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nat-20s · 3 years

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Part 5 of Wonderful! Au. *boyband voice* banter’s back alright!

Also on AO3

~*~

Jon: Hello everyone, and welcome back to our regular format. If my husband being horribly soppy-

Martin:-hey!-

Jon: -turned you off the how, this should be a refreshing return to formula, though I can’t guarantee there won’t be further horrible soppiness-

Martin, performatively under his breath: -most people thought it was charming-

Jon: -as that tends to happen when one is recording with the love of their life. If last week’s episode is the only one that you like, too bad, I’m back in full form, and should be at least through the rest of the season.

Martin: This show doesn’t have seasons? Due to the whole lack of a narrative thing?

Jon: I was referring to spring.

Martin: Oh, right.

[A beat passes.]

Martin, flatly: Oh. Great goof hon.

Jon, smug: Thank you.

Jon, sincere: Also, before we get properly started, I did want to actually thank everyone who sent well wishes.

M artin: Yes! We got positively inundated with lovely messages, it definitely brightened both of our days. I would even say it was wonderful.

[Jon groans.]

Jon: I am..not proud of the energy we’ve created for this episode so far, and we haven’t even hit the small wonders. Speaking of, do you have a small wonder this week?

Martin: Mine’s bad action movies.

Jon: Really? I had no idea you even liked them, let alone consider them wonderful.

Martin: Okay, so, saying I like them is a bit of a misnomer? It’s more that I like what they can do more than the movies themselves?

Jon: Elaborate?

Martin: It probably comes as a surprise to no one that I’ve tried my hand at a fair amount of mindfulness and mediation techniques. I’ve found poetry and journaling have been helpful for actually processing life events and whatnot, but when it comes to giving your brain a hard wipe and reset, nothing is half as quick and effective as a shitty shoot-em-up. Somethings about 2 hours of cartoonish, pg-13 violence held together with the absolute loosest of plots brings me to a state of mental blankness that would make a monk jealous.

Jon: How have I never witnessed you doing this? When are you sneaking off to go see Micheal Tarantino or who ever films?

M artin: That’s definitely not the right name.

Jon: Martin, dear, I don’t care. And you’re dodging the question.

Martin, fond: I’m not dodging anything. Since apparently we’re getting into it, you haven’t caught me cavorting with a movie involving more explosions than character development lately because I haven’t been. Haven’t needed it, in recent years. Turns out when you’re not crushingly lonely and working a literal nightmare of job, there’s less of a drive to try and escape your own thoughts. Shocker, I know. Still, to anyone out there that feels like their brain is on fire, go try watching a fast and furious. Any of ‘em, it doesn’t matter. Or even better, Chronicles of Riddick. I can’t remember a single goddamn detail of that movie, which makes it perfect for what I’m talking about.

Jon: I have the strong feeling that th is is a “mileage may vary” scenario.

Martin: Well, yeah, that’s this whole podcast. Plus, I imagine that movies like this would cause more stress to someone who cares about, say, world-building or rules consistency.

Jon: I wonder who you could possibly be referring to.

Martin: It’s a purely hypothetical person, love, don’t worry about it. Any small wonders?

Jon: Yes! Particularly relevant to the last week, my small wonder is stripping the sheets from your bed when it’s been too long between washes.

Martin: How very specific. M ost people would just say ‘clean sheets’.

Jon: Well, for one, I’m fairly certain that we’ve already covered clean sheets-

Martin: Shit, have we? Thank god other people keep track of this, otherwise this show would be unbearably repetitive.

Jon: Christ, yes. I typically check the website a good three times while prepping, and every about one out of those three times I find I’m trying to do an topic we did 30 episodes again. Anyway, um, it’s just nice, I think. When you’ve been too busy or sick or away for awhile, tossing the sheets in the wash makes a room instantly seem nicer. Of all the chores out there, this one, at least for me, has the highest reward to effort ratio.

Martin: Hard agree. Especially when the y have that slight funk of having been around to long, getting rid of that is such a relief. Speaking of, we need to change our sheets soon.

Jon: We can do it after the episode. Who goes first this week?

Martin: Considering last week was only me talking, I’m gonna say it’s you.

Jon: Alright, then. My first thing this week is Martin K. Blackwood.

Martin: Absolutely not!

Jon: Oh, you can do a whole episode on me, but I can’t do one little segment on my husband, whom I love very dearly?

Martin: Not while I’m sat here, no!

Jon: So you’re saying you don’t want me to tell the internet that your resolve to be kind even in the face of indescribable cruelty is one of the mot breathtaking things I’ve ever witnessed, or how I find it incredibly endearing when you get so emotional that your voice comes out as a squeak, or even that, on a more base level, you’re very physically attractive, and I could lose entire days thinking about your arms alone?

Martin, audibly blushing, voice the aforementioned squeak: Oh my god, Jon!

Jon, laughing: Then it’s probably for the best that my actual first thing is best friends.

Martin, peaking the audio levels: Oh you absolute bastard! Do you enjoy this? Do you get some sort of perverse sense of entertainment from riling me up?

Jon: Oh, don’t you start. As if you’re not as bad as I am. Maybe even worse.

Martin: That’s not…

Jon: Yes?

Martin: Okay. Maybe it’s slightly true. Really, what is romance for if not flustering your partner with compliments?

Jon, teasing: I certainly can’t think of anything.

Martin: Hush, you.

Jon: No, I don’t think I will.

Martin: Fine. I suppose you can tell our delightful audience about the power of friendship or whatever.

Jon: I would’ve assumed more enthusiasm, considering this segment is still, indirectly, about you.

Martin: In what way?

Jon: In the way that, to the shock of all, you’re my best friend.

Martin, pleased: Oh, is that what I am?

Jon, exasperated: Yes, dearest husband, I wouldn’t have married you otherwise. Though, upon reflection, I knew you were my best friend before I knew I held romantic feelings for you.

Martin: When was that?

Jon, letting out a breath that vibrates his lips: God it was...2016? I think it might’ve literally been the day after you told me about your CV.

Martin: That early? Huh. I wonder if that’s what people were picking up when they said they we were close.

Jon: What people?

Martin: I don’t know specifically, that’s just what Daisy told me.

Jon: Daisy? When the hell-?

Martin: It...was when she was interrogating me? And, because sometimes I have to be a parody of myself, pretty much my only take away from that interrogation was “people think me and Jon are close”.

Jon: Well then. It’s not like they were wrong.

Martin, smug: No, no they weren’t.

Martin, sincere: And you’re my best friend, too.

Jon: I was certainly hoping that you’re in this relationship for more than my good looks and incredible fortune, both in the monetary and luck sense.

Martin: You say that as if you aren’t good looking, which we all know is patently untrue.

Jon: You’re biased. You’d say I was good looking if I were nothing more than some primordial ooze with thoughts about its station.

Martin: I’m being completely objective. If you were primordial ooze with thoughts above its station, you’d be the cutest ooze of them all. That’s just scientific fact.

Jon: I’m starting to think we might be insufferable.

Martin: Starting to? Might be?

Jon:…

[Jon clears his throat]

Jon: What I find wonderful about the concept of best friends is, to me, they’re the closest thing real life has to soulmates. I don’t personally believe that there’s some..grand mystic force that drives people to be tied together in the manner that narrative typical soulmates are, and if there was I don’t think it would necessarily be the kind of emotional, heartfelt bond one would hope for, but I do believe that there’s individuals that get to know one another, and because of that knowledge, they chose to stick with one another. It doesn’t have to be a romantic, which is why I say best friend rather than specifically ‘spouse’, but I would argue that the basis of a strong romance like you and I have, is very much rooted in that connection. A true best friendship is an equal partnership, and there’s a sense of..matched sensibilities and understanding that can be utterly incandescent when it happens.

I also think that having one or more best friends makes living life on a day to day basis both better and just flat easier. The dark times aren’t as dark, and the bright times shine even more. I know from my own personal experience there are events that I..that I don’t know how I would’ve made it through without you. Hell, last week my..recovery period would’ve taken much longer if you hadn’t been there.

It’s an amazing thing to have someone to share things with, both triumphs and burdens. Um, also, according to Dictionary.com, the term best friends in English has been around since the 1200s. Something about that delights me, like, yes, we’ve had this casual way of referring to a Favorite Person for roughly 800 years. That makes it a hold-out from early Middle English. I dunno, it’s one of those things that make me feel overall very charmed by humanity.

Martin, audibly smiling: No, yeah, hard agree.

Jon: What’s that look for?

Martin: Nothing. Just. I love you a whole lot, you know that?

Jon, voice soft: I may have heard you say that once or twice. Per hour.

Martin: Only that often? I really need to be more diligent about that.

[There’s a bet of silence, presumably where they’re making doe eyes at each other.]

Jon: What’s your first thing?

Martin: Oh, um, right. Rats!

Jon: The expression or the animal?

Martin: Jon, have you ever once heard me say “rats” as an expression? Obviously I’m referring to the animal.

Jon: Ah. Should’ve known, considering that what, a third?, of all your segments have been on animals.

Martin: Yeah? And? You got a problem with critters? With creatures? With lil guys?

Jon, laughing: No, no, it’s very sweet. I’m just surprised you never became a vet.

Martin: Oh believe me, I wanted to. But then I learned that it was not, in fact, a job composed entirely of getting paid to play with other people’s pets.

Jon: You had that job, though, didn’t you? I thought I remembered you mentioning a month long stint at a doggie day care.

Martin, sighing dreamily: Best job I ever had. Too bad that place was shut down after it was revealed to be a money laundering front.

Jon: Good lord.

Jon: Martin did you...did you know it was a money laundering front at the time?

Martin:

Martin: Would it make you feel better if I said no?

Jon: Martin!

Martin: I figured it out like a week in, but, like, who cares? The pay was decent and the floor was super easy to clean, which is very much a plus for even a front of a doggie day care.

Jon: That’s...rather a lot. How about instead of getting into that any further, you tell me about rodents.

Martin: I would love to. But first, we have a shoutout!

Jon: Ooo, a shoutout. Does it specify who should read?

Martin: Let me check. It...does...not…..

...

Jon: Martin?

[A beat.]

Martin: Right! Sorry, um. This week’s shoutout is from Tim, to Danny. It says, “Danny! My favorite person who shares genetic material with me! I wanted to say thank you for your podcast obsession from 4 months ago, and specifically for telling me about these marrieds. They’ve gotten me through many a dull hour at the publishing house. Also, with this shoutout, I’ve officially gotten ahead on the Superior [Last Name Redacted] Brother scoreboard, so suck it. Love you lots, and looking forward to your visit next month, Tim.”

Jon: Oh.

Jon: Um. That’s very..sweet? I think? Mostly?

Martin: Yeah, I’d say so. Uh. We have to take a quick break because, uh, someone is..at our front door! Be back with you all in, from your side of things, just a moment.

#wonderful! au #jonmartin #jon sims #martin blackwood #>:3 #shoutouts are their versions of jumbotrons btw

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jakelionstumblr · 5 years

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Thoughts about Luigi’s Mansion, 3, and why it lacks the magic 1 had.

below the cut, may be some spoilers but I’m only at floor 9

As I’ve been playing through Luigi’s Mansion 3 in the way I play games with collectibles (at least these days,) trying to marathon rooms, looking for every type of secret or collectible in one run, I find myself getting bored, only putting in an hour to two at a time, before needing to get a bit of space. I may have had similar breaks on my first playthrough of the first game in the series, though it’s been too long to really remember. But what I’m focusing on here is what I’m coming away from the play experience with, what I’m thinking about between sessions, as well as what makes me want to take a break.

In the long distant memories of those first experiences on the gamecube, I recall spending so much time thinking about individual rooms in the house. What do I need to do in the exercise room? How do I light up the fortune teller’s room? What will get me to the next floor?

These sorts of thoughts, memories highlights a key difference between games 1 and 3. Luigi’s Mansion 1 was about the house, the whole house, and nothing but the house.

When thinking about the first Luigi’s Mansion, I think back to some of the early 3d platformers and their allure, which I find has been lost on a lot of modern attempts. Especially in Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie, I feel developers had mastered what I called the Vignette worlds. or maybe Playgrounds. These were levels that were very finite, really quite small if seen from a distance, but had so much to do in them.

This may have been due to limitations of the hardware that forced this type of world and gameplay, but I feel it had a huge impact on the way players would relate to a world. Because you spend so much time in so small a place, you start to become incredibly familiar with all the features of the world. You know by heart where the ramps are, you recognize the tower in the distance. These worlds all became like homes in a sense, and a game featuring 15 or more of these “worlds” felt huge, because of the amount of time you spent in each helped to make the move between different ones feel like a powerful move, like the feeling of leaving home for college, or taking a month long vacation.

When we saw these developers try to move to larger worlds, like Banjo Tooie or Super Mario Sunshine, that feeling of home was lost. We zip past details, we’re on a long trek to somewhere with nothing in between. Take a look at how far apart things are in Super Mario Odyssey, and how little the space in between means.

Coming back to Luigi’s Mansion, one might infer that a similar forced hand was occurring, albeit at a next gen level. They were trying to showcase the step up in graphics, which Nintendo was never a huge player in. Their solution, was something incredibly beautiful to look at, and yet incredibly small. There weren’t even 15 separate worlds, maybe... 30 rooms in a house?

So what made this a playable game? How many times can you do the ghost mechanic before it feels like you’re just bumping into the same 4 walls?

It was the mystery, the uncovering of all these many mysteries, in such a small space. Within this house were so many unique ghosts, and each one had some sort of trigger to allow you to actually catch them. You had to watch, observe, try to figure out. You would read the whole room, where any object could be important.

You might fail, you might not figure it out, and start running about the house, thinking or looking for clues or inspiration. The game played to this. Rooms you had ‘cleared’ of ghosts remained safe places, where you could think, look for money. Maybe read a book off a bookshelf. Dark rooms might always spawn ghosts, they were always a source of danger, and were never lit until cleared - you wanted to see how lovely these rooms could be. You wanted them to be safe. It was a HUGE motivator.

There were the elements of fire, ice and water. Objects in the room could relate to that, and be part of the problem solving. But you might not notice these things in a room until much later, when you got the power to do something with them. This instilled the idea that every room was important - everything in the room is important - and learning each room was as valuable a play experience as learning every world in a platformer might be.

What a huge idea! Showing us how magical rooms in a house and things in a house could be. Secret passageways, basements, attics. A candle might be magical if only you had the fire to light it.

Another important thing was feeling alone. You might get a bit of advice from E. Gadd, and you would come across Toads, but they never went with you. You could visit them, but the mystery and adventure was yours alone to unravel and discover, call out as you might for your brother. You were also never trapped in the mansion, but bound by a sense of duty.

----

When you get into Luigi’s Mansion 3, you might not notice a few things right off the bat, but maybe feel something is different. The battle mechanics feel... a bit more like a beat-em-up? The introduction of the slam mechanic makes dealing with ghosts a lot quicker. Which is a good thing... right?

Not really. Ghosts aren’t a threat to fear and a motivator to “clear a room.” There’s no way to actually clear a room of ghosts - sometimes they’re in there, sometimes they’re not, but - either way, you just slam them and move on. A nuisance at best. In the first game, you could flee from a fight by entering another room - you could double back quickly, and it still might be going on. In this game, if you’re not locked to a zone for a meaningless fight, there’s no feeling of fear like you’re running away - you’re just moving past them.

The slam mechanic, though, as well as the plunger move, highlights what I feel is the most - literally- destructive move the series has made - you can destroy everything in a room. It’s fun a hell and looks cool as hell, but what does it imply?

Rooms don’t matter. The things in rooms don’t matter.

Really, if you can’t break something in a room, then it’s obviously used as a puzzle mechanic. But in this game, if it’s not a grate that gooigi can walk through, or a tube gooigi can go through, or a big thing you can stick a plunger to and yank away, it doesn’t mean shit.

There’s no bookshelves on a book you can read, no candles that might light up with fire. There are ‘things’ yes, like a fan you can blow, but they stick out like a sore thumb. A few clever things, like seeing two cymbals and being rewarded for crashing them together, hearkens to the sort of smarts this game could have more of. But you’re not in a house where every room is special, you’re not exploring what the parts of a house are and what they do.

I’d actually say that the first 5 floors of this game, -almost- do that. Because, in the first 5 floors, you are exploring a traditional hotel. Bathrooms, dining halls, some actual hotel rooms. That has the magic that the home-snooping 1st game had. You get to see the first rooms you were in change drastically. You get elevator buttons in a random order, sending you to 3, then 5, then finally 4.

Floor 6 is where the game pretty much tells you “nah, this isn’t it.” It’s a thematic castle floor. All the rooms are linear, castle themed puzzles. Besides looking pretty, there’s no reason you would want to come back to them. You’ll need to, if they didn’t obviously place all the thematic gems, but you won’t feel rewarded for “reading the room.” You’ll feel rewarded for noticing the puzzle, framed by a boring ass room.

Then, you start getting elevator buttons linearly. 6, then 7, then 8, then 9. Each floor is themed, but even worse then having a linear arrangement of rooms, some floors are only 4-5 rooms, with hardly any amount of play value in them. The “museum of history” which would be RIFE with nooks and crannies, moving through displays, ending up in the gift shop - is one big, boring, lifeless room.

It brings some nice things from the 2nd game - the light to reveal invisible objects, though - you just end up passing through a room twice, once with the vacuum, the other time with that light. Not as rewarding as, say, having to learn that an object in the room is obscuring something. But the way spiders move and react, the way some small animated interactions happen, give little bits of life.

Every ghost encounter, though - of which there’s like 15, talking main ghosts - is pretty much dictated to you, through a series of cinematics if not just a boss fight delivered on a silver platter _at least up to floor 9). There’s no time spent uncovering a solution, giving these bosses character and meaning - it’s just something you’re progressing to on a linear basis. Even the cat segment was boring, as it didn’t take long for you to reach the end of that arc.

Even as point a-to-b as the game is, you never feel alone, and that’s a huge detriment to the motivation the first game gave you. You don’t feel like Luigi, the under appreciated brother using his wits to figure out a situation. You feel like Luigi, the pawn that does what he’s told. E.gadd isn’t just checking in with you at the end of each floor, or maybe after a big event with a few tips. Unless you turn it off, he’s calling, constantly. If it’s not him, it’s the ghost dog. You can’t even walk down some hallways without the dog popping out and arbitrarily halting your exploration, so you can watch him walk through the door you’re SUPPOSED to go through. Or, fail a few times getting the hang of a mechanic, or try the wrong thing - never fear! Your ghost dog friend will show you how to do it!

A few instances of this can feel charming, a refreshing break between the tenser times of a trickier game. But this game floods you with it. When you finally get to some periods of silence in between, though, there’s not much for you to discover yourself that feels cumulative, feels like you’re really figuring it out - you almost rush to the next context sensitive moment, because that’s obviously where the game is.

I can see where a hotel setting for this game would have worked really well. It could have expanded in a larger sense, if it was inside of these rooms, that secret passageways took you to unbelievable areas. But you would still be exploring a hotel, the architecture, the way a hotel works, and trying to understand how to awaken and capture the tenants that otherwise would just ignore and pester you - not just be the obvious point at the end of an obvious line.

#luigi's mansion 3

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zuka-themed-username · 6 years

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z-t-r: Phantom 2018

Phinally! (sorry - but I spiced it up with some stage photos this time, creds to eternalyjun/searching the tags)

I had the absolute supreme pleasure of seeing Snow Troupe’s Phantom twice during my trip to Japan in November. I had arrived with a ticket for an opening day s-seki seat in Takarazuka, but during my travels a wonderful fan club was able to provide me a b-seki seat the following morning, and holy smokes am I glad I saw it twice. I don’t know why I thought I could handle an s-seki seat - the sheer force that is Nozomi Fuuto is completely overwhelming that close up - but it was nice to not have to use my opera glasses!

For all that Thunderbolt Fantasy/Killer Rouge was my favorite show I’ve seen live, Phantom was the best I’ve seen in Japan. In terms of technical execution and emotional power this show takes the cake. While I was a bit surprised they would have Phantom near Elisabeth as they can be seen as tonally similar from a distance, I see now why they were not concerned.

Quick spoiler-free plot summary: Christine Daaé (Maaya Kiho) is an aspiring opera singer out on the streets of Paris selling her new hit single ‘Melodie de Paris’ when she is discovered by Philippe (cast A - Ayanagi Shou) who tells her to go to the Paris Opera House to meet the general manager Gérard (Ayakaze Sakina). When she arrives she finds that he has been ousted by Alain (Asami Jun), though circumstances allow for her to stay and meet the new prima donna/Alain’s wife Carlotta (Maisaki Rin). Carlotta allows her to stay, where the Phantom (Nozomi Fuuto) hears her beautiful voice. He hides part of his face behind a mask (and has a Black Angel-esque cohort) because of Tragic Reasons but still becomes her singing teacher, and she eventually gets the starring role in the upcoming production of “The Fairy Queen”. Due to Shady Circumstances something happens to her voice and The Phantom is Not Pleased. All hell breaks loose, and yes, a chandelier falls in a really neat way. There’s a whole lot of drama, and then a startlingly peppy finale as with all two-act zuka shows.

As with my other reviews this will be a total scattershot of notes and impressions. Spoilers will be indicated with a “[s]”. However as this is a show that’s been performed many times, feel free to ask me more detailed questions if they’re not answered here! And yes, you’ll want to buy the DVD/Blu-Ray. If not I might finally figure out streaming and show it.

[s] Right off the bat: in comparison to the 2004 version, Daimon (Nozomi) does not kill the gentleman (Joseph - thanks @daimongumi!) in the beginning. He instead does the tasteful tumble. The moment the set rolls out you see that there is not space for him to stumble down a set of stairs and be stabbed. The Phantom is instead shocked and horrified.

- The start of the show has an elaborate video projection during the overture (including the show curtain shown above). It does a nice job of establishing the extensive catacomb system under the Paris Opera House. I do wonder though if it was used to shorten what I call the “visual overture”, where the Top Star does a dance or some sort of interpretive performance to music at the top of a show as otherwise the plot does not require them on stage for quite some time. While Daimon is a triple threat I’d definitely put dance at #3 - and frankly I’m all for shortening the extensive moody Phantom & co. dances if it allowed her to conserve lung power for the real focus - her kick ass voice! A bit more on this later.

The Phantom pushes away the haters (I’m all three musumeyaku)

- There were amazing / borderline excessive projections whenever the Phantom was onstage, and I guarantee they will not show up well on the recording. I can only hope they do not wash out costuming and lighting. I feel like they were supposed to be tendrils of darkness, though as they were projected light it looked instead a bit like vines. When Daimon was wearing the sage green lounge wear later it was especially noticeable. Again the image doesn’t do it justice (but can we appreciate this shocking apple green color?)

Another set of Incredibly Insightful and Deep Notes directly from my intermission scribbles:

- “Carlotta is hilarious”

- “Maaya Kiho is perfect”

- “Nozomi Fuuto is perfect”

- “tiny organ”

- “hella candles”

and lastly,

- “shady swag Willy Wonka”

which works better with a crossing the silver bridge gif but for now:

Anyway back to more fleshed out thoughts:

- To the clown and the jester in the far back of the stage during Melodie de Paris: thank you.

- More specifically, there are about five “rows” of Parisians on stage during Maaya Kiho’s introduction, and there was one performer in the far back right dressed like a jester. They started out juggling. Kind of. There was another civilian with them pretending to be entertained. They juggled for about five tosses, then headed offstage. “Ok,” I thought, “let’s see what else is happening.” I looked to the far left and there was a terrifying old-school clown clowning around. I was impressed with the costume and the commitment but quickly looked back to the right. The jester had returned. With a pillow. And was spinning it like a basketball. Just like a regular couch pillow with tassels. Spinning it on her finger until it started to wobble, then she’d reset and try again. It was riveting.

I have so many questions. Did jesters do this? Are you supposed to be juggling the whole scene? Why did you exit the stage and not just bring the pillow with you at the start? Did this change every night? Whose pillow is this? Are they ok with you spinning it like that? Where did this come from?? How -

(By then the scene was ending, and thank goodness I knew the plot otherwise I would have been completely lost. Also thank goodness for seeing the show twice, as Maaya’s voice is a golden treasure and if I had been too distracted to listen to it I would have been quite upset with myself.)

- Asami Jun as the new, slightly skeevy general manager of the Opera House is a joy. I had so much fun watching her be so into Carlotta, shooing people away or making a path for her wherever she went. He showers her with compliments and is utterly distraught when he misspeaks. I can’t imagine what Ayanagi’s interpretation would be like, as she was so fantastically sincere as Philippe, but I’m glad they will have a chance to stretch themselves as actors, since there’s really only one solo song between the two roles if I am remembering correctly.

- There were two musumeyaku Phantom followers and it was nice way to break up the choreography. While I am still not 100% convinced that the followers as a whole are incorporated effectively (I would like to see more interaction between the Phantom and his followers outside of setting them up to make mischief), they executed some interesting choreo well.

- One thing that really struck me throughout this production is how well Takarazuka as a whole is able to create worlds on their stage, through the simplicity / complexity of having a ton of background people onstage telling silent side stories. Sometimes sheer volume works, as with large city scenes (here Paris, also Guys & Dolls’ New York City), but also in any number of smaller cafe or club scenes. While painstaking measures are taken to ensure it does not interfere with the Top Star or Top Musumeyaku, it is still motion on stage that can draw the eye away (*ahem* jester). I would like to highlight my second favorite set of background characters, the prop guys in “Home”, as an example of how tricky this balance is. Plot Happens and Christine finds herself with some laundry and some music backstage in the opera house and begins the setup for her big solo turned duet, “Home”. Maaya is near the front of the stage, to the right in a light spotlight. Behind her are 4-5 sets of 2-3 people representing different segments of the opera company. There are dancers, some folks around a piano (I think), costume folks, and two guys on the far left checking props - our Spear Guys. They are all doing some light tasks amongst themselves. When Maaya begins singing, they all stop, except for the Spear Guys who are still joking around. As the song continues, they freeze and another group begins moving. This repeats until each group has had a silent solo, moving about behind Maaya until the huge Phantom set piece rises from the stage. The first time I saw the show I was seated on the far right - prime Maaya placement (thank you!!), but also lined up to have the Spear Guys right behind her. The second time up in b-seki it was not nearly as distracting as I could see the 15-20 feet between them and Maaya, but they still didn’t stop at the start like the other groups. I don’t think for a second they missed their cue two days in a row, but I do find it interesting that the direction does not have the entire stage freeze for Maaya’s intro. I wonder if that would be more distracting - to have 10-15 people suddenly stop moving and then have small groups begin moving, so they instead try to smooth out the transition with our Spear Guys. Or perhaps they wanted to highlight that she’s not a big deal yet as a laundry girl, despite this being a big song, so they don’t emphasis it as much with total stage isolation.

I don’t know why this specific thing stuck with me, perhaps I just wasn’t used to “Home” being staged instead of just an audio recording. But I won’t let this more intensive thought on direction make me forget to mention that: I sincerely hope no one gave Daimon any direction after opening night in regards to her facial expressions whenever the Phantom hears Christine’s voice. Idk if new tumblr will allow the gifs, if y’all pick up what I’m putting down.

- A quick side note: the sets and costumes feel refreshed and much more intricate. I’m somewhat surprised they were able to load the huge set pieces just four days after Castle of the White Heron. Huge shout out to the Takarazuka Theater Stage Crew/Staff.

- This goes without saying but Daimon and Maaya’s voices were flawless. I have a note that “Nozomi actually out-sung the ensemble”, which, duh? Her voice + microphones? I wish I could remember what I was going for there.

- There’s a song contest in act one, and frankly I think they should make the song the ensemble has to sing the actual contest. Boy does that song not translate well. It’s incredibly fast and while Snow Troupe does their best it’s legitimately impossible to follow. I need to see rehearsal footage to see ensemble folks just be like, “whelp this is fastest I can go, how are you doing?” and the shrugs in response. And then Daimon being like, “well I had a to practice a bunch but when I did it over a decade ago-” *nails it*

[s] When Christine faints from, idk, finally having a chance to follow her dreams and then promptly being poisoned, and the Phantom ‘sweeps her off her feet’ to his underground dungeon palace (with way too many candles - I assume candle maintenance is what the followers do most of the time), it was more of a ‘1 - 2 - hngh” on the Phantom’s part. I heard that it was very quickly taken out and I can attest that it didn’t need to happen if Daimon was going to hurt herself. Also I like that it gives Christine the tiniest bit more agency if she has to stumble through the mirror with him instead of being completely unconscious.

[s] Speaking of which, Maaya’s approach to Christine. This is another tricky thing that I could write a short essay about. In this version of Phantom, (compared to Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera where Raul, a Philippe-type, is immediately there to try and help with the creepy Phantom situation) Christine is much more isolated, and greater attempts are made to humanize the Phantom. We get the sad details of his birth, upbringing, and current situation, including the weird twist that Christine looks just like his mother. Another essay could be (and no doubt has) been written on that topic, however what I would like to focus on is that Christine is aware of all of this information. She’s aware of how he ended up with a “horrendously” disfigured face and why he is deeply ashamed to the point of violence if discovered. So when she uses her beautiful, angelic voice to convince him to take off his mask, sees his face, then runs off screaming, it’s truly heartbreaking. There are a million ways to play this scene and the character up to this point, but the unfortunate reality is that Christine has to run out of the grotto/garden in order to make it back up to the opera house (somehow, which brings up more questions) for the plot to proceed and for last 40-50 minutes to happen. Therefore the actress is a bit stuck. With that eventuality in mind, I think Maaya makes Christine as ‘modern/realistic’ as possible, in that she screams without too much fear, and her face is a bit.. flat? I don’t mean that in a negative way. I wouldn’t be surprised if she received a few notes along the lines of, “be sure to be really scared by his face” but wanted to treat Christine as a woman that could understand - or simply wanted to have the chance to understand - the man under the mask/scars, so her reaction both times almost looked like, “ok I’m screaming and running because the plot requires it but I’m here for you-” *and gone*. This is reinforced by the much stronger reaction she has when she realized she made a mistake and struggles to go back behind the mirror to him, and her polite but not very enthused duet with Philippe (side note: the Phantom walking up with flowers after that scene - a punch to my stomach). I don’t even think it’s out of true romantic love, but out of a desire to truly understand. For all that they come from different backgrounds, they do have the same goal of making beautiful music, and with this much less murderous interpretation of the Phantom I could root for them. This is in stark contrast to the 2004 version, where I was much more ok with the Phantom’s demise in the end.

[s] That all being said, Maaya’s voice in the song that convinces the Phantom to remove his mask is f*ing beautiful. I am legitimately tearing up just hearing the echoes of it in my memory. When the Phantom is alone and breaks down crying after tearing down the world around him (quite literally), he is perfectly centered on the stage and just so small. It’s an amazing bit of staging that tore out my heart. The use of religious-style themes as well is just crushing.

[s] Speaking of which, I can’t forget to mention the incredibly long but intense story of the Phantom’s upbringing with this gorgeous stained glass in the background:

[s] The suggestion of questionable morality by tilting it is clear and fantastic, the dancing and anguish throughout is just flawless. For all that it does not make me sympathetic for the weirdly young dad (yes yes struggs of being nibante and not senka), I could still get behind the raw emotion of it all, which is rare for me. The “Ave Mariiiiiiia” is now ringing clearly in my head as well and I’ll just say good luck buying the soundtrack because I already ordered every copy.

[~s] Not quite a spoiler but at one point the Phantom is in a boat with Christine and is wearing a standard suit with tails. Intermission hits and when we come back to to our seats the plot has not progressed and yet they went and Top Star’ed the suit to make it the intricate blue one shown in most of the promos. I chuckled a bit.

- This happens much earlier in the show but Carlotta’s song introducing the frenzied world of opera is so fun and amazing - I remembered it just now as if my brain was trying to lighten the mood for me. You could tell they really reveled in the lighthearted scenes and nailed all of the comedic shenanigans.

- Come to think of it there’s a lot of tossed paper, envelopes, letters, music, etc. that is wild yet contained, though there is a letter dropped from the ceiling that juuuust barely made it on stage on the second day. It fell in the slot between the lights and the orchestra pit and I hope there’s a day where a musician has to hand it to them XD.

- Despite the age of the show it felt quite fresh, and the staging did not feel nearly as stiff as say, Elisabeth. That being said, all of the Phantom’s emotional struggles had the same setup of powerful song into a moody dance (except the big rehearsal scene, which is still all dance, though modified). This makes sense given the previous set of Phantoms (Wao Youka, Haruno Sumire, and Ranju Tomu), but I think for Daimon flipping the song and dance would have been beneficial. It would have been a bit hassle in terms of structure and orchestration, for sure, but continuing to shorten the Phantom-centric dance segments in exchange for a smoother and higher emotional peak, along with extended glorious singing by Daimon (also because the Phantom is a composer, not a choreographer) would have been neat.

[s for a bit] And here I was about to go into the auxiliary musings without detailing Daimon’s approach to the character! It was, in short, exactly how Daimon would approach the role. A total cop-out description, but I still think the most apt, despite me being unsure of how she would approach it before I saw it. Daimon has a way of blending vulnerability and ferocity that is quite unique to her and on full display here. The Phantom as a character is emotionally stunted and traumatized. He has the full strength and rage of an adult that has been wronged, the anguish of an artistic teen trying to find his voice, and the naivety of a boy that has only been loved by a woman that was scorned by everyone else. It is quite messed up when you lay it all out, and yet it does not allow for violent acts such as physical/emotional possession of another person and straight-up murder. As I mentioned before, when I saw the much more intentional murder in the 2004 version I was engaged and impressed by the gutsy-ness of it. “A Top Star is a villain, wow!” The emotional appeal in the second half of the show for me fell flat, until the very end when Hanafusa Mari is cradling Wao because of the sheer power of their Golden Combi. Hence I always saw the role as one or the other. A Phantom that is a villain with selfish desires (2004) or a misunderstood artist that gets swept up in emotion and acts out (2006). Here I can see both existing simultaneously. When Daimon is sad and aching, she is sad. Make no mistake, she was crying, many people in the audience were sniffing - two people on the second day had like racking sobs they were trying to control. No doubt a result of having seen it live, it is difficult for me to look at the character as a whole and cast one final opinion - I’m thinking of core scenes and moments where the emotion - sadness or rage - is just so strong. That’s something I think, whether or not you’ll like it when you see it, you can’t deny. Daimon’s expressive face is conveying every emotion quite strongly. When she goes to kill Carlotta, (RIP, you suck for sabotaging Christine but damn do I love your attitude) the intention is quite clear. Carlotta messed with Christine, so she’s gotta go. It’s terrifying, the calm appearance and slow, methodical style at first. The only thing that makes it mellow out for me is the absurdity of the red outfit and mask. It’s clear he raided the costume department and/or worked on the outfit for sometime despite being so incensed the moment he discovers who is at fault. Regardless of that flash of comedy, the cold intent is classic evil scary Daimon that I wanted to see.

What then I like about this is that we have three different situations with three different outcomes instead of just “too much emotion = murder”.

In 2004 we have:

someone saw the facial scarring -> murder

Phantom is not a fan of the new way the opera is being run -> murder

someone messed with Christine -> murder

In 2018 we have:

someone saw the facial scarring -> an accident/fall out of fright (This sets up better how “genuinely scary” his face is when Christine sees it. As an aside, his body still shows up in the glass case later on so I guess someone had to go find his body? I figure the followers had to draw straws, but that the Phantom would capitalize on it regardless is problematic.)

Phantom’s not a fan of the new way the opera is being run -> someone passes out from fright or overexertion during the Phantom panic?

someone messed with Christine -> oh shit, murder

This makes the murder all the more shocking, to the point of nearly being out of place, but the murderous intention comes not out of habit but because of love/infatuation with finding the voice of an angel/their mom. Which is a sentence I never thought I would type but here we are.

While it’s not as shocking on the meta level and can definitely be seen as making the character more tame, it also makes the incredibly long appeal to his tragic background less out of left field and a bit more of a situation to struggle with as an audience member. This does not excuse the dramatic trope of being shot and then having a solid 1-2 more hours of emotional appeals on the silver bridge, running about the opera house with the most incompetent guards, and entire song reprises before then being shot again, Andre on the Bridge-style. It’s a bit too long, and I wouldn’t mind switching the getting grazed on the side scene with the Phantom/dad reunion scene, if only so we could have a moment where not only does Gerard see his son get shot but is also seen by guards having talked to him, so there is more tension in the final moments. Not to re-write the script, but throwing in a bit of smugness from the guards to be like, “Nah, he won’t shoot his kid,” - then, “Father!”, then - *bang* adds perhaps a deeper shock to the bystanders? Or perhaps it’s 1 AM and I need to finish pontificating on something I saw just long enough ago to forget more interesting details.

Regardless, that aaallllll being said, Daimon’s Phantom is one that seeks to cover every base as strongly as possible. He is the saddest, the most anguished, the most angry, the most vulnerable and the most capable of cold and calculated revenge. Thus it could read as a bit overwrought or youthful, but I think it works with this greater shift in narrative that the Phantom lacks the emotional training one would get from having been raised in a more... conventional mask-free non-catacombs environment.

[end of s]

- On the finale: y’all, I was so exhausted. This show is so much. I’m never prepared for a mini revue after a two act show and this was no exception. It was fast. I want the script-lettered “phantom” sign in my house. The songs were upbeat and it was jarring. This scene happened:

and there’s a hip move (?) that was real sassy. My face was stiff from trying not to cry and still an eyebrow twitched in surprise. When the gif hits tumblr it’s gonna blow up. Get ready for Music Revolution is all I can say. It’s already better than Super Voyager.

A few auxiliary notes:

- People were cryyyying. A lot of sniffles. Two people actively sobbing on day two.

[s] On opening day during one of the final scenes Christine plays, if I remember correctly, a few notes of the “oh you are music” line on the piano and “revives” the Phantom for a final moment. Except kinda? It went up correctly but on the way down she didn’t hit the right note and ended up with a nice jazz remix. You better believe she had it right the next day but I loved the *note, note, wrong note. tasteful pause. a note that sounds like a venturing guess. a pause. another note aaaaand the scene continued* I love knowing that she’s actually playing those notes.

- I’m not surprised if they didn’t release the opening day curtain call speeches - Rika Masumi could not remember Gaston Leroux’s name (original author of The Phantom of the Opera - and fair, this show is so far from the book I’m surprised it has to be mentioned at all) and Daimon was trying to explain the cast split but got caught up in “ums” (which sounds like “eh”), which led to a funny bit where she was like, “you know, cast... eh... eh... ah, A!” (’A’ also sounding more like “eh”). Then there were two more curtain calls at which point Daimon was literally like, “buy the CD, buy some sandwiches and drinks... go home please” and then was like, “ok let’s do a phantom mask sign-off, everyone put your hand up like this” *hand up like the phantom mask* “ok with me, ‘Phantom...’” *audience repeats* Then Daimon pulled her hand away and said “maerou!” which literally is just like, “Phantom... is over!” I’m sure there’s a more elegant way to phrase it but people chuckled and starting packing up so I followed suit. I really wanted Maaya to speak but alas that’s not how things roll. If anyone has any insight on how she said she was going to approach the role (beyond, “I’m going to support otokoyaku”) please let me know!

I’m no doubt missing a whole bunch, probably will edit in the morning, and might add some comments if I remember, but otherwise this sums up my trip! So glad to finally have it all out there and finished. Can’t wait to hear people’s impressions of the Tokyo run!

#takarazuka #snow troupe #phantom #yukigumi #nozomi fuuto #daimon #maaya kiho #murder #i was dead #but in the good way not like *spoiler*#:o

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archiebwoollard · 6 years

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Pros and Cons of Top Social Media Advertising Platforms

Whether you’re a small business looking for inexpensive options to add to your marketing mix, or a big brand trying to determine which platforms will give you the best return on your dollar, it’s important to be aware of the benefits and downsides to each of the major social media channels available today. While return on ad spend is generally high for social, your business should determine whether a platform is the right fit before making the decision to spend. To help with your consideration, I’ve compiled a list of the pros and cons for each of the top social platforms offering advertising services today.

source: joemartinezsem.com

Facebook: 2 Billion Active Monthly Users

Pros of Facebook

Affordable: On Facebook, you can spend as much or as little as you want according to your budget and goals, making it ideal for small and big businesses alike.

Easy to Learn and Use: Facebook Ads are self-service, and there is a wealth of information available to new advertisers through Facebook Blueprint courses. Seriously, there is a course for just about every subject.

Microtargeting: On Facebook you can target users based on demographic information such as age, gender, location, and language, as well as detailed interests and behavioral targeting to reach the large Facebook audience in a highly segmented way.

Wide Audience: Again, Facebook has 2 Billion active monthly users, and they span across ages and demographics. If you want the widest reach for social, Facebook is where to put your ad spend.

Retargeting: The Facebook Pixel allows you to track user actions once they interact with your ad. This allows you to get valuable insights as well as retarget to consumers who have taken any number of valuable actions on your site.

Lookalike Audiences: My favorite thing about Facebook Ads is the ability to target an audience that looks like users who were valuable to you in some way. Do you want to find brand new users who are most likely to download your whitepaper? Create a lookalike audience to find people similar to those who have already downloaded it.

Cons of Facebook

Diminished Organic Reach: Marketers are notices a sharp decline in their organic reach, and based on Facebook’s new NewsFeed algorithm changes, this trend is likely to continue. This means that reaching your audience will require more ad spend, and less attention to organic page post engagement.

(Potentially) Lower Quality Leads: While this depends entirely on your strategy, advertisers who are not yet adept at Facebook Ads may not know that optimizing for link clicks leads to Facebook serving your ads to “clicky” consumers who may not actually care about your product or service.

Time-Intensive: To keep frequency and reach in check, and to avoid ad fatigue, Facebook advertising requires constant monitoring and ad refreshes to give your business the best shot at success on the platform. If you don’t have the time to dedicate to this, you may not see the best possible results.

Creative Considerations: Simple text ads like you can utilize with Google AdWords don’t cut it in Facebook; creative is visual with a focus on video and mobile optimization. Having good creative resources is essential for success with Facebook advertising.

#DeleteFacebook: While we don’t believe that Facebook users are going anywhere to any significant degree, some brands have expressed concern over Facebook controversies throughout the first half of 2018.

Instagram: “A Captivated Community”

Pros of Instagram

Visual Focus: Instagram ads are meant to be visually appealing to captivate your audience. High-quality photos and videos grab user attention and promote positive brand awareness.

Detailed Targeting: Instagram has the same hyper-focused targeting capabilities as Facebook (and Instagram is owned by Facebook, in case you did not know). This means you can reach just the right user for your product, and tailor your messaging to their interests.

Shopping/Collections: Especially important for retail and e-commerce, Instagram allows you to group a collection of products together, or to inform users of the products highlighted in a photo or video in your ad. You can give the user a Call-to-Action to encourage purchases launched from within the app.

Engagement: Instagram is a personal, conversational, and engaging platform. Engagement rates are 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.

Cons of Instagram

Limited Audience: Instagram has a much younger user base, with 90% of users younger than 35 years old. This is great for certain brands like fashion lines, but not as good for anyone with a much older target persona.

Minimal Text Copy: Because captivating photos and videos are the focus in Instagram, any text-heavy images or extra lengthy copy are not going to do well on this platform.

Time-Intensive: Like Facebook, staying fresh and relevant, as well as engaging with users, requires a lot of time and effort compared to search platforms like AdWords. An in-house advertiser who is responsible for all channels will probably not be able to devote as much time as they’ll need in learning as well as production.

Diminished Organic Reach: Businesses are seeing the same trend for Instagram feeds as in Facebook, naturally. Organic reach is steadily declining, causing paid efforts to rise and become the priority.

LinkedIn: The World’s Largest Professional Network

Pros of LinkedIn

Valuable Audience & Detailed Targeting: B2B customers will find their perfect audience on LinkedIn. Its user base is largely business professionals, and the targeting options are specific and related to users’ professions. Target based on salary, job title, employer, company size, etc. An approach that mimics an ABM strategy works well for my clients on LinkedIn.

Higher Lead Quality: It’s easy to reach top decision-makers on LinkedIn. You can even specifically target C-suite users. Member demos like income and job responsibility skew higher for LinkedIn than for the other platforms.

Selve-Serve: If you have a LinkedIn account, you can easily create an ad account for your business and utilize the self-serve options according to your advertising goals.

Varied Ad Formats: You can utilize text ads similar to what you find in AdWords, or you can take a content marketing approach and sponsor content such as blog posts to share with the top-of-funnel audience you’re after. There are also display ads, lead generation forms, and video ads to choose from.

Cons of LinkedIn

Higher CPCs/CPAs: getting quality clicks or leads is great, but it does come at a higher cost for LinkedIn compared to come other social platforms.

“Clunky” Platform: This is a matter of opinion, but I find the platform to be a bit unwieldy compared to other platforms. There is a lot of clicking around required to make changes.

Limited Learning Resources: Compared to Facebook, LinkedIn has nowhere near the level of educational resources available to new advertisers. There are FAQs and Help sections, but I find myself wanting coursework akin to the Facebook Blueprint syllabus.

Not Ideal for E-commerce: Because there are no product ads, and because LinkedIn users are expecting a personal and professional experience when they use the site, LinkedIn is not the best platform for E-commerce businesses.

Twitter: Let Your Audience Know What’s Happening

Pros of Twitter

Large Audience: Twitter boasts of over 330 million active monthly users, meaning you can engage with a large (and varied) audience. Take a look at Twitter member stats to get an idea of the potential audience available to reach. Custom audiences built around your followers, competitors followers, or user interests are a key benefit of Twitter ads.

Keyword Targeting: Unlike the other major social media advertising platforms discussed here, Twitter allows you to reach users who have recently tweeted or searched for terms you include in your campaign targeting.

Conversational: Twitter allows for real-time delivery of messages, and fosters engagement with mentions and communication between users. Brands can have active dialogues with their audience.

Global Reach: 79% of Twitter users are outside the U.S.

Scheduled Tweets: Stay engaged even when you’re off the clock by scheduling promoted tweets to run at predetermined times. This helps lessen some of the “time-intensiveness” that is inherent to face-paced social platforms.

Cons of Twitter

Fast-Paced: Users tweet by-the-minute updates, so the fleeting nature of messages in the feed means that brands are more likely to go unnoticed on Twitter compared to other platforms.

Limited Messaging: Only 140 characters means that messages have to be brief. Shortened URLs do give you the ability to link to longer content hosted elsewhere, though.

Time-Intensive: Because Twitter is fast-paced, success on the platform requires dedication of time and resources to stay relevant, fresh, and visible amidst the constant stream of new content into the feed.

User Perception: Users are more likely to see sponsored/promoted tweets as spam. There have also been instances where brands fail at fitting in on the platform, which means you’re often better safe than sorry when it comes to hopping on hashtag bandwagons or finding your voice on a trending topic.

Final Thoughts

Chances are your business already has a presence on some of these platforms, but you may not be utilizing the paid advertising services they offer. Hopefully this list was a good start in considering which paid services are right for your organization’s needs. Ready to start and looking for more specific information? Visit the Social Topics page for more blogs on all things social!

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8217493 https://www.ppchero.com/pros-and-cons-of-top-social-media-advertising-platforms/

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racheltgibsau · 6 years

Text

Pros and Cons of Top Social Media Advertising Platforms

source: joemartinezsem.com

Facebook: 2 Billion Active Monthly Users

Pros of Facebook

Affordable: On Facebook, you can spend as much or as little as you want according to your budget and goals, making it ideal for small and big businesses alike.

Wide Audience: Again, Facebook has 2 Billion active monthly users, and they span across ages and demographics. If you want the widest reach for social, Facebook is where to put your ad spend.

Cons of Facebook

Instagram: “A Captivated Community”

Pros of Instagram

Visual Focus: Instagram ads are meant to be visually appealing to captivate your audience. High-quality photos and videos grab user attention and promote positive brand awareness.

Engagement: Instagram is a personal, conversational, and engaging platform. Engagement rates are 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.

Cons of Instagram

Minimal Text Copy: Because captivating photos and videos are the focus in Instagram, any text-heavy images or extra lengthy copy are not going to do well on this platform.

LinkedIn: The World’s Largest Professional Network

Pros of LinkedIn

Selve-Serve: If you have a LinkedIn account, you can easily create an ad account for your business and utilize the self-serve options according to your advertising goals.

Cons of LinkedIn

Higher CPCs/CPAs: getting quality clicks or leads is great, but it does come at a higher cost for LinkedIn compared to come other social platforms.

“Clunky” Platform: This is a matter of opinion, but I find the platform to be a bit unwieldy compared to other platforms. There is a lot of clicking around required to make changes.

Twitter: Let Your Audience Know What’s Happening

Pros of Twitter

Conversational: Twitter allows for real-time delivery of messages, and fosters engagement with mentions and communication between users. Brands can have active dialogues with their audience.

Global Reach: 79% of Twitter users are outside the U.S.

Cons of Twitter

Fast-Paced: Users tweet by-the-minute updates, so the fleeting nature of messages in the feed means that brands are more likely to go unnoticed on Twitter compared to other platforms.

Limited Messaging: Only 140 characters means that messages have to be brief. Shortened URLs do give you the ability to link to longer content hosted elsewhere, though.

Final Thoughts

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8217493 https://www.ppchero.com/pros-and-cons-of-top-social-media-advertising-platforms/

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zacdhaenkeau · 6 years

Text

Pros and Cons of Top Social Media Advertising Platforms

source: joemartinezsem.com

Facebook: 2 Billion Active Monthly Users

Pros of Facebook

Affordable: On Facebook, you can spend as much or as little as you want according to your budget and goals, making it ideal for small and big businesses alike.

Wide Audience: Again, Facebook has 2 Billion active monthly users, and they span across ages and demographics. If you want the widest reach for social, Facebook is where to put your ad spend.

Cons of Facebook

Instagram: “A Captivated Community”

Pros of Instagram

Visual Focus: Instagram ads are meant to be visually appealing to captivate your audience. High-quality photos and videos grab user attention and promote positive brand awareness.

Engagement: Instagram is a personal, conversational, and engaging platform. Engagement rates are 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.

Cons of Instagram

Minimal Text Copy: Because captivating photos and videos are the focus in Instagram, any text-heavy images or extra lengthy copy are not going to do well on this platform.

LinkedIn: The World’s Largest Professional Network

Pros of LinkedIn

Selve-Serve: If you have a LinkedIn account, you can easily create an ad account for your business and utilize the self-serve options according to your advertising goals.

Cons of LinkedIn

Higher CPCs/CPAs: getting quality clicks or leads is great, but it does come at a higher cost for LinkedIn compared to come other social platforms.

“Clunky” Platform: This is a matter of opinion, but I find the platform to be a bit unwieldy compared to other platforms. There is a lot of clicking around required to make changes.

Twitter: Let Your Audience Know What’s Happening

Pros of Twitter

Conversational: Twitter allows for real-time delivery of messages, and fosters engagement with mentions and communication between users. Brands can have active dialogues with their audience.

Global Reach: 79% of Twitter users are outside the U.S.

Cons of Twitter

Fast-Paced: Users tweet by-the-minute updates, so the fleeting nature of messages in the feed means that brands are more likely to go unnoticed on Twitter compared to other platforms.

Limited Messaging: Only 140 characters means that messages have to be brief. Shortened URLs do give you the ability to link to longer content hosted elsewhere, though.

Final Thoughts

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8217493 https://www.ppchero.com/pros-and-cons-of-top-social-media-advertising-platforms/

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maxslogic25 · 6 years

Text

Pros and Cons of Top Social Media Advertising Platforms

source: joemartinezsem.com

Facebook: 2 Billion Active Monthly Users

Pros of Facebook

Affordable: On Facebook, you can spend as much or as little as you want according to your budget and goals, making it ideal for small and big businesses alike.

Wide Audience: Again, Facebook has 2 Billion active monthly users, and they span across ages and demographics. If you want the widest reach for social, Facebook is where to put your ad spend.

Cons of Facebook

Instagram: “A Captivated Community”

Pros of Instagram

Visual Focus: Instagram ads are meant to be visually appealing to captivate your audience. High-quality photos and videos grab user attention and promote positive brand awareness.

Engagement: Instagram is a personal, conversational, and engaging platform. Engagement rates are 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.

Cons of Instagram

Minimal Text Copy: Because captivating photos and videos are the focus in Instagram, any text-heavy images or extra lengthy copy are not going to do well on this platform.

LinkedIn: The World’s Largest Professional Network

Pros of LinkedIn

Selve-Serve: If you have a LinkedIn account, you can easily create an ad account for your business and utilize the self-serve options according to your advertising goals.

Cons of LinkedIn

Higher CPCs/CPAs: getting quality clicks or leads is great, but it does come at a higher cost for LinkedIn compared to come other social platforms.

“Clunky” Platform: This is a matter of opinion, but I find the platform to be a bit unwieldy compared to other platforms. There is a lot of clicking around required to make changes.

Twitter: Let Your Audience Know What’s Happening

Pros of Twitter

Conversational: Twitter allows for real-time delivery of messages, and fosters engagement with mentions and communication between users. Brands can have active dialogues with their audience.

Global Reach: 79% of Twitter users are outside the U.S.

Cons of Twitter

Fast-Paced: Users tweet by-the-minute updates, so the fleeting nature of messages in the feed means that brands are more likely to go unnoticed on Twitter compared to other platforms.

Limited Messaging: Only 140 characters means that messages have to be brief. Shortened URLs do give you the ability to link to longer content hosted elsewhere, though.

Final Thoughts

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8217493 https://www.ppchero.com/pros-and-cons-of-top-social-media-advertising-platforms/

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Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen – Episode 2 [Sakura and the Room with No Exit]

New Post has been published on https://hentaihun.com/blog/2018/01/17/cardcaptor-sakura-clear-card-hen-episode-2-sakura-and-the-room-with-no-exit/

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen – Episode 2 [Sakura and the Room with No Exit]

As I mentioned in my last review, it’s been a REALLY long time since I’ve watched anything Cardcaptor Sakura (CCS)-related, so during this second episode I found myself asking myself questions like, ‘Is the card always shoehorned in like this? Was half the episode always slice of life and the rest related to the card capture?’ XD

So, roughly the first two-thirds of the episode focuses on Sakura, Syaoran and Tomoyo’s day at school. Sakura shows her friends her new clear card, Gale, and explains how she’s just trying to live her life normally without worrying about her cards too much. Makes sense right? For her part, Tomoyo is disappointed that she missed Sakura’s first capture but is relieved that her best friend is ok.

In class Sakura’s friend Chiharu gives her cheesecake recipe to the girls, as they had said earlier that they wanted to try making it. This class is also when their teacher makes the announcement about everyone needing to pick a school club. Tomoyo wants to join the Chorus Club, while Sakura wants to continue with cheerleading.

During lunch Sakura, Syaoran, and their friends all eat their food together outside. They discuss which clubs they’re all planning to join, and Syaoran shares that he’s not joining one yet because he still has a lot of paperwork related to his move and transfer to finish up; however he might join one afterwards. What caught my attention the most during this conversation is that Syaoran was really vague with many of his answers. He doesn’t specify what kind of paperwork he still needs to complete, nor does he explain in detail why he missed the same festival that Meiling went to. Could something be going on? Hmmm…

After lunch is Art Class, and then Home Ec. Sakura and Tomoyo make Chiharu’s cheesecake recipe, and it turns out beautifully. Sakura brings it home after school, where it is a bit hit with both Tomoyo and Kero. Sakura’s older brother and Yukito arrive home, forcing Kero to pretend he’s a stuffed animal again.

Speaking of which, there were lots of hints in this scene towards Toya being aware of Kero’s true form (ie not a plushie), and I honestly wish that Kero would just cave and reveal himself to Toya. I went and wiki’d a bunch of stuff that I won’t include here in case it’s manga-only content, and will just say that as an adult watching CCS, I think Sakura’s situation would be a lot less frustrating if everyone was on the same page so to speak. Like why hide it at this point?

Anyways, after dinner Sakura, Kero and Tomoyo head up to Sakura’s room for an outfit sizing courtesy of Tomoyo, and this is where the next card catches them off guard. The trio are encased in a square rubber room that has no door. Eventually they get the idea that perhaps they could pop the room like a balloon, and what do you know, Tomoyo just happens to have her pincushion on her wrist. Perfect! Sakura transforms and as Tomoyo pops the room, Sakura captures the unknown card. I thought the card might be something like “Rubber” or “Balloon” (which I know sounds dumb, but what else could a bouncy room be?), but it turns out to be “Seige”.

Over in England, Eriol still hasn’t returned Sakura’s message. He tells Spinel Sun that he can’t right now – he must wait until the time is right. Whatever that is supposed to mean. Hopefully Sakura won’t think he’s ignoring her and will clue in that there must be some secret reason why he hasn’t contacted her yet.

That night Sakura has another nightmare about the dragon flying over Tomoeda, and the mysterious robed stranger who appears to be trying to take Sakura’s Clow key. When she wakes up she checks her cards in their book, and they’re still there. Still clear. Sakura resolves to do her best to figure out the mystery behind these new cards, so she can one day see all of her cards returned to her.

Everyone’s inability to sense the power behind these new clear cards and Sakura’s new Clow key is a nifty little plot device that has already allowed for some dangerous situations, and I’m sure more will occur throughout the series. Not only does it mean that the cards can surprise Sakura when she least expects it, but the magic signature behind the cards also can’t be detected. Indeed whenever someone like Syaoran or Kero tries to pick up on the magical signature, they can only sense Sakura’s magic in the cards. I suspect that the robed individual in Sakura’s dreams will be someone who is the least expected to be a baddie.

It’s interesting for me to watch CCS as an adult compared to when I watched the original series as a young thing. xD For example Sakura’s card-capturing outfit in this episode was cute, but I noticed that the long ribbons hanging off the back of the outfit are impractical and could be borderline dangerous in certain situations. And while I know Tomoyo’s behaviour towards Syaoran and Sakura, or Sakura’s cardcapturing, is meant to be cute and provide some comic relief, it’s actually a little annoying. Like girl put down your goddamn camcorder and just watch. Just enjoy. And if your friend is with her new boyfriend, for the love of god just leave them alone and give them some privacy. =_= #tooadultforanime

As for the ratio of slice of life vs cardcapturing, I’m hoping that will balance out more as the series progresses. We’re only two episodes in and I realize that certain characters and events need to be set up in order for everything to progress as planned, so I hope later episodes will focus more on Sakura capturing cards. Like an episode where it takes almost the entire episode to capture the card? I think something like that every once in awhile would be refreshing.

But overall I’m extremely happy with the series. The music is great, the animation is so beautiful, and I’m really enjoying this title so far. :3

Oh! As of this episode, there was a very quick segment introduced at the end titled “Leave It To Kero-chan!” Kero looked at the differences and similarities between the Tomoeda elementary and middle school uniforms. Kero said that this segment will air every week, so I think that’s a neat little bonus to look forward to. Actually I wish it were longer, honestly – I love behind the scenes trivia!

See you guys next week!

P.S – Anyone going to try making Chiharu’s cheesecake recipe in real life? Is it even possible or was it perhaps shortened for the sake of including it in the show?