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chuckaf · 3 years

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Chuck Fic Rec List: Updated

So my fic rec post was in my notifs again the other day, and I noticed a while back that the formatting on the post has gotten all messed up and it’s also had like three reblog additions to it anyway meaning there are three versions out there lol. so, I wanted to do another list of chuck fic recs! I’ll keep the other one up still, so I’m not gonna repeat every fic here, just some I really recommend. I’m also adding the fic summaries, which I didn’t on the old post, and some more of my own opinions so, buckle up for a long post!

Chuck Versus the Steampunk Chronicles | Steampunk.Chuckster

1896. A world powered by steam, where humans and machines coexist, and airships are the fashionable mode of transport. The US Empire's deepest and darkest secrets arrive at Chuck Bartowski's doorstep. Have they fallen into the wrong hands? Or will the inventor prove his mettle, even while he's forced to hide from the very people he's protecting? AU, ongoing chronicle, Charah.

A genuinely incredible AU story, with an entire crafted world and universe, so detailed it frequently blows my mind. There is heart and family and infuriatingly brilliant slow-burn, plus a buttload of danger and super fun historical/steampunk action. Oh how I LOVE it.

Chuck vs the Charade | somedeepmystery

When computer nerd Chuck Bartowski returns home to an empty apartment and a dead girlfriend he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of espionage and deceit. Everyone around him is playing a part to get what they want and when he starts falling for the new woman in his life, he can't help but wonder if he can trust her or if she's the one he should fear the most.

An action and twist-filled AU based on the movie Charade, which is just such a brilliant fic concept I absolutely adored it from the start.

Two Sides of the Same Coin | dettiot

When you're a spy, there's all kinds of occupational hazards when you work with another spy. For Sarah Walker, though, one mission becomes a life-changing experience. Because working with Charles Carmichael leads to protecting Chuck Bartowski.

The first time I read this fic my mind was just blown to its genius. Such a brilliant interpretation of what the Intersect and its concepts set up in the show could be, and ooooof the Chuck/Sarah interactions, my HEART. Related to it, its companion piece:

A Flip of the Coin | dettiot

What made Charles Carmichael agree to become Chuck Bartowski? Well, to start, it wasn't as much of a change as you'd think. A companion to the early chapters of Two Sides of the Same Coin from Carmichael's perspective.

Chuck vs The Butterfly Effect | n7agentbartowski

Chuck Bartowski is a normal guy who just hit rock bottom. No girlfriend, no career and no super computer stuck inside his head. It isn't until Chuck meets a gorgeous stranger on the beach that he begins to think his life is about to change for the better. An AU Chuck fic without the Intersect. "Change one thing and it changes everything."

I said it on the OG post, but this story has one of my top 5 Chuck/Sarah fic meetings. So funny, so... very Chuck. The story is a little angsty overall, but a great read.

Chuck vs the Rogue Spy | Crumby

When a rogue spy from Chuck Bartowski's past shows up to help him during his first solo mission, Chuck hopes that he'll finally find out what happened to Sarah Walker. Post-S2 AU.

There’s a lot of Season 3 fix-it fics out there, which I don’t usually read bc I actually love season 3 lol, but this one’s a good one! A twisty deviation from canon, but still feels really true to character.

Chuck Versus the Nerds Rewrite | Steampunk.Chuckster and David Carner

What happens when two nerds talk endless hours about their favorite TV show? A new take on the show you know, but with the flair, twists, and turns you've come to expect from Steampunk . Chuckster and david . carner. Somewhat canon. Charah.

As the summary says, a different take on the show, which honestly makes a couple changes I would too, but also adds a bunch of fun twists and plots that make it totally new and fresh. Seeing Chuck and Sarah’s thoughts in the more canon sections is just delicious, too.

The Trapped Assassin | SarahsSupplyCloset

After a mission goes awry, the CIA's most lethal assassin is ordered to take vacation while her superiors figure out what to do with her. But when she meets a disarming tourist, their immediate connection only adds to her disillusionment with the agency and her career. Will he be enough for her to finally take the plunge and leave the only life she's ever known? Charah AU

A warning for the very justified M rating if you don’t like that sort of thing, but this is definitely a plot-heavy fic, too. A really neat Sarah-heavy AU, with a whole lotta Chuck/Sarah fancy French vacationy goodness.

Chuck vs the Second Chance | malamoo

AU from mid-season 2 and onwards. Chuck and Sarah part ways only to be reunited years later. COMPLETE.

Literal, crying-at-my-screen angst. Not even a super happy ending. But a brilliantly written, part-reflective/flashback fic, exploring what would’ve happened if Chuck and Sarah’s relationship really was an assignment all along-- and the aftermath. It’s heartbreaking. But if you want a little heartbreak, this is your fic.

Ready at Your Hand | dettiot

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a Catholic plot against the queen comes to the attention of spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. To protect Elizabeth, he develops an unusual plan: hide the passing of intelligence between two agents by a false romance. When Lady Sarah Walker and Chuck Carmichael meet, though, their pretend flirtation becomes much more.

I love Chuck fic for the very reason that it’s inspired such adventurous and totally unique AUs. Here’s some Elizabethan fake-dating Chuck and Sarah! They have to be so Proper, it’s like that hand moment from Pride and Prejudice but Elizabethan and times a billion. The pining!!

Sarah Versus Getting Married | Steampunk.Chuckster

Sarah Walker is getting married. Canon. Charah.

I’d recommend all of SC’s fics if I had the room, and I’m already recommending a ton sksks but most of my fic recs are AUs, and this one isn’t! It’s canon, and covers some of in the gap in 4x24, with Sarah just before the wedding itself. Super sweet, heart-tugging, brilliant.

A Chuckmas Carol | Mikki13

A new twist to Dickens' beloved "A Christmas Carol". When Sarah begins to shut out the world around her, three spirits come to show her the error of her ways. Season 3 AU.

Another Season 3 AU, this one written pre-series so it definitely doesn’t fit to canon, but it’s still wonderfully rich in character depth and angst and it also made me cry. Plus, festive!

Chuck Versus Thin Ice | Steampunk.Chuckster

On the doorstep of the Olympics, top American curler Sarah Walker has lost her mixed doubles partner and her boyfriend in one fell swoop. Her coaches throw newbie Team U.S.A. curler Chuck Bartowski onto her team and thrust them into the Olympics, hanging America's curling hopes on two people who only have a short amount of time to learn to trust one another. Charah AU.

Do you like curling? Or the Winter Olympics? It doesn’t really matter because somehow this fic made me extremely invested in both of those things, as well as Chuck and Sarah and them being INSUFFERABLE. Catch me now knowing a ton about curling thanks to this fic.

Walker’s Eleven | Moonlight Pilot

Not the same plot as the movie. Sarah Walker never got out of the con game or became a spy, and now she's on her final con. What happens when true love and betrayal get added to the mix? Twists, turns, and Jeffster!

Con!Sarah always interests me, and this fic is full of her. Lotta con plot, lotta Chuck and Sarah.

The Detective and the Tech Guy | thecharleses

Sarah Walker is a Pinkerton detective. Chuck Bartowski is an electronics genius. They wouldn't have met except for a case of mistaken identity and murder. Will the detective and the tech guy solve the mystery, distracted by the riddle in their own hearts? An homage to The Thin Man film series. Formerly co-written by Steampunk . Chuckster and dettiot, now ONLY Steampunk . Chuckster.

Everyone in this fic is so damn cool. There are so many martinis. But also great heart and family and like, standing up for who you love, and later also Chuck with Baby Clara content which frankly the show robbed us of. Also, PI!Sarah!!!

Gravity | Poetic4U

AU. Sarah makes a decision that altered her life forever.

This is just a one-shot, which many of these stories are not, so a good one if you don’t fancy a big read! Just because it’s short, though, doesn’t mean it’s lacking; a really awesome what-if AU, and heavy on the Chuck and Sarah.

A Yuletie Tale | Steampunk.Chuckster

Sarah Walker was dumped the day before Christmas Eve, and her Plus One at her work’s annual Christmas Eve Soiree is now officially a Plus Zero. Her best friend Ellie Bartowski has a solution to her problem, and Sarah finds she isn’t quite as sure about it as Ellie is. AU Christmas Charah.

I’m particularly in love with this fic because, instead of beginning with a meet-cute, it involves Chuck and Sarah already two years into a friendship-- Sarah is Ellie’s best friend. And she’s been crushing harrrd on Ellie’s brother. Also Chuck is in a tux. It’s pretty.

Set, Spike, Dive! | Frea O’Scanlin

Chuck never expected to even make it to the Olympics. Everything is working against him: he's too tall for a diver, too inexperienced for a medal, too much of a wildcard to really make his mark. But an unexpected meeting at the airport, some intriguing new friends, and a whirlwind romance on the sand just might set up London 2012 as the time of Chuck Bartowski's life.

A London 2012 AU, because why not. This is just a fun Olympic-y ride!

OTP (One True Pairing) Prompts | David Carner

A series of Prompts I found online about different times and places in Chuck and Sarah's life. Mostly AU, mostly one-shots. I assume mostly fluff, but I might get deep. I doubt it, it's me. Charah...ALWAYS (It says complete, but if an idea strikes me...)

If you’re not so into long stories, this fic is perfect. Individual set-ups and stories, all Chuck and Sarah, and all super cute. You could dip in and out and just pick a scenario you enjoy.

Chuck vs The Frontier | ninjaVanish

AU: Chuck was enjoying a simple life as a 19th century watchmaker until an encounter with a beautiful Secret Service agent thrust him into a world of intrigue and adventure he never wanted. But then, with Agent Walker around, it can't be all bad, can it?

This fic gets props for being historically-set but still including the Intersect. Again, a historical AU, so the pining!! the need to be Proper!!! But besides all that, there’s a lot of action fun as well.

Chuck Versus The Crosswalk: Remastered | WvonB

Will a last minute mission help our two favorite characters finally get together? This is the remastered version of my first story.

The original version of this fic is on my first list; this is the updated version! It’s not a complete AU, instead a story that diverges from canon, so if you’re more into canon characters and setting than a new AU scenario, this is a great fic for that.

Little Girls, Paper Wreaths, and Choc Chip Cookies | DanaPAH

Very AU: Sarah Walker is a single mother whose Christmas spirit needs a boost after a tough divorce. She isn't quite ready to go looking for romance, but her little daughter's affection for their new neighbor may lure it right to her doorstep, anyway.

An incredibly sweet AU one-shot where Chuck and Sarah are new neighbours, and Sarah has a super cute little girl. So much sweetness and love and hope. I love this fic so much it literally led me to write my own neighbour-kid-AU, so, not to toot my own horn but I’ll link it here anyway.

May Your Walls Know Joy | halfachance

Looking for a fresh start after some tough times, Sarah and her three-year-old daughter move to LA. When they meet a sweet curly-haired nerd who lives next door, though, Sarah realizes they might just find more happiness than they'd ever imagined, if only her past doesn't catch up to her first. AU.

It’s what the summary says; if you wanna read, feel free!

Chuck vs the Sound of Music | quistie64

AU. Chuck, nerd extraordinaire, is a man with seven children and Sarah must protect them all from Fulcrum's evil designs. Warning: there will be singing.

I mean. Not much mystery as to the concept with that title and summary lol, but this is a super fun, soft ride with a lotta sweetness, and yes, singing.

Just Two People | David Carner

Meet Sarah Walker PhD, Psychologist, specializing in personality traits. Meet Chuck Bartowski, man who has left THE electronic company of 2020. When Burton Consultants tries to figure out what is wrong with the morale of Orion Industries, what happens when a guy named Chuck meets a woman named Sarah. I'll give you a hint, it's me writing.

David’s done something pretty special with this fic. It’s Chuck and Sarah centric, but very much an ensemble piece, too, with a lot of Team Bartowski and other familiar faces throughout.

Chuck Versus the Con Game | Steampunk.Chuckster

AU. Chuck and Sarah are partners in the con game. It's an existence wrought with danger and violence. Every day could be their last. Every mission could be the end of the line.

This is where I freak out SC and declare this fic the reason I ever got hooked on Chuck fic and then wrote Chuck fic, and the reason I still love it today but. that is true lol. Just so. so good. It’s also written with the chapters out of chronological order, which is super fun from a reading perspective. But con!Sarah AND con!Chuck?? Best. The kind of fic you will be thinking about for days (if not, y’know, years).

As you can tell by the repeats, I highly recommend just about anything by Steampunk.Chuckster, dettiot, or David Carner, but there are a TON of amazing Chuck fics and authors out there. I’ve never known a writing community so wildly creative-- there are so many unique AUs and canon explorations and story concepts that this show has manifested, and it’s all so much fun.

Most of the Chuck fic community is still over on FFN rather than AO3, so if any of these whet your appetite, feel free to have a browse there for more stories. I’m sure you’ll find something great. Personally, all the incredible writing there has also led me to write a buttload; I’m at halfachance on FFN, so if you see any of my stuff or wanna chat fic, feel free to message me there or here.

Happy reading, folks!

#chuck #fic rec #chuck fic #nbcchuck #praying if i edit this to add to it or i reblog it to add to it all the links stay and the line breaks don't disappear sksks #the old one still looks okay on desktop but it's messed up on the app and on mobile and it's just all generally messy #so i've been wanting to make this for aaages lol yay to finally doing something! woo!

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killingeveperspectives · 4 years

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Perspective: Did Villanelle’s character arc in Season 3 get lost in translation?

Killing Eve Season 3 became something of my object of fascination by the odd disjointed experience I have watching it. It feels like it makes sense at first, but the whole lot is rather off. The more I revisit it, the more it appears that what we see on the surface is but an attempt at telling a very different story. But precisely by failing to convey their intended story (Or not committing to), the authors inadvertently created a slate with enough inconsistencies that it fits any rationalization the audience wants to impose on the final product. Its lack of clarity and internal logic made it adaptable to several points of view. I can impose the interpretation that Villanelle was given an irreconcilable redemption arc, or that she is still a psychopath and it will still somewhat work.

However, when the season is consumed stripped from our expectations, there is a dissonance between the narrative and the other elements of storytelling which sends mixed signals, especially in the most developed storyline in the season: Villanelle’s character arc. In the midst of this confusion and inability to get a hold of the character, I tried to grasp the intent of the author instead of the material itself. Upon reading interviews with Suzanne Heathcote, Sally Woodward and Jodie Comer, many of my initial interpretations of her arc were challenged. They seemed to never seek to rectify Villanelle’s psychopathy or nature, but to explore her deep need to belong. There seemed to be an awareness towards the truth of the character, and the journeys they have been on so far. It appears that their idea is that her impulses are her true self and the tension arises from the inescapability of her own nature and its exploitation, which becomes the sole designator of her worth as a being. This is indeed much more interesting than what I initially interpreted. So, I want to revisit Villanelle’s character arc with new eyes... in more detail... and see if I can find something new.

Villanelle’s initial motivations set-up a “ Self-affirmation” arc, not a Redemption arc

Initially, the show seems to set two main motivations for Villanelle: a search for autonomy and a search for belonging, which will prompt her desire to become a keeper and find her family. Objectively, her motivations set up a journey for authentic self-identity.

The opening wedding sequence is a good way of introducing her search for autonomy. Six months after Rome, Villanelle is gold digging her way through life, still very psychopathic of her. This is the first time we see Villanelle exist without a parental figure and without the tight control of ‘The 12’, and it turns out she is doing just fine. Where her wedding represents her agency and autonomy, being dragged into ‘The 12’ by Dasha has her sitting in the back of the car like a moody toddler. Her relationship with ‘The 12’ is infantilizing, controlling and coercive. It does plant the seeds for her struggle by visual storytelling, which I dismissed for a silly comedic effect.

Villanelle seems more aware of the power plays behind her bargain to come back, contrasting with her previous aloofness. This time, she seems keen on cutting her own part of the deal which is to become a Keeper (which oddly never involves getting the names of ‘The 12’). Her request is so absurd, and their agreement to make her a keeper so obviously fake, that it shows how Villanelle is truly unaware of the magnitude of what she is dealing with and how little leverage she actually has. But her effort to carve some degree of freedom and agency within her world is an authentic motivation. Her overall disinterest for the job also helps to solidify the idea that she is dreading being controlled, and only agrees to perform the kills as part of her promotion process. Which should not be confused – although it easily is – with a lack of enjoyment in Killing. In fact, Villanelle thoroughly enjoys herself in the kills she performs before Episode 5, be it improving on a relic, stealing a baby, or scaring hiccups away. Villanelle isn’t opposed to killing, she is tired of being ordered to kill. As welcomed as this development is, in many moments her motivations could be mistaken by childlike Villanelle just being capricious.

Parallel to her self-affirmation comes a search for a sense of belonging. This is a deep foundational motivation for the character that had always been in the subtext of the show. There is a fascination towards family and normal life in Villanelle, that she tries to recreate with those she “loves”. Arguably not even the character can articulate this urge, so when Season 3 sets to explore it, it feels forced. Villanelle seems intrigued by the gratuitous affection the baby elicits in people, including those that don’t own it, leading her to kidnap the baby as an experiment, then literally toss it away. It did not elicit in her the gratuitous affection it elicits in everyone around her. She is a psychopath. When the baby is reunited with their father, she is once again puzzled at the happiness in the dad’s face. The baby belonged to him. Did she ever belong to someone? This question will lead her to seeking her own family, taking her to Russia.

Being so far removed from the events of season 2 and considering that Konstantin and Villanelle’s scene was completely overshadowed by the subsequent events, I found it hard to add weight to this motivation. A large part of the audience is understandably eager to learn about Villanelle’s past, however there wasn’t enough development to justify why the character wanted to learn about her past. Instead, she enunciates her newfound fascination with babies, without elements or events to convincingly move the character in this direction.

Villanelle’s journey home: nuanced and conflicted story telling got lost in translation

I have broken down how I believe this episode not only retcons her background, but soft retcons Villanelle’s psychopathy and her entire character – and I still believe in practical terms it inevitably does - but it’s a shame, because the episode in itself doesn’t. It’s all about perception and expectation tainting interpretation. The writer’s original idea was to have the audience go on a journey with Villanelle to this disconnected corner of the world, as she is surprisingly charmed by the oddity of what she finds. It was the perfect escapism from her claustrophobic world of ‘The 12’. We wrestle with the nature x nurture question as Villanelle wrestles with it herself, we feel at home, we connect with the family and feel rejected and deceived as Villanelle does herself. This episode was written from Villanelle’s perspective alone, she is the voice telling the story, we are literally asked to see it from her eyes:

But there is a catch: Villanelle is an unreliable narrator. The writer did plant elements that challenge Villanelle’s narrative, mainly as glimpses of other characters perspectives: Bor’ka has a normal loving drawing of his mother on the fridge; Pyotr likes his mother alright and challenge’s Villanelle’s perception of their mother meanness, by stating Villanelle herself used to be mean to him, implying a connection between the two; the husband reveals that Tatiana still cries every night because of the whole thing. All of which becomes the core problem with this episode: Villanelle is an unreliable narrator but we don’t perceive her as such because of our emotional investment in the character. Who is to say Villanelle’s tendencies and behaviour didn’t genuinely scare and tear the family apart and without knowing what to do after her husband died, Tatianna abandoned Oksana in the orphanage, despite genuinely suffering from the decision? Tatianna is a very flawed mother and Oksana is a very troubled child, both these realities are valid and interconnected, in the most nuanced, emotionally challenging and complex episode of the entire show.

Underneath Villanelle’s standpoint, Suzanne Heathcote managed to hide a sensible and honest perception of that family’s complicated past: the heartbreaking reality is that deep down, despite all the layers of pain, trouble, blame, shame and guilt, both characters wished it was different and they could somehow connect, but the truth is that they were, and still are, unable to. Thus, both characters were speaking their truths, however we are not afforded a chance to truly see her mother’s perspective because we are stuck in Villanelle’s world and Villanelle has empathy for no one (Except for her little brother but I don’t want to beat on this dead horse). Despite her manipulative and violent behavior towards her family, from where Villanelle stands - and within her own perspective rightfully so - her mother was simply neglectful, abusive, and worse: saw her as something alien. Thus, having her mother admit her own “darkness” was so important: This darkness I carry belongs to you, therefore I belong to you. Ingenious. Upon revisiting this episode, I truly appreciate it as a showcase of the potential of Suzanne Heathcote’s writting, with beautifully crafted storytelling that seems straightforward at the surface but invites us to dive deeper. Unfortunately, this gem is lost in translation.

The episode was all about how Villanelle made sense of herself and her past, not about what really happened, as the writers claimed they didn’t want to excuse Villanelle’s actions nor erase her psychopathy. It wasn’t about the authoritative writers explaining Villanelle’s past to the audience and deliberately painting Villanelle as a child tortured into becoming a monster because of her upbringing… the problem is that it feels like it was. And when later you add Dasha’s abuse to the mix, the retcon of her psychopathy is irresistible to the audience, but the creators are not naïve and especially as the word “psychopath” seem to have vanished from their vocabulary, when previously it was the selling point of the show; something doesn’t add up. Killing her mother marks a turning point in Villanelle’s character arc, and here things start to get complicated...

Killing her mother sets Villanelle in an identity crisis but what is it exactly?

When Villanelle gets rejected, she kills her mother and sets the house on fire mirroring the orphanage arson. In the train scene, we see Villanelle wearing her mother’s clothes and listening to crocodile rock while crying, smiling, jamming, reminiscing. Despite her efforts to wrap herself in the elements that symbolize the moments she felt like she belonged with that family, she is still alone and there is a lot of pain – fair, psychopaths are not painless. But what that scene represents for Villanelle is an enigma, and I believe not Jodie Comer, nor Suzanne Heathcote, nor anyone, actually knows what this scene is really supposed to mean emotionally for Villanelle.

I want to contrast this scene with another scene in a movie where we watch an actress cycling through many emotions in a long shot as she listens to music: the final 2:30 minute long take in Portrait of a Lady on fire. The scenes parallel each other, and kudos to the unafraid acting of Jodie Comer and Adele Haenel. However, there is a key difference between the two: Celinne Sciamma (screenwriter and director) knew exactly what she was looking for and walked the lead actress Adele Haenel through all the emotions she would be evoking, their succession order and meaning. All the emotions conjured in the scene were carefully crafted in the audience throughout the entire movie, generating a deep connection and understanding of the characters, the story and its symbols, that culminates in an apotheotic cathartic release. That scene was not just a beautiful, emotionally loaded scene: it had intent, it had a clear meaning. And from there on is where Villanelle’s emotional scenes start to break apart.

The display of a person suffering through emotional pain will obviously evoke feelings of compassion, care and empathy in the audience, but this level of immediate reactive connection does not equal an understanding of characters’ emotional reality. It’s important that audiences not only know that the character is in pain but what that pain means, even more so when you are exploring the boundaries of emotion in a character that has a fundamentally different subjective experience than the audience. Given the lack of build up and more extensive exploration of the mother and daughter relationship, it’s not only harder to add the appropriate emotional weight as it is to understand it’s ramifications. Thus, despite lots of tears, Villanelle remains an emotional black box after coming back from Russia.

On the other hand, there is this interesting motif with Villanelle that death brings freedom: once a person is dead, they cease to have a hold on her, allowing her to reinvent herself. For example, when Eve hurt her in the season 2 finale, she kills her to break free from her hold. In her own words: “I’m so much better now my ex is dead”. This motif is again brought up in her conversation with Bertha Kruger in episode 04. As Villanelle tries to reinvent herself after killing her mother and whatever that meant, she learns she was being tricked by ‘The 12’ and that her promotion was a farce, bringing her full circle. She went through these journeys and still didn’t break free: she was still controlled and still rejected, thus her only solution was escape literally and metaphorically.

Her mother rejected her because of her violence, which is precisely the only worth ‘The 12’ see in her. Both of her Nemesis reduce her to the same image: she is a violent kid that kills. Thus, her shifting relationship with killing becomes more interesting when it is framed as a desire for self-affirmation and not as a rectification of her nature as the result of a new found moral compass and compassion, which places Villanelle in the same territory as traditional female assassin characters before her. She is reclaiming her identity, from her past and from her subjugators, hence the motivation to not kill could be seen as a deliberate act of rebellion. However, it is unclear how concrete this motivation is, given that she does indeed keep murdering, and how it interplays with the emotional changes we are shown the character is going through, altogether making her distancing from killing narratively elusive.

Character development couldn’t commit to a narrative, going from nuanced to disorienting

Part of the charm in Killing Eve is what is left unsaid and implied, but nevertheless registers, connects. This relies on the smart use of character expositions and film language to efficiently get the audience on board with the character’s world organically. All previous season’s made good use of monologues and dialogue to flesh out the world and specially characters. In Season 1, Villanelle was explored and developed through excellent dialogues, and in Season 2, when exploring her intimate inner reality, the writers opted to use the AA meetings for a direct exposition via a monologue that tied together previous visual and narrative set up elements.

This type of efficient character exploration doesn’t lend itself well to the nuanced layered exploration the writers set out to do in season 3. And still, they stubbornly committed to it, withholding characters from fleshing out information through dialogue, while overplaying ‘show don’t tell’ trying to convey character’s inner realities with fragmented elements scattered over a disjointed plot, thus relying heavily on the actors to create a semblance of coherence out of the cacophony. I truly believe this choice was extremely detrimental to the season, since it created unnecessary challenges for the main goal which was character exploration. The result is an unsettling gap between the writers’ vision of the characters and their arcs, and what we, the audience, experience.

I want to take a moment to explore examples of storytelling choices that I found confusing in developing Villanelle past episode 05, by taking a look on her 3 murders after she comes back from Russia.

In the Romania kill, we see Villanelle sitting on the bed halfhearted, downgraded into taking this job after her promotion debacle. The title card links us back to the scene in the beginning of the episode when she realizes she was conned. This is bullshit, this job is bullshit, and yet she has to do it. All elements are underlying the conflict in her search for autonomy, but then the song in the background evokes sentimentalism, underlying Villanelle’s growing feelings, subtly implying she feels bad about the act of killing. The scene composition sends mixed signals. Then it cuts to Villanelle ready for the kill with the upbeat recap intro music playing (????), she can’t focus, gets stabbed and cut to an angry tear-eyed Villanelle stitching up her own wound in the bathroom floor, fleshing out how she felt used and that she wants out. Then for a moment, the scene gets more intimate and she says - or even confesses? - she doesn’t want to do it anymore. We look down to a defeated and vulnerable Villanelle underlying the characters impotency or is it a moral struggle? The entire sequence purposely avoids committing to whether she failed because she didn’t want kill, or because she couldn’t kill. These two conflicts have completely different implications in interpreting and understanding the character development, but we remain in the limbo, confused as to what it could be.

To make matters worse, both these motivations: quitting ‘The 12’ and stopping killing, will be flipped when Villanelle pro-actively asks for a job and decidedly kills Dasha (who survived out of plot contrivances luck ). The scene with Helene is also interesting. When Villanelle meets Helene there is a conflict around identity and belonging. A particularly childlike Villanelle is again falling into tears as Helene breaks into her personal space with an embrace. Villanelle gives in to the embrace then pulls away at the mention of the word monster. That is not the identity Villanelle wants, nevertheless it feels good to be accepted. Then Villanelle asks an exasperated Helene for another job, not before being reminded she is a child, again powerless.

“Look what you made me do” playing in the background.The song alludes to the power domination she is under and her motivation to break free, but the entire scene alludes to her conflict over her self-perception and belonging with Helene as a mother figure. I’m nor sure I follow what the character wants, I’m hanging on a spiderweb on the wall, Villanelle is crying, and can we please stop torturing this character into feelings for five minutes? Who is this reformed character? Jokes aside, there is one message that emerges, which is Villanelle doesn’t want to be a “monster” (violent killer, or more subtly violent in general) but she is forced to do it. This scene does succeed in softening Villanelle by emphasizing this new narrative leap following her seeming new found conscience: that Villanelle was made into a violent woman, but she is not naturally one. Her brutality is not transgressively hers anymore, it is a burden imposed onto her, which again places Villanelle’s character back into the comfort of the place designated to violent female characters: sad broken woman went murderous. Which stands in sharp contrast with Villanelle characterization so far, and what made her character iconic in it’s own right. The only way to make this narrative work is assuming killing her mother erased her psychopathy and gave her the whole bag of feelings and empathy. But if episode 05 fails to sell that, then the following episodes feels like tumbling down a rocky narrative slope. But the seed still lingers on my mind after reading paratext from the creators and cast: if you’re not trying to retcon Villanelle, then what does this all mean?

Rhian’s murder is a pivotal moment in Villanelle’s arc that fell into obscurity by jarring storytelling. Here the narrative seems to finally address the elephant in the room: when push comes to shove, can she control her violent impulses, which, no matter if inherited or cultivated, became a core part of herself? The ballroom tea dance effectively distances Villanelle from killing, but Villanelle and Rhian’s exchange show things aren’t so simple. More overtly so, Rhian and Villanelle subway brawl is all about giving Villanelle a chance to fully articulate the conflict around her subjugation to ‘The 12’ and her self-agency. Villanelle beats up Rhian, which could symbolically represent her refusal to be an obeying “sheep”; but, despite trying to get a grip of herself, her nature takes over and she kills, which could represent the uncontrollability of her impulse. Thus, the interaction between these two scenes, ballroom dance and Rhian’s kill create a conflict surrounding Villanelle’s nature, self-control and capability to change that goes beyond the central conflict of each scene alone. Interesting, better explore it late than never, right?

The next scene seems to give us the resolution of this conflict, as Villanelle exits the subway, marching forwards, defiantly looking at us while we hear “Nothing matters if you bury it deep” in the background. It sends a message that Villanelle ultimately embraced her nature, and perhaps herself, and by doing so symbolically broke free from the oppression, emerging victorious. One could say she found her mojo back by killing on her terms. However, this never has any effects on the character, Villanelle is still as conflicted about her self-identity and still expresses her desire stop killing when we meet her again in the final scene as if her march after killing Rhian never happened. so what was the writers trying to say with the Ryan’s kill sequence when, despite disconnecting and contradicting the previous and following scenes with Eve, it seems to have no effect on Villanelle herself? What narrative are the writers committing to?

Villanelle’s character arc: the faithful translation of a uncommitted vision

Villanelle’s character arc, not that it is her privilege, gets muddled by deliberate ambiguity, character isolation, confusing motivations, and overall disconnected narrative as the writers refuse to commit to a vision. Thus, set-ups, pay-offs, conflicts and cause-effect are muddled, devoiding the character development of tangible meaning or aim – nuanced or otherwise. Despite it all sort of working moment-to-moment, it’s hard to keep up with what is being established overall, the ever shifting and clashing elements making it impossible to crack these characters and their journeys. In threading the fine line between the said and the unsaid, Season 3 had its characters bottling up so much that we are alienated from them. Simply saying “something changed inside her, and she is facing lots of things” doesn’t mean anything. Having the character state that she doesn’t want to kill (be it in general or for ‘The 12′) only to have have your character still actively killing both for ‘The 12′ and for personal reasons and ignoring the conflict it creates, shows the character’s motivations don’t mean anything. Villanelle was in search for an authentic self-identity but in the end who is she? What was this journey all about? Honestly, fixing Villanelle to allow a romance no one really knows.

So my overall impression is that Villanelle’s character wasn’t lost in translation because there wasn’t any coherent vision behind it, but a succession of floating undecided moods and motivations tied together by powerful performances that leaves you feeling like Villanelle was redeemed. Thus, the audience - and arguably the cast and creators - are left relentlessly rationalizing Villanelle so the character doesn’t fall apart. Some see Villanelle truly in love, some see her as obsessing, some see her as emotionless, some see her as a pastiche, some see her as blossoming into her true self, some see her as two different characters (Oksana/Villanelle), some just think she cries a lot, some think she is remorseful, some think she isn’t, some believe she is a psychopath, some think she matured, some think she was never a psychopath and some think she is outright cured. No one fully grasped what is happening with Villanelle, not because her character is complex beyond comprehension but because her character remained conveniently inaccessible. Ultimately, Villanelle’s character growth is a mystery the show teased at but did not commit to crack.

#killing eve #killingeve #killing eve review #killing eve analysis #killing eve season 3 #killing eve s3 #killingeveperspectives #ke #ke s3 #villanelle #villanelle analysis #killing eve retcon #villanelle retcon

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caedun · 4 years

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Top 5 things you are excited to do (ICly or in-game) in Shadowlands

1. OOC - Sit and wait.

To be completely honest I’ve got no real interest in Shadowlands, from a couple perspectives. I’m not being smug or cynical about it either; I unabashedly enjoy WoW and its stupid, beautiful world, but BFA was such a downer on so many fronts that I’m just kind of burnt out.

Class and spec overhauls are always my favourite part of every new expansion; daring transformations like making Survival spec into melee are incredibly compelling to me. I think that kind of drastic, large-scale upheaval is what this 16-year-old game needs to stay fresh. (Give me my caster Death Knight and tank Warlock, you cowards.) Shadowlands is, I think, one of the least thorough gameplay updates they’ve done in expac history. To me this is strongly amplified by the current blandness of classes/specs overall, and coming off BFA where everyone was defined by Azerite/Corruptions I was hoping for more radical change to reinvigorate my desire to play. Adding back in a layer of specialization-agnostic abilities just isn’t enough for me when I know that picking up a shield as an Arms Warrior after a tank drops is still a stupid idea that will buy your party/raid maybe a handful of seconds before you die from not having passive tank benefits baked in.

Add on to that Blizzard’s unflinching stance on covenants and swapping, the state of ability value by spec/class, and a setting and ongoing story I’m really not at all intrigued by, and I’m just kind of left shrugging.

I genuinely hope it’s good and that I feel it’s worth coming back to. Thanks to a good and generous friend I have a very long sub time left so I can still peek my head in and check stuff out, but I’m going to wait and see how it all settles before I throw money at it. Fingers crossed the canaries in the coal mine are just feigning death.

2. OOC - Level an alt or two.

Very interested by the new levelling system, both as a player and a designer. Excited to try and take a character from 10-50 through Pandaria alone, as it’s one of the better expansions for levelling (imo) but you blast through it so fast in the current EXP schema. Might actually play a Priest for once. I wonder if someone will pull a “Doubleagent” and try to get to max level in Exile’s Reach? Where there’s a will...

3. OOC - 2H Frost.

Just glad it’s back. I mostly play Blood DK when I play DK, but I hated that they’ve been forced to dual-wield for so long. The greatsword look is just so iconic.

4. OOC - TBC Classic.

We all know they’re gonna do it. Classic has been enjoyable, charming, and a great reminder of how ass the game was in Vanilla. I’d carry forward into TBC for sure, it was a great expac with a lot of class cleanup and validation (lookin at you, Ret) and should be a good time, even if the community is too sweaty about it and ruins their own fun with foreknowledge.

5. IC - Stories of a man left behind.

Caedun isn’t going into the Shadowlands. It’s just not something he’d care about, and he absolutely does not want to run into anyone from his past life who has died. I don’t know if Blizzard has stated whether or not going to the Shadowlands is “one-way”--in the narrative of course--like Draenor was supposed to be, but if so there’s some neat potential there for being a “champion” simply left in Azeroth to watch it while most of them take the plunge.

I’m interested in writing pieces/stories about what he does on the other side of the veil after acquaintances, friends, and allies make that choice. Spoiler: He’ll probably keep hunting leftover demons.

This turned into more of a “things Shadowlands got me thinkin’ about” list than a to-do, but I hope it suffices. I’m really in a wait-and-see kind of status on it for now. BFA just lost me hard on so many fronts, and nothing they’ve shared or my time in the beta on SL jumped out enough to compel me to give it a shot. I hope that changes! Thanks for giving me a platform to slam my tiny fists on my desk and shriek, @newsnerd-ooc !

#ooc #asks

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revoevokukil · 5 years

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On the character writing of Captain Marvel’s antagonists

How is Captain Marvel’s villain game?

The MCU’s story of how Carol Danvers comes to realise what gives her the capacity to do heroic things is rooted in an intimate tale of self-discovery, knowing oneself, and embracing oneself as one is. It is not a classic story of confrontation between good and evil and therefore the classic hero’s journey formula does not apply. Carol is exactly the same personality at the end of the film as she is at the beginning of the film, with the crucial difference that by the end, she is in a position to control and honestly evaluate her own life narrative – she has regained solid ground under her feet without which no one can pass moral judgments or make decisions that affect the lives of other people.

Carol’s origin story is not about punching someone into remorse and submission, but about finding herself (almost literally) – which means that the antagonists of the film are the friends she makes along the way. The opposing force is a deeply personal one and climbs into the protagonist’s soul rather than threatens their life. That makes Yon-Rogg not as one-dimensional as people seem to think. He’s more of a foil than an outright antagonist to Carol on a personal level, but it’s hard to say whether he is overall meant to be represented as a misguided Kree patriot or a hammy villain because the former gets too vague a development and the latter just does not work – war is war, they’re all dirty, and Supreme Intelligence takes the cake here. Since Yon-Rogg’s motivations are strongly informed by his role as the poster boy of the Kree military, the Kree-Skrull plotline actually should be elaborated upon if they wanted to convey him as “the guilty party” in both storylines that push the story forward.

I’ve tried to identify with the villains of the film in order to write the following; consider that it is not a pleasant exercise but an intriguing one nonetheless.

Storylines

There are two storylines that intersect in the film and push the plot onwards: Carol’s unfolding quest to make sense of her past, and the Kree-Skrull war. The twist in Carol’s personal storyline results in a change up in regard to how to view the Kree-Skrull war, but it’s not ground-breakingly illuminating, since the war between these races is never sufficiently elaborated upon and it is not the main emotional centre of the film – how Carol feels about the Kree and her mentor is! Therefore, the antagonists’ character development unfolds in layers.

Consider for a minute, the Kree ideology. Collectivist, imperialist, hyper-militaristic, superior in technology and culture. Roman Empire seems like an appropriate comparison. They see themselves as the rightful rulers by conquest who have a duty to maintain order, safety, and stability within their empire. Realpolitiks of empires. Hyper-militaristic inclinations translate onto the individual level as well where the collective interest is set before one’s individual interests. And it translates into Yon-Rogg’s motivations and outlook very clearly, though with some interesting exceptions that add to his character writing.

· He is a devout warrior, unshakably loyal to the Kree’s cause and their claims of superiority.

Yet he is not fond of the scorched earth tactics of the overly zealous Accusers.

He avoids entangling civilians in the Kree-Skrull conflict to the very last second (he also avoids shooting Carol outright in their very first meeting).

He genuinely cares about his soldiers’ lives, and they trust him a lot in return, even when he is misleading other high-ranking officers in the Kree army (Ronan).

He prioritises the good of all Kree above all else (instead of, notably, personal power).

He genuinely believes in what he is trying to teach Vers (emotions should not rule your good judgment in a conflict situation; the Kree’s enlightened rule is for the better for all); it is not only part of their cover-up scheme.

He views the Skrulls’ means of fighting as dishonourable because of their penchant for subterfuge rather than direct combat. In another context that would be called being “honourable” in combat.

So, as a Kree, an authoritarian space fascist, he is pretty reasonable and a more rounded than your standard evil for evil’s sake goon.

What to make of him in relation to Carol?

It’s twisted from its very beginning, since Yon-Rogg effectively saves Carol’s life by stealing it from her. He hesitates to kill Carol outright by the lake. Then, ironically, saves her life by abducting her as she verges between life and death. And then, metaphorically, the Kree kill Carol Danvers anyway. Only to “bring her back to life” through the blood transfusion from Yon-Rogg and through the presumed genetic meddling to make it stick (her entire blood supply and blood reproduction has to get replaced). A “rebirth” with no memory of past life, but with cosmic powers and superior physiology to contain it. It’s as messy as they come.

That bit of writing also establishes how unnervingly intimate a bond they share (something that comes to underlie a sense of possessiveness and ownership on his part, and confirms that this is not healthy). To see Carol succeed strokes Yon-Rogg’s ego – he made the right call as a soldier, he is part of the origins of her powers, and he is a good teacher. It also makes you think, was it (stupid) curiosity, principles, or admiration that stopped him from shooting Carol? She had almost brought him down in a plane fight, after all. And while he acts under orders from SI, I doubt Yon-Rogg protests its wisdom too much – it is highly likely the Kree see themselves as genuinely benevolent for saving this human and giving her so much by making her one of them (see their sense of superiority, again). If anything, I would expect an AI (not Yon-Rogg) not to want to risk leaving Carol alive and liable to turn against them.

It is said in interviews that Yon-Rogg both appreciates and is irritated by Carol’s “humanity” and quirks. He also seems to me as perfectly aware that what he is doing is wrong on a personal level. Over six years, he and Carol grow close – he is her crutch in Kree culture, Carol trusts him a lot (coming to him after her nightmares) and looks up to him/wants to prove herself to him, and there is even some implicit flirtation between them at the beginning of the film (“it’s me you see, isn’t it?”). That level of friendship entails some empathy. He may be ruthless, but he is not a psychopath (or is only a psychopath to the extent all devout patriotic soldiers are). For despite all that happens to Carol, she is not aware of any of it, and she ends up liking her life with the Kree by the time the film starts. She has military background, she likes to prove herself and be good at things, and the Kree never treat her badly (minus the grand deception part, ofc). From Yon-Rogg’s perspective then, as long as the lie is not found out, it is not objectively a bad life, is it? He has a soft spot for his favourite student (their relationship has been described as “tender” among other things). He has faith in her (“She’s stronger than you think!”), is (over-)protective of her, but wants to genuinely see her succeed - albeit on the Kree’s terms and not her own. He is trying to do his best as a mentor to a soldier and as a soldier to his people, and sincerely believes it will make everything easier for Carol, but because of the manner in which Carol has come to be his pupil, all of what is happening here can only become one huge poisoned chalice. However, you can see how someone like him can justify lying to a person for 6 years - longer still, had Carol not happened to crash on C53.

The truth of the matter is, of course, that Carol due to her amnesia does not have a choice regarding the narrative into which she is thrust, and that is the inherent evil that she overcomes in the film – taking back control over her life’s narrative and thus also gaining the necessary faith in oneself that comes with knowing oneself. The Kree have given her plenty, making up a big part of her (literally), but by infringing on her right to self-determination most horribly in the process. “The best version she could be” can ever only be pushed upon her in this state, like it happens so often in overly controlling families and partnerships.

Consider seriously that while Yon-Rogg’s advice to “control emotions and not let them cloud your judgment” may echo the belittling gender dynamics of our world, it is only an analogy – the Kree are not putting Carol in this situation in the film because she is a woman (they’re arguably rather progressive about their gender and sexual politics by the looks of it). It is not inherently a wrong or bad advice to drill into a soldier, and that is what Carol is – a soldier. However, as it happens, autobiographical long term memory triggers most strongly based on emotions, so suppressing them also counteracts the possibility that Carol might regain her memories. The Kree may well not even know what Carol could do if she was more in touch with herself and her powers – their foremost concern is winning “her heart and mind” so that she doesn’t turn against them. Again, they are personal, psychological villains. So, by tying her more strongly to Kree culture and ways, as well as training her according to that dictum, Yon-Rogg’s hitting two birds with one stone, really. I do not doubt that his orders from SI were, and his mind is set on, ensuring her loyalty by any means necessary. However, in comparison to, for instance, Bucky, the Kree do not literally constantly torture and brainwash her to turn her into a vegetable. It’s a “golden cage” type situation from the perspective of these “benevolent” aliens.

In that sense, the ‘enemy’ of the film is not so much the meme of a “debate me guy” or your ordinary our world chauvinist, or patriarchy (they are analogies, but not inherent to the conflict of the film), but the insidious disregard the Kree show toward individuals and their right to self-determination. As a culture, that is not their thing. And as other cultures are seen as lesser than them, they see their ways as backwards. Arguably that disregard underlies and precedes gendered readings because it applies universally (would they have done anything differently if Carol had been a man? I don’t think so) (also, it underlies the war ideology behind subjugating other races). And war justifies everything, of course, which is the second strongest ‘evil’ motif in the film. That’s pretty good, layered writing, in truth.

Both ‘evils’ are represented in Yon-Rogg’s and Supreme Intelligence’s characterisations, but only the latter remains abstract enough to be the literal representation of it whereas Yon-Rogg is still written with some “humanity” for the lack of a better word. He is very much conveyed as a product of his society, but not even a one-dimensional caricature of that. Sure, we do not get any insight into his inner thoughts, but not once did the details I have written out here give me the impression that Carol is as upset as she is because of betrayal by a lump of evil with no moving parts inside. I can appreciate that in an antagonistic force, because it adds to the hero’s internal confusion if their starting out premise is “friends with my enemy”. There is extreme pragmatism more than there is cruelty in the villain’s intentions. But cruelty follows anyway, because freedom and predetermination cannot not be in conflict, and very rarely does cruelty not follow when ends justify the means quite as brutally as in the case of sacrificing someone’s freedoms for another’s greater cause.

For Yon-Rogg that is not an issue, though he himself is as deprived of freedom under this ideology as Carol is. But Carol’s moral system hails from a different place.

I can relate to it and find it interesting, and not at all one-dimensional. Best of all, it is possible to build upon it.

#captain marvel #carol danvers #yon-rogg #supreme intelligence #kree #character analysis #plot analysis #story deconstruction #brie larson #jude law

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nerdylittleshit · 5 years

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Thoughts about Spn 14x15

BEWARE! SPOILERS!

A bit late, but I’m not feeling that well at the moment and I couldn’t really find the mental energy to do an episode review before (not sure about now either, but here it goes).

Overall I liked the episode a lot. I loved the aesthetic of Charming Acres, loved the humour and that in Sam and Cas’s part of the story Cas was our POV-character (please more of that). Jack’s storyline continues to be interesting as well, and I am intrigued to see where the show will be going with this.

So, without further ado, here we go again.

“God has a beard”

Let’s start with Cas, as this part of the episode is told from his perspective. We get several reminders that Cas is different and doesn’t fit in in Charming Acres, because he isn’t human, but also because of his morals. Just as in the previous episode we are reminded that Cas is an angel. He doesn’t sleep and doesn’t eat, and for some time the milkshake Sam had serves as a Red Herring, making us believe this is what turned Sam into Justin Smith. But it is not because Cas doesn’t eat (which is a by-product of being an angel), it is his angelhood itself that prevents him from becoming one of the victims of the mayor. He very clearly uses his powers to threat Sunny and in the end even says directly “I’m not human”. I feel like all those reminders of what Cas is and what he is not (human) will culminate in him making a decision whether he wants to remain an angel or not. Last week he told Jack about the burden of his long life – that eventually he has to witness the death of everyone he cares about. Also his deal with the Empty is tied to his status his angel. While being an angel was an advantage on the last two hunts (Noah couldn’t see Cas, the psychic had no effect on him), Cas status as other is overall not something positive, because it separates him from his family and the people he cares about.

But there was another level in which Cas didn’t fit in: his lack of morals. This is implied by the landlady and the accusingly look she gave Cas. Cas is also linked to Sunny, the only other person in Charming Acres who is not affected by the mayor (because she is not entirely human as well). It is Cas who finds Sunny’s letters to Conrad, and just as Cas Sunny is lacking some morals, because her letters were rather passionate, implying she had premarital sex. In the movie “Pleasantville”, about a town very similar to Charming Acres, it is (premarital) sex that sets a lot of the characters free. However Cas’s lack of morals isn’t about premarital sex. Just as in the previous episode he is queer coded, starting with him mimicking a handjob while talking about Sunny’s letters, to him asking several people whether they have seen his partner, a rather ambiguous term.

But there is another parallel between Cas and Sunny: the promise they made to a dead mother. In Sunny’s case it was to her own mother, in Cas’s case to Kelly. Both promised to take care of a family member: Sunny of her father, Cas of his son, Jack. But Sunny has to break her promise after she realizes that her father has become a monster. Instead of killing him however she trapped him inside his own mind, where he is happy, but can no longer hurt anyone. This could be a foretelling to what will happen to Cas and Jack. Dean and Cas are both worried about Jack, who consumed a great part of his soul in order to defeat Michael, and if his lack of a soul will turn him into a monster as well. Does Cas has to break his promise as well? Will he find a non-violent way to stop Jack from hurting others?

And then of course we have Sam, who is deeply affected by the loss of the AU hunters, as he had seen them as his responsibility. I wonder if people like Sam, people in an already low place, would have been more easily affected by the mayor than people who were already happy. But of course the happiness of Charming Acres is ultimately fake. Nobody can be genuinely happy if you take away their free will and their agency. Sam/Justin’s happiness is based on the absence of pain because he can no longer remember his former life, but pain is part of living as well, and genuine happiness comes with the acceptance of pain.

The fight scene between Sam and Cas was of course a huge parallel to the fight scene between Dean and Cas in 10x22 (and Cas now keeps wondering why those things keep happening to him). However compared to 10x22 felt almost anticlimactic and less tensioned. Also, what I found interesting is that Cas did manage to talk Sam out of his trance, however in 10x22 Dean was still heavily under the influence of the MoC, and yet he didn’t kill Cas.

Back in the bunker Sam says that the place no longer feels like a home, because of all the tragedy happening inside of it, constant reminders of the people they lost. He says he needs some space, but it made me wonder if maybe, especially as the show might come to an end in the near future, the Winchesters will get a new home, one that isn’t tied to their jobs, where they can make new happy memories.

“'WWWD' -- 'What Would the Winchesters Do?’”

Parallel to Sam and Cas, Dean and Jack’s storyline also centered around morality or the lack of it. The big question was about Jack’s soul: how much was left of it and how it would affect it. So Dean decides to take him to the only other currently soulless person he knows: Donatello.

I think Dean’s little test with the Angel Food Cake and the Devil’s Food Cake was there to add some humour, but had within the episode itself no deeper meaning. Outside the episode however it validated the significance of food as a metaphor, or as Rowena would say: everything means something.

And then there is also Dean’s invented new saying: It is not the snake that is dangerous but their bite. Meaning you should not judge someone on what they are but rather on their actions. Then again others would argue that it is in the snake’s nature to bite, and while we can’t blame the snake, it is inevitable that it will happen. Concerning Jack we go back to old question that has been asked since he was born: nurture or nature, which will affect him more? Is it inevitable that Jack will become a monster, because of his powers and the lack of his soul? Should we judge him on his actions? Back when Jack was born Dean only judged him based on his nature. He is a Nephilim, therefore he must be bad. Since then though things have changed.

Donatello gives Jack the advice to basically fake it, basing his decisions on what the Winchesters would do, using them as his moral guide. Which is a terrible advice because the Winchesters not always make the best choices. But the fact that Jack can no longer decide on his own what is right and what is wrong is worrying. I took the fact that he cared about the wellbeing of Felix the snake as a good sign, but in the end Jack decided that killing the snake would be the best for it, demonstrating his powers, and playing God in deciding who lives and who not. Thinking that its death would be the best for the snake and also believing that is what the Winchesters would have done shows how alarmingly off Jack is.

Until next week <3

#supernatural #spn 14x15 #peace of mind #spn meta #spoilers #my meta

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117--087 · 6 years

Text

‘Halo: Silent Storm’ Speedy Review - Pros, Cons, Etc.

To preface: After the ‘Halo 5′ debacle, I made the decision to no longer purchase Halo media in an effort to “put my money where my mouth is” in terms of my disapproval of 343 Industries’ actions - in regards to their questionable public statements, lies, and mishandling of the mainline story & my favorite characters. This also led to me to stop using the moderate platform I have established with this blog to actively announce/promote new media as well.

That said, I decided to break my streak in order to read the new book ‘Silent Storm’ by Troy Denning. As it would be the first fiction we have gotten in a while to actually have Blue Team whole, plus in a prominent role in the story. And after all that’s happened I simply had to see what came of that.

So here are some of my initial thoughts after reading the book extremely quickly. I was mostly focused on the Spartans and their characterizations, so I know I missed a lot of details about other things. When I have time to go through it more thoroughly I may make another post. But for now, the following is what I gathered...

Pros:

John is perfectly in-character throughout the book - particularly as a young man who is still a bit of a hothead. At no point during my reading did I come across a part where I thought “well he definitely wouldn’t say/do that”. He's reserved but not humorless, and genuinely cares about his Spartans. Plus there’s some very good exploration of his burgeoning experiences as leader/commander in the field.

There’s strong emphasis on the general importance of teamwork to the S-IIs. As well as how their particular dynamic truly sets them apart from other elite units. A good balance is struck between them acting in accordance with their combat training, and acting like a big family. All the Spartans pretty much talk with all their fellows freely, and there is good banter between them from start to finish.

There are a few decent glimpses at some other Spartans we haven't seen as much; such as Daisy, Anton, and Joshua.

Lots of different perspectives are shown throughout the story - from Insurrectionists, to the UNSC, and the Covenant. The cast of secondary characters/OCs are generally well done and interesting (I think this is one of Denning's primary strengths as a writer).

LOTS of technical details. Really, there’s a lot. Which I know fans of the more military-side of Halo will certainly appreciate. This goes hand-in-hand with the battles that take place both in the air and on the ground, with both ships and soldiers.

All-in-all it is a rather straightforward action story that I think anyone who likes Halo could enjoy and get into. With some decent, but not overly complex, intrigue concerning the Insurrection and UNSC navigating their ongoing feud on top of a new war with hostile aliens. And again the Covenant’s side of things is not left out either, which adds variety.

Cons:

Sgt. Johnson being such a major character in this book is a pretty huge retcon that I'm not sure I'm okay with. As it really messes with a lot of the tone of 'The Fall of Reach’ & ‘First Strike’ where the Master Chief and Johnson are very clearly framed as not having met each other before then. Their "getting to know/trust you" vibe is a pretty strong undercurrent of their previous interactions - which is hammered in even more when the Chief chooses not to sacrifice Johnson for the data-crystal info after all in the end - meant to set the stage for ‘Halo 2′. And there's really no way to get around that because I seriously doubt that John of all people would just forget the very next “mentor” figure he had in his life after Chief Mendez (especially one as distinct as Johnson). I can see why some people have said using any other ORION subject wouldn't have as much impact; but using Johnson ultimately smacks of simply wanting to have "moar fanservice" at the cost of continuity. Which isn't worth it in this case, in my opinion, because of how defined Johnson's role is in 'First Strike'.**

Kelly and Linda are generally indistinguishable from each other in personality and mannerisms. This is a trend that has gone on in a lot of recent fiction (including Denning’s previous books where they have minor roles), so seeing it again here was rather disheartening. Especially considering how fundamentally different they are supposed to be. Instead here they're largely relegated to playing the part of "token girls that snark on occasion" with different combat specs. Though Kelly's speed is woefully underutilized/under-portrayed in action sequences, in spite of the text mentioning this skill when she is first introduced. Similarly Linda is said to be "quiet and reserved" at the very start, but for the rest of the book she's essentially as chatty and expressive as everyone else. Now I’m not saying Linda can't talk or banter with her peers of course, far from it. But there are ways to portray her interactions with others that don't take away from her toned down and straightforward sort of intensity.

Denning is pretty much sticking with his notion of Fred being the "witty/funny person" on Blue Team (which is also what he did in his previous books). Admittedly this is something that didn’t sit very well with me in ‘Last Light’, and it still doesn’t now. It somewhat clashes with his personality as established in Nylund’s books and, to me, comes off as more-or-less an attempt to morph Fred into diet-Buck - when Fred had plenty going for him already to make him a likable and engaging character. This also bothers me on Kelly's behalf; as I don’t like seeing a distinct trait that was ascribed to a female character for the last 15-ish years suddenly be passed off to a male character for seemingly no reason.

While the Spartans’ team/family interactions are very well done overall (as I noted in the ‘Pro’ section), nothing and no one in particular truly stands out either. Meaning I feel like no one reading this book (especially people not already very familiar with the Spartans as characters) would know the difference between John and Kelly's dynamic, his and Joshua's, his and Daisy's, etc. And there are differences thanks to the particular histories going on here between the various teammates - such as John and Kelly being mutual best friends with Sam, John’s sort-of leadership rivalry with Kurt, etc. Granted John and Fred’s interactions do stand out a little bit, because this book does firmly establish him as the "next in line" Blue Team leader. But Fred also has the second most amount of "screentime" of the S-IIs on top of being given his humorous personality - so that makes him stand out more on principle.

I would've really liked to have seen the other Spartans actually do more. For example, Grace is present for this op; but she's only name-dropped once or twice, and never uses her best known skill (explosives ordinance) in a way that we can "see" in the text. Same goes for Anton and his ability as a scout, and so on. Maybe if the “main 3″ of Blue Team had been better defined in their roles it wouldn't matter. But as it stands there are several points where the others could've played more prominent parts. Again as an example, there is a moment in the story where Linda is tasked with setting a bomb to go off - but why was this not Grace instead? At least that would've lent itself to what we already knew about her.

...So with all that in mind, I would like to emphasize that the negatives don’t necessarily outweigh the positives. I’m just taking this time to explain my particular grievances in detail. Whereas the positives I think are best experienced first hand, and also require more overt plot-spoilers to explain. In the end the book was better than I thought it would be (granted I was prepared for the worst). And while not a great story for getting a deep understanding of Blue Team specifically, it is certainly great for getting a firm grasp on John himself and how S-IIs operate as a whole.

Though I find myself almost more puzzled than ever about something. Because while the author proved to be able to really dial-in to John’s established characterization and expand on it in ways that made sense even though this is Denning’s first time writing for him, on the other hand Kelly, Fred, and Linda were still all over the place compared to what we’ve seen of them in the past - in spite of this being his 3rd outing with them now. And not just in a “oh well they are teenagers in this book so there will be differences between this and how they act as adults” sort of way. However I have hope this issue can be cleaned up in future works, if Denning writes them. So I will forward my thoughts through established avenues for constructive criticism and keep my fingers crossed that they might help.

So while I can’t say I recommend this book wholeheartedly, it’s definitely the first Halo media in a while I can say I do recommend in general as being worth the time & money investment. 👍

(**This can be reconciled with some good headcanon/fanfiction that add just a few sparks of recognition between Chief and Johnson during the events of TFOR/FS. Though for obvious reasons I still prefer that continuity issues simply be avoided in the first place.)

#Halo #Silent Storm #S2BlueTeam #Master Chief #John 117 #spoilers #opinion post #books

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lostinthestax-blog · 6 years

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#1: “The Wicked Deep” by Shea Ernshaw

The specs:

Pages: 308 (Hardcover, US Edition) Pub date: March 6th, 2018 Publisher: Simon Pulse Genre(s)/Themes: Fantasy; Young Adult; Paranormal; Witches; Curses Where to buy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Audible

Full review under the cut below; spoilers ahead!

“Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under. Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into. Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.” (via Goodreads)

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A cover to die for

What initially drew me to this book was the cover. There, sitting on my library’s eye-level shelf, was this book, and the cover design is absolutely gorgeous. Digitally, the design is as eerie as the atmosphere of the text itself, and the shimmering silver detail is beautiful. The crow and the pentagram are a bit misleading, but they anchor a pre-conceived notion of what the book is about: supposed witchcraft. Aside from this small detail, the design of the cover is beautiful, and so is the naked copy! Here’s a picture of it, because it’s too nice to gloss over:

Overall, the physical details of the book are stunning and I am a huge fan of both the jacket cover and the naked version.

The Treacherous Trio

The story is set in motion because of three sisters who’ve journeyed to a town in the 1800s they know nothing about. Their unparalleled beauty, irresistible charm, and captivating aura allure all men who cross their paths. It is these overwhelming factors that cause the townspeople to believe the sisters are witches, ensnaring the men of Sparrow, Oregon to fall in love with them and think of nothing else. Wrongfully accused of witchcraft, the three sisters are sentenced to death by the town, sentenced to eternity at the bottom of the ocean with rocks tied to their ankles.

Fast forward two hundred years later, and the legend of the Swan sisters—Marguerite, Aurora, and Hazel—has turned into a curse. Every summer at the start of June since the year of their death, the sisters take over the bodies of three girls who inhabit Sparrow and take revenge on the down that wronged them. They bewitch boys to fall in love with them, drowning them and trapping their souls at the bottom of the ocean for all of time.

This was such a cool concept to me! As sad and horrible as it is, I’m always fascinated by the lore and legends of a place saturated with a dark past. I was a bit hesitant to pick it up with this concept alone, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see what this particular narrative was going to be like, what form it would take from something as widely-known as witch trials. I really loved the sense of magic that came with this curse of the sisters inhabiting the bodies of girls from the town they were so betrayed by. Eventually, we are able to see their perspective, as limited as it might seem; we hear their hatred, their longing for life, their anger at their lives being taken from them when they were only teenagers.

A back-and-forth narrative

One of the most intriguing aspects of the story is the perspective this story is told in. The book is told in first-person present with chapters in between told in third-person omniscient. As the story progresses in first person, we follow the main character Penny (who, spoiler! is inhabited by one of the Swan sisters, Hazel) as she falls in love with the secretive outsider Bo and tries to save her town from the murders to come. While Penny/Hazel’s journey to stop Marguerite and Aurora from killing more boys during the weeks before the summer solstice, we also get glimpses of the past. These third-person break-up chapters coincide with the point of the story Penny/Hazel is telling, letting the reader step back and get the full picture of how the sisters died, how the townspeople were like in the 1800s, and the real story of the Swan sisters.

These two opposing methods of storytelling are insightful and add more layers to the book as a whole. It was thoroughly enjoyable to be in the moment and then pulled back to fit the rest of the puzzle pieces where they were meant to be in the plot as I read on. It lets the reader be caught up in the twists while also taking a breather to really assess the situation and the backstory! Such a nice touch.

Description at length

Another aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the atmosphere Ernshaw created: no detail was too small, too insignificant to mention. Not only did her attention to specifics aid in the wonderful setup of the moods and feelings of each moment, but it really completed the picture of each individual scene and feel of the story. Ernshaw’s writing was immersive and clear; she really paints a picture in your head, it was excellent.

Romance: Wistful yet juvenile

I have a very hard time enjoying romance in YA, mostly because I find the pacing too rushed. In the case of The Wicked Deep, the main romance between Penny/Hazel and Bo was a bit rushed but understandable, as the course of the story is only set within roughly three weeks. It did seem fast-paced to me, but it also seemed genuine. I enjoyed watching Bo’s armor crack and Penny/Hazel’s doubts hold her off for a little while.

The other romance that’s given more depth in this story, and which ultimately leads to the demise of the three sisters, is the original love between Hazel and Owen. The account of the romance between these two when Hazel was still alive was sweet and sad, and the more details you learn about their mutual end tug at the heartstrings. I was more interested to read about their time together than I was about Bo and Penny/Hazel. Even in the end, when (spoilers!) Hazel relinquishes Penny’s body and Penny is allowed to fall in love with Bo (and Bo with the original Penny), it seemed...strange, almost. Bo fell in love with Hazel but then falls in love with actual Penny, only to be still holding onto his love for Hazel. It seemed far-fetched to me, but was otherwise sweet.

The Verdict

Overall I really liked this book! It was a very quick read for me and I loved the concept. In the end, I was more invested in the actual setting and of Sparrow, Oregon and the culture Ernshaw created for the story than the characters themselves, but it is still one I would recommend.

Favorite aspect: The mood and tone, the abundant imagery, the surprises, and the ambience. Least favorite aspect: The romance. Rating: 4/5 stars

If you liked this review or wish to share your thoughts with me on it, please do! You can add me on Goodreads and also find me on Twitter.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers, Dani

#book review #young adult #young adult literature #the wicked deep

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occupyvenus · 6 years

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Do you think that maybe the reason why Jon didn't share anything personal with Dany is because he was trying to deny his feelings for her by keeping things less personal as possible? And 7.07 he was finally deciding to love her?

Hi, nonny!

You know what, the first thing I’ll have to admit is that is that’s a valid argument. It’s completely possible and I have no real way to just outright refute it. It would be mostly in character for Jon, I would expect D&D to be more clear about (in the writing itself, not the additional commentary. That’s not a very reliable source for anything in my opinion… Jon snow is dead as dead, y’all) it if it was the case, but that isn’t a very solid argument on it’s own either.

Before I go on to explain why I believe it’s unlikely, at least in my opinion, I would like to point out tree thing considering the “political jon” theory and j0nerys in general. Buckle up, I will go off topic here.

1) While the theory gives a sufficient explanation for Jon’s behaviour in ep6 and ep7 without him having any romantic feelings towards Dany, it does not necessarily mean that he has none at all. It’s plausible that he is at least attracted and/or intrigued with her. He might even have stronger feelings than this. I’ll go into why I personally don’t believe this a bit later, but there’s no way for me to objectively deny it either.

2) I honestly expected Jon and Dany to have some sort of romantic entanglement (unintentional incest is something that grrm would definitely do), but even with this in possibility in mind, it would still be bad storytelling. I’m not talking about the way it was presented per se, but the implications for Dany’s character development in particular. What really bothers me, or rather what makes me question the romance presented by the show, is the fact that both Jon’s newfound political conviction (Dany should rule the seven kingdoms, he gives up Northern independence to Dany freely because he believes in her cause) seems to perfectly align with his personal feelings (he’s genuinely in love with her). It’s too easy. Dany doesn’t has to give up either to gain the other. Her relationship with Jon comes without cost.

This actually halts Dany’s character development. Or at least, it doesn’t actively further it. She gets everything she wants, both another kingdom’s allegiance and the man she has feelings for. There is no lesson for her to be learned by entering this relationship. She doesn’t have to make a hard choice, there’s no more interpersonal tension for her. No tension means no drama. No drama means no arc. No arc means no story. No story means no point. In the end, she doesn’t even have to decide between fighting the dead or fighting for the Throne. Though this will mostly likely be an issue next season. It all adds up too nicely. Dany should have to make some hard decisions, because that is how a character grows. This should also apply to her relationship with Jon, something that should be of foremost significance to her overall character development. That’s just something I would expect from a romantic relationship between two main characters. Dany should either remain unrelenting on her position on Northern Independence, straining her personal relationship with Jon, or she should be willing to enter a personal relationship with Jon, without also gaining his political support as a subject. Jon saying something like “I love you, but I can’t bend the knee because my people and all.” and Dany being all “I don’t care and stuff” or “I’ll bend the knee, but just so you know I’m not happy about it. I hate that you force me to do this.” and Dany being “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’ve been working towards this goal half my life and I can’t give you a pass because I’m into you and stuff”.

Some people might accuse me of thinking so because I begrudge her both political and personal happiness, but it simply doesn’t make for a compelling character arc or story. These issues could/should be resolved at the end of the series, not when we still have 6 feature-film long episodes ahead of us. Even if you could explain the, in my opinion unsatisfying development of their romance by saying Jon was simply denying his feelings, this is a critique that remains. Even the revelation of r+l=j would be a rather weak source of conflict if Dany and Jon are in a mutual, deep, sincere relationship AND agree on her being the rightful queen of the seven kingdoms.The romantic relationship between two major characters having no real personal tension during the entire finale season … just sounds implausible to me. Even if their relationship was later hindered by external sources, there should be internal sources of conflict as well, something that they have to resolve in the course of the next season. This is something from a pure story-telling perspective that bugs me about the j0nerys romance in season 7. In my opinion, the marge!Jon theory builds a compelling case in remediating this little problem (in addition to explaining some of the other ooc moments of the season). Don’t get me wrong, all these things can line up … all conflict should be resolved eventually, but not before the conclusion of the story. Not this soon into Jon and Dany’s shared arc.

3) My opinions about all this are of course influenced by my other ideas about the series’s final conclusion. I’m trying to stay as unbiased as possible when talking about the actual direction the series could take (compared to my personal preferences), but my opinion on something as important as the relationship between two major characters is not going to be unaffected by my other opinions, expectations, speculations, theories, conclusions, etc. I do not believe that Dany will win the Iron Throne (a believe I already explained in other posts, and I won’t go into more detail here. This is already long enough), I actually believe her to take an antagonistic role at some point before the finale (I will refer you to the grrm approved “Untying the meereenese knot” essays, or anything on my blog tagged as dark!dany. But be warned: there’s probably an equal amount of warranted critique and salty wank in there.) I obviously believe Jonsa to be a thing by the end of the series (again there are many, many posts and metas on why I believe this on my blog), and while I don’t believe that a romance between Dany and Jon would necessarily forecloses the possibility of my ship happening, which means I’m not desperate enough to oppose “the other ship” by all means, it obviously makes me more critical and suspicious. Claiming anything else would be dishonest. But since believing in the ship, or at least seeing it as a foregone conclusion, makes you less critical and suspicious… you know what I’m getting at. There’s no escape from confirmation bias.

Now, back to the original topic (and this is probably the most biased thing about this entire answer): My biggest argument against this (beside from the one mentioned in point 2) is that Jon has no reason to be in love with her. He certainly has reasons to be attracted to her or intrigued. But I can’t find something that would lead him to develop deeper feelings.

Other than saving him from a suicide mission he only went on because she wouldn’t help him without proof for either herself or Cersei, Jon hasn’t really seen anything that would endear her to him. She does not leave a good impression at their first meeting, she later basically makes him her prisoner, refuses to form an alliance on any other basis than him bending the knee (in contrast to the one she formed with Asha and Theon), he does not seem too happy about her decision to use her dragons (even if she burned an army instead of a city) and as I already mentioned in my political Jon posts, her prioritizing her position in the south over the survival of his people should not exactly make him like her better either. It should be really hard for her to redeem herself for all this in Jon’s eyes, especially to the point where he develops genuine romantic feelings for her.

Some people will argue that saving his life north of the wall was enough, I would argue that since she’s the main reason he even had to put himself in such danger in the first place … it wouldn’t be. So that’s something we could argue about to no end. He says that she has “a good heart”, but we never see Jon witness anything that would bring him to this conclusion. Missandei compliments Dany and tells Jon that “she is the queen we chose”… when Dany is demanding he bends the knee to her … even though his people chose HIM …and not her. He even questions Danys goodness of heart in this very conversation when asking Missandei whether she truly believes that Dany would allow her to leave.

I don’t think that Dany’s wish to be “extraordinary”, her lamenting the confinement and subsequent demise of dragons because it changed her family into “being just like everyone else” after listening to Jorah explaining what makes dragons so dangerous they had to be locked away in the first place, is something that Jon could relate to or appreciate or find particularly attractive. To me, his response “you’re not like everybody else”, sounds like him simply telling her what she wants to hear. Not like him expressing his own thoughts. And despite what some people think Jon is really observant and knows what buttons to push:

Guest right or no, Jon Snow knew he walked on rotten ice here. One false step and he might plunge through, into water cold enough to stop his heart. Weigh every word before you speak it, he told himself. He took a long draught of mead to buy time for his answer. When he set the horn aside he said, “Tell me why you turned your cloak, and I’ll tell you why I turned mine.”

Mance Rayder smiled, as Jon had hoped he would. The king was plainly a man who liked the sound of his own voice. “You will have heard stories of my desertion, I have no doubt.“

ASOS, Jon I

He has appealed to this certain characteristic before, when Dany asks for his opinion on the beach: “The people who follow you know that you made something impossible happen….”. Btw, I don’t think that Dany lashing out against her advisors left a particularly good impression either…. Not that Dany didn’t have a reason to be upset, but despite just coming from their “romantic” cave scene (romantic in lightning, setting, score and some facial expressions. Not so romantic when you think about the topic they talked about… but that’s another issue. Let’s just note this one as a bonding moment), the first real bonding moment between them this is his reaction when Dany tells to him to stay during their little war council:

I don’t know, this doesn’t look like repressed romantic feelings to me. (I actually managed to add both a book quote and a gif.sry about the shitty quality, I made this rather quickly.)

And even if Jon was simply hiding his true feelings, the show could have easily done a better job at showing this. Most notably when he leaves Dragonstone to go beyond the Wall. When Dany is taking another step to close the gap between them and he doesn’t react. When Jorah turns around to take a last look at the woman he loves, only emphasizing the fact that Jon doesn’t. The show could have easily written in a scene to make Jon calling her “Dany” in ep6 more plausible. To make this sudden shift from “I wish you good fortunes in the wars to come your grace” less … random. A scene where she offers to converse on a first-name basis, but he declines because “it wouldn’t be appropriate”, for example. Something to stress that he is fighting against these feelings. They could have written in a scene of Jon sharing something before the dragonpit meeting at the beginning of ep7, after the first time he appears to reciprocate her feelings on the boat, or even at some point between the dragonpit meeting and their journey back north. If this was the grand love story of the series I’m sure they could have sacrificed 1 or 2 minutes of screentime to give them some proper, mutual bonding time before doing the deed. Why not replace the group discussion with both of them having a private conversation about their journey north? They could have discussed the same issues. Instead Jon gets another one-one-one scene with Theon, where they talked about their shared daddy issues. (… btw, Jon saying that he isn’t always as good as it seems … it’s just…) Instead we get Jorah worrying about Dany’s safety, while Jon cares more about how her arrival should look like to the north. Then of course there is the issue about how their sex-scene was filmed (no first kiss, no undressing, etc.), but I’m going to leave this discussion for another time. Other people have already talked about this as well.

Now of course all of this is open to interpretation and different people will have vastly different views on this. This is just my own. I simply can’t refute the possibility of Jon denying his feelings because of that. But in my opinion there are still so many things that don’t add up. For me, there are simply one too many indications for Jon lying about or exaggerating his feelings (though… he never actually said anything about them) and too many missed opportunities to establish an actual romance.

Also, this doesn’t fit into Jon’s theme of learning from his predecessors mistakes. Robb did the same thing, “betraying” his people by giving in to love (at least on the show. Something that was brought up again in s6 for no reason by lord glover … though D&D might just love to use the word “whore”, who knows?). If we consider Jon to be the final big “hero” of this story he should learn a lesson from every “hero” that came before him. Now, if he had decided to love her by the end of the season, while still refusing to “betray” his people and their trust by bending the knee it would be a different story entirely.

I will leave it at that. I’m not sure most of this even makes sense and I let my mind run free about this little innocent question for long enough.

#Anonymous #ask #marge!Jon #undercover jon #political jon #the northern fool #anti-jonerys #i suppose #my stuff #meta #ish #got #long post

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insightersports · 4 years

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Games like world of warcraft

Conveyed in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft (WOW) is the most acclaimed enormously multiplayer web based imagining game to date.

Set in a fantasy area where players can make their own characters and investigate endless possibilities on the most ideal approach to capitalize on their gaming experience, World of Warcraft is going strong for practically 15 years with its player base of more than 100 million WOW fans.

There are, in any case, various similar games accessible for you, whether or not you are a readied WOW veteran looking for new experiences in this sort, or just someone who might not want to be restricted by the game's month to month participation charge based game plan.

We ought to research 10 games like World of Warcraft that you can play as decisions.

1. ArcheAge

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ArcheAge is a privateer based dream MMORPG made and conveyed in 2014 by a South Korean PC game association XLGAMES. The game is ideal for the people who like to examine the setting, as the player is empowered to jump into the dark of both the land and the sea.

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This game offers mounts to the people who need to move speedier around the open world, similarly as vessels for sea pioneers. The fight system is intriguing, as the player can make novel structures by passing on their level up centers into ability trees doled out for each class.

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This infers the player is given the choice to investigate various roads viewing developing the character rather than using the typical, destroyed default produce. There are PvP segments through dueling and field fights, similarly as the PvE content through developing, trading, getting pets and examining the atmosphere.

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2. Heredity II

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Another game made in South Korea, Lineage II is a permitted to-play MMORPG which explores the world set 150 years before the events of the principle game. The game stays reliable with its permitted to-play portrayal, as the players are given the induction to everything legitimately from the earliest starting point.

There are in excess of thirty unmistakable classes to investigate and each can be updated a couple of times as you level up. At the point when you show up at a particular level, you can add a subclass to your character. The players can circle their inclination centers into the class tree, dependent upon which race they pick.

The game has a huge amount of PvP and PvE content as fields, assaulting, assault battling and group structures. The game is kept awake with the most recent through various patches, revives and new substance incorporated the standard reason.

Also read about wow game.

3. TERA

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TERA is a permitted to-play dream MMORPG game made by Bluehole Studios, a PC game association that conveyed the incredibly acclaimed battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG).

TERA is an overall made game that offers a lot to a submitted player. Set in a world tortured by wars, TERA has in excess of 80 zones open to be researched. The experience is furthermore improved through momentous plans of both the open world and the nuances of the characters themselves.

The game has a genuine fight system which doesn't rely upon the basic point and snap methodologies, yet rather incorporates momentous mechanics where the player needs to use squares and sidesteps in order to avoid hurt. A large number of missions and a huge amount of PvP and PvE content make TERA a game worth playing.

4. Senior Scrolls Online

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As opposed to the past segments on our once-over, Elder Scrolls Online is definitely not a completely permitted to-play game, as you need to get it to play it. It is decidedly worth the money contributed as it is conveyed by Bethesda Softworks, a PC game making goliath with respect to RPG sort.

The player can pick between three particular gatherings, and as you level up you gain permission to better aptitudes and loot. The game is compensating both for nice and tough as nails players. It's up to you whether you have to play solo and explore the universe of Tamriel without any other person, or whether you like to work together with your mates and strike the detainment facilities.

The game is typically revived, and the players have the choices to buy extra downloadable substance. In any case, beside the hidden get, you are permitted to play the game with no cutoff focuses.

5. Time of Conan

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Time of Conan is another permitted to-play MMORPG like WOW. In any case, rather than WOW, which is set in a Neverland, Age of Conan zeros in extra on the possible and sensible pieces of the world.

The game offers 12 classes to peruse and you can have various positions depending upon the class you pick. You can venture up your character truly speedy and there are lots of excursions to keep you involved.

The game is idolized for its soundtrack and voice acting, which again demonstrate its reasonable touch. On the contrary side, not everything is free for you all things being equal, as a part of the substance is darted and you need enrollment to open it. In case you are an enthusiast of Conan the Barbarian you will totally welcome this game.

6. Break

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Named as the WOW killer when it came out, Rift is a free MMORPG made by Trion Worlds. The account of this game occurs on the landmass of Telara, and the player has four particular classes and two gatherings to peruse.

As you level up you open new apparatus and gain mastery centers that would then have the option to be coursed into relegated capacity trees. The standard point of convergence of the game is preventing interruptions and closing cracks, which are gateways to various estimations from which monsters assault Telara.

Warfronts, assaulting, making, completing storage room sets, gathering antiquated rarities are a couple of bits of the PvE and PvP content that this game offers. Tear's overall arranged open world and glorious plans is a fascinating point while picking if to play it.

7. Society Wars 2

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Set 250 years after the events of the main Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2 is a fantasy MMORPG made by ArenaNet. The story of this game occurs on the landmass of Tyria, where the player needs to peruse a summary of five open races.

All of the races has novel limits, appearance and legend, and makes this game captivating that the storyline depends upon the character's race, rather than there being a general storyline that is the equal for all characters.

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Considering, there are 26 zones and 6 metropolitan networks inside and out. The game similarly has an uncommon PvP perspective, anyway you can have your PvP battles just in explicit spots called fields. Colossal character customization and sensational representations are a segment of the things that settle on Guild Wars 2 a shocking decision to WOW.

8. Leader of The Rings Online

best games like universe of warcraft

Leader of The Rings Online is a free MMORPG reliant on the novel of a comparable name by J.R.R. Tolkien. Appropriately, it is rich in legend and there are countless missions and a tremendous world to discover.

There are various classes you can peruse, and the difficulty of the game will depend upon your choice. The game can be played execution, yet there is furthermore a get-together finder for the people who need to focus in extra on social coordinated efforts and get-together substance.

As the game relies upon the novel, the missions are generally composed and overflowing with accounts, which makes this game ideal for work players and admirers of Tolkien's fiction.

9. Sharp edge and Soul

We've cut down IBM Cloud uncovered metal specialist costs and included up to 20TB of move speed. Plan and see esteeming today.

Sharp edge and Soul is a game like WOW in each sentiment of the word, both to the extent intuitiveness and visual look. Hailed as the Korean World of Warcraft, Blade and Soul is a MMORPG with contentious methods fighting.

The game has two gatherings and you can pick between 4 races and 10 unmistakable classes before doing missions and exploring the world. You can collect resources by making and gathering, and there are regardless, making and amassing social orders in the game.

There are various missions, jails and strikes to be done, and the PvE experience is improved by the important outlines of the atmosphere. The PvP part exists in the field matches, even thought you won't have all of your capacities available until you've opened them to this point.

10. Skyforge

games like wow on ps 4

To wrap things up, Skyforge is one more permitted to-play MMORPG game like WOW. The intriguing aspect of this game is that you play as an interminable character while overseeing adversaries.

There are 15 classes through and through, anyway the player isn't bound to a particular class. The classes can be changed at whatever point, regardless, during one of your jail runs, for example. There is no traditional advance up system, yet rather there is an "eminence" level that registers your progress reliant on your subtleties and development.

As the player's prominence grows, more substance is opened. The story occurs on the planet of Aelion.

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renaramblesaboutcomics · 6 years

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Wednesday Roundup 29.11.18

Another week another grab bag of comics in what might be one of the highest rated weeks of the Roundup since I started over a year ago! But how does everyone hold up? How do they all compare? I’m asking for dramatizing’s sake but genuinely there’s nothing in this week that isn’t immensely enjoyable if they even remotely pique your interests. GREAT week for comics, everyone. GG.

Tesladyne’s Atomic Robo, Image’s Black Magick, DC’s Super Sons, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II, IDW’s Transformers: Lost Light

Tesladyne’s Atomic Robo and the Spectre of Tomorrow #2 Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, Anthony Clark, Jeff Powell

There is a certain amount of dry wit and scientific community knowledge that is instrumental to getting the full experience out of the clever writing and deceptively simplistic design of Atomic Robo, and for the past few months I’ve been making a solid attempt to evaluate these comics and Robo himself based on the entertainment received without much of that. And, in all honesty, the more I’ve looked into this the more I wonder if that’s the wrong approach for “unbiased” evaluation to begin with.

For example, I’ve been very firm on my description of Usagi Yojimbo as being one of those great comics that only gets more and more enriching as you grow a personal interest in history, Japanese culture, and mythologizing -- it’s far enough removed from our actual realities and accessible enough that I recommend it to people who don’t have those interests, but I find that those interests add so much more to the experience. The simple designs, the consistency, the way the narrative is built in episodic spurts more than long form narrative -- those are all reasons I can in good faith recommend these comics to people outside of niche interests, but those niche interests add so much to any reading that it’s difficult to really express why anyone would want to read without so much as acknowledging it.

That all said, this particular issue continues that same level of quality and intrigue, but also rewards the emotional investment you may have in the characters involved. PersonallyI relate a lot more to Robo’s sense of self-exile and reclusive depression which only causes more and more problems to pile up far more than I’d have ever thought I would, and I don’t think I’d be alone in that. There’s also the long time readers’ reward in seeing consequences to that stollen crystal from Doctor Dinosaur’s island ages ago. All great stuff which is only more greatly emphasized by the creative use of familiar real world scientific organizations and entities wrapped up in this bizarre and surreal reality of Atomic Robo.

Image’s Black Magick (2015-present) #9 Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott

Sometimes the real value of storytelling lies less in identifying the complete package and more in being able to identify the way it weaves multiple elements and even genres at once to provide a new kind of satisfying narrative. And it’s in that way that I think Black Magick has so quickly become not only one of my favorite Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott comics, but one of my favorite recent publications in general.

Black Magick follows a noir-style crime drama in structure, but its embrace of the supernatural and, especially, in witching stories provide the sort of edge that makes the tiredness of the former genre feel fresh even in the heavily saturated market for procedurals we have currently, while the latter feels completely reborn from that small but influential boom we felt in the 90s. I have never been closer to re-marathoning The Craft, Practical Magic and Charmed outside of the Halloween season. But each new issue of Black Magick brings me that step closer.

This issue also happens to follow the very specific to this week trend of leaning heavily on emotional stakes to really pull itself and its characters above even the thickest of genre settings however, and Black Magick specifically manages that while maintaining an incredibly tight hold on Rowan’s perspective. Which is fascinating because on reread you really realize how much the POV shifts away from Rowan and onto the other characters and their subplots but in reflection it all feels like it’s only in service to Rowan’s main story more than anything else.

Nicola Scott continues to prove she is perhaps the most gifted and, really, the most prolific of comic book artists in the modern era and I maintain that seeing the true extent of her talents is best assessed by reading this comic and just allowing yourself to be blown away by it all.

This issue also gets major props for introducing a familiar. Good, comic. Perhaps not as action filled or breathtaking as the last issue which was a nail biter from start to finish, but most certainly deserving of those 4/5 stars.

DC’s Super Sons (2017-present) Annual #1 Peter J. Tomasi, Paul Pelletier, Cam Smith, HI-FI

If you’re one of those people -- and let me absolutely clear that it is more than understandable to be one of these people -- who find super pets and the absolute general ridiculousness of a storyline that involves super animals in any capacity with a timeline that makes no sense and the only real dialogue that matters being literal growls barks and yips, this is not an issue worth your $4.99, you’ll hate it and be annoyed with people like me screaming from the rooftops that you should buy it and read it and love it. And that is completely and utterly fine and reasonable.

I am not fine or reasonable, however, and this is literally the most rewarding $4.99 I’ve spent on a comic in ages. Because no joke there were several times while I was liveblogging this issue both on my main blog and to my friends in PMs that I was literally in tears crying with laughter because

because

Holy shit guys.

In recent years a continued criticism I have carried for superhero comics is that there is a huge tone problem, in that there is a genre’s worth of tones and atmospheres that could be played off of to give at least each individual book if not each individual issue its own feeling and its own intrigue that would set it apart from the rest of the line that given week. DC, especially, has contributed greatly to this tone problem because as I’ve said many times, there was about five years there where even the color palettes for their comics had no variation between them. And it was maddening.

So to have something goofy, to have something different, and to have it be fun, enjoyable, full of twists and turns, and not so damn determined to take itself beyond seriously, it makes this comic throwback feel like a breath of fresh air in the most necessary of ways.

And I should be clear, I don’t mean that this comic is for everyone, or that Super Sons as a comic in general doesn’t manage to strike that cord a lot since it really is one of the most enjoyable comics DC has put out in years, but this really felt like a treat, an additional, ridiculous, hilarious story set so far apart from what’s come before. It’s greatly enjoyable. Genuinely deserve of my coveted 5/5 stars.

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II (2017) #5 (of 5) Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, Dan Shoening, Charles Paul Wilson III, Luis Antonio Delgado

We finally come to an end of this second giant mashup of Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, truly the sort of framework and pairing that is as old as time, and I get to reward everyone’s patience with me reviewing these for a month an a half straight with some final thoughts of sorts.

I compliment both of these writers quite a bit for their respective contributions and the absolute mastery they both have shown for the voices of their respective franchises, but as this week is pretty well summed up with Rena Waxes Philosophically And Is Old, I think both of our times are better spent here by pointing out something a bit different that really came together with this issue. And that’s that for how pitch perfect these writers are for capturing the long expected voices of these beloved characters, the real remarkable compliment I can give them is how they have uniquely captured and redefined these voices to really make them their own.

Despite how much my childhood might have desired these team ups (and believe me, it so did) the fact is that these interactions and these relationships are utterly a modern invention, and what could easily fail outside of the concept states instead flourishes with us here specifically because they are sticking to their guns and not always angling for the obvious route with these interactions. That’s what makes all of this so fascinating and so rewarding as a fan.

In comparison to the predecessor, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II does not have as tight of a storyline with a steady but consistent pacing and understanding of where it’s going. But I think because that set up was taking care of in the original these five issues allowed for more experimentation and more concentration on character development and fun scenarios. So if you’re far more invested in character interactions and in comics taking full advantage of the outrageous and unique tone of its medium, there’s probably all the more for you to enjoy with this compared to the first. But at the same time, it would be lying to say that the main driving plot and stakes, with Darius Dun’s ghost and the Fast Forward Evil Turtles-lite trying to harvest souls in a complicated and underused concept didn’t come off as overall a bit weaker than the original.

All that said, ultimately this comic is a joy for fans and it seems to be aimed quite specifically at that audience either way. And in that case I have to give it my highest regards.

IDW’s Transformers: Lost Light (2016-present) #11 James Roberts, Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente

Ever since the last arc of James Robert’s parent series, More Than Meets the eye, there’s been a few gaps in the concept of what happened on the Lost Light during and after the mutiny, whether or not the crew saw the Rod Squad’s las message, and especially curious to people like me who can’t help themselves but love our affable and entirely flawed co-Captain Rodimus, what was his final request for his burial and what not since we saw the rest of the crew’s.

And in the second part of this “Mutineer Trilogy” that we have for Lost Light, we are at long last getting our answers to many of those questions. And for a reveal that was a year coming, the Lost Light manages to pack all the twists, turns, and punches that we could hope to expect!

It’s fascinating to see Getaway’s sense of grandeur when it comes to himself, his plans, and really the whole driving force with the mutiny, but I really find that where Roberts’ writing and where we as readers get the most out of is the interesting and very layered sense that Roberts has for the lore of the Transformers. It feels like every subtle piece of dialogue, whether it concerns lore and mythology of the universe or not, is really weaved throughout with a submersion in this fictional culture. And that, especially, is really revealing here. It’s a very rewarding way to handle lore and I greatly appreciate it.

One that does make me apprehensive with the turns Lost Light has taken most recently, however, is that moral grayness sometimes feels really blurred with a light take or even somewhat forgiving light given to what are undeniably and outright stated as fascist and genocidal elements of the Transformers’ past, especially Megatron. Having this issue completely dedicated to Getaway’s perspective while tackling these themes doesn’t really help because he is most egregiously one of the most villainous and traitorous characters the series has tackled, but while it feels like he’s only using the aghast feelings of the crew toward Megatron, ultimately he’s the only one who gives a speech against Megatron’s past of genocide and fascism while also taking over in the most truly reprehensible and fascist ways possible himself. This is further blurred by having some very topical buzz words like “fake news” uttered by Getaway in a... lbr pretty nonsensical way in-universe, but then have him going around imprisoning or hideously killing all of the crew which doesn’t agree with him.

I’m basically waiting for Roberts to fully address all of this in the story but right now it feels very much like “both sides are extreme and bad” mentality that, given Roberts’ politics and statements irl, I don’t think is what he ultimately wants this story to be coming away as, but I’m nervous and would like for things to tread lightly considering the current environment.

ALL of my apprehensions and concerns out of the way, this is still a fascinating and ultimately fantastic comic that I really truly enjoy and would love to see more of because if Roberts’ Transformers is guilty of anything it’s definitely guilty of raising my expectations and setting that bar so high because of how good and how complicated and interesting all of it ca be in the right hands.

Hey there! We finish up another pretty fun, if not quick, week in comics with lots of stories and characters, and another pretty great time from yours truly. And if you enjoy these write-ups or anything else I do whether it be the Roundups, my Rambles, my personal creative projects, or you’re interested in my upcoming podcast, you can help contribute through donations to my Ko-Fi, Patreon, or PayPal. For as little as $1 per project, you make all of this possible.

You could also support me by going to my main blog, @renaroo, where I’ll soon be listing prices and more for art and writing commissions.

RenaRoo Ko-Fi | RenaRoo Patreon | RenaRoo PayPal

#Rena Roundups #Wednesday Spoilers #SPOILERS #Atomic Robo and the Spectre of Tomorrow #Black Magick #Super Sons (2017 )#Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II #Transformers: Lost Light (2016 )

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cherry-valentine · 7 years

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Summer 2017 Anime Season: What I’m Watching:

Konbini Kareshi is a slice of life high school romance that seems to focus more on the male perspective. It prominently features two couples but it looks like it might touch on more couples as well. The show is cute and sweet and has a “feel good” vibe. The drama never gets too serious (so far) but there’s enough conflict to keep you interested. The art and music are pleasant enough. It’s not my favorite of the season, but it’s just cute enough to stay on my watch list.

Dive!! is a show I had high hopes for. Another swimming anime animated by a studio with a great track record? It sounds like a guaranteed hit. But Dive!! is no Free! and that becomes clear by the end of the first episode. Dive!! looks great, has interesting character designs, and decent animation. The problem is that it seemingly fails to realize what makes sports anime so fun. We don’t watch sports anime for the actual sports. We watch it because we become invested in the characters and we want to see them win. And we become invested in the characters through watching their lives, in and out of the sport. Dive!! takes itself way too seriously, focusing almost entirely on the sport of diving and spending very little time developing the characters. I’ve watched every episode so far and I honestly can’t name a single character in the show. I don’t feel like I know any of them. They barely interact with each other at all, so we don’t get the usual team dynamics of sports anime. There’s very little humor as well. Despite all this, I’m still watching the show because I feel like it has potential. The last couple of episodes have tried to throw in some drama for the protagonist outside the sport, and at least one character has a very interesting back story that would be great if it were fleshed out. Dive!! can still be a good show, if the writers can just figure out how to let the audience connect with these characters.

Chronos Rulers is a fairly generic action fantasy anime. There’s nothing new to see here as we follow two attractive male protagonists as they travel around fighting enemies while searching for something important to them. Already sounds familiar, right? But being familiar isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and Chronos Rulers is an entertaining series with a few interesting ideas (the relationship between the two male leads, as revealed at the end of episode one, is genuinely surprising and the concept of using time as a weapon is, if not completely original, at least presented in a fun and fresh way). The character designs are sleek and stylish and the battle scenes are fantastic. It’s pretty clear that they decided to use the whole animation budget on the action scenes because the non-action scenes look pretty shabby by comparison. Still, given the genre of the series, this was probably a good decision. Chronos Rulers will never be a favorite, but it’s definitely a fun watch.

Shoukoku no Altair is like a more realistic and serious Magi. It’s set in and around a fictional desert nation with vague Arabian undertones and inexplicably stars a young blonde man. But instead of well-timed comedy and magic, we get political intrigue and a hero who relies on his wits much more than his physical capabilities. It’s an interesting setup, as the hero legitimately wants to avoid conflict at all cost and his goal in nearly every situation is de-escalation. The political aspects are made compelling by the way the show zeroes in on individual characters and how the various shifts in power affect them personally. The series also looks great and has good music. I can’t spell or pronounce any of the main characters’ names, but it’s still a solid show.

Vatican Kiseki Chousakan is one of my favorites this season, for one primary reason: the show neither glorifies nor vilifies the Catholic religion which features so prominently in the story. The series takes a fairly neutral stance on religion itself, which is refreshing. The two main characters are priests, and present a positive view of Catholicism, but at the same time, the show doesn’t shy away from portraying negative aspects as well. For example, there’s probably one major negative thing that comes to mind when you think of Catholic priests, right? Yes, this series goes there. It also makes the concept of miracles, and whether they exist or not, the defining plot point of the show. It’s all very interesting stuff, helped by the gorgeous art (the backgrounds are amazing) and the likable leads, Roberto and Hiraga. I also admired the guts it took to start the series with a multi-episode arc in an age where most anime open with a self-contained episode to introduce us to the setting and characters. At its core, this show is a mystery/thriller, and has enough creepy moments to make it good Halloween viewing, so keep that in mind for this fall. It also seems like it would lend itself well to marathon watching. High on my watch list.

Ballroom e Youkoso is very entertaining, in spite of or perhaps because of some flat-out weirdness. I have to say this first: The intense looks on the characters’ faces while they’re dancing are absolutely hilarious. They’re bizarre as hell, but still hilarious. It’s also hilarious that some of these characters look like they’re in their late 20‘s but are apparently fifteen. The female lead honestly looks waaaay too old for her supposed age. The exaggerated long-limbed and lanky figures add to this problem. Much of the anatomy and posing are downright impossible, but all this strangeness somehow adds to the show’s charm. The protagonist is, as per usual in shows like this, a likable, relatable underdog. Watching him grow through ballroom dancing is very satisfying. I honestly didn’t know ballroom dancing could be so much fun to watch, but I’ve learned that anime can make anything interesting if it’s done with the right mix of humor and tension. And this show has nailed that mix. Also, just gotta add, I would watch this show for the dresses alone. They're absolutely gorgeous and make me wanna cry rivers over the fact that I can't wear them.

Hitorijime My Hero is a BL series that caught my attention mainly by the fact that the protagonist is not the usual doe-eyed uke we see in shows like this (though there is an actual doe-eyed uke in the show, he’s a side character). Protagonist Setagawa is a pierced, bleached blonde delinquent trying to get his life back on track after separating from a bad group of guys, which automatically makes him a refreshing lead. He’s not naive. When the show’s lead seme (who does seem more like a traditional seme) toys with him, Seta is fully aware of it, and his reactions are more believable. This makes their relationship as a whole very interesting. The secondary relationship, between Seta’s best friend and a classmate, is more in line with the usual BL setup, and is unfortunately steeped in some of the worst BL tropes (manipulation and emotional blackmail galore). At least these negative tropes are presented in a more honest way in the main relationship, where the seme’s problematic tendencies are called out as being just that: problematic. Aside from that, the art is very nice, with very attractive character designs (Seta’s eyes are drawn in an usual way for a bishounen style but they give him personality). The music is also peppy and fun. Overall, it’s one of my favorites of the season.

Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu is basically a dream come true. A few seasons back, there was another Touken Ranbu anime and I talked about the fact that, after the first episode, I thought it was going to be my favorite of the season. The art was gorgeous (those outfits! those backgrounds! that generally fluid animation!) and the characters were likable. And the basic concept was really cool. Then the series went from an action fantasy series with awesome sword fights to a fluffy slice-of-life series about cute sword-boys doing laundry and opening butler cafes and going shopping. Like I said back then, it was cute and all, but I really wish it had stayed focused on the action elements because they were much more interesting. And now we have this anime, Katsugeki, and it’s pretty much everything I wanted from the first Touken Ranbu anime. The focus is squarely on the sword battles and the missions the characters go on to protect history from monstrous creatures. Yes, we get some humor and some silly hijinks but they are scattered lightly amongst the bloody battles. Katsugeki is awesome, and it’s at the very top of my watch list.

Cleanliness Boy Aoyama-kun is a comedy/parody series lightly disguised as a sports anime. You’d be forgiven for watching the first episode and dropping it, assuming it was a one-note series with not much to offer. But continue and watch episode two. I dare you watch the second half of the episode without cracking up. Aoyama-kun gives similar vibes to last year’s Handa-kun, as both feature a quiet protagonist seemingly obvlivious to the fact that he is surrounded by admirers who will sometimes go to extreme (and hilarious) lengths to help him. The major difference is that Handa wasn’t anywhere near as cool as everyone thought he was and assumed everyone hated him, whereas Aoyama is actually cool (even if he doesn’t know it) and is only vaguely aware that people like him. I think Handa-kun’s setup was more funny, but Aoyama-kun is still pretty good. The art is fine, with some nice comedic facial expressions, and the music is a good fit for the show. At its core, Aoyama-kun is a silly little show that is surprisingly entertaining if you give it a chance.

#Anime #Anime Reviews #Summer 2017 Anime #Touken Ranbu #Hitorijime My Hero #Seasonal Anime #ballroom e youkoso

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kihocrystal · 7 years

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Winter 2017 - Final Impressions

This is like a week late (again), but here are my thoughts about the animes I watched that finished this season! There’s 10 reviews under the cut, and they’re listed in alphabetical order for your convenience~

3-gatsu no Lion (March comes in like a Lion) - 9 / 10 ( A )

a super good character drama!!! I love how it focuses on themes of depression / loneliness as well!

the art / animation by Shaft is… well, very Shaft-like! (thanks Akiyuki Shinbo~)

good use of both muted / pastel colors and sharp / dark colors in different scenarios

hash lines were used on characters as well! gives it a sketch-like quality~

the animation itself was quite good too! mostly subdued, but had moments of really good fluidity

this shows itself the most in the more artistic sequences, for sure

and since this is Shaft, BOY did they pull out all the stops for those sequences!

…and yes, the infamous headtilts are also here :P

It was also good w/ the comedic animation (including w/ expressions!)

a note about *sound* for a sec: they always had voice-over to go w/ onscreen onomatopoeia!

plus they gave monologue voices to the kawamotos’ cats… interesting choice~

this show just *really* loves cats (even making shogi explanations using cats!)

there are A LOT of really good / memorable characters here; they help the show really shine!

(it IS a character-based drama, after all)

Rei Kiriyama!!! what a great (and relatable!) protag

seeing his mental struggles play out was very interesting to see (& also very complex, in a good way!)

he’s also very sympathetic, despite being a prodigy! he has to deal w/ lots of crap :(

we see him struggle & blame himself a lot, so it’s even better when he finds some happiness or revelation!

HE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY ;A; (…and he definitely makes progress by season’s end!)

there’s so many Good supporting characters that i’d be here all day if I went into detail about them ^^;

the Kawamoto’s are such a supporting family for Rei!!!

all 3 sisters are really good (and occasionally get some spotlight time… mostly Hinata though)

Nikaidou’s also a good guy… he’s kind of like Rei’s rival! (he’s kinda pushy but gives Rei good motivation & help!)

shout-out to Tatsuyuki-san; his personality was quite fun and also loves cats to death

Hayashida-sensei! He’s a bumbling guy, but really gives great advice once in a while :’)

he also is Rei’s main mentor on the school side of things, pulling some strings to help Rei move on to 2nd year ;~;

Shimada-san was a late addition, but HOT DAMN did he have a great impact on Rei + the show

I loved his backstory, i loved his personality, i loved his seiyuu’s performance… great character all around

Kyoko is VERY FAR from a Good character, but she shows more complexities as time goes on

on one hand, she’s VERY manipulative of Rei’s emotions; she also has feelings of jealously towards him + feelings for Gotou

speaking of Gotou, WHAT A FUCKING ASSHOLE

I don’t remember what his first appearance was, but that scene of him riling up Rei made me LIVID

at least he gets beaten by Shimada-san in the lion king tournament >:)

as far as story goes, it’s a character-focused drama; so it follows a year of Rei’s life going through high school and his pro shogi career

the drama comes from both character interactions & developments they go through; it’s executed REALLY WELL

the show pulls off both incredibly goofy and incredibly somber moments quite well!

Rei’s path of self-growth isn’t quite done yet, as the final episode shows him entering 2nd year and establishing a club!

the finale also has a look back on how his perceptions on life & loneliness have changed since he was a kid~

in any case, season 2 is confirmed and will be coming this fall season! \o/

Overall, I really enjoyed this artistic and introspective show! Definitely one of my (four?) picks for AOTS~

ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu ka - 8.0 / 10 ( B )

This was probably the most chill & relaxed anime about bureaucracy and political coups / upheaval that I’ve ever seen xD

animation:

I really like what Madhouse did with the visuals! It’s quite a unique look~

The art style had elements of realism (w/ the characters, at least); however their hair looks fluffy & light! (& some funny facial features, so it’s not all realism :P)

not to mention the backgrounds are brightly colored & watercolor-esque~

the art in general is also kinda sketch-like with the outlines! it’s kind of a rough look but w/ a bunch of charm!

I also have to mention the FOOD in this show; there’s good attention to detail here, plus it’s drawn so nicely (+ even huge sometimes!)

the animation itself was also nice, in terms of subtle movements, like walking or hand/head movements!

super big shout-out to the *opening theme*!!! That was definitely my favorite OP of the season; it’s such a jam!!!

It’s also a nice contrast from the rest of the show’s tone (the song’s super upbeat, while the show itself is so chill :P)

characters:

The cast overall was interesting to watch; there’s a good mix of personalities here, but all of them contribute to the show’s laidback tone~

Jean Otus (the main protag) can sneaky when he wants to (but he’s mostly nonchalant)

he’s a nice guy, but doesn’t emote much… it can be hard to get a read of what he’s thinking, for sure

either way, he’s still quite caring (towards Nino & his sister Lotta, at least)

Nino’s great… he’s my favorite character in this show, for sure

he can be really sneaky sometimes, but is also a genuine friend to Jean & Lotta :’)

I also really liked seeing how tight Jean & Nino’s bond was~

it also helps that his seiyuu (Kenjiro Tsuda) had a great performance voicing him~

Lotta is a happy & cheerful girl who loves her food / bread! (she doesn’t contribute much to the overarching plot, though)

Rail (the policeman) gets dragged into some plot happenings from time to time, but proves to be a nice guy by the end

Prince Schwan, despite being the next-in-line for the throne, doesn’t seem to do much in the overarching plot (at least not until the finale?)?

in any case, any character voiced by Miyano Mamoru is still fun to watch regardless

Maggie (Schwan’s guard) keeps a good eye on him

plus he’s kinda a dork… in a deadpan way (& he sure loves his sandwich bread)

Lilium kinda blended in w/ the other ACCA chairmen in the beginning, but eventually showed his true (i.e. evil) intentions by ep. 10 or so

poor Grossular’s had it rough; first he had his country take responsibility for a major train accident, and now Lilium blackmailed / took advantage of him :(

he was a prime suspect to being the true identity of Nino’s main boss for a while, too! (it ended up being Oulu, the blond mustache guy xD)

Mauve was a good & strong female authority figure in ACCA too! She kinda acted like a private investigator at times :P

I was unsure where she stood most of the time, but I’m glad she proved to be the one to thwart Lilium’s plan in the end~

the other five chairman + other ACCA members were… just kinda there. That’s all I’m gonna say about them ^^;

story:

the basic premise involves Jean having to travel to each of the 13 districts within the country, while plans for a coup d’etat brew in the background!

no matter what wheeling & dealing was going on during the story, the tone always stayed calm & cool (w/ smooth jazz music to boot xD)

there’s quite a bit going on in the story at any given time, but I will admit it was hard for me to follow much of the time ^^;

many characters being really vague (I’m looking at you, five chairmen…) didn’t really help things in this regard either

of course, you could argue this adds to the mystery / intrigue, so… your mileage my vary

I was still interested in what was happening though! Especially when it involved the main players (& learning more about them!)

I liked the world-building!!! It was cool seeing how each district was different from each other~ (plus the different foods, of course)

episode 4 was particularly interesting, since it involved Suitsu & how it was kinda like a darker-tone mini-version of the overarching plot!

my favorite aspect of the story was learning about Jean’s (& Lotta’s) secret link to the royal family, along w/ Nino’s involvement w/ that!

the episode(s?) that were from Nino’s perspective as he grew up w/ his father (as they both watched the Otus kids) were definitely a highlight for me

the overall picture (or at least, where certain characters stood in the plot) grew clearer by the end, and by the climax, we knew for sure who the main antagonist was

the finale had the “coup” halted swiftly (and calmly, as is tradition in this show), plus we got to see a bit of epilogue too~

the climax itself was pretty short (& kinda underwhelming?), but then again, it makes sense considering how the rest of the show is, tone-wise

also, it’s worth noting that the anime as a whole covered the entirety of its source material! that’s a rarity nowadays!

Overall, I enjoyed my time with ACCA! It’s not the easiest show to follow plot-wise, but it has a cool sense of atmosphere & is just a very suave show in general xD

Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Impure King Arc - 8.5 / 10 ( B+ )

This second season, that we finally got six-ish years later, was pretty good! I think I preferred S1 (or at least the 1st half) but I still like what we got here!

art / animation:

A-1 Pictures did a good job here for the most part!

the art style does have some subtle changes from S1 (like bloom effects and rounder/softer features on characters), but not too different otherwise

I liked how the color palette felt muted and bright at the same time! the backgrounds were also quite nice~

plus the special effects weren’t bad (i.e. fire, the Impure King’s spore-like body)

I did notice some episodes in the middle dipped in animation quality (mostly in character’s faces/heads), which kinda took me out of those episodes :/

other than that, the animation was above average and had some good action animation in there (though not *great*, per se)

characters:

it’s good to finally have these characters back after so long! admittedly, it was had to remember what state they were all in at the start (…six years is a long time, okay?)

Rin is still a good and lovable protag! I love how he has such a kind heart, despite acting rough on the outside xD

he had to win back the trust of his friends (and overcome his fear of losing control of his flames)… i’m glad he got to find his self-worth in the end ;A;

Yukio still takes his duties very seriously and scolds Rin a lot ^^;

he had some mind-games to overcome too, courtesy of Toudou (thoughts like: jealously towards Rin and hating having to watch over him all the time)

not to mention he awakened some demon powers for the first time (demon eyes)!

by the end though, he still has a way to go (as he acknowledges he still very self-hating)

Rin’s entourage of friends were hesitant / distrustful of him at the start (due to events from last season), but were won over one by one eventually~

it was kind of weird being brought back (after so long) to *that* particular point… it was a little jarring from what I remembered of them before

Shiemi felt like she wasn’t being of much help (especially since Nee got temporarily destroyed), but she gained back her resolve as well \o/

plus she helped Rin gain confidence w/ a hug & nice words in ep. 7 :’)

Ryuuji got some focus as well, as he had a rocky relationship w/ his dad (which struck a GREAT parallel as pointed out in ep. 4)

Tatsuma was seen as suspicious despite his cheerful / ditzy attitude, but learning about the secrets he had to hide made him more lovable~

In general, we got to learn more about where Ryuuji, Konekomaru, and Renzou grew up and learn about their family sects!

Shura is still a good mentor / ally to Rin (& his friends), while also keeping him in line~

Toudou (the human villain of this season) was a good manipulator / mind-game player… that’s about it ^^;

…and Shirou is still a great example of a dead character remaining relevant throughout the show~

he’s still a motivation for both Rin and Yukio, plus we learned of his history w/ Tatsuma & the Sect!

story:

This arc starts off on a weird place, since not only has it been six years since S1, this arc picks up from the *middle* of S1

of course, this is because this season’s arc is from the manga, while S1’s second half was anime original

that being said, the transition could’ve been smoother; some canon-versions of events are only shown in flashbacks, for example :/

in any case, this arc is all about the Impure King’s eventual revival in Kyoto, and the exorcists having to stop it!

while the main story of this arc wasn’t doing much *new*, necessarily, the execution overall was… pretty good!

there weren’t many moments that reached the emotional highs of S1’s best moments, but they were still good here too~

that being said, stuff like Rin being reassured by Shiemi in ep. 7, and Rin finally controlling his flames in ep. 11… still good moments there!

however, episode 4 was definitely my favorite episode; it brought up that father/son relationship parallel i mentioned earlier in a GREAT way~

it was definitely the best emotional high for me, especially since it made a connection to such a powerful moment in S1 ;~;

I also liked seeing more of Shirou’s past life (as told through Tatsuma), along w/ learning Rin’s sword was originally the Sect’s object of worship!

Seeing Yukio gets confronted w/ mind-games was interesting to see, along w/ him unlocking demon powers for the first time!

It’ll be interesting to see the implications of this later on, assuming we get a S3 ;A;

in this regard, I’ve seen people refer to this arc as a “setup arc”, and I can kinda see why. Progress was made, but there were hints thrown out as well

the finale was an epilogue of sorts, with Rin & friends recovering + seeing the sights, Rin & Yukio talking it out, and hints of Mephisto’s ulterior motives

the talk between brothers at the end definitely left things open-ended for a continuation

Overall, I had a good time with this sequel, and I’m glad I got to see more of this series in general, after so long! The transition from S1’s midpoint can be kinda rocky, but still check this out if you’re a shounen fan~

Demi-chan wa Kataritai (Interviews with Monster Girls) - 8.0 - 8.5 / 10 ( B )

A cute and fun slice-of-life show about a handful of monster girls in high school (plus their teacher)! It does a good job tackling some social issues as well!

art / animation:

A-1 Pictures did a good job with the visuals here! Very light and simple style~

The color palette is full of bright colors (w/ lower saturation), and the character art style has rounded features for girls (some moe influence, probably) & angular ones for boys

The animation itself is mostly standard fare, but has some above-average fluidity w/ some special effects (Yuki’s ice tears come to mind)

it does lend itself well to comedic moments & timing, which is good for this show ^^

characters:

I liked the cast overall! they had a good dynamic together (which is good, considering how they become close friends over time)

Takahashi-sensei was a good (& different) lead for the show! He’s caring and very knowledgable about monster lore~

for a harem-esque main group like this, it’s great to see a different take on the typical “male harem protag” like this!

he’s a good support system for the other demi girls, and helps them be more confident in themselves (& learn more about themselves)!

(he’s like this for even Satou-sensei, since he’s really good at covering up the aphrodisiac effects have on him)

Hikari is hyper and silly, and is a big contributor to this show’s comedic side~

she’s pretty different from vampires of lore, which is explored quite a bit during the show (& ties into the show’s themes too)

I also liked how she’s not afraid to stand up for her new friends (like how she confronted people gossiping about Yuki) :’)

Machi is sort of soft-spoken, but she also smart and willing to talk to others!

she’s the most physically different out of the three (since she’s a dullahan), which leads to interesting (& funny) scenarios w/ her head & body~

she (w/ help from Takahashi & co.) develops work-arounds for her problems, and helps others feel less awkward about talking to her!

her crushing on Takahashi-sensei is… weird (why do you do this, show)

Yuki is definitely the most shy of the three starting out, and has the most noticeable development during her arc

she was self-hating over her demi (snow woman) nature, but the main crew help her learn about her abilities and help her gain confidence!

she becomes more outgoing after her arc, and even is shown to secretly be into hardcore manga~

Satou-sensei is a succubus teacher! She doesn’t have an arc, necessarily, but she gets some character focus nonetheless

she adjusted her daily schedule a lot due to her aphrodisiac effects, and has a hard time trying to confess her feelings for Takahashi

she tends to sympathize w/ Machi’s (& sometimes the others’) feelings towards him… you’re a teacher, don’t condone this… :/

aside from that last point, she is another good occasional support system for the girls, since she’s both a teacher and a fellow demi~

even *she* has her own support(?) system, in the form of Ugaki!

story:

like most slice-of-life anime, this follows the lives of high school girls and show their experiences, both good and bad

however, this one focuses around *supernatural* students: a vampire, a dullahan, and a snow woman! (plus a succubus teacher)

I really liked how this show handled themes of what’s it’s like being different (not unlike people w/ disabilities!), and helping people overcome social stigmas too!

it included stuff ranging from Yuki’s insecurities about her snow woman nature + being gossiped about…

…to more lighthearted stuff, like how Machi wanted to poke fun at her own differences without her friends feeling awkward about it!

the show would also compare & contrast the Demis w/ their mythical counterparts, which ties into this theme well~

moments like Hikari standing up to Yuki’s gossip bullies & the video letter to Takahashi were some of this show’s best moments~

there’s also some fun comedy! (which was kinda hit or miss for me)

the comedy’s at its best when it plays w/ their personalities and/or unique aspects of their Demi natures!

stuff like Takahashi + Hikari’s dynamic, plus Yuki’s hidden “hardcore(?)” side are good examples of this

the show’s comedic timing in general is pretty good!

this also includes the romance stuff though; they code Takahashi-sensei + the Demi’s relationship as romantic sometimes and it’s just… no

thankfully it was only one-sided (since Takahashi explicitly says he wouldn’t have feelings for them), but it still kinda rubbed me the wrong way

the finale was mostly some fun comedy stuff (it was a pool episode), but it threw in some nice heartwarming stuff in the end~

Overall, this was a really enjoyable & laid-back anime that wasn’t afraid to be serious / heartwarming too! (w/ some good social commentary to boot!) In a season full of comedy slice-of-life shows, Demi-chan (& one other) is one of the season’s best~

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon - 8.5 / 10 ( B+ )

The *other* good SOL comedy this season! Really funny and really cute w/ that reliable KyoAni polish~

art / animation:

as per usual, Kyoto Animation did a great job w/ the visuals!

the style they used this time around is more cartoon-y than their usual style (so closer to Nichijou, rather than Hibike Euphonium)

very bright color palette and (kinda watercolor-like) backgrounds! Just a “simpler”-looking show all around (which is definitely NOT a bad thing!)

the animation itself is, of course, really great too! the fluidity is strong w/ this one~

whether it’s subtle movements or even an action scene or two, the animation has a great sense of movement & body language!

it also lent itself to comedic moments very well! (i.e. well-animated slapstick or good comedic expressions / backgrounds)

there is, also… some fanservice (not a *lot*, per se, but enough that it drove away some people on my twitter feed)

it’s mostly boob-centered, as a few characters have large boobs (w/ Lucoa having *huge* ones), so there’s… boob jiggle sometimes, among other things

the fanservice in this show specifically didn’t bother me *that* much, but your mileage may vary

characters:

the cast as a whole was really fun! they all played off each other well too!

Kobayashi & Tohru have a good dynamic together, and develop a good relationship together too! (let’s be real here… lesbians~)

both of them have pretty different personalities (stoic / brash vs. bright / bubbly), yet work together quite well!

Kanna is somehow stoic & happy at the same time! I like how she’s curious about everything & is just a good bean in general~

Lucoa has a nice “older-sister” dynamic w/ the others! She’s got good wisdom, but can also be a bit of an airhead ^^;

but please… someone tell her to give poor Shouta a break…

Fafnir starts out as wanting nothing but killing & destruction, but eventually bonds w/ Takiya-kun and gets addicted to video games ^^;

I liked seeing how he has his own ways of showing affection / appreciation for others~

(...and he’s voiced by Daisuke Ono, which is always a plus)

Elma didn’t even get introduced until episode 8 (& doesn’t even get a ton of screen time after that), but she’s enjoyable too

her revenge(?) against Kobayashi only lasted for 1 episode(?), and then just becomes an office worker (so she ends up being the most normal dragon, in a way :P)

story:

the premise involves an office worker lady who meets a dragon who decides to be her live-in house maid! (plus there’s other dragons!)

this is a slice-of-life comedy, so like most others, it goes through some daily life scenarios that are also humorous

this time around though, there’s DRAGONS! (so there’s supernatural stuff sometimes involved)

the comedy involved the dragons learning & adapting to aspects of human society, which was fun to watch

I liked seeing how they would react to different situations! (especially since each dragon would respond differently)

the characters bouncing off each other (i.e. dynamic) also led to some good comedic moments

kobayashi & tohru’s relationship was a big contributor to this as well

there were a couple reoccuring gags that got old after a while: Lucoa’s… boob antics w/ Shouta, and Riko’s overreaction to Kanna

the former is… basically rooted in fanservice (leave the poor boy alone! ;~; )

the latter I didn’t have as much issue w/ to start, but after seeing it pointed out on my twitter TL, I can see why people take issue w/ it (i.e. fetishization (i think?))

there were also some really nice heartwarming moments too! stuff like that helps elevate a comedy anime for me~

many of these were centered around the character’s relationships w/ each other (it was nice seeing them grow closer over time!)

the finale had a different, more serious tone than the rest of the show, but it was still really good!

seeing tohru (& eventually kobayashi) confront tohru’s dad really showed how much their relationship (& love for the human world) has grown!

Aside from a couple small issues, I really did have a great time w/ this show! If you’re looking for a fun comedy w/ supernatural elements plus some heartwarming stuff, this won’t let you down~

Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish) - 9 / 10 ( A )

A really well directed character drama about sexuality and unhealthy relationships… It’s definitely not for everybody, but it’s really well done!

art / animation:

Studio Lerche did a *really good* job with the visuals here! Definitely their best-looking anime yet!

the art style makes good use of muted colors and sketch-like outlines on characters; it makes everything look kind of like a watercolor painting!

they also do close-ups by overlaying a strip or square on top; sort of like a manga panel! (It’s definitely executed better here than in GATE :P )

the art direction in general is just really good… they know how to use lighting well, plus there’s good artistic / stylized scenes when characters are introspective~

as for animation, it’s nothing to write home about, but it gets the job done in the end~

they do sometimes use lower frame rates for artistic / stylistic effect though!

also shout-out to the awesome ED theme by Sayuri! I’d always want to sing along with it at the end of each episode (+ used really well as a transition!)

characters:

this cast is… quite the interesting bunch to say the least ^^;

the show’s english title is “Scum’s Wish”, so yeah, most of the main cast is pretty scummy in one way or another. The good news, though, is that it leads to really good *character development*! \o/

pretty much everybody got at least one focus episode, which is great!!! I love it when shows do that!!!

Hanabi is the main protagonist; she tends to keeps to herself, and is also snarky at times.

she goes through a pretty dark road over the course of the show, but comes to terms w/ herself and what she’s looking for by the end~

Mugi is kinda like Hanabi in some ways, but he can be quite forward at times, and also can get roped into bad situations.

he eventually comes to terms w/ his love situation as well, but it’s a bit of a rockier end for him :(

Akane… is definitely the “villain” of the show, and VERY easy to hate xD

she sleeps w/ guys all the time + plays mind-games w/ Hanabi + Mugi, but by the end, even she finds some happiness & change for the better through her new marriage~

Sanae is Hanabi’s best friend, and also a lesbian! Her personality is very headstrong and sassy at times.

she also starts going after Hanabi in her own way, in hopes of winning her heart… thankfully, the two eventually reconcile (even though it was messy by the end)

Noriko (aka Moca) is Mugi’s childhood friend, who still has feelings for him after so long…

she definitely has the least amount of screen time out of the main characters, but her focus episodes show another side of her character (+ her self-realization as well)

Kanai-san is Hanabi’s crush who falls in love w/ Akane… he doesn’t do much until closer to the end, during Akane’s focus episodes

There’s also Sanae’s cousin and that one womanizer dude, but they aren’t around much (but still have contributions to different character arcs)

story:

the premise on paper definitely will turn some people off, since it’s about two people “dating” each other since they can’t be in relationships w/ who they truly love

not to mention said people they’re in love with are probably 4+ years older than they are (& how Hanabi calls Kanai-san “big bro / onii-chan”… yeah :/ )

also there *are* sex scenes in this show (albeit no actual private parts are shown), and they can get steamy at times ^^;

so yeah, because of these things, this show is definitely *not* for everybody. I don’t blame you if these things’ll turn you off from this show…

that being said, even though this show is about messed-up people in messed-up relationships, it’s very well directed and executed!

they do a really good job of selling the emotion and subtle drama in each scene (including exploring characters’ mindsets really well!)

even though it’s a character drama, they still manage to pull off cliffhangers occasionally! You just want to find out where it’s gonna go from there!

each character arc wrapped up really nicely, and you can tell that they’ve bettered themselves by the end of the show

the final episode itself was great, too! it’s a little bit of a downer that Hanabi and Mugi go their separate ways, but it ties in with the ending quite well~

it also helps that the anime in general is a complete adaptation of the source material! we don’t get enough of those these days~

Overall, I really enjoyed this series, and is definitely one of my AOTS picks! If you like dramatic shows centered around romance, then this is a good one to check out!

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans S2 - 8.5 - 9.0 / 10 ( A- )

This was a really good second season and conclusion to IBO! Not to mention really sad & heartbreaking ;A;

art / animation:

Sunrise did a good job with visuals this season too! The quality is pretty much identical to last season (which is definitely a good thing!)

lots of muted & dark colors; really got the look of a gritty war-centered show down quite well~

Mars and Earth have distinct looks and feel to them too! (Mars has more dark, earth tones, Earth has brighter colors & more cool tones)

actions scenes are pretty good too; the mechas have good fluidity at times! (mostly Mika’s mech; the others have more stilted movements, since they’re, y’know, robots)

characters:

the Tekkadan crew’s back, and they’re still as likable as before~ (of course, this makes it even harder when each one dies ;~; )

Mika is as stone-faced and ready to kill as before… he does lose function of his leg and arm eventually (i think by the end of the 1st half) by using Barbatos too much

Orga becomes a bit different of a leader this season (as evidenced by his new suit!), as he commands from afar and has more negotiating talks w/ other factions

he wrestles w/ a lot of things happening around him, and what the best thing is to do at any given time… he goes through a lot ^^;

Takaki was previously just another guy in Tekkadan, but he got his own character arc during the season’s 1st half!

he had to lead a subsidiary group on Earth, which put him through a lot… in the end, he decides to leave Tekkadan so he can be helpful elsewhere & stay alive ;~;

there were a few new guys on Tekkadan at the start of the season, w/ the most notable being Hush

he wanted to catch up to Mikazuki, so he could be of more help, like his brother(?) that he admired ;~;

there’s some new faces in Gjallerhorn as well, w/ the most notable being Rustal Elion, Julietta, and Iok

Julietta seemed obsessed w/ doing anything Rustal wanted her to do, and Iok… got kind of annoying after a while (he just… wouldn’t… die!)

Iok’s eventual death was really satisfying though~

not to mention Rustal and Iok were responsible for a lot of terrible things that happened to Tekkadan this season (including literally killing them w/ hitmen >:( )

also Nobliss can just go and fuck off (and thankfully he died the most humiliating death imaginable)

I also gotta mention Gaelio, who wore a mask for most of the season (even though it was *really* obvious it was him) + helped stop McGillis

speaking of McGillis, he ramps up his plans this season and put his grand coup de tat into action

he’s more manipulative this season (involving the Bauduins & Tekkadan), but definitely fights to the bitter end (all by himself, even…)

story:

this season picks up not too long after where last season left off; Tekkadan is a more prominent organization alongside Taiwan & Gjallerhorn

their prior successes led to more people wanting to enter Tekkadan’s lifestyle, which wasn’t really what Tekkadan wanted :/

there’s a lot of political wheeling and dealing this season that was interesting to watch, but there’s no way I could remember all the details ^^;

this also applies to military strategy (mostly on Gjallerhorn’s end)

the first half’s main plot beats mostly composed of the Earth branch arc (centering around Takaki), and the Mobile Armor arc!

seeing the Mobile Armor(s) in action was pretty crazy (and scary…), and it took A LOT to take them down!

after that arc, I would’ve expected them to be more relevant in the 2nd half, but that didn’t really happen at all (asides from Dainsleif usage)

the second half sees McGillis’ coup and Tekkadan’s life to its conclusion; going up against the mighty Gjallerhorn, but falling short in the end…

*lots of characters die* during this half… and all of them are REALLY SAD (*especially* Lafter and Orga, who die by hitman gunfire)

each death scene is really effective, but Orga’s especially is SUCH A GOOD SCENE (he dies looking forward the whole time; even his blood moves forward ;~;7 )

I wish he didn’t die 2 episodes before the end, though… Mika & Orga should’ve been able to fight together at the end ;A;

almost every main character dies, including Mikazuki… Tekkadan dies w/ it, making the ending partially a tragedy

the finale has the end of the final fight + epilogue; the antagonists win in the end, but they work w/ Kudelia + others to help make a better world

it felt kind of weird for Gjallerhorn to change like that, considering the bad things they did? But whatever works, I guess :/

that being said, I liked seeing the surviving members of Tekkadan lead new lives, and Atra getting to takes care of her new son :’)

Overall, IBO was an emotional and action-packed ride from start to finish! I really enjoyed my first Gundam series~

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu S2 - 9 / 10 ( A )

one of my AOTY picks from 2016 strikes again with this great sequel & conclusion to the series!

art / animation by Studio Deen is very subdued and not very flashy (i.e. not much in motion, per se) but it still looks quite pretty

good use of muted colors (both pastel & dark), plus good use of soft shading!

backgrounds looked nice as well! the set pieces in general helped sell many scenes, both artistic & grounded ones~

also super shout-out to that awesome OP sequence! great scenes centering around Yakumo + unsettling music = MAGIC!!!

this season shifts back to modern(?) day, so we see much more of characters that we only saw in the 1st and last episodes of S1!

before we get to that though, let’s talk about Yakumo!!! what a great character / protagonist

he’s a stubborn old man on the outside, but a haunted soul on the inside, who can’t escape his past & the two main people in it

a lot of this show’s appeal was seeing how his story would progress (and finally, conclude)

we all wanted him to find his peace at his death (& even after it!)… it all worked out in the end ;~;

he’s complex in a lot of ways, which makes him interesting to watch for sure (especially after watching S1)

yet another mention to Akira Ishida totally rocking it in his performance; he does it all w/ this character!

Yotaro’s back!!! He’s such a chipper guy the whole way through, and he’s a joy to watch~

He can be very headstrong too, and can help force some sense into people!

The scene where he confronts the gang boss comes to mind

Another part I liked was the episode where he watched Sukeroku’s taped performance… I liked seeing how “into it” he was

He’s also very determined to keep rakugo alive into the future! He was a great foil to Yakumo in general :)

Konatsu is very short-tempered & snappy at times, but she has a caring heart deep down too~

I loved when she got to perform Jugemu!!! She was so happy getting to fulfill her dream! (She even did it again in the finale!)

Her becoming the first female rakugo performer in the end was another added bonus~

I have mixed feelings about her never learning the truth about her father (Sukeroku’s) death... There could’ve been some good character development to come from that, but at least she gets to keep a secret of her own in the finale :P

Speaking of that secret, her teasing about the possible identity of shinnosuke’s father in the finale… i don’t know how i feel about that :/

other supporting characters like Higuchi-san were enjoyable too, even if their contributions were more minor

I did like seeing Higuchi-san butt heads w/ Yakumo on multiple occasions over their viewpoints towards rakugo’s progression though! (It was intriguing drama :P)

I love characters staying relevant even in death, and Sukeroku (and Miyokichi to a lesser extent) are no exception

he’s a motivating factor for Yotaro, but is like a haunting ghost to Yakumo (which is a nice contrast~)

we got to see their development book-ended in episode 11 too~

I’m glad Matsuda-san got to see everything to the very end (including sending Yakumo off in the afterlife) :’)

As for the story, just like last season, this is a character drama first and foremost~

Unlike 3-gatsu no lion, however, there’s more of an overarching plot here (w/ Yakumo’s life story + how rakugo will survive past his death)

the plot was more enjoyable this time around, since we’re finally progressing the modern day timeline! This season picked up right where the 1st season’s finale left off~

it definitely can suck you in w/ its execution! Again, it’s very subdued / laid-back, but you can still sense the tension in the air during many scenes!

any scene involving Yakumo literally seeing things (or his run-ins with the shinigami) definitely grabbed & peaked my interest!

these scenes had a mysterious, almost supernatural vibe to them! It made them even more interesting to watch~

when red-eyed Sukeroku shows up in the OP, it can’t be good news… those cliffhangers were 2spoopy4me :P

I talk about Yakumo’s scenes a lot, but other characters like Yotaro had some really tense and heartwarming scenes at well!

I brought this up in the character section too, but scenes like Yotaro ranting to the gang boss, or Konatsu reciting Jugemu in front of the elementary school kids, were also great!

the transition to Yakumo’s final scene of life to death is kinda weird, but the scenes / episodes on both ends were really nice!

episode 11 was like a de-facto finale, as Yakumo (+ Sukeroku & Miyokichi) got to tie up loose ends in the afterlife, plus Yakumo got to do one last show to the dead crowd (+ Konatsu)~

the finale was a nice little epilogue showing both of Konatsu’s kids all grown up, and how rakugo will continue on~

This season was a great follow-up (& conclusion) to last season! This is definitely an AOTS pick for me (and possible AOTY pick… again ^^; ) If you’re looking for a great character-based historical drama, this is an easy recommendation for sure!

Tales of Zestiria the X S2 - 8.0 / 10 ( B )

this was a good second cour for ToZX! it had some good character focus stuff + action, and (will probably) conclude the story!

Note: This is based off the anime *only*, as I have not played the game(s).

art / animation still looks really nice, thanks to that Ufotable polish & magic~

The motion in action scenes were quite fluid, plus good special effects (i.e. fire, magic, etc.), which just makes it… really nice looking in general!

animation isn’t quite sakuga-tier, but it’s still more fluid than in most action anime!

it makes good use of muted colors (both warm & cool tones) as well, with nice backgrounds to boot!

plus the characters are drawn / rendered quite well~ (the CGI isn’t too bad either (i.e. dragons), aside from distance shots of people moving)

In terms of character development, Rose was definitely a main focus this season (in comparison to Alisha last season)

hell, most of the plot for the show’s first half (or more) was driven by her character arc!

we really get to see Rose change her mentality for the better, plus learn more about her past and explore her bond w/ Dezel!

speaking of Dezel, he ended up being a really entertaining guy himself (plus a good partner in crime for Rose~)

he had good development as well (along w/ his personality that grew on me over time), making it even sadder when he dies in episode 23 ;~;

Alisha doesn’t have as much screen time during that first half or so, but she definitely has her contributions in the second half~

she even gets her own armitization forms, which apparently weren’t in the games! \o/

During Rose’s character / story arc, Sorey had a good clash of ideals w/ Rose, which was interesting to see

It helped give him a new perspective, even if it didn’t change his ideals much in the end

Oh yeah, Zaveid *finally* came back and became a full-on party member this season! He’s still a cool fighter guy w/o a shirt :P

even then, he didn’t come in until the second half, but he definitely forged some bonds with Dezel (and Alisha too, I think?)

As for everyone else (including supporting cast), they were fine! No major developments, necessarily, but still good to have around

Story time! Like I said in the character section, Rose’s character arc was kind of a story arc in itself, taking up slightly more than the first half!

Even though the “main plot” was in the backseat, I still enjoyed this arc and finally learning about Rose (who we didn’t know much about during S1)

plus it had a tense climax w/ Rose trying to kill the man from her past… it ended sorta anticlimactically, but it wrapped things up regardless

The second half was definitely more skewed towards the main story, since there was the dragon in Ladylake(?), plus the final battle stuff itself

I almost forgot, there’s more Berseria references this time! Thankfully not full episodes this time, but just references for world-building

it sounds like these references though are from endgame stuff, meaning friends of mine playing Berseria had to stop watching to avoid spoilers…

I will say that this show does “the calm before the storm” pretty well, for the most part! Good character interactions + lead-up confrontations

also, considering Sorey is all about purifying everything, it’s fitting we get backstory for the final boss himself in ep. 24

As for the finale… as of when I’m writing this, the final episode hasn’t aired yet, and won’t for another month or so. So all we have for now is ep. 24 as a pseudo-finale...

That episode though was pretty good! It felt like a proper penultimate episode (i.e. the first part of the final fight), ending right on Sorey’s big power-up!

I have good reason to believe that the finale, when it comes out, will have a good sense of conclusion, so I’m not too worried~

I may update this review after that episode comes out, but time will tell if I get around to it ^^;

Overall, ToZX is a very solid fantasy action series! It doesn’t break much new ground, but its execution makes up for it to make an enjoyable experience~

Youjo Senki (Saga of Tanya the Evil) - 7.5 - 8.0 / 10 (C+ / B- )

An enjoyable (and popular!) military action show which centers around a basically evil protagonist! It had some interesting elements to it, but there wasn’t enough of them to go above “meh” status for me :/

art / animation:

Studio NUT is a brand new studio, and this was not a bad first outing for them at all in this department!

the dark and muted color palette helps to realize this war-torn alternate world, along w/ this show’s darker tone

this setting is very heavily inspired by WWI / WWII… *insert Nazi comparison here* (it takes place closer to WWI years, though)

the characters themselves are rendered w/ a slight lean towards realism, but still have cartoonish elements to them

the former characteristic is most notable in the male designs, and the latter is definitely noticeable in the female designs (i.e. big eyes, “pouty” lips, etc.)

animation-wise, it’s nothing to write home about, for the most part.

there were a couple nicely-animated action sequences (w/ the best one being in ep. 11), but other that that, it was mostly standard fare

the CGI, though, is not very good… you don’t see it much, though, so that’s good at least

characters:

sure, there’s a decent sized cast here, but there’s really only one character worth mentioning specifically... and that, of course, is Tanya herself.

she’s ruthless, brutal, heartless, and willing to sacrifice her own to reach her goals… no wonder she’s called “Tanya the Evil!”

her personality (& the idea of the protagonist basically being a VILLAIN) is definitely one reason why this show became popular this season

her backstory adds an interesting layer to the mix too, as she was a heartless company owner in her past life! (plus she retains her memories from said life)

seeing what actions she would take next (or how she’d react to certain situations) was a big appeal for this show too

not to mention she has to “pray” to the very thing she hates in order to launch attacks w/ her gun >:3

oh yeah, I liked Serebryakova, the girl who was Tanya’s right hand girl!

Her cheery personality was a good foil for Tanya’s, plus she’s voiced by Saori Hayami~

there’s also those military officers / strategists, I guess

aside from Erich, who had the most suspicions about Tanya, the others just felt like… generic military guys :/

story:

the premise sets up Tanya, an evil corporate boss in her past life, in a war-torn world where she must fight in the military!

it’s all about Tanya trying to get revenge against God / “Being X”, and dis-prove its existence…!

this battle of ideals / wits was the most interesting of the show for me; my interest went up whenever Being X (or anything related) showed up

Being X not having a set form, and only showing up through possession of other things / people was a cool concept too!

however, I felt like we didn’t see enough of this aspect in the show… so it felt like a generic military show, most of the time :/

any plot points that didn’t relate to the Being X overarching plot (or Tanya herself) didn’t really grab my interest… the military stuff was kinda boring, in that regard

episode 11 was my favorite episode, as it had Tanya duking it out w/ the guy she seemingly killed earlier (plus he had Being X powers!)

I felt like that fight was too short for the buildup we had for it, though… it was a good fight, though!

the finale was definitely more quiet and reflective, but also was pretty open-ended.

Overall, I had a good time with this show; there were interesting ideas in here for sure, but they didn’t get as much focus / screentime as I would’ve liked… That being said, I can see why this show became quite popular! If you like military shows (or shows w/ evil protagonists), give the first 2 episodes a shot and see for yourself~

I also will be writing a Final Impressions post for Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, which also finished this season! I’ll update this post with the link when it’s done~

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