#and the MUCH more accessible drama version is ironically impossible to find | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

homeformyheart · 3 years

Text

maybe the world could be ours - simon montjoy x mc (avsp)

author’s note: i am reposting this due to blog access issues. this story takes place in the middle of chapter 13 of a very scandalous proposal. there aren’t any real plot or story spoilers in this fic, but if you want to be extra cautious not to be exposed to any part of avsp before you read it, then i recommend you ignore this. originally planned as a multi-part fic but we’ll see.

**i also recommend you listen to the song “rewrite the stars” (even better if you watch the scene from the movie - link included below - or have seen the movie) to better get into the emotional mindset of the story.

copyright: all characters are owned by pixelberry studios. song/lyrics are from “the greatest showman” soundtrack, performed by zac efron and zendaya. i do not own any of the above. series/pairing: a very scandalous proposal - simon montjoy x mc (sophie macdonald) rating/warnings: 13+; no warnings word count: 2.1k w/lyrics and 1.8k without based on/prompt: “rewrite the stars” from the greatest showman, performed by zac efron and zendaya summary: sophie needs a break from all the stress, drama, criticism, and investigating and turns to her first love and passion, music and songwriting.

maybe the world could be ours

sophie knew she was supposed to go to the blythe suite and search around for clues but at the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to open the door. she clenched and unclenched her fists, stretching her fingers out, hoping to release some of the tension she was feeling. sophie could feel an itch she hadn’t felt since coming to London, and knew she needed to let off some steam soon. i wonder if anyone will be near the ballroom, she wondered, biting her lower lip in thought. considering simon was still talking to his grandparents in the downstairs parlor, sophie decided to take a chance and walk back towards the kitchens that connected to the ballroom.

she took a deep breath and pushed open the first set of large double doors, closing them as quietly as possible behind her. she quickly checked that all the other doors, including those for the balcony were closed before seating herself at the grand piano in the far corner of the room. it’s been too long since i’ve played… i should’ve brought my guitar with me, she thought wistfully as her fingers hovered over the ivory keys, slightly twitching of their own accord. sophie closed her eyes as her fingers finally pressed down, a melodic note echoing softly in the empty ballroom.

eyes still closed, sophie ran a few chords on the perfectly tuned piano and a small smile began to tug at her lips. her passion for writing wasn’t always solely focused on journalism or nonfiction; as much as she loved pursuing the truth and telling stories as objectively as any human being possibly could, music was her first love. when the truth seemed out of reach or when her emotions threatened to overflow, music helped her process it all and she found she was calmer and more objective on the other side. she knew exactly which song would help her channel her feelings and found the composition on her phone and began playing the opening chords.

sophie could feel the prickling of tears behind her closed eyelids, hear the voices from the engagement party and the gala, see the accusatory and judging stares that she tried so hard to ignore all come flooding back. thoughts of “you’ll never be enough for them, for him,” “you don’t belong in his world and you never will,” and “you have nothing to offer him” kept running rampant in her mind as the pre-recorded male vocals on her phone started singing.

you know i want you it’s not a secret i try to hide i know you want me so don’t keep saying our hands are tied you claim it’s not in the cards but fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me but you’re here in my heart so who can stop me if I decide that you’re my destiny?

simon knocked on the door to the blythe suite, running his hand through his hair. he was beyond tired, emotionally rather than physically, and wanted to see sophie. if he were being honest with himself, which he was a little afraid to be, it was more of a need to see her than want. there was something about her that made him feel safe and at peace, a feeling he almost didn’t recognize, since the last time he felt this safe was with his parents. he knocked again and pressed his ear closer to the door. “darling, are you in there?” the term of endearment rolled off his tongue effortlessly and he almost started wondering to himself if he wanted it to be true and real.

the tears started to spill, one by one as sophie continued to play the piano melody in time with her phone. this was a song she wrote with her high school boyfriend; ironically, the situation had been reversed at the time – he was from the “wrong” side of town and her parents made it clear that she didn’t belong with him. it didn’t stop them from dating and writing songs together anyway, until sophie went off to college. but now, she was of the “wrong sort” and it wouldn’t matter if she was starting to have real feelings for simon – he would become a duke and inherit the estate and their arrangement would be over. sophie would go back to new york once the book was published and never see him again.

what if we rewrite the stars? say you were made to be mine nothing could keep us apart you’d be the one i was meant to find it’s up to you, and it’s up to me no one can say what we get to be so why don’t we rewrite the stars? maybe the world could be ours tonight

where could she have gone? simon wondered, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion. he went back downstairs toward the dining room; noting it was empty, he crossed through the room quickly toward the kitchens when he heard it. is that… music? it had been decades since he heard piano music outside of a ball or a party and there was only one grand piano that could be heard from the kitchens. as the approached the ballroom, he could make out that someone was singing and harmonizing with the beautiful melody. he quietly opened the doors just wide enough to glance down the large room at the singer playing the piano in the corner.

sophie took a breath, trying to will the tears to stop so her voice wouldn’t tremble as she prepared to join in on the second verse. she couldn’t help thinking about the gala and all the hurtful glares and remarks, even if she wasn’t a social climber, she was guilty of using simon’s position to further her career. in some way, all of her critics were right.

you think it’s easy you think i don’t want to run to you but there are mountains and there are doors that we can’t walk through i know you’re wondering why because we’re able to be just you and me within these walls but when we go outside you’re going to wake up and see that it was hopeless after all

sophie? she was angled in a way that he could barely see her profile, but he knew it was her. what he didn’t know was what a hauntingly beautiful singing voice she had. he couldn’t help but open the door a little wider so he could take her in. her eyes were closed but the passion on her face was as obvious as daylight as was whatever pain she was feeling in the moment. she is radiant, he thought warmly. he closed his eyes as well so he could listen closely to the lyrics.

when it was just the two of them, it was easy to forget the rules of the aristocracy and the judgments that came part and parcel with titles and secrets. if only they could live in the hopeful peace they felt the day they shared at the children’s center. she would do anything to see that version of simon all the time. the realization that she was falling hard for simon, and fast, was starting to feel suffocating. sophie took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut to keep her tears at bay, with the prickling pain hitting the back of her eyes over and over again.

no one can rewrite the stars how can you say you’ll be mine? everything keeps us apart and i'm not the one you were meant to find it’s not up to you it’s not up to me when everyone tells us what we can be how can we rewrite the stars? say that the world can be ours tonight

the male vocals started up again from her phone and sophie harmonized effortlessly, making simon feel as though he truly was observing a duet. he stepped further into the ballroom, making sure the door closed quietly behind him. in her mind, she was dancing and swaying while singing with her friends around a bonfire at the beach. back when things were a little simpler and she wasn’t falling in love with someone who was from a world that felt impossible to wrap her head around.

all i want is to fly with you all i want is to fall with you so just give me all of you

it feels impossible (it's not impossible) is it impossible? say that it’s possible

sophie stopped singing and stared incredulously at the blue-eyed brit standing ten feet away from her. no, please no, anyone but him, she thought desperately, taking in the sight of someone who was simultaneously the last as well as the only person she wanted to see. she wasn’t ready to share this part of her with him… outside of her family, nigel was the only one who had some knowledge of her passions (and it was limited to the fact that she could sing). muscle memory found her fingers continuing to play as she swallowed hard. the male vocals from her phone sang the last rendition of the chorus but she barely heard a word. she couldn’t tear her eyes away from simon’s ocean blue eyes that were looking at her with a softness she wasn’t expecting.

simon opened his eyes when he realized sophie had stopped singing and was staring at him, with a look of shock and anguish on her face. he felt a little guilty that he snuck into what seemed like a private moment, but he couldn’t help himself. there was so much he didn’t know about sophie, and he wanted to learn all he could. simon took a breath and tried to convey his support in his eyes, all he wanted was to hear her sing again.

how do we rewrite the stars? say you were made to be mine? nothing can keep us apart ‘cause you are the one i was meant to find it’s up to you and it’s up to me no one can say what we get to be and why don’t we rewrite the stars? changing the world to be ours

sophie blinked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things - simon was looking at her in a way that she could only describe as adoringly, and she felt a blush rising on her cheeks. she wanted to pretend simon wasn’t there so she could comfortably finish the song, humming along with the end of the chorus as her fingers continued to expertly dance across the piano keys, slowing as the melody wound down. she felt calmer, as though she had finally spent the emotional energy that had been tormenting her over the last few weeks, clouding her judgment. her heart didn’t feel as clouded and heavy and she looked up from her hands at simon as she sang the last verse, trying to convey her feelings through the lyrics.

you know i want you it’s not a secret i try to hide but i can’t have you we’re bound to break and my hands are tied

as the song ended, simon took a hesitant step toward the piano, his eyes never leaving sophie’s face. sophie felt her heart race and tore her gaze away. she could feel herself start to panic at the thought of having to explain her music or her feelings to simon. she started fiddling with her phone, scrolling through the compositions she saved for other songs as simon slowly approached the piano.

“that was beautiful, sophie. i didn’t know you played,” simon said softly.

sophie took a deep breath and brought her gaze up to his. “there’s a lot that you don’t know about me. and this is something i don’t like to share with anyone.”

simon drummed his fingers on top of the piano, looking thoughtfully. “you don’t have to explain yourself to me and i’m sorry if i intruded. your voice was so captivating, i couldn’t help myself. i hope one day you’ll trust me enough to share more with me. and i do want to learn more about you, it’s just things have been a bit…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words.

“hectic? crazy? awkward?” sophie chimed in, the corner of her lips hinting at a smile.

simon laughed. “all of the above. but hopefully soon, when this dies down, we can…” he trailed off again as he looked at her smile and hazel eyes that were still twinkling from laughter. his gaze softened as he continued, “share more with each other.”

sophie blushed and looked shyly down at the hands in her lap. “i’d like that,” she replied.

#choices fic writers creations #choices vip #a very scandalous proposal #my writing #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfiction #choices fanfics #simon montjoy #simon montjoy x mc #choices #playchoices #pb choices #not twc #reposting for new blog #my choices fics

11 notes · View notes

scoutception · 3 years

Text

Never7 -the end of infinity- review

Kotaro Uchikoshi holds the title of being one of the most magnificently insane writers in Japan, which is saying something. He’s most famous for the Zero Escape trilogy, an innovative mix of escape-the-room puzzles and normal visual novel story sequences, and the much more recent AI: The Somnium Files, a more standard, yet equally memorable detective drama, which I actually wrote a full review on right here. Though, all things considered, “famous” would be a bit of an overstatement, as these games are very much cult games, being all but completely ignored in Japan, and not doing fantastic overseas either, with the upside of those who have played them often loving them, including me, with Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and AI: The Somnium Files being some of my favorite games out there. However, before the days of Zero Escape, Uchikoshi got his start working at KID, a now defunct developer most famous for its two visual novel series, those being Memories Off, a series of romance VNs that have unfortunately never seen the light of day outside of Japan, not even through fan translations, and the Infinity series, the brainchild of Uchikoshi and the equally insane Takumi Nakazawa, consisting of Never7, Ever17, Remember11, 12Riven, and Code_18, though, reasonably speaking, only those first three, as the latter two were pretty badly received. Science fiction VNs that are mostly connected by their shared themes, these games laid the groundwork for Zero Escape, and are ironically the exact opposite in terms of popularity, being well received and popular in Japan when released, but almost completely unknown in America even today, for understandable reasons, as only Ever17 was officially released in English, with Never7 and Remember11 only being playable with fan translations, along with just being old. Never7 originally was released in 2000, with Ever17 and Remember11 coming out in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Needless to say, these games have long lost their chance at the spotlight, but my curiosity has driven me to them, and thus, we arrive at today’s topic: the first game in the series, Never7. Note that I played the PSP version, as while the translation was originally made for the PC version, that version is really not recommended, for reasons I’ll detail later in the review. Either way, here it be.

20 year old Makoto Ishihara is an unremarkable college student theoretically majoring in psychology, but in practice has majored in skipping the majority of his classes due to his lack of personal direction. This slacker attitude comes back to bite Makoto when he finds himself forcibly signed up for the strange “Seminar Camp”, set on a faraway island and lasting from April 1st to April 7th, with no apparent purpose other than to strengthen the bonds between the members of the group. The other members of Makoto’s group are Yuka Kawashima, a friendly, outgoing girl who serves as the group’s leader, Haruka Higuchi, a quiet, mysterious honor student, and Okuhiko Iida, an infamous playboy who also happens to be heir to the Iida Financial Group. During their week on the island, the group also befriends three others unrelated to the camp: Saki Asakura, an old friend of Yuka’s who comes from a rich family, Kurumi Morino, an energetic and cheerful girl, and her older sister Izumi Morino, the temporary manager of the cafe Lunabeach, whose motherly nature quickly gives her a place as the mediator of the group.

Unfortunately, this otherwise relaxing stay proves to have its own share of problems, mostly within the group. Yuka, despite being the leader, is rather reckless, with a tendency to get unreasonably drunk every chance she gets. Haruka avoids interaction to the point of seeming cold, and insists, among other things, that she “has no heart”. Okuhiko is a shallow jerk who instantly takes a disliking to Makoto, and has a fixation on Haruka that he takes to controlling levels, despite her clear disinterest. Saki, though perfectly affable in group settings, is unnecessarily difficult, stubborn, and harsh in one on one conversation, with a tendency to lash out at others when upset. Kurumi is extremely childish, despite being 17 years old, and even the otherwise dependable Izumi is more than a bit scatterbrained and secretive. As both bonds and tensions form within the group over the week, Makoto is faced with something far more concerning: mysterious premonitions of near future events that always turn out to be correct, coupled with a strange dream which seems to predict the death of someone on the 6th while holding a strange bell, with him soon finding said bell washed up on the beach one night.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about this game without giving away that it is much more than a simple romance VN, despite it being the big twist of the game when it was first released. Unfortunately, the twists of the game mostly rely on being a surprise, and aren’t very developed otherwise, for the most part, and the story is mostly focused on romance. Considering how elaborate Uchikoshi’s later games are, this is absolutely the biggest reason why Never7 remains so obscure even by Infinity’s standards, considering that Uchikoshi fans are pretty much the only ones who’d be interested in this game nowadays, and knowing that this game isn’t even close to the same level of complexity as his more famous games is the biggest thing that has to be kept in mind when considering anything about it.

The game consists of a beginning common route, 5 routes for Yuka, Haruka, Saki, Kurumi, and Izumi, and the two Curé routes: Izumi Curé, the final route, which takes the plot in a vastly different direction, and serves to completely supplant Izumi’s original route as well, as it’s rather infamously disappointing, and Yuka Curé, a retelling of Yuka’s route from her own perspective. While Yuka Curé is an extra accessed outside of the main game, the rest are accessed in pretty typical VN fashion: the game starts with a common route that serves to introduce the characters, setting, and a few plot elements, before eventually diverging into one of several character specific routes depending on your choices within the common route, namely building up affection points with the characters, and seeing specific, important scenes concerning them. Having enough points and having all requisite plot flags will lock you into that character’s route, with the game otherwise defaulting to Yuka’s route. Not anything atypical of the genre here.

For the most part, this system is fairly forgiving, and works fine. It’s usually pretty easy to figure out what choices actually affect affection, whether from the options themselves, or the reactions of the characters, and the amount of points needed is fairly lenient for each. There’s also a scene near the end common route that has several variations based on which character you have the most affection with, once again defaulting to Yuka if you don’t have sufficient points with any of the others, allowing you an easy way to figure out if you’re on the right path. That said, there’s still definitely frustrations it can cause. While you technically have plenty of freedom to choose what route to pursue on your first playthrough, only Yuka and Haruka’s routes are on the easier side, with Saki’s route being difficult to navigate to and through due to her contrarian nature, with most of the options that involve angering her being the ones to raise affection, and Kurumi’s route forcing you to branch off to a scene involving Izumi instead of her when given the option. Izumi’s routes are also very glaringly not available at first, with options related to her in the common route slowly being unlocked with each route completed instead. While it is actually pretty neat to witness and does make sense, as Izumi’s normal route is not at all serious, and the Curé route is absolutely meant to be saved for last, as far as the serious routes go, it’s still kinda awkward once you notice it, and accessing them carries its own frustration, namely pulling the reverse of the Kurumi route situation and needing to go with Kurumi instead of Izumi at the same point.

Each route also contains multiple endings, with Yuka’s, Haruka’s, Saki’s, and Kurumi’s routes having one bad and one good ending, Izumi’s routes having two bad endings and one good ending each, and Yuka Curé having one bad and two good endings, all of which depend on certain important decisions within the routes, typically at the climax, with specific steps needing to be taken to achieve the good endings, with everything else leading to the bad endings. It’s actually pretty easy to figure out what’s needed for the good endings most of the time, and even if you screw up, it doesn’t take long to fix your mistake, as the game autosaves at the start of every scene and everytime a decision is available. That said, even this has a few frustrating parts. Kurumi’s ending is a lot easier to screw up than the others, and the Haruka, Saki, and Izumi Curé routes keep the affection mechanic, whereas the others forego it once locked into, forcing you to continue gaining points to reach a certain minimum by the climax, or you’re automatically locked into the bad endings. While it’s still pretty easy to do with Haruka and Izumi, to the point you may gain enough points just from the common route, Saki’s route once again causes the most issue with this mechanic, with the choices tending to be just as confusing as in the common route, which is especially bad if you only barely scraped into her route in the first place. As one last note on the affection mechanic, Yuka and Saki’s routes have scenes and CGs that can only be viewed with certain amounts of affection, with Yuka’s needing a rather high amount that forces you to get as many as possible, and Saki’s rather confusing needing less than a certain high amount, based on my testing. The game barely gives any indication of this, outside of showing scenes in their routes missing in the playing log.

As far as length goes, this isn’t exactly Clannad or Grisaia; while not short, it’s only about average length for a VN. Both the common route and the character routes go by pretty quickly, with only Izumi Curé being noticeably lengthy. The bigger plot elements don’t have much focus at all before the character routes kick in, and only the Izumi Curé and Yuka routes place any great focus on them, which can leave it feeling pretty half baked overall. Additionally, the two Curé routes weren’t even in the original version of the game, which released for the PS1 as Infinity, and thus the elements within Izumi Curé can feel a bit jarring compared to the rest of the game. Altogether, this gives the impression of a game that’s, at best, just average, and only notable as a prototype for the later games in the series. However, while I’m not going to argue against how unappealing Never7′s basic nature can be in comparison to Ever17 or Zero Escape, I actually ended up liking it quite a bit, probably a good deal more than average, and feel it does overall do more things right than wrong.

The cast of characters is by far the best part of Never7. While Makoto is a very basic and forgettable protagonist, and Okuhiko only really exists to be the butt of jokes, though even he gets a couple of moments of depth, everyone else is likeable and complex in their own ways. Yuka, though having a lot of traits that could just easily make her irritating, instead manages to be surprisingly charming. Saki is genuinely sympathetic despite the many low points she has, and the parts of the story that focus on her are generally some of the best parts of the game. My favorite character by far is Haruka, who has, in my opinion, the best route in the game, with many memorable and tender moments as early as the common route, and very well done character development which makes it flow better than a good deal of the other routes, and has a tragic element that stands out even when most of the rest of the cast does as well, which leads to many of the more emotional moments of the game. Haruka’s scenes are another consistent highlight of the writing, and she is overall a surprisingly memorable character among the cast, in my opinion.

Speaking of routes, they’re definitely the other main highlight of the writing. While the structure of the plot means that they can feel a bit samey at times, they do do a good job of developing their respective characters, and do have their own little twists along the way to make them stand out. Additionally, unlike some romance VNs, the rest doesn’t simply vanish outside of their own routes. As the relationships between the cast are important parts of their characters, each character plays a role of some importance in at least one route each, which helps keep focus on each character. It’s not quite perfectly balanced, though; Saki is very noticeably screwed for screentime, only playing a noticeable role in Yuka’s route, and having no presence in any other route besides her own. This also rather bizarrely applies to Yuka herself to a lesser degree, despite being the most blatantly advertised of the characters, while Haruka and Izumi tend to have more of the focus between routes.

Aside from the aforementioned Haruka route, some of my other favorite routes would be Saki’s route, for its surprisingly tense atmosphere and focus on the tensions within the group giving it a very different feel from most of the other routes, Yuka Curé, as Yuka’s perspective is refreshingly different from Makoto’s and gives her quite a bit more depth, while having a fair few potential divergences from the normal Yuka route, along with giving Saki a very prominent supporting role, and Izumi Curé, for giving the biggest taste of the kind of direction future games would go. The plot elements revealed within are quite interesting, and force you to take a whole different perspective when considering the rest of the game up to this point, and ends with a tasteful amount of ambiguity that, among other things, reasonably lets you decide just which of the routes you think is “real”, despite the seemingly decisive focus and finality it has. Overall, I actually ended up quite a bit more attached to this cast than I was expecting, and while it wasn’t even close to getting to me like, say, Steins;Gate or AI: The Somnium Files, there’s a few decently emotional moments throughout, particularly on the Yuka, Haruka, and Izumi Curé routes.

But despite the dark or depressing moments Never7 can get into, in the end, it’s a lighthearted and optimistic game, and all things considered, that’s for the best for it. It’s not trying to be a dark dramatic story, just a relaxing and pleasant experience with a few twists to it, and after going through gruesome experiences like Zero Escape and Chaos;Child, I honestly kinda appreciate that.

As far as the game’s more technical aspects go, the characters and art were done by Yuna Kagesaki, best known for the manga Chibi Vampire/Karin. While the artstyle isn’t anything special, visually, the game is actually quite good looking overall. The character designs all look quite good, and the sprites and CGs are also well made, with the sprites notably giving all the characters many different poses, which make them quite distinct, even if a few tend to make the characters in question look a bit odd. While the PSP’s lower resolution and smaller screen means the sprites and backgrounds don’t look as good as the PC version, and that entire CGs and sprites can’t fit on the screen, it actually looks better than the PC version in places, from visual effects like rain, to the filters placed over the character sprites during sunset and night, to even just the UI. The PC version is extremely bare bones, but the PSP version has plenty of neat little menus and features such as a backlog, a detailed CG gallery that includes promotional artwork along with the art within the game itself, a playing log that includes detailed statistics and allows you to view how many scenes you’ve seen within the game, and how much dialogue you’ve seen within each, a music gallery, and a glossary that helps define terms and concepts within the game. While these aren’t quite special, they are very appreciated all the same, and make the PSP version of Never7 the definitive version. Still, here’s a comparison of the two versions, with the rainbow textbox being exclusive to the PC version.

Never7 also features a soundtrack composed by the great Takeshi Abo, who, along with the rest of the Infinity series, is the composer for the Science Adventure series, i.e. Steins;Gate and Chaos;Child. The original soundtrack, used in the PC version, was, to be honest, a bit rough in places, but the PSP version uses a remixed soundtrack first made for the PS2 port, which is nothing short of fantastic. The soundtrack fits the mood of the game perfectly, being very relaxing or upbeat. Each character’s theme fits them perfectly, and the music always manages to fit the context of each scene, particularly the song Languor, which fits both definitions of the word: pleasantly tired, or oppressively stiff. My favorite tracks have to be Izumi’s warm theme, the rather emotional main theme of the game, Once More, and especially Haruka’s downright beautiful theme. Exclusive to the PSP is a rather neat OP played at the start of the game, and an ED used for the original five routes, performed by the band Asriel, with the Curé routes having different EDs that were composed well before this port. Never7 also features a voice cast of voice actors both new and popular at the time, mostly notably the late Tomoko Kawakami as Yuka, Yuki Matsuoka as both Haruka and Kurumi, and Kikuko Inoue as Izumi. Everyone does a pretty decent job, with Yuki Matsuoka particularly managing to make both her characters sound very different. Most of the voice acting is rather compressed, even if it still sounds okay, but the voice acting in the Izumi Curé route is uncompressed, which, while a bit jarring when compared to the original voice acting, certainly sounds much better.

Overall, whether or not I would recommend Never7 heavily depends. If you want a crazier, much more visibly Uchikoshi experience, a much deeper kind of romance game like Clannad, or even just an especially emotional experience, you’re not likely to be impressed, and it’s not recommended in that case. However, the lighthearted nature of the game, average length, and likeable cast make for an experience that is actually quite enjoyable in its own right. If you can keep your expectations reasonable and lowered and just take it as it is, you’ll likely find a fun, easily accessible kind of experience, with some great art, beautiful music, and more than a few distinctive moments in its own right that I would genuinely recommend giving a fair try if you care for visual novels at all.

With that, more words than likely anyone has spoken in defense of this game, I’m off to take another dive into visual novel hell, soon including this game’s far more famous sequel, Ever17. Till next time. -Scout

#visual novel #kotaro uchikoshi #game review #playstation portable #long post

13 notes · View notes

popcorn-for-dinner · 6 years

Text

The 2017 Binges you absolutely have to do before 2018

"The Golden Age of Television". That's a saying you've most likely heard as a description of the current state of TV. It has been used from everyone from TV and Studio executives to that your one friend who won't shut up about how great Master of None is. Whatever your feelings about the term, one thing is for certain, there are more quality shows being produced at an almost daily basis than ever before. So many that it seems impossible to follow the TV landscape while, you know, having a life.

That's why I'm here. I've given up my real life so that you can have one and still watch the best TV. You're welcome. Whether it's your FOMO on all the great TV topics or you're just looking for an easy binge for the Christmas break, I’m going to try and provide adequate suggestions to satiate everyone.

The Weekend binges

Mindhunter (Netflix)

David Fincher's return to Netflix! This show is based on a book by John E. Douglas, a former FBI special agent and a pioneer in criminal profiling in the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit.

While the protagonists are fictionalised versions of the actual people, the real attraction of the series lies with serial killers and their interviews with the FBI. The criminals do maintain their real names and are depicted to a chillingly high degree of accuracy, in some cases even lifting actual dialogue from the real life interviews.

A terrific examination of the criminal psyche (a feat David Fincher has shown to be a master at), Mindhunter will have you hooked from the first episode.

youtube

You’ll like this if you liked: Zodiac (2007 film), Hannibal, Dexter (probably).

Ozark (Netflix)

Although dealing with a fairly well trodden premise, Ozark manages to elevate itself from the constraints of its premise and deliver an entertaining, gripping season.

There is no mistake though, this is Jason Bateman’s show to shine and shine he does. Wearing multiple hats as star, producer and director of 4 episodes (probably the show’s best episodes), Jason Bateman delivers a complex and entertaining performance as Marty Byrde, a money launderer for a crime syndicate who is forced to uproot his family and move to the Ozarks in order to pay back a debt to the syndicate.

You might believe you know all the tropes of this sub-genre but Ozark has a few surprises waiting for you.

youtube

You'll like this if you liked: Bloodline, Breaking Bad.

The Niche binges

I believe everyone should love a great dick joke. A perfectly crafted and executed dick joke can be side splittingly funny as is evidenced by the fact that Silicon Valley’s season one's “optimal tip to tip efficiency" joke has seemed to take on a life of its own even spawning research papers with actual Stanford approved maths. I however concede that not everyone is as sophisticated as me, which is why I have put these 2 shows in the “niche” category.

American Vandal (Netflix)

American Vandal is really just an almost 5 hour dick joke at its core. It takes a simple, quite ridiculous, premise- someone spray paints 27 dicks on teachers’ cars in the school parking lot and the accused student is expelled. It is a true crime mockumentary but it doesn’t seek to discredit the genre but rather as all great satire does, it pays it homage.

The characters and the show approach this premise with such straight faced seriousness and investigative attitude that it makes the jokes that much more hilarious. Special mention should be given to Jimmy Tatro whose performance drives the show and who turns the “YouTube douche” personality into an art form.

I did find that, beneath all the dick references, well over 1,000 (both visual and verbal), American Vandal tries to say something and if you pause long enough from laughing and figuring out “Who drew the dicks?” you might just hear it.

youtube

You'll like this if you liked: 7 Days in Hell, Documentary Now!, Making a Murderer (but yearned for something less deep).

Big Mouth (Netflix)

Following the success of the Simpsons, animation quickly became the go to medium for telling deeply perverse and hilarious stories that could never be written for and performed by real people. But the real successes came in the episodes of Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy etc that transcended their "cartoons tell dirty jokes" gimmick and showed some heart and deft in their storytelling. Big Mouth has lots of heart.

With a stellar voice cast which includes co-creator Nick Kroll. John Mulaney, Jordan Peele, Maya Rudolph and Jason Mantzoukas, Big Mouth manages to tell an insightful, universal coming of age, puberty story while also juggling the fact that two of its main cast are "Hormone Monsters" and it has the ghost of Duke Ellington living in a character's attic. (The show is weird, guys)

You'll like this if you liked: Family Guy (the earlier years) and basically any other R-Rated animated comedy.

Trailer

The Snowed-in and cuddle binges

Dear White People (Netflix)

I am a sucker for a good story by and about black people. If such a show manages to deftly attack systemic racism then I'm fully sold. Dear White People however, is more than a guns-blazing attack on racial injustice. Sure, that's the premise by which it starts but as it evolves it begins to say something more on identity, especially Black Identity and all that term entails.

Based on his critically acclaimed film of the same name, Justin Simien manages to improve on his original work in possible every imaginable way. It follows a group of black students at a predominantly white University, as they attempt to negotiate the racial politics and come to terms with their own identities.

You'll like this if you liked: Black-ish and Dear White People (2014 film).

Trailer

The Bold Type (Freeform)

It is no secret that there is a paucity of stories about and driven by female characters and what is even rarer are stories that explore female relationships, especially friendships amongst the younger demographic. Insecure and Jane the Virgin have told some of these stories during their runs and The Bold Type did it incredibly well, under the radar, in 2017.

Through Scarlet, the Teen-vogue like magazine where the protagonists work, The Bold Type manages to address relevant societal issues such as politics, rape, religion and professional ambition while maintaining a "summer-y binge feel to it".

You'll like this if you liked: Ugly Betty, The Devil Wears Prada (2006 film).

Trailer

The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

First of all, for any The Good Wife fan who hasn't seen this already, shame on you. For any non-Good Wife fans though, do not be deterred by the Good Wife link because this show more than ably stands on its own.

Set a year after the finale of TGW, The Good Fight follows the great Diane Lockhart after a financial scam causes her to lose all her savings and she is forced out of her firm. She then joins an all-black law firm that already includes The Good Wife fan favourite Luca Quinn. Rounding off the cast are Sarah Stele (returning as another fan-favourite Marissa Gold), Delroy Lindo, Justin Bartha and Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie.

For Good Wife fans, you don't know how satisfying it is to hear Diane yell "Fuck" until you actually do.

You'll like this if you liked: The Good Wife or any other great legal drama.

Trailer

Obligatory Superhero binge

Legion (FX)

In a year where Superhero TV was littered with messy newcomers such as Iron Fist and Inhumans, Legion was such a breath of fresh air. Rising above the genre of "Superhero TV", it was in my opinion, one of the best new shows of the year.

Noah Hawley (creator of Fargo) examines what would happen if instead of being enlightened as to his mutant powers, a very powerful mutant was diagnosed as having schizophrenia. Legion is the son of Professor Xavier in the comics and excluding a few easter eggs and nods, that is where this show's link to the wider X-men universe ends. It is a show that stands on its own and does not require knowledge of the wider X-men mythology to be enjoyed.

Legion and Noah Hawley are much more interested in diving into an examination of mental illness and the various stereotypes surrounding it than they are in fighting a "big bad". It is a very trippy, colourful and awe-inspiring piece of television that is evident right from its excellent pilot. The performances of Aubrey Plaza and Dan Stevens manage to shine through from a group of wonderful performances.

youtube

Top Picks

There are few things more satisfying to me than a perfectly told, timely story of import. Unfortunately, in the mad dash to tell an "important" story, especially on cable television, good storytelling has often been pushed aside for either pretension or just sloppy work. Their ability to buck this trend was one of the many refreshing things about Big Little Lies and The Handmaid's Tale.

Big Little Lies (HBO)

The immediate draw to this series (for the non-book readers) is undoubtedly the cast. This highly stacked cast includes the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, Alexander Skarsgård and Adam Scott, but once the novelty of the cast wears off, the strength of the story will keep you hooked.

Big Little Lies is a wonderfully well written, directed and acted piece of television that approaches some very heavy and important topics with a delightfully nuanced touch. It says a lot to the strength of the several stories told that the murder mystery at the center of the show, while intriguing in its own right, quickly fades into the background. To give any more details would be to spoil what is a very well done show.

Trailer

The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)

In The Handmaid's Tale's world, fertility rates have plummeted to almost non-existent numbers. This has resulted in the fertile women being kept as personal breeding grounds for the more affluent member of the cult-like organisation that has taken over society.

The Handmaid's Tale holds many mirrors to our current society but perhaps none is more chilling than the straight path that can be drawn from 45's current America to the "dystopian" society predicted in this 1985(!) novel.

The Handmaid's Tale is built on the Emmy-winning performance of Elisabeth Moss and firmly stands as my best show of 2017 and a definite must watch.

youtube

Bankole Imoukhuede

@banky_I

#tv shows #binge watching #netflix #the handmaids tale #big little lies #legion #the good fight #the bold type #tv #recommendations

12 notes · View notes

prasad-articles-posts-blog · 5 years

Text

Movie Box For MAC

In the event that you need to watch films on Android for nothing, at that point this is the best motion picture application for android .

Motion picture box application for android is a will be an easy to understand interface. You can without much of a stretch watch films, TV arrangement and unscripted TV dramas. Film box application permits to Watch full-length Hollywood motion pictures and TV appears on your telephone. There is several motion pictures including some well known tittle, for example, AVENGER SERIES, HARRY POTTER SERIES,AVATAR , FAST AND FURIOUS,MISSION IMPOSSIBLE , PANIC ROOM, TRANFORMERS., IRON MAN, SPIDER MAN SERIES, SAVING SILVERMAN, and a lot progressively accessible. New substance are included each months. You will likewise discover a huge number of full length Tv sequential scenes. In film box application for android part of accumulations of motion pictures are normally refreshed. To improve their administration.

Motion picture box application for android is gives you a chance to watch films, stream recordings from outsider sites with no problems. Motion picture confine application is little size (6.5 MB) and won't take numerous assets of your cell phone. It enables clients to stream free motion pictures on their Android in two distinct characteristics - 360p and 720p. Film box application for android is likewise has HD stuff is upheld, if your gadget is top of the line, you can stream full HD (1080P) recordings moreover. Despite the fact that it is the little android, you can download the motion pictures without paying any dime. Motion picture box application has a preferred position of downloading the substance and putting away them for disconnected utilize later.

So Download the Movie box application fo mac application from the play store.

If you have to watch films on Android to no end, by then this is the best movie application for android .

Motion picture Box is a magnificent web application which was created for the android clients and the application was an extraordinary achievement. After that the application was created for Mac clients. Motion picture Box For Mac is accessible for both the stages Mac PC and Mobiles also. Film is finished centered around diversion which lets the client to watch motion picture on the web and download them also. There are somewhere in the range of a huge number of motion pictures that accessible on Movie Box Online. Motion picture Box application helps on versatile information and web also. In the manner the client may utilize the application when where they are happy to watch motion pictures on the web.

Many know about the way that, MovieBox is the unbelievable application for Apple iOS gadgets (iPhone/iPad). Likewise, it is accessible to download MovieBox for Windows PCs too. Things being what they are, shouldn't something be said about Mac clients? Can introduce Movie Box on Mac ? Here's everything you have to think about the download MovieBox application on Mac gadgets (iMac and MacBook).

Like Windows clients, all Mac clients are additionally ready to download MovieBox for their gadgets with outsider applications. There are no enormous contrast between Windows and Mac Movie Box establishment. All you simply need MovieBox APK record and the important Emulator programming.

Download Moviebox for MAC

May client may get little inconvenience while downloading moviebox in Max Pc. Along these lines, here we will clarify in detail of how to download moviebox for Mac. Be that as it may, gives me a chance to give some more data about the application so the you can find out about Moviebox. In this application you can watch films and Tv appears too. It contains motion pictures that are discharged from year 2000 and furthermore the most recent that are in discharged in 2019. And furthermore the television programs also.

In this application you have motion picture and television programs accessible in various dialects. Along these lines, in the event that you have ever missed a show you can watch them in Moviebox application are you can download them into you cell phone are in you Pc. This application can be downloaded and introduced gadgets like Max Book Pro/Max Pc/Max Book. With the goal that you can appreciate watching motion pictures in wide screen.

Moviebox for Mac

As we have referenced before this application contains all sort of motion picture and television programs which you watch for nothing of expense. Moviebox is formally propelled for macintosh, however you may not the ready to donwload the application straightforwardly into you Max Book. In this way, we prescribe you to peruse this whole article to know to download Moviebox to your gadget with no inconvenience. Moviebox application is a righteous application that offers top of the line amusement answer for the majority of its clients.

Features of Moviebox for Mac PC

It is Simple and easy to use Moviebox application on Mac.

Open source with free content with download option.

Regular updates of media content let the people download new Moviebox movies and videos.

Possibility to share movies and media over the social network.

Download videos with HD quality.

Ads free movie and video streaming on Moviebox for Mac.

Containing a wide range of movie, video, sports, and many other concert collections.

Secured and safe video downloads.

Available in Moviebox online and offline modes.

Fast downloads and unlimited file accessing any time.

Download Moviebox for Mac PC

The Moviebox is not downloaded directly to your MAC Devices. But the user can make it possible with the help of Bluestacks Android Emulator, and it supports with MAC devices also.

Download BlueStacks Android emulator from the trusted sites or download directly here.

The downloads take some time due to the large file size.

Once the download completes start installing the application on your MAC devices.

It needs your mail id and registration after the installation.

After successful installation of this application opens the Moviebox for Mac application.

The home screen of the application appears on the screen.

Type application name “Moviebox” in the search column and strike the search button.

Soon it finds the desired application. Now we can download the Moviebox application from BlueStacks.

Again, install the downloaded Moviebox application on your device.

Launch the application by clicking on it.

Enjoy the unlimited movie and other entertainment given by Moviebox.

Requirements to install MovieBox for Mac

Latest version of MovieBox APK

Android Emulator software

Compatible Apple Mac device

Compatible devices

MacBook

MacBook Air

MacBook Pro

iMac

iMac Pro

Mac Mini

downbload the movie box apk for mac

0 notes

mrmichaelchadler · 5 years

Text

Brian Tallerico's Top Ten Films of 2018

It’s that time of year when critics take a look at dozens of different pieces of art and try to put them in the same box. There’s something inherently odd about pitting films against each other, but it’s also a way to draw attention to things you love and want to share with more people. It’s often a way to consider themes in art, but I was struck more this year by what my top ten says about my personal taste more than overall motifs in the world of moviemaking. I spoke to Barry Jenkins earlier this month, and he commented on how he’s attracted to what he calls genuine filmmaking. That’s clearly a through-line in my picks too, none of which were made purely to garner awards or fatten wallets. They are deeply personal films from masterful filmmakers, across the spectrum of genre and style. What do Boots Riley and Debra Granik have in common other than a deep passion for what they do? They share that passion with us, and lists like this, at their best, amplify it just one step further. I saw around 250 films released this year. This list could be different with rewatches or even just over time. It’s always subject to change. But, as of today, these were my favorites of a very good year:

Runner-ups: “Black Panther,” “Blindspotting,” “First Man,” “First Reformed,” “Hereditary,” “Lean on Pete,” “Mission: Impossible - Fallout,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse,” “Wildlife” and “Zama”

10. “Sorry to Bother You”

It’s the rare film that can feel both completely current and ahead of its time. Boots Riley’s incredible social satire, anchored by a performance from Lakeith Stanfield that is only getting a fraction of the year-end attention it deserves, is the best debut of the year (and it was a strong one for debuts with this, “Hereditary,” “Minding the Gap,” “Eighth Grade,” and more). Riley’s film echoes his music in its blending of different styles and influences into something that feels both defiantly new and classically funky. It is often hard to tell when you’re in a year what movies from it that people will be watching five or even ten years from now. I would bet money they’ll be watching this one.

9. “You Were Never Really Here”

Lynne Ramsay’s award-winning “thriller” (the quotes because there’s not really one genre appellation that feels like it captures everything this movie does) is such a perfectly calculated work of art that it’s easy to take for granted the first time you see it. Every choice here has been carefully considered by a master craftsman, but that attention to detail is offset by an organic, emotional, borderline dangerous performance in the center from Joaquin Phoenix, doing what I consider the best acting work of the year. Phoenix is mesmerizing, capturing a man who has to access his trauma to do his very unusual job, and someone who dives deeper into his own nightmarish abyss each time. It’s a challenging, unforgettable film, and a testament to the overall quality of the year that it’s this far down the list.

8. “Shoplifters”

Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of our best living filmmakers, a man who personifies the Ebert principle of cinema as an empathy machine. He makes movies about real people, using them to encourage conversation about complex issues like masculinity, justice, and the definition of family. His Palme d’Or-winning latest is arguably his masterpiece, a film that reconsiders so many of his previous themes, but also works purely as heartbreaking melodrama. He spends 90 minutes getting his viewers deeply involved in the life of a family on one of the lowest rungs of society, and then challenges how we feel about them with stunning revelations in the final act. Directing some of the best performances in his catalog (Ando Sakura’s work here may be the most underrated of the year), this is an example of a master working at the top of his form.

7. “Annihilation”

What’s the cinematic equivalent of an earworm? You know those songs, or even ad jingles, that burrow their way into your brain and don’t go away? You think of them at random times, humming them to yourself without even knowing you’re doing so? Alex Garland’s latest is the movie version of that, a movie I saw early this year that will not go away. The images, the themes, the faces, the horrors—there’s something about "Annihilation" that has lodged itself in my memory in a way films rarely do. Part of the reason for that is how open the film is to interpretation, relying on imagery instead of plot twists. Those are the movies that last. We may remember a line or some shocking twist from films we like, but it’s the images from the movies we love that sneak up on us. “Annihilation” will be doing so for decades.

6. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

I smile every time I think of Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest Western anthology, which is somewhat ironic given it’s a movie about death. Maybe that’s part of the game. After all, the final segment in Netflix’s film is about bounty hunters who distract their targets with stories. We’re all just distracted by the stories of life, many of my favorites told by the Coens, on our way to shuffling off this mortal coil. These stories work on their own or taken as an entire piece, elevated by the Coen’s incredible attention to detail in every element of the production, including Bruno Delbonnel’s stunning cinematography, one of Carter Burwell’s best scores, and a simply perfect ensemble. I wrote more about the excellence of this film here, and I’m still smiling.

5. “Widows”

Every once in a while, there��s a movie that gets dismissed as pulp by the critical Illuminati. What’s funny is those pulp movies more often find their way into the cinematic firmament than the most buzzed Oscar bait. I'm not worried about the future of "Widows." It didn’t help Steve McQueen’s masterfully entertaining and enlightening examination of corruption and agency in Chicago that it was horrendously advertised, leaving viewers who might like it at home and those who probably wouldn’t angry in their theater seats. Suffice to say, “Widows” was mishandled, but I am as confident in anything on this list that “Widows” will find a loyal, devoted audience over time. Great movies always do.

4. “Burning”

My top 2-4 are relatively interchangeable, all films that did what is so much harder and harder to do every year—broke through our increasingly diffused attention span. With the amount of distractions in this tech-heavy world, it’s getting more difficult even for film critics to “give themselves over” to a movie. For me, I’m often distracted by the other work I have ahead of me—pieces I have to write or editorial duties at this site. Our brains seem to increasingly be asking “what’s next?!” And so there’s something breathtaking about a movie that is powerful enough to push out the “next” with the “now.” Lee Chang-dong’s masterful thriller does exactly that, weaving a mesmerizing tableau for over two hours and then throwing you back into the world, dazed and marveling at what you just watched.

3. “Leave No Trace”

I had a similar reaction to Debra Granik’s poignant drama when I saw it in Sundance. All the other films in Park City faded away as I became deeply invested in the lives of two strangers. Granik’s compassion for these two people is contagious. We feel for the young Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) and her PTSD-afflicted father Will (Ben Foster) in ways that is rare in cinema. We want Tom to be happy. We want Will to find stability. We want them to be their best selves, and yet Granik doesn’t even remotely judge Will for his trauma or Tom for her increasing need to leave him. It’s that rare subgenre of the character study that isn’t designed to make some grand statement about all of humanity but fully capture the lives of the people in its center. Will and Tom feel real. We know them and we root for them. And we don’t forget them.

2. “If Beale Street Could Talk”

I couldn’t possibly capture why I love Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwin’s “unfilmable” novel more completely than Odie Henderson did in his brilliant review, so just read that first. My top two films of the year—and this clearly reflects a personal preference in what I’m looking for lately—blend the lyrical and the realistic. The story of Fonny (Stephan James) and Tish (KiKi Layne) is tragically real in its injustice and examination of broken dreams. And yet there’s also a poetry to Jenkins’ filmmaking that’s simply beautiful. There is poignant tragedy here, of course, but there’s also overwhelming joy. The joy of a family, of love, of hope, and of filmmaking artistry. It’s the rare movie that I feel will shift ever so slightly every time I watch it, offering me something new to appreciate and adore.

1. “Roma”

That last sentence also holds true for Alfonso Cuarón’s masterpiece, the best film of 2018. So many movies lately feel like they “take” from their audience, whether it be with lazy filmmaking or CGI extravaganza that leave you more exhausted than exhilarated. “Roma” gives and gives. I put so much of myself —what I value in both film and criticism—into my review that I’m not sure what else I could say other than I walked out of this movie on a high that films rarely give me any more. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the state of the form or just getting older and busier, but that “spark,” that “movie magic” doesn’t come along like I wish it would as often as it did when I was younger. I was floating after “Roma.” I still am.

from All Content https://ift.tt/2RWVbaF

0 notes