#her characterization is strong enough to carry that staticity though

[oaxleaf]

The whole thing about Georgie is that her arc was fully completed long before the story began. She lost something/someone significant, she learned her lesson, she started living again. While the others have extensive knowledge of the Powers' terminology, she enters the story with a deep understanding of loss, entropy and fear that the others are yet to learn. She is never exactly unattended on screen. The tapes can't follow her and are hardly there for her so so does the narrative.

sorry this took me a couple days to answer. i was sick and my brain felt like the titan submersible moments before exploding to the pressure.

anyways. people aren't ever really finished though, you know? you have periods of your life when you are changing less or more, but you'll never reach a point where you will remain as such for the rest of your life. so whilst an arc can be fully completed in the sense of a certain, contained segment of a characters development, be it for better or worse, can reach a satisfying conclusion. and some stories tie it up there and let things lie, and that's fine, but others - especially those tragic or bittersweet endings - leave a lot to be developed on, or potential new themes to be explored.

georgie enters the story from a different position than the other characters, sure, but honestly i wouldn't claim that what marks her out is her being particulary good at dealing with loss, rather just that she does it differently. she is most definitely the best at letting go of things or setting boundaries where most of the other characters struggle to let go enough of their pain, curiosity, or emotional investment to do so. since she is not a part of the institute and as such not stuck there it makes good contrast to other characters, in particular to jon who, even before his life was dependent on the statements to stay alive, was unable to let obviously harmful situations be. it's also why georgie and melanie make such a good match - melanie is (along with tim) one of the few that really do want out.

and yeah, i guess you could call that an arc already completed by the time she's introduced. or you could just call it characterization or backstory. you're right about her not being interesting to the purpose of the tapes, and she is relatively sure of herself and is typically better at handling the horrors than others, but also don't feel like that's the point? she acts as a contrast, but not as, like, a mentor figure or something like that, and it's less important that she has overcome this stuff and more important that jon, in comparison, has not. so yes, georgie is relatively static in her development during most of the show. not at all a bad thing when placed next to characters experiencing such drastic changes.

but what i aim at when i talk about her arc just starts at the end of the show if the doubts she starts expressing about this position she has held in the narrative around the last ten episodes of the show. she clearly feels guilt about the state of the world, about not being there enough for jon, about being too passive and not intervening enough - which is why it's pretty characteristic for her to be the only one even considering not actually doing anything about the change in mag 199 - and she struggles with the idea that maybe she is partially responsible for it all too, simply because she was too good about handling the horrors when others very much were not. all these things that put her in a position of safety, sanity, and relative comfort, are now things she doubts because she worries that it makes her an accomplice through means of complicity

really it's just a seed. it only appears very late in the story, but i found it very potent. what makes me call it the start of an arc, though, are the very obvious opportunities for this all being exacerbated after the fall of the panopticon. there is so much potential for struggle and guilt there, and i just find the whole idea fascinating. to me, there isn't a world where georgie doesn't eventually have a breakdown over it all, but that's stuff that can only really be kicked into full gear after the absolutely chatastrophic personal loss and failure that was mag 200. that in combination with melanie's clear wish to just be rid of it all... all i'm saying is that there's some good potential in this

[uzuuzuking]

so this started out as just a general post about why i like cinderella adaptations, but slowly spiraled into a ranking/review of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen in my short, young life. so strap in for possibly the longest post i’ve ever made on this blog. (look, i never know how much i have to say about something until i really get going lmao)

idk why i like cinderella adaptations/remakes/spinoffs so much? most of them are garbage (especially the ones within the last 10 years don’t @ me) but fuck it i like this brand of garbage. it’s fun to watch these movies and rework the bad plotlines and dialogue in my head as i go along.

i guess i like the source material and some of the aspects of all the different adaptations, but honestly i just like re-imagining them because there’s only so much cringey script-written-for-teens-but-clearly-written-by-40-year-old-adults-who-have-no-idea-how-teens-or-even-people-for-that-matter-actually-talk-and-interact i can take in one excruciating sitting.

anyway here’s my personal ranking of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen that no one asked for. (not including stage productions because i haven’t seen any and have no opinion of them. also not including into the woods because that’s not just cinderella, but a spectacular amalgamation of fairytale mishap and shenanigan.) and reviews because apparently i had more to say than i originally thought when i first started constructing this list:

cinderella (1997) - the absolute best cinderella adaptation of all time, hands down, this is non-negotiable. this movie has it all: an excellent and diverse cast, gorgeous costume design, beautiful sets, some of the most dazzling dance numbers i ever witnessed when i first watched it at the wee age of 4, and a positive, progressive message that was accurate for its time yet also so ahead of its time. i cannot praise this version of cinderella enough, it is my all time favorite and one of my top 3 feel-good movies. if you watched it today, the effects might not be as magical compared to what we have now, but keep in mind it was released in 1997. anyway, the cast is truly amazing and so effortlessly inclusive (and honestly the fact that the prince was asian with a black mother and white father and they literally never addressed it was such a power move). i could go on about this movie forever (i’ll probably make a whole post dedicated to it in the future) and what it meant to me and many others as young, impressionable poc. in conclusion, this movie set an exceedingly high standard for me and destroyed the chances of any other cinderella adaptation even hoping to live up to that. i love it! so! much!

ever after: a cinderella story (1998) - tbh i never saw this until i was in college but i immediately fell in love. i love the flow of the story as a whole - i never felt like anything was missing. i love the costumes and i especially love how danielle and henry’s relationship progressed throughout the film. slow-burn comes to mind when i watch their interactions and we all love a sweet, sweet slow-burn. it’s romance babes! it’s Dramatic in a few scenes and all i can say is that it really works because drew barrymore’s performance is exceptional, fantastic, engaging, more adjectives to describe how enthralled by her i was. above all, her character is compassionate - she uses her voice to speak in support for those who are suppressed by the flawed government systems and law enforcers, and influences the prince to use his status and power to better his people who lack the privileges of the nobility. she’s such a strong female lead (emotionally and physically - she literally fireman carries her love interest, who is taller than her and definitely exceeds her own bodyweight) and truly the mvp of this adaptation. watch it. watch it for Her.

enchanted (2007) - amy adams and idina menzel - ‘nuff said. okay but for real this one is so unique with its transition from classic d*sney 2D animation style to the real three-dimensional world and i adore it to the ends of the earth. the music? slaps! the story? slaps! the development of the main character? slaps!! she’s so princess-y and d*sney cartoon-y and struggles in the real world, but she adapts at a good pace and i love that she learns to be realistic while also keeping hope and love close to her heart. also her mother figure / daughter figure bond with morgan is so so precious. the only constructive criticism i have for this movie is the fact that we were robbed of idina menzel singing!!! did they know all along she was destined to play the frozen queen years in the future and decided against her singing in this one?? is that it? ridiculous. it’s been over a decade and i’m still seething over this. other than that this movie is *chef’s kiss*

ella enchanted (2004) - anne hathaway’s back must still be hurting from carrying this film. (no shade to the other cast members, they’re good, but anne is a queen and i forever love her.) this is another childhood favorite of mine. the story itself is a refreshing take - hats off to gail carson levine for the source material! i’ve talked about the differences between the movie and book before in the midst of my reread of the book a few months ago, but i don’t remember how much i focused on the movie. it’s so different from the book that it might as well be its own thing. on its own, the movie is pretty decent! again, mostly because of anne. it’s funny, it’s sad (especially that scene towards the beginning between ella and areida, i’m in stupid tears every time), and it gets weird but it’s a fun time. the chemistry between char and ella is so zesty i can feel it through the screen, i swoon over both of them. tbh i probably wouldn’t like this movie so much if not for the fact that anne hathaway is truly talented and i spend most of my time watching it just looking at her. 

cinderella 3: a twist in time (2007) - i genuinely enjoyed and appreciated how the characters were written in this one. they all had clear motives and became much more dynamic through their lines and actions (drizella is arguably the most static character here but she still amuses me so it’s fine i guess). cinderella has more agency since the stakes are higher. prince charming actually has a gotdamn personality and has some of the funniest scenes and dialogue. good for him. i was kind of sad that anastasia’s story with the sweet baker boy was thanos snapped by the stepmother, but she and baker boy get a cute credits illustration together so it’s still canon! maybe i’m more biased on this one because i grew up rewatching it A Lot, but i definitely prefer it to the first and second movies.

cinderella (2000) - this one is kind of weird but i like it? the film has a really interesting vibe that i’m still trying to figure out how to describe even after seeing it like 5 times. wikipedia refers to the aesthetic style as “the glamour of the 1950s” which just might be as close as we can get. it follows the general guidelines of the cinderella plot, but the main differences were: zezolla (cinderella) was already helping with the chores before her father remarried, claudette (stepmother) was actively trying to murder zezolla’s father during their marriage, the stepsisters were much more violent and crass (they hunted zezolla’s beloved farm animals for sport and talked about getting “a man in [their] bed”), zezolla’s father was manipulated by everything claudette did and said and treated his own daughter poorly as a result, and prince valiant is honestly kind of a douchebag but seems willing to improve himself after meeting zezolla (basically his vibes are iffy but he’s willing to learn). this whole movie is pretty niche and i have yet to interact with someone who’s also seen it. and the only reason i’ve seen it so many times is because i just like listening to how the dialogue is delivered. (except for prince valiant’s random song at the ball, i kind of hated that and i skip through it every time lol).

a cinderella story (2004) - the classic hilary duff version. very cliche early 2000s high school romance, but it works for the cinderella narrative. not particularly diverse. a classic nonetheless. in my mind this is the pinnacle of the “modern cinderella movie” type. this is one of the most iconic movies for us zillennials and i’d like to think it’s known well enough for me to not go into a lot of detail about it. basically it was fresh and new for its time, had plenty of memorable scenes, and did i mention hilary duff? the film kind of plays into the “not like other girls” trope - as do a couple of the movies i listed above - but i’m just going to acknowledge that the early 2000s were Wack and simply move on. all in all, i like this movie for the nostalgia, iconic scenes, and hilary duff. also jennifer coolidge is pretty funny as the stepmother.

another cinderella story (2008) - again, an early 2000s classic, but this time with selena gomez. i liked the dancing in this one. i like selena’s quiet, somewhat timid characterization of her character, mary. and jane lynch in the stepmother role is perfection. she’s so fun to watch and is always hilarious. the story is nothing remarkable, but it’s okay and i liked it as a kid. after the hilary duff version, this one still managed to feel fresh because, though it was similar in its modern era approach, it focused more on the performing arts and dance. “cinderella” is an aspiring dancer, rather than the 2004 aspiring scholar. the “prince” is a famous popstar, not a football player. the stepmother is an outdated popstar desperate to stay Hip and Relevant with the kids, not a cranky botox lady. honestly i just love watching this one for the dancing, mary’s genuine and innocent love for the “prince”, and literally everything that comes out of jane lynch’s mouth. that woman is a dialogue gold mine.

a cinderella story: once upon a song (2011) - lucy hale is good. missi pyle is good. they play their roles and lines that they’re given fairly well. over all, it’s entertaining. lucy, of course, has them Pipes and i do like the songs in this movie. the only major downside for me was the “token best friend of color” trope. lucy’s best friend is an asian girl who’s good at sports and is there for one liners and support. the prince charming character’s best friend is a black guy who he only knew for probably a month at the most. he can beatbox, sing, and dj. basically he’s also just there as support. they really don’t do much for the plot but they’re there for diversity and whatnot. this movie is.. fine.

cinderella (1950) - the only reason this ranks so low for me is because i watched it a lot as a child when it was on vhs and it always felt like a fever dream to me. i was just really young and didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. it is a classic, though, and i would watch it again and be able to enjoy it.

cinderella 2: dreams come true (2002) - i liked cinderella’s and anastasia’s stories from this one. jaq’s was meh. it was fine.

dj cinderella or cinderella pop (2019) - netflix knows i like cinderella adaptations so, naturally, they shoved this into my recommended and, naturally, i watched it. twice. which is more than i can say for the following review... so this movie is brazillian and is pretty much the cut & mold of modern cinderella movies. but she wants to be a dj. she stars out living a perfect life as a wealthy girl with a loving family, but turns out her dad is cheating on her mom with his secretary. that’s when she “stops believing in love”. which is actually valid bc if i saw one of my parental figures cheating on the other, i honestly wouldn’t know what to believe in anymore. anyway, cíntia dorella (yes. that’s her full name.) and her mom move into her aunt’s place. a year or so passes. stepmother/secretary/cheating lady is throwing an extravagant birthday party for her daughters and hires freddy prince, a popular musician who cíntia doesn’t really like. meanwhile, cíntia gets a dj gig she’s excited for until she finds out she’s the opener for freddy prince at her stepsisters’ party. she ends up disguising herself as “dj cinderella” and freddy is super into her. it’s pretty generic from there but i was entertained enough to watch it twice. take from that what you will.

cinderella (2015) - ok so we been knew that d*sney’s live action remakes ain’t shit, and this one is no exception. d*sney within the last few years has been like 99% aesthetics and marketing. this movie was visually stunning, especially with the settings and costumes. those were the only 2 things i truly liked. everything else was forgettable. in its defense, i did read a post about the “have courage and be kind” message which is something wonderful to hold onto, especially for anyone in an abusive situation like ella. that’s valid and i respect that. i still lowkey hate this movie tho. i started getting a headache about 4 reviews ago, but remembering how much praise this movie got has reignited my fighting spirit. honestly if you like it, that’s good, you like what you like and that’s that. but this is my review and i hated how proper ella’s posture was (she’s been doing physical labor hunched on the floor for years now, how does she not slump around in exhaustion at the end of the day??), i hated how perfectly curated the whole thing was (again, that’s mostly because of d*sney and their aesthetics), and i hated how hollow everything felt. i can’t perfectly describe it, but i never felt emotionally invested in any of the characters. something about their performance was lacking and yet again i blame d*sney. i actually really like lily james, but something about the way she was directed left me devoid of emotional attachment to ella. i remember nothing about ella’s step family or the prince. that’s how much of an impact this adaptation had on me. also i just remembered the fairy godmother as i type this. i ADORE helena bonham carter, but this movie does a horrible disservice to her. if she liked working on this movie, then i’m happy for her, but even she wasn’t strong enough to sell this to me. i saw this movie in theaters and came out of it lamenting my waste of money that i could have spent on something i would have actually enjoyed. but the thing that enraged me the most, the thing i despised, i detested, the thing i seethed over and rant about to this day was the ONE (1) token black character. i don’t even know if he had a name but he was captain of the guard or some shit. if i remember correctly (but probably not tbh this movie was so forgettable), he was the one who heard ella singing and was the whole reason the prince was able to have her try on the glass slipper. this man, who had zero character development, zero relevance to the plot, an insignificant amount of screen time, is suddenly the reason the main character is able to finally connect with her love interest. um. What. i hate how the writers treated him and i will forever be filled with every last grain of salt over this. anyway he’s my favorite character and everyone else is just eh. to conclude this ungodly long review, i don’t like this movie. i tried to watch it again once but got so bored i quit 10 minutes in. do yourself a favor and watch cinderella (1997) instead. (the only reason this movie is ranked above the remaining 5 is the production quality. but i guess that’s unfair bc d*sney has the big bucks. and maybe i wouldn’t be so harsh if i weren’t sleep deprived and grumpy from a sugar-induced headache, but these feelings still come from my Chest so idk.)

a cinderella story: a christmas wish (2019) - i think we all secretly enjoy christmas-themed movies and this has got to be someone’s guilty pleasure. i was mildly entertained (but again with the cringey dialogue written by people clearly not in high school...) and i do like laura marano. but they autotuned her to hell and back - which i loathed - because the woman can actually sing and she has a lovely voice. she got to sing candidly one (1) time and i relished the experience. my ears thank her beautiful, un-autotuned voice. other than that it was.. fine. i didn’t hate it but i didn’t like it either. laura marano deserves better than this. (can’t say the same for the other actors tho because their roles were unmemorable.) also laura marano was super cute in her elf costume!

not cinderella’s type (2018) - i legit forgot about this one until after i compiled the entire list lol. i saw it on youtube and it was decent as far as i remember. it’s another modern day cinderella. i think the “prince” runs over “cinderella’s” cat or something?? i’m pretty sure it was her mom’s cat so now she has nothing left to remember her mom by. prince boy feels awful and tries to befriend her or do something to make it up to her, but she just doesn’t really like him. i think her aunt and uncle are emotionally abusive to her and prince boy does his best to be there for her without making things worse. if i remember correctly, i liked that aspect of the movie because it’s hard to be there for a victim of any kind of abuse if trying to help them could potentially hurt them more, especially minors still under the care of abusive guardians. anyway i think cinderella girl’s best friend is in love with her or something but she ends up not being into him and slowly gets together with prince boy. she eventually moves out of her guardians’ house and into the spare house at prince boy’s home (he’s rich or something). i need to rewatch this movie tbh i could be wrong about everything here lol.

rags (2012) - not amazing, definitely not memorable because i have nothing to say about its plot or writing, but it has keke palmer which is its one redeeming quality. also it’s the only one on this list where the male protagonist is the cinderella. so that’s solid i guess.

a cinderella story: if the shoe fits (2016) - this was a movie. it happened. i vaguely remember how ridiculous it was and sometimes i felt secondhand embarrassment. i don’t remember what about specifically, but i remember the emotion. sofia carson is a talented singer. i think she’s a decent actor but this script was Bad.

elle: a modern cinderella tale (2010) - i only watched this one because i was bored out of my damn mind and saw it on youtube. i felt bad for all the actors because this script was terrible. i don’t recommend this unless you’re about to sit down with your squad and make fun of it.

apparently descendants is on the “cinderella adaptations and references” list on imdb but i refuse to put it on my list because it’s not a cinderella-specific adaptation and i don’t like the descendants franchise. now, if we’re going to discuss a quality series about the children of fairytale characters, that would hands down be ever after high. but that’s a different topic for a different day.

thus concludes the ranking no one asked for but i felt compelled to make. thank you and goodnight

[falneou17]

BanG Dream Favorite List - 5

So... a lot of stuff is happening right now, and with it, I have gotten the chance to take a step back and look at my favorites once again. The next episode of the season shouldn’t air for another month or so if my maths is correct... which means I will try and close my eyes again and try to give every girl a fair shot in these rankings. Well... the 29 of them who make the list, that is.

I also mentioned before that season 3 has... for me, it’s been rather controversial as is with how much it actively tried to change the returning characters’ personality traits for the sake of RAS development. And while I will be the first to admit that I have definitely enjoyed how RAS has been written so far, it is not fair to compare the other 24 girls to how RAS got treated as the other 24 girls did get the biggest middle finger imaginable...

I mean, to be fair to RAS as well... RAS is not in the game so we don’t get the same amount of screentime in the games, either...

Favorites

Yamabuki Saaya (1, 2, 2, 2, 1)

Am I still salty about the fact that you did not come home at all during Christmas? Yes, and I probably always will. But the fact of the matter is... she’s Ruiko Jr. for a very good reason, and nothing can take that away from her. Even if she is given the middle finger, that does not take away the fact that she is Ruiko Jr. That she is one of the most caring, loving, selfless characters out there.

Aoba Moca (2, 1, 1, 1, 2)

And with that, Moca drops back down to number two... but the gap between her and Saaya has never been this small before. By now, we’ve all already figured out what Moca is made of and they can’t really “surprise” us anymore with revealing a (”)hidden(”) side to her, but... maybe that isn’t needed anymore; Moca is already one of the fandom’s favorite characters and she fully deserves that status.

Mitake Ran (3, 3, 3, 3, 3)

I would say that Ran has been the same as always, but she really hasn’t. In her own unique way, she’s grown as well in the background and really made a name for herself.  And, while I may have turned my back on RWBY, Ran will still be carrying forth the torch from my past that has been passed on from two of my faves of that franchise; Ran really is the combination of both of their strong points and they have really done an amazing job with Ran for sure.

Hazawa Tsugumi (4, 4, 4, 4, 4)

I feel like, objectively speaking, Tsugu has gotten somewhat one-note as of late. Not in a bad way, at least they focused on one of her good qualities but she still suffers slightly from it. That being said, I still feel like Tsugu is a wonderful addition to the cast, and just like how Saten Ruiko manages to give us something to hold on to in the Raildex franchise, so, too, does Tsugu in the Bandori franchise. Just a bit less so because people aren’t running around with magical scientific superpowers...

Shirokane Rinko (7, 6, 6, 5, 5)

...watch out, Tsugu, at the rate Rinko is going she’ll end up surpassing you in the next entry~ all joking aside, I still... really like Rinko for a variety of reasons.  Despite the fact that we have multiple shy characters who do not do well in the spotlight, Rinko’s radiance really is in nice contrast when you consider the fact that she is in Roselia. And while it will always hurt that we’ve lost Akesaka-san in this franchise... we’ll always still have the memories of the person who made Rinko into who she is today for me.

Imai Lisa (5, 5, 5, 6, 6)

Lisa really is the Saaya of Roselia, and if Saaya is Ruiko Jr. then Lisa would probably be not incorrectly described as Ruiko’s long-lost twin sister... or cousin... That said, the very fact that I got to learn about Saaya before even hearing about Lisa would ultimately forever dictate how I feel about Lisa. She is still an amazing character in her own rights, though! Losing Yurishii was a big blow to us as well, but I can at least say with confidence that I think Yukki is doing a really good job at trying to be the new Lisa. Or, more accurately phrased, that I, as a fan of the franchise, can wholeheartedly say that I enjoy Yukki!Lisa about as much as I did Yurishii!Lisa.

Likes

Uehara Himari (6, 7, 8, 7, 7)

As an Afterglow fan and stan, I think I can say with some degree of confidence that while Moca tends to be the most enjoyable to watch overall (of the band), Himari is definitely the one who sets the mood and keeps the band cheerful. Her high energy is also a great addition to the group as Ran, Moca and, to a somewhat lesser degree, Tomoe are all relatively calm in comparison (in terms of the energy they radiate). Himari definitely has her ups and downs like any good character should have, but the franchise really wouldn’t be the same without her. Can you imagine an Afterglow-less Himari?

Udagawa Tomoe (8, 8, 7, 8, 8)

I’m trying not to look too much at how static this gal has been as she’s definitely the most static in her band, but... Tomoe is fun, she adds a lot to the table for her band and the franchise as a whole, but without drawing away all attention from everybody else. In a weird sort of way, the way that she hasn’t changed much is actually a pretty good standard to see how those around her have. I feel bad for Tomoe for that, but... it’s how it is. That being said, I do really enjoy how Tomoe is written and how she’s placed in the universe relative to everybody else.

Satou “MASKING” Masuki (20, 21, 10, 9, 9)

Yeah, I am not changing MASKING’s position on this list, even despite the fact that I am trying to not be swayed too much by S3. There’s something about Masuki that... she has a lot of potential and they are definitely doing her justice, reminding me of many other characters who I really adore a lot. The most notable out of these is probably Digimon’s Ishida Yamato who, as some might remember, placed 7th on my list of all-time favorite fictional characters last year (who has been there for, what? Fifteen to twenty years by now XD?). They are doing Masuki really well and the way that she has been written, the way her seiyuu Natsume-san has really brought Masuki to life, and the sheer contrast of the individual parts of Masuki that come together to make and present my third favorite drummer of the franchise: Satou Masuki! She’s amazing.

Maruyama Aya (9, 9, 9, 10, 10)

I feel like, despite being a vocalist, Aya is pretty underappreciated, both as the vocalist of her band and her own being. It might be bias on my end for believing that Aya was voiced by Misawa Sachika, but even aside from that... Aya’s whole character is based around someone who dreamed to be something from a young age and finally reaching her goals. There’s also never a dull moment when Aya’s around which I can also attribute to the amazing work of her seiyuu: Maeshima Ami-san. Very impressive, especially considering the fact that she could potentially be the youngest seiyuu of the franchise.

Asahi “LOCK” Rokka (12, 12, 12, 12, 11)

Rokka has a lot of things going for her that makes it really hard to say anything bad about her. For starters, she’s absolutely adorable and she is a precious addition to the franchise, I don’t think anyone can deny that. She also, somehow, still has a decent and surprising amount of room for development that I feel like could really make or break the character. And while her obsession with her precious PoPiPa-san can get exhausting from time to time, I do believe they depicted Rokka in that mindset as well as they could have.

Wakamiya Eve (11, 10, 11, 13, 12)

Eve sure has been going up and down the list a bit, but that just shows how fast characters can jump (*looks at Masuki*) or fall (*looks at Yukina*) over the course of a couple months. I’ve always really adored Eve, I think they took a pretty big chance with her and it paid off. I see Eve as this parallel that a lot of fans can relate to: a non-Japanese person (I know she is half-Japanese, hush) who moves into Japan and gets super excited about everything that she sees around her, not to mention her obsession with the Bushido. I also really like a very specific characterization of Eve that the EN players will never see in the game: Eve calls characters by their katakana spelling, not hiragana, which I think was a cute concept in and of itself. For example, and this is taken from the wiki because I am too lazy to switch my keyboard for this, Eve would call Tae “タエさん” (Tae-san) instead of “たえさん” (Tae-san).

Wakana “LAYER” Rei (25, 20, 15, 11, 13)

I’ll say this about Rei: as a vocalist, she is getting really close to being my favorite vocalist based purely on her singing voice. As a character, however, we still technically don’t know too much about her and, unlike Masuki, Rei would be harder to guess. I think I placed her much higher than I should based on vocalist hype alone, so... I am trying to be more fair and realistic here.

Okusawa Misaki (10, 11, 13, 16, 14)

I am also trying to be fairer to you, and dragging you down with the main (implied) reasoning being the band you are in is... not very fair. I still really like Misaki, I think she is an interesting enough character with a lot of potential. I do, however, still believe that being stuck in HaroHapi is fairly limiting for Misaki, because not only do HaroHapi interactions almost always rely on the sanbaka doing something idiotic and Misaki grumbling but allowing herself to be dragged along, but with Michelle being such a big part of the franchise a lot of focus gets put on Misaki as well.

Tamade “CHU2″ Chiyu (13, 13, 16, 14, 15)

I look at CHU2 and... on the one hand, I see a ton of potential for her that can go very far. On the other hand, CHU2′s and PAREO’s positioning pretty much defines the rest of the list for me, for better or for worse. CHU2 got a lot of determination and motivation and she definitely will not pull any punches in her quest to try and be at the very top. At the same time, as someone who actually likes CHU2, I will also admit that her obsession with proving her superiority can get exhausting. That said... I still genuinely think that they did a pretty decent job with CHU2 with all things considered.

Nyubara “PAREO” Reona (14, 14, 14, 15, 16)

PAREO is really weird for me, because on the one hand, her obsession with everything and anything CHU2 has exhausted me more than CHU2′s obsession with being on the top. On the other hand, however, PAREO is anything but a boring character; every time that she appears on the screen you just know that there’s something interesting about to happen.

Likes

Hikawa Sayo (17, 16, 18, 18, 17)

Sayo has always been really weird for me; I said a lot of the time that Sayo is, by far, the girl who has grown the most in the franchise. On the other hand, her obsession with trying to make a name for herself in the shadow of her younger twin sister, while amusing to watch, also leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste: we’ve had three Hikawa-based events already in the EN server, technically four if we count the Sweets event as one. Anyways, Sayo is definitely a really interesting character, but for someone who gains so much attention and focus on the developer’s side... I don’t know, I guess I would say I would be expecting more of an impact from her on me? It sometimes almost feels like they have developed Sayo so fast that now they don’t know where to place her...

Ichigaya Arisa (15, 17, 17, 17, 18)

I think you will hear me say this a lot from now on, but Arisa’s obsession with, in a way, remaining very tsun is kind of getting to me... especially since the few times when we saw an Arisa who wasn’t focused on to be a tsun, we saw a really interesting, caring, hard-working girl who, in a somewhat twisted way, placed the need of others in front of her own. I honestly really like the side of Arisa, the one we rarely get to see, where she is supporting her friends in the background.

Udagawa Ako (19, 18, 20, 20, 19)

It feels kind of weird putting the two twin-tails right next to one another on the list, but here we are. Ako always has and probably always will be a really interesting character, the contrast between her bright and bubbly self and her chuunibyou self is always really fun to watch. That said, in part due to her obsession with games and looking up to Tomoe and Yukina, I feel like Ako is sometimes relegated to the “oh wow, look at this other character I adore so much!” role.

Tsurumaki Kokoro (16, 15, 19, 19, 20)

There’s never a dull moment when Kokoro is around, let’s at least give her that. She’s energetic, cheerful, desires to brighten up the world and, more importantly, it’s because of this over-emphasis on the developer’s side that the few moments Kokoro is seen when she is not as bubbly and cheerful as ever are some of the best moments in the franchise. Unfortunately, Kokoro’s obsession with doing out-of-the-ordinary things and activities... I dunno, I feel exhausted just watching her sometimes ^^’

Toyama Kasumi (26, 24, 23, 22, 21)

Kasumi is a really weird one to place because while her status as protagonist and face of the franchise gives her more than enough screentime, it’s also because of this that almost constricts and restricts her. On the surface, we got a bright girl who is obsessed with searching for the sound of the stars and tries her best to have fun with her friends. Being the face of the franchise also means she has a ton of songs, for better or for worse...

Shirasagi Chisato (22, 22, 22, 21, 22)

I feel like Chisato would have the potential to be a lot higher had she been in a different franchise, but being in Bandori means that she gets linked to my least fave quite often... which is a shame for Chisato, but what can we do? The way that Chisato acts like a contrast to the others in PasuPare, most notably Aya, of course, thanks to her experience and prior obsession to become a better professional is a really nice addition.

Matsubara Kanon (23, 25, 24, 24, 23)

I honestly feel like Kanon has a lot of the same “problems” as Misaki does in that being in the band that she is, while serving as a decent enough contrast, in theory, is not a very good thing for Kanon in practice. Especially since the very fact that she gets dragged around by the band all the time slowing down the amount of time she can shine on her own... yes, I value how the girls interact with one another in the same band, but if the developers are obsessed with pushing Kanon in the same situation it... kind of hampers that, wouldn’t it?

Above Neutral

Hikawa Hina (24, 23, 25, 25, 24)

Hina would definitely be a whole lot higher had it not been for a few issues I have... I said several times that I prefer those who work hard over those who are gifted at birth and, unfortunately for Hina... l just can’t relate to her at all or connect to her at all. Her obsession with her sister and trying to be seen as an equal by Sayo, while heartwarming on its own, has kind of... demanded attention to be put on the spotlight, as I mentioned a handful of times already. That being said, Hina is still always really fun to watch on the screen, if nothing else.

Minato Yukina (21, 26, 28, 29, 25)

And here is the girl most people would probably be looking forward to seeing on this list the most. It’s no secret that the middle finger S3 has given Yukina has definitely affected how I feel about her (and I don’t think she can ever escape being my least favorite vocalist anymore) and the seiyuu shifts in Roselia definitely affected Yukina more than anyone, but... Yukina on her own still has potential. She still has the ability to try and lead her band to the top, like she always obsessed over in the past. And, hey, perhaps another Afterglow vs Roselia event (...that is not just depicted from one side’s perspective) might boost her a bit?

Hanazono Tae (18, 19, 21, 23, 26)

I don’t know what to say about her, really... her obsession with bunnies is fun enough, her growth as a character and guitarist is definitely there and I can appreciate that. But, just like how I feel that Hagumi suffers from being in the same band as Kokoro, I feel like Tae suffers from being in the same band as Kasumi, albeit to a lesser degree. There’s just too much of an overlap between them that I feel like Tae has been in Kasumi’s shadow for a long while... and that really hampers her placement.

Yamato Maya (27, 26, 26, 27, 27)

I mean... you’re still technically 27th, but you jumped up a bit. Primarily because I took the time to go through old event stories to try and appreciate the lower-ranked characters some more. There’s definitely a lot of fun interactions involving Maya that I will admit I missed initially, and her catchphrase (not to mention Chisato’s obsession and insistence on preventing Maya from using said catchphrase) is quite iconic. I can definitely see Maya jumping up depending on how far Tae and Yukina fall...

Neutral

Ushigome Rimi (28, 28, 27, 26, 28)

I’m sorry, Rimi, I tried. Your obsession with choco cornets isn’t enough to get you up any higher. And, I know what you’re thinking, dear reader... “why is Moca your second fave if Rimi is all the way down here?”. And to that I say that Moca, to me, has a lot of other things going for her aside from her love for bread. Rimi, to me, only has her choco cornets and how much she loves her sister. She’s completely overshadowed by everyone in her band...

Kitazawa Hagumi (29, 29, 29, 28, 29)

I’m sorry, Hagumi, I tried as well. As I said earlier in Tae’s entry, Hagumi being in HaroHapi is really hurting her. I understand why they put her in HaroHapi, but because of that Hagumi has been on the backseat almost all her life. There is much too much overlap between Hagumi’s personality and Kokoro’s personality. And Kokoro, being the vocalist, received most of the attention and love while Hagumi... yeah, Hagumi did not get much in exchange...

Very Bottom

You know who is here, you have read these lists already or, otherwise, you would have noticed a very specific name missing on this one. Yeah, I tried to give her a genuine honest attempt to redeem herself, I really did. But... I really can’t. She’s staying here, for now and forever...