#But it's visually less impressive than these shots so I left it out lmao

[almea]

[xenosagaepisodeone]

ok 3.0+1.0 longpost -_-

it’s difficult for me to describe how I feel about 3.0+1.0 as a film because it’s artistic vision is just a 25 year cultivated response to the otaku fixation on nge. this film hardly feels like it can stand on it’s own feet as a coherent story -- it’s constantly introducing and reinterpreting symbols, contexts and concepts in order to lay down some kind of grounded world while also wanting to be evocative of the freeform flow of feelings occurring in EoE/Ep25/26. if this movie was it’s own thing and just living in the shadow of it’s predecessor, I could probably live with it and maybe even say that I liked it, but it’s flip flopping on if it wants the metanarrative to drive the story or if it wants to erect a new mythology of Eva altogether completely squanders maximizing the potential of doing either. what were left with is a very cowardly iteration of the message at the end of nge -- “human connections are important, even if they can be painful” becomes “ if we show you what you wanted to see for the past nearly 30 years, will you grow up now?”

"Defeated" feels like how I would describe the ethos of this film.

reiQ’s farmer adventures were cute, but in a way that felt bittersweet- because this character is not actually rei. not simply because she is not ayanami, but because she carries no actual development from her previous iterations like the other characters of rebuild. reiQ answers the question of “what if rei was actually as moe as she looks in official art” but forgets to pull the rug out from beneath you to unveil the depths of her turmoil. while Ayanami would say “I am not your doll to control”, reiQ has almost every aspect of her character dictated to her by other people - and this is depicted as fulfilling and human (because Anno wants you to get a job and have kids). not even her name is her choice. her sudden death only exists to serve as a motivator for shinji. I wanted to believe that this was some commentary on how a relationship without pain and loss cant exist, but it seems unlikely as rei (1, 2, 3, Q, Ayanami, lilith, etc) does not have an arc in this film. also the TV production quality of the village segment made it feel like I was watching a 12 episode sol as opposed to an actual film.

funnily enough, my feeling towards reiQ made me feel retroactive distaste towards 1.0 and 2.22. I’ve never thought rebuild was good, that much has never been a secret. 1.0 and 2.22 however carried enough over from the original series that it felt like the original characters were picking themselves up and getting better. I was happy seeing asuka, who had previously spent 26 episodes and a movie being miserable, open herself up to happiness. I was happy seeing rei connect more with shinji. even if the characters had to become simplified versions of themselves to find their own peace, it didnt feel thatbad. I didn’t realize until 3.0 came out how little this tetralogy had to it beyond puppeteering iconography and hoping that fans find meaning in it. 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 carried the same conviction of 1.0 and 2.22 of showing you characters you like doing things you wished they did, but with the support of the original series environment withering away to unveil half baked ideas, convoluted plots and meaningless regurgitation of every meaningful image this series has produced. seeing rei stripped even farther than her bare bones as reiQ put into focus what I thought I appreciated about 1.0 and 2.22.

there were a few times throughout this movie where I was trying to figure out what it was that anno was trying to say. as stated in my op paragraph, the film does carry it’s own simplified message about how important it is to grow up and face the real world, but this message largely betrays the framing. its cowardly. the pain that shinji experience does not come from the Other anymore, it is all self inflicted. learning to endure hardship simply became a matter of overcoming your own feelings, because now everyone else in your life effortlessly accepts you. there are 3 girls with who dont have any problems anymore and a solarpunk empire that would be all over you if you simply stood on your own two feet. there is no asuka experiencing hedgehog dilemma with shinji, there’s only asuka who exists so shinji can learn how to confess to a girl. there is no misato constantly subjecting shinji to a interplay of projecting her issues onto him and attempting to mother him (with varying degrees of success), there’s just shinjis step mom who accepts that she is responsible for him (which feels GREAT to see but feels bad when you think about what it sacrificed to get there). for a guy whose complicated relationship with otaku culture has bled into his work, you would think that idealistic fantasy of the real world wouldnt be the crutch of the delivering his message. when I say that “defeated” is the ethos of this film, I mean that it is so lacking in purpose compared to its predecessors that it wears itself thin trying to superficially have something for every conceivable audience while throwing out the meat of why people liked those things in the first point.

I was surprised to see that it was gendo who survived as the most introspective part of the film. i’m conflicted towards how I feel about a gendo redemption arc, but I feel as if his instrumentality sequence itself was decently shot (I hate having to compare it to ep 25/26 but it lacks the artistic flare for such a big budget film) and very well articulated. there’s a beautiful story in here about realizing your parents are people and parents realizing the responsibility they owe to their children, but I wish it could have been explored in a different film where characters are less held back by their established canon. honestly watching this whole sequence made me wonder if anno is still friendly with goro miyazaki LMAO

I was largely uninterested in the fight scenes, I think the only one that genuinely made me feel something was the one towards the end where asuka turns into an angel. the poor fight choreography coupled with weird shot composition and the overbearing usage of cg makes fight sequences overbearing and kind of difficult to decipher. cg fights are largely 1 eva vs a swarm of enemies that take up the screen, all of them having the same line weight which just ends up making all parties involved look like a mesh of colors. there arent real stakes for the most part either, asuka and mari tear through waves of enemies with effortless precision accuracy in a way that isnt visually or technically impressive.

believe it or not, I don’t actually dislike Mari. Mari enacts what Anno sought to do with the Rebuilds -- to destroy Evangelion. Mari (literally!) falls out of the sky into the story and is not gripped by the pain of the hedgehog’s dilemma as she exhibits her adoration for most things. her romance with shinji is intentionally analogous to how anno perceives his relationship with his wife -- that she saved him by encouraging him to live in the real world. the actual, textual ridiculousness in her character is softened when you realize that she’s just another component of his 4 movie long exhibition of telling everyone his life is better now that he’s successful and has a hot and talented wife.

is it worth complaining about all the crotch or ass shots. i think we all feel the same way about it. anyway i have more thoughts but these are my loose ones.

[imo-chan-imagines]

『 Haikyuu!! Week 2020 | Day 3 』

· Sept. 27th → Irresistible Force ·

Characters: Karasuno team

Prompts: A. favourite team + B. crossover/AU

Tags/warnings: Haikyuu!! (anime), PG, fluff, crack, a teensy bit of angst (because who doesn't love a sad superhero backstory), headcanons, AU, superheroes, HaikyuuWeek2020

A/N: Again, I love all the teams and didn't want to pick, but life is cruel, so here I am. This is headcanons about my fav team (Karasuno) in an AU (superheroes). I was thinking of a Hero Association, kind of like in 'The Boys'? But less corrupt... Maybe more like in 'One Punch'? I think you get me.

All of my Haikyuu Week 2020 posts will be SFW, but I have NFSW content on my blog if that butters your biscuit. Feel free to check it out! Thanks for reading! Please enjoy ♡ Imo~

Karasuno / Superhero Association AU

×

☆ Sawamura Daichi ☆

Powers: nigh invulnerability, super strength, enhanced healing

If he's not the ordinary cop that somehow befriends the heroes I was tempted then he's definitely the leader of the superhero group

Kind of like Superman in the old-school Justice League, just not as OP lol

Looks damn good is spandex those thighs *sweats*

Cape!! so ✨majestic✨

Probably wears dark-ish, neutral colours with a dash of blue

A bit serious. Not the kind of hero to go around making quips all the time, but will make light of his own suffering like Captain America

Takes younger heroes under his wing like the true Dadchi he is

Strong moral compass. Unbreakable

Won't hesitate to lay down his life for others

Who am I kidding. He's basically Captain America with a cape

Poster-boy for the Hero Association

×

☆ Sugawara Koushi ☆

Powers: telekinesis

A soft, pearly aesthetic with his suit, hair and skin. Lots of white and silver

A favourite among the ladies he's just too pretty, damm it T T

Very plucky and adorable

People in the vicinity will literally faint when he goes all serious to concentrate and use his powers

Has a duo move with Daichi where he literally throws him like a missle YEET

Has the most followers on Twitter and TikTok and his fans can be pretty nuts

Has a perfume line named after him and models for the adverts

Will smile like an angel right before bringing a building down on top of you fuck, I find this one really funny

×

☆ Azumane Asahi ☆

Powers: regeneration, enhanced stength

Kind of like Wolverine or Deapool but, like, much, much softer on the inside uwu

Wears green and black

Messed up big time back in the day and dropped off the grid out of guilt some people died :(

Was convinced to come back when his old teammates finally found him again because they needed his help in a crisis

Literally shed tears of relief when heroes and citizens alike welcomed him back instead of hating him mah heart *sniffs*

Can withstand seemingly anything and fully heal within a matter of days

Doesn't know the full extent of his powers himself. How exactly do one test it? 🤔

Still has to psych himself up for a fight, though big softy, really

×

☆ Shimizu Kiyoko ☆

Powers: electrokinesis, flight

Powers like Storm from X-Men, and kicks ass like Wonder Woman

Refuses to wear a revealing suit, but looks bomb af anyway

Kiyoko = absolute queen

One of the most powerful heroes, but doesn't throw her weight around unless she's kicking bady-guy booty

Stella gynamast, and has mastered several martial arts

Can literally throw a guy three times her size, all without any strength powers Tanaka: 👁👄👁

Somehow has perfect hair all the time secret superpower??

Is active on the political stage as a human rights activist, headlining women's rights yes, yes yes

Will strike you with lightning for sexual harassment

Comes up with really good mission plans

Is a soothing balm for Tanaka when he loses it

Black and gold aesthetic✨

Asymmetrical cape! super fashionable

Poster-girl for the Hero Association

☆ Tanaka Ryuunosuke ☆

Powers: fire generation and manipulation

Tanaka brings the heat literally

A bit of a chaotic-good, but what's new there?

Can get out of control if he loses his focus, so his friends have to keep him grounded Kiyoko is a literal angel when that happens

Kiyoko: Sun's getting real low...

Bonus points if you get the reference

Is terrified of hurting innocents if he gets out of control

It rarely happens, but if he loses his self confidence, his powers don't seem to work

Shouts cringy lines at the villains before roasting their asses lmfao

Wears a black and orange flame-retardant suit, and actually looks pretty fine in it 😌👌

Literally head over heels for Kiyoko just imagine it. Biggest hype man

×

☆ Nishinoya Yuu ☆

Powers: animal metamorphosis, enhanced speed

Think Beast Boy from 'Teen Titans', but less green he's more likely to be yellow or orange, lmao

Handy in lots of different situations. Very versatile

Incredibly cheeky and joins in with Tanaka's cheesy jokes and one-liners

Absolute maniac, but the people love him, especially schoolkids lmao

Has his own energy drink flavour, and he's STOKED about it

Yellow and black suit, kind of like his hair

Has a surprisingly large following of fans

Laps up the attention, but it doesn't really go to his head

Quiet and serious when he's on a mission/fighting

☆ Hinata Shouyou ☆

Powers: self replication, super speed, levitation

His powers took a while to properly manifest, which left him feeling isolated as a teen

Was pretty lost until Ukai helped train him

Got into a fight with Kageyama in an alleyway when he first met him MET HIM IN THE STREET, LMAO

Argues with Kageyama a lot at headquarters, but they work together like a dream when taking down bad guys

Has a heart of literal gold precious baby

Is contantly amazed when he helps significantly

Was inspired to become a hero by his idol, the Little Giant and it's his dream to inspire someone else 😭😭

Uses his replication ability to confuse the bad guys ULTIMATE DECOY

Levitates around the room when he's excited like Aang from ATLA, hahaha

Wears an orange, white and yellow suit with little wings on his heels cuuuute

×

☆ Kageyama Tobio ☆

Powers: water/ice generation and manipulation, breathing underwater, superhuman reflexes

I was tempted to give him fire/ice powers like Todoroki, but I didn't want to detract from Tanaka

Has problems focusing his powers, and can be quite turbulent in the heat of battle

Finds it hard to work well with others initially, but really makes an effort

Has hurt people close to him by accident before and never wants to do it again it would tear him apart

Becomes a power duo with Hinata when Ukai helps train them, even though they don't seem to get on well at first

Broody boi on the surface, but a cinnamon roll deep down

Wears a dark blue and deep purple suit that has fins to assist in underwater escapades which are his forte

Freezes Hinata's feet to the floor when he pisses him off or anybody's feet, tbh

Can dodge almost anything because of his reflexes don't ever try to punch him. You'll look stupid

Is surprised by the number of people in his fan club especially the number of women asking to marry him??

×

☆ Tsukishima Kei ☆

Powers: telepathy, superhuman intellect, mind control on weak-willed individuals

Prefers to outwit his enemies rather than getting into a brawl

But his self-designed gadgets and tech help him out if he has to a bit like Tony Stark, wink wonk

Sometimes makes you question if he's really a hero or not Tsukki, please

Doesn't take orders well

Baits villains by insulting them and getting the better of them with his words it's hilarious

Comes up with good plans, but improvises well with whatever he's got

Probably wears suits over his spandex most of the time fancy shmancy

Is prepared to die to protect Yamaguchi waahhh

×

☆ Yamaguchi Tadashi ☆

Powers: invisibility, force fields, teleportation

Susan Storm with added teleportation, lol

Often finds it hard to value his powers because they're not as visually strong and impressive as other people's

Rather than squaring up to a battle, he often has to 'hide' from it by literally going invisible

But he gradually becomes aware of how vital his powers can be, and learns to control them and make them as advantageous as possible

Is a highly important and valued member of the team

Soft bean that gets nervous and throws up before a fight

But he's hella determined and won't back down

Honestly, just wants to protect Tsukki and make him proud PROTECT HIM

×

☆ Yachi Hitoka ☆

Powers: size manipulation

She can shrink and enlarge herself and objects she touches at will, including other people

Sometimes shrinks really small to avoid social situations she doesn't want to be in samez, honey

The clumsiest and least experienced on the team

But she tries her best, gradually getting to grips with her powers

Sometimes uses her powers by accident, like when she's nervous

Once touched a watermelon slice on the refreshment table and accidentally blew it up to the size of a car Hinata, Kageyama and Noya fully dug in with their faces 😭😭

Nearly passed out when Daichi, the literal god of the Hero Association, told her she had great potential

Don't worry, Yams teleported and caught her

☆ Ukai Keishin ☆

Powers: laser vision, metal mimicry

The has-been hero who lost his enthusiasm for hero-ing and retired some years ago

Was really cool back in his hayday. Big hot-shot with a fan club

Has been working as a convenience store attendant to pay the bills and is bored out of his mind but refuses to admit it

Was convinced to get back in the game when he found Hinata and Kageyama fighting, both struggling with their abilities. He broke up the fight and agreed to coach them

Doesn't do much of the flashy hero stuff anymore, but will occasionally get stuck in when he's needed must protecc his children

Is only, like, ten years older than the other heroes, but they treat him like some fossilised sensei out of Natuto, or some shit

Tbf, he has the back problems of one 😭😭

×

☆ Takeda Ittetsu ☆

Powers: power absorption

Transferred from being a hero to hero management after having having issues with the effects of his powers he has a conscience :(

He felt guilty and responsible for permanently taking the powers of others, even if they were criminals

It was like removing a piece of their souls it kind of broke him

These days, he makes sure nobody knows about his powers, so it can't be used against him

He helps in any other way possible

He would only use his powers again in dire circumstances he knows he'll eventually have to

Is generally chipper and good natured, though

If he was ever captured by a villain, they'd probably send him back because he talks too much omg, hahaha

Helps gather info for the team and direct them on missions and in fights

Gives bomb inspirational speeches ✊

�� imo-chan-imagines 2020

[senpai-no-lie]

Golden Deer Route

So I finished the Golden Deer Route!

Why I chose Golden Deer: I have already played through Blue Lions, and from what I’ve heard about Edelgard, I figured I’d be more fond of Claude than her. And, well, that’s true, and I can see the appeal of the Golden Deer kids, this route is a bit of a mixed bag.

Who Was My Dancer: Ingrid. I really like Ingrid as a character, and I was torn between her, Marianne, or one of the boys as my dancer. Ultimately chose Ingrid because I remembered her having a pretty good magic stat in my BL playthrough, and I wanted to capitalize on that. She rocked as a dancer and was a fantastic asset to the team. 

What Paired Endings Did I Get:  

Claude & Ingrid (I was trying to get Ingrid with Yuri, but I think I just had Ingrid dance for Claude too much on the final chapter)

Ralpheal & Ignatz (again)

Lysithea & Balthus

Leonie & Seteth (I wanted this last time, so here we go)

Lorenz & Catherine (Whatever to this one)

Yuri & Constance

Ashe & Hapi 

Who Did Byleth Marry: Marianne. I’m fond of her as a character, her Goddess Tower scene was fun, and I think she’d be a great wife. But I’ll be honest, was really torn between her or Yuri.

Which Claude Do I prefer?: Pre-timeskip! I think both character designs are comparable, but I felt that pre-timeskip Claude was a bit less clingy to Byleth. Though, that white wyvern was boss af.

General Thoughts: I liked the route, but I don’t think it was as well-rounded as Blue Lions. This route was a mash of church stuff and Claude stuff, and the back and forth just made everything a bit stranger. Also, the last minute “Edelgard wasn’t that bad; she was a pawn and thanks Hubie for telling us. They’re pretty swell after all” was generally laughable. The only BE character I recruited was Petra, for supports, so it was at least novel to have them all as enemies. 

The Golden Deer Characters:

Before I started this route, in my head I had “Marianne White and the 7 Peers” as the characterization motif for the Golden Deer, and I wasn’t really wrong about their one-note personalities, since the only supports I really needed this round were Claude’s and some of the non-other-route exclusive DLC characters’.

Claude: Sneaky. I can see the appeal of Claude, I really can, but there’s a lot about his that vaguely irritated me. The back-and-forth of him being a shining idealist who wants everyone to get along and then being a sneaky sneakster who the player often is told uses poisons to get his way make it hard to believe either side of him is genuine. I also found Claude to be pushy (about interrogating Rhea and the whole journal incident) and his clinginess to Byleth makes comparatively the least amount of sense, assuming we all accept Edelgard’s position as Boss Babe Waifu Bait legitimizes her behavior around Byleth. Enjoy his supports and Claude as a unit, but Claude screams “I’m not like the other lords, really” a little too hard for my tastes.

Hilda: Lazy (or Whiny works too) I like Hilda, and she’s a heavy hitter! At first I thought she was going to be like Charlotte, who I love, but she’s not lol. I could make petty complaints about Hilda’s mostly unaddressed racism (bigotry, if you want to be generous to her) or her lazy ways, but she never really bothered or stood out to me either way.

Marianne: Snow White. Marianne would probably make my top 10 3H characters. Great unit, great person, and I really like her voice actor.

Lysithea: Angry (or Tsundere-y, if you want to make up words). Let it be known that I am partial to tsunderes of any gender, and as a consequence, me and Lysithea were vibing. In Azure Moon I made her a gremory, but now that I’ve completed the DLC, let me just say Valkyrie is the way to go with her. With that one staff she can get up to 6 range, perfecting her role as a glass cannon.

Leonie:  Sweaty. Leonie, in her supports, at least is somewhat fleshed out and likeable, but damn is she so freaking annoying in the storyline, slamming how much she loves Jeralt down your throat, despite how mostly apathetic he seemed about her existence while he was still kicking. A great unit, but if I took a shot every time she mentions Jeralt, I’d be dead.

Lorenz: Snobby (or M’lady). Hot take but I don’t like Lorenz. Post-timeskip he looks like an angry purple lizardman and he is a white knight fedora tipper. His voice irritates me, his supports irritates me, and his face irritates me. Going through the mage path at least fixed up his speed some and he ended up being a serviceable Dark Knight, at least. 

Ignatz: Sorry (or Artsy, if you’re less mean). Ignatz, much like Claude and Bernadetta, seems to be modeled after some flavor of Tumblr user, which would be socially stunted artsy type. He’s just okay, but I’m kind of allergic to people who apologize for existing. I know people like to say “oh, he gets more confident over the timeskip” but can you really argue that when you can view most of his C-supports post-timeskip? in BL I made him an assassin, but this time I had Ignatz as a Mortal Savant (because I love magic), and it rocked. 

Raphael: Hungry. Not really much to say about him besides that. Not my type and not my character personality template either.

Judith: Take a shot every time she calls Claude “boy” in a way that wouldn’t sit right in modern purity politics lmao. She was okay as the like Rodrigue that doesn’t die character, but I am not so easily smithen for your run-of-the-mill Boss Babe. In a similar vein, Nadar left little to no impression on me, and his presence on that one map irked me because he sniped my Linhardt kill. 

Assorted Bulleted Thoughts:

I really liked the last few maps of this route. They were visually interesting, offered a bit of a challenge while also being fun. 

I’m glad we actually got to interact with Rhea after rescuing her, because that was a let down in BL. (But yeah, settle the fuck down, Claude, on harassing Rhea the second she’s free because your boyfriend Hubie left you a letter)

 I can’t confirm for Petra, but it’ s interesting to note that the only death Edelgard remarks on is Bernetta’s, probably because she sets the bridge on fire. Not a word for anyone else lol

In a similar vein, because my Lysithea had 6 range, stupidly high magic stats, and most of BL are weak to magic attacks, I was able to one-shot everyone but Sylvain (he was too far away) with her on the Grounder map. I rewound time to un-kill them all, because I just wanted to see what they said and how Dimitri reacted. Dimitri shouts Felix’s name, which I thought was real gay.

Speaking of that Gonder fight, lame lame lame lame that there was no animated scene or even a still of Dimitri’s death. Felt cheap, and having Gilbert take Dimitri’s body when he wasn’t even on the battlefield, also lame. 

Last animated scene with Nemesis was real dope, but Claude’s speech was top tier cringe and kind of taking me out of the moment. I would expect Naruto to say shit like that.  

[maiji]

Some thoughts on the new YYH OVAs

Lots of spoilers if you've never read the manga, slightly fewer spoilers if you have, but I talk about differences between the two so if you don't wanna know before you see it yourself SPOILER

The following is mostly observations on technical and visual storytelling things I find interesting. 

Voice acting. (I did amateur voice acting as a kid but I didn’t keep that up and obviously I’m super NOT a pro, so apologies if some of the following technical terminology use is not quite right.) Chiba Shigeru (Kuwabara) and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Hiei) are pretty consistent with their original voices from over two decades ago, which is pretty amazing in and of itself. Ogata Megumi (Kurama) and Sasaki Nozumu (Yusuke) have both drifted somewhat more noticeably for me.

In Ogata Megumi’s case, she's gotten so much more experience since her original breakout role, and is even more skilled at hitting and working through the tonal range/vocal register for a male character. This made it extra entertaining listening to TWO SHOTS since this is supposed to be a younger version of Kurama lol.

Sasaki Nozomu's voice seems to have changed a bit in the last decade or so. I hadn't been paying much attention to seiyuu stuff for a long time but I first really noticed a few years back when J Stars Victory VS came out (one of the Shounen Jump crossover fighting games) and I was watching trailers with Yusuke in them and was aurally thrown off. He had a pretty distinct voice with an unusual timbre that made me able to recognize him in almost anything I heard him in to the point where watching a Rurouni Kenshin OVA or hearing Cloud Strife yelling and grunting in Ehrgeiz made me go HEY THAT'S SASAKI NOZOMUUUUU!!!111. But I can't do it with his current take; it’s different. Or maybe I'm just old and out of touch now. lmao

Transitions and changes. 25 years later, animation technology has of course evolved hahaha. One thing I really noticed was how much more animation of the background it felt like there was compared to the original series, especially full-on rotations like when Kurama detects Hiei’s presence, or when Yatsude actually appears.

I'm fascinated by how things are adapted for different media and how the animators fill in the gaps between panels and sequences - I just love seeing what they come up with that didn’t exist in the original. So I was much more interested in Noruka Soruka than TWO SHOTS, the latter of which has already been tackled in other versions before. But all that said, and maybe this was a result of my expectations - I was actually pretty pleasantly surprised at the level of new tweaks they DID bring to the table in TWO SHOTS, and in some ways maybe more so than Noruka Soruka. I thought TWO SHOTS tackled adaptation challenges/changes exceptionally well. I also liked their decision to drop a less critical sequence (Maya's arrival at Yatsude’s) and give more focus to Kurama and Hiei's coordination during their fight VS Yatsude. And I really liked the use of colour! The contrast between the warm sunset palettes in Kurama’s “everyday” world/school life and the cold palette of the warehouse, for example. I found it really nicely executed. 

I had a lot of fun noting keyframes based on the manga, particularly parts that are flipped compared to the original panels. Decisions in comics paneling are generally based around how the artist wants to guide the eye for reading (e.g., characters facing towards the direction the reader is reading, like right to left in Japanese, help create forward momentum, while characters facing the the opposite way help to create mental pauses or slow the action down). It was interesting to note when the orientation changes in the anime, since animators are technically not constrained in the same way by that kind of composition consideration (albeit they still have others).

Other changes are often made to accommodate, or simply exist because of, the fact that animation has additional variables of sound and motion, and often things get exaggerated. For example, Kurama says something out loud instead of it being a thought in his mind as text on the panel; his reaction to something seems more overt because not only are we looking at his facial expression and a speech bubble going "Huh!" or whatever, we see the jolt of his head, the actual movement of his mouth, and hear the force in the startled exclamation, etc. I always find it very interesting to compare the directing with the additional factors now available. In some cases I still prefer the manga, perhaps because I tend to like subtle (boring...hard to explain... lol) things. For example, the intro with the guys wandering into Yatsude’s lair - I preferred the manga version where it cuts out as a straight on shot instead of the OVA where the camera has the motion of something zooming towards them from an angle that accelerates at the end. For me personally the former created a starker horror mood.

But I have to say what MOST impressed me about TWO SHOTS was probably Yatsude. I thought they did a fantastic job translating his design and fleshing out this character’s motion/movement quirks and attacks for full animation and giving him a really solid presence and weight.

As mentioned when Noruka Soruka was first announced, I was most curious how they would handle the ending since it actually concludes in the next chapter and was adapted for the anime's actual ending. And they... did it in possibly the most straightforward way possible. Which for some reason I didn't think was what they would do since I thought it would be too abrupt. Hahaha.

Some frivolous things that amused me:

Seeing Yusuke's bedhead rendered in anime yeahhh!

Seeing and hearing Yusuke talking to Enki on the phone while the latter is getting Salonpas applied lmao

Watching the takeover of the guards with the timer. Mainly the part where Yusuke and Kuwabara land on the guards after coming out of the Jigentou dimension cut lmao

Hearing the interpretation of what the parrot grass sounds like lmao

Seeing big Puu with ears. (Togashi forgot about Puu's ears or maybe consciously changed Puu's design or SOMETHING in nearly all the panels throughout the end of the story.)

The additional sequences in the evacuation scenes. The Easter eggs of Kuwabara's dad and another alien Hiei made me laugh. Especially because I’M PRETTY SURE THIS IS THE ALTA BUILDING

SEE 

(also while trying get this streetview Google maps tried to give me directions to this building from Canada lmao) 

 Also this part:

Me: “Who’s that dude?”

Me: “OH YeAH IT’S YUSUKE’S BODY.”

Me: “For god’s sakes Keiko can carry him herself AND run out of both a house on fire and an exploding stadium.”

Last but not least, Hiei using Kokuryuha made me laugh. This doesn't happen in the manga, but I understand the need since it's considered his signature move. I just found it really funny because it's technically such an OVERWHELMINGLY DESTRUCTIVE MOVE saved for only the utmost of opponents. At that proximity it probably would have immolated not only all the enemies but also all of the Spirit World people they were trying to save. So it was kind of like watching someone go "man there are a lot of annoying mosquitoes in this room" and then whipping out a flamethrower to get rid of them lmao

[infini-tree]

Top 5 moments in the Kung Fu Panda movies

ask me unconventional/random “TOP 3/5/10″ end of the year lists!

seeing as that’s a little bit broad, even for me, im going to narrow it down with the scenes that are more action based

the main reason for this is mostly bc if i left it that broad (or even just based this countdown on Emotional Gut Punch-based scenes) Everyone can see from a mile away that i’d put the po finds the truth sequence in first, with the soothsayer’s and shen’s final scene as a close second and thats no fun if y’all Know

this got Super Long bc i wanted to YELL

honorable mentions:

oogway v kai: if kfp3 had anything going for it, it was the spectacle of the spirit realm. seeing oogway fight?? cool. the banter?? quality. on top of that, the spirit realm is an interesting place to fight in w the zero g thing going on… in concept. here’s the thing about the shift to qi blast-based fighting– you lose the physicality of the blows. like, for instance, when kai is hit with the first qi blast that literally spells out qi, his body language says that he at least felt that but with the way the qi dissipates like loose snow particle effects it… idk, left me wanting more??? then again, that could just be a case of oogway proverbially pulling his punches, but that’s too much filling in the blanks on my partas much as i nitpick, it was a fun fight

shen v. the master’s council: the only reason why this is in the honorable mentions is that a) that was barely a fight and was cut off by yknow. blasting t. rhino to smithereens and b) its still the best display of shen’s fighting stylei just. ITS SO GOOD???? just the way shen’s almost dance-like movements contrast with the council’s overall brute force, headstrong way of attacking. the bit where he distracts croc w the fan of his train to stop his attack for a sec so he has enough time to dispatch ox???? Cinematic Poetry

5. musician’s village

this bit is here mostly for the interactions between po and the five, as well as the ways they tag team against the wolves. it makes me do an emotion ok!! hes fighting w his heroes, and the techniques they employ in tandem like rescuing that one pig lmao

also the setting of a mountainside village was real novel at the time. also, there was real tension when the wolves broke thru the fog, and again when they get the metal and that shot where you see the gorillas on a neighboring peak, slightly obscured by fog?? thats just a nice bit of atmosphere

4. prison break

look, i don’t care for tai lung, but it just so happens hes part of two (2) scenes i like lmao

first thing’s first-- the color in this scene is impressive; despite how dark it is, the action is still v readable. im a sucker for kfp’s color symbolism, limiting the palette with the Negative (blue) and Power (red) color, with the exception of his eyes is just a nice touch. like. he sees himself as the hero of his own story and that hes just doing what he believes is his right and hes ascending past these terrible trials and tribulations

there is also the fact that this first Big Impressive kung fu feat you see and just. the bit where theres a rain of arrows and the only thing between him and getting shot at is this tiny elevator. thats a goode moment that just stands out to me, in terms of visuals

3. tower fall

while this isnt exactly an action scene in the sense of them fighting, its just a really good scene in regards of the scope, as well as the Emotional Gut Punch to po. in this moment, the synchronicity he’s had with the five has been shaken up slightly, and he’s left in an emotional state that’s less than ideal if you want to fight a megalomaniac warlord

the overpowering red as they try to figure out how to escape really adds to the tension of the situation as the tower they’re in is being gunned down by a barrage of cannonballs and just the moment where they run on the outside of the tower as the wolves shoot at them with flaming arrows is just a really fun setpiece

2. bridge fight

according to the directors’ commentary at the time, it was a pretty hard scene to actually make and DAMN did it pay off

admittedly, in theory there isn’t a lot of things to play with, fight-wise, in regards to a long bridge with a whole bunch of nothing on all sides. but at the time when i first watched it, i never considered “the bridge itself” to be an option

with the way the Extremely Limited ground plane of the bridge shifts, it adds an extra challenge for the ground-bound fighters (which is basically almost all of them except like. crane), as well as a point of tension-- the bridge needs to be held up, after all

as the prison break showed tai lung’s prowess, the bridge fight is the same for the five, giving them Something important and substantial to do, whether trading blows or trying to incapacitate tl

1. zen ball master

AW HELL YEA. every time i see zen ball master my heart swells with pride irt po-- my boye!! he did it!!! just the scene played out, the music, the color, it was all so good!!!!

like in the musician’s village scene, you get to see some po/five tag team moves which is always nice. but the fact that the council and shifu somehow make it there really makes it a Big Thing Yknow???

for instance, the way they used color to show which side was overpowering who. for most of the sequence, it’s set at night and is offset with Shen’s Red to show that he has Absolute Control of the scene. the desolate greys in that harbor scene where all hope is lost. the gradual shift from night/red to daybreak/gold as po finally achieves inner peace and redirects the cannonball

then there’s also the music?? ill talk abt the way the leitmotifs were used in a separate post but. the bit where po redirects the cannonball for the first time, almost blindly, the way the orchestra kinda quiets for a moment, as if they’re also processing what happened with the rest of the characters is just a good bit

[thebootybitchdragon]

lmao, i just keep ranting about this movie.

Why does it keep showing the moon eclipsing? That doesn't mean anything.

The Other Mother never said there was a time limit. The only condition of the "game" was to find the three eyes. Neither of them said anything about needing to do it before a certain time.

This is why this “game” sucks. There’s no stress involved. The answer to where the eyes are are obvious, and getting them are so incredibly easy there’s not even a threat. so Coraline can take her measly old time waltzing into each one and just taking them.

The plantcha should have been introduced earlier into the movie. To have the actresses give it to Coraline right before she needed to go back into the other world for her parents was a serious deus ex machina moment. "Here u go, here's this thing you'll immediately need! We're giving this to you for literally no other reason."

They built up the setup so well, and yet when it comes to this climax, it falls flat because it feels rushed. The Other Mother literally told her exactly where to find the eyes, thus removing all suspense or mystery or even point to the challenge. All Coraline had to do was look at the garden to understand what it meant, instead of, you know, actually needing to search for anything.

I feel like this movie would be better if they'd cut out a lot of scenes that don't have any point, like the store glove fight, the multiple other world dinner scenes, and the entire bit with the cat and "walking around the world." They didn't really add anything to plot or advance it in any way, so taking them out would have left more time to build up the climax.

The way this movies organized feels.....broken. its pacing sputters. sometimes its too slow, sometimes it breezes past things.

The corrupt garden and stage sisters were so short, and not really all that scary. oh, the well tries to eat her and the other father sacrifices himself to give her the eye. thats.....sad? i guess? good for him? what was the point of him existing anyway? The stage sisters were in a piece of candy like they were twins in the womb, holding hands. Which was a little creepy and very interesting so i was like "okay, this is gonna be neat!" and then they pop out with their elastic plastic arms and it was a big disappointment. not in the least bit creepy or even disturbing. don't even get me started on the fucking bat-dogs, that was such a fucking lameass cop-out.

The other world is built up in this moment to be "turning" from being magical and perfect to being horrible and a lie. and yet it falls flat. there’s not a single hint of Coraline being in any sort of actual danger. we know shes going to get the eyes. So why are you just brushing past these things when you could make them visually stunning and interesting to make up for what we obviously know is going to happen?

because its not visually stunning right now. its boring to look at, not at all interesting, and its so rushed its hard to even care about them. or remain invested, given i’m here on tumblr complaining about it instead of, you know, watching the rest of the movie.

The real mom hasn't been any less of a cunt either, by the by. she told Coraline to put back a simple pair of gloves that were on a half off sale mind you then turned around and said she'd get Coraline something she wanted at the grocery store in the very next scene.

Coraline's response of "what, like the gloves" was a perfectly valid snap back. if you're going to offer to get your kid something, don't do it five minutes after saying "no, you can't have anything."

This little bit of cuntness wasn't needed in the slightest because Coraline hadn't been doing anything that warranted being 'punished'. she was being (generally) good in the store. so why wasn't she allowed to even ask for them? and then why'd you do a complete 180, and offer to get her something when she was being a mopey little twat?

and again, the gloves were on sale. she wasn't asking for a full priced expensive item. her argument of wanting to be an individual at school was a valid one. and yet the mom shot it down completely.

real mother's still a bitch. not as bad of other mother, but still.

i get it, she's coraline’s mother, and kids love their mothers unconditionally, that’s the theme. and yet the film has done nothing but show us a broken relationship between the two and has yet to do anything to repair it. the only argument Coraline had to staying in the other world was the eye buttons. not "but i love my other other mother...." or "what about my real family?" like any normal child.

that's super telling, because it means that coraline would’ve been a-okay staying there and telling her real mom to piss off if not for that condition. the other mother didn't have to manipulate her very much because Coraline was already one foot out the door in the relationship with her real mother. mothers and daughters fight and push each others buttons, yes, but the film has done nothing to show the real mom actually cares at all, nor that coraline loves her that much. its a broken, unhealthy relationship.

and i hate it. i hate it i hate it i hate it. i guess i related to it more when i was 15, when the move first came out. but looking at it now, neither one of them or their actions or how they progress make sense. the mother is constantly in the wrong, coraline doesn't care, the father's clueless and plays no part in the film, and the other mother a stupid antagonist who told Coraline exactly what to do to beat her.

I have a bitter taste in my mouth rn, bc i don't think these things, these problems, i'm seeing are going to be resolved in any way. i used to love this movie for some reason? i think it was because it was stop motion. i have a thing for stop motion.

and yet even that feels lacking. sure, it's pretty and the models are amazing due to their abnormal bodytypes. but there’s nothing really stunning. the stage show and the garden were the only things that i thought have been really impressive.

i feel like i'm being unfair bc i keep comparing it to Corpse Bride in my mind. which had a significantly more "in your face" style choice. the backgrounds were gorgeous, the lighting was amazing, the characters were lovable, and the story was really good and its pacing was consistent. it also did the whole creepy disturbing thing correct, what with the land of the dead's occupants. and that was a children's movie as well, so what was this films excuse for skimping on the crazy and creepy? i'm still so pissed about the stage sisters, they had such a good setup for that and it flopped so hard.

I also keep comparing it to a Danny Phantom fanfic based on it i read a while ago. I can't help but feel that story's story was more fluid and and coherent than this movie's. its pacing was stable, the actions of the characters made sense, their personalities were explained, explored, and they changed. and the visual descriptions were awesome. its a pompep fic tho, that was the only issue, but it was done so well that i forgave it.

this movie is just generally giving on the vibe of lackluster and its making me super duper sad bc i remember it being much better.

Maybe i’m wrong tho, maybe the actual climax will be awesome and make up for it all. i really hope so.