which is what MP100 really does. Not to say that MP100 is a happy bed of roses - to be sure, the animation style especially of Mob’s sinister psychic powers, definitely hints at a darker threat underlying the surface.

All in all - wonderful experience. Lovely anime. 10/10 would recommend.

#etheldoesreviews #reviews #anime #anime review #mob psycho 100 #review

[smokeybrand]

Pudding For Fools

I’m a huge fan of Tsugumomo. With the release of the second anime season, Tsugu Tsugumomo, i wanted to look back on how far this story has come and kind of reflect on my reasoning for being so attached to what, at first glance, is a generic School yard, battle anime, with eechi service sprinkled in for good measure.

My initial interest stemmed from the overwhelmingly gorgeous art. I men, have yo seen the lines in these pages? They’re exquisite! Before anything, i am an appreciator of art. When i was young, i voraciously read any book i could get on art theory or history. As i got older, i sought out How-to-Draw and figures studies. I’ve been drawing and developing my own style since i was six-years-old. Literally, the first thing i ever drew, was a copy of the cover to Venom: Lethal Protector. My best friend in the entire world and i, Rest in Peace EddyLee, bonded over our very distinct artistic disciplines. When i came across Yoshikazu Hamada’s intricately detailed, wildly distinctive, art style, i was immediately hooked. It was like seeing the work of Kubo Tite, Yoshiyuki Sadamato, Masamune Shirow, or Yoshitaka Amano for the very first time. They way he draws suck intricate detail in the world around his characters, while keeping the design of said characters so streamline, really resonated with my, own personal take. It reminded me a lot of the art style of Katsuhiro Otome, the creator of Akira. High praise, i know, but the pages of Tsugumomo illicit that same feeling i got, reading Akira for the first time.

Gorgeous art can only carry you thorough a manga for so long. I can’t tell you how many books with exquisite art i ended up dropping because the narrative was balls. Naruto immediately comes to mind. I know everyone wanks that series hard, like it’s the new Dragon Ball, but Naruto’s narrative is kind of mundane. The way Tsugumomo started, i thought it would turn out the same way but, unlike Naruto, the character writing saves this series. From the onset, Kiriha is far more dynamic than most shonen protagonists and she’s not even the lead. Kazuya is and,in the beginning, he was you’re cliche, harem lead, weenie. All of that “Preserve the friendship as is” shtick when absolute bombshells are literally grabbing his dick on the regular. However, over he course of 128 chapters, he’s become more Ichigo Kurosaki than Rito Yuki and i adore that. To see a male protagonist, evolve as an actual male in real life, is always awesome. He’s still hesitant to do the actual deed, but dude isn’t as averse to the occasional eechi romp as before and that makes the character feel real. I wish more books had this level of development but same evolution isn’t limited to just the main characters. Tsugumomo has some of the best supporting casts i have ever read in a manga.

If you know me, then you know i have a special place in my heart for tsunderes and Tsugumomo has one of the best. Sunao Sugaragi is absolutely adorable. In a lot of ways, she mirrors Kiriha who, herself, is mildly tsundere, but our my darling redhead takes that sh*t to a completely different level. She went from rival to unrequited lover but never loses her agency. She’s still as independent and powerful as she was during her bad ass introduction. She’s kept pace with Kazuya’s power wank, which is exceedingly rare for a supporting character in a shonen rag, even if she is the second love interest. I have a special place in my heart for Kazuya’s second Tsugumomo, Kyouka. Watching her develop from overwhelmed villain to jealous third wife has been fun to watch. She became one of my favorite characters, overall, during that whole tournament arc deal. I enjoy Kukuri, Oriobana, Kokuyou, the rest of the Mayoiga Tsugumomo, and especially Kazuya’s sister, Kasumi. She is a bro-con bad ass and i don’t think i have ever said those two things in the same sentence.

The narrative is a real slow burn, but when it starts cooking, it gets hot. You think you’re walking into a rather generic harem story but it opens up as you go along, meeting new characters, and learning about Kazuya’s pat. There is this entire subplot about his mom that comes to a head in an amazing battle and crushing defeat. Characters die and you’re left reeling. The reveal that Kanaka is the man antagonist and that Kazuya, himself, gave her means for resurrection, was a twist that rivaled Tobi being Obito. What i mean is, when it was sprung, you were mad surprised, if you weren’t paying attention. Kanaka is a beast with an underlying sadism that occasionally peeks through. That little glimpse is all you need to know she might be more cruel than she lets on. I n a lot of ways, she mirrors Goku; Way too strong for her own good and wildly listless without a challenge. Also like Goku, she will do ANYTHING to sate that apathy with a fight, leading to a choice that will have potentially, world-ending ramifications in the future because, at the end of the day, Kanaka and Goku the villains of their own stories. That nuanced writing, the ability to infuse such palpable emotion with foreshadowing and dread while delivering a lighthearted, titty romp, is quite entertaining. Lure them in with the boobs and dope art, reel them in with incredible action scenes, and land them with surprisingly endearing characters, heartfelt interactions, and an emotionally resonate plot that hits hard.

I cannot sing the praises of the Tsugumomo manga enough. It’s an amazing read filled with outstanding art, compelling events, wonderfully developed characters, and the most eechi fan service i’ve seen in a long time. it can be crass and a little juvenile at times but, at the end of the day, it’s a really heartfelt story that is driven by and emotional core. The anime does an interesting job of translating that feeling to screen and, at times, i think it falls short. The things chosen to be adapted, the cuts made to the narrative, i think does a disservice to he overall story but it was popular enough to get a second season. The fact that said season was mostly crowdfunded says that there is a growing audience for Kiriha and Kazuya’s adventures, for which i am very thankful. I love this book and i want more people to experience it. I think it’s one of the best out there and it deserves as much shine as it can get.

[rieshon]

Winter 2017 Power Rankings

Pretty late with this but what else is new.

1 Gabriel Dropout: A classic cute girls doing cute things comedy courtesy of none other than the comedy god himself Oota Masahiko. As you might expect from an Oota/Douga Koubou production, the show is pretty similar to Yuruyuri in tone. Satanya is already going down as one of the best girls of the year. This might be a surprising AOTS pick for some, but in the end, comfiness wins out over all else.

2 Youjo Senki: An incredibly smart war drama, maybe actually too smart because my illiterate ass had a hard time following some of the political chicanery going on at times. Nonetheless, Youjo Senki makes itself stand out in a crowded field of 'fantasy WW2' works with both the verisimilitude of its plot and its cynical view of warfare and humanity viewed through the lens of the brilliant protagonist, for whom Yuuki Aoi puts in in my opinion the best performance of her entire career.

3 Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2: Yep, it's Konosuba. I haven't posted by Best of 2016 yet because I'm a lazy shit, but there's a reason this series came in in the top five. It's still a sharp and witty takedown of the isekai tensei genre as ever with some of the best comedic writing I've seen in an anime. Hai, Kazuma desu.

4 Kobayashi-sanchi no Maidragon: Are Kyoani finally getting their sea legs back? I know some people didn't really like the second season of Euphonium, but for me it marks two consecutive really good shows from the once vaunted studio who have been in a four year long slump. Maidragon is finally a throwback to the days when Kyoani made the best cute girls doing cute things anime -- if you ignore the terrible final episode there's no shitty melodrama to be found here, just cute dragons and a cute Kobayashi. Also, Kanna.

5 Little Witch Academia: The much ballyhooed LWA finally gets a TV anime and, as expected, it's pretty good. Yoshinari You's love of Western animation is clearly on display in this series, even if it's not as pronounced as his most famous example, Panty & Stocking. The result is a unique visual style and overall feel to the series that comes across as a kind of East-West fusion... Chumlee from Pawn Stars even makes a cameo appearance.

6 Urara Meirochou: The latest Kirara anime unfortunately seemed to get lost in the shuffle this season. Despite a great cast of girls and a flawless production courtesy of J.C.Staff, it seemed like Gabriel beat it at its own game while delivering better comedy, and this show ended up being overlooked. It's not the best Kirara anime by any means, but it has a unique premise, an interesting look, and actually even an interesting story -- the idea that divination is actually a mystical and potentially dangerous art is played up very well and adds a neat twist to the standard Kirara formula.

7 Akiba's Trip -The Animation-: A show by nerds, for nerds. Okay, I know the Mizaki Man says that's all anime nowadays, and he's right to a degree, but Akiba's Trip is really a show about being an otaku, and not in the shallow way that a million shows about dudes who play video games are. Akiba's Trip, surprisingly not all about stripping clothes off girls, is actually all about that feeling of discovering something new and then throwing your body and soul into it because, damn it, it's just so cool. I couldn't help but grin at every episode because it really captures so well that feeling of nerdy obsession, the kind that you pursue to the point of regret, that we've all experienced.

8 Piace ~Watashi no Italian~: A really cute short that needed to be a full length anime. Cooking shows are a dime a dozen nowadays and Piace doesn't really do anything unique, but what can I say, the character art is really good, and it has a comfy tone.

9 Demi-chan wa Kataritai: This is a show you would think I would like more, but despite Hikari's cuteness it didn't really click with me. Hikari's faces aside, I think the character designs really left something to be desired for me. Honestly, I'm not sure I really even liked anything in the show that much outside of Hikari and her relationship with sensei.

10 Kuzu no Honkai: I expect this is going to be a pretty polarizing show. I've seen rave reviews gushing about how it handles adolescent sexuality, blah blah, etc. For me, it was kind of a miserable experience filled with awful people who really needed a hobby other than trying to fuck each other's boyfriends all the time. Do people really have this much drama in high school? The drama was compelling at first, but the 64-dimensional love chess got to the point where my suspension of disbelief was being strained. At least it was lewd.

11 One Room: Speaking of lewd... I guess you would call this an experimental anime, because I've never seen anything like it before. Another one I'm sure that will be polarizing; I know some people hated this for being too weird but first person romance with a 2D loli is all I could ask for in life. The first heroine was really week, but the Rieshon girl was godlike.

12 Schoolgirl Strikers Animation Channel: Something about this show kept me watching it all the way through the end and I'm glad I did. Was it the high quality lewd character art from J.C.Staff? The surprisingly wacky sense of humor that shines through in some truly quality gag episodes? Saitou Chiwa literally ripping off chunks of the scenery and eating them in her performance as Odir, the best frenemy of the season? The show has charm, but unfortunately it can also be really boring at times so I don't blame anyone who dropped it.

13 Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitenshabu: Bakuon remains the best show about two-wheeled means of transportation. I really liked the comfy tone and beautiful art in this show, but in the end it's a little too boring even for a comfy show.

14 Masamune-kun no Revenge: This show has completely incomprehensible levels of popularity in the West, apparently. The premise was cute at first (I liked the idea of a "dame ikemen" protagonist in this kind of show) but after a few episodes it becomes a stock-standard romantic comedy with little to differentiate itself from the pack other than maybe that funny face Aki makes sometimes. The plot really went off the rails toward the end, too, and the final plot arc & twist don't even get a resolution before the final credits roll.

#power rankings

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 7/10/19

Haikyu!!, Vol. 33 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – The game ended! It was an incredible finish too, and once again I praise the author for having a good feel for keeping the pace exciting and yet also making the action clear. Hate to spoil it, but our heroes win the match, though we end up following the losing team right after the game, showing how this defeat is going to make them get stronger. I really liked the twin (you know, one of them) telling Hinata he was going to set for him one day—it’s a reminder that they could take this past high school. But the break is brief, as by the end of the volume we’re in another battle against Nekoma, and I get the feeling that this one will also take several volumes. Still, I’m up for it. This remains a terrific sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 6 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – OK, it turns out Ebina’s “confession” was that she’s been searching for her brother, who left home to become a chef. I wasn’t too happy with the suggestion that she’s got a crush on Taihei as he reminds her of her brother, but other than that this was pretty sweet. We’re also given yet another cliffhanger ending, as it turns out that while Umaru is best in the class for the normal kids, there’s an accelerated program with someone who’s shorter, cuter, blonder and smarter than Umaru. I sense a new rivalry coming. Which is somewhat inevitable given Umaru has converted everyone around her into friends already. This is still a bit slight, but it’s cute and fun. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 9 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – This volume is filled with plot, and it’s all about Ishigami. At last we get his backstory and find out what happened to make him into the beaten-down misanthrope he was introduced as. As you might imagine, it involved scapegoating and punishing the wrong person, completely breaking his spirit. Fortunately, there’s an athletic festival going on, and when one member of his team hurts their ankle, he has to fill in. Does he win? That’s less important than that he tries hard, gets his team to root for him, and—and this was fantastic—sees their faces, which till now have been “faceless” people around him. If there’s one drawback, it’s that the balloon chapter made a poor closer. But overall, a fantastic volume. – Sean Gaffney

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 4 | By Waco Ioka and Midori Yuma | Viz Media – It was never going to be as simple as opening a nice restaurant. Aoi’s new place is beset by sabotage and trickery, from signs pointing in the wrong direction to assassins trying to kill her to literal BANANA PEELS on the steps. We also see Aoi learning about food, in the best foodie manga tradition, and also learning more about her grandfather and his relationships with the other spirits, and just how long-lived they are. There’s a bit of romantic tease when they tour the local izakayas, but for the most part Kakuriyo is content to be a slow-burner that is interested in Aoi and food, not necessarily in that order. That’s fine with me. – Sean Gaffney

Monster and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Renji | Yen Press – Cavo is a hideous monster with a pure heart, so when he witnesses what appears to be a sexual assault in the forest in which he lives, he intervenes. Liam, the apparent victim, proves to be charming and sexually voracious (he’s the beast of the title) and immediately propositions Cavo. After discovering that Liam is unreliable, Cavo guides him to a nearby village and falls in love with him on the way. So far, so sweet. What I thought was interesting, though, is that once they reach the village, Cavo must remain in hiding while Liam goes out every night and beds various people. We learn that he’s well aware that Cavo loves him, and is content enough to remain together, but also has no desire to change. That’s not the outcome I expected, so I’m interested to see where this goes. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 2 | By Kohei Horikoshi and Anri Yoshi | VIZ Media – This is soooooo much better than the first volume of the School Briefs light novels. Set just before and during the training camp arc, the stories depict the kids during their free time as they try to distract a motion-sick Aoyama on the bus, throw a slumber party, have an arm-wrestling tournament, etc. There’s lots of intermingling between classes 1-A and 1-B, which I appreciate very much, especially the slumber party at which the girls would rather contemplate which of the boys’ quirks they’d like to try than which boy they’d like to date. Mineta continues to be even more awful than he is in the source material, this time in a premeditated and predatory way that’s genuinely alarming. Aizawa lectures him off-camera at least, but he really ought to’ve been expelled. In any case, I’m sufficiently swayed enough to come back for volume three! – Michelle Smith

The Right Way to Make Jump! | By Takeshi Sakurai | VIZ Media (digital only) – Four years after Takeshi Sakurai gave up on manga and became an onigiri maker instead, he gets a call from his former editor suggesting they collaborate on a nonfiction series about how Jump! is made. This one-volume manga is the fascinating result. Sakurai and his editor interview people at the printers and paper manufacturer as well as cover and logo designers and various editors. There are pictures of the editorial offices in Japan as well as VIZ headquarters in San Francisco, and a brief visit to Kohei Horikoshi’s studio. It’s all super interesting—I particularly loved learning about all the neat machines that were invented specifically to handle producing Jump!—while being fun and amusing, as well. I’d recommend it to any manga fan, but especially to Jump! fans. – Michelle Smith

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – Shirayuki passes her exam, which means she’s now working for the Prince. And you know what that means—it’s time to solve crises by working yourself until you nearly die without bothering to tell anyone, in the best shoujo heroine tradition. Fortunately, she has other people around her. Unfortunately, she also has the First Prince, who has returned to the kingdom and apparently is intent on making his brother miserable, and also making Shirayuki do pointless tasks. I’m sure eventually she’ll win him over, but that point is not yet. There’s also a lengthy short story at the end, set in modern times and about a trio who become a duo after tragedy strikes. It was decent, but I wish these were full of Shirayuki. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2 | By Sorata Akiduki | VIZ Media – Shirayuki begins work as a court herbalist apprentice, and her very knowledgeable boss also happens to be twelve years old. She wins him over with her powers of empathy, and I appreciate that she manages to be both nice and very clever, as she’s able to figure exactly what’s been making the soldiers ill at a fort under Zen’s command. The back cover calls this a love story, and I’m sure we’ll get there eventually, but I really appreciate that what we’ve got so far is a mutual inspiration story. Both Shirayuki and Zen are compelled to help people and end up spurring each other on. “I need to be the sort of man she’ll never turn her back on,” Zen resolves. And then his crappy older brother comes home and begins to interfere. This is a fun series so far! – Michelle Smith

Versailles of the Dead, Vol. 2 | By Kumiko Suekane | Seven Seas – Two volumes into Versailles of the Dead I’m not sure that I actually understand what’s going on, but I still feel oddly compelled to read more. In part this is due to the fact that Suekane really knows how to create an atmosphere. While dark and unsettling, Versailles of the Dead can also be surprisingly sensual, Suekane’s artwork capturing both the horrific and the beautiful—at times simultaneously—to great effect. The decadence of the 18th-century French court and the gruesome death and undeath both inside and outside of it are all strikingly illustrated. The second volume develops existing plotlines (while ignoring others) and introduces new elements to an already full story. Versailles of the Dead has so much going on that it hasn’t quite managed to pull everything together into a cohesive whole yet, but it might be starting in that direction and I can’t seem to look away. – Ash Brown

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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Iron Man (2008) Review

To kick off this re watch and individual review of each film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe we must of course start at that humble beginning that is so cherished by the fans of this franchise: Iron Man. I'm sure it won't surprise anyone to hear that I have seen this movie many times, so I did have some preconceived notions and feelings towards it before this viewing. I still tried to dive back in as unbiased as possible with the mindset of a new viewer. While some opinions have developed further during this latest watch, I find it leaves a similar impression on me no matter how many times I see it. It’s still a fresh take on the super-hero genre that is full of entertaining performances, great dialogue and a fun edge. Even with all the charm Iron Man has to offer, though, its crowning achievement is introducing the world to Tony Stark, who is easily one of the best written and performed characters I have seen in a long running franchise. This is his origin story, and though we have seen a lot of those throughout the years you would be hard pressed to find one executed this well.

I would describe Marvel Studios' Iron Man as a "risk that was played safe". Iron Man was far from a household name before 2008, and while it turned out that his origin adapted well into film, choosing him was risky in itself when the "A-listers" (Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, ect.) had until then dominated cinema. Jon Favreau’s unique style of humor was also a venturesome choice in the superhero genre. However, by sticking to what I believe to be relatively safe story structures as a base, the tone of the movie was able to hit the right chords and as a result Iron Man himself became an “A-lister”. On paper, though, other than rightfully avoiding some common tropes of the genre, the full plot is moderately formulaic. It is the story of a man and the dire circumstances that put fantastic abilities into his hands, forcing him to gain a new moral outlook. With this sense of what is right he uses his “powers” to do good in the world, and ultimately he must face a villain with opposite ideals and unnatural strengths of his own. Obviously these are only the most bare story beats, but they still follow a structure that we are familiar with. So how does such a standard story end up feeling fresh and inventive? Part of the credit must go to Favreau, who took his one of a kind style and blended it into a fun action film. There may be the occasional rough moment in the flow and overall tone of Iron Man, but it’s only natural considering Favreau was working in a genre that was unfamiliar to him. I also found that these moments were few and far between, and noticeable only when paying close attention. Even catching the rare tonal issue, it still doesn’t really detract from the film’s entertainment. Plus it was more than worth it to have Jon Favreau’s particular flare to a movie like this. It is that very style, along with the excellently written characters, that made Iron Man special. That is, of course, along with the undeniable talent of Robert Downey Jr.

When a story follows such a basic formula, even when does so very well as it does here, one of the best ways for a movie to really shine is to focus on strong characters. That is a strength that this motion picture definitely has. The best example of this is undoubtedly Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark. Stark has some cool qualities in the comic book stories he originated from- he is a genius, he is incredibly wealthy, and he is a total playboy- there's even some great development later on from what I can tell (though I haven't read very much), notably his use of alcohol to cope with the problems he faces. Despite having a lot of interesting characteristics on the surface, I feel like the character is still missing something in the source material, at least earlier on. For some reason he is still hard to connect with. The cocky, witty, and larger than life persona that Downey brings to the role does a lot to fill that hole in the cinematic franchise, but what truly makes the film version of Tony Stark so compelling is easily Downey's believable performance throughout the strong character arc that was written for him. Tony finally seeing his legacy from the other, darker side of the spectrum is definitely written effectively; but it is the actor's ability to convey his newfound sense of what is right, along with his disillusionment with the life he had before that is truly great.

There was a character that I actually enjoyed a lot more than I remembered during this watch, as well, and that would be Pepper Potts. Personally, I've always liked her relationship with Tony Stark, but her character isn’t given very much growth or development in the first Iron Man. That’s how I feel, anyway, and that is probably why her part in the movie wasn’t one of the main things I remembered. However, despite not having a ton of depth in this movie I don't find her to be poorly written, either. I also found Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance to be pretty enjoyable this time around, too. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between her and Downey, their back and forth being one of the aspects of the movie I liked the most. I was very much invested emotionally in the scenes they shared, and I look forward to seeing their development in future movies as I continue my re watch. 

Yet on the other side of the coin is another important character who unfortunately is not a highlight of the story: Obidiah Stane. The character is not exactly weak, and works relatively well in the first two acts. Jeff Bridges also does fine work with what he was given. As he predictably shifts into the feature villain, though, he seems increasingly two-dimensional, cheesy, and ineffective. As we all know, this trend became a recurring problem in the earlier entries of the MCU; an underdeveloped villain with bland abilities who exists mainly to be a source of conflict. This very well could have been deliberate seeing as the heroes are obviously the spotlight in this series, and for this film having a very standard villain that embodies the opposite of Stark’s growth does work... but honestly his role “working” is about the most that can be said for his contribution to the movie. The deepest part of the character is how he represent's Tony's past, other than that he's just an asshole with a bigger suit.

Before I move on from the characters, I do want to mention a couple of the smaller characters who had an impact on the film. The first being Yinsen, the man in the cave with Tony. The beginning of their relationship admittedly felt a little forced, but they did have a few nice moments as they worked together that felt genuine to me. I'm glad that there are some effective scenes to keep me invested in their relationship, because at times he does unfortunately seem to only be there for the plot and for Tony’s development. His death in particular felt forced to me, and even though his reasons for his self-sacrifice weren't too much of a stretch, the scene just came off as an attempt to add some quick drama to the journey that Tony had started. It may feel a little contrived but that feeling is short lived, and the moment is not over-done, at least. Overall the character does serve the film’s narrative and is obviously an important part of Stark’s life.

Other than Yinsen I really wanted to comment on Phil Coulson because... well honestly because I just love him so much. Coulson's role in the movie has its importance, but it is still a pretty small part. The fact that he is so memorable just goes to show you awesome Clark Gregg is as an actor; he has such great chemistry with everyone he interacts with, and his character is a great way of serving the individual story while simultaneously setting up S.H.I.E.L.D. for the Marvel universe. Ultimately, Gregg utilizes a great balance of humor and mystery to convey the next-level "importance" of the organization. In my notes for this re watch, my exact wording is "Phil Coulson is a treasure" and I feel like that's all I need to say.

While the basic story is not the highlight here, there are some things that it executes splendidly. It handles the underlying themes of Tony Stark's path from war-profiteer to hero with great care, not only showing more ugly sides to war but also making it easy for the viewer to understand how Stark thinks and feels both before and after he is abducted.  The first Iron Man film also tells what I believe to be the perfect origin story. It does this with a surprisingly effective utilization of pacing, starting with the very first scene. I love the opening minutes, and all they do is use dialogue to give us our first taste of who Stark is. Then we are immediately thrown into the action with the abrupt ambush that leads to his capture. That’s when the story pulls back to give us his history and show us a little more of his character, and having already invested the viewer in the story it very quickly gives us all we need to know going forward. I do typically dislike when a movie starts off with a bang then goes back in time to give us more information that we need, because it can get tedious when we really want to see what happens after the opening action. This is not a big issue here, though, as the pacing is very quick and the movie is still in its early phases when we get back to the initial conflict. We are only "taken back" to show us what is absolutely crucial to know, and it doesn't drag on too long or come off feeling forced.

After Stark’s thrilling escape sequence, he is free from the cave to return home, and we move into the second act... which is the best part of the film. Downey's performance is at its peak during the upheaval of Tony Stark’s original life, and the characters have all of their best interactions during this portion of the movie. For a story that primarily focuses on characters, this is definitely some of the most entertaining material. The third act is, unfortunately, the weakest one, as it has the job of turning Stane into the villain and ultimate climax of the movie. Stane's actions as a villain feel forced, especially his actions that lead to the creation of his suit. Even his final fight with Iron Man just feels like it's happening for the sake of having a "big fight" at the end. Stane's dialogue is a little cheesy, and there are moments where things seem to happen just so that there can be more tension and conflict- specifically when Stark is on the ground helpless and Stane keeps missing his shots by a lot. He even has some throwaway line that goes something like "you ruined my targeting system but I'll still kill you". Not an exact quote but it had that awkward feeling of just being written to give us a reason why the hero is being given more time to act in such tense situation. In the end Stane is a weak villain, and when the movie has to focus on him it is not at its best. However, the wrap up and conclusion of the film that comes after this fight is amazing and pretty much makes up for it. It manages to sum up the story that was being told and remind you of the things that made you enjoy it in the first place. The scene where Tony Stark admits to being Iron Man in front of the press is rightfully loved for being a very cool moment for Tony Stark/Iron Man, but it is also a brilliant ending to an origin story. By definition we are getting the story of how Iron Man came to be, it is very fitting that the movie ends at the moment he is truly "born".

CONCLUSION: Despite Favreau's slight inexperience with the genre, a fairly weaker climax/villain and a few moments that feel like they exist solely to move the plot forward, Iron Man succeeds with an entertaining  and unique style accompanied  by an absolutely stellar performance by Robert Downey Jr.- and the result is a very fun watch. The cinematography is on point, featuring a few shots that will remain truly iconic... I particularly love the shot of Tony presenting his missiles as they explode behind him, not to mention almost every second of the first time Tony suits up and uses Iron Man to undo the damage done by his company. The score composed for the film also adds what it needs to, and some of the song choices will pretty much make you to get pumped up. This is why a standard origin story for a comic book hero can make you forget that you know where the story is going... if done right, there are so many inventive ways to tell that story with a different voice. Is this the best movie ever? No. Is it the best Marvel film? The answer for me is still no. That said, it was a great stand alone movie, an even better origin story, and set up a universe so subtly that upon first viewing you didn't even notice that it did anything of the sort. The fact that the world building was done in the background made the post credit scene that teased the Avengers so much better. You had no idea how great an established universe around this movie would be, but when you see that it could happen you suddenly realize how much you want one. Iron Man is not a masterpiece of cinema, nor does it try to be. It was just one hell of a fun ride that not only launched what is arguably the biggest film franchise of all time, it also gave us a fresh new look at the tired superhero genre and redefined our expectations of it going forward. RATING: 7.5 Next: The Incredible Hulk

#iron man #MCU #marvel #marvel studios #robert downey jr #review

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SUPERVERSIVE: Four More Anime Reviews

Hinamatsuri, our first anime

Four Anime Reviews is one of the most popular posts I’ve ever done on the site. Since then I have watched a lot – and I do mean a LOT – more anime, and enjoyed almost all of it (I will only actually watch something to the end that I enjoy).

In light of that, I have thought carefully and decided on four more anime to review. The rules: They must be an anime I have not written a review or article on already…and that’s it. This means nothing on Mob Psycho 100 or One Punch Man, even though Mob Psycho especially is probably my second favorite anime that I’ve watched since that original article.

I’ll also be sort of kind of breaking that rule for the final review, but that show NEEDS to be talked about.

The 10 star rating system is gone. I realized I would have to rank too many shows I really liked below 5 of 10 if I wanted to be consistent. So now it’s just thumbs down and thumbs up.

(I wrote a couple short articles on already airing anime, so my short conclusions on them: Cells at Work improved as the season went on, added real character development and intelligent world building, and ended on a high note. It is my easy winner for anime of the summer 2018 season. Steins;Gate 0 spun its wheels a bit in the middle and had some hilariously bad action scenes but the last four or so episodes were fantastic and it too ended on a REALLY high note.)

And without further ado:

1) Hinamatsuri – Yoshifumi Nitta is a high-ranking member of the Yakuza whose life is turned upside down the day a young, probably autistic girl named Hina with psychic powers inexplicably shows up in his apartment. Nitta pretty much has no choice but to adopt the little girl and wacky hijinx, as well as moving familial bonding, ensues.

Review – This was another show from the summer 2018 season, but I didn’t watch it until much later. It really took me by surprise how much I liked it. The characters are lovable, the jokes are consistently on point, and they do an excellent job juggling their surprisingly large cast of characters.

While the jokes are great, and the show really is very funny, where it truly shines is in its serious moments. The bonds formed between the characters – not just Hina and Nitta but several side characters as well – are consistently touching, and even some of the gags have a sweet edge to them that just makes you smile, like when Hina decides to throw a party celebrating Nitta’s promotion but somehow gets the idea that parties are supposed to look like funerals. It’s a great gag but it’s still touching that Hina makes the effort to go that extra mile, as well as an excellent character moment – the first time in the series Hina decides to do something nice with no ulterior benefit to herself.

Best girl is Hitomi.

Is it superversive? – Very! Not just in its main plot, but throughout its several subplots as well the story is consistently uplifting.

Recommendation – Two thumbs up. It isn’t a must-watch classic, but it is a lot of fun.

2) Last Exile – Claus Valca and Lavie Head are sky couriers on the planet of Prester, a steampunk style world where two nations are in perpetual war and flying machines known as vanships rule the skies. One day a dying courier asks them to complete a dangerous mission: deliver a little girl named Alvis to a flying battleship known as the Silvana. And our adventure begins!

Review – This is one of the classic anime of the early 2000s that helped anime boom in the U.S. Like Trigun before it Last Exile was more of a hit overseas than in Japan, perhaps due to the heavily eurocentric atmosphere, though the split was not nearly as extreme (you can go so far as to call Trigun a bomb in its home country).

The reputation is deserved. Last Exile is a fantastic show. The visual style and tone are reminiscent of Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, though with a more adult edge to it. The plot is intricate and complex but well written, and all secrets are revealed in the end.

The characters can sometimes come across as a bit two dimensional with one exception: Dio (no, not that one). Dio is probably the series’ biggest achievement, along with its revolutionary integration of CGI into the airship scenes. Introduced originally as a mysterious, androgynous, and rather creepy figure, he becomes almost a metaphor for the show as a whole as it progresses, as solving the mystery of who and what Dio also solves the mystery of what is really going on in the plot. He is by far the most memorable part of the story, which is a real compliment as the story itself is also engrossing.

Is it superversive? – Extremely so. Like Pazu before them Claus and Lavie are the sort of people to selflessly commit themselves wholeheartedly to a stranger – Alvis – despite barely knowing her, and this is presented as the correct and moral thing to do. Characters who start off looking like they’ll be threats become allies and the story ends on a high note.

Recommendation – This one IS ammust-watch classic. Two thumbs up.

3) Yu Yu Hakusho – Yusuke Yuremeshi is a young punk who spends all of his time fighting and going to the arcade. One day he knocks a boy out of the way of a car, getting hit himself and dying as a result. Then a cheerful young woman with a flying…paddle…informs him that she’s the grim reaper and that due to his selfless act, if he wants it, spirit world is willing to give him a second chance at life. After seeing the reactions of his sort-of-girlfriend, principal, and mother he agrees. On his return Yusuke is made the Spirit Detective of Earth, hunting down demons and punching out bad guys to save the world.

Review – One of the more influential shonen anime, this early 90’s show shows its age occasionally but for the most part holds up exceptionally well. In contrast to Togashi’s later and far inferior anime Hunter x Hunter (maybe the most overrated anime of all time), Yu Yu Hakusho is fast paced (almost no fight goes longer than two episodes, a trick My Hero Academia stole) and always fun. Togashi’s real strength, however, is in his exceptionally well realized characters. The main group of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hei is one of the most memorable and entertaining in all of anime. Not only are their personalities distinct and memorable, but each of them has an interesting backstory and goes through a TON of character development as the series progresses.

The Dark Tournmanet arc is, rightly, considered one of the greatest arcs in anime history. It goes on a little long but the high points of that story are so high who really cares? But the show isn’t perfect. The arc following Dark Tournament noticeably drops in quality and Togashi has a really, really big problem with killing off major characters even when it makes sense both narratively and metatextually – to spoil a scene, the revival of Genki was particularly egregious. This problem gets even more ridiculous in Hunter x Hunter, with the utterly absurd revival of Kite. Still, back to Yu Yu Hakusho, the show picks up again by the Three Kings saga and while I’m still five or so episodes away from finishing it completely it’s hard for me to think I won’t be satisfied by the time it all ends.

Is it superversive? – Yes. Just listen to the OP. How can it not be?

Recommendation – If you’re a fan of any modern shonen you really should see Yu Yu Hakusho and get a look at a lot of classic tropes used when they were still fresh. Two thumbs up.

Actually, you can see a lot of its DNA in My Hero Academia, leading to…

4) My Hero Academia – Young Izuku Medoriya is born quirkless – powerless – in a world where the vast majority of society possesses some sort of superpower. When Medoriya gets a chance to meet his favorite hero, the legendary Symbol of Peace, All Might, he convinces him he has what it takes to be a hero. Seeing his potential, All Might gifts him a special quirk that can be passed down generation to generation: One for All, a quirk that stockpiles power. But in order to harness this power, Medoriya, who takes the hero name Deku, needs to train at the prestigious superhero academy UA High, where he begins his journey to become the world’s greatest hero.

Review – This is the one I’m sort of almost cheating on, since I did write a review of the movie. Rawle already talked about season 1 and Nathan gave it a rec last year, but hoooooooly crap. We need to talk about how exponentially this show improved.

Season 1 was…okay. It was good. I liked it. I decided to keep going with the show on the basis of strong recommendations and the excellent final fight scene that ended season one. And then season 2 happened. And it started with a tournament arc.

And suddenly, the show was amazing.

Previously the show had focused on Deku, leaving the rest of its colorful cast in the background. Season 2 shifted focus, turning into a true ensemble show, with side characters – even side characters who weren’t the center of any stories – getting their own arcs and backstories. The sports festival reaches its climax in a fantastic battle with Deku and the fire-and-ice powered Todoroki, and this is the moment the show passed “really good” and became exceptional. The interweaving of Todoroki’s backstory in the middle of the exceptionally well choreographed fight, combined with the strong narrative being told by the fight itself, really cemented the series identity as a vehicle for both stellar action AND compelling drama without losing its optimistic, can-do spirit.

It is also not the best fight in the series.

The show isn’t perfect. Season 3 was arguably both the show’s best and worst season. The first half of the season, the training camp arc up to the unbelievable battle between All Might and All for One – one of the greatest fight scenes of all time – was clearly the highlight of the entire show to date, but the preliminary exam arc in the second half fell a little flat. The stakes in the prelim exams weren’t high enough to make the stories compelling by themselves and it lacked the strong interpersonal drama that drove the sports festival of season 2, though the arc did end on a high note.

Even so, how does anyone not love My Hero Academia? Literally every single person I know who gave the show a shot is now a huge fan. It is brilliant.

Is it superversive? – Oh, HELL yes. It’s probably the most superversive show on TV right now. Deku is seriously inspiring.

Two last things about the show:

The soundtrack KICKS ASS. Each OP gets progressively better. Make My Story is an earworm. You Say Run goes with anything.

UNIIIIIIIIIIITEEEEEEED STAAAAAAAATES OOOOOOOF SMAAAAAAAAAAASH

Postscript: There are two honorable mention anime I really wanted to talk about but didn’t quite make it onto the list this time. Robotics;Notes came out of nowhere to surprise me with a well-written slice of life story about a school robotics club in an alternate history where robots are a much larger part of daily life. It takes place in the Steins;Gate universe but aside from a couple of Easter eggs this is incidental.

And Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is absolutely fantastic and maybe my second favorite shonen anime to HeroAca. They’ll both be on next list.

SUPERVERSIVE: Four More Anime Reviews published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames