#this episode is so unwatchable except for *him*

[chr0n1c-ag0ny]

Kunidazai reunion sparking them finally, actually, truly getting together (cause they're idiots who have essentially been and old married couple for years and were the last to notice)? I think yes.

kunikida offering his apartment to Dazai, as his partners was in no shape to be lived in, after all the time that had passed with no upkeep and the time it spent in police custody, being milled through for any potential evidence. there was no way he could let him go back to it, not now, not tonight. Kunikida needs him close tonight.

Dazai takes him up on his offer. he doesn't want to be alone. he won't admit it, but he can't be alone, he doesn't know what it would do to him, what he would do to himself if he was left unattended. so he gratefully, while making jabs and cracking jokes at his partner, follows him home.

their night proceeds as normal, as it had for years of Dazai crashing with him. Kunikida cooks while Dazai sits up on his counter, rambling on and on about anything he can think of. Kunikida never realized how much he missed Dazai's voice until the relief of not cooking in silence hit him.

when they eat Dazai drags his partner to sit on the couch, even though Kunikida hates eating on the couch, knowing he would make an exception for him, just for tonight. they sit too close to just be friends, coworkers, partners even. their arms touch, their knees lean into one another.

when Dazai's finished with his dinner he lays a head in Kunikida's lap, turning on the TV, flipping through all of his partners recorded media until he finds the show they had been watch together, every episode that aired since he was arrested is recorded and unwatched. with blurry eyes he hits play. Kunikida's hand is in his hair and it doesn't leave.

they don't talk, they don't have to, they've talked enough. for now they just want to sit and feel each other's touch and hear each other's breathing. it's all they need.

its nearly 3 in the morning when Dazai finally starts to doze, he'd curled up into a ball, halfway in Kunikida's lap at that point, holding onto one of his partner's hands. Kunikida knows he should get them both to bed, he should offer Dazai the room and take the couch, that he should have the man some space after all he'd been through. but he aches at the thought of leaving his side, at being separated again.

but he doesn't even have to say anything, should have known he never had to, Dazai's always been sharp as a tack, his intuition, almost terrifyingly, even sharper.

His partner turned lazily in his arms, looking up at him with tired but knowing eyes. let's go to bed, they say. you don't have to go, you can stay, they assure. please don't go, they beg.

Kunikida breathes a long, heavy, sigh of relief.

"ok," he answers, before finally getting up after hours laid up on the couch, watching as Dazai continues to doze.

his heart aches with feverish heat. he'd missed him so much he had begun to go mad, had gone mad really, and now his partner was back, he was back and alive and mostly well, and now he was so relieved it ached in its own right.

he went about making up his bed for two, for Dazai, knowing he needed enough pillows and blankets for half a dozen people, but kept stopping to look over the back of the couch to make sure he was still there, still with him, that he hadn't been taken away again. by the time he's done he's probably crossed his apartment two to three dozen times, from his room to the couch again and again, before he's finally decided the room was good enough, there were enough blankets for Dazai to cover himself with and pillows to hide in.

when he goes to Dazai this time around, he kneels in front of him, carding a hand through his hair, tracing a thumb over his brow, to his nose, and then his cheek. his partner's eyes flutter open, a smile graces his lips.

"come on," he whispers, worried too loud a voice would shatter the delicate air of safety and comfort around them, "time for bed."

Dazai hums, getting up with a stretch and a yawn, much like a cat, before gingerly hopping off the couch and into Kunikida's arms, a false smile and air of cheekiness to him, hiding the ache Kunikida knew all too well resided in his partner's heart as much as it did his own, if not more. he holds him for a moment, savoring the feeling of him in his arms, before taking his hand and leading him to their room.

Dazai knows the drill. he goes to the other man's dresser and picks out a pair of his own sweatpants, ones he kept here for nights like these, and as per usual, one of Kunikida's shirts, gliding across the room, out into the hall, and into the bathroom.

Kunikida crawls into bed, feeling like he's been hit by a bus by the days events, and ends up half asleep by the time he feels Dazai crawling into bed next to him.

he expects to see bandages peeking from the borrowed nightshirt, to watch Dazai shield himself from the world, from his partner's touch, with a swarm of blankets, for Dazai to lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for him to fall asleep first.

but tonight's different, so different.

Dazai's skin is bare where the shirt doesn't cover, his scars on display, each and every one of them, the burns, the cuts, the bullet wounds, the ones Kunikida has never one been able to decipher the story of. they're all bared to him, with no visible hesitation on Dazai's end.

when his partner climbs into bed he neglects the pile of blankets laid out for him, the pillows too. instead he lifts the comforter that's draped over the entirety of the bed, Kunikida included, sliding beneath it like it's natural to him, like he'd done it every night for months, years even.

he looks at Kunikida for a moment, silently asking for permission, which Kunikida cannot give fast enough, and then Dazai's in his arms, his own wrapped around his neck, nothing between them but the clothes on their backs.

Dazai pulls away, just a bit, Kunikida almost cries out, almost pulls him back in, but knows better. he lets dazai go, but he never leaves. he's moved just far back enough so they could both look each other in the face.

"I missed you," he spoke softly, his hands shifting to hold the blonde's face.

"I missed you too,"

there's a moment of silence.

"I love you." the words are hesitant, skittish even, like he's unsure of how Kunikida would take it.

"I love you too," he replies without a second thought. he loves his partner, he loves him, more than he knows what to do with, so much it drives him mad and makes him ache.

Dazai nods. he's thinking, Kunikida can see it on his face, his mind is going a million miles a second. worry flashes on Dazai's face, and Kunikida panics, goes to pull away, goes to give Dazai space, even if his own skin burns at the thought of parting with Dazai's.

but Dazai doesn't let him, he clings to him, "Don't go, please don't go, please," he begs.

his voice is desperate, so Kunikida doesn't. he watches his partners face twist and turn, watches as fear spreads across his brow and tears gather in his eyes, and he doesn't know what to do because this has never happened.

but than Dazai leans in, slowly, tugging Kunikida closer so they can meet in the middle. Kunikida feels his partners lips on his. he kisses him back. he can't decide if that was a foolish decision or not. It's soft, softer than either of them knew they were capable of, it's gentle and earnest and good.

Dazai stops after a moment, lingers in Kunikida's space before looking him in the eye once more, he doesn't speak, they don't need to. Dazai looks at him, tears running down his face, but he's smiling, he's ok. his thumbs wipe away tears Kunikida hadn't realized he'd shed. they're ok.

"I love you," Dazai mutter's again, speaking again before the other man can answer "Kunikida?"

"yes, Dazai?"

"don't go."

"I won't."

"promise?"

"I promise." its a foolish thing to say, but Dazai needs to hear it, hell, he needs to hear it, "I'm not going anywhere, so long as you promise me the same."

he hesitates, his eyes avoid Kunikida's for a moment, before returning from their shared gaze, "I'll try, I promise, I'll really try this time"

Kunikida nods, slowly moving to kiss Dazai's forehead, the brunette leans into it.

"I know you will," he whispers into Dazai's skin, "and I'll always be here when it's too hard to manage on your own."

there's silence again, but it doesn't feel wrong or heavy, its soft and warm and it feels right.

"I love you," Kunikida finally returns.

there's more silence, Dazai just looks at him, just watches, fingers playing with Kunikida's hair and drifting over his face until something clicks into place in the other man's mind, something nobody but Dazai could ever understand.

he leans in once more to kiss his cheek before he settles against Kunikida's chest, letting out a pleased huff as he curls himself into a ball, "goodnight," he muttered, almost instantly going still with sleep.

"goodnight," Kunikida replied, knowing Dazai wasn't going to hear him, pressing his own goodnight kiss to the top of Dazai's head before burying his face in the other man's hair (Dazai doesn't smell like his shampoo anymore. it makes something in him cringe. he tries and fails to ignore it).

it takes Kunikida a while to fall asleep, he's too busy running the night over and over and over again in his mind. he holds Dazai close and lets his fingers trace over scars, feeling over his too-thin frame, feeling each bone beneath his skin. there's so many thoughts rushing through his mind, to many fears, worries, anxieties, what ifs. what if I hurt him? what if I break him? what if I ruin this?

his thoughts are only stopped when Dazai gently nudges his head into his jaw, hands pulling Kunikida's off of him, holding them gently in his own (he should have known sleep wouldn't come that easy to Dazai).

he takes a deep breath, steadying himself and his mind, his partner's hands squeeze his gently, good, they seem to say, and sleep finally starts to pull at him once more.

he lets it happen, let's his eyes close and his mind go blank, knowing Dazai is safe, he's safe in his arms, he won't be taken away again. he sleeps knowing Dazai loves him, that he kissed him, that tomorrow they'll wake up like this, and maybe, just fucking maybe they can finally have this one happy ending.

#I love when two emotionally constipated men find ways to be indirectly vulnerable and soft with one another. it matters so much to me. #they don't know how to talk about it or what they mean to one another or what they need from the other but they make it work #but after so long of dancing around each other only to be ripped apart for so long something just gives way and for once its in their favor #I hc that Dazai can be quite graceful in a ghostly and/or feline sort of way when he wants to be. he hops to his toes instead of standing- #glides instead of walking. stares into your soul with these big old eyes instead of just look. so thats just sprinkled in here. #on another note. these men are idiots. I said getting together but for christ sake they've been together for years they just never noticed. #I cringed at their stupidity multiple times while writing this. #dazai is scared of loving kunikida. he's scared his love will damn the man he loves. he's scared he'll leave too #but he can only run from his feelings so long #kunikida is scared to love dazai. he's scared he will find a way to break him. that he won't be careful enough. that he'll screw it all up. #they're so fucking messy and I love them your honor #I have so much to say about them #kunikida bsd #kunikida doppo #bsd kunikida #dazai osamu #bsd dazai #dazai bsd #kunikidazai #kunidazai #if you see typo's no you don't

[pianokantzart]

Super Mario Brothers Super Show (Season 1, Ep. 1)

A couple of scattered thoughts on the first episode that I’m watching on youtube.

I’m only going to be paying attention to the cartoon parts. I like the acting and the sets of the live actions bits are fine, but quite frankly I would like to strangle whoever it was that was put in charge of the laugh track. The random canned laughter at nonsensical moments made that segment borderline unwatchable for me.

Okay, here we go... Season 1, Episode 1: “The Bird! The Bird!”

According to the opening monologue, Mario and Luigi just rescued Princess Toadstool (would liked to have seen that, but okay) and are now searching for “the magic” that will free The Princess’s kingdom and send Mario & Luigi back to Brooklyn, (I guess they haven’t decided on a MacGuffin yet.) Toad is pulling Princess Toadstool along like a sled dog before getting scooped up by a lispy birdo, who has saliva actively pouring out of her mouth.

It has been 30 seconds.

I’ve got to say, most of the voice acting is pretty good except for Princess Toadstool. I hope her delivery gets better further on in the show, because right now every sentence out of her mouth sounds super phoned in. 

Luigi unironically crying because he thinks that Toad is gone for good is actually really sweet?

 In fact, all of Team Mario have some nice little interactions. Good to see that no matter how ridiculous things get or what the continuity is, there’s still that comradery. 

What is with all the spit in this episode?  First we’ve got the birdo with the hypersalivation issue, and then we’ve got the... whatever those are... licking King Koopa’s feet for an uncomfortable length of time. 

Makes me worry about how much of this show is going to be some 80s writer’s poorly-disguised fetish

No, but seriously, wtf are these things??? What game are they from?

Princess Toadstool pointed out a fire flower and Mario’s first instinct was to eat it asdflkakf why is he so hungry.

The Mario Brothers do a weird pasta pattycake parody to hype themselves up?... alright. Weird, but kinda cute.

King Koopa showed up with an entire battalion to capture Team Mario, got hit by exactly 3 turnips, then ordered a retreat lmao.

The episode ends with a giant pink worm gravely insulted that Mario didn’t want to eat him.

Conclusion: I am terrified and intrigued. 

#long post #smbss #smbss blogging #super mario brothers super show #Mario #Luigi

[look-how-they-massacred-them]

Preliminary Poll

Zane

Submission reason:

So the series has a subplot where Zane is a little different and kinda autism coded, it turns out he's an android (nindroid) and has an episode about accepting himself. His roboticness pops up every now and again, when he has some kind of gadget in his arm or an occasional joke, subtle things. Seasons 3 and 4 make this more of a plot point, and eventually he does look entirely mechanical. Even though his arc is dependant on being a robot, he's so much more then that. The Ninjago Movie is an alternate timeline that swerves away from canon pretty hard. Ok, fine, not too big a deal right? Except that Zane being a robot becomes his only personality trait. He talks completely flat and robotic, rather then the quiet observant kind of voice in the show. I don't remember much of this movie since I haven't seen it in a while but, like, Zane is so much more then 'beep boop funny' guy

hes a robot right, and was very heavily autism coded as inhuman characters tend to be. however. he was autism coded in a cool way. autism coded in a just like me for real way. but in season 8 they completely changed him to autistic in a SHITTY STEROTYPE way and to be honest it makes the show almost unwatchable for me. "im sorry as a nindroid i am not capable of understanding your cryptic metaphors </3" DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and jay is Always the one who explains things to him. "silly zane its called SARCASM🙄🙄🤭 youre so silly!" and i want to rip them both out of the screen and tear them into little Lego pieces

Reduced to nothing but “the robot” when it came to all jokes involving him, nothing that ever happens to him feels meaningful because any psychological or physical injuries are forgotten by the next episode or two, his most impactful arc was turned into a joke by the writers during Crystallized, his best character development in years was in a literal BOOK.

Propaganda:

Your honour, he’s just a silly, goofy guy! He’s just a silly little guy and he doesn’t deserve any of this and it’s his birthday and also he’s autistic.

he means everything to me. first ever character to give me Blorbo Induced Feelings. i wish he had blood and guts so i could dissect him

#look how they massacred them poll #look how they massacred my boy #lego ninjago #ninjago #ninjago zane #zane julien #zane #zane ninjago

[dudeyuri]

ah the feel-good, snoozefest, milquetoast ending i feared and expected.... in both its highest points and its lowest points ONLY FRIENDS was a case against fixed pairings

i skipped forward all of the topmew scenes in this one again, so this episode was probably a cool 30 mins for me. i’m preaching to the choir i know but they were SUCH a glaring weak point in this show. to the point of unwatchability. they did top so dirty, man. you can’t root for a character who’s just so…cardboard. you can’t even love to hate him. did he have a meaningful conversation with anyone other than mew in the entirety of the series? top was underdeveloped, mew was kind of a drag (revenge era notwithstanding). the tension there was just not giving.

a lot of their post-ep2 relationship development was to build up to mew’s devastation, and to wink-nudge at the audience. any topmew tension before the reveal came from us knowing what top and boston did, while an oblivious mew just thought top was checking all his boxes. removed from the context of the secret, they just went on a series of boring dates, lol. and then we were back at square one with top trying to prove himself to mew--this time without the tension of the big secret. naturally it fell so flat. and goddamn did they give these two a whole lot of screentime. who enjoyed this? did force//book fans even enjoy this? (unless any of their scenes in the last two episodes were somehow good because. lol. i did not watch them)

nick going back on his “i love you the way you are, you don’t have to change” in the eleventh hour SUCKED majorly. seeing boston grovel SUCKED even more like REAL BAD. one big happy friend group, right where they started, sucked. and boston being left alone in the end like that was not fun for me

he was rebuffed during the new years kiss. he was allowed no rebuttal after nick insisted that he would be happier alone, when boston had just said he can have feelings for nick and simultaneously want to sleep with others. yeah his communication skills left something to be desired, but you really could make the case that this is because the boundaries he DOES set are constantly crossed by others--so why should he bother even setting them? idk his ending did feel kinda punitive, i agree with a lot of what i’ve seen, but it also felt just unresolved. what was the point of his last fling with nick?

idk they should have let bostonnick be “nasty” (big quote unquote here) together. boston is still endlessly interesting to me i will probably have more today on this. forever my favorite only friend, forever that girl

at least we have sandray. the bi4bi sandray mutual crush on keira knightly was the episode highlight for me because yeahhhh, same (episode highlight, aside from the almost-threesome in the pool. and sand owning his status as DOG. and first kissing force). as @jolselin said. time and again firstkhao really outsold. the only friends tagline: firstkhao outsold. forget everything i said about fixed pairings

and the mix cameo…i should’ve dropped my “here’s how mix in only friends can still win” post yesterday. know i screamed. and boeing, gone as suddenly as he arrived, was a lot of fun. it’s greedy but i would’ve appreciated just an inkling of what his deal was. and i also wish this show leaned into its absurdity a little more. 

okay a harsh review and thumbs down for the last episode. but if there’s a second season or spin-off I will ABSOLUTELY watch. this shit was so hysterical and fun and wild and sexy. this was my best friend’s first BL and we basically spent a full hour every saturday cry-laugh-yelling “what the fuck” at the screen. from the baffling music cues to the ubiquitous bubblegum pink lip tints, and with the exception of topmew, it was such a blast. thank u jojo et al

#ofts #only friends the series #going to really miss OF saturdays

[bluebunnyears-08]

The Bittersweetness of Sonic Prime

You know when I go back and rewatch the episodes of this show because of how it ended, and because of its interesting story, I realize how horribly bittersweet it is.

Usually, Sonic stories have epic adventure stories or happy positive feelings but Prime is just...bittersweet. It gets even worse when you remember the ending of the first batch, which leaves SOO many interpretations.

Sure, there's some action here and there, but the main focus is the characters and their feelings. It's not about the fights or good vs evil, it's just about getting home, and trying to find light in a pitch-black room.

Hope.

Which makes the ending of the first batch worse. Home doesn't exist anymore, Sonic broke it. The way they handle Sonic's character is actually well done in my opinion. He's bubbly, positive, and cocky, but ultimately well-meaning, and unconditionally kind. There are some things he says that are annoying, but nothing too bad. Nothing too unwatchable.

I absolutely enjoy it when they put flaws instead of making Sonic a perfect hero like they usually do. He's more real, and easier to get attached to. He's immature, but he is still a teen, still growing and learning about the world.

The other characters are really good too. And one thing Prime does is show deep empathy for its characters. Each character has more depth to them, and when they express distressed feelings, you can understand and feel it. At times, you can even relate to their pain.

(The way he poses XD, he knows he's a bad bitch)

And I couldn't use this pic without this one.

(Period. End of discussion)

Shadow is another really well-done character, not an overly edgy asshole, but a cold person with a hidden heart of gold. He's standoffish to Sonic, and most likely his friends, but his and Sonic's fighting probably is nothing but competitive sport. Not to mention their fighting ACTUALLY MADE SENSE. Shadow saw Sonic was going to do some stupid shit again, except this time he would break the WORLD, so naturally, he tried to stop it.

Of course, he was going to fight Sonic, the blue bitch doesn't even listen to his friends. Of course, he's going to literally knock some sense into him the first chance he sees him, he broke THEIR HOME.

I agree Shadow could've tried to talk to Sonic, but again would Sonic have listened? Not to mention, Shadow is...a complicated person when it comes to communication.

The variants of the main characters are really good as well. Each of them has goals, ideals, and sides. Of course, there's one that stands out to me, and if you've seen my posts you know who it is.

I can't NOT talk about Nine! He's just so interesting and well-written. The show emphasizes a LOT of mystery around him. Like we KNOW this is another version of Tails, but what happened after he took the shard? How did he see Sonic? What did he discover about Prism's power and how to harness that power? What is going on in his head?!

We'll have to wait for these questions to be answered in the second batch, but he's still very fun to watch. In my opinion, he's not only the best character in Prime, but he's also the most bittersweet in the Sonic Franchise. when Sega tries to write a bittersweet character, it's either too sad or too happy, too edgy or too go-lucky, but Nine is a perfect in-between.

Nine is edgy done right, I am so sorry Shadow SEGA ruined you, and has moments where he's happy too. He's just a very complex and interesting character.

It's hilarious that "emo Tails" written by Netflix is better than any other edgy character SEGA made up. When he blows up or becomes cold, it's understandable.

Attacking Sonic the first moment he meets him? Sonic called him something he was abused for YEARS for, so naturally, he thought Sonic was another "bully". Taking the shard over helping the rebels? He watched the only person he ever bonded with get sucked into this shard, he never bonded with any of the rebels anyway. Doing it again when there was a battle? It wasn't his problem, it was the rebels' he was only working with them because he was helping Sonic anyway.

However, back to the topic, all of the variants Sonic bonds with reminds him of his friends back home, so yeah, he helped and bonded with them, but he doesn't belong in that world. Except his world is destroyed, his home where his REAL friends are, his friends that he mentioned are what make his home, home.

If he does manage to get all of the Paradox Prism together, those worlds and those variants will likely disappear. The variants would go through the equivalent of dying. They'll become one again, but they'll cease to be nothing more than mere traits, they won't be alive anymore, and they won't be their own person anymore. They'll cease to be, nothing more than the shards they are.

No matter what, how happy they are, or how satisfying the conclusion is, they will still have to "die", all just to become a shard of someone who will never know they existed. No matter how optimistic you look at it, it will have a pang of heartbreak.

And I think the chance of them remembering is highly unlikely because it would take away from the main theme of Prime. This isn't about them learning something, it's SONIC, and probably Shadow. If they remember it would kinda ruin the main tone of this show.

If anything, they'll just think it was a simple dream and think nothing of it. Because that's all it was to them, not a deep journey, not a meaningful bonding, just a weird dream that they don't need to think about ever again.

What will the varients think of that? What will NINE think of his worth? Nine and every other variant are just copies, things that aren't as important as the real thing. They aren't worth much, they're just variants, just "shards". With how Nine suffered, with how much Nine WANTS, I don't think he's just going to overlook it and help.

I also think that with his villain arc will come another solution. Another way the world can be restored is without simply converting him, mashing him up with the other meaningless shards, and becoming the real Tails. Another way where he won't be just some shard.

And to be honest, if there's another way that involves Nine going crazy but getting his way, getting to be HAPPY, while restoring the world and bringing everyone back without having to "die", I'm DOWN.

Some people hope there will be a redemption arc, and so do I, I'm hoping that the thing I mentioned just now will be it. Redemption is not always happy, it can be sad or bittersweet. When he does get that, it'll most likely be the harshest bittersweet ending of all.

I keep reading posts that Nine is a good boi or going to be a villain, but I want to say something that needs to be clarified, Nine isn't a good person, but he's not a bad one either, he's simply a kid, and we CANNOT forget that.

He's just a kid with NOTHING to lose, and when he finally finds something to be worth living for, he's never going to have it (unless he does things his own way).

There are some quotes from other Sonic games that I think fit well with what I'm trying to say that sum up ALL these characters, especially Sonic and Nine. All of these were said by Sonic btw.

"Don't be afraid to accomplish your dreams."

"When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it when you can. It's the only way to live life without regrets."

“Every world has its end. I know that’s kinda sad, but that’s why we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have.”

“If the world chooses to become my enemy, I will fight like I always have!” -(Actually stated by Shadow, my b)

“I’ll never look back, I’ve got no regrets. Cause time doesn’t wait for me. I choose to go my own way.”

#sonic prime theory #sonic prime spoilers #more sonic prime! #nine sonic prime #nine the fox #nine needs a hug #nine deserves to win no matter what #miles nine prower #shadow the hedgehog #shadow the ultimate lifeform #sonic the hedgehog #poor shadow #poor sonic... #oh nine... #they all need a hug #and therapy

[quantumshade]

So. The Girl in the Fireplace. It's a very interesting episode in how Moffat-y its ideas are, both on the things it follows up on — see Continuity Errors for 'how the Doctor affects a random bystander' and the same nicking of the 'I am what monsters have nightmares about' line, and on the things that follow /from it/ — for example, the theme of failing to return (see Amy, /two times/, and that bit in Lost Christmas). But, looking at it less abstractly and analysisly, it ends up being near unwatchable — Rose's half of the episode does… basically nothing emotionally or plot-wise, Reinette is characterised as a very generic 'upper class woman who endures™' and mainly treated as a historical symbol rather than as an interesting person in her own right (also, misogyny, because objectificatiok!), and Mickey and the Doctor's relationship just… doesn't follow at all from any development in mutual respect in series 1. But 'the Doctor affects a bystander's whole life even though it's one (1) short adventure for them' and 'their world (represented by the spaceship set piece) is terrifying when it intrudes on yours' is /really interesting/. Therefore, I would propose /telling this story entirely from Reinette's perspective/. Give more space to her characterisation! Let Rose and Mickey quietly fall out of the plot (except for where the two women talk and set up how they relate to and parallel each other) instead of noticeably doing nothing! Make the spaceship world more inexplicable, and the part where Reinette enters it more climactic! You'd need to shunt all the ideas for the mechanics of the setting into the background, though, and I /would/ expect that Moffat, being Moffat, wouldn't do that

i mean i agree with you on some of these points, but my solution wouldn't be to "tell the story from Reinette's perspective" [while keeping the same ripoff time traveler's wife plot with the little girl meeting a man and growing up obsessed/in love with him and then becoming a woman waiting eternally for her godlike time-travelling perfect baby angel man AND doubling down on the classist juxtaposition with Rose being entirely absent except to talk with/be talked down to by the girlboss aristocrat about why the Doctor is a perfect baby angel man so far above us mere mortal women] as much as it would be to scrap the obnoxious premise entirely

#gitf is bad it's a bad episode and a bad premise #look at the plot for 0.2 seconds and it all falls apart #not to mention using this historical figure who irl was basically groomed from birth to be the king's lover like... it's gross it's so gros #why are we romanticizing it steven. #and this isn't even going into how the episode treats rose and mickey AND how ooc ten is the entire time #doctor who #delia.txt

[tiktaalic]

what do you like most about supernatural and what are your favorite seasons and episodes?

Really good. Question. I love that they jump the shark I really do. Over and over again. Parody of itself. I love that shark jumping necessitates that they hop tone switches. I love that they do things badly. My favorite thing about season one is that. The John dean sam dynamic feels like getting walloped in the teeth. And season one dean haunts the narrative forever you see forty year old dean and you see 26 year old dean beneath him completely unrecognizable and you want to die. 2 is just a fun motw show that’s interesting and has you engaged in the plot until again. Dean wallops you in the teeth. I would describe 4 as the first major shift because suddenly Real Consequences show up. The Big Plan shows up. Cas is there and it is genuinely so moving to watch him struggle through defecting from everything he’s ever known to become a softer more human thing. 4.01 genuinely really engaging episode even when you know what’s coming it’s fun to watch! It’s fun to go oh ho ho they’re trying to solve the Mystery of what’s powerful enough to Raise Dean From Hell! This Mystery Entity is pulling out all the stops! Doing things we’ve never seen before! What could it be! It’s cas :-). Six mostly sucks but then there man who would be king. Seven mostly sucks but there’s godstiel and born again identity. Eight is. Epic highs and lows for sure. There are some god awful episodes in there. Unwatchable episodes. Skip every time I remember they’re coming up episodes. But. There’s goodbye stranger. There’s the finale. There’s purgatory. Hunter heroci. Cas lobotomies. Naomi. Season 8 is the easiest one for me to romanticize because there’s a heaping pile of shining elements in it. Dean has a spray tan cas is getting brainwashed for caring too much sam is dying of consumption it’s all really quite good except for the episodes that are bad. After that it gets good again in s13. Except for the bad parts zksidnejc. Jack really shook up the show in a good way imo! Stakes ballooned out starting. Season 9 ish? And I think he grounds the show a bit so that interpersonal stakes are the ones that you’re invested in. 14 GREAT season stellar season the best season of supernatural in ages. Start to finish. Jack has a great little plot he wrestles with the entire time about his own development. And there’s the god reveal!!!! Wonderful season. Definitely a favorite. And I know people have mixed feelings on 15 but I think it’s a fun romp until it’s not.

Favorite seasons chronologically: 1 4 8 14

Favorite episodes: oh. Skin. What is and what should never be. All hell breaks loose. Lazarus rising. Monster at the end of this book. That episode in season 4 where cas kills himself by archangel with chuck. Free to be you and me. Head of a pin. Endverse. Man who would be king. Season 7 opener. The purgatory flashbacks are scattered between a few different eps so I just watch the compilation on YouTube. I like the eps with Linda and Kevin. Goodbye stranger. S8 finale. S9 is fucking. Dire. But 9.01 is fine. 9.06 for cas with a baby. Meta fiction. Fan. Fiction. Season 12 opener. Oh that casifer episode where they’re on a submarine that’s fun. That episode where dean yells at Mary in her head. Season 12 finale. The future. The first six episodes of s13 back to back to back to back. I like scorpion and the frog. I like stuck in the middle with you. I like mint condition. Asa fox. Lily sunder. Twigs and twine. Season 14 honestly all bangers once you get past the first 3 eps. INCLUDING! Lebanon. Ouroboros is included in this but I am mentioning it by name because today when I drove to work it was all. That I thought about. Coffin ocean done. Byzantine? I think is the one with Naomi. But again 14 all bangers. 15 I have to say the rupture and the trap. Legally. Belphagor eps those too. Atomic monsters. I liked. I think it was the gamblers? . FRENCH MISTAKE. Um. End of the list from the top of my head.

#ask #anonymous #spnwatch #long post

[thegeminisage]

tng update time, brief because i am BUSY. two nights ago we caught "contagion" together, yesterday i watched "the royale" on my own, and just now i finished "time squared."

contagion: don't know why this one was recced by so amny people because it was VERY boring. because it had romulans in it? it's not even unwatchably bad or anything, i just...didn't care

did like that the romulan commander was a woman though. just like the enterprise incident. where's spock when you need him

the archaeology angle was stupid. "oooh i have to go i've been studying them since i was a lad" you literally do not have to go "well china was thought to be only a myth until marco polo traveled there" bitch, not to the fucking chinese. get a grip.

the fakeout data death...girl we know he's going to be fine! i did like him throwing geordi around though he made the little faces <3 and i was very proud of him for continuing to work when he had a little computer virus. aw. maybe less glad that picard didn't give him any extra priase for doing so but whatever we can't have high expectations for this ep

anyway it was all just very overly contrived. and i was bored.

the royale: this had a great setup because i love when star trek talks about nasa. that made me really excited for what turned out to ultimately be a holodeck episode

played this one on 2x speed genuinely (my deepest dishonor - bad ones get 1.25x, really bad ones get 1.5x, and horrible ones alone get 2x speed)

like, if you changed it a little, you could say the holodeck is broken and won't let you out until you pretend to be investors and win big in the casino! it's the same thing. i guess they didn't want people thinking the holodeck was dangerous and unreliable, which it is

anyway, i liked data blowing on the dice. that was all though

time squared: this one blew my tits clean off. amazing. 10/10. it's like the immunity syndrome, enemy within, and doomsday machine had a time traveling baby

there is like a little bit of time travel technobabble that makes no sense whatsoever. and i did get the final twist spoiled for me. but it doesn't MATTER. neither of those things mattered because i was still sitting there with my jaw on the ground after the end

like, one website called this one confusing. sure yeah a little bit. they were playing very fast and loose with both their own rules established in the episode and the greater rules of the franchise as a whole. but the point is the character arc

like. picard sees himself make a decision that will destroy his ship. he sees himself fail utterly to do everything he holds sacred - he did not even GO DOWN with his ship. he is facing a matt decker doomsday machine of a situation. remember when kirk pitied matt decker because he saw his whole crew die and was helpless to stop it but was also a little put off by him because he couldn't possibly imagine himself in that situation? but with picard IT IS himself. it's green shirt john crichton and black shirt john crichton. they're BOTH the real picard but one of them has been through something unimaginably horrible

AND WHEN THAT PICARD. ENDANGERS THE SHIP. like. IN COLD BLOOD our picard chooses to kill him. and in my personal interpretation he thinks of it as mercy. but like he still shot him while looking directly at him and NO ONE knows what he did because he DIDNT TELL THEM except he called the fucking doctor for some reason

like at the end he's just staring out of a window. and riker is like hi im here to let you talk about it! and picard doesn't talk about it and riker goes away and in the end he is just staring out of the fucking window and they just ROLL CREDITS a real "anyway! these are the voyages of the starship enterprise" of a situation aka what i always loved about tos episodes (honorific)

i THINK this is a cross-section of drag me to hell and there was no laugh track but further contemplation required. straight banger i fucking loved it

i still have to do "the icaurs factor" and "pen pals" alone, but then we get to do "q who" together WHICH IS THE BORG EPISODE i cannot wait. nobody tell me ANYTHING.

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #these liveblogs are becoming more word salady by the day #sorry i'm out here inventing entire new dialects to talk about fictional situations in #i guess it's not a new dialect so much as it is completely referential #isn't that a premise of a tng episode actually??

[eleanoroliphant]

some thoughts on twddd which i really loved

my probably one (1) complaint is i would have liked it to have a couple more episodes to explore the background of some of the side characters (quinn, codron, quinn, his singer gf whose name i forgot, azlan...). with the exception of that lady mussolini whom i loathe, i kind of adored everyone. i even cried when the pigeons' man died. there's so much heart in these characters.

american stuff set in europe is usually borderline unwatchable, it just relies on stereotypes and makes its setting bend over backwards to accomodate the american hero who's invariably presented as the culturally superior person. i'm happy to report that's not the case with twddd. i think there's definitely a lot of frenchies behind the scenes and i hope it stays that way in the future

i understand opposing the idea of daryl and isabelle for whatever reason but to not see there's something there in the writing is just plain denial. i read many comments around here before i watched the show and they'd really given me an entirely wrong idea of what this relationship was. it is true both were broken before the world ended and they have a strange way to read each other's thoughts, which we see in the more tense moments as much as in the lighter ones. i don't know if and to which extent we'll see that happen, but it's there

speaking of isabelle, she's such a great character. i like that she's a killer nun when she has to be but she's also not slaying hungry ones all the time which seems to be the go-to stereotype for female characters nowadays. i also like the fact that she sometimes fucks up as a mother figure because she raised that kid in such an impossible situation and she probably wants to shield him more than she can ever realistically be able to. i would be interested in seeing more of her past so we can learn more about her and maybe see quinn again?

...cause i really loved to hate quinn and i'm bummed that he's dead. could he have gotten a redemption arc (or at least a better one than the one he got)? in any case i fear that he's gone way too soon and the performance from the actor was very charismatic, he shall be missed

the use of music is INSANE. deux amours and le vent nous portera gave me chills. amazing work from the people in charge

i don't know that it's realistic for daryl, or anyone, to simply realise he belongs somewhere else, but i think the scene where he finds his grandfather's cross is meant to set up for something. maybe we'll learn more about him and daryl's story will parallel his. laurent said daryl won't die in paris and i can easily believe that, but what if he's meant to die (hopefully peacefully, surrounded by loved ones) a hero in france?

elephant in the room: what's the show's angle on faith? are we supposed to find these people delusional or more forward thinking than the average person? i kind of agree with daryl that lauren might just be a miracle because he survived, but at the same time a charismatic figure that brings hope rather than control and fear is a very powerful catalyst. who knows

daryl is 100% hallucinating laurent, there's no way isabel sent the kid there alone OR he himself is stupid enough to just stand there while hungry ones are approaching

#the walking dead: daryl dixon

[borreloadsavagedragon]

11, 16, and 20

oh god, I’ll do my best!!!

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered

3! And they are all names for the same one ship bc this community loves to make new names out of nowhere for everything omg

I’ve mentioned this one in particular before vaguely in character ask games but I don’t wanna always bring it up, the tag and filtering system does all it has to for me and ygo is one of the few communities that actually does tag accordingly usually, Twitter is the raging exception but Twitter rewards witty captions versus tags and I love obstacle courses 

I’ve gotten vagued about and subtweeted enough for sharing the ships I do like, I’d hate to be someone who bashes something of value to someone else and make them feel insecure about their favorite things by subtweeting them because I do know many who do love the pair 

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

I had to think on this one bc the only things I could honest to god think of were a handful of ships and I really don’t wanna go that route dbshhsjs

I will literally read anything that isn’t like… too much into dead dove territory 

BUT

Some Fanon inside jokes can be annoying once they’re super overdone, ygo jokes I come across aren’t too bad outside of the TCG (ygo players reading jokes and draw good card memes are so bad, stop making them 733627472738 times) but like… even in our small franchise corner, some of them are overplayed

Like Yusei drank milk once and now his figure has to have a glass of milk, we did that

NSFW for literally ten seconds but

(also stop making the stereotypical rival characters into domineering or nasty tops, it’s weird)

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

oh my god ok, here it is, the one question I can go full hater on

Ok so I LOVE protags usually, I'm rarely a protag hater, but I hate when shows go out of their way to make protags solve EVERYTHING even when it’s really not appropriately theirs, like shows that need to find reasons to keep protagonists in the episode or in the frame, or to remind us that it’s the protag’s world and the cast is just all living in it

Like it’s definitely my fault being so involved with Shonen shows that I don’t get to see the latter happen a lot since Shonen is like the BIGGEST offender of this trope but I still wanna complain!!!!!!

God I lowkey wanna talk abt Arc V for this but we’re just gonna… *brushes show off of desk into a lock drawer* 

That’s a can I cannot open

So let's talk Zexal II, aka the part where I get to talk about the worst duel in the entire franchise because I can’t even rewatch these episodes for my analysis without wanting to slap my computer shut, it makes me that angry 

Uh

Some Spoilers since I know you're still watching

😭😭😭

Like this comes from a place of someone who fights off Yuma hate in the TCG community regularly

But in my whole ass I feel like Heartland and Kaito’s duel is an actual disaster

It's also honestly a little bit of character assassination as a treat for no reason but we'll touch that in detail in the paper

And letting Yuma and Astral take this duel over is just an egregious slap in the face lmfao

Especially how the show chooses to handle Kaito passing out and everything following when he finally returns to consciousness that just makes him essentially a step up from background character

Yet people deadass have the nerve to say Kaito has the most favoritism, bitch where lol

Extremely unsatisfying to watch someone who's been an established threat for the ENTIRE show not be able to dismantle the last standing figure in their life who’s been a source of great pain to them and someone who has never dueled up until this point at that! And not only does he NOT get to take the dub, it's literally his second last duel in the entire show and while the last duel is INCREDIBLE, making this a moment of glory for the protags is weird!

Idk, I stand firmly that this part is unwatchable, just a very badly done way to backseat Kaito to shift the focus onto the original duo, and that in theory is cool, but there are so many better ways to do it

But shonen isn't shonen without some dramatic hero comeback

Shonen is such a love/hate relationship

#this took a while oh my god #thank you!!!!!! #asks #answered

[catty-words]

as one of those people who doesn't really enjoy s3 (but still enjoys your analysis posts so much), this is 100% it:

"the frustration around the narrative making space for him to the disservice of an already bloated cast of characters that can't possibly get the focus they're all due to truly flesh them out"

i agree with you re: des's role in the story and objectively I know you're right that their relationship helped devi.....it's just subjectively i care so much more about everyone else and it made me sad to see certain characters (*cough* aneesa) be neglected while the relationship that i had zero interest in took up so much screentime. i also am selfish and wanted more devi/ben and even devi/paxton but we got so little of both relationships (romantically) in s3.

i think it's just a matter of personal preference? i appreciate the story they're telling it's just that subjectively i Did Not Care abt des and it makes so much of season three unwatchable for me :(

mm-hmm, totally get personal preference coming up against aesthetic value. at a certain point, if the show has made the displeasure hurdle high enough - no matter how well thought out or crafted the season may be - your will to run its course just won't be there. and i respect that, full-stop.

as long as you're willing to show up for my analysis, though - which, thank you! - i feel compelled to point out that, in terms of the numbers, des + devi/des doesn't actually hog a disproportionate amount of the spotlight. devi/paxton has the first three episodes, plus significant screentime in 3.08 and a beautiful little two-scene arc in 3.10. devi/des, gets only one more full episode to their name (bringing them to a total of four), with some background noise in 3.05 and 3.06.

and as far as devi/ben are concerned - and this is the point i actually wanted to make, you won't catch me dying on the 'des deserves his screentime' hill - one of my favorite things about this season is that their relationship is a thread woven steadily through this period of devi's life. he's there in nearly every episode as sounding board and confidant. and the romantic tension that underlies their every scene? *chef's kiss*

devi/ben is a smorgasbord of undemanding and patient love this season, polished to perfection with a veneer of witty banter. perhaps none of the episodes truly belong to them in the conventionally shippy sense - with the exception of 3.05 - but they're baked into the very dna of the season in a way that has me unhinging my jaw and eating my own heart out of my damn chest every single time. little romantic d/b? not in my season three.

#anon #replies #catty liveblogs nhie s3: rewatch edition

[harapeveco]

miss harapeveco since we are in the topic of anime pls drop some recommendations I don’t have anything to watch 

Omg oks so I have a very shitty taste in anime so this will be a very disappointing list but the ones I mostly recommend are:

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: literally every scene is funny and iconic, it also invented m/f yaoi don’t ask it makes sense

Owari no Seraph: I mean this very unironically this anime fucking sucks but in a good way like nothing is ever explained, nothing makes sense and they gaslight you into believing the main boys are gonna be endgame by showing you a homoerotic scene of blood drinking. Just roll with it and don’t ask questions it’s better that way

The Persona 3 movies and the Persona 4/5 anime: the movies are really good they did a good job condensing +80 hours of gameplay in 4 movies (except the third movie but we don’t talk about that). Now when it comes to the persona 4 anime you can tell they didn’t give a shit that thing is just 24 episodes full of jokes and comedy the game wishes it had holy shit it’s really funny for no reason. The persona 5 anime is more complex in the sense that it’s very unwatchable if you go to it expecting something good. It’s bad it’s very bad it’s poorly animated and rushed and it’s just borderline unwatchable but it is really funny if you wanna have a good laugh about how bad something is I recommend it

Osomatsu-san: the first episode of the first season being yeeted into oblivion bc it was very much illegal to show all of it makes it worth it. Keep in mind this is an adult show (even if it doesn’t look like it) so there’s a lot of crude humor and sex jokes but all the characters are such trashy people I like to see them suffer 

Kiss him not me: if you are a shipper this one is for you. Basically the MC is a yaoi obsessed fan girl who wants to see her classmates date each other yaoinly but they want to date her instead 

ID Invaded: really good anime with a really good mystery and plot! Main character did everything wrong but I still love him also Sou did the opening for it 

Happy sugar life: very fucked up horror about a high schooler in love with a literal child but it doesn’t go like you think it goes, they don’t portray it as romantic or cute they very much portray it as the fucked up thing it is and how wrong it is. It’s good if you like feeling unsettled and like to watch things go from 0 to 100 real fast

The promised neverland: amazing series with an amazing mystery and atmosphere! It’s a shame it only has one season tho I hope they make a second season of it in the future but it’s a shame it only has one

Dr stone: it has science, it’s horny, you have over the top characters, what more do you want

Natsume book of friends: you love to cry? You wanna cry after watching every single episode? Ofc you do! This shit will hit you in the gut so hard you will never recover. A beautiful story about acceptance, platonic love, found family and yokai with the best and most realistic character development I’ve ever seen 

Gegege no Kitaro: this one is very broad bc no kidding this anime gets a new adaptation every decade. There’s a 60s version, a 70s version, an 80s version, a 90s version, a 2007 version, a 2008 version that is more adult and follows the manga and a 2018 version too if you like recent stuff more. Most of these are lost media tho good luck trying to find any version that is not the 2018 one. I forgot about the plot of it yeh uhhh basically a kid ghost is a medium between humans and yokai but he mostly play favorites with the yokai and sometimes fucks the humans over so idk if he’s really a medium, he’s very biased about it

The dangers in my heart: I talked about this one before but I’m talking about it again idc. Really cute and wholesome the MC is kinda horny but he’s like 14 boys at that age are pretty horny we have to stop pretending they aren’t. The first 3 episodes are so cringe they are very painful to watch but if you can go through them you will witness what I think it’s the cutest romance after horimiya. I don’t usually read manga bc I have the attention span of a rock but even I did a binge read of it bc it was just so good

King’s game: edgier than shadow the hedgehog 2006, it’s painfully bad like I can’t even begin to explain how horrible this anime is but good lord it made me laugh all the way through 

Chuubyo gekihatsu boy: one of the main characters is a catboy called Rei Tsukumo and another character is a cringe Utaite what more can I say? It’s just dumb cringe kids being dumb as fuck for 12 episodes and you know what? It’s very good at it

Horimiya: just watch it for the love of god just watch it

Sasaki to Miyano: you have miyano who is like “I wonder if I’m gay??? I’m not sure???” While he reads gay manga and straight up imagines himself kissing his guy friend in the mouth like bestie COME ON

Thats all the anime I can think of the top of my head, well adding anime classics like fullmetal alchemist brotherhood, haikyuu, my hero academia (I only follow it bc the Todoroki family drama is the only thing well written in it), dragon ball (not dragon ball z bc as much as I like it I prefer dragon ball and the cutesy adventure aesthetic it has) and ofc how to forget sonic x 

#answered ask #anime reviewer juju harapeveco #i hope this helped anon! if you watch any of these feel free to spam me about it i need more anime besties

[tryslora]

Spring 2023 Anime - Second Round Thoughts

I’m back for more impressions of the spring 2023 anime season! Some new first impressions as new shows drop, and some thoughts after watching second episodes, too.

As I start making notes on this, it’s Tuesday 4/11 and I’m feeling rather anxious when I look at my list of unwatched episodes. It’s hard to both consume media and write! Like. Fandom and writer life collide in a massive way at this point. Especially since I can’t do writing-related tasks while watching things with subtitles. This is the point where things start falling off the list if they don’t really grab me enough to make the cut so that I consume them in my minimal time allowances.

Side note: I’m adding notes to this as the days go on, in part so my goldfish brain doesn’t forget things!

I'll throw this behind a cut because it got long...

A Galaxy Next Door - one episode in

I really liked this, but I’m wondering if it’ll hold up. I’m intrigued by this girl and her background and how she’s come to love manga and her interest in our protagonist. Watching it does make me realize just how much anime is wish fulfillment in the end. So much. But then, isn’t much of the media we consume?

Otaku Elf - one episode in

I want to love this, but I’m not sure I can love the elf goddess. It got better as the episode went on, and it’s not an auto-delete from my list. I suspect second episode is going to make or break a lot of things for me.

The Dangers in my Heart - two episodes in

Okay, this is more ecchi than I thought/remembered after the first episode, and yet, it feels completely in tune with a middle school level of thought. Like. The protagonist comes off as a completely typical middle school boy (as do the boys around him), kind of obsessed with thinking and daydreaming about things beyond their ken. So. That hasn’t turned me off of it yet? I’m on the fence at this point, but still intrigued, and haven’t dropped it yet.

The Cafe Terrace and Its Goddesses - one episode in

Huh. So. WAY more ecchi than I expected, almost to the point of “where the hell is the story?” around it. And yet. I got hints that the protagonist isn’t necessarily as unlikeable as he seems at first. And that he might be able to become a good guy. So I’m curious. I’ll give it a second episode and see where it goes.

The Marginal Service - one episode in

That was… a ride. A wild ride. I enjoyed it, a lot, and hope it can keep up the chaotic energy without losing something or becoming repetitive. I’m glad this did show up on Crunchyroll; I’ve been looking forward to it almost entirely based on the list of VAs in it. I was expecting chaos and I got it. 

Skip and Loafer - two episodes in

This is so going to be a comfort watch. I love the representation. I love the way the characters defy expectations. I love the characters in general and how they are coming together. It’s sweet, and lovely, and peaceful. A fantastic winding down, last show before bed kind of show.

Oshi no Ko - one episodes in

I’ve been really looking forward to this, then the first episode dropped and it’s 80 minutes long. Which doesn’t mean I won’t watch it, but does mean I need to lay out more time than squeezing in a single 22 minute break at the end of the day. Hopefully this weekend. I’ve seen some good reviews.

Later…

Oh. OH. So that’s what all the buzz was about. That was worth it. Absolutely worth it, and I am utterly hooked on the characters. I don’t want to spoil anything, except to say that I was not expecting the emotional rollercoaster I got to go on for 90 minutes. I can’t wait for the next episode, and the start of the main arc. I am so glad they did it this way, with essentially a prologue. Best way to go for this story.

Why Raelina Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion - one episode in

I am really intrigued by this, and it gives me just a really good feeling. I want to see another episode, so this one is going on my continue list. I really like watching this girl trying not to be the character that dies to start the plot of a novel, and I’m really curious what the duke himself is up to, too.

X&Y - one episode in

This is not anime; it’s donghua. And oh, OH, this has caught me quickly. Two episodes dropped to start, and they are shorter episodes, which is kind of cool. Not standard lengths. But this is super intriguing and kind of dark and making me very curious. I can’t wait for more.

Dead Mount Death Play - one episode in

I wasn’t interested at the start, but the more we got into the story, the more intrigued I became. This is currently on my if I can manage time for it list (which is LONG, but the “must watch” list is longer…). 

Birdie Wing - two episodes in

That… took a turn I’ve been expecting, and yet, am a little disappointed in. EXCEPT. I’m also expecting it to take ANOTHER turn that seems to be foreshadowed which should clean up the part that disappoints me. I’m not going to comment on it here, but expect spoilers in comments should anyone want to discuss and I am very very up for discussion about girls who golf. (Pretty sure that Aoi is the most disappointed person at this exact moment in the anime).

I’m not posting my must watch vs might watch vs nope lists yet, solely because I haven’t made fully definite decisions yet, and I’m honestly still floundering in a sea of “too much, too much!” at this point. It’ll probably shake out at the end of the month when I take a good hard look at what is grabbing me right away, vs. What I don’t mind waiting for.

#anime #spring 2023 anime

[giornosaiyaman]

My take on SW Rebels

Before we talk about the series proper, let’s discuss the element in the room, the animation.

I don’t like how Rebels looks. The character acting is objectively better than early TCW. Furthermore, I admire the attempt to base the style on Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art. However, the execution does not work. The choice to make the characters look like a mix of anime characters and Kenner toys backfired horribly, especially when combined with TCW’s stiff, weightless animation, and bland poses. The characters look, move, and feel like lifeless, plastic toys, and that’s not good.

Now onto the writing.

Contrary to popular belief, I think Rebels season one is the best of the bunch. If it weren’t for the bad aesthetic and weightless animation-it would be an A, with the bad aesthetic and weightless animation, it’s a B+.  Written by the great Greg Weismann, Season 1 does a great job establishing Lothal, Ezra’s trauma, the mystery of fulcrum. and the ghost crew’s found family dynamic. It also tells a tight, small scale story that revolves around the freaking awesome grand inquisitor, voiced brilliantly by Jason Isaacs.

G.I works because he wallops Kanan  three different times, and challenges Ezra and Kansan on psychological levels, which develop their relationship further.

Yeah, the show had narrative problems-an over reliance on guest cameos, filler episodes, the incompetent storm troopers and the Inquisitor failing to kill the ghost crew, but the voice cast really picked up the slack-just like the TCW voice cast.

However, the show pulled a really cool trick. It actually addressed the Empire’s incompetence during Call to Action, and had kanan sacrifice himself in order to save the crew.  All these story threads coalesce and build to a killer finale that pays off all the ghost crew’s character development, reintroduces Ahsoka in an organic way, and brings back Vader.

Then Weismann left, and things fall apart.

Season 2 has some really good eps, but Filoni’s incompetence starts rearing it’s ugly head again. The new inquisitors sucked, the show grew bloated, the ineffective imperials turned fans against the ghost crew, etc etc.

Season 3 sucks except for twin suns and trials of the dark saber. The show made the horrible decision to bring in Thrawn. When I first heard he was coming in I went, ““oh no. Please don’t let him be ANOTHER TCW Grievous, and I was right. Thrawn spins his wheels in trying to kill the ghost crew, and gets cheesed in the season finale, which turned fans against the ghost crew even more.

Then, you get the awful season 4 opener, the godawful world between worlds plot-which represents filoni’s Ahsoka obsession at its worst, and the unwatchable season 4 finale.

I hate Filoni so much.

#Star Wars rebels review

[shazzeaslightnovels]

September 2022

(Series: Lycoris Recoil)

No, I still haven’t finished Youztisu 8. I’m getting there.

While this season didn’t have as much to offer as last season, I did really enjoy every show that I watched and was excited to watch them every week. There was one exception to this which was Hataraku Maou-sama which I put on hold after episode 7. I took a break from the show while on holidays and I fell behind it by 3 episodes and when I finally got around to episode 7 all I could think about what was how bored I was watching it. And I actually like volume 4 more than most people did but the execution was so lackluster for me and I did not want to go back to it. I will still finish it later but I needed to take a break. It’s a shame as I’ve been wanting this sequel for 9 years but I can’t say I’m surprised that it ended up being disappointing, given the change in studio and the general quality of the light novels after volume 2. I can’t say I was excited to see a 3rd season announced.

Shadows House 2: This was a very compelling sequel with an intriguing mystery and some great new characters. I do think that it moved a bit too slowly at times and it’s a shame that it ends on a note that feels even more unfinished than the first season did but I’ve been meaning to pick up the manga anyway so whatever. Still a really enjoyable season that shows off the talents of the animators and the voice actors.

Danmachi 4: This one isn’t finished yet but I’ve been enjoying this one a lot. I do think that the more recent episodes suffer from some low budgeted animation but the strength of the source material still manages to carry it. The light novel is better but the anime makes for an enjoyable watch nonetheless. I don’t know how long this season is meant to go for. I’ve heard rumors that it will be 22 episodes but I haven’t found anything official to confirm it (granted I haven’t looked far). If this is the case, hopefully the anime won’t become unwatchable due to budget issues in the second half.

Lycoris Recoil: I really enjoyed this anime overall, largely due to how much I loved the main cast, particularly Chisato and Takina and their dynamic. I had a blast watching it every week. I definitely think there was more potential to explore the setting and interrogate the whole premise of teenage girls being turned into assassins. There was a particular part where Mika mentioned that Lycoris tend to stop being active when they turn 18 and there was no further explanation as to why that is or what happens to them. It’s just briefly mentioned and glossed over. I do think it was a missed oppurtunity to explore that premise further but as is it’s fun action series with incredibly charming leads that I was super invested in and that was enough for me. I will picking up the light novel volume once I’ve cleared a bit more of my backlog.

Digimon Ghost Game: Recently, the show has focused on Hiro more and more to the point where several episodes will just have Kiyo and Ruli make a single appearance or not appear at all. It reminds me of a tv show where a character just won’t appear in an episode because the actor is busy and the other characters will have a throwaway line to explain their absence. It also reminds me of the Adventure remake but I don’t mind it as much because I don’t have an older, better show to compare it to and because I don’t care about Ruli and Kiyo all that much. I like them well enough but the show never really felt like it knew what to do with them. Ruli wanting to find “something” was alluded to in early episodes but hasn’t come back since and Kiyo felt like he was starting to have a character arc with him becoming braver but his cowardliness tends to be used as comedic relief more often than not which resets most of that character development. It’s not like Hiro is any more developed but at least I feel like he has a point to exist. That’s definitely the weakest point of this season: as much as I enjoy it, I can’t say the human characters are very well-rounded. It’s a shame because they definitely have potential but they’re not used well. Thankfully, the Digimon themselves have more than enough charm to make up for it and I’m still able to really enjoy it each week and get excited for every new episode.

Love Live Superstar 2: I wasn’t enjoying this anime as much as I enjoyed the first season for the first half of it. While I liked the new characters well enough, I didn’t care much for their introductory episodes and I questioned whether they really needed to exist. But I am really enjoying the second half and I’m glad we get to see more of the original team and how the new members fit into their dynamic. Episode 7 & 9 were particular highlights. I am also a big fan of the new rival Wien who is perhaps the most threatening rival in all of Love Live. I’m really excited to see how this season ends.

Next season, the only new thing I’m set to be watching is the second half of Spy x Family but I’ll probably pick up a couple of other shows. I feel like HiDive has snatched up most of the shows that I was interested in this season (like Bibliophile Princess) but I’m sure I’ll find something.

#September 2022 #Reading log

[paso-liati]

Finished Series 1 Episode 9 of Disco...

Ancient S1 Spoilers below the cut

For a first season of a Star Trek show it's remarkably not bad? If you're on my blog for a hot min you'll know I LOVE DS9 (and really all Trek), but got damn most of the ST series had rough first seasons, and my great love, DS9, started with episodes that felt like auto-parody and some were near unwatchable. By S3, DS9 really hit it's stride.

I'm not saying Disco is perfect and I doubt I'll love it more than DS9 but only time will tell. It feels a little disjointed and characters die off way too fast. T'Kuvma didn't feel like he was around long enough to gain the kind of clout that would elevate his death to martyrdom. We're repeatedly told he's the second coming of Kahless, but we are not shown it. For Georgiou's death to feel as tragic as we're told it is, she would have needed to be captain for at least as Lorca has been. So much telling, so little showing. Showing takes time. It means letting the story breathe. And this is paced just slightly under how literally cartoonishly frenetic LD is!

Not sure it's a criticism or just a fact: I can't tell if the writers meant for Disco to be arc-driven like DS9 or if they intend loosely connected episodes organised around the theme of Burnham's experiences in the Klingon war. If there's a main plot, at 9 hours in, I have no inkling of what it might be.

It's odd for a Star Trek to follow one character (Burnham). Haven't seen that before so I have no opinion except that I like it when writers try new things. Even if it ends up not working as well as the usual jumping around the crew, it's nice that they're at least trying something novel.

E9 pretty well confirmed my suspicions that Lorca is mirror verse. So, "damn it four times around the carpark and back in again for another dammit," he'll be dead or gone in a hot minute. Unfortunately I don't think he's defecting. I was hoping maybe they'd go that route because it would be complicated in a lot of ways and also interesting bc so far I don't think we've seen anyone from mirror just up and say, "fuck this place it sucks I'm outty 5k." I have this vague memory of a TOS novel where (I think) mirror Kirk defects to the universe we usually see. And why not? Why is everyone in mirror-verse sexed-up devils when everyone on the Federation side aren't chaste angels? I hope Disco does something more interesting with mirror verse than "the government is full of fascist terrorists" because, I mean, [gestures broadly at everything], we've got that well covered on this side and in the real world.

Bummed now about this. I never totally trusted Tyler. "No one survives 7 months of Klingon toture." I wondered if maybe he was a mirror cross-over too, but now I think he might be eat up with Stockholm syndrome or have some brain implant or something to make him loyal to L'Rell.

I still love Seaweed and Toadstool and I'm really happy they both got some time in these two episodes. Even if mirror verse is handled terribly, I'm kind of glad they're there for a while because it means Stamets can't just go to pasture or whatever they were threatening to do with him.

#Star Trek disco #Star Trek disc #season 1 #up to e9 now #long post #rambling about star trek