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Don’t get me wrong I love all the popular/major characters and have as much brainrot for them as the next aa fan, but I think it’s weird that the side characters who work as the witnesses and your clients and stuff don’t get as much attention…
They make ace attorney an entertaining series JUST as much as the major characters do. Like they’re literally carrying the plot of the game!! I’m not complaining or trying to tell people what they can post about, I just think it’s weird how I’ve seen so little about them lol
#my personal favorites just from memory#have to be the delites- guy eldoon- and#plum and Winfred Kitaki#just replayed the case with Olga and loved her as well#yeah there were a few flops#but overall I was entertained literally like every case except one#anyways comment your favorites if you read this I’m actually curious#ace attorney#aa trilogy#apollo justice#phoenix wright ace attorney#ace attorney Apollo justice#aa1#aa2#aa3
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HIII I LUV UR ACC <33 🫶 can i request a reader that is as cute as a bunny but she is a bit bratty with any baki character ^^ have a good day!!
Thank you and sure! Apologies for the delay. The idea reminds me a lot of Hatsune Miku’s “World is Mine”, so I went for a similar protagonist.
Baki Characters x Cute Bratty! Reader
Featuring Baki and Jack Hanma, Kaiou Retsu, Hanayama Kaoru and Katsumi Orochi. And a reader that has a cheeky attitude behind all that cuteness.
[Baki Masterlist]
Baki Hanma
Baki is a mischievous one himself, so he finds your attitude cute and loves to entertain it. If you’re being bratty, he will either spoil you or mimic your behavior with a pout. What, you didn’t think two can play this game?
If he does spoil you it will be accompanied with the proper theatrics. “But of course! Who dared to upset my Princess? Point to the disturbance and I shall take care of it at once!” He is not embarrassed to be seen servicing you, and who would even attempt to question it? One knows better than to mess with the younger Hanma.
Sometimes Baki might be in a sour mood, or simply focused on his training. In such cases he will greet your demands with a sad smile and swear he’ll make it up to you as soon as his anger tones down. If you promise to behave, you can even help him train. He could use an extra weight.
Kaoru Hanayama
Hanayama isn’t quite sure how to deal with you. You’re so cute and frail, and yet every now and then you surprise him with a sassy attitude. Alas, he loves spoiling you so he will eventually give in to your demands, however outrageous they might be. He is the head of the yakuza, after all. You don’t need to hold back.
Sometimes he might take your statements literally, for the better or worse. You stomping your feet and angrily wishing whatever caused your distress would just disappear? You’ll have to quickly clear it up and explain it was just a tantrum. He doesn’t…actually need to eradicate it. Please.
If Hanayama is in a bad mood or occupied with work (leading a gang often proves to be a busy matter), he will have his lackeys readily available to you. Naturally they are to display the utmost compliance when servicing the future Ane-san of the Family.
Kaiou Retsu
Retsu finds you downright adorable and would do anything for your sake. It’s in his nature to be caring and kind towards those he loves and cherishes. Truly, it seems almost impossible to ever refuse your whims, his heart tugging whenever a frown might darken your features.
…Or is it? His willingness knows no boundaries, except for when your safety or comfort might be at risk. If your tantrums involve something he deems improper, not only will he disregard your attempts, but also lecture you vehemently. You almost feel like you’re once more in school, scolded by the strict teacher for being naughty.
Overall Retsu is rather rigid and awkward when it comes to your mischief. He is a man of discipline, but that has always only involved him. The etiquette he follows and expects from other warriors doesn’t extend to his beloved partner.
Katsumi Orochi
Similar to Retsu, Katsumi is also surrounded by stern expectations. He won’t hesitate to flatten down any of his Dojo attendees for the smallest sign of disobedience or misdemeanor. When it comes to you, however…
Everyone can tell he has a soft spot for you. From the facial expressions to the tone of his voice, his conduit switches in a matter of seconds. His ardent, adoring smile never falters when interacting with you. Your bratty attitude just makes his heart melt. The fact that you trust yourself to be cheeky around him reinforces his role as your partner, in his mind.
Sometimes even you feel like his spoiling might go overboard, but that’s what you like about him. He’s at your feet, ready to meet whatever desires you bring up. “Anything for my Princess” is his catchphrase around you.
Jack Hanma
You’d think Jack wouldn’t be the type tolerate certain behaviors. Plenty of people have gasped in anticipation upon witnessing your bratty attitude towards the tall man. Is he going to be angry? Will he yell at you? Alas, they just don’t know Jack well enough. His patience is unbreakable for things that matter to him.
He just quietly goes along with your orders. If you suddenly stop in the middle of the street and demand he holds your hand in this instant, he will comply with a faint smile. He enjoys entertaining you, he just won’t express it as openly as others. He’s your very own stoic Prince.
If you’re being particularly bratty and he’s not in the mood to react to it accordingly, he will just pick you up - regardless of where you are - and carry you home for a snuggle until you calm down or rectify your behavior. If you think about it, it’s not much of a punishment. And you can’t say no to being buried within his massive frame for warmth.
#baki#baki the grappler#baki hanma#baki headcanons#baki x reader#kaiou retsu#jack hanma#katsumi orochi#hanayama kaoru#retsu kaioh x reader#jack hanma x reader#kaoru hanayama x reader#katsumi orochi x reader#orochi katsumi#kaiou retsu x reader
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I did a analysis on Jesse. Or.. I'm trying to. But there are... a lot of variables. But. While I was working on that, I found some differences in the Jesse's designs. And... I just wanted to write this down to start working on analyzing Jesse some more. So... analyzing clothes! Yay
I thought it was fun. And... entertaining. (But in case you can't read it all, I have a summary prepared at the very bottom)
Enjoy!
So- the Jesse's all look like the same height(except yellow clip Jesse. I'll tell you all why, later). And something fun I found out is that, while all the m!jesses jaws don't move, the f!jesses jaws do move. And it's different for every other character apperantly?(I'm not sure though. Don't have the time to go through an entire episode to make sure of this fact. Sorry.)
Okay. So if you look at these photos
You can see the difference of their jaw(chin? Is it chin?)s.
And now
The actual clothing analysis
Yeah- so... we know they have different shirt designs. Red suspenders(? I think that's the name) Jesse has a... button. You can also see more of his skin around the neck. Green suspenders doesn't seem to have buttons, but has a design that... looks like it would have buttons on that middle part. Yellow suspenders has two stripes on each arms, the color connecting around the neck. All male Jesse's have long sleeves.
Yellow clip has a red sleeve shirt with the color connecting only around the neck. Red clip has the turquoise color down to her.... I think somewhere around her chest. And blue(navy?) clip has a yellow stripe shirt. All female Jesse's have short sleeves.
They also have different eye colors.
Green for the red suspenders and yellow clip. Dark brown(?) for green suspenders and red clip. And black for yellow suspenders and blue clip.
And the color of their overalls are all different.
Now. This is the more... uhmm... not easily seen part(I think)
Let's start with yellow clip Jesse.
Her jeans are rolled up higher than the rest. (The folds are small though) You can see her skin at the bottom. We can't see her socks.(or maybe those are her socks? It looks a bit darker than her skin tone... I'm still debating on that) And her shoes seem to have a... higher topline(?) than all the other Jesse's shoes. And guess what. If you look closely, she has a darker color at the bottom of her shoes. (That one extra brown line)
I think. It is so that she looks taller. (Insoles? I think they're called?) To look the same height as the rest. (Considering that mcsm has a 'behind the scenes' and in the Netflix version, they literally.. y'know. Petra comes up and asks us to choose. Then she does a quick explanation. Stuff like that. Maybe.... just maybe- this "actor" of Jesse was shorter than the rest.) (Just having some fun during this long boring writing.)(I'm sorry if you're getting bored of this. We still have lots more to read! 😃)
Next we have red clip Jesse!
So.. this one has the jeans rolled up just above her ankles. And the fold is small. Can't see her skin, has black socks on. Also!! Red clip Jesse and blue clip Jesse has the same color highlights in their hair as their hair clips! (Well... at least to me. But if it is. That's pretty cool. Right?)
Alr. Speaking of which...
Next is blue clip Jesse!
Her jeans are rolled up higher than red clip Jesse. But lower than yellow clip Jesse(like.. you can barely see the difference in that photo but.. it is. ..probably). So-you can see her skin. And she either has black socks on with black shoes. Or they're like... boots.
Now. Time for the male Jesse's.
Starting off with red suspenders
He is the only one with the jeans all the way down to his ankles. And yet! He has the biggest folds. Either that's part of the design in his clothes, or the suspenders are too long/big for him.
Green suspenders
Uh.. actually... his jeans are done the same way as red clip Jesse's. Even the socks are black.
And finally, yellow suspenders!
He has the same jean roll-ups as blue clip. But he doesn't have any socks visible to us. Nor does it look like he has high a topline.
I know. Not much for the male Jesse's. But it's true! I worked hard to find out about these small details. And there isn't much to say about them. Unless I try and go look for the exact names and designs for their shirts. So.. I'm sorry for that.
But thank you for reading it this far! It probably would've been a waste of your time but- I have a summary prepared. In case you don't want to read the long paragraphs, or had trouble understanding what I meant.
Summary
What the different genders have in common to eachother
F!jesse
Has moving jaw/chin.
Short sleeves.
M!jesse
Does not have moving jaw/chin.
Long sleeves
Yellow clip Jesse
Jeans are rolled up higher than everyone else.
Small folds
Either wearing socks, or it's her skin. (The color is a bit.. confusing)
The shoe has a high topline.
Cross the fourth one. It's not a high topline. She has high soles.(outsoles? Insoles?)(aka. She's probably a shorter "actor" than all the other Jesse's)
Can see her skin
Red clip Jesse
Her hair is highlighted in red
Jeans are rolled up just above the ankles.
Small folds
We can see that she has black socks on
Top line of the shoe is low
Blue clip Jesse
Her hair highlights are done in blue
Jeans are rolled up higher than red clip Jesse. But lower than yellow clip Jesse.
Small folds
Either the shoes have a high top line(maybe boots?) or she is wearing black socks
Can see her skin
Red suspenders Jesse
Jeans go down to his ankles.
The only one with big folds actually. (But he still has his jeans reaching his ankles. Which could be seen as... a design of his clothes. Or his jeans are too big for him)
Low shoe top line
Can't see his socks
Green suspenders Jesse
Jeans rolled down just before ankles(like red clip Jesse)
Small folds
Black socks
Low shoe top line
Yellow suspenders Jesse
Jeans are rolled up above ankles. But higher than green suspenders. Lower than yellow clip Jesse(like blue clip Jesse)
Small folds
Can't see his socks
Skin visible
And that! Is all. Thank you
(Well- that was dramatic..)
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what are your impression of midnight museum?:) did you like it as a whole? who's your favourite character? what didn't you like?
OH I LOVED MIDNIGHT MUSEUM!!!!!! i mean, okay, let's be honest.. it was an absolute mess and if you asked me to explain what the hell happened in the last two episodes i probably would not be able to do it, BUT STILL!!!!!!! I LOVED IT. sometimes being able to entertain your viewers is more than enough to make a show both memorable and likeable, and i think midnight museum is the perfect example of this
the show is a mixture of fantasy, science fiction and mystery, which are three genres im personally very weak for. the first half also has an episodic nature to it that i miss in television a lot: it can be boring when there isn’t a strong horizontal narrative getting advanced in the background, but if you can make it work it’s really fun for the viewers, and in this particular case i do believe the show was at its strongest when it fully embraced this format. the ‘artifact of the week’ with the enigma of dome’s identity was really entertaining to me, and i loved how creepy and disturbing some of the storylines were. the decision to throw in an abundance of biblical symbolisms as well in the second half of the show probably wasn't a good idea for the plot as a whole, but that's something i find incredibly fascinating so i'd be lying if i said i didn't love every (confusing) second of it
the real strength of the show lies in its cast, though. i already knew that gun and nanon are incredible actors, but i wasn't familiar with tor before midnight museum and i will always be grateful to it for introducing him to me because he is phenomenal. he showed up on that set every single day and decided to give so much yearning longing pining aching worrying agony anguish guilt restraint with the twitch of his mouth alone, and i respect him so much for it. honestly there aren't many people who are able to convey so many emotions in such an effective way. the supporting cast was also pretty solid and some of the guest actors gave an outstanding performance, like fah and tu in episode 5 for example
the other strong point of the show is the relationship between khatha and dome/chan/one. it’s basically on the level of chinese censored gay romance, and even when the writing didn’t give it justice, gun and tor’s on screen chemistry still managed to make it incredibly compelling to watch (an anon once told me that gun would have insane chemistry with literally anyone he got paired with and you know what? I COULDN’T AGREE MORE). the choice of not making their relationship a romantic one does baffle me a little tbh, especially because they were trying to push the brothers agenda while also giving explicitly romantic elements and parallels, but i can easily overlook this since the ending was very satisfying to me (i also don’t think this was queerbaiting btw, but that’s another story)
as for the things i disliked, my main issue with the show is the execution. the premise was original and had a lot of potential, but it’s obvious that the writing team lacked an overall vision of the (overcomplicated) story they wanted to tell: the moment they abandoned the episodic structure to focus on the larger narrative, the events start missing a sense of unity and direction, and the characters feel aimless too. i find every member of the main gang really interesting and likeable, but with the exception of khatha (love that old man btw, he is my absolute fave) they’re all criminally underdeveloped
MDL originally had midnight museum listed as having 15 episodes, and im not sure where did that information come from, but i actually think they did need those 5 extra episodes to make the plot more coherent, give more depth to the characters and explore the relationship between them (we should have had AT LEAST another june focused episode, a couple on triphob and bam and their relationship, one on anthika and boon, and one to let dome gain a little more sense of identity). if we ever get a season 2 they better fix this and fully develop all the characters BEFORE they try to explain what the hell is going on
ANYWAY. TL;DR:
#making reviews isn't a talent i possess but im trying ;;;;;#also i didn't mention this because it's a spoiler but another thing i disliked is [SPOILER][SPOILER][SPOILER] anthika dying#you don't make a character who is taught from a young age that she has to sacrifice herself to god finally learn to believe in herself#and LIVE just for herself#only to kill her off the next episode by sacrificing herself#i understand the predestined doomed 'you can't escape your fate' narrative but to work they should have given her way more emotional depth#ANYWAY I NEED TO STOP RAMBLING#thank you for wanting to know my opinion anon that's so sweet 🥺💜#hopefully you're not regretting it ;;;;;#midnight museum#m: ask#monica watches
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reaction ; 둘
✎ᝰ┆r : having an idol s/o
✎ᝰ┆fluff ; warnings : none
thank you to the kind soul who helped me out by requesting since i have no ideas 😭😭 I LOVE YOU 😭😭
also these gifs looks more coordinated i think ill start using these instead 🤩
+ i kinda got overboard with baekseung for some reason?? 😨
wish.
i feel like you two would meet via a mutual friend
like a mutual idol friend would introduce the two of you to each other and you'd hit it off and start talking
okay anyways, he would be so proud of you ngl
but as proud as he is he'll be so worried about you because he knows your competitive the industry is
he'll call you or text you during meal times to check up on you to see if you're eating
even if you're dieting he'd make sure you had enough so you won't faint while performing
anyways let's say you have to keep your relationship a secret
it'd absolutely pain him not to be able to hang out in public with you
but at the same time it's for both your career so sacrifices have to be made
so while you have private dates he'd try to lay off anything else he has to do for you and just company you
sigh tbh it would pain him not to wear couple items with you
but once y'all go public 🤩
he'd start wearing all those couple matchy things
and he'd also tweet stuff like ' please support us ' etc.
but overall i do think that he'd prefer getting a girlfriend that isn't a celebrity
keum.
keumdong 🤩
i feel like y'all would meet at like a dance sort of content (like dancing high or 1million dance studio)
so like if you're a singer uhh 😨
like i see him with an idol that's like a main dancer
someone who shares the same passion and interest as him
anyways keumdong
i feel like he'd know all your schedules and would text you after just to ask how it went
he would also send you many dance videos and you would do the same
you two would just help each other even if you're not face to face
tbh he wouldn't mind and would wear subtle matching items like earrings
like he wouldn't care at all 💀
anyways if you're dating in secret
he'd definitely try his best to keep the relationship but like compared to wish he would have his dates outside during night time where there isn't as many people
once your relationship goes public
he'd just bring you anywhere and he'd stop caring tbh
even if you're idols you deserve your own life
so he'd just stop caring and go out with you
he'd be super protective of you when someone says something about your relationship
sigh he's just be more protective about you if you're an idol
but overall he'd definitely prefer a non-celeb s/o
mu.
omg tbh i don't see mu with an idol s/o?
like i really don't see it
but okay let's imagine
i think you'd two be friends prior to debut
so you'd like kinda be known to be friends (like moonbin and sinb)
so like tbh fans who kinda speculate some shit is going on but you'll just play it off as you're just close friends 🤩
anyways he would watch your performance,, like literally every single one even if he's busy
and he'd compliment you on how pretty you were and how well you've done
and he'd tell you to rest and not to overwork yourself 😭
he would also promote your new song on his solo vlives and tbh it'd be so cute
anyways i think the both of you would have many chances to interact
like variety shows 🤩
and he'd be extra caring towards you but you know say it's because of your friendship 🤩
anyways you'd just date privately but like it's just so out there but people just brush it off as best friends 💀
once it's public i think many people will support it since you were previous friends even before debut
kinda expected
but anyways he can finally show more skinship towards you and talk about how much he loves you openly 🤩
but overall still would prefer a non-celeb s/o
a-min.
i heard some idols uses like the inkigayo sandwich to exchange phone numbers
yes i think he'll stuff his phone number in there and get a staff to hand it to you just because you were pretty 🤩
and tbh it'd be smart because it'll attract your attention and you'll begin to start talking and end up as a couple
anyways man's would promote you better than your company
he'd be like ' the song im currently obsessed with is (...) you should check it out! '
it'll be so subtle no one suspected a thing
and ngl he'll probably have a fan acc for you 💀
and he'll probably end up being known as your fanboy after 💀
he'll compliment you a lot public or not 🤩
anyways despite doing so much and hinting so much your relationship would still be private
like fans would be pretty sus of the both of you but it's your lives not theirs 🤩
anyways once you go public i think you would go on variety shows together quite often
it'd be cute
ngl i do see him with an idol s/o like compared to a non-celeb
since he can relate to them and stuff and just talk about their stresses together 🤩
baekseung.
i think you'd be going to the same school, in the same class and that's how met
maybe you've already debuted when you met or maybe you're just trainees then but idk man whatever it is y'all would be friends
and then yes relationship
anyways mans would be so proud of you and always bragging about you to the other members
the other members would end up being so sick of hearing him brag about you and tell you about it just so you could reprimand him and have it keep it on the low 💀
he would keep up with your variety show and especially aegyos so he can tease you about it 💀
just do the same to him so he would stop doing it once he realizes how shitty that feels
anyways like i said in the boyfriend series y'all would gossip together and it will be the same
except you have a lot more to gossip about 🤩
you'll talk about the entertainment industry, idols and your companies etc.
i would think that he would prefer to keep your relationship private and intimate so he'd prefer not to publicize it + do his best to keep the relationship a secret
even if it's made public, he'd act as if he doesn't know you during events that will make some fans think that you're having a fight but in reality you're doing well
he just prefers to do all the couple things in private you know
but like i think he'd prefer a non-celeb s/o too
ayden.
i have a feeling that if ayden was to fall for an idol, it would be an idol from his own company aka c9
like you'd probably meet when you guys were still trainees and have probably trained with each other before debut
and like so you'd become friends and eventually develop feelings for each other and you know date
to be honest i feel like as an idol he'd be a lot more low-key in front of everyone even his own members
to the point that sometimes they're wondering if you guys have broken up but no he was just low-key
he'd just quietly sit before he has to perform watching your performance as a source of motivation which is kinda cute💀
like he would work harder because of you and like there'll be a friendly competition between the two of you just to see who's better
since your relationship is so low-key no one would know about your relationship except for members 🤩
tbh the only time they'd find out would be when you personally decide to announce it yourself
like it'd be as unexpected as the daniel × jihyo pairing
overall i feel like he wouldn't mind if his s/o is an idol or not, as long as they have a mutual liking and understanding then it's fine
yewang.
i think you guys would meet by like a singing programme
like a duet special stage 🤩
anyways he would be extremely polite when you first met and you'd take a liking towards him
then you'd end up hanging out outside of your schedule and eventually end up dating
anyways he would stare at you a lot during like programmes where you meet each other
like he wouldn't care and just stare at you 🤩
during like award shows he'll text you and be like ' you look beautiful today '
tbh he would stare at you do much that fans would start to speculate something is going on between the both of you
like he wants to talk to you so bad but the fans just makes it hard
so he ends up publicizing your relationship to go out freely with you 🤩
but to be honest he would prefer an idol s/o
since he'd prefer sharing the same passion + having more common topics to talk about
jeff.
FINALLY JEFFF
alright to be honest he's another one i don't see having an idol s/o💀
like you two were probably friends before you were trainees and ended up debuting
and like somewhere in between you fell for each other and got into a romantic relationship
kinda like mu except you keep your friendship low-key so not many people knew you two were friends
till like past photos resurfaced
anyways i think he'd just be extra caring knowing that you're an idol
since there are many risk factors of being an idol
like wish tbh he'd text you a lot checking if you've eaten and if you're feeling okay in case you overwork yourself
and he'll restrain himself from looking at you too much just in case dating rumors end up surfacing
after all your career is more important considering how hard you've worked to be an idol
he'd only publicize it once dispatch catch you guys
but i doubt that'll happen💀
anyways he would have a personal vlive after telling fans to continue supporting the both of you despite the news
overall, he'd prefer a non-celeb s/o
wow this reaction took long to complete HAHAH
#c9#c9rookies#c9 entertainment#epex fanfic#epex imagines#epex#epex reactions#wish#kwak dawit#keum#keum donghyun#mu#suh kyungmin#amin#cho minwoo#baekseung#kim hyunwoo#ayden#kwon yejun#seo yewang#yewang#jeff#lee jaeho
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Mashin Sentai Kiramager
I’ve always had the opinion that the best formula for a successful Sentai is to either lean heavily into the comedy or the drama. If your cast of characters is typically serious, when they encounter a humorous situation it’s all the funnier, and when you have a comedic cast and they encounter a dramatic situation it feels all the more dire. Now, this is certainly impacted by the acting, script, etc., but if you look back at some of the better seasons (Shinkenger, Go-Busters, ToQger), you’ll see that a lot of them have that type of lean. And Kiramager has the later feel, standing out as a good season with few low points; ultimately sitting in the upper half of the show’s history.
The Good: One of the big things I talked about when I went over Ryusoulger was the episodic nature of the writing. It felt like it was made to be inviting to first-time watchers for the majority of its run, regardless of their jumping-on point. Self-contained episodes, very few ongoing plot threads, and very trope heavy for the sake of introducing a new audience to the show’s basic concepts and themes. And while I like what Ryusoulger was trying to do, I feel that Kiramager takes those concepts and improves upon them.
While the majority of the episodes were still self-contained, the episodes in Ryusoulger were very focused on fighting enemies, the stresses and one-off characters, and very light development of the main characters with primary focus on Red and Gold. In Kiramager there is much more focus on the main cast, with almost every episode being used to develop a Ranger or their relationships between each other, with the lack there of being one of my biggest complaints with the last season. It also feels like there are more multi-parters and micro-plots throughout the show, which rewards me as a viewer for continuously watching the show, and we don’t get when things are more segmented.
Another of my big issues with Ryusoulger was how heavily it focused on their Red and Gold Rangers. They nixed that out the gate with this show, having a zeroth episode the focused on everyone except Red. And Jyuru was a good Red. Definitely a lot goofier than most, but had a strong personality, was willing to work with and defer to the rest of his team when he needed to, and developed a lot of confidence throughout the season. Tametomo was a lot of fun, too. He was the straight man to everyone else’s silly behavior, but could also pull off a strong gag by himself. He was also very intelligent and a great tactician. Sena was probably the weakest of the main cast, but that was only because her character was more one-note than the others. Upbeat and outgoing at all times, there were very few times where we saw a darker side to her, but those moments were handled well and displayed a depth to her character we could have used more of. And while she isn’t our first female Green, she is our first on a five-man team, and I enjoy seeing them swapping out the usual colors like that. Shiguru started the show as the most serious of the team, but quickly revealed himself to be a lovable goof. The juxtaposition between him trying to act cool and caving into his baser natures was very funny and made for an entertaining character. Sayo was skilled, determined, intelligent, but could also be air-headed. I would describe her as a Yellow Precure turned Pink Ranger, if that makes sense. She usually filled the role an episode demanded of her, but it never felt out of place for her. Takamichi was a decent character, but in a season of funny people, he was the least so. His habit of adding “Wonder” to everything was meh, but he certainly pulled through in the serious moments. I’m a little sad Mabushina’s development didn’t end with her also becoming a Ranger, but she was a good secondary. She could easily hold an episode on her own, and her voice and suit actresses both managed to do a great job of bringing a literal stone-faced character to life.
And then there’s the villains, who did a good job of being just as entertaining and in some cases be as deep as the main cast. Just about everyone was a pretty simple, but fun character that didn’t get too complex until near the end of the story when the core audience would be established. I have mixed feelings about this, as nothing felt too out of place, but it would have been nice to get some build up to this earlier in the story. Kurantula was the team monster maker, and was childish and over-the-top. Whenever he decided to go down and do the dirty work himself, they were usually his crazier schemes. Near the end of the show he expressed the desire to create because he enjoyed it, which put him at odds against his boss and aligned himself with the heroes for survival. Yadonna was a nice mid-addition, shaking up the established dynamic Kurantula and Garuza had. She was so over-the-top evil without being a monster that it was hilarious to watch. I’m a little sad at her ultimate fate, as I would have liked to have seen a turnaround after she was betrayed by Emperor Yodon; have her turn sides, maybe actually get some payoff for that crush Tametomo had. (Eh, there’s always the V-Cinema.) Garuza was the stick-in-the-mud that made everyone else get serious, but could still occasionally crack a joke. He was a great antagonist, and while I like that he turned around at the end, it really needed more buildup. Still, the fact that I wanted all the bad guys to turn face is a testament to how likable they were.
The Bad: I’ve already gone over a few of my problems, but let’s go over them in more detail. Characters have a tendency to be a little one note, like with Sena or Takamichi. Episodes where they explore the depth to those characters are good, but the standard episode has them basically the same character throughout.
And as I mentioned, the big developments for the villains were heavily regulated to the last few episodes. Kurantula didn’t have any signs of being in a slump until the last 5 or 6 episodes, and Garuza turning good isn’t brought up until the 3rd-to-last, and is a bit of a cop out. “Oh, I was brainwashed.” If that had been hinted at at all it wouldn’t be a problem, but I don’t recall any signs of it before episode 43.
Now, these aren’t terrible things, they just could have been done better. It’s part of the downside to the writing style they’ve been pushing to improve ratings. It’s definitely a step forward from Ryusoulger, and they addressed a lot of the issues I had with that season, but they haven’t quite found a pace balance that works for that style and for both new and old fans. If they try this style again with Zenkaiger, hopefully we’ll see some improvements on the formula, but at the same time, since it’s an anniversary season, I’d like if they had a more dynamic and connected story.
Won’t lie, climax was also a little meh.
Overall, Kiramager is definitely a great first Sentai, and a fun one for older fans if you like the more humorous seasons. It has good characters, good (but evil) villains, and silly plots. I really had to think hard about what I didn’t like about the show, and I doubt you’ll notice any of it while you’re watching.
And, as always, if you didn’t pick up any of the toys this year, here are my recommendations if you want to start collecting post-show: Kiramajin (fun toy, fun gimmick), 1 OR 2 copies of Express King (giant T-Rex AND a robot mode), and Zabyuun (adds a lot of play to Express King as well as Kiramajin). I like the toys from this season a lot, but a lot of them are weapons, Gigant Driller is a little disappointing, and Grateful Phoenix is cool but passable. Only go for him if you like what you already have.
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eight months in somebody actually asked me abt visualive instead of me immediately annoying ppl about it without former notice. I might actually write properly for once 😳😳😳
OK OK!!!!! In this essay I will.... I will.... Visualive Adachi.... Visu/BURSTS INTO TEARS/
OKAY OKAY for real I just care Visualive so much (as someone who can’t fully understand Japanese AHAHA)
First I’ll add some foundation about what Visualive really is, then I talk abt Adachi in the latter parts of it because this is technically the first time I’m properly talking about this hehe 🐿
T....table of contents???
Visualive
Visualive the Evolution
Masami Itou
Visualive Adachi
Visualive the Evolution Adachi
Terms and Legend
VL - Visualive
VLE - Visualive the Evolution
stage - shortened for “stageplay”
面白い - omoshiroi (it’s just that specific)
Yuuya - VL Hero name
Hayato - VLE Hero name
Baba - Hero
Masami - Adachi
Taniguchi - Dojima
Saotome - Daisuke
Mamiya - Izanami
I add honorifics but sometimes I forget the hyphen intentionally or unintentionally I’m sorry if it makes it hard to read lol
all links have automatic timestamps for easy viewing. i mean. i hope the timestamps work
VISUALIVE “Persona 4.” A stage adaptation of SMT: Persona 4 by Atlus. It adapts the first part of the story, from the hero’s arrival to after recovering Mitsuo Kubo from the TV world. It also ends on a cliff hanger, showing a teaser of Shadow Naoto being projected on the screen.
It takes up a speedy recapitulation of the hero’s spring life, before slowing down and showing in depth his school life in summer. A day before Morooka-sensei’s death, there is a little skit with Kou, Daisuke and Adachi. The hero walks into the conversation before the two other boys leaving, and Morooka-sensei walking in on the student and detective. The next day follow’s the teacher’s death and the Investigation Team (IT) begin investigating their new lead.
From the words “visual” and “alive,” the niche of this stage was meant to be the fusion of live acting and visual digital projections. All seen from the stageplay with the colorful cast of actors and CG animations being projected on the screen. This offers an opportunity for characters to summon their personas, perform cool visual effects, change the backdrop, or even confront their own Shadows.
Performed in Sunshine Theater from the 15th to the 20th of March 2012. The screenplay was written and directed by Shintaro Asanuma from the theatrical group “bpm.” The video production produced by Shutaro Oku, a film director and visual planner. He later takes over as director for VISUALIVE THE EVOLUTION, the sequel stage. The stage music was produced by Shunsuke Wada, with a special show exclusive vocal track sung by Shihoko Hirata.
On this note, I haven’t seen any sort of original soundtrack released for any of the stages and I’m SO SAD. The last song in Mitsuo’s boss fight was such a BANGER and literally EVERYTHING ELSE Marvelous, Wadasan please take my MONEY
Regarding the cast, there were some special accommodations for Teddie, Rise, and Nanako, all of which did not have live actors at the time. During the casting, actors for the three characters could not be found or simply left the directors unsatisfied they couldn’t cast anybody. An exception for Rise, who was able to have a live actor in the sequel stage. It has been stated that there weren’t any “pretty boy” actors that fit the “Teddie Criteria.” While there weren’t any child actors that were believed to portray Nanako well.
Teddie was only ever seen in his bear costume while Rise was busy talking through a call, all voiced by their video game cast. Nanako has never appeared on stage, only being scarcely mentioned in the script. Again, this is different in the sequel stage where her role was extremely important and was shown as a screen projection.
VISUALIVE “Persona 4” THE EVOLUTION. A sequel stage. Beginning abruptly in the middle of Shadow Naoto’s boss fight, the story continues from there until the “true end” of the game’s original story. *Certain characters are introduced while others have been reintroduced. And on a personal note, when it’s all comedic in the beginning, it’s all for what’s coming right after.
I don’t know if I’m salty or just find it really funny AHAHA I might go talk abt it some other day with more context ehehe
Performed in The Galaxy Theater from the 3rd to the 9th of October 2012, only a few months after the PSVITA Persona 4 Golden release, which is July 2012. The screenplay was now written by Jun Kumagi while directed by Shutaro Oku. And music production finally taken over by Shoji Meguro himself.
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HAHAHA this is starting to look like a wiki page. moving on. I might start rambling rn
(warning LONG !!!! aaa,,)
My thoughts on the stage adaptations. For the first Visualive (VL) I believe it’s pretty close to canon! I enjoy the characterization and how much love and care was present when handling the entire production.
Actors were busy playing the game itself, wherein a PS2 was present in the practice room. Along with magazines and game guides explaining the game’s story and the characters itself. Actors performing together and even improv acting together to get a grasp of their characters. All of them knowing well of Persona 4 as a well loved game, delicately handling their characters and hopefully performing them right while making the audience happy.
The staff taking care of each other while the director and video producer, Asanuma-san and Oku-san, working together well to make their vision into a reality.
The same thing happened with VL the Evolution (VLE) and literally every other good stage. Except... I feel the script kinda got out of hand with too much liberty where it feels a bit more disconnected from canon. But! It makes up for it in its content, whether comedic or (INCREDIBLY) dramatic! It’s great as its own story at that point. So in this case, I like to take the first VL and get to connect it canon, while I don’t know what the hell happened in VLE to the point I’ll just enjoy it as its own content.
These opinions deserve its own essay, post whatever bc I have SO much to say abt this. ANYWAY. VL ADACHI
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Tohru Adachi is portrayed by Masami Itou (伊藤マサミ), a screenplay writer, director and an stage actor himself. He does have a single character voice role along with a fellow troupe member in the same franchise, but mostly works as the former three. He is part of Asanuma-san’s entertainment group “bpm.” On a similar note, Masashi Taniguchi, Dojima’s actor, was also part of their group from 2011 to 2016, which may explain their good synergy as the boss and the bumbling fool dynamic. I mean, somebody’s gotta get hit in the head every few skits.
With Masami-san being an important part of the cast, he doesn’t appear as often as Taniguchi-san in backstage content like the VL bonus disk or the official blog. Mentioned in his own personal blog, he had been busy with his roles as assistant director (I am assuming also for VL).
Also fun to note, because his role is mainly comic relief, he has been using his liberty to change up the material almost everyday making each performance exciting. This also leaves some other actors jealous of his freedom in his role, such as Saotome-san, Daisuke’s actor.
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VL Adachi really has a... how do I say this? an adorable speech pattern (THE SAME SPEECH PATTERN THAT DROVE ME MAD TRYING TO DECIPHER I THOUGHT YOU WERE A CITY BOY OSSU OSSU MY ASS /shakes you violently/). Overall, he really fits the loose lipped bumbling fool, and his accent really makes him seem more casual and invested. What I’m saying is... VL Adachi either actually has genuine empathy or he actually has more energy to fake it (compared to some other edgelord. i mean you saw my p4ga analysis. I’m sick of him lol ahaha).
One of my favorite ways to explain this (OTHER THAN CHAIR CAR ADVENTURE MY BELOVED WE’LL GET TO THAT LATER) is the rice field scene with him and Dojima. It’s overanalyzation time 🎉
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(43:04)
While investigating, Adachi whines about being tired while Dojima smacks him in the head. In this case, it’s established that Adachi doesn’t want to be there, yes? It’s the country, it’s hot and it smells like green.
"Ah... Dojima-san..! Why don't we take a break? (...) There really is nothing out here... Is the criminal still even here at all? (...) I wonder if I've passed being a rookie yet. Haha, but this city doesn't even have convenient transportation. I can't go to leisure lands (recreation, amusement parks, arcades, ect.) and head home at all."
Adachi then tries to tell Dojima a story. “when I got to this city after being newly assigned, I met an interesting guy (...) Yeah, I remember that the cherry blossoms haven't bloomed yet. So, I was driving my car and got near the station and--” Dojima gets a phone call.
Adachi politely puts his hands down waiting for his boss to finish so he can finish the story. Again and again, Adachi attempts to talk to Dojima about a story he’s so persistent trying to tell someone about. It was so 面白い that he would find someone to talk to about it. Even being polite and patient enough to wait for a chance to speak. He even gets fed up with it and blows up in front of his boss, clearly irritated he’s not given a chance to talk.
Sure, it could be Adachi feeling fed up like a normal person where someone agreed he to listen to him, before being constantly ignored. Or Adachi trying to be a more annoying whiny brat, depending on where you look at it.
If the story wasn’t too “interesting” to Adachi, he would’ve just brushed it off and stopped talking to Dojima entirely, or start up new small talk, or even complain some more. But no, he had a story he wanted to voice out so bad that he got irritated that the one person in the vicinity couldn’t listen to him.
Only after Dojima told him to continue their investigation elsewhere did Adachi finally stop and focus on something else. Maybe that story was for another day, or maybe it was never meant to be told.
What if it was just original (game) Adachi? He’d find a way to squirrel out of the investigation as usual, or push Dojima to “investigate” elsewhere. “Hey boss, don’t you think it’s hot? Why don’t we go elsewhere? We’ve seen this place too many times to count and I doubt anything new’ll turn up. How about we take a break at Junes, y’know? Where it’s cool? C’mon boss,” something like that.
og Adachi is just really annoying and silly to me. Some grown man thinking he can freeload because he never gets anything out of putting in more energy and effort? I don’t care how tall he is, I will smack him in the head.
Yeah VL Adachi whines, too, but at least it doesn’t look like he’s going to escape and waste his time somewhere else. He just sucks it up stops trying to leave the situation.
Or maybe I’m getting this all wrong and VL is exactly the same and my rage just gets dampened because of Masamisan’s execution of character hmm...
SO. What was his story about anyway? The one he really wanted to share to Dojima?
I mean... it’s obvious enough
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First day in town? Spring? Actually mentioned driving a car when literally out of every single persona 4 media at the time was there not a SINGLE mention of Adachi having a car OTHER THAN the same stageplay it’s being mentioned in?
A story, from somewhere around uhh four? five months ago? was something that he remembered so dearly and was willing to share despite it obviously embarrassing him even if he puts the blame on a certain somebody in the same story?
Or maybe it’s because he really had nothing to talk about ever since he realized all his stories from the city weren’t actually that funny or interesting in the first place.
BUT then that would mean out of all the things he could talk about—more whining, complaining, complimenting, small talk—he insisted about talking about this story in particular.
Okay, look. I’m just. Just. As someone who talks too much, of course I have things I actually want people to hear out of all the bullshit that comes out of my mouth. And if the thing I actually want people to listen to doesn’t even get heard, I’d go mad.
Sure, Adachi’d be fine when his complaints or intentionally unfunny jokes get brushed off. But a story of a guy that he thought was so funny, interesting, 面白い gets ignored, he really blew up, even just for a split second, maybe.
And ALL the things that happened in that story—on his first day in Inaba! His car got dented, he had to deal with a weirdo dumbass employee that knew zero personal space, yelled in his ear, who didn’t know how to do their job, got his station reputation messed up on the first day, got his ass grabbed, got (unintentionally?) mocked for his lame stories, and got his car dented for the SECOND time. Probably MORE
And he STILL wanted to talk about it /punches through concrete wall/
yes I’m overthinking about this of course i am
This little tidbit of VL Adachi kinda makes me go insane sometimes—his entire characterization in VL in particular. It was really refreshing to see and how they included both of his characters in it, his facade and how irritated he is of a lot of things underneath. And how flexible his character is immediately working with other characters when there’s sudden improv to balance the situation. Like him and Dojima, Morooka, the attendant, or even Yuuya (hero) himself.
I’ll take Taniguchi-san’s messing around in the VL bonus backstage disc in place of Masami-san being so busy he couldn’t appear in it as often as other characters.
For stagetime that lasted for fifteen minutes or less, my appreciation for VL Adachi, even if he was just comic relief, really rocketed. I say VL, bc Adachi the edgelord he’s supposed to be in literally every other media is something I analyze separately.
I haven’t even gotten to VLE oh my GODDDDD
Like I said, I don’t really regard VLE close to canon but as something to be appreciated for what it is by itself. But the way Adachi was characterized there, in or out of character, still struck me.
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Yes, there was his strange fan-agreed-canon which is,,, now canon obsession with cabbages (not that that’s a bad thing lmao). There was also him being a lot more jumpy and intimate in a clowny way, patting people on the shoulder or even downright hugging them just to mess around. Even FORGETTING who the same goddam loser who grabbed his ass almost a year ago is. But like, can’t blame him they literally changed their actor (and screenplay writer) AHAHAHA
ha... no more comedy, only dorky sword fights now
(speaking of sword fights I think it’s a fun thought how Mamiya-san [Izanami, also one of the youngest in the cast] admitted it was his first time doing sword fight choreography and even thanked Masami-san and other staff members for guiding him)
One thing unintentionally in character was Adachi accidentally nabbing the sushi overdosed in wasabi. Masami-san didn’t actually account for a joke sushi and didn’t immediately eat it—until Taniguchi-san (who also made Dojima go off his shits compared to VL) jokingly yelled at him and even riled up the audience for him to eat it. He even went off stage to get water just for him to eat the goddam sushi.
And Masami-san did! (kinda choked, but he’s fine).
Continuing from the same scene, while being overly giddy about sushi dinner (and I mean overly--he was singing about it while hopping to the Dojima residence), he tried to remind the two, Dojima and Hayato (hero), that Nanako was sleeping. Probably where she was sick if the scene was translated from the game.
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(30:07)
And... the dramatic parts of VLE
Adachi was the one who reported to the IT that Dojima was chasing Namatame in the rain. While Naoto was discussing Namatame’s journal entries, Adachi, as giddy as he is, took it from Naoto’s hands and reveled in the discovery of evidence so childishly(?). He even ran to Dojima when he began regaining consciousness and immediately called the nurses to help him wheel Dojima to the ER.
Then, The Hospital Scene™️, right after Nanako flatlines.
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(1:02:02)
Adachi, who recently walked into the scene, immediately worries about Dojima and IT who were ALL crying. He looks down, devastated—before yelling how Dojima’s heading to Namatame’s room.
He yells in terror and the same grief at his injured boss, all while running past and even jumping over children, who fell to the ground sobbing, to get to him. He continues yelling in a pained fashion while immediately reprimanding Dojima to stop. He gets carried by the collar before being tossed to the ground at Hayato’s feet, all while being pat by the same boy.
Dojima makes his speech about how unfair it is for the ‘killer’ to be alive when his daughter isn’t. When he finally falls to his knees, Adachi rises from the ground, humbly saying he’ll do his best to take care of Dojima (or something like that I’m in tears I literally can’t do VLE’s hospital scene i h8 this). He finally starts crying along with everyone else, being pushed away again but still tries again, trying to usher his boss away from the door.
With the help of the guard in front of the door, they all disappear off stage
please... I know this scene doesn’t need that much translation because of how important this scene is in the entire story. and I know my narratives aren’t enough so just,,,, just watch it please it’s so much more than this. everyone’s acting was just spectacular
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(1:08:47)
So, after the IT (YOSUKE. JUST YOSUKE. good job Mae-chan) stop themselves from k wording Namatame, it was ADACHI who reported Nanako’s miracle recovery. He ran to the same corridor where they all cried in, even panting and falling to the ground in relief trying to report the good news. Then he pats Hayato on the shoulder and says he’s going to Dojima.
With this... /slaps roof of half of VLE/ ALL of this....adachi.... adachisan.... he Cares™️..... holy shit.....
now. comparing to the game. do you even remember what og Adachi did? did he.. even do anything?????
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(56:39)
NO!!! he just stood there!!!! being a bumbling fool but.... inappropriately!!! man. he didn’t act concerned enough.
adachi: /walks into a bunch of kids crying outside a hospital room/ “lmao why tf are y’all crying? did uhhh what’s her face uhhh nanako. did she d word or something? rip, I guess lol” LIKE????? CAN YOU IMPLY FASTER
and then he’s like “wgat hmm Where’s Dojima-san Heading Because That’s Not The Way To His Room 🤔” and only when he’s asked he actually mentions he’s heading to Namatame’s room and still needs to get choked by a first year for the room number like..... zero consideration
and his boss??? where his daughter he loves so much just??? di*s???? and he’s so devastated he’s doing what he can that very moment while he’s so numbed of thinking of the consequences???? And adachi goes “uhh boss that’s illegal” LIKE. BITCH. /punches through a concrete wall but harder/
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And??? His confrontation scene??? Like, I know they mashed it up w his tv confession scene to save stagetime for other scenes BUT IT WAS SO MMBMBMBMMGN /gestures in a good way/
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(1:15:56)
UM?? guy behind everything??? in a vulnerable area where he could easily get physically assaulted bc hes not in the tv world w his persona?? Trash talks women like he absolute misogynist he is??? getting yelled at by a bunch of kids and YELLING BACK IN THE SAME AGITATED MANNER even TAUNTING THEM then and there to GET HIS ASS?????
og Adachi was such a pussy he got caught and just scurried off into the TV world where he ended up having powers like...ok....scared of getting beat down by a bunch of highschoolers unless you have powers...ok....
he only taunted them to get him when he was in the tv world too.....he rlly couldn’t say shit in the real world huh... lol
(yeah yeah this shows how VLE Adachi knew abt his TV world powers which would make you think if he ever went into the tv world and came back out alive. Or he’s really just a badass who doesnt give a shit abt anyone’s opinions and CAN beat anyone’s ass. i have a separate thing abt this but bc i like to laught at vle rather than overthink its own lore i might. not. idk lol)
and ??? VLE Adachi can??? He can swordfight??? he doesn’t even NEED a gun—he even reflects bullets w his blade (but apparently he can still get slapped by a flying fan more often than any other attack). His fight choreo was just...so poggers. He’s like short villains done good—like??? he’s short compared to everyone else!!! but he makes up for it for stuffing all the energy inside him while is bursts out making him him the over energetic gremlin he is!!! go VL adachi!!!!
(am I low key making fun of Madono-san in the TUUSH stageplay I’ve seen four minutes of? maybe)
OK!!! Yes I was gushing abt Masami-san again back to Adachi.
It’s portrayed that while not being afraid to admit his crimes, he also goes out of his way to be a bastard and have the gall to get a bunch of kids to fight him, one on eight. He can use a katana, probably a narrative dark reflection of the hero, Hayato which I thought was nice—and he can fight!!! It also shows his persona, yes, but...it doesn’t make it clear if he’s overwhelmed by his Shadow like in the game, where his eyes were yellow and he was emitting a dark aura.
But it gets interesting how he sees he’s getting overwhelmed and starting to lose his edge towards a bunch of kids. He falls to the ground even banging the floor like a whiny brat while literally the IT tries to tell him to turn himself in. Again, like a brat he tells everyone to shut up—before getting incapacitated. While some of the IT rejoice, he bolts up unaccepting of his defeat—before getting hit in the stomach.
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(1:23:54)
And his words from when he drops his katana, “Why..?” He grabs the foldable chair against his stomach, and with a remorseful look in his eyes, he says “I’m sorry..!”
THEN HE BACKFLIPS—then Hayato slashes him.
In a tone of disbelief, he goes “no way...” and collapses to the ground, being possessed by Ame-no-Sagiri.
Blah blah blah then Teddie rockets himself into the eyeball spy cam and then they both explode aaaaa
Teddie survives but I really don’t know where Adachi went. Not even a mention by Dojima if he turned himself in or was ever found—or I need to review VLE for the 48274827482nd time hehe
WHOO then the whole cast appears for the dance number at the end of show YAHOO
#long post#persona 4#persona 4 visualive#persona 4 visualive the evolution#tohru adachi#sulululat#pagsususuri#p4#p4v#p4ve#//HAPPY 4K WORDS VL ANON#// if theres anything u want to ask... im right here /collapses/#// i almost went ham over actor relationships like. talking abt bpm was ENOUGHHH we're talking about the character not the assistant direct#// aaa this took so long... i literally mashed up so many other idea documents into one.. man.
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Chain of Iron Book Review
Chain of Iron Book Review by Cassandra Clare
You know, I was actually really irritated when this book came out because once again, the Dark Artifices seems to be shafted for this new series (that nobody asked for) to shine, but fortunately I wasn’t as bothered by it as I predicted I would be.
In case you are in the small minority of people who haven’t heard of Cassandra Clare and her millions of Shadowhunter books, Chain of Iron is the next nephilim installment in Clare’s never-ending series.
Chain of Iron is the sequel to Chain of Gold, and the series as a whole is a sequel to the Infernal Devices series, but a prequel to the original Mortal Instruments as well as the Dark Artifices which is the sequel series to the Mortal Instruments.
I would be surprised if you weren’t baffled right now.
I’ve said this before for other Shadowhunter installments, but these books are not user friendly for new folk. You genuinely need to have read the other series to get full enjoyment and understanding of these books.
If you do read them without having read the others, I'm sure it would still be enjoyable to a certain extent, but a large case of ensemble character and relationships will be lost to you and a big portion of these novels are the relationships within them.
To delve right in, Chain of Iron has our main cast of friendly teenagers nicknamed the Merry Thieves (which I just abhor, sorry, not sorry) return from Chain of Gold after fighting one of the princes of Hell, Belial, and now with Cordelia and James being married as to avoid a scandal of Cordelia’s reputation and James’ criminal record.
In addition, there is a new serial killer on the loose murdering shadowhunters at dawn and stealing their runes. Most of the book is dealt with trying to catch the culprit, the Consul and Inquisitor along with the whole of adult shadowhunter authority being inconsequential and inept as usual (how these people became parents are beyond me as they never have any sort of clue what their children get up to) along with side plots including raising Jesse Blackthorn from the dead and romance galore in typical Clare fashion that makes you want to rip your hair out because if everyone just communicated and was honest there would be no issues.
The beginning of the novel is molasses slow.
I’ve come to expect this with Clare’s books. Actually, I think I’ve figured out the formula entirely. Here is is:
Mostly nothing of consequence happens for nearly 400 pages except for character building and small instances of plot
Intersperse some random demon attacks for flavor
Everyone is beautiful, everyone is in love, and love is the most groundbreaking, earth shattering thing in existence
Get into the last 200ish pages and shit hits the fan with action, misunderstandings, and confessions
Nobody is honest with anybody and lying is commonplace
End the behemoth on a cliffhanger so that the audience is kept in suspenseful anxiety until the next installment
You can’t see me, but I am bowing right now.
Genuinely, that is how 90% of Clare’s novels pan out. Obviously, as she has a very successful and long-running book series, the formula works.
That being said, there are some vices and virtues to it.
For this book, the beginning was slow. Almost nothing of significance happens for most of it and it's a dredge to get through.
However, it’s mundane to get through in the same way that reading fanfiction of your favorite characters is mundane. What Clare does for 400 pieces of paper is build up her characters and their relationships. Normally, you would do this interspersed with plot, but not in this case.
It’s not very conventional, but it kinda works?
I definitely struggled connecting with the characters from this series more than any other of Clare’s novels. The Mortal Instruments, as the original, were beloved if a little cheesy. Then came the Infernal Devices with witty Will, soulful Jem, and intelligent Tessa. Then we got the Dark Artifices, which to me, is still the best as Julian, Emma, Mark, Christina and the others are the most flawed in any of the series and I enjoy that.
I enjoy that they’re not perfect, I enjoy that they’re devious and conniving. It makes them more interesting and more worthwhile to read about.
Instead, the main characters in Chain of Iron and the subsequent series are mainly James, Cordelia, Matthew, and sometimes Lucie. I would argue that no one else matters in the book and are just added in for some sugar, spice, and everything nice.
Some of you might be outraged at this statement. What about Grace? You might say. Or Jesse? Or Thomas, Christopher, Alistair, Ariadne or Anna?
They don’t matter.
They matter in a very small, plot convenience, fluff ensues kind of way, but not really in any way of substance. Or, at the very least, that’s how I feel.
Anna is just there to be cool, Thomas is a gay gentle giant with literally no personality, Christopher is so basic and is essentially the Trader Joe’s version of Henry who was better and more interesting as the first, Alistair is a redeemed bully, and Ariadne is an orphan who loves Anna.
The end.
Once again, sometimes Clare bites off more than she can chew and I wonder if she just throws these characters in there just because it makes her happy.
As for our main protagonists, they’re mediocre. Matthew is definitely the most interesting in the bunch and I was jubilant to see him get more screen time this time around. The increasing realization of his alcohol abuse, his feelings for Cordelia, his nonplussed attitude.
All of it is intriguing. I still don’t like him as much as other protagonists from other installments, but he is by far the winner of this triad.
James is too perfect, too beautiful, and a worse version of his father. If I wanted more Will I would have turned to fanfiction of the Infernal Devices instead of imagining up his son. The only interesting thing about James is his demon connection which is not even something he does, but rather something that is done to him.
Cordelia is banal. Once again, she’s too perfect, too brave, and too kind. Literally nothing is wrong with her. She’s level headed, intelligent, forgiving, and fierce.
Basically, she’s boring to the brim.
I do think Clare did a better job this time around to include more of Cordelia’s Persian heritage, but it still mainly fell to the backburner of her lackluster and blank personality. In fact, I think James made more of an effort for Persian food and culture than Cordelia did, but I digress.
Also, a small note, but still with weight, why does Cordelia have eight names??
It bugs the living daylights out of me that in a single sentence she will be called Cordelia, Layla and Daisy.
Clare. Give the girl one name. My god.
Actually, as a side note to this side note, Clare is talented at many things, but nicknames are not one of them. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER IN THIS NOVEL has a nickname and all of them are horrible. I have never in my entire life known a Matthew that has gone by the nickname Math.
What. In. The. World.
Anyways, the only other character of note is Lucie. I like and dislike Lucie. Lucie is also boring and her novelist passion is aggravating to me. However, I did like her turn with necromancy and her increasing desperation to save Jesse that drives her to work with Grace and lie to her friends and family was a much-needed note of interest.
Overall, this book did make me like the characters more than I did in Chain of Gold, but it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get there, more than what I think should have been afforded. If you need to kill 400 trees in order to make me like your main characters, that’s a problem.
Whatever the method, I do care about them more than I did previously so I suppose mission accomplished. I do think some of the strongest relationships in the book are the romances, but then also the parabatai bond between Matthew and James.
Matthew and James have one of the best relationships in the book and I’m equally frustrated and intrigued how things will play out with Matthew now having confessed his feelings for Cordelia.
I do feel like female parabatai get shafted in a lot of Clare’s novels compared to the boys. The coed pairs often do well like Clary and Simon or Emma and Julian. Otherwise, the boys far outrank the girls in terms of bond and friendship.
Even in this novel, the “friendship” between Lucie and Cordelia is laughable. They barely talk to each other or spend time together and when they do is shallow. Whereas Matthew and James seem much more involved in each other’s lives.
That being said, if you noticed I didn’t speak much of the plot it’s because for me plot comes very much second in a Shadowhudenter novel. It’s there of course, and it’s entertaining, but I do enjoy the characters and their relationships more than anything else which makes Chain of Iron better than its predecessor but still worse in my view than any other of Clare’s novels.
Plot just doesn’t compare to the soul crushing love and friendships shown between the pages, for better or for worse.
Recommendation: The Dark Artifices > Infernal Devices > The Mortal Instruments ...and The Last Hours fall somewhere after the Mortal Instruments and the trillions of side novels that Clare has co-written with other authors and all seem to be about Magnus Bane.
Score: 7/10
#chain of gold#chain of iron#cassandra clare#shadowhunters#the mortal instruments#the infernal devices#the dark artifices#ya fiction#YA Books#YA literature#book blog#book#book review#YA Book Review#popular fiction#Popular Books#Book Recommendations#book rec#book reccs#LGBTQ fiction#7/10#ya books#ya literature#book recommendations
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The Mandalorian Chapter 11; the rewatch edition
I have found a bit more enthusiasm for this one on the rewatch, so here goes!
- din snapping ‘I’m trying my best here!’ in a vaguely annoyed tone as his entire ship is going up in flames around him because he mostly doesn’t get angry as much as sulky... the height of cinema
- I love frog husband’s clothes, because they’re in a very similar style and colour scheme to frog lady’s but also incorporate the knitwear we see on the people of trask, so it both underlines his belonging with her and implies that he’s been on this moon for quite a while, they may have been apart for some time
especially his scarf is a darling detail and there’s a bit of contrast in texture to it next to his wife’s, it’s nice. he’s wearing a similar kind of vest to what we see on the fishermen later, too
- I think my favourite part of this entire episode (well second after din cradling the baby against him after nearly drowning) is just the design and Vibe of the planet and especially this harbour
for one I LOVE that it’s shown that even in the middle of the day it’s dark enough that the electric lights are still on when it’s overcast (it reminds me a bit of norway during the winter, actually, when dawn just never quite breaks and then slinks off in embarrassment before it’s even noon). and there’s also the... sails? nets? hanging around looking almost like flags, which are very Aesthetic but god knows what they’re for. maybe for drying fish on in the summer?
I think the building in the distance behind frog husband’s back here is a lighthouse? or it could be one of those towers for loading you see when they scout out the empire ship too, I suppose!
and one for my strange obsession with Texture on this show: these fabric-covered crates!!! they look exactly as dingy and moldy as you’d expect them to be in this climate, I wonder what they’re for (& I vaguely want to touch them)
- from the sound of it din’s vibroknife is uh ‘on’ when he pokes the squid thing, and he also goes for the tentacle the furthest away from the baby <3
proof the calamari flan have been scratched up a bit during all that time in din’s pockets! (the attention to detail in this show sometimes istg)
- this is 100% me reading too much into things again, call the overthinking police I’ll do my time meekly lol, but the boat looks a little bit like the mudhorn signet from this angle:
again din keeps his hand on or sooo close to his blaster in this entire scene, he knows this is sketch as all hell
a) once again I want to praise the effects team for how GOOD the aliens look in this episode holy shit and b) the hell is this dude wearing on the straps of his overalls tho
- the dude mando (axe woves) uses his little... wrist launcher thing to shoot with to finish two off the fishermen, so my theory that they can be loaded with other things than the whistling birds for slightly less effective use (maybe without the level of honing we’ve seen din’s be able to do?) is looking good!
- din actually has quite good form when diving into the water, I’m guessing he can swim at least tolerably when not in full armour, being stabbed at from all directions, having just had his son eaten by a sea monster and also being trapped in with said sea monster (I’m a strong swimmer and I can tell you that there’s a reason they make you swim with clothes on from time to time to see how hard it is, it sucks. with metal plates strapped all over you as well? yeah good luck) people don’t tend to hit the water that gracefully without some kind of training in my experience lol. might be some of the training with the jet pack has carried over too, considering he throws himself off that cliff in chapter 12 with similar confidence?
it’s interesting that they’re once again showing us a threat where the armour doesn’t help and even hinders him. we’re so used to the ways it can make him near-invincible, but it can also drag him down (literally, in this case. aha ha ha. well if I’m not here for my own entertainment then what am I here for honestly)
- din’s voice sounding like he’s just on the verge of crying as he cradles the baby (and the sound he makes as he realizes the baby’s alive) is my kryptonite, turns out. fucking breaks my heart into tiny pieces every time, I would die for this man and he wouldn’t let me
- in support of din’s paranoia: so far this season we haven’t been able to go five minutes without someone talking about peeling the precious beskar off a mandalorian corpse, I can see why his mind was primed to move in one particular way there
- I think the fabric of din’s cape has been treated with something that makes it waterproof; the water seems to pearl on top of it rather than soak in! can you imagine how heavy it would get if it did absorb water tho christ
(a bit hard to see at this size but that’s what it looked like to me close up anyway! could also be that it’s wool and that’s why it looks that way but I prefer an elaborate sci-fi explanation here, because it doesn’t look particularly weighed down afterwards) might also explain why he doesn’t seem worried about it catching on fire when he uses the jetpack haha, maybe this is something the mandos do with fabric they’re going to use for a long time
I also enjoy part of the gambeson/undersuit thing poking up from under the shoulder pauldron and cape; I think this is about as disheveled as we’ve seen him since immediately post-mudhorn
- the sound mixing in this scene, where din’s breathing is layered a bit over everything else so you almost feel like you’re in the helmet with him listening to what the others are saying........ oh my GOD, it embeds you so deeply in his POV but so subtly
- not to be biased or anything... but din and the armorer’s armour design is so vastly superior to these guys it shouldn’t even be a competition lol
din looks like an honest to god knight in shining armour except also sci-fi western and the armorer looks like a fucking war goddess from a time beyond memory; the clone wars mandos look like high end cosplayers (eh maybe it’s just my dislike for the boobplates that has me so 😒 lol. also a lot of dudes were very shitty about that whole thing and I don’t say anything but the ‘vaguely-concerned will remember this’ telltale message pops up in the corner every time)
moment of saltiness over: I do like the differentiation between their individual character designs
the differences in body type and helmet design is nice! they look like a unified team, but with individuality. I suspect the ladies have those belts and their armour plates on the hips instead of the front of the thighs to emphasize the ‘female’ silhouette, which. okay fine whatever
- bo katan looks very pointedly down at the baby after saying ‘a group of religious zealots who want to return to the ancient ways’ which makes me VERY nervous for reasons I can’t quite articulate
- the mournful guitar version of the mando theme as din watches the sunset...... hmmmmngh (this might be some Symbolism happening to us folks strap in for the identity crisis he still hasn’t processed)
- I Cannot get over din being so unimpressed by and uninterested in bo katan’s ‘retake mandalore’ sales pitch from literally the first moment dfhasdkjfhsad sorry lady kryze this man just does not do main quest shit, he’s all side quests all the time and that’s why I love him
- as someone who after chapter 8 wrote a whole-ass fic that was wholly & exclusively about din telling the baby he’ll always come back for him... some of the shit he’s been saying this season does feel like it’s been written to mercilessly victimize me, personally and specifically
- guessing this structure in the background is the traffic control tower! doesn’t really matter, I just thought it was neat
- this part of the soundtrack is called ‘ship o hoj, mandalorians!’, which I found incredibly charming haha (it’s ‘ship ahoy’ except how you write it in swedish, good one herr göranson)
- bo katan is vague about who exactly the new mand’alor would be if they took back mandalore to begin with, she doesn’t specify she is planning to be the ruler until she’s already got din on the ship and in no position to refuse to help. gotta respect the grift at least lol
I do love her voice, though, it reminds me a bit of jennifer hale as shepard
- “I need to get back to my ship, with the foundling” your honor I uh love him so fucking much
- frog lady stroking the baby’s back a bit as she holds her hand behind him to make sure he doesn’t fall backwards while playing with the tadpole ;___________;
and also frog husband and frog lady reaching out to hold hands and frog smooching as din and yodito leave ;____________________________________________;
- when din says the exasperated “mon calamari. unbelievable” line, the baby makes that little blowing a raspberry sound he does as if to agree ‘uh-huh unbelu -- unbelly -- unbelievable dad smh’ and it is very very adorable
- there’s quite a bit of Stuff in the concept art that didn’t make it in this time around; I wonder if maybe they cut some stuff for pacing or whatever and that’s why this episode is so short? water leaking into the cockpit of the razor crest, something that looked a bit like whaling going on on the docks and more spaceships taking off (maybe there were originally meant to be some smaller ships defending the big empire one?), there’s quite a bit here
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KISSED BY THE BADDEST BIDDER MAIN ROUTE REVIEW
hey! so i just finished watching kaylaslovely on youtube’s review of the main five (+ rhion) bidders routes and so i thought i would make my own review, because i felt like it. so here you go!
i will be reviewing all nine main routes, or main stories. each story will be rated using these five categories: plot, pace, romance, mc (since she’s different in every story) and love interest. at the end, i’ll give the story its final rating and i’ll let you know whether i recommend it or not.
i will try not to include any spoilers, but just in case, consider this your spoiler warning!
remember, these are my personal opinions.
summary: you are a maid at a hotel called the tres spade hotel, owned by the ichinomiya group. one day, you get dragged into the ivc (an exclusive party for the elite, held inside the hotel) and you basically get lost. while you’re wandering around the area, you enter a storage room where a lot of expensive items are held. little did you know, those items belonged to a blackmarket auction, the ivc was only a cover for said auction. being the clumsy queen that you are, you manage to bump into the statue of venus and knock it over. when the men responsible for the expensive items find you, they throw you into a giant birdcage and put you up for auction instead of the statue.
from here, you can pick one of the main five love interest (eisuke, soryu, mitsunari, mamoru and ota) to buy you. the other love interest (except for rhion) only appear in the second/third season, they purchase you from eisuke (presuming eisuke bought you but you never fell in love). rhion is part of an “au”, but his story technically takes place in season one. does that make sense? okay, perfect. now, on to the review!
EISUKE ICHINOMIYA: THE ARROGANT CEO
plot: 8/10, the plot is a cliche and fairly overused trope... but i love it. it’s well executed and feels unique and original, even though the core of the plot really isn’t.
pace: 8/10, in my opinion, i think the pace was very good. it wasn’t too slow or too fast (although it leaned on the slower side) and i feel like mc fell in love with eisuke at an appropriate time in the story. the ending felt slightly rushed but i feel like that’s a common theme with love 365 stories.
romance: 7/10, not as romantic as other routes (i mean, it’s eisuke we’re talking about), especially at the beginning, but there were moments that made me smile.
mc: 6/10, she’s definitely a bit of a pushover in this route. i wish she stood up to eisuke more, i wish she was sassier, it would’ve made the story sooo much funnier!
love interest: 7/10, eisuke’s kind of a jerk in this story, but hey at least he’s entertaining? (he has his cute moments tho)
final score: 72% (b-)
recommendation: sure? to be honest, it was pretty okay, a little boring compared to the other routes but for the low low price of literally 0$ (his main route is free), it’s not bad.
SORYU OH: THE COLD MOBSTER
plot: 9/10, i really liked his plot! i’ll admit, i’m not a fan of gang related stories, in fact, i usually hate them, but soryu’s story genuinely surprised me! i especially loved the fact that mc made a female friend along the way, usually other females in stories are seen as rivals (as in eisuke’s case), but it wasn’t the case here and that made me really happy. we support women in his household <3
pace: 7/10, the ending was really rushed in my opinion, like way more rushed than the usual rushed love 365 ending. when it ended i was like, “are you serious?” it just felt abrupt. the rest was fine tho.
romance: 8/10, the romance was subtle (due to soryu’s cold and mysterious demeanor), but you could definitely feel it. there was sooo much chemistry between the characters, so it felt really romantic.
mc: 8/10, she’s a little boring, but at least she’s relatable, like her actions/choices make sense in this story.
love interest: 9/10, c’mon, who doesn’t love soryu? there’s a reason why the whole fandom simps for this man. he’s the perfect mix of cold and innocent, and his reaction to regular people things (like going to the supermarket) is hilarious! he’s really sweet too and you can tell that he really cares for mc.
final score: 82% (a-)
recommendation: yes! even if you don’t like gang related stories, i’d still give his route a chance.
MITSUNARI BABA: THE WOMANIZING THIEF
plot: 9/10, i really loved the plot. it’s basically a romcom with action and criminal activity, it’s gold.
pace: 8/10, there were some parts that felt rushed, but overall i think the pace was fine.
romance: 10/10, the most romantic story of them all (i don’t expect any less from baba). their interactions are so cute and i loved watching them get closer and more comfortable with each other.
mc: 8/10, even though she’s kind of dumb, it works because this story is more comedic, her naivety and trusting nature helped the plot advance rather than disrupting it. she’s also really sassy in this story, i loved watching her shoot down baba!
love interest: 9/10, i love baba! i love the womanizer character trope, i know it’s an unpopular opinion but i still love it. he’s actually a total dork and he has the best lines, i smiled throughout the whole story!
final score: 88% (a)
recommendation: it’s one of my favorite main stories, so i definitely recommend it! however, if you don’t like romcoms or womanizers, you’ll probably hate this story lol
MAMORU KISHI: THE SLACKER DETECTIVE
plot: 8/10, his plot is intense. it’s action packed, there’s twists and turns and it definitely kept me on my toes. however, it is a little hard to keep up with at times, i definitely had moments where i got lost.
pace: 8/10, like mitsunari’s story, the pace was a little inconsistent, there were times when scenes felt rushed, idk if it was on purpose because it was a more “action-y” story, but even some of the “romantic” moments felt rushed.. which was a shame because there weren’t many.
romance: 7/10, it wasn’t very romantic, honestly. they had their cute moments, but they were rare. they have good chemistry, like the best friends you hardcore ship, but there just wasn’t much actual romance. i would compare their relationship to judy and nick in zootopia, like friends but a little more.
mc: 5/10, the mc actually bites back in this story, which is refreshing. however, she nags mamoru a lot, and i got sick of it really fast, to the point where i’d roll my eyes whenever she opened her mouth towards the end of the story. she acts like mamoru is a child incapable of taking care of himself, yet she gets angry when he calls her “kid” or treats her like one? wtf? ALSO, one third of the story is her being jealous of a dead person, which is literally so unreasonable and illogical. i could rant about her all day i swear.
love interest: 9/10, mamoru is so relatable, it’s not even funny. i love the way he speaks and i love the way he reacts in situations. he acts like he doesn’t care, but you know damn well the man cares more about mc than anyone else. he’s also surprisingly patient (which, few bidders are), as i said, the mc is really immature in this story, and even tho he acts annoyed, he never actually gets angry at her. there’s something really cozy about him.
final score: 74% (b)
recommendation: if you like action packed stories, i would recommend this story! with that being said, the mc really ruined it for me.
OTA KISAKI: THE DECEPTIVE ARTIST
plot: 5/10, it was too predictable. literally three chapters in i was like, “oh, i see where this is going” and sadly i was right! it was really dramatic, which i actually enjoyed, but the overly predictable plot ruined it for me.
pace: 7/10, the pace was fine, however i feel like mc realized she was in love with ota at the wrong time. i wished they would’ve picked a different moment (maybe later) in the story to make her realize she’s in love with him, or just change the scene completely. because it was like one moment she just saw him as her buyer and at the snap of a finger she’s in love with him, like what?
romance: 5/10, there was literally one romantic scene in the whole story. there were some other cute moments but they were completely overshadowed by ota’s attitude. also, the whole dog fetish really turned me off, especially because the mc was clearly uncomfortable with it.
mc: 7/10, i feel bad for her. she’s really submissive and shy in this story, but like it makes sense (i would act the same as her tbh, i’d be too weirded out to give any sass), so she gets a pass.
love interest: 4/10, ota is so unlikeable in the first season omg i’d almost forgotten how much i used to hate him. however, he becomes really sweet after season 3, you just have to suffer through the first seasons lmao
final score: 56% (d)
recommendation: i really like ota but that story was not it. i wouldn’t waste my coins, honestly. if you really wanna read ota, read one of his substories or any story after season 3, don’t bother with his main route. however, his cg’s were one of the prettiest, so hooray?
SHUICHI HISHIKURA: THE ALOOF POLITICIAN
plot: 8/10, i liked this plot. it felt more serious than the other stories, but that wasn’t a bad thing.
pace: 7/10, same problem as soryu’s story, the last chapters were hella rushed and it made the falling action pretty confusing.
romance: 7/10, it wasn’t very “romantic”, but there were definitely scenes were you could really feel the attraction between the two. i find they compliment each other well.
mc: 8/10, this story was not meant to be a comedy, but the mc made it one. she’s so stupid that it’s actually hilarious, i honestly couldn’t stop laughing at her cluelessness. usually i’d find stupidity annoying, but in this story, i loved it. it made the heavy storyline easier to digest.
love interest: 9/10, shuichi’s a vengeful bitch, which makes his soft moments that much cuter. i like how he has his quirks, and how he has a professional stoic side as well as a soft caring side.
final score: 78% (b+)
recommendation: yeah, for sure. however, if you don’t enjoy the stoic stern hard-to-read type, you might not enjoy this story.
HIKARU AIHARA: THE MYSTERIOUS HITMAN
plot: 9/10, i really enjoyed this plot. it was like a romcom mixed with a dark-ish drama, it was really unique.
pace: 8/10, the pace of the story was good, however i felt like there was a bit of repetition in the story, in scenes and in dialogue.
romance: 7/10, i absolutely love hikaru and mc’s bantering! i think they’re so cute and it’s just really funny to read. it’s subtlety romantic and you can definitely tell that they like each other. with that being said, hikaru’s treatment of mc at the beginning of the story really ticked me off.
mc: 9/10, okay, she had her annoying moments like she always does, but the mc is so funny in this story! she reminds me of the mc from our private homeroom. i really liked her.
love interest: 9/10, here’s the thing, if you don’t like tsundere’s... you’ll fucking hate hikaru, because he’s a tsundere to the max. i love tsundere’s sooo, yeah i loved him hihi. he’s fucking adorable and his dishonesty towards his feelings is really cute. he’s also a sad boy, which made me have a soft spot for him.
final score: 84% (a-)
recommendation: honestly, i did not enjoy this story the first time i read it. i think it was because i didn’t understand hikaru’s sense of humor at the beginning, so i thought he was just a dick and mc was an idiot for liking him, but when i reread it after reading a couple of hikaru’s substories, i actually liked it. so, if you like tsundere’s i’d definitely recommend this story, if not, steer clear.
LUKE FOSTER: THE GOOD DOCTOR
plot: 9/10, i liked it! it felt a lot sadder/darker than the other plots, but it wasn’t overly depressing. there were lighthearted moments throughout and i like how luke gave mc a job instead of using her for personal gain or pushing her around all day. it was also surprisingly intense, with a few steamier scenes here and there.
pace: 8/10, the pace was pretty good, but like hikaru’s route there were scenes that made me go “i feel like i’ve read this before...” there was a rhythm to the story, or at least that’s what it felt like.
romance: 8/10, this story was definitely more intense than romantic. they still had their cute moments though, especially towards the end.
mc: 6/10, the mc is so nosy, impatient and short tempered in this story omg. she’s so quick to judgement and she has no sympathy towards luke for like the first 11 episodes of the story which really bothered me. also, she didn’t seem to understand luke’s way of showing affection and it got a little frustrating. she’s just exceptionally bad at reading people.
love interest: 8/10. if you love sad sweet boys who are surprisingly hot, you’ll love him. his collarbone obsession might weird some people out, but i found it hilarious and it was the perfect way to balance such a sad story.
final score: 78% (b+)
recommendation: if you like sad yet cute stories, i think you’ll really like this one.
RHION HATTER: THE MAD AUCTIONEER
plot: 10/10, his plot is amazing! it’s so adorable, innocent and unique, all while somehow managing to make me a little emo. rhion’s also the only bidder (besides luke) who didn’t use mc for personal gain, he actually bought her for some sort of companionship which was really refreshing (wow, the bar is set low yikes).
pace: 9/10, the pace was really great, it’s a slow burn too, which i love, but the last couple of episodes felt a little rushed.
romance: 10/10, it’s probably as (or maybe even more) romantic than baba’s story. there are so many cute moments, even when mc and rhion don’t really know each other yet. the romance is really sweet and pure, but it feels so real.
mc: 9/10, i love how she interacts with rhion! she’s relatable in this story and her actions are sensible, she has a mind of her own and she isn’t afraid to speak it.
love interest: 9/10, it’s rhion. he’s so precious! his shy and sweet nature is such a nice change from the other bidders and i really love how he slowly opens up to mc. also i think his alter ego of the mad hatter is really cool!
final score: 94% (a+)
recommendation: it’s my favorite story on the app for a reason. i definitely recommend it, even if you’re more into the sexy stories, i still think you should give rhion’s main route a chance! i made my friend who isn’t even into otome games play it and she really liked it.
FINAL RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
i’ll admit, trying to look past the human trafficking bs was really difficult at first, but if you can manage to turn a blind eye to it and try to remember that it’s just a video game and everything’s fictional, it’s pretty good. the love interests are great, there’s some action, there’s a some drama and there’s a lot of humor. the sub stories are really good too!
#kbtbb#kissed by the baddest bidder#voltage inc#otome game#love 365#love 365: find your story#kbtbb review#otome review#nina’s words
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As my current obsession The King: Eternal Monarch comes to a close, I want to do a review of the drama with some things I’ve been thinking about. This is all random and coming out as I reflect.
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OST that makes me think of the drama: Gravity by Kim Jong Wan. One of my favorite songs from the drama and when it comes on it suddenly brings me back to some pretty epic moments.
Favorite OST: Orbit by Hwasa. This song was and is on repeat throughout the drama for me. Although it wasn’t played alot towards the middle and last half of the drama, it’s still superior.
OST I Didn’t Really Listen To: I Fall In Love, A Quiet Night and My Day Is Full Of You. Nothing against these songs, they’re all nice and I am listening to one or two of them since the dreams ended, but it didn’t grab my attention as the other songs.
Favorite Lee Eul scenes: Gon feeding Tae Eul and her joking about sneaking out touched the domestic side of me and I am living for it. Honorable moment is the neck kiss. I’ve never seen a neck kiss or a kiss this intimate in a drama before. I know he did something similar in another drama, but for me this is the first. I just love how perfectly placed it was. Tae Eul literally gave him her neck to do this. And I researched that neck kissed are pretty intimate and initiates a pretty intimate follow up. Now if Gon was trying to say something, I’m sure we understood and so did Tae Eul.
Favorite Kiss: The final kiss. The reason I like it a lot is because of how natural it is. Gon leaning down, smiles, Tae Eul leaning in and Gon swoops in. His lips pucker up to meet Tae Eul’s and the height difference is super cute even though she’s sitting on the table. They follow up with more kisses and the happiness on their face is what nails it for me. Honorable mention is the bedroom kiss.
Funniest Moment: When Gon prepared leaves in case they get stuck in “that time period”. Tae Eul’s face 😂
Favorite Side Ship: Eun Sup and Yeong. They are both so hilarious and off the bat had so much chemistry. They were definitely a side ship that I was invested and interested in. Their final scene together was their parting and it got me emotional because Yeong broke down his wall and gave Eun Sup a hug which says a lot about his stoic demeanor.
Favorite Ending Scene: Oh man. I remember watching this episode and it did not have the main couple together because they were parted for obvious reasons. I remember Tae Eul having a hell of a night and then everything happened so fast. Gon rode in on his horse, blood shed, tears fell, hearts broken, glasses shattered, epic soundtrack, announcement of future Queen and of course epic hug. And then it was out, next episode. I remember grabbing my phone and shouting noooo. I was on the edge of my seat and the final reunion of the two finally happened and the ending credits rolled in. This was an epic ending scene.
Favorite Lee Gon Outfit: It’s the simple black look and overcoat, but the material and the way he fit the form, I just really like it. Also he did some pretty bada$$ things in this outfit. So I find myself always thinking about this look. Some honorable mention is the iconic diamond fit, simple white and black vest (when he takes the overcoat off; it looks extra handsome) and then the light colored fit during his dates with Tae Eul.
Favorite Jung Tae Eul Outfit: Tae Eul’s fashion sense is simple and comfy. She is often wearing baggy and loose jeans, one color tone sweater and a long jacket. My favorite would be this look because she adds a bit of sophisticated with her dress white and black turtleneck.
Most WTF moment: When Lee Lim killed his doppelgänger self after going back to try and warn him. I was so surprised how fast he beheaded himself.
Underrated Character: Shin Jae. He is the other only character where I was in invested in his story. Kim Kyung Nam did a great job acting the pain and angst of his conflict with his mom. It really brought his character out.
Characters I did not care for: Lee Lim and Prime Minsiter Seo Ryeong. They both did were the anatagonist, but honestly did not impress me. I was never quite sure what Lee Lim was actually plotting and he just kept bringing people over and killing people. Sure he had the upper hand in some cases, but honestly his greed and lack of planning is what killed him. Idk what he was doing for the last 70 years or so. As for Prime Minister Seo Ryeong, nothing impressive about her. Although the only time she was tolerable was in the new timeline in the final episode where she was in jail and Luna came to visit her because it looks like they’re sisters now. They interaction was sweet and familial bickering.
Character I didn’t expect: Luna. I was looking forward to her character and how she’ll play into the storyline especially with how the cast members spoke about her during interviews. And honestly at one point I felt like she was one of the only one who shook Lee Lim’s core which was super entertaining to watch while it lasted. I liked how peeved he was by her and she just went about her way, unbothered. I also realized how the writer was creating Luna’s character to be good and bad. She poisoned Gon, stabbed Tae Eul, but didn’t kill her father, didn’t stab Tae Eul enough to kill her even though it looked like she did. Tae Eul trusted her enough to let her go and be with her own dad. Luna’s story is still a mystery.
Biggest Twist: when Gon realized that Shin Jae was actually from his world and said he was Shin Jae’s King. 🤯
Favorite Lee Eul Hug: This one. No need to explain. 💯
Relationship that surprised me: Luna and Seo Ryeong in the new reality. I really enjoyed their “sister” dynamic in episode 16 where Luna had a name change and became a cop and Seo Ryeong was unfortunately in jail, but their interaction even tho they both pretended not to be close, they were. It was funny and the best performance from Jung Eun Chae. Quite honestly I feel bad about where her character eventually ended. Her greed got the worse out of her.
Favorite Side Character: Yeong. I really like his character with his side glances/ glares at Tae Eul and his love and dedication to Gon. I’m glad he kept his promise to himself to protecting Gon. Also Woo Do Hwan did a great job playing two characters.
Plot I am still confused about: the little boy with the yo-yo. I wasn’t quite sure how he fitted into the entire drama. He definitely peaked my interest and he was obviously traveling back and forth, but I feel like his story never connected to the main plot. Honorable mention was Park Jiyoung, the pregnant woman. Like what was the point of crossing her over?
Character Death: Prince Lee Jong In, I had a feeling he’d died but also didn’t expect it. Honorable mention is Seo Ryeong’s mom. She was collateral damage. When Seo Ryeong called to ask her mom what she had for dinner a code for her doppelgänger, and she answered jajangmyeon, the chills.
BONUS!
Favorite Product Placement: CHICKEN! Man I can’t tell you how bad I wanted korean fried chicken because of the drama. LMH ate this at every chance he got and he made me crave it. They did a great job selling it to me. 😅 Honorable mention is the coffee drink that everyone dranked and man when they shot that scene where Yeong had to throw the drink to Shin Jae and still had to show the product name, lmao the commitment. 🤣
Worse Product Placement aka the one that was painfully noticeable: Okay; almost all were in our faces, but the painful was the one where Tae Eul was using the Kahi lipstick/cheek/moisturizer all in one stick. 🤣 when she explained the product to Jang Mi during a stake out I nearly passed out from secondhand embarrassment. And honorable mention is the CELLRETURN LED mask although when Eun Sup used it to be iron man that was cute.
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Overall rating: 8.5/10. There were some choppy moments here and there and some loose ends and characters that I didn’t quite understand or had to really think about it. But it was never enough to say this was a bad drama. In fact it’s been a while I was this invested in a drama where I had to come up with theories and such. Not a lot of drama makes me do that. As a fan of BTS, theories comes as second nature 😅.
There were some moments that happened off screen and later on we’ll realized something had happen prior which at the beginning was hard to decipher, but once I realized the drama was doing that, I enjoyed it because sometimes it’ll be a pleasant surprise. I love how the drama hardly opened up each episode with how it last ended, they always gave us a backstory/content prior.
I think Gon and Tae Eul’s character had growth and progression, especially Tae Eul who had to unpack a lot of herself. The more the drama went on the more we got to see different sides of her which peeled some layers she built up as a detective and some described her as cold. I think with all that she went through definitely shaped her quite a bit. And Gon I felt started off the show strong. He had strong morals, grasped things quite fast, but was also caring, strong headed, dependable and responded rather than reacted. Of course he has his moments of being childish and playful, but it never strayed him from being off or uncharacter like. I think Tae Eul describes it perfectly in one of the episode that he knows when to joke despite a traumatic childhood. She is simply saying he’s grown into a decent man who doesn’t let a past define him, he lives it fully and that comes off in all his actions throughout the entire drama.
As for the other characters, I am glad we got to see Shin Jae’s character development as well. I’ve said it before, but he was one where I felt the writer went deeper into his story. Yeong would be the second, although he remains a mystery even until the end. I never quite understood where he stood except that fact that he deeply cares and loves his King, and in what context, only he would know. The writer has written strong second leads before and sometimes even third leads, but I would say wasn’t her best, but again it’s not so bad where you would say the drama was a complete failure or unbearable to watch.
And finally I can’t wrap up without saying something about the cinematography. Because man there were some beautiful shots, some CG works and some transitions or angles that really came into play to make the drama what it was. I don’t have it, but one of my favorite is when Gon is poisoned and falls down and it transitions to his younger self, that was breathtaking. An example of the angles and transitions is below and it was dramatic and the camera got to play with all its angles. All this for a dramatic handshake and of course my favorite soundtrack adds to the flare.
#the king eternal monarch#lee min ho#kim go eun#lee gon#jung tae eul#kim kyung nam#woo do hwan#jung eun chae#lee jungjin#korean drama#drama review#recap#finally writing all this up
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Personal top 5 in Wo Men De Ge / Our Songs, Season 1
After finishing all 12 eps of the 1st season of “Wo Men De Ge” / “Our Songs”, I am listing my personal top 5 pairs of “Young Singer x Old but Gold Singer” teams in the show, mostly just to have an excuse to gush and recommend some of my favourite performances from this beautiful, beautiful music show.
5. Xiao Zhan x Na Ying (and Angela Chang) - Team: Na Zhan Dui
What I really liked about them: The fact that they challenged many styles! Perhaps it’s because Xiao Zhan is currently an actor and not specialised in any music type, but their performances were among the most diverse. They did rock, disco, old Chinese classics...Singing-wise, Xiao Zhan does nice switches to falsetto, Na Ying’s voice is broad and with its own feel, and Angela Chang who replaced NY for a few eps has such a special and beautiful voice ugh. But what I liked most about them is probably Na Ying herself. Her outspoken personality and sense rly got to me and she was my favourite “Model Singer” in Group B. She was also so open to accompanying XZ in trying new styles and to put an emphasis on performance (as in, the visual aspect of it) to help XZ out. I think for someone who’s not currently a singer, he got very lucky she was his partner.
What I found to be a pity: Xiao Zhan sings pretty nicely, but it’s true that when you have Ayanga and Zhou Shen next door, it’s pretty hard for his voice to stand out. A few times, I found myself feeling like Na Ying or Angela was carrying the song single-handedly and couldn’t rly notice his voice anymore. Angela’s voice especially stands out, so sometimes, it feels like what I remember most from Na Zhan Dui performances is Angela’s great voice and the visual effects. Also, maybe it’s because he has to manage his image a bit more than the other young artists, but Xiao Zhan did come across as quite nervous during the entire show, including during many of the performances. If you only watch him based on this show, he comes across as just a very polite young person (with a pleasant voice).
Favorite performance(s) from them:
Gen Zhe Gan Jue Zou / Going with the Feeling (not rly a performance but the song with which NY and XZ got “blindly” paired up, and somehow the song in which he was the most relaxed imo)
Jun Gang Zhi Ye / A Night at the Naval Port (classic lovely song. Imo it was the song in which their voices matched up most seamlessly)
4. Xiao Gui x Luo Qi - Team: Wang Zha
What I really liked about them: I knew neither of them before the show, but felt like this team truly tried to make a new sound each time and to mix modern elements into old songs (which fits perfectly with the show’s theme). Luo Qi is so open to Xiao Gui’s suggestions and so humble about trying things outside her comfort zone, even though she is the senior. They also had a really nice old sister-little brother relationship, full of mutual respect, and it was kind of refreshing to have the young artist be like ‘it’s ok, it’s ok’ and being the encouraging or optimistic one in the team. Among the younger artists, Xiao Gui is the only rapper, so being on this show could be pretty challenging but Luo Qi being so open to trying new things made it work. She really went outside her comfort zone, and I loved this team for it. They are also both really pleasant - mostly quiet but polite and comfortable. All-round lovely pair.
What I found to be a pity: In a way, because Luo Qi was so accommodating and humble, sometimes it felt like Xiao Gui might have overpushed her a bit? Perhaps he could have been a tad more considerate, but we don’t see much of their interactions and overall they do seem like they have a good relationship.
Favorite performance(s) from them: Hui Lai / Come Back (the way the rap got mixed into this song feels so very natural)
3. Ayanga x Fei Yuqing - Team: (God Xiao Ge team names are hard to remember) Yun Dan Feng Qing
What I really liked about them: Well of course, the voices and the singing technique. haha I did not know Ayanga before this show, but HOLY SHIT. Not a musical actor for nothing. HE CAN SING. And he can sing so many styles, too. He is GOOD. Watching them, I thought, shit, among all the young artists we saw, only he could have been paired up with a senior like Fei Yuqing (and perhaps Zhou Shen, but we’ll come to him later). Their voices are distinctive, but the style in which they sing have certain similarities, so they match quite well. Basically, this is a team based on talent, skills and experience. They only sing songs that sound like classics but holy fucking shit, I loved the way they sang them. Other than the singing - and this is not a team thing - but I was rly surprised to find out that Fei Yuqing was quite funny. Individually speaking, both he and Ayanga were entertaining while remaining ever so pleasant. They were real pleasures to watch.
What I found to be a pity: I thought there was a lack of team chemistry, which could be in part due to how they got paired up, but yeah, they just never really felt like a team, more like two very polite and courteous singers who decided to work together for a few performances. Also, I am absolutely not surprised by it, but I guess, since it’s the Fei Yuqing, both young artists were fully accommodating him and not the other way round. It is not a bad thing in FYQ’s case because his singing is beautifully amazing and hey its his last show anyway, but it would have been fun to see more sparks here and there.
Favorite performance(s) from them:
Juan Zhu Lian / Rolling up the Beaded Curtain (haha are you ready for pure skills to fuck you up? I liked Juan Zhu Lian before, but this version is incredible)
Xin Yuan Yang . Hu Die Meng / New Mandarin Duck. Butterfly Dream (again pure skills but also the harmonising. a+++)
2. Liu Yuning x Ren Xianqi - Team: Jie Tou Pai Dang
What I really liked about them: This team is one of the teams that felt the most like a team. They have similar past experiences and I liked that they had a chill older brother + reserved younger brother chemistry. I also liked that they both seem to be people who are passionate about different aspects of music (like singing yes, but also music arrangement overall). Ren Xianqi was so open to letting Liu Yuning express what he wanted / add in the elements he wanted to each performance, or have LYN’s band be in charge of re-arranging the songs. Before this show, all I knew from Ren Xianqi was his “Xin Tai Ruan”, but I found him so lovely and nice during the whole show! He only had kind praise for all the other artists, was positive throughout, and well, Group A only had lovely "Model Singers”, but RXQ stood out in this respect. He and Liu Yuning had such a comfortable dynamics and many of the songs they sang happen to be all-time favourites of mine so of course bonus points. Singing-wise, I love Liu Yuning’s voice. It’s not like he can hit super high notes or anything, but this guy rly gets the right feeling out of each song through his voice. All in all, I loved the team.
What I found to be a pity: Literally, the only thing I find to be a limiting factor for this team is Ren Xianqi’s voice aaaaa TT. It felt like he struggled a bit at times, and compared to other senior singers, his voice doesn’t have as much of a distinctive feel, which I thought was a pity... Some of his uh...moves during some of the performances also felt a bit old-fashioned, but I think I can live with that.
Favorite performance(s) from them:
Tian Ya (the song...the arrangement...the spirit...the LYN’s singing...)
Ai Jiang Shan Geng Ai Mei Ren (mainly because this song is one of my all-time favourites and you cant go wrong with it, but this is not my favorite rendition of it either)
1. Zhou Shen x Li Keqin - Team: Qin Shen Shen
What I really liked about them: EVERYTHING FUCK HAHA. ok so. I started this show with pretty even feelings for all the teams, but if one team really grabbed my heart from ep. 1 onwards and threw it into the fire pit, it’s these two. GOD Can I even talk about them neutrally?? Chemistry-wise...where did they even get all this chemistry? No one knows. On stage, I don’t know if I’ve heard two voices that match as well as theirs when they harmonise before, but if I did, I don’t remember. Zhou Shen’s voice is high and floating like some kind of ethereal mermaid’s, while Li Keqin’s voice is so stable, so warm it’s the perfect match. But the chemistry off-stage?? It’s even more incredible??? If Liu Yuning and Ren Xianqi are like a pair of older and younger brothers, what are Zhou Shen and Li Keqin? No one knows, and certainly not them. All the terms have been thrown in: match made in heaven, perfect match, a couple that separated and had a child (thanks LKQ) but also father and son, ‘someone who likes music’ (what?)....but basically, everyone on the show agrees that their chemistry is uncanny and it’s not stopping them from continuing with whatever they’re doing. This team basically has it all and they know it: Singing skills and technique? they both have it. Passion for singing? They both have it. Perfect chemistry? They have it. Stellar and complementary sense of comedy and humour? They have it. Theatrical smoke as their only visual effect on stage? They have it (jk). Every episode that they’re on, I am laughing and smiling from ears to ears and thanking the heavens that they got paired up. Why are they like this.
What I found to be a pity: The fact that I can’t buy an album from them as a duo? hahaha OK, perhaps just the fact that they stuck mostly with ballads (except for Ye Lang Disco) and so I would have loved to see more sparks from them. But this complaint is also very empty because it’s not like I didn’t thoroughly enjoy every single ballad they sang...haha haha....Ah, one thing I found to be a veeerrrry slight pity is that, as ZS himself says, he’s quite insecure. In contrast, LKQ is quite optimistic, so it makes for a lot of comedic clashes in this respect (annnnd it becomes a thing I like about them again). OK ok one thing is perhaps that ZS’s jokes can be a little bit borderline, but honestly, they receive each others’ jokes so well it becomes part of their charm and chemistry.........I guess I’m biased....ok....I'll shut up
Favorite performance(s) from them:
Tian Xia You Qing Ren / All the Lovers in the World (oh my God oh my God oh my God thank you Zhou Shen for choosing this song)
Ye Lang Disco / Wild Wolf Disco (?) (BECAUSE THIS IS Qin Shen Shen AT THEIR FINEST: ABSOLUTE DORKS WHO SLAY AT PERFORMING. Na Ying mentioned this as the inspiration for her and Xiao Zhan’s disco challenge, and that’s for a GOOD reason.)
Honestly I thought Zhou Hua Jian should be there somewhere, because I am a HUGE fan of Zhou Hua Jian songs, but I did feel like his performances were a bit...slapdash in this show haha. And Yi Qiao seems very nice but most of the time, I didn’t feel her presence as much, and it felt like I was enjoying the performance because no matter what, ZHJ’s voice is fucking good. I also found it to be a pity that he had to constantly remind the audience about points and voting - in the beginning it was funny, but by the end it felt a little repetitive - and that some of his comments could be a little bit borderline and clumsy. So not in the top 5, but his team’s performance of “Qi Shi Bu Xiang Zou / In truth, I don’t want to leave” did make me cry. A lot.
Anyways, overall, I rate this show 10 / 10 and would encourage anyone who likes music to watch it! I know many people who watched the show are international Xiao Zhan fans, well, if so, you’ll see a lot of him at least! (and your attention might get snatched by some others if you’re not careful)
#wo men de ge#xiao zhan#na ying#zhou shen#li keqin#zhou hua jian#fei yuqing#ayanga#wang linkai#luo qi#liu yuning#ren xianqi#our songs#long post
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Oh no, I’m not the same anon from the VA! 😅 I also dislike that they tell antis not to watch it or to blacklist it. Why should I have to blacklist something that I enjoyed as a child just because I disagree with them? Why should I listen to them and not watch it? It irks me how they have the audacity to say that just because we don’t like their ship. I don’t think they understand how harmful this could be for people.
Oh then, my bad!! Hi again anyway! 🤗
You said it, nonnie. I can't tell you how many times I've seen certain Sessrin supporters tell us "if you don't like it, then stop watching." Hmmm I can't help but wonder if the tables were turned how they'd like it if fans were telling them the same. I mean, Sessrin may very well not go canon and I doubt some will take kindly to it.
I recently brought this same issue up in another answered ask of mine (maybe your last one? I'm losing track! lol), because it also irks me beyond belief. Why aren't we as viewers allowed to be critical of our entertainment? Take movie critics for example. They may give a movie they're reviewing an overall positive rating, but that doesn't mean that all of them enjoyed every single minute of the film. It's their job to praise the parts they liked, but it's also their job to discuss the parts they didn't like as much and point out areas that could be improved.
A lot of us fans who identify as anti-Sessrin are obviously invested in Inuyasha as much as the next fan. For many of us, it was our first-ever anime or maybe it's just that it brings back some really fond childhood memories. Whatever the case may be, it's clear that Inuyasha isn't just some show. It means a great deal to many of us in this fandom, and a lot of us (antis at least) feel that it would be a completely out of character move for Sessrin to go canon. It just wouldn't make one ounce of sense.
Even Sessrin shippers themselves will claim that there wasn't any foreshadowing while Rin was young, which is why you'd think they'd understand why we're so perplexed by the sheer possibility of a romantic future between the two. Then again I've seen conflicting reports, because there are times I'm not so sure I can take some of those shippers' word for it. That is when they make comments like "props to Rin for bagging the most handsome and powerful demon just by flashing a smile" because then it really makes you wonder. Granted, that's not verbatim but you get the gist. The takeaway message here is that she was just a girl and they're making inappropriate comments to imply Sessrin in fact started a lot earlier than they themselves claim would've been allowed.
Nowhere should Sesshomaru's opinion of Rin as a child factor into this ship's potential for going canon. What I think is happening is that they want us to think they don't believe there are any hints at a romantic future already planted in Rin's childhood, but it's evident that's not true at all. Admitting to that out loud would of course prove them wrong and they just can't have that, hence why you'll rarely see them make these kind of remarks in an openly public space. That's the case for Tumblr, at least, however Twitter and Reddit are a whole other kind of beast.
These stories we invest so much time and energy into are more than capable of impacting real people, believe it or not. I'm not gonna lie, since this sequel was announced I've been on Inuyasha mode pretty much every damn day. It's like I've gone back in time and I'm 13 all over again! Except this time around I'm not able to fully embrace it as I once did. That reason being because I'm an adult now who can understand the profound and far-reaching effects fiction can have on our lives. Why else do you think so many of us on here are as passionate and involved as we are? Our fictional stories are important to us because they reflect our real life stories. That's how they resonate with us!
So it really kills to me see that actual adult fans still don't seem to understand by now the strong links between real life and fiction. They will refuse to accept the truth even if it slapped them in the face.
In case some of you reading misinterpret my words and suggest I'm telling you shipping Sessrin is wrong, you're mistaken. I'm not sure how many more times I need to repeat myself, but I suppose once more wouldn't hurt? (Here we go- wish me luck!):
LIKE SOME OF YOUR VERY OWN SHIPPERS HAVE ADMITTED THEMSELVES, Sessrin wouldn't be appropriate in a real life situation. Because of that reason alone, it shouldn't be appropriate on a show aimed at a young audience either. That's it, that's literally it! Ship away if it pleases you, but just agree that it'd be safer to keep a ship with this particular dynamic to mature and/or adult-themed entertainment AKA not Inuyasha. So can we shake on that? Fist pump?? Blood oath?! (Too far? Lol)
Alrighty, nonnie, appreciate you stopping by again. Hoping I answered your ask the way you wanted and that this finds you well, dear!
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since you’re the resident (and I hope to god the only) safe haven expert, would you say it’s worse than, equal to, or better than fifty shades -❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤
hello rainbow heart anon! i’ve been pondering this question all 1,600 miles and two days between colorado and virginia (thank you for entertaining me)
so ok. there are a lot of different metrics by which we can judge fics/stories. we can judge them based on plot, or writing mechanics, or how Problematic they are or aren’t, or overall literary merit. I’m gonna do a couple of these things, but let’s aim to decide based on “overall literary merit,” a phrase which it is physically painful to apply to either of these works but oh well
1) problematic-ness
first of all, a HUGE note about Problematic-ness: I do not often find this a useful way to judge stories, because all stories have to have some kind of conflict and also art can be as Problematic as it wants and still be good art. but in the case of e.l. james I will make the fattest fucking exception oh my god
and in terms of Problematic-ness, Safe Haven is WAY worse than 50 shades. many more articulate and knowledgeable people than me have written about how 50 shades a) does not depict actual BDSM, and b) misrepresents BDSM as some gross deviant thing that only a “twisted degenerate who has suffered horrific abuse” archetype could possibly be into. BUT however much 50 shades is grossly inaccurate in its depiction of BDSM, at least 50 shades admits that the relationship between christian and ana is “fucked up.” like at least there’s a token acknowledgement of “this is not a normal or appropriate way to treat your romantic partner” in there a few times.
whereas in SH, the same violent, abusive, controlling and manipulative tendencies are never acknowledged. they’re there (edward fantasizing about literally beating bella because he’s angry that she witnessed a murder, anyone?) but they’re never talked about—just handwaved away as “this is how regular guys in love think and behave.” which, um, no, erika. no the fuck it isn’t.
SH!bella is also a 19-year-old orphan with absolutely no support system, whereas at least ana (21) has friends, family, and a bachelor’s degree. all SH!bella has is obscene wealth, a cello, and a creepy plantation in (I’m still laughing about this) metairie. she has no one to look at her situation and go “dump him” the way ana’s friends could and did in 50 shades.
winner: 50 shades
2) writing
in order to be published, 50 shades had to pass through an editor. not a good editor, but it was still given a basic once-over for stuff like grammar and spelling, which makes it automatically better than SH. I’m not exaggerating when I say I have barely scratched the surface on this blog of just how bad the grammar et al is in SH. the paragraph-long run-on sentences, the bizarre random capitalizations, the constant abuse of ellipses, the utter lack of commas...it’s bad. when I think about how it was written by an adult TV professional with english as her first language, I kind of despair for the human race.
the original 50 Shades fic, Master of the Universe, is also riddled with errors but still not as bad as SH. I’m guessing this is because MotU came second? afaik Safe Haven was erika’s first foray into writing fic and boy does it show
and finally, the lack of every third word being “fuck” makes a huge fucking difference lmao. it’s also a POV thing—ana may be insufferable, but she’s far, FAR less insufferable than erika’s attempt at writing from a man’s perspective (the constant No-Homo-ing, anyone?) in fact, it would probably be more accurate to compare SH to Grey, but I haven’t read that. (does christian get a dicksona? important question I never want the answer to)
winner: 50 shades
3) you know what, let’s cut to the chase here
I could do a bunch more categories and talk about how 50 shades, while bad, is still better than SH, but I’m realizing it’s probably faster if I make the (much shorter) list of ways Safe Haven is better than 50 shades.
ways in which Safe Haven is better than 50 Shades:
the pacing/length - the 50 shades trilogy is something like 500k words, and was originally published as two incredibly dragging, meandering fics in which it was incredibly clear erika had no idea where the story was going. SH, by comparison, is less than 60k words and, for all its faults, has clear rising/falling action and a climax, with most of the filler-y parts frontloaded to the beginning rather than disrupting the action (such as it is lol.)
the unintentional comedy - the unintentional comedy is way better in SH. the grammatically worse, “this is totally what men sound like” writing makes SH entertaining on a language level as well as a story level, and the plot beats—bella is abducted by a cross-dressing kidnapper we never hear about again! emmett digs through bella’s trash!—are more balls-to-the-wall ridiculous than anything in 50 shades.
and that’s it
in every other possible category, 50 shades edges out Safe Haven. including in (sigh) overall literary merit. at least 50 shades had something (however stupid) to say about its characters and their relationship, as opposed to Safe Haven’s “bella hot, edward mean, edward like bella, sexy sexy”
#asks#anonymous#spork haven#anti e.l. james#50 shades of grey //#does any of this reasoning make sense? I'm tired
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Final thoughts on Good Girls season 3
So I'm giving you a little disclaimer: This is going to be long and honest and unfiltered. I think many people who unconditionally liked season 3 will say that all the people who criticize this season, based on the episodes we got, it's because we didn't get the last 5 episodes (because then it's gonna be good/make sense). But I dismiss this notion because we got more than half of the season (70% in this case) and if a season doesn't deliver or build any momentum people have the right to criticize. Just as people who enjoyed it can write how much they liked season 3 based on 11 episodes.
To me: this season felt like a patchwork rug. It's like the writers didn't know how to fill 16 episodes properly. And I'm gonna be honest I hope if there is a season 4 that NBC will cut it down to 10 episodes. Because apparently the writers are unable to tell their stories when they have too much time on their hands. It's like they threw in ANY ideas they had, turned on the mixer and then expected it to make all sense or to be entertaining. And it simply wasn't for me. But if you're not into reading people's opinions that doesn't agree with yours, feel free to scroll past my post. If you're okay with it, continue after the cut.
The Good:
Beth's wig
I'm not kidding when I'm saying that it's literally the best thing in season 3. They hopefully burnt that season 2 wig and we will never see it again. I disliked how they fluffed her wig sometimes this season but other than that it's great.
Lucy and Rhea
Honestly, I loved them. They didn't take Beth's nonsense. Especially Lucy just didn't like how Beth used her in order to make counterfeit money. I'm celebrating every character who gives Beth a piece of their mind (except Dean because Dean can suffocate on his opinion and entitlement). It's sad she wasn't around more and that her life ended (THANK YOU, DEAN!).
With Rhea I'm sad the writers didn't make use of her character and the actress more. She was literally around for one episode and disappeared when she could've given us more insides on Rio. I'm also not happy she was in the end utilized as well as a plot device. It doesn't matter if she was used by a male or female character, in the end she was a plot device and nothing more. And it's terrible because Jackie Cruz did so much better in the few scenes she got than Ione Skye did with Gayle. It's true, don't fight me on this!
And then of course Marcus who is just the most adorable and consistent kid on this show. Like any other kid just disappears and reappears and people tend to forget they exist but the actor who plays him makes him unforgettable with his cuteness. Unfortunately, Beth forgot about him and Rhea the moment she decided Rio is again responsible for every bad thing happening in her life.
Episode 3x01
Literally the only episode I enjoyed from beginning to end. I can't name any episode afterwards I liked completely.
I only enjoyed parts here and there from a couple episodes but not one episode after 3x01 was exceptionally good and that's just sad when the past seasons still got episodes I'm fond of today. And no, not all of them because of Beth and Rio but because those episodes just were fun to watch and I did rewatch them many times. I didn't rewatch any episode more than once this season and I have literally no wish to rewatch season 3.
Because I'm Brio trash...
…I basically fall easily into the trap of the NBC promo team showing upcoming Brio scenes which make me melt. Like if they can write Brio scenes in which both are on the verge of jumping eachother it's just amazing. And it's most likely because Christina and Manny have this incomparable chemistry. The bar scene was just WOW! And I have to admit my weakness but when they make it work on screen I literally forget how I dislike everything else. So it's always a sad wakeup call when we leave them behind and I'm back in this GG AU which is just not as good as the last two seasons.
Ruby and Stan
These two had such a rough season 3 as well and I will come for the writers shouldn't they work out. Because I have this terrible feeling that even though Stan said they're in this together it foreshadows something bad. And I hope I'm wrong. And again I will come for the writers if anything happens to these two and should they divorce before Beth and Dean I'm going to riot. There is only ONE marriage worth saving here and that's the Hill marriage.
The Meh:
Annie's arc
Gosh, if you know me you know what's coming. I'm not a fan of Annie. Never have been, never will be. And that main reason is that I find her unrelatable. We're so different. And I feel with Beth and Ruby anytime she opens her mouth and something childish comes out of it. But HOLD ON! Before you start throwing stones at me. That doesn't mean I don't understand why Annie is the way she is and that Beth played a part in it but also knew that if Beth didn't play a part in it who knows where Annie would be now. So the thing is because Annie and I are not on the same wave I tend to like Beth and Ruby more because even though I do not necessarily understand their actions either sometimes, I relate more. And don't get me wrong! Annie did an fantastic job with Ben. Even though she should stop treating him like her best friend and start acting like a mother, so Ben doesn't need to be the adult in their relationship. And Mae Whitman is just acting her a** off with what she is given by the writers.
AND this season was the first time I thought the writers would finally give Annie a proper arc. I was celebrating when she got into therapy and wanting to educate herself more to get a better job. Like YES girl! I thought I was finally seeing some growth in her character and I finally could see myself rooting for her.
But it quickly just fell apart. The fact she sought therapy with a children's therapist is symbolic but also inappropriate and I think we can all agree that Josh should've been the adult and told Annie to find someone else or even better recommend her to someone. I'm not even sure if a female or male psychologist would be better but just anyone but Josh.
I really don't understand how the writers can tear apart a good plotline like this and turn it into something so destructive.
Brio Feud plot
I went into this season knowing there would be a feud between Beth and Rio – as we all did. I expected it but I thought the execution of it was rather poor. I understood very quickly after 2x13 that we wouldn't get the playfulness back we had in season 1 and 2. I knew there would be a tonal shift in season 3. It's not that I didn't see it coming or didn't expect it. But what I didn't expect was that the writing would be so weak. Not to say if the whole feud plot clicked for you, you're in the wrong but it didn't click for me. And I think the problem for me was that I didn't really understand what the writers wanted from me. I understood when Beth felt guilty about killing Rio in 2x13. This was the first time she made the rash decision to kill someone who not only was her business partner but also her lover – so to speak. I also understood that was the reason why she approached Rhea and Marcus. To somehow make it okay again.
But then Rio is back. And again I absolutely understand how terrified Beth is. She killed this man and now he is back and obviously out for revenge or some sort of punishment. I would be scared for my life as well. I disliked the fake pregnancy because I always find it a shitty – female – lie to manipulate men. But on the other hand I thought it was smart of Beth to call on Rio's role as a father. Again manipulative but smart in this situation where she fears for her life. I was a bit torn when the whole thing got resolved after literally half an episode but now I'm happy they didn't drag it out for long. On the other hand I might've liked this plot more than the hitman plot later. Or maybe not.
I'm also on the team who doesn't think for one second that Rio believed her lie. I think he was fascinated by how quickly Beth was able to find someone to lie for her. Again, I dislike very much how Rhea off-screen helped Beth. I know this is the really weird idea of feminism the writers have. The kind of feminism that was in 30 years ago. I just can't with these writers. But it is what it is. And it was an easy way to move Rhea into non-existence which again was such a shame.
Then we get the whole Lucy debacle in which Beth drags Lucy into this crimeworld she clearly doesn't want to be part of. We get some Beth making money in front of Rio scene which is cut in such a romantic way but also it reads so differently for some people. And that's the overall problem with Brio this season that the writers apparently (and according to that Krebs/Bans interview) want to show Beth being torn between being utterly terrified by Rio („[...] who is suddenly a murderer […]) but at the same time wondering why she still feels attracted by him.
And I'm just here „Huh? So this is what this is about?“. As if Rio wasn't murderer in season 1 and 2 and as if Beth didn't know that. What did she think taking care of her rotten eggs meant? Painting stage settings for her kids' plays in school together? I don't think so.
I'm sorry but that doesn't make sense. Does it make sense to be conflicted about wanting Rio sexually when he is threatening to kill her – after she killed him, just going to remind y'all? Yes, that makes sense. Was it well executed throughout season 3? No. They did deliver the bar scene and they obviously showed that Beth is trying use her body to manipulate Rio.
But at the same time they turn Rio into this angry man who is out there for revenge and is constantly threatening Beth. But Beth is just as terrible. There I said it. From the beginning she dragged every possible person into her crimelife, starting in season 1 when she dragged Ruby and Annie into all this again after leaving the pearls behind. And this season she dragged Rhea into her problems, then Lucy who paid with her life. Then Lucy's boyfriend. The first of so many ridiculous hitman plot running gags. Is it meant to be a running gag? I don't know. But I have to see it that way or I just keep thinking about how the writers apparently have no idea how to fill 16 episodes with anything substantial.
So I don't see how Beth is anything better than Rio. Or why I should like her more than Rio or hate her more than Rio.
I'm not going to be blinded by that last Brio scene in 3x11. I liked it a lot. Because it showed potential what Beth and Rio could've been much earlier. I would liked some darker banter between them for maybe 7 episodes and then from there they could've started where 3x11 ended now and then we could've introduced the FBI plot as the main antagonist for the last arc of the season.
And maybe I would've liked the feud more if I didn't feel like the writers just threw it at us so half-heartly. Like they didn't want to write it or didn't know how to write it in a smart and fun way. And I'm not going to join in that discussion some people have about the BTS drama we don't know anything about. Because: we don't know. But the whole fight/war between Beth and Rio felt meh. The writers and also editors felt a lot more comfortable with the fun/playful side of Brio and you can see it if you put the „I lost the baby“ scene next to the „My ottoman“ scene.
The Bad:
No red thread, no spark
I think I said it all in the parts above but from the beginning there was no red thread. I didn't know what the writers wanted from me for this season. It was a patchwork rug. Just throwing it all in but in the end it doesn't lead to anything. Yes, of course, many things would've escalated in the last 3 episodes or so. But even before I expected one thing to lead to the other. Certainly there was tension between Beth and Rio, then the killing of Lucy. But afterwards it's like there was no drive anymore.
There was no excitement, no thrill, no spark. I wasn't on the edge of my seat, thinking „OMG! Is Rio going to kill Beth?“. Because we all know he isn't going to kill Beth because she is wearing a plot amor. She can't die. And I don't want her to die but if I would feel there is the possibility then maybe I would've cared a lot more about Beth's fear for her life and her plans to get rid off Rio. Rio is the only one who is in real danger here and even that gets watered down because Beth's plans just fail again and again.
Then they introduce the female FBI agent Phoebe Donnegan as the replacement for Turner and first I wasn't so sure how I felt about that but then I did like it they chose an actress who looks so plain in the role of Phoebe. Someone who gets underestimated a lot at first, just like Beth. So I was kinda into it and I still am but I also think they need to give me a lot more and I wished they would've introduced her earlier to flesh her out more.
Dean + Beth = Death
Do I need to say anything more? Other than I hate it that this show calls itself feministic but let's Beth stay with Dean who gets away with cheating, lying and abusing her without ANY type of confrontation. I have written so much about how I understand that some women stay with their shitty men. But I don't know Beth and Dean did sign the papers, they had the divorce talk with their kids and yes, Beth killing Rio got in the way but still... they didn't even touch the topic in season 3. They just existed. And I get that the writers chose this deliberately to show that Beth doesn't care and is only using Dean. And Dean is still the shitty „man“ he was 2 seasons before and he is still very dumb because he doesn't know what's going on in Beth's life. But that doesn't mean I'm happy with this overall „let's pretend we're happy“ narrative. And I can only – foolishly – hope that in season 4 (I feel like I said that about season 3 as well) we will finally see the end of this farce. Because if you want to send a message out there it's that no woman needs a man like Dean in their life when she can make damn good counterfeit money. Nothing would be more feministic on this show right now than this. Which leads me to my last argument.
The writers' idea of feminism and female empowerment
I think the worst thing about this show is that producers and writers claim this is a show with badass women, doing badass stuff, being all badass and you know they're BADASS! And they call it a feministic tv show and a show about female empowerment. And let me just throw up in my garbage bin over there because I'm over this narrative. And again before you throw stones at me. I love me some female centered tv shows (note the term I'm using) or tv shows/movies/books with strong female characters. But I want them to be strong, intelligent and capable without trying SO HARD. Just because you put women in it doesn't make a show feministic. Just because you make women do crazy stuff it doesn't make a show feministic.
Do I think GG did a good job with that? Partly. But I didn't start watching GG because of that. I rarely start a show because it got only female characters in it and they do their thing. The premise is what matters and it sounded like fun and it sounded self-ironic and I liked that. And then there was Brio but again, I just liked how the women didn't take it too serious but at the same so serious. It was delightful to watch. And to have Beth kick Dean out of her house and for her to tell him she isn't afraid of the dark. Standing up against Rio, pitching her ridiculous but too good ideas to him. Or for Annie to raise Ben. Or for Ruby to do anything for her daughter and tell Stan she is THAT bitch. Now THAT is peak feminism for me. Or at least a good, a VERY good thing to start with.
I'm not into the 70s/80s kind of „We hate men! Destroy men! Hate ALL the men!“ type of feminism. That's easy and boring and definitely doesn't work with how the society is.
And I think that especially in season 3 (but already in season 2) Good Girls somewhat turns to that type of feminism. This idea that Beth can do anything and she is strong and smart, even though her decisions are not thought through. It doesn't matter she is a woman and we have to side with her no matter what. And I want to side with her but oh boy if that isn't difficult. And I'm not even going to touch on her being a white woman who is literally getting away with anything but just keeps blaming other people, namely Rio, for her problems. Like that's a topic for another post but definitely merges with the topic of feminism.
Anyways...
I dislike it when the writers make Rio look dumb in order to make Beth look smart. I'm sorry! I can buy that Beth makes pristine fake cash. In the end it's a tv show I have to buy some of the fantasy and I totally like it when Rio gets hot over Beth making perfect counterfeit money. But the fact the writers sold me smart Rio in the past 2 seasons but now I'm supposed to believe that Beth knows more than Rio even though he is the one who is the actual crime boss? I'm sorry but no.
Also, the writers have this „talent“ to make Beth look smart and dumb at the same time because they let her say stuff like „I googled it“. I mean am I supposed to think the writers are actually on Beth's side when she is saying that? Saying you googled it, is like saying you wrote a academic thesis by searching for info on Wikipedia.
I don't know but I think the writers have this idea in their mind that „for so many centuries men turned women dumb and it's only fair we turn it around and do the same to men now – let's call it feminism!“ and I'm not here for it.
I also don't like when they stereotype how male criminals and female criminals work. When they introduce Phoebe she says something like „She is a woman.“. And I was a bit confused but also curious how she got to that conclusion. I was expecting something smart to make her character shine and make me go „WOW! Okay, she IS smart!“. But instead she said „She is using nail polish.“. So this is how these writers try to make women look smart by her thinking only women use nail polish, so only women would have the idea to use nail polish for the counterfeit money.
This is just few of the many things bothering me but it makes me not taking anything what Jenna Bans says serious. And that's just sad! Because I love Beth, Ruby and Annie. I want to root for Beth and I actually do so. I just want her to be able to admit she is doing a shit job herself and she is learning from it. I don't need her to be perfect. I don't need her to be strong all the time. If she would just be more honest with herself, saying she is a mess but she is loving it. It would make me love her more and side with her more. If she would say she hates that Lucy had to die because of the decisions she made but she can't change it anymore. It would be a huge progress. And I know many will say that's not what Beth does. But I would answer yes but then we have no character development. She is one of the main characters, she can't just lie around and think about it without actually saying it. We need her to be more vocal. And I mean the fact she is actively going back to making fake cash and trying to set up a business to wash the money, together with Rio (or like she wants – or does she? - without him), IS saying a lot but still all her other actions in which she puts herself into the position of a victim who tries desperately to get rid off the person who she thinks is her problem, is contradicting everything.
I think if GG gets a season 4 the writers would need to do a lot to make this whole female empowerment narrative work for me again because right now they've used it in such inflationary way the meaning is just a joke. Again if it works for you that's great. But it didn't work for me. But I'm emotionally still involved enough in the whole thing that I will be stupid enough to watch season 4. Just to see if they can actually deliver SOMETHING.
#nbc good girls#long post#I'm so sorry!#Brio#Beth x Rio#Beth Boland#Rio#Ruby Hill#Annie Marks#Dean Boland#musings#my thoughts#it's so long it hurts but I couldn't remove anything#if anything I wanted to write more
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Im glad the asks helped! I have anxiety and depression and can understand what youre going through. My ask today is what are your thoughts on Bo Rhap as a movie?
Thanks! :) I’m above all extremely happy to see people on this site being so kind and supportive in time of need, it’s a human quality that will never get enough praise! I’m also really sorry to hear about your problems. :( I send you lots of love, I can imagine how difficult it must be for you, but I’m sure you're strong and coping❤️
As for your actual question - that’s some truly excellent and interesting timing, considering that I rewatched BoRhap (with @incblackbird) literally three days ago. :P It was already my third rewatch, and while I enjoyed the movie overall, I liked it quite significantly less than upon the last time I saw it. Of course, there’s been gazillion discourses about BoRhap, whether it’s genius, extremely evil, etc., but since it’s such a broad topic (and I think some of my opinions could potentially outrage certain parts of the fandom), this time I’m going to stick to purely cinematic terms.
Needless to say, the soundtrack is excellent - with music such as Queen’s you don’t really have to do much, but they made a good choice of songs, alternating between their best known hits (We Will Rock You, Somebody to Love, Bohemian Rhapsody) and songs to fit the narrative (Doing All Right, Now I’m Here, Who Wants to Live Forever, Love of my Life). It’s practically impossible to leave the screening of BoRhap without at least one Queen song stuck in your head.
The cast was overall very good, too. My personal favourites in terms of acting were Gwilym Lee (who I liked even more than Rami), Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton and Allen Leech - I think they did a great job with their roles as they were written (whether their characters were well written or not is a subject for a whole another discussion). All the side characters were well acted, too (Mike Myers, Meneka Das and Aaron McCusker, for instance, I found particularly memorable), but I must admit I wasn’t a big fan of Joe Mazzello and Ben Hardy, but even they weren’t bad. So, acting is definitely one of the strongest points of the film.
Moving on, I also think they did a great job when it comes to costumes (Brian lending some of his old clothing definitely helped) and make-up (except for Roger’s wigs, perhaps); the choreography and stage movement for the characters were super well done, too - and it definitely wasn’t an easy task!
Now, let’s discuss cinematography. I will talk about editing in a separate paragraph, so for now I’m gonna stick to other aspects. The composition of shots struck me as rather mediocre, nothing particularly exceptional in either good or bad way, it was pretty basic but rather correct. Of course, there were some shots I really liked, but if I were to start adding screenshots the post would become way too long. XD The colours I really liked, especially in the musical scenes - they were vivid and lovely, and they used a combination of colours that I tend to appreciate in cinema, like various shades of blue and red. Finally, the camerawork - for dialogue scenes it was correct; again, rather average with some use of handheld camera which served no particular dramatic purpose, but it wasn’t nowhere near very bad, also it’s quite a common thing in modern biopics I would say. Handheld camerawork isn’t bad in default, but my comment largely comes from my personal preferences: in most cases I don’t really like it, especially when it’s particularly shaky. Then, there are scenes in BoRhap which display excellent camerawork, namely Live Aid and We Will Rock You scenes. If most scenes were filmed like that, I would give the movie a higher rating.
Before I move to the worst (imo) cinematic aspects of the movie, let’s have a look at writing. It is probably the most divisive thing in the fandom - people seem to either adore or absolutely loathe it; my stance lies somewhere inbetween. The first time I saw the film (I’m gonna remind you that I’ve seen it four times), I had certain objections, but the script didn’t bother me all that much; I was mostly simply having fun in the cinema. With every next watching, the experience was getting gradually worse, but even now I don’t hate the movie. Yes, some of the dialogue is cheesy, trite and makes me cringe a bit - certain parts of the script definitely end on an “overly sentimental” territory, I can’t deny that. Knowing quite a lot about Freddie, Queen and their stories, I generally think they deserve a better script; some characterisation was a bit offputting and chronology was all over the place. Having said that, I understand where some of those narrative choices come from, as scripts for mainstream movies require oversimplification of events, archetypes, and patterns. And quite frankly, I don’t think BoRhap differs any drastically from most modern biopics; it’s not a masterpiece, but - in my opinion - it’s also not bad overall. Regardless the flaws of the script, the movie still managed to emotionally affect a huge, if not major, portion of viewers, entertain and move them, and honestly? I think that was pretty much the point. Btw, there were some lines that I really loved, like “Puritans in public, perverts in private”, and I still think that their decision to cut from Live Aid performance to Ray Foster’s grim face during We Are the Champions was the funniest shit ever. XD Would BoRhap’s script benefit from sticking to historical accuracy? I’m gonna say yes, I think so - the scenes that were the closest to actual events are definitely the strongest - but this approach would require tons of changes, including narrowing down the narrative scope and probably the characters, too. Also, a lot of people keep forgetting that this is not an arthouse, niche film and therefore resorts to narrative and cinematic choice that compromise between satisfying the fans and the newbies; it’s meant to tell a (simple) story and entertain, not educate and provoke existential and philosophical debates. Still, I think the script could have been done a bit better, because some scenes (the tour “Now I’m Here” montage) feel a bit...random?
Finally, the infamous editing. I totally agree that it was one of the most undeserving Academy Awards that year, because some scenes were simply atrocious, with their unmotivated and overly fast cuts and unreasonably ridiculous face that doesn’t fit the dialogue scenes, and those are honestly the worst when it comes to pacing and editing. I think the editing is the worst aspect of BoRhap; but even here, I could point at some examples of pretty amazing editing (Oscar-worthy? Not necessarily, but definitely very good); again, I’m gonna bring up Live Aid and “We Will Rock You” scenes, especially the latter, because less people talk about it. I already mentioned that it has some really nice camerawork AND colours, but also the editing is actually really cool, because it’s cut to the music! Which makes me think: “what a shame!”, because if they went with different editing choices, the movie would be affected in a positive way. The way we have it, it’s either a hit or miss (sadly, mostly miss), and the badly edited scenes are pretty striking, so the ones that are done nicely are unfortunately a wasted potential.
Okay, this is already waaay too long, so I’m just gonna finish with a few general remarks. Well, despite BoRhap’s flaws, I still like and enjoy it. With every screening slightly less, but enjoy it anyway. I don’t think any amount of discourse will ever take away my positive experiences and memories from seeing it twice in cinema. It sparked my previously dormant love for Queen and united me with some people in the fandom and in real life; making this movie made Brian and Roger happy; as a result, I like this movie. It brings back a lot of positive recollections, which sometimes is more important than critical discussions. And boy, do I adore those - I’m often critical and I adore analysing stuff academically; but I think that not all daily interactions require those and depending on who’s asking and what about, I’m capable of switching between the two options. If somebody asks me in 25 years whether I remember the times of BoRhap’s release, I’ll be far less likely to say “yeah, the editing sucked and writing was cringy, I remember the discourse on tumblr and instagram” than “Yes, I remember that chilly evening in December when I had a really fun time and ended up with 10 Queen songs stuck in my head”, because the latter is the experience I want to remember.
Thank you for this ask! Hope it wasn’t overly exhausting to read, I didn’t proofread this, sorry! xx
#answered#anonymous#is this my#the film anon#?#wera talks queen#borhap#welll this ended up longer than i even expected XD#i was trying to be as objective as possible but it's possible that i sneaked some unpopular opinions in there :P#wera talks film
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