Tumgik
#protector review
wuntrum · 8 months
Text
bought some off brand apple pencil tips back in december that are more like fineliners (they have like an exposed metal bit at the top) and i thought i preferred them to the original, but i switched back to the original nib and WOAAAH its crazy how much better it feels 😭
38 notes · View notes
Text
Kaiju Week in Review (November 6-12, 2022)
Print-heavy update this week!
Tumblr media
Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors - All Hail the King #2 again confines the monsters to dreams and flashbacks, but the Gabara/Ghidorah team-up is worth the price of admission. The Shobijin have a fun scene too, a bit overwhelmed by their customary role as exposition machines. It looks like it's going to come down to Godzilla and King Seesar teaming up to stop the three-headed monster—once the kids they commune with stop bickering.
IDW also published the trade paperback for Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. That was a fun read, even if it was basically one giant fight scene. Godzilla's a little hamstrung when it comes to crossovers because he doesn't talk and Toho seems extremely reluctant to let IDW use any of the human characters from the films.
Tumblr media
One of the wonders of the Kaiju Renaissance is the sheer number of original comics that have come out of it—more than I can even keep track of! I at least learned about the five-issue miniseries We Ride Titans when the trade paperback hit. It's set in a world of mechs and monsters, focusing on a dysfunctional family who've been piloting the legendary Nexus for at least four generations. It wasn't spectacular, but I'm not going to turn down a queer kaiju story, and the robot designs are neat.
Tumblr media
Alex Gayhart (@mekagojira3k) is turning his own novel, All Your Ruins, into a comic next month. If you've been on Kaiju Tumblr (or Twitter, for that matter) for a bit, you know he's a hell of an artist, with an eye for the grotesque... and the post-apocalyptic world of All Your Ruins is plenty grotesque. (I haven't read the book yet; shame on me.)
Tumblr media
Graham Skipper's Godzilla: The Official Guide to the King of the Monsters debuted in print in the States this week. The first Toho-approved informational Godzilla book since the Compendium in 1998, it's... beset with errors and inconsistencies big and small. Friends who have it say the photo selection is solid, but I'll pass.
Tumblr media
More interesting to me is the The Art of Pacific Rim: The Black by Andrew Osmond, in part because I had no clue it was coming out. The sample pages weren't super inspiring, but what the hell, I have every other kaiju coffee table book except the one for Uprising (yes, even Turning Red).
Tumblr media
Crew t-shirts and hats for the mysterious fifth MonsterVerse film are calling it Godzilla & Kong (or Godzilla and Kong). If that's not just a new placeholder, it's pretty uninspired... at least tack on The Battle for Hollow Earth! A water bottle on offer has a neat Easter egg—Hollow Earth Advance Team forms the same acronym as the Humanitarian Environmental Analysis Team in Godzilla: The Series. So Ian Ziering's coming back, right? Who else will rally the troops to GO GO GO?
77 notes · View notes
smolghostbot · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
-
7 notes · View notes
episodicnostalgia · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media
Comic Book Break: The End of Venom (but not really even a little bit)
Featured artwork Pencils: Mark Bagley Inks: Randy Emberlin
A few posts ago I talked about how it took roughly a year after my initial introduction to Venom (through the fold-out poster from the interior of “Amazing Spider-man #365”) before I would finally get to read a full issue featuring the character.  By that point I had become as well versed on the Symbiote lore as I was able to be without the aid of the internet, which basically meant I was limited to the comics my dad bought me, along with any cursory trivia he’d absorbed from glancing through back issues in the local comic shop.  But issues #374 & #375 would finally reward my patience with Spider-man and Venom’s “FINAL CONFRONTATION!”  And oh lordy, they did not disappoint. 
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The story itself is entertaining enough, but it was Mark Bagley’s artwork that really left an impression on me. I mean no disrespect to Todd McFarlane here, but while he may have co-created the character, Bagley’s take was always the definitive version for me.  Bagley’s artwork just makes him look so nightmarishly intimidating, and even with ‘the comics code’ censorship guidelines, there was no mistaking with my very-active-imagination what the character was capable of.  I do remember feeling incredibly fortunate that I was even allowed to read those issues (my folks were fairly cautious about exposing me to graphic violence), especially considering this would be Venom’s last appearance ever, if the cover was anything to go by.  After all, who would just lie about something like that?
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Of course, it wouldn’t actually be the last time the those two would cross paths, or even butt heads.  In fact, Venom would end up returning only three issues later for the ‘maximum carnage’ saga.  But these issues did (sort of) signal a change in the character that would shift his/their motivations moving into Venom’s turn as an anti-hero under the ‘Lethal Protector’ moniker, which I never found as interesting.  In theory, it’s a character choice that I could get behind, but sadly Venom became a victim to weak writing and oversaturation.  Of course, the irony isn’t lost on me that just as I discovered the character, his relevance in the larger cultural paradigm was about to implode.  Thankfully I remained largely oblivious to all for some time, as my continued exposure to Venom would be drip fed to me through back issues or alternative media (e.g. the animated series).
Honestly though, even though these issues were obviously being sold using a cheap marketing ploy, I do think it’s a pretty solid point to ‘end’ the characters story, and least for that particular era.  After all, that is the thing with comics books, you kind of have to decide for yourself when to come-and-go.
That’s also part of the fun.
Tumblr media
6 notes · View notes
deus-ex-mona · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
secret favourite trope is when the girl proteccs the guy instead btw <333
9 notes · View notes
yo9urt · 4 months
Text
ordered steam deck and bought baldies gate :3
2 notes · View notes
bryan360 · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Here’s my note before I’ll get started….
(NO COPYING OR PLAGIARIZING FROM ME AND ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIEND’S WORK! THAT INCLUDES OUR CHARACTERS, DESIGNS, STUFF, ETC. IMPOSTERS AND SEXBOTS ARE NOT WELCOME TO FOLLOW MY BLOG WHATSOEVER! 😡 That will be all….I mean it.)
My 2023 item review - Dockable Case (w/ Screen Protector and Thumb Grips) - Part 2/Final [Jan. 9th, 2023]
Back for this continuing review, my friends! While already covered the first parter back in Jan. 26th, I’m still catching up to do by installing my Switch system alongside my Joy-Cons. Before of doing that though, I wanted to make sure my Switch system needs cleaning and dusting. Which we’re in for today’s continuing review. However expect this one will be the final before moving to other items I’m eager to share. 
⬆️ 14th through 15th Images
Here you can see I’ve two different wipes, a dust absorber, a cloth, and a screen protector onto my Switch for cleaning. There were came from the box after opening, BTW. Anyways, I handle well with the cleaning, wiping, and picking dust that I know what these are use for. At least I took about few minutes before moving to install the screen protector next.
Tumblr media
⬆️ 16th Image
Now for the next one, I’ve been carefully to install a screen protector on my Switch system. It’s a good thing I did just a bit right, but got it fit nonetheless. Though I recommend some stickers and an alignment frame tool for extra help. At least if I had the alignment frame tool for my Switch system, but I haven’t. 😅
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
⬆️ 17th through 19th Image Nevertheless, at least now I’m moving on to placing the dockable case shorty afterwards. I started on the back where I needed to be careful of installing. Thankfully as always, it fit right in where I took some time of showing off. Though I would’ve prefer changing the color for my dockable case than this, but probably next time. Regardless, it does stand out as I expected; especially for the material as I holding with my hands. I’ll get to that for later.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
⬆️ 20th through 23rd Images
I’m now doing with my Joy-Cons that needed covering, but hold on. You may asking “are these new Joy-Cons instead of my original Joy-Cons? The gray ones?” Well ever since my original Joy-Cons had been worn out a bit; especially the last time where I show off the R button from the right sided Joy-Con. ➡️ Link Here
Not only that, It also came with an issue of stick drift which is unfortunate. Though I know I should get it fix by watching some tutorial videos like VK’s YouTube Channel if learning right. (Don’t know of fixing the R button, though) Nevertheless, I asked my mom to buy me second set of Joy-Cons; which happened back in April. 13th, 2021. That’s my story of it, but hoping to expect as I going through this review and saving my new Joy-Cons test later soon. 
Anyways, back to setting up my new Joy-Cons to cover up; which I have when placing from bottom to top. Though I had to switch up from top to bottom, but at least fits right up as well. Just making sure it doesn’t have some scratches for each Joy-Cons. On the plus side, it’s what I’m hoping for so I don’t leave out any smudge stuff when holding my hands. Mostly my right sided Joy-Con when I’m pressing the A button for example.
Tumblr media
⬆️ 24th Image 
And now it’s finally completed! All secure with a screen protector upfront. As I picked up with my hands, it felt smooth due to the materials of my dockable case. I looked up that it made with "shock-absorbent and anti-scratch PC" material. Sounds promising, right? I'll see if it can hold up until I'll get a new case soon. This time, I’m picking a theme like blue or the Super Mario themed case.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
⬆️ 25th through 28th Images 
Not done with this review though, I have a set of joy-con thumb grips/caps to pick on. There are ten total of caps in two each: red, blue, black, and purple with paws. The difference between four black caps is smaller while the other was a bit big; though at least not way too big. If I had to pick though is going with red and blue for each joy-cons. Does make sense of having both new controllers I’m having. However how well protective for each controlling sticks on top? They’re pretty alright that it made in different material. I tested out when pressing and moving them; especially in games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Very appreciate of using the caps so far, but I’m okay with the red and blue ones.
My Overall Thoughts:  After owning one of last year’s Christmas gifts, the dockable case and other accessories is something I’m hoping for. These includes a screen protector right after cleaning and ten total thumb grips/caps. The main item itself though was good too. It’s made with "shock-absorbent and anti-scratch PC", but felt smooth when holding both hands as to playing games in handheld mode. Do hope this holds longer as it should and to everyone can get one of those. If you had your Nintendo Switches that is. My mom ordered from Amazon.com, BTW. ⬇️ 
Link Here #2
Hope you guys enjoying my first review of 2023, but as always be back for more throughout this year. For now though, I’m taking some breaks until another day arrives. 
Previously ⬇️ 
My 2023 item review - Dockable Case (w/ Screen Protector and Thumb Grips) - Part 1[Jan. 9th, 2023] - Link Here #3
Tagged: @murumokirby360​ @carmenramcat​ @alexander1301​ @rafacaz4lisam2k4​
10 notes · View notes
jerryhsiao1 · 10 months
Text
Best Samsung Galaxy S23 series cases with screen protectors in 2023
2 notes · View notes
queen-ofnewyork · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Review of ROVECTIN’s Aqua Soothing UV Protector SPF50+ PA++++
ROVECTIN is a Korean brand that offers a complete range of skincare to transform and restore skin. Many of which really is aimed toward sensitive skin. Their Aqua Soothing UV Protector is designed to provide highly effective protection against UVA and UVB rays which can cause premature aging. Key ingredients include coconut oil (hydrating, protects skin, smoothing, minimizes fine lines and wrinkles, calms redness, absorbs easily, has some UV ray blocking ability), titanium dioxide (physical sunscreen; protects the skin from UVA/UVB radiation, gentle, good for sensitive and acne-prone skin), zinc oxide (gives skin a protective coating from irritation, promotes healing, astringent, antiseptic), sunflower seed oil unsaponifiables (high in vitamin E, emollient, prevents damage to the skin from UV light, anti-aging, hydrating) and cranberry seed oil (softening, soothing, minimizes fine lines and wrinkles, protects against environmental factors, nourishing, has natural sun blocking properties). This product retails for between $23-29 USD, you can get it here for $29 + shipping. You can use code DANNIEL15 to save some money. :)
Ingredients
Water, Zinc Oxide, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Methicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Adenosine, Hedera Helix (Ivy) Leaf/Stem Extract, Malus Domestica (Apple) Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Vanilla Planifolia (Flat-leaved Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Water, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Sodium Chloride, Aluminum Hydroxide, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone/Phenyl Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Prunus Amygdalus Amara (Bitter Almond) Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Saccharide Isomerate, Trehalose, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, Stearic Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
To quickly note, I received this for free from Wishtrend for my honest review.
Tumblr media
The UV protector comes in a plastic squeeze bottle like normal and contains 50 ml (1.69 oz) and is fragrance-free.
Tumblr media
The product is very easy to dispense and it's very convenient.
Tumblr media
The sunblock is not watery or anything, but it's pretty lightweight.
Tumblr media
The sunblock does blend out a fair amount but is still fairly streaky. This, while somewhat frustrating, is a sign of an effective sunblock as it does leave somewhat of a layer and doesn't just absorb in like a moisturizer.
Tumblr media
It's not the most moisturizing, but it does have some chalkiness to it.
Tumblr media
The layer is a little bit visible and so I do think this will flash back if you're using flash photography.
Recommended use is to dispense an adequate amount of the SPF on areas such as the face, neck, arms, and hand during your last step of skincare. Apply as often as necessary in order to maintain sun protection. Suitable for daily use and meant for dry to normal skin. This sunblock is cruelty-free, pH balanced, and free of artificial coloring, fragrances, and ethanol. It’s also vegan-friendly. While designed for dry to normal skin, this one may be ideal for oily to combination skin. This is a physical sunscreen that's hypoallergenic and is a non-chemical filter. After using, while I don't typically notice physical sunscreens very often if they are pretty moisturizing, this formula is a little drier and does take some time to absorb into the skin and look less dry. After it does absorb, my skin looked very radiant and bright, but it's very apparent I'm wearing sunblock after application. It has a typical sunscreen scent and a chalkiness to it. So it does have some streaking that does take some time to blend in. The ingredients are quite nice with the exception of one irritant. I didn't notice any irritation on my skin as a result of using this, however, it does ball up on the skin, so in my opinion, this may not be the best to wear under makeup as it may cause makeup to ball up. I do think this would be best for lighter skin as it's less obvious and has less of a cast on it. I do find it long-wearing and very effective but I'd recommend this to people with oily and combination skin as I really don't think it's the best fit for dry skin.
What I like: once it really melts into the skin, it really does leave the skin looking hydrated and it really lasts a long time and is easy to reapply. What I don't like: it's harder to blend in and is kind of chalky and streaky. It really isn't the best for my skin type personally but I can see this working on oily skin. It has a pretty obvious cast on it and I think this would be hard to hide if you have darker skin. It also balls up and so it may not be the best base for makeup.
Pros:
Hydrating
Adds radiance
After melting in, the complexion looks great
Lovely ingredients
Long-wearing
Fragrance-free
Sensitive skin friendly
Vegan
Cons:
Leaves a cast
Balls up on the skin
Isn't really ideal for dry skin
Would I buy this?
Probably not
Rating: 7/10
3 notes · View notes
nikihawkes · 1 year
Text
Book Review: Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger
Title: Manners and Mutiny Author: Gail Carriger Series: Finishing School #4 Genre: YA Urban Fantasy Rating: 3.5/5 stars The Overview: Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine’s floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia’s sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
2 notes · View notes
popcultureoverdosed · 2 years
Text
We are Water Protectors picture book
Review
Tumblr media
I stumbled upon this book in the best way possible. I was strolling through the park basking in the nature when I saw that my library was doing a story walk. It was my first exposure to a story walk and its such a brilliant idea. Each page of this book was displayed around the park walking trail.
This picture book is less of a story and more of a call to action. It informs readers we are all born from water and we must protect it from the black snake known as oil. It's important to note that this was written in response to the Dakoto access pipeline protests. The native American population of Dakoto rebelled against the construction of this pipeline due to the damage it would cause to the water supply and cultural sites.
Author Carole Lindstrom urges readers to cherish water while educating us on its cultural significance to the Ojibwe people. Water is characterized as a nurturing force that gives us all life. It is our duty to keep water safe and protect the defenseless inhabitants of this world. Michaela Goade does a phenomenal job captivating the eyes with her breathtaking drawings.
Tumblr media
This is an important lesson for everyone to learn because environmentalism isn't taken seriously enough. There's so much harm being done to the planet every day and we need to take a stand. We are water protectors feels like a folktale that should be passed down for generations upon generations. Do your part and save this planet.
Tumblr media
2 notes · View notes
everygame · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
Gotta Protectors (Nintendo 3DS)
Developed/Published by: Ancient Released: 07/2016 Completed: 12/04/2022 Completion: Finished every level. Ok, I didn’t beat the final “destroyers” level (86). But it was ridiculous! Trophies / Achievements: n/a
Yes, that’s Gotta Protectors (Nintendo 3DS) not Gotta Protectors (Nintendo Switch). Yes, I found myself somewhat frantically trying to finish this before the release of its sequel, and barely managed, with just enough time that I could justify pre-ordering said sequel. And yes, by the time you read this I hope said sequel has 1) turned out to be just as good as this and 2) become a world-wide phenomenon like Wordle. Do people still play Wordle? Do I still play Wordle? Tell me, future me.
So. This is the first sequel to Ancient’s sorta-throwaway yet brilliant not-quite-tower defense game Protect Me Knight for Xbox Live Indie Games (long since inaccessible, unless you already bought it) where you pick your class, upgrade your hero’s skills and weapons, and work your way through 100 levels where the goal is (basically) to protect the princess until the level is over. You can do this by placing fortifications and turrets, and/or directly engaging with the enemies and trying to seek out and destroy any spawners, with each class having their own preferred playstyle.
It’s perfectly playable solo, but Gotta Protectors is a great game that desperately needs you to be playing it with friends to really be as great as it is (if that makes any sense). Unfortunately, it’s local play only, so I played through about three quarters of this in spates related to “when I had my 3DS on me, and friends also had their 3DS on them” which was unsurprisingly rare, and then I just set it to easy mode and tried to roll through the last 30-odd missions. The former, although it was a game every two years or something, was vastly preferable. You see, Gotta Protectors is almost like a Earth Defense Force demake, in that it’s absolute chaos at its best with insane swarms of enemies and destruction to be had, and when you’ve got a full squad of players trying to manage the insanity it’s about as good as games get.
If there’s a problem with Gotta Protectors though it actually relates to the way that context relates to the meta game. I’m not ever sure if there’s a specific genre title, but Gotta Protectors fits into the “Japanese multiplayer-focused item-grind action game” Earth Defense Force is roughly part of, but it’s most obviously personified by the Monster Hunter franchise.
Here, you’ve got tens of different items to collect, all of which are used in the shops and upgrade dojo, and you’ve got an extremely obscure system to use items to make rings that provide a further bonus. The issue is that (unfortunately) Gotta Protectors on 3DS was not a worldwide phenomenon the way that the Switch sequel has turned out to be (future ed. please check) so there really is next to no good guidance on… really anything.
For example, I liked playing the Archer best, but there came a point where it felt like my character did… basically no damage and died immediately, no matter what build I tried to shape towards. When I switched to Amazon? I didn’t really have to pay attention to that any more.
To be honest, as much as I love this game, there are certain things I just don’t understand even now (the difference between in-mission levelling up and levelling up at the dojo or weapon level bonuses, for example.) There’s a non-zero chance that you’ll be so confused by exactly what you’re supposed to be doing that you’ll get frustrated and quit if you’re trying to solo this–especially if you’ve put all your effort into one character and have to switch.
That all said though… it’s not really the developer’s fault that there aren’t amazing faqs out there, although a bit more explanation could have helped in game (yes, the silly fake manual is cute, but could it have some useful information?) 
Either way, I have incredibly fond memories of playing this with others, and with the 3DS being murdered any day now I suggest that if you loved the Switch version and have any 3DS owning friends you make a pact to play through this together in person, COVID allowing. I’d ask future me if COVID was still a problem, but it’s obviously going to be so I don’t have to…
Will I ever play it again? If there’s ever a situation where my pals can help me finish off that final destroyers level (levels where insane waves of enemies are funneled to the princess/castle and you just have to survive) I’ll boot this up. But it requires me bringing my 3DS to someone’s house. Could happen I guess!
Final Thought: Something interesting that playing through this at length solo brought up was actually how much the level design made me think of Cannon Fodder of all things. The way some levels would throw you into insanity straight away, others would require your hero quest a bit to solve how to finish the level, and so on. They’re both pretty good studies on how to keep remixing your game’s core play across a lot of content to provide surprises and unique moments, even if they both have pretty wobbly difficulty curve. I should play Cannon Fodder again… I always give up when I lose too many men, the themes of the game always make me feel too ashamed to go on!
Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi, either via a one-off donation (pay what you like) or by joining as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.
2 notes · View notes
Text
Kaiju Week in Review (October 9-15, 2022)
Tumblr media
Supreme shock sensation of our times: a Godzilla comic released on schedule! Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King! #1 dropped on Wednesday. I'll confess I forgot about it for a couple of days; your priorities get scrambled when you're recovering from knee surgery. This is a direct sequel to last year's Monsters & Protectors; I don't recommend going in blind. Two big reasons to pick it up: Gabara's debut in American comics (in a dream, natch) and a professional Xilien troll who muses over which reaction .gif he should deploy. Yeah, me too.
Tumblr media
Toho released a teaser and this very cool still for the upcoming short Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan's Attack, showing off the Showa Gigan replica suit Shinichi Wakasa built. It's strange to see it opposite FinalGoji (presumably the same stunt suit from last year's Godzilla vs. Hedorah short). I guess it's just his destiny to face Godzilla suits that are barely holding themselves together.
Tumblr media
I cannot hope to comprehensively cover the deluge of Godzilla merchandise forever threatening my bank account in this column, but I would like to spotlight this enamel Baragon pin, designed by Christian Gonzalez for Ghost X Ghost. When I saw it my hands simply moved to order of their own volition.
Tumblr media
The Dino De Laurentiis King Kong films are getting format upgrades. StudioCanal has a 4K restoration of the 1976 remake slated for November 28, while Umbrella Entertainment is bringing King Kong Lives, long out of print in the States, to Blu-ray on January 18. Neither company is American, but 4Ks don't have region codes and I hear Umbrella Blu-rays are typically region-free.
Probably neither will be a buy for me. The color grading on the 4K King Kong doesn't look great, and the special features don't measure up to the Blu-ray Shout! released last year. I will grant that the King Kong Lives Blu looks like a winner, with great packaging and new special features including a Ray Morton audio commentary. (They had to be new; the old DVD didn't have a thing to mine.) But it's not exactly one of my favorites, and since Shout! recently picked up the rights to it, I'd rather hold out for a version I don't have to import.
Tumblr media
Just over a year after it premiered at Fantastic Fest, Iké Boys is out on digital courtesy of (they just keep coming up) Shout! Factory. Hopefully a physical release will follow, because this heartfelt American tribute to tokusatsu doesn't deserve to be buried in the Google Play Store. Set in the last month of 1999, it concerns a pair of Oklahoma tokusatsu geeks and a Japanese exchange student trying to prevent the apocalypse, empowered by the obscure 1969 anime film that predicted it. It's very low-budget and hits a lot of predictable coming-of-age beats, but it's got a good heart and Yumiko Shaku (yes, Akane in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla) classes it up. Also... it's not often I'm pandered to so directly. The director's one of us, to put it mildly.
Tumblr media
Big thing are happening on the bootleg circuit... a couple of them last week, but I never posted about them on Tumblr and this is the first installment of this column. Yesterday, Skeweds Translations posted fansubs for What to Do with the Dead Kaiju?, Toei and Shochiku's kaiju comedy with no U.S. release outside of film festivals in sight. The film is catastrophically bad, I'm sorry to say, failing as a satire and as a genre exercise; Day of the Kaiju handled the same premise far better in a quarter of the time. But if you're so inclined, you can find a copy of the movie itself on the cat site... along with a higher-quality copy of Shin Ultraman than was uploaded there previously. I don't know where these things are coming from (Zarab?), but I'm not complaining.
And in the how-can-this-be-real category, a treat for your ears: the recently unearthed Hong Kong dub of Hanuman and the Seven Ultramen. As in Godzilla vs. Megalon, Ted Thomas, Chris Hilton, and Warren Rooke voice many of the characters. You won't believe the words coming out of their mouths—I don't think they did either. Between the child murder, checkmated atheist, and Hanuman's unquenchable thirst for carnage, this was always one of the kaiju movies with the most jaw drops per minute, and it just got better. A VHS containing the dub turned up in Lebanon; @Redcome40977685, @PrissMegaforce, Omayyad, and Elie Al Hajj got it digitized and @spacehunter-m synced the audio up to a fine-looking widescreen version.
86 notes · View notes
wondereads · 2 years
Text
Personal Review (06/12/22)
Tumblr media
Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce
It's been a while; time for another full series review! As usual, I'll be reviewing each book without each of the subcategories. If you'd like to check out other reviews by me in this style, check out my reviews of The Sisters Grimm and The Chronicles of Chrestomanci. This is one of my favorite series ever, so this'll be a pretty biased review. Also, if you want to avoid spoilers, don't read the reviews of book 2, 3, and 4!
First Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
In the first book of the quadrilogy, Keladry of Mindelan is the first girl to take advantage of the new rule allowing girls to train as knights. It's always been her dream, but first she'll have to make it past a year of probation full of boys who would sooner see her gone. This book is on the shorter side, just barely reaching 200 pages, but I think anything more would have been unnecessary. In terms of plot, these books are very isolated, each focusing on a new challenge for Kel in each new phase of her life. Rather than the plot building up to a culminating moment, it's loose and unpredictable, which creates a feeling of realism. The core of this book is Kel proving herself, which she does thoroughly. She does it in training, excelling through hard work. She does it in her personal life by standing up to bullies, and she does it in the climax, a battle against fearsome spidrens (do not look up a picture you'll have nightmares for weeks). This book is an introduction, and it does its job quite well.
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kel is free from probation, but her challenges are far from over. Beyond the grueling training of being a page, the examinations loom at the end of the four years. Set over the course of three years, this book goes a little more in-depth. It also starts setting up Kel as someone who thrives being in command. One of my favorite characters is also introduced in this one, Kel's maid, Lalasa. Their dynamic is well-developed and does wonders for both their characterization. I think the climax of this one is better built up towards. There are hints about what's going to happen throughout the story, and as the problem starts to reveal itself your heart starts to sink because you know exactly what has happened. Something I enjoyed about this book is that Kel has her first crush, and it is just that—a crush. It never culminates into anything, and she eventually loses those feelings. It feels like such an accurate, realistically simple representation of romantic feelings, and I appreciate that Kel doesn't get set on one person for the rest of her life as is typical in YA books.
Squire 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kel is finally a squire, but she worries that no knight will take on a female squire. Her worries are assuaged when Raoul of Goldenlake, commander of the King's Own asks her to be his squire. Over the next four years, Kel trains to be a knight against the backdrop of a royal procession and a rising threat from Scanra. Of the four, this one is my favorite. I love Kel's training with the Own and how she fits into that dynamic. On top of that, since a major plot point is the royal procession for the marriage of Tortall's prince to a Yamani princess, we get to see a lot of Kel's involvement in Yamani culture. For context, Kel grew up in the Yamani Islands with her parents as ambassadors, and as characters from the Islands are introduced, Kel's influences and sources of skill are gradually revealed. (Also, I realized I may have subconsciously named by D&D character after one of these people.) Also, this is the first hint of the ultimate climax of the series as Scanra, a country to the north of Tortall, starts closing in. Combined with Kel's weird dynamic with the Chamber, where every squire faces an Ordeal to become a knight, the whole story starts to feel a lot bigger.
Lady Knight 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kel has become a knight just in time for an impending war with Scanra. She wants to hunt down the mysterious man shown to her by the Chamber, but her plans are derailed by an assignment to a refugee camp. All of these books are very gritty and realistic, but this one takes it to the next level. A lot of war-focused fantasy stories have the main character out on the front lines or in some sort of strategist position, but the opposite is true for Kel. She is instead in charge of building, running, and defending a refugee camp, a position that reveals all the horrors of war to her and the reader. Even when Kel does end up going on her quest to defeat the evil, it's only justified by an attempt to protect those people she has been put in charge of. It is also exacerbated by the presence of Tobe, Kel's new servant, and the other children, who are caught up in the conflict despite being at the most ten years old. I also love the ending of this one. The main conflict is wrapped up rather neatly, but there's a lot of ambiguity about what Kel will be doing next, so it lets the reader speculate.
Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This series is one of my favorites for a reason. If you're not used to this style of story, these books might seem rushed and aimless. However, I love the quick, choppy nature of the writing in that it reflects both Kel's personality and the unpredictability of her situation. Pierce's other series are about grand, god-chosen adventures, which is all well and good, but this one stands out in its brutal realism. Kel's training and the battles are written in excruciating detail, ensuring the reader will notice every bruise, every casualty. Also, Kel is one of my favorite protagonists. She's level and clever with some room for snarkiness, and she has plenty of strengths balanced well with weaknesses. Her friends and other side characters, of which there are many, are well-developed and distinct enough that there's no issue with getting them mixed up. Finally, although it is not explicitly mentioned in the book, these were written before Pierce knew what to call it. Recently, she confirmed that she would consider Kel asexual, though it's all up to our interpretation. If you like any form of medieval or military fantasy, definitely give this series a go!
Author
Tamora Pierce: American, 67, also wrote Song of the Lioness, The Immortals Quartet, and Circle of Magic series
Reviewer
My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every week, and I do themed recommendations every once in a while. I take suggestions! Check out my about me post for more! https://wondereads.tumblr.com/post/190886072242/welcome
6 notes · View notes
melaniem54 · 6 days
Text
Review: Paranormal Protectors: Atlas (On Guard #0.5) by Michelle Frost
Rating: 4🌈 Michelle Frost has written a fast-paced, urban fantasy short prequel for her new series, On Guard. This uses the same universe and characters as the previous series, Mated to a Human so knowledge of that world and those themes is necessary. This was an action filled story that includes a romance that almost but not quite falls into the insta love category. That would be the…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
bookstattoosandtea · 14 days
Text
Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Linebacker by Rheland Richmond & Emerson Beckett
Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway: The Linebacker By Emerson Beckett & Rheland Richmond Portland Protectors- EHM Security Series, Book 2 Is it wrong for me to want the world to know I’m in love with Patrick Griffin and have been since we were eight-years-old? Patrick Griffin I hurt him. I didn’t mean to. Now he’s gone, and I deserve it. As a linebacker in the NFL, I’ve never found the right…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes