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animebw · 3 months

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Short Reflection: Spring 2024 Anime

I feel like 2024 is shaping up to be an unusual year for anime. Most mainstream shonen and isekai are staggering into audience fatigue of some kind or another, two-cours series are making a massive comeback, and big waves are being made from eclectic shows like Apothecary Diaries and Girls Band Cry that would likely be relegated to cult classic status in years prior. There haven't been many clear standouts yet, but there's a lot of fascinating second-tier stuff bubbling just under the surface. It feels like the general anime audience has grown so big at this point that the way we consume shows and the kinds of shows that break through are evolving before our eyes. Never mind movies like Look Back and The Colors Within waiting in the wings to redefine our notions of what animated cinema can be. All this is to say, I don't know what we'll make of 2024 when all is said and done, but it's gonna be a very interesting story. For now, though, let's take stock of spring's roster of shows to pick out the best, the worst, and the worth checking out. Not counting the shows I've already talked about (Hibike Euphonium's final season 9.5/10 and Demon Slayer's training arc 4/10) or MHA's latest foray, which I'm still waiting to see exactly how it shakes out.

Dead Dead Demons' Dededede Destruction: Please Watch/10

I'm putting this one right up front because while it's still very early into airing, there's a good chance a lot of you don't even know it exists. Released initially as a pair of movies earlier this year, this adaptation of Oyasumi Punpun author Inio Asano's bizarre bildungsroman alien invasion manga has been retooled into an 18-episode TV series with (apparently) lots of additional footage to fill out everything the movies had to cut for time. Those production circumstances alone would be interesting enough to merit checking it out (fingers crossed Haikyuu can get the same treatment?), but more importantly, this show is just really damn good, and it deserves better than being dropped on Crunchyroll with almost no fanfare and incomplete English subs that don't translate most of the written text. As someone who kind of loved and hated Punpun in equal measure, Dededede feels like all of Asano's best instincts on full display, a riveting exploration of how modern humanity is forced to struggle through "normal" life in the shadow of the apocalypse, asking how we can still set our sights on our futures when there's a very good chance that future might never come. It's messy and difficult, and yet it brims with love for people and our ability to seek kindness and compassion even in the darkest times. Just do yourself a favor and skip the awful "episode 0" prologue; not only is it leagues worse than the rest of the show, it spoils so many details about the story's endgame that it might just ruin the experience outright if you're not careful. You've been warned.

Mushoku Tensei Season 2 Part 2: 1.5/10

Is the second part of Mushoku Tensei season 2 as apocalyptically awful as the first part? Not quite, no. But that's only because Rudeus doesn't do anything quite as jaw-dropping as buying a child slave or kidnapping and molesting a pair of catgirls with no consequences. I know, the bar is in fucking hell and this garbage fire still barely managed to stumble over it. Otherwise, it remains every bit as vile as always. Here's a fun drinking game you can play: take a shot every time someone this season 1) makes excuses to justify why Rudeus shouldn't feel bad about doing something awful, 2) praises Rudeus to high heaven and calls him the most specialest boy ever, 3) falls head over heels for Rudeus in a matter of seconds. You'll likely pass out before you're halfway through the season, but on the plus side that means you won't have to watch any fucking more. I simply remain baffled that so many people have been fooled into thinking this show is something meaningful and smart, how many people ignore its glaringly obvious awfulness to pretend it's saying things it's not actually saying and exploring ideas it's not actually exploring. All I can do is wait impatiently for Re:Zero's return later this year so it can smack everyone senseless with a reminder of what challenging, subversive isekai storytelling actually looks like. Maybe then we'll finally be able to recognize this steaming pile of misogyny and rape culture for what it is and cast it out without a second thought. We can only hope.

Urusei Yatsura Season 2 (2nd Half): 4.5/10

I think I've given Urusei Yatsura a fair shake. I've done my best to enjoy it through its weaker moments and painfully obvious crows' feet. But now that it's finally over, all I can think is maybe it was better off left in the past. There are infinitely better screwball comedies that have come since, comedies that have been building off the tropes Urusei Yatsura established and finding much more interesting, meaningful things to do with them. This may be a foundational rom-com text, but fifty goddamn years later all its best qualities have been improved upon to the point of obsolescence, and all that's really left is the gross, dated stuff and the fact that every time it tries to be sincere and sentimental it runs into the unavoidable problem that all the romantic relationships its built on really kind of suck. Sorry, but Ataru and Lum are an awful couple and all the worst parts of this show are when it unironically tries to make you root for them despite them being pretty blatantly terrible for each other. I'll stick with Inuyasha, thank you very much.

Wind Breaker: 5/10

Man, why does every promising modern delinquent anime end up driving itself into a ditch before long? First Tokyo Revengers, then Bucchigiri, and now Wind Breaker has completed the trifecta. And this one had so much potential! Casting a shoujo-style blushy tsundere bad boy as the protagonist of an otherwise straightforward tough-guy action brawler is one of the most inspired strokes of genius I've seen in a long time (let alone getting the Kyo Sohma's VA to voice him). What better way to explore the emotional human side of delinquent storytelling than with a main character who's arc is all about accepting other people and learning to love himself despite the world's rejection of him? That plus a slick production full of badass fistfights should've been an easy recipe for success. Unfortunately, it falls victim to the most common of shonen death knells: getting stuck in an overlong, dragged-out arc that consists of nothing but uninteresting fights against half-baked antagonists that loses sight of what made this series unique until its final moments. And double minus points for entirely taking place in a single visually dull location that you're forced to stare at for like 5 episodes straight with occasional flashbacks as your only escape. Seriously, you could cut the Shishitoren arc to half its current length and lose very little of value. I can only hope the upcoming second season won't get similarly bogged down, cause a good version of this show is something I desperately want to believe is possible.

Konosuba Season 3: 5.5/10

So here's the good news first: Despite a seven year gap since the second season and a change in studio, Konosuba's third season is still every bit the same show it was. As for the bad news... well, the bad news is that Konosuba's third season is still every bit the same show it was. Yeah, in the years since I first watched it, I've had to really reckon with all the ways this show fucking sucks, and all of those reasons remain on full display undimmed by the passage of time. It's sexist, it's objectifying, it's violently queerphobic, it thinks sexual assault is the funniest thing ever when Kazuma's the one doing it, it's every bit as misogynistic and masturbatory as the isekai genre it's supposedly satirizing. And it's also still one of the funniest goddamn anime ever made when it wants to be. Seriously, if you just strip away all the godawful incel-pandering that's seemingly endemic to modern isekai, Konosuba's god-tier expression work and pitch-black sarcasm are a blast of laughing gas like nothing else in its vicinity. If it could just focus on telling actual jokes instead of passing off alt-right sexual politics as "comedy" half the time, it would more than deserve its status as a modern classic. But it won't, because it genuinely believes all that garbage is the funniest shit ever. Which is why it'll forever be stuck as a show that you can never admit to enjoying in public without being justifiably judged by everyone around you.

Train to the End of the World: 5.5/10

It's kind of impossible to describe what Train to the End of the World is about without sounding like you're flipping through ten different plot summaries and choosing words at random. But here's as best I can: a freak accident causes the world to morph into a surreal patchwork of bizarre locales, while also seemingly reducing the scope of the world to a single train line in Japan stretching between rural town Agano and Tokyo's metropolitan Ikebukuro district. When Agano high-schooler Shizuru finds evidence that her long-lost friend Yoka might be trapped in Ikebukuro- and also maybe related to the reason everything went insane- she hops on an abandoned train car with a few friends and a dog and starts the long, long journey to reach Ikebukuro through the madness and chaos that defines the new world. The best I can explain it is Gullliver's Travels by way of Alice in Wonderland and Salvador Dali, each episode taking us to another stop on the train line that's morphed into its own flavor of batshit crazy, from mushroom people to horny zombies to a post-canon bad end magical girl world. Unfortunately, any semblance of a point feels buried under a thousand tons of calcified absurdism too thick for anything resembling sincerity to peek through. There are attempts at exploring deeper themes or character moments, but the show's pace is so blisteringly fast and so deeply uninterested with anything beyond what wild ideas it can pull out of its hat that nothing really sticks by the time the train's rolling on to its next destination. If there's anything here beyond a series of wacky Moments(tm) delivered with the rushed breathlessness of a Youtube video on 2X speed, I can't say it made an impression.

Tonari no Youkai-san: 5.5/10

I'm of two minds about Tonari no Yokuai-san. On the one hand, it's a deeply heartfelt iyashikei that uses its fantasy elements to explore grief, loss, love, community, and the reasons we celebrate life even knowing it must one day end. This town of humans and spirits living side-by-side feels so real and warm you wish you could live there yourself, and the characters populating it, from earnest nekomata to old gay cars to prickly fox spirits and everyone in between, burst with inner life so naturally it almost makes you jealous. On the other hand, for some baffling reason, this show keeps trying to shoehorn in action plots and sci-fi elements that gel with the quiet, contemplative tone as well as oil and water. I genuinely don't understand why the author thought they needed time-space bureaus and giant rampaging snakes to liven things up when just the main character going through an existential crisis about how they're going to outlive everyone they love is ten thousand times more gripping than any of that other nonsense. On the bright side, the good stuff is still really good, and considering how few of you likely watched this show already, let this be your reminder this your reminder not to let it slip through the cracks.

Go Go Loser Ranger: 6/10

Is the idea of a dark, edgy twist on tokusatsu where the protagonist is a nameless minion trying to overthrow a fascist cabal of sentai rangers that unique? Not really, no. But god damn if Go Go Loser Ranger doesn't make it work regardless. There's something just inherently fun about watching one of those nameless background mooks that normally exist just to get punted en masse decide "You know what? I'm done being the world's punching bag. I'm gonna become the protagonist of my own story and take these fuckers down." We've all rooted for the underdog at some point, after all. It's only fair the most disposable fodder get a chance in the spotlight. And Go Go Loser Ranger delights in twisting that setup as far as it can get away with, constantly making you second-guess your allegiances to any one side as it quickly becomes clear there are no true heroes to root for in this world, just lots of different people flawed in very different ways, all fighting for their own personal gain. You're never quite sure when someone you're rooting for is going to break your trust with some horrific act, or someone you loathe is going to prove themselves more courageous than they first let on, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see when the next shoe's going to fall. Sadly, it also suffers from Wind Breaker's mistake of spending too much time on an overlong arc that's mostly just dull characters fighting in a duller location, but by the end it's shaken off those doldrums and returned to form in a big way. As long as the second season can keep those gears turning, we're in for a good time.

Spice and Wolf Reboot (1st Cours): 6/10

Let's be blunt: there is no point to remaking Spice and Wolf. The original series is still just as good fifteen years later, and despite the source material continuing past the point it ended, it reached such a beautiful conclusion on its own terms that it more than cemented its status as a true eternal anime classic. Sure, it's nice to experience this story again, to re-aquaint myself with Holo and Lawrence's wonderful chemistry and the fascinating ins and outs of Medieval economics that drive their story. There's a reason I fell in love with this show so many years ago, and Reboot Wolf still has plenty of that charm to go around. But this isn't a re-imagining or a Brotherhood/Froobs 2019 style "proper" adaptation. This is just the same show again but a little bit worse in every way. All I can think of, watching this story I know play out again, is how much stiffer and generic the modern art direction and animation is, how it plays things so much safer with its source material while the original wasn't afraid to make strong changes, how Holo's prickly personality has been neutered into a much more docile, Lawrence-dependent character while the original stood so strong on her own two feet. Maybe it works well enough if this is your first taste of Spice and Wolf, but then, the original show is right there! You could just watch that instead and get a much better experience all around!

Yuru Camp Season 3: 6.5/10

Speaking of shows that are probably pointless, was there really any need for Yuru Camp to continue after the one-two satisfying punch of season 2 and the epilogue movie? Those endings put such a beautiful bow on the series that anything else would feel superfluous. Especially with such a massive downgrade in the art direction department, Jesus Christ. I don't know who's running studio 8bit's compositing department these days, but between this and the latest Yama no Susume season, it's so painful to see a studio that once excelled at background art reduced to putting filters over photographs and awkwardly slapping ill-fitting moeblob characters on top. The clash between the characters and the backgrounds this season is legitimately painful at times, and for a vibes-based iyashikei like Yuru Camp, that could so easily be a death knell. Thank the gods, then, that most of this series' charm still comes through in spite of itself, the wonderful characters and delightfully daffy comedy still as strong as ever as it extols the virtues of finding your peace in the great outdoors. But if we're going to get any more, then please figure out how to make this new aesthetic not so physically repellent to look at.

Kaiju No. 8: 7/10

I've said many times that the art of making a Good Enough show is more complicated than most people appreciate. It takes so much skill and talent, so much mastery of the basic building blocks of storytelling, to create something that's just fun to watch plain and simple. And Kaiju No. 8 is yet another example of how impressive it is when one of these shows gets it right. It's a simple, straightforward action show about an over-the-hill sanitation worker getting one last chance to live his dream as a member of the elite kaiju-slaying force that keeps the world safe from the towering monsters that menace it... by accidentally becoming part kaiju himself. The characters are simple but lovable, the emotional stakes are earnest without being overbearing, the action is consistently exciting and well-animated, and the story keeps you on your toes with well-worn tropes executed in novel and exciting ways. I honestly don't think I've seen a shonen action romp so perfectly nail its fundamentals like this since the early days of My Hero Academia. Whether or not this show will also rise to MHA's eventual level of complexity and thematic weight remains to be seen, but for now, it's just plain fun, and an easy recommendation to anyone looking for a good time.

Delicious in Dungeon (2nd Cours): 7.5/10

Well, I asked for Dungeon Meshi to get darker, and by god, that's exactly what it did. Through shocking plot turns and deeply disquieting thematic touches, this silly little fantasy cooking comedy has developed into something much more sinister and unsettling... while still being primarily a silly fantasy comedy about cooking D&D monsters into mouthwatering meals. I'm still not sure if the tonal whiplash entirely works, but my god does it make this a fascinating show to watch. A single episode can take you from some of the most gut-busting deadpan snark this side of Gintama to a skin-crawling contemplation on mortality and consuming life to perpetuate your own without missing a beat. Turns out, Dungeon Meshi has thoughts on the nature of food as a biological, societal and cultural force, and how that force is not always as simple or benign as a meal shared with friends and family. And it explores those ideas with a quiet dread that makes even its silliest moments feel like a tentative breath before things come crashing down. I have no idea how things will shake out in the second season, but if manga fans are to be believed, it's only going to get more twisted and insane from here. I cannot fucking wait. Just, can Falin stay on screen for more than a single episode without being kidnapped again this time? Girl's such a damsel in distress even Princess Peach is giving her concerned looks.

Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night: 7.5/10

There is no feeling quite like being a young artist. You're excited to make your mark, painfully anxious about not measuring up while simultaneously being quite full of yourself, bursting with ideas and not quite sure how to execute them, but above all else, in love with the act of creation. And I don't think I've ever seen an anime that so perfectly embodies that messy, beautiful spirit as Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night. Four girls from different artistic backgrounds- an artist, a singer, a musician, and a tech wiz- come together as one to give each other the strength they lack on their own, forming the musical group JELEE as they strive to love themselves and their work through the magic they make together. It's an explosion of passion and joy, often times outstripping its ability to measure up to its ambitions and stumbling over itself, but always shining, always dazzling, always wearing its heart firmly on its sleeve as it celebrates the joy of creation in the digital age and the importance of sincerity in a world too afraid of cringe to accept it. It's also a wonderfully capital-P Progressive series; there's a gay kiss, one character is eventually revealed to be nonbinary in a scene so spectacular I wish I could bump my score up another half-point for it alone. Sadly, it only reaches those heights every so often- but when it does, my god is it a sight to behold.

Girls Band Cry: 8/10

I remember back when I watched Love Live Sunshine, I wished there was a girls' music anime where the protagonists sung the kind of badass punk rock usually reserved for the antagonists of idol shows. Well, it looks like writer Jukki Hanada and director Kazuo Sakai heard me, because five years after bidding Sunshine farewell, they're returned with one of the most exhilarating, renegade expressions of punk spirit we've gotten in a long time. Girls Band Cry is a supernova, a soaring firecracker of a show that marries an instantly iconic headbanger soundtrack with Hanada's typically spectacular character writing in this tale of five outcasts forming a band and coming together to spit in the face of the world that tried to grind them into conformity. Nina Iseri's arrogant, self-righteous immaturity is a primal scream for the importance of doing what's right over what's easy, and you feel that scream in your fucking soul. Even the show's scrappy CG animation embodies that non-comformist spirit, charting stunning new avenues for 3D anime with some of the most expressive character models and soaring concert scenes you're likely to see all decade. And while the pacing is definitely rushed at points, the overwhelming emotions bleeding from each and every scene make even the weakest moments go down easy. It's downright criminal Toei fumbled the ball on an official English release, but unless you're completely against sailing the high seas, you owe it to yourself to track it down regardless. So raise your middle fingers to the sky, spill your heart from your chest, and let Togenashi Togeari force you to believe in the power of rock all over again.

Dropped:

-Bartender Drops of God (3 Episodes). Too boring to stick with in a pretty packed season.

-A Condition Called Love (3 Episodes). Creepy possessiveness excused for the sake of romance.

Blue Archive (1 Episode). Do you even need to ask.

-The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio (2 Episodes). Awful adaptation that butchers what made the manga so great.

-Whisper Me a Love Song (9 Episodes). The production falls completely apart and it skips the main couple's first kiss. Just read the manga, it's really damn good and deserved so much better.

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kimiko24-art · 2 months

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🌙☀️⭐🌱🌿🍀

🌱INTRODUCTION

🌙☀️⭐🌱🌿🍀

This is my self insert. This wiki entry is specifically for my JJBA AU. Art, some general info, and tidbits will be posted here. Not sure if I wanna continue the full story. I think this is enough info for now lol

🌱GENERAL INFO

Name: Kimiko Daiyuki (this is actually an allies)

Age: 23

Gender: Female (Any pronouns)

Zodiac: Gemini

Occupation: Model, singer-songwriter (changes to match AUs)

Sexually Orientation: Bisexual

Species: Human

General Appearance:

Kimiko is a thin woman with a medium bust and a few curves here or there. She stands around 5'7, has a dark golden skin tone, and medium shoulder length black hair. Kimi’s body has a lot of scars on it..mainly around her limbs; arms and legs. She likes to wear clothing that shows off her physique.

🌱AU INFO

(Mainly backstory and relationship stuff is provided)

��JOJO's Bizarre Adventures🔱

AGE: 23

F/O: Bruno Buccellati☕🍵

「STORY (short ver.)」

Kimiko was never fond of her family, she always felt so distant from them and wasn't treated lovingly. After failing time and time again to gain their approval. Kimiko decided to move on and came to Italy in pursue of a job opportunity, perhaps this would be her chance? A new start with a happy life, but unfortunately this wasn't what it seemed. She was tricked and nearly smuggled once reaching her "job" but luckily escaped in time. However since she used every last penny to pursue this false career, she was stuck. Lost and alone, in a foreign country. She lived on the streets for several months. Starving and trying to survive, she joined a small unknown gang out of desperation. But was once again ended up in danger when one of the members try to have their way with her in an alley. Luckily a passersby rescued her from the situation, he revealed himself to be Bruno. After talking with the stranger for a while, he offered her a position in Passione. Even though she was hesitant and still shaken up she agreed to join. Some time passes and after a few encounters with stand users she gained her own. That's when she decided her new life started then and there. Passione and Bruno had filled her empty heart with a burning passion for life and she wanted to spend it with them, her new family. (These events happen a little before Giorno arrives.)

Tidbit(s)

🌿 Kimiko needs glasses but they got messed up during her time on the streets, so she couldn't really see for a little bit in the series. She eventually gets a new pair and cries when she can see everyone's faces clearly for the first time. (Happens after Giorno and Trish join)

🌿 Her stands name is Boom Boom Satellites~ named after one of my fav J-rock bands!

🌿 Kimiko likes to feed the abundance of stray cats that are around the area on her downtime. She also enjoys writing poetry, listening to music, and drinking tea with Bruno.

🌿 Here's a playlist of songs that are dedicated to/remind me of Kimiko.

🌱RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS

🔱JJBA Relationship's Headcanons🔱

🐦🌊🐦 Kimiko deeply admires and respects Bruno as person. She finds his goals extremely admirable and knows that he's a person that cares deeply for those around him, she wouldn't hesitate to follow him to the ends of the earth. Kimiko can let her guard down around him. Bruno and her tend to spend a lot of time at different cafes together, taking walks to view the scenery, and trying out different restaurants. Bruno enjoys his time with Kimiko and likes how supportive and innocent she is. They often chat about a lot of different things together~

⭐⭐🔫 Other than Bruno, Kimiko is really close to both Trish and Mista. With Mista around Kimiko feels at ease and laughs a lot with him. They often hang out and go to cinemas, or find other fun or mischievous things to do around town, it's really a breathe of fresh air with him! And she really enjoys their friendship! Fugo and Narancia tag along too~ After getting use to her, Mista began treating her like one of the gang.

🌺🌹🌸 With Trish Kimiko finds it easy to talk with her, they're actually more similar than what they realize. They often spend hours talking, just nice having a break for themselves to be girls for a while honestly. Kimiko often goes out with Trish shopping, or to go get sweets from pastry shops. She has a protective instinct towards Trish because she sees herself within her. Kimiko treasures the bond between them a lot. Trish seems to appreciate the company and enjoys herself when they hangout.

⏪▶⏩ Kimiko sees Abbacchio as an authority figure, and someone she can trust undoubtedly. She often goes to him or Bruno for advice. Abbacchio sometimes does offer her advice, but usually he ends up telling her that she should use her own head and gut. She usually finds herself wanting Abbacchio's approval. Even though she finds him intimidating, Kimiko knows that she can trust him with her life. She sometimes tags along with him when he runs small earns. Abbacchio wonders about Kimiko sometimes, she's a bit naive in his eyes. And honestly he thinks she's too soft for this sort of life. But he knows how much Bruno cares about her. So he watches over her from a distance for him.

🔱⭐🔱 Kimiko respects Giorno a lot. She respects his intelligences and ability as a person and stand user. Giorno has a lot of Kimiko's trust even though she does not display it with words. She always asks Giorno what his views are on certain matters and she likes having conversations with him. They take strolls around town, or Giorno stops by sometimes to help her with the strays. Giorno likes chatting with Kimiko. They find each other interesting.

🍊🍊✈ For Narancia, Kimiko often finds herself wanting to take care of him like an older sister, or mother. Though she realize that he's his own person and tries her best not to smother or pester him. Usually internalizing the urges. Her and Narancia often read books, play games, and listen to music together. She also tries to help him study sometimes along with Fugo. But she really sucks at math as well, so Fugo ends up schooling both her and Narancia. Other times Narancia eagerly tries to get Kimiko to join in when him, Mista, and Fugo dance~ but she's too shy to.

🍓🍓💉 When it comes to Fugo, Kimiko sorta views him as a younger brother, he doesn't seem to mind though. Fugo often helps her out if she asks and Kimiko really appreciates that when he does. She tries to help him out a lot in return! They don't hangout much outside of Passione's activities! But they sometimes spend time together if someone else is along with them (mista, narancia, trish)

🌱CONCLUSION

That's it for now~ I'll probably end up changing some things at some point.

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herrlindemann · 1 year

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KERRANG! - 12 October 2002

For Rammstein, growing up behind the Berlin Wall was a matter of life or death. Their incredible story can finally be told…

From the outside, East Berlin looks like any other prosperous Western city. Take the road to it from Schonfeld airport and the neon glow of petrol stations, fast-food chains, shopping malls and multiplex cinemas all flit reassuringly by. Near the centre, the glitzy communications tower looks positively sci-fi.

Get in closer, and the picture is less pristine. For every sign of new investment, there are as many examples of the old. Crumbling buildings — prison grey and rotting from the former Communist regime — serve as a reminder that the Wall which divided East and West since the Second World War is barely a decade gone. Graffiti covers every surface.

In the Prenzlauer district, this gulf between old and new is particularly striking. Brightly-colored apartment blocks and cafés sit right next to these corroding structures — half of which look like they might disintegrate at any moment. We are warned that the balconies dangling precariously from them have been known to descend into the street without warning.

It’s beneath such a balcony that we find Rammstein — a band renowned for reducing things to rubble.

Seemingly unaware of the latent doom scenario above theirs heads, four out of the six members — that’s guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph Schneider and keyboardist Christian ‘Flake’ Lorenz — are sitting outside a curry house. Second guitarist Richard Z Kruspe-Bernstein is absent, having just moved to New York with his wife, although he literally phones in an appearance late. Press-shy meat-stack Till Lindemann is simply absent and uncontactable.

This is the first time the band have been back in their hometown for any length of time, following their punishing pan-continental touring schedule in support of ‘Mutter’. The atmosphere is relaxed. As everyone points out, this rare bit of downtime has allowed the band to focus on some extra-Rammstein issues. These include therapy, fatherhood, holidays in the sun, and a spot of interior decorating.

Still, these men are gathered here today to discuss Rammstein. If the exploits of six German and their flamethrowers across stages the world over has been long recognized as being one of the most extraordinary successes in rock, then the story of his they got there is even more remarkable.

Given that a band’s genesis is usually a clichéd tale of the unremarkable within the comfort of a Western society, you can’t help but wonder just what nu-metal’s whiny minions would make of Rammstein’s story. As far as band inceptions go, it’s one of the most bizarrely uplifting and surreal celebrations of triumph over adversity.

While techno-punk terrorist Alec Empire grew up on the prosperous, west side of the Berlin Wall, Rammstein began life on the other side. A side they describe as the ‘grey’ society, where queues were long, fun was short-lived and everything from your haircut to your shopping list went on a secret record somewhere. To an outsider, life itself under such conditions seems wretched and impossible. But where there’s a will, there is also a way. If the will is a contrary one with a penchant for mischief, then so much the better.

Indeed, as Paul Landers begins his side of the story you wonder whether, if you were to cut him ope, you might find running through him like the wording on a stick of rock, the legend ‘Adapt, Improvise, Overcome’. Set against the quiet Riedel, the blunt Schneider and the anxious Flake, the voluble guitarist is the animated soul of the band, punctuating all conversation with a flurry of gesticulation and dramatic sound effects.

“We lived like maggots in a piece of meat,” he recalls. “We lived in this repressive society, but we used any space we had for expression and doing things differently.”

Wowed by the power of the electric guitar, Landers soon found an outlet for expression through punk music and formed a band, Feeling B, with East Berlin natives Flake Lorenz and Christoph Schneider.

Punk was generally frowned upon by the state. Yet there were always legal loopholes to exploit. Since churches were exempt from the state certification process, a band could get gigs by registering as a wedding. Any serious gigging required a licence, obtained by playing in front of a designed committee. The guidelines were narrow and according to the guitarist, most licensed bands “sounded like Bruce Springsteen”, but Landers and co remained undeterred.

“On the face of it you complied,” he says, “but below you resisted.”

Cunningly, the band translated any politically sensitive material into English so it wouldn’t be understood and toned down their sound for the committee. The audition was also to bear a characteristic central to later Rammstein outings: a sense of provocative theatre.

“We dimmed the lights,” he says with a conspiratorial chuckle. “And we filled the place with dry ice using a washing machine we’d adapted. But,” and here he raises his finger in emphasis, “we wanted the dry ice to descend over everything like fog. So we put the washing machine on top of a ladder.”

It paid off. The band was issued a licence even if the committee had no idea what they were awarding it to. “We were given category ’S’,” he grins. “The uncategorized category.”

When they weren’t playing gigs, Landers and Flake, who squatted together in an apartment, would sell jackets made from cut-up bedsheets and dusters on the black market. Two jackets a month meant as much money as an average salaried worker.

“It was quite easy to make a living; to not work and stay out of trouble,” says Landers. “You only got problems if you got caught.”

If half of Rammstein were busily subverting the state, guitarist Richard Z Kruspe-Bernstein was suffering under it. Unlike his future bandmates living in the city, Richard — along with Till Lindemann and Oliver Riedel — came from the East German village of Schwerin. As a child, Richard would tell anyone within hearing distance that he was going to be a rock star, and sit for hours recording himself singing along to records. As a teenager, he was a troubled runaway, struggling to pursue his musical dream against a claustrophobic background of parental pressure and small-town mentality, where one in the three people were informants for the Stasi (German secret police).

“It was different in Berlin because it was a city,” he explains. “It was more spread out; but in the small towns they knew everything.”

While music provided an outlet for life’s trials — Richard and Till shared a loose network of bands — the guitarist’s patience snapped in early ’89 after getting caught up in a demonstration, mere months before re-unification. He was arrested and questioned by the police for three days.

“I had to stand against a wall for six hours at time,” he recalls, “and if I moved they beat me.” Richard was so shattered by the experience he decided to escape to the West.

It’s worth pointing out that a shoot-to-kill policy was employed by the police against anyone who tried to cross the wall. Richard is the only member of Rammstein who risked his life for a new one.

“Sometimes you have to do things,” he says, with stunning matter-of-factness. “You take the risk.”

While Richard fled his hometown, his longtime friend Till Lindemann was enjoying a more prosperous existence. Even then, the imposing frontman was something of an enigma, with a curious history. Having already represented the East as an Olympic swimmer, he had retired into that most rock’n’roll of professions: basketweaving. This was in part to recover from a youth recked through illegal steroid abuse.

Lindemann has netter himself a car and a house — unattainable items for most — from his business. It was this house that would be the central catalyst for bringing the six future members together. One morning, Landers, Flake and Schneider found themselves in its garden, after a particularly heavy night of partying.

“He was one of the ‘Silent Village People’,” says Flake of his first impression of the stern German who wrote poetry and could lift up his car by hand. “He was tall and big and did everything alone.”

Though they shared little common ground, notes Flake, a bond was forged. Lindemann was impressed with the music Flake and co bought from Berlin, while Lindemann in turn gave them access to something equally important: transport.

“Till was a party centre!” says Landers. “The stereo was always turned up full, and when we went to see bands, we’d all pile into Till’s car. There’s be up to 10 people in his car at any time…”

If the US-influenced punk played by band members was a product of repression in the East, then Rammstein itself was completely a product of reunification. Initially a casual noise project that took place in the basement between the six aspiring musicians, it came to represent the wealth of possibilities the fall of the Wall had released into their lives. Energy, excitement, experimentation.

“It was like anarchy,” says Schneider. “For a few years you could really do what you wanted to.”

So they travelled for the first time, toured the US for the first time and had access to technology (stage-lights, sequencers, decent amps) for the first time.

They also realized something for the first time. In the free market, to produce music that had any weight behind it, they had to stay true to their German roots.

Inspired by the drive and discipline of US acts, they returned home and began to concentrate more on Rammstein. Out went screaming guitar solos and in came the sequenced rhythms, guttural vocals and monotonous riffs that were to become Rammstein staples.

“It was completely free,” says Kruspe-Bernstein of their new lease of musical life.

“We were playing from the gut.”

Up until this point, Lindemann had still been trying to sing in English — a practice he found restrictive of his more complex lyrical ideas. The band reasoned that if they were going to play authentic, German metal, then they should extend the sentiment to the fullest. Switching to his mother tongue, Tills tales of violence and repressed emotions found a new voice.

“We played hard, we stood still and we had short hair,” says Kruspe-Bernstein. “We knew we were different.”

Rammstein have spent a career capitalizing on this very difference. It’s one of life’s little ironies that their innate German-ness is the very thing that has seen them embraced in every country except their own.

Although this is their hometown, our day with the band is not interrupted once by any fans, autograph hunters or even any stares from the curious, that you’d expect for a multiplatinum international act. Schneider puts much of it down to the fact that the German media still regard the band as a political debate rather than a musical act.

“Fans buy our records and come to the shows,” he says. “But we’ve never had any support from the media here — no airplay, nothing.”

Despite this, it’s interesting to note that all the members of Rammstein, save Kruspe-Bernstein, still live in the old East Berlin. Spend any time with them, particularly Landers, and you’ll feel a marked distaste for the new society. The guitarist’s assertion that capitalism has not been the savior to his hometown is rarely heard thought in a world where history and media have long decreed that no good can come of Communist regimes.

“I’ve seen both systems,” he says. “And if you compare it to now, life was much easier then. All your basic needs were taken care of. Obviously we’re happy the Wall fell, but look at all this, it’s so ugly.”

He gestures to a row of cafés and bars, which, were if not for the graffiti, could happily pass for a trendy corner of Islington. After Berlin was united, these kind of places forced out all the underground clubs and meeting points, stripping Berlin of its new-found energy and excitement. Landers singles out one culprit in particular — a pretentious looking bar called SODA.

“It’s like a yuppie club,” he says with disgust.

“They’re trying to be ‘cool’ and it’s ugly. Whenever I come back here from touring, Berlin seems so flat to me. It’s like I have to look for my own city.”

“The worst thing is, no-one realizes,” he sighs. “They think they have everything. But they have nothing.”

Not wishing to end on a sour note, the guitarist is keen to show us something East Berlin does have.

The Kesselhaus der Kulturbrauerei is a converted brewery complex that now functions as a gig venue and a museum of memorabilia. Here, Rammstein performed their first ever gig in 1993 — an uneventful performance apparently, that resulted only in six stiff necks the day after. But that’s not why we’re here.

In the museum next door is a Trabant — a car famous not just for being ugly and made almost entirely of fibre glass, but for being the only make of car available in the former Communist regime. To say that its awkward, graceless contours place it several rungs below a Skoda on the vehicular evolutionary scale is something of an understatement. It’s hideous and you wouldn’t be seen dead in it.

A grinning Landers notes that one of these beasts once belonged to Till Lindemann, and as such was responsible for forging the bonds that have kept them together for over 15 years.

It’s a surreal notion, particularly since the model in front of us looks like even two people might place an uncomfortable strain on its fragile exterior. However Landers assures us that this one is not to scale.

“Till’s car was much smaller,” he says with a wink. “You could get at least 20 people in this one.”

He raps the shell of the car affectionately, and it seems that everything that’s heroic, shocking, impressive and just blatantly ridiculous about this band suddenly falls into place.

“Easily.”

#Rammstein #Till Lindemann #Paul Landers #Flake #Flake Lorenz #Oliver Riedel #Christoph Schneider #Richard Kruspe #interview #2002 #my scans #*

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itzmaztercom · 5 months

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"You my obssesion,my fetish,my religion,my confusion,my confession,the one i want tonight,you my obssesion." -Cinema bizzare

I'm not joking. I'm serious.

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attractionfinal · 11 months

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Strify moodboard

#cinema bizarre #strify #jack strify #cinema bizarre strify #moodboard #cinema bizarre moodboard #music #goth #glam rock #rock #emo #band

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bwobgames · 1 year

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Previous First

Credits scene

It's been multiple months since the mansion incident

The legal case lasted a good while, but no evidence was found against any of the survivors, so they are okay now.

The blood did not leave their clothes. They got new ones.

Oliver Beebo wakes up another day in his apartment. While a lot of his nights have bizarre nightmares, this one was calm.

Even though they are no longer on vacation, Ángel still stayed on Oliver's apartment, but they plan on staying some time in the capital, just to see what it's like.

He uses all types of products he can find to heal his scar. Beebo doesn't mind much. it's part of the job, he says.

They've been living a calm and domestic day to day life, with ups and down.

The downs are, very down indeed

But the ups are more often.

They got matching tattoos of a sunrise, it makes them feel better.

Oliver has started taking cases again, but he's going for simpler ones.

He has told his fellow detectives to keep an eye out for seemingly supernatural cases.

Ángel has declared that he will invite himself to any case that involves a haunted house. Oliver doesn't fight him on it

They both have gained new fears

Ángel gets very anxious when they're separated for too long. He's also terrible at guessing what time it is

Oliver makes a great effort in overcoming his fear of heights. It's a work on progress.

He's also afraid of developing any kind of memory affecting disease. He keeps an incredibly detailed diary

They are getting help. It's slow and nonlinear, but they can always go to a warm home with a cuddly cat and a tight hug.

Vivi invites Oliver for an exclusive 2-player session with Ángel, as a test for his dnd abilities, she says.

While he's not that good at the role playing, he's very good at strategy. He really enjoys lawful characters.

They have fun.

Marigold and Nina were also invited. It made for a very chaotic group.

Ángel wants to start a new game so he can upload it to his newly made youtube channel

He wasn't satisfied with a normal 9 to 5, so he decided for a more creative job.

He's slowly rising, with titles such as "Doing the 100 babies challenge in The sims 4," "RLcraft hardcore for 100 days", "Top 10 facts about Dominion the jewel thief", "Finishing Overcooked with all stars ft. Vivi", and his personal favorite, "Speedrunning Escape rooms with my bf ❤️"

He claims to be Dominion's number one fan and sells plushies of him. Oliver will never admit he bought one.

Apparently, he is considered a cryptid in Ángel's channel, which he appreciates.

The now officially named Iraola family invites them to events quite often, it's very nice to have a friend group

Game nights are... quite extreme

Turns out teenagers can be very competitive and capable

Nadia and Ángel have a scoreboard set up. The winner gets decided at New years.

Oliver has managed to keep his throne as the master of any and all card games, but for how long?

He can't wait for Christmas, he plans on giving Simon a cool anti-eye contact hat.

Even though he's still terrified of the concept of fatherhood, he really enjoys being an uncle.

Speaking of such, Ángel had to meet his parents. It was awkward at first, but he managed to win them over with his knowledge of old cinema and pretty boy charm.

Oliver met the Ronald Mcdonald statue by Ángel's childhood house. He has a picture with it.

Ángel's mother was sweet, hardworking, and strict. She was not afraid of telling her son how he should be a better gentleman towards Oliver. It was... an eventful night. It's a good thing the lady enjoys mystery novels.

They celebrated Nadia's birthday in spring, cordially invited.

Everyone was sure Ángel would give her a gag gift, like a cd to a boy band she doesn't like or an ugly shirt.

He gave her a key code to an expensive editing software.

She was grateful but refused to say so. She plans on retaliating with an equally thoughtful gift.

They are slowly learning to get along, like a pair of cats that need to be separated by a door when they first meet.

In other news, Oliver recently received an autism diagnosis. He was very surprised. Ángel wasn't. He baked him a cake for the occasion.

The biggest event had to be the wedding

On a warm spring day, in the middle of a flower field, Marigold Iraola and Nina Coli got married.

There was some bad press about it, but a certain reporter was very enthusiastic about how beautiful of an union this was, unlike the previous one.

Marigold decided to disband Coli's company, making a new one herself.

It specializes in medical equipment.

They saw the newlyweds say their vows, Oliver couldn't help but yearn for a moment like that.

He and Ángel danced the evening away

Between the multiple friends of the wives waiting for the bouquet toss, there was a determined man in white

And like a cat to a shiny object

He jumped and got it

They decide spring is a great season for a wedding.

They don't decide which spring though

That's for the future to know.

In a non-specific urban city like any other, an office awakes

Oliver Beebo is ready to start another day on his detective business

#the real credits. Everything: me. bwob bwobgames #drawn in ibispaint #thats all the credits #detective beebo

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