#got lost in the episodic series but glad to finally have it up

[yyh4ever]

What did you think of the live-action yu yu hakusho I confess that when I finished watching the first episode I had good expectations for the next ones but from episode 3 onwards they lost their hand.

To be honest, I loved it! They skipped all the introductory parts and got right down to the point. It's a rough adaptation of the original, but the action scenes are amazing! I felt the love of everyone involved towards Togashi's work. There were more highs than lows.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Togashi wanted to draw a battle shounen, but since it was his first battle series, his editor advised him to take it easy at first. The first chapters were stand-alone adventures of Yusuke's spirit helping others. They weren't even adapted into the anime. Although I love those early stories, I don't think they are crucial to the story. I missed the comedy aspects though, that's what makes Yu Yu Hakusho so appealing. Yusuke's resurrection was a bit rushed, but I loved that "Hohoemi no Bakudan" (anime opening song) was playing on the truck's radio. I also didn't mind a 17-year old Yusuke or Kurama.

Even though they gave a more actual look to the characters, like Botan wearing peep-toes heels and Kuwabara with a dyed blonde hair instead of his iconic pompadour, we can still feel an atmosphere from the 90s in the scenery.

The stealing of the Artifacts of Darkness was so well adapted. Yusuke VS Gouki was an impressive fight. Masaru finally got to thank Yusuke, something that I missed in the original. Kurama telling his story to Yusuke at the hospital was genial as well. I think the motive that driven Hiei to steal the kouma sword in the live action suited him better. Togashi only made Hiei a main character because his editor told him so. That evil Hiei who kidnapped Keiko is so different from the Hiei who showed up later. Making Elder Toguro do the dirty job was more interesting! I'm just curious what they are going to do about Shigure in case of a second or third season. They probably have something in mind already!

Genkai's Tournament/Training was there in a different way. I don't care that much about Rando, but I missed all the pain the original Yusuke went thought to master the reiko hadouken technique. It was a little disappointing to see him absorbing the spirit wave with just an "okay". But, I'm glad they included some iconic moments of his training, like when he's upside-down balancing himself up with only his index finger on a needle.

Probably, what I missed the most was The Saint Beasts Arc. It was during this arc that the four guys got to know each other better and form a bond. Keiko and Botan also worked together and became friends. Considering the budget, I'm aware the live action didn't have time and money to produce it, they had to focus on the first big villain of Yu Hakusho, Younger Toguro.

Filming a whole Dark Tournament would be too hard, expensive, and maybe a little tiring to watch. Although the Rescue Yukina Arc and the Dark Tournament Saga were re-written, all elements from the original series were there:

They showed both Tarukane's mansion and The Hanging Neck Island;

Sakyo needed money to open a big hole to the Demon World. Goro Inagaki also slayed as Sakyo;

Younger Toguro wanted the same thing, he became too strong for the Human World;

Elder Toguro was insanely crazy. Probably, the best villain of Kenichi Takito's career;

A bunch of rich old dudes from BBC gambling;

Tarukane making Yukina cry to sell her hiruseki stones;

The random guy trying to help Yukina. Instead of killing her bird friends, Elder Toguro killed him.

There wasn't Botan and Keiko helping each other, but instead Keiko and Yukina teaming up, and I really enjoyed it;

Kuwabara falling in love at first sight, and asking Yukina to not hate all humans;

Best scenes and lines from Hiei VS Zeru and Kurama VS Roto were incorporated in the fights against Bui and Karasu;

Youko Kurama appeared! Jun Shison nailed it!

In the original, only Kuwabara didn't know about Genkai's death, I liked that in the live action Koenma kept it a secret from Yusuke as well. Elder Toguro making a puppet of Genkai out of his body was amazing!

Younger Toguro "killing" Kuwabara;

The memorable 100% Toguro VS Yusuke's spirit gun;

Sakyo telling the original plan was to make Toguro lose on purpose, so he could collect money from the rich. Also, betting his own life in front of Koenma;

It was interesting that Sakyo told his story and how he had bet his own life a few times to Tarukane instead of Toguro. I felt the Tarukane from the live action was a little bit more human. The actor did a pretty good job. Genkai's dead by the hands of Younger Toguro happened too quick and was disappointing, but they made up for that by showing their amazing goodbye scene in the Spirit World. Young Meiko Kaji was dazzling.

In the first episode, Koenma had sadness in his voice when he mentioned the former spirit detective. There was also that post-credits scene with Elder Toguro. I really hope there will be a second season. I think the Black Chapter Saga is much easier and more interesting to adapt.

I think those who have already read the manga or watched the anime, felt the love all the cast and staff have for Togashi's work. The new generation will probably buy the manga and watch the anime. The live action will surely bring new fans to the Yu Yu Hakusho franchise!

Netflix announced a new One Piece anime by Wit, made in partnership with Toei Animation. I'm also hoping that with the huge success of the live action, some anime studio or even Studio Pierrot will produce a remake of the Yu Yu Hakusho anime too.

By the way, I recommend watching the "Making of Yu Yu Hakusho". The main cast talks about all the trial-and-error process during the shoot. Action Director Takahito Ouchi also shares behind-the-scenes stories. They gave their blood to shoot this series! RESPECT!

#Yu Yu Hakusho live action

[thesoftboiledegg]

"How Poopy Got His Poop Back" was OK. The plot was generic, but after 61 episodes, I'm not going to expect every outing to be a mindblowing sci-fi spectacular. Sometimes, it's nice to have a lowkey episode that catches up with old characters, especially since we thought two of them died in season two.

"Squanch! Told you he wasn't dead." The writers knew what we were thinking. I also thought Gearhead died at the end of "Mortynight Run," but I guess he's harder to kill than he looks.

I enjoyed checking in with Bird Person and Bird Daughter--looks like he's got his hands full--and was glad that Rick continued his character development from season six. He's still a hot mess, but he tries to do the right thing for his friends and even the robot ("Hang on, let me go upstairs and grab the business finisher.") The subtext gave the episode some depth so that it wasn't just twenty minutes of pointless hijinks.

Rick's new voice actor nailed his characterization, too. His voice stood out a little at first, but I'd forgotten about the new actor by the second act, and his voice sounds "normal" upon rewatches. I guess it just takes a short adjustment period.

Whatever the case, any drunk guy at a bar can burp and stutter like Rick, but the new actor (whoever he is) picked up right where Roiland left off. He might not sound exactly like Rick 100% of the time, but combining Rick's trademark blunt raspiness with his lower, gentler tones from the past few seasons is more impressive.

Speaking of actors: who voiced Mr. Poopybutthole? He sounded EXACTLY like Justin Roiland. Maybe it was the same actor who voiced Morty, who also did well.

On another note, I loved seeing Space Beth eating breakfast with the family. Ditching your kids to be a pirate/rebel/space badass/whatever isn't the feminist act that a lot of shows seem to think it is, and I'm glad that Rick and Morty subverted that trope. Space Beth can love her family AND save the universe. She's a modern woman who wants to have it all!

On to Morty. I don't have much to say about him, and this review suggests that he doesn't have much to do next week, either--which hints at a continuation of season six's biggest issue. Season six was great, but half the episodes were The Rick Sanchez Show. When Morty did appear, he didn't have much to do until he finally lost his patience in the finale.

I won't dive into his dynamic with Morty because you could write pages of meta on that one, but in summary: their dynamic is the core of the series, and I hope the writers don't keep separating them. C-137 Rick's attachment to his Morty is a sharp contrast to the other Ricks who treat theirs like disposable toys.

Back to this episode: Rick's doing better--he's dressing and showering, he's communicating with his family, and he's even willing to abandon his search for a few hours--but Prime's still the center of his universe. Season five also started small and concluded with insane twists that turned the show inside out, and I'm betting that this laid-back opener is the start of a similar acceleration.

This episode alone made up about a fourth of the trailer scenes, so goddamn: what aren't we seeing?

#rick and morty #rick sanchez #morty smith #how poopy got his poop back #review #season seven

[miss0atae]

Random thoughts about Dead Friend Forever episode 11 :

It’s the second to last episode before the end of the series. This episode gave us the final flashback, I believe. We now know what happened after Tee brought Non to his uncle.

▪️ First thing first, I’m glad I was wrong about what happened to No. I really thought he would end up sex-trafficking to repay his debts, but it was less horrible. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a very dreadful situation. At first, Tee’s Uncle wanted to sell his organs, but Tee spoke up for Non and he got spared. Instead of being killed and his organs sold, Non ended up working in the illegal casino of Tee’s Uncle. I don’t know how Non still found the will to live because he lost everything. He never deserved any of the shits that happened to him. He was abused, exploited, abandoned, beaten and scared for no reason. He was just different and all those who hurt him did it because they just couldn’t accept this difference. I’m glad he lashed at Tee and asked him why he had to endure all of that. He just wanted to finish a stupid short movie. He was a normal kid who wanted to do something he likes and his life turned into hell. I felt like crying when Non said he was a loser and couldn’t even get back to his parents because they wouldn’t care for him (which we know is not true but Non never got to know it). The worst thing is Tee didn’t have any answer to give him because they never had any good reasons to be this mean to him.

▪️ The hardest part was watching Non becoming this empty shell while working at the casino. He had a vacant look. His face was still messed up from his beating. He was also hunched and he was unsteady when walking. You could see, he was barely clinging to life. He was also coughing a lot which made me see that he never really got better after being beaten and he must have been exhausted from working a lot. I really wanted someone to just miraculously appear and save him from this hell but this is not the tone of this series.

▪️ This episode was clearly centered around Tee’s side of the story. We saw how guilty he felt to Non and how he wanted to make him leave his Uncle’s place as quickly as possible. He started to work more at the casino and for his Uncle’s embezzlement schemes (don’t know if it is how you should call it). He also got a part-time job at an internet cafe, where he found a way of making more money to give them to Non. Every time, he saw Non, it was a reminder of how he fucked up. Many times, he referred to Non as his friend during the episode. I don’t know if he truly believed it or if it was just the guilt. Non and him had a weird relationship. It was clearly emphasizes during the part where Tee gave him a money envelop. The way Non looked at him and how he reacted it… I don’t know, I felt there were a lot of nonverbal communication between them at this moment. I’m probably over analyzing this part.

▪️ After this moment, we had a glimpse of Tee’s life with his father. We previously heard about him in previous episodes but never got to see it. Tee came back home and couldn't find his father. He isn’t well and Tee is the one who has to take care of him. It clearly has a negative impact on Tee since he must be the responsible one when he should just live a normal teenager’s life. He wishes to have this life he can’t have, instead he has to be involved in his Uncle’s life to be able to get money and to survive. As always, with DFF, you see, this is never all-or-nothing. Tee has a very hard life and he has troubles keeping himself afloat, but at the same time he didn’t hesitate to use and abuse Non to serve his own interest. He knew it would be terrible. How can he not know it? He said to his father he didn’t want to be involved in this gray business. I think you can feel sad for him and understand how difficult it can be, but also vilified him for what he’s done to Non. If only he had found the help he needed before… I don’t know how he would have turned. We would never have this story, I guess.

▪️ This series loves to blow hot and cold. You start to feel pity for Tee and this series shows you, you can’t. The next scene is Tee coming to the casino and not finding Non. Perth is the one telling him and us why. That’s where we discover Non being dead. He died… I can’t accept it. It may sounds crazy but I had this idea of him being away and having a really good reason to not be here in the present… I wanted it to be true. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Non is dead. He died of exhaustion… This is so sad! Tee is as lost as us, viewers. I know the group is at fault with Non, but frankly I was mostly furious with Tee’s Uncle in this scene (This man is a freaking cancer and manipulator). At the beginning of the episode, after Tee spoke up for Non, we learn from his Uncle how Non’s debt isn’t that high in fact. He should have been able to pay it and move on with his life. Instead, he died of exhaustion after everything he went through, alone and sad. He never learned about how his parents did everything to find him, how they died… The only person who knew about his death at that time was Tee… The only person who cried for him at the end was Tee… someone who made him get to this point. Cruel irony! I really cried when reading the message on the paper where he said: “I’m gonna get out of this place. I’m not a loser”. Shit! That hurts. He was counting the day. I can’t believe Tee did nothing after discovering it. He just decided to be sad and depressed. That’s his answer… Yes, he cried. I also cried. Did it change anything? No… I wish he at least tried to do something to avenge him… anything. Even, if it didn’t work.

▪️ Tee decided he just didn’t deserves happiness but happiness found him anyway. That’s when White came into the picture. He just arrived at the internet cafe and apparently became very interested in Tee. They started to spend a lot of time together. White was this flirty and cute boy who wanted to charm his crush. They were cute. I mean the series did something magical because I couldn’t stand Tee and I still found his burgeoning relationship with White, cute and charming. Being in love with White, made Tee realized he could be a good person and he should do his most to get better. It would have been sweet in another series. Right now, it just feels flat after what happened to Non. Poor White, never knew the truth until Tee told his side of the story. White really has nothing to do with Non and he is just a poor boy who fell in love with someone he shouldn't have which dragged him into this mess. He truly is innocent and I will get mad if anything happen to him. I don’t care about the others. They can all die, but not White. If there is only one who deserves to leave this house alive, it’s him.

▪️ Back into the present, Phee takes the gun from Fluke and he wants to stop this madness but Tan/New is set on making everyone pay for what happened to his brother. He has nothing to lose anymore and he will not let Phee stand in the way of his revenge. Besides, he never completely trust him. He starts to smoke and everyone pass out because of it.

Next week is going to be the conclusion of his revenge. How is it going to end? Will Tan/New get justice for his brother? Is anyone going to be alive at the end of the next episode? I’m dying to know. It’s going to be really hard waiting for this last episode. Until now, this series has been really entertaining and I hope the end will be great. I don’t want to feel disappointed.

#thai series #my thoughts #thai bl #bl drama #bl series #random thoughts #dff the series #dead friend forever the series #dead friend forever #dff spoilers #dff #episode 11 #be on cloud #White was just so cute in this episode #I felt so sad most of the episode #I still want White to stay alive #I can't wait for the next episode #This series is still a gem

[icy-watch]

Well, that was certainly an ending to a season.

I can tell what inspired the Hageman Brothers for the ending of Rise of the Titans (2021). It’s pretty much the same ending beat for beat.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that.

I really don't have too many thoughts on the finale, it's mostly just "at least this was the ending to the season, and not an entire series". Was it the best? No. Was it the worst? No. Just meh.

Had I seen this 2 or 3 years ago, I might have felt differently, but RotT really did a number on me. (If you haven't seen any of the Tales of Arcadia series, please consider yourself lucky. It started off very well but ended Badly.)

I'm glad the the sky pirates turned out to be pretty ok in the end. I really grew to actually like them. I'm going to be sad if they don't show up again.

And Echo! Oh, gosh Echo. Sweet baby boy. I loved the little bit of time we got with him. I hope he comes back again.

I haven't looked to see what the next season will be called yet, but I'm hoping we learn more about the previous Elemental Masters. We've been getting a little bit here and there, but it feel like there's more to their story than we've been told so far.

Tomorrow, I'll be watching the Day of the Departed, and maybe the Wu's Teas shorts, if I can find those. Until tomorrow!

@ninjamelissajulien

Below the cut are the predictions I got right and wrong.

Correct

The ninja will be caught at some point by the po-po. And get thrown in a jail cell with one bed.

Nadakhan will pick them off one by one.

The wedding is inevitable. It sure was something.

Mutiny from the crew. Better late than never.

Jay will recruit Echo Zane to help him rescue everyone. He did and he got more friends.

I'm going to cry bc of the wedding thing and everything surrounding that. I cry at things very easily, so this wasn't really a surprise on my end.

Incorrect

Cole will get cured of being a ghost this season. He sure didn't.

Pixal will get a new body. RIP queen.

Nadakhan is going to use Wu to draw out the ninja and make them retrieve the Realm Crystal. This is such a great AU idea.

Going The Mummy (1959 & 1999) route to raise a loved one from the dead -- to bring back Delara. She was brought back via wish, not an entire sacrificial ceremony.

Nadakhan will be trapped in the sword once he's defeated. *disappointed noises*

Flintlocke had a thing for Delara. I'm actually surprised that this wasn't a little subplot. It actually felt like something they would have done.

Jay will be forced to help piece Djinjago together. There were other plans.

Cole, Nya, and Lloyd are going to spend the whole episode planning on how to save Jay. The used that time to try to leave the island. I completely forgot that was something they needed to do in order to even start planning for a rescue mission.

Ronin will help in the rescue mission for Jay. He really didn't.

Jay knowing the ins and outs of the Keep will help them navigate their rescue mission. Yeah. He did all that cleaning for nothing.

Flintlocke swiped the poison and the dart from Clancee. Clancee told Jay where he hid it.

Partially

No one from the Cursed Realm will come back. Sort of? Clouse wasn't in the Cursed Realm when it collapsed, but he was a resident there for a while.

They won't lock Misako up. The didn't even get a chance to finish questioning her before she was kidnapped by Nadakhan.

Kai will be needed to collect the Tiger Widow Venom, and without him the team will struggle. They did struggle without him, but I'm not sure how much help he would have been given the circumstances.

We're going to learn how Jay lost his eye. Sort of? But not really.

#liveblogging #ninjago #skybound #season 6 #episode 10 #the way back #s06e10 #ninjago predictions

[waitmyturtles]

Thank you Turtles for yet another great piece on IFYLITA. I'm so excited that you picked up the novel. So having known the context, how would you have fixed the IFYLITA finale, if you were the director and didn't know if it was possible to have a S2 or not? Would you still have included all 3 Yais or do you think you would have tried to extend IFYLITA into a 16-18 episode series in order to adapt everything from start to finish? Is there anything from Part 1 of the novel that you are glad/happy that it wasn't adapted into the series or things you like that the series have done differently/taken different approach from the novel?

You must be so tired after your work trip and I'm really sorry for bothering you about IFYLITA even though you just wrote such a long post about it 😭

@clairedaring, I will take ANY EXCUSE to keep talking about I Feel You Linger In The Air -- I LOVE this extended conversation, thank you for engaging me in it! <3

Here's my thinking on how this first season shaped up, and a lot of this comes from conversation that I had with @lurkingshan and @neuroticbookworm before I read the novel last week into this week.

The material for the 1928 Chiang Mai era clearly fit a style and a tone that director Tee Bundit knew he could do a lot with. (@clairedaring, my recent history with Tee Bundit has been in watching many of his shows -- TharnType and Lovely Writer in particular -- for my Old GMMTV Challenge project, where I'm watching older Thai BLs to learn more about the genre. I also watched Step By Step -- TT and SBS are two of my most passionately hated shows, and I utterly LOVED Lovely Writer, so I have a real love-hate relationship with Tee Bundit, lmao.)

Since I've read the novel -- I'm glad he stuck with one era for the first season, and I really liked how he expanded it. We know that Eaung Peang and Robert have much more minor roles in the novel, and Tee Bundit greatly expanded EP's role to include a lesbian main couple, as well as a dialogue about women's reproductive health and freedom. There was Yai's arranged marriage in the drama that got extended, as well as the criminal downfall of Uncle Dech, Robert, and Yai's father by proxy. Yai's mother gaining power to run the family after that, etc., etc. -- these are all themes that Tee clearly glommed onto in expanding that era, and @clairedaring, to the point you made in the reblog tags of my previous piece from yesterday, I am SUPER glad we spent most of our time in this era. Tee also just made it GORGEOUS for us to watch, which was a treat.

I think if Tee had tried to include all three Yais, we would have felt short shrifted. The Seehasingkorn/Ayutthaya era of the novel is so lengthy. And there are HUGE behavioral change moments for both Jom and Commander Yai in that era. Especially for a Thai audience that's familiar with the novel, if that had gotten shortened, then there definitely would be public criticisms and outcries. (Plus? That era was so much FUN in the novel. Jom was SO SASSY and bold to start courting Commander Yai first!)

I think, if Tee Bundit gave a huge bunch of energy and attention to 1928 Chiang Mai, he'd want to do the same for an even older, more nomadic era. I cannot imagine how beautiful it would be to see that depicted.

And then Tee could fix the order of some scenes from the first season, and we could see more reveals in context, as well as the present day? A season 2 would just be ridiculously awesome for all of that.

The one thing I would have liked fixed was the redundancy from episode 11 to episode 12. I also would have liked more specific clarity about pieces of Jom being lost every time a drawing was made -- we saw that he froze and transcended himself, but that was illuminated pretty early on in the novel, and I think the same could have been done in the series without losing dramatic effect.

But these are minor quibbles. We got to center ourselves in the development of the incredible relationship between Khun Yai and Jom to start the dramatic introduction to this series, and the way Tee Bundit did it defied nearly all of my expectations about this work. He didn't miss any of the big themes of the novel, which I so appreciate, and I think he enriched our experience of the novel by expanding greatly the plight of women in that era. I'm glad we had mostly one Yai to deal with, because more of them would have been a lot!

#thanks for the ask! #i feel you linger in the air #i feel you linger in the air meta #ifylita #ifylita meta #tee bundit #lovely writer #step by step

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Buddy Daddies - Episode 7 Preview! - SPOILERS!

 ANGST INCOMING!!!

So, from the synopsis of the episode, the gist is: Kazuki finally gets fed up / overwhelmed by doing all the housework alone, and Miri being spoiled by Rei’s constant game playing, along with both Rei and Miri being very picky eaters. So he writes a letter and leaves the house. This is also after he has seen a woman in town who he instantly hides himself away from. While Kazuki is off remembering an incident, Rei is left to take care of the house and Miri alone. He is puzzled by this and struggles. It should also be noted, that the series is in the rainy season now, so the timeframe is likely between June - Mid July. 

My thoughts under a Read More.

My thoughts on this. Well, we are definitely moving into Kazuki’s past, so things are going to get serious. That being said, I do want to know that in the trailer above, Kazuki is ranting to Kyutaro about how he can relate to all the “other moms” and their woes with their husbands, lmao. 

But, getting back to the serious stuff again. Buddy Daddies is set for about 12 or 13 episodes, so the Episode 6 and Episode 7 mark really is the halfway point of the series, and having Rei’s dependency on Kazuki to help with everyday life stuff being challenged at this point in time really works. Since there has been proper buildup to this in previous episodes. 

I also think this confirms the fact that we are past the point where Episode One opened on. Since this episode is going to be directly challenging Rei when it comes to caring for Miri as well. So we are likely going to see a shift in Rei’s character after this and him getting better with all of that kind of stuff. I feel like, if that Ep. 1 opening scene happens after this week’s episode, it would feel like a step back for Rei. Along with that, Miri getting sick is likely going to happen in this week’s episode, since Rei is wearing the same cat shirt, it’s raining, and he sounds very lost on what to do (which would fit the situation going down in this week’s episode) :

It seems like a lot of the clips we got in the 3rd trailer are going to be from this week’s episode and possibly next week’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if this week’s episode leaves off on a cliffhanger (or two) that finally get resolved in Episode 8. Since, otherwise, it may be a lot to have in just one episode. But, we’ll see! 

Some things we know that are still going to happen:

- Sports Day

- A Party

- Something with Ryo Ogino

- Rei’s father coming into the picture

- Rei’s VA said that Miri’s mother would be an important character from the midway point on. So, we will likely be seeing her again as well. 

So, I’m interested in seeing how this will all work out and fit into the season. As for this week’s episode, one of the lessons for both Rei and Kazuki is likely going to be learning how to share responsibilities. Kazuki may like helping Rei. He may find that fulfilling. But that can be physically and emotionally taxing on a person as well. Meanwhile, Rei has made some small baby steps in regards to stepping up, but he needs to start doing more and challenging himself. So this is like a pop quiz, but on like a test level, lol. No more baby steps. 

I was originally hoping that Episode 5 would be something like this, so I’m glad to see that an episode like this one has finally showed up. I’m really intrigued to see what’s going on with the woman, who Kazuki recognizes, which makes me think that she is probably the person he has been sending money to or a relative of his late wife’s. 

I’m really interested in seeing how this will all go down! 

#Buddy Daddies #Rei Suwa #Kazuki Kurusu #Miri Unasaka #Karin #BD spoilers #video #thought post #speculation post #long post

[eutravels]

Doctor Who: Redacted

So, more than a year after the release of this audio series, I've decided to give it a go. I've listened to the trailer and so far it's great! I'll give each episode a review and publish it all when I'll have listened to the whole piece.

If you don't wanna get spoiled, you might want to skip the ep by ep review straight to the end of the post to read my overall opinion on the series.

Episode One: SOS

The episodes are pretty short, so I felt like this one went very quickly. Nothing much happens however there's already so much mystery and interrogations, I'm already hooked! There's also quite an important amount of background development for at least one the main characters. I find it really easy to like them from this first episode only since they are written and acted so naturally. I already love Cleo, whom I guess is the main character. Shawna and Abby are just a lovely little funny duet that works really well, and oh my god, Shawna's clearly in love with Abby, I can't wait to hear more about that.

I liked that L.I.N.D.A. was mentioned since the setting is really similar to this iconic story and it kind of makes it canon that the L.I.N.D.A. organisation survived the Love and Monsters events.

Also, oh my my my, I LOVE Rani I can't wait to hear more of her in the next episodes, I didn't know she was in this!

Episode 2: Hysteria

Oh this one was great as well! Certainly not as good as the first one in terms of character work, but there's a lot happening!

The references to the previous events from the TV show are great but also so frightening because you can really see the consequences of these events on the lives of the direct witnesses. I guess the two characters we met so far are the ones we see in the actual episodes (that journalist girl in Partners in Crime and that doctor who gets interviewed at the end of Smith and Jones). The latter one's story is pretty sad, I wish I could have given him a hug :(

Can't wait to hear the next one!

Episode 3: Lost

Oooooh some answers! But more questions...

It's really getting a lot more mysterious and I'm completely involved in the plot!

I don't have much more to say at this point, let's see what Episode 4 brings!

Episode 4: Angels

Yay! A whole episode referencing Blink! The return of Larry! With clothes hopefully this time!

Apparently he's not married to Sally, as the end of Blink pointed towards a romance between the two characters, but that's fine.

He said the Doctor's turning against them. What does it meeeaaaaan???

It's great to have the girls altogether in one place, even though now they seem to be in a bad position... I'm turning on the next one right away, I need to know what happens next!

Episode 5: Interrogation

I'm glad it was just UNIT because now we got to have Kate again and that is GREAT!

Also, Cleo is such a badass, she slayed this whole episode.

The tension kept going up throughout every interrogation until the climax, and just when you thought the episode couldn't be more interesting than it already was, this enigmatic guy comes in and makes Cleo speak out her bad bitch speech.

Episode 6: Recruits

A lot happens in there! Finally the Doctor appears briefly, the team is arguing, what is going ON???

The soft reveal about Cleo's father means he met the Doctor, maybe he's someone we know from the show, or a victim of one of the events from the show.

Too many questions!

Can't wait for episode 7!

Episode 7: Requiem

Oh the Doctor's finally back.

So much happens but at the same time so little does. There's only three episodes left, we've barely heard the Doctor, we have no answers...

I don't know if it gets me hooked or frustrated but I need more! All I know is that time flies by when I'm listening to this, the dialogues are superb, amazing writing and direction. It kind of makes me want to read Dawson's books!

Episode 8: Ghosts

This one was proper scary! So Requiem was Madam Vastra? I'm kind of sad they couldn't get Neve McIntosh to come back for the part but it helped not spoiling the reveal to me so that's a win I guess.

I know that there's a second series but I kind of hope the story gets wrapped up by the end of this one so that it makes a whole. We'll see!

Episode 9: Rescue

WE KNOW MORE

Actually we don't know a lot but we do know more. It's great!

I was NOT expecting Cleo to be Redacted and it's really an interesting twist that may give the finale a lot of work to do.

I can't wait to here about it!

Episode 10: Salvation

Oh the finale was so good, I didn't expect such a satisfying ending.

Cleo not joining the Tardis makes a lot of sense because she has a lot to deal with at home, she has to reconnect with her mother and learn to forgive her and herself for what they did to each other, it's not an adequate moment to fly off in the universe.

I'm glad I could finally hear 13 a bit more, and she was as great as always.

Abby and Shawna!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!! I wasn't sure their relationship was going to end up this way so I'm happy for them!

Great end, I love it!

Fanart by @dykepaldi

How lucky were we to have this last year! And to think I only caught up with this now! It's a wonderful piece of free media from the Whoniverse in a very well known format for the fans, but directed in such a fresh brilliant modern way! It's important to mention how important this piece is to the LGBTQIA+ community, because the main director and producer, the main writer and the members of the main cast are all part of our community. I, as a cis gay man, am not represented (I think) in this play, but it was still so emotional to me to see such bold and open trans and sapphic representation. I love that for our community and in hard times like these, it's great to be reminded that safe spaces exist. And if like for me, your safe space is just anything Doctor Who related, you know that despite the bigotry you may find around you, Doctor Who is there and cares about you.

Storywise, it's clearly written by fans, for fans, and they meddle, they play with the TV show's events, I love it, I absolutely adore it. Some parts of the story feel more hard-hitting than others do, but the overall arc is just brilliant.

It's a timing coincidence that I started listening to this less than a week before the release of the second series but honestly I'm not sure if I'll give it a go considering how Ella Watts was kicked out of the production without a word and being replaced by James Goss (whom I love) who certainly does not have a hard time finding his voice in the Whoniverse. I don't understand this decision and I'm really disappointed. Watts apparently responded with class and dignity but I'll have to say that the BBC are kind of backstabbing her after she created the whole project that was so successful in the end. Just... not cool...

I like Goss' works so maybe I'll listen to it some day, but I think I need to process the info first.

To end on a much more positive note: listen to this. You need no knowledge of any other spin off or eu stuff, and it's free on the BBC app worldwide. You're in for a great time if you haven't listened to it already.

#doctor who eu #doctor who expanded universe #doctor who #dr who #dweu #ella watts #juno dawson #thirteenth doctor #13th doctor #jodie whittaker #new who #nuwho #cleo procter #charlie craggs #lois chimimba #holly quin-ankrah #redacted #doctor who redacted

[popculturebuffet]

Pride Month Triple Feature: Monthly Muppets Madness: Muppet Babies 2018: Gonzorella

Happy pride! Usually pride is a pretty big to do on this blog, with my first pride here being also my first pride publicly as a bisexual man. But with my move pretty much every review I had planned for this month got thrown around. So to make up for it i'm condensing my pride plans into one day. Two shorter reviews and one longer review that i've been trying to do since the first pride, and seems the most timely given everything going on. So with that it's time for Monthly Muppet Madnesss yayyyy. The plan here was changed as with a lot of longer reviews originally planned.. I just wasn't up to doing Return to Labyrinth quite yet. I still plan to, in or outside of pride, but I realized it didn't really FIT the season the way the original movie did. So instead we're going to daycare for this one as we look at the muppet babies reboot. I finally watched some with my young nephew a month or two back while watching him, and honestly.. it's a delight. I can't say how it compares to the original as I watched maybe two episdoes as a kid as it was before my time, though i'm sure i'll be covering some of it eventually, but the reboot is a lovely preschool show. Admitely like most preschool shows it has to be simple: our heroes have some sort of dillema young kids can learn from, they work through it, usually with the help of Nanny(this time played by the incomprable and wonderous Jenny Slate), and we all have a laugh or two. It's not bad, it's just not clearly meant for a 31 year old man, and that's fine. My 2 year old nephew, whose in the target age range, loved it. Not every cartoon has to aim for both adults and kids, and there's still a ncie nod here or there for the adults who do watch. As for this episode in paticular, this one I found while trying to see if the Muppets had done anything related to the Transgender community, as I felt i'd neglected them in previous prides and it was time to rectify that. They hadn't as far as I could tell.. but they did do this episode, in which Gonzo wants to wear a dress, and said episode is not only wholesome and heartwarming.. but also brings up a larger issue kids have been facing lately. As most of you reading this defintely know the right's faviorite new weapon is accusing trans and gender non conforming folks, as well as non binary, gender fluid, and genderqueer persons, of "grooming" children. Which is a fancy and douchey way of saying

While the right has naturally captalized on this as their new boogieman. It's why gender affirming care has been banned several places and why the world truly and clearly sucks right now. So naturally a muppet preschool show just casually saying "it's fine to wear a dress if your a boy" without slapping a label on what Baby Gonzo is just yet... got a lot of the same bollocks. And it's just.. depressing honestly. Disgusting, horrible and hard to stomach, also yes, but mostly depressing that they can't just.. accept that gender has ALWAYS been complicated, it's just now many a person, many who likely always felt lost, know what to call themselves. This isn't some RADICAL NEW CONCEPT, it's just society finally acknowledging that gender isn't binary or assigned at birth. It's why i'm GLAD that more and more kids content like this is making it clear to kids whose parents may not be accepting for very stupid reasons.. that no, your normal.

So as for the episode itself like most Muppet Babies 2018 episodes the premise is a pretty simple dillema of the week: Piggy and Summer are having a princess party based on an old book that says just how it should go. For those less familiar with this version of the series, Summer is an original character, a purple pengy. She fits right in though and i'd honestly love to see her grown up self join the rest of the muppets someday. I mean Skeeter eventually got there via the comics. We also get Rizzo, who lives in the walls of the daycare and shows up ocasoinally to hang out giving us the story of cinderella.

This naturally comes into play given the title: the book says boys dress up at knights and girls as princesses, but Gonzo wants to wear a frilly dress. Gonzo also feels like the perfect charater to do this: he's always been the outsider of the group, someone who on the outside is full of confidence but on the inside is full of self doubt. So having him WANT to simply wear a dress but be too scared of loosing his friends to is a good narrative for him. We know they probably woudln't care or if anyone did the rest would stand up for him, but for a tiny child wanting to wear a dress when boys have typically not done that, it could be scary, not helped again by the many grown people telling them their brainwashed and they don't know what they know. Just as I relate to the adult gonzo, a small child can relate to Gonzo's fears of not being accepted. Hell when I came out as bisexual, i was terrified my family wouldn't accept even though I had zero reason to think they'd be assholes about this and they've been nothing but loving and accepting. It can be hard to be who you are for an adult who knows that most people in their life will accept them, I can't imagine what it'd be like for a small kid.

Rizzo becomes his fairy god rat, and helps him become gonzorella, but tells him the spare wears off at cake o clock, because tha't when they have cake and my brain will just accept that because i'm stretched for time.

The episode goes pretty stock from here: Piggy and Summer try to stick to the book, Gonzo does something Gonzo like make a chicken themed crown or bust a move on the dance floor during a boring ballroom dance, it makes it better, they see "hey being diffrent isn't so bad". It's as subtle as brick to the head.. but it's also for kids around 2-6, ones whose own parents may tell them nto to be so "different", so I can see why subtley isn't really needed and the show still treats kids smartly enough to not feel like it's talking down to them, which is something I feel is necessary in a kids show of any audience. It just tells a story with a moral and while the moral is obvious, it's one kids need to hear and MANY adults need to hear. Naturally gonzo has to run out, his neighbor has been kidnapped... and also the spell is running out. But I like the nice twist: instead of our heroes seeking out our cindy stan din, Gonzo realized he dosen't LIKE having to hide and Rizzo enrouages him that since they liked the other diffrent stuff.. they might like this after all, and Gonzo reveals he likes wearing dresses... and everyone accepts it. Most touchingly Piggy fully apologizes, realizing she made him feel bad and deciding

We get a dance party ending and ew're out

So yeah this episode is good. I didn't have much to say because i'ts both short and not exactly something I need to deeply dive into to understand, but still VERY good for kids, and for muppets fans alike. Thanks for reading

#pride month #gender nonconforming #transgender #genderqueer #gonzo the great #gonzorella #monthly muppets #kermit the frog #miss piggy #summer penguin #rizzo the rat

[kaythefloppa]

Lion Guard Finale Praise + Rant

There is a lot I hate about The Lion Guard's final episode but the one thing that will always hold a special place in my heart is the return montage:

You can't tell in screenshots, but in the background, the LG chorus sings a reprise of the Departure Theme from the premiere episode, with this montage being a book-end to the goodbyes that the Guard said to their friends and families in that episode.

It's really sweet and powerful because it's a beautiful example of "Show, don't tell" (a rule which this show, particularly in Season 3, and the LK sequels in general are not the best at following). We see what the Lion Guard had left behind when they went on their journey to the Tree of Life, how much they had missed their home and how glad they are to be back and how that feeling was reciporicated by their friends and families.

Keep in mind that earlier that morning they were under the belief that Zira invaded the Pride Lands and had possibly killed the royal family and subjugated the Pride Lands' non-lion subjects if not giving them a same gruesome fate (since Kion knows that Zira is a lion supremacist, god-forbid what would happen if she ever got near Mtoto, Thurston, or Ajabu), and on the Pride Landers' end, the Lion Guard had been gone for such a long time with no one having any way of knowing they'd return or if they died. So this reunion was likely also a huge relief for everyone in the Pride Lands, especially Simba, Basi, and Timon and Pumbaa (who no doubt would've been scared shitless at the idea that their kid could be missing forever or dead and have no way to confirm or deny that possibility). It's just all around amazing to see. When watching the episode for the first time when it came out I thought something was wrong with my computer because despite there being 14 minutes left, I wholeheartedly thought the series was going to end there....

...which is why I'm very mad that it didn't and forever disappointed at the route they went with for the actual ending.

In the span of less than a full day since the Lion Guard returned from the Tree of Life, all of them instantly want to head back there on a whim after losing the Lion Guard contest, which would wind up in them completely uprooting their lives and leaving their home and families again for the sake of this one kingdom that we've only seen for seven to eight out of 74 episodes plus a TV movie! The reunion showed us that the Guard was strongly attached to their home and families, but now the ending forces us to ignore that to logistify the Guard willingly going to the Tree of Life without any on-screen goodbyes or send-offs. No scene of doubt, no goodbye songs, no parting ways between characters, nothing, it just jump cuts from "Hey, let's go back to the Tree of Life even though we've only been back here for a day" straight to them at the Tree of Life for Kion and Rani's wedding. Isn't the episode's title supposed to be "Return to the Pride Lands?" Yet the "return" plot stops mattering after the first 11 minutes.

The whole Guard leaving with Kion doesn't even make sense: Bunga has Timon and Pumbaa at Hakuna Matata Falls, Beshte has to co-lead the hippo pod with his father, Ono has his flock and possibly even Ona (you could argue that he would want to return to the Tree of Life because they healed him, but that's not the reason they went with - Also the poor dude lost his Mark of the Guard twice, the first being after he lost his eyesight to protect the Pride Lands from Scar, like, what the fuck?), Fuli had been the most admant about returning to the Pride Lands, and Anga showed no interest in staying at the Tree of Life and seemed perfectly ok in the Pride Lands.

Even back in the days where people were theorizing what would happen to the Lion Guard that caused them to be absent in TLK 2, I never saw reason for the whole Guard to leave if Kion ever left, and even then, I never expected any departure to be permanent because it would go against their whole life-style. It feels like they only had them leave like this for the sake of some "twist" that didn't need to be there. And even if they were going to go with this route, they could've had the Guard separate, with some staying and some going to at least make sense.

Much like Makini, Season 3 ignores crucial story elements of the main characters from the first two seasons to both justify their "plot-twist" by the end and to wrap up any “plot-holes” with the Lion King 2 and forces the audience to suspend an inappropriate amount of their disbelief. So while I like the reunion in the final episode and whilst my love for the show remains un-matched, knowing how it all ends and that (according to some writers) it was planned from the start to end like this makes me feel cheated in a way. One of the most disappointing endings I've seen from a show which I've been willing to follow from start to finish and this is coming from someone who's watched both Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Bunk'd.

#the lion guard #Kion #Bunga #Fuli #Beshte #Ono #Anga #The Lion King #Disney jr. #I'm back on my bs again ranting/gushing over the Lion Guard aren't I? #For years I've always questioned the Lion Guard's production especially in Season 3 #Because with so many episodes in Seasons 1 and 2 there's so much that Season 3 retroactively goes against despite being intended as the end #I have a hard time believing that the pitch sold to executives was always “The diverse interspecies Lion Guard is upstaged by lions #...and their long journey home as well as their live-long dedication to the Pride Lands is a bust bc now they are all a part of a lion prid #... so that they can all witness a child marriage between Kion and Rani on our fucking children's show" #At least Bunk'd's “ending” had a sendoff moment between the departing characters despite the season not being worth a fuck #This is.... just awful #rani #lion guard night pride #Pride Lands #Pridelands #the lion guard season 3 #the lion guard rani #the lion guard kion #the lion guard bunga #the lion guard fuli #the lion guard ono #the lion guard beshte #the lion guard anga #critical

[baronessblixen]

More Frasier thoughts! :DDD

The Candidate-- WHY is this American politics and can I get off at the next station (and also: absolutely hilarious. Lost my mind at the alien reveal.) Adventures in Paradise-- of course; but yay, more Lilith (though I still bear a mild grudge the thing she did that to Frasier in the past.) Martin made up with Artie! Roz actually succeeding with Bulldog... until it fell apart, inevitably. The Dr. Honeys of this world, I swear. Tea Leoni?????????? (Jurassic Park 3 doesn't count as the first time I've watched her because I didn't know who she was.) Maris and her thousand and one hoops she puts Niles through; but also she turned down the fencing instructor, awwwww (that entire episode was amazing and had me laughing out loud so many times.) Seat of Power, absolutely hilarious. THE CASE WAS FINALLY SOLVED!! Poor Daphne and her room, she deserves the Mercedes she didn't get. The Club was a roller coaster-- and Daphne was Audrey Hepburn's Tiffany's lookalike~. Breaking the Ice is exquisitely hilarious and touching, my word. Bebe: I'm obsessed with her in that "I admire your cunning but I don't want you in my personal circle" way. The restaurant-- it was ALMOST working so well. And Dark Victory!

I'm loving it so, so much. The laughs just keep coming. Niles and his misadventures with falls, tumbles, and knock downs (and the reveal of him in the depravation chamber) get me every time, as do Martin's wisecracks, Eddie's sneaky little ways, Daphne's upper hand (she GOT Bebe, wonderful), Roz (everything), how they work with Maris always off-screen; and even the smallest details-- mentions and comebacks and referring to other episodes, etc. It makes it feel like a real world (though, tbf, the only long-term tv series I've watched-- not much of a movie/tv person ;))-- were always very loose in terms of plot and plotlines; so to see anything a modicum differently is opening my mind to extreme possibilities.)

To be honest, while I have a little knowledge of US politics, I don't know too much. The episode, however, is funny. Yes, Tea Leoni! Pay attention to the callers Frasier gets too. It's not always easy to recognize the celebrity voices but David AND Gillian called in. Among many, many others, of course.

I love "An Affair to Forget" (the one with the fencing instructor) - even though the German in it is awful. It's still super funny. I'm really glad you're loving it so much - and I agree with everything you say. a friend of mine said one of the reasons the show works so well is that they all come from a theater background and I think that's true. And they do have many comebacks and refer back to previous episodes. I always enjoy that. I mean not everything is mentioned again, obviously. Especially sitcoms are, like you said, very loose in terms of plot and plotlines. That happens less on Frasier, I feel.

So you're up to season 3 now? That has one of my favorite episodes (Moon Dance). There are so many great episodes on this show! And you still have so much to discover 😁

#lovely asks #i wish i could watch it again for the first time #i only started watching it after discovering hot in Cleveland with jane leeves #and now frasier is one of my all time faves

[bengiyo]

GAP the Series Ep 10 Stray Thoughts

Last time, Sam had to make things right with Mon after calling her a whore the previous episode. After reuniting, Mon took charge sexually and rearranged Sam's entire life. Kirk's secret involvement with Sam's competitor came to light, and Sam ended things with Kirk. Meanwhile, the no-dating rule has been pushed to its limits. Finally, Sam and Mon took a trip to the beach and got some direct words from an elder butch (who I love).

Yes, let's recap Cher handing them their asses. Get it together, baby gays.

I don't remember the intro song changing last week.

So glad we have slightly-older lesbians in this to give Mon perspective. I don't care if they're being used to quicky push past certain emotional hurdles; that's the whole point of having experienced friends in the community.

When Sam hung up and the grandmother turned, I half-expected a cut to one or more of Sam's friends tied up in the room.

Kirk gets no points from me for not outing Sam. Rushing to the grandmother is a lame move.

I get Sam's insecurity. She doesn't want to face her grandmother is she isn't sure Mon is all in.

FINALLY! TEE AND YUKI NATION RISE!!

Risa and Cher deserve to fuck uninterrupted. I'm gonna need Mon to read the room and come back later.

"every friend group should include a bimbo, a mean bisexual, an even meaner lesbian, she/theys and he/theys, a token straight that’s on thin ice, an astrology bitch who has everyone’s birth chart memorized, and a short king"

I need Sam and Cher to fight for real. It would be amazing.

Why are Tee and Yuki not participating in the lantern ceremony??

Look at the power lesbians have. It took Cutie Pie 14 episodes over two series to get married. It took Korn and Knock three seasons.

Tee and Yuki may not have danced together, but Tee did team up with Cher to dunk Yuki in the pool and that feels correct.

Becky looks great in not-pink.

Oh shit it's Nueng.

Oh, Nueng is kinda harsh, but I get it.

So the grandmother shows up, lists off some basic biographical information about Mon, insinuates that she's a gold digger, asks a rhetorical question, and then we cut away to the Thai old money house. "I've taken care of that girl." Did she just fridge Mon? Did she choke her out with that necklace of braided pearls?Shit!

I'm so sick of these people holding Mon's job over her head. Kirk is so weak and petty here. .

The death stairs are getting so much use in this show.

Oh, Nop, you may be a pick-me ass dude, but at least you're trying.

Mon, you better answer the goddamn phone when your wife is calling.

You just knew Sam was gonna pop up at that gate. I hope she doesn't kill Nop this time.

This foyer scene is making me think about Kill Bill. If a bunch of dudes had come stomping in with swords I would have lost it.

Maximum angst next week.

#gap the series #thai gl #gl series #ql series #Ben watches

[seancamerons]

If you had to pick just three favorite Degrassi:TNG seasons, what would they be? I have such a soft spot for S2, and not purely because I relate all too well to what happened to Emma's "White Wedding" hair :) I'm sending this to a few people because it's always fun to see different perspectives!

omg, are we the same person? it just so happens season 2 of dtng is actually my favorite. it felt like light mixed with drama like degrassi high but with an edge over season 1 which is also cute and i am fond of. omg white wedding is my favorite episode of the series, for obvious reasons. i'm so glad you mentioned that, I'd love to see how that picture of your hair that you can relate to!

and i know people love to dote on season 3. still, instead, i liked season 4 because it had a darkness and flair for the dramatics between the arc before and aftermath of the shooting which I think was compelling at the time and still holds up coupled with craig's mental illness coming to a breaking point and relationships and alliances being tested along the way.

if you asked me a few years ago i used to think season 6 was good (yikes!) but when i rewatch i recall really in my feelings during season 7 because like season 4 it was very dark too by comparison, we had lost jt, lakehurst moved into degrassi so we got that kind of drama after that, spinner with cancer, darcy's sa and depression after that it was a pretty bad time but it made up for it in good storylines for most of the central characters. Also the graduation in the season finale was worth it with the tassel for jt. even then he was honored with his memorial which lingered in zen garden for seasons to come.

in closing, i think there's good and bad with almost all seasons but i think i mostly like these seasons of next generation the most for rewatchability and entertaining, and not to mention comfort because i feel like i grew up with those kids in the best possible way. thank-you for the asks! i appreciate them all! 💌✨

#asks #thedegrassidiaries

[themattress]

Unpopular Opinion Re:Pokemon

So, after a long time and a lot of hard work, we finally have the scripts to the legendary lost Best Wishes anime two-parter, “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!”  We’ve got the whole story.

I wish the 3/11 disaster had never happened...mostly because so many people would still be alive today and so much damage to Japan would not exist, but also because these episodes could have aired. And I wish the staff’s original plan for the overarching story for Best Wishes based on the Black/White games could have come to pass, as it would have been amazing.

However, in the end these wishes are hollow Ideals, and we have to face the harsh Truth. And part of this Truth is that Game Freak passed on doing a Gray version in favor of doing Black 2/White 2, which means the staff’s plan was going to be scuttled regardless of whether the 3/11 disaster transpired or not. They would’ve done Episode N and just placed Reshiram putting a halt to N’s coronation in the present day rather than two years prior. So that’s why....

....I’m kind of, sort of glad that “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!” never aired.

Don’t get me wrong! The executives in Japan not allowing the full episodes to be released in any capacity in favor of remaining Lost Media just because their events no longer line up with subsequent canon is stupid. They have lots of grown-up viewers who understand the facts and still won’t mind...heck, probably lots of kids as well! However, the episodes not being broadcast and being relegated to a nebulous space in Japanese canon ended up working to the series’ advantage when Tomioka and the other writers were freed up to recycle elements from them. Most specifically, in the Operation Tempest two-parter, which is honestly an even better pair of episodes than “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!” and I just have a hard time imagining them in any form other than the one they’re in now. If not for what transpired with “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!”, we might have never been blessed with this scene:

Pikachu using a giant Electro Ball on a nuclear space rock just doesn’t hit the same way that him using it on Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket whom Ash had never faced up until now and whom had always doubted Pikachu’s abilities when Jessie, James and Meowth talked them up. Pikachu doing it to save not only the entire Unova region but also Meloetta, a character that we’ve come to love and care about, is also far more dramatically satisfying.

Really, I’m more sore about how the show’s third year turned out due to Junichi Masuda’s Gen VI-related meddling (since it really should have been something more like this) than I am about “Team Rocket VS. Team Plasma!” and the intended arc it was setting up. As great as it would have been to see, it just wasn’t in the cards and, unlike said Gen VI-related meddling with the third year, I don’t believe that Best Wishes suffered all that much from its removal.

Tl;dr - I’m honestly kind of cool with this as all we have now.

#Pokemon #Best Wishes #Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma #Operation Tempest #Unpopular Opinions #Analysis #Comparison #What Could Have Been #Executive Incompetence #Anti-Junichi Masuda

[billpottsismygf]

Okay, rewatch complete and my feelings are just so *mixed*. When I was halfway through, I wrote this whole thing about the weak plot and bad pacing, but having watched episodes 4-6 in one sitting today, I’m now feeling much better about it. In fact, the emotions of the last scene were even more hard hitting this time, and I no longer have as much of a character issue with Aziraphale’s decision as I did my first time through.

To get my bad thoughts, all written yesterday, out of the way:

The plot is so weak and the pacing is all over the place. What is series 2 about? Crowley and Aziraphale take in an angel who has lost his memory, they successfully hide him for a few episodes while trying to set up two shopkeepers, then we find out what was going on. The End. Series 1 works because we get all this amazing character stuff for Aziraphale and Crowley on top of an engaging romp about the end of the world, with a huge cast of characters and lots of moving parts that all come together at the end for a satisfying finale.

I found episode 3 a particular slog, which is a shame because I do actually like the Georgian setting of the flashbacks, but it gets very flimsy very quickly. I just don't believe Elspeth's sudden desire to kill herself (with an apparent sudden change of heart re: bodysnatching, since she says she doesn't want anyone digging her up), then another sudden turnaround once she's been given the money. I liked the general message they were going for wrt poverty and Aziraphale's ignorance of how the world really works, but it just doesn't quite work for me.

I also don’t buy into Nina and Maggie at all. If it was established that they knew each other a little already, then it might work, but Maggie’s deep investment in Nina liking her just reads as either overbearing or unbelievable. They’ve clearly never spoken about anything other than coffee before, and Maggie has a crush fair enough, but after one somewhat awkward evening locked in a shop, she’s crying and declaring herself in love. I like both of the actresses, but I’m not sure they completely sold it either. (I feel bad pointing out particular instances, but when Maggie’s “crying” when Aziraphale goes to ask about the song, she doesn’t even believably read as upset, let alone crying.)

There's also just the, fanfic-ness of it all, especially with Gabriel and Beelzebub. I've always seen that pairing as a bit of a crack one, though I'm glad there are people who enjoy it, and for it to become canon like that... Maybe if they were still bitches at the end? But the mushy lovey dovey 'wherever [they are] is my heaven/hell' stuff just doesn't read as in character for either of them. It's like they switch into totally different characters at the relationship reveal (though on the rewatch, I did appreciate knowing why Beelzebub was so keen on finding Gabriel).

Really the main things this series has going for it is, firstly, that it is often pretty funny, and, secondly, the chemistry between David Tennant and Michael Sheen, on top of their individually brilliant performances. I am deeply invested in their relationship at this point, as well as the wider implications for Heaven and Hell, but if I weren’t I don’t know that I would be all that excited for series 3. 

I do think series 3 will be better, as this was always described as the series that got us to where series 3 needed to start from, but this is so obviously a filler that it’s hard to see why it was made in the first place. I imagine we needed that break up scene at the end to lead into the final series, but I wonder if that couldn’t have been achieved with a special, or honestly if we couldn’t have just found out what happened through flashbacks within series 3 itself.

Now, onto the good, written today:

The second half of the series is actually much more enjoyable. I adore the entire conceit of having a Regency ball, and it works so well alongside the gathering menace of the swarming demons. I also love the entirety of the 1941 flashback, even if it doesn’t have much to do with the main plot - sidenote, but the thing of calling the flashbacks ‘minisodes’ is very odd given that they often take up the vast majority of their respective episodes.

Now that I was expecting the Gabriel and Beelzebub stuff, it wasn't quite as jarring as the first time. I stand by what I said above about the out of character-ness, though.

The Nina and Maggie of episodes 4-6 are also much more believable, because they're actually talking. They're taking part in the main plot, too, and they get to have agency at the end and tell Crowley off for trying to manipulate their love lives.

As said above, this time the entire final scene between Aziraphale and Crowley packed an even bigger punch. I loved it the first time round, though of course I found it devastating, but this time knowing where it was leading, it hit me all the more. It’s a real showcase of both Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s acting chops, as well as the complex relationship between their characters.

Derek Jacobi, master that he is, is of course completely fantastic as the Metatron. I wonder if he’ll have a bigger role in series 3 (if we get it). I really hope so; I’m always delighted to see more of him. Muriel is so adorable as well, and I find the rivalry between Uriel and Michael so enjoyable.

This series is such a mixed bag and I just cannot settle on a consistent opinion. I think perhaps it would have fared better with either a more complex plot, or fewer episodes. I’ll probably do another rewatch soon, but on a much slower episode-by-episode basis.

#good omens series 2 #good omens #good omens spoilers #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #good omens mine #mine #reactions

[missfart]

Coming back to say a few more things about the Owl House finale now that I’ve had time to digest it a bit more:

- I’m glad Owl House didn’t pull a “one of you has to die or you have to break up” trope with Lumity. We love our corny book sapphics and we love to see them thrive. (I’m also here for older Amity’s undercut, a true lesbian if we ever did see one.)

- I’m here for STRONK GURL supremacy with Willow, genuinely love her character arc and her being the even keel strong girl to Hunter’s anxiety ridden twig boy.

- I can forgive the finale more for not bringing the Hexside crew’s story arcs into the finale because throughout the series, each one of them did get their definitive episodes showcasing them overcoming their biggest personal challenges which was a much more organic way of doing things than trying to shoehorn in a bunch of characterization wrap ups at the very end. It’s a sign of a good show even if they couldn’t give each of the crew a more defined final episode moment.

- I don’t know why the moment I absolutely lost my mind and began bawling my eyes out was when Hooty comes back to life with his absolutely SNATCHED eyelashes and reunited with Lilith. There’s something wrong with me.

-It’s actually funny as fuck that they just… got rid of Odalia’s storyline. Since they had to truncate the final season, it’s understandable certain storylines would get dropped or shortened. But it’s such a power move to completely retcon her becoming the dragon to Belos’s Big Bad as they had set up at the end of season 2 and instead have her be a nanny to an eldritch horror only to completely get rid of her in the epilogue. And it worked because absolutely no one liked her or her storyline to begin with.

-Even though I thought it was a little too saccharine that literally EVERYONE lives, every pair is canonized, the final episode is almost entirely a Luz storyline, and everyone lives happily ever after in both worlds, I understand that the finale was more of a “we love our fans and this is our gift to everyone as a goodbye” than a dynamic story arc wrap up. I mean hell the very last shot is the entire cast looking directly into the camera and saying “byeeeeee.” Is it narratively the best case scenario? No. Is it sweet and touching to give the fans the ending we all needed to be ok with Disney killing the show in its prime? Absolutely, and I’ll cherish it forever.

#toh finale #the owl house

[crystallhamptonhersheykiss]

Spoilers for Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles the movie.

As someone who's probably more of a casual fan of Rise. (I've liked what I've seen of this show, I just haven't watched every episode.) I actually really enjoyed the movie

One of the many things to praise the movie for is the animation. It's so good. The team definitely got a bigger budget for the movie and it shows.

I also thought they did a great job with keeping the tone of the show while also having serious and emotional moments depending on the scene. Krrang was treated like a serious threat and the tone of the movie shifted once they were introduced.

I really liked how all the characters were written and handled. Seeing how much Leo grew during this movie. Raph giving him some tough love when getting onto him for not listening and working together. Not because he wanted to fight with him. But because he wanted Leo to understand that he's hard on them because of how much he loves his brothers and wants to keep them safe. And he can't do that if they're not all on the same page.

And I really liked this version of Casey Jones. He looked up and admired Leo because of what he taught him in the future. But he also had no problem telling Leo hard truths and what he needed to hear. In the future he's still arrogant, he doesn't work with a team and he never takes the time to consider how his choices affect everyone else and that's what cost him his family. Leo needed to hear all that, if he was going to be the leader the team needed.

While I wish she had a bigger role in the movie, seeing Casey's reaction to Cassandra was pretty funny. I think this was another fun version of the character and depending on the future of the show, I wouldn't mind seeing this version again, if they had a reason too that made sense.

I liked what they did with the other characters. Splinter taking the situation seriously when Casey told them about the Krrang. Seeing those two and April teaming up later.

Donnie and Mikey teaming up. Donnie losing his battle shell twice to protect Mikey and to control the Krrang ship. With Mikey being worried about Donnie getting hurt and Donnie assuring him he would be fine without it. Mikey trying to use his powers like Casey said he could. And having Raph and Donnie help him at the end to save Leo.

While a small moment I liked when everyone thought they lost Leo. We see them focusing on Donnie a moment where he's crying and he stops a moment to put a hand on his face and looks and he realizes he's crying. From what I've seen of the show Donnie it seems doesn't like expressing his emotions like everyone else. Or just has trouble expressing them in a good/healthy way. So I'm glad the movie took the time to show him crying like everyone else and to see his reaction when he realized this.

I hope this movie does well. (It is trending according to the Netflix home page.) While I can completely understand why some fans don't like the show, I think it does get a little too much hate. The show does deserve another chance and I really hope it gets one. But if the movie does end up being the series finale, it's definitely not a bad way for Rise to go out.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles the movie #rise of the tmnt movie #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles spoilers #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles the movie spoilers #rottmnt #rottmnt spoilers #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt leo #rottmnt raph #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt splinter #april o'neil #casey jones #teenage mutant ninja turtles