#LAYERS of a HUGE plot thing that will be part of the major resolution at the end

[monty-glasses-roxy]

The Ruined pizzaplex is steeped in death and disrepair, it’s almost to the point that when the others are finally Meteor-ed, they don’t even know if they’ll survive escaping the damn place. None of them know, it’s a death trap. I don’t even think some of them expected to live for long after they escaped

But then they do, and they’re in a completely unfamiliar world that’s saturated with life and it’s unlike anything they’ve ever been exposed to before. Fazent always carried that touch of death, yknow? They never knew any different.

But then they claw their way into the light and someone is wrapping a blanket around their shoulders and giving them a bottle of water and asking if they’re ok because they must’ve just been Changed, they look so disoriented, and they don’t know what to do.

But they have each other, they’re *alive* again. The scars will never go away, but they have each other, and they desperately hope that’s enough.

YOU COME INTO MY HOUSE-

Fsdfsdf nah though you're on the right lines with this... may I offer...

The Plex is dead. It's stagnant, forever unchanging and is left to rot like all the other bodies under the floorboards. Those that remain are rotting and hurt, discarded like broken and unwanted toys and abandoned in the ruins of what is the only world, the only home they've ever known.

... But it's not dead.

How can it be? They're still there. They're still alive.

And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they'll realise that for themselves and start laying the kindle for their fire.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Batman: The Long Halloween Part 2

Watched Part 1 and 2 back to back last Friday and did a 3 hour movie marathon. Definitely the best way to watch this movie. Overall, this was a big hit for DC animation department. I really liked it. I am not sure if its quite as good as The Dark Knight Returns two parter that came out a few years ago but its far better then majority of the Batman animated movies that have been made since then.

Part 2 picks up directly after Part 1 so there is definitely a huge benefit of watching the movies back to back. Part 2 is where some of the differences in the adaptation are a bit more clear. The spirit of the comic is still kept in tact but the adaptation has a few plot changes. One of the best parts of the movie is the respect both movies give to Harvey Dent/Two-Face. He's arguably the second most popular Batman villain but he's never had much prominence in Batman movies even though Aaron Eckhart was excellent in TDK. But his Two-Face was only in the last 30 mins or so. This movie does a good job of establishing Two-Face and giving him the layers and making his way of judgement very clear. There is something touching about his conversations with Solomon Grundy in the sewers. He feels like an antagonist but not a villain. I think the resolution to the mystery is also interesting. I think giving Gilda a tragic backstory connected directly to the Falcones definitely helps beef up her motivation. It also adds an interesting layer to Falcone. In the end, you feel something for Gilda and you feel for Harvey and that he's trying to protect her.

There are a few minor things that didn't completely work. The movie does cheat a bit in terms of animation of the Holiday Killer. We get a fairly good look at the killer and its clearly animated to be a man despite it being Gilda. They could have made his appearance a bit more vague to bump up the intrigue. While I found the resolution satisfying, the vagueness of the comic was missing. Here there is a single killer whereas in the comic there are multiple killers, some who are accused, some caught, and some not caught. Also, I never completely understood why Catwoman was helping Bruce when her aim was to find out about her mother. She popped in and out of the movie. Apart from that, the movie is deliberately paced like a film noir detective movie and it works. The animation is solid and the voice acting is top notch with Josh Duhamel being the star of the movies. Ackles does an admirable job. He isn't quite the same level as Conroy or Greenwood, but he conveys the young Bruce quite well. A solid 8.5/10 for the movie overall.

[rujeangheilm]

Toy Story’s Story

Toy Story is the first computer animated film. It tells the story of two toys, Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody. The film required four years of effort to make which came out in 1991, marked a major shift in the way animation was viewed and performed. It was the first full-length film to feature a fully computer-animated character. The film’s plot was about a battle between old and new. The traditional toy doll character, Woody, is forced to contend with the new toy Buzz Lightyear, who usurps his affections. With Toy Story, Walt Disney Studios surpassed expectations with a movie that was both technologically and emotionally compelling. It's the one that started it all.

For more than two decades, Pixar has been producing some of the most iconic animated films in the industry. From Toy Story to Finding Nemo, the studio has always excelled at creating great characters and settings. Since 1995, Pixar has continuously pushed the envelope in terms of technology and storytelling. With each new movie, the studio continues to push the envelope even further. Since its inception in 1993, they have been working hard to create the first computer-animated film in history. Today, the company is one of the most trusted names in Hollywood. For as great as Walt Disney and Pixar have been, it's the stories that make them so special that matter most.

Many changes have been made to the way computer graphic animation works since 1995. These changes have allowed us to experience new worlds and new characters. Before computers were able to create animated characters, the work of animators was typically done in seconds or minutes. For this project, the challenge was to create a complete world that was fully animated. The members of the Modeling and Layout groups help the animators get started by providing them with shots that are already ready for animation. They also help minimize gross level motion by blocking it out. The traditional hand-drawn method of animation begins with drawing key poses for each character. These are drawn from an exposure sheet and a dope sheet, which contain a breakdown of the action and the words and stress that fall in the dialogue. After drawing the key poses, a cleanup artist is tasked with ensuring that they conform to the established look. The conditions for making this movie were relatively limited. The pay was not much for the animators who would come on board, but they were promised a place in the future of animation. Around 27 animators worked on the project at a time, and 400 computer models were utilized to create the characters' movements. The animators then coded the various parts of the film, which allowed them to make the characters move in various ways. The animators then tried to make this transition more natural for viewers. The animators started working on the scenes once they were set, and then added additional details such as lighting and shading. Still, they stuck to the limitations of live-action animation while still keeping it realistic.

FUN FACT: The animator of Toy Story based all the characters to his own toy collection. 

It was also mentioned that lights and shadows are very critical to the making of the first Toy Story, since colors back then to transmit digitally is very limited. Schemes are just within the primary colors, so, they use shadowing and lighting adjustments in order to get their desired shades. From working frame by frame, into having layers of traditional references, it was then shown that as time goes by, technology has evolved and creativity and discovery became broader. 

To see how far the company has come in just under 30 years, take a look at Toy Story 4. The animation in the film is some of the best in its history. While it's clear that Toy Story is dated, it's still impressive to see how far the company has come. The film's stunning visual style is still very much in keeping with the toy-centric world of today. Many elements were necessary to make the film, such as character development, unique software tools, and the creativity of the artists and designers. Animation on a computer is refined through a series of adjustments, which include the use of a broad gesture to convey the intended text. Unlike traditional animation, which only has key poses for an entire character, computer-generated characters can have multiple key frames for various parts of their bodies. One other advantage of working on a computer is that animators can see and hear their shot in real time. This allows them to draw styles and proportions that are consistent across all platforms. The animators keep things simple while still making sure that the toys look as good as they always have. They also use more 3D technology to give the toys a more immersive look. One thing that will stand out to you right away is how the animators managed to keep both Buzz and Woody looking good while making some changes to the animation itself.

Now, seeing the film Toy Story, as an artist myself, I cannot help but to be in awe, seeing how articulate the creatives were in terms of details. All textures, colors, shadings, thickness and vibrance of every material seen in the movie especially within the images of the characters, everything was on point. It has shown that the quality of work has transformed into a better technique, whereas, it surely demonstrated a clearer and modern resolution of an animation’s features. From forky’s glitter glue, to woody’s cowboy suit’s linen, you can see how meticulous and how cartoon turns into something as realistic as it might be. All movements became as smoothly transitioned, flowy and without any stop motion evidently present even though there are still framing of each movement used. Softwares and editing has also made a huge impact as 3D drawings can be positioned to make a live action by just using digital commands.

Truly, the animation has gone far! And surely, it’s perfection, progression and development will continuously prosper and be appreciated, until limitless, without barriers and ends. Just as what Buzz said, for me, creativity is what has to touch the media industry ‘To infinity and Beyond!”

-RU JEAN GHEIL R. MEEHLEIB

Ashton, W. (2019, June 27). Toy Story Vs. Toy Story 4: How Pixar’s Animation Has Changed Over The Last 24 Years. CINEMABLEND. https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2475686/toy-story-vs-toy-story-4-how-pixars-animation-has-changed-over-the-last-24-years

Cook, M. (2020, November 18). Toy Story at 25: how Pixar’s debut evolved tradition rather than abandoning it. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/toy-story-at-25-how-pixars-debut-evolved-tradition-rather-than-abandoning-it-149873

GCU. (2019, September 16). The Evolution of Toy Story’s Animation. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/performing-arts-digital-arts/evolution-toy-storys-animation

Henne, M., Hickel, H., Johnson, E., & Konishi, S. (1996). The Making of Toy Story. COMPCON Spring ’96. Published. http://people.uncw.edu/ricanekk/teaching/spring09/csc100/lectures/pattersone/TheMakingOfToyStory.pdf

Pixar Animation Studios. (2015). Art and Technology at Pixar, from Toy Story to today. SIGGRAPH ASIA. Published. https://graphics.pixar.com/library/SigAsia2015/paper.pdf

[kaleidographia]

[Review] Tales of Vesperia: The Brightest Star in the Night Sky Doesn't Shine as Strongly as I'd Hoped

Warning: Contains allusive/thematic spoilers.

The day is finally here! Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, containing content previously unseen outside of Japan, has finally been released, so that us English speakers and/or non-PS3 owners can experience the new storylines, characters and features for the first time! Alas, this isn’t a post about that, firstly because this post is going up day-of-release and I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, and secondly because I am writing this from outside of the country and won’t be united with my pre-ordered copy until I return next week, RIP.

Therefore, this post is written from the point of view of someone who has only played the Xbox 360 version. I will try to keep it brief for the sake of not spoiling newcomers to the game, and also hopefully not to complain about things that are fixed (or broken??) in the Definitive Edition.

Tales of Vesperia is a game in the long-running “Tales of” franchise from Bandai Namco, the first one in HD, originally released for the Xbox 360 in 2008, later receiving an updated PS3 version in 2009, exclusive to Japan. Like many older fans, my introduction to the Tales of series was with Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube, and I fell in love hard; I was therefore extremely excited to play the next games, but unfortunately, I never owned the platforms for them until very recently. Along with Tales of the Abyss, Vesperia and Symphonia form the “holy trinity” of games in the series almost everyone loves; find a Tales fan and ask them their favourite game, and the answer will likely be one of those three (note: I’ve heard very good things about Graces and the two Xillia games, but unfortunately haven’t had a chance to judge them firsthand myself). The three games, while not directly related in terms of plot or setting, share a lot of things in common, as they had mostly the same creative team, often referred to as “Team Symphonia” (as opposed to “Team Destiny” which made most other games since then). One notable difference is the scenario writer, Takashi Hasegawa, while Symphonia and Abyss were written by Takumi Miyajima.

The Tales series is known for its reliance on anime and JRPG tropes, often used in a way that plays off cliché expectations only to then layer plot twists and character development and produce a much deeper experience than what would be expected from the get-go. When used effectively, these methods produce a story that is both fun and emotionally challenging. Tales of Vesperia is no different, offering a cast of archetypes that should be highly recognizable to those familiar with the genre, and yet this may be best set of characters in a Tales game. The party has impressively good banter, chemistry and dynamics and several scenes had me laughing out loud or yelling, and I never had a bad time watching their relationships unfold.

Unfortunately, the game spares little time fleshing out backstories or learning more about each individual character outside of the main plot. By the end, I was left wanting, as the cast was so endearing and vibrant, yet I knew next to nothing about them aside from what had been relevant to show onscreen. I longed for more information about where they had come from and how they had gotten where they were, but it is a testament to the strength of the character writing that their storylines reached a satisfying conclusion despite this relative sparse amount of information about them. “Backstory is not story”, Craig McCracken and Frank Angones were fond of saying to fans of Wander Over Yonder, but for a game with the size and scope of a 60-hour JRPG, not providing that window of information feels like a hole in the worldbuilding.

Mechanically, Vesperia builds on the model established by Symphonia and refined in Abyss, where combat takes place in a 3D arena and the player can run around, hit enemies and rack up combos fighting game style (the franchise calls this “Linear Motion Battle System”). While Symphonia was in 3D, it restricted the player to a single side-to-side corridor of action. Abyss added the ability to run around in 3D space by holding down a button, a feature Vesperia also has. This makes combat easier and more fun, as nothing is quite as satisfying as avoiding an attack and then running around and hitting the enemy from behind. And, as the game allows up to four players controlling different party members, and I have a player 2 (shoutout to my roommate Opal), Vesperia’s system is the most well-suited to multiplayer. If nothing else, I never felt lost while on the battlefield yelling for backup. The one major flaw is that boss fights come with massive difficulty spikes and I often had to grind and formulate careful battle plans with Opal just to not get continuously massacred by bosses.

Storywise, Vesperia starts off very strongly, sort of peters out near the middle, and then the third act falls apart. At first the theme is anti-authority, with a protagonist who grew up in the slums, neglected by nobles, who became a knight and then quit out of disillusionment when it turned out all they did was squabble about politics, and the inciting incident and early driver of the plot is his quest to “fix the plumbing” as a popular Tumblr text post put it. It’s clear Yuri has all the reason in the world to not trust authority and he even goes full vigilante against unjust abuse of power, but while this thread seems like the most important theme in the story, after a while so many other elements come into play it ends up lost and doesn’t really make much of an appearance except to highlight the differences between Yuri and Flynn’s approaches to life and how they prefer to help people. On its own it’s a compelling idea, but it never gets the follow-through it deserves, and my expectations were certainly subverted—but in a bad way.

It’s hard to talk about the third act without spoilers so I will probably come back to it for a proper analysis at a later date, but its ultimate message was already kind of limp in 2008 and is even more laughable now. For a game whose initial premise was so strongly against authority, the ultimate resolution of the main conflict reads as incredibly daft in light of just about everything that is happening in politics at the moment. There’s a very strong environmental allegory and the comparisons to climate change are not subtle, but the writers probably bit off more than they could chew because realistically trying to solve this problem in the time the story allotted would have been next to impossible; I still would have hoped the implications of the given solution had been actually explored instead of settling for an “oh well, guess everything’s been fixed now”.

I’m being harsh about the plot because to me Vesperia has a lot of wasted potential. Don’t get me wrong: I do love this game. It is in fact up there with the holy trinity as far as my opinions of the series go, but it lands in third place out of the three because it just fails to live up to what its first half promises about the world it created. To put it bluntly, if the story had just ended at the conclusion of the second act, it would have been much stronger. That the game continues for another 20 hours on a completely different track with an unsatisfying, unrealistic conclusion is a huge shame because it brings down what could have been a real masterpiece of tropey anime JRPG narratives. I live for that stuff, there’s a reason I want to play every Tales game, but that’s what makes this letdown the most disappointing. At least the characters themselves get good conclusions; it is unfortunate I can’t say the same for the main plot.

Despite all this I think Vesperia is a worthwhile experience, and one of my favourite things about is its aesthetic sense. Every location is immersive, polished, and the pinnacle of what I want to see in a videogame, to the point I dream of Symphonia and Abyss remakes made in the same style (and every other game in the series, to be honest, but that seems unlikely with the direction it’s taken since then). I genuinely cared about the party and I wanted to see them succeed and I was ultimately happy that they did even if I did roll my eyes a lot. The combat was so satisfying and so fun to play with a player 2 it makes me twice as mad that Zestiria’s camera goes completely wild during multiplayer and prevents me from joining in. I should note that for someone who plays as many games as I do I am notoriously terrible at them so I heavily favour story over mechanics, but Vesperia is a game that reminds me that engaging gameplay can make a huge difference. Yeah, I suck, but at least I’m having fun while sucking. That’s more than I can say for a lot of games.

If you like JRPGs, games that let you run around and hit things, or fun and intriguing character dynamics, you’ll probably like Tales of Vesperia. If you’re looking for a coherent story from start to finish, you’ll probably disappointed, but there’s just enough there to keep you engrossed until the end. Overall, Vesperia is solid, and the parts it fumbles aren’t bad enough to ruin the whole thing, but hopefully the extra content in Definitive Edition helps to smooth it out; I’ll have to find that out for myself.

Aside from how it messes up the voice acting this time around. Oh, Bamco.

[pepeangogoan]

Thoughts on Patch 4.3′s Main Story Quests *SPOILERS AHEAD*

Hey it’s been a while! Not just since I’ve done one of these but since I’ve posted anything on this blog in general. Reason for that is largely due to my real life job and having gone on a trip to Germany with a friend recently. It’s been hard to do ANYTHING FFXIV related. But I plan to fix that now by discussing the new MSQs in Patch 4.3. But before we begin:

Behold Pepean’s new look for Patch 4.3! He’s going for something a little bit different this time.

Anyway, as always MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! DON’T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE THE MAIN STORY QUESTS UP TO THIS POINT! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Anyway, woo boy have things been an emotional roller-coaster with the story lately. People losing their memories, people who seemed nice turning out to be psychopaths... Though in Final Fantasy XIV that’s just another day at the office I guess. Well, let’s start with the Elephant in the room.

Tsuyu... Dear sweet Tsuyu... I call you that because I want to believe that part of you still existed in there somewhere. Beneath all the anger and hatred... I believe truly what was in your heart was a frightened little girl... I can’t begin to say I forgive you for your crimes as Yotsuyu... but know that... when you were Tsuyu... I loved you. I wished you could stay like that forever... to find a life of peace and innocence away from the the pain this war has brought on you... I hoped that some day I could wear your panties on my face... Wow I REALLY have issues don’t I?! In any case... sadly it was just not meant to be...

I suppose it made sense though from a story standpoint. She was going to HAVE to face punishment for her crimes as Yotsuyu eventually and bring resolution to all we learned about her backstory. Thinking about it, having her “Have amnesia and starting anew” would probably have been quite an anticlimactic conclusion for such a complicated character’s story. Even though part of me hoped she and Gosetsu would start a life as father and daughter together, this was probably the better outcome.

When you think about it... could she really HAVE a peaceful life? It’s brought up when she stumbles into the nearby village. Even with her memories gone... even if she had started life as a Doman citizen... the pain that she caused as Yotsuyu would still have been there. The people likely wouldn’t have forgiven her and she’d have to spend her entire life scorned for something she can’t even remember. Heck, if you want to look at the long term effects, that could then cause psychological damage to her child-like mind... and then we’d be right back at square one. It’s a vicious circle, and I think that’s what Square wanted to show with this scene when you peel back the layers.

Though I will admit: When she regained her memory and went back to her old self I did say to myself “Oh no... the bitch is back!”

But let’s move on to talking about another character that needs addressing:

To me this seemed like the perfect conclusion to Gosetsu’s story. While I think we’ll likely see him again in the future, probably to warn us about an oncoming threat, this felt like it closed the book on his character development. I REALLY liked how his relationship with Tsuyu was handled, particularly with his reaction to her death. He hated Yotsuyu as much as anybody... but when he saw that she truly had lost her memory and become nothing more than a scared lost girl he truly began to care for her. Got to feel sorry for the guy... he’s lost not one but two daughters in his life... His reaction upon seeing her dead body showed that he HAD truly grown to love her as if she were his own daughter. It’s with this act of forgiveness, this act of chivalry that we see that he is a noble and true Samurai through and through. Even her final words about him showed that there was still a part of her that loved him as well. Maybe because he was the first person to ever show her true kindness and love. The fact that a spiritual manifestation of him appears as a guardian during her boss fight speaks volumes about their relationship. At least to me it does. Farewell Gosetsu. May our paths cross again someday.

Alright, you want me to talk about HIM don’t you?

Asahi... this little bastard... this little psychotic prick... Now, I can see many people saying he was wasted potential... and to be perfectly honest... I don’t disagree... They really built him up as if he was going to be a bigger deal than he was. Don’t get me wrong, he was a MAJOR player in the plot while he was in it but... the fact that he meets his end without so much as a boss battle with him... was a bit of a letdown. I like that it was Yotsuyu that took him down ultimately but... at least let us have a swing at him first!

They seemed to be building to a bit confrontation with him with the big revelation that he was Zeno’s disciple all along and his hatred towards our characters for defeating him but in the end... he’s just abruptly killed...

Still, to give him credit: In EVERY single scene with him in during this patch I found myself saying “You bastard... you absolutely bastard!” Just because his end came a bit suddenly doesn’t mean he wasn’t well written while he WAS around. He was a cold-hearted psychopath through and through. He showed how blind obsession and loyalty can be toxic to a person and cloud your logic... something I’m more familiar with than I’d care to admit... For the brief time he was around he was a delightful villain. Just SO horrid and cruel. With every trick he pulled I wished all the more that we could wipe that cold, smug grind off of his face!

So, the idea that Zenos is possessed by an Ascian. Given his dialogue here and his sudden obsession with summoning I think that is likely the answer to how a man can be alive after STABBING HIMSELF. As Thancred says, we’ve seen their powers of possession before with him, so why not with the dead? The most obvious answer to this new Zenos’s identity is Elidibus... but for now it’s best to just wait and see because you never can tell with Square. Still, possession doesn’t quite explain how this body can walk around despite having a huge hole in its neck but... the answer is likely “magic”.

Though this may be somebody else walking around in Zenos’s skin...

... THIS is a very Zenos thing to say! We’ve seen this kind of thing happen before as well WAY back in A Realm Reborn when a Sahagin priest transferred his life into another body when summoning Leviathan. So it’s not that far-fetched to imagine that Zenos’s spirit still lives in another body... the question is: HOW?! YOU STABBED YOURSELF IN THE NECK! HOW IS YOUR SPIRIT STILL AROUND ON THIS PLANE?! All questions to be answered in time I suppose... Are we going to get a Zenos VS Zenos confrontation in the future? Body VS Soul?! This is getting trippy...

Finally one last thing I want to talk about:

... Did... did was just play as Alphinaud?! Did we just play as somebody OTHER than our characters in a battle?! I know we’ve been glamoured to look like other characters before... but this is the first time we’ve ever PLAYED as a NPC in this game... at least as far as I can remember! Don’t really know what this means for the future... probably nothing, but it was still cool while it lasted. I particularly love the “Roleplaying” status effect you have during this moment. A really nice meta joke there Square. Brief and easy though it may have been, this was still an interesting moment.

So THIS dude is the biggest thing to take out of this sequence. I have a few theories who he MIGHT be but that’s all they are at this point: theories. I’m likely wrong as well so we’ll just have to wait and see what his deal is. But it’s clear that he’s going to play a pivotal role in the plot moving forward... especially considering all the Ascian masks he’s carrying... What was his name again?

Shadowhunter?!

Let’s not make assumptions about this guy for now. All we know is that he’s Garlean though not part of the Empire, he knows the Scions, and he has a hatred of the Ascians.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on all the major goings on at the moment. As always if I missed anything out please feel free to ask me about it. Let me know what you thought of Patch 4.3′s MSQs and developments. It’s been a lot of fun doing this again and hopefully I’ll have more stuff as both Pepean and Teral coming in the future.

[micronecro]

hey if you're not too busy I was wondering if u had any idea why khr is such a popular fandom??? it isn't that structurally sound and theres a lot of plot holes???? and the anime happened 10 years ago with no movement since????? i mean i adore the series but i only got into it because of the relatively large fandom and i'm sort of confused as to what attracts all these people to it. do you have any ideas what makes khr so popular and long-lasting in fandom?

There’s a few really specific answers at play, here.

First of all; Amano’s writing style is really, really absurd and unpredictable. If you think of really out-there shounen series, like, uhhhh, Helk? You read Helk, and it’s different, but once you get to the angel raids, you essentially know exactly what this writing style is doing. You go, “oh, yeah, I’ve seen this before”. Power of friendship rallying, everyone has to come to an understanding but the threat won’t stop escalating, everyone gets a het ship, tons of twists you don’t expect but also don’t have any sort of impact anyway, lackadaisy pacing as we head towards the climax that undermines what’s left of the shitty twists, etc etc etc

When Amano gets going, though, you aren’t going to go “oh, yeah, I’ve seen this storytelling style before”. You go “...................huh?” 

Probably the best example of this is like, every resolution of an arc she’s ever done ever? Mukuro's arc being this underwhelming take-turns battle arc culminating in Tsuna getting fucking superpowers and Mukuro stabbing out his own eye with his fingers to summon snakes and ALSO he possesses all of Tsuna’s friends and THEN mysterious cloaked bandage gentlemen appear to take everyone to prison.

EVERYTHING about the final fight is interesting. It’s like an exact inversion of One Piece. There’s no big power moment, no grand buildup, just predictable boring shounen crap and then “...........................huh?”. It never drags, never outstays its welcome, just pops in, gives you a kiss, and leaves your expectations thoroughly jostled. 

The Future arc is the extreme end of this principle, where everything is boring as SHIT and about as average shounen as you could get. It’s like Amano read D.Gray-man and went “I want to do this, but really bad”. And then halfway through she suddenly starts easing in her clusterfuck of cool shounen ideas, and you’re left with nothing but the need to go “fuck it, okay, I’m down”. 

 SECOND of all, Amano uses the same principle as Season 1&2 BBC Sherlock; explain nothing, expand on the most interesting possible aspect, look cool doing it. It’s all flash and glamour, and there’s CLEARLY some sort of structure behind these shallow facsimiles of charactes and worldbuilding, but you never get to see it. Amano just slapped you on the back and went “yeah, no, go nuts. Write whatever you want. Sky’s the limit.”  You can just fuck about and the possibility of you being objectively wrong is startlingly close to zero. This is the main contributor to the longevity; because it went on for so long, expressed so much, yet explored so little, it has absurd lasting power on a thoughtpiece engine.

LASTLY AND MOST IMPORTANT: The characters. Amano sets up a framework, loads tons and tons of quirks onto them, winds them up, and watches them go. Every single major character has a second layer to them, but they all start out as easy-to-understand cutouts that you can really get comfortable with before their secondary layer is actually explored. Like, Hibari? He comes off as a powerful, authoritative smirking bastard who values his school more than the safety of his peers when he first shows up, but by the time he’s part of the main cast he’s a selfish, short-tempered petulant teenager easily threatened by things he cannot crush, but constantly validated by his ability to crush things that serve a challenge. He likes tiny animals and hamburger steak. Amano never draws attention to this, he kind of just exists in that space. Gokudera’s obsession with cryptids never comes into play as an actual joke until he thinks he’s actually met one, and his dumb teenager secret code isn’t important until the Future arc.

The most important aspect of all that is these quirks and facets of their personalities make sense. Gokudera seems EXACTLY the type of person to write secret codes and be obsessed with cryptids and alt culture; he’s a tryhard who feels like he has to over-perform to belong anywhere. Yamamoto is the PERFECT weird, kinda murder-y assassin type; he does that absurd baseball shit, constantly exhibits extreme thinking, and he consistently fails to have an emotional reaction to things that get everyone else in the sweats. I think the only arresting emotions Yamamoto is willing to have are “oh, shit” and “cold, blinding rage”. 

This kind of character writing is HUGELY appealing to teens, and is just generally....really good overall anime character writing? I think it might be why no one ever gave a shit about Ryouhei until the future arc where he was competent and hot; Ryouhei had no real facets beyond “reliable, excitable”. The Future arc had him calm down until you could see all his more complex traits, like “socially aggressive” (this one especially was misunderstood to be “I LOVE MY SPORT” before the future arc), “paternal”, and “good at handling social conflicts”. Ryouhei is shaped like a friend. A friend who refuses to let you deny his friendship. We’re in this together. Get back here I said WE’RE IN THIS TO

And, of course, all the characters react to each other in different ways and put different levels of focus on different character traits; Gokudera focuses on Yamamoto’s lack of ability to grasp grave situations, while Reborn focuses on that weird murder shit. Haru focuses on Bianchi’s reliability and amiability towards emotionally sensitive people, while Yamamoto focuses on her hostility and threatening disposition (probably because she visibly doesn’t like him, but you get what I mean).

So basically...

Weird-ass non-standard plot progression that denies convention: The Hook

An inability to build on overstuffed world: Staying Power

Easy-to-comprehend characters that have multiple facets played against in a variety of ways: Maintained positive interest

You might notice Amano’s second series, elDLIVE, is significantly less good; this is mostly because it presents either an interesting character with a simple facet (Chuuta is afraid of being a burden and screwing up when people are depending on him, is a homemaker) or a boring character with an interesting facet and then refuses to establish quirks or engaging character details. Veronika was kinda neat at introduction; she plays fair and doesn’t value pride over being fair to others, but that literally never comes into play again or reflects in her later personality. Chuuta? Just kinda automatically learns how to not be a burden when he finds out (Spoiler) his friends aren’t dead, and it never really comes up again. He just has a regular old ambition now. All the characters are reacted to in roughly the same way, with no real bias beyond “unpleasant trait bothers me” and “pleasant trait engages me”. The aliens are pretty much the same; we get ZERO signs of a culture or political climate until Brick goes to the space council with the doctor. 

I still like elDLIVE, because it’s poorly-explored unpredictable popcorn storytelling where all the twists carry themselves well and the latest arc is actually pretty good, but KHR is better, even though there’s so much more to hate about it.

[pinchofspicemakeseverythingnice]

At first, Sherlock season 4 started with the gang happier than ever. But that sure didn’t last long. Spoiler alert for those who have not seen “The Six Thatchers”: The premiere concluded with Mary Watson (Amanda Abbington) being shot and killed, taking a bullet to save the life of Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch), much to the anguish of John (Martin Freeman). Below we speak to showrunner Steven Moffat about the major death and how it changes Sherlock moving forward.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Just so fans don’t misinterpret that ending … Mary’s really dead right?

Steven Moffat: Yes, we’re not playing games. She’s dead.

What made you decide to get rid of Mary? She died in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, but the cause of death was never even mentioned…

The truth is it’s never established that she died in the stories. We just assume she died because Watson refers to his “sad loss” which is probably a death but not necessarily. The reality of this, of course, is that Sherlock Holmes is about Sherlock and Dr. Watson and it’s always going to come back to that — always always always. They had fun making it a trio but it doesn’t work long term. Mary was always going to go and we were always going to get back to the two blokes. That’s the format. [Sherlock writer-producer-actor] Mark Gatiss and I do not have the delusion that we know better than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That’s how the show works and always will. We reset to the most traditional and famous version of the format.

I like your use of the death fable early on and aquarium water you’d overlay into a few shots. There was also the black sharks that comprised Baby Watson’s mobile. It was all a great way of foreshadowing to the ending and undercutting the happy optimism leading up to it.

It was a proper problem Mark and I talked about a lot. We knew where we were going but wanted to bring it back with a proper adventure for the boys. But if you just turned dark at the end that would feel like a cheat. You have to feel like you were warned and then forgot the warning. Twists only work if you have a fair chance to work it out. A dark turn in a show only works if you were sort of warned but preferred not to listen.

What made Mary decide to take a bullet for Sherlock?

Well, she saved her friend. There wasn’t a lot of time to do anything about it. Throughout the episode, she’s really quite protective of them. She’s actually better at all this than they are. She regards them as a couple of talented amateurs. She doesn’t make a huge decision about it, she does what she can with no time to think.

Her postmortem message said “Save John,” meaning protect him from being lost without her?

Yes, you can assume we’re going to elaborate on that next week.

Watson made such an agonizing wail during that scene, and of course, Freeman and Abbington were partners in real life (and recently announced they’re separating). What was it like to shoot that?

It was emotional, but at the same time, we did that scene a million times. There was a sense this was a hugely important moment in a show we’ve been making all this time and it was Amanda’s exit from a show that she’s been part of for a few years. So it was a big deal.

You said this will “reset” the relationship between Sherlock and Watson, but this seems like a rift that can never fully heal.

We take that rift head-on in the remainder of the [season]. We don’t ignore it. We don’t have John come back and say, “Well I’ve thought about it and it’s all fine.” If anything, the rift gets worse. We decided if we were doing this we’re doing grief properly. We were doing the consequences properly. We tried to have people go through what they’d actually go through in this circumstance which, of course, is hellish. And as emotionally reticent as Sherlock Holmes is, it doesn’t take a 12-year-old to figure out he’s a profoundly emotional man. We don’t skirt around it. We don’t just get on with the story of the week — although there is a story of the week. There’s a big villain to fight. But front and center are the consequence of Mary’s death and Sherlock’s culpability. He could have done better, it’s his lifestyle that killed her in the end.

It was interesting because very clearly that whole situation could have been wrapped up without bloodshed had Sherlock not kept egging her on in that moment. We spent a long time trying to work out what his culpability was. Obviously, it wasn’t his fault. Mary tried to save his life. But having Sherlock unable to stop himself from showing off and that’s what riles her up to take the shot, I think it adds another layer. We were determined to make it as difficult for us as possible [as writers] to take on the following things: We will do grief in a big way, we will have the rift between them, and it will be real and will never completely go away — because you’ll always think about that, however imperishable that friendship is. At the same time, we’ve got to be a proper detective show with proper action, proper villains, proper mystery solving. We really went for it. There was a big debate about whether to kill her in episode 1, instead of more traditionally in episode 3 at the end of the [season]. But let’s not give ourselves that two years to forget how mad they are at each other. Let’s do it in a circumstance where we have to come back in a week and make this show work again. I think it does. Obviously, I’m not the person who makes the judgment. All the consequences are believable and painfully in place with a Sherlock Holmes plot and with some kind of resolution to it all that makes continuing possible. If we do pull that off that will be great.

Which isn’t to say the rest of the cast is safe for the next two episodes either? Anything can happen to anyone. I think it’s safe to say we couldn’t do Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson without Holmes and Watson. But nobody’s safe and consequences are everywhere and there’s some emotionally grueling stuff coming. There’s proper humor too. We showed episode 2 to some people and though it’s the darkest one we’ve ever done there were still people laughing.

[tortuga-aak]

The best multi-platform games you can buy

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

Whether you have a PlayStation, an Xbox, or a Windows PC, you can play any of these great multi-platform games. Our favorite titles include “Doom,” “The Witcher III: Wild Hunt,” “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard," “Metal Gear Solid V,” and “Overwatch.”

The game industry is at an interesting crossroads right now. PC gaming has become hugely popular over the past decade or so, with many people even building their own custom machines. As a result, consoles makers have increasingly had to compete with stronger and more regularly-updated computer hardware. Many gamers still prefer consoles due to their lower cost and convenience of use, but there’s no arguing that these systems, by their nature, lag a bit behind PCs when it comes to delivering a bleeding-edge graphical experience.

Since the Nintendo Entertainment System, game consoles have typically followed generational releases with new ones coming out every five or six years. We may be witnessing the end of this traditional launch cycle, however. In an attempt to close the gap between gaming PCs and consoles, Sony and Microsoft have offered more frequent hardware refreshes with machines like the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. These units, while still technically falling within the current console generation, boast beefed-up hardware that allows developers to push them further and stay up-to-date with modern trends like 4K and VR – features that have been available on PC for a few years now.

This ongoing arms race between console and computer hardware has also seen a notable decrease in the number of system exclusives. The PC, Xbox, and PlayStation each have their own libraries of unique games that are particular to each platform, but we’re increasingly seeing games released across multiple systems. Compare this to a decade or two ago, when the vast majority of games were exclusive to one platform and these “multi-plats” were far less common.

If trends hold, then more frequent console hardware updates and multi-platform gaming appear to be the future of the industry. This is good news for PC and console gamers alike: Players who love the pick-up-and-play convenience of consoles don’t need a beefy custom computer to play the latest AAA titles at high resolution, and dedicated PC gamers now get to enjoy many franchises, such as Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid, that were just a few years ago confined to specific platforms like Nintendo or PlayStation.

The sheer number of multi-platform games available today makes it difficult to narrow it down to just five. And although things like DLC and micro-transactions have caused their fair share of controversy in the modern industry, one thing is clear: There have been some truly awesome titles coming out recently from developers around the world, and the past few years have been great for gaming.

In this guide, we’ve done our best to smoke out what are arguably the five best multi-plats available on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 so you can enjoy them all no matter what system you prefer.

Read on in the slides below to find out why we love “Doom,” “The Witcher III: Wild Hunt,” “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard," “Metal Gear Solid V,” and “Overwatch.”

The best first-person shooter game

Id Software

Why you'll love it: Id Software’s 2016 “Doom” delivers all of the insane and over-the-top FPS gameplay that made the original famous, offering the classic first-person shooter experience that gamers have been craving for years.

There are few games that can be called “legendary,” and id Software’s 1993 classic “Doom” is certainly one of them. Although it wasn’t the original first-person shooter, “Doom” remains perhaps the biggest pioneer of the genre and has sold more than 10 million copies to date.

The game is still revered today for many reasons: Its intense high-speed run-and-gun play style, its sprawling open level design that encouraged exploration, its famous silent protagonist (known only as “Doomguy”), and, naturally, its over-the-top violence, which was relatively unique — not to mention extremely controversial — at the time.

Id Software has developed a number of successful sequels and re-releases over the years, but the studio’s pledge to return to the original formula made 2016’s “Doom” the most ambitious of them all. “Doom 3” was the most recent release before then, and while it earned high praise from gamers and critics, it traded the high-speed shooter gameplay for a more fleshed-out narrative and a brooding survival-horror atmosphere. In contrast, the new “Doom” was built from the ground-up to capture the spirit of the golden days of first-person shooters, and at this, it truly excels.

A full reboot of the franchise, 2016’s “Doom” once again takes place at a research facility on Mars where a portal to Hell has been established. Doomguy (now referred to as the “Doom Slayer”) is a legendary demon hunter who has been trapped and kept asleep by the forces of the underworld. After the armies of Hell invade, you, as the Doom Slayer, are awoken and tasked with repelling the incursion and sealing the portal. All the classic ingredients are there: Familiar demons, familiar weapons, and the familiar fast-paced and violent gameplay.

But “Doom” is more than just an old-school FPS with a new coat of paint. This pony comes with a few new tricks all its own, like vertically-oriented level designs that take advantage of Doom Slayer’s new-found jumping and climbing abilities — a far cry from the original game where Doomguy couldn’t even look up and down, let alone jump around. The open stages encourage exploration in true Doom spirit, standing as a refreshing counter-point to many modern shooters which send you running from cover to cover down long corridor-like levels.

Another new combat element is the “Glory Kill,” which allows you to perform brutal melee executions on wounded enemies which yields extra ammunition and health bonuses. There are no recharging shields or health packs for you to rely on here. Instead, Doom Slayer heals his wounds only through violence. There is also no cover system that encourages you to hide behind obstacles or avoid fire – everything forces the player to keep pushing forward, making for a fast and furious experience that harks back to first-person shooters of decades past.

“Doom” stands as a gory, adrenaline-fueled triumph of old-school game design and is proof positive that in a sea of modern shooters, sometimes all players want to do is rip and tear.

Pros: Fun and fast gameplay exemplary of the glory days of first-person shooters, an intense metal soundtrack, and excellent level design that rewards exploration

Cons: Somewhat repetitive campaign, a lackluster multiplayer suite, and the extreme violence may be too much for some

Buy "Doom" on Amazon for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or Windows PC for $29.99

The best action role-playing game

CD Projekt Red

Why you'll love it: A great story, excellent combat, and a breathtaking open-world make “The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” one of the best action role-playing games of all time and easily the best entry in CD Projekt Red’s award-winning series.

The Witcher series has had an interesting run. The action-adventure role-playing franchise, developed by the Polish studio CD Projekt Red, came out of nowhere in 2007 with “The Witcher” (the studio’s debut), which became a sleeper hit.

It went on to spawn two successful sequels: “The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings” greatly expanded upon the original, adding an enhanced combat system and more dynamic open world, while “The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” masterfully perfected these elements, earning its place as one of the greatest gaming achievements in recent years.

CD Projekt Red has stated that “The Witcher III” will be the last game to feature Geralt of Rivia — the titular “Witcher,” or monster-hunter — as the main character, and it’s the perfect game to cap off the trilogy. The plot of the series is based on popular fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The player, as Geralt, is tasked with bringing down a myriad of dangerous otherworldly creatures as he tries to find his daughter, who is herself being hunted by a supernatural force.

“Wild Hunt” drops you into a wide-open world — more than three times larger than that of “Skyrim” — and lets you tackle the main storyline at your leisure, giving you plenty of freedom to explore and complete the many side-quests available throughout the game. You control Geralt from a third-person perspective, duking it out with enemies both human and non-human utilizing a variety of melee and ranged weapons along with a number of magical attacks. The hack-and-slash action-adventure gameplay is layered with an RPG system that lets you level up your character, strengthening your skills and unlocking new abilities.

The gameplay is fluid, fun, and challenging, but where “The Witcher III” really stands apart is in its epic world design. With “Wild Hunt,” CD Projekt Red set out to redefine sandbox games by creating an organic, breathing, dynamic world that “lives apart” from the player character and his actions.

It worked: The realm of the Northern Kingdoms feels more real than ever before, equally dark and beautiful, and it truly comes alive with changing landscapes, ecosystems, and human communities. You don’t just feel like a character who was dropped into a static game environment of pre-programmed NPCs, but instead like a smaller part of a larger, truly active organic world that moves and evolves around you.

The breathtaking visuals, wonderfully-designed living world, great action-RPG gameplay, and well-written story are all capped off by a fantastic soundtrack executed by the Brandenburg State Orchestra using older instruments to create an authentic late Medieval/early Renaissance sound.

“The Witcher III: Wild Hunt” is also a meaty game: The main story alone will take you around 40 to 50 hours to complete, but all of the side quests, included DLC, and ample opportunities for exploration (which you will find yourself doing a lot) can keep you busy for well over 100 hours.

Pros: A huge and dynamic open world that truly feels alive, compelling story and character writing, excellent action-RPG gameplay, breathtaking graphics with masterful art direction, and a superb orchestral soundtrack

Cons: Some bugs and optimization issues (although this has mostly been patched), too many minor “fetch” quests that interrupt the main story, and the violence and sexual themes are not suitable for young players

Buy "The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Complete Edition" on Amazon for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or Windows PC for about $27.99 on sale or $59.99 originally

The best survival-horror game

Capcom

Why you'll love it: “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” represents a true return to fundamentals for Capcom’s long-running survival-horror series, delivering all of the atmospheric terror that defined a whole genre while still managing to put a modern spin on a classic formula.

In 1996, Capcom released “Resident Evil,” a classic that defined an entire genre of survival-horror games. Many developers attempted to imitate it with mixed success, and after a few well-received sequels, even Capcom grew weary of the standard formula it had created. “Resident Evil 4,” while massively popular, signaled a major change in focus for the series away from brooding slow-paced gameplay with a focus on scavenging and survival towards a faster, more action-oriented style that felt more like popular third-person shooter games.

A few lackluster sequels to “Resident Evil 4” were met with a lukewarm reception from players and critics. Gamers increasingly clamored for a new entry in the series that was true to the experience of the originals, and thankfully, it seems Capcom finally took the hint. Enter “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard,” a triumph of game design that heralds a much-needed return to the fundamentals of survival-horror that Capcom had largely pioneered.

As popular and beloved as the original Resident Evil formula was, it was not without its criticisms. The third-person view with pre-rendered environments came with a control scheme that felt clunky and awkward at times, especially during combat.

For “Biohazard,” Capcom instead implemented a first-person view (the first main entry in the franchise to utilize this, although a few unsuccessful spin-offs had tried it before). This goes a long way in addressing the problems with the old control scheme while greatly enhancing your immersion into this terrifying game-world.

The setting of “Resident Evil 7” will feel instantly familiar to fans, dropping the player into an old mansion that harks back to the setting of the first title. Instead of zombies, however, this house is inhabited by the bizarre Baker family along with bizarre humanoid creatures known as the “Molded.”

The player, as a man named Ethan, must use whatever means available to survive — stealth, caution, and escape are the focus here rather than combat, although you do get a number of melee weapons and firearms. Ammo is precious, forcing you to scavenge for it along with first aid supplies, adding to the tension and to the oppressive sense of danger and fear.

The return to the slower pace and exploratory gameplay also sees the return of the classic puzzles that the player must solve in order to proceed, but sadly, these are sparse and easily overcome. The boss battles also leave something to be desired, although this is not enough of a detriment to mar the fantastic atmosphere and edge-of-your-seat gameplay. “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” is a true sequel, not a reboot or re-imagining, and some familiar faces appear near the end of the story to help out Ethan.

The final scene even alludes to the existence of a re-formed Umbrella Corporation, so it’s safe to say that Capcom is far from finished with this series or its story — and as long as the devs stick to the excellent formula of “Biohazard,” then fans of Resident Evil have a lot to look forward to.

Pros: Immersive and terrifying survival-horror atmosphere, a true return to the classic roots of Resident Evil, a great VR mode, and the new first-person perspective works extremely well

Cons: The puzzles are too easy and too few, the boss fights pale in comparison to the rest of the game, and it’s definitely not recommended for the faint of heart

Buy "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" on Amazon for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or Windows PC for $49.99

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