missconchshell

[missconchshell]

We go forward.

image

twitter | facebook

[missconchshell]

Okay, after watching KPop Demon Hunters, I have one thing I really want to know more about: Rumi's parents! I'd love to learn their story. Maybe we'll get lucky and find out more if there's a sequel or extra materials released one day! As of now, though, all we can do is ask questions and speculate. And I have so many questions!

How long were they together? What did Rumi's dad do after her mom passed? Is he still around? Or was he killed by Gwi-Ma or another demon hunter because of their relationship? What were they like together? Were they constantly at each other's throats? Sappy little lovebirds? Was Rumi's mom just into that kinda thing? (I've seen plenty of people on tumblr who are!) Was their relationship similar to Rumi and Jinu's?

While all those questions are fun, what intrigues me most is how they met. It was probably a fight, but you never know! It's just that without a secret like Rumi's it's hard to imagine how they would initially overcome their animosity and connect with each other. Maybe, after finding themselves in a deadlock, realising that neither could beat the other in all-out combat, Rumi's mom proposed another method to determine who was best: karaoke! And from there, they continued to challenge each other to a variety of silly activities, these "battles" slowly just becoming dates until they finally had to admit their feelings.

Honestly, though, the funniest version to me is Rumi's dad being sent out as a lacky to fight these hunters and immediately falling head over heels for this pretty, strong lady about to kick his head in. And it's completely understandable, this lady's a cutie!

Rumi's dad is stunned speechless and immediately retreats back to the demon realm, but returns with the next wave of demons, and the next, and the next. Never speaking up or saying anything, but also not really fighting. He'll dodge and weave, but his hits are half-hearted at best, and he takes out more of his fellow demons than the girls do sometimes. Rumi's mom can clearly tell that his heart's not in the fight, and after like a dozen of these encounters, she finds an opportunity to get them alone. With a sword at his throat, she bluntly asks what the heck his deal is. And he just starts gushing about her fighting prowess and beautiful voice and just how pretty she is. Complete word vomit. Rumi's mom is shocked, but also very flattered. She lets this silly little demon go, and from there on out, every fight is full of chatter. Rumi's dad brings a new love poem every time, and recites it amidst the fights, which Rumi's mom finds have basically turned to private spars without any real bite. Finally, after one particularly corny line, she pulls him and shuts him up with a kiss, after which, things are history!

[missconchshell]

I just watched KPop Demon Hunters and I completely understand the hype! It's been so long since I've sat through a movie that I was smiling throughout! It just made me so happy!

The music is wonderful, the characters are great, and the animation! Oh, the animation! It's so pretty, and visually distinct! The characters are so expressive, I love all the fine details and glitter and the movement! Everything feels so stylized and intentional, and I adore that! It's such a breath of fresh air! Occasionally, the framerate gave it a sorta stop-motion feel, and it was so fun to watch! And I was really happy to find that I enjoyed all the characters so much! (Including these little guys!)

I love the relationships between the girls, and getting to watch Rumi and Jinu grow closer as she grappled with her feelings and patterns was so cute. The story was honestly paced really well. I was expecting to see a lot more of the other boys based on the little bits of promo I'd seen, but I'm really happy with the choice not to. It gave the most important parts of the story room to breathe and not feel rushed, which I really appreciate! I'll probably do another post going in depth about my feelings on the story and the wonderful allegories contained within, but overall, I loved this movie so much! And I will definitely be listening to those on repeat now!

[missconchshell]

put in the tags:

your first concert

your last concert

your next concert

your favourite concert

[missconchshell]

[missconchshell]

welp, this was a chapter! at the very least, maybe Akutagwa will start feeling some sympathy for all the times Atsushi's lost his limbs!

[missconchshell]

This scene was soooooo pretty! Oh my gosh! I might have more coherent thoughts on the episode as a whole later, but geez, the team did an amazing job with this scene! The fire was gorgeous and it's always so cool getting to see Sebastian let his butler persona drop! The art is so sharp and the lighting is amazing, and dang, I just love the style so much!

[missconchshell]

Today's episode was everything I had hoped for from this scene! I actually only read the manga a few weeks ago after the season started, but this moment is one that really stuck out to me from my frantic read-through! So seeing it brought to life so fantastically was amazing!

First off, Finny defending Ciel from Sebastian was adorable, and so sweet after the time he's spent caring for him this season! And Sebastian's impassive and cold responses, along with the lack of music, really clearly establish to the viewer that, oh, Sebastian is no longer just here to play butler.

Next, I loved watching Sebastian's demonic-ness seeping out as he addressed Ciel! The imagery was stunning, and I love the use of what looks like 3D elements to emphasize his otherworldliness! Also, the lighting helped to set the scene perfectly, and was genuinely stunning.

Like, god, this shot is gorgeous and horrifying! Seriously, props to everyone who worked on this!

After Sebastian declares he's going to consume this little deal-breaker, we head into Ciel's mindscape, which is also so well-executed! This bit was sweet, I have no notes, just loved to see it. This boy needs more hugs.

I particularly love this image of Ciel, surrounded by every major influence in his life while he sits in his cage, the same as he was all those years ago. Even if it's not really subtly imagery, it's still very impactful to see this poor boy so haunted. You clearly understand why he's reached this point of mental entrapment, and why leaving to face the real world would be terrifying, who wouldn't feel the same after experiencing all he's gone through?

And yet, when faced with the possibility of giving up his revenge and just letting himself succumb and be free of this horrible, traumatizing life, he finds himself admitting what drove him all those years ago. Not a desire for forgiveness or power or even revenge for his loved ones. No, little Lord Phantomhive chose to live for himself. His personal desire for revenge is what brought Sebastian to him, and it is what gives him the strength to keep on living now. I loved seeing him deny each person in turn, until all that's left was himself, desperately reaching towards his own salvation, the same cursed being that will one day take his soul. But today is not that day.

This image here, this was beautiful. I don't have much else to say aside from that the soft, but powerfully emotional music perfectly fit the animation.

And then seeing him run towards Sebastian and his present, leaving his past behind and regaining bits of himself with each person he lets fade, was just done so well.

This was one of my favorite manga panels, so seeing it animated was just so, so cool.

Wrapping things up, loved watching Ciel sassily combat Sebastian, and Sebastian's delivery of the 90% line. While I am sure this whole thing was in part a purposeful play to snap Ciel out of his trauma, I very much believe it when he says that he was soooo ready to eat this kid (the man literally can not lie). Like, I get it, after waiting several years for a meal, I'd also be tempted to cave before it was fully cooked.

Last, but not least, I loved Ciel apologizing to his staff and seeing their reactions! Even Sebastian was shocked to hear those words out of Ciel's mouth! But it really goes to show how CIel genuinely has grown to care for these people, and how they care for him in turn. It's just a sweet moment, which I'm sure will make everything hurt all the more when this series inevitably reaches its promised painful conclusion!

[missconchshell]

I forgot to mention, but I don't think I will ever get over this panel.

Buddy is freak who is way too willing to suffer for the bit (and I love him for it).

But seriously, it was really cute getting to see the two casts interact. Punko's humor was on point as always, and the idea of the cast of Stagtown all being actors is really fun and silly to think about. This was a delightful, perfect surprise at the end of this dark and fascinating Webtoon. Thank you Punko!

Okay, I read all of the Webtoon Cinderella Boy the other day, and loved it so much that after watching Punko's Q&A streams and hearing about her past comics, I decided I needed to read more of Punko's work. So today I hunkered down and read all of Stagtown. And let me just say, that was a BAADDDD idea (not really).

While I have a sorta morbid fascination with horror and have read a few comics in the genre before, I am unfortunately a very anxious person, which meant I was peeking around the corner and jumping at every noise in the house the entire time I was reading it. The first few hours weren't too bad, as I was reading in the daytime, but as it got darker, I got a lot jumpier (both the sun and the comic seemed to have coordinated to make things spookier for me). I even went so far as to migrate to my sister's room, where I now had a small child who would protect me from the creepy goop. Said small child managed to get me to audibly gasp at the sound of a rubber chicken, so I think that says plenty about how well this comic can set you on edge! And the sense of relief when the story finally ended was so palpable, I could feel the tension and anticipation slowly start to leave my bones. Unfortunately, before I could fully recover, I was subsequently kicked out of my sister's room and sent to brave the dark depths of the house on my own. I sit writing this bundled in a blanket on my bed with my lamp on and the door open, and I think it's gonna stay that way for the rest of the night.

Now that I've bared my childish fear of the dark, onto all the praise this comic deserves! The art is beautiful and haunting, with the limited color palette really enhancing the tone, and making those moments where things got bright hit all the harder. Punko had me panicking at just the sight of purple text, which is honestly so impressive. And the horrors, oh the horrors! The monster designs are so creepy, and the worst ones we never even see in full, and yet they stick out so much more! Even deer are no longer safe for me, I don't I'll be able to look one in the eyes any time soon without it sending a shiver down my spine!

The characters are also amazing. I didn't think I would love them nearly as much as Cinderella Boy's cast, but amidst the horror, Punko found plenty of time to establish everyone's personalities and to endear us to each character as we watched them grow close to each other throughout the story. Frankie and Felix were awesome buddies, and I loved learning about Jeremy and his history! I was so excited when I realized like halfway through that I recognized Frankie's design from some Cinderella Boy chapters! I immediately paused my Stagtown marathon to reread those chapters with fresh eyes, and it was so much more fun knowing who these people were and getting to see them escape from Stagtown for a bit!

As for the story, I loved the little segmented encounters that slowly built up into a grand plot, which constantly kept the characters and I on our toes. The slow drip of information about the town and the entities within it was amazing. There was a constant fear of what was to come, with some panels so spooky I had to pause my scrolling in order to mentally prepare myself. And yet, even with the fear, the mystery was so fascinating I just couldn't stop, giving me the courage to hit that Next Chapter button each time.

Also, Deer Mom's segments were always hilarious, and knowing what Punko went through during the creation of this comic, it was so nice to get to see her rest at the end of it all! She definitely deserved it for creating such a beautiful, horrifying tale.

Seriously, Punko's knocked it out of the park with everything I've seen from her (including her Cinderella Boy fanfics on AO3), and I hope she gets to breathe and enjoy life in return for all the joy (and fear) that she's brought so many people! She's certainly made a loyal fan out of me in the span of this past week! Looking forward to being a proud member of the WUB Club when Cinderella Boy comes back from hiatus!

[missconchshell]

Okay, I read all of the Webtoon Cinderella Boy the other day, and loved it so much that after watching Punko's Q&A streams and hearing about her past comics, I decided I needed to read more of Punko's work. So today I hunkered down and read all of Stagtown. And let me just say, that was a BAADDDD idea (not really).

While I have a sorta morbid fascination with horror and have read a few comics in the genre before, I am unfortunately a very anxious person, which meant I was peeking around the corner and jumping at every noise in the house the entire time I was reading it. The first few hours weren't too bad, as I was reading in the daytime, but as it got darker, I got a lot jumpier (both the sun and the comic seemed to have coordinated to make things spookier for me). I even went so far as to migrate to my sister's room, where I now had a small child who would protect me from the creepy goop. Said small child managed to get me to audibly gasp at the sound of a rubber chicken, so I think that says plenty about how well this comic can set you on edge! And the sense of relief when the story finally ended was so palpable, I could feel the tension and anticipation slowly start to leave my bones. Unfortunately, before I could fully recover, I was subsequently kicked out of my sister's room and sent to brave the dark depths of the house on my own. I sit writing this bundled in a blanket on my bed with my lamp on and the door open, and I think it's gonna stay that way for the rest of the night.

Now that I've bared my childish fear of the dark, onto all the praise this comic deserves! The art is beautiful and haunting, with the limited color palette really enhancing the tone, and making those moments where things got bright hit all the harder. Punko had me panicking at just the sight of purple text, which is honestly so impressive. And the horrors, oh the horrors! The monster designs are so creepy, and the worst ones we never even see in full, and yet they stick out so much more! Even deer are no longer safe for me, I don't I'll be able to look one in the eyes any time soon without it sending a shiver down my spine!

The characters are also amazing. I didn't think I would love them nearly as much as Cinderella Boy's cast, but amidst the horror, Punko found plenty of time to establish everyone's personalities and to endear us to each character as we watched them grow close to each other throughout the story. Frankie and Felix were awesome buddies, and I loved learning about Jeremy and his history! I was so excited when I realized like halfway through that I recognized Frankie's design from some Cinderella Boy chapters! I immediately paused my Stagtown marathon to reread those chapters with fresh eyes, and it was so much more fun knowing who these people were and getting to see them escape from Stagtown for a bit!

As for the story, I loved the little segmented encounters that slowly built up into a grand plot, which constantly kept the characters and I on our toes. The slow drip of information about the town and the entities within it was amazing. There was a constant fear of what was to come, with some panels so spooky I had to pause my scrolling in order to mentally prepare myself. And yet, even with the fear, the mystery was so fascinating I just couldn't stop, giving me the courage to hit that Next Chapter button each time.

Also, Deer Mom's segments were always hilarious, and knowing what Punko went through during the creation of this comic, it was so nice to get to see her rest at the end of it all! She definitely deserved it for creating such a beautiful, horrifying tale.

Seriously, Punko's knocked it out of the park with everything I've seen from her (including her Cinderella Boy fanfics on AO3), and I hope she gets to breathe and enjoy life in return for all the joy (and fear) that she's brought so many people! She's certainly made a loyal fan out of me in the span of this past week! Looking forward to being a proud member of the WUB Club when Cinderella Boy comes back from hiatus!

[missconchshell]

this whole mutual thing is overhyped on this site. want to send me an ask off anon? do it. want to tag me in a post? do it. follower, mutual, or just random person who stumbled across my blog: I crave interaction and literally do not mind.

[missconchshell]

I loved this new episode of Miraculous! Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize it was coming out, but I'm so happy it did!

I've never been too too attached to either Marc or Nathaniel, but this episode really won me over! It was neat getting to see both of their parents, and show just how much of a difference unconditional support can make. It really reminded of just how lucky I am that my own parents are so accepting.

I also love the contrast in the setting as well, with Nathaniel's family physically further apart, while Marc and his parents are all bunched together on the same couch. I feel like the show has been putting in a lot more care into framing and the setup of scenes this season, and I'm all for it!

Also, this is one of the first times I've seen their new designs up close, and I'm a huge fan! Love all the little details, like Marc's eye makeup, Nathaniel's self-painted shoes and his wavy little hairclip. Just look at the happy boy!

Now, onto the meat of the episode. Nathaniel's passions (and by association himself) being rejected by his parents did get me to tear up. It hurt and felt so real, I'm amazed to see this sorta thing in a show like Miraculous.

I felt so bad watching him destroy his work and try and force himself to conform to his parents' expectations. It was a very realistic picture of this type of struggle, and is definitely something I and I'm sure many others have struggled with before. And I was shocked at how blunt the writers got with the implied homophobia with lines from his mom about making Nathaniel "go straight."

Then once it got onto the mom being named Ruler, I just kinda started laughing, like, oh, they weren't gonna be subtle at all!

And dang Lila, willing to even use homophobia to get those miraculous. Tsk tsk.

The Akuma's power was definitely pretty creepy, like I hate these eyes so much, but Lila got really dang close to getting those miraculous this time, far more than any of Gabe's minion-based akumas! And despite this being the billionth time Chat Noir's been controlled, the physicality of the animation and voice acting did a decent job of making it funny.

It was also neat that the Akuma's powers got to be used against them, with Nathaniel finally stepping forth and taking back control from his mother (side note: I loved his transformation literally having him come out of the closet, the animators knew exactly what they were doing).

I know I've ignored them most of the episode, but I will say that Marinette and Adrien were adorable as usual! And I love that he feels comfortable enough with her to tease!

Then there was the ending. I'm so glad Nathaniel's parents came to accept his love of comics (and Marc). It was a sweet moment of acceptance that not everyone is lucky enough to have, so I'm glad we at least got a happy ending here.

I also really appreciate that little serious moment at the very end. I was expecting more Lila dialogue when the ominous music started playing, but having a serious moment where they discuss how they're attacked simply living their lives was a sad but pleasant surprise. It's cool that they're acknowledging a reality that so many people face every day. But I'm so glad these boys have each other in this!

And even if I know for a fact that the identity reveal is going to blow up in their faces one day based on the show's history, it still was so adorable and I loved the scene! Just the joy on each of their faces, knowing they're not alone, was so sweet!

Overall, I'm just really impressed with the writers this season! They're tackling a lot more serious topics in these one-off episodes, and honestly doing it far better than I ever expected from this silly love-square show. So many of these stories have resonated with me, and it's been really neat getting to see so much representation of different struggles. And it's especially cool to think about how these episodes could meaningfully impact the show's younger audience as well! These are the sorts of things I wish I saw more of growing up, it would have changed little miss shell's world for the better. So, keep up the good work Miraculous Team!

[missconchshell]

I just watched episode 4 of To Be Hero X, and I'm not quite sure how to feel. The animation was amazing as always, and I loved seeing the animation changes, they're stunning everytime. The boxing hero was also neat; it would have been cool to see more of his personality since we glimpsed his backstory, but I guess it gives fans room to speculate.

The fight was really well-choreographed, and the idea of Lin Ling being a normal human being who becomes a hero for the sake of someone he loves fits perfectly with the themes of this show and its messaging. My issue is just that his relationship with Moon always felt kinda hollow to me. I know that episode two tried really hard to establish an actual bond between the two, and there were plenty of moments between them that we as an audience never got to see, but unfortunately Moon has just felt like an actual character to me.

There are so many elements to her story and personality that I love. The concept of her being so tied to Nice in the public's perception that she can't physically leave him is absolutely fascinating. I love that she is more brash and blunt than her public persona, and that we got a quiet moment of her sharing her feelings. Plus, her desperately hoping to die in that fight was adorable. Still, her character just never clicked for me. Something about the writing and the way our time spent with her was all from Nice's perspective never allowed me to fully immerse myself in her character. She always felt more like a prop and source of motivation for Lin Ling, rather than an actual human being with complex thoughts and feelings.

I do love this show and I desperately want it to scratch that itch for me and become a new obsession, but if the characters don't feel real, it just won't happen. So when Lin Ling proclaimed that he wanted to be a hero for the girl he loved, I just couldn't get behind it. It felt wrong and forced. And I like Lin Ling, I want him to be happy and to follow his dream and be a true hero, but Moon being his motivation just feels like yet another superhero driven by his love of a woman who isn't her own person. It prevented me from truly feeling that inspiration and passion the show wanted me to experience in that scene, which was sad.

And then there's the end of the episode. While I would have been fine if they'd left Moon's whereabouts a mystery, I would have been happy to see her enjoying her freedom, maybe even missing Lin Ling, but content with the choice that she had made for herself. It would have reaffirmed her status as an individual, plus it would be nice to end Lin Ling's 4 episode arc by showing that his selfless choice to free Moon from the public eye was worth it, because the person he loved ended up happy, even if it was without him. Instead, what we got was her regretting her decision to leave and desperately in need of help to escape from a lonely existence on a deserted island. Yet again, she was just someone for Lin Ling to save. It was disappointing.

And to finish this scene off by using her death for shock value yet again really rubbed me the wrong way. Now, she feels like another fridged woman, only serving as motivation for the hero to seek out revenge, further cheapening her character. This poor girl never got to be free and happy, and now she never will.

I just feel really disappointed by her overall character arc, and really wish I didn't. This show has the ability to tell great stories, but, at least for me, Moon's wasn't one of them.

[missconchshell]

akademiya academia au

[missconchshell]

Wow, Adrien's struggle this episode really hit home for me! What a rare thing from Miraculous!

I love this show so much, but its messages are often a bit harder to relate to since I am a lot older than these characters. And that's fine, I know I'm not the target audience, but it's so nice to have this piece of media that I care about connects with me on a deeper level. Cause if poor, sweet Adrien can (hopefully) make it through this, then so can I.

While I didn't have my dad die as a Ladybug-proclaimed martyr, nor have I finally gained control over myself for the first time in my entire existence, I am going through a transitional period in my life where I am trying to figure out what I actually want after running on autopilot for so long. So, it was really cool getting to see a character going through a similar struggle, and to hear that it's okay that it might take a while for me to find what I'm truly passionate about.

Thank you Miraculous, for this surprisingly well-written and thoughtful message. It got to me just when I needed it! And, I suppose on that note, I have to thank the terrible, stupid release schedule! Cause I don't think this would have hit nearly as hard two months ago!

[missconchshell]

Okay, I just wanna talk for a bit about the Emerald Witch Arc ending. Waltz is one of the most beautiful anime songs I have ever seen. The music is absolutely gorgeous. With the soft, slow start building into to a lovely chorus, it's just got such a wonderful energy to it. And the end with the clapping before coming to a quiet close, it just brings me so much joy. I've been playing it on repeat for the past week, and even tried learning a few steps of the waltz because of it!

But the visuals are what really broke me. The storybook visuals were wonderful and the caged stills of the characters were beautiful.

And then seeing Ciel amongst those he's lost hurt so, so much! Going from his parents to Madame Red to the circus crew, I was nearly in tears the first time I saw the scene. Like, I just want this poor boy to be happy!

Then we got see him with all his servants, the people he's chosen who have by him throughout his darkest times. Just getting to watch him dance and be treated like a kid was so sweet!

I loved Bard carrying him on his shoulders and Finny bouncing on Ciel was adorable, especially considering what we get to see from them in the rest of this arc.

These little moments build all the characters so well. And then of course there's the beautiful dance with Sebastian, which is so well animated.

And finishing it off with that lovely picture of Ciel and Siegelinde from the manga was a beautiful way to bring this song to a close.

Seriously, they knocked it out of the park with this whole ending (and the opening too, but that's another story)!

[missconchshell]

do y'all ever get that sorta itch under your skin, where you just feel like you need to escape. like, you're not even in a weird social situation or a crowded room, but rather alone, quietly contemplating your life. and everything just kinda overhwlems you. the slightest noise will set you off, and desperately you want to go somewhere but simultaneously feel terrified of the world. i often turn to fiction in these moments, but I know that solves nothing for me, and is only a distraction from everything I need to change. i love and live through so many characters because they're free in ways that I am not, and can allow themselves to feel what I repress.

i am working towards finding that freedom in my own life, but right now the thought of change and all I need to do makes me want to scratch my skin off. i am so, so aware of all that i need to do to make my life better, but I also feel as if I know nothing about myself and my wants and desires, because I never give myself the time and space to truly dwell on anything meaningful. i acknowledge my flaws and issues readily, but the things that I like, the things that mean anything to me, get pushed aside, put off for yet another day.

but i so desperately need to take that time, to look inside myself and find what I actually want, to give myself the room and ability to want things. because if I don't, I'm looking down the barrel of decades of a life I'm not sure I want to live. I'm not quite sure how to yet, it's not a skill that I've honed. i never feel like I can do things for myself, or else I'm a selfish, terrible person. so instead, I'm going to learn how for the sake of future me, that person I don't yet know but who I love nonetheless. i want to do better, to be better, to be happier, all so that she can look back at this moment and thank me for the doing the hard work now so that she won't have to.

so, here's to future me. i promise I will make you happy.