#In which I gush over this scene in Promare

[meeko-mar]

Ok, I hate to be the person in the corner screaming about Promare relating to MHA and even BKDK again, but, I can't help thinking here----

(spoilers below cut of Promare(Studio Trigger)

OK so it's being said that due to the 2nd's Gear Shift Quirk, Izuku could soon start feeling some heavy consequences of its use, including NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATHE, which, everyone is thinking could be a death flag maybe? At the very least, it would be a huge problem. Especially since Shigaraki isn't KO'd yet and AFO himself is on the way, no doubt to fuck everything up for the Heroes even more(and likely target Izuku and even Katsuki)

Obviously, grain of salt since the chapter isn't officially out yet, and we don't exactly know all the details of what this means.

BUT OK going on this not being able to breathe thing, Remember how in Promare, (SPOILERS, and forgive me I'm a bit rusty on all details) Lio nearly dies at the end, having used all his flame, but Galo, having seen earlier in the film how to revive a Burnish with a Kiss of life--Specifically Breathing their flame into the mouth of the other, does so for Lio.

(I didn't even use the best/most iconic shot of this moment bc I highly recommend you see it for yourself if you haven't and have decided to read my post anyway--)

It's a Burnish version of CPR but the one between Galo and Lio is treated very tenderly, like a kiss...I'm serious; the scene is slowed down, multiple shots, lighting is immaculate, Galo's tilting of Lio's chin, as shown above is JUST SO GENTLE... Paired with all the tension between these two leading up to this point, this READS LIKE A ROMANCE AND A KISS. (also this is either here nor there, but there's also an instance of what many call Straight-baiting XD)

But do we see where I'm going here?

So, Izuku pushes himself all the way to the brink, and stops being able to breathe as a consequence. The tides turn in ShigAFO's favor as Izuku loses the ability to keep up the fight. Katsuki comes to and pieces together what he's missed while being dazed and confused. Finds that Izuku has been fighting but is not reaching victory, and even worse, is now on the ropes; his time limit is spent. His body is breaking down.

He can't breathe.

And while a lot of them looking on don't know the whys or the details; it's obvious that Izuku is dying, suffocating.

Katsuki, knowing that OFA is a cursed power, can put enough of the puzzle together to know that this is a Quirk that is killing him.

He becomes involved again. He can't stay back anymore. HE IGNITES. He jumps in against everyone's advisements, rockets to Izuku, fights Shig and/or AFO off if he has to.

He hopes it's not too late as he presses his lips to Izuku's, he breathes for him.

Obviously this is a BKDK pipe dream and I know it will not occur but it was a brainworm nonetheless XD I'm sorry/not sorry, I saw Promare and that kiss of life won't leave my brain. It's such a beautiful movie.

Bonus, this is also how the two characters in Promare START:

I--I'm just saying.

The AU writes itself and Lio reads like a Vigilante Hero Deku. Galo is the fire fighter with the Burning soul and wants to burn brightest, I mean, if that is not BAKUGOU...

#Bakudeku #this is only for BKDKs if you don't like move on #i don't wanna hear it #Promare #In which I gush over this scene in Promare #in which I take the whole bit about Izuku potentially not being able to breathe and RUN WITH IT #a fun little what if #ngl this would make a great AU for them they fit so well #even as rivals galo and Lio have no personal space #they are rivals to lovers XD

[4ragon]

1 and 6 for the fic ask game?

1. which of your fics is your favorite? why?

Oh no don't make me choose from my children.

I think every fic has its own special place in my heart, my own fond memories associated with it. You could point to any fic of mine and I'd probably have something to gush over. I guess if I had to limit myself a little bit, I'd say I tend to have the most fun writing longfics, because usually if I've committed myself to something that long, it means I'm really in love with the fic.

6. pick one of your fics and tell us about a "deleted scene" from it.

Kjsdghjkf all of you want deleted scenes that's so funny uh

Okay, so in my Promare fic, I've had to rewrite and restructure so many things, I think half of the fic has hit the cutting room floor at some point. Hell, I almost didn't continue past that first part because I hated my original chapter 2 so much, until I decided to just delete it outright and post chapter 3 as chapter 2 and move on. The whole thing was just about their first day at the Parnassus cleanup, and Lio sort of taking stock of the rest of Burning Rescue (which I tried to weave in later in a way that felt natural).

I think I'm glad I got rid of it, because I never would've continued the fic otherwise, but there were a few parts I genuinely loved. Lio and Galo had a whole conversation about Lio destroying half the city as a dragon, and it did give me Emotions.

(I have other examples from this fic, but I think I could still put them in later.)

#j

[theliterarywolf]

2019′s Animation Hidden Gems

So, another year has come and gone. And, in regards to animated content, we had a sizable smorgasboard of offerings both on the mainstream end and the Indie scene. 

I figured I would go over some of the ones that caught my eye that I don’t see many people talking about or, if they are talking about them, they’re focusing on shitty e-drama rather than the content in of itself. 

So, let’s begin!

... Just going to use a ‘Read More’ break due to the length of this post as well as spoilers for certain things within.

Tuca and Bertie

So, we’re just going to acknowledge the fact that Netflix’s cancellation of this show before it even had the chance to hit its stride (which coincidentally timed in with the team behind it, the same team behind Bojack Horseman, getting the rights to unionize -- but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence~) was one of the shittiest things they did this year, right? Right. 

Anyway, Tuca and Bertie was one of those shows that, while it took me a good few days to finally watch it (due mostly to Netflix burying this show underneath those damn Ted Bundy movies and that fucking Beyonce concert/documentary/what-the-fuck-ever), was definitely a front-runner for adult-centered animation this year. 

While the wacky animation styles can sometimes throw initial viewers off, by the time the series is halfway through you’re fully engrossed in how it helps to tell the stories this show wants to focus on. 

While, yes, the show was a little heavy-handed in one of the early episodes about women in the workplace (that whole scene of Tuca screaming obnoxiously in the board-meeting to signal that no woman had spoken in 30 minutes was kind of grating even though the message is sound), the series as a whole is a great change of pace in regards to having adult animation centered on/aimed towards women. The characters work great together, the sound design works wonders, and Netflix cancelling this show despite they themselves not promoting it is such a damn crime. 

My personal favorite part/episode: While the episode “The Jelly Lakes” was a great, poignant display of showing Bertie opening up about her past trauma and sexual abuse, the episode that I always resonate with during rewatches of this series is “Plumage”. The way that it tackles not only reconciling with addiction but emotional/psychological abuse and how it often comes from sources that are on the outside beneficial hits so close to home. The fact that it was handled with tact and respect while still being in this wacky world of talking bird-people was amazing. 

Sound and Fury

I... am just going to come out and admit it, my brain still hasn’t 100% wrapped around the ‘what does it MEAN?!?!’ aspect of this animated album but, damn it all, is it a feast for the ears and eyes. 

I honestly can’t talk about it too much because half the enjoyment comes from watching it for yourself.

My personal favorite part/episode: I can’t quite remember what the song’s name was, but visually it was the section that focused on the homeless veteran basically being left outside to die while the city is about to be decimated by a nuclear bomb. The fact that the segment shows everything, right down to how the cat he tries to rescue agonizingly burns to death when the bomb hits, has stuck with me.

Love, Death + Robots

Well, you guys didn’t think I was going to let 2019 pass without me gushing about one of my favorite animation anthologies of the year, did you? 

Seriously, I am so glad that Netflix has greenlit a second volume for this project because it really is the type of stuff I like to see: collections of vastly different stories using different mediums and styles. 

While two of the entries aren’t as strong as the others (”The Witness” and “Ice Age” freaking suck, don’t @ me), the bulk of the anthology is immensely strong and well-executed and no amount of people whinging about ‘myeh, it’s too sex-filled and violent~’ is going to ruin that. 

My personal favorite part/episode: The segment “Suits” still takes my award for best in show, but I still like the series potential of “Shapeshifters” and the attempt at cosmic horror in “Beyond the Aquila Rift”. 

Satellite City

I hate, hate, HATE that my initial exposure to Sam Fennah’s creative world, much like other people’s first exposure, was via that DAMN Nostalgia Critic review for The Wall!

But, in all seriousness, Fennah’s web-series as well as the book that he’s been working on are so excellently crafted. 

The character design: I’ve gushed so much about the character design that doing so again here would be a crime. But it really is wonderful seeing monster designs that think ‘monstrous’ first and ‘marketability’ second. 

The voice acting: everyone in here does an exceptional job with their performances and giving life to not only the characters but the world surrounding them. Seriously, they’re all amazing and I can only hope that their talents are showcased in other projects. 

The animation: the fact that it’s all done and rigged by one person is awe-inspiring enough but the way that Fennah works to make sure that the characters don’t stick out too much from their real-world sets is incredible. 

The writing: It would be so easy for a series like this to stick to wacky hijinks, violence, and toilet-humor, but no. We have excellently crafted, mature dialogue, we have incorporated world-building that doesn’t rely on exposition dumps, we have diction that rivals some of the commercial hyper-hits of the current year.

Seriously, I wish that more people watched this series; it’s so good..!

My personal favorite part/episode: This relies on some spoilers, but I have to talk about what I think the highlight of the series. While the episode “Slice of Life” gives a good display of the core cast in a day-to-day setting with Lucy Lacemaker giving an incredible monologue about the nature of life and immortality at the end, no where else does the work behind the craft of Satellite City shine more...

Than in Episode 20 - “The Order of Things”. Satellite City centers around the Kivouachians, a species of unworldly creatures who have been around for billions of years but, due to war and betrayal, lost their homeland and have been scattered across the Earth. 

During this war, many died, many were punished, many were tortured, and many were left to deal with horrific trauma and PTSD. 

While this episode has the connecting tissue of informing others that the series’ antagonist has escaped her prison, it also centers upon the heavy issue of destructive, toxic relationships and how people can let themselves waste away and decay just because they can’t find it in themselves to let go of something that may ‘make them happy’. 

We also get a dialogue from Lucy Lacemaker about the nature of art and imitation, but it’s simply the cherry on top of the sundae that the prior themes build up. 

... Seriously, j-just go watch the show; put has-been critics out of your minds and just go appreciate this series for what it is.

Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss/Holidaze

God, I can only be in awe of and respect Vivienne for getting to the point that she has gotten to. Two well-received animated pilots, an adorable holiday special, industry ties, and a portfolio that surely can fill two phone books at this point. 

Seriously, though, Hazbin Hotel is great: an adult animated show with an interesting art style, engaging characters, and a world that I really want to see more of. 

Helluva Boss is great too! That show has a more intimate cast and less insanity so if the barrage of visuals in the prior turned you off, then the latter would probably be more your cup of tea. 

Finally, Holidaze is fucking adorable. It boggles my mind that people were getting upset at this special for coming out and doing something different when most complaints against HH and HB were ‘ugh, she really can’t do anything aside from “offensive people in hell are offensive because HELL, lol”’. Well, here you go! Something wholesome and cute and heartwarming!

Some people just want to bitch and moan, I swear...

My personal favorite part/episode: See, here’s where it gets tricky. I love the feeling I get from Holidaze. I love the characters from Hazbin Hotel. I love the setting/premise of Helluva Boss. 

But I wouldn’t want all of those things crammed together. 

So, all in all, VivziePop and her colleagues have done an amazing job with these shorts and I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for them.

Dororo (2019)

Look, man! I get it, okay?! When it comes to anime where the main character in a feudal-era Japan setting goes around killing demons, everyone and their grandma was gushing over Demon Slayer. 

And, you know what? Demon Slayer is a good show; it has really good animation and Nezuko is best girl. 

... But fuck ALL OF YOU who slept on Dororo (2019), man! I get it, Amazon having the streaming rights to it made it all sorts of awful to try and keep up with, but even so this show was way too ignored by people.

Which is a damn shame because in regards to revamping classic anime IPs, this is right up there in ‘damn, they actually did a good job’ along with Casshern Sins and Devilman Crybaby.

My personal favorite part/episode:

... Have I mentioned that the theme song for this show is an absolute BANGER?!

That’s all I have for now. I still have yet to watch things like Klaus and I Lost My Body, and I was unfortunately unable to watch Promare due to not having the funds for it when it was in theaters, and -- Oh my fucking GOD, I’m just now finding out that Netflix has Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie after trying to find a way to legally watch it for ages. 

But I hope that I was able to introduce some of you to some animated pieces that got a little overshadowed this year. 

Here’s hoping for more amazing stuff to grace our eyes in 2020!

#animation #art #cartoons #anime #web series #film

[skirmiche]

1600 words on Promare’s motifs

I almost didn’t want to go see Promare because I actually have very little anime background knowledge (I have been told the shows I’ve seen are “very normie”) and most of what I do know is through cultural osmosis and secondhand references. But uhhh actually I fucking loved it and have now seen it four times and counting in theaters (it’s been a long year and I need the happy brain chemicals, don’t judge me). 

I’m going to try and keep this from just turning into a bunch of gushing but one thing I really fucking loved was the attention to detail.  As someone who both creates & enjoys stories/media that are often dismissed as worthless compared to *pushes glasses up nose* literary fiction, I really appreciate it when media/stories that are looked at as lazy/mindless/trash have a lot of thought, craft, & care put into them. Promare is absoluuutely an over-the-top anime that has a lot of tropes but also walks this really fine line of being self-aware of the space it exists in and the story it’s telling, without being cynical about it, and that shows in all the details. (Also, that’s a really hard tone to pull off! mad respect)

So here’s some of the details I noticed on my maybe-too-many viewings (tons of spoilers ahead!):  

The soundtrack: 

Inferno/Promare theme

The first lyrics of the soundtrack (in “Inferno”) are: 

Trails of fire

You always knew

They would carry me home

They'd lead me to you

Trails of fire

You always knew

They would carry me home

They'd lead me to you

*takes deep breath* GAYYYYY

Okay but no seriously: the opening song and scenes of a movie (or story, or w/e) are most often used to set up the themes that are the focus of the story. Those lyrics are literally the first lyrics we hear after the prelude setting up the Burnished & their existence and the lyrics/backing music behind the lyrics are repeated as a motif throughout the movie/soundtrack. 

A few things I noticed when trying to pay closer attention to how the songs sync with the story — Inferno is played during these scenes: 

It cuts straight to the “lead me to you” line as the firefighters drive into the fire during the first scene (I think, I know there’s one point where it cuts right to that line very obviously but uh my notes have some issues here as you can see above) (yes I took notes in the theater, hush. I didn’t use my phone light and we were two of three people in the entire room ok)

It goes in & out during the dragon!Lio fight (see below)

Starts right after Lio makes the matoi during the Lion de Galo fight scene

Plays when Galo is launched into Parnassus to get Lio 

Plays when Galo & Lio launch in the pod the final time (to leave Parnassus/create Galo de Lion)

*whispers* gayyyy

Other songs: 

Nexus also has some choice lyrics:

So spend some time with me

I really like your company

We're not so different

Flip the coin it doesn't matter

And if we don't survive

I'd rather die than live a lie

The “rather die than live a lie” line echoes back to what Lio says in the cave — about how the Burnished can’t not burn things, about how naive it is to think that if they just acted “normal enough” they’d be treated fine. (Which is, you know, a big queer mood and also directly reinforced by what we see on screen with the pizza guy.) (Also, “Nexus” means “connection or link.”) The two main scenes I have in my notes that it features in are during the very first fight scene (as Galo pulls out the matoi costume), and then it starts again during the first round of the Deus X/Lio de Galon fight. 

Kakusei is Lio’s theme and plays for Mad Burnish’s first appearance (starting when they all pose) and during Lio’s dragon transformation/fight scene. The dragon fight scene in particular cuts back and forth between Lio’s theme & the main theme — the theme/Inferno starts to play as Galo goes off to find dragon!Lio, then it goes back to Superfly, then it goes back to theme/Inferno right as Galo thwacks dragon!Lio upside the head. I don’t know how accurate that translation is but: 

The black sky is appearing

The repeating thunder pulses

Before the storm begins

I will cast that spell on you

I will resuscitate

Your lovely heart

Throw off that body

Now it's time for you to return to me

asdfklajsdf;klj every single goddamn song on this soundtrack is so EXTRA and GAY (also love to cut back and forth between a song that has those lines & a song that starts with “they’d carry me home, they’d lead me to you”)

Gallant Ones plays starting in the CPR/kiss scene right before Galo pops Kray in the face and the “oxygen to breathe again” line plays right after the kiss. I cannot think of anything to add here except that this song is also a fuckin banger, just like everything else on the soundtrack. 

(these notes might not be complete, I did the best I could! open to additions)

Visual motifs: 

The two most obvious visual motifs in the movie are the triangle (the Burnished) and the square (associated with “normal” society). Both of them start out being shown as hot pink, but the symbols show up throughout the film whether they’re in the super stylized hot-pink version or not. 

Depending on who’s the focus of the scene/who’s POV the scene is from, the lens flare changes shape to match these motifs. The first time the triangle lens flare is used is when the Burnished settlement is attacked, and the lens flares alternate between triangles and squares depending on who the visual focus is. 

The triangle is interesting — it’s sometimes shown upright, sometimes inverted. There’s clear historical significance there: the inverted pink triangle (in a very similar shade) was used to label homosexual men in Nazi concentration camps and was later reclaimed as a symbol for queer liberation movements. I haven’t been able to find any sources of the creators talking about whether that’s a factor in the visuals here, but like??? no way that’s a coincidence. 

The rectangle/square is p obvious, given that it’s shown next to “normal” people — boxes we put people in or expect them to stay in, constraints of normal society, etc. They show up in mundane or even positive ways (cubic storage for the firefighter mechs, the opening shot with the tops of the buildings, etc.)  but they’re also a recurring motif around Kray — the cube he uses to get around his big evil bunker, his building/bridge design, etc. The prisons that Kray uses are also all cubic in shape. I also noticed that a lot of the elements in or around Kray combine squares and triangles (specifically triangles inside squares) — cues that Kray is a Burnished doing his best to fit into the box of a “normal” person and use that to gain power?

The third visual motif, I didn’t notice until the second or third time: orbs/circles. (After I noticed this, I felt like a real doofus, because the opening animation is a writhing triangle being squashed/confined by a rectangle, that then turns into a circle. Very subtle, good lookin out, self) 

Outside of showcasing the Burnish torture wheels, the circle/orbs don’t really start to show up until later in the movie. There’s a lingering shot between Heris & Aina around the beginning of Act III that has the sun in the background, and the dragon-fire fight scene (the focus on the dragon eye and the circle that Lio burns when Galo crash-lands into it/him). When Lio, Galo, & Aina stumble into the underground lab/bunker of Deus Prometh, they become more obvious. The crew is surrounded by orbs (which are themselves covered in circles) that display pictures from the past as Deus explains what’s going on. 

Deus is a character whose science was focused on sustainability — he wanted to learn how to coexist with the Burnished and their powers, instead of crushing them. His biggest invention was intended to be symbiotic with Burnished power, instead of draining them. That focus on sustainability and co-existence wound up being his downfall (via Kray, the asshole square, who killed him to bury it and took credit for the other inventions — including that ice-cube-gun, more cubes/squares). 

However, he gets to close the loop (as it were) via his AI self passing on the symbiotic engine (the Promare) to Galo & Lio. The Deus X Machina (big round of applause for that hilariously self-aware name) also has features a rounded design overall and lots circles in its design (even if it’s not super cool, as Galo points out). 

After that, the other places that orbs/circles show up include both the circular engine that Kray puts Lio in (and then that Lio and Galo get in together), and the shot from space of all the planets (including the sun being consumed by hot-pink energy with the triangle motif). 

This one might be a stretch, but I also wondered if there was some intentional associating with the acts of the story that correspond roughly to the symbols/their in-story meanings: 

Squares/rectangles are most obvious in Act I (which is the part of the story when we’re being shown how things are and why that must change)

Triangles (incl the first and I think only instance of the triangle lens flare) are featured prominently in Act II (which is when we’re being shown why things need to change/how bad they are and moving towards the climax) 

Orbs/circles are most obvious in the third act (where we’re wrapping things up and ending the story), and the last shot is the only one that uses circle lens flares in the entire movie

OKAY, that’s everything I noticed; I probably missed things but omfg I love this movie and I love the effort that went into these details. Also if you liked this go read this thread about matoi symbolism!

#promare spoilers #promare spoiler #I would both murder and die for Galo and Lio #also aesthetically this movie is just so fucking good and I already want to watch it again #things I wrote #promare