#the feeling of nostalgia and sadness going back and forth rewatching

[icepandawarrior]

AH WWE AND THEIR TWO FACED NARRATIVES...

[dukeofonions]

Season Two Episode Ranking

Warning: I get very, very, very, critical in this ranking. Like, angry ranting that’s almost laughable. Should I be getting this worked up over an online series? Eh, probably not. But this is my life and I’ll get outrageously angry over whatever media I want. 

Seriously though, this is all just my personal opinion. I’m not saying you have to agree with me and if you like the episodes that I don’t then that’s perfectly fine. 

I tend to overthink things a lot and I spend most of my time analyzing every little details of this series because what else am I supposed to do at work?

So yeah, this ranking is definitely less positive than the one I did for the first season. But I hope y’all can still have some fun going over it! And if anyone does their own rankings be sure to tag me because I’d love to see them and see how mine compare! 

Anyways, enough of me acting like this is more important than it is, on with the ranking! 

I can’t believe season two only has 12 episodes. Now I went ahead and counted Moving On as one episode in this ranking since my opinions on both parts are pretty similar, but sweet cheese and fish this season started on September 1st, 2017 with Fitting in and right now is left on Putting Others First which came out on May 1st, 2020. And as of me writing this it is now May 2nd, 2021. It’s been a whole year since the last episode and we still have no idea when the finale is coming. 

Like, bruh. 

Also remember how the longest episode in season one was only about 15 minutes long and the shortest one was barely four minutes? 

Well the shortest episode in season two is Crofters- The Musical which is 8:42 seconds. The longest episode is Putting Others First which is a whopping 51:09.

And I wish I could say that the writing was on the same level it was in the first season, but there’s a reason I put that warning up there. 

Well, enough stalling, let’s get this ball rolling.

#11 Embarrassing Phases

There are no words in the English language that can describe the sheer amount of hatred I have for this episode. If I could rank this any lower, I would, which will happen once we finally get the season finale. I don't know how that episode will go but it'll definitely be better than whatever dumpster fire this was.

Like, okay. I have some positives. Roman, Patton, and Virgil's costumes were cool. I won't lie I live for vampire Virgil. And the message about embracing your past "phases" and exploring how they helped made you who you are. That's neat. I like that.

And that's it.

My biggest gripe with this episode is Virgil. He just acts like a complete bitch in this! And I don't mean that in an endearing way he's literally so mean for no reason!

He's all "You guys are trivializing my past!"

In response to them going "Hey Virgil, we're glad you're part of our group now and are proud of how far you've come!"

Like okay, even if it was insensitive to call it a "phase" literally there was no reason for him to get as angry as he did.

Just a simple; "Hey, I don't like it when you refer to what I went through as a phase because it feels like you're not talking it seriously."

Isnt that what this whole show is about? Communication???

It wasn't fun watching him just insulting the others, it was annoying!

Like poor Patton, just trying to help and be encouraging, only for Virgil to keep treating him like dirt.

What did I miss here? Virgil was fine in the last few episodes, so what the heck happened?

Oh and let's not forget the great advice Thomas offers Patton at the end of the episode in regards to handling Virgil: "Don't do anything to get on his bad side or else he'll do bad things to you!"

Okay I'm paraphrasing here but that's basically what he says! And since Virgil is supposed to be a representation of anxiety, this is a horrible message!!!

What happened to finding healthy ways to cope with your anxiety? What happened to keeping it in check so it didn't take over your life?

Yeah I'm definitely gonna make a full post about this one episode later because there's a whole lot more to unpack here. But yeah -10/10

#10 Putting Others First

There is just way too much going on with this episode. They try cramming so much in here that I don't even remember more than half of it.

I remember the opening song, then the Lilypadton fight and everything that happens from there. That's it.

And those are the best parts of this episode, but even that has problems because everything with Janus feels like a completely different episode.

Also the whole way they try to teach about morality is all over the place. How did we go from choosing a wedding over a callback to deciding whether or not you would die for your friends to self care is important?

And while the video game sequences, while utilized well in some places, were way too distracting and it felt like they were just trying to shove as many video game references in as they could.

You could take out just about all of them and the episode wouldn't change. Everything they were used for could have been done just through having the characters talk to each other, and knowing this makes the fact that this video was delayed for so long because of it just makes the whole thing worse.

Like the animations were well done, and I don't want to downplay the hard work the animator did. They were just doing their job after all.

But the trolley scenes (especially the second one) hurt my eyes with all the flashing (would have been nice to have some kind of warning for that) and some of the voice effects (especially on Logan's) were grating and distracting.

I want to rank this episode higher, but it has almost zero rewatch ability and honestly besides the ending, when I first watched this episode I was just kinda let down.

#9 Crofters- The Musical

Okay look, the song is a bop and I adore the fact that Logan and Roman got two episodes in the spotlight, but it's just kinda "meh" to me. Plus I get just a tinge of second hand embarrassment but that's just me.

And I know this is kinda unfair but another reason why this one isn't higher is because of a couple of things. One is that they set up some angst for Roman, he's clearly not doing well and Thomas thinks the best thing to do is tell him that he might get his own jam flavor.

Then he does, and instead of following up on that little plot point from this video, they just rushed out a commercial and completely ignored and potential story telling or character development for Roman.

So yeah "Return of the Jam" is the main reason why I don't like this one as much as I used to. And I actually just got an idea for a new post comparing these two so add that to my to-do list.

#8 Fitting In

I actually skipped this one during my first official watch through for one reason and one reason alone: I wasn't allowed to watch Harry Potter.

But I realized that my parents wouldn't approve of me of watching a gay man's content either so I just said screw it.

And luckily I understood enough Harry Potter references to get what they were talking about and honestly, this episode is a lot of fun.

It's a good follow up to Accepting Anxiety, and a nice way to kick off season two. Virgil is finding his place among the group and everyone is trying their best to make him feel welcome, it's really sweet.

And of course we get the new costumes (which i hadn't even noticed that they were wearing their old costumes at first) and I dunno it just gives off season one vibes and it makes me happy.

#7 Moving On Part One/Moving On Part Two

Yeah honestly my thoughts on both parts of this episode are the same. What can I say? It's really good.

This definitely one of the more emotionally heavy episodes in the series, and we see the characters at their lowest for really, the first time in this series.

I adore Patton's room and how each side gets their own corners. All the little details they add in, including the changing picture in the background, it really gives off that nostalgia feel they were going for.

What I love most about this episode is how (unlike some other episodes) they actually let the emotional moments sink in and don't throw in a joke immediately after. Like the ending is bittersweet, sad almost, and I love that they stuck with the mood up until the episode ended.

Not to say there weren't some jokes here and there (mostly in the first part) but once the mood shifts and things become more serious they let that mood stay. And when there are jokes they all work really well.

This is one episode I've actually watched the least out of season two, so it'll be interesting when I go watch it again to see if any of this holds up.

#6 Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?

Honestly I only put this one above Moving On because Logan and Roman are my favorites.

This episode is actually one of the weaker ones, which hurts to say because again, favorite characters, but goodness it's all over the place. It feels like a precursor to POF and not in a good way.

Logan and Roman just basically argue back and forth throughout the whole episode, never seeing eye to eye with each other, to the point where I think think the writers realized they couldn't find a way to get these two to agree so they just had Thomas step in and be like, "You guys make a really good team!"

Dude, were you even paying attention? They never even reached a conclusion on their own. And even though they have their little moment at the end, it's all kinda ruined when nothing in their relationship changes.

Yes, in Learning New Things About Ourselves, they acknowledge that there's more work to be done in regards to them, which makes sense. People aren't going to suddenly change overnight.

Yet despite having come to some kind of understanding with each other twice now (both here and LNTAO) in the following episodes they still act like they hate each other! Heck Roman is downright nasty to him for seemingly no reason and I don't really blame him for it.

More like I think the writers just don't know how to develop their relationship and just aren't as interested in them as the others. Logan's been reduced to being Mr. Exposition and apparently Roman's personal issues aren't enough for him to carry a room episode on his own because they felt the need to introduce two new characters before he finally gets it.

Sorry, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, the episode.

There's some funny bits here and there and the little animations are cute (even if unnecessary) but really it's only saving grace is being Roman and Logan centered.

Even though they felt the need to include a cameo from literally every other character because apparently no one has any faith that Logan and Roman can carry an episode on their own.

#5 The Sanders Sides 12 Days of Christmas

This episode is just pure fun. Look, I'm not a big fan of Christmas, even less of a fan of Christmas songs, but my gosh this episode almost makes me appreciate the season.

The way they're all just bickering the whole time, being very confused, and how there's just so much personality from each character even when they're not talking/singing and just being in the background is *chef's kiss* perfect.

There's so many fun little details to pick out during the song and it's fun to go back and watch how each side reacts to different things.

#4 Selfishness vs Selflessness

Gonna be real, this used to be my favorite episode. Until my overly critical brain started finding all kinds of problems in the writing department but I think I’ve been negative enough on this post so I’ll save it for another time. 

Janus steals the show in this one, it’s his first official appearance since his debut and he just soaks up the spotlight. It’s refreshing to have an antagonist in the show again, and he’s the perfect foil for each of the original Sides. 

He knows how to play into Roman’s insecurities, know how to feed into his ego and get him on his side. He’s in direct opposition to Patton, who believes that everything Janus represents is wrong. He’s able to silence Logan and take him out of the conversation, speaking over him most of the time. 

And I guess he and Virgil have some beef I dunno. 

The courtroom scenario is fun, and I love how Janus is the only one who sees how ridiculous it is (even though it was your idea in the first place, Jan) and everyone else seeing it as perfectly normal is hilarious. 

I do like some of the more dramatic moments in this episode, especially that final bit with Janus questioning Thomas until he finally gets him to admit the truth. It was intense and reminded me of the scene where Janus confronts Roman in a similar manner. 

While far from perfect this is still a good episode and I can find a lot to love about it, like Janus in a suit. 

#3 Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts

This episode scared the shit out of me and I loved it.

Okay it didn’t actually scare me. But I stayed up to wait for it to be posted, which wasn’t until 2 or 3 in the morning. So by the time I finally watched it I was half awake and not expecting anything that I witnessed. 

The result was me being terrified of Thomas with a mustache and it prevented me from sleeping. I was over it the next day though and had Forbidden Fruit stuck in my head all day. Which isn’t good when you’re running the register at work and you can’t stop singing it. 

There’s a lot of reason why I love this episode, Remus being the primary thing. His entrance is iconic, the first few notes from his theme play as he creeps up behind the TV, him smiling at Roman all creepily until he whacks him over the head and knocks him out for most of the episode. 

Then we get the song, Forbidden Fruit, which is just great. Slight secondhand embarrassment but seeing the finished product and all they put into it, I can’t help but love it. 

Still miffed that Janus hasn’t gotten a song... specifically a villain song... I won’t ever let that go...

Logan is another highlight in this episode (no surprise) and seeing him go head-to-head against his polar opposite without batting an eye was interesting since I was kinda expecting them to show Logan having trouble dealing with Remus but nope. He handled it like a champ and I love them both. 

Now I am kinda wary as to how they’re going to handle Remus in the future, especially with the intrusive thoughts aspect. It’s a sensitive topic and they’re already screwing up anxiety. But Remus has only been in one episode so far which means I can’t make any solid judgments until he’s appeared in more episodes, so I’ll have to wait and see. 

All in all, great episode! Definitely deserves to be in my top three. 

#2 Learning New Things About Ourselves

This episode made me feel so nostalgic. I freaking love puppets and grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppets, so I’m probably biased towards this episode but to me this is really one of the better written episodes. 

Perfect? Heck no. But really, really good. 

I love that we get to explore a bit more with Logan and Roman’s characters, in a lot of ways this is kind of a Logan episode which has him standing against the other Sides, and it’s really interesting to see just how different he is compared to the three of them and it could just be me but it seemed like he’s becoming more of an outsider and isn’t as close with the original four as he used to be, and this episode is what really kicks that idea off. 

I can also relate to the “Well that’s nice but what do you do for a living?” message, except in my case it’s more like I want to quit my “real job” to pursue what I’m passionate about while people tell me it’ll probably never happen or “Yeah that’s a nice hobby!” So this episode really struck close to home and I just have a lot of sentimental feelings towards this one. 

I love all of the designs for the puppets, they all just fit perfectly and I wouldn’t mind seeing them make a comeback one day. I know that’d be difficult since they’d need a professional to puppet them but hey, one can dream right?

And oh my gosh the song, it just gives off the same feel from Sesame Street and Muppet songs with it’s jazzy feel. And I won’t lie I flipped my lid when Logan and Thomas were in the same shot together. We hadn’t seen any of the Sides share the screen with Thomas yet and the fact that it was Logan, and he was arguing with Thomas and they were singing over each other? Ah I love it!

Also don’t get me started on how Logan’s bit in the song sounds more villainous than the others. I’m not saying anything just a neat little observation. 

I have a lot of happy feelings attached to this episode, so despite the few problems I have with it I could never bring myself to hate it. The only one that tops it is...

#1 Can Lying Be Good?

The episode that started it all. The one that caught my attention and sparked my new fixation on this little series that I had just glossed over before.

I really don’t know what prompted me to watch this episode, other than I wasn’t in the best place and it just happened to pop into my recommendations one day and I figured, “Huh, haven’t watched this guy for awhile. Let’s see what he’s been up to.”

Once the episode was finished my first thought was “Holy shit when did this series start having lore?!”

This episode is probably the closest thing to perfect out of all the season two episodes so far. The writing is clever, pretty much all of the jokes land, and oh my gosh the editing in this one is phenomenal. 

The way they show Roman shifting between himself and Joan throughout the episode is what sticks out the most. Having Roman’s voice coming from Joan, or having them briefly change back to Roman, I love it so much. 

Not to mention Thomas’s ever changing shirt that reflects what he’s thinking/feeling is a neat little detail.

Did I mention this episode is hilarious? The ridiculousness of each scenario that they act out, with all the little inputs from Logan and Virgil who are both trying their best to do their jobs besides not even wanting to be part of it in the first place is adorable. 

And of course, the man of the hour, Deceit. Or Janus as we now know him as. 

Is it weird that I like Deceit more as a name? Probably, but that’s just because I don’t like how early his name was revealed. 

Okay that was my last negative comment. Promise.

Now since I hadn’t watched Sanders Sides in a while I didn’t notice anything off about “Patton” during my first watch. But going back after seeing the rest of the series helped me catch all the little hints they added to clue in the audience that something wasn’t right. 

A lot of it is really subtle, mostly in the acting department, but once you’ve caught on to everything it makes you wonder how you didn’t notice the first time. You can even see Logan and Virgil throughout the episode, knowing that something is off with “Patton” but holding back their concerns until Virgil finally calls Deceit out. 

I’ve rewatched Deceit’s reveal so many times. When he finally drops the act after Thomas makes up his mind not to lie, you can just tell he no longer cares whether Thomas knows or not. Then things get even more tense when Logan is silenced, and everyone knows what’s going on except Thomas. 

The music starts to build up, Thomas is flipping out, then after Deceit taunts him again he finally demands to know what’s going on and BAM there he is!

I love everything about this. 

Like, what else can I say? This episode is brilliant. It really shows exactly what this team is capable of when they’re at their best. The pacing, the build up, the writing, all of it combined together to make the perfect episode.

Season Two has been, interesting. The long waits have caused some problems with the pacing and characters, not to mention the departure of Joan from the writing team with new writers entering the room, not to mention the first welcome now unwelcome arrival of Asides, and with only the season finale left before season three, it makes me wonder just where this series is headed.

I know this series is capable of doing incredible things, season one is still solid and it really holds up even after all this time. But season two just feels like a jumbled mess. Sure, it’s easy to enjoy the episodes individually, but once you try to fit them all together it’s like trying to jam a puzzle piece into a place where it doesn’t fit. 

The best way to describe this season is as an experimental season. Each episode has the team trying something new, sometimes it seems these gimmicks take precedence over the story itself. Of course, some of these can work to the episode’s advantage, while others are just distracting and you’d know you wouldn’t miss them if they were gone. 

It’s a mixed bag that’s for sure. One that has me watching in morbid curiosity as I wait to see whether it’ll crash in the end or blow my expectations out of the water. It really is fun to analyze these episodes, and yes I know I can be very harsh but believe it or not this is how I engage with media that I love.

My hope is that team will learn from season two and try to take a more simple approach with their production once season three roles around. Because if they continue at the same pace they are now I doubt there will be many people around to see this series through. 

And on that note, that was my ranking of season two! I’m actually kinda excited now to go back and rewatch everything, I hope I don’t have to wait much longer to do so but that all depends on when the season two finale comes. Whether it ends up exceeding my expectations or just being “meh” I know it’ll be interesting regardless and I can’t wait to see just how they plan on wrapping this all up before the final season arrives. 

[umihoshi]

the more I’m rewatching the old Digimon Adventure, the more I’m disapointed in the new one =~=

I was so super hyped that they’d remake it. my 20 year long crush on Yamato is still standing. but they just moved so SO far away from the original that at this point, I think it would have been better if they had just used new characters. their personality is so paper thin that it wouldn’t have made a difference. I thought this might just be my nostalgia complaining, thinking back of something I must have glorified through the eyes of a 10 year old.

so I went and rewatch the old one. and it’s just.... so deep. so emotional. it’s by all means what they would call an ‘adventure‘. so, even though they’re completely different, here’s some comparing things that’s been bugging me:

first and far most, they can just go back and forth if they want to. the entire thrilling part of the original was that they couldn’t get away and didn’t know how to get home. it was far more focused on ‘we’ve got to survive‘ over ‘we have this world we gotta save. us 11 year olds, who can also just go to the authorities‘, (I mean, not that adults would listen, but they didn’t so much as try).

then there’s Taichi. I’m fine with him getting in contact with Agumon first before the rest, cuz he’s the maincharacter. but everything from then to now just seem so centered around Taichi. he was fucking up so badly in the old series! does anyone remember the skullgreymon problem?? it had the boy traumatized that he messed up his friend and nearly got everyone killed. but no, right now he’s doing everything totally okay, true leader, perfect shallow protag boy, might aswell do the entire thing alone and for some unexplainable reason, he can read those signs? in the old series, that would have totally been a job for Koshiro, giving it some scientific twist, rather then ‘I sorta just can‘. and the fight with Ogremon? great that Ogremon had a change of hearts so early and all, but aren’t we sort of forgetting Ogremon’s eternal rival who was very important as both an enemy and an ally??

continuing on Ogremon, his redemption was a HUGE plot point for Mimi! Mimi had always been kinda selfish and whimsical (she’s 11, come on), but at one point, she no longer wants to fight and see digimon die. because of this, she cares for ogremon, despite him being an enemy. her kindness touched him and he became an important ally in their last fight. but that’s like 40 episodes of redemption wrapped into 1 of ‘I had a good fite, mate. I feel better‘

then Yamato. oh my god, Yamato. when thinking back of Yamato, we all imagine this aloof cool distant guy who isn’t here to make friends. rewatching the original, I can only conclude: Yamato is Team Mom. he was frantically making sure everyone (mostly Takeru) was doing okay, not taking risks and being protective. Yamato’s entire character is build around the fact that he acts like Takeru needs him, while in reality he really needed Takeru to claim his place. where is this Takeru right now??

and Sora? Sora had really big trouble accepting how clingy Piyomon was to her. she has trouble getting attached to others and that was later used against her, recalling how she acted to her mother, believing she was raised in a loveless family, making her feel like she wasn’t worthy of the ‘love‘ crest. but now it’s just sorta her and piyomon being there, vibing

I really love the smooth animation, staying true to their old design, the transformations look neat and the music is on par with the old one. but the writing is just lazy and soulless, like they have vaguely browsed through the first 2 episodes, checked some character profiles and were like ‘ok, we got a global idea‘.

it really makes me sad that they had a shot to revive such a classic heartwarming story that many of us have grown up with, for the next generation to feel that same glow of friendship, accepting who you are and trusting each other... and just did whatever was easiest to sell. really disappointing...

[adventure-hearts]

Do you see tri as a deconstruction of digimon as a whole? if so do you think they did a good job? what tropes do you think were “deconstructed“? (like the original children having such a tragic ending, daigo and makis final fate, mieccomon sacrifice and final death, all the political stuff with mei´s father), or do you think it was just darker version of digimon?

I haven’t thought too deeply about this, but I wouldn’t call tri. a complete deconstruction. 

After all, the main “patterns” we’ve come to expect from a Digimon (and, specifically, a Digimon Adventure) story are all there: a group of chosen children who evolve their partner monsters in order to save the world from darkness and destruction, while exploring themes such as friendship, courage, hope, personal growth, and becoming an adult. The essential elements that made the original series stand out are also mostly preserved: a bildungsroman against a background of fantasy/sci-fi/action-adventure, with references to other works of fiction, mythology, technology, and philosophy. Even the more “external” characteristics of the show (music, colour, visual gags, callbacks to the other series, the relatively “static” roles of the characters within the team) were very recognisable.

However, in my opinion tri. did go beyond following the old formula and avoided being a by-the-book sequel, by bringing new ideas to the table.

Specifically, there are two big aspects than, in my opinion, make tri. feel slightly “different” from the previous series; even  “darker”, as you put it.

First, it has to do the writing and the storytelling decisions that were at the basis of this story. I’ve been writing about this for a while, but tri. is deliberately hermetic and ambiguous. It doesn’t even attempt to provide the audience with direct answers to everything. It eschews a typical three-part story structure and the hero’s journey. It tells a detailed, complex story using suggestion and winks, and expects the audience to unite the dots and come up with their own reasons for what is happening. Moreover, it is a show that seems to ask people to rewatch it multiple times, to reinterpret everything that happens continually, and to reflect deeply about what we are seeing. In other words, it requires the viewer to engage with the story on a deep level, wanting us focusing more in matters of feeling and themes than (it often feels that way) plot intricacies, brushing aside whatever it doesn’t consider “important”. 

This means that watching tri. can often be a frustrating and confusing experience. Unsettling, even. As a result, it is no wonder that this approach is unpopular with many viewers, because not everyone is going to be satisfied with a show that doesn’t provide direct answers and tells a story in an ambiguous way. The line between “subtle” and “lazy” is very thin, as is the line between “ambitious and profound” and “convoluted mess”.

However, the way I see it, this approach was deliberate, not only to mark a contrast to the relative “straightforwardness” of Adventure, but also to confront the adult audience’s expectations.

In other words, the fact that tri. is “messy and confusing” reinforces some of the larger themes in tri., namely the fact that adulthood itself is messy and confusing, and doesn’t give you all the right answers. There isn’t a single Big Baddie to defeat; instead, the Chosen Children are caught in the middle of a powerplay between multiple agents, feeling lost and lacking easy solutions. When Taichi says “I see more and understand less”, that ends up being very applicable to what the audience experiences when they watch tri. unfold for the first time.

I think the second point is related to how. tri. presents a somewhat bleak vision of what happened post-02. In other words, the answers it gives to the question “What happened in those three years?” aren’t exactly what most of the audience expected or wanted to hear, nor did it correspond to what many of us had imagined.

Maybe Taichi did not grow up to be a confident and fearless leader. Maybe the 02 kids did not stay best friends forever. Maybe Takeru and Hikari are bad friends. Maybe Yamato and Sora did not start dating at 14 and stayed together all their lives. Maybe Jou’s doubts about his future and his priorities weren’t completely resolved when he was 12. Maybe the Chosen Children go back and forth in their development and continue to be imperfect and forget what they learnt. Maybe being an adult Chosen Child isn’t all sunshine and roses. Maybe Homeostasis is actually not a friend. Maybe the human world doesn’t embrace the digimon. Maybe sometimes you have to kill a partner, and it won’t be reborn. Maybe humans can die even though you never really did anything truly wrong. Maybe the kids’ troubles are never going to end completely.

Again, I think this may have been a calculated choice, in order to emphasise the themes of the series, and the rough path to adulthood. You can’t always get what you want. It doesn’t make tri. a “dark” show, but it does show that they aren’t interested in only giving viewers happy moments sprinkled with a few sad moments, to maximise nostalgia and be exactly like Adventure. Instead, they throw the audience uncomfortable ideas about the world and the characters they love. (Another reason why so many people react negatively to tri. and feel angry.)

To sum up, I don’t think tri. is a “desconstruction” of Adventure; it just tried to tell a more complex, ambitious story while emphasising a less-than-idealistic vision of growing up. It treats the audience as adults, expects them to do a lot of homework and it doesn’t pull any punches. However, this also means that it is much harder for it to succeed and to please everyone. In the end, each fan is going to have a different view and a different appreciation of what tri. attempted to do… and no-one is wrong or right.

[smorgasbordofobsessions]

thoughts on yugioh!

done with rewatching yugioh!

have to say, i THOROUGHLY! enjoyed that rewatch! i feel like i know the characters a lot netter now, and understand them and their motivations even more. i'm glad ot have refreshed my memory!

being with yugi and his friends throughout their journey has been great, and i'm honestly sad that atem has left us. i really liked him as a character - but i feel most robbed that we won't see him in all his ancient egyptian glory again (honestly he looked so fucking good!!)

my favorite duel is still the kaiba vs. yami duel set in.. season three? i think it is. the back and forth and brilliant use of strategy was honestly riveting.

the last duel between atem and yugi (the ritual one) is my second favortie duel for emotional reasons but also because it was very exciting!!! each turn had a fun effect or card played and another instance of both duelists knowing each other so well so they can plan for each other.

i don't have a third favorite duel, haha

i'm really glad to have learned more about kaiba and how motivated he is to make sure that mokuba has a great life and is never in a position where he has to really rely on anyone but him - and same thing for kaiba himself. he's honestly done a great job in assuring the stability for him and his brother.

joey's developed well, has gained some wisdom throughout his duels, even if he still is impulsive.

tea's role as the emotional rock of the group has always been recognized as a strength in the show and she did her part beautifully; as well as tristan's stating the obvious and just being willing to go along with everyone and occasionally getting his hands dirty and doing what needs to be done.

i feel forever robbed at not getting more dungeon dice monsters because that format is actually fascinating, and forever robbed and the lack of dog jokes sent joey's way, haha.

i'm really glad to have done this rewatch! the nostalgia factor was great, of course, but i liked immersing myself in a story i vaguely remembered and finishing it and coming away from the story with a better understanding of the characters.

[anmousewrites]

So uh

I just hit the halfway point in my Gundam Wing rewatch, and I thought about doing a write up for it. Then I thought, well, why not put it on my writing blog? That’s kind of why I have a writing blog isn’t it? To put my writing on? So below the cut is completely unabashed nerdiness and my thoughts about this show now that I am halfway done.

First off, this soundtrack is still the best soundtrack of basically any media I have consumed in my entire life. Part of this (part of all of this, undoubtedly) is nostalgia. I remember these songs! But also, they are undeniably awesome and way more in depth and grand than they needed to be. GW just sounds really good. Whether it's a recognizable title song or just background music. It's all just fucking great. This shit makes me want to party.

Second off, I'm gonna actually throw all my criticism in early. This show is very 1995, and some of the animation frames are hilariously bad. There's still one or two spots where the translations (while correct) aren't the most clear. One or two side characters have really obnoxious voices for some reason. There is a truly ridiculous amount of monologuing and political commentary and Contemplate Our Navels going on. The show is casually racist in the way where there are characters of colour, but only side characters and they are only every portrayed as 1000000% good. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Maganac Corps and they are portrayed as being good, honest, hardworking people who are exceedingly loyal (and funny!), but none of them get to be MC and none of them get the same kind of multidimensionality that other characters get. That's still kind of a raw deal. Doesn't mean I love them any less, though. And to be fair, for an anime from 1995... I'm just kinda happy they are there at all. Arguably there's also one or two brown people of colour who are bad, so I guesssss that's okay, but the Maganac Corps are always the sticking point for a lot of people. They're written very warmly, I love them, I am not sorry.

Okay,  whining aside. Let's talk about more good shit.

The characters, holy shit, these fucking characters, though.

The five main boys, I love them.

Heero “I Have Too May Feelings And No Idea How To Handle Them” Yuy Trowa “I'm Still Learning How To Have Feelings And It's Terrible” Barton

Quatre “I Have Space Empathy And Also Am A Little Psycho And Am Also A Cinnamon Roll” Winner Chang “I'm Pretending To Be A Misogynist Because I Can't Handle My Guilt Also I'm Secretly Really Nice” Wufei Duo “I'm Literally Perfect Why Does Bad Shit Happen To Me All The Time” Maxwell

Like, Wufei was never my favourite as a kid because goddamn, could you shut up about honour and weak people for like 10 minutes please? But with the context of the manga and also a good rewatch, I get it.  You're sad because your wife had more balls than you and got herself killed for it. So, you feel constantly inadequate and pick on other people's weaknesses. And guess what? Sometimes he's right. He calls out Noin for attacking him in emotion when she's doing exactly that. To be fair, when he calls Sally weak, she fucking agrees with him and sets him straight about what that really means. So, I have less beef with him now.  The other four I love and have always loved, so w/e same old same old.

THIS IS A FORMAL APPOLOGY TO RELEENA GODDAMN DARLIN/PEACECRAFT FOR EVERYTHING YOUNG ME THOUGHT ABOUT YOU

You were blonde and wore pink and chased after a boy and I thought you were dumb. I conveniently forgot the time you snuck into a party and hid a gun in the bow of your dress, so when someone offered you a rose from the lapel of an officer's uniform you could announce that roses don't really suit you and you'd look better BATHED IN THE BLOOD OF OZ.

Girl, I did you wrong. I am so sorry.

I get it now. Why she chases after Heero. At first, it's because he exemplifies everything that's fucked up in her life (the strife with the colonies is what causes her to miss so much time with her father, after all), and later, he's actively working against the people who murdered her dad, so like, I get it. It's not smart even by a longshot, but I get it. Also, it later puts her in position for all the other awesome shit she needs to do, so she gets a pass from me.

Hilde is okay. I don’t remember her voice being like that. Maybe I don’t love her because she was introduced later than the others. I like her pep, but compared to the other ladies, she doesn’t really excite me. Still we have 25 episodes left.

Noin and Sally? I've loved hem since the beginning and I love them now. Noin is Life Goals AND Wife Goals and Sally is good and gets shit done and is just generally a pleasure to watch. Une? Man, I do love her, but holy shit she gets a raw deal. Une baby, I am so sorry for your brain. You break my fucking heart and I love you.

Treize Kushrenada, I blame you for breaking your girlfriend. I mean, at this point, he actually can't speak sincerely to anyone, at all, ever. So it's no wonder that his conflicting orders got her all fucked up. You can't tell her that you want peace and then constantly undermine it without her getting confused. (I mean, you also can't be honest and tell her that your goal is a war with a kill count so horrifyingly high that people won't want to fight for a while, so being honest is kind of out of the question.) She split herself into two people to try and pursue both your goals. You wanted loyalty? You fuckin got it. Still, at least he genuinely does care about her. And it must be hard to have literally no one you can talk to. Not even Zechs, at that point, who has his own role to play.

Also, Teize is a great example of a character that you don't often see. Arguably, he is a Mary Sue, the center of a cult of personality so engaging that it persists long after his death (talking about Endless Waltz here, people). I mean, I fucking love this guy. I'm IN LOVE with this guy. As is, arguably, almost everyone else who meets him. Also, this is one of the reasons I don't give a fuck about the monologuing. All the voice acting for the mains is great, and I could listen to them all day.

Also Zechs Marquise/Milliardo Peacecraft whoever the fuck you feel like being today (because you did swap back and forth when it suits you, I saw that). You are a dramatic, rules lawyer piece of beautiful trash and I love you.

Is that everybody important? It's almost 4 am here so god, forgive me if this makes no sense.

The plot of Gundam is pretty good. I mean, I've gotten really engaged in what's going to happen and I still already  remember the major twists. I forgot about Trowa blowing up Deathscythe (ow, my heart), I forgot about Quatre being degraded by his father, I forgot how much I fucking love Sally “Mom Voice” Po. “Mama told me real men never scream out loud.” Holy shit. Emotionally, this show has me by the balls, and I kind of like that.

So, I have 25 more episodes to go, plus Endless Waltz. Does this show hold up to what I remember? Actually, it's better. As I've quoted before, the amount of times I catch something new, that I didn't get ten years ago when I watched it, is almost every episode. Most of the flaws are things that I would expect to see in an anime that was produced in 1995. Overall, I'm having a damn good time and I can't see that changing any time soon.

EDIT: Okay, I lied a little. I wasn’t quite halfway. I just hit that point now, at 5:07. If I had thought this show lost its touch at all, I was wrong. Dead fucking wrong. There’s something so truly awful about Dark!Quatre, about Trowa’s speech, about Wufei and Duo facing death in their dark cell and about Treize’s suicide offer. I know Une isn’t dead but damn if I didn’t I’d be in tears. How did I forget this episode.  tl;dr, I guess this answers the question, doesn’t it?

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: The Last Jedi (quick thoughts).

so, the basic of my coming in to this:

- it’s been a long while since i watch the prequels or the original trilogy. - i like the prequels. a lot. - i keep meaning to get through all of clone wars, and probably rebels, too. - i liked rogue one as a film and story, (i love the design of u-wings) but don’t feel disney should be dedicating films to side stories. - i @campaignpodcast. it’s good listening. - The Force Awakens was not satisfying.

i was trepidation going in to Last Jedi.

this won’t be a full review (still want to save that for when i finally get around the rewatching everything).

so, Canvas’s quick thoughts. spoiler warning. no, seriously, spoilers to the point this won’t even make sense unless you’ve seen the film.

the bad

i do not like Poe Dameron. he always opens these films, and it’s always with dialogue that just breaks things.

i mean, TFA, his first line undermines kylo ren.

this movie, it’s just more immature, overly comedic squabbling with hux. and poe refers to the letter ‘H’. this is a really dumb nitpick, i know, but Star Wars doesn’t have the roman alphabet, they have arabesh. having Poe refer to letters is oddly world and immersion breaking?

another nitpick is Luke using the term ‘laser-sword’ once. it wasn’t as bad as the 'H’ thing, and it does make sense in context, but it’s also a term previously foreign to the universe.

back to poe.. he’s gone a long walk to engage me next movie. i swear, if the next film opens with poe running his snark mouth, i will grant him immortality in the worst way.

another consist problem is ‘the bad guys’/ the first order. the first order are just so boring. somehow, despite chasing down the last vestiges of the resistance, they don’t feel like a looming threat over the galaxy. sure, they have military power, but we haven’t seen them flex any political power.

the empire may have been evil and despicable, but they still had papers to sign, taxes to collect, people to subjugate. they felt like a threat deeply entwined with the world around them.

the first order just feels like an upstart band of hitler youths. they blew up the republic last movie,[1] and yet the First Order still feels like nobodies on a galactic scale!

worst still is Snoke: he is nothing. absolutely nothing. what’s his history? where’d he come from? what’s his goals? never explained. he gets killed, but nothing about Snoke is explained!

“but the emperor showed up in Empire Strikes back without a backstory! or even a name!’ okay, but at the time A New Hope was the only predeccessor. there was no canon ‘before’ times yet. the emperor was the face of ultimate evil, and that’s all he needed to be.

and when time came to write the backstory? Palpatine was given the need explanation. we saw his rise to power.

Snoke is a Sith-aligned... thing that just appeared between RotJ (where Luke killed the last two standing sith) and TFA, and there’s no story. he’s clearly a clumsy stand-in for palpatine, but they put in no narrative work for him.

but Snoke’s dead now, so who gives a crap! we’re not going to have a comfortable time giving him a story now. and if disney does snoke’s story in another stupid spin-off film, i’ll be angry. you can’t get away with a 6.5. snoke’s too big of a plot hole to be relegated to non-main series fodder.

Luke doesn’t teach Rey that third lesson. just... if you say there’s going be three of something, deliver the third. Checkov’s Gun and all.

finally, it just felt long in parts. the third act just dragged on for a good while. the movie kept cutting back and forth between stories so much, that it made the slow progress feel even slower.

there’s an improv game i play, some times, called rotating scenes. you get four performers to stand in a square, and you rotate this square around, with each side have a different scene. the key to making it work is, between the times a singular scene is being played, you let time advance. basically, a scene should go until it reaches the interesting point (the payoff of why this scene is happening) then you cut away. when you cut back, you’re forward in time at the start of the next interesting thing.

Last Jedi had a lot of cut away, then cutting back nearly to the moment a scene last left off. which makes short moments feel longer.

The Good

everything else.

most importantly, the Last Jedi is a self-contained story. no stupid dangling (major) plot threads are left at the end. things that get introduced are resolved to some manner (except lesson #3).

Finn continues to be great. shining star that he is.

Rose is a good addition. she works well with Finn, and though it pains my inexplicable FinnXRey[2] shipping heart, i won’t scream if Finn and Rose is the end game. it’s cute.

i also like how Finn’s arc concludes with him committing to being all in for the resistance/rebellion/the good guys. self-actualization is good.

Rey... has a character. she’s a Spunky Female Protagonist, standard issue. but, you know what? Luke was standard issued male protagonist. so Rey’s finally given some meat beyond the force-sensitive macguffin girl everyone’s trying to get while Rey’s stalled out in the ‘Refusal of the Call’ part of the hero’s journey. our new jedi’s given actual material and characterization. i am. on. board. with Rey now. she just needs a last name. (i suggest Organa. why not? time to bury the Skywalker legacy, and having Leia adopt her would be cute).

speaking of resolving things, Rey’s parents? nobodies. literal nobodies. garbage smugglers who sold their force sensitive daughter for a quick buck. Rey has no legacy to follow. Rey is a random force-sensitive kid with no prophecy behind her. she’s a nobody.

which makes her great. she’s comes from no where, so she could be anybody.

it’s the same thing that made me fall in love with Finn. i like fantasy stories about people who make themselves.

Luke delivered on being the best part of the movie. i have no complaints. it’s was the right enough nostalgia baiting, the sort that makes you comfortable with the future while (and this is key) being used to build up what comes next.

and Yoda. i... i felt genuine delight when Yoda’s ghost appeared for that single scene. i can’t even put it into words. it must be what everyone else felt when Han showed up last movie, accept it felt earned and heart warming.[3] i nearly cried with joy. i was so happy.

finally, Luke’s death. narrativewise, i’m fine with it, it served a strong purpose. having luke’s final scene be the setting of the two suns that rose in his first scene is a masterstroke. my own reservation (besides lest luke, but then again, force ghost) is... well, Carrie Fisher passed away. Leia survived the film. i fell that should’ve prompted a sad sigh, a somber rewrite, and a switching of which OT character we lose in this film. i’m not happy to say it, but luke felt more like a yoda than an obi-wan. Rey needed to return to complete her training. luke should’ve left next film (with the same setting suns) just as they did with yoda.

anyways... i like Last Jedi. i may even boldly place it as my second favorite of the main series films (after Revenge of the Sith. you can drag that out of my cold, dead, hands.)

EDIT: the way, masked, imposing figure who doesn’t remove their mask/helmet in the first film, and we get a quick peek underneath in the second? a description that applies to both Darth Vader and Captain Phasma. just saying...

kataal kataal.

[1] fine by me. i’m more aligned with the Separatists of the Clone Wars anyways. [2] Poe’s right out for everyone. i don’t support romances of characters i don’t like. (citation: Mei of ATLA, Asami of TLOK, and Tom form Daria.) they need to add to the narrative before i care about their relationship. [3] kinda wish it was kenobi, but that’s a logistical nightmare so i’ll excuse it.