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Seeing Tieria forced to reveal Nadleeh prematurely feels so raw and vulnerable.

I know the show is about giant robots... But it's hard not to read some sort of unwanted outing into this, Especially with Tieria's character.

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I've recently started a Mobile Suit Gundam 00 re-watch... The first time I watched this was on a shitty streaming app with tons of commercial breaks. This time around I've got a decent download so I'm not going to be interrupted with commercials or buffering or crashes.

And, right off the bat, I absolutely adore the stupid idea that you're going to stop violence by punching people who disagree with you. I mean, yeah, I know they're kind of trying to become the world's villains... Give everyone a single enemy to rally against... But it just sounds so dumb right on the face of it. And I like how there's even characters in the show calling out how dumb that is.

I'm a sucker for pink/purple mobile suits... Especially if they've got female pilots... So I'm immediately loving this Tieren Taozi. It's a shame these 00 kits are out of print - I'd love to build one of these, but I'm not willing to pay $50+ for a simple HG kit. Maybe we'll get reprints someday?

Tieria Erde is a fascinating and vaguely frustrating character.

As a neurodivergent, nonbinary weirdo I find myself really kind of drawn to this character. I like their prickly attitude and androgynous aesthetic.

But, if I recall correctly, their character doesn't really get a lot of attention. Of course Setsuna is the star of the show... But I recall a couple of the other Gundam Meisters getting decent arcs as well... And being kind of disappointed with Tieria's treatment. I guess we'll see what I think this time around.

Some day I'm gong to have to build the MG Virtue kit... But it always looks like such a brick - even in the show. It just kind of stands there, shooting its big cannon. It doesn't look like it'd be that much fun to build/pose.

And as another example of fun stupidity... The country full of evil war-profiteers is named Moralia. That's a little on-the-nose, don't you think?

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I finally found a decent download for Stargazer the other day... And, I guess I'm a bit unimpressed? I mean, it's fine. But after putting that much effort into watching it I guess I was hoping for something more impactful.

It's a short little three-episode OVA set alongside the events of Destiny. We see some of the fallout (ha!) of the Junius Seven drop. We get some flashbacks that show some Blue Cosmos folks in training. We get some insight into their mindset. And, meanwhile, elsewhere, some folks are trying to build an AI-powered gundam to explore the galaxy.

But... Nothing really happens? I mean, stuff happens, but there's no real lasting impact. Nobody seems to accomplish much. It looks like every character we're introduced to winds up dead... I don't recall any of this stuff mentioned at all in Destiny or Freedom... It just feels like a meaningless little bit of fluff.

I mean, it was an entertaining-enough way to waste an hour or so of my life... But, I dunno, I guess I was kind of hoping for more.

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I finished watching Mobile Suit Victory Gundam last night... And I guess I'm kind of wondering why it doesn't seem to be more popular.

I mean, maybe I'm just wrong or out of touch - but this does not seem to be a popular series. In fact, it seems to be downright unpopular. I routinely see people talking unfavorably about it. And I guess I just don't understand it.

There doesn't seem to be anything obviously "bad" about this show. It's set in the ever-popular Universal Century... The protagonist suit looks pretty good... There's nothing immediately polarizing like a female protagonist...

It really feels like there should be more people talking about this show positively. (Or, again, maybe I'm just missing the thriving fanbase somewhere out there.)

Anyway - I enjoyed this show.

I liked Uso. He definitely felt like a kid ripped right out of the '90s, which was initially a little off-putting. But he felt like one of the more relatable Gundam protagonists I've seen. I could really relate to how he had to keep showing up for work despite all the horrors around him. And how he'd periodically just quietly break down when he had a moment to catch his breath. I think he conveyed the stresses and horrors of war a lot better than, say, Amuro.

I didn't love the initial design of the Victory Gundam... I still think combining/transforming suits are stupid... But it grew on me. I really liked the V-Dash upgrade it got. The V2 and V2-Buster looked fantastic, but I didn't like the V2 Assault much.

I liked how clearly they contrasted the old world against the new... The old men leading the children to war... How these kids were very clearly suffering for the sins of their fathers... It was maybe a little on the nose - but it did a great job of clearly showing how this legacy of warfare and violence was dragging the future down.

But the whole conflict felt oddly small for much of the runtime. Throughout much of the show we've got the Zanscare Empire battling the League Militaire - and neither of them seems like much of a powerhouse. Zanscare only seems to control a couple colonies. And the League is just some guerilla fighters. For much of the show this feels like too small a conflict for the Federation to even notice.

And then, suddenly, in the last dozen episodes or so we've got a full-on invasion of the Earth... Big fleet battles... A newtype/psychicker super-weapon... It feels like it escalates very quickly.

I liked all the mechanical designs. Zanscare's are all very unique and over the top. Either overtly militant or vaguely alien. Lots of wacky designs like giant wheels or dragons or multi-limbed insectoid things. The Leage and Federation, meanwhile, look more recognizable. It feels like their technology is clearly based on the old UC machines we've seen before.

The politics feel a little weird? I mean, clearly Maria is a puppet and a figure-head... Kagatie clearly just wants to rule the world... But Zanscare's stated objective of creating a world based on "Motherly Love" feels a little weird. As does all the outrage around guillotines in a world where colony drops are a thing.

Cronicle was kind of disappointing. I guess I expected him to feel more like a Char clone than he did. He seemed to almost vanish once we got to space... And only really became relevant again right at the end.

Shakti was an incredibly frustrating character. I don't know how many times she got captured... Or even voluntarily went over to Zanscare... And I guess I understand her wanting to be with her mother or thinking she can convince them to give up their evil ways... But it all felt so frustratingly naive and childish. (Which, yeah, she's a naive child.)

Katejina, on the other hand, was an incredible character. What an amazing journey for her. From some kind of vague love-interest to straight-up villain. Absolutely one of my favorite Gundam antagonists.

This was definitely a much better show than I was expecting. And I really appreciated having such a long series. 51 episodes really gave them time to breathe. Gave them time to develop the characters and the world. I mean, sure, yes, there were filler episodes... But there was a lot of good stuff in there too. It all felt much better fleshed-out and developed than, say, GQuuuuuuX with its 10 episodes.

But, yeah, check it out if you haven't. It's definitely worth a watch.

...and now, I guess, I need to see if I can track down any gunpla...

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Damn. That was Zeta-levels of brutal.

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These Zanscare designs in Mobile Suite Victory Gundam are kind of insane.

We briefly saw these Gedlav/Einrad suits on Earth earlier in the show... And they kind of made sense back then. Wheels work well on Earth - why wouldn't you build a giant monowheel monstrosity?

And when we got to space we were seeing some fairly normal, traditional mobile suit designs from Zanscare. They still looked pretty unique. Kind of goofy. But they wouldn't look horribly out of place alongside something from Zeon.

But now, for some reason, the Gedlav has become our main enemy machine and we're seeing these giant wheels spinning through space - which makes very little sense to me.

And then we get the Doggorla - an absolutely massive mobile armor that looks like a dragon.

And that's not to mention the giant motorcycle battleship thing...

Meanwhile, the League Militaire's mecha look downright tame in comparison.

I mean - no offense to any of the artists or anything. I genuinely like how these suits look. But they don't really compare to giant motorcycles or robot dragons.

[ephemeral-ephemera]

Where are folks watching their anime these days?

I've got Netflix and Crunchyroll... I'll subscribe to Hulu or HBO or whatever for a month if there's a specific show I'm looking for... And they're fine... But I have issues with their apps on my cranky old tablet. I'll often wind up downloading videos elsewhere and watching them with VLC just to avoid the hassle - but that can be a hassle in itself.

I tried subscribing to Crunchyroll through Amazon Prime to see if their app worked any better... And it was about the same... But then there were shows in the Cruncyroll app that didn't show up in Prime.

Is there a better way? A better platform?

I'll see folks mention HiDive or Funimation, but I've not used them. Are they actually better? Decent catalog? Or is it just more of the same?

[ephemeral-ephemera]

I've started watching Mobile Suit Victory Gundam...

It's kind of weird watching something set after the events of Unicorn and Narrative that is so clearly oblivious to those events. I understand that Victory came out long before those two... But it feels weird from a narrative standpoint. It feels like those events should be remembered. Remarked-upon. It feels kind of funny to think that everyone just solemnly swore to never talk about those events ever again. Just swore-off the psychoframe as a bad idea.

And I'm kind of vague on how this lines-up with some of the other late-UC stuff I've read like the Crossbone manga. Are we going to see any of those characters or events make an appearance? Or do they all exist in their own bubble like Unicorn and Narrative?

I'm really enjoying the mechanical designs though. The Zanscare empire's mobile suits are fantastic. They all look vaguely alien and menacing with those big, bulging eyes. And I like all the helicopter-inspired suits with their beam-rotors. Very cool.

I'm not loving all the transforming/combining mobile suits though... I still think that's kind of a dumb idea.

Uso is an interesting character. Very '90s with his backwards ballcap and jacket. Maybe it's just because I personally experienced the '90s and have direct memory of the aesthetic... But Uso's outfit feels dated in a way that, say, Amuro's never did. And I think the contrast of Uso with the old men is making him feel younger than Amuro ever did.

I'm not sure how I feel about the new political factions - the Zanscare Empire and the League Militaire. It kind of basically feels like they just renamed the Zeon and Federation factions.

I guess Cronicle is our Char clone in this series. Although his take on the mask feels really odd... I guess it's supposed to be something like a balaclava? But I keep thinking it looks like he's wearing his underwear on his head.

I did kind of a double-take when the Jamesgun made an appearance. I thought it was some kind of weird translation error or something... But, no, that's actually what it's called.

The animation is really nice. I'm really enjoying it. It definitely doesn't look like modern, computer-aided animation. But it's nicer/crisper/cleaner than the really old stuff we saw in the original MSG0079 series.

And this is a nice, long series. There's about 50 episodes. Much more room for things to breathe in comparison to something like GQuuuuuuX.

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It's been a few days since I finished A Psalm for the Wild-Built and it's one of those books that's kind of lingering with me. I don't feel ready to start in on a new book yet. I need to let this story sit for a little while. I need to process it. Digest it. Absorb it.

I keep coming back to the idea that these robots just woke up one day and wandered off into the wilderness.

I think that's maybe the most challenging bit of fiction in this book?

I think that most of the setting is basically believable... We're not really told how these folks wind up living on Panga - but it's believable, right? Maybe this is an alternate universe and that's just their version of Earth. Maybe there was a colony ship at some point in time. Whatever. They live on Panga and it's basically Earth. Believable.

The almost-utopic solarpunk society is a bit of a reach. It's hard to imagine people actually cooperating like that. It seems a little too idyllic. But we know how to do renewable resources. We can comprehend our ecological impacts. It's not impossible to imagine we might actually take that seriously and structure our lives better.

But the robots waking up as the inciting incident? I dunno... That's hard to swallow.

The Factory Age sounds awfully similar to what we've got today. Humanity occupying every corner of the globe... Factories churning away... Automation everywhere... All focused on squeezing out ever more profit...

And I'm supposed to believe that these robots just woke up one day... Simply became conscious for no apparent reason... Said "no thank you" to human society, walked off into the wilderness... And they were allowed to?

Like, we don't even let flesh and blood humans opt-out of the rat race.

Can you imagine if some industrial robots decided they didn't want to do their jobs? There's no way they'd be granted any kind of recognition, rights, or autonomy. They'd be "repaired" or replaced. Or, barring that, forced back to work at gunpoint.

And I'm really kind of hung-up on the idea that even back in the Factory Age they apparently had enough empathy to recognize these robots as people.

I mean, here in the real world we're struggling to recognize all people as people.

[ephemeral-ephemera]

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I had no idea cozy sci-fi was a thing. And now I can't wait to read more.

I don't remember when or why, exactly, my wife recommended A Psalm for the Wild-Built to me. I think she found it on a list somewhere? But I had it in my library, I knew she'd recommended it, and I had absolutely no idea what it was about - so I went in completely blind.

And, wow... I think I stumbled across this book exactly when I needed it.

I've been having a rough year that, at present, has resulted in a fairly dramatic career change. I've had a lot of anxiety and uncertainty going on and I really connected with Dex.

Not only were their struggles very relatable... But they're some flavor of gender-nonconforming, too! It's not too often that you find the protagonist of a book using they/them pronouns.

The world of Panga was absolutely charming. Some kind of solarpunk-adjacent near-utopia that was immediately inviting.

Then we meet Splendid Speckled Mosscap... A wild-built robot looking to learn what people need.

And their exchanges are absolutely delightful. A wonderful blend of philosophical pondering and fish-out-of-water awkwardness.

But, through it all, there's a real tenderness or gentleness that pervades everything. The whole world just feels kind.

Calling the ending a "cliffhanger" feels inaccurate... There's absolutely nothing even vaguely resembling a cliff. "Cliffhanger" suggests a level of tension or peril that's just not present anywhere in this book. But the story ends with things very clearly unresolved. There's absolutely more of this tale to tell, and I cannot wait to read the rest of it.

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K-Pop Demon Hunters is far better than it has any right to be.

Like... Just look at that title - "K-Pop Demon Hunters"? That sounds like some kind of AI-generated slop. Or at the very best some kind of meme-driven slop like Snakes on a Plane. That doesn't sound like any kind of real movie.

And it's a Netflix movie? Those are often disappointing, to say the least.

And it's animated? I mean, absolutely nothing against animation... I love me some animation... But it's also a great way to churn out some really cheap garbage.

Needless to say - I had some really low expectations going into this. The trailer was cute and eye-catching, but I didn't expect anything even remotely decent.

And, damn, this thing is actually pretty good?

I mean, I'm not claiming this is some instant classic or anything like that. I kind of doubt if it'll stick in my head over the years. I'm not expecting to routinely re-watch it. This isn't some cinematic masterpiece.

But it's fun.

The animation is great. I really like how Sony has given up on the photorealistic look that everyone was aiming for. They're doing their own thing. They're not afraid to look animated. Artsy. Exaggerated. Stylistic. And it's fantastic. There's some real personality on display.

The characters are great. Obviously the idol group is a great template to build off of. It's clearly a winning formula. But it really works in this context. I'm sure everyone can find a favorite character to cheer for.

The music is great. I'm actually listening to this stuff on Spotify. I honestly don't remember the last time I listened to a movie's soundtrack just for fun. Normally it's completely forgettable. But it's not just a soundtrack! It's actually accompanying and supporting the plot like a proper musical!

And there's some actual substance to the story, too. It's not just fluff. There's some real commentary on embracing our flaws and loving the whole person. On dealing with shame and mistakes. On open communication.

Seriously - if you haven't watched it yet, give it a shot. It's surprisingly good

[ephemeral-ephemera]

So, that's it for Murderbot.

I know I've complained more than once about how short the episodes are and how I just constantly wanted more... But this final episode kind of shows me why it's better they didn't add in a bunch of filler.

I don't recall any of this from the books. I don't recall Murderbot having its memory wiped and being put into service to quell an uprising. I mean, maybe a passing mention of something from its past? But there was definitely nothing where it almost got melted-down and Gurathin had to go recover its memories or anything. That's all just made for TV... And it's not great.

I mean, it's fine. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with any of it. But I don't think it added much either. And I guess if that's the caliber of content we can expect when they're making stuff up just to fill time on a TV show? Yeah, I'm glad the other episodes were shorter and filler-free.

Broadly, I enjoyed this show more than I expected to. Skarskard, specifically, was much better in the role than I expected. But all the characters and casting were really good.

I've heard that they're greenlit for a second season, which is fantastic. I can't wait to meet ART and see what they do with it in the show. Although... I guess I don't know exactly where they'll go with a second season? If they'll just follow the books directly or jump around a bit? Might make sense to immediately have Murderbot chase down that haunting memory.

[ephemeral-ephemera]

Well, I finished Code Geass... And I didn't love it?

I feel kind of guilty saying that? I know a lot of people love this show. And I don't know if I can really put my finger on why I didn't like it more? But it just didn't grab me.

I think a big part of my problem was with Lelouch specifically. Right in the first episode he's presented as some incredible genius. And then we see his first encounter with the Britannian military where he orders the rebels around and absolutely trounces Britannia. And I guess I expected more from him moving forward... But it kind of doesn't happen?

For all of his vaunted intelligence he just keeps losing. And I guess that maybe makes some kind of statement about the limits of intelligence... Or how plans fall apart in the face of reality... But, I dunno, it wasn't satisfying.

I guess I was kind of expecting Xanatos level intelligence?

And I suppose that kind of happens in the final couple of episodes... But that really felt more like an ass-pull than anything else.

I also didn't really like how much of a sad sack Lelouch seemed to be. I'm certainly not unfamiliar with suffering protagonists. I love Gundam. But I guess I'm looking for a more vigorous opposition to the suffering? Somebody to stand up and stridently defy their suffering? To strive for better? Lelouch seems very reluctant to actually do anything... And very, very eager to shift any kind of blame or agency to somebody else.

I guess he kind of reminds me of Shinji from Evangelion? But I guess I didn't find him as sympathetic as Shinji... Maybe because he's coming from a position of such clear privilege? I dunno. I just really didn't like Lelouch much.

But it certainly wasn't just Lelouch... Suzaku bothered the fuck out of me, too. I couldn't believe he was genuinely willing to keel over dead just for the sake of following rules. That felt very strange to me.

And then, towards the end, to have everyone so outraged that Lelouch had been lying to them...? I dunno... I feel like lies or not - he'd been producing some pretty decent results. Maybe you can overlook the fact that he's Britannian royalty long enough for him to hand you the world on a silver platter?

Hell, most of the final act felt like it was kind of out of left field. The focus abruptly shifts from Lelouch discovering the truth about his mother and getting revenge - to all of this Geass stuff. Thought Elevators and Ragnarok and remaking the world and immortals.

To be fair - this wasn't a great viewing experience for me. I've mentioned a couple times that I wasn't able to just download/watch it like I usually would... And the streaming app gave me a lot of trouble... So I was often more annoyed by the process than the show itself...

And I do feel like there were probably some subtleties that I was missing. There were a few twists and reveals that feel like they were probably telegraphed if I'd been paying better attention.

I think I probably ought to watch this show again in a better headspace? But, also, I don't think I'm going to do that any time soon.

[ephemeral-ephemera]

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

I just finished reading A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking - thoroughly enjoyable.

I've been on a bit of a cozy fantasy kick lately. Stuff that's pretty low-stakes like Legends & Lattes. I don't know if A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking really counts as "cozy" though? It's a little bit on the heavy side for a cozy book, I think?

I mean - it's not super dark and dour or anything like that. But characters that I cared about did die. And the protagonist absolutely got put through the wringer.

But, still, mostly cozy.

It also felt a little more young adult-ish than I typically like. Not that there's really anything wrong with the genre... I just don't typically like a lot of those tropes. But I did enjoy how it explicitly called-out some of those tropes. How it roundly condemned all the adults for failing so badly that a 14-year-old had to save the day.

I loved the idea of a bread wizard. Hell - I liked all the small-time magickers and their unique talents. I want to see a lot more of that world. I wonder if there's any more books in that setting? If there's a series?

[ephemeral-ephemera]

I dunno... That last episode has me feeling kind of icky?

Gurathin is injured and on death's door and they need to operate on him to save his life. He refuses any kind of painkillers because of his previous addiction issues. So Murderbot does this thing where it plugs into Gurathin (who has augments of his own) and turns off his pain. Cool.

But then Murderbot uses the opportunity to go poking around in Gurathin's brain and digs up some very private, very personal memories.

And Gurathin does the same thing to Murderbot. Gurathin goes mucking around in its head and digs up a lot of stuff it had tried to keep buried.

Now, of course, it's all played-off pretty light. It's humorous and dramatic. Murderbot is muttering about love - how quirky and embarrassing! It calls itself Murderbot - how weird and scary!

But... I dunno... That all feels kind of icky?

Like, neither one of them had permission to go rooting around in those private memories. It feels like a violation of some sort. It's a trespass.

Didn't love it.

[ephemeral-ephemera]

Well, that's it for GQuuuuuuX, and it's been a hell of a ride.

I guess this show has been fairly divisive and I can certainly see why. Just the visuals alone are unique and striking in ways that could clearly put somebody off the show. And it really feels like we could've used another dozen episodes (at least!) for the story they were trying to tell.

But, ultimately, I really enjoyed it.

I guess I can't speak to how accessible it would be for newcomers to the Gundam franchise, since I've been watching so much of it. But it feels like its own thing. Obviously there's tons of references to 0079 and the UC we all know, but it doesn't feel like that's really required knowledge. I feel like this show would make sense even if you'd never seen any Gundam before.

I really liked the animation style and the mecha designs. Very unique and fresh. It definitely didn't feel like some alternative UC. It felt like some completely new thing.

The characters were charming. Machu, Nyaan, Shuji... Even Challia was fantastic. Good depth to them... But I really wish we'd had more episodes to let them breathe. We could've used a couple slice-of-life episodes to flesh-out the relationships. Let us see why there's so much tension between Machu, Nyaan, and Shuji. Let's see these folks go on a date or spend time rattling around town or something.

And I guess that's my biggest complaint with the whole series - it really could've used more episodes. It felt like they were trying to cram an awful lot into not very many episodes. I think it works... But just barely.

I really like all the questions I'm left with at the end of the series.

I find myself wondering how our canonical UC fits into the GQuuuuuuX multiverse since we're told that Lalah always fails to save Char. Is the UC we know and love the aberration? Did Lalah finally manage to find (make?) a universe where she can save him?

And who is Shuji? Is he some variation on Amuro? But, if so, why did he look so unlike the Amuro of 0079?

Again, I'd love some more episodes. I mean, questions are great. Answers are often less satisfying than the questions were. But I'd love another season to explore some of these questions. To see how this universe plays out.

But, also, I like that we're left on a hopeful note.

It seems that Lalah and Shuji have reached some kind of understanding. We've got Challia and Artesia shepherding-in an age of newtypes without trying to exterminate everyone on Earth. Nyaan and Machu have made peace and they're hanging out on a beach.

It feels optimistic... And I guess I'm not sure I really want to see that quiet, hopeful moment shattered. Maybe it's better to end the show here than introduce another season of strife.

[ephemeral-ephemera]

I'm having a hard time with Code Geass...

I mentioned before that I was having trouble downloading and playing the episodes in VLC like I normally would. So I've been having to watch them on Prime... And now that's giving me trouble, too.

S2E3 wouldn't play the right audio. Selecting the English audio track did nothing. Worse - the subtitles were several seconds behind the dialogue, which made everything very confusing.

Hopefully the next episode plays correctly.