#case 6 2 watchthrough

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Is there any way for them to save images from the Mood Matrix? I'd pay billions for sinister Trucy, that is hilarious.

[meowstix]

How did you first get into Beyblade?

so like, when i was like WAY younger i caught some of metal saga. i only have vague memories but i remember storm pegasus i remember a few characters and most importantly i remember Yep! That's Beyblade!

so like cut to like. winter 2021 and i'm thinking about that show i have such vague memories of and i'm like "hey. when summer comes around i should go and watch this show, not just metal saga but like as a whole" and when summer finally DID come around after what honestly felt like fuckin forever, i did kinda forget for a bit but around mid-late june i got to it! and here i am now

[tharizdun-03]

Mob Psycho 100 III Watchthrough

#1: Future ~Career Paths~

Wonderful Mob Psycho 100 episode! Very strong start to this season.

#2: Yokai Hunter Amakusa Haruaki Appears! ~The Threat of a Hundred Demons!!~

I really like these episodic psychic stories, and tend to treasure them while they last before the long arcs (which are great too) come along. Hope we still get a few more this season.

#3: Getting Carried Away ~100%~

Another great episode! There was never any doubt about it, but this season is off to a wonderful start. It's very nice to have Dimple back too, his dynamic with Mob is always interesting.

#4: Divine Tree 1 ~The Founder Appears~

Fantastic episode. Literally went "holy shit" during just the first few seconds cause the atmosphere and colors just made it immediately apparent things were different. Super effective direction at display. Mob continues to be the best airing seasonal at the moment.

The first three episodes were pretty lowkey (which I also love), but it was about time that something a bit heavier kicked in. And Dimple has always been one of the more complicated characters in the show.

There's no doubt that he likes Mob and enjoys his company, but Dimple is still a spirit and has his view on things, and a goal he still wants to achieve. Those sides are clashing here. 

He did in fact even invite Mob to join him, and when he was rejected, I bet that hurt him. Angered him. Which helped spur him on to lash out like this.

And in Mob's case, he's never really dealt with not being able to rely on Reigen for emotional support like this. They had a bit of a break in S2 ofc, but this is a much more dire conflic where Reigen (seems) brainwashed to stand in opposition to him even, which is new. But every new challenge provides a new opportunity for growth.

S3 has not yet had one of those peak episodes that the series can certainly deliver, but it's just consistently excellent all over. I'm definitely hoping we can peak even higher somewhere this season, but I'm super happy with whatever we end up getting.

#5: Divine Tree 2 ~Peace~

Season 3 finally kicked things up a notch with this week's episode and reached those heights that the first two seasons did at the top of their game. Fantastic stuff.

It's quite frankly just sad, seeing Dimple so desperate to reach out to Mob, but because what the two of them value are diametrically opposed, whatever he tries to use to entice Mob just isn't effective.

They both care for each other, but in very different ways. Mob always saw the best in Dimple and considered him a good friend, while Dimple saw Mob more as a student, someone who needed him to set him straight. Ironic, how those roles have kinda exchanged with this confrontation.

#6: Divine Tree 3 ~Dimple Is~

Yeah, so pretty great episode.

I'll actually start by saying that I was slightly torn about the first half. It all felt in character and the subtext has always been there, but the whole speech just convincing Dimple, and the "I just wanted a friend", while accurate, I dunno, felt a bit cliche. 

I think the presentation sells the execution of it for the most part tho and again, it is accurate to the characters. The second half is just a glorious sakugafest. Yoshimichi Kameda, Hironori Tanaka, Yutaka Nakamura and everyone else that worked on this, bless you. 

The last sequence with Mob and Dimple was quite gutwrenching tho, and worked for me on pretty much all levels. I can't say I ever really cared much for Dimple so it's a testament that the episode still got me emotional.

Dunno if we'll see him again, but if not, this was pretty much the perfect way to go.

#7: Transmission 1 ~Winter Break~

Another lovely episode this week. I wondered how we'd follow up on last week, and while Mob is still quietly grieving, it has taken a bit of a backseat. But as usual, I really like these small, psychic SoL-like stories, and treasure them when we get them.

I'm not sure if we're gonna go for a dark twist here or if it'll keep being lowkey (I'd be cool with the entire season being this chill), but considering next week is the rumored 20k frames episode, we might just attract some aliens with less than pure intentions.

#8: Transmission 2 ~Encountering the Unknown~

Surreal episode this week. Was almost expecting it to have been a dream lol. Wonderful one-off story nevertheless.

#9: Mob 1 ~Moving~

Such a sweet episode this week (well, up until a point). I was just mentally hugging my boy the entire time. I AM ROOTING FOR YOU.

#10: Mob 2 ~Rival~

Good episode as usual. It's really more an action episode than anything, but it's setting up interesting things here. I'm mostly into how Mob will deal with all this in the aftermath.

Mob being trapped inside his body reminds me of that real-life locked-inside syndrome, which people in comas can have (went down that rabbit hole a few days ago). Sounds like the most terrifying thing, but most people report it's actually kind of pleasant.

#11: "Mob 3 ~Trauma~"

Another good Mob Psycho 100 episode this week. This final arc is a bit too much trying to stop crazy Mob and the fights that ensue, for it to hit especially for me, but it's still weaving in his struggles with adolescence and identity, so still doing an effective job overall.

#12: "Confession ~The Future~"

Mob Psycho 100 III was great all the way through. I can't say it had the same impact on me as the first two seasons did (well, I can say it but it wouldn't be true) but I really liked the mostly low-key approach this season took and respect the hell out of it. Finale was perfect.

[calliecat93]

ST: The Next Generation Season 3 Watchthrough Episodes 4-6

Who Watches the Watchers: Picard is God now, or at least an alien species believes that he is. Whoops. While I disagree with the Prime Directive preventing the Federation from saving lives when there are no other options… yeah when this kind of things happens, I can understand why it’s a thing. So it was alright. I’m not a big fan of how ST sometimes protrays religion, but I also can’t sit here and pretend like there aren’t issues that do need to be addressed. In this case there’s the danger of introducing superstition to a non-superstitious race which quickly causes chaos. The way that Picard convinces the leader that he and the crew are mortal was depressing, but effective. The episode certainly raises plenty of philosophical questions, though again I’d like it if ST was a bit more nuanced about belief in religion or the supernatural (obviously it’s a sci-fi nto a fantasy but still) but it could have been worst. But the people are clearly not evil or insane and it certainly has a point about not enforcing beliefs of a false God or the dangers that com with it like… y’know, almost sacrificing Troi (loved her and Riker’s costumes BTW) for what was ultimately an accident/misunderstanding. Otherwise it’s an alright episode. 3/5.

The Bonding: The theme of the day is grief! We have a very rare occurrence here: an officer dying in the line of duty and leaving her child, whose father is also dead, behind. Since TOS didn’t have kids on the ship we couldn’t really do this plot, but TNG can. Actually makes me understand why Picard doesn’t like kids on the Enterprise and I have complained more than once on them letting Wesley, a kid, on active duty when untrained so I’m glad to see this kind of episode. I liked all the reactions and the concerns for Jeremy. Worf feeling guilty because he lead the mission as well as his parents being dead and wanting to help Jeremy as a result, Troi being understandably concerned that Jeremy isn’t grieving properly, Picard clearly hating this part of his job, and even Wesley talking about how it was when his dad died and how even though he’s gotten through the grief, it’s still difficult. I think it’s the first time he’s been able to express it in an episode, it’s the kind of thing his character needed. Jeremy’s response isn’t exactly abnormal, but it’s certainly not healthy to keep it suppressed and things only get more when his mother magically reappears alive, but it’s not at all as it seems. The choice between the harsh reality of grief, or living a lie but where the ones you love are alive and well. Which one would you choose to believe? I think this really helps show the more mature writing this season cause they handle the topic maturely and very thoughtfully with a ST twist to it. Like Data and Riker talking about how human nature causes us to feel pained when we lose one close to us like they did with Yar but one we don’t know as well or even a while group of those nameless to us doesn’t quite provoke the same response. Kinda like the confrontation Spock and McCoy had in The Immunity Syndrome, only far, FAR less heated. It’s not at all subtle with the message, but with this kind of topic especially with a kid character involved… maybe bluntness is the best way to go. I just wanted to give the poor kid a hug at the end, but I’m glad that he’ll be okay and now has a family in Worf. Also there was a kitty (not Data’s cat, that BETTER be coming soon though!), yay~! 4/5.

Booby Trap: Ah love, it can be so hard to find that special someone. IDK why Geordi’s having a hard time aside form maybe trying too hard cause he’s adorable, but hey I’ve so much as never even made romantic eye contact with someone in the 28 years I’ve been alive so who am I to judge? At least he can get a date. Anyways, after finding an ancient ship, the power starts being mysteriously drained which is bad. Turns out they’ve been caught in a trap, well no one can say that the title is misleading. Anyways, it’s okay. We have a crisis where Geordi going through the personal log of one of the Enterprise designers to find a potential fix… only to end up causing the computer to create a holographic version of the engineer, Leah. So we have Geordi trying to save them before they get blown up while falling in love with a hologram… welp. So did ST create the whole virtual lover trope? Or at least predict it? Welp. So… is he more or less flirting with the computer of the Enterprise? Or essetially the Enterprise itself? God I can see him and Scotty really getting along haha. But yeah I’m glad to have some Geordi focus… but IDK if the romantic part was necessarily needed, makes it feel more like a Season 2 episode. The next episode is another Geordi one that sounds very interesting so we’ll see if that’s a bit better. Otherwise, no real strong feelings for this one. Probably the weakest thus far but there are still 20 episodes to go and we’ve already had five quality episodes. Very least Levar as Geordi is a blessing XD 2.5/5.

[authorperson]

1. How has your day been?

A lil weird. I taught my two ballet classes over zoom in the morning, and then went down to our physical studio to start rescuing the irreplacable costumes in case we have to close. This studio has been my home for 22 years so I feel like im chosing between my children. Applied for a masters certificate in dance medicine. Got an interim F1 position in Brighton, so I’m scrambling to get a visa in 3 weeks to get over there. Took a 3 hour nap. Did some caretaking for my grandparents. A bit of a day.

2.  What is the last thing that made you smile?

I finished FMA: Brotherhood with my mom tonight, her first watchthrough. She loved it.

3. What’s keeping you entertained these days?

paint by number lmao

4. If you are in some kind of quarantine/self isolation: is there anything you would like to achieve in this time?

the list goes fucking on

5. Post a selfie (if you feel comfortable with that)

my mom took this one yesterday on the tree in our backyard, does that count? fucking love this tree man even though our crappy neighbors topped the branch that was going over their fence so now it looks lopsided

6. Last but not least, send this to some mutuals to keep the game going:

if u like it, do it!

[entamewitchlulu]

Year of Yu-Gi-Oh Part II: Toei Adaptation

After the manga comes the anime adaptation known infamously among the fandom as “season zero.”

Aired in 1998, “”season zero”” has no actual season relation to the main series Duel Monster anime.  Instead, it as produced and run by Toei Animation, and follows the basic storyline of the first seven volumes of the manga, mostly in a game-of-the-week style format.  Like the manga, the story follows Yugi Mutou, a boy who solves the mysterious Millennium Puzzle which awakens a spirit in him that challenges his bullies, enemies, and other opponents to magical games.  Unlike the manga, however, the anime version heavily alters many scenes, including the content of the games, their results (few, if any characters actually die from the games, unlike the manga), filler episode plots, and most drastically, the addition of Miho Nosaka, a former oneshot character, as a recurring major character.

But you all already know all of that, probably!  So here’s the important stuff: what did I think of my rewatch?  Well...

The sad thing is, I seem to recall enjoying this anime a LOT more the first time I watched it.  The second watchthrough was...less interesting.

Good stuff first, though.  Most of the main voice cast is absolutely stunning.  Megumi Ogata as Yugi/Yami Yugi in particular is incredibly strong, and I will never love a Yami Yugi voice more than hers; the soft, unassuming sort of confidence fits and characterizes Yami Yugi in a way that I don’t think any other adaptation of Yami Yugi ever could (sorry, Dan Green).  

Also, I really, really love seeing the smaller, visibly young looking Yami Yugi animated in general.  Yami Yugi absolutely becomes significantly older looking than Yugi in DM and in the later half of the manga, which makes little sense considering he is using the exact same body as Yugi.  I much prefer this younger, cuter Yami Yugi, which, in my opinion, makes his entire schtick far more intimidating.  Small, childish looking Yugi Mutou challenging you to a death game?  Far more frightening and eerie than loud, brash Dan Green-ified Yami Yugi just shouting at you, imo.  Jonouchi and Anzu’s voices really stand out as a personification of their manga characters, as well.

I may be in the minority here, but I also really, really loved Miho’s addition to the main cast.  She didn’t fit into every scene, of course, and there were bits where even I felt like her inclusion was forced, but for good chunks of the series, especially in filler episodes, she absolutely shone and stood out as her own character with her own goals and motivations, who was still a part of the group and participated--and even won!!--in many of the group’s challenges.  I also just like having another girl in the group, ya know?

Smaller details that I did like: overall color palette aside, I really, REALLY love Yami Yugi’s red eyes, and I continue to describe Yami Yugi with red eyes in every fic I ever include him in.  Ryo’s green eyes are also a fave of mine.  Also: NO JOHJI!!!!  Miho basically replaces him completely in Death-T and wow, that’s honestly an even better idea than to replace him with Honda’s dog!

Now before I move on to the more negative part of this review, lemme leave you with a cute picture of Miho Nosaka:

the rest is under the cut so as to avoid clogging up the dash even more, and so that y’all can avoid my negative bits if ya want.

So, down to business.  Why didn’t I really enjoy my rewatch of the Toei adaptation?

1) Pacing.  The plot episodes seem to rush themselves along as fast as they can, to try and fit as much from the manga chapter in as possible.  Filler episodes, or episodes based on filler chapters, drag out so long that it becomes a slog to get through.

2) Low animation budget.  Unfortunately, the limits of the time this anime was produced didn’t help it’s case either.  The color palette is a goddamn oversaturated mess, and some of the color choices are truly head-scratching.  Seto Kaiba with green hair?  Who decided that?  Wasn’t he already colored with brown hair on a manga volume prior to this adaptation?  Palette aside, action scenes are considerably muted due to lack of budget to fully animate them, resulting in strange cuts and boring shots.  A LOT of the charm and intensity that gave a lot of moments in the manga their punch is lost in the adaptation, as Takahashi’s more horror manga-esque style is heavily simplified and stylized to get to the screen.  The extra cartoonish coloring also contributes to a lot of the more intense scenes from the manga falling flat.

3) Sound direction.  It’s just boring.  Only Yami Yugi’s theme stands out, and even that’s not really top of the line.  Sound effects are silly and cartoonish, and I’ll be honest, I do not like the OP or ED.  And outside of the main cast....?  A lot of the voice acting sounds pretty dull and unmemorable.

4) Adaptation changes pt 1. Listen...I’m not here to be all Edgy and say this show was bad because it refused to kill people.  But this anime completely pulls its punches when it comes to...everything.  As far as I can remember, not a single person actually dies during the series, despite Yami Yugi killing or hospitalizing at least five-six people in the manga.  It just hits a lot less hard when all he’s done is given someone an illusion of being burned to death instead of him actually dropping his cigarette butt into the alcohol and lighting himself on fire.  For some reason, it just makes everything feel a bit flatter.

5) Adaptation changes pt 2. The games!!!  They’re boring!!!  The real draw, for me, of the manga was when Yami Yugi used ordinary items in his surroundings to pull together a game.  In the anime, he just pops them into a weird, nightmare dimension where weird shit happens and the games never make sense.  Not to mention, the anime adds a lot of extra encounters with Kaiba than the manga had, including extra Duel Monsters games.  And while Takahashi had little to no rules for the game in the first place, in the anime, when they don’t have a manga script to follow, it is a goddamn free for all. It’s like Calvinball up in here, making up shit left and right, even WORSE than the manga ever did, and it’s...not fun to watch.  At all. Not understanding what’s happening just makes me, as a viewer, feel cheated and let down.  

6) Adaptation changes pt 3.  Due to the nature of the adaptation, a lot of bits and pieces of character arcs were switched around, cut out, or straight up ignored.  Mokuba does not go rescue Honda from the blocks game in Death-T.  The Jonouchi-Hirutani arc is condensed from its original several chapters span into a single episode.  And there are other examples as well, that I think overall do a disservice to the cast and the individual characters.

So, my overall verdict?  Unless you are a super die-hard fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, particular DM, I don’t think the anime is worth the time.  It’s quirky, funny, and can be fun in places, but overall, it at least wasn’t really worth my second watch.

I’m still stealing Miho for my own purposes, though.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

There's the line everyone knows and loves.

Bloody hell Nahyuta, you might just win me back with that one.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

The Magical Turnabout: Cleared!

Whoo! I haven't had a shot of the old AA charm in a while, but something about Case 6-2 clicked for me in that front! I suppose I should go through the old bullet points then, shall I? Let's do this!

(Cutting this off here because GOOD GRIEF are there a lot of thinks about this case)

TRUCYYYYYYYY! I'm so sorry for what DD has done to you, but I really liked her and Apollo here! Who knew that giving your character a stake in the plot and room to breathe actually makes them an interesting person to watch and root for? The legacy of the Gramaryes weighing on her shoulders, her dedication to her magic, her wonderful bond with Apollo... it all shines through, giving me a lot more to grab on to emotionally than in the prior game. In Trucy We Trust!

APOLLO JUSTICE IS DOING FINE! He's got something of a legacy to hold up himself, being the only one alongside Athena to hold the fort while Wright's away. And they were under serious attack, too - losing out on the office and a dear friend & daughter of Wright is a hefty thing to deal with. And yes, he's as jaded and snarky as he ever has been.

Athena's here. That's pretty cool. I'm not going to complain much about her not getting too much here, since this isn't really her story. She's still a god-damn riot and keeps up a charming dynamic with Apollo, and her righteous indignation at Retinz's shenanigans is pretty cathartic.

Ema gets a nice look here too! Showing her in a much happier tune after achieving her dream job - a little reminiscent of her younger years - while still keeping the snide built up from AJ. I do like the conflict of interest her with Trucy on the line. Seems detectives can't go a trilogy without someone they actually like being put in the slammer, but it's a nice crumb.

Case 2-3 was pretty fun in how it faked a magic trick to hide the real murder, but a lot problems got in the way of fully appreciating it. This doesn't have nearly the same issues and manages to make use of the inherent mysteries and mechanics of the magic tricks performed to its advantage. Even the main villain had a grander illusion to unravel at the very end - that being the mystery of how the victim truly perished. It was fun following along & seeing the show behind-the-scenes!

Bonny & Betty are fine. Both are sympathetic enough being admirers tricked into being accomplices in muder. Betty in particular seems scorned to all get-out, having to pretend to be the other for so long. Bonny has to deal with self-esteem issues and a slightly controlling twin sister. I liked them!

Roger. Motherfucking. Retinz. The man's got intelligence up the wazoo but that's about the only admirable trait I can assign to him. This man is easily the most despisable AA villain I've seen in a long time - not counting ones that are hateable due to bad writing, Dual Destinies - who almost managed to get one last cut in on Trucy before he vanished for good. He doesn't make his grudge a secret and his actions - both in setting up his schemes and his general behaviour - make him one awful son of a bitch. A mistrusting, dishonest, egocentric magician who stands in stark contrast to Trucy. Pretty dang good for a one-off villain!

Now then... you're probably wondering what I think of Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. While I'm not going to make sweeping judgements until I see the whole story, I do have some thoughts. Just bare with me.

Khura'in is a country that hasn't seen a Not Guilty verdict in over 20 years. Nahyuta didn't oversee Phoenix's first trial there and the next has yet to come. They have a poor opinion of defense attorneys and a deeply religious reason to want justice for the victim in order to bring them peace. Nahyuta is an asshole. I will make no illusions to the contrary. He is the product of a country that has - at this point - not had any reason to believe the accused isn't the culprit. It's probably not a fair system at all; Manfred's perfect record didn't come about by playing fair, after all. But that's the environment Nahyuta practices and was likely raised in as well. He's got good reason to be an insufferable prat at this point and it's clear we haven't seen the full extent of his character. His cultrue may have largely informed this side of him, but I do enjoy him being in conflict with Ema over indicting someone she knows and cares about. Ones duty taking priority over ones emotions seems like a hint at something... tragic. This is a man who's probably had to push similar feelings down and is well practiced in that, to the point where he's completely shut-off from someone he used to know. We have seen, however, that he is very open to learning about different cultures when the need arises. He went so far as to wait an hour to sample something as simple to L.A. as a burger - enough to be able to recommend a particular flavour. He's researched television programs, social customs, and is even willing to admit that cultrual differences means he might not carry things out as expected. It's one of the more charming parts of his character and I really do enjoy it.

His connection to Apollo... I don't really know what to say at this point. It feels like he occupies an odd middle-ground between Edgeworth and Simon in their debuts. Edgeworth because he actually bothers to talk with Apollo in the lobby, Simon because he's so closed-off that nothing really comes of that. I get what they're doing here - telling us that the prosecutor is someone from the attorney's past and telling us they used to be different - though it's missing something from Phoenix's and Edgeworth's spat in Case 1-2 that gave that scene more to chew on.

Frankly, I think I'll have to check out the rest of SoJ just to figure out if I like the guy or not. Dual Destinies - for as many mistakes it made at the end - did manage to get me to give a hoot about Simon, so maybe SoJ can do something nice with this guy. I've heard the contrary enough times to be cautious but I can't let outside opinion and heresay sway me on these things. Not anymore, at any rate. As before, I want to be damn sure my feelings are my own.

But first! Case 6-4. I've heard many a divisive thing about it - from the wonderful cast to the unfortunate treatment of its leading lady. I'll let you know what side of the coin I land on when I get to the end there.

Until next time! In justice we trust!

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Oh...

Ooooooh......

Oh yeah. Oooooh yeah.

Fuck. This. Dude.

Beyond keeping a petty grudge over being told to cool it before he hurt himself, beyond acting on it long after Troupe Gramarye dissolved, beyond taking that out on a girl who's still in highschool... ...hell, even beyond ruining the company the girl had helped set up with her father and harassing her, getting "fans" to heckle and wish death upon her... ...this son of a bitch set up a loyal fan of his to die in order to get his own back. He and the false Mr Reus were at this for 2 whole years before the other shoe dropped and "Retinz" offed him for his own petty revenge.

I've got to hand it to you, Spirit of Justice. I think you've created one of the most hateable antagonists in the entire series. There is absolutely NOTHING redeemable about his scheme. This is Manfred von Karma levels of petty, if only slightly less because he didn't try to adopt the kid to ruin them more directly. And hey, at least Manfred had the balls to kill Gregory outright. This guy can't even be bothered to attack the Troupe directly - he had to do it through someone who admired him enough to take on his guise.

Did I mention his target was a not-even-a-legal-adult girl whom he tried to financially/publically ruin and incarcerate while dragging the people associated with her down too?

What a piece of work.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

The Feyminine Urge to beat your best friend over the head.

I love the variety of emotions on her in this game. I don't remember her ever having Happy Widget in her "Angry" pose in Dual Destinies. It genuinely brings a smile to my face that she's somehow even more vibrant than before the UR-1 retrial.

Her weights have been lifted and we get to see a Thena running wild and free.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

I've been dead-quiet so far for being absorbed in THE DRAMA, but I did want to mention.

This is a wonderfully creative way to testify. Ace Attorney's initial limitations means there wasn't much room for characters to testify via demonstration, so it's great to see we've reached a point where that's now more feasible and actually utilised!

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Alright Apollo, now you're doing that on purpose...

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

........whyyyyyy? I'd get it if Ema didn't want to hear about why Trucy is the killer, but it sounds like he's just been uncooperative.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

You people can never be normal on the first trial, can you?

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Aaaaaaaauuuuuggghhh!

He care her so muuuuuuuuch!

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

No, Yutie, that was the last game... please keep up.