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#like in kung Fu panda he was VERY emotional
tired-momfriend · 2 years
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Jack black needs to be in some sort of hall of Fame. He needs to be immortalized in some sort of way and he deserves nothing less
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creaman · 2 months
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—BECAUSE KUNG FU PANDA 4 KILLED MY GRANDMA, OKAY?
To preface, I watched this movie and I'm genuinely tweaking right now so I had to write down a very brief (lie) criticism on this film — which you should boycott, by the way.
Starting with the things I liked, before briefing my primary points of criticism:
Po's Character Regression
Po and Zhen's Dynamic
The Chameleon
I'd also yap about Lord Shen and the death of the art style and the entire narrative and pacing and use of the staff of wisdom but my therapist says being such a hater is 'unhealthy' or something. My heart is full of hatred.
SPOILERS for the entirety KFP4 for the 2 people who care.
KFP4 undermines and ignores the previous three movies — Unwriting character developments, outright removing the Furious Five, straying from the character design philosophies and is completely inconsistent with the established lore.
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Things I Liked About Kung Fu Panda 4
The Chameleon's character design
Visual gag in the Tavern where Po uses a recently thrown axe as a hat rack (made me laugh)
When Mr. Ping did this:
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so cute! the little heart!
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Po — Character Writing
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Po, as established in the previous movies, is confident in his abilities and identity — he’s learnt inner peace, he’s matured as a character. However, in KFP4, his character has completely regressed. He’s immature again (such as KFP1, possibly worse) and says verbatim, “only knows kicking butt and taking names” — UNLEARNING inner peace and insisting that “…being the Dragon Warrior is all I know.”
It’s childish, and sort of Hotel Transylvania-esque.
Which isn’t helped by the comedy, the dialogue — a large chunk of which are jokes in the style of:
Master Shifu says something philosophical
Po quips off of it / doesn’t get it (i.e. Whoa!! beat I don’t know what that means.)
Oh, it’s great, yeah, very tolerable. Po’s shenanigans are normally reeled in by the presence of the Furious Five who are generally more serious in nature, creating a much needed balance in the dynamic — So without them, it’s just Po becoming increasingly obnoxious and insufferable with every consecutive quip throughout the screenplay.
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Po and Zhen — Character Dynamics
[No more graphics sorry I'm too angry]
As if it wasn’t obvious that Zhen was going to be the next Dragon Warrior the second she was introduced.
Zhen, as a character, has no depth besides being a quippy thief. She quips, she steals. This character has no motives — it can be assumed that the writers intended on a ‘change of heart’ thing, but she isn’t established as evil, her working for the Chameleon is written as a (albeit poor) twist reveal.
By which point, her taking either side wouldn’t make sense, given that she has shown no loyalty or attachment to either Po nor the Chameleon.
The movie artificially strengthens their bond by having Zhen start opening up about her backstory out of nowhere for no reason but they have done nothing to grow closer to each other.
Small tangent, her backstory is exactly what you’d expect it to be with no subversions or even emotional weight. Woe is me I was so small and hungry I had to steal to survive. Glossed over in about a minute.
The majority of the dialogue between Zhen and Po is spoken exposition — explaining how powerful and badass the Chameleon is, explaining how ‘we have to go here to do that’ and ‘this place was cool until the Chameleon did such and such’, and the rest of their time together is spent engaging in filler chase sequences and fight scenes.
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The Chameleon
Where do I even start…
This is where it becomes apparent that the movie relies heavily on telling rather than showing —
She is the weakest villain by far, not only in universe but as a written character; which is particularly disheartening because I genuinely adore her character design and feel as though a shapeshifting character has great potential.
The movie artificially inflates her power by insisting through exposition that this is the most capable antagonist thus far (lie).
The audience is TOLD by Zhen and various restaurant patrons that the Chameleon is a powerful shapeshifting sorceress and that she 'dominates the city' whilst the film does nothing to showcase this.
'Dominating the city' meaning letting her henchpeople run amock and bully the civilians just like Lord Shen's wolves in KFP2... uninspired.
I just realised they didn't even give her a NAME what the FUCK is going on
She describes HERSELF as ruthless, clever and unsentimental when comparing Zhen to herself.
She says HERSELF that she’s “Stronger than every opponent you’ve ever faced.”
Let’s see what vile reprehensible things she’s done, shall we?
Gently push someone down some stairs
Her first appearance is through Zhen’s exposition, as opposed to the dramatic and memorable entrances of the previous villains. Her motives or character aren’t established until the final third of the film. She doesn’t even FIGHT anybody until the final third of the film; and even then, her fight sequences are uninspired and she never really poses a real threat. (She goes down in two hits.)
That being said, WE CAN STILL SAVE HER GUYS WE CAN STILL GET HER OUTTA THERE I'M COMING FOR YOU CHAMELEON I'M GONNA DRAFT YOU A PROPER BACKSTORY AND MOTIVE AND YOU'RE GONNA BE THE MOST THREATENING VILLAIN THUS FAR
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There's a scene after the climax of the film where all the kung fu masters and previous villains from the spirit realm bow to Po. I'm not going to provide my thoughts on this because I fear I may burst a blood vessel. Good day!
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Closing Statements
To put it simply, Kung Fu Panda 4 was my Megamind 2.
The film rejects its predecessors in every way. It really feels as though they brought in somebody with no prior knowledge of the franchise to direct the movie.
It's a film that relies heavily on telling rather than showing — banking on the previous three movies to carry it through the box office.
It's just really disheartening to see studio execs turn one of the best franchises into a safe sequel cash grab and regress every character's development.
Nevertheless. I do adore the chameleon's character design so I might do my own take on her character.
As far as I'm concerned, there is no fairy godmother, there is no tooth fairy, and there is no kung fu panda 4.
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starredforlife · 16 days
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ok top five scenes from the kung fu panda universe (any of the movies, shorts, shows, etc). could be fight scenes, character moments, etc etc so on and so forth
FERN THIS IS SO HARD. FOR ME. UHM !!!!
ESCAPE FROM GONGMEN TOWER please watch it right now please please it's such an underrated scene musically and visually. this is the scene where tigress catches a flaming arrow and that's the exact moment i became a homosexual. vic history. it's also the scene where we see her chops as a leader of the five and the way she's fit into this role to balance out Po so well. and also all her potential as who she could've been, if she'd been chosen to be the dragon warrior herself. but she's not.
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MUSICIAN'S VILLAGE I LOVE this scene the way it introduces, to the audience, that the score is going to play a part in the fight scenes of this movie is absolutely magnificent. and the way we get reintroduced to the furious five's + po's fighting style, and it reminds us immediately that they are formidable--and then sets up the inciting incident of the plot with so much mystery (and we see the 2d animation style again too, which has always represented po's inner subconscious. WHY DIDN'T THEY DO THAT FOR THE FOURTH MOVIE. whatever)
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i would say the bridge fight (kfp1) and i adore that scene but i have to say, i really love the performances, the ambience, the color boards, the sound effects, and the emotional impact of shifu and tai lung's fight in the 3rd act more. i love when kfp actually invested time in its non-main protag characters. tai lung was an absolutely fascinating villain and this scene just rounds out his character so well
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The entirety of the secrets of the scroll short film oh my god i love that one so much. teenage tigress. my baby girl.
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FUCK okay and then the fireworks factory (2nd movie) where Po confronts Shen about his past. And he gets shot with a cannon and Tigress doesn't get to him in time. breaks my heart every time. i'm going to include the scene where Tigress and Po fight right before that in the jail too bc the musical score called "Fireworks Factory" starts with THEIR HUG. AND IT ENDS WITH HER RUNNING TO CATCH HIM. AND FAILING. MY BAKA LIFE !!!!! i don't even ship them anymore like i did when i was 14 i mostly just love tigress but their platonic relationship is v important to me. i have to include their hug bc that did irreparable damage to me as a tween. sorry the quality of the first vid is so ass. their relationship in the entire 2nd movie is so good i could write a whole analysis on it probably. it's paining me physically to not include their earlier boat scene talk.
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this is also the scene where tigress snarls at the gorilla and that changed my brain chemistry forever.
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i love the entire second movie this is so hard for me AUGHHHGHGH okay quick honorary mention: i also love the scene where we see shen fight the three masters (rhino, croc, ox). that quick fight scene is SO well executed. the dialogue and the performances are incredible. i used to have every line of dialogue of this movie memorized and especially loved reciting this scene (skip to 1:10)
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and then if i had to pick a moment from the third one it's the one where oogway's statue gets wrecked at the jade palace. it lands emotionally very well for a scene that could have easily been mishandled too comedically or too quickly. like it still gives me chills. and i'm not even gonna touch on the character animation/acting of tigress and shifu here bc GOD. kai's theme does rock also!!! AND i LOVE the colors in this movie SO MUCH holy fuck
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and then a minor detail from the first one is i love how the characters act with each other, namely the five and shifu. they clearly have a history and/or comradery with each other. shifu undoing the nerve damage tai lung did in a way specific to each of his students stands out to me in particular.
1 and 2 are masterpieces to me and i have my Things about the 3rd one but overall, a beautiful trilogy. i wish the 4th one didn't exist im killing it with my bare hands. vic hate movie? vic murder it. 5th rule of the streets.
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bestanimatedmovie · 1 year
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Choose your favorite!
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Vote in the other polls!
What fans say:
Kung Fu Panda:
Honestly iconic. The progression of story, the message, the acting.
The way this movie balances tone is nothing less than astonishing to me. It's funny and lighthearted but also intense and dramatic and neither ever take away from the other. Every joke and emotional beat lands excellently. Not to mention. The fight scenes SLAP. And so does the score!!
It's just GOOD. I love how all of them were insanely genuine. Po genuinely wanted to be a Kung Fu master. The Furious Five genuinely wanted to be the very best like no one ever was. And Tai Lung genuinely wanted to kick the shit out of anyone that even looked at that dragon scroll. But seriously one of the best movies.
Treasure Planet:
The setting and focal relationship!
WHALES IN SPACE. Second best treasure island adaptation (#1 is muppets). The song The Song!!
Where do I begin with this movie? It blends CG and hand drawn animation beautifully. All of the backgrounds are gorgeous. There are so many cool alien designs. The score is absolutely perfect. The amount of detail put into the design and worldbuilding shines through. All of the characters are so much fun to watch, especially Long John Silver and Captain Amelia. This movie takes at least partial responsibility for my love of space/sky pirates. Also it was actively sabotaged by Disney so I need to vouch for it at every chance.
Space pirates in a classic novel. It's gorgeously animated with a blend of 2d and 3d. Also, LONG JOHN SILVER HAS A 3D HAND thats hecking impressive for a main character to be a blend of the two in 2002. Did I mention the twink protagonist and malewife for the rich halfwit son? The aliens are beautifully unique, and a mantis guy floats off into space. from a pirate ship. because they aren't just space pirates, they're aliens and cyborgs on pirate ships going through space. Which fucking rocks.
It's a genuinely creative adaptation of Treasure Island that has so much heart and incredible animation. It helped pioneer 3D animationa nd it was the first feature animated film to utilize both 2 and 3 D animation
The animation is so good, and the way that the antogonist isn't black and white, he genuinely cares for the protagonist <3
Pirate ships in space!
Watched this on loop as a kid, gave me solace for not growing up with a dad
It fucks
The ☆A n i m a t i o n☆!! And captain Amelia
It's so fun looking, cool character design. It's funny, it's emotional. I love it so very much please aaaaaaa
How this movie looks is absolutely amazing. A space-steampunk pirate story with fantastic visuals and (mostly) great characters. The vibes this movie has are off the charts. Jim is the bad-boy-good-heart kid, the doctor is a silly-goofy-but-oddly-competent support and Silver is a complex father-figure-who's-made-mistakes. Also MORT the cute little jelly that won me over in 0.5 seconds flat. I am also a slut for a good soundtrack and this one SLAPS. I will stand by my opinion that the Russian version of the song I'm Still Here did a better job of fitting the montage and the mood. That's a hill I will die on.
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salty-an-disco · 3 months
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Hey bud! If you had to give your favorite voice a favorite movie, what would it be? And would their matching vessel like or dislike it?
I know this wasn’t the assigned task, but I couldn’t resist–
Here’s me headcanoing a fave film for every single voice and their respective princess’ opnion on it–
Hero: Shrek 2. No it is NOT just because of the Holding Out For a Hero scene, tho that is a very nice scene that always makes him start bouncing on his seat the moment it starts playing. It isn’t Default Princess’ favorite (she prefers Shrek 1), but she still appreciates the satire and subversion of common fairy tale tropes and the exploration of Shrek’s character here.
Contrarian: The Emperor’s New Groove. It’s memeable, it’s funny, it has such iconic characters, what else could he ask for? Stranger likes what they saw of it well enough, but they can’t really bring themselves to focus on a movie for the entirety of it. Would rather be doing something that requires them to be proactive.
Cheated: Fight Club. I haven’t watched Fight Club myself, but from what I hear from it, sounds like something Cheated might enjoy. Razor isn’t allowed anywhere near a TV.
Cold: Inside Out. Am I projecting? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. She watches Inside Out over and over again, imagining those little emotion guys as some of its friend, and getting a weird tight feeling in its chest when the control panel starts going gray because of Riley’s increasingly depressive state. Spectre likes the movie :)
Paranoid: Paranorman (I didn’t realize how similar those names are, but holy shit that’s funny), she finds Norman’s struggles to fit in and being seen as a ‘weirdo’ relatable and finds the way he’s fascinated with horror weirdly compelling. Both the fact it’s a stop-motion movie, and that it’s ‘children’s horror’ helps Paranoid feel safe watching it, and she doesn’t even jerks her arms once! Nightmare finds the zombies funny and gets… weirdly emotional during reveal at the end.
Hunted: The Lion King. It’s pretty, it’s colorful, the scenery and characters makes it feel at home, and it’s really compelled by the lion hamlet storyline. Beast tries to paw at every animal on screen and starts howling sadly when Mufasa dies.
Opportunist: Says it’s The Devil Wears Prada, but actually, it’s Legally Blond. The musical, specifically. Constantly has ‘Gay or European?’ playing in his head. Witch also loves The Legally Blond musical and is constantly grumpy that it’s also Oppy’s favorite.
Stubborn: Kung Fu Panda. It has FIGHTS, it has a panda struggle to become stronger, it has a compelling emotional core, he loves that shit! Adversary prefers John Wick, personally, but she’s also cheering for that white leopard guy every time he’s on screen (yeah, she knows he’s the villain, so what?).
Broken: Winnie the Pooh. It’s comforting and so nice to watch! It always makes them feel better. Tower doesn’t concern herself with this kind of leisure.
Smitten: The Princess Bride. Do I need to explain this one? Damsel also likes it, though she prefers Enchanted; especially the animated bits, she finds animation much more compelling than live action. :D
Skeptic: Knives Out. The mystery is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the set design! Skeptic could spend hours dissecting every frame of this movie and he did. Prisoner thought the culprit was too easy to figure out.
Extras–
Long Quiet is very fond of the Rio movie, while Shifty really likes Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (she’s also fond of The Lego Movie :))
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velvet-vox · 26 days
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The complete and utter alienation of Tai Lung: Part 2
Very recently I've done a marathon of all the Kung Fu Panda movies after not seeing them for a couple of years, watching one after the other in a single day, and aside from the emotional whiplash of seeing Kung Fu Panda 3 right after 2, it really got me to rethink about the colour theory present in the Kung Fu Panda movies, and more specifically about Tai Lung's.
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Now, it's no secret that my first Tai Lung analysis blew up (unexpectedly), and it's still getting new hearts to this very day, and thus it only felt natural to make a sequel that could touch upon things that I didn't talk about originally.
So... let's bring up the colour table again, shall we?
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As we have already established, Po is yellow, Shen red, Kai and Oogway green, and Tai Lung blu....... right?
The thing is, this simple association of the colour's meaning doesn't leave much room for an interesting, in depth discussion, that's why I wanted to go a little bit deeper into what I've head cannoned as the individual meaning of each primary colour, so that we can expand upon our current colour dynamics.
Just for reminder:
Cyan+Magenta=Blue
Magenta+Yellow=Red
Yellow+Cyan=Green
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Just like we said, Yellow is the colour of Po, our heroes, the good side, (the Chameleon) and justice; whenever Yellow is present on the scene, you know that you can put yourself to ease, as nothing bad is probably going to happen;
I believe this to be the most straightforward primary colour, for obvious reasons, but especially because all the other colours gain their meaning when compared to Yellow (Po, our protagonist), therefore it also has to be the one we understand the most.
Indeed,
Po = Yellow
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Now, this is where it starts to get interesting:
....I believe cyan to be Oogway's true colour. I think about it. When we first met Oogway, the only lighting present in the room was the cyan light of the Dragon scroll's pond, there was actually very little green accentuated in that scene, it was all mostly mellowed out by the cyan.
It also makes sense when you consider that Tai Lung and Kai had a relationship with Oogway, while Shen didn't because red isn't made out of cyan.
There's also the whole popular belief that "cyan represents patience" which also fits Oogway, but it's not really important to this discussion, so you can think what you want about it.
So,
Oogway = Cyan
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Magenta... is particular.
Particular in the sense that it's extremely rare in both the movies and outside material.
Of magenta/purple things that come to mind we have Crane and Tai Lung's clothing, Shen's mother, Feng Huang related things, that weird sexual panda from the third movie... and probably some more.
As you can see, magenta is incredibly hard to pinpoint its meaning due to how infrequently it's used, which makes sense: Magenta and purple have ties to royalty in both China and other countries around the world; it's a sacred colour, so it has to be used sparingly, and I don't think it was ever intended by the writers for a meaning to be extrapolated from it.
....
Yet I tried to anyway.
Now, let it be known that I'm planning to make a post talking about Po's weird relationship birds, as it feels like whenever a bird is on screen the conflict is already more personal for Po.
For now... you could argue that magenta means danger, since it's the closest colour to purple aka yellow's opposite, and both Shen and Tai Lung are a direct threat to Po while Kai is treated as a joke for the entirety of the final movie, but I doubt bad writing has any deeper meaning.
I actually wanted to attribute magenta the meaning of closeness. For me, it was the easiest way to justify his rarity: it can't be Shifu's colour because he lost relevance after the first movie, and no other character is closely associated with it, so it makes sense for it to just be a colour that's taken for granted by Po since his adopted dad shares those tones.
However, I think I came up with a much more interesting idea: it's the colour of pride and approval, as Tai Lung and Shen both sought the approval of their parents to satisfy their ego, while Kai wasn't seeking anybody's approval for his evil actions.
Ultimately, magenta, much like in the movies, is irrelevant to the narrative, so I'm going to ignore it, but for now,
Approval = Magenta
Finally, (a worthy opponent) with all that out of the way, let's talk about everybody's favourite snow leopard!
And the first thing to mention, is the gold.
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The Gold.
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The GOLD.
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It's everywhere. Whenever you look at him, Tai Lung is always chasing the gold, he was welcomed by the gold when he had no one by his side, and said gold was always what he dreamt about when he was in jail, he basked in the gold his entire life, and when that gold rejected him, he had nothing left in his life to cling onto because his entire life was dependent by that gold.
While Shen and Kai have Yellow as part of their secondary colour by nature, Tai Lung doesn't, yet he wants to. But that yellow keeps rejecting him and putting an end to his actions;
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When Tai Lung's first rampage is interrupted, the (chi) body block technique that Oogway uses to stop him is yellow; when Po kills him at the end of the movie, the after wave of the Wuxi finger is, again, yellow; TAI LUNG'S EYES ARE YELLOW. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S ALWAYS ON HIS MIND.
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... And that makes all the similarities that he shares with Tigress kind of sad (For both).
Like, I already knew that Tigress and Tai Lung were similar and meant to be foil, but it's only after my most recent rewatch the underlying pain and tragedy present in their rivalry really hit me.
If Tigre's pupils weren't red, she would have easily turned out as the next Tai Lung.
And Tai Lung upon seeing how similar he is to Tigress, probably thinks "This is what Shifu replaced me with. A cheap knock-off copy of the real deal".
It hurts him deeply, because it reminds him of how little Shifu really cared for him, despite not being true, and it scares Tigress, who's nervous for their entire interaction, due to now finally seeing Tai Lung in the flesh and not as just some story she overheard.
Tragically, once Tai Lung finally manages to get his paws on the Dragon scroll (yellow), it doesn't fix anything for him, instead, it sends him spiralling one last time before Po can finally put him out of his misery.
And with that, Tai Lung goes out of his miserable existence, only finding peace in the afterlife, and not in death.
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I decided to watch helluva boss and imma do 2 separate posts for seasons 1 and two (why did I write it like that…?)
Season one
God I love this show. The writing is way more my speed than Hazbin hotel on Amazon, I enjoyed the writing in the pilot, but once Amazon took over the humor just didn’t really land for me, and tbh the plot took over and I started focusing more on that, and in general I’m more partial to the rapid fire YouTube dry comedy and this sentence is a friggin mess- I found HB SO FREAKIN FUNNY
Dude when he goes “FUCK, a new hole” I lost it
“Just try and sue us”
“We’re rich and we’re hot”
“I can just buy all the things!”
“You should commit die”
“Hehe, Trumpet!”
These are just my kinda lines, I don’t know how to explain it, I was wheezing all throughout the season
The music OH LORD when I say I’ve listened to stolas’s lullabye, lulu land, cotton candy, and house of ozmodius like 100000 times I’m… exaggerating but like you get the point the music here is friggin fantastic I also really like how a lot of the music is diegetic, I think that’s a fun touch. I don’t remember whether this is the case in Hazbin, but in this one it was like… I don’t know, it made sense that they were singing when they were singing… am I articulating myself well? I don’t care, iykyk if not, no prob
The animation is great, Viv loves them spinny shots and I am here for it. The amount of genuinely amazing action scenes is super impressive, and even the chill scenes have a ton of personality
The voice acting might be what steals the show for me, idrk anyone’s names cept Alex Brightman but BLITZS VA NEEDS AN AWARD, also slight tangent but I don’t know what it is with stolas’s va but he sounds a lot like a bird in the same sense that Gary Oldman sounded a lot like a bird in Kung Fu Panda 2, what is it that casting directors recognize in actors that screams bird?! Because both of these men are just SO BIRD DOES ANYONE GET WHAT I MEAN moving on, Ozzie’s voice was also effing PERFECT it slid silkily over me like… silk butter or smtg it was the perfect lust voice, I loved it. Everyone else was also great, but they were extra great.
It was also just so fun? Like in hazbin there’s very little just… shenanigans to enjoy, nothing wrong with that because it’s not that type of show, whereas this season is jam packed with them. Like I’ve heard that everyone hated episode 4, but like I don’t know I loved it😆 I just found it to be good old fashioned chicanery, and I liked the chaos and stupidity of it, made for some entertaining TV. This story engine is just mad entertaining for me.
I also enjoyed the writing of most of the characters (Millie, Moxxie, Loona, and Octavia still leave a bit to be desired imo, but whatever, they can’t all be winners and there’s nothing wrong with them) Blitz kinda reminds me of a Barney Stinson type character, which I really enjoy, and I also really like how his boss persona kinda infects everything he does while simultaneously being what’s screwing him over, his nature is kinda like a snake swallowing its own tail, which is tragic and beautiful, and Stolas compliments him well by being, not an enabler, but… I don’t know a clever way to say this… Stolas is a wreck in the best way and he just works. He’s short sighted, like extremely so, like how he thinks sleeping with Blitz will fill his emotional void so he does it but it just drives them further apart so it’s like he’s in a hole and in order to get out he’s gonna dig to pile up dirt so he can climb out but he’s an idiot and that’s a stupid idea and I loved his whole arc. Very enjoyable stuff drama.
Kinda random but whoever Viv’s foli artist is also deserves an award, the sound effects in this show are pristine and it’s incredible (yes I’ve seen the scene where the gun sounds go off a few seconds too late, and yeah, mistakes happen, but every bone crunch sounds and other stuff like that being so enunciated in an indie show is extremely impressive)
Anyhoo, very fun, very emotional, nice to look at, very funny, yada yada- altogether great season 1.
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stars-n-spice · 1 month
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So, this is it, huh?
I figured the least I could do was write something down before shit goes down because I know after tomorrow I don't think I'll be emotionally available to do or say much about the show and what it and the fanbase means to me.
The last few days, my mind has been a whirlwind of emotions and I don't think I've ever really suspended my disbelief since it was announced that this would be the last season.
I felt like Po honestly, in Kung Fu Panda 2, when he's like "But I just got Kung Fu!" when they're talking about Lord Shen making that weapon that straight-up kills people who practice Kung Fu (I'm going somewhere with this just bear with me-) because I'm fairly new to the animated shows of Star Wars fandom and didn't start hyperfixating on Bad Batch until midway through Season 2 while those episodes were still releasing.
So when they announced that the 3rd season was the final season I was devastated. "What do you mean no more Bad Batch? I just got Bad Batch!" - I didn't want to believe it.
But here we are. Final season. Final episode.
I can't describe how the obsession started. It just did.
When the first season was coming out, I was still on Season 6 of TCW, so I got into it a little late. Then when it was over I immediately jumped into watching Rebels and became utterly obsessed with that show while Bad Batch just stayed, "Oh, neat show I watched."
Then the second season came out. I don't know how or when or why but suddenly something just went off in my brain and I became obsessed. I became attached. I fell in love with Wrecker in a way that I've never once felt or experienced towards any other fictional character, or person for that matter. I grew to understand Crosshair on a deeper level that made my heart ache for him and made me reflect on my own past and choices. Echo became a comfort character and an anchor in my life in where he's the first thing I think of when I'm down to put myself in a better mood. Suddenly I was ready to give Omega the universe and everything good in it. Tech became a lifelife (ironically) a hope that despite how I am and who I am, I'm capable of loving and being loved. And recently I've become so incredibly attached to Hunter because as the oldest child of five as well, I know that crushing weight of responsibility. Of failing your siblings. Of trying to be better.
This squad. This family. Cheesy as it is, I can't describe what they mean to me but Force, I'll try.
Recently I've been wondering why I'm so attached to this show and these characters. Jokingly, part of it is yes, the Bad Batch are lovely to look at and that does play a role in why I enjoy watching the show so much, but that's not completely it.
I think I speak for a lot of us fans when I say that I didn't fit in as a kid. I still don't even as an 'adult.' Look, I'm a biracial guy from two VERY different cultures that don't feel like home to me. On top of that, half of the time I don't know how to identify myself in gender and sexuality because I don't feel either most of the time. I'm introverted. I have anxiety. I probably have autism. I'm a burnt-out former gifted kid. I quite simply don't fit in.
"No, I'll stay. You guys don't fit in here either."
That? Yeah.
This show is for all those kids. Everyone who never fit in. Everyone who was told they were strange or weird, for the kids who ate glue in the back of the classroom, who were told they were too loud, who were put down because they didn't express emotion a certain way, for the kids who sat alone at lunch, who got left behind in their friend groups, for the kids who felt like they had no one so turned to harmful things, for the kids who were told they were special only to be discarded later in life, for the kids who don't know their place, don't know where they fit in and if they even do or ever will.
It's a show that tells those kids you're more than that. You're worth it. You're worth loving. You're worth protecting. You're worth the second chance. You're worth being loyal to. You're worth teaching. You're worth forgiving. You're worth it. You're worth it. You're worth it.
In the end there's hope for us. There's hope for all of us. And I think that's why I cling to tightly to this show. Why it means so much to me. Why I so desperately need these characters to make it out alive.
It's what Star Wars was from the start. About hope. About family. About loving and being loved and learning to love despite your circumstances. It's a show that took a bunch of neurodivergent absolute daddies and packed in so much angst but also feel-good moments with stunning animation, beautiful, moving music, and phenomenal voice acting. It's a show I can't help but love and love immensely because it feels like it was written for me.
For that kid who spent their recesses with their nose buried in an animal encyclopedia or talking to imaginary characters from their favorite books. For that kid who always felt so utterly useless and hopeless whenever they got less than an A- for a grade because they were supposed to be the gifted one. For the kid who struggled so much to be the older sibling they never asked to be. For the kid who just wants to find someone, anyone, who will love them as they are and fight for them. For the kid who valued loyalty above all else, always has, always will, and never gets it in return. For the kid who never fit in.
And well, whatever happens in the finale, I'm so grateful, so blessed, and so honored to have been a part of this journey with all of you.
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cartoontees · 3 months
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guys stop being dramatic kung fu panda 4 was not that horrible 😆 in my opinion it's about on par with 3. not as good as 1 or 2 but can we really expect lightning to strike thrice?
i hate the unnecessary insertion of awkwafina into animated films as much as the next person but frankly i found her character pretty likeable; the worst thing about zhen is she's a bit of a stereotype, but she's kind of charming. i won't mind if she becomes the dragon warrior in a new trilogy, especially since she has a lot of room to grow as a character. the chameleon was no tai lung or lord shen but she was a decent villain. she had personality but i would've like if she was scarier or more of a threat.
but yeah for the love of god please bring back the furious five. i miss them :-(
negative thoughts: i'm not gonna sugarcoat it. a lot of what tai lung was saying was very He Would Not Fucking Say That. and probably worst of all this film was missing a really good moment of emotional catharsis like the previous films.
so yeah it's not terrible and it's even good at a lot of times but overall it's mediocre compared to 1 and 2 and i think that's what makes it bad. i think we're all just disappointed because we know this franchise has the potential to be much better but it's just not hitting the mark anymore. i'd rather have this kfp 4 than no kfp 4, but i can see why people are saying this film feels like an injustice to the series. all we can hope for is if there's more in the future, that the dreamworks team doesn't get stuck 'settling' with the quality of kfp 3 and 4 when we already know they're capable of an installment like kfp 2.
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catchyhuh · 7 months
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Who gives the best, nicest hugs (even if begrudgingly, they can just be cursed with that ability)
okay. there’s multiple types of answers here and i stared at every image i had of them just clinging to each other like koalas. fujiko really knows how to utilize the difference between the over-arm vs under-arm hug huh. 
but anywayyy
if jigen or fujiko hug you, sincerely, you’re either about to die and they’re just trying to vaguely catch you OR!! you did some insane shit to really REALLY get them to like you, so emotionally, THAT has to be the best hug ever, one that you really had to work for it to get that level of trust. you know? like you ever see kung fu panda 2 as a kid and lose your shit over tigress actually showing physical support and affection? it’s like that. 
in terms of like, what you think of when you just think of a good hug in general, like physically, like-- i mean honestly i feel like you know i’m gonna say zenigata. he’s very huggy if he’s in the right environment, and (depending.. on the art style but USUALLY) he’s Wide so it’s an all-encompassing, full wrap around, warm and cozy hug. however he’s also him so he will pop your back and if you aren’t careful it will HURT
lupin is the best in terms of context, because he knows when to reel it in. even at their most “tender” or whatever, fujicakes and jiggy tend to be brief with physical affection (at least in the sincere sense) and zenigata goes full swing in everything he does, which can be a bit much when you just need a simple comfort hug during some stressful thing. lupin, even at his most self-serving, is not bad at emotional cues when he’s actually giving enough of a damn to pay attention, so he understands when a big squeeze is best and when a looser, gentler one is necessary. but he. defaults to the big squeeze and he’s much bonier so physically it’s not SUPER fun
and goemon. is the funniest. because he just freezes. deer in headlights. even if he’s initiated the hug (which again, requires some very emotionally strong beats to get to) the minute the affection is reciprocated you can feel each single joint in his spine straighten one by one in a split second tense. but, if, and sometimes he will, just sometimes, he gets past that lock-up, it’s a generally very pleasant, if a little too delicate hug. he doesn’t wanna hurt you
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minijenn · 6 months
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Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Puss in Boots
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So I remember seeing this movie in theaters, but I remembered fuck all about it until now. Of course, this is a weird case where the sequel in a side series is even more popular and beloved than the first one, and yet... the first Puss in Boots is actually pretty damn solid in its own right!
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We focus on the titular Puss here, as he teams up with his estranged old friend Humpty Dumpty, and the alluring thief Kitty Softpaws, to steal the magic beans from Jack and Jill. All this is in the hopes that Puss can set a wrong right in the town he grew up in and clear his name by giving the town golden eggs from the golden goose.
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A pretty simple setup, but it works well in the action/adventury tone this movie has. There's a lot of really fun action sequences, sword fights, chase scenes, so on and so forth, and they're all really well paced and flow really well. The plot is also pretty solid on emotions too, with some pretty poignant moments thrown in, especially between Puss and Humpty as we learn about their shared backstory and how things fell apart between them.
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The characters are a lot of fun of course. Puss is great here, as usual, and works really well as a main character, with his confident, swashbuckling charm shining through. Kitty Softpaws is a delightful leading lady, spunky and whitty enough to prove a perfect romantic match for Puss. Humpty is also really fun, at first set up as a comic relief before being revealed as the twist villain, and I gotta admit, he's a twist villain done right. The movie actually foreshadows his turn really well and his motivation makes sense. He also ends up ultimately redeeming himself in a satisfying, if not bittersweet sort of way.
The animation is great here too. Maybe not as beautiful or stylish as its sequel is, but it's still very solid in its own right. I love how the world here has a spanish flair to it, something that shines through in the really solid score as well! It helps to set this franchise apart from the rest of the world of Shrek, making it feel like own thing while still paying homage to the fairy tales that world was built upon in the first place.
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So yeah, the original Puss in Boots may not be as memorable or as much of a feast to the eyes as The Last Wish is, but I still think it's pretty good! I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through, and I think, while it's not that connected to its sequel, it still feels like a really great way to establish Puss as a main character in his own subseries (the first Dreamworks subseries, surprised it took us this long to get to one). Check it out, if you haven't! It's pretty dang good!
Overall Rating: 7/10
Verdict: Get stalked by Humpty Alexander Dumpty for the rest of your life
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Previous Review (Kung Fu Panda 2)
Next Review (Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted)
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nihoneshi · 2 months
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Welcome to Aqua Rambles on about KFP
I just finished binging Kung Fu Panda 1-3 (not 4 yet) and man outside of a few secondhand embarrassment scenes, because there are a couple of them still for my brain, What I will say is this
god I do miss KFP fandom so so much but I also was REALLY young when I first found myself in that fandom, so like, It's only a matter of time before I found myself brainrotting the movies again and even shorter of time before I re-entered Fandom Space.
So let's get the obvious ones out of the way. God I love Tragedies and the whole prophecy that was laid out hundreds of years ago, I love how cohesive the Trilogy is (I think we all agree that KFP3 was the true end of the Series, since not even the VAs liked KFP4 and it was a glorified corporate cash grab, but don't worry, AUs exist (: )
Tai Lung and General Kai are definitely by far the two MAIN villains I vibe with the most given their situations (Tragedy Affliction & Bond Brother Give-Take disagreement) I do love Shen but my love for him is extremely nuanced on the fact he's a diabolical genocidal sociopath but he's also oddly fucking dramatic, theatrical and comedic of a villain DESPITE the 3 words I JUST called him.
But also the Wolf Boss.. God he's a bastard (affectionate) but EVERY TIME HE "INSULTS" PO HE JUST GOES OFF ON NON-THREATENING TERMS homie please stop being bisexual on the battlefield lmaO /pos.
The Will to write Tai Lung just like 13yo me wanted to has not changed outside of the fact that after a decade more of writing with extremely intricate and nuanced characters with complex tragedies and traumas, I feel like I could finally do justice with this Snow Leopard (especially with Redemption Arcs, because hee-ho I write Saren Arterius, you know. Mass Effect 1's big bad villain that is just as much as a tragedy as Tai Lung but unlike Tai Lung this idiot decided to try to get parasitical genocide machines to spare them and ended up getting indoctrinated against his will)
Now onto Main Cast. Just like kid me, Viper and Mantis were my two go-to idols for KFP1, my love for Crane's realism-centric attitude and Tigress' having second thoughts and a much more intricate wake-up call in KFP2 and on became so much more apparent, like, trust me I haven't watched any of the other animated content but you can tell like, these 6 have gotten so attached to one another (Monkey and Po, especially, literally best buds love that for them)
But the SHEER amount of times I have said this phrase "Viper, Please rephrase yourself" has been in the nearly every thing she has ever said she is so upfront and has misread the room every single damn time. and don't even GET ME Started on KFP2/3 Tigress, the sheer amount of character development she gets is insane
she goes from an asshole to deep down realizing that Po has fallen still due to mental turmoil SEVERAL times and isn't keeping Po down there with Ox and Croc because she doesn't want him getting in the way but BECAUSE She doesn't want him to get hurt like him freezing up both times has gotten him. And then further more watching Po teach everyone their own ways of Kung-Fu all the WHILE TIGRESS IS HOLDING ON TO A BABY PANDA THE WHOLE TIME, EVEN FIGHTING WITH THE KID. AND THEN SHE CARRIES THEM AROUND EVEN AT THE JADE PALACE AT THE END OF THE MOVIE.
And please I can't fucking believe it took Crane several MOVIES TO GET HIS FUCKING NECK FIXED AFTER WHAT TAI LUNG DID TO HIM, HOMIE HAD A CROOKED NECK FOR MONTHS. There were scenes in KFP2 and Early KFP3 where this man's neck was still partially FUCKED. Dude shrugs it off like it's nothing and then proceeds to heal his wing in merely a few damn days max.
The Theatrics, all of the animations, the voice work.. god damn I adore these three movies so so much. But there is one thing I was not expecting and honestly I should've seen it coming.
My eventual brainrot and emotional attachment to side characters and characters with very minimal screen time (I should've seen this with me Writing Volteer from The Legend of Spyro, Nihlus Kryik from Mass Effect 1, and many more)
Dude I LOVE Master Croc, I don't know why SPECIFICALLY him but like. I like how he looks so cocky wanted to kick Shen's shit in, even laughing to himself, how he's so so loyal to Ox after Rhino's (supposed death), like you KNOW these three were inseparable and it LOOKS like Rhino reunites with Master Ox and Master Croc at the end of KFP3 that's what I hope if it was even only for a couple of minutes following what was probably Rhino heading back to the Spirit Realm.
I really love Master Croc, it is not even funny he's such a character, a silly, perhaps.
but now my rambles go to something else, since it takes place in the era that it does.. and like.. my hoard of Dragon OCs and Dragon Characters (literally all the guys on this blog ARE dragons!~ ) Like.. what would be the general consensus of a Dragon popping up in universe? Since back then they're still hailed as deities (Like the Dragon Kings, and all the dragon deities in both Chinese and Japanese mythology)
I am so so curious. But maybe I should add more to my rambles later when I am not so tired but god I have ideas and WILL enact on them.
A tiny edit: I 100% support kaiway due to the context I now have from watching KFP3, homie you have spent all the time in the world holding up Oogway's Chi charm like you want him to see everything like, they def. had something going on pre-banishment
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sea-owl · 1 year
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So Kung Fu Panda 4 is set to release in 2024 and I'm curious what they're gonna do with the villain. Because here's are past line ups:
KFP1: Tai Lung - Body and Shifu's past
KFP2: Shen - Mind and Po's past
KFP3: Kai - Spirit and Oogway's past.
Now with how close they have made Po and Tigress over the course of the franchise I'm thinking the next villain is gonna be from her past, even if she doesn't know it. I also think this next villain is gonna challenge Po on community/family.
So far with Tigress' past she has been shown to have a very similar backstory to Po, orphaned at young age and then taken in by a father figure, who ironically is much smaller than them. But unlike Po who was given unconditional love by Mr. Ping Tigress pretty much lived in the shadow of Tai Lung and Shifu's rigid expectations after the fall of his golden child. Maybe with this new villain it will force that parallel to the surface (and I finally get to see Tigress confront Shifu on his emotionally neglectful shitty child raising.)
This villain will also challenge Po when it comes to community because while yes he has finished all the villains by himself he's always had someone in his corner that has grown over each movie. First it was Shifu and Mr. Ping to an extent in the first. The second movie added the Furious Five with Tigress taking the lead, by the third movie we have added a whole panda village. It would be interesting to see a villain take away or try to take away that support. Or try to manipulate a divide between Po and Tigress with the parallel between but the differences of their emotional foundation.
I'm also willing to bet we might see Po and Tigress exploring a romantic interest in one another. Oh don't give me that look, this is the same company that hooked up a dragon and a donkey AND gave them kids. Plus the franchise has put together interspecies relationships together before with background village characters. The Nick show also gave Po two (fake) love interests before that were a sheep and snow leopard. Not to mention Shifu's ex girlfriend being a fox. The creators has put a lot of emphais on Po and Tigress' relationship that it would almost feel like a waste to side line it next movie.
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nokingsonlyfooles · 1 year
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Be Panda, Do Soft-Style
You know this guy?
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I love this guy. Eh catches cannon balls and doesn't afraid of anything (it's an older meme, sir, but it checks out), except PTSD and low self-esteem. That's my Panda.
OK. So let's talk about negative emotions, pain, and crippling anxiety.
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No! Ha-ha, well, okay, maybe a little.
Some of us like movies and TV because their sameness is comforting, they teach us valuable lessons, and they don't judge us if we have to go back and watch something again because we didn't understand - or just 'cos we like seeing it again, and we're having a parasocial relationship with everyone in it. And some of us need movies and TV for those same reasons. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less, but real-life people aren't going to be patient enough to help us learn the hard stuff, and we know that, so we stick with movies and TV. Society tends to label people like that, people like me, as autistic. Not always, but it's getting better at catching and labelling the behaviour.
So when I need help with a big concept, something super hard, I go running to movies, TV, and stories or metaphors of all kinds. That's the easiest way for me to learn and understand, but most of us like learning that way. At least a little.
So, let's talk about my Panda pal's kung fu.
Po fights dragon style, which is a soft style. Soft styles are more about seeing where the energy is coming from and redirecting it. Tigress, who is hard-style to her core, will punch a brick wall until she busts right through it. Po will just go, "Hey, there's a door! You guys? Door over here!" walk through, and maybe poke his head back out and ask, "You need anything while I'm in here? Okay. Cool." Soft style requires you to slow down enough, and be smart and patient enough, to find that door.
All kung fu is valid!
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(I love you, Tigress! You can punch me anytime!)
But not all kung fu is appropriate for every situation. You punch through a cannonball, it explodes, and you get very badly injured or die.
I see a lot of stuff on Tumblr about people trying to punch through their pain, anxiety, and negative feelings. I don't like you, anxiety. I don't like you, depression. I don't need you. You're not real. You're a little bitch. I will defeat you. I will get better and better at defeating you, and you will go away FOREVER! DIEEEE!
It's my first instinct too! I don't want these things, they are hurting me, I want them to go away. If I were strong, I could just break through. Normal people break through these things like they're nothing (*bing!* I've just added another layer of wall, "I'm broken, I'm weak," to what I've already been failing to punch through). If I just keep pushing (adding more layers to the wall every time my punch fails to defeat it) I will get stronger, and better, and I will feel nothing!
"Is that what you want?" Oogway might say to Shifu, his student who insists on learning (and teaching) everything the hard way. "To feel nothing? That sounds rather sad to me."
"No! I want to get rid of these bad feelings so I can make good ones! I want to feel happy, and loved, and secure! I want self-confidence!"
"My poor friend is still holding a peach," the turtle might say, "and trying to force it to become an apple. And then, when he has done the impossible, he thinks he may deserve self-confidence."
"I can throw this peach at the wall, and destroy it, and go find an apple!"
The turtle laughs. "Then you will have made quite a mess! And when you return with your apple, you may find the peach pit you have abandoned has grown into another tree, with many more peaches for you to throw. But perhaps there is a better way." And he would pick a peach, and eat it, like turtles do, slowly, but without mercy, until it's all gone, even the pit, and walk away. "It was not bad, a little bitter. I think next, I will eat a dumpling."
My boi can catch a cannonball because he doesn't go after it hard-style. He takes it head-on, holds it in his furry little arms, and redirects it. He's not super great at getting it where he wants it to go, not at first, and it does set him on fire, but he's still alive!
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"You know, this doesn't feel great, but dealing with your trauma and post-traumatic stress is a process! My fist hungers... for self-care! Ow!"
He does, eventually, get better at it (quickly, because we only have about 90 minutes to tell this story) and not every hit lands, but when one does, he holds it for a second, aims, and lets go. He does not punch, he does not try to stop that sucker cold, he holds it, deals with it, and lets it go. And once he figures out what he's doing, it doesn't hurt so bad anymore. He has fun. Po's not the Fun Police, if he's having fun, he accepts that too. Yep, okay, this could kill me, but it looks so cool! Let's have fun while it lasts! Ladies, gentlemen and others, I present: soft style.
Even if your brain behaves itself perfectly, in your life, you are gonna hit walls. Some of 'em won't slow you down. But when one does, the first thing you gotta do is acknowledge the fact that there is a WALL here. I know you don't want the wall, but there it is. It doesn't matter whether it belongs there, you don't have to justify it. Insulting it and interrogating it won't make it not be there. That irritating AOL voice yelling "You've got wall!" will not go away until you acknowledge receipt of your wall. Okay. I've got wall. I don't have to like it, but here it is. It is here.
(This is what they mean when they say "your emotions are valid," they're just insecure and trying to sound professional.)
Now what?
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(OK, but assuming we don't have a flame-proof cartoon butt and a destiny.)
First: Don't punch the wall. Ah-ah-ah! Back up! How hard could it be to not do something? you think. This'll be easy! It's incredibly hard to comply with a negative. Don't read this. Yeah. Now don't think of a solid white zebra. ... ... ... Yeah. Ka-POW! Ouch! Why does that hurt? I'd better punch it again and figure it out!
Stop. Redirect. Since we're using a wall metaphor here, you gotta go sideways. (Indeed, given enough time, all things shall become crab.) If there were a door right in front of your face, you'd see it. Forwards is not an option right now. Be a good little crustacean and pick a new direction. This is also how one extricates one's self from a riptide - people die because it's counterintuitive. You want to be back on the beach, why would you swim towards more ocean? Attacking the obstacle at its strongest point will not get you where you wanna go any faster than looking for a way around. In fact, sometimes, it won't get you there at all.
Are you still, intermittently, thinking of a solid white zebra? Like, what would that even look like? How would I know it's not just a white horse? Well, if you weren't before you are now. OK. So every time that zebra comes back, think of a solid white peacock with a tragic backstory.
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(I know he's not solid white, I'm just being silly. Forgive me.)
If you take a step towards the sexy (but still extremely evil and genocidal) peacock, you are moving sideways. If you keep it up, you'll get a little distance, a little perspective, and when you have enough room to stop banging your head like a stubborn moth, maybe you'll be able to see a door in the wall... Or some convenient fireworks, who knows? Maybe you do have a destiny. Then, you'll be able to go through.
...Though it may be a squeeze, and you might not end up exactly where you thought you wanted to go.
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(Oh, no, stairs!)
Or maybe you'll end up someplace even better and more surprising.
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"You just wanted to see the tournament? Well, now you're the Dragon Warrior. Have fun with that."
But, again, this is a skill that takes practice. Every time you manage to stop or head sideways instead of banging into the wall is a victory. Eventually, you will get better at it.
I mean, you know, I've heard.
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(This is me. I wanna be Po, but it's just my nature to fight hard and make everything harder. Maybe one of these days I'll accept that, and stop fighting my nature and making it harder, but I wouldn't bet on it.)
Doctors and mental health professionals will tell you, most pain is anxiety. Part of that is the simple physical fact that when you tense up and struggle, it hurts more. Some things can be fought hard style, and some things can't. Slow down, take your time, feel the flow - and then you can decide whether to go with it, go against it, or go around.
For example, I was having serious anxiety because, right when I got up, a lot of things were going wrong, and needed attention, and I couldn't fix them all, or even one. So I let someone I trust give me a little help, and I wrote a little mental health article with my friend, the Panda. Maybe I'll find a way to go forward in a little while, or maybe not yet, but I already feel a little better.
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(Even this guy smiles once in a blue moon.)
Thanks to the Kung Fu Panda Wiki for hosting most of the images I needed. And if you "like" this content, reblog it 'cos I'm trying to get known around here. That goes for just about everyone else, too.
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ben-talks-art · 2 years
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Why I like Lord Shen
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"Happiness.. must be taken... and I will take mine."
How do you even come up with a concept like Shen?
"Hey, you know that movie about a panda that wants to learn Kung Fu? Let's make a sequel and make a peacock voiced by Gary Oldman that's obsessed with blades, explosions, and killing pandas the villain!"
There is a lot to like about Shen. He has a sick design, a threatening voice, he always moves as if he was dancing, and he just has great chemistry with every character he interacts with.
Just like Aaravos, Shen is very good at blending delicacy and elegance with power and pressure (heck, his main weapon is a cannon mixed with fireworks, can't get more elegant with power than that). I can see this guy enjoying a nice tea in the afternoon and also see him just slaughtering entire armies just for the fun of it.
But what really makes him so great are his interactions. I just love seeing him talking with others. The way he talks with the masters, the fortune-teller, and especially with Po.
Shen is the kind of character you just wanna put in a room with random people and see what kind of conversations they have.
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His scenes with Po in particular are just amazing. I really like how he goes from being afraid of him, to being baffled by him, to being amused, then obsessed with tormenting him and then finally just bewildered by what Po achieves in the end, and maybe even jealous.
There is just so much emotion coming out of this guy and it all feels earned. I liked the villains from KFP 1 and 3 okay, but they were kinda one-note, while Shen feels like he goes through a great character development arc towards his downfall.
Shen also actually taught me something very important about villains, that being to show them having fun interactions with your heroes. For example, I love Aaravos, but you never really see him interact with the heroes (which I hope changes next season).
Hero x Villain banter can be really entertaining if done right, it's why so many people love Optimus and Megatron so much, and the ones we get in this movie were just perfect.
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Overall, I don't know who came up with the idea for Shen or how, but God bless them for it.
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biebuli · 22 days
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I think Kung Fu Panda 4 can fully utilize the Chinese story "The Orphan of Zhao" as its prototype.
"The Orphan of Zhao" is a Chinese play from the Yuan Dynasty. It tells the story of a loyal minister, Cheng Ying, who saves the last surviving member of the Zhao family after a corrupt official, Tu'an Gu, massacres the entire clan. To protect the orphan, Cheng Ying sacrifices his own son and raises the orphan as his own. The orphan grows up unaware of his true identity. When he discovers his lineage and the truth behind his family's tragedy, he seeks to avenge them and restore the honor of the Zhao family.
Well, we can create the same story.
The Chameleon and Han were once friends, both living at the bottom of society, having experienced a lot of painful things. One day, The Chameleon decided she wanted to change her circumstances. She believed that learning Kung Fu could protect herself and change others, but she was turned away. So she turned to learning illusions with the aim of taking revenge on those people. Her the best friend Han was always by her side, supporting and helping her. After The Chameleon defeated those who had mocked her, her ambition grew, and she wanted to overthrow the rulers of Junpier City. She believed all her misfortunes were due to the rule of the Fox family, and she wanted to overthrow their regime.
The original rulers of Juniper City were the Fox family. With Han's help, The Chameleon seized power and took over the position of ruler. During the massacre of the Fox family, a baby was left behind—our Zhen. Han couldn't bear to kill the child, so he secretly kept her, but The Chameleon didn't know about this.
Once in power, The Chameleon's mentality changed. She and Han had differences; Han thought everything would get better, but in reality, The Chameleon only treated Cedarburg the same way she had been treated (Who cares about your friendship? I have bigger goals!). Han's public existence was erased, and he went underground, secretly raising Zhen without ever revealing her true identity. During the upbringing, Han would occasionally hint that someone he knew well loved cape gooseberries. Zhen was very curious about what they looked like, but Han only showed her pictures, as the familiar people and things from the past were too far from him now. One day, Zhen saw the cape gooseberries on the golden tree behind The Chameleon.
Thus, Zhen was adopted by The Chameleon. The Chameleon was surprised to find a fox , as she thought the previous batch of foxes had been exterminated. However, she no longer feared the foxes. She adopted Zhen as her foster daughter, partly because she felt Zhen was like her and partly to use her as a symbol of dominance. The events that follow are well known; maybe a change could be made regarding Po passing by the Cliff Tavern. Han discovered Zhen wanted to leave and subtly asked why, deducing the matter concerning Po. His intention was to stop Po, so he established the Cliff Tavern, but unfortunately, he failed.
In the finally, Han decided to tell Zhen her true identity and how she became an orphan. Zhen was shocked and angry but also began to contemplate her complex relationship with The Chameleon. Facing the person who raised her yet was also the enemy of her family, Zhen was filled with mixed emotions. She felt both gratitude and anger, as well as hatred. In the end, Po and Han helped Zhen defeat The Chameleon. Han gathered The Chameleon's cape gooseberries as a memento. This concludes a reasonable Kung Fu Panda 4 that echoes the themes of master-disciple relationships, ethnic massacre, and the breakdown of friendships from the previous three movies.
Why I write this story, because I CAN'T STAND THE LOGIC IN KFP4.
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