#i love good freaky friday plotline

[pumpkinrootbeer]

DONT listen to redditors when they tell you a good jumping off point to get into spiderman comics is Superior!! they are lying to you!! not even as a dig at superior spiderman, as much as i love making fun of it it's a good comic run

but I can't imagine recommending the one where Peter gets freaky friday-ed into a dying doc ock's shriveled body and then proceeds to die in said shriveled body as Doc Ock fucks around in Spiderman's body. and you have to read dying wish which is honestly a pretty dense 5 issue run leading up to Superior Spider-Man on its own, filled with characters that you won't have encountered unless you've been reading asm up to that point (be honest how many of you have even heard of horizon labs.) But then the first like 5ish issues of ssm Doc Ock just tries to get with MJ and also it is HEAVILY SUGGESTED to that doc ock has feelings for May. In Peter's Body. And the whole time Peter is just stuck as a ghost watching doc ock SORT OF FLIRT WITH HIS AUNT IN HIS BODY ? and I'll stop here. but in no world would I suggest maybe one of the most absurd spiderman comics (sure it's no sins of the past but come on) to someone who has only seen the movies or the cartoons, and wants to get into the comics. I get that it's like a fan favorite but come on!!

anyway here's what id recommend people read if they want to Spiderman:

Obviously ASM is the main title and if youre really committed to being in the know on spiderman, it's definitely The place to go. But also it has 900+ issues and it can hard to find a good starting place.

I don't hate the 2022 run as much as some people do (totally reasonably btw there's some choices I'm not crazy for eithsr), and since it's the ongoing run there's not as much you'd have to read to be caught up. A lot of it is little 3-4 issue self contained stories! There's only fifty-threeee (?) issues out rn so plenty to read but not as daunting as the almost One Thousand Issues that lay before you and a near 60+ year run. I also hear the 2012 run is pretty good but I've only read a few issues here and there of that one so I cannot speak to it myself lol

Another series that's not too long but still has plenty there: Deadpool/Spider-Man! has two fan favorites and absolutely plenty of wacky comic antics. The first big plotline isn't the best but the character moments more than make up for it. Only 50 issues so not too bad! Plus, the run is over so you won't be trying to catch up (im hoping they revive it <-self delusion)

Avenging Spider-Man is another good jumping off point imo! It's a team-up series that will point you to ongoing plotlines without dragging you into them, so if one happens to strike your fancy you can go find those comics to read that storyline. It's fun, heartfelt, and self contained (for the most part). Can you tell I like team up stories yet.

For individual issues you can read completely standalone:

Deadpool annual #2 (2013)

Avenging Spider-Man #4

Amazing Spider-Man #248

Daredevil #8 & #9 (2016) (two issues ik im cheating, trust me though)

And if you're just looking to get into comics in general, here's a couple stand alone miniseries that I really like (all 10 issues or less!)

Gwenpool Strikes Back (spiderman is in this one!)

Hawkeye: Freefall (spideys here too!!)

Defenders 2017 (he's not here though... as far as I can remember)

(also you can find all of these online! (for free ;)) at readcomicsonline.li but for the love of god don't use that site if you don't have an ad blocker)

[ashbash4man]

Your Name.

Hey everyone! So I just went to see Your Name. last night (finally) and all I can say is wow. Just wow. This movie was absolutely beautiful in every aspect. So I’m going to give my critique on a few points in particular:

-Characters

-Overall plotline

-Animation/Production elements

-My feelings/My thoughts on my movie watching experience

Let me give you a little background on me before I dive in. First, I’ve only seen a handfull of anime movies so I can only compare this to the ones that I’ve seen, as well as shows that I have watched. Also, this is the second time that I saw the movie. I actually had the opportunity to see it a little less than a month before it premiered in theaters, but my movie watching experience was less than preferable. When I heard that it was going to be released on April 7th, I got really sad because I wouldn't be able to go that day, however this was before I heard that it would be shown in theaters for more time than just that day. So, I was able to find the subtitled movie for free on a list of inflight movies on my flight over spring break. I jumped on the chance to see the movie anyway I could so I had to watch it on a teeny tiny little screen with constant interruptions and I had to keep fast forwarding through non-essential parts in order to finish the movie before the flight ended. I loved the movie then too, but I wanted to see it again on the big screen, like it’s supposed to be viewed. Alright now without further ado, here are my thoughts on the movie. Note: This contains some spoilers, so if you haven't seen it and don't want it to be spoiled, look away now!

1. Characters. Alright so I really liked the characters of Mitsuha and Taki. They were fun, relatable and admirable without being cheesy. I don’t feel as if they were as well developed as some of the other characters I’ve been introduced to but I still liked them. Their love story actually made sense and it wasn't as if they met once and fell in love instantly. Actually, they only met twice in the film before the end, and those meetings were short, yet meaningful. However, they were really able to get to know each other and gradually fall in love by getting to know each other so well though living each other’s lives. Their initial meeting is complicated and short, but it made sense why they were able to fall in love without having spent much time together. The side characters were also endearing and were woven into the storyline quite well. Taki and Mitsuha’s friends could have easily been mentioned once and then never seen again, but instead they appeared at appropriate times and we got to know them enough to care about them but clearly Mitsuha and Taki were the most important characters. This goes for Mitsuha’s little sister as well. I think the side characters in this film had a good amount of depth, but did not monopolize large parts of the film.

2. Overall plotline. WHERE DO I BEGIN?!?! This story is incredibly complex and symbolic, but it’s so well crafted and unique. The first time I saw it, I understood the general storyline and loved it, but being able to see it again really helped me  fully understand the intricacies of the plot. The basic plot has been seen before in movies: girl and guy switch places. Kind of like Freaky Friday. However there are elements to this story that make it more interesting than normal. First, they only switch places for days at a time, and then go back to living their own lives. Also, while they don't love the switching at first, they do not actively seek out a way to stop it. Instead, they embrace the body-switching and they end up becoming more connected through the switching. Next you have the non-linear, tangled timeline which created a new layer of intrigue to the already interesting plot. The fact that Mitsuha’s timeline existed three years before Taki’s timeline and the two are jumping back in forth in time as well as in body gave the storyline a new twist. At this point, I won't even go into the even more intricate plot points, such as the overlapping of the threads of time, meeting at twilight, the comet 1,000 years before and trend of body switching in Mitsuha’s family. It took me awhile to sort out all of the information in this movie, but now that it all makes sense, it’s incredibly interesting. Also, all of the symbolism in this movie such as the red string of fate is just astounding I love it all so much.

3. Animation/Production elements. I.LOVE.THE.ANIMATION.IN.MAKOTO. SHINKAI’S.MOVIES. This animation is absolutely gorgeous. It’s so pretty in fact that I’ve had a still from the movie as my phone lock screen for months:D. There is nothing about the visuals of this film that aren't gorgeous. The colors used in the tail of the comet are stunning. The landscape of Itomori is beautiful, especially the colors of the sky that reflect on the large pool of water that the town surrounds. On the other hand, the depiction of Tokyo makes the city look beautiful and inviting as well. The buildings are so elegant and I can definitely see why Mitsuha is so infatuated with the city. I also love the music used in the movie. I saw the dubbed version, so the Japanese songs were performed in English by the same band, and they fit perfectly with the film. I’m so tempted to go listen to the movie score right now because it just fit the film so well and it was really well crafted on it’s own. I have a huge appreciation for movie scores and I really liked this one. Lastly, I watched the subbed version of the movie on the plane and the dubbed version just now in theaters. At first, I wasn’t incredibly fond of the dub. These were not voices that I am familiar with and although I already liked Stephanie Sheh’s voicing of Mitsuha, I wasn't completely sold on Michael Sinterniklaas’ performance as Taki. This was because the first time we were introduced to Taki, Mitsuha was in his body so he made his voice sound higher and more girly. I was unsure if he would sound this way for the whole movie, but after he returned to a more normal boy voice once Taki was back in his own body, I liked his voice much more. In fact, I really liked the contrast in his voice between when Mitsuha occupied his body and when he occupied his own body. On a different note RAY CHASE, THE VOICE OF NOCTIS IN FFXV, VOICES TAKI’S FRIEND SHINTA AND I GOT SO EXCITED WHEN I HEARD HIM.  I knew his voice immediately and my heart leapt every time I heard his voice. I actually missed a part that I wanted to hear in the dubbed version because I was too busy excitedly telling my movie watching buddy (my mom) that he voiced Noct. 

4. My feelings/My thoughts on my movie watching experience. I loved seeing this movie again, and I know that I’m going to have to own the movie on DVD when it comes out. It’s too perfect not to see again. I really liked seeing it both subbed and dubbed and being able to see the contrast between the two. I loved the ending and I think leaving it open was better than seeing what would become of the two. I’m not sure what else to say besides I loved this movie. This was definitely the best anime movie I’ve ever seen and I’m so excited to see it again whenever it comes out on DVD. 

Alright, I think that just about covers it! Let me just say, I’m extremely bitter that Your Name. wasn't even nominated for an Oscar because it definitely deserved the Oscar and the amazing reviews that it’s been getting. It was a well crafted story, rich in symbolism, and the production quality is phenomenal. All in all, I give it 5/5 stars, two big thumbs up, 10/10 would recommend:D

~Ash