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81scorp · 4 years

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Constructive criticism: Fantastic Four

(Originally posted as an editorial on Deviantart Aug 3, 2015. It has not been changed from how I originally wrote it.)

In 1961 Martin Goodman, the editor of Marvel Comics (Which back then was called Atlas Comic.), called writer Stan Lee to tell him that their competition, DC Comics (Which was called National Comics back then.), had created a team of superheroes called the Justice League, and it was a big seller. "I want us to get on the bandwagon too. Cook me up a book which stars a whole team of heroes - and do it yesterday!" So. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Fantastic Four, Marvel`s first Superhero team which not only sold great, but also introduced the idea of relatable superheroes. Plus: unlike most Superheroes they didn`t have secret identities. In 1986 Constantin Film acquired the film rights to Fantastic Four and a low budget movie was made by producer Roger Corman in 1994... only to never see the light of day. Except in the form of bootlegs. The movie was only made so that the company could keep the movie rights. Probably waiting for a time when special effects had improved so that it wouldn`t look stupid and they could do the source material justice. In 2005 a new Fantastic Four movie was made and unlike the previous one this one was released in the cinema. And it wasn`t that good. The CGI on Reed Richards didn`t look good, Ben Grimm`s rock-body looked very rubbery, Dr Doom`s motivation was copied from Norman Osborn`s from the Spider-man movies and it took the team till the third act to realize that they could use their powers for good. (Yes, there was that scene at the bridge, but after that their biggest priority, which took up an unnecessary large amount of time, was to get rid of their powers.) Unlike Phantom Menace and Transformers, revenge of the fallen I don`t feel that listing a few points is enough, I`d change most of the story. Here`s how it could have been better. At the beginning of the movie the four are already training and preparing for their journey into space. Their backgrounds and relationships to each other is revealed through dialogue and interactions. Reed and Sue has been in a relationship for at least six months and Reed is already kind of a celebrity in this world (kinda like Stephen Hawking) and he`s nicknamed "Mr Fantastic". He sees a science magazine with him on the cover and a headline that says: "Smartest man on earth?" It makes him think that under different circumstances it could have said "Smartest men on earth?" He tells his story to Johnny who has never heard it before. Reed had always been very intelligent for his age, the only one of his age that he felt was his intellectual equal was a guy he met at college: Victor Von Doom."Hold it." Johnny interrupts. "His name was actually `Doom`?" "Well, he was born in a european country, I think it was called Latveria. Maybe it`s a common name there that means something different in their language. Anyway..." He continues his story about how Victor was brilliant but also very hard to work with and eccentric. One day he did an experiment that literally blew up in his face. Reed doesn`t know what happened later. Some said that Doom died others that he was kicked out. Then comes the day. The four go out into space, Reed notices that he has miscalculated, they get bombarded with cosmic radiation and crashland on earth. They discover their powers, John thinks it`s cool, Sue and Reed are cautiously optimistic but they all feel sorry for Ben who got the worst part of the deal. A military team comes to get them, sees Ben, thinks he`s a monster, gets ready shoot him but the rest of four go: "No no! don`t shoot! he`s with us!" Reed is troubled by guilt and the four are driven home in silence. Back at the base the four are quarantined for a few days. Reed examines and tests their powers to make sure their condition doesn`t get any worse, and to see if there is a cure for Ben. Late one night Reed is up working hard, the radio is on in the background. The music is interrupted because of news: there has been an accident somewhere, many are injured. Reed stretches his arm to reach the radio so he can switch to another station because he`s too tired to listen to bad news. But then he stops himself, the reason he got into science is because he wanted to change the world for the better. If he turns the radio off now he`s no better than all those other people who turn a deaf ear to all the bad things in the world. With his powers he could actually do something. So he listens to the news. Somewhere in an Latverian town at night, three activists are running down the streets. They are caught by authorities. Cut to: a cell, the three activists are being interrogated by a man who talks to them in a kind, yet condescending way. They were protesting against their ruler and spreading propaganda against him. The man tells them that they can avoid punishment if they take back what they have said, they refuse. The ruler himself enters, a man in cloak and armor (because of the light and shadows we don`t see his face but from the sound of his voice we can guess that he`s wearing an iron mask). He gives them the chance to apologize to him in person, they still refuse. The ruler charges his glove and fires. Reed has managed to get his friends out for a walk in the nearest city in civilian clothes. Ben is fully clothed with hat, trenchcoat, scarf and everything but still feels like a freak on display. Reed has a special radio that allows him to hear 911-calls. A building is on fire near where they are. The four run to it and use their powers to help people. Ben is at first reluctant to get into the fire because he knows his clothes will burn and people will see his body, but he knows he can`t put that over human lives. The people are saved, the four are heroes, people see Ben`s body. Some react in fear, others don`t care (because he saved their lives), but Ben still doesn`t like being exposed. They get famous, TV wants to interview them, media calls them "The Fantastic Four", they move into the Baxter building, Sue designs their FF costumes Reed makes them out of unstable molecules, Johnny is OK with the media circus, Ben is not. He feels that Reed has been too distracted by the publicity and has abandoned his research. Ben never says it out loud but Sue can see it and talks to Reed who feels guilty and goes back to working on a cure for Ben. Then I figured there could be a montage of FF doing Superheroic stuff and Reed searching for Ben`s cure. Ben does all the Superhero stuff because he knows it`s the right thing to do (the needs of the many and all that), but he gets no joy from it. Near the end of the Montage we can see that the hooded ruler has been following their adventures on the news. After the montage Ben could have mixed feelings about his situation: sure, he`s helping people and making a difference, but he still has his body issues. He goes out late one evening to clear his head and meets Alicia Masters who makes him feel better about himself. That same night Reed has made great progress in his research, he should be able to reverse Ben`s condition within a few days. Things look good for Johnny too, he`s gotten the phone number of a hot girl he likes: Frankie Raye. The next day a ship lands on top of the Baxter building. The ship`s autopilot tells them to come aboard, it`s master has important things that he wishes to discuss with them. The FF suspect a trap but get on the ship which takes them to Latveria. The ship takes them to a castle where they are shown to a dining room and are soon introduced to their host: Dr Doom! Dr Doom removes the lower half of his mask to eat and we can see that at least half of the lower half of his face is scarred. He tells them what happened after the explosion at the university. He was kicked out, wandered the world, learned meditation in tibet, had an epiphany where he realized that he was the right man to rule the whole world, created his armor, returned to his birth country which was in a horrible state, made it better but also turned it into a dictatorship. He and Reed wants the same thing: to make the world a better place, he just thinks that Reed approaches it from the wrong angle: he only treats the symptoms and doesn`t go to the root of the problem. Doom uses his own country and the (real life) benevolent yugoslavian dictator Tito as examples of the positive sides of fascism. Doom wants the FF to assist him in uniting the countries of the world and create a Utopia. FF refuses, Doom locks them up in cells and starts preparing a trip to U.S.A. With them out of the way It`ll be easier for him to take over U.S.A and force his "benevolent" dictatorship on it. Doom: "At first they will resist, but in the long run, they will be grateful." FF breaks out of their cells, gets by the sequrity systems, fight a few guards and fights Doom who turns out to be a Doombot. (F.Y.I: The Doom they talked to in the dining room was the real Doom.) The real Doom is on one of three ships that has just lifted and are headed for U.S.A. The FF manages to get on board, fight a few robot guards, manages to take down the other two ships and fights Doom (for realz this time). The ship gets wrecked and falls. It is headed for a Latverian town but the FF manages to aim it at a nearby lake. The ship sinks, Reed wants to save Doom but can`t find him. FF escapes in an escape pod. Next day they celebrate in the Baxter building. Ben has brought Alicia as his date and Johnny has brought Frankie Raye as his. Reed tells Ben that he should be able to restore his humanity by the end of the week. Ben, who has learned to accept himself, respectfully declines. Reed then proposes to Sue, everybody is happy. Or?... Mid or post-credit scene: A group of Latverian citizens have gathered in a building. Now that Dr Doom has been de-throned they can turn Latveria into a democracy that respects human rights. Things can only get better from here. Cut to: the lake. Dr Doom walks out of the water and onto the shore. He has an apparatus in his armor that allows him to breathe underwater. He is alive and he is pissed. The end Not perfect but it`s the best I could come up with. It doesn`t have to be super faithful to the source material to be good, but the source material was the only better alternative I could think of. Thing: Mocap or practical? I could go either way. A practical suit wouldn`t be bad if it was a good practical suit. (They did it well in The neverending story which came out 1984.) and I wouldn`t mind Mocap if was good and the actor got to interact with the other actors at least half of the time. Characters Johnny should be a little bit smarter and mature than he was in the 2005 movie. He could be an adventure seeker and the funny guy. Ben could be a tragic figure that turns into an everyman who`s a bit of a loveable brawler and the funny guy. Almost like Johnny except he`s older and wiser. Sue could be the diplomat of the FF. When the team starts to fall apart she`s usually the glue that holds them together. She could also be the one who translates Reed`s technobabble to John and Ben (to the best of her abilities). Reed is the egghead of the group, but also leader, idealist and slightly asperger-ish. (Sometimes Sue has to translate subtle hints from others that Reed doesn`t always pick up.) Dr Doom is a megalomaniac who should be based on real life dictators, wants to rule the world and not some CEO who is pissed because Reed and friends messed up his face.

#marvel #movie #fantastic #four #constructive #criticism #editorial #81scorp

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movietvtechgeeks · 7 years

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Top 10 horror collectibles ever hardcore fan should have

If there’s one thing that sparks this geek’s interest other than sci-fi, it’s horror. It’s probably true with most sci-fi fans or geeks in general because these two genres are closely intertwined. Horror deals with the creepy unknown and a large part of science fiction deals in speculating what’s out there. One such franchise that deals with both sci-fi and horror is the Alien franchise. It’s a household name when it comes to both genres but unfortunately butchered through the years. But there are those of us that are more fascinated by monsters and creatures that go bump in the night instead of starships and going to warp speeds. You might call them sick, but they’re just, well… different, for keeping tons of horror replicas and memorabilia in their respective man-caves. To each his own really, and it’s not that slightly psychotic tendency for gore and murder that should concern us about an individual with a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Leatherface mask in his collection, but rather his love for the horror genre, his/her knowledge of the histories of film and TV behind his/her morbid collection and the attention to detail manufacturers like NECA often put into their collectibles. Many horror collectibles are beautiful in their own horrific ways like McFarlane’s horror toy line. The guy may have created Spawn, but his twisted mind just couldn’t stop there. My only claim to horror collecting is my Ghost Rider collection which many of my guests already consider to be morbid. All those flaming skulls and I still don’t think they’re enough. Supernatural collectibles meanwhile are rare in these parts, but with enough time and dough, I’ll have a trunk of flannel, guns, stakes, knives and the optional salt. You can check out our Supernatural Holiday Gift Guide for those of you lucky enough to get your hands on them. But let’s discuss the hottest horror collectibles sought-after by horror fans such as myself. It gives me chills just imagining setting them up in their dedicated hallway or room much like The Conjuring’s Ed and Lorrain Warren's museum. If you have the dough, feel-free to grab life-size busts or statues of your favorite horror franchise or if you’re starting out, dedicate a shelf for dolls and detailed action figures. There are dozens of horror franchises out there, and it’s kind of difficult to get a definitive list. To keep it simple, let’s just work with toys and statues. Here are the most popular ones out there and you can check these out if you want to get started. Again, this is not a definitive list as there are other famous franchises that need attention. Annabelle (Annabelle) – is the latest chilling entry in the horror genre from the Conjuring series of films. The actual Annabelle doll is much less creepy than the cinematic version since it’s only one of those formerly popular Raggedy Ann dolls that happens to be haunted. Hollywood wants The Conjuring and Annabelle films to be creepy, so we end up with overly-made-up Ms. Woody MacWood face instead. Still, I do find some innocent-looking dolls placed at the right angle look more macabre than some of the items on this list. Annabelle feels a bit too artificial but creepy nonetheless. Mezco Toys came up with a scaled 46-cm/18” prop replica of the creepy doll and is available for around $94 here. Just her alone on the top shelf is sure to give your guests the chills. Necronomicon Ex Mortis (Evil Dead) – is another popular horror article that has frightened us for almost forty years. It first appeared in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead starring Bruce Campbell in 1981. If you’ve been living under a rock for all these years, The Necronomicon is an evil book of the dead made and bound in human skin with a cover resembling a human face. If it still doesn’t ring a bell, Think Army of Darkness, the most popular film in the Evil Dead franchise. This book of the dead is still very much alive in the latest TV series from Starz in Ash vs. the Evil Dead. There are several replicas out there and even a special-edition DVD cover for the Evil Dead films. Saw a creepy replica on display at a mall when I was in high school and already felt that sick feeling of taking it home and putting it on display. If only I had the small fortune required to do so. It would make a nice coffee table piece in your den of horrors. Keep it at your own risk as the Deadites are always after it. If you want one, be sure to shop smart for a boomstick and a portable chainsaw. Also, don’t forget that 7” Ash Williams Ultimate Scale action figure from NECA which has plenty of accessories you can get right here. Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead is a gross, gory but fun horror franchise. Chucky (Child’s Play) – is the doll that puts Annabelle to shame, though they might even look good together on your shelf. While Annabelle is more recent, Chucky is more iconic originating from way back in 1988 in the film Child’s Play. Chucky has become quite the horror icon since then. He’s actually frightening, funny and lovable and he handles that well even with his Good Guy persona. Though the series has gone downhill since Child’s Play 3, all his films are considered cult classics. There are several dolls available from various manufacturers, but the priciest to date is the life-size Seed of Chucky doll from Sideshow Collectibles which was priced at $4,850 on eBay. If you want something more recent, and cheaper, you could start with Mezco’s 15” Chucky Good Guy doll which is creepy enough to begin with. Pair him up with Mezco’s Talking Tiffany doll or their 15” Scarred Chucky. Or get both to complete the collection. Sam and Pumpkinhead (TRICK ‘R TREAT / Pumpkinhead) – What is Halloween without its governing spirits? The most recognizable figure for Halloween is the serial killer Michael Myers, but we’re looking for more supernatural symbols. The 2008 cult classic TRICK ‘R TREAT gave us the lovable but sinister Sam. A child-like entity dressed in a one-piece orange jumpsuit and a cute button-eyed burlap sack for a mask. Sam looks quite innocent with his child-like physique, candy sack and lollipop but actually indirectly leaves horrific incidents wherever he goes. Behind the mask is a frightening skull and pumpkin combination for a face. As for Pumpkinhead; before Ghost Rider came out, he was the original cinematic spirit of vengeance. Many people see him as an iconic monster, but when I first saw the design, he felt to me like an Alien knockoff, probably because I saw Aliens on VHS at around the same time. I also don’t get the name since he doesn’t look anywhere near a pumpkin as much as Sam does. But people like him and more than a few websites view him as one of the best obscure monsters out there, so he makes this list. Sam was available from Sideshow Collectibles in a limited 5000-item run so if you want one, prepare to shell out as much as $600 on eBay. As for Pumpkinhead, McFarlane Toys came out with a whopping 18-inch scale figure which would cost you around $400 on eBay today, if it does become available. Or you can get a more affordable over on Amazon here. [gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="50042,50043"] Life-size Alien Egg and Xenomorph (Alien)– disappointed we may be with the latest Alien installment, Alien Covenant which removed AVP from canon, there’s no denying the powerful horror aspect that the Xenomorph and its various forms bring on the table. Honestly, I’d rather see an actual sequel starring Sigourney Weaver while she still looks young enough to pass for another horror-action adventure. Alien xenomorph toys and models may be a dime-a-dozen, by now but what really brings in the kicks for collectors are life-size models and statues that should bring any horror man-cave to life… sort of. A life-size 1:1 scale xenomorph warrior should set collectors back by as much as 9,999 dollars if ordered from popcultcha.com. Xenomorph busts from different films in the franchise are available on eBay for less than $3000. But for a very small price of $400, you can get a life-size Alien egg from NECA to go with your bust or statue. The egg comes with a Facehugger too which I actually find much scarier than the actual xenomorphs in the way they resemble large spiders. If you have the dough, you could set up a room with up to three eggs inside. If you don’t have the dough, you can start with a bunch of Alien 7” action figures from NECA and complete it with their 15” Alien Queen. All figures are exquisitely detailed. Regan MacNeil (The Exorcist) – If there’s anyone in this list that I don’t want in my horror collection, it would be a life-size Regan McNeil from The Exorcist. She’ll definitely be the creepiest of the bunch, and the film is so good, so creepy and so horrific that I couldn’t personally bear to watch it again. I have a slight fear of the dark because of this film. But to try and dispell that fear, I either imagine myself as a Ghostbuster, Simon Belmont or a hunter from Supernatural. Not a bad idea if you find yourself in a dark room with everyone in this list. But back to Regan, we can’t exactly blame young Linda Blair for looking so horrific. The devil made her do it with the help of the special effects guys. The special effects and sounds are just so good, no amount of modern CGI can probably match the chills from watching the classics like The Exorcist or The Omen. NECA has recently released an Exorcist diorama with poor Regan fully possessed and laying upright on her bed. She has a button when pressed makes her do the classic head spin. Despite the small size, the figure is detailed enough to remind everyone how chilling the film is. But if you really want to scare yourself or your guests sh*tless, you can go to eBay and grab a life-size bust for around $300. This list is in no particular order, but Regan makes top 1. Or go for a creepier life size like in the picture right on Amazon. You have to see it to believe it! Pennywise the Clown (It) – Clowns aren’t that scary. We love Ronald McDonald, don’t we? But it’s probably how the make-up is applied or how creepy the guy wearing the red nose is to begin with. Stephen King’s It is quite a terrifying film which probably started or aggravated coulrophobia in the United States. Pennywise and that clown doll from Poltergeist. As mentioned, Tim Curry is creepy enough to begin with so slap on a clown costume, and you’ll have a creepy clown from your nightmares. The latest incarnation of the film brought a whole new world of horror, and if Tim Curry's version didn't freak you out, this one surely will. There are plenty of Pennywise masks, costumes and figures on eBay but a bunch of detailed 12-inch ones that can set you back up to $500. If you want to have a better variety to choose from with makeup, window peepers or Funko dolls check them out here. Freddie Krueger (Nightmare on Elm Street) NECA Movie Maniacs figure. Freddie Replica Glove Ruby’s Toys – Our nightmares are enough source of horrific material without someone like Freddie Krueger making it worse. There’s nothing like 80s horror flicks where the special effects aren’t too reliant on modern CGI. The practical effects of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Halloween are the stuff of legend giving these characters their iconic status which is why the remake didn’t make create near the stir the originals did. Among the celebrities on this list, Freddie Krueger is legend and should be a staple in your horror collection. There are plenty of figures available out there from major horror manufacturers. McFarlane Toys are quite detailed if you want an affordable statuette for your collection. The 7-inch figure from NECA is also a sight to behold and includes plenty of accessories and comes in a nice box. It will set you back a reasonable $30 but will make a great addition to your horror collection. What’s also iconic is Freddie’s glove. It should add a little completeness to your horror room next to your Freddie Krueger figure. The glove from Rubies with real metal claws will set you back around $70, but it’s a small price for a true horror fan. Or get a signed claw edition from Robert Englund himself. Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) and Michael Myers (Halloween) – the original or should we say most famous movie slashers that inspired films like I Know What You did Last Summer and Scream. Like Sam and Pumpkinhead, they take equal billing when it comes to supernatural slasher horror films. Both killers have plenty of figures and statues on sale online. Both serial killers also wear iconic masks and just love sharp objects. For these two, there’s no need to keep a life-size statue because setting up their masks in mannequin busts plus their movie knives should be enough. Mezco and NECA and McFarlane sell Jason and Michael figures of various sizes but what you want are the 12 or 18-inch ones for more impact. Such figures will set you back around $150 dollars. But that should be a small setback if you’re a true horror fan. Sideshow's versions are pretty sweet, but you will pay a higher price for that quality here. Around the holiday season, prices always drop too so keep your eye here for them. Funko ReAction - What? No Dracula? No Frankenstein? Unfortunately, they’re not considered so horrific nowadays. Thank you Hotel Transylvania. But feel free to grab these horror staples in detail through the Funko ReAction Universal Horror line. The Universal line includes Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Mummy. The Funko ReAction line also has many of the folks in this list including Freddie, Jason, Michael, and Sam. Funko is also a great way to begin your horror collection. You could grab these detailed 3.75” figures for less than 20 dollars in various online stores. Haven’t you ever imagined playing a scenario with Ghostface, Pinhead, Freddie, Jason, Michael, and Sam going after the Disney Princesses inside a life-size Amityville dollhouse? Sick, I know. Get pairs as the boxes look too good to open. [gallery size="medium" ids="50052,50053,50054"] We’d like to add a special mention to the Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo line which re-imagines Hollywood horror legends into their sexy female counterparts. They’ll make pretty good startup figures not just for horror fans but for sci-fi and anime fans as well. As with most Kotobukiya figures, these look amazing and are a great deal for the price.

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#Alien #Annabelle #Childs Play #Collectibles #Evil Dead #Exorcist #Featured #Funko #It #Kotobukiya #McFarlane Toys #Pumpkinhead #Sideshow Collectibles

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recentanimenews · 6 years

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Peter's Picks for the 2017 Anime Awards

It’s that time already. The 2017 Anime Awards are upon us and competition looks even fiercer than last year. Now that voting is open, I assume you all are fulfilling your civic duty and making your voice heard by voting. In case you find yourself stuck on a category, however, I’ve laid out all my votes and the reasons why I think each deserves to win on February 24th.

Best Action: My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia has all the best features of shonen series when it comes to fighting. The battles this season were creative, strategic, and possessed an emotional heart. Feelings are a tangible force in shonen that can both determine the outcome of a battle and ensure the struggle possesses real meaning. The fight between Deku and Todoroki put the absolute best of the series on display and Bones brought out the big guns, ensuring all the highlights were given unforgettable visual sequences.

Best Drama: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

On my shortlist for best anime this year, Rakugo is difficult to summarize; a story tackling many different themes and spanning over half a century. Following the practitioners of a niche form of Japanese theater, Rakugo tells the story of one performer's life, his influence on his loved ones and the future of his art, and his struggles with intimacy and his own mortality. It’s a disservice to this anime to describe it as anything other than a true masterpiece from the story, to the voice performances, to the wonderful visual direction.

Best Comedy: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Although some of the other series on this list may have drawn out more consistent laughs, I don’t feel like any of the provided such a complete package as Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, effortlessly weaving jokes in between cathartic moments and the daily life of one supremely bizarre found family. The series tackled humor from a number of directions so it never grew stale and often felt inventive, even using it in service of the plot. Discovering this series may have been one of my most pleasant surprises of this year.

Best Slice of Life: Tsukigakirei

This may be my most selfish pick among any of the categories, but I really feel like Tsukigakirei was something special, offering a romance that wasn’t about getting together but staying together. Kotaro and Akane experience firsts together, step outside their comfort zones, and force each other to grow. It’s a wonderfully affirming reminder that we’re all awkward. The series dips slightly into melodrama from time to time but the resolution is inevitably a message to do the right thing and put in your best effort. You may not always get what you want, but you can be satisfied in the end.

Best Continuing Series: March comes in like a lion

I’ve been onboard this train since the very beginning, but the new season of March comes in like a lion surprised even me, taking everything that made the first season great and turning it up to 11. Seeing Rei growing and learning to rely on his support network is indescribably rewarding and the new subplot with Hina absolutely devastating. This season delivered what I consider to be one of the best single episodes this year, introducing a conflict so frustrating and authentic you’ll be left feeling genuine bitterness until it reaches its resolution.

Best Girl: Chise Hatori

While many seem focused on a certain bone-headed magus, I was originally drawn to The Ancient Magus’ Bride by Chise. One of the joys of the series is watching her slow emergence from a dark place, the victim of abuse and certain that there is no person or place in this world that will have her, into a confident and capable individual with a sense of belonging. Chise finding satisfaction in the opportunity to help others and learning to allow herself selfish happiness are one of the features that make the series truly magical.

Best Boy: Rei Kiriyama

Rei is probably the most moving portrayal of an individual suffering from chronic depression and anxiety I have seen in fiction, full stop. The series has tracked his progress of overcoming his self-isolating instincts of feeling that he is a burden upon others to reaching out to those who bring him happiness. Where Chise may be able to one day find contentment, Rei’s quest feels less certain, but he’s gained the conviction to find and hold onto as many moments of happiness as he can.

Best Hero: Izuku “Deku” Midoriya

All-Might describes Deku and the quintessential hero and who am I to disagree with All-Might? Horikoshi’s vision of what defines heroism is one of the features which I believe elevates My Hero Academia to the stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other legendary shonen series and Deku is the personification of that ideal. A person who instinctively reaches out to those in need, even to his own detriment, even if he knows he will regret it. Honesty, empathy, and altruism made him a true hero even before All-Might gave him the power to realize the demands of his heart.

Best Villain: Stain

The obvious choice, Stain is both a villain and the central point upon which the new arc of My Hero Academia turns, inspiring an entire generation of disenfranchised individuals to rise up against the authority which has failed them. This aspect of his character also makes him the only sympathetic villain among the nominations. He sees rampant corruption among the pantheon of heroes dedicated to protecting the helpless and rejects them. Although his methods are evil, the truth of his criticisms resonates with those who have suffered as he has.

Best Manga: My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

I don’t know if I’ve ever read any work of sequential art as real as My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. Nagata’s experiences reach the extremes of debilitating anxiety, depression, and existential uncertainty, but have such a universal element of struggle told with such candidness that it's impossible not to engage with her autobiographical tale and draw a sense of common struggle and optimism from her hard-earned lessons.

Best Opening: “SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO! (心臓を捧げよ!)”

Of all the ways Studio WIT delivers with Attack on Titan, their OPs and EDs may be my favorite part. Each and everyone feels like they deserve a place among these nominations (if only the Anime Awards had been around during the first season), delivering a concentrated dose of the bombastic, over-the-top style of the show itself. The newest is no exception, with an energized anthem to get your blood pumping for 20 minutes of tension, violence, and horror that will inevitably culminate in a cliffhanger.

Best Ending: “STEP UP LOVE (ステップアップLOVE)”

Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond has an emotional and thematic rhythm that is very unique, portraying the extreme deadliness neighborhood of Hellsalem’s Lot in a strange, light-hearted sense, like a quirky clubhouse full of misfits that often kill each other. How is the ending sequence captures that bizarre contradiction is beyond me, but it sure is fun. I love everything about the ending, from the music to the psychedelic animation, showing off the cast at their wackiest.

Best Film: In This Corner of the World

Possibly the hardest choice on the list is between In This Corner of the World and A Silent Voice, but I have to give it to MAPPA’s creation half-a-decade in the making. The staff went in trying to tell a human story and portrayed one of the most evocative tragedies I’ve ever witnessed without exploiting the characters suffering as a selling point. The film is both devastating and inspirational, carrying with it a message that all-too-relevant at this moment in time.

Best CGI: Land of the Lustrous

2017 may have been the single greatest year for CG in anime, with several releases that really showed how it could be utilized in ways that 2D can’t replicate. I was surprised not to see Polygon Pictures’ Blame! make it into the nominations. Barring that, Land of the Lustrous was a beautiful adaptation that took Haruko Ichikawa’s framework and made its own visual world. The hand-painted backgrounds and CG characters never felt awkward against one another and the characters gestures and use of the gem’s colors on the environment were spectacular.

Best Score: Made in Abyss

I remember reaching the theatrical climax of the very episode. The camera panned across the city as the light from the sunrise broke over the top of the mountain and into the caldera then dove into the gaping maw of the abyss. The score in the scene absolutely sold the moment for me and the completeness of the experience had me sure the series was something special. It’s one of those series you know early on is going to have a vinyl soundtrack release.

Best Animation: A Silent Voice

As much as I’m a fan of Yutaka Nakamura battle cuts, Yoh Yoshinari’s absolutely wild effects animation, and the immensely evocative visual style of March comes in like a lion, A Silent Voice seems like the obvious choice since, well, it was a film that allowed the already sterling consistent quality of Kyoto Animation to put their absolute best into every moment. A necessity in a story that focused so closely on expression and gesture.

Anime of the Year: Land of the Lustrous

I can’t help but give this one to Land of the Lustrous. Haruko Ichikawa’s exploration of human nature through the unlikely lens of anthropomorphic gemstones is utterly captivating, stripping away all of our superficial layers one by one to reach some sort of ultimate truth of humanity. Orange’s adaptation is inspired, presenting one of the greatest arguments yet for the use of CG in anime. It’s gorgeous, mysterious, eerie in its ever-present sense of danger, and almost heartbreakingly tragic.

Those are my favorites for this year! Choosing between the nominees wasn't easy, but I feel confident the best of the year was represented in each category. What do you think of my picks? Do you disagree my choices? Share your picks in the comments below!

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Peter Fobian is Features and Reviews Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

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