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ecargmura · 5 months

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The Boy And The Heron Movie Review - It's Alright

Guess who got sick right after seeing this movie? ME! I know I should be resting, but I am still able to type. Nothing can stop me from writing. I was interested in watching this movie and when my brother watched it and told me “It’s alright.” It got me even more curious. Well, to be fair, my brother usually gives vague responses.

So, I went to watch the movie. How was it? It definitely was an ‘alright’ movie. Like, it’s not bad but not great—if “bad” and “amazing” were on a scale, “alright” would be smack dab in the middle. Like, it’s definitely a Miyazaki film from how it’s animated to all the imagery and tropes he uses, but at the same time, the execution is like a roller coaster going down. It’s not Miyazaki’s best film, but one of his most ambitious creations. Though, I do think that the title is misleading as “The Boy And The Heron” feels like a literal title, but the story is more about the boy, Mahito, rather than both the heron and him, so I think that the title should’ve been “How Do You Live?” because that is ultimately the true message of the story.

I love that if you watch the film, you can see that Miyazaki made it. From the classic Ghibli running animation to the beautiful scenery, you can tell Miyazaki worked on this film, but it’s also an improvement from his previous creations. My favorite little details are how Miyazaki animates clothes. The clothes flutters well and the way they move around is really good. The scenery is a step up in classic Miyazaki as the fantasy aspect of this film is like Miyazaki going from Lv. 90 to Lv. 100 in terms of artistic game. I also especially love the way Mahito creates the bow from bamboo and other material. Just seeing him creating all of it and seeing the actual process was a pure visual banquet.

The story’s plot isn’t concrete, but it’s something that one has to think about. I quite liked the overall story as I do like something that I have to think about rather than being fed a plot and expect something out of it. The story takes place post-WWII in Japan as Mahito loses his mother to a hospital fire. Three years later, he and his father move to the countryside where he meets Natsuko, his new stepmother (and his aunt—she’s his late mother’s younger sister) and lives in a house where there are many elderly housekeepers. Mahito is still grieving over the loss of his mother that he rejects the company of Natsuko and the grannies and mainly just keeps to himself. He does meet a talking grey heron and later embarks on a journey inside a magical abandoned tower where Natsuko has been spirited away to in order to rescue her.

The story kind of started off slow in the beginning, which is where the reality portions were. It’s mainly to build up Mahito and how he copes with his mother’s death and how he was thrown into this sudden change in environment from getting a new mother to not being able to fit in school to the point that he hits himself with a rock to avoid going back. There’s also him trying to fend off the heron as he finds it an annoyance. Once the story has it so that Mahito is forced to go to the fantasy world inside the tower to save the spirited away Natsuko, the pacing goes by really fast. One moment Mahito is on a boat with Kiriko, then he’s with Himi in her house, then he’s with Granduncle and then with parakeets. I think the fast pacing is meant to show how different and magical it is compared to the slower, mundane aspects of reality.

As a protagonist, I think Mahito is a good one; while he isn’t Ghibli’s best protagonist, he is written in a way that fits the vibes and messages of the story. My favorite aspect of Mahito as a character is that he’s intelligent. He’s able to create weapons from materials around his house like a bow made of bamboo and an arrow made from the heron’s feathers that he glued together with sticky rice. He’s also quietly chaotic. Like, in usual Ghibli films, the protagonist would befriend the deuteragonist after the second meeting, but Mahito was in full killing mode—he wanted that heron GONE. The heron as a character is quite interesting. He’s not a villain, but he’s clearly not an antagonist either. His actions were mainly due to being ordered by the Granduncle. The heron feels mainly like comic relief, mainly towards the second half of the film where his importance gets snuffed after he gets his beak fixed. Though, I always did wonder why the heron was the only bird that turns human while the other birds were personified caricatures.

The supporting cast was decent. Shoichi was a rather good dad in terms of how Japanese media usually treats father characters as either incompetent or bumbling; Shoichi cares a lot for Mahito, but he’s also someone who a bit self-centered as he flaunts off his wealth and never really asks for Mahito’s opinions on getting a new mother. Kiriko definitely stood out as the tough woman and the first of Mahito’s friends in the fantasy world. She’s the younger version of one of the housekeepers, as noted by the patterns on her kimono. Himi was cute and I loved that she’s a representation of accepting her life how it is. While Natsuko did serve as a point of conflict between her and Mahito, I do wonder why she was able to leave the delivery room, when it was taboo for people to enter. The Granduncle does seem like he’s an allusion to Miyazaki himself in that he’s seeking a successor to his world, so he sought out either the baby inside Natsuko or Mahito himself. The granduncle is someone looking for a pure world free of malice, but that is impossible. Even Mahito, as pure as he seems, isn’t free from malice as his actions, the one that caused him a scar on his temple, was out of malice. I think this was a good symbolism that the world can never really be a place where it’s only just purity. Purity and malice coincide like light and darkness. The way the world collapses is Granduncle accepting that reality and that he just lets Mahito go back to his world to live how he wants to live.

I’m convinced Miyazaki has a vendetta towards birds in this film as they are very vicious, but when I think about it deeper, birds are fitting animals for this film. A lot of Miyazaki’s films has flight as one of his staple tropes in animation. He really likes flying and having birds as the main creatures for this film encompasses this very well. The warawaras, the cute white blobs are also creatures of flight, so it definitely incorporates his fondness for flight.

The soundtrack was pure Joe Hisashi magic. I loved every song in the film. There’s just something so magical about Hisashi’s scores. Hot take: I would react more emotionally if news of Hisashi’s retirement comes out than news about Miyazaki’s retirement.

I watched the film in Japanese with English subtitles. While I heard the English dub is good with the amazing casting, I think that there’s still something about watching a Ghibli film in its original language—The Boy and The Heron is actually the first time I watched a Ghibili movie in Japanese—that makes the experience feel a bit more…magical? Given that the characters and setting are in Japan, so hearing the characters in their original language does feel like I’m watching a foreign film. I think the casting is perfect to the point that I can’t find any fault with the vocal performances.

Anyways, if this is Miyazaki’s swan song of a film, it’s actually a good way for him to end after years of bringing magic into the world. Personally, it’s not the best film he has produced, but it’s a project good enough as a closure to all of his success throughout the years. Will he make another film before his death? I don’t know but if he doesn’t, then this film is still a good way to end his film career. Would I recommend you to watch it? I’d say that it’s good for a first time watch, but it doesn’t really garner a second time watch for me. What are your thoughts about this movie if you have seen it?

#The Boy And The Heron #studio ghibli #Hayao Miyazaki #review #anime movie #movie review #ecargmura #arum journal #Happy New year!

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fridge-reviews · 1 year

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Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery - Blast Review

Developer: Silver Lining Studio Rrp: £7.19 (Gog.com, Humblebundle and Steam)

Ah, this game. Honestly I can say I really liked it. It's short, so short I considered including it in one of my 'Mini Game' lists. But... I feel that if I put it in that compilation it won't be getting the attention it really deserves. Hell, writing a Blast Review for it feels wrong as well but I don't feel I could speak on this game much without spoiling it, so this is the best I have.

So what is this game? If I had to put a genre on it I'd say its a point and click adventure, but a non-traditional one. The reason I state 'non-traditional' is because rather than combining items in various locations, you solve all the puzzles by painting pictures. The other thing that makes it no-traditional is that the game takes place almost entirely in a single studio apartment.

The animation and general aesthetic is 'Studio Ghibli-esq' with lovingly detailed (if short) animation depicting the various cutscenes. It's a very heartfelt game that I feel doesn't overstay its welcome, if they had made it much longer I feel the mechanics would have felt over used and the story would have suffered.

If you fancy something just a bit different, that doesn't last too long and gives you a very deep experience I would highly recommend giving this game a go. What makes that recommendation easier is that this game is available on IOS and Android as well as PC, so you could play this pretty much anywhere you feel.

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If you’d like to support me I've just started a Ko-fi, the reviews will continue to be posted donation or not.

#Behind the Frame #Blast Review #game review #game reviews #games review #games reviews #video games #video game #video gaming #indie #indie games #indie game #silver lining studio

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theellana · 3 years

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Money can't buy happiness, but it can definitely buy me lots of cool art as a birthday present to myself 😁

... Almost exclusively fandom related, obviously 😊

Look at the prettiiiiiiiies! (now I just need to decide where to put the stickers and wear to hang the prints 😱)

Close-up and details about why I bought each one (as well as credits) under the cut 😄

Unless stated otherwise, I got these from Redbubble :). I'll tag tumblr / link insta / link redbubble (in this order), just in case you want your own

I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me - quote from Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo. I read the book, loved it, and I too want to survive this world, whatever it throws at me. Amazing art by ruiazevedo.

Tattooed Ginny, tattooed Harry, tattooed Sirius. @savysami's beautiful work to imagine which tattoos different characters would get, and how they'd look. Sirius is full on bad boy vibes, but also some gorgeous soft tattoos. Ginny is her awesome badass self. And I couldn't not get Harry 😁. Got those as stickers in 5.5x5.5", cos I couldn't afford more prints, but I'm definitely hanging them up instead of sticking them xD. Bought those off of her website ^^

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing” - quote from Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo. This one isn’t inspirational, I swear xD. It’s just very representative of Kaz, and I love him, sooo... Also, can we talk about the design of this crow’s head cane? It’s just gorgeous! Art by bookishartuk

Ace Planet is a cross stitch I did a very long time ago, but I meant to change where it was display so on the bed it went xD. Pattern bought on etsy from @mathysphere 😊

No Mourner No Funerals sticker by loshimizu. Wanted something for my favorite crows, and this was just perfect. The "if you know, you know" kind of fandom references I love. Also, fits with the other stickers on my laptop, since they're all just black xD

Let Them Rest by @gryzdolnik. You probably wouldn't tell seeing it like this, but those legs belong to Joe and Nicky 😁. But firstly, I know exactly who are those two person enjoying a well-deserved break. Secondly, this drawing radiates peace, and that's much needed right now, imo 😊

We're Meant To Find Each Other, sticker by silentcomedy. Speaking of everyone's favorite incurable romantics... The swords... The quote... Simple, but very efficient design representing them :D

Howl's Moving Castle's scenery by c.detective.momo. Got this as a greeting card cos money, but will definitely display it as a print. I love that it's just pretty... But also taken from my favorite Ghibli movie ever, you know? 😁

Kodamas by ninich. Small but oh so cute. Look at me showing off my love for Princess Mononoke by sticking them everywhere 😇

You've already seen it, the cross stitch-a-long by @mathysphere is done and going up on my wall 😁.

(second picture ;))

The headbonk of looooove. How could I not get a printed version of this art that was done for me by @gryzdolnik? 😁 Headbonks are Joe and Nicky's love language, clearly :D

Red Princess by Onichi. Howl's Moving Castle might be my favorite Ghibli, but Princess Mononoke isn't far behind. I love the paint splatter effect, as well as the three colors theme. Very fierce representation of San 😊

Tattooed Percy and Annabeth, also by @savysami. Do I need to explain? First, the look really really good together. Second their tattoos are gorgeous. Lastly, the meaning behind those tattoos is beautiful. Including Percy getting stick-and-pokes because he's impulsive like that 😁. Also bought directly from her shop.

Allons-y by PasteBaby. Listen. I'm French. Every time the doctor goes "Allons-y", I giggle, and mentally finish the sentence with "Alonzo". Also look at the prettiness of those sweet pea flowers, which according to the design's description represent goodbye. Hm? My eyes? Nah, that's just a bit of dust from moving stuff around

Alex Stern by @oblivionsdream. It's very fitting for this print to be the last in the description, because it also was the last in my cart. I had told myself I was done, no buying anything else, that was enough. But then I saw this representation of Alex Stern, the main character from Ninth House, and I just fell in love. It's both exactly how I imagined her, and even better 😍.

And that's it xD. If anybody's still here, thanks for reading. I tried to make it fun, but I also really wanted to give credit where credit is due, cos this is some pretty amazing art 😍

#rl problems #(well not problems... But real life alright xD)#awesome drawing #very long post #look at what people did!

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scaramoon · 3 years

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OKAY SO LORE I’M TYPING THIS IN MY NOTES APP AS I’M WATCHING THE STREAM TO GIVE YOU THE FULL EXPERIENCE AND TO MAKE SURE I DONT MISS TO TELL YOU ANYTHING

there’s someone playing piano?? like straight up video of someone at a piano,,,,i think it’s yu-peng chen!! the song he’s playing is so pretty :( THEY HAVE A WHOLE INAZUMA THEMED SET HE’S PLAYING IN?? THERES AN ACTUAL INAZUMA ARCHON STATUE IN THE BACKGROUND AND EVERYTHING??

the stream is in chinese!! with subtitles!!

it will be 2.0 AND inazuma is now officially confirmed!!

now there’s a trailer! ITS ALL SO PRETTY AND OMG THE VOICE ACTORS?? GOROU AND THOMA WERE SHOWN!! oh my god the pyro cube?? looks so?? scary?? AAAAH THOMA THOMA THOMA??? STOOD NEXT TO AETHER?? IM SCREAMING rn they’re shaking ayaka!! and now yoimiya!! her voice actor is so cute i’m- SAYUUUU!!!! AGHH SHES SO CUTE BYE GOROU GORIU GORIU GOROU AAAAHHH HE EAS THERE HE WAS THERE AAAAAH

FIRST CODE: AS6BQKLY9GLD

now they’re back to the set!! they’re introducing some of the developers, right now there’s aquaria who’s the combat designer in genshin and rn they’re talking about the stages and joys of development and how the process works,,,i actually like this part!! it’s nice to see the people working on a game i’m so fond of talk so passionately about their thoughts while they’re working on it :> he said everyone at mihoyo loves the game as much as we do and that it’s all of us together in teyvat and i went 🥺 ngl

now he’s talking about inazuma and how different it was than mondstadt or liyue and how different the challenges there were! they put a lot of thought into the electro aspect of inazuma as well as the “eternity” part of it. there will be more dev talk later and now they’re just announcing the fan art contest that starts today

now they had a set change and there’s a different dev, and now they’re talking about the cultural and design aspects of inazuma! they say they love to see fan theories and that they often leave little clues in the game and that it brings them joy and motivation when people find and decipher them. they’re talking about the tea house now and the shiba inu that owns it; they hope players can discover all the little details the writers and designers put all over inazuma,,THEY JUST DRANK IN SYNC BC THEY STARTED TALKING ABOUT UNIFORMITY IN INAZUMA IM SOBBING,,,,ok wait it’s actually rlly interesting bc they’re talking about how they made sure every single detail in inazuma contributes/reflects the story and the “electro archon strives for eternity” story i’m- they’re currently talking about the real life inspiration they had, for example how the sacred sakura tree came to be and what it means

now they’re showing character combat (?) trailers!! ayaka is first, now yoimiya!! they’re actually showing the pyro cube in yoimiya’s!! THEYRE SHOWING SAYUUU MY BBY SHES SO CUTE they’re joking about how genshin players have been waiting for ayaka since the beginning of the game lmaooo bye 😭 they’re talking about the new characters now, what kind of people they are, what to expect from them and what their character traits are!! ayaka is elegant but also sweet and cute, yoimiya is creative and somewhat childish, enthusiastic and gets along with everyone, sayu sleeps a lot to grow taller and is a very well trained tiny ninja

we’re getting two new story chapters, act I and act II as well as ayaka’s and yoimiya’s story quests!!

THEYRE TALKING ABOUT THOMA, he’s observant apparently and has a very mysterious character!! they’re also talking about sara and kokomi AAHHHH GOROU GOROU!! they didn’t say much about him other than that he’s very dependable and fierce in battle!! they also mentioned yae sakura!!

SECOND CODE; GBNA9J5H9Y4H

another scene change and another dev, now it’s cissie!! she’s the one designing the inazuma map/landscape creator and they’ll be talking about geological design and the scenery of inazuma since it’s a archipelago as well!! she’s talking about the different uses of colour and shapes and how they’re using them to impact the player’s gaming experience; she also said that they tried to pay homage to classic ghibli movies with some of the design choices they made!

rn they’re showing “the shimmering voyage” which is the 1.0 ost w 68 songs which will me available soon!! now they’re talking to yu-peng chen THEY HAD THE LONDON SYMPHONIC THEATRE RECORD THE MONDSTADT SOUNDTRACK, THE SHANGHAI ONE THE ONE FOR LIYUE AND NOW THEY ASKED THE ONE IN TOKYO TO DO THE ONE FOR INAZUMA?? HELLOO?? they pay attention to the smallest details i swear i respect that so much wow

THE THEATRE MECHANICS EVENT IS COMING BACK IN INAZUMA!! we’re getting gardening for our tea pot too!! new enemies called “ruin senitel (?)” which is essentially a worm version of the ruin guard?? it looks weird and scary ngl,,,we get new fatui enemies, “the mirror maiden” as well as normal human enemies in inazuma, dressed like samurais,,

ayaka’s banner is first, then yoimiya & sayu,,,we get 2 new 5 star weapons as well 5 new craftable inazuma weapons. we get 2 new artifacts sets, emblem of severed gate and shimenawas remembrance, we get the ability to choose an artifact by sacrificing 3 5 star artifacts and creating an artifact strongbox; new system for the weapon banner: you pick which of the 5 star weapon you want and if you don’t get it, you get “fate points” and with those you can choose the one you want!

THIRD CODE: LS6T4L9ZZ7TH

and that was it!! yu-peng chen is playing the piano again as a farewell, i guess

AHH TYSM BBY ALL THE KISSES FOR YOU 😞🙏

i really like how much detail they put into it though :( like i’m ngl i am an impatient little shit but fr its so nice to know the devs love it as much as we do, i’ll gladly wait knowing they put so much detail in it :(

ALSO SJDJFJ kazuha and sayu sleeping on warm rocks together send tweet side note: big brother kazuha is v sweet me thinks, they’re related now i said so

i saw some stuff about thoma when i opened twitter a second ago and people are lowkey pressed that their characterizations of him are wrong 😞 that’s what they get for saying he got downgraded 😁

also,,, ruin sential,, y’know the “upgrade, go back, I SAID GO BACK” meme ?? that’s me w ruin guards, hunters, and graders so 😃 i stg if that thing can go underground i’m gonna cry. OH ALSO i heard about the garden thing a while ago and i don’t remember a lot of what was said but it’s really cool >:)

pov you’re me using kazuha to fight the samurais bc i think it’s funny

OOH WAIT THE ARTIFACT THING SOUNDS COOL THOUGH :0 do we just get to pick what type it is, or do sub stats and stuff carry over/give you a higher chance of getting certain sub stats? either way i’m v happy about that i have so much maiden stuff and uh. no one to put it on :”)

the weapon banner thing sounds cool too :> i don’t have a five star weapon bc i’m scared to waste primos but mayhaps if i can choose... >:)

also shout out to yu-peng chen for being amazing, thought one of the mondstadt songs would be easy to play and i was Very Wrong

#lore.txt #genshin.txt #msg: error

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glittertomb · 4 years

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My Anime Selections for Studio Ghibli Lovers ❀✿❃✽

Uchouten Kazoku (The Eccentric Family)

This story about a family of shape-shifting tanuki living alongside Japanese society is reminiscent of Isao Takahata’s beloved Pom Poko. Like many Ghibli films (such as Princess Mononoke or Laputa: Castle in the Sky), few characters are inherently good or evil, and the viewer’s perception of the characters evolves as you learn more about their motivations. If you love whimsical imagery, Japanese motifs, moral dilemmas, magical mishaps, and stories about gods and demons, you will be enchanted by this lovely, yet somewhat sinister, show. Watch it here!

Mahoutsukai no Yome (Ancient Magus’ Bride)

If you mix the witchy aesthetics of Kiki’s Delivery Service with the monster romance of Howl’s Moving Castle, and then sprinkle in a few otherworldly creatures from Tales from Earthsea and Spirited Away, then you almost get Ancient Magus’ Bride. I quickly fell in love with the heart-wrenching storytelling, thoughtful character growth, and spell-binding visuals of this beautifully dark show. I recommend watching this backstory OVA first, followed by season one. But be warned! While the show has many heartwarming moments akin to a Ghibli film, a few brutal things happen in the last 5 episodes (Tw: Suicide, Tw: Torture, Tw: Body Horror, Tw: Shows that end abruptly with too many loose ends and no season two in sight).

Akage no Anne (Red-Haired Anne)

While this slice of life anime based off of Anne of Green Gables is rooted more in reality, Anne’s wild imagination and dreamlike tendencies add a fantasy element to the show. Fairies skip along the pond and rooms fill with flowers as we follow Anne amongst the idyllic scenery of Green Gables. Anne faces her share of troubles as well, but most of these struggles lead to further growth, connection, and understanding for herself and those around her. This show has a transitory nature similar to My Neighbors the Yamadas, emotional development similar to Kiki’s Delivery Service, and is stylistically similar to When Marnie was There. Watch here!

(Edit: Found out that this series was directed by Isao Takahata, so no wonder I was getting that vibe!)

Violet Evergarden

In Violet Evergarden, the attention paid to luscious scenery and household details evokes memories of some of my Ghibli favorites. The show’s emphasis on emotionality and the effects of wartime on the human spirit reminds me of The Wind Rises, though no show has ever devastated me as deeply as Violet Evergarden (prepare for waterworks!). The style of animation is most similar to The Secret World of Arrietty, and both worlds are brimming with heavenly gardens, bountiful tea services, and tables covered with curious treasures. Watch on Netflix or here!

~*~*~^~let me know if you enjoy these & i’ll do more!~*

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hawkinslibrary · 3 years

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idk if this is in any way interesting (feel free to ignore this if you don't like it), but here's a couple ideas for gifsets i've had that i can't make myself, but might be interesting to you:

- have you seen the trend of ghibli gifsets where people make a gif of a detail? people already do this with characters for ST and it could be a cool way to appreciate and explore your favorite scenery and set design. costume details as well!

- ST tells a lot of its story by going through daytime to night time- so a comparison or compilation of those times of day could be interesting?

- what's your favorite color? Sometimes i like to go through screenshots and compile ones where i see objects, outfits and locations with that color.

and if you read this all the way through, i just wanted to wish you a nice day!

oooh these are great ideas, thank you so much !! i love sets with the details like that and scenery shots are my favorite to gif tbh and that's what i Thought i was going to be doing yesterday but my sets always get away from me lol.

i actually had an idea similar to the day and night thing except it was different locations and what they look like in and outside of the upside down. different locations during day and night would be really good, too, though 🤔

and yes !! color gifsets are always good, too ! there's some really talented people making very pretty ones in the tag and i'd love to do a color palette or two-color set or even one just focusing on one recurring color as you said.

i'm gonna be honest, a lot of my problem when it comes to making gifs is that i just don't have patience and give up right in the middle of it haha. but these are really, really good ideas and i do have some new plans bc of them, so thank you again so so much !! and i hope you have a great day, too !! 💖

#or are having/had a great day ? i didn't see a notification and don't know when you sent this #answered #anonymous

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skinks · 4 years

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hi!!! what are your favourite movies? like actually good ones but also any trashy comfort movies? is IT (2017) one of them?

Hello!! IT (2017) IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THEM oh man, thank you for this, I love talking about movies!!!! This is possibly the most difficult question you could have asked me. Apologies for how absolutely off the rails this got, I just... love movies so much lmao

I’ve said this before, but opening night of IT ch1 was the best cinema experience I’ve ever had, I’m so glad I got to see it with a fully packed audience who were all laughing and screaming together the whole way through. I’m a huge fan of... everything ch1 was doing, the 80s nostalgia, the summer-coming-of-age themes, the solid ghost train funhouse JOY of the Pennywise performance and scares, the washed-out cinematography, the tiny background details to make everything that much more eerie, the kids’ ACTING?!

Like, a lot of the time I find child actors can be really awkward and stilted to watch, but I remember leaving the cinema really impressed by JDG and Sophia Lillis in particular. I liked that they were all allowed to be little shitheads with potty mouths, it felt like a callback to 80s movies like The Lost Boys or Stand By Me. The whole thing worked to make me really care about what happened to the kids (even if I do still have issues with how they handled Mike. I understand even ch1 had limitations with juggling so many characters, but still). I saw it another 2 times in the cinema and have rewatched it at least, I dunno, 7-10 more times since then?

Add to all of that the retroactive CANON R+E baby pining subplot? I just love it, as if that wasn’t obvious by now given my Whole Blog. It’s a really special movie to me!

Anyway!! Ok, the main handful of movies I rewatch all the fucking time are:

Back to the Future, The Lost Boys, Pride and Prejudice (2005), Jaws, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Ocean’s 11, POTC 1, The Dark Knight, Inception, Die Hard, LOTR trilogy, Snatch, The Nice Guys, Logan Lucky, Mad Max Fury Road, Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, Tomb Raider (2018)...

Those are the easily consumable ones that I’ve seen so many times I don’t really have to concentrate or think about them, but I really love them and unfortunately often KEEP rewatching them instead of new stuff. It would take too long to go into why I love all these movies so much because I could write the same amount as I already did for ITCH1, and everyone already knows why those movies are good, so, lol.

I think I’m gonna have to subdivide and categorise this whole post because there are too many separate criteria for... goOD MOVIES, AUUHH 😩

Okay so first off, HORROR MOVIES? I’m especially in love with Re-Animator (1985) and its sequel Bride of Re-Animator, they’re such good examples of camp and batshit 80s practical effects, and also EXTREMELY funny. I’m actually just gonna post my list of my fave horror movies that I do actually keep on my phone at all times lmao. These are in no particular order:

Wholeheartedly recommend every one of these. I’ve never been so scared in my life as I was watching Hereditary in the cinema, hoo boy. Mother! by Aronofsky is one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had (and I actually saw it on the same day I saw IT ch1 for the first time!! That was a fun day)

Psycho (1960) and The Fly from 1986 should also be on there but I couldn’t fit them in the screenshot.

I’m a HUGE fan of a ton of martial arts movies too, like Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, Ip Man, The Raid movies, John Wick 3 is my fave of the trilogy, Drive from 1997 with Mark Dacascos is incredible, SPL 2, Ong-Bak, Operation Condor, Project A, Iron Monkey, and Zatoichi (2003) are some favourites.

My favourite Tarantino is Reservoir Dogs, fave Coen brothers are Raising Arizona, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and O Brother Where Art Thou. Love some old-timey colour correction and weird offbeat dialogue. I also love Goodfellas!!! And Donnie Brasco! And The Firm, I’m so easy for any good crime/law/gangster/heist procedural like that, especially if they’re from the 80s or 90s in a super dated way.

Fave Disney movie is Tarzan, favourite Ghibli movies are Spirited Away and Lupin III. I remember watching Spirited Away during a thunderstorm one time and it being.... god! Transcendent! Favourite Pixar movie is The Incredibles (the first one. ALSO the documentary “The Pixar Story” is great and well worth a watch, it’s very comforting for some reason) and my favourite Dreamworks movies are HTTYD1 and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron.

I tend to watch more anime movies than tv shows, so stuff like Akira, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Journey to Agartha, and my ultimate fave anime is Sword of the Stranger (2008). The climactic fight in that movie is fucking stunning and should be counted in “bests fights” lists right alongside anything live action

Also if we’re talking animated movies another hearty favourite is Rango, and a Belgian stop-motion (which at one time I considered my favourite movie ever) called Panique Au Village (2009) which is one of the funniest movies ever made imo.

As for TRASHY movies, I’m not sure if that’s the right word for how I feel about these ones but.. dumb/silly/slightly guilty pleasure movies? Ones that I feel need some kind of justification lmfao

Troy - something u must know about me is that I’m a giant slut for the Assassin’s Creed franchise, so if a movie smashes historical and mythological nonsense together with fun costumes and sword fights, I’m gonna enjoy myself. Even if they should have made Achilles and Patroclus gay. Other movies in this vein are King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and Immortals (2011)

Gods of Egypt - I know all the reasons this movie is whitewashed bullshit. But it was already bullshit with giant Anubis mecha and giant snakes and bad acting and ridiculous CGI and frankly I had a blast at the cinema (my friend who I forced to come with me did not have a blast. Sorry H***)

Avatar - yes, the one with the big blue people. This movie gets a lot of flack nowadays but I really do enjoy it just for the spectacle. The full CGI world technology was so new at the time and I love to wallow in the visuals and daydream about riding a cool dragon around in the jungle

George of the Jungle - I’ll defend this movie to the death ok this movie shaped me as a person, it is fucking hilarious and Brendan Fraser is the himbo to end all himbos. It’s perfect. The song Dela is perfect. I still want to write a reddie AU about it. It’s one of the best movies ever made and I’m not being ironic

Set It Up - I KNOW this is a dumb Netflix original romcom but consider this; it was funny and the leads had great chemistry. I got butterflies. I once watched it and then literally immediately set it back to the start so I could watch it again

The Brady Bunch Movie - when people talk about great satires or parodies you will see them bring up the same movies over and over again, Blazing Saddles, This Is Spinal Tap etc, but they never talk about The Brady Bunch Movie from 1995 for some reason, which they should. It is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen and every time i watch it somehow it gets funnier

Some more general favourites that I do still love but don’t rewatch as often, and don’t wanna go into more detail about are:

Moon (2009), Crna Mačka Beli Mačor, The Sixth Sense, Parasite, The Handmaiden, Tremors, Wet Hot American Summer, Tucker and Dale vs Evil, What We Do In The Shadows, Hunt For the Wilderpeople, The Secret of My Success (I love kitschy 80s movies, is that obvious by now), The Green Mile, When Harry Met Sally, Rear Window, The Odd Couple, Breaking Away, Pan’s Labyrinth, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Eagle, Gladiator, The Artist, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Call Me By Your Name, Master and Commander, Pacific Rim, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Legend (1985), Emma. (2020), Flash Gordon, Trolljegeren, Hross í Oss, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, WarGames, District 9, Ajeossi (2010), Tracks (2013), Sightseers, Mud (2012), Pitch Black, Four Lions, Shaun of the Dead, Starship Troopers, The Truman Show, Withnail & I....... Jesus Christ ok I need to stop

NOTABLE EXTREME FAVOURITES that I didn’t include in the regular rewatch list because they’re too heavy/not as well known/require more attention.:

Thin Red Line (1998), Badlands (1973) both dir. Terrence Malick

Malick’s brand of dreamy impressionistic filmmaking is something I find really appealing, both of these movies are gorgeous and unusual and poignant and, in the case of Thin Red Line at least, have a lot of things to say about a lot of rough subjects. I don’t totally understand all those things sometimes, but a theme with a lot of my favourite movies is that I’ll be more likely to love something long-term if it raises unanswered questions, or is surreal/esoteric etc. Plus the cinematography is incredible, and I wish there was a way to get Jim Caviezel’s narration from The Thin Red Line as an audiobook because it’s very poetic and soothing.

Let the Bullets Fly (2010) dir. Jiang Wen

This movie is WILD, it’s so much fun. It’s sprawling and intricate and epic and smart and really fucking funny, it! Has! Everything! A gang of very tolerant outlaws!! Jiang Wen’s beautiful broad chest!!! Chow Yun Fat absolutely DECIMATING the scenery, and the two of them outsmarting each other in order to gain control of a small Chinese town!!! Plus it’s long, but it packs so much nonsense and intrigue that it goes by really fast. Wow what a flick

A Field in England (2013) dir. Ben Wheatley

I know I included this in my horror list but aaaaahhh ahhhh Wheatley is one of my favourite directors (he also made Sightseers, and is directing the Tomb Raider sequel which makes me absolutely rabid.) This is a surreal black-and-white psychological horror black comedy set in the English Civil War about some deserters who may or may not meet the Devil in a field. People eat mushrooms. It’s bonkers. I love being blasted in the face with imagery that I don’t understand

Mandy (2018) dir. Panos Cosmatos

Speaking of being blasted in the face!!!!! This movie... I saw it in the cinema and I can’t even begin to explain the experience, but I’ll try. My favourite review site described it like this:

“...somewhere between a prog album cover come to life and a metal album cover come to life, and subscribes to both genre's artistic tendency towards maximalism: what it ends up being is basically naught else but two glorious hours of being pounded by bold colors...”

So, prog and metal are my two favourite genres of music. This movie opens with the quote “When I die, bury me deep, lay two speakers at my feet, put some headphones on my head and rock and roll me when I'm dead.” and then a King Crimson song, it is SURREAL to the nth degree, it’s violent and bizarre and Nic Cage forges a giant silver axe to destroy demonic bikers and there is a CHAINSAW DUEL. A galaxy swirls above a quarry. Multiple animated horror nightmare sequences. At one point a man says “you exude a cosmic darkness” and releases a live tiger. At another point Cage says, in a digitally deepened voice, “The psychotic drowns where the mystic swims. You’re drowning. I’m swimming.” and I haven’t stopped thinking about it for two years

Paper Moon (1973) dir. Peter Bogdanovich

Really fantastic movie set in the Great Depression (and also in black & white) about a conman and a little kid who may or may not be his daughter, running cons across the Midwest. It’s beautifully shot, so sharp and sweet and the progression of their dynamic is really well done because they’re played by an IRL father and daughter. Tatum O’Neal was NINE YEARS OLD and she’s so amazing in this movie she’s actually the youngest person to win a competitive category Oscar. I keep trying to get people to watch this fbdjfjdbf it’s wonderful

Alpha (2018) dir. Albert Hughes

THIS MOVIE IS A VICTIM OF BAD MARKETING ok, the trailers made it look like some twee crappy sentimental Boy And His Dog Adventure, plus it had voiceovers in American-accented english? That’s a total disservice to one of the coolest things about this film; the fact that they got a linguist to construct an entirely original Neolithic language that all the characters speak for the entire runtime. And yes, it is eventually a Boy And His Wolf adventure, but it’s COOL and fairly brutal, and it has some really incredible cinematography. The landscapes are so strange and barren and alien, you really get the sense that this is an ancient world we no longer have any connection to. And it’s also about like, the birth of dog & human companionship sooo it’s perfect.

Free Solo (2018) dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin

The Free Climbing Documentary. I loved climbing as a kid, I love outdoor sports, and I love movies that elicit a physical reaction in me, whether that’s horny, scared, real laughter, overwhelming shivers, or in the case of Free Solo - HORRIBLE SWEATING TENSION. Like, I knew about Alex Honnold beforehand because of this adventure film festival I go to every year and I followed him on IG so obviously I knew he lived, but the actual climb itself was torture. My hands sweat every time I see it!! It’s incredible, such a cool look into generally what the human body can do, and more specifically, why Honnold’s psychology and life means he’s so well suited to free soloing. It’s such an exercise in getting to know an individual and get invested in them, before they attempt something very potentially fatal.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) dir. Ang Lee

I can’t even talk about this. When I was around 13 I snuck downstairs to watch this on TV at 11pm in secret, and my life was forever changed. I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t seen Brokeback at the age I did. I seriously can’t talk about this or I’ll write an even longer essay than this already is

God’s Own Country (2017) dir. Francis Lee

The antidote to Brokeback Mountain, I’m so glad I managed to see this one in the cinema too. It makes me cry every time, as someone who’s spent years working on a cold British farm with sheep it was very realistic, which is expected since Lee grew up on a farm in Yorkshire. I love that this movie isn’t really about being closeted, but about being so emotionally repressed and self-loathing that the main character finds it so hard to accept love. Or that he deserves to be loved. The cinnamontographies.... lordt... but also the intimacy and sex scenes are fucking searing wow who hasn’t seen this movie by now. 10 stars. 20 stars!!!

Tomboy (2011) dir. Céline Sciamma

I saw this years ago but I’ve never forgotten it, it cut so deep. It’s from the director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire and it’s about a gnc kid struggling with gender and misogyny and homophobia in a really raw, scrappy way, it reminded me very much of my own... childhood... ahh the central performance is amazing for such a young age. I haven’t seen Portrait yet but I feel like if you went nuts for that, you should definitely check this out, it’s lovely.

Donnie Darko (2001) dir. Richard Kelly

EVERY TIME I WATCH THIS MOVIE I UNDERSTAND LESS AND LESS and that’s what I love so much about it. I love surreal movies, I love time-fuckery and stuff about altered perception etc etc and Donnie Darko scratches all my itches. I wish I could find a way to figure out an IT AU for it, because I know it would work! Somehow! Plus it’s got the subdued 80s nostalgia and I found it at an age when I was really starting to explore movies and music and the soundtrack FUCKS.

Offside (2006) dir. Jafar Panahi

I wish more people knew about this!!! It’s an Iranian film about a disparate group of women and girls who are football fans and want to watch Iran’s qualifying match for the World Cup, but women aren’t allowed into the stadium, so they all get thrown into the Stadium Jail together? They don’t know each other beforehand, but it’s about their changing relationships with each other and the guards and just, their defiance alongside hearing the match from the outside and WOW it’s so lively. Great dialogue and very funny, and such a different kind of story from anything you usually see from Hollywood.

The Fall (2006) dir. Tarsem Singh

This movie... I guess it’s the ideal. This is the platonic ideal of a film for me, it has fantasy, magical realism, glorious visuals, amazing score and costumes and production design and a really interesting, heartbreaking relationship at the core of it. I don’t know why so many of my favourite films feature incredibly raw performances by child actors but this is another one, Catinca Untaru barely knew any English and improvised so much because of that, and it’s fascinating to watch! Also the dynamic with Lee Pace is one of my favourites, where a kid forms a friendship with a guardian figure who isn’t their parent, but the guardian grows to really care for them by the end. It’s like Paper Moon in that sense. What is there to even say about this movie, it’s pure magic joy tempered and countered by genuine gutwrenching emotional conflict in the real world, it’s also ABOUT old moviemaking, in a way, and it’s stunning to look at!

Mad Max Fury Road (2015) dir. George Miller

I know I included this in my “most rewatched” section but it deserves its own thing. We all know why this movie is fucking incredible. I remember clutching my armrests in the cinema and feeling like my skeleton was being blasted back into the seat behind me and tbh that is the high I’m constantly chasing when I go to see any movie. What a fucking gift this film is

Théo et Hugo dans le Même Bateau (2016) dir. Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau

I only found this movie last year and it became an instant favourite. Initially I was just curious because I’d never seen a movie with unsimulated sex before, but it’s so much more than the 18 minute gay sex club orgy it opens with. No, not more than, AS WELL AS. The orgy is important because this movie is so candid and frank about sex and HIV treatment in the modern day, it was eye-opening. Another thing that really got me is that I’d never seen a real-time film before. It’s literally an hour and a half in the lives of these two men, their intense connection and conversation and conflict in the middle of the night in Paris, with some really nice night photography and just!!! Wow!!! AMAZING CHEMISTRY between the actors. This is such a gem if you’re comfortable with explicit sexual content.

Ok. This is already over 3k but film is obviously one of my ridiculous passions and I can and do talk about it for hours. I’ve been reading magazines about it for years, listening to podcasts and reading review blogs and recently, watching video essays on YouTube because the whole process is so interesting to me and I want to learn more!!

Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of valuing form over narrative. The idea that story can often come second to the deeper physical experience and emotional reaction that’s created by using ALL the elements of filmmaking and not just The Story, y’know? Whether that’s editing, shot composition, colour, the sound mix, the actors, how it should all be used to heighten the emotional state the script wants you to feel. And so, I think for a few years now this approach has been influencing the types of films I really, really love.

I think I love surreality and mind-bending magical realism in films specifically because the filmmakers have to use all those different tools to convey things that can be way too metaphysical for just... a script? I’m always chasing that physical response; if a movie can make me stop thinking “I wonder what it was like to set up that shot” and instead overwhelm that suspension of disbelief, if I can be terrified or woozy or crying for whatever reason, that’s what I’m looking for. That’s why I watch so many fuckin movies, and why I’ll always remember nights like seeing IT (2017) for giving me another favourite.

Thank you again for this question, I didn’t mean to go so overboard. Also there’s no way to do a readmore on tumblr mobile so apologies to anyone’s dashboard 😬

#long post #films #this is like bill hader being asked to pick his fave comedies and he gives a 4 page list #he has such good taste though ahhahbfhfhfhh lemme talk with him nonstop about movies while i ride him. thank you

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neocatharsis · 4 years

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“Finding My Style with NCT 127!” This time, the leader of the group, TAEYONG!

Read full interview here https://mensnonno.jp/post/35509/

MN: In our pre-interview questions, we asked every member of NCT 127 how you would like to introduce yourself to the readers of MEN’S NON-NO as if you were a friend meeting for the first time. Your answer was very simple and to the point;

“I am someone who loves to dance and rap.”

When did you realize that this was the core of who you are?

T: This is actually what I just recently started feeling. It has been four years since my debut, which makes this my fifth year as a performing artist. I have been on many stages. In the past, I think the help I received from those around me, and my colleagues, is how I was encouraged to work hard and somehow gain confidence in what I did. But now, having gone through that process, I feel I have grown enough to be able to adequately show my rap and dance skills on stage.

MN: To the question, “What is the one thing that you can hold your head up high about?” you wrote,

“TAEYONG on stage.”

T: Yes, that’s right! I feel like I have just reached the point where I am fully ready to stand on stage.

MN: Do you have an ideal about yourself as to how you would like to be seen by others?

T: Well… I aspire to show all of me to the audience. So, if they could all just watch over me with a little more interest, I’m sure they will be able to understand everything about me.

MN: From the aspects of “dance” and “rap” that are important to you right now, could you share with us which songs and what sections of each song you really want the fans to see, respectively?

T: For rap, I would say ‘Chain’, which was our debut song in Japan. We have a Japanese version and a Korean version, so we rap in both languages. Then, I would say my solo song, ‘Long Flight’, which was just released over a year ago. For dance, I would say ‘Kick It’, which YUTA-san also brought up in the previous interview.

MN: Speaking of dance, you have posted many online videos of your freestyle dancing.

T: I have a lot of recommendations, but if I were to pick just one, it would have to be the one where I dance to The Pack’s ‘Oh Go’. I have great memories of how much fun it was to shoot that one with other members of NCT 127, and more than anything, the scenery was pivotal. We shot that one in Thailand. When shooting a video for my freestyle dancing, I’m very particular about the scenery. This is because I always want to incorporate the beautiful landscape I find in all the places from each country we travel to when touring. It’s not like I prepare before going to a location, but rather, shoot when we run into a place that I find beautiful. So, the dancing may not always be perfect, but I am pleased about this video where we were able to capture the beautiful landscape in Thailand.

MN: So, it is a creative piece of work where your inspiration came to life.

T: Yes, exactly. There are times when I don’t quite nail it, but I always aim to get a good one.

What Is Vital For You As A Global Artist?

MN: Is there something that is vital for you when performing in different countries under the slogan “To the world”?

T: I think this is something we share with many other artists. Each country has its own language and some words should not be used. There are also ways you shouldn’t act. So, you have to be aware of these things. Each time we are on the stage, I believe it is important to communicate with our fans in each country. I try to understand the culture and come up with a style that is appropriate for that culture. At the same time, I also want to share with the audience what I feel emotionally at that moment, as well as how touched I am. As I mentioned earlier, the scenery is very important to me, and I honestly just love to see the landscapes, So, when I find the beauty in that country, I simply want to share that with the fans of other countries.That is why I try to take as many photographs as I can.

What Kind Of Team Is NCT 127?

MN: As the leader of the group, what kind of a team would you say is NCT 127? Could you tell us some of the good points?

T: First of all, I don’t really think of myself as a leader, most of the time (LOL). But as TAEYONG, one of the team members, I can honestly say that each and every one of us has so many possibilities, with the power to open many doors. That is why I think we are a team that will be able to continue to enjoy sharing our time with our fans for a long time to come and build on good memories together. For me, all the members are kind, respectful, multi-talented, and I have nothing but praise for their personalities. Even though there are a lot of us, I believe that we all understand one another. This is always something I think about, but we already work hard to do our best and we do live up to expectations. So all we really need to do, is continue to do ‘our norm’, and that to me, is taking our cool to another level.

MN: How wonderful it must be to feel so proud of everyone in your group.

T: Of course, the power in our performances are something to be said for! I personally have also been deeply inspired by NCT 127 when it comes to music. Even with life in general, the great memories keep piling up every day, and it has also been a blessing to meet so many of our fans.

Any Memorable Moments With Your Fans?

MN: Speaking of your fans and being cool, to our question, “What does NCT 127 consider as being cool”, you answered,

“The coolest thing would be the cheering voices of our fans heard from the stage.”

What do your fans mean to you?

T: That is a very tough question (in Japanese). I am always surrounded by many super nice people, and even though I am perfectly happy, we receive further support and love from the fans. I really appreciate how they make me want to try harder, which is a driving force that motivates me even more. So, in the same way, I want to think about our fans as much as they do about us.

MN: What memorable moment do you have of looking into the audience from the stage?

T: On our last Japan tour, I loved the atmosphere when we sang the song titled ‘Long Slow Distance’. The setlist prior to that song was mainly performance-based with intricate staging, but suddenly the mood became very calm and serene. When we were singing this song, I felt like we were able to take the time to really look into our fans’ faces, and that the fans were also able to look into our faces. That was a memorable moment that felt amazing.

How Did You Come To Know About Music and Culture, And What Are Your influences?

MN: When looking over your responses to our questions, it feels like your older sister has had a significant impact on you. In response to the question about your influences, you said, “My sister. My sister has had a big impact on me because a lot of the things I like, for example, Japanese anime by Studio Ghibli and music, like Justin Timberlake, they all came from my sister.” Then, in response to the question about who you admire because of his or her style, you answered, “I used to like Cole Mohr because of my sister. His style was so funk and super cool.”

T: Whenever I had difficult times, my sister was always there to be by my side, so it was only natural that I came to rely on her. Every little thing, really even things that were trivial, became good memories for me. For example, during the hot summer months, sometimes I slept in my sister’s room because she had an air conditioner. That was when she showed me Ghibli movies and we had some good times together. Also, I got a hand-me-down MP3 player from my sister, and when I looked at the song list inside, the music my sister listened to was in there. Justin Timberlake and a lot of other pop songs. I wasn’t that interested in the music at the time, but after I listened to it, I found there were a lot of really good songs. So, that’s when I started listening to that type of music even more.

MN: So, that’s why your sister pops up more than once regarding your influences.

T: Yes. To think those tiny little memories would one day become a huge part of who I am now. I really think I owe it to my sister, That’s why I love my sister so much, and I still rely on her as well.

What Kind Of Adult Do You Want To Live To Be?

MN: There were some responses that caught our attention that had nothing to do with your group activities or fashion, so let’s go into detail regarding those. In response to the question, “What kind of an adult do you want to become?”, you answered, “I want to be an adult that someone can rely on.” Is there a reason behind this?

T: In the process of growing up, other than my parents, I feel like I met adults in society for the first time after joining SM (SM Entertainment, an agency for NCT 127). I mean, I’m sure I was blessed with good adults around me back then as well, but at that time I was a child and didn’t really think about it. But after I joined SM Entertainment, I met adults I could look up to, and there was a time when I knew I wanted to become like that. So, as I grew older and the years passed by, when I started to think “I wonder what kind of an adult I’ll become”, I always felt like I wanted the strength to be able to protect someone, and to have the intellectual sharpness and cleverness to be able to do so. So, I could have just as easily responded that “I want to become a decent adult”, but because I want to be an adult who has the strength to be able to protect someone, I wrote, “I want to become an adult that someone can rely on.”

MN: To the question, “What do you want to conquer?”, your response of “I want to conquer the future to come,” was also quite impressive.

T: Even though I haven’t lived that long, when you jump into society and live your life, I’ve come to learn that you have to conquer your past, the present, and the future. I am able to do what I want to do right now because I was fortunate enough to find a good agency. So, in that respect, I am grateful to both the past and the present. But who really knows what the future will bring, you know? I’m sure that many of you are hoping to live your lives while preparing for the future, and I am the just same. So, in answer to this question, that is the reason why I wrote that I want to conquer the future more than I do the past or present. I feel that I want to place my worries on the future more than anything else because it has yet to come.

MN: You mentioned earlier that you “want to become an adult that someone can rely on”. We can see how you deeply care about the people around you, while also having a positive outlook on the future.

T: Well, I think a big part of it has to do with the fact that I am surrounded by good people. As I continue to work, I can honestly say that I am the type of person who has a strong sense of always being helped by the people around me. The fact is, these people care about me, support me, and work alongside me, and I hope to continue to work with them for a long time to come. This desire heightens my sense of responsibility. The same is true for the other members. The more I am surrounded by good people, the greater my sense of responsibility becomes.

MN: You said you don’t really think of yourself as the leader, but it seems like you are aware of your surroundings and that you have various thoughts on your mind.

T: Hahaha, no, no.

MN: Finally, to sum up your story thus far, what would you say, TAEYONG-san’s “My Own Style” is…

T: It’s about “meeting” others. Everyone around me and the agency has made me who I am today. I love them all. I want to cherish each and every person I meet, so that I can have the opportunities to step into environments that are good and to be able to achieve what I want to do.

MN: Please tell us what we can expect from NCT 127 in the future.

T: Our new 2nd mini-album for Japan, ‘LOVEHOLIC’, will be released on December 23rd. We are working on it now, and you can expect great things! We look forward to seeing you all in Japan soon.

MN: Thank you very much for today.

T: (In Japanese) Thank you right back. Looking forward to the next time〜!

#nct #nct 127 #Taeyong

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rubykgrant · 4 years

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If you love high-fantasy, or are just kinda getting into it, and are looking for something to watch while you have extra time, I’d suggest the animated Ranking-Bass trio of the Hobbit (1977) as well as the sequel the Return of the King (1980), the Last Unicorn (1982), and the Flight of Dragons (1982).

I feel like the most well known is the Last unicorn, and a decent number of people are aware of the the Hobbit (but not so much the Return of the King), while the Flight of Dragons is somewhat forgotten. These animated Rankin-Bass movies were actually my first introduction to the Hobbit and anything Tolkein related, and I saw them a long time before I could even read (family friends had the VHS tape, and I’d watch it whenever my parents took me there to visit, starting when I was about 2 years old). This caused something kinda funny when I was in elementary school; I was taking a reading comprehension test, and we were allowed to go as far as we could with the test packet, which took me to high school level books. Because I’d seen the Hobbit (and other shows like Wishbone or Jim Henson’s the Storyteller), I could answer questions about the story, and my teachers thought I must have cheated somehow.

About these movies; the Hobbit/Return of the King are obviously based on the books by JRR Tolkein. Rankin-Bass had already done many animated and sto-motion movies (pretty much all the Christmas classics are them), and they wanted to get into stories with more depth in different styles, so they started making high-fantasy movies. For the Hobbit, the art style was partially inspired by the art of Arthur Rackham, who did the concept art for them. The scenery and backgrounds very beautiful with many details in the tree roots and rocks, creating lush watercolor world. Animation for it was done by Topcraft, which later became Studio Ghibli (the same studio and crew also worked on Return of the King). Many of the poems Tolkeing wrote in the book were used and made into songs, sometimes the characters singing/speaking the lines, but there was also mood-music and singing done by Glenn Yarbrough (including an original song just for the Hobbit). The voice cast for both movies included many talented people, but some that might be known for their other work; Hans Conreid plays Thorin (who was also Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan), and Casey Kasem as Merry (who was the original Shaggy from Scooby-Doo). Both of these movies include very important scenes from the source material, and they really do them justice (Smaug’s boastful introduction, Thorin’s good-bye, Eowyn taking her stand, ect). Another animated movie, the Lord of the Rings (1978), combines The Fellowship/Two Towers, and was directed by Ralph Bakshi. It has completely different animation, and unique mood for itself, but is still rightfully impressive and worth watching as well (the live-action Lord of the Rings films were heavily influenced by Bakshi’s work)

The Last Unicorn is based on the book by Peter S Beagle, and he also worked on the screenplay for the film. Topcrfaft again worked on the animation, and while it is visually similar to the Hobbit in certain areas, it has an entirely different style and feeling, the backgrounds/scenery resembling classic tapestries. There is an especially lovely way hair and eyes are depicted in the Last Unicorn, something we can see in various anime shows/movies; the eyes are deep with shine-sparkles, and the hair flowls either elegantly or wildly. There is again a very amazing cast for this film, each person doing an amazing job. A few people that are known in other animated roles; Jeff Bridges plays Prince Lir (who has been in more recent animated movies like Surf’s Up as Zeke), and Angela Lansbury voicing Mommy Fortuna (who was Mrs Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast). Like many books-turned-movies, certain things were cut for time, but what remains are still very important parts of the story. The movie also has a beautiful collection of original songs, performed by the group America. The over-all vibe of the the Last Unicorn is a combination of bright beauty, dark themes with sad undertones, and little bits of combedy scattered through it all

The Flight of Dragons is interesting, because it actually combines two different books into one animated movie; the Flight of Dragons by Pter Dickenson was where the author explored various myths and legends about dragons, and worked out how it related to real life. In some cases, what existing things people might have mistaken for dragons, but also if it was possible for dragons to have truly existed. Another book, the Dragon and the George by Gordon R Dickson (part of the Dragon Knight series), told the fictional story of a modern day man who works as an assistant to a history professor going on a strange journey to rescue his fiance. He winds up in another world where fantasy creatures are real, and dragons refer to all humans as “George”. While in this world, the man winds up inhabiting the body of a dragon, and a quest involving a knight/a magician/evil dragons/and much more. For the animated film, elements from both stories were used, creating a new one about “Peter Dickenson” being the modern day man who winds up in the body of dragon, which he is very excited about since he can learn more about his favorite subject this way. Yet again, the voice cast was incredible, and two that are known in other media; John Ritter as Peter Dickenson (who was also in Three’s Company and the Problem Child), and James Earl Jones as the evil wizard Ommadon (known for lending his voice to Mufasa in Disney’s the Lion King and Darth Vader from Star Wars). The film follows a similar plot to the Dragon and the George, but still includes the science the works out how dragons coult hypothetically existed, explaining the fire-breath and the flight. Themes in the movie also include science VS magic, how modern ideas often seem to harm forms of fantasy, the dangers of both forms when humans take no consideration with what they create, but ultimately it is using science as a force for good that saves the magical realm. Illustrations for the book Flight of Dragons were done by Wayne Anderson, who created very stylized drawings that was also heavily detailed, many of the dragons have pebbled scales/large eyes/and powerful claws. This art was used as the inspiration for animated dragons, bringing the illustrations to life

OK, enough from me; if you can track these down and feel like it, enjoy some fantasy films~

#text #long post #movies #fantasy #the hobbit #the return of the king #jrr tolkien #the last unicorn #peter s beagle #the flight of dragons #peter dickenson #the dragon and the george #gordon r dickson #rankin bass

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bbq-hawks-wings · 4 years

Text

Pump the Breaks

Hawks was famous for his speed - it was even his trademark before anything else about him. He was always here and gone, there and back, wherever he needed to be in the blink of an eye. While others were known for their raw power, clever tactics, or flashy styles Hawks had a reputation for ending things before they started. As soon as something was known to be a problem, he could be expected to be there and instantly resolve it.

What people didn't know about him, and really only those who knew Takami Keigo even got a glimpse of it, was how much he loved to just be.

It was rare that he ever had the opportunity to sit still. It wasn't that he hated to be, he just always felt there was something that needed to be done that bothered him so he felt like he never could. Yet, when he felt that there was nothing else to be done, when the world was at peace even for a moment, he would still and sit and enjoy just being as long as he could.

He loved heights so he could see as much of the world as possible - his keen eyesight permitting him to enjoy details from afar as well as the wider scenery. There were no overly distracting noises from up high, and the gentle breeze padded his senses to anything that could be like a thick blanket.

He could take the time to enjoy what his eyes could see or close them and pay attention to what he could hear. He could tune it all out and sit with his thoughts - for once not bogged down with the things that needed to be done, just the things that were.

"I think I'll get dinner after this. I'll drop into that restaurant and say hi to the owner. She's so sweet, and she makes the best gyoza in town - I keep trying to figure out her secret, but that crafty old lady is always a step ahead of me. I'll ask her how her grandson is doing - I love watching her face light up when she talks about him. He's entering middle school soon, isn't he? Maybe he got into the one he's been studying for."

He'd let his mind wander - thinking about anything and everything like the clouds passing by around him, considering it for a second as it changed in front of him and then letting it go on its way while he did the same with the next. It was refreshing, like taking a shower and just enjoying the feeling of the water wash over you and slip away. Whatever thing came to mind, he would just feel over and meditate on as long as it would let him and he would just let himself be happy the thought came to visit in the first place when it slipped away peacefully.

Those moments never lasted very long, and he supposed that was probably for the best. Too much of a good thing can be bad, and usually the times he had too much of it the bad thoughts would start to lurk and harass him like a gang of street punks learning their favorite punching bad was nearby. He'd be forced to move again from that point before his mind and emotions would start to fight and turn him inside out.

He'd start up slowly, warming up like an engine on a cold day. He didn't need to be fast right now, just mobile. The world would need him again soon enough, but for now he could just enjoy a stretch or two to send the blood back into his limbs that had been still for a while. Before long, he was back up to speed, eyes sharp and vigilant and ears open and listening again. There might be something or two that needs his attention moving forward, but a freshly rested mind and body made the possibility much more agreeable and even exciting.

Someday he'd have more time than he'd know what to do with, and maybe then he'd pick up a hobby or dedicate some time to learning new things; but for now it was dinnertime, and he had to figure out that sweet old lady's secret gyoza technique!

~~~~~~~~

A/N: Some of my favorite bits of animation have always been those Ghibli-esque moments of stillness and silence where the characters aren't doing anything in particular, but aren't completely static, either. Even doing nothing, they're still alive even if all they're doing is existing in a time or place for a moment. I think there's a large misconception about what it means to just breath and be still, and even the "meditation" and "mindfulness" movements never felt like they got it right, to me.

A loved one of mine recently has begun to get professional help for mental illness caused by regular overabundance of stress and overstimulation, and I've watched them as they've told me how they feel like they're improving over time - from realizing they used to be hyper-focused and high alert all the time and don't anymore, to feeling their "little victories" were actually productive instead of feeling guilty for not getting more done, and even feeling rested after a few hours of sleep and not feeling like they have to be moving. Being able to sit next to them on a nice day and watch as they no longer need added stimulus to feel at ease like they used to and clearly just enjoy the moment has actually brought me to tears.

I wish we romanticized sitting still for just a minute or two and realized how good it is for us - and I don't mean stopping being busy doing one thing so you can be busy sitting down. It's not as easy as it sounds, but stopping to enjoy being alive and appreciating what's right there in front of you, even for just a minute or two, is a habit we don't often hear about any more let alone practice; and I feel we could all be the better for it if we let ourselves do it once in a while. What it looks like in practice is a little different for everybody, but I hope you get the chance to enjoy that feeling soon if you haven't lately.

#she writes #she rambles #hawks #bnha hawks #hawks bnha #mha hawks #hawks mha #keigo takami #takami keigo

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laine-o · 4 years

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who are some artists u take inspiration from / are some of ur inspirations? love ur art btw :)

Wow I’m so sorry it took me awhile to get back to you anon! This was a hard one. I haven’t thought of my inspirations lately since they have changed a bit. I tried to keep these relevant more to my anime art since that’s what I’m more known for, but some are influences on more of my original art that I hope someday I’ll feel brave enough to share with you all.

From left to right, top to bottom.

CLAMP (Magic Knight Rayearth) - they were the reason I started drawing manga/anime artwork at all back in early 2000′s for me. The only “shoujo” artists on this list, I was really taken by the eyes they drew at the time and it still can be seen a little bit today, though I’ve really tried to steer myself away from the large pointed eyes with thick lashes and elongated bodies that plagued my art for a long time. I’ll always love their compositions, use of color and just how they use marker.

Yusuke Murata (Street Fighter fan art) - known for Eyeshield21 and One Punch-Man. This man can draw anything. His sense of anatomy, foreshortening and movement is breathtaking. I love the lighting and rendering as well. He also has a knack for creating really original faces and he doesn’t have the “same-face” syndrome problem. Just top-notch. I don’t aim to be as shonen in style as him, but I hope to start being able to add more dynamic poses into my work.

Kyohiko Azuma (Yotsubato!) - known for Azumanga Daioh and Yotsubato! I really love the comedy and slice of life genres lately. I love softer styles and I really adore the more simplistic approach he has to his character design that really allows the slice of life genre to shine through his art. Despite the simplicity, it still is very anatomically technical. It’s simple, but warm and effective and very soft. His skill in backgrounds as well is phenomenal. I think it’s a whole atmosphere he creates and the story he tells in his illustrations that I would love to apply to my own work if I can. I also related a lot to an interview where he stated he struggles blending little Yotsuba into the world he created because she’s so different stylistically from all the characters, so it’s a lot of fun and helpful to see how he accomplishes this throughout the manga and the panels.

Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto) - of course one of my biggest influences due to all the SasuSaku I draw. I think his style is very effective. It’s also I think more on the simpler side actually (if you compare it to CLAMP and Murata’s). But it’s so dynamic and full of strong composition and memorable character designs. I really appreciate how by his influence, I never really stopped drawing thanks to the characters, Sasuke and Sakura, that he created that had such an impact on me.

Xia Da (Song of the Long March AKA Choukakou) - This one is a manhua artist. Her inking and watercolor artwork is absolutely phenomenal. Definitely someone I look up to when I’m inking my own pieces, I would love to be at her level of skill someday. Primarily an inspo for inking.

Kamome Shirahama (Atelier of Witch Hat) - another artist with phenomenal inking skills that I really admire. She’s also really good at drawing children! But I definitely believe she can draw anything, the fact that she has crossed the barrier to illustrate comic covers for both DC and Marvel is just incredible to me and a testament to how much skill she possesses. Primarily an inspo for inking.

Kozue Amano (Aria) - Known for Aqua, Aria, and Amanchu (lots of A’s!). Her ability to design precious soft characters, gorgeous scenery, and write a beautiful and gentle slice of life fantasy tale has always made her one of my absolute favorites. I absolutely love how she colors her works.

Adachitoka (Noragami) - this is a team who does characters and background art. It’s not a secret that I love watercolor. I also love the movement and action and fighting scenes from this manga. The fact that this team is female and broke through with a popular shonen series is simply amazing. I hope to be as good as they are in drawing figures and in watercolor someday.

James Gurney (Dinotopia) - the master of creating fantasy worlds and making it look like it EXISTS with his painting skills. His “Color and Light” book is an absolute staple (I have it always ready as reference) and it’s a must if you want to give your lighting that more realistic feel. I think my love of lighting really came from growing up with the Dinotopia series. He is always constantly sharing his wisdom as well on his website and twitter and just an amazing and inspiring person for generations of artists.

Makoto Shinkai (Kimi no Na Wa) - This movie’s aesthetics (especially the lush backgrounds), surrealism, and existentialism really spoke to me. I adore the starry skies and heavens and clouds. Screencaps of his movies fill my phone as a quick reference whenever I’m rendering some complex lighting or trying to create some sort of composition with the sky.

Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service) - nothing really needs to be said especially given my love for the details in all the movies, the fantastic scenes involving flying in the sky, the gorgeous backgrounds, and the delicious food. Always a good choice to use as a reference for anything with nature or even cluttered cozy houses and rooms and greenhouses. It’s still a desire to delve more into world building for me and I’ll be using these movies for reference. I also keep tons of their artwork in my phone as reference.

Satoru Takizawa (Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild) - Known for his work with Twilight Princess and Breath of the wild. You know where I’m going with this - he is the MASTER of ambient lighting. I love his rough and loose painting style that I wish I could achieve someday, but I still have a tendency to over-render. A great resource for learning how to world-build and for concept art.

Andrew Loomis - anatomy and figure drawing master. At the end of this list, but not the least important by a long shot. His book I think is not the most beginner friendly in terms of seeing basic shapes and breaking down the form (I think his construction is still more on the complex side), but it’s a good place to start and keep grinding until it “makes sense.” It took me years, but once it started clicking, I have him to thank for it because my anatomy was an absolute mess because of my background of starting from CLAMP’s art style. Buy his book and make it your bible. Attend figure drawing classes. If you want to illustrate people no matter how simple, you must make studying anatomy a part of your process.

Lastly - some original artists to check out who I like the inking, watercolor skills, and concepts of that closely align with my interests for my own original art.

meyoco - twitter, instagram

maruti_bitamin - twitter, instagram, tumblr

Qinniart - twitter, instagram

Some mangaka honorable mentions -

Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman)

Kaoru Mori (Emma, Otoyomegatari)

Satsuki Yoshino (Barakamon)

This was super long, I apologize, but it’s something I’m passionate about. I love art to pieces. I think a lot of what I admire is very technical - anatomy and lighting. I think my influences also reflect my aim to be more proficient at watercolor and inking. And lastly, world-building, fantasy/cosmos, and background art. I think a lot of what I really love though, is color and lighting and that’s found within any of these artists. :)

Thanks for the question anon! You allowed me to geek out on art for about an hour while I wrote this out.

#anon #asks #my asks #laine-o responds #Anonymous

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sundayswiththeilluminati · 5 years

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I have a bunch of thoughts about the War of the Spark novel but I JUST DISCOVERED THERE ARE JAPANESE ANIME VERSIONS OF ALL THE PLANESWALKERS IN THIS SET AND I NEED TO RATE THEM ALL LET’S GO

First off, all images are from here, and credit to their respective artists (listed on the card). In color order, we have:

Karn, the Great Creator: Looks pretty much the same. Like the warping effect of the scenery around him though, and he looks really mad. Minus points for forgetting he wears pants now, but the English artist forgot too so I can’t ding them too hard. 6/10.

Ugin, the Ineffable: All of Ugin’s cards kinda look like this, but there’s not much else you can do with him. Like the more aggressive action pose than his English art. 6/10 did not need the crotch shot though.

Gideon Blackblade: The English art is actually way more anime than this one. This Gideon just looks bored. 3/10.

Teyo, the Shieldmage: Now this is what I’m talking about. Clearly an anime take on the same model as the photorealistic English art, but jazzed up with a super-cool action pose as befits someone in the middle of a massive war. 10/10.

The Wanderer: The Wanderer already had a super-anime look and this art brings it home. Love the slash extending over the text box. Looks like the scene that comes right before the English art, like this is the freeze-frame ninja slash and the English one is the walking away while your enemy slowly falls down dead. 9/10.

Jace, Wielder of Mysteries: IT’S JOJO’S JACE. JOJACE. Jace never gets to have cool action poses and this one is long overdue. He is definitely about to wield a mystery into an Eternal’s face. 10/10 go get ‘em Jace.

Kasmina, Enigmatic Mentor: Hard to pin down the exact difference, but I like this art way less than the English version. I had to double-check to make sure it was the same character; it’s so generic and has none of the same vibe. Then again the English version was done by Villeneuve so maybe it’s not a fair competition. 2/10.

Narset, Parter of Veils: This is a beautiful portrait of Narset back when she was 12. Anime has a major problem drawing any woman between the age of 18 and 65 and Narset is just the first victim in this list. Everything else looks amazing; it’s especially a shame here because Narset has that flowing kung-fu silks look that’s right in the anime wheelhouse. 5/10 what could have been.

Davriel, Rogue Shadowmage: He MAD. Almost too mad. Davriel looks so much bigger and scarier in this art that I had to make sure it wasn’t Ob Nixilis. Super-cool final boss style but maybe too super-cool for someone who’s actually a skinny Innistrad shut-in. Kinda generic pose too. 6/10.

Liliana, Dreadhorde General: They brought in Yoshitaka Amano for the mythic, huh? I know I dinged Narset for looking 12 and this Lili looks even younger (if possible) but Amano does have this weird abstracted style and the rest of her looks real spooky. She looks more like a yokai than a person - like this is something you’d get killed by at the finale of a really spooky Japanese horror game. Normally that’d be a good look for Lili but this is the one set where she’s supposed to be at least a little human, so 8/10.

Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted: Big mad demon lad. Not a lot you can do with Ob Nixilis, really. 5/10 did their best with generic material.

Chandra, Fire Artisan: Chandra in the English art always looks like she’s about to throw a fireball, but never does. Now she finally gets to. It’s a generic anime action pose but not one we’ve gotten with Chandra so I’m for it, and she doesn’t look toooooo twelve. Maybe 15. Good colors. 9/10 nice Kirby hand.

Jaya, Venerated Firemage: Was worried about this one because anime doesn’t handle older women well in art, but it’s not too bad. Clearly different from Chandra’s art, which is always gonna be a problem when they’re in the same set. Like her neat twirly staff trick. Something is weird about her face though. Like it was painted on after the rest of it. IDK. 6/10.

Sarkhan, the Masterless: This is the only time I’ve actually been intimidated by Sarkhan. 9/10 doesn’t have a dragon in the art.

Tibalt, Rakish Instigator: Similar to the above, this is the only time I’ve been interested in Tibalt as a character. A way better rendition of the epithet “Rakish Instigator.” Absolutely your friend’s Problematic Fave from an anime they describe as “Hellsing but with more magical girls.” 10/10 would make an excellent Bloodborne NPC.

Arlinn, Voice of the Pack: Same as Narset, this is great art of Arlinn like thirty years ago. Love the dynamic pose (though I can’t figure out what her hand is doing with that hammer), but real Arlinn is a battle-scarred Sigourney Weaver and there aren’t even any wolves. 4/10 needs more wolves.

Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter: This one is kinda cheating since Jiang was developed specifically for the Chinese market and is basically an anime character already, but still. Look how pumped he is. Look at Mowu. Look how good of a boy he is. If this were the English art people would be getting mad that he doesn’t look Chinese but that’s a whole stew of identity issues I’m not getting anywhere near. 8/10 adorable good boyes.

Nissa, Who Shakes The World: I’m not...No. I’m not going anywhere near this. Gross. 0/10 keep it on your deviantart page.

Vivien, Champion of the Wilds: What did I just say about Nissa? What did I just say. The action lines swooping out of the art across the frame & text box are cool and that’s the only reason it gets a point. 1/10.

Ajani, the Greathearted: He is a big pretty kitty but honestly this art is kind of a letdown. Given anime’s love of cat-people, this is the place where I’d expect the fanservice, but it’s just basically a model-sheet pose of Ajani. Looks like a bad alter of Brimaz, King of Oreskos. Honestly I’d have expected the English version of this card to be the Japanese one, and vice versa. 3/10 he still a big fluffy kitty.

Domri, Anarch of Bolas: This is RAD. If Domri had to bow out (spoilers) this is the kind of card art to do it on. Beautiful colors, furious pose, avoids the “young boy or butch lesbian” look that most of his other art falls into (that’s not a joke; I’ve fielded multiple questions about his gender from confused new players). Any feral teenager would be thrilled to look this badass. Gruul SMASH. 10/10.

Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God: Is this another artist like Amano who has a kinda stylized look? Because otherwise this is just...bad. Not at all befitting of a dragon-god. You’d think with all of Ravnica before him he’d be able to do better. 2/10.

Ral, Storm Conduit: Honestly can’t decide how I feel about this art. The detail is amazing and the lightning is killer but there’s just something weird about Ral. Maybe he’s not smirking enough. Maybe his legs are too big. I want to like this more than I do, but I don’t. 7/10.

Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord: I’m so mad about this art because it makes Sorin look way cooler than he has any right to. The sword, the coat, the swirling ribbons of blood. But anime’s always had a way with vampires, so Sorin is the undeserving beneficiary of a skilled Jojo’s upgrade. 8/10 it was ME ALL ALONG yeah you know the joke.

Tamiyo, Collector of Tales: Tamtam’s another character whose East Asian origin makes her very well-suited to the anime look. In fact I’d say her white skin and complicated ears/headdress look turns out better in an anime style than a photorealistic one. Her skeptical look and halo of floating scrolls are just the icing on the cake. 9/10 dinged a point because the happy Ravnica skyline behind her is a weird choice and ill-suited to the mood.

Teferi, Time Raveler: Anime seems to do a lot better with middle-aged men than middle-aged women. A perfectly serviceable, if bland, Teferi. 5/10.

Angrath, Captain of Chaos: He EXTREMELY MAD. Angrath’s signature red-hot chains are perfect for a swirling anime post and the artist took good advantage of them. If anything he’s almost too bestial, though - Angrath is actually a loving family man and blacksmith who’s so furious because he was trapped on Ixalan for decades away from his home and loved ones. 7/10 somehow too mad.

Ashiok, Dream Render: Now that’s how you draw an inscrutable dream-creature who wields your deepest nighmares. 10/10 love the way they seem to be looking the player in the eye, as if they’re about to conjure your specific personal fears.

Dovin, Hand of Control: Perfectly serviceable Dovin art but I don’t like the thopters and that is unforgiveable. 0/10 because fuck this guy, seriously, and 0/10 on the English art for also having bad thopters while we’re at it.

Huatli, the Sun’s Heart: Huatli also suffering a little de-aging here but I’ll let it slide because she absolutely looks like the main character of a cult 90s anime and I would watch the hell out of it. Major Nausicaa vibe here, but with dinosaurs. Sign me up. 9/10 bad riding posture though.

Kaya, Bane of the Dead: Kaya with the straight-up Ghibli treatment here. There’s nothing technically wrong here but it’s totally the wrong mood and pose for her. I’d watch that Ghibli movie though. 4/10.

Kiora, Behemoth-Beckoner: A pretty literal interpretation of the epithet but who cares, it’s badass and way more tasteful than I feared we might get for the one planeswalker who could plausibly be drawn with tentacles. Love the attention paid to the water and the details of it splashing off her fins. 8/10 is that a walrus? but like with tusks on the bottom jaw? upside down walrus?

Nahiri, Storm of Stone: Repeat after me: NAHIRI IS LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD. SHE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE SHE’S FOURTEEN. She looks in her twenties at the youngest. Reminds me of Mara Sov from Destiny, who is also thousands of years old, looks in her twenties, and gets drawn like she’s 12. Even apart from the de-aging this is just awkward art. The pose is bizarre, the background is weirdly photorealistic, and Nahiri has no expression. 3/10 at least it isn’t a boobs & butt pose.

Saheeli, Sublime Artificer: I...do not know what is going on here with Saheeli’s face. Or her body proportions, really. I guess it’s supposed to be foreshortened but her gormless expression and the weird Lisa Frank colors make me think of a Disney Channel cartoon about planeswalkers. The beautiful detail on the flowing metal is nice but the rest is just strange. 4/10 nice metal dragon though.

Samut. Tyrant-Smasher: I really like this art but it makes me think a lot of people are going to make jokes about Samut “looking like a man” or “barely being a woman,” especially since her name isn’t very clearly gendered, and that just makes me sad. The art itself is nice and totally on-model for her, though her shoulders are kind of weirdly broad and it’s a shame they didn’t take advantage of the anime style to do some cool speed lines like her haste-powers need. 8/10 good righteous avenger look.

Vraska, Swarm’s Eminence: Oh maaaaaan, I want to complain about the cartoonishly-young look and the weirdly-realistic background that makes her look composited in, but the artist really nailed that regal pose and took full advantage of her swirling snake-hair. This is definitely a Vraska both large and in charge. 7/10 you still get dinged for de-aging and also is she sitting or standing, it’s hard to tell.

#Magic: the Gathering #War of the Spark #planeswalker art #Japanese card art!#I judge people who have way more talent than me #Magic: the Where Did All My Money Go

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kanafnwe · 5 years

Note

2, 10, 13, 14, 25

2. What are your three most valued posessions?

my copy of the fall of gondolin (the hardcover with the pretty illustrations on a rlly nice paper!), my minghao photocard (lmao), and my drawing tablet

10. What made you read the Silmarillion in the first place?

i had the book since i was in 8th grade and never made it past the first chapter lmao (i did continue reading the children of hurin but idkwhy i stopped halfway), then i continued it after getting into the tolkien fandom again last year and tolkien tumblr was full of fingon, maedhros, feanor, characters I've never heard of before and i found out they were from the book i gave up on,,,,,

13. Where in Middle-Earth would you most like to live?

Imladris, it seems like a place that would put me at peace!

14. Who is your dream partner from Tolkien’s works?

romantic partner...? Idk honestly,,,, finrod,,,???? I dont have a good explanation for that???

25. What would you most like to see in a tv series or film based on the Silmarillion?

ok so controversial but I'd rlly like an animated silmarillion tv show, if we're going with movies there are going to be a looooot of details cut from the movie (and removing characters, scenes and replacing roles,,,,yikes) while a live action tv show, there's a small chance they're gonna get a big budget for this lengthy piece and i dont want to sit through the painful CG....

anyways, I'd want to see an animated silmarillion, maybe with the art style similar to the legend of aang/korra, but a ghibli-style scenery. And. as an elf f*cker. i really want to see more of the buildup before morgoth stole the silmarils, like the relationship between the house of finwë, some character building, drama, etc, etc. But also, for some reason, i want to see the dwarves drawn really tiny with really fluffy beards? god, i know the silm is faaaar from soft but i can dream.

On another perspective, the silmarillion has eerie similarities with long-running shounen anime, I'd say why, but this is turning lengthy and annoying sorry snsjjs

#answered #the silmarillion #silm ask #again...ion wanna tag the characters

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putschki1969 · 6 years

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All About Hikaru’s Otaku Activities Vol. 4 ~ Translation

All About Hikaru’s Otaku Activities Vol.4 Reflecting upon the arts of autumn “Entertainment that reaches people’s hearts”

In this column Kalafina’s Hikaru talks passionately about the geeky things she loves. The fourth edition follows Hikaru’s recent outings related to the arts of autumn and she shares what she is currently into

Newcomers and old acquaintances alike, welcome to the fourth edition of my casual column “All About Hikaru’s Otaku Activities”! In the first edition I introduced myself so those who are new to this webseries please be sure to check it out ♪ (can be found here!)

During the summer time there are lots of game events taking place, this summer the creators of 『Fate/Grand Order』launched a quite difficult event. (Btw, right now there is a 『Fate/Zero』 evet taking place)

On top of that, there are many movies released during the sumemr holiday season so I went to the cinema quite a lot compared to other seasons. I went to see “My Hero Academia: Two Heroes”, “Mirai no Mirai“ and “The Seven Deadly Sins the Movie: Prisoners of the Sky”. I watched many other movies too but those are the anime films I had watched when I started writing this column.

Speaking of movies, September 21 is the release day of “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” and since I was very curious about it I read the novel that the film is based on.

It is a story about a coffee shop with a special seat, if you use that seat you will be transported back in time to a moment of your choice. However, there are many conditions to your time travel: No matter what you do, you can’t change the present. You can’t change seats. If you leave your seat you will come back to the present. You return once your coffee has turned cold and you have to finish it before your return.

There are more troublesome rules like that but there are still many people who visit the coffee shop because they wish to travel back in time.

It is all about reflecting upon the things you want to cherish, it’s about feeling the strength to move forward. It’s incredibly moving. Reading it in public proves to be quite difficult because you won’t be able to hold back your tears.

When the movie is released I will definitely go and see it.

Well, it is September. Autumn. In the spirit of the arts of autumn I visited the Ghibli Museum Mitaka!

There were so many exhibits inside the museum but unfortunately photography wasn’t allowed inside so I was only able to take pictures in the outside area. Among all the exhibits my favourite was “Where a Film is Born”, in these rooms you can see all the work that is put into the creation of a movie by all involved parties.

For me it was a very special place because I was able to see how these amazing animes have come into existence.

Carefully drawing all these little details yet needing countless pictures to create even the finest of motions, one has to work really fast. “An animator can’t just be a good artist, he has to work fast.�� These words really left a lasting impression on me.

In this place you realise that even though the drawing technique seems so natural, these people are constantly challenging themselves by battling against time.

Creators like that will never give up, they will stay committed until the very end to reach their ideals. That’s how they are able to bring something so amazing to life. I was deeply moved by realising once again that there are people out there who have those skills and who are able to achieve all of that.

There are also corners where scenery and background pictures are being displayed. It felt very nostalgic, these beautifully drawn worlds, so clear and yet blurry like a dream. I want to enter these worlds and experience all they offer. Personally I really enjoyed looking at these pictures and wondering about the people and animals living there, about life and its stories.

From the moment you enter the Studio Ghibli Museum you will be swept away by the charm of all the Ghibli works. There’s just endless excitement to be found in this place.

Going to places you have never been to. Seeing things you have not seen before. Doing things you have never done before.

In this world there are so many things to learn and to discover. Depending on your choices your way of using time will change greatly.

Recently I often find myself blessed with the company of great people. Those gentle and warm-hearted people have kindly taken me along and got me to leave my home. When I open my door I come across all these things I do not know, I discover new things, I get to see and experience them. It’s a lot of fun.

One thing I got to disover recently are board games. My hobbies haven’t changed at all since the old days but I think now I have finally found something new that I am obsessed with.

Puzzles, LEGO, video games, mobile games, I have loved all of these ever since I was a small child...and even though they are all different I think they have one thing in common, they make you have fun by keeping your mind on edge.

With board games you constantly have to come up with new strategies, while moving forward you have to keep your opponents in mind. It’s a unique pleasure that cannot be enjoyed alone.

So far I have played 『Splendor』where you become a peddler of fancy jewelry, 『AZUL』 which has such a nice title, 『Blokus』a strategy game, 『Auf den Spuren von Marco Polo』 which is all about peddling and travelling and 『/PENGUIN PARTY』 which is just super cute.

And the fun doesn’t stop once the game is over. Yes you feel like, “ahh, that was a lot of fun!” but you also immediately think, “let’s do this again soon!” You think about all the smart moves your opponent made and you just want to play again....it’s very addicting! But since you can’t do it alone things stay moderated and you will never overdo it, that’s the advantage of board games.

...even though I go out more these days I still end up being addicted to indoor acitivities *laughs*

And I did something else

I went to a place that was all about “shining things”.

『teamLab★Planets TOKYO DMM.com@Toyosu』 is an event where everyone has to enter with their bare feet in order to fully experience all the sensations. I have never done something like this before, I was a bit perplexed but walking barefoot like that remined me a lot of my childhood. It felt like my body had become part of the artwork.

Experiencing that kind of entertainment is very similar to what I feel when I sing or when I do lives. I want people who come to see me experience everything with their heart and soul. I feel like this strong wish will reach people’s hearts.

At any rate, it was a very exciting yet profound experience.

Well, until next time!

♪Hikaru♪

Ohhhhh, that book/movie Hikaru is talking about sounds SO interesting. Will have to check it out!

Last time I asked if any of you could guess which of Hikaru’s anime recs caught my attention. Here’s the reveal 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

＼（＾▽＾）／Banana Fish＼（＾▽＾）／

I am totally hooked. I love it. Thanks for the great rec, Hikaru!

#kalafina #hikaru #otaku #all about hikaru's otaku activities #teamlab #before the coffee gets cold #pika-chan so cute #this was a very nice column

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