#and it's at least the july in ep 5 as seen in his notes

[kinetic-elaboration]

July 17: 2x26 Assignment: Earth

Finally finished up S2 of TOS yesterday. That was... a rough episode tbh. I’m just gonna say it: back door pilots are bad! They’re bad. If I wanted to watch that other show, I’d watch it.

Wow, they’re just really jumping right in, huh? “Here we are, on a routine mission into the past, using a time travel method that we invented nbd.”

Investigating desperate problems in the year 2020...2016.... no wait 1968.

Ooh, Spock in the transport room today. Does he have a whole extra random station there? That’s so weird; I’ve never seen that before. It’s like hidden in the corner.

Cat!! Cat!!

What a good actor. I’m still bitter that wikipedia has a whole section about the casting for “Isis the cat” that talks entirely about the human who played Isis for 2 minutes and nothing about the talented feline actor. Where did they find her? How did they teach her to act?

She has a lot of thoughts about Kirk.

I wrote down “Scully, you’ve got to see this” in my notes and I’ve already forgotten what it refers to lol. Some moment that I thought would fit well with my favorite x-files meme.

Change history, you say? Spock is intrigued. ...Admittedly, Spock is often intrigued.

“What if it turns out you’re an invading alien from the future?” Honestly...let him invade. You’re not supposed to be here anyway.

I’m pretty insulted by this. The aliens went through all this trouble to help in 1968...where are our alien helpers NOW?

The cat straight up attacked his face.

Kirk is so fond of Spock being fond of the cat.

“It’s a lovely animal. I feel myself strangely drawn to it.”

Kirk is way too confused by Seven--an allegedly human person with super-human abilities that he says come from aliens--and yet, he’s met Charlie X so??? Is this not the same?

Kirk’s got the whole crew checking in on zoom.

(I actually do like this sequence of him getting video calls from different parts of the ship.)

“Weren’t orbiting H-bombs a huge problem in 1968?” Looks at the camera like he’s on The Office. Not the subtlest bit of writing in the “social commentary” genre. I do say this with love, though. I always enjoy when they comment on contemporary problems.

“He has a totally perfect body.” Lol don’t distract these two bisexuals.

[soft meowing]

“The prisoner has escaped.” The way this is shot, it looks like he’s talking about the cat.

Hmm, I do love the decor. Very 60s. This honestly immediately feels like a different show, and a much more dated show; even when the Enterprise time travels, it tends not to time travel to... office space.

Love the little sounds the computer makes.

So is Isis supposed to be one of the fancy aliens? It’s never explained but one must assume she is.

Aw, he’s petting her paw.

So I assumed the cats sounds are real, but just dubbed. They’re not lol. Which I guess isn’t surprising: this cat makes a lot of noises! They were provided by a human voice actress.

Damn.... I want a secret bookshelf that turns around to reveal a super computer with a big screen. “Computer... play Netflix.”

That’s what Seven does in his spare time.

The computer is an AI. “Beta 5 snobbery” lol.

Where are OUR alien overlords to stop US from destroying ourselves before WE can mature into a peaceful society?

This is really masterful exposition lol. Not forced or awkward at all.

ST sure does love the snooty female computer trope.

“Get us the proper costumes.” Yes, get Spock his Requisite Hat.

Omicron IV....that’s one of the names they use in Futurama lol. Such nerds.

Another excellent Spock Hat.

I love Seven’s various IDs. Great style. I wish my driver’s license looked like those.

“Who do you think you are?” He hasn’t decided yet. That’s why he was shifting through his IDs.

Seven is not smart lol. Like, he should have figured out way faster that this lady isn’t one of the Alien Overlords. He asks her the code question, she doesn’t understand it, and he... assumes she’s just really in character? Dude, that’s what the code questions are for!!! To help you identify people! Otherwise you could just straight up ask: are you an alien?

Instead he’s like “oh, you silly alien, you’re playing with me,” and then is forced to trap her, reveal his whole mission, and ultimately ensnare her in his plan.

I want that typewriter. Voice recognition typewriter.

"My incompetence has made you aware of very secret devices." Well at least he knows.

Trained cat!

The alien overlords were killed in a random car accident. That’s ironic.

Oh look, a real rocket!

Brown pants + short sleeved shirt + tie is such a Classic 60s look.

This security guard doesn’t think it’s weird that this random dude has a cat with him? Is this part of Isis’s alien power?

Except for the part where it’s a weapon, it’s pretty cool to see all this build up to, like... launching stuff into space. Exciting.

Isis likes to be on shoulders. Just like Little Guy.

New hat for Spock. His outer wear hat, and now his fancy hat. There is something to be said for this ep, and that is Kirk and Spock in suits.

Amazing how they literally launched rockets with computers that old. Like seeing the big bank of primitive computers is totally wild. We put people on the moon that way! Amazing.

“Meow.” Lol, Isis is stressed so she’s speaking like a cat. That’s a pretty funny joke actually.

Seven is so incompetent. If he’d just let the Enterprise help, Scotty could have fixed that rocket issue in like 3 seconds.

Lol everyone’s just pulling Gary through space. Now on the Enterprise. Now in the office.

Why does this computer have a hug black screen if it only displays images on the small white circle?

"Spock and  I in custody. Main characters, doing nothing, knowing nothing, totally useless and irrelevant. I have never felt more helpless." Literally what is even the point of them today? Does Spock even have lines outside of “I like the cat”?

Isis is jealous of Roberta. Is she.. in a relationship with Seven lol?

Uhura is listening to everyone in the world. She probably has a universal translator on, but I do feel like this scene implies she just...understands all the languages.

So now the warhead is armed and heading to somewhere vague... in other words, everyone has collectively made the situation worse.

....Or this was Seven’s plan all along? To scare people into ceasing to be so careful with nuclear weaponry? As someone who knows humans better than this guy, I think this is a dumbass plan.

“That’s why so many people in my generation are kind of crazy and rebels.” Same, sweetheart.

Really this is just a story about bad communication. If Seven had told Kirk his plan upfront, Kirk would have helped him. And if Kirk weren’t so insistent on involving himself in something just because he happens to be somewhere he probably shouldn’t be, we wouldn’t have this issue either. The hubris of everyone.

Overall, just a really forced narrative imo.

Or that’s how it was supposed to be lol. The Irony of time travel. By it’s nature, everything has already worked out.

Kirk and Spock are like “You’re welcome. Peace out.”

Honestly... Isis was the only good part. Such a talented cat actor!! Or trio of cat actors, I guess. Had to do all those stunts and stuff.. .amazing. I also liked the concept of Isis. How she turned into a human later just to troll Roberta. How she’s never really explained--one must assume, an alien? Plus I pretty much never get tired of human + animal teams where the animal makes animal noises and the human just understands and answers in English.

As a stand alone sci fi concept...it was okay. Kinda dated by now. The alien tech was nifty and Roberta could have grown on me. Maybe even Seven, though he left a lot to be desire. That said, the narrative relied a lot on people getting in each other’s way for no reason, which I find very frustrating.

But as a Star Trek episode....no. The main characters were just nuisances on the side lines!! I’m not even sure what Kirk’s mission here was--to try to figure out what Seven was doing? And stop him if necessary? But he never really decided if it was or not, until the point where not trusting him would basically cause a nuclear war? I don’t know, I found it all very frustrating. The melding of the original show and the spinoff was not smooth.

If I were watching this in 1968, I’d feel very cheated. THIS was the season finale? That’s it? I don’t even get a real Star Trek episode and now I have to wait months for anything new?

And what I get after all that waiting is Spock’s Brain?? I’d be tempted to quit. If I had a tumblr in 1969 I’d be writing multi-paragraph rants about how the best show on television has completely nose-dived lol.

But then there’s The Enterprise Incident, which is one of the best episodes... I don’t know, man. It’s a conundrum. I’ve only seen maybe half of season 3 but from what I remember it’s very uneven: some of the best eps (The Enterprise Incident, For the World Is Hollow, Day of the Dove) mixed in with some of the worst (Spock’s Brain, The Paradise Syndrome), plus some that are good concepts but shoddily executed (The Way to Eden). So we’ll see what I think about it when I see it all in one piece, in air date order.

[animesavior]

“Greetings, residence of Kyokusei Dorm. We'll, from what I can see from here, you've all still got pitiful looks on your faces. At this point the end result is obvious, even without the Advancement Exam. Perhaps it would be easier if you all just left the academy right now. Only a brief time has passed since I came to stay with you, and while I have been staying here at the dorm, I've had many. let's just say, opportunities to sample all of your dishes. The flavors were often erratic and sometimes a complete mess. I've lost count of the number of times I've delivered my criticism. However, I can say with certainty, every dish of yours shared the quality of freedom. Now look, you'll never live up to your true potential if you continuing staying down in the dumps and just allow yourself to flunk out now. It's Pathetic! Are you going to roll over like this? It's not a question of getting through it. You must simply forge your own path with your cooking. If all of you have the will to fight on and wish to continue staying here, I shall use my God Tongue and support you in realizing your potential. Those of you without the will to fight should leave right now. I will only face this exam with those of you who have the strength needed to forge on. Now, if you believe you are truly honorable chefs, then step up to the plate and follow my lead!”

-          Erina Nakari, Food Wars: The Third Plate (Ep. 13)

The Toonami Trending Rundown for May 22-23, 2021.

On Twitter, #Toonami would successfully trend in the United States alongside My Hero Academia, Dr. Stone, Food Wars, The Promised Neverland, and Black Clover. Food Wars’ buzz would also produce a character trend in Erina, as Soma proves to her that he can be a great cook as his father. Meanwhile on Tumblr, #Toonami would also trend. The full list, including statistics and tweet counts from the Twitter app, can be seen below.

This week’s feature was a video game review of Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection, the eight installment in Capcom’s Ghosts 'n Goblins series. It received an 8.0 out of 10 score.

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Lupin the Third anime series, and to commemorate the occasion, TMS Entertainment has announced that Part 6 is in production, scheduled to begin broadcast in Japan this coming October 2021.

TMS has released a trailer alongside a key visual drawn by character designer Hirotaka Marufuji. The text in the left-hand side says: “Lupin, Villain or Hero?”

With COVID-19 relegating Anime Expo to a virtual event for the second year in a row, Aniplex USA will be bringing back their separate virtual event on YouTube this coming July 3rd, titled Aniplex Online Fest 2021. Demon Slayer will be a hot topic following the theatrical success of the Mugen Train film, and we could see potential news regarding the upcoming second season scheduled for next year, the Entertainment District Arc. Meanwhile, we’ll be seeing new information regarding Sword Art Online’s upcoming movie, -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, which is slated to premiere in Japanese theaters in the Fall.

Finally, a reminder that tomorrow’s edition of Toonami (May 29) will include a schedule change. Current reruns of Dragon Ball Super will be moving down the lineup from midnight to end the block at 3:30 a.m. Eastern. The rest of the lineup will move up the schedule by 30 minutes respectively. The full schedule is as follows:

12:00 A.M. – My Hero Academia

12:30 A.M. –  Stone

01:00 A.M. – Food Wars

01:30 A.M. – The Promised Neverland

02:00 A.M. – Black Clover

02:30 A.M. – Naruto: Shippuden

03:00 A.M. – Attack on Titan

03:30 A.M. – Dragon Ball Super

Until next time, stay safe, be sure to visit blacklivesmatters.carrd.co and anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co to see what you can do to help the fight against racial inequality, and continue to do your part to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect others by following your local health advisories. Stay at home unless essential purposes require you to go out, practice social distancing by staying six feet/two meters away from one another if possible, get your vaccine shots when you get the opportunity, and wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

United States Trends:

#Toonami [Trended with #DrStone, #FoodWars and #ThePromisedNeverland]

#MyHeroAcademia [Trended with #DrStone]

#DrStone [#29]

#FoodWars [#6]

Erina (From Food Wars!) [#18]

#ThePromisedNeverland [#5]

#BlackClover [#30]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [5,769 tweets]

#MyHeroAcademia [9,721tweets]

#FoodWars [2,441 tweets]

Erina (From Food Wars!) [5,796 tweets]

#BlackClover [3,739 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#Toonami

Notes and Other Statistics:

#Toonami: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @BrittanyLaudaVO and @blumspew were responsible for the hashtag trending in the United States.

#ThePromisedNeverland: @WhoTrendedIT reported that @rightstufanime was responsible for the hashtag trending in the United States.

Special thanks to @BerMEWdez728, @Journeyman15, @sdurso5 and others I forgot to mention for spotting some of the trends on this list.

The Past Never Dies. Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Episode 38 “Encounter”

mysterylover123

S2 ends with a casual trip to the mall. Nothing else to see here, no siree.

It’s odd for Tomura to designate the “types he hates most” when he hates basically everything. Anyways, Dabi and Toga! aka TotallyNotToya and Yandere Best Girl. Tomura slinks off to go pout in his room like a spoiled child. It’s almost funny.

NO KAMI HANDS OUT OF DEKU’S EYES!!!!

May I just say it is a great injustice that Sero was failed and Mineta passed. Sero tried to save the little creep. Justice for Sero! 

Another Rational Deception! Iida is outraged - how will we ever trust anything you say again?  I wonder if he’s channeling the fanbase here.

Deku inviting Shoto to join them is a Tododeku classic. (Also, BTW, there’s an audio drama where Todoroki and Bakugo, after blowing off Class 1-A antics, run into each other and get stuck together by a villain’s quirk. It’s hilarious, and clearly self-aware about fans shipping them).

OMG DATTE ATASHI NO HIRO IS PLAYING! i guess because they don’t play the ED in this ep. Ah well. Shopping! Iida getting nervous about buying the right kind of shoes! 

Tokoyami, being one of Deku’s many spouses, is rebuking him for scaring strangers with his odd behavior.

Ho boy. This stuff. To fully convey the boredom/annoyance that I feel every time this show decides to replay the same damn scene with Ochaco over the next freaking season, I’m going to start up a “Uraraka Crush Counter”. We had one last ep. Now we’re up to 2. The counter goes off every time Uraraka 1) is made by someone to wonder if she has a thing for Deku 2) freaks out and 3) doesn’t actually answer the freaking question. 

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I will say I kinda ship it. For Tomura’s sake, of course, not Deku’s. But he does find so much clarity from this one conversation with Izuku, and he’s definitely a character who could use a real hero in his life (me speaking as a manga reader who knows his backstory). Of course, not in a ‘endgame’ kinda way, and Tomura has plenty of LOV ships that are more fitting...but I do have a weak spot for Villain/Hero dynamics. 

HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND

Deku’s reaction to this is chillingly telling. He’s not concerned that Tomura is going to kill him. But with the idea that innocents around him are going to die...that gets him to cooperate. Deku’s complete disregard for his own life strikes again.

“So tell me about your childhood.” “Well, it all started with my shitty dad...”

Does this count as a separate Uraraka Crush Counter? I’m gonna say yes. 3.

Deku explains to Shigaraki quite well exactly what he’s missing: That pesky theme that’s been hanging around all season, MOTIVATION. Bakugo’s drive last ep to be the best. RG noting that Mineta wouldn’t survive at UA without a proper motivation in the Final Exam arc. The Hero Killer’s convictions, despite his evil, inspiring people. Everyone needing motivation to win in the Sports Festival. And Uraraka’s motive, right at the start of the season.

 The only one missing a clear motive, then, is Tomura. (Possibly because he doesn’t, deep down, really want to be a villain, but is stuck in that role anyway). But now, Deku gives him one. He gets it. Nice going Deku. (I’m just kidding with the sarcasm of course Deku you brave sweet best boy.)

Tomura hand flashbacks no! MLA ARC FEELS!!!

NO NOT MY DEKU!!!!

“Is that a friend?” Wha Ochaco wtf do they look like friends? Tho it is Deku so you never know...

“What’s All for one after?” This exchange - I have a theory: Tomura already knows that Deku is OFA9. He knows the whole deal. Hence why he’s so unsurprised by Izuku knowing about OFA, why he asks his advice, why he notices him especially. AFO figured it out and told him. That’s my theory.

We end S2 on a rather somber note, with Deku and mom bidding goodbye to All Might and his Cop Waifu Tsukauchi, as the latter two contemplate Toshinori’s future as a hero. No Datte atashi fantasy AU ED here; just soft, sad music as the credits role, and we transition into the somber and serious Season 3. 

Season 2 of BNHA is, as I’ve said before, the most consistently strong single season of TV I’ve ever seen. Every episode is at least solid, and all three arcs are incredible overall. Season 1 is good but not Standout overall, season 3 has lower lows and higher highs. Still, NGL, I do look forward a little more to Season 3 (and that’s not just because it has Odd Future, I swear, totally not) and it’s huge, game-changing moments, because S2 is just the beginning. It’s a season about motivation, about laying the table and setting up the pieces. Season 3 is the one that knocks them all down.

But not to start s3 right away! The next few days I’ll be watching the stuff in between the 2 seasons instead. 

BKDK CORNER:

Nothing in this episode per se, but this omake does answer the question I had after watching this for the first time: Why didn’t Bakugo freak out about Deku saving him? 

Answer: Ochaco

Ooh boy I want to repost this whole Omake for the corner. Can I? Screw it, I will.

I guess this one’s also a big Kacchako/Izuocha omake too, huh?

Ochaco ships it I will not hear otherwise.

Ooh “so cool” she really is becoming like Deku isn’t she?”

You get it, Ochaco. You are an ally. Never think that I’m against you because you’re Deku’s ‘official’ Love interest or the storytelling of your crush is a little repetitive. ILU.

SHE SHIPS IT SHE SHIPS IT

“Behind my back, how could you? I’m disappointed in you too, Uraraka-san.”

OMG She Freaking Did it! The one thing that would’ve made S2 better would be if it ended with this getting animated (It came out in July 2017, there could’ve been time to sneak it in! Please let there be a filler void in S4 so it can finally be animated)

BEST GIRL OF THE EPISODE: No new best girls this ep. 

RANKER: Biggest Shock Moments in BNHA

5 “You got your quirk from All Might, didn’t you?” Episode 60

4 “Mirio has lost his quirk forever” Chapter 163

3 “Let’s have a chat, Izuku Midoriya?” Episode 38

2. “Tomura Shigaraki, my apprentice? He’s Nana Shimura’s Grandson.” Episode 49

1. “So you’re going to get...” Chapter 213, aka OFA 6Q.

[espbee]

i wasn’t originally going to post this since i’ve seen several other (perfectly valid) mob psycho timelines out there but you all wanted to see it so here it is!

this does not include pre-canon or the reigen spin off. the first b/c i didn’t really care lol and the second b/c i haven’t read the spin off for reasons i’m sure you already know.

almost every single one of these dates is based on canon evidence (see notes below) but a few are speculation. i go into depth under the cut so if you want to know, say, exactly what day mob buys the monkey shirt you can find out. if you want to see a specific panel hmu!

feel free to use as reference when writing fanfics or meta or whatever else you might want to use it for :D just please don’t repost 

Spring of Youth Arc

it’s not super important how many days pass in ep 1 but i think it’s all within a week. might be some overlap with ep 2 (tunnel exorcism on same day takenaka quits club? according to the manga it happens later anyway)

going by anime here: takenaka quits the club monday or tuesday, tome asks mob to join the club wednesday if i remember right (also the day he goes to the girl’s high school) and he joins the body improvement club friday)

(LOL) Cult Arc

not much to say. it’s literally an afternoon and the teru arc starts the very next day

Teruki Hanazawa Arc

happens basically immediately after the cult. like mob knows dimple for like 3 days before he’s “exorcised”

fight on a friday bc it’s on weekend news

aftermath: mob in pink hoodie probably on saturday, mezato interrogates him monday

Big Cleanup Arc

shigeo mentions in the divine tree arc that student council meetings are on mondays. however only having weekly meetings would make this arc take a really long time so i’m guessing it’s semiweekly. i’m guessing the other day is thursday because ritsu says he has a meeting on the thursday that mob confesses

same monday as end of teru arc: student council meeting where ritsu suggests a big cleanup, mitsuura gives ritsu his card

thursday: big cleanup plan submitted, mezato and onigawara look for mob (for totally different reasons), ritsu in the street w/ tokugawa

next monday: student council plans to get rid of onigawara

awakening lab might be on the same day as above but i’m not sure, mob also goes on a “date” with tome that day and sees koyama for the first time. that night is when shinji’s family gets after him for not being perfect and he decides to go apeshit

i’m guessing the recorder scandal happens the next morning (wednesday?). it doesn’t actually say if ritsu awakens that exact day but i’m just going to say it does

a little bit of time goes by (about a week?) ritsu’s becoming popular and he develops his psychic power. teru vs ritsu happens somewhere here. people are complaining about the big clean up

the day that ritsu and kamuro confront onigawara in the body improvement club room is the same day that ritsu first attacks the delinquents from the other schools (monday)

im guessing a day goes by before kamuro is beaten up (tuesday), then another day before he’s beaten up again (wednesday)

kamuro is absent from the student council meeting the next thursday

ritsu only has his powers for 9 days before announcing that he’s obtained loss

7th Division Arc

one month before touichirou arrives in japan. this makes sense because it’s not like the day he arrives he’s going to attack. touichirou probably arrives in late september or early october, prepares things for a couple weeks

mob goes to shinji’s house on sunday, ritsu and mob talk on the swings monday, shinji apologizes to onigawara tuesday. the kageyama parents know about ritsu’s power by tuesday night (what was that conversation like)

Mob’s Girlfriend Mini-Arc

2 weeks long: one for the elections and one for the dating

sidenote: psycho helmet cult has gained 700 followers by now and it’s been about a month according to mezato (and the timeline!)

mob works the monday after his brother’s kidnapped jeez reigen give the kid a break

going to say it’s wednesday when shinji resigns

mezato talks to mob about running on thursday

one week later: elections! (going to say they’re on a friday). emi asks him out that afternoon

mob and emi “date” for a week. im guessing she “breaks up” with him friday and he fixes her torn up story on monday since there’s enough time for everyone to react. i think the anime has all that happen on the same day though. either way is good

Urban Legend Arc

reigen complains about four days without customers

kuchisake-onna: it’s the weekend b/c mob’s wearing a sweater instead of his uniform and also b/c i doubt mob skipped school

reigen makes his website overnight and mob’s wearing his uniform the next day which means the trip to the urban legend town has to be on sunday

the first trip to the ghost house is on a sunday (what a busy day!), and the second trip is on monday

Keiji Mogami Arc

literally the day after the ghost house wtf (so… tuesday?)

if it feels like 6 months for mob would that mean he’s almost a third year in the dream world? or already is a third year? oh no…

uh technically there’s an aftermath the next day but really the arc is one day

Separate Ways Arc

kumagawa’s birthday is in late september btw. idk if there’s any kumagawa stans out there but now you know he’s a libra

kijibayashi’s birthday: 10/5? (also the day mob finally cant take reigen’s bs anymore)

mob doesn’t show up to work for at least four days pre-birthday (probably five days since kijibayashi’s birthday needs to be on a school day)

reigen’s birthday: 10/10 (also i’m assuming this is either the day of or the day after he defeats the video game thing)

he has to have enough time to offer classes and become a local celebrity… i’d assume he offers that course at his office that friday night (10/12). he’s interviewed that day too. a few days later he goes on tv (i’m going to say 10/15)

goes to bar 3 days after the tv show (wednesday 10/17)

thursday 10/18: reporterless-day

friday 10/19: press conference, “my master… he is a good person” *sobs*)

World Domination Arc

mob has 10 days to prepare for the marathon

marathon on friday (11/2)

teru fights shimazaki for the first time saturday morning, mob doesn’t wake up until sometime in the afternoon, and rei-gun is in the evening

mob sleeps like 18 hours… oof

the kageyama parents return home monday evening

Yokai Hunter Mini-Arc

this isn’t listed as seperate from the Divine Tree Arc according to the wiki but i’m calling it a mini-arc because the broccoli isn’t really the focus

mob mentions the future prospects assignment is due in a week

seri starts working at spirits and such a few days after the wd arc ends

going to guess there’s some overlap with the future prospects assignment and that it’s due sometime during culture festival preparations because otherwise the timeline breaks

okay everyone i know culture festivals are usually on or around november 3rd but according to all canon evidence there is absolutely no way that can happen on time. there’s literally no time. it has to take place at least 2 weeks after the wd arc

going to say the culture festival is nov. 18 because that’s all that makes sense (the previous weekend is too soon, and the next weekend is after the divine tree arc

Divine Tree Arc

Friday: Tsubomi sneezes — why dont u stop doing bad things

Saturday: buys The Shirt

Sunday: Psycho Helmet

Monday: Teru, Ritsu, and Reigen all brainwashed, Mob vs Dimple part 2

Telepathy Mini-Arc

finally a nice long break :D

find out about takenaka about one month after Divine Tree Arc

aliens on New Year’s Eve/Day

inukawa’s abducted by aliens for 10 days

???% Arc

inukawa has to be back by the time school starts

Mob finds out Tsubomi’s leaving the day he gets back from winter break (monday) :(

i think he calls her two days later?

the day after that mob is hit by a fucking car (also student council day so… thursday)

Epilogue + Omakes

we all know the epilogue is on 10/10/2013

the summer omake has to be after the ???% arc but i’m not sure what day. probably july

idk what else to say other than i can’t believe i spent so much time on this

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream | Fugou Keiji 2 | Kitsutsuki 2 - 4 | Arte 3 - 12 (FINAL) | Fruits Basket 27 - 32

During the Millionaire Detective: Unmissable livestream (part of FunimationCon and Aniplex Online Fest), I watched and took notes, so you might find these handy upon retrospect. To be honest, this is how I do the posts for magicalgirlsandcerulean’s livestreams as well, but there hasn’t been one of those in a while...

Otherwise, these are all normal notes.

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream

Look out for the dancer from the OP

Onuki was the model for the dancing for the anime – he was told to do it out of the blue

Episode 11 might have one of these^ be relevant

Daisuke’s cup ramen has shark fin in it and he made the packaging from scratch – that’s why it’s so expensive!

The director Tomohiko Ito omits important information, allowing people to decide for themselves what happened. (Miyano) – This might be why the series is stylish. (MC)

Attractiveness of character design is important! (for adapting Fugou Keiji to modern day)

I’ve never watched a livestream where the stars were so conscious of their English and Chinese audiences! This was interesting, especially because Onuki is not normally known as a VA!

“We still have a little bit of recording to do.”

Fugou Keiji 2

I keep misunderstanding my own instructions…this starts again in July after ep 2.

Todai = Tokyo Daigaku (Uni).

I believe this is the 2nd time I’ve seen a rich person like commoner’s instant noodles, although I forget where I saw the 1stinstance.

Kambe switched to the back seat now, huh?

Ah! Now I remember! The first time was seeing spoilers for this episode on Twitter! (LOL)

I see Suzue has a sensible naming scheme for her data.

Hmm…judging by the Google hits, the name visible in the background (Betbeto bin Abura) is the Arabic prince from last time.

SYN-ACK. I see these guys did their work – that’s the final stage of the 3 stage handshake required for things like internet sockets (used to send “packets” of data).

Way to crash a party, Kambe siblings…(LOL)

I really wanna see someone draw Kato slapping (Daisuke) Kambe in the face with a wad of cash…or a “shut up and take my money” meme with Kambe in it.

I like how “special cup ramen” is on the purchases list and it costs 100000 yen. I also like how the reporter Mita was bought out for 5000000 yen (bigger than all the other individual costs except for buying out the Tower)…that’s how he showed up.

Kitsutsuki 2

I gotta finish this show and then pause it…3 shows in my normal lineup are safe.

Did Kindaichi take the bones of the fish out for Ishikawa…? Like a child would have had done for them?

Why is Ishikawa being referred to as “Hajime”…?

Draw this prostitute like one of your French girls…(LOL?)

Ishikawa clearly dropped those coins into that book earlier.

Way to diss the potential asexuality/celibacy in the house. I mean, it’s the 1800s – early 1900s, so there was less LGBTIQ+ stuff then and certainly the further back you go, the more sexual prowess becomes a sign of masculinity, but still, if the guy doesn’t want to go through with it, don’t force him.

Notice how the borders were pink for Ishikawa’s version and blue for Kindaichi’s.

Notably, Otaki didn’t seem to have that hairpin…but maybe that’s because we saw things from Ishikawa’s perspective.

Ooh…who are these bois? Also, crab.

Kitsutsuki 3

…cat? Now there’s a new perspective. That’s like saying the butler did it.

Yay! Hagiwara is Ume!

Notice Hagiwara’s version has a purple frame, while Yoshii (?) has yellow and another person has dark blue.

I think “consumption” was tuberculosis, once upon a time.

I love how the crowd is fed up with Ishikawa’s bulls***.

Ooh, chuuni Akutagawa…

In a Grove is the Rashomon story.

Tarou Hirai = Rampo Edogawa.

You stalker, future Rampo!

I kinda suspected Otaki when I thought through the possibilities…Ishikawa, Kindaichi, an outsider, Otaki (and as of this ep, Rampo too).

Gaiheikan? Is that Ishikawa and co.’s lodging?

Did they have pencils back in that day?

Kitsutsuki 4

Humouresques.

Kabayaki.

I think it was in Detective Conan that I learnt (one of) the only way(s) a man can get his nails done is by his wife doing it for him, possibly as a prank or to indicate he’s “taken”. Note this was early Detective Conan, so it’s very much a 90s attitude…considering the widespread acceptance of drag queens and the LGBTIQ+ movement these days.

Kozukata.

Lace flower.

Maichou seems to be a hybrid of Asahi Shinbun and Mainichi Shinbun.

[Monkfish/dictionary/going home] - Is this how Ishikawa shows consideration…?

The purple letterrboxing is back but this time with Ishikawa…meaning that’s just an aesthetic thing for all flashbacks after all.

Just from vaguely hearing it (I’ve got the volume on low), the words are nodo tsuki/nodo zuki. “Throat moon/throat wound” works just as well, if not better.

Balsam flower.

Update: Since enough anime fulfilled the special COVID-19 criteria, Kitsutsuki was put on hold after this.

Fruits Basket 2 2 (27)

I’ve read Another, remember?…so I kind of know what happens.

Uo’s got purple nails…that’s surprisingly cute of her.

Aw, Kureno! Another Ume role!

Why is “shisho” (master) not translated…? A weird Tokyopop-era translation quirk?

Aw, Shisho cut his hair…? Bummer.

Who was that? Shigure…?(!) Update: We find out his name later in this ep.

“If you continue to change, I’ll continue to protect you.” – Another quote for the archive.

Great…I feel personally called out by this ep.

Fruits Basket 2 3 (28)

It seems all male designers wear their designs if they have no one else to wear them…at least, that’s what I’ve gathered from Hajime (Runway de Waratte) and Ayame.

I remember Ayame stood in for Yuki’s parents in the manga at one point. This must be it.

(Spoilers for later!) I also remember Mine and Ayame get married at the end…This is the prelude to that.

Dang, Ayame, you moment-ruiner!

Fruits Basket 2 4 (29)

Did anyone in the doorway hear about Hatsuharu turning into an ox?

To quote Sailor Mercury, “Douse yourself in water and repent!”

Ooh, window splitting Yuki and Haru. Nice cinematography going on here.

I bet all people think they only think about themselves, in one way or another.

Arashiyama tofu.

Yatsuhashi are great. They’re these sweet triangle things like samosas that come in various flavours. Mitarashi dango are sticky brown skewered balls of glutinous rice…which I’ve never had, but I’ve seen them in enough anime to know what they are.

I only just realised this, but Yuki’s hairstyle isn’t even on both sides, like Atsushi from BSD’s.

Huh…you can see a copy of Mogeta and Ari (as it turns out, “Ari” is the name of a character and not “ant” at all in this case) on Haru’s bed. There’s also an article in one of the magazines discussing how denim is the popular thing now and which types are in right now.

Fruits Basket 2 5 (30)

I realised Yuki isn’t calling Tohru by her first name – he’s going against Haru’s advice.

Hmm? Why should anyone ask a rabbit to hold their horses…? (LOL)

CGI cars…*sigh*

Tororo is grated yam, IIRC.

I learnt recently that nanban means “savage” or “uncivilised”…for a potato and chicken dish, the name and the contents don’t really match…Update: Nanban means “savage” (noun) or “barbarian”. Close enough.

17-26…age gap 9 years…yikes…

The words “(a happy, yet) caged bird” come to mind when Kureno describes himself. Also, Kureno is an Ume role! Yippee!

Ahh…young love…even if it has a bit of an awkward edge to it. Mind the (age) gap!

Me being the Ume stan, of course I want to hear those sweet nothings in his voice, even if it has to be via a proxy like Uotani…I wouldn’t be an Ume stan if I didn’t.

…Ah, I see. Uotani reminds me of Minare from Wave and vice versa.

Oh, I just remembered Akito is 20 or thereabouts. Kureno/Akito is only a bit more legal than Uotani and Kureno.

Arte 3

Notice Leo never once uses Arte’s name in the lady’s presence. Her name does have some infamy to it, after all.

“She’s got some guts.” – You say that at a live dissection…LOL.

Is this love~? What’s the age gap between Leo and Arte, anyway? Update: We know for sure Arte is older than 13…that’s it.

Make the things you want prominent with perspective and such. I thought that much was obvious, but for someone straightforward like Arte, I guess it ain’t so. (Maybe it’s because I’m self-taught to some degree when it comes to art.)

*sketching by candlelight* - You’re gonna ruin your eyes, Arte!

Arte, ma girl! You’re getting’ a raise! Good job!

Arte 4

Anime makes this courtesan stuff sound like a host club…(?)

I thought Leo was saying “Aria” for a second instead of Arte, LOL. I’m getting too used to that being my alias…

Arte 5

The speech bubble said “so annoying I could die”.

Arte 6

The video’s gone all pixelated…at least, the subs have…

I bet she’s going to fall over…Update: Nup, she didn’t.

Arte 7

I thought Yuri was a Russian name…or a Japanese one.

This is basically Oushitsu Kyoushi Heine all over again! (LOL)

I thought Yuri would be pushy…like, “Here’s an offer you can’t refuse.” That kind of thing. Likewise, I didn’t think Arte would refuse.

Leo? *dun-dun-DUN!*

Siena is apparently in Tuscany. Also, I did see the Silent Manga Audition page had a chapter on a pregnant woman, so this is ch. 17 or thereabouts.

Is Ruthanna not getting the money because she’s pregnant…?

Epidemic? The Black Death?...Speaking of which, Arte is very much of that ganbaru spirit. By being progressive for her time, she becomes ordinary in our time.

Ohhhhhhh! It’s a reverse harem in progress here!...This would be a good otome game, come to think of it. It’s framed the same way.

Leo can be surprisingly childish at times, don’t you think?

Arte 8

…Really? She fell overboard? *raises eyebrow*

Ooh, china (with and without capitalisation).

Is this another sarcastic child…? Oh, bother. Still, I can see why Hamefura crossed over with Arte now…Katarina vs. Catarina!

Arte 9

Bigoli is a type of pasta, as can be guessed from context.

The kanji for the episode title literally translate to “bad child”! Like the Tones and I song, LOL!

Mikata (ally).

Arte 10

This episode is giving off a Katarina x Gimo ship vibe…but with how young they are, I’m not sure I should ship it. They’re 6, aren’t they…?

Oh, you can see Katarina and Sofia’s hug in one of the ED frames.

Arte 11

Arte’s let her hair grow out…

An Italian man…bowed. In Renaissance Italy. Now I understand what all the ANN complaints are for.

What’s up with that kid’s face…? *grumbles*

Leo’s just being Leo, I see.

That’s right, Angelo and Leo never met.

Instead of a father or a brother overly cherishing his daughter, it’s the uncle…I never thought I’d see the day I saw something like that.

Arte 12 (FINAL)

Is this like Orientalism, but with gender…? (What would you call that?)

Lemme guess…Leo is working on the church mural and so he’s away?

Was that Leo, in the middle of the mural somewhere…?

Another Japanese bow in this anime, which is set in Italy.

But where is Arte herself in that mural?

Fine = end.

Fruits Basket 31

The word Momiji is using is “hisso” or something like that. Hissho is secretary, so the translator made it “secret getaway” to make it work.

That hat! *laser stare*

*one of the textbooks has “high school chemistry” on it* Tohru can do chemistry?! I suck at chemistry!

The episode title is translated as “Are you really this stupid?” It seems the real line for that was “Are you an idiot?”

Something about high school girls appeared in my head when Haru mentioned Shigure wanting to see Tohru in her tight swimsuit…*mumbles grumpily about pervs*

Kyo’s not wet, even though he got in the water! Amazing!

I think it’s sad that Tohru responds to “stupid girl” like it’s her own name.

“…that makes you suspect me?” seems better.

The Akito and Shigure age gap is somewhere between 6 and 8 years, IIRC.

Fruits Basket 32

Tohru switched from okaasan (mother) to okattekita (a formal past tense verb meaning either “bought”, “lent” or “won” based on the characters…which I don’t have a reference for). I assume because it was so off the mark, the subbers chose a similarly off the mark word.

“When I was a kid, I thought watermelons would sprout in my stomach if I ate the seeds.”

We only know about Kyo’s dad so far…hmm…what about the mother? Update: (TW: suicide) I think it was at this point we already knew that Kyo’s mother didn’t love him and committed suicide, but it’s not certain until later.

Why do doctors always use scalpels and syringes as weapons…? I mean, even Jakurai’s symbol in ARB is a syringe!

I’ve been wondering…how big is the Sohma family? Is it diluted enough that Haru and Rin can love each other without genetic problems for their child/ren? (From Another, I would say the answer is “yes”, but shoujo normally doesn’t care about this sort of thing, which is why I ask in the first place.)

Shigure seems like the type to say, “U mad, bro?”

The mansion looks like the one in Haruhi Suzumiya, if I remember the appearance of that one correctly.

[ericvick]

Europe Stocks Tumble to 5-Month Low; Futures Slide: Markets Wrap

TipRanks

3 Stocks Flashing Signs of Strong Insider Buying

For investors, finding the right sign is part of the game. Stocks don’t necessarily pick themselves, and the investors who do pick them need to know that they’re making the right choice. Fortunately for investors – and the safety of their portfolios – there are reliable signals that a stock is worth buying. One of the best is the insider buying.Insiders are corporate officers, deeply invested in their company’s success or failure, they are usually stockholders themselves – but they are responsible for more than just their own portfolios. Corporate officers are beholden to their Boards of Directors, to their fellow company officers, and to the stock owning public to ensure profits and returns on the shares – and so, when these insiders start buying large blocs, investors should take note.TipRanks follows the insiders’ trades, making use of the publicly published stock moves to track them. The Insiders’ Hot Stocks page provides the scoop on which stocks the market’s insiders are buying – or selling – so that you can make informed purchases. We’ve picked three stocks with recent informative buys to show how the data works for you.Agree Realty Corporation (ADC)First on the list is a major company in the REIT segment. Agree Realty, based in Metro Detroit, focuses on acquiring and developing properties for big-name retail tenants. At the end of 3Q20, Agree’s portfolio included 1,027 properties across 45 states, and totaled some 21 million square feet of leasable area. The company’s tenants include 7-Eleven, AutoZone, Dollar General, and Wendy’s franchises, among many others.Agree’s third quarter results, reported earlier this month, showed a sequential increase in EPS from 76 cents to 80 cents, and total rental income of $63.7 million. The company reported a quarterly record of $470.7 million in rental property investments, and increased its dividend. The 60 cents a share dividend offers investors a 3.67% yield.All of that comes at a time when many REITs have been reporting difficulty in collecting rents, as tenants have been coping with the financial repercussions of the corona crisis. In this area, however, Agree has been conspicuously successful. The company reported receiving 96%, 97%, and 99% of rents due in July, August, and September. Agree has deferral arrangements for another 2% of its tenants. This success in rent collection has provided the base for the solid quarterly income stream already noted.On October 22, Agree has seen one big insider trade. CEO and President Joey Agree bought up 15,293 shares, shelling out over $1 million. This brings the insider sentiment here into positive territory.Covering this stock for Raymond James, analyst RJ Milligan writes, “With rent collections at 99% for September, ADC continues to play offense while most peers are still tracking down rents. We believe the big increase in acquisition guidance will push Street estimates meaningfully higher for 2021/2022, which will likely serve as the positive catalyst ADC investors have been waiting for.”Milligan rates the stock a Strong Buy, and sets an $82 price target that indicates room for 27% upside growth in the year ahead. (To watch Milligan’s track record, click here)Overall, ADC gets a Strong Buy consensus rating, based on a unanimous 5 Buy reviews given recently. ADC shares are selling for $64.61 and their $74.38 average price target makes the one-year upside 14%. (See ADC stock analysis on TipRanks)First American Financial (FAF)Next on our list is First American Financial, a title and lenders insurance company. FAF is a staple of the mortgage industry, where its insurance products are essential to guaranteeing home loans. The company also deals in property and casualty policies, and saw $6.2 billion in total revenues last year.After seeing sharp declines at the top and bottom lines in the first quarter this year during the economic shutdown period provoked by the coronavirus pandemic, FAF has seen a clear recovery. The company saw sequential growth in revenues in Q2 and Q3, with the top line growing from $1.4 billion in the first quarter to $1.6 billion in the second and finally $1.9 billion in the third quarter. Q3 earnings grew 24% to $1.31 per share.FAF has seen one major insider buy recently. It wasn’t a million dollars, but the $191,000 purchase of 4,000 shares was still significant and gave the stock an overall positive insider sentiment. The buyer was Mark Oman, from the Board of Directors.Among FAF’s fans is Mark Hughes, 5-star analyst with Truist Financial. The analyst gives the stock a Buy rating with a $66 price target to suggest an upside of 41% in the next 12 months. (To watch Hughes’ track record, click here)Backing his stance, Hughes notes the company’s steady flow of business, writing, “Purchase open orders last month equaled 2,500 per day, up 21% year over year. This compared to the July total of 2,400 per day, which was up 6% versus that same month last year. In the refi category, the daily number held steady sequentially at 3,200, up 46% compared to August 2019.””Our price target of $66 assumes the stock trades at just under 15x our 2021 earnings estimate, at the upper end of the recent range for the title companies – we believe this is appropriate in light of healthy fundamentals in the sector – but still with a wider-than-usual discount to the S&P 500,” the analyst concluded. Hughes’ review is one of two recent recommendations on record for FAF, making the analyst consensus here a Moderate Buy. The average price target is $65, giving the stock a 39% upside potential from the current share price of $46.62. (See FAF stock analysis on TipRanks)Eastern Bankshares (EBC)The last stock on our list is a new one to the market. Easter Bankshares is a holding company, the owner of Eastern Bank, a Massachusetts-based community bank – and the oldest mutual bank in the US. Earlier this month, Eastern conducted a changeover from mutual organization status to a join stock company, selling over 179 million shares of common stock. The offering price was $10 per share, and the sale grossed over $1.79 billion for the company.And this is where the insider trades come in. Eastern’s corporate officers made large stock purchases during the IPO. Company CEO and Board Chairman Robert Rivers made the largest single purchase, for $2 million, and executive VP Barbara Heinemann bought $1.02 million worth of the stock. Five Board members made purchases in excess of $1 million or more.For the most part, these buys were the company officers making their personal stakes in the company, and setting up stock holdings as part of their compensation packages. It’s a routine in the corporate world. But these large stock buys – 7 of at least $1 million, and 10 more of $200,000 or more – show confidence in the company and a willingness by the top brass to put their own skin in the game.Turning to the analyst community, analyst Laurie Havener, who covers this new stock for Compass Point, wrote: “We like the EBC story as it offers investors a unique opportunity to invest in an overly-well-capitalized, 200+ year old, Boston based bank substantially below book. Importantly, EBC has a desirable franchise footprint, ranking 5 in the Boston MSA, with a fabulous low-costing deposit base.” To this end, Havener rates EBC a Buy along with $15 price target, suggesting that this bank holding company has room for 24% upside growth in the year ahead. (To watch Hunsicker’s track record, click here)Judging from the consensus breakdown, it has been relatively quiet when it comes to other analyst activity. Over the last few weeks, only 2 analysts have reviewed the bank. Both of which, however, were bullish, making the consensus a Moderate Buy. (See EBC stock analysis on TipRanks)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

[phclemenza-blog]

Track 2: The Shackeltons (2008)

On July 12, 2008, I was attending the annual WXPN XPoNential Music Festival on the beautiful Camden, NJ riverfront (and I do mean that unironically). It was a sweltering day even into the late afternoon, which it so happened to be. I had just finished watching Teddy Thompson, son of Richard and Linda Thompson, on the main stage and sauntered over to the smaller marina stage. I saw about 50 hearty folks arranged in desultory clumps about the semicircle of grass surrounding the stage lined with small open shops where some were avoiding the sunlight and awaiting the next band.

When they arrived, I wasn’t sure if it was the actual band or just their roadies checking the instruments. They were a young, ragged, trippy unit wearing bits and pieces of army fatigues, that seemed to wander in individually. As they started to play, I took in the stage that had a sort of free-standing awning structure made out of pipes that was festooned with flowers—daisies?—for some reason. The stage was littered with flowers as well and they were stuck in the singer’s mic like the straws in the game Kerplunk. But that was quickly forgotten as the singer arrived on stage with an old corded telephone in hand (base and handset), fully clad in black—back cap, long-sleeve black shirt, and black pants—and proceeded to stomp and cavort frenetically about the stage.

The ragtag crew quickly came together and started rocking out with what, I believe, turned out to be the opening track to their album, “Your Movement” and I was rapt for the next half hour. The bands at the festival were only allocated about that amount of time before the act on the other stage had their turn to perform. I remember that the Shackeltons went off to uproarious applause, the concert ending with lead singer Mark Redding first loosing seemingly the entire stage of flowers on the audience on the appropriately named “Get Out”, then smashing the phone that he had used to sing into intermittently and had swung about like a Roger Daltrey microphone continually throughout the concert, and finally joyously wandering through the audience as the song ended.

I knew that I had just seen one of the greatest concerts of my life, and I had to go up to the singer shake his hand and tell him how much I appreciated it. It seemed that I made his day as he embraced me and earnestly told me, “Wow, that really means a lot.” I had one of the warmest feelings I had ever had leaving a concert. I quickly strode over the merchandise table and plucked down ten bucks for their album. I would have bought a T shirt, too, if they had any. (Note that though I did recognize the bulk of the songs on the album after the concert, it was hard to reconstruct in what order they were played, and unfortunately, a playlist is not available online.)

The Shackeltons were formed in Chambersburg, PA June 2004 with founding members Mark Redding (vovals), Eric Fisak (guitar), Dan Schuchman (bass), Josh McDaniel (bass), and Jonathan Slick (drums).1 They took their name from a misspelling of the name of the explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton was of the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration” and was knighted for the then-closest approach to the South Pole but after a number of attempts, including a sea-to-sea attempted crossing, never actually made it to the Pole and died of a heart attack at 47 on his final attempt.2 I imagine this made him all the more romantic a figure to the boys.

Within a few months, the Shackeltons had secured their first live gigs and recorded a five-song eponymous EP in January 2005 at Chambersburg Church of the Brethren with Michael Mateer as engineer. Two months later, they self-released a 6-song live set Live on 103​.​7 that they recorded as part of a radio broadcast. Their first full-length LP, Red, was again self-released January 1, 2006 after they returned to the Church of the Brethren again with Mateer. The band continued its prolific pace releasing a six-track EP, Madeline, one month later again with Mateer but at a different Chambersburg church, the simply named Clifton Newell's dad's church.

Each of these releases had early version of songs that would end up on The Shackeltons: ”Emergency” on The Shackeltons EP; Live versions of “Soft Heart”, “Bloke”, and “Emergency” on Live on 103.7; “Bloke”, “Your Movement”, “Soft Heart”, and “Yellow Cadillac” on Red; and “Madeline”, “The Ship”, “The Breaks”, and “Tremble” on Madeline, all but one song. The band continued to hone the songs through touring.

2006 witnessed the band’s first lineup change as two members, Josh McDaniel and Jonny Slick, left for college. Justin McDaniel replaced his brother on bass and 15-year-old Sean Hallock took over on drums.1

The band got their first break debuting the lineup at the 2006 CMJ Festival at Sin-é in New York (October 31 – November 4) when John Richards of KEXP and Loveless Records (Seattle) caught their act: “After seeing The Shackeltons live I realized why I started a record label. When you see and hear a band this full of energy and passion you can't help but be moved.”1 Richards signed the band in 2007, and they travelled to Seattle for a reportedly exuberant live set at Neumos that also appeared on KEXP. The next stop was Los Angeles to record their first album for a label with the help of Sam Jones, producer, and Tom Biller, who had won a Grammy working with Kanye West, producer/engineer.

The album was released January 29, 2008 and received some notable reviews. They were named a “Breaking Artist” by Rolling Stone:

The Shackeltons provide a stout combination of clean, straight-lined production and cacophonous bursts of sound on their self-titled debut. Their blasts of angst, which are equal parts danceable bliss and seering [sic] noise, are held together by the jittery, literate lyrical musings of frontman Mark Redding.3

Spin made them their featured artist of the day on January 18, 2008.4 They later published a review praising the Shackeltons: “Palpable desperation is one of rock’n’roll’s most valuable commodities, because it’s impossible to fake... A half-dozen times on their debut, the Shackeltons sound completely convincing, and that’s about six more times than most bands ever manage.”5 Myspace made them a featured band for a week, while they averaged 15,000 plays a day.4 The music blog New Rock News 43 called them “freakin' amazing”6 and Hybrid Magazine said the band is “[i]nfused with a life rarely seen” with a sound “like the bastard product of so many intelligent influences”7:

There is something inherently different and good about The Shackeltons, this indefinable essence, that even if you could quantify it, no other band could replicate the success. Part simplicity, part commitment and purely movement, it just works so well to create this beautiful album that invades you as a listener. This energy pervades the record like a nervous tension that hovers over the quiet sections and swoops in for the kill during the breaks.7

Reviewers compared the band to the Pixies, Joy Division, Interpol, Fugazi, Television, The Cramps, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and Cage the Elephant, to name a few. However, “while it may be easy to assign sections to certain forerunners, the completed product is nothing but The Shackeltons.”7 On their first album they were said to play post-punk, new-wave/indie-rock, lo-fi garage rock, proto-punk, they were a band with an “unmistakable CBGB's sound about them” 8. Their style defied being pigeonholed, at least successfully.

So let’s return to that amazing summer concert nine years ago. At the time, I did not know about these stellar  reviews. I just knew that I loved this band. I kept an eye out for new releases or even any mention of the Shackeltons. I scoured all of my sources to no avail for years.

Their next release was not until 2014—Records, which is also very good. Meanwhile all of the members of the band turned over except for lead singer Mark Redding.

So how does a band with this much promise, that is this good live, that got recognition from major media outlets, how does such a band not make it big? Apparently, such is the music industry today. Twenty years ago, the Shackeltons could have become the next big thing. Now, they may be a cautionary tale but man, they have created some great music.

Speaking of which, here are reviews of the tracks of the album, each with a link to an audio track (or video for the singles) and with any live versions if available:

The Tracks

1 Your Movement (4:12):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gcywqaitwM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLHnKysY8Ng & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9IAaPNM4Cg (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Ek0gD5j28 (live as “Pirate Song”)

You tear my heart in two

But I will always offer you…more

The album opens with a track that lays out the aesthetic of the entire album both lyrically and musically. Musically, the energy of the rhythm section, the tension of the two soaring, crunching, wailing guitars, and the passion and earnestness of Redding’s voice are all there. Lyrically, Redding cries out about love, perhaps unrequited, but with a pure heart and expressed sincerely from said heart. This perfectly introduces the song arc loosely tied to ships and pirates with love and life as an adventure and the Shackeltons in their military garb fighting on love’s side. Or something close to that.

The track itself starts out mid-tempo with sole guitar quietly churning in a repeating riff joined by a nice bouncing bass line and a nice skipping drum beat. Redding then quietly joins in. The whole band including a second wailing guitar jumps to a crisp crescendo as Redding expresses his love. The song even sounds like a ship sailing along in a lapping sea until they run into an emotional squall.

Check out the second live clip to see Redding walking through the festival audience high-fiving exultant fans. It’s just as I remembered it.

2 Tremble (2:47):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVku0NcFI

Certain treasures are never sold

Certain stories are never told

“Tremble” starts out with the high energy of “Your Movement” with a crunchy guitar riff opener and takes it up a notch as Redding repeats over and over about trembling “in these trials of love”. Redding wails throughout except for a quiet bridge that does little to dissipate the energy but rather keeps the tension up until a final chorus. No one mentions them as an influence, but I hear Pink Floyd’s more harrowing, entreating tracks from The Wall like “In the Flesh”, “One of My Turns”, or “Don't Leave Me Now” in “Tremble”. (And I love the sock puppet video.)

3 The Blood (2:56):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/the-blood

I found a rose by the riverside

I picked it up by the thorns and watched the blood go down my fingertips

“The Blood” cuts out the middleman, starting with a quiet intro with the lyrics above, a snare, and bass slowly doing a scale. It quickly turns into a crazed wail with bits and pieces of these lyrics over the band yowling with both guitars doubling each other followed by the bass line as well and crashing cymbals aplenty. The song ends with Redding’s distraught voice crying out. (No sock puppets on this one.)

4 Yellow Cadillac (4:42):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KQJaFrSJNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7XuUHMnl6U (live)

All I ask for is the yellow Cadillac

And all I pray for is for you to come back

“Yellow Cadillac” starts out slowly and quietly with yearning and a sense of loss. Again, I hear echoes of “Hey You” from The Wall. Maybe it’s just me. Then after Redding pours out his heart to a single guitar picking out a response, the energy suddenly builds in the music and the voice slowly builds along with it until the entire band is zooming along. It again falters while Redding ponders whether that other person will come back. Then, as if a switch is flicked, he confidently states, “I will see you coming back,” and the music again soars, now in his revelry. It falters again just slightly, then rushes headlong to the end.

I love the stop-start tempo of the song, making use of the Pixies quiet-loud dynamic, and the great, melodic guitar riff towards the end doesn't hurt either. Brilliant song. 6

I particularly remember this song as one of the standouts live.

5 The Ship (3:08):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_aDcxiVmTo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HopCWUcjIA (live)

In the sea of love

It’s going to be cold

“The Ship” is a slowly building, whirling frenzy after Redding calls seemingly everyone on the planet to join him on the ship before it embarks for its wild journey. The pirate motif is back in spades. The ship seems to run aground amid chants of the mighty ship being lost, but it is only for a moment as the band takes the song to an even wilder faster height before a single fading note trails off at the end.

6 The Breaks (2:35):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhrI9Ff3Jyo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F4nIL3SEtU (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIFdXebALbg (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbxtKz07qzI (live)

I can’t sleep at night

My heart breaks all night

Redding chants out a confession from his heart until he shutters to “the breaks” and the band halt and pop along with him. Guitars then slash and stutter and crunch. Then suddenly the band breaks down like the protagonist’s mental state, getting slower and slower until it stops a la The Cure’s “Grinding Halt”. Then a little bass riff revives him. The music builds again while singer breaks down to a wailing ululation.

7 Emergency (5:05):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/emergency-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twaa6KeD7Yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqwx4Q_xKE (live, 2 pts)

Well, my home is more than rented bricks

And my heart is more than repeated beats

And my love is more than just some fleeting cries

“Emergency” again finds the protagonist at a low point a la the fits and starts of The Wall. Redding is singing into that prop phone that I mentioned from his live set as a quiet, defused, plaintive voice over a melodic guitar as the song starts.  The rest I will quote from elsewhere since they say it better:

The key to this entire winning style is the ability of this band to tease and release the builds into a worthy end; the best analogy I can come up with is the dawn. You see this beam of light on the horizon that grows and grows, you can feel the potential the inevitable warmth, and finally the sun comes up and it is beautiful and bright and everything you wanted. "Emergency" is such a case that should be studied by other bands in hopes of catching a glimpse of where they should be going.7

[A]n easy-starting song that rides on Fisak's melodic guitar progression as Egolf's lays down a rhythm track. One thing I love though, is the way Redding speaks the vocals at the beginning of the song. I'm reminded of a Johnny Cash/Jim Morrison sound, where Redding here is trying to get something deeper out of the lyrics. Trying to push the poetry through to the audience, and I love it. Among it all is McDaniel's bass, softly keeping time in the background as Hallock's drums are slow, almost lazy, but still managing to find the snare and cymbals at the right times. Definitely a new-wave-inspired track, and I'm almost tempted to label this track at least as shoegaze-alternative. It reminds me a little bit of Smashing Pumpkins through the lazy beat and heart-felt, poetic vocals. And with everything speeding up towards the end, it's definitely one of the must-hear songs on the album.6

The song runs the gamut of human emotion and is like the dawn that the reviewer above mentions. The second review mentions a Smashing Pumpkins feel to the song, and a certain kinship to “Tonight Tonight” is definitely palpable.

8 Soft Heart (3:29):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/soft-heart-3

Think about the pain of now versus the pain of being alone

And I’m not sure if I’d rather be with you or ever alone

“Soft Heart” differs from the rest of the album’s style quite a bit. First, it is mid-tempo which almost seems slow compared to the rest of the album especially the couple of songs preceding it. The guitars sound a bit different, more “Peter Gunn”-ish and the bass is of the walking variety. Redding still has the plaintive, forlorn lover chanting out lines in fits and starts and the guitars still soar. This is where the comparisons to Joy Division come in and they are earned:

But then just when you think you have the Shackelton lads figured out, the Joy Division-ish "Soft Heart" comes peaking around the corner. Like quite a few alt bands of the early 21st century, the Shackeltons are well versed in late-'70s/early-'80s punk history.8

9 Madeline (4:48):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/madeline-2

Madeline, I swore I’d never use your name in a song

Celebrate your last night

“Madeline” starts off with a great fuzz bass line and the band joins in with dual blaring, weaving guitar lines and an almost disco drum beat with shimmering cymbals and danceable beats. It builds to a driving, almost soaring, wall of sound. The song stops midway, and after a solo guitar riff blares out, it must be restarted by Redding’s chants into wailing. As the singer asks, “Can we ever find our way back?” the song soars back to its previous heights and keeps building until an abrupt cymbal crash to end it.

By the way, he broke his promise to Madeline about not using her name in a song, but the way that it takes him 45 seconds in the beginning of the song to tease out that one line makes you feel the weight of it. Other than the breakdown in the middle, the rest of the lyrics are just bits and pieces of these two lines. Redding’s lyrics are never more painful and never more exultant.

What I love most about this track, besides the catchy guitar riffing, is the incredible ambiance it exudes. It just feels like you're falling into the music, and that's something that will take a song right to the top if it can do it right. 6

10 Bloke (3:11):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8A_uYXGvp8  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAw0-GvKVpk (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mELNdObe7Ps (live with Get Out)

I was looking for you and your love so true

You better watch out for a bloke like me

Reverberating wails start this one out followed by blaring, weaving guitars, a walking bass line, and a propulsive drum line. All are standard fare for the Skackeltons to this point, but if there is one song that can be said to be a bit slick this is it. “Bloke” sounds more like a single than anything else on the album, just another great track this late in the album tells you how good this album is.

11 Get Out (3:04):

https://theshackeltons.bandcamp.com/track/get-out-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i6jg12vnnc (live with flowers)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mELNdObe7Ps (live with Bloke)

Arms are falling to the side

We are slow dancing without touching

“Get Out” sounds like a last track from Elastica’s great 1995 hook-laden classic album. It’s completely the Shackeltons but the hooks are getting heavier as the album goes. It is a great number to end on and fades out with a little organ playing something that sounds like it’s from a carnival. This is just as Redding finishes chant-wailing about love.

Watch the first video to experience Redding’s manic marching and dropping to his knees to wail into his prop phone. Watch the second live video to see him throwing flowers in the audience at the end. It’s great stuff, just as I remembered it.

Fisak's and Egolf's guitars are distorted pleasures to my ears, blending new-wave/indie-rock with blues rhythms and garage-rock beats. Hallock's drums are crazy here, reaching John Bonham-like levels, and as McDaniel's bass just keeps pumping and pumping, I'm reminded of John Entwhistle by his style. Above it all are Redding's frenzied blues-rock/funk vocals. I can't decide whether he's singing or screaming, or a mixture of both, but the bottom line is that I love it, and whatever he's doing, he's doing it right. 6

Credits (from the CD liner notes)

Eric Fisak, guitar

Sean Hallock, drums

Mark Redding, voice

Justin McDaniel, bass

Daniel Schuchman, guitar

References

1 Sonicbids: https://www.sonicbids.com/band/theshackeltons/

2 Ernest Shackleton on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shackleton

3 Rolling Stone Breaking Artist review by Kyle Anderson, January 30, 2008: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/breaking-artist-the-shackeltons-20080130

4 The Shackeltons Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shackeltons

5 Spin review by Josh Modell, February 25, 2008: http://www.spin.com/2008/02/shackeltons-shackeltons-loveless/

6 New Rock News 43, “Friday Night with The Shackeltons”, November 20, 200: http://newrocknews43.blogspot.com/search?q=shackeltons

7 The Shackeltons review on Hybrid Magazine: http://www.hybridmagazine.com/reviews/0108/shackeltons.shtml

8 AllMusic.com’s Shackeltons review: http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-shackeltons-mw0000781522

  ��Z��

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Tsukigairei 5 | Kado 5 | Grimoire of Zero 5 | Boku no Hero Academia 19 | Royal Tutor 6

Tsukigakirei 5

Ep 6’s title is “Run, Melos!” (走れ、メロス！), a Dazai work.

Bad CGI strikes again.

Oh, I forgot to mention this last time when I explained this ep’s title, but Kokoro means “heart” for those of you that don’t know. That’s its literal meaning, though. It can mean a lot more than that.

That taiko near Kotaro (when he drinks his Pepsi) seems to be CGI.

Glasses guy is basically an older Kotaro…I know I’ll have problems telling the difference between them…

Did they pay Yahoo! for this product placement?

One of Kotaro’s posters seems to be about Muhammad Ali.

Having the screen intentionally the wrong orientation really is one small detail I appreciate from this show, like what I said with Boku no Hero Academia a bit back.

I can feel Kotaro’s heart sinking as student council pres calls him “Curly-kun”. I do admit I have done this sort of thing in the past to someone though (what Akane’s doing), so maybe I shouldn’t be feeling it.

There’s a book called “Delicious Curry” on one shelf, but it has a small green box near the “delicious”. I heard today that mango jam tastes good in curry, as a side note.

I guess it’s well established by now that both members of the couple will have romantic rivals, but only now is their potential to disrupt the couple actually coming in…just goes to show you how much I prefer Ore Monogatari! to this stuff, eh?

That cram school Kotaro goes to reminds me of one I used to go to on Friday nights. Again, the atmosphere’s really been captured by Tsukigakirei and that’s why I’m watching.

More money = more dates and vice versa. That’s kinda obvious if you think about it.

I LOLled at how Akane says she used Maps. Kids these days can’t get around with an ol’ paper map, it seems.

When Kotaro looks at Akane’s face, I remember some words from Arata (ReLIFE) – “You want to hold hands. You want to kiss her…” etc. etc.

I know how Japan is with these things (hugging, kissing etc.) – more so than the West – but still, get a move on, kiddos!

Kado 5

Wow, if Kado appeared on the 27th and it’s the 30th, it’s 3 days in 4 episodes.

The camera guy falling over was a laugh, at least.

Why is there fanservice of an army guy in Kado? (That’s something I never thought I’d say…) Please get some clothes on, (army) man.

Whatever you do, Kanata, please don’t touch Shun-she ate Shunina’s hand?

Kanata’s eating Shunina’s hand, and yet he deems her “appropriate”? *eyebrow raised*

Mifune uses a Windows OS. Well, it looks mostly like a Windows 7/8/8.1.

The slow pan really showed how they cut corners…

Notice Shunina has his disembodied hand on the handrest. It could be a sign he’s getting used to humanity.

If Kanata’s investigating placement of the Wam, I have the feeling this has to do with quantum physics.

Spinodal decomposition.

The mini-Kado explosion was so pretty! Like real fireworks!

Saraka’s eyes are really off model in this ep, eh?

Knowing how many people have died as a result of nuclear fallout and nuclear wars, Wam fighting would involve more than just one death, Shunina. Just a note.

It’s not 5 days ago, it’s 3. Didn’t I just calculate that? (Assuming it’s still the 30th of July, that is.)

I have a bad feeling about this…

I’m actually laughing right here. Everyone’s going “ohmigawd!!!”, even the UN. I did see a tweet saying you could make a Wam prior to watching this ep, but I never knew they meant it this literally. As for deciphering Kanata’s words (if they still need deciphering), I think Wam are like mini black holes in reverse...

Grimoire of Zero 5

I think they’re trying to be mournful, but when you have a guy suffocated by a cube of soil? That’s actually pretty funny. *cue Dumb Ways to Die*

They’ve never answered this, but why does Zero not have a band around her neck?

The still shots are probably the most striking. Certainly, there’s only been a ebelboar and a Mercenary one, but man, they look great.

The final spread has never been on a double page before…clearly this is ramping itself up. It looks like an ending…in the middle of what appears to be a 12 episode series. Unless the staff have something even better up their sleeves for the actual climax, I’m not sure this show is going to be a worthwhile investment from now on.

Boku no Hero Academia 19

It’s quite clear even though he’s being trained to surpass All Might, Shouto still admires the top hero, eh?

Notice Kaminari is eating a battery pack of some sort.

I’ve never seen meta go against someone like Todoroki…(re: Midoriya’s comment about how he’s normally the main character of a manga).

Chanbara. It’s the kind of thing you get with Rurouni Kenshin, apparently.

Aoyama (is that sparkly bellybutton guy’s name?) got his face squashed when Ashido came into the screen…

Todoroki looks a tonne like Yato (Noragami) if viewed from certain angles and not taking colour into account…

Kyouka isn’t even particpating in the cheerleading. That’s so her.

Basically, All Might is saying, “Fake it until you make it.”

Seiji Mizushima’s on econte (sorry, I don’t know what econte translates to)? Oh my glob! I’m not good with directors, but I know that name (from ConRevo)!

Royal Tutor 6

Einspanner. Apparently, it’s a kind of Viennese coffee.

Kapuziner? Hmm…lessee. Google-sensei’ results say it’s “a small black coffee with a bit of whipped cream…so that the coffee takes on the color of a monks hood” (sic).

Dobos torte. Apparently it’s topped with caramel…*drools* *retracts drool* But I ate not too long ago, so…on with the show!

Viktor is so hot when he’s disappointed! Agh! *almost dies from fangirling*

Richard…wait, I get it, actually. Licht is “ri-hi-to”, therefore Richard is “ri-chaa-do” (or something like that, or Richie (similar to what he wanted the professor to call him when he was introduced) for short.

Ooh. That pool shot took my heart away too. Licht really does take after his dad, to the point where I like him with a ponytail, but without the glasses. (His annoying comments from episodes past are still unforgivable, though.)

The “dramatic hair drop” thing really works on Licht. I can actually feel suspense from it.

Dangit, yaoi hands! You ruined my perfect image of the king!

I never saw that coming. What a turn of events, to see the king working in a café. Come to think of it, I once tried to write a story where a fallen angel and a constellation spirit work in a café (it was called Zodiac Conspiracy) but I’ve never worked in a café, so it fell through rather quickly.

The off model in this episode really snaps you out of the cosy, fun mood of this episode. It’s simultaneously the best (because it doesn’t debase women) and the worst (because I think this is the worst effort they’ve made with being on model so far in this show).

Gotta love a good man in a good suit.

I’m LOLling so hard. It’s like Viktor’s a host, not a waiter! Then again, I feel (somewhat) like they’re trying to capitalise on the Black Butler movie (Atlantic) that’s coming out soon and because that’s meant to be a (SPOILERS for non-manga readers! -> )big zombies-on-a-ship spectacle, they’re filling up that now vacant space with actual butlering from the closest subsitute...this show.

A franziskaner appears to be a type of beer, while a linzertorte is a latticed pie-thingy.

That “puis-je vous aider?” line appears to be French for “how can I help you?” (says Google Translate). By the same token, “ou est la gare?” is “where is the station?” and “je vais vous dessiner un plan” is “I will draw you a map”. (You can tell I don’t speak French…)

That Licht pose reminds me of one taken in Atarimae Taisou (it’s at the end of every exercise in that video, so you won’t miss it!), which I saw a few days ago but suddenly it got stuck in my head today…argh.

So…it’s yet another misunderstanding? I can see why people fall out of love with this show, but I’m still a firm enough fan of it that I’m sticking around with it…until the anime’s end, at the very least.

Shouldn’t Licht put his glasses back on and his hair back to a ponytail????

Oh yes, while I was reading this, I remembered something I forgot to mention earlier. Why was Viktor, a person who Heine may or may not have only had contact through mail, the first person Heine could trust? Is Heine from a criminal background, a loner who lived in a cave (like Grimoire of Zero’s title character) or something? (…Okay, I joke about the cave, but otherwise I’m serious.)