#and it would be fine if he just rated based on enjoyment but no he always has to justify it with pretentious nonsense

[girl-bateman]

There is only room for ONE pretentious cinema critic in this town (blocks you on letterbox)

[frazzledsoul]

I was thinking about How I Met Your Father (the since-canceled How I Met Your Mother spinoff starring Hilary Duff) and how the series kind of set up a storyline that was aiming for an unconventional ending instead of the nuclear family ideal. Sophie is played in flash forwards by Kim Cattrall, the eternal icon of single ladies everywhere, and Sophie seems to have a great life. She's a successful photographer, has a fabulous NYC apartment, a great relationship with her adult son, and is unashamed of her youthful shenanigans. She does not wear a ring and it's unclear if she has a partner. It became clear as the show came to an end that he was raised by both parents, though they never clarified if they raised him as a couple.

Sophie is goals AF. Who wouldn't want to be her?

The show had a small fan base, but from what I could tell they HATED Adult Sophie and constantly begged for Kim Cattrall to be kicked off the show. They didn't care that Sophie seemed like she might be fine not having a partner after all, because they saw that as the only possible ending for her. They also constantly complained that Adult Sophie wasn't mom material, even though her son was an adult. If she didn't fit a stereotype, they didn't want her.

Now I go back to the original subject of the show, which is Sophie's love life. She has an on-and-off relationship with Jesse (played by Chris Lowell), a sardonic and somewhat pretentious musician (he is clearly intended to be the "Ted" of the show). However, after the first season one of the writers got fired and announced that their friend Sid, who owned the bar they all hung out at, was in fact the father. Sid was affable and down-to-earth (the "Marshall" of the show) and also in a long-distance marriage, so he wasn't a romantic prospect for Sophie in the show storyline. It seemed to me that the show was leading towards an endgame where Sophie has a baby with Sid, but they don't end up together, and maybe she gets together with Jesse later (they could explain his absence by saying he was on tour) or stays single.

The fans objected to this fiercely. Sid and Sophie had to end up happily ever after or else! It didn't seem to matter that she seemed to live alone and seemed happy without a partner and spoke warmly of her baby daddy (whoever he was). They kept insisting Jesse had to die so Sophie and Sid could end up together. Jesse could not cope with breaking up with Sophie and having her get together with one of his friends. It didn't matter that not only had he and Sophie already gotten together, broken up, and still hung out with each other in season one, but that two other people in their friend group had done so as well and no one needed to die. It's the reaper for poor Jesse or else, so he can get out of the way of the nuclear family that it's not clear that Sophie even wants.

The show ended with Sophie and Jesse giving it another go and Sid breaking up with his long-distance wife. It's not clear that it ever got decent ratings (no streaming numbers were ever released, and it didn't chart). I'm not mad about the cancellation: Hulu gave it a shortened first season, then gave it a longer second one where the show got much better but it appears the numbers didn't improve. They tried. I also think Duff maybe wasn't that enthusiastic about it: she had a fourth baby about nine months after the show was canceled and hasn't mentioned it since. It seems she maybe wanted to focus on something else. I think in the long run, the show's audience just could not deal with the type of show it was. They wanted a conventional happy ending and the show just wasn't heading there. Neither was HIMYM, I guess.

The show overall wasn't brilliant, but it was enjoyable and I liked the characters and even though most of the other fans hated it, I liked that it seemed that the show was aimed to embrace an unconventional happy ending where everyone would remain 100% alive (very important!) and on good terms with each other. That seems a more realistic dynamic than the picket fence stuff, and I'm sad to have missed out on the chance for it.

[autobot2001]

Valentine's Day

Author: Autobot2001 Genre: Fanfiction Fandom: Transformers Rating: E Warning: None {airing: Drift X Jamie (OC) Description: Drift has plans for Valentine's Day, even after the great day he and Jamie had yesterday.

Day 14 @@fluffyfebruary: free day @fluffbruary; phone | bubble bath | doll

Drift wakes up smiling at Jamie, remembering yesterday and how much he enjoyed his time with Jamie even though it was the day before Valentine's Day. He has plans for today, but the two will stay home. Drift gets out of bed, careful not to wake up Jamie. Crosshairs isn't in the room. It's seven-thirty. Drift suspects Crosshairs finished with his workout. Drift takes a shower, then sits on the bed, waiting for Jamie to wake up.

Crosshairs walks into the room, questioning what Drift is doing. Drift tells Crosshairs his plans for the day. Crosshairs smiles, seeing how happy Drift is. He leaves the room, hoping Jamie will like Drift's plan. Drift lies on the bed beside Jamie. Drift doesn't wait long for Jamie to wake up. He tells her his plan. Jamie tiredly agrees.

Drift knew Cogman would ask about any dinner plans. He still finds it off how helpful Cogman can be considering his attitude. Drift knows Cogman worries about Jamie.

Jamie is on her phone when Drift walks into the room. He puts the tray over her legs and gets on the bed next to her. "I made pancakes," Drift says. The two enjoy their breakfast. Drift isn't sure what else to do with Jamie until tonight. He doesn't want the day spent watching TV. He's content with how yesterday went, as he's sure it wouldn't have been enjoyable with other couples at the park. After breakfast, Drift carries Jamie to the balcony and sits on the rocking chair that's yet to be returned to Vivian. Drift finds the rocking chair relaxing. The room offers a delightful beach and ocean view.

"… I don't know, he didn't tell me anything," Crosshairs tells Cogman, "the three of us aren't together like that. They're my friends." "I know; I want to help them." "I think Drift finds cooking for Jamie relaxing. Let him cook their dinner if he wants to. I don't know his other plans. I think he treated yesterday as Valentine's Day, but he'll do something special today."

Drift knew Jamie wouldn't have any ideas for today. He doesn't mind the day is like any other day until tonight. He hopes his mood won't be ruined but has struggled for weeks. He cleans up the breakfast dishes.

"Do you want me to help?" Cogman asks as Drift puts the dishes in the dishwasher. "What did I just say?!" Drift chuckles, "No, thanks anyway." "I told him." "I have nothing special planned." Drift leaves the room.

The day is normal, except for the mood. Both Jamie and Drift are doing better than they have in weeks. Crosshairs left them alone for three hours, but he still worries. "I'm worried about what's going on in her mind. You know why she doesn't like Valentine's Day," Drift tells him. "And yet you have something planned." "I'm not telling you anything." "Fine, I'll go back to D.C. for the night," Crosshairs smirks. Drift elbows him in the gut. "I'm not looking to do that." "I'm still leaving. Cade and Vivian have already left for their house in Texas. Cogman is still going to be here, though. He's worrying a little too much today." "Maybe not. We know how much Jamie struggles with accepting and showing love. For now, she's ok." Crosshairs hugs Drift tells Jamie he's going to the base in D.C. but will return in the morning, and leaves the room. "You're up to something," Jamie comments, sitting on the bed beside Drift. "You'll find out tonight. After I make dinner. We'll stick to most of our routine. Oh, also, watch the sunset."

To ensure they see the sunset, Drift holds off on making dinner afterward. Drift worries about the potential of his plan backfiring and how Jamie would react to the idea.

Jamie sits at the island, working on writing on her tablet as Drift cooks dinner. Cogman peeks into the kitchen but quickly leaves. Drift still gets candles out. Once dinner is done and on plates, Drift lights the candles and dimes the kitchen lights. Drift made chicken cutlets covered in cheese and cheese fries. He's come to like this combination as much as Jamie loves it. Jamie doesn't try to get the rest of the plan out of Drift. She knows he won't tell her. Once dinner is done and cleaned up, Drift makes tea and warms up chocolate chip cookies.

With the tea done and the candles blown out, the two go to the living room. It's six at night. Drift decides he'll tell Jamie what he wants to do at eight. At eight, Drift takes Jamie up to the bedroom.

"Drift, what are you up to?" "Uh… a bath together. I know it seems random considering how long we've been together, and…." Drift doesn't know what else to say, nor does Jamie. She's never thought about doing something like this with Drift. "We don't have to. I shouldn't have said anything," Drift panics. Jamie agrees with the idea. Drift was still expecting Jamie to not want to be entirely nude. Nor did he think she'd suggest adding bubbles. "It's supposed to be relaxing, right?" She asks. Drift laughs as she pours bubble bath into the tub of running water.

Once the tub is filled, Drift gets in and assists Jamie in getting in. There's room for both of them to relax comfortably. Drift plays relaxing music from his phone on the counter beside him. He wonders how long it will be before Jamie falls asleep. He is already prepared in case she falls asleep. Drift smiles, thinking about the past two days with the femme he loves.

[mariafell]

Small WoL Maria Fic

Words: 1,728

Warrior of Light: Maria Rennington

Summary: A rewrite of the scene at the end of the Copperbell Mines quest involving Ungust and the woman he accuses of stealing the dodo meat. It really just plays out like the same scene, but with minor commentary from the WoL and added banter between her and Thancred at the end.

Notes: this is my first time writing any FFXIV related! I hope it is enjoyable enough.

What a sight. Some cruel merchant and his cronies had all threatened a poor mother who had purchased dodo meat. By their account, she stole it. But nobody would step forward to help a poor refugee in this place, would they? And so the threats were accepted.

Or perhaps not accepted, and rather ignored. Why would people get involved in something they couldn't stop? Why risk your own skin? Not for a bit of gil, either. And what did Ul'dah run on, if not gil and selfishness?

"...Hey!"

As the mocking went on, a lalafell stepped into the scene. She was short even for her kind - a child perhaps? A teenager at the best at age fourteen. No matter what, she stood between the white robed mother and that sick salesman. Eyes went to her, from crowd to people. Involved or not, this girl was the center of the scene now.

"Eh? And who the hells are you? This dog's master? Maybe one'a the pups?"

As if ignoring the mockery, the lalafell girl wordlessly brandished a sword far too heavy looking for her to wield. A warrior, was she? No, perhaps an upcoming paladin...Or an upcoming hero.

"Not even a word from you, kiddo? I've had enough of this mummer's farce." The merchant scoffed. "You lot!" He gestured his hand forward. "You teach 'er a lesson! Make sure she runs home an' tells daddy all about her scraped knees!"

All the people around watched as a young teen was swarmed with three opponents at once. Yet once more, none stepped forward. All cowards. All of them! And yet...the mystery warrior held no discontent towards them. They were minding their own business and not involving themselves...But that was fine. Because - as became increasingly obvious - Maria could handle herself.

The trio of foes fell to the ground. "Hells, I ain't paid enough for this!" cried one, and up they all went. In the end, desite all that shaming of the mother, they were the most humilated at all. The merchant himself included. That same man glared back at his men.

"H-hey! Where're you going?!!" He shouted in frustrated "It's just one brat!" He turned his attention back to the girl - not that he cared, but once more let it be known her name was Maria - and quickly, he stumbled back. Her sword was still drawn.

Was he next? Was he to fall to her blade as well, and run crying home? Well, he might do that anyway at this rate. But Maria sheathed her weapon instead. And then recited some lines that were a bit unbefitting of her heroism.

"They're going home to their daddies to cry about their scraped knees, bub." She scowled at him. "Maybe you should do the same - and get a new haircut while you're at it!"

"Why, you..."

"T-thank ye, adventurer!" The mother stepped forward now. "Thank ye thrice over!"

Maria turned to the woman with a smile. She was victorious, and could now simmer down. There was no more need for...

Ah.

Things were going a tad white. Her smile faded, her hand moving to her forehead as if trying to focus with a migraine...Or perhaps a vision. Whatever it was in truth, she remained in such a strained position with her eyes closed and brought a bit of worry and confusion to anyone around. With that sort of entrance, battle and concluding victory, this was a bit unexpected.

Just who was this girl?

Then, her eyes began to flutter open. It seemed to have been a much longer period for her than to those watching, based on her dizziness. "Er...Miss? Are ye alright?" asked the mother, concern on her face.

"Mh? Oh, yeah...Um...S-sorry...I um - Maria just got a bit lightheaded during the fight." Maria quite swiftly brushed off any fright she might've caused. "It happens. Anyway, about this worm..." Worm? Strange kind of phrasing. Despite her phrasing, the merchant she turned to stumbled back.

"W-what now?! You mean to threaten a defenseless citizen?!"

"The only one here defenseless is the one without his little babysitters." Maria stuck her tongue out. "Plus! Maria saw her buy it!"

"What?! That's absurd..." The merchant gave a weak, stubborn chuckle. He was still trying to stand his ground, was he? Maria opened her mouth to reply, but -

"Aye! As did I! Leave the poor woman alone, you damned vulture!" That was a new voice. Indeed, as much as the lalafell would've liked to speculate that to be herself, that comment was NOT spoken by Maria. All glanced around for the source, but could not find it.

"W-ho..?! Grrr..." The merchant grumbled, "I-I'll over look this just once! Don't get cocky, brat!" And with that, he was gone. He turned tail and ran, far more cowardly than anyone who had not stepped forward to stop him. At least they still stood now to cheer Maria on.

"Gods bless ye, Adventurer!" The woman smiled down at her. "If ye hadn't come along when ye did...Who knows what that monster might've done?! I don't bear thinkin' about it..."

Maria beamed. "Take care, Ma'am!"

"You too, Miss." So they parted ways.

Of course, even if the crowd dispersed and the scene seemed to end...It actually didn't end. Once more a voice called out - was it the one from before? No matter if it was, it was another voice. The sun was setting slowly, but a man still appeared. With his white hair and red neck tattoo, he was pretty recognizable. Maria had met him a whole two times prior, but found him rather familiar by this point.

"All's well that ends well! And we meet again."

Maria raised an eyebrow. Her smile did not meet his. "Oho? And what are you here for? Come to stop something a second too late again?" Although she was speaking rather rudely now, she seemed to have more curiosity than was being let on.

"Now, that may not be entirely wrong. But pray do not mistake my intent - as it's always honorable - but I have been watching you ever since you departed Ul'dah."

Maria raised both eyebrows now. Thancred continued despite this look of...whatever it was she was trying to convey.

"You played the part of envoy to perfection - confident as a young woman on a diplomatic mission should be, yet unfailingly courteous to your betters. And when your travels led you into the midst of danger, you faced it without so much as a flinch. You, my friend, are quite a marvel, and I admit to being somewhat in awe of you!"

"Only somewhat?" Maria huffed. "You seem pretty taken with me, old man." Thancred didn't actually seem very old, but do remember that she was fourteen. And clearly had an attitude - although it could be speculated that it was for show. Perhaps even intended to be for laughs.

"Ah, but my lavish praise continues." Did it, now? "Most of all, I was struck by your readiness to aid those in need, even when words were all the reward you could expect to recieve. Such selflessness is a rare thing in this day and age."

"Did you practice all this? 'Cause this is a lot of words, Thanny." What a nickname. And what a racket! This was a lot of praise, sure, but Maria couldn't help but wonder if it was being pulled out of his -

"All of which leads me to conclude, Maria...That you are indeed the one whom I have been looking for: an adventurer possessed of a very rare set of qualities. To be sure, your rescue of that damsel in distress was more of a happy accident, but you did rescue her. That is what matters in the end...I feel I should mention at this point that I also harbor a burning interest in a certain talent of yours."

"...Sorry?" Maria tilted her head now, the rabbit ear shaped ribbon on her head flopping too. She was having a bit of trouble following all this. She wondered if he could write it down for later. "I get your praise about all this, Maria appreciates it, but what's this specific talent? Is this all for you to make a request or something?"

"Not wrong! I speak of your visions, though. You've been experiencing visions, have you not?"

Maria's retorts faltered at that. She blinked. She blinked multiple times. "...How did you know that?" Her words were slow now, with more genuine wariness in the tone.

"Well, it just so happens I know a woman who shares your talent. She can help you understand it. She belongs to the same organization as I, and we would both be delighted beyond words, if..."

"My talent? What? What does a talent have to do with visions?" Although not overly clear, Maria was growing more confused than suspicious.

"Miss Maria, oh so patiently wait for me to finish, will you? Your consistent interjections are notable, but a bit distracting." Thancred shook his head. "Regardless...We would both be delighted beyond words if you would agree to join our cause." As he requested, Maria did not ask a question now. Thancred once more went on.

"You need not give me an answer now. Think upon it...And if you feel moved to help us - as I pray you shall." He approached, and Maria watched carefully. He walked past her, stopping besides. "..Speak with Momodi, the ever-lovely and youthful mistress of the Quicksand."

"Momodi?" Maria murmured to herself. She knew Momodi, indeed. She had been guided by Momodi a lot, truthfully...Was she going to be lead again?

"Tell her the Scions of the Seventh Dawn have found their man." Thancred answered. "She will tell you where to find us."

"Where to find you...?" Maria looked back at him as he walked off. She hesitated, but then called out to him. "Hey! Thancred!"

She didn't expect him to stop, yet he did. He looked back, even.

"...Um! Thank you for the help!"

"Help?" Thancred hummed. "I was too late to help, don't you recall?"

And so he walked off, leaving in the empty street of Ul'dah. And just as boldly as Maria had entered, it was just as softly as she was to exit.

She walked the opposite way on purpose though. Out of spite.

[s-creations]

26 Ways to Feel Mortal - F: Family

26 Chapters based around experiences that newly arrived Geno experiences while trying to find the Star Pieces.

Fandom: Super Mario & Releated Fandoms, Super Mario RPG Rating: Teen and UP Audiences Relationship: Mario/Geno (Nintendo), Mario/Princess Peach (Nintendo) Additional Tags: Rating for Teen needed for later chapters, but shouldn't be to worrisome, I'll have warnings if I'm worried, Poly relations!, Main characters will always be named, Minor characters will arrive as needed, the chapters are not in a specific order, just meets the needs of the given word, please be aware of spoilers.

Family: (noun) A group of people related to one another by blood or marriage.

If given different circumstances, Geno probably would have found Star Hill pleasant. Peaceful, even. In some way, the terrain reminds him of home, or what he would call home. Dark with the only form of light only coming from the star shaped plants and rock formations. 

It would be enjoyable…if not for the situation.

The dark blue meteor ground was littered with fallen wishes. Light blue stars with black eyes and small mouths that were constantly moving. Whispering their creators wants and desires that currently couldn’t be fulfilled. The puppet knowing it would remain this way if he couldn’t fix this mess.

He let out a heavy sigh before continuing in his search. If he could just find the Star Piece, they could leave. Leave this place of conflicting feelings. 

Passing a few of his teammates, Geno could hear Peach’s gentle voice. No doubt offering some comforting words to Mallow. The cloud child looked a little lost as he surveyed the area. 

Mallow had been a little off since he’d found the wish made by his true parents…

Knowing he wouldn’t be much help in this situation, Geno turned away to search in a different area. 

The numerous whispers were making his soul shiver. A sickening feeling entered his stomach the further he went along. This was the first time Geno had felt so lost since starting this adventure. He knew what he was supposed to be doing, what his end goal was. But here, with all these misplaced wishes, Geno was fully hit with how damaged this world had become. 

It made him feel…cold. 

Geno’s thoughts were broken when he found Mario. The human sitting on the ground, clutching something in his hands. Geno approached cautiously as to not startle the other. Finding it was another fallen wish that Mario held.

The sickening feeling seemed to grow. 

“Hey,” Geno said softly. Sitting next to Mario, who hadn’t looked up.

“Hey…”

“Are you okay?”

Mario sighed softly, “I just found this wish and… Sorry, I know I should be looking for the Star Piece.”

“It’s fine. Can…Can I hear what the wish is? Or…” Geno cupped his hands together as Mario passed the wish over to him. Giving it a gentle squeeze, Geno heard the wish whisper…

‘I wish I was brave like my brother, Mario.’

Geno blinked in slight confusion before looking back to the human. “You have a brother?”

Mario nodded slowly, “Younger brother. He’s my best friend…”

“Where is he?”

“Currently with a professor friend of his. But, I want you to meet him when this is over. You’d like him…”

Geno’s worry grew when Mario fell quiet. “Is there something else? You wouldn’t be here if you were okay.”

“A lot of people see him as weak, or a coward, and it’s not true. He doesn’t like to fight unless he absolutely has to. He’s brave… Braver than I’ll ever be, honestly.”

Mario laughed softly at Geno’s confusion. “Honestly, I’m reckless. I tend to just rush in without much thought. My bro, no matter how scared or nervous he is, will always help. He’s brave because he faces what scares him. …Which is why hearing that wish from him… I just wish he could see himself as I do.”

They both jumped when a new wish suddenly dropped before them. 

‘I just wish he could see himself as I do.’

Geno smiled softly, placing the old wish next to the new one. “What’s his name?”

“Luigi.”

“Well, with a brother like you, Luigi will be just fine.”

Mario smiled softly, inching closer to Geno. The puppet more than content when the human leaned against him, enjoying the warmth radiating off Mario.

“Thanks Geno.”

“You’re welcome, Mario.”

[dcblogs]

Kalki 2898 AD - Movie Review

India's highest budget movie till date, Kalki 2898 AD has released today. Nag Ashwin, who is just 2 films old (Evade Subramanyam & Mahanati), helming this magnum opus of science fiction interlinked with mythology, is itself a gutsy attempt. Roping in stalwarts like Amitabh and Kamal Haasan, while having "The Prabhas" and Deepika is taking it to next level. Did he live upto the expectations? Let's see.

Story :- It's 2898 AD, where there are only 3 worlds shown. Complex, Kashi and Shambala. Complex controls Kashi and all other worlds with it's dominance under the guidance of Yaskin (Kamal Haasan). They trace fertile women and use them for making Project K a success, which gives super power to Yaskin. Kashi is deprived of all resources and exploited by Complex. Shambala is a rebel group who want to bring down Complex at any cost. Sumathi (Deepika) is pregnant and crucial for Project K to become success, however she escapes from Complex to save her baby. Bhairava (Prabhas) a bounty hunter, who is desperate to shift to Complex from Kashi, wants to catch Sumathi and handover to complex. Ashwathama (Amitabh) is alive just to protect Sumathi's baby. Bhairava and Ashwathama face off each other in this process. Who wins over whom? Was Sumathi protected? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances :- Entire story revolves around Deepika. She was very good in the given scope and interval block stands out. Amitabh Bachchan has most creamy role, be it the elevations, action sequences or back story. He is outstanding in it. This could be termed as the best mass role for Amitabh in ages. Prabhas is the life of the film. What could be otherwise an serious emotional film with slow pace, was made lively with his comedy timing. His camaraderie with Bujji, one liners during action sequences, sequences with Bhramandam or other cameos, makes the movie enjoyable. His get up in the last scene bring goosebumps to fans. Kamal Haasan has limited scope and he excels in it. Despite having prosthetic and graphics, his intensity in acting arrests you. Bengali actor Saswata Chatterjee has a meatier role as commander of Complex and he was great. Shobhana, Pasupathy, Rajendra Prasad, Disha Patani, Anna Ben were fine in their roles. Lot of cameos are there throughout the movie, which surprise us occassionally.

Technicians :- Graphics of the movie is of the highest standard and on par with any Hollywood movie. The team should be applauded for the quality. Art work comes next in line for the accolades, setting up 3 worlds with contrasting premises. Action sequences were very well designed and executed, using the graphics to the maximum extent possible. Santosh Narayanan background score is excellent. Songs could have been better though. Nag Ashwin deserves a bow for the way he has conceived this story and executed it. Perfect blend of Indian mythology in a science fiction film is a very rare phenomenon, which he has aced. No one would believe that the director of Mahanati and Kalki are one and the same. Such is the contrast of these films genre are. He has a Rajamouli and a Bapu in him. Costumes & Make up have complimented the proceedings of the film.

Positives :-

Everything

Negatives :-

Lags in 1st half

Few songs

Summary :- Great story, terrific performances, top notch graphics make it must watch. It should be seen as a story based movie rather than a Prabhas movie, to enjoy it fully. Kudos to Nag Ashwin for pulling it off.

Rating :- 4.5/5 (Kalki is India's Avengers)

[manlyquail]

Netflix Avatar

I've got many thoughts I want to get out and so why not just make a "nobody asked and nobody cares" word vomit about my opinions on the Netflix Avatar series!

It'll be below the cut, but let me say I thoroughly enjoyed it but am on the fence about if it did need to exist or not given how perfect the original is. I could go either way honestly, and would watch more if more came out, but I'll explain more stuff in spoilers below.

I'll break this into a few sections, Positives, Negatives, Neutrals, and some sort of summary for my thoughts, but there is probably going to be some overlap since some things could fall into a few categories.

Positive First:

So this could stem from trauma from the last time things came around, but I thought the bending in the series looked way better (for the most part...). The opening scene alone felt like an atonement for how done dirty Earthbenders were in *that movie* and everything felt really fluid.

The characters in general all felt really true to themselves (again, for the most part). I was skeptical at first when news came out about Sokka's removed sexism, but honestly with the way his character arc played out based on the pressure to be a leader and a warrior I think it still worked out fine.

There was a surprising amount in the series that I thought would be material that would just get cut out, which was simultaneously a pro and a con. It was good to see a few certain story elements (SECRET TUNNELLLLL) but the way they overlapped in order to get several things in at the same time makes some of them a pro and some of them a con.

The payoff for "MY CABBAGES" had me rolling. 10/10

For the most part, every time I saw a character I knew immediately who they were. Costume and character design were great, sets and backgrounds were beautiful, everything on this front felt good.

One highlight is tied to the changes made around Zuko's backstory and his crew. His belief in not sacrificing the soldiers and them being assigned to him (and Iroh's telling of this fact to the questioning soldiers) was a great addition in my opinion. It added more depth beyond just the sympathy originally given to Zuko because of his scar.

Each (recent) Avatar getting their own spot in the light was fun. Roku's personality was enjoyable even if he was only around briefly.

Finale was super fun to watch, the effects of the moon changes across all the characters and the spirit rage had me pretty hyped.

In general the balls to burn so many people alive caught me off guard as far as ratings go, but I won't complain!

The sexism addressed in the North was a good bit of development for a few characters, although without Sokka's sexism through the early parts and a moment that really felt close to 'She has help' I'm a little on the fence about the impact it had there.

Absolutely loved June.

There's probably a few smaller things I missed here or there but in general lots of positives, thought with those comes

Negatives:

I'll get this out right away because this was honestly the biggest gripe I had out of anything else. I was not entirely sold on Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. For me they personally looked too young, the rounded cheeks felt too innocent didn't sell me on the fierce and sharp features Azula demonstrates in the show, but I'm really trying not to get too hung up on this element. Azula is honestly an impossible standard, and I think what was demonstrated was still okay, but I'll be brutally honest that her victory at the very end over Omashu took a lot of the wind out of my sails, especially following the dramatic war of the North. I think maybe the actresses could grow into the characters, but when I picture scenes like the desert standoff with everyone versus Azula it just doesn't vibe.

Airbending when it was first shown felt a little too 'wee I'm on a wire and special effects!' which was somewhat painful. The combat aspects of it felt a lot better and the glider scenes worked, but I was pretty nervous when Aang first made his way down from the towers.

The Kiyoshi scene while cool at first felt brief and somewhat underwhelming. We saw some guys get grabbed by water tentacles and then a big swirl tornado of all the elements but that was really it. People got tossed around and the instant they retreated the state ended. It was cool to see Kiyoshi but I feel like the badassery could've come through at least a little more.

They really nail over the head 'Friendship is magic!' almost too much. Each Avatar basically told Aang not to have attachments or get too close to people because its bad juju, and the lesson 'I only got this far because I work with my friends' got old fast.

Aang additionally didn't do any learning with Katara during her waterbending training headed North. I'm on the fence about this because a lot of extra drama was cut out (no Bato, no pirates and the questioning about morals of stealing a scroll, no jealousy of Katara from Aang's training, etc.). Additionally one weird change (I know I noticed this as a positive earlier), but the Cave of Two Lovers was entirely a Sokka / Katara scene, and the narrative was compressed a little bit so that their 'sibling love' on an emotional level was the reasoning the badgermoles escorted them out, as opposed to either music or following the lights (which they brought up the lights but then made it a red herring?). On that note this cave appeared in Book 2 on the return trip to Omashu, but here it just showed up to get Katara and Sokka into the palace (warned about Palace Guards which I guess also weren't a problem, and this was at the top of the city but tunnels under... anyways...).

A small nitpick but something I remember laughing at; Katara does a training scene where she hits herself in the face with water and proceeds to try and wipe it off, but she's entirely dry, so that... just felt funny.

Avatar Roku didn't get much time in the light either (not even a dragon), and several spirit moments were crammed into one. Yue is a fox spirit that was randomly in the forest, Wan Shi Tong was there to (only heard by Aang) give an ominous warning that his friends would be in danger, and then Koh was also there to... just be a creepy cannibal centipede? These all showed up during the Hei Bai plot thread which didn't even get resolved (the villagers got brought back but I don't recall ever seeing the spirit again; cut for time?). The Koh thing felt out of place as well because this was the motivation for Aang to go all the way to the fire nation to see Roku, who told him to just let them die before Aang took an idol from Koh's mom back to trade for a whole bunch of people. During this 'Koh will feed soon' period Aang made it all the way to the fire nation, did his Roku meditation, got kidnapped by June and turned in to Iroh and Zuko (presumably all the way back on the mainland?), got kidnapped from his kidnapping by Zhao, spent time in prison, then the entire Blue Spirit rescue, with Aang hiding out even longer from fire nation patrols before making sure Zuko got back to his ship safe, and then made it back in time to save everybody from hungry hungry Koh. Honestly just so much here that it made the whole segment feel a tad clunky.

Neutral:

Now this is a list of things that I'm on the fence on and could probably go either way on.

Bumi being the biggest thing here.

Now Bumi's character changes at first were jarring. His identity being revealed immediately was a surprise, but his throwing a big fancy party and seeming like a weirdly hedonistic bad comedian felt off. His original personality I think showed through just enough to keep this from being a negative, but the fun of Bumi was how he was messing with Aang to try and provoke a memory from him while also just being batshit crazy. This would sometimes crop up, and the fight between the two was pretty slick, but otherwise it felt like Bumi was more of just a jaded old man. It became about Aang teaching him a lesson and not the other way around, which in the way felt justified with Bumi being consistently at war for 100 years, but on the other didn't feel like Bumi. I guess I leave this neutral purely on the grounds that this is a reimagining and not just the same story vomited back out in live action, but it's still one of the tougher changes to adapt to.

Another small change is that Aang did zero bending of any of the other elements outside of the Avatar state. He didn't train with Katara as I mentioned, nor did he have his interaction with Jeong Jeong to give him mini trauma about fire bending. Not the biggest deal but still noticed, which makes me wonder how they'll handle his bending in the future.

Azula being Zhou's contact and source of resources felt a little off, as did his learning about the spirits. Zhao was downplayed so much to be a random nobody in the live action version and then he 'needed an edge' and learned about the spirits (and how to kill them with a spirit knife?) right before the siege. Honestly the original of 'I stumbled upon this information unintentionally back when' wasn't great justification either but still.

Several of the Ozai scenes were a little offputting as well. Right before dying (to Iroh instead of the spirit, which again, random change) Zhou mentioned that Zuko only existed as the flames to forge Azula, but there was a lot of sorrowful emotion in Ozai's actor that made him seem oddly sympathetic in a lot of scenes. Lines as well which change context after the 'revelation' are hard to get a feel for as well, such as Ozai's reminders to Azula that it was Zuko and not Zhao that discovered the Avatar. In scenes like this it feels like Ozai is actually trying to defend and support Zuko, but with the motivational thing for Azula was this just him poking the bear? Either way, maybe a subsequent watch will change my thoughts on this, so for now its neutral.

Summary:

Overall I honestly had a good time with the series, but it really just drove me to go back and start the original all over again. It was by no means bad, I'd recommend it as a watch even if just for the numerous easter eggs, but I really don't know if it's good enough to justify existing. There were some changes I really liked, such as the change with Zuko's crew, and some others that I think have potential as reimaginations such as Bumi's narrative, but others like the cave, the Koh stuff, Yue being a fox that showed up in the forest felt like they should've just been left out.

Anyways, I do recommend watching it all the same, especially to get you in the mood for the original and to at the very least set a different standard for live action Avatar than what we had in the past.

Thank you all of nobody for coming to my TED talk. I really just wanted to get this all down somewhere for my own sake but I'd be interested in other's takes on it too!

[erudianokabe]

Nat-san (@quiveringdeer) and I were talking about this scenario. So. As requested, I am posting this here. But this is seriously the first time I'm doing something like this, so I do hope I do this justice, and for whoever reads it to find some enjoyment in it.

Afternoon gets a bit boring when your husband wasn't around. But what can you do? You're new to this wife business and as much as you want to spend as much time as possible with him, you can't. How could you when he was a man of particular importance? The war was over, sure, but the army and the military weren't going away which meant that your husband— former Vice Chief, now appointed a rank higher— wasn't all yours for the taking.

Sometimes, you wonder who he was REALLY married to. Was he married to you, or was he married to Marley instead… with you being some mistress that he went home to so very late into the night; like you were the secret.

"Aren't you worried that he's spending too much time at the base? What if it's not work? What if someone has him intertwined around their little pinky?" A concerned friend asked you. It's not always that you ask her to drop by. After all, she was not from Marley. You could only ever ask Hitch to visit when she was in town AFTER she's done with her own series of work. You were just so lucky, weren't you? Every one of your friends just had to be from one form of military to the next. Still, you can't help but want the company. There were just some days when you felt a little lonely, a little frustrated even, when you know that Reiner won't be coming home early because Marley comes first.

It's not as if you don't understand why he does what he does either. Keeping Marley safe meant keeping you safe, and with those little details inserted into the equation, your husband was even more eager and zealous about Marley's stability as a nation. He no longer has the Armor, but that doesn't mean that he can no longer protect his homeland. He was a warrior and a soldier. He's equipped with enough knowledge, training, and experiences to make things work.

"That'd be easier to remedy if that's the case." You started, shrugging your shoulders whilst leaning back against the wooden chair. You threw your head back, eyes fixed on the ceiling. A small pout etching itself on your features.

"So, what you're saying is it's fine if he has a lover?" She continued to interrogate, her honeyed tone of voice taunting. A digit pressed itself upon your cheek and all you could do was swat away at Hitch's hand.

"Absolutely not. What I'm saying is, I don't even need to be worrying about others when I'm already losing to his duties as War Chief. And I'm telling you, Hitch, at the rate that Reiner's going, he won't have eyes for any other man or woman— me included." She could hear the frustration in your voice, and couldn't help but laugh a bit. Who knew that your man of choice would be Mr. Boring. That Reiner guy, the one who wrote Annie the dullest letters.

"He sounds as soul-crushingly boring as ever." She says, this time, taking hold of her cup to take a sip of the tea that you've prepared prior.

"It's not like that, he's just really busy. Besides," You reasoned, pausing a while as you folded your arms over your chest.

"Besides?" The curiosity took over your companion for a bit, mildly eager to hear what you had to say to defend your workaholic partner.

"Besides, it's not like I can strangle his paperwork. And if I shred them, he'll get mad at me…" Again. You noted; Hitch raising a brow at you, a silent way of asking if you've actually done it. Which you have; something that she picked up on when you looked away guilty as a criminal. It took a few seconds for the woman beside you to burst into a healthy fit of laughter. Oh the way she would have paid good money to see his reaction to that.

"It's not funny! He really got mad at me; you know!" And yet, the crimson that painted your cheeks hardly seemed like an indication of what's usually supposed to be disappointment. "Well, if he was really mad, how come you look so flustered, hmn~? Are you skimping out on some juicy tidbit? Come on, you can tell me~"

"I-I'm not. It's just that…"

And you trail off, murmuring unintelligible words as you try to force the memory back, and failing in the process.

You remembered it so clearly. Your husband's hulking frame before you, looking at you as if you were some sort of miscreant. The War Chief looked like he was waiting for something, an explanation that he couldn't wedge out of you because you were being childish. More or less however, he was aware of your crimes because he caught you red handed.

"Do you know what you've done?" His voice was stern, disappointment dripping from his mouth like venom from a viper's fang.

"I was getting rid of competition." You clicked your tongue then, arms folded, eyes cast to the side and pouting like a brat. You were a little younger than him, but he didn't expect you to act like a child. Granted that on most occasions, he found that charming, but this time was different. There was no reason for you to have ripped his documents to shreds. No matter what reason you had, that was something that you shouldn't have done; and an act that he couldn't exactly condone. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose, one hand massaging his temple. How was he even going to explain this to the brass? "I hope you know that those were logistics reports, maps to supply routes, as well as an analysis for the next mission. I can pretty much draft everything else, but how do you expect me to go to base tomorrow without those maps? You've gone a little too far with this one."

"Tell them your wife ate it." The spite that was seething from your lips made him furrow his brow. Perhaps it was his fault because he's been working nonstop lately, but he's explained this to you time and time again. He knows that you're smart, that you and him have an understanding, but this was just a little too much, even for you. And this bratty answer, you weren't 12 years old to be saying things like this.

"What are you? A dog?" He asked sarcastically, gathering new sheets of paper from his desk in order to draft new reports while there was still time. "With the way that you're being pretty difficult lately, I should eat you instead." A thoughtless remark, for sure.

"Do you even have the time to do that? You're so busy flirting with your work, that I think I prefer you taking whiffs of Historia's letters instead." You said, also rather thoughtlessly. This made him look up from his drafts. The stare he gave you was absolutely indignant. You were really doing this right now, weren't you?

"Hey, I stopped doing that a long while ago. Now, I only do that to your letters." Reiner attempted at a taunt, maybe that would get you to back down.

"You could be doing that to things other than letters, but of course, you don't have the time." Your answer definitely made him believe that this was all his fault. Him always letting this rebellious attitude of yours slide. A part of him found your jealousy for the mundane adorable, and he loved you for it, but sometimes you also really got on his nerves. And when you do, when you're visibly annoyed at him and making that face… pouting, it makes him want to forget what he's doing and indulge in you. Maybe play your game, put you in your place. Wreck you a bit.

"Are you really challenging me right now?" And when he thought about putting you in place, it was to remind you that you were his top priority even if he's showing it through this obsessive means of insuring you a safe future.

"Sir, with all due respect." There wasn't even a shred of respect in your tone. "If the boot fits, lace it up." Your reply was cheeky and defiant. And he didn't have any words for that in that instant. How that attitude of yours made him chew at the inner walls of his cheek. How that made him undo his tie and unbutton his shirt's collar just to give him some room to breathe. Sometimes, putting you in place also meant giving you your just desserts for being so… you. Sometimes, he just couldn't hold back the urge to make you bite more than you can chew.

Needless to say, two things happened that night. One, someone ate their words. Second, someone was reminded just what Reiner specialized in as the Armored Titan.

"By way of your silence and that look on your face, I'd say Reiner showed you who the boss was." You were pulled out of your thoughts when Hitch's voice broke the silence. You were going to protest but that grin on her face just made you all the more guilty. See, Hitch was the best and the worst person for these conversations. She was the best because she listened attentively to these little girl talks, was invested in the details and the little gossips… but she was also the worst because Hitch was invested in the little details that, when pieced together, gave depth to the entirety of the puzzle. Why was she extra sharp when it comes to things like these?

"P-pretty much." You admitted because the glint in your friend's eye was already an indication that you couldn't lie your way out of this one.

"Well, was it good?" If Hitch could stop hammering you like this… but when she starts, she can be pretty relentless. For a moment, you were silent. Unsure if you even wanted to answer this because it was embarrassing. Soon enough, you folded your arms against the table and pressed your face against it. So helpless. Red as a beet, gaze thrown coyly at the interrogator.

"He was amazing." You whined in defeat, unable to hold yourself back from bragging about your husband. It was the truth anyway, so there was nothing wrong with admitting to it, right?

[partystoragechest]

A story of romance, drama, and politics which neither Trevelyan nor Cullen wish to be in.

Canon divergent fic in which Josephine solves the matter of post-Wicked Hearts attention by inviting four noblewomen to compete for Cullen's affections. In this chapter, they discuss the gala.

(Beginning. Previous entry. Next entry. Words: 2,290. Rating: all audiences.)

Chapter 4: Skeins and Schemes

“How do you feel this morning, your Ladyship?” asked Cara, as she served Trevelyan breakfast. Missy had already told her about last night, then.

Despite having had only two, possibly three, hours of sleep, Trevelyan said, “Fine.”

Oddly, she meant it. Those few unconscious hours had provided her with a sense of clarity, this morning, and she had made up her mind about how to tackle this entire experience.

The Commander was determined not to have her—not to have any of them, really—but what surprise was that? What chance did she truly have of courting him? What chance did anyone? Surely, he’d have found one noble he quite liked by now, with the amount who’d offered themselves to him. The fact that he hadn’t was perhaps an indication that he had no intention to in the first place.

And Trevelyan’s parents ought to have known as much. They were villainous, at times, but not ignorant. They knew quite what they were doing, no matter what they did. And so, Trevelyan was left to suspect that this was not actually a genuine attempt to have her married off.

The more probable truth was thus: it was an attempt to recreate the life they had during her time in the Circle, when they need not care about her at all.

Therefore, Trevelyan had decided to reciprocate the sentiment. She would spend this month not worrying a jot about her parents, nor what they might want, and enjoy what could be considered her first-ever ‘holiday’.

With this attitude in mind, she dressed in her most practical clothes. Fitted jacket and trousers, boots up to her calves—ready for adventure.

Lady Montilyet’s tour had consisted of the most noble-appropriate places in Skyhold. Pretty garden, pretty library, pretty parlour. But as she had told them, this place was old—very, very old. And as Trevelyan knew from her days in the Circle, the oldest of places could be the most enjoyable to explore.

Each new resident brings new secrets, to be hidden within the walls. Nooks and crannies, forgotten by time, likely littered the place—none of them the sort of thing to be mentioned to sacred nobility.

Trevelyan would begin with the courtyard. It sat well below the main keep, and therefore was the perfect place to hunt for hidden cellar entrances. A building this large ought to have a magnificent undercroft!

With breakfast eaten, Trevelyan bid her ladies’ maids farewell. She slipped from her room in a much more pleasant mood than she had last night. No weight on her shoulders, no worries. A month of doing whatever she pleased.

She landed softly at the base of the stairs, and entered the Great Hall beyond. The staff had done a wonderful work with this room—one would not be able to tell there was a party last night, had they not attended. Everything looked quite clean and sensible and in order. Soldiers guarded doors, runners hurried through, and some of last night’s early risers lingered about the space.

It was as she observed them that she spotted Lady Montilyet, across the hall. The woman was inexplicably flawless—despite the stress of organising last night’s ball (and, no doubt, dealing with the Commander). It ought to have aged anyone’s visage by about thirty years, and yet, not a single grey hair.

Montilyet noticed her gaze, and approached with a sunny, “Good morning, Lady Trevelyan.”

“Lady Montilyet, good morning.” Trevelyan curtsied. “I was just about to wander the castle.”

“Oh! You are certainly welcome to, but the other Ladies are meeting for tea, in my parlour. Would you care to join them?”

She smiled sweetly, and Trevelyan realised the request was more of a demand. A very polite demand, but a demand all the same.

“Certainly, Lady Montilyet. Lead the way.”

And so the way was lead. The parlour was equally as plush and comfortable as it had been on Trevelyan’s previous visit—and equally as inhabited by the other Ladies.

The Baroness Touledy had taken the armchair closest to the fire—it seemed she favoured that one—and was in the midst of embroidering a bolt of fabric. Lady Erridge worked at the same task, sat nearby on the sofa. Bobbins were being shared on the table between them.

They had little room for much else, given said table was largely covered by fine crockery. Only enough cups for five to drink, but more than enough tea to quench an army’s thirst. And biscuits, too.

Lady Samient sat at the other end of this table, partaking of its contents. Though she had no sewing to speak of, she seemed to be watching the other Ladies with mild interest. Until Trevelyan entered.

All of them looked to her with smiles and delight, but it was Erridge who was most enthusiastic of all: “Oh! Lady Trevelyan, you are finally here! I thought you would be the first of us awake, given that you left so early last night. Are you well?”

“I am, thank you. I was simply tired—the journey here must have taken more of me than I first thought.” Great lie. Completely improvised. And Erridge took it perfectly:

“Oh, that is a shame.”

Trevelyan politely agreed, and found herself a seat. As Montilyet poured the tea, Erridge continued, “I had hoped to see you again, you know, and hear what you thought of the Commander.”

“Lady Erridge,” the Baroness scolded, albeit gently, “we cannot discuss such things in front of Ambassador Montilyet.”

But Montilyet waved a hand, as she took to her own chair. “I do not mind. Nothing you say to me will reach his ears—unless you specify otherwise.”

Permission granted, Lady Erridge turned to Trevelyan. “Well then, as we are allowed, do let me hear your thoughts.”

Trevelyan felt the eyes of the room upon her, and hesitated. “Um… he was… polite.” She knew when she said it that she had not successfully hidden her grimace. Try again: “I feel he may have been distracted. He mentioned he was busy, perhaps—perhaps that was...”

“Yes,” Lady Montilyet interrupted, “the Commander had to leave; he was urgently called away.”

“Oh!” Trevelyan managed to feign surprise. “How”—she stopped herself from saying the word she wished to say—“mysterious.”

“The Commander often has Inquisition business to attend to. It is quite normal for there to be urgent reports that need to be read, orders that need to be given…”

Lady Erridge nodded eagerly. “We completely understand, Lady Montilyet. The Commander is a very important man. I, too, thought him a little distracted, but I have no doubt it was a temporary ill, and we will find him in a better mood upon our next meeting.”

“I thought he was charming,” Lady Samient offered. The comment caught Lady Trevelyan quite off-guard, as Samient had been terribly honest so far—and this surely could not have been anything but a lie.

“I thought he was nervous,” Baroness Touledy said. She did not look up from her embroidery as she spoke, except to glance directly at Lady Montilyet. “I wonder what this ‘urgent business’ was?”

“It is all sorted, I assure you,” Montilyet replied, “which means the Commander has time today to spend with some of you. Lady Erridge—the Commander will see you this morning, after tea. And then Lady Trevelyan—”

Trevelyan jolted at the mention of her name.

“—he will meet with you in the afternoon,” Montilyet continued, “perhaps you could wander with him around the castle?”

“Me? Why?”

“Oh, the Commander will be seeing all of you in due time. He is available tomorrow for Lady Samient, and the day after, for the Baroness. I am afraid, given the circumstances, this is the most he can spare—but there is plenty in Skyhold and its surrounding area to occupy you, and I will be providing entertainments as well—”

A knock sounded at the door; Lady Montilyet called for its source to enter. A young elven man hurried in, carrying with him a sheet of vellum. “For you, Ambassador.”

Montilyet took the document and skimmed it. She nodded, and handed it back, with the words: “I will be but a moment.”

The runner left, and the Ladies looked to Montilyet as she stood. “There is that urgent business again,” she joked. “I would tell you of what kind, but given that it regards one of your fellow partygoers from last night, I will refrain from inciting gossip. Please, enjoy your tea. I will return for you, Lady Erridge, when it is time.”

With a nod from Lady Erridge and farewells from the rest, Montilyet departed the room. Though Trevelyan expected the conversation to quickly devolve into speculation of which noble it was that Lady Montilyet had been called away to attend, it did not. Instead, the Baroness asked:

“Do you sew, Lady Trevelyan?”

“I can.”

The Baroness picked up another quarter of fabric from where it lay across the arm of her chair. She held it out to Erridge, who passed it to Trevelyan—then a frame to set it in, and a small wooden box of skeins and needles and pins.

“Some flowers would be appreciated,” the Baroness told her, “and you seemed to know something of them in the garden, the day before last. Use whichever colours you please.”

Trevelyan did as instructed, and began to slip a strand of floss through her chosen needle. For a few moments, they sewed quietly. But Trevelyan felt the Baroness’ eyes repeatedly abandon her work, to look in her direction.

“You seem nervous,” she said, causing Trevelyan to halt. But then, she continued: “Your hands are shaking, Lady Erridge.”

Trevelyan relaxed immediately, and looked to Erridge beside her. The Lady sighed, and set down her sewing. “I can’t help it, your Ladyship,” she confessed. “To be meeting with the Commander so soon… I do not know what I will do with myself.”

“You will be quite all right, Lady Erridge.”

“He may have asked to see you first,” commented Samient. “You may have already impressed him.”

Impressed.

Trevelyan’s mouth twitched. She did not know what was worse of her: to allow Lady Erridge’s hopes to be raised, or to herself dash them entirely.

“What about you, Lady Trevelyan?” Erridge asked. “How are you feeling?”

“I am…” Trevelyan considered her emotions, and then the fact that Lady Montilyet was not present. “I am indifferent.”

“Indifferent?”

“I do not know if I even wish to attend this meeting.”

The Ladies all rounded on her, each one’s face rendering a different degree of surprise. Lady Erridge blurted: “Whatever do you mean?”

“I mean… last night, I did not find the Commander… to my tastes. I wonder, perhaps, at the use of me attending such a meeting, in light of this.”

Lady Samient hummed. “An interesting point.”

“Perhaps one of you could take my place, and—”

“I think you should go,” the Baroness said, quite suddenly. She stopped her sewing, and set it aside. “Meet with Commander at least once more. You cannot rely on merely a first impression to gain a full judgement of a man’s character.”

“Yes!” Lady Erridge agreed. “I am sure none of us would like it, if the Commander judged us by first impression alone.”

Trevelyan let slip a sigh. Little did they know. But—regardless of the facts of the matter, they were right. It would be hypocritical of her to judge the Commander on last night alone, for that sort of folly was what had disgusted her about him.

“I see your argument,” she told the others, “I think… I shall attend the meeting, today.”

“I wonder…” said Lady Samient. “What would you have done otherwise?”

“Wander alone, I suppose.”

“For the entire month? I wonder what you would have done, if not courting the Commander. Would your parents not be disappointed, after sending you all this way?”

Trevelyan thought a moment. “Well… there were plenty of other nobles at the gala last night. I am sure I could meet someone—someone of influence, that my parents might see even more favourably. After all, only one of us could potentially be chosen by the Commander, anyway. It would be sensible to explore other options.”

Lady Samient leant back in her seat, appearing almost disappointed by the response. Perhaps she had wanted for something more scandalous?

But it was, as Lady Erridge said, “Very sensible.” After a moment’s pause, she gasped, and continued: “In fact, I may know someone with whom would make an excellent match, should you wish to pursue someone other than the Commander—depending on your preferences.”

“Who is that?” the intrigued Baroness wondered.

“The Lady of East Coldon, Lady Hul Orroat. She is the eldest of Bann Orroat’s three children, and the heir to the land—quite desirable! But I can attest to her good nature, and terrific kindness. She has been a good friend of mine since we were children.”

“That is a kind offer, Lady Erridge,” Trevelyan replied. “I will bear it in mind, after all is said and done.”

“I would be glad to introduce you personally.”

Lady Trevelyan smiled, perhaps the first time she had done so upon being offered a potential spouse. Whenever her parents had done so, it had been entirely of their own interests. But Lady Erridge beamed so wide when talking of her friend, that Trevelyan felt the offer was quite genuine.

Commander be damned. Despite his conceited beliefs, there was far more to the world than he. These Ladies, for example. And if he could not make half the effort they could, then Trevelyan knew with whom she would rather spend the month.

[hyperjynx]

I'm losing my mind in a hurricane so uh

Ranking Ensemble Stars Units Based on My Deranged Headcanons/Opinions

Starmaker Productions

Fine - 5/10

I’ll be honest, despite being a partial Tori main, I’m pretty neutral about Fine. They get points for representation of Theater Kids™, manipulative pretty boys, and Tori’s :3 face but as far as music goes, they’ve never really stood out to me.

Trickstar - 4/10

I actually really like Trickstar but I feel like out of all the bands in ES, they’re the ones who would have a “my mom sold me to 1Direction” fanfic written about them in-universe and for that they get points subtracted

Ryuseitai - 6/10

Unrivaled Meteor Ranger fucks hard and every member of this band has had a warrior cats phase but in extremely different ways. Chiaki probably kins Firestar. Kanata goes apeshit over the Sunningrocks debate. You get no further elaboration.

Alkaloid - 10/10

GRRRRGRRRBARK I LOVE ALKALOID #1 Alkaloid enjoyer right here if you don’t like Alkaloid gtfomp /j. The songs? SLAP. My moratorium? WINGED. Mayoi? IN THE WALLS.

Cosmic Production

Eden - 9/10

Eden almost gets full points. Hiyojun. The biblical references mixed with EXTREMELY horny lyrics. ALL of them are hot.

HOWEVER: for the love of GOD they NEED to fire their choreographer I am BEGGING,,, what the fuck is That One Part in The Genesis (YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT)

Valkyrie - 5/10

Look, I fucking LOVE Valkyrie. The songs go hard. I blast 'em all the time when I’m handed the AUX. If the band was just Mika (possibly also Nazuna?) then they would get full points, but I have a personal grudge against Shu for existing (top hat, manipulative but not pretty enough to get away with it, enjoys the French, the Nazuna situation) so he costs Valkyrie 5 entire points. 

2wink - 6/10

Their name just being [TWINK] makes me lose my shit but the fact that they’re secretly the angstiest fuckers in game gave me enough psychic damage to subtract 3 points. 1 additional point has been subtracted for those matching midparts.

Crazy:B - 7/10

Crazy:B never misses with their songs. -3 points for Rinne Amagi.

Rhythm Link

UNDEAD - 8/10

Okay you can tell I’m OBVIOUSLY biased towards emos but god. UNDEAD. They work really well together. As a chronically ill vampire kinnie Rei owns my heart and I love him. -2 points for being just a tad basic but overall very good

This does not contribute to the rating but I had to point it out: Kaoru’s whole Thing is that he’s a playboy and Really Likes Women™. Sir explain this then:

Ra*bits - 4/10

Hajime and Nazuna my beloved but Mitsuru and Tomoya look like they came directly from The Promised Neverland and I’m not an impartial judge so -6 for making me think about that show again

Akatsuki - 5/10

I mean. Yeah. They’re fine. Nothing for or against them. Slash! Blade of Resolve fucks but thats about it from me

New Dimension

Knights - 7/10

They have some bops, but I’ll be honest most of their points come from the fact that Ritsu and Arashi are my blorbos I love them. -3 for the “Is He Bothering You, Queen?” vibes I’m hit with every time I hear Grateful Allegiance

Switch - -2000/10

They are magicians and they give gamer vibes and are therefore Untrustworthy. Also the shading on Natsume’s hand at the end of Emerald Planet makes me think of the hot dog hand people in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Perish.

MaM - 9/10

I’m entranced by his cringe fail personality and his cowboy hat, what can I say

-1 point because Madara is not a band, he is a gay cowboy

-1 point again because anyone who nicknames themselves “mama” is Untrustworthy

+1 point though because attempted murder is funny and Madara is pretty

[pika2482]

AOTD 1/2/2024 - The Heights (Knox Hamilton)

[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment]

7/10

This album's genre is Indie Pop-Rock: Not quite Indie enough to get on some Hip Local Millennial/Gen Z Restaurants playlist, but not quite Pop or Rock enough to get onto Mainstream Radio. It's that weird middle ground between the three genres, the type that you would hear in a Bar Salon while you get your hair cut.

That's not to say the music is soulless or bad. It was fine, even great at times. The production was up to chops, the choruses were catchy in the majority of songs, and the vocalist sounds pretty damn good. It just feels like this album is a case of a Copy-Pasted formula from song to song. Not nearly as bad as Imploding The Mirage was, but noticeable enough to turn me off to the album towards the end.

The Highlight song for me Has to be How's Your Mind, taking place half way through the album. While it's the same formula as the rest of the album for the most part, it feels like the math just... clicked better with this set of chords, melodies, and lyrics. The production is fantastic, the instrumentation choices are perfect, and it's chorus is among the most catchy in any of my playlists; with it's massive open and airy sound and smoothly layered vocals, but keeping it's pulse moving forward even while it's bass and drums are pushed out of hte spotlight. Give this one a listen by all means! Back Porch also stood out for being the only song to really catch me off guard with it's 90's style guitar riff that I feel I'll be coming back to.

The downfall has to be the aforementioned Formulaic approach to each song. Yes, it makes each song feel like they're part of the same whole, but I feel that Knox Hamilton just stuck to it too closely thorough each song (With the exception of Back Porch). He played it safe, and doing so created a collection of Good songs. North of "Alright" and "Meh", but unfortunately south of "Awesome" and "Amazing".

Overall, not a bad listen. I can recommend one or two songs but there was only one song of True note, and even then it was only an 8.5 standing out of mainly 6's and 7's.

Favorite Songs: How's Your Mind, Back Porch

Least Favorite Songs: We Get Back, Never My Love, Rightfully So

[emblemxeno]

I'm the anon that was doing a BR lunatic run - I've finished last week and sat a bit on it to properly digest everything.

I surprised myself and ended up enjoying it a lot by the end! But the catch is that this only started happening during the Nohr chapters and mostly because fighting the CQ cast once again squeezed An Emotion out of me. Still don't care for more of the BR royals, except for Takumi who is a fucking mess in a very understandable way so he's obviously the best. I'm starting to see how this might be a me problem and there's some sort of stupid graph I could make where 'enjoyment of FE character' is my Y axis and 'how much of messy bitch they are' is the X axis and the plotting just keeps going up into inifnity towards the tail end of the scale.

My favourite chapter (story-wise) is probably the Leo one bc it sort of comes out of nowhere with its spooky skellingtons, fav line is Camilla talking about cradling my skull or whatever insane shit she was on about in that map. Fav BR character was Orochi, fav royal was Takumi, fav map is the sewers although it took me forever to clear and it almost filtered my ass. I was a bit tired by the end so I beat the final map by suiciding most of my units against the boss YOLO etc etc. I still have my save so I'll be back to it in a bit to clear it properly lol. I tried to keep everything fair and didn't grind, with the exception of a couple of maps to catch Selkie, Saizo and Kaze up to the rest of my units before the penultimate map. Not finishing BR on a lower difficulty before this did bite me in the ass bc I was really struggling with anticipating what I would need, but it was mostly manageable with just the base maps.

Reports of story Xander and support Xander have been greatly exaggerated and I'm surprised it's such a community meme. BR Xander is a Camus who's getting his ass beat - badly. He has two options: surrender (and he's in too deep to do that; there's a reason Leo got the Pragmatism personal and not him) or double down, so he's just scraping around for any sort of justification or cope or anything really that can make him feel like less of a garbage pile. Support Xander is separated from his goo dad, surrounded by a bit of a support network and /not/ getting his ass beat, so he has more room for self reflection, improvement and being a bit silly. It ain't that deep.

Final rating in terms of enjoyment is CQ>BR>Rev which I did not expted bc I genuinely didn't hate Rev. I think it's mostly that while it has some good character moments and it mostly resolves the idiot ball problem you end up with in CQ a lot of the times, Rev is also a lot less interesting. It answers a lot of the weirdness of CQ and BR but that weirdness didn't need to be there in the first place, the plot is fine as it is without needing to throw in that a dragon did it.

On the flip side, even if I enjoy CQ the most, the plot is easily the dumbest out of the three - it's buckling really hard under the weight of trying to balance the sad war tragedy and the classic dragon story. BR is mostly a straight war drama with some teaser content for Rev dumped at the end. In Rev, the war drama is an obstacle you have to manage to get to the juicy dragon lore. CQ blends everything into a lumpy paste and it's like ... Okay, I like it, but only bc you've sprinkled some cinnamon on top.

I've also heard that a lot of the more interesting things about the dragon lore are reserved for some of the DLC maps like Heirs of Fate and uh ... Locking lore from your DLC lore route to your DLC maps is A Choice, to be sure. I do have some of them downloaded so I'll give them a shot eventually.

I've apparently played 200h of Fates so far, which was a fucking surprise for sure since Echoes is still my fav 3DS game. I'm obviously deriving enjoyment out of it, but it's so hard to quantify lmao. I've already restarted a CQ Hard run since my last one got stopped around the great wall map (I think, it was a while ago) and I'm up to the Opera chapter - 2nd time lucky, hopefully!

I appreciate the chance to talk about something other than red woman for a bit and I think being able to sort through my thoughts like this gave me peace of mind - I no longer know if I enjoy Fates or not and I do not care. It's an FE game and this series has me by the throat, so I'll keep playing it until my 3DS finally dies and I'll have left is fruit png texture my beloved and maddening runs. I'm free.

This also makes me excited about the potential of Engage being a bit silly again. Predictions!

My best guess at the mo is that it will go the way of Awakening - maximum cheese but it's so earnest that it's hard to dislike outright. It will not be a series standout, but people will remember it fondly and it's not difficult to see why it might be someone's fav, even if it's not yours personally. It will be very light and anime with the exception of a couple of chapters a la Awakening Ch10 where they will somehow manage to write a banger of a moment that will be undercut by some dumbass support with Funny Footsteps playing in the background unlocking immediately afterwards. At least one FE YouTuber will make a video about a random waifu's characterisation being the deepest shit ever bro. The best written character is actually going to be Byleth, but no one will pay attention to them. There don't seem to be any S rank mechanics in for now and maybe this is too optimistic, but I get the vibe that Alfred might be up for grabs for both Alears if they do add that back in. There's at least one poisonous swamp map and everyone hates it. They bring back the buried treasure mechanic for the desert nation. The final boss battle takes place on top of the big cobra dragon as an homage to the Grima fight and it's going to be dope as fuck. They bring Itsuki in as a DLC lord - this is a marketing push for #FE2 baybee (I haven't played it, but got into SMT over the last year and I feel like there's untapped potential in the concept that they maybe haven't fully realised with the idol theme). There will be Twitter drama about at least one localised support (lol). There will be Reddit drama about at least one FEH alt (double lol). There's at least one adult character that will be accused of being minor coded bc of their height. They will get an OP summer alt that has everyone going mental. The blacksmith lady is going to be incredibly popular with NSFW communities and she will be a surprise recruit, sort of like Izana and that lot.

Would love to hear more of your thoughts on Engage so far - anything that catches your eye or any hopes for it now that we've seen a bit of the gameplay and characters?

Nice, hope you're having fun with your run, anon.

And I don't have too many new thoughts on Engage yet, mostly just "this game looks pretty" and "the characters they're showing on Twitter look cool". I'm excited for it.

[iminaworldofpureimagination]

rating for ep 1 of live action atla was 5/6/10...

my biggest criticism for it was how they rushed through the southern air temple episode.. and no katara talking aang down? That GOOFY shot of Gyatso/with the Goofy cgi aang did not make me feel anything but is this suppose to be comedically loooking?

other criticism: Expostion/ DARK SCENES cause I CAN NOT SEE..

Ian/Sokka got good lines.. "I am sokka son of Hakoda.. Lord of snow. and ice..." and he's really good at face reactions.. hes a good actor and i dont care that people say he was fine as sokka.

Katara/Aang had a nice moment which was more than the movie gave us. i just kept thinking Hm show Katara was so much meanr to aang trying to help her learn bending.. but the scene of em in the ship was fine.. more than what the movie did which was nothing.

funny enough the movie did the southern air temple better.. in my opinion.. anyway. that part was not as rushed.. i know people hate that movie but it did southern air temple better thna the show. the hug was nice but it would have meant more if katara had talked him down like in the show. anyone fel the show kept denying them other hugs scenes? like at the very last ep of the show why was there no hug?

Anyway.

im basing it off my raiting on how i felt.. enjoyment wise.. its kinda funny my enjoyment meter raised when i choose to saw a few scenes in the korean dub and it sounded less clunky .. Gran Gran/Aang/Gyatso scenes were really well done in Korean.

[gztrust]

Overlord ii episode 1 english subbed

#Overlord ii episode 1 english subbed series

At points, this show has literally had me jumping up and down in my seat and slapping my fists together like a newborn baby. If you would like my best attempt at nitpicking the fine details I can only tell you this. I'm expecting more greatness from this anime than anything ever before, and I am sure it will deliver thoroughly and blow us away in doing so. This will go down in my books as having one of my favourite MC's. This will be the anime I recommend in the place of SAO. I was also wrong in thinking, while watching the opening scene and credits in episode 1, "This is boring" "How can a skeleton be an MC!" "Who even is the MC in this series?!" "All these characters look awful, I'll never like these!" Wrong. I started watching Overlord from episode 1 about 2 hours ago with the mindset of "Urgh another MMO/SAO/Log Horizon ripoff" Boy was I wrong. I just had to post this as this anime has completely shattered my preconseptions of it. I have more anime reviews so check them out if you want!įirst time leaving a 'review' as such, so forgive me for the unconventional approach. Rate if you found this review helpful, funny, or just like it. That's it! Thanks for reading my review! I'd recommend this anime to everyone who likes the ''virtual reality'' anime such as SAO or Log Horizon. For overall rating, I'll give this anime a 7/10. So yeah, this show is definitely not bad, but I didn't enjoy it as much. Maybe I felt like ''been there done that'' since I watched/read a lot of virtual reality anime/manga. But personally, it was not really my cup of tea. This anime is great, and it definitely has a quality storyline, characters, visuals and sound. I like most of the characters but I feel like some of them needed more (or even some) development. I'll give it a 6/10 However, I must point out that story wise, we did get some really decent characters, so I can't deny they didn't do that well. They introduced all of the guild ''NPCs'' and then they started progressing with the story without developing them much. I don't like the fact that he is really overpowered. He's not a super attractive but he looks badass. So I do like the unique aspect of the main character. Great quality, nice voice acting and great music, 8/10. I also liked the music, opening song is super catchy! I really liked the voice acting and sound in general. So for a well done animation I'll give a 8/10 I didn't notice anything unique or amazing about it, but I still think it's well done. I like the amount of detail on certain characters and the environment. Nothing spectacular or stunning, but still well done and enjoyable. So in conclusion, the story is well written and somewhat fun. One of the things I liked was the originality of the story. I'm glad that the story went in a direction that I didn't really expect. I didn't find the story interesting, and I wasn't that entertained by it (it did have some amazing moments thought) but I do see why a lot of people liked it. He tries to adapt to the world by finding out more about it.Įven thought I can't deny this story is pretty much great I must admit that I wasn't really into it as much. The story is based on a guild leader who for some reason stays inside a game after it's servers close down. Yeah I can't deny that the story is based on a ''person stuck in virtual reality'', which is basically a genre by now. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again. NOTE: Because of personal reasons I didn't use images I captured and edited while watching, but rather images I found online. So which one does this anime fit into? Is it just another ''virtual reality'' anime with been there done that predictable story? Or is it super original show with stunning visuals and amazing story? The studio MADHOUSE has some AMAZING shows, on the other hand it also has some downright HORRIBLE shows.

#Overlord ii episode 1 english subbed series

As a third review this summer, and I usually review 2 series a season, I will be reviewing Overlord!

[shepherds-of-haven]

Hi Lena, say post-events of Shepherds of Haven the MC wanted to leave Haven and travel the word before eventually returning, which of the RO's would be down for that? And the other side of the coin: what if the MC didn't want to return and wanted to settle elsewhere, who would be down for that?

I think every single Shepherd would be down to travel the world with MC with the intent on eventually returning to Haven, just with varying degrees of eagerness! So I'll rate those by percentage!

Blade: 85-90% down, the desire and willingness is definitely there, but with the caveat that he has to feel like their responsibilities and duties are wrapped up in Haven first, or he's not going to feel right about leaving for a long stretch of time.

Trouble: 70%-75%, he's happy to travel the world with MC, but I think he'd prefer shorter stretches and trips rather than a really lengthy around-the-world trip where he didn't see Haven for several years. So he'd love something like [6 months traveling] -> come back to Haven for a while before heading off again -> [3-6 months traveling] -> return to Haven, rinse and repeat until they feel satisfied and ready to settle home for good; rather than leaving Haven entirely without seeing it for a year or more. Ultimately Haven is his home and he's really solidly connected to his friends/found family there, so while he'd be happy to travel with MC for stretches at a time, it would make him a little sad or homesick to be away for really long!

Tallys: 100% down, this would be her dream life for them, especially with the explicit intention of eventually returning!

Shery: 20% down, she'd be ultimately willing, but she would not be eager, and it would take a lot of persuading and talking through it before she felt comfortable with the idea. Shery is ultimately a homebody and loves her city and her life there, so while she'd be willing to travel with MC to make them happy, it wouldn't be something she desired for herself and it would be more for them!

Riel: 25% down, he'd be overall fine with it and would find it an enjoyable experience, but he's reluctant to be away from his home base and work headquarters for so long. A life on the road is unstable and makes it difficult for him to conduct his business, so he'd likely only tolerate a trip of 6-9 months max before he'd want to return home. It would be more appealing for him if it was framed as a tour of big cities for vetting potential investment opportunities or business partners rather than random wandering of the countryside, too!

Chase: 100% down, he'd love to have a life of a wanderer and an adventurer with MC for a while before eventually coming back home!

Red: 95% down, depending on how long they planned to be away; he'd absolutely love a life where they went where the wind took them and had complete freedom with each other, but he'd likely balk if MC intended for the journey to be longer than two years!

Ayla: 100% down, she was a wanderer before she met MC, is a wanderer at heart, and would love to be a wanderer with them while knowing they have an actual home they love to return to at the end of it all, especially before they "settle down"! So she'd love this and would be actively advocating for it!

Halek: 80% down, he'd enjoy this lifestyle for about a year just to be able to see more of the world with MC, but he wouldn't ultra enjoy the instability and constant movement any longer than that! But he'd definitely be willing to start with!

Briony: 75%-80%. Ultimately she's quite similar to Trouble: she's happiest at home in Haven with all of her friends and loved ones and would be very homesick and eventually a bit morose to be away from them, especially for a long period of time where she felt like she was missing out on experiences with them (like what if Lavinet gets married while they're gone, what if Shery cuts her hair, etc.), so a year would be her maximum before it got very melancholy for her! But ultimately she'd definitely be eager to travel and see the world with MC (traveling is one of her biggest dreams): she'd just be happiest if they were shorter stretches with more frequent returns to Haven rather than one really long voyage where they didn't get to see it at all! Basically just like Trouble!

Lavinet: 30%, she's a bit lukewarm on the subject and finds the idea of a really long, possibly indefinite journey to be distasteful, but she likes the overall idea of traveling around with MC! She'd just prefer for it to be in shorter spurts and with more intention rather than aimless wandering. Like if you said to her, "let's take six big trips every year and see every major city on the Continent," she'd 100% be down for that. If you phrased it as, "I want to leave Haven and see the world and I don't know when I'd come back," she would not be enthusiastic about that at all, but could reluctantly make it work with much discussion. Ultimately she'd be an excellent traveling companion and would definitely enjoy the memories, but she'd definitely have to warm up to the idea, and it would definitely be a compromise for her!

As for an MC who didn't want to return to Haven at all:

This would be gut-wrenching, bordering on a dealbreaker:

Briony

Trouble

Shery

They'd reluctantly do it, but only if it was the only way MC could be happy:

Red

Riel

Lavinet

They'd ultimately be okay with it, but it wouldn't be their first preference or it would be quite sad or regretful:

Blade

Chase

Ayla

Halek

They'd be willing with no reservations or regrets:

Tallys

However, as the author, I find the idea of the found family and friends not sticking together for the rest of their lives very sad, so I'm just going to keep thinking of that as their perfect ending!

[gae-bolg-alternative-dot-exe]

So back in July. I asked my followers to recommend me what anime to watch in my free time. From the responses that I got, I compiled a list of animes that I either never got around to or simply never would’ve watched normally and promised to watch them all fully and personally review and rate each one. I finally finished them all so here you go!

Spoilers are below for the following:

Gunsmith Cats

My Bride is a Mermaid

Ping Pong the Animation

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia

Mushishi + all seasons and movies

Planet With

Kokkoku

Chikyuu Bouei Kigyou Dai-Guard

Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru

Blue Submarine No. 6

Future Boy Conan

The way I score things

10: All time personal favorite. Strongly appeals to my personal tastes and sticks with me. 9: Nearly Perfect. Very enjoyable. Sticks with me. 8: A Great show with flaws that hold it back from a 9. 7: A solid good show. Enjoyable. May have issues 6: Decent, fine, average. I don't have any strong feelings for but kept me engaged to finish it. May even be seen as a good show but personally disappoints me in some way. 5: Mediocre. No strong feelings one way or another. Slightly dislike it, forgettable, and or boring. 4. Bad. There are flaws and they are apparent. Frustrating. 3. Borderline waste of time. Almost few or no positive things to say about it. 2. Garbage. No redeeming qualities other than being bad. 1. Personally offends me. *Just because a show is riddled with flaws doesn't mean it can't still score a 7,8,9, or even a 10 if a show aligns with my personal interests.

*Also if you recommended a show and I reviewed it weird or scored it differently than you please don’t take it the wrong way. Different media for different people and all that.

Gunsmith Cats: 8/10

Rally Vincent knows her weapons well, while her partner Minne May Hopkins loves to play with explosives. The pair run a gun-shop illegally and one day Bill Collins of the ATF, blackmails Rally and Minnie May into working for the ATF. Little do they know, that they are getting involved in a mission larger than they could imagine.

Gunsmith Cats is short fun series that I personally treated as a movie (since it was only 3 parts) based on the manga with the same name. Good episode 1 and 3 but a phenomenal episode 2. Very good action animation with likeable character designs. It was fun seeing an anime take place in a surprisingly realistic Chicago and was pretty light on American stereotypes. Unfortunately, I found the ending to be very anti-climatic and left more to be desired. Had the ending been better, the entire experience would’ve been far more memorable.

It has been brought to my attention that the anime adaptation cuts out a fair share of content from the source material which is why characters with histories with other characters show up throughout and talk to each other casually as if the viewer should almost even know who they are. Knowing that doesn’t bother me too much since I never read the manga but knowing stuff has been filled over or removed is a little disappointing. Would’ve loved some more Rally backstory and development though but there just wasn’t enough time for it.

My Bride is a Mermaid: 7.5/10

Michishio Nagasumi's life couldn't be any more normal. In an odd twist of events, during his summer vacation he ends up almost drowning in the sea. Luckily, the cute mermaid Sun Seto appears to save him. However, Sun is from a yakuza mermaid family and according to their law, if a human is to catch sight of a mermaid, either he or the mermaid must die. The only other way is for Nagasumi to be taken in as a family member, marrying Sun. In attempts to save both of their lives, Nagasumi asks for Sun's hand in marriage. Nagasumi's summer vacation reaped more then what he would expect, as he must now protect Sun from others finding her secret out.

Went in with mixed expectations but I found it to be a pretty funny parody rom-com. Admittedly, it had a rough start for me and I didn’t really find it all that funny until the setting settled into the school but I’m glad I stuck with it because once it hit its strive it was very enjoyable. Though I will say that there is quite a few instances of no-homo humor that annoyed me a bit but the show came out in 2007 and that was very much a thing rampant in media back then and I’m also able to look past that stuff and enjoy the rest. There were some really stand out bits that are going to stay with me for a long time. Very catchy opening and the 2nd ending song is really good; watched through that credit sequence fully everytime and never got tired of it. The english voice cast was super solid and I’m glad I watched it dubbed. If I didn’t watch it dubbed I would probably score it a 7 instead because I feel anime comedies are multitudes funnier in the language you know best and when you can pick up on the nuance in the way voicelines and jokes are delivered. Maki’s voice got on my nerves though but I wouldn’t say that it was the voice actresses fault for the character being the way they are. 

Funny show aside, the final arc bothered me quite a bit. It was fun that the main cast got together to fight a greater evil but the seriousness of it all felt extremely out of place. The threat of rape directed towards an unconscious and unresponding Sun was WAY too serious from the wacky antics of the rest of the show. The show skirted on sexual humor at times but nothing prior ever got close in tone for such a massive shift in story direction. The way the final arc started also didn’t feel right because it needed to have the main character Nagasumi act extremely out of character and be comically antagonistic towards Sun for no real good reason in order to set up the following series of events. I’m glad nothing bad came out as a result of the final arc but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth in what should have been a celebration of all the past episodes. I absolutely didn’t like it.

After I finished it, I looked up the writer for the series Tahiko Kimura, and apparently this was the last series that he’s ever created with Artifact Red and Yo no na wa Zushio being the 2 series that he made prior and it’s quite a shame because you could feel their comedic writing improve greatly throughout the series and I could imagine that their next work would only continue with this rising stride minus what he wrote in the final couple of episodes.

Ping Pong the Animation: 10/10

Tsukimoto Makoto (nicknamed Smile) is a quiet high-schooler who's been friends with the loud and energetic Hoshino Yukata (nicknamed Peko). They're both in the table tennis club and are very good at it, though Smile's personality prevents him from winning against Peko. The club teacher however notices Smile's talent and tries to make him gain some sportive tenacity.

Ping Pong is an exceptional show. A beautifully and uniquely crafted coming of age story and one that certainly doesn't come along often. Nothing about Ping Pong felt ordinary while still telling a very human story and a very emotional and realistic one at that. It's hard to not recognize its artistic merit. Ping Pong also tackles an aspect about sports that you don’t see very often and that’s when does the sport you commit yourself to stop becoming enjoyable and how that not only changes you but how you treat other players within the sport and your loved ones as well. And that just because you’ve lost sight of yourself, your roots of what brought you into something, and your enjoyment of it. Doesn’t mean you can’t find it again, start all over, and still find happiness and/or purpose. In the words of tumblr user @pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird who is way more versed in writing than I am, “how the tradeoff between talent, practice, and who you are outside of your achievements can scar the spirits of kids, and what it feels like to wrestle with the tension between your core understanding of yourself and how others expect you to be”. And that “Every major character goes through massive restructurings of their fundamental sense of self and how they see others, and that every single arc comes to a well-rounded and satisfying end”.

Phenomenal soundtrack except for the song in the opening which was.. not great and didn’t really fit with the rest of the soundtrack of the show imo. Speaking of music, this maybe one of my favorite Kensuke Ushio works to date. Every song of his has so much personality and freshness to it and adds a completely other level to the show and makes scenes incredibly memorable and engaging. Ping Pong can be a little much at times and has a roundabout way of doing things especially in the middle. Wish I didn’t wait so long to watch this show but in the end, I’m glad I finally experienced it. Hard recommend to anyone and everyone even if you don’t care about ping pong because I know I didn’t going in. Currently 2nd favorite sports anime after Hajime no Ippo. You got to fall before you know what it feels to fly.

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia: 4/10

60 years ago, a young woman was left to die in the abandoned school building behind the exclusive Seikyou Academy. No one knows why. No one knows how. But the horrifying tale and the legends of the ghostly haunting that followed live on to this day. Perhaps it's not so surprising then, that among Seikyou's many school clubs is one for students interested in "paranormal investigations." What might raise more than a few hairs, however, is that the founder of the club is the ghost herself. Unable to remember how she died and trapped in the grey land between life and death, Yuuko latches onto Teiichi Niiya, a freshman who can inexplicably see her, and together they and the other unsuspecting members of the club begin to unravel the many dark mysteries that surround Seikyou. Will unlocking the secret of Yuuko's gruesome death finally free her? Or will her sudden close association with a mortal have even stranger repercussions on both of their existences?

It wasn’t going to be easy following up to a show like Ping Pong but dusk maiden of amnesia can be tldr’d down to I simply wasn’t the target audience for this kind of show nor is it the kind of romance story I tend to get invested in but even still, there were issues with it that were hard for me to ignore. Dusk Maiden is an oddly cutesy (if that is even the right word for it) show with a heavy paint layer of dark color pallets and a sinister atmosphere. While not a harem, it acts like a harem almost immediately off the bat with all 3 girls batting for protag-kun’s attention and affection for some reason for a good majority of the show. A lot of the deep meaning and seriousness of scenes are quickly undone by it’s inclination to fall back to boob fondling and ecchi tactics at any moment no matter the tone nor the seriousness of the scene prior. Everything just feels crazy out of place at all moments including Yuuko’s horny levels toward protag-kun and his varying levels of reciprocating love towards her.

For a romance-mystery-supernatural show, the romance between the members of the cast never felt genuine but rather convenient and unearned. Even though the main cast is a mighty number of only 4 characters, there is an extreme lack of communication between them at times and I feel a lot of the episodes get stretched out the way they do because of this on top of there being already a ton of miscommunication between them. The last 4 episodes finally get to the meat of the most important mystery which is Yuuko herself but by then my interest in it had already sailed.

Mushi-Shi: 9/10

They are neither plants nor animals. They differ from other forms of life such as the micro-organisms and the fungi. Instead they resemble the primeval body of life and are generally known as "Mushi". Their existence and appearance are unknown to many and only a limited number of humans are aware of them. Ginko is a "Mushi-shi" who travels around to investigate and find out more about the "Mushi". In the process, he also lends a helping hand to people who face problems with supernatural occurrences which may be related to the "Mushi".

Mushishi is an award winning anime that is also associated with having one of the highest ratings amongst anime even to this day. Now that I finished it, I can say it’s for a very good reason. I took my time with watching this one for it is told in a very relaxed and controlled manner but never does it step into being boring and uninteresting. Mushishi plays out a series of 26 very unique and stand alone tales like a storybook as we experience and solve each tale with the main character Ginko who is a calm, friendly, and well-versed Mushi professional. Mushi are spirit like entities that most can’t see but inhabit and interact with the natural world and with peoples lives. Ginko is a Mushi-shi who are travelers and free agents who treat said phenomena and help those who have gotten their lives entwined with them. The mushi range from being cute and harmless to being horrifying and nightmarish with each episode requiring different solutions in order to treat, prevent, keep at bay, and cope or live with.

Not every episode/story told is a happy one. Some are happy, many are bittersweet, and a couple stories are outright depressing and tragic. The show has been described by many as a cozy slice of life by many but I’ll be honest, I in good conscience can’t 100% share the same description lol. The show may give off unanimously chill vibes and it IS an adventure slice of life, but the show was ripe full of subtle anxiety inducing moments that glued me to the storytelling. I found myself being aware and attentive with my expectations prepared for the worst to happen at the end of each episode. Though I guess I still did overall feel at peace watching each episode despite this. 

The show did a fantastic job pacing itself out. Telling 26 unique stories with each episode having a beginning, middle, and end without feeling rushed or too slow. Sorry that this mini review is getting on the longer side but it’s hard to talk about this show in a concise way because there is so much to unpack and talk about. 9 out of 10, would recommend watching but I’m aware it’s not for everybody. Wouldn’t be a bad idea peppering a little of it into your current watching schedule.

Mushi-Shi ZOKU SHOU: 9/10

The natural continuation of the series. Carries the exact same tone, vibes, pacing, and style of story telling of the first season. If I was put in a blind fold test, I wouldn’t know that this season was released 9 years after the first one. The set of stories this time around aren’t nearly as bittersweet as the first season and I did feel that Ginko was somewhat less involved with the cases this time around. I’ll just say it now, but I absolutely love Ginko as a character. Such a cool dude, love that guy. Before I watched the show I always pegged him as a dude that just keeps to himself, gets easily annoyed by other people, lays around and only spectates. But he’s like the complete opposite. He’s got so much going on, fantastic protagonist. He’s also problematic in that he makes smoking tobacco look cool. 

Mushi-Shi The Shadow that Devours the Sun: 8/10

Hey the sun is pretty important dudes. When you see that frame of the doctors house and the sea, it’s an reliable indication that the story/episode is going to be a good one. I really enjoyed the scene where the show all the characters from the previous episodes viewing the eclipse. 

Mushi-Shi Path of Thorns: 6.5/10

It was good although I can safely say that I won’t lose any sleep if there were no more Minai clan scenes or episodes from here on out. I think it was a good idea to make what would have been episode 11 and 12 into a special. Kind of disappointed in what I’m led to believe was the forbidden mushi or at least is the nature of the forbidden mushi. There was a lot of foreshadowing for it.

Mushi-Shi Second Season: 9/10

2nd season of the 2nd season. The clever bastard that recommended mushi-shi when I asked for a 26 episode or less anime full well knowing that I would get hooked into watching past the first season really got the most bang for their buck so far in terms of their recommendation lol. I kid though, Mushi-shi has been great.

Mushi-Shi SUZU NO SHIZUKU: 7/10

New lord dropped. Very bittersweet ending but still enjoyable. The quiet scene after the credits and not being given a title for the next episode invoked a unique sense of finality that I haven’t experienced in a long time.

Planet With: 5.5/10

Souya Kuroi has dreams of people with superpowers fighting a massive dragon in the sky, but his real life is almost as weird. He's had amnesia for about two weeks and been taken in by a maid and an anthropomorphic cat. When a UFO in the shape of a stuffed bear approaches Sorimasaka City and other metros around the world, he's startled to see seven rainbow-sparkling heroes zoom out to confront it – just like in his dream. Even weirder, the maid wants him to leave his shelter to confront these heroes and take the source of their power.

Planet With is a show that I otherwise would’ve never watched on my own accord but having finished it, I thought it was overwhelmingly alright. First, I need to get this out of the way right now; this show ain’t great looking. The CGI throughout the show is generally terrible, making action scenes have no weight to them in terms of actual combat and most actions that have the intention of looking cool and impactful end up feeling floaty and silly. The 2D hand drawn stuff is fine but doesn’t make up for the CG implemented in this show. Secondly, for a good chunk of the show the main character Soya sucks major ass. Imagine young Simon from TTGL but instead of being afraid and having low confidence he’s instead angry, dumb, and unfriendly. 60-70% of the time he’s either whining and complaining about something and we the viewer are stuck with him with usually no end to his whining in sight but luckily he does get better in the last 2 episodes when he becomes almost a carbon copy of a time skip ttgl Simon.

Another problem with having ugly action scenes is that this show tries so very hard to be hot blooded and almost Gurren Lagann-esq but is simply never cool and stylish enough to make it work. The intent is all there but it can never pull off the execution. You can tell this show came out in 2018 because it has aggressively bad bass boosted and out of place sound effects like fate apocrypha. On a positive note, Planet With was VERY bold in how it did it’s reveals. As weird as the plot was, Planet With somehow delivered it all in a easy to follow and engaging way, dropping a story changing plot point every other episode. Every character manages to get their backstory in even if it’s all done in a predictable and unremarkable way. Cramming all the elements of the story into 12 episodes as cleanly as it did is arguably one of the show’s greatest feats and honestly, I can’t believe it pulled it off. Lastly, I’m not sure how I feel about the way the show dealt with genocide and forgiveness but I think I’m simply not going to think to hard about it.

Kokkoku: 8/10

Juri Yukawa lives with her NEET father and brother, her retired grandfather, her sister and her young nephew. One day, her nephew and brother are kidnapped for ransom. Having only 30 minutes to meet the demands of the kidnappers, Juri, who realizes there is not enough time to prepare the money, decides to head for their rescue by herself with knife in hand when her grandfather uses a mysterious stone passed on in the Yukawa family to stop time. In a world where everyone and everything are inert, Juri and her father and grandfather run to rescue the two. But at the kidnappers' hideout, they soon realize they are not the only ones who can move about in this still world...

Took a month break after watching Planet With since I became more interested in playing videogames in my spare time but I finally managed to getting around to Kokkoku. Kokkoku is a supernatural thriller without the usual quick tense pace of a thriller. I found the premise and the hook in the first episode immediately engaging with each subsequent episode adding more clownery to the clown car up to the point where the climax felt like a final fight in a Jojo arc. There always seemed to be new problems arising with the exception of the last two episodes where the tension lessens and stuff finally cools down. The cast was likeable enough, maybe not the most exciting cast of characters but they all served their purposes. The villain was fun and everytime a bad guy was killed off it felt very satisfying to watch. And despite seeming like a weird confusing show at first glance, it was all very straightforward and easy to understand. I was hardly ever confused about what was going on and I greatly enjoyed the pacing of it all. I also watched the dub over the sub where I found the english voicework pretty well done even though I’ve heard better dubs before. Not once did I feel compelled to switch to subbed while watching. I overall really enjoyed my time with this show and found it to be fun watch despite its faults which I’m about to get into.

So first off and most importantly, the deus ex machina in the final episode is easily my biggest gripe with the show. A happy ending was well deserved but the way it happens is simply too convenient especially how well structured I felt the rest of the story was. Nowhere in the story was that blonde woman we saw in the first episode ever get hinted at being an un-aging wife of the man who made the stasis stone and the fact that she was there in Japan of all places to be pulled into Juri’s stasis and save her when she was about to fall into despair is the most out of nowhere plot development in the show. I kept assuming that blonde woman would show up and cause problems at the end of every episode since her entering stasis was one of the first things we saw when time stopped. Also the spirit dragon creature with the gouged out eye never appeared at any moment before the very end and it would’ve been cool to see that thing get hinted at beforehand for added mystery but there was never any mystery to it since it only showed up when the deus ex machina moment happened. I liked the happy ending but not like this lol. Dropping in such a virtuoso of plot knowledge at the very end is a big no no for me so I do feel like the well fought for ending that I was hoping for was stolen away in order of convenience.   

Now some other random gripes. There isn’t a lot but there is a surprising amount of out place sex jokes for some reason and the credits felt a little tasteless opening up with Juri in her underwear for some reason despite that not being close to the tone of the show at all. A lot of the episodes end in dire cliffhangers that usually get de-escalated at the start of the next episode lessening their impact each time. I also felt that despite the high stake and dangerous situations that the family members found themselves in, I never felt that they were ever in any real danger. The superpowers of the family were too over powered for most of the bad guys to remotely handle and if things got bad I knew grandpa would teleport them out of there. Also unlike virtually every other review I’ve read for this show, I feel like I’m one of the few people that didn’t care much for the opening song and I rushed to skip it every time but it does stand out as an opening though I’ll give it that. I liked the show and had a lot of fun watching it all unfold but at the end of the day, I can’t help but feel like something was still missing from it all and I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Chikyuu Bouei Kigyou Dai-Guard: 6.5/10

Thirteen years after their sudden disappearance, an alien race known as the Heterodyne resurface without warning. To combat the Heterodyne, three office workers from the 21st Century Security Corporation operate Dai-Guard - a giant robot no longer regarded as an oversized paperweight. Unfortunately, Dai-Guard is somewhat obsolete and in disrepair. It's a tough job, but salarymen can also save the world.

So.. some of you may recall me praising Dai-Guard quite a bit when I started it and posting about it and such and I will still stand by that praise. This show has a very good start. It felt fresh, original, and fun to watch. Dai-Guard as a mech is a great design and is easy on the eyes even though it’s moveset was somewhat limited. It was easy to root for a shitty broken down mech described as a financial money pit mascot after it stopped being needed years ago. But Dai-Guard unfortunately doesn’t carry that momentum all the way through.

Dai-Guard isn’t a bad show by any margin, it’s pretty good for the most part but it plays it very safe and once it establishes its monster of the week formula it eventually gets pretty stale as it is predictable. You can jump from episode 11 to episode 23 and you’ll probably notice no changes in a characters dynamic to one another. You have a colorful cast of characters for the most part but they don’t really play off each other that much in terms of development. You’ll have an episode dedicated to one of the pilots sole character development and the next will be another and vice versa, never as a whole team. Relationships amongst one another mainly stay the same. They don’t seem to hang out with each other and for the most part are shown mostly together only when they are clocked in at work. And at the end of the day, while no ones positions in respect to another really change, everything else also doesn’t really change. The kaiju still do kaiju things. the military still does annoying military things, corporate higher ups be doing selfish corporate higher up things, etc. 

The animation and the soundtrack is pretty good and while I noticed a drop in animation quality in some parts it never at all became distracting. I found myself also enjoying the Dai-Guard ownership politics between the company and the military and the fiscal responsibility for city and personal property damage after a kaiju is defeated. For a giant mecha show, the mecha fights aren’t always in the spotlight. Dai-Guard as a story is really invested in showing the power struggle behind the scene when dealing with city wide threats and catastrophes. It becomes quickly apparent that the biggest monsters are military boot lickers and greedy corporate suits that are so far removed from the common working class. Nothing is more dangerous for the protection of the citizens than big business cats calling the shots and an uncaring and by the code military choosing what’s best for themselves first and foremost. I do really like the idea of common workers being put into the role and responsibility of piloting a big ass mech and stopping kaiju but I just wish their side job as Dai-Guards pilots weren’t constantly challenged by the military higher ups believing that these three individuals that have consistently saved the day are some how not trained and practiced enough to handle the job instead of military dudes who have only simulation training. Also the show did jump between depicting the military as villains and heroes that it got hard to get a sense of where the writers stood when it came to the military. Some episodes the military were nothing but problem makers and others the main cast would smile and be relieved at the presence of the military. So that was pretty weird but I kind of got used to it.

Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: 6.5/10

Yuuna Yuuki is an ordinary second-year middle school student. She gets up in the morning, gets ready for school, goes to classes, participates in club activities, and has fun with her friends. But there is one extraordinary thing about Yuuki - she belongs to the “Brave Hero Club”. What does the Brave Hero Club do? Who is the mysterious being called “Vertex?” Yuuki Yuuna and her friends’ story takes place in Year 300, Era of the Gods.

I won’t lie, I was a little hesitant to start Yuuki Yuuna. It didn’t scream all that interesting at first glance and the only time of the day that I had time to watch it was at work around others which made me super self conscious of my surroundings. But in the end, I can say that it was a neat show with very pretty visuals that doesn’t ask for much from the viewer nor does it really set out to be this crazy unique original story. Yuuki Yuuna isn’t my first magical girl soldier conscripted into life or death battles under dubious contract circumstances rodeo but that didn’t really bother me because unlike a lot of other post Madoka Magica magical girl animes. Yuuki Yuuna doesn’t do it with malicious intent or for the sake of the edge™️. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. Yuuki Yuuna wants to be a cutesy hanging with the gals slice of life show more than anything, there just happens to be messed up magical girl elements and consequences looming at all times or at least that’s how I viewed it.

Now why did I score it a 6.5 and maybe not something like a 7? It’s because frankly I never felt any real attachment or care towards any of the characters. Most of the run time of the show is spent doing slice of life things with the five girls while they’re not fighting the vertex but I never found any of the girls really all that interesting. Just five playdough characters that are molded into any kind of narrative direction just to make me feel something when needed. But I guess if I were to choose, I found the health nut tsundere girl Karin the most enjoyable and her bloom form was the most cool in my opinion. While I’m still talking about the characters, there was also a weird amount of fanservice/ecchi moments for what are some of the most un-fanserviceable cast of underage characters you can get and I was grossed out everytime the show decided to focus on the girls butts or chests as if catering to an audience I greatly not want to think about. 

In conclusion, I thought the show was fine and it had some pretty great reveals that hooked me back in throughout. While enemy designs were whatever, the fight scenes still looked very good and they were a nice visual contrast compared to whenever they were just doing club activities. I’m also not sure how Yuuki Yuuna has like five other season/spinoffs not counting a sequel season that’s a prequel but unlike Mushishi, I’m content stopping at one season and it would take an incredible feat of persuasion to change my mind otherwise.

Blue Submarine No. 6: 7/10

The once famous and well respected scientist Zorndyke has bred a new genre of living being, one that thrives on the oceans and lives to destroy humans. Zorndyke believes it is time that the humans were relieved of their rule of the earth. It is up to Blue Submarine No. 6 and the rest of the Blue fleet to put an end to Zorndyke's madness and creations.

PS1 CGI GRAPHICS  PS1 CGI GRAPHICS PS1 CGI GRAPHICS PS1 CGI GRAPHICS PS1 CGI GRAPHICS! Blue Submarine No. 6 is an 1998 adaptation of the 1967 Blue Submarine No. 6 manga that has a little bit of everything. Within four episodes Blue Submarine has human struggles, out of place loud jazz music, sci-fi military submarines, gunboats, mermaid piloted mechs, talking whales, Warhammer goblins and orks, protags having trauma and existential crises, bad looking cg explosions, a girl in a skin tight bodysuit, very nice looking 2D hand drawn animation combined with incredibly dated ps1 cgi graphics, and violence. It’s like you take all these cool ideas and concepts and try to pull them all together into one cool experience. Now this might sound like one big mess of a show but I swear that it’s not, it was actually pretty enjoyable if you get into it.

That said, all the characters are kind of garbage ngl. They feel dated in how their written and some suffer being kinda 1 dimensional (sorry bodysuit girl). Zorndyke’s motives were sketchy at best but the way he’s presented, the presence he alludes, and the way others treat him. He very much reminds me of the character Kurtz in the book Heart of Darkness and I wonder if that was a possible inspiration for his character. Also I wasn’t expecting such cool monster human designs in this show and I felt that when the phantom ship crewmates were on screen I was watching warhammer ork boyz and it was very entertaining. The amount of promotional art of the mermaid humanoid girl made me think she was going to play a huge role in the show but I felt she could’ve done more honestly. She would show up like once or twice an episode for a couple scenes and that’d be it. Finally, the phantom ship has to be one of the coolest fictional ship designs I have seen in a long time.

Future Boy Conan: 8.5/10

July 2008. Mankind was faced with the threat of extinction. An ultra-magnetic weapon, far more devastating than any nuclear weapon known, destroyed half the world in an instant. The earth's crust was rocked by massive movements, the earth was thrown off its axis, and the five continents were torn completely apart and sank deep below the sea... The attempt by a number of people to flee to outer space failed. Their spaceships were forced back to the earth and vanished with their hopes shattered. But one of the spaceships narrowly escaped destruction and crash-landed on a small island which had miraculously survived the devastation. The crew members of the spaceship settled there, as if they were seeds sown on the island. After years, a boy was born. He was a new life in the desert, a ray of light in the darkness of the annihilated earth...

To end off the list, a highly influential but not necessarily highly rated show (during it’s airtime) amongst Japanese audiences in the late 70′s and early 80′s, Future Boy Conan. Though not made by Ghibli, it’s straight out of director Hayao Miyazaki’s animation sweat shop and knowing Miyazaki’s history of overworking his staff, it’s immediately understood that the artists and animators on board for this show were grinded to a pulp making this family friendly post-apocalyptic adventure beast of a story where the themes and story elements can easily be discovered in Miyazaki’s later works. If you know me well you’d know that I don’t like Miyazaki as a person but I admit he’s pretty good when it comes to putting out good anime. There’s a lot to talk about for this show because of how meaty and how much work and progression gets done each episode (each episode is 30 minutes). Out of the entire list of shows that were recommended to me, Conan has the most intensive amount of animation work done with nuanced and weighty animation from the way characters move, to the way character’s collide and interact with objects, and to the way characters traverse their settings. It’s all very visually impressive with a fun story to boot which makes me wish Miyazaki directed more series length shows before solely focusing on movies.

I don’t want to get into every narrative detail about the story because I’d encourage people to stop reading this mini review and go watch the show for themselves but the story is pretty simple and straightforward. Apocalyptic world, one island is nice the other not so nice, boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they really like each other, go to extreme lengths to save the other, some bad guys become good, lots of traveling, got to save super grandpa, you learn more about the world, human consequence and error, main boy is really strong, main girl has telepathy, bad guys want to harness solar power to resurrect world ending weapons from the past, etc. Nothing really extreme and complicated, in fact, it might be too straightforward for its own good. All the major plot points are predictable and expected. Aside from how Conan will get the job done you shouldn’t ever really be surprised how things play out. Like classic Miyazaki, there really isn’t really any narrative edge that hits you out of nowhere to keep things interesting or on your toes. Motives are clear and easy to see. It’s clear that this is a show that can be viewed at a young age while also enjoyed as an adult. And though I wouldn’t classify Future Boy Conan as a romance. The relationship between Conan and Lana is beyond endearing and is cute to witness. Many romance animes of today could learn a thing or two from Conan and Lana.

Personally, I found Captain Dyce while questionably stranger danger at points, stealing the spotlight with his weirdness and comic relief no matter how dire the situation. Aside from Dyce, no one’s character design really stands out and like classic Miyazaki, a grand majority of the characters present within the story are extremely plain and simple looking. You’ll get crowds of people but everyone in the crowd will have the same face and hair which gets a little uncanny to look at. I’d also like to mention that I was surprised at how violent the first half of the story was when it came towards the treatment of Conan and Jimsy. It didn’t shy away from child abuse and making sure Conan and Jimsy got ruffed up by the bad guys and put to work. Future Boy Conan also isn’t the show to watch if you have an intense fear of drowning because for a good portion of the show, they introduce a new terrifying and creative way of drowning almost every other episode either it being crushed under a sinking ship with no air, being lost at sea while hand cuffed arms to legs, somehow hand locked to a submerged anchor, trapped in a rapidly flooding mine, etc.

Finally and I need to stress this, Conan is a freak of nature. That boy may not be the most interesting of protagonists but the herculean level of physical feats he is able to pull off is wild and his insane physical strength though realized by other characters, is never once questioned. No surface too hard to climb, no ledge too narrow to grab onto, no object too heavy, no distance too far to jump or fall. You know they say all men are created equal. But, you at look at Conan and you look at Samoa Joe and you can see that statement is not true! See, normally if you go one-on-one with another wrestler you got a 50/50 chance of winning. But Conan’s a genetic freak, not normal! So you got a twenty five percent at best to beat Conan! And then you add Kurt Angle to the mix? The chances of winning drastically go down. See, the three-way at Sacrifice, you got a thirty three and a third chance of winning. But Conan! He’s got a sixty six and two-thirds chance of winning, cuz Kurt Angle KNOWS he can’t beat him, and he’s not even gonna try. So, Samoa Joe, you take your thirty three and a third chance minus Conan’s twenty five percent chance and you got an eight and a third chance of winning at Sacrifice. But then you take his 75 perchance-chance of winnin’ and then add sixty six and two thirds…percent's, Conan’s got a one hundred forty one and two-thirds chance of winning at Sacrifice! See Samoa Joe? The numbers don’t lie, and they spell disaster for you at Sacrifice.

Thanks for reading ^-^