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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Sometimes A Masterpiece Can Be Appreciated by What it’s Not

So, you might’ve heard that Netflix dropped a teaser a few days ago for their new film adaptation of the legendary anime Death Note. Or you might not have, in which case, I’m sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but... it’s bad. But maybe not in the way you’d think when I told you that.

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I think you could guess the main issue that’s causing such an uproar just by watching (namely, the white-washing of characters that are Japanese), but what I meant is that the execution isn’t bad.

Director Adam Wingard clearly has a style and atmosphere in mind that he wants to bring to life, and for what it wants to be, it looks like an intriguing action movie.

But the problem was there from day 1 of the story meetings: the ideas driving this adaptation are totally off-base. The execution on those ideas might be fucking rad for all we know, it’s just that from what we can see, they missed the point in fundamental ways.

And obviously we can debate about the white washing and race-changing (it’s not seen here, but another beloved character that’s Japanese originally, L, was changed to black) and how it steals potential roles from Asian-American actors, and whether or not it effects the narrative (I mean, why would Light be nicknamed ‘Kira’ if this isn’t set in Japan? And if it is, well, it’s not like Japan is completely one race, but it just begs the question: ‘why make the change at all?’)---but I feel like that’s already been well-covered. If not by other analytical sources and entertainment news hubs, then by comment sections and forums all over the internet.

Instead, I’d much rather focus on what a fantastic series the original Death Note was, because aside from the white washing issue, that’s the reason people are so up in arms over this adaptation missing the point---They were very good points to begin with.

So, what do you say we go over what this movie seems to be getting wrong that the original anime got so incredibly right?

1. Death Note is Not an Action Series

To me, it seems like both the series and the movie are trying to be a thriller, but the ways in which they go about it are completely different.

The big-budget action scenes in the Movie’s trailer look impressive, but that’s not at all where the vast majority of the tension came from in the original series.

What makes Death Note truly outstanding is the gripping descent of its main character and the brilliant back and forth between Light and the forces of the law, in particular, of course, L. The tension came from the fact that these characters were often several steps ahead of each other, and remarkably, even the audience. The game of cat and mouse couldn’t be more satisfying to follow step by step as it unfolds in perfect time to when we figure out what’s going on.

2. Death Note is Complex

In adapting anything to a 2 and a half hour format, you’re usually going to lose a lot of the nuance and subtlety when the source material was something much longer, like a book series or a manga. There’s just a lot more time to pace things out.

It can be done and done well, but it’s extremely difficult to communicate all those important elements without rushing the pacing.

That’s why it’s hard to understand where they want to take the Movie’s story. It’s not impossible for it to be good, but it’s... perplexing. It’s clearly got scenes that weren’t in the original anime (I never read the manga, so I can’t say for sure it’s not something from there), so changes will be made to adapt to the time limitation, it’s just hard to say where they’re going to take it.

It also makes me wonder why they wanted to re-adapt Light’s story instead of setting this in the same universe and centering it on a different character. That would at least give a narrative reason to the white-washing, even if it’s still not great in my opinion, and it could be cool to revisit Kira’s world in a different continent. Like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was to Harry Potter, except instead of magical whimsy and wizardry, there’s just more death.

But whatever, that in itself is a derivative idea, I’m just saying that with all these changes being necessary to fit this story into a 2 hour time-frame, at some point you do have to ask why retell this story instead of a new one?

Because Death Note’s story was paced so well. I mean, my favourite part will always be the arc with L and Light facing off---I can sort of understand the impulse to find a way to wrap it up there somehow and make that the movie---but there’s still a lot of great elements all the way up until that legendary ending.

I would hate to lose any of that methodical, well-thought out story or the subtle symbolism worked around it, so that’s just another aspect the Movie makes me appreciate more in the anime.

3. Characters and Atmosphere

I’m jamming these sections together because it’s hard to talk about both of them when all we have to compare to is a small teaser.

But my point is that I’m a bit bummed not to hear that classic Death Note score yet. You could argue that they’re adapting the manga, not the anime, so they don’t have to draw any elements from the anime if they don’t want to. And hell, they might even benefit from trying to differentiate themselves.

But... nostalgia goggles are blinding, you guys. It’s just hard for me to feel like I’m watching Death Note without a score even at least a little reminiscent of this. Maybe that’s just me, but when you’ve got some iconic music already attached to the property, why not use it?

Granted, the trailer music might just be the trailer music, and they might even have the kind of musical nod I’m hoping for, but until then, I’ll stick to the original. The tension and dark, Gothic style can’t really be beat.

And speaking of things that can’t be beat, here’s to hoping we’ll get something even remotely similar to the character depth we got in the show. There’s so many iconic characters that have stood the test of time to come from the show, losing any of that richness would be such a shame.

Overall, there’s a lot of elements that I would miss from the show if we lost them in translation to the movie. And for the record, yeah, you can tell I’m someone who does consider this white-washing, so even though I’d love to see Nat Wolfe try a really challenging role just to see what he can do, I don’t love the premise I’ve seen in general.

I guess that means I’ll be rewatching the anime this summer, huh? Fine with me. It’s truly one of the classics, and nothing can ever really take that away.

#death note #netflix #netflix death note #death note netflix #light yagami #L #ryuk #anime #misa amane #near #mello #teru mikami #kira

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Thanks for complimenting my suggestion for a top 10 animated series. Maybe some other time you could do a top 10 animated movies list.

Ooo, that would be really cool!

That list would be much harder for me to decide, so I’ll definitely give it a shot sometime!

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Since you are a big fan of cartoons what are your top 10 favorite cartoons of all time? Honorable mentions can be included

Oh! Oh, cool! You seriously don’t know how cool it is that someone would care to ask, thank you!

Also, sorry for the wait. Seriously, that was excessively sucky. Life likes to get busy at inconvenient times, you know?

But dang, that’s such a hard question…

Only one way to do this right.

Dammit, Anon, This is Hard

I’m not the type of person to decide on ranks (or anything) very easily, so I’ll say this: some choices were easier than others.

I should also mention a lot of these choices are very personal, and if this were a more objective list of the best shows out there, it would be totally different. I also don’t pretend to always have the best taste, these really are just my favourites that I’ve seen. Sometimes I can recognize that one show is probably objectively better than one I like, but that won’t necessarily stop me from liking something. Basically, my list, my bias.

Still, I’ll do my best to explain my choices for those of you who didn’t have the same experiences with these shows that I did. I assume you don’t live in my brain.

Honourable Mentions

Is it hard to believe that the honourable mentions section was harder to decide than the actual list?

There’s just so many shows I’ve enjoyed and I think deserve to be lauded. If you ask me, “Well, what about ____?! Where the hell was ____?!” it would probably fall in this category.

I’ll try to keep it short, though:

The Fairly Odd Parents - I don’t think you could’ve grown up in the early 2000s without encountering this show in some capacity, but I absolutely loved it growing up; I played FOP video games, I watched it every day after school, I even remember catching all the movies on TV whenever I could. It’s always had such a great sense of humour, combined with the jazzy stylistic choices that gave it that extra punch. More recent seasons aside, this one is a 2000s classic.

Over the Garden Wall - I watch this every October now. It’s absolutely spectacular. I think the only thing holding it back is sadly that it’s a miniseries—and it’s not like I would change that, the story needed to be told the way it was. But it’s become seasonal for me, so it’s a favourite but… only briefly.

Rick and Morty - Damn, I love this show. Just give it one more season and let the plot really start to kick in, it may start to climb this list

There are also plenty of shows that I think could be on here had I gotten to watch more of them, and some of those include:

Batman: The Animated Series

Danny Phantom

Sym-Bionic Titan

And here are shows I once had a bit of an obsession with that in hindsight… was a bit unwarranted (again, I never claimed to have great taste):

Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi

Yin Yang Yo!

Total Drama Island/Action

With that out of the way, onto the list!

#10. South Park

What can I say about a comedy that’s antagonized censorship on TV 20 seasons? Well, for one, there are moments that genuinely reward you for caring about these characters for so long. For example, there’s a gut-punch of a two-parter, You’re Getting Old/Ass-Burgers that legitimately made fans question if the show was in danger of ending, with just how fatalistic it’s tone is.

They’ve even since made the transition from episodic to serialized season-long stories—to varying degrees of success, admittedly, but I don’t know if a show, especially one this well-established (this happened in season 18) has ever done that.

In a strange way, South Park’s a show that innovates. It quickly surpassed any other show on at the time for most edgy/boundary-pushing—to the point that its offensive humour wouldn’t be acceptable coming from anyone else but South Park (which isn’t to say I don’t understand when/if people have an issue with it, but… more on that in a sec)!

I’d also like to give special shoutout to the South Park Movie, and the recent South Park video games, the Stick of Truth and Fractured, but Whole—all three of which are jam-packed with South Park goodness.

Personal Reasons: When I was growing up this was the pinnacle in shows my mom didn’t want me to watch. And with what little of a rebellious streak I had, I took that to mean it needed my attention.

I remember watching it late at night (which just made it more scandalous!) with my brother, and separately with my best friend at the time, Daniel. We loved that kind of raunchy, crude humour! And in hindsight, like I said, I know there’s been plenty of times when they’ve made jokes in poor taste, but I don’t know. Sometimes when you make fun of everyone equally, there can be room for some less tasteful jokes. Especially when being a boundry-pusher is a big part of your identity.

As the old saying goes, “It’s South Park: what did you expect?”

#9. Clone High

One of the more obscure choices on this list, but I’ve mentioned it from time to time for sure. Coming from the writing/directing team behind Lego: Batman, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and 21 Jump Street, Clone High was a short-lived 13-episode MTV comedy.

The premise was simple: clones of famous historical figures all go to high school together.

Done, simple as that.

But what makes it so funny is how it parodies the high school drama genre while still existing as it’s own story with it’s own characters. Like, every episode is always announced as a “very special episode” and even in their short run, they managed to do the Drug episode, the holiday episode, the natural disaster episode, the dramatic Death episode, the class election episode—it just doesn’t let up.

Oh, and I’d like to mention Pan Pzza/Rebel Taxi did a stellar review that goes into the history surrounding the show along with some analysis of its content, so if I piqued you’re interest at all, you can find a more in-depth review over here.

Personal Reasons: This s a show my brother introduced me to. Watching videos or playing video games with my cool older brother was always awesome, so watching a show with him as tons of fun.

#8. Moral Orel

My god… this show is the absolute most brutal show I’ve ever loved. You can tell by my lists that I tend towards shows that deal with darker subjects in soft, even light-hearted ways, but this isn’t that kind of show.

Or, at least, the season that made it my 8th favourite show isn’t.

I should explain. Moral Orel was a show on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim that had a total of 3 seasons (with a prequel special that came out years after the fact), and for most of the first two seasons, it’s a vastly different show than in its third season.

From the second season’s finale onward, Moral Orel becomes one of the most bleak, bitter, heart-wrenchingly real shows on TV. It’s breath-takingly bitter.

The first two seasons largely center around the main character Orel Puppington and his religious adventures in his hometown of Moralton. It started as a parody of Christian cartoons, in particular the stop-motion/claymation Davey and Goliath.

Basically, Orel would learn a lesson from an authority figure in town and misinterpret it to the extreme. It could make for some funny commentary now and again, but in truth it was nothing special.There were a few early episodes worth watching, like the Lord’s Prayer and The Best Christmas Ever, but if that’s all it had to offer, its charm would wear thin.

This, on the other hand, is no regular series.

The fact that it started out the way it did makes the reveal even more powerful. You see, those more upbeat first two seasons, where the morals are skewed and everything’s just a bit cheerier than it should be come crashing down when Orel’s father’s alcoholism is taken devastatingly seriously during a hunting trip in the two-part season finale “Nature” parts 1&2.

Nature marks a drastic turn in the series tonally. From there, the series shifts focus from just being about Orel to chronicling the lives of several members of the town in the aftermath and the days surrounding that infamous hunting trip. The third season even starts counting down each episode (Numb, for instance is 1 out of 13).

And the reason for this is that as Orel lost faith in his father in that season finale, we, along with Orel, start to see all the people in his life in a different, sometimes disturbing light.

If I’m making it out to sound a bit on the unwatchable side, I understand, you don’t always want to watch something that will bring you down like that. But to sing its praises just a bit more, the reason it struck such a chord with me is because there’s such a humanity to it. There is hope somehow, and goodness in all this messed up stuff.

Personal Reasons: I used to stay up late watching Adult Swim, or use the TV to fall asleep to. I managed to catch episodes now and again, so it hit me hard the first time I saw some of the darker or more bittersweet episodes.

#7. Steven Universe

We jump from one of the harshest shows to one of the sweetest! And yeah, I was surprised this wasn’t higher, too

And maybe it could change as the series goes on, but in the meantime, wow is this a fantastic show! We’ve talked about it a number of times on FGA, but I don’t think that’s any reason to not sing it’s praises some more!

Premiering in 2013 on Cartoon Network, Steven Universe, as you probably know (because this is Tumblr), follows the titular Steven and his emotionally-driven life with the Crystal Gems, alien rebels from a far-off Homeworld.

Properly referred to as “singing and crying,” Steven Universe slowly runs the gambit from gorgeously heartbreaking to sweetly uplifting, all the while feeling like a mellow, safe, and warm place to be.

Like many people have said in many different ways, it’s a show that explores relationships. All kinds of relationships. It’s made massive strides in LGBT+ representation in kids’ shows, presenting it without the pomp and circumstance of a “very special episode.”

The gradually unfolding plot has fans like me hooked, even if the slower pace and hiatus plague can leave us hanging for quite some time.

Personal Reasons: This is yet another show that I’ve gotten watch and talk about with my girlfriend, so I think I’ll always remember it fondly for that. Fangirling.

#6. Avatar: The Last Airbender

It’s what I consider to be the greatest show of all time… and it’s this far down on the list. There really is no justice in Bias Town.

One of the best purely serialized shows out on this list, Avatar is a perfect example of a simple three act story-structure. It tells a complete, satisfying story that needed no more and no less.

And in that time, it managed to find the perfect balance for everything. Rich, interesting world-building reflecting real-life cultures? Check. Fun plots that moved forward the overall story? Check. Likable complex characters that humanize the world so no one side is undeniably in the wrong? Check.

The only thing that took a while to grow on me was Avatar’s humour. Can’t explain why, but once I warmed up to it, there were episodes and moments that made me lose my shit.

It’s such a well-crafted story, and I could probably just go on and on about how well everything was developed, but sufficed to say, it would probably top my list for what’s objectively the best cartoon out there.

Personal Reasons: I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but I actually missed out on Avatar’s original run. I vaguely remember being interested by it, but never catching an episode in full.

Years later, I somehow stumbled across it by chance, and oh my god. Oh my god, you guys. I watched most of the second and third season in one weekend. I couldn’t stop.

#5. Spongebob Squarepants

In last year’s Nostalgia Month, I fangirled a little bit about Spongegbob, and if you read any of that, you’ll know I’ve always been a huge fan. It’s one of the cornerstone series of my generation (just take a look at the Ocean Man meme that was a thing for a while—that song is buried in the credits of the Spongebob Movie, so you would have had to sit through the credits to get that reference), along with Pokemon and Fairly Odd Parents, so again, I couldn’t not have some experience with it, but I was pretty much a super fan.

And there’s kind of a reason for that. I can’t say what it’s like now, but in its early seasons, it’s humour was surprisingly intelligent and stupidly funny. There’s definitely a difference between stupid characters and a stupid show, and so long as you can see that, you’ll find a charming undersea comedy that became a household name for a reason (at least initially).

Personal Reasons: God, where to start. For one, I have a fear of fish, but I love swimming and the sea. That fear developed in second grade, ironically around the time I would’ve been the deepest in my Spongebob phase. I think it helped, actually. There’s a reason I have a random anchor as a logo.

And you know, there’s some shows that you love so much that they come to represent a part of your life. All my elementary school days and even into middle school, Spongebob was something I was an expert in. I had as much merch as I could afford to get, I watched it religiously (even the DVD boxsets), I made my first best friend that way— it just ruled my world for a long while there.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way. The nostalgia goggles are strapped on hard for this choice, but I couldn’t honestly tell you I don’t have a sincere place in my heart for it. And always will.

#4. Gravity Falls

You know how the 2010s starting kicking a lot of ass for animation? I think more than anything—more than even Adventure Time (which I do love)—this is the show that represents that to me. Not because it’s dated, but in fact the opposite: because it’s a modern classic that will forever feel timeless. Something truly spectacular that we’ll always look back on and remember as ours.

Gravity Falls takes influences from all the best stuff, but makes itself unique by being incredibly inventive. Like, it really does remind me of any Matt Groening show because of it’s sense of humour and even a bit of the world-building, but the mystery and heart are so magnificently its own. These things are the backbone that take the the already stellar comedy to a whole other level.

The best word for it is just as I said: magnificent.

From beginning to end, it’s undeniably so. It rewards close-viewings and theory-makers ten-fold, and that detail-orientated approach makes the experience that much richer and more, well, rewarding.

You knew it was coming, but hell, I can’t deny a show that succeeds in doing so many things I love so, so well.

Personal Reasons: I’ll never forget the experience of watching Not What He Seems for the first few times, or really, a lot of the episodes. Watching the fandom come up with theories about the Stan twins a season in advance, and then seeing those theories made reality in the most spectacular, theatrical episode of the television I’ve ever watched blew me the fuck away.

And getting to talk about it here and with LittleNightwing just made it more of an interactive experience, which is exactly the kind of thing Alex Hirsch wanted.

I know I’ve said this too many times by now, but I even wrote part of an episode for Gravity Falls: Deep Woods (a storyboarded fan-series inspired by the show). When episode three eventually comes out, if they haven’t cut it out for time constraints, my name will be in the credits. And having my name associated with anything related to this show is just an honour.

#3. Futurama

I don’t even know what I can say about Futurama that hasn’t already been said, but whatever, I’m gonna try because I have to include it.

It started airing back in 1999, which was appropriate, because the series starts us out by travelling to the year 2999 on New Years, entering into the new millennium as we enter into this new series. And from there, this lovable portrayal of a future that somehow seems not too far from our present day becomes awesome.

Everything is a little crappy. That’s not a diss on the show, it’s just the reality of the year 3000. It’s not some dystopia, but it’s no utopia, either. It comes with all the problems and foibles of modern day, just with different technology, space travel, and alien races.

And don’t get me started on how inventive it can be. The writers staff behind that show is one of the most educated on television—quite literally, with “three Ph.D.s, seven masters degrees, and cumulatively had more than 50 years at Harvard.”

And they put all that to use to make sure the science behind that sci-fi could work. In fact, they not only created their own alien language for the show, but writer Ken Keeler devised an entirely new math equation to resolve a plot point for the episode “Prisoner of Benda.” In the field, it’s referred to as the Futurama theorem or the Keeler theorem, and has since inspired research.

So when I say next level nerdy, I mean next level nerdy.

Futurama uses this incredible scientific and mathematical power to parody the sci-fi genre with a great sense of humour and a Simpsonian sense of heart. Pretty much all of the main cast has at least one tear-jerker episode, but none so powerful as the infamous Jurrasic Bark, an episode dedicated to telling the story of our main character, Phillip J. Fry, and his dog Seymour. It will tear you apart.

Personal Reasons: This is yet another series I grew up with, and I think it taught me a lot about storytelling. Episodes like Luck of the Fryrish, The Sting, or the aforementioned Jurrasic Bark end on a incredibly bittersweet note, and to really earn that, the writers build it up expertly.

There’s also episodes like the Emmy-winning Roswell that Ends Well that take these wacky sci-fi concept to insane new levels. Whether or not I can execute on that, it taught me to always push an idea further.

Plus, I followed the series from it’s original run to it’s first cancellation to the four straight-to-DVD movies (that I ADORED renting from Blockbuster) to it’s return and final ending in 2013. It’s been one hell of a ride.

#2. The Simpsons

And at this point, you probably know the whole list. But let’s go through it anyway.

The Simpsons, for me, really is one of the most brilliantly stupid comedies out there. It seems there are a number of comedies on this list that could be written off as just brainless, but I think there’s a charm to that for me. Something that clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously when it doesn’t have to. The Simpsons, in that way, has always been rather inviting to me.

Despite it’s now nearly 30 year run, it never seems to have an ego about itself, even when some consider it the greatest comedy of all time (me).

There’s an endless amount of hilariously quotable episodes, and like any good comedy, it doesn’t skimp out of the character development or sentimentality. It’s certainly lost it’s touch for the most part, as is the case with a lot of running series, but every now and again, even in the later seasons, it still manages to surprise.

I couldn’t explain it’s legacy if I tried. It’s currently the longest running animated series, and at this point, seems to have outlived the entire era it was so adept at parodying, but it’s still so legendary I can’t fault it! Even the impossible finally does happen and the show takes its final bow, I know this funny family will keep me laughing for years to come.

Personal Reasons: This started as another show my mom didn’t want me to want, but the reason I got to watch it so much and maybe the reason I love it so much is because my dad loved it.

From that point on, I started collecting the DVD boxsets of every season I could, and enjoying all the early seasons I was too young to watch when they originally aired.

And watching Simpsons reruns in whatever capacity I could became tradition. I still do to this day, even if it’s just online now. It’s become sort of a comfort show, it’s that familiar to me.

Plus, there’s the Movie, and games (The Simpsons Hit and Run is so much better than it has any right to be)—I even wrote an essay on The Simpsons back in high school.

It’s just been the huge, life-long love for me that will never truly end because of how much it shaped me as a person (as silly as that sounds).

#1. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Shock! Awe! Everyone is stunned! People never would’ve seen this coming if they know me…

Alright, so I’m predictable (I prefer the term “reliable” but considering how long it took to get this list out…), but it’s strangely so well-suited to everything I love. This entire section is full of personal reasons.

There’s fantastic characters to love (and obsess over); a heart-warming, light-hearted, cute, and ultimately loving tone that’s inexplicably never too saccharine even when it by all means should be; a fascinating fantasy world to dive into; a remarkable at times Disney-esque musical element; an eye-pleasingly soft animation style; an unashamed love of puns—I mean I could actually go on about this for a full year.

I really, really could… over on my main blog (sorry for the self-promo, but it’s relevant).

Year of the Pony, MLP Editorials (which are a big part of YotP)

I’ve dedicated this entire year to talking about My Little Pony in an event I’m calling Year of the Pony. There’s so far been something pretty much every week, themes for every month—I love this show a lot you guys. I really, really do.

That really is the reason I’m doing this event. I’ve been a fan of this show for five, going on six years, and it somehow became my favourite show of all time, even when there are shows out there that I think are objectively better. I’m trying to dissect why that is bit by bit.

For instance, here’s an upcoming two-parter:

These two characters are sisters, and long story short, one was forced to send the other to the moon. This was a story that introduced the series in the first two episodes, and has since been explored by the fandom in every way imaginable. So I have to ask questions that’ll give me a way to talk about how much and why I love this particular story element.

It’s not the greatest tragedy out there, sure, but I’ve seriously gotta figure out why this has struck such a chord with me, you know?

Obnoxious self-promos aside, I really did fall and fall hard for this series I think because it was still unassuming by the time I got to it. The was a fandom, sure, but I didn’t know what to expect (whether these “bronies” were just using it for memes and liking it ironically or what), and that made it a genuine discovery for me.

And it’s that very unassuming, unpretentious sweetness that continues to make me love it, even though it’s made a few mistakes along the way. I don’t think it’s a perfect series, but it’s definitely perfect for me. And what more could I ask for in a favourite show?

But that’s just my list. Feel free to tell my some of your favourites or take up the challenge to put out your own list and send it my way! Show me how much better your taste is than mine!

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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I forgot to specify that I wasn’t hurt in the accident apart from some bruising (my car wasn’t so lucky, and that’s what’s taken up so much of my time). Didn’t mean to worry you, sorry about that

When's the next fangirlingabout post coming?

Heh, sorry, I’m working on it as we speak. It’s that Top 10 Cartoons ask.

It’s been a busy few weeks. I know there’s a fine line between an explanation and an excuse, but I did get into a car accident a few weeks back and have been dealing with that on top of part-time work and family stuff.

I apologize that it’s taken so long to get it out there, but thanks for caring about it at all!

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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When's the next fangirlingabout post coming?

Heh, sorry, I’m working on it as we speak. It’s that Top 10 Cartoons ask.

I apologize that it’s taken so long to get it out there, but thanks for caring about it at all!

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Note: There’s an ask I got asking about my Top 10 favourite cartoons, and I wanted to make that this week’s FGA, so that’s on its way.

I had half of it written out Friday night, but a dumb mistake on my part deleted the whole thing, and I haven’t had the time to rewrite it. I definitely will, though, because I’m so stoked that anyone would care enough to ask!

Tomorrow I’m spending some much needed time with a cousin of mine, so if I post it, it’ll probably be late (Monday at the very latest). But I still wanted to say thanks for the ask, the answer’s on its way, and as always I’m glad you’re here.

Thanks for always being awesome, Marvel

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Linkin Park, feat. Kiiara — Heavy

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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The day I have dreamed of

So, for those of you who haven’t heard, Warner Brothers seems to be starting the process to create a live action Nightwing movie for the DCEU. As a lot of you can probably guess from my user name (littlenightwing) I am a huge Nightwing (really Dick Grayson) fan. He is my all time favourite character. Ever. So yeah, I am fucking pumped.

Dick Grayson is such a huge part of the DC universe, and even comics in general. He’s one of the, if not the, first side-kick in comics and was the second (and often more ignored) half of the original dynamic duo. He has lead the teen titans (and titans I think), been a member of the justice league, and even had a run as Batman for a while. I really don’t think I can oversell how huge he is in the universe. And yet, outside of comic fans, most people have probably never heard of Nightwing/Dick.

My hope for this movie is mostly just that they don’t ruin his character. No movie is perfect and, to be honest, a lot of the comics the movie could be based off of are FAR from perfect. But I just want him to be recognizable as himself. Basically, I don’t want a Batman movie but with Nightwing, or a light-hearted comedy movie either. I want them to portray him as he’s generally shown in comics: a lighter “version” of Batman that emphasizes the people in his life, excels in leadership, is more acrobatic and hopeful. I also hope they don’t make him too much of a womanizer :/

Luckily, I think we have a pretty good shot at getting the Dick Grayson we need. In the talk about starting the movie, WB is looking at getting Chris McKay to direct. This is super encouraging because McKay was the director of The Lego Batman Movie, which was amazing to watch (@marvelandponder fangirled about it last week here) and felt like a loving parody of the characters.

For example, Robin ripping of the pants to make his uniform more like the classic version had me in stitches. Now, obviously, if the Nightwing movie had the same feel as a lego movie, we would have a problem, but it does show that McKay directed a movie that pulled off an adorable Dick Grayson that can make fun of the character while still respecting him.

Luckily though, we also have proof that McKay knows how to be serious and make things that can rip your heart out. When freaking out with Marvel over the new information, she informed me that McKay has also directed some episodes of Robot Chicken and Moral Orel, both of which are much more mature, graphic and in the case of Moral Orel, incredibly dark and sad.

We have been lucky enough to see some great (and not-so-great) versions of Dick Grayson in animation, but have yet to have a really good version of him in live action (bat-nipples *shudders*). Hopefully DC can learn from the mistakes of the past and finally make the Nightwing movie I am dying to see.

Another bonus of making a Nightwing movie is the possibility to get into even more Batfam characters! I would LOVE to see Oracle showing up in the movie, or really any of the rest of the fam. It’s unlikely we will get everyone (it is a surprisingly large family) but I’m excited for anyone and everyone who makes an appearance.

How the plot is set up right now, it would make sense for the solo Batman movie to introduce Tim Drake (since Jason is presumably dead) to help make Batman less of the murder-ish person he is now. Plus it would set up the role of Robin very well and help set up the Nightwing movie.

I am so excited by all the possibilities and hope that at least some of them come to fruition.

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Entertaining to the MAX

As someone with an... approximate knowledge of the DC universe and more specifically the BatFamily (most of which being from littlenightwing), and as someone who just enjoys really funny comedies and great animation, I pretty much was doomed to love this movie.

But hell, even without all that “””bias””” what makes this movie so especially bitchin’ is how it succeeds at pretty much everything it sets out to do. Make a good follow-up to the Lego Movie? Check. Strike a great balance as a kids movie? Check Two.

Bring the BatFamily to the big screen again (FINALLY) in a way that can make general audiences fall in love with them? All checks. All of them, those checks are yours now.

Be a good spoof movie---a genre so dead it needed to be revived with little tiny lego defibrillators? A THUNDERSTORM OF CHECKS RAINING DOWN FROM THE HEAVANS.

Doing a Comic Book Movie

Adapting anything to film is magic trick and a half, but adapting comic books---90 years of them, for that matter---is a whole magic show. It’s no small feat to capture the heart of the characters and world and what makes it so beloved.

Add that on top of the magic you need to perform to make a good spoof movie, which takes that deep understanding and builds off it (ayyyy) in exaggerated, hilarious ways. Plus, like I said, the entire spoof genre has been left in the hands of the people who made the Scary Movie franchise, which has fallen so far from... well, I don’t want to say grace, but you get my point. There’s only been bad parody movies coming out in the mainstream for years now.

But if I’d trust anyone to manage both kinds miracles, I guess I’d have to give it to Phil Lord and Chris Miller! Even if you don’t know their names, you’ve probably laughed at their work (well, with their work): Clone High, Cloudy a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, (A few episodes of) How I Met Your Mother, (the pilot of) Brooklyn 99, and, obviously, the Lego Movie itself.

Basically, these are two writer/directors best bros who I’ve loved ever since I was young with Clone High because that’s exactly my sense of humour---and they’re still killing it to this day.

And thank god, they manage to nail this movie on so many levels.

What really rocks is how thoroughly they understand Batman’s corner of the DC universe---not just for the amazing, nerd-level-100 references from all sorts of Batman media, but because in order for the comedy to really work, they have to make a super-fan love for all things Batman infectious.

And it works. So, so well!

And the parody aspects of this movie work for the same reason. It’s like the old saying goes “it’s funny because it’s true.” Sure, it’s exaggerated for a punchline, but if it didn’t come from a genuine place to begin with that exaggeration wouldn’t be able to carry the movie.

The BatFam and Rogues Gallery

AND THIS IS THE BEST PART.

See, the BatFamily hasn’t come to the big screen aside from the mostly-straight-to-DVD-but-if-they’re-in-theaters-they’re-limited-release animated movies, which leaves legions of starving BatFam fans waiting for their favourite characters to even get a slight mention or blink-and-you’ll-miss-it background reference.

The Arkham games (and of course the comics themselves) are enough to keep them alive, but the fact that 1997′s Batman and Robin killed all possible BatFamily movies for basically 20 years means it’s been rough.

So, now we have the first real inclusion on the BatFamily! It’s a parody of them, but at least since it’s a good parody that does demonstrate some understanding of the characters and how meaningful their relationships are, it’s enough! At least, for now. My hope is that having a popular, awesome movie with some BatFamily members in it will open the door to even more BatFam to come!

Because look, I have to take this character by character for a second to really show why this could hopefully be the building blocks (AYYYYY) for something even greater down the line (or, great in a different way, I should say).

Let’s start with Dick Grayson as Robin. This Dick Grayson is mostly a parody of the original TV boy wonder, Burt Ward. Which works, even though it’s not an accurate portrayal of more modern incarnations of his character. Michel Cera somehow managed to really make this character endearing when he could’ve been pretty annoying, as high energy as he is.

The best comparison I can make for animation fans is, well, Wander, from Wander Over Yonder, but without the country accent. There’s an adorable beating heart always on display that makes him lovable---he’s even got some quieter moments thrown in there---and the way the lines are delivered never crosses that line into annoying-sidekick territory.

So, this Dick is a good Dick. He still serves the role even modern Dick Grayson did as Robin, to be the hopeful light in the dark knight’s world.

And see, if they took inspiration from lego Dick Grayson at all when adapting modern Dick, I hope they keep that idea intact---because no matter what incarnation of Dick we’re going for, his humour and kind lightheartedness even in the face of a dark world and immeasurable pain---that’s what makes him a wonderful son character for Batman.

Well, that and how much they love each other, obviously, but thankfully, that’s another thing this movie doesn’t skimp out on. Since its a comedy, the writers get away with Dick using the words “dad” or “padre” (dad) or even “batfamily” a glorious amount of times. So even if there’s since going to be a wait before we get to see a serious portrayal of their father-son relationship, it’s honestly enough to know some people in Hollywood actually know.

Barbara/Batgirl gets a great role as well. Not necessarily all points are stellar (the recent Killing Joke movie aside, I’ve been told Barbara and Batman don’t have a relationship that’s sexual in nature most of the time, so it’s just kinda... creepy; thank god they didn’t make them end up together in this movie), but it’s small in comparison to the awesomeness of lego Barbara.

Granted, I know much more about Dick Grayson than I do about Barbara (you know who to thank for that), but at the very least, I appreciate that her role in this movie is competent, well-accomplished straight-man and not damsel in distress, which even I know is so not Barbara (The Killing Joke is hard story to adapt without, y’know, using her as a plot device in kinda awful ways, so I’m just glad to see her not be used that way).

That’s the kind of thing I hope they’ll carry over when it’s time for a more serious Barbara story. In this movie, she feels a bit too much like Wild-Style from the first Lego Movie, and I would’ve loved to see even more of Barbara’s character and what makes her unique (again, this is something I need to learn), but yeah, definitely a step in the right direction.

Alfred’s had some great adaptions over the years in terms of movies, but I will say I don’t think it’s been acknowledged before what a father figure (and in turn grandpa figure) he is in the BatFamily. Good to see him get his due.

And I mean overall, there’s this whole other side to Batman, BatDad, that has been sorely missing from cinema. We’ve seen the brooding loner Batman done well, but there’s so many stories to tell when you bring in his surrogate family, and you can see that in this movie!

Oh, and the Joker?

Absolutely adorable. Which... isn’t something I’d normally advocate saying, but they really have fun with his and Batman’s relationship in such a great way. Protect this clown child please (again specifically this version).

And that’s not even counting the dozens of other rogues that get a hilarious cameo in this movie. It’s all so fantastic, I need to rewatch it just to get all the jokes involved with them because I was laughing so hard I missed some.

So it works as a (spoofed) BatFamily story, a comedy and a parody movie, and even just a really well done animated kids movie in general.

This is definitely what I would call a hyper-active movie---the jokes come hard and fast and don’t really stop---but it can also take it’s time for the characters (and hell, even for the comedy; long, quieter jokes that just keep going are always a risk, but like the sloth scene in Zootopia, the times they make that gamble it pays off).

Even just as an animated movie, look at this shit:

The photo-realistic Lego-based animation from the first movie combined with a neon colour scheme that ends up being so fitting for Lego Gotham... is bootiful. It’s some beautiful animation (and the comedic timing just makes it better)!

And the score? The score is always hilariously timed---every song choice is there for a specific purpose. That’s probably the best way to look at this movie: not a moment goes to waste.

Really, it’s a family of excellent elements all working together to make one hell of a whole.

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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Am I Wrong?

Before we dip down into spoiler territory, if you were looking for an excuse to watch the new Islands mini-series, I’ll give it to you: some stranger on the internet won’t shut up about it.

It’s worth your time if you were ever a fan, and hey, maybe you’re behind a season or two, but they explain enough through exposition that you’ll still be able to piece together what’s going on. If that doesn’t sound nice to you, at least you have incentive to catch up! Go watch Islands when you can.

... We good to head to Spoiler Town, U.S.A.?

Good. Because that’s where we’re going.

Alright, so I should probably explain myself with the whole “movie” thing. Well, (if you watched it or even heard about it) remember how Stranger Things felt like one long movie? I got the same feeling bingeing Islands. Much more so than Stakes did.

There’s theoretically still a theatrical Adventure Time Movie going to be made (if Pen Ward finds the right idea), but in the meantime it struck me what an important story this was and just how many loose ends it managed to address.

Adventure Timey Foreshadowing

Islands tackles a few of the biggest plot threads in the series thus far. And, okay, Adventure Time has a lot of plot threads left for a later time, but some of the most significant ones are definitely related to Finn’s origin and the survival (or not) of humans as a species after the Great Mushroom War.

Hell, Susan Strong in and of herself has been a longstanding plot-thread since she was confirmed to be a human instead of a mutant, but that never really much before. It was cool to have another human character, and I loved Susan, of course, but without any background about who she was or where she came from, she seemed to be a much less significant piece of the puzzle.

Islands thankfully changes that in a big way. A gay way. A big and strong, and smart and smol gay way.

But aside from how nice it is to see Adventure Time being open with LGBT+ characters, Susan’s development in this mini-series is done extremely well. I don’t have a creative way to say it, BUT SUSAN’S INTERACTIONS WITH FRIEDA WERE SO NATURAL AND GREAT.

Mertens More Like WHY WON’T THE PAIN END?

Min and Marty is another one of those perfect Adventure Time episodes, in my opinion. Different people might not think so, so wouldn’t suggest hyping it up as one, but it strikes that perfect balance between character-building and overall plot relevance.

Just like Holly Jolly Secrets Part 2 (or more specifically the last few minutes), it takes an already complex character that’s at best great comedic relief, and at worst unlikable (but, in an enjoyable way), and deepens our understanding of them in a very humanizing way.

And much like Simon and Marcy, the tight focus on two characters in the past lets us get a sense for both the world and these two, enjoyably sweet people who inhabit it. Absolute gold.

And the decision to make both Minerva and Marty opposite extremes of Finn’s best and worst qualities respectively only serves to make this story all the cooler when we’re back in the present dealing with Finn and Min’s reunion. Compelling to the extreme.

In fact, Finn’s entire journey through-out this mini-series is pretty dang math. Of all of his adventures so far, this by far feels the biggest to me, even above his encounters with the Lich. And until the day that the real Adventure Time Movie comes along with a bigger and better adventure, well, I’m pretty satisfied if this is what we have to make do with.

#adventure time #at #islands #islands spoilers #finn mertens #jake the dog #min mertens #minerva mertens #minerva campbell #marty mertens #susan strong #BMO #kara #at kara #Marceline the Vampire Queen #princess bubblegum #cartoons #animation #analysis

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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I found this song not too long ago and now it makes me smile, thinking about MarvelandPonder

#tell her you love her #echosmith #talking dreams #she's my fav #also my gf #it's the best!#I really do love her

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fangirlingabout · 7 years

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The Heroes the Galaxy Deserves

I was lucky enough to binge watch both seasons over the course of a couple of days. And hooo boy, what a wild ride. I normally don’t binge watch that intensely, so you know that it has to be good (to me at least).

Since the second season only came out a week ago, I need to warn you that if you haven’t watched it yet, you should go do that. Spoilers ahead!

Plot

I have to admit, when I first heard people talking about 5 lions fusing into a giant robot, it sounded pretty stupid to me. But wow, am I glad I was so wrong. ‘Cause Voltron is fuckin’ epic.

Right from the get go, I was entranced by the story. Seeing Shiro go from an innocent looking science mission to being saved from an earth base after escaping from aliens, the beginning really packs a punch. It doesn’t stop there either. The residents of The Castle of Lions never seem to catch a break. And I love it. The series keeps up an epic pace while still taking things slow at the right points.

I was lucky (in a way) that I wasn’t able to watch the series until the second season was out. That way I didn’t have to deal with the cliffhanger. Well, the first one at least. With Shiro missing at the end of the last episode, and his ominous foreshadowing about Keith leading the team if anything happened to him, I am concerned. And I love it.

Characters and Relationships

I normally end up picking out my favourite character(s) right from the get-go, and in this case, knew Shiro and to a lesser extent Keith, would be my favs before I even started watching. And hell yeah I stand by that. Not to say I don’t like the other paladins or Allura or Coran, I’m just not obsessed with them.

I’ll talk more about my favs later, but for now, I want to talk about how well the characters were developed. All of the characters fit pretty easily recognisable tropes, but deviate from their ‘roles’ enough to be 3D and interesting characters.

For example, Lance was the very stereotypical comedic relief, but he was still badass and given chances to show that he deserves respect and a place on the team. He even struggles with self-doubt and craves the validation of his other team members. In the second season, while trying to escape the prison, Lance realized that everyone on the team had ‘a thing’ and wanted to feel like he was irreplaceable too. Honestly, that is probably how I would feel if I was thrown into that kind of situation. He is so much more than comic relief.

Then there was the relationships between the characters that were developed and ... just so NICE to see. They weren’t perfect, after all, no relationship is, but they were perfectly imperfect. This scene expressed that a lot for me. I loved seeing Shiro and Keith becoming like brothers. I am a slut for those kinds of relationships and fucking love how they developed.

Then there was also Keith and Lance, who were the classic rivals at first, but came to respect and trust each other as they work together. And Pidge and Hunk being giant nerds together. Or how Shiro and Pidge bonded over her lost brother and father and Shiro’s connection to them.

And oh dude! Keith being part Galtra was so freaking cool! It made his character and the others around him so much more complex. Because of that, we got to see the others react to the information. Shiro’s “I don’t care, you’re my brother”, Hunk’s mixed reaction and inability to see Keith the same way, and Allura’s “I want to hate you but I also don’t.” They really made the characters seem more real to me. They weren’t blindly accepting of the alien race that had messed up their lives, but they also weren’t blindly against them or their friend just because of their DNA.

Visuals

There were multiple times where I paused the show to appreciate just how beautiful the graphics are. They use such vibrant colours and use them to set the mood really well. MarvelandPonder is more of the animation nerd than I am but I still feel there was something about how it was animated that was really pleasing to watch. Even just looking back at these pictures, the show looks so pretty!!!

Final Point - Shiro

I love Shiro. I love the way he leads the team, keeps them together and does what he can to protect them. I love how messed up he is. He spent a year being held captive, forced to fight, lost an arm, then returned to his home (ish?) only to immediately go on an epic space quest where he get hurt and captured multiple times again. Yet through it all, he is a strong leader, he is caring, kind, dedicated and dorky in his own right. He is literally everything I love in a character. I need more of him. I hope he’s okay.

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