#i wasn't sure about the art style in the very beginning but the animation especially in the action scenes is sooooo

[mothric]

i'm multiple years late to this wagon but mob psycho 100 is so good actually. i want to yell about it to everyone but everyone's already yelled about it ages ago. i can't believe it took me this long. mob is my dear sweet son and a good good kid. if anyone is mean to him you'll catch these hands. thank you

[itsawritblr]

Vincent Price about being Ratigan.

Via Cartoon Research:

Vincent Price: “It was the first time in 45 years I had to audition. I was furious with them. I had done more than a hundred pictures and if they didn’t know what my voice sounded like then the hell with them.

“After a while I realized I was being very silly and egotistical. They knew my voice but they weren’t sure whether I could adapt to the style of acting required by the role. So, like a kid, I tried out.

“The voice is crucial in the animated film. I guess mine evokes a certain mystery….or horror or melodrama and that’s what they wanted for this character.

If I have added anything to the history of villainy, it’s a sense of fun.

“The trouble with actors now is they mumble and grumble their arts. Everything is understated to the point of absurdity. You expect something larger-than-life, not smaller.

“The director would urge me on, telling me to make it bigger and bigger. To get that big sound out, I naturally gestured and made faces. I’d come back four months later and see more of the film and find that my gestures and expressions had crept in. The eyebrows especially.

“They told me that they based the part on my performance in Champagne for Caesar (1950). My character was took himself absolutely seriously and yet could see how ridiculous he was. He was Howard Hughes’ favorite character. He gets shot in the arm and says, ‘Oh my god, it’s real blood!’

“Rattigan is the same. For instance every once in a while one of his frightened henchmen call him a rat. He’s furious, because he thinks of himself as merely a large mouse. So he feeds the poor henchmen to his pet cat.

“Rattigan finds himself hystertically funny. He’s in the marvelous tradition of Disney villains. He’s mad, mad, mad! I do adore Rattigan.

“I did it because one should never stop. That’s the first rule. Keep going. Do everything, even cartoons. If you don’t, you stop. And stopping stinks.”

BTW, because too many people don't know it, this movie is based on the children's book series Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus.

"The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" is one of the best things Henry Mancini composed.

I saw this when it first opened in theaters. Disney movies had been shit for years, and this was seen as the first animated movie of their new beginning. But some adults freaked out.

It's main character, Basil (Sherlock Holmes) didn't like kids.

Characters drank alcohol, and one got falling-down drunk.

A character who wasn't the villain was murdered (they only showed it in silhouette, but even that was too much for some critics).

There was a strip-tease, and Watson loved it.

Ratigan's Mad Scene was too mad.

Some wanted the movie banned. It wasn't. It didn't do that well -- it wasn't what Disney fans were nostalgic for -- but several critics praised it. Over time, it became a classic, mostly, I believe, because of Vincent Price.

[frostyreturns]

Frosty Ruins The Lord Of The Rings (1978)

This will be my first time ever watching this version of Lord Of The Rings, I didn't even know it existed until fairly recently. So this review is based on total first impressions.

To start with it opens like an old film serial and looks kind of janky. You could tell it was from a time where a lot of people probably didn't even know what Lord Of The Rings was, back when it was a far less mainstream property, back in the days where Robert Plant could slip plot details from the book into a song and expect that nobody would really take notice.

I'm not sure if the opening is live action or is rotoscoped like parts of the rest of the movie but it looks like they just filmed actors but did them all in shadow so they didn't have to design quality costumes. The voice over is classic 70's and is vaguely the same as the opening of Jacksons Fellowship Of The Ring, which becomes a theme.

The movie differs from the books and the Peter Jackson movies because it puts the scene of Smeagle murdering for the ring in with the introduction. However you can also see that Jackson obviously took a lot of inspiration from this version rather than just using the books as source material.

You can also see the ways that Jackson made it better, there are elements of the storytelling that to me are missing in this version. For example in this version as the nature of the ring is being revealed by Gandalf, he knows coming in what the ring is and begins the conversation by saying it is evil. Whereas in the movie there was some additional tension added by Gandalfs uncertainty, and there was a bit of a fake out and a moment of false relief. There's also the way Frodo just casually slips in the line about wishing this wasn't happening in his time…but it hasn't yet been established just how dire the situation is so the line falls flat.

As the animated portion of the movie takes off, you kind of see also that originally the story was marketted more exclusively to kids. The art style is a lot more cartoonish than I would have guessed, it's like studio ghibli crossed with an 80's cartoon like He-man. The voice over also sounds cartooney and is done in that same 80's cartoon manner. While I don't enjoy it as much as the live action which to me was near perfect…it's not terrible. The character design isn't my favourite but the art style is still very good even though the realistic live action animation rotoscoping doesn't mesh well with the cartoonish simpler animation or look all that great, but it is interesting, very well composed. The backgrounds look like they would all make good paintings that I would frame and hang around the house. The movie looks like it's a product of its time so I can see there being a dedicated fanbase for this version but I can also see people saying it's cheesy and dorky.

Speaking of bad character design. I hate what they did to most every character especially Sam, they made him look and sound like a little effeminate homunculus. Saruman the white they for some reason depicted in a red cloak. The Nazgul looked less intimidating and more zombielike, they had the movement of lurchy hunchbacks that would have been reminiscent of old 30's horror movies. Aaragorn also looked so frumpy and plain, almost native american looking. Elrond looked so plain and looked more like Kevin Nealon than the animated Kevin Nealon from 8 Crazy Nights where he played the mayor. The orcs and trolls looked like smudgy incoherent blobs, the only reason you can tell it's supposed to be a creature is the glowing eyes. Even the balrog looked weird and less intimidating…and they didn't really build it up in the Moria scenes like the books and other movies do. Although one interesting thing about the characters is I thought the voice actor for Frodo was excellent and actually sounded a lot like Elijah Wood, to the point I wonder if that effected his casting at all.

There are moments compositionally that seem amateurish, for example they introduce Merry And Pippin by having them simply walking behind the main characters without introduction, and then they threw in dialogue about them agreeing to follow them as far as Bree…but the audio sounded different and it sounded like the voice actor rushed the line to make it fit into the scene before it changed. Seems like they made a last minute change because they had to cut the scene where they introduced the characters or because they realized they forgot to explain who they were. Then it cuts to a shot of them doing a weird little dance and then the scene changed again…very strange and makes the whole thing looks less professional.

One other complaint I have is that the visual depictions of magic use are not well done at all, and if I did not already know what was happening I would have no clue what I was looking at. The duel between Gandalf and Saruman was just flashing lights, and there was a prolonged scene with the black riders where the background kept shifting in and out and it looked like they were in the sky one second and on land the next. And they just held out their hands and Frodo just seemed to stand there watching them point at him for no reason at all. Knowing the story I know what is happening but without the context of the books or the Jackson movies this scene would have been very confusing.

The action is also underwhelming. The way they swing their swords makes them look like less effective weapons than a twig, they hit enemies with a sword like they're using a blunt object, it's hard to describe what I mean but it just looks wrong.

The other main issue I have with the movie is that because it squeezes the whole story into one two hour movie a lot is missing, a lot is glossed over and many of the scene changes seem abrupt. For example they talk about going through Lothlorien and then cut immediately to talking with Galadriel. The biggest problem with this version is that so much is missing. It's only half the story with Return Of The King completely missing because of a cancelled sequel. But even much of the parts they did show were greatly cut down and much was ommitted.

One thing i liked about this version is that they never really explain in the Jackson movies how Frodo kept gollum in line. The idea that he could threaten to use the ring to command him as a thrall was never in the movie but it was in the books. So for all my complaints I can't say it wasn't a faithful adaptation. It was an interesting one time watch and for parts of it I did enjoy it, it is still Lord Of The Rings so it can't be totally bad. I'd certainly rather watch this than anything Amazon shits out. Overall though it wasn't good and it's enjoyablity depends on how much you enjoy anachronistic cartoons about classic fantasy literature.

[merlinjor01]

Week 4- [Lou Romano & Pirates]

For this module we had to look at Lou Romano's style, as the way he works with colour and shapes are very interesting and how he can make action based scenes with simple shapes and limited colours. Lou Romano is mostly known of his art work and animation within Pixar and Laika studios, working on movies such as the Incredibles, the Boxtrolls, samurai jack and the powerpuff girls. He is known for his very distinct style and being able to create scenes using basic colours and mainly shapes. He is also known for creating colour graphics for specific scenes that have a specific colour set within them.

I had found some of his work within Dumbo [2019] of a few story boards, colour graphics, and even progress images of drawings he had worked on. A feature that I had noticed was at the 'In progress' drawings I found at the bottom, how they first began by just being lines of simple block colour, and building from those colours to create a scene where all the colour match each other. This way of colour design I have tried out in the past by allocating a simple block colour to a character and building off of it. This technique worked a lot in having the characters colours all fit with each other so the character wasn't left with an odd colour palette which is something I really like about Lou Romano's style, that the colours he picks and uses fit well with each other and don't look out of place.

Our last task was making a pirate design using the style of Lou Romano. I had first began with a silhouette, making the main features more noticeable and not getting lost in the rest of the design such as the hair, sword and pose. My idea was to make the character look strong and powerful, this I wanted to represent through the shapes I would use and the colours that would be portrayed as well such as deep reds and golds. I had then created a layer on top to begin the colouring. This was a challenge for me as working on a lineless style isn't my strong point but I wanted to get it as close to Lou Romano's as possible so I had challenged myself. Nearing towards the end of the lesson I finished up what I could and we moved on to giving each other feedback for our work by leaving a notepad open and letting others type on it. With the comments I had received, I gathered that people liked the design so far, especially the pose :))

I find working in a simplistic style easy as my own way of drawing and designing isn't too detailed itself, and within my own designs I always make sure the colours correlate together by using colour pallets, themes, or just using the eyedropper tool.

sources- Lou Romano - IMDb - LOU ROMANO

[fivehundredsporks]

Here is my finished list!!!

I'm gonna talk about each tier/entry individually just to go over why I like/love them (also our favs are gonna be diff and if yours aren't on here don't bust a nut or anything)

Constantly Rotating in My Mind:

so this tier is for my absolute favourites, they've pretty much become part of me at this point and I think about them non-stop, starting with;

Bleach (Anime + Manga)

So, where the fuck do I even begin with this one lmfao, Bleach is honestly my top favourite piece of media, ever, to me. everything about this just clicked with me, from the art style to the fights, the music but those aren't what made Bleach my favourite, sure they helped but it wasn't what sold me. What sold me was the characters, from the protagonist Ichigo, to the supporting characters and villains It's the characters in Bleach that always just stood out for me the most and made me love the series, especially their arcs! with Byakuya's probably having my favourite arc, besides Ichigo (but tbh I'm biased with him since he's my fav character) They all just have such believable motivations, goals and relationships. (also quick side note but I'm sick of the Orihime slander y'all better put some respect on her name, just because she got with Ichigo over Rukia and also just because of the anime's adaptation of her.)

Trigun ('98 Anime)

Trigun is honestly a recent addition to the list! I only actually watched it in January this year! But it quickly made list because I found it to be so compelling, it's got it's comedic moments for sure with Vash, Meryl and Millie but its also got such tragedy and sadness in it with not only Vash and Knives relationship (which isn't as explored in '98 as Maximum and Stampede, although you could say that about alot of '98's adaptation) but also with Vash's struggle when he eventually ends up taking a persons life, his relationship with this parental figure, Rem and his best(boy)friend Wolfwood. To the setting! it all just spoke to me and It's quickly ended up becoming my second favourite!

Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime + Manga)

If I had to describe the JJK manga in just one sentence It'd probably be along the lines of "It's so over, we're so back, its over) It's got a lot of peaks and valleys, and I don't mean that in a negative way of it being bad, but in it's triumphant moments and then being cast back down into despair (recent chapters being an example lol) But like Bleach, what I find really compelling about JJK is it's characters! It also has some of the best written characters in an anime, especially its villains! I really like the writing behind them, especially Suguru Geto's corruption into a villain! But also just how messed up the Jujutsu sorcery world and how insane you actually have to be a part of it.

Hellsing (Anime + Manga)

I'll keep this one short, Its Vampire Nazi's vs Dracula, with some badass female characters and music, also its gory as shit 10/10.

My Love Mix-up! (Manga)

This is the first BL manga that I've actually ever read! As someone who has grown up with just a general lack of LGBTQ characters and romance in their media, to find that their is an entire genre of manga for it was really eye-opening! I ended up becoming really invested in the "will they wont they" kind of relationship going on between the 2 MC's for the first few volumes, especially Kōsuke Ida, him navigating that, first of all what does it mean to "like" someone when you've never romantically interested in someone before, but then when that person is same sex. spoke to my own personal experiences growing up. It's what made me like the manga so much, also it's comedic moments! It's actually a very funny manga, especially the side couple.

Full Metal Alchemist (Anime + Manga)

FMA has one of the best stories I've ever seen in an anime/manga, the way it's so inter-connected and all the threads of plot/characters are so weaved together are! so! good! The characters and their arc's! Scar being a prime example of this! (I'm really struggling to articulate why I love this show so much lmao, look I really just love it do I have to justify everything??)

Blue Flag (Manga)

This is a LGBTQ+ story, that I'd actually recommend you just go and read it for yourself! I don't really wanna spoil anything, and if I talk about this manga I will!! just go read it now!!!!! (side note I can't believe the series got cancelled??!!!! like???!!! because of that we really got to miss out on a relationship between 2 characters!!!! and even though they get married at the end!!!!! It's still kinda vague!!!!!)

Chainsawman (Anime + Manga)

Again, one of the thing's that made me absolutely love Chainsawman is the characters, but most of all it's their motivations, and how "human" they are. and by that I mean just so, normal. Which is a weird thing to say, but when the norm for Shonen MC's is that they wanna fight and kill god, having one whose main goal is 1, Touch Boobs, get a girlfriend and have sex, it's really refreshing. It just paint's what a "normal" kid that Denji and the juxtaposition that is towards Aki, whose goal is to kill the Gun Devil. That kind of character writing is a what really drew me into the manga and made me love it. (ALSO I'm vastly oversimplifying thing's bc I don't really wanna spoil so that's just the gist of it) Also like the Found Family of Denji, Aki and Power. But I'm just a sucker for that trope!

I Think Our Son Is Gay (Manga)

This is some REALLY good positive LGBTQ representation, not just from the "MC" of the story Hiroki and him navigating being LGBTQ but from his mother's perspective as she tries be supportive/encouraging of him but also learning about what it means to be LGBTQ and what they face/go through. It's really heart-warming and sweet! I do want to throttle the dad sometimes though, I get that he's (supposed) to be learning and challenging his own bias' but if he upsets Hiroki again he will be catching these hands.

Our Dreams at Dusk (Manga)

Another LGBTQ+ story that I would highly recommend that you just go and read for yourself, It's in my opinion very powerful in it's depictions of the different LGBTQ identities covered in the story, and the struggles they face at the ages that they do! HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this one (I believe the author is putting a new series out soon but I need to check up on that)

Castlevania (Anime)

This. Fucking. Series. It's got some absolutely amazing art and animation work on it, that just gets better and better with each subsequent season! Just like the characters! Not only are they just amazingly written with such depth, but their arc's and development are just some of the best in fiction.

Golden Kamuy (Anime + Manga)

Honestly, this is probably the Gayest Anime i've ever watched, without it actually being gay. But also it's probably the funniest anime I've ever watched, I've never laughed as much at something as I have watching this. It's also got a great story with a great kinda Sibling relationship between Sugimoto and Asirpa, and poor Tanigaki, literally the bara comedy relief of the show (Also I believe the author compared the characters dick sizes at one point? its crazy, in a good way.) I'd highly recommend!

Soul Eater (Anime)

Such a unique premise, Death himself runs a school that teaches people, regular school stuff, but also how to fight. Also some of the students can turn into weapons that the other students wield. And the moon has a face. So naturally its very good (also in a roundabout way its the sequel to Fire Force) HOWEVER The manga wasn't done when the series so I'm petitioning for a Soul Eater: Brotherhood so we get the full story!

Mob Psycho 100 (Anime + Manga)

One of my favourite aspects of this show is how it shows that nobody is too far gone, that nobody is beyond redemption and growth as person. It's a message I think a lot of people really need to hear, You can just decide to be a better person and leave the past behind you, while still learning from it. And all it takes is a Middle Schooler beating the shit out of you and calling you lame. (Also WaWa, I'm constantly rotating him in my mind)

given (Anime + Manga)

Pain. just, pain. I really like how the anime (and manga) handle the topics of grief, lose, love and toxicity. But also how to move on from that, how to process it and the importance of knowing how to communicate. It really makes for a beautiful if not incredibly sad story. (also fuck you Kaji, you know what you did.)

Sasaki and Miyano (Anime + Manga)

On the opposite side of the spectrum from given, we get Sasaki and Miyano! It's really just pure fucking fluff. It's a sweet slow-burn love story, that'd I'd really recommend if you like that kind of thing, also the fucking end music slaps.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Anime + Manga)

Ooooh boy. NGE Is an anime that I think everyone takes something different from. whether it's the themes and messages it's trying to convey to the audience, or it's cool visuals or fights. It's got something for everyone. For me it's the message of self-love and acceptance it's conveying to the watcher through the eyes of Shinji, that we all have value and a place in the world, that it's okay for us to be here. But also it's message that escapism isn't a good thing, that we need to face our problems head on instead of hiding away from them. And then the Rebuilds building upon this and giving us even more! I'd highly recommend watching!! Just be a good mental head space lol.

Castle in the Sky (Anime)

The first Ghibli film I ever watched!!! Absolutely fell in love with the art style and animation ever since!

Howls Moving Castle (Anime)

Honestly, same with Castle in the Sky! second Ghibli film I ever watched and fell in love! such gorgeous visuals! and a beautiful story! one of my favourite films of all time!

[violence-as-a-love-language]

[ID: A digital painting of a cathedral style stained glass window. The window has partially shattered, and is currently on fire. All that remains of the glass is small bits at the bottom and top, as well as two mosaics. One is of a peacock facing the left, the other is a lamb facing the right. The peacock has various shades of reds and pinks behind them, while the lamb has various shades of yellows, whites, and a few oranges on the edges. The very top of the window has a partially destroyed mosaic of Christ on the cross, with a burst of fire ripping through the middle of him. /end ID]

✨Holy✨

A Nandermo Fanmix for The Lion's Devotion (The Lamb's Downfall)

Go West Young Man (Predator) - Kenneth Aaron Harris || Where to Begin - Adam Watts || Conspiracy of Silence - The Swoons || Don't Follow - Shelby Merry || If I Believe You - The 1975 || Wretch - Autoheart || Religion - Isak Danielson || Burn Your Life Down - The Bleachers || New Skin - VERITE || + Bonus song: Holy - Danielle LoPresti

I decided I had to make something for this amazing fic by the lovely @crack--attack. It has quickly climbed the charts of my all time favourite fics and I'm definitely going to be rereading it many more times to come. And if you haven't read it yet, you should give it a go! Especially if, like me, you have a lot of religious trauma. Its very cathartic.

So, I'm not so good at drawing humans. I tried to think of what art I could draw, but eventually I decided to make a fanmix instead. However, that quickly spiraled into me making something much, much too complicated for just a playlist cover. So I'm showing it off here in its full glory before I have to crop it.

Anyways, I had a blast making both the art and the playlist, and so I just hope its enjoyed. Also, because I have more to say and show off, detail shots and ✨Symbolism✨ below the cut. Also, spoilers for the fic as well, so don't read below if you haven't read the fic.

[ID: Close up shots of the previous stained glass window painting. The first is a close up of the animals at the top, showing the red eyes of both creatures. The second is a close up of the flames. /end ID]

So I spent some time thinking about what I'd want to have on the stained glass. After cycling through a few options, I landed on the peacock and the lamb.

Now, I grew up nondenominational Christian, not Catholic, so sorry if I got some things off here. But looking into things, I decided on the peacock instead of the more obvious choices because, apparently, in some peoples beliefs, it is used to represent immortality and eternal beauty. And well... that felts very, very fitting for Nandor. His stained glass colors are made to look like blood, of course.

For Guillermo, I just went with the obvious choice of the sacrificial lamb. For the colors, however, I decided to mirror the colors of the half burnt christ up top. Various shades of white and yellow for purity and holiness to god. But, as you get further up, the yellow darkens into more of an orange. Some symbolism for Nandor's colors mingling with his. 'Tainting' him in the churches eyes.

And then of course, the red eyes from the fire. I thought that would be a fun combo, the fire burning and cleansing Guillermo of his old life, as well as the fact that at the end, he's changed into a vampire, just like Nandor.

There's more small details and obvious things, but that's the big stuff I wanted to communicate with this piece that I wasn't sure if it would make sense. Symbolism talk over!

[everykabuto]

as someone who has only read the manga, what exactly did the anime do to the kabuto vs naruto sannin deadlock fight? did they butcher it? can’t have shit in the kabuto fandom smh

You've only read the manga... you have been spared from Some Bullshit then omg.

Firstly... I just personally dislike the visuals of the anime for the most part, especially during that fight. Kishimoto has many faults, but his art is not one of them. I love the art in the manga and the anime does not manage to capture the charm of it IMO. And not just in the art style; when it comes to framing, every scene has so much less impact than in the manga. It clearly had a low budget so I can't blame it too much, it's just disappointing. I think this fight in particular got the short end of the stick when it came to budget, and it shows.

So now we get to the fight itself and what they did to Kabuto. It's really a bunch of small changes that wouldn't matter that much on their own, but all add up to make him feel like a different character.

This is before the fight, but the expressions he makes here are entirely different and give the scene a completely different vibe.

They take away the scared/shocked expression he has when he sees Jiraiya... and then why does he smile when he sees Naruto? What does that mean? His character is so confusing in the anime. I don't understand anime Kabuto.

Next, this is a small change but they cut out the moment at the beginning of the fight where Kabuto basically tells Orochimaru "I told you so". The lines directly after where Kabuto is clearly sassing them are also played a lot more seriously in the anime. To me they give off more of a "yes orochimaru-sama whatever you say" vibe in the anime, which is annoying because that wasn't what was happening in the manga. The scene later on in the fight where they first summon the snake feels like the tone was changed in a similar way.

In the manga, I read this as Kabuto more or less ignoring Orochimaru's comment to tell them what to do. In the anime it sounds like him saying "Lord Orochimaru" also serves as him acknowledging their comment, and then being more polite about his request. It's a very small change but I feel like it's important to Kabuto's arc that he's becoming more comfortable and less formal around Orochimaru.

(Also why did they change "You're bleeding pretty good, Kabuto..." to "The blood is gushing out nicely, eh, Kabuto?" Who translated this?)

Also, related to this moment; during the fight, Kabuto slits his wrist to draw blood to throw on Tsunade. This was heavily censored in the anime. It's a totally understandable change to have to make, but it does make every scene where they draw attention to this injury feel strange in the anime. It feels like Kabuto is being completely stopped from using his hand by a small cut on his palm.

I've seen people joke about how Kabuto is weak for having to take a plasma pill during this fight, where I'm reading the manga like "That should not be enough to replace the amount of blood he's losing right now holy shit"

A weird change is that when Naruto shows up, the anime seems to push a little harder on the idea that Kabuto doesn't want to tell Naruto he was a spy... but then they flip it around and have him smile when he tells Naruto he'll kill him.

Why? What is this supposed to mean? That he's evil and likes murder?

And then there's... this. I'm sure this is just the fault of the translators writing the subs but. "Can you whoop it up in the same way now?" I swear to god.

And then there's this scene. I read this as Kabuto kicking Naruto once, but the anime changes it to Kabuto continuously kicking Naruto over and over until Naruto manages to catch his foot, which definitely doesn't happen in the manga. Yes, Kabuto is being spiteful by kicking Naruto, but not to the degree that the anime has him being.

I could go on and on about the amount of poorly adapted changes in this fight. As someone who watched the anime first, I was shocked to find out how much I liked this fight in the manga, because it SUCKS in the anime. But for the sake of this post not getting any longer (and because I physically can't add any more pictures without tumblr stopping me) I'll stop here.

[rivangel]

EPISODE 80 REVIEW (BC I AM LOSING MY MIND)

spoilers for the newest episode of aot (obviously)

as a manga reader i rly dont think this chapter couldve been adapted any better - the music, the darker, rustic art style, the voice acting and animation?? all so so incredible, top-tier. i think this is the high point of P2 so far.

ymir fritz has been one of my fav characters since i read the manga😭 you know you've written a great character if she has no speaking lines and yet her story still conveys itself so powerful - ymir's entire premise is that she was a slave. she suffered senseless violence and lived a life as a concubine for 13 years after having her tongue cut out.

aot draws many parallels b/n historia and f.ymir's characters, obviously. in one of the screencaps, f.ymir was holding her pregnant belly in the exact way historia was - and tho i don't rly understand why isayama (creator of aot) ever took historia in this direction in season 4, it's a very tragic turn of events for the girl who 104th ymir commanded to live for herself. im not sure, we'll see.

there were so many moments where the visual storytelling, the silence really said it all. i had chills throughout ymir's entire backstory - especially when she was blamed for releasing a pig (a conflict so senseless which is conveyed by the fact that it wasn't showed on screen) and fritz told her she was 'free' - to be hunted. not unlike faya, grisha's sister, when he took her beyond the internment zone for the first time when they were kids.

it rly rounds out aot's themes. from the very beginning, it has always been a conflict between being slaughtered by the titans and 'becoming free' by killing them, when in reality, the titans were eldians too - those subject to a long nightmare (as 104th ymir put it in S2).

it rly puts into perspective how senseless it was for her to be revered. she never seeked out the power of the titans as much as it was (seemingly) a parasite that sensed her desperation and latched onto her. without knowing any other way to live, ymir continued serving fritz bc she desperately wanted to be loved (as shown by this screencap)

so, when she sacrificed herself for fritz, perhaps to ymir the greatest act of love, and he told her nothing more than to get up - despite her powers she didn't want to go on anymore. she chose to escape to a place free from suffering, but free from love as well: Paths. she's always been a slave.

when i first saw the manga panel revealing Sina, Rose and Maria?? god what a shock. naturally, the anime rly cut down on the gore in this panel (warning for that)

when eren talked ymir into rebelling against zeke (and by extension, her existence as a slave) - showing her eyes for the first time... god it was so powerful to me. as someone who could never show her agony before, not once, who could never bare her soul - it's just incredible.

it rly felt like this episode was 5 min long. thats a testament to how good it was for me😭

also, armin and mikasa were so funny✋ im sorry. armin still choosing to believe that eren had good intentions even when the wall titans started walking is insane to me - it shows just how much trust armin put in him. it's honestly tragic.

on the bright side, zeke stans rly ate in this episode (as usual bc zeke doesn't like to wear clothes, apparently). god he looks so good.

a final note: eren's speech at the end, holy fuck it's so intimidating/awesome?? he's objectively a horrible person about to do monstrous things, but i got so many chills. the fact Mappa decided to adapt one of the most iconic panels from this arc just as it was felt so good:

Just - 10/10 episode. there's not much else to say. incredible.

MANGA SPOILERS BELOW

ALSO: i realize that the anime is skipping around, a lot. most of the episode adapted 122, only for the end, with M+A and everyone in Paths to be from the end of 123 - aka the flashback to the scouts' first expedition to marley aka levi in a suit so-

as well as the flashback of eren asking mikasa what he is to her and them all getting drunk :((

jhgjirtg

[theresa-of-liechtenstein]

art by em year in review: electric boogaloo!

ah, 2021. a rollercoaster (derogatory). you know the drill—unsolicited affectionate self-roasting below the cut.

jan: starting things off on the most cheerful note imaginable here with an illustration for the fic in which I thought it'd be a great idea to kill off martin crieff! I could make fun of my lineart here but to be honest, looking back I just feel sorry for the em that hadn't yet discovered alpha lock in sketchbook...babygirl you could have spent so much less time on your art...

feb: hello linda fairbairn, otherwise known as the one-off cabin pressure character whose offhand mention of her hobby as a rally driver was the reason I got sucked into motorsport! and hello to therlinda, also known as the best idea I've come up with this year! (sorry not sorry bobsled!) anyway that race suit kind of deserves to be made fun of. luckily, I've already done that, and proposed a better (safer) redesign.

mar: and here we see the beginning of the shipwright & fairbairn lore, in which my dreadfully overpowering hunger for a mentor figure in the midst of completely virtual university led me to wonder what it would be like to be a starry-eyed kid at the bottom of the pecking order of one's airline getting stuck with a tired old guy with baggage. I decided to return to a brush I hadn't used since february of 2020, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually...liked what I got. I would continue using this brush for lineart until mid- to late summer.

apr: I maintain that we need a studio ghibli adaptation of the careers and lives of michèle mouton and fabrizia pons, two rally drivers from the 80s I discovered while doing research for linda fairbairn fanfic. sure, there's an animated movie based loosely on mouton's life, but it gives the michèle-coded character...magic powers. which is kind of stupid considering that at the core of michèle and fabrizia's story is hard work, friendship, determination, and overwhelming joy. so anyway I think they deserve a ghibli film. it was fun to experiment with this style so I included it here.

may: a very necessary update to this piece (since I kind of see everyone in cabin pressure as filipino except for theresa and linda). I love this picture still—it's my mobile header and I don't plan on changing it anytime soon. even though I did martin sort of dirty (but really, who's up in arms about martin nowadays!) my favorite part of the piece is either theresa and carolyn sharing a conspiratorial glance, or douglas and arthur being almost the same height. is arthur standing on a box? did he inherit height elsewhere? well, i can't decide, but should I maybe talk a little more about the specifics of my ideas of the cabin pressure crew being filipino? yes perhaps I should. but another time. another time

jun: just girly best friendz things is being a rally driving partnership for like six years, having your children around the same time as each other, and having your birthdays three days apart. I drew this for mouton and pons' birthdays and it was the first large-scale thing I did in procreate. ok confession: since then I haven't really used procreate. I know, bad of me, especially since I spent like ten dollars on the app: but sketchbook is just more intuitive under my fingers. and since I discovered alpha lock was a thing on sketchbook...

jul: ...I could make stuff like this. I drew this for the birthday of the former top target of my gender envy (it's now shifted...but I still appreciate the gender I got from him), former F1 world champion sebastian vettel. drawing all the little details in the race suits was sooo much fun honestly and i could go on and on about the specific ways this dude inspires me but. it's a little embarrassing. I'll save it for the essay.

aug: admittedly at this point i kind of had a flop era. the pen I'd been depending on (heh) since march wasn't really working with me. looking back I realize I may have over-arted myself into burnout, but at the time I didn't really think it was the problem. I also remember feeling a lot of frustration around this time because I didn't seem to have the inspiration to touch anything other than shipwright & fairbairn. luckily for my art life, I forced myself to stop drawing for something like two weeks...

sept: ...and this was the result. I think this is my favorite shipwright & fairbairn thing yet. your honor they are besties. they are besties. also, new brush! actually, it's not so much a new brush as it is a brush I used a lot before, got tired of, then changed the settings around and decided I liked it. honestly what I am fond of now for lineart is a sort of chalky (???) textured brush with a lot of variation of tip size based on pressure, but opacity is unaffected. if any of that makes sense at all! also, coloring the lineart with alpha lock so that its darker and more saturated than the flat coloring was such a game-changer. before (see january) I would just make the lineart darker than the flat coloring but not change the saturation, which made it look...meh. kind of dead. so this was a case of learn what you like and things will be okay.

oct: THE F1 AU. oh my god it lives in my head rent free. I have a lot of notes about this on the artwork's post itself so all I'll say is that thinking up all the little details and customizing the helmets was soo much fun. maybe I should have a side job as a helmet designer... should this technically be in september since most of the sketching was done in september? I say no. I did the coloring in october (also it was kind of the only thing I completed to satisfaction in october because. school became in person again and I got many times busier. turns out in-person university is very different from virtual university! /j)

nov: yet another iteration of the f1 AU! giving douglas a mustache is one of the most simultaneously inspired and cursed choices I've ever come across. (Inspired because it was ant who egged me on to to do it, cursed because...I barely know how to draw facial hair. I floundered on poor seb's picture [see july] kdajfkfjd)

dec: lastly, a work I never posted but currently use as a discord icon...my ferrarisona. yes my favorite f1 team is scuderia ferrari. I blame user fio maranello. something about the history, something about the legacy, a lot about the passion. anyway I used the 2018 ferrari suit bc that's the last time seb finished 2nd bc it's sexy. and my dream helmet is covered in sampaguita and functional groups and the reaction round the top of the helmet is a radical polymerization reaction (polypropylene, which is not my favorite but it behaves in a cool way so whatever).

[silver-rings-and-rabbits]

Meet My MC

My Open Heart MC became my most favourite MC and I want to share him:

The Present --- The Future

Full name: Matthew Rupert Valentine

Nickname: Mattie (by Sienna, when she’s drunk), Valentine, Rookie

Faceclaim: Douglas Booth

Features: Scruffy brown hair, big blue eyes, full lips, fair skin, lean build

Date of birth: 4th November 1992

Hometown: Born in Denver, Colorado before moving to Carbondale, Colorado before high school. Lived there until moving to Boston.

Education: University of Colorado, med campus. Could have gone ivy-league but didn’t want to move out of state at the time

Love Interest: Rafael Aveiro ❤️

Family: He had a twin sister--Casey--who died of leukaemia when they were 12. His father--Rob--didn't handle it well which led to a messy divorce; his mom--Holly--moved in with her brother--Tony--in Carbondale, Matthew stayed in Denver until moving in with them before high school, then he and his mom moved into a small house nearby. He’s in contact with his father but the situation has left some distance between them.

Height: 6'1" (185cm)

Occupation: Doctor and diagnostics team fellow at Edenbrook Hospital

Core personality traits: -He's very easygoing, very much a peacemaker in the group, very friendly and affectionate (especially when drunk which has become a running joke within the group). -Extremely passionate about his job and cares so much about helping people. -Workaholic tendencies: he seized his schoolwork to distract from his grief and the divorce but he soon forgot to balance his life until med school. He resolved to do better socially at Edenbrook, but when Rafael broke up with him briefly he started overworking himself again. -He started out insecure and had a big case of imposter syndrome, but since he won his ethics trial and was appointed to the diagnostics team he has worked past his insecurities...mostly.

Interests: -Animals: his uncle raised horses and he learned to ride and care for them. He and his roommates have a chinchilla named Spooky and he spoils her rotten. -He is a naturally talented artist and, although he didn't pursue a career, he enjoys art galleries (when he gets the chance) and is constantly on the look out for new things to draw (he takes pictures to use as reference material). Evelyn's blindness struck a particular chord with him...he still wishes he could have done more for her. -He enjoys cooking with Rafael and baking with Sienna.

Random facts: -His guilty pleasure is using Sienna's moisturiser and face packs; at the beginning of his break-up with Rafael in his second year he had cried until his eyes were red raw and Sienna gave him some moisturiser to help. It worked wonders and he still sneaks into her room for a facial on occasion. -He's not a big fan of wearing ties and wasn't enthusiastic about wearing them for work. He's gotten used to it. -In times of stress or pain, he develops insomnia and loses his appetite. This was particularly prevalent in his second year, especially the first half. -He can touch his nose with his tongue.

Hobbies: -Drawing, it's his go-to stress reliever (as was horse riding until he moved to Boston). -Video games with Elijah and co. He doesn't always win but that makes it funnier. -Casual sports with his friends and occasionally working out with Bryce and Raf. -He likes to visit the civic centre with Rafael, and Rafael has been teaching him to dance.

Background: He became very withdrawn after his sisters death and kept to himself. His dad did the same and put in a lot of overtime. The more Matthew focused on his studies, the less he had to focus on everything else. He also excused it with the fact he had to keep his grades up to be a doctor. It wasn't until med school when he finally realised he had acquaintances but not friends and resolved to change that, so when he moved to Boston he decided he would be more social. The first night in Donahue's led to him making friends with the people who became his roommates and he considers it one of the best decisions he's made.

His sisters death wasn't the sole reason he became a doctor, but it helped him realise exactly how much the tiniest gestures can help patients and their families and tries to incorporate that into his job. Dealing with Kyra's cancer journey was rough for both of them. She specifically sought Matthew out before everyone else to tell him she was cancer free and they both cried with joy.

Talents/skills: -Medicine, obviously. -Art. His art teacher was disappointed that he wasn't going to pursue an artistic career and begged him not to let his skill go to waste. He has toyed with the idea of commissions but is afraid he won't have the time to do it justice.

Style of dress: Casual and comfy. Pyjama bottoms and baggy t-shirts/sweaters when lounging around at home. Work is fairly similar: shirt, sweater and tie, with smart pants and shoes.

Habits: -Working to distraction is a bad one. These days Rafael, Bryce and his roommates are quite good at making sure he doesn't burn himself out. -He runs his hands through his hair when he's stressed or upset.

Sexual orientation: Bisexual

Tags: @openheartfanfics

[pastel9girlbunny000die]

Age Gap... AU

One Piece~

♡The characters are all between 27-29 unless said otherwise

♡The s/o is between 16-18

Warning: ...Kissing and Cuddles? PDA, nakedness and language.

Part 2

Exstra 😱😵🖊 {At some point I couldn't stop writing.}

Portgas D. Ace 🔥

🔥You met Ace at school during one of your art classes.

🔥He came in to do a favor for one of your teachers, to give tips on art and give you guys professional guidance and at some point he posed as a model.

🔥Yes a model !!!

🔥Soooo you kinda got to see him naked the first time you met, he was opened with all his god like built.

🔥When the class was done sketching. He caught a glimpse of your work seeing as it wasn't nearly done, so he offered to stay longer for you to finish.

🔥God damn you wish he didn't, him being there is the very reason your sketch wasn't done. It was too embarrassing to look at a naked man infront of you and sketch.

🔥Not knowing which to concentrate on?

🔥Ace saw that, and offer to help you like exstra lessons at his home maybe improve the areas you lack at.

🔥And you gladly took that offer.

🔥At some point after teaching you for half a year. You started just acting like a couple without knowing when it actually happened.

🔥Ace loves his s/o with every bit of his heart.

🔥You spend most of you free time with each other, either sketching each other or chilling playing video games or talking.

🔥Ace is a professional artist, with both a degree and diploma in practical arts, so ofcourse his art is going to so much more advanced than yours.

🔥You love staring at him while he paints.

🔥Ace loves not wearing a shirt proves he is comfortable in his own skin, he also got his s/o into wearing less clothes.

🔥With the less clothes you got use to drawing him only in boxers.

🔥And somehow you guys turned into that couple that's completely fine with walking around each other naked in his apartment alone.

🔥Ace's job is something he loves doing while having fun. Yes he does teach arts at a university.

🔥Remember your still in high school not in a college/university.. yet.

🔥Ace is a very clingy man he will hug you a lot even when his naked. He gives you a lot of pet names he's favorite is, teachers pet.

🔥He doesn't do small half ass kisses. Its either long and passionate or heavily horny make out.

🔥Ace's s/o loves the tattoos on his skin, trenching her/his fingers over his arm or back.

🔥Ace reminds you of a cowboy though to his country style and mostly the hat in his bedroom.

🔥Yes you have met his friends especially Marco, you didn't mind hanging out with them their nice people and fun.

🔥You met Ace's family the first week he started teaching you. You met his two brothers and his Father that goes by White Beard.

🔥The second White Beard met you, he told Ace to never let you go or he will beat the crab out of him

🔥Ace took it to heart and loved you even more.

🔥You never really told your parents that your dating Ace. One day you just brought him home and hanged out in your room, at some point they just assume you guys are dating and they we're all right with it.

🔥When it comes to drawing Ace, you love to draw his face the most, make it look like his freckles are stars.

🔥His black hair and freckles are the most notable features on him.

🔥Your first date, wasn't that bad except at a random part he fell asleep

🔥In the beginning when he started teaching you, you though he was just tired but it happens frequently so it made you worried.

🔥He calmed your nerves telling you he has narcolepsy and his fine, might fall asleep at random times but his okay.

🔥It made you relax, and questioned him if there's a way to stop it but he only shook his head and dropping down on you snoring as he sleep hug you.

🔥You can only ask him help with art work/homework anything related to art otherwise not he can't help, he'd be just as dumbfounded as you.

🔥He inspired you to get a tattoo of your own name in your (Body part), but he was against the idea of a random person touching so he did it himself.

🔥Accidentally spelled one letter wrong so he had to cross it out, you strated yapping at him that he did it purposely.

🔥He made it up to you by giving you another tattoo on your (Body part) that was your favorite (animal of your choice/any tattoo of your choice.)

🔥You guys never gets mistaken for relatives or family members even friends, cause Ace's is all over you, making out even sucking on your neck.

🔥But they do know you guys have an age difference but they don't know how much

🔥His already in his late twenties, and doesn't care as long as you are with him and love him for who he is rather than his age he'll love you back.

🔥You were happy afterwards.

🔥PDA *Public display of affection*

🔥He would hold your hand even kiss you.

🔥But he loves wrapping an arm around your waist having you lean against his body.

🔥Signaling others that you are taken and your his property.

🔥PDA kissing😏😳 just like I said, Ace only allows long and passionate or heavily horny make out kissing.

🔥He makes sure sexual tension rise when your with him, his happy knowing you desire him, so does he.

🔥The fire in your relationship might take a very long time to whither away.

🔥He loves you dearly.

Exstra exstra!!!

Portgas D. Shanks 🍺

🍺Unlike the others Shanks is way older. Reaching 37.

🍺But very childish and energetic.

🍺You decided to take on a part time job just to own a little side cash for yourself, you start working as a waitress/waiter at an old diner in town.

🍺One day Shanks and his friends came in after work to hang out and drink the place dry having some sort of celebration.

🍺And his glad he came along, (His friends might've made him go unwilling) but his glad one glimpse of you and he already knows what's for dinner on the menu.

🍺At first glance he didn't seem very approachable, maybe it was his appearance the three scars over his eye or maybe his big god like built

🍺But once spoken to him he passed off a kind caring and loving atmosphere his actions where so nice he even apologized for accidentally touching your hand

🍺Through out the night he shot complements and cheesey pick up lines, that made you either giggle or blush.

🍺You where kinda sad when he left. (or rather his friends dragged his black out ass out of the diner)

🍺You really wanted his number or at least his name.

🍺The next day he came in for breakfast, you were lucky to catch him, some how you talked the day over with him.

🍺So on he came in everyday, either for breakfast lunch or dinner, which pleased you very much.

🍺on some occassions you joined him, being able to enjoy the food you cooked and seeing him enjoy your cooking as well as the beer you pour for him.

🍺One evening your co worker pointed out that you must have been enjoying your dates.

🍺You were a little confused but decided to ask Shanks himself

🍺"Yeah, we've been going on dates for awhile now, why?"

🍺"u-umm?" That was your only response.

🍺You just let go, and decided to start calling yourself Shanks's girlfriend/boyfriend.

🍺He made sure you never regret it

🍺Later on you guys hanged out more outside of your part time job, and more at his house

🍺He began loving you more and more each day he's kinda a clingy guy

🍺He loves holding you in his arm and kissing you all over your face and neck.

🍺Only way he can show you how much he respects and care even loves you.

🍺He was happy that you didn't back away when you saw his missing arm.

🍺But you love how he still cable of a lot of things and doesn't need anyone's pity

🍺It makes you few him in a new light

🍺But sometimes he takes advantage of his disability and asks for your help, like putting on his shirt or drying his hair, a lot of other more minor stuff that might give you naughty thoughts.

🍺You know exactly what he's doing, but you get to enjoy it too.

🍺He can't help but laugh at you blushing at his bare skin, he loves you trying to be innocent

🍺Shanks has great friends their all lively like him and loves to drink as much as him. Whenever you come over to his place you might meet 3 or 7 of his friends enjoying a beer and BBQ.

🍺They respect Shanks very much, and is happy for him that he found someone that can deal with his childlike nature and take care of him at the same time

🍺When you are hanging out with them, they always tease Shanks and you making Shanks fall in a fit of laughter and you blush madly in his lap.

🍺School work/homework is something you can easily ask Shanks about he might not have all the answers but he knows more than he lets on.

🍺So at times you get better grades than you did before, the way he explained some things made it easier hand that you played more attention to your hot older boyfriend.

🍺But Shanks doesn't have much family left and never saw why you need to meet those his not close too.

🍺You just simply forgot to introduce him to your parents.

🍺Until it back fired, you forgetting to introduce him made the situation even more difficult.

🍺You just mindlessly invited him to a one of your family BBQ's and he cheerfully agreed.

🍺Once he came by the weekend that's when you remember that you forgot to introduce him to your parents before your family and distance relatives and family friends.

🍺You sucked it up and acted normal, which displeased Shanks since you didn't sit on his lap or kiss him much not even hugs.

🍺At first he thought you were embarrassed of him but saw you running around handing drinks and snacks to those who just use you as an little servant girl/boy, too lazy to get off their own asses and do it themselves.

🍺He also knows you have a hard time saying no, since you are a good person and very nice

🍺He decided to deal with the matter himself.

🍺Place down his beer, he grabbed your little ass that was about to hurry pass him, pulling you down onto his lap hugging you to his chest.

🍺Your tired body automatically rest on him laying your face in his neck

🍺Not a few seconds later you two started having a nice loving conversation he made you giggle at his words. Rubbing his hand in circles on your back.

🍺Making you love him more.

🍺That's when your mother/mom came by angry calling you lazy for not helping the others around.

🍺Before you could get up and back to "helping" the family, Shanks grip around your waist tighten.

🍺"Listen here, miss. I'm not a rude guy but the table is right over there, now I haven't seen (y/n) for entire week cause of my business trip. Now they can serve themselves, or can they all not walk."

🍺Your mother/mom got furious now turning to you.

🍺"Whose this?" She simply pointed at the red head

🍺"(Y/n)'s man... lover... Boyfriend. Which do you prefer miss?"

🍺"I forbid you to see him ever again."

🍺"You can't. (Y/n) is 18 an gown adult so she/he can make her/his own decisions. You have no say in the matter."

🍺Your mother/mom huffed crossing her arms stomping away. Not liking him one bit

🍺Your Dad/father couldn't help but laugh liking Shanks even more.

🍺This is the kind of guy he'd let his daughter/son marry one that can stand up to your mother/mom stupid shit.

🍺You thought that was the end but the tables quickly turned on your mother/mom.

🍺Shanks is truly the one for you.

🍺So having him meet your parents didn't go all that well especially with your mother/mom.

🍺The things you love about Shanks ofcourse his personality and body.

🍺But his red hair is what you love the most, running your fingers through the red locks makes you happy all the time. Is truly a beautiful color.

🍺Red has a range of symbolic meanings, including life, health, vigor, war, courage, anger, love and religious.

🍺You even asked if its his natural hair color and you got a yes, he even proofed with some baby pictures of himself.

🍺Which you adore the ones that his near your age.

🍺But you will always love the him who is in front of you the him you met and fell in love with.

🍺Shanks has a pretty good job, he is the owner of one of the biggest four business company in the world.

🍺Yes! That means his quite rich. Your set for life marrying him.

🍺That's where some of his friends teases him, calling him your Sugar Daddy.

🍺You have never really asked him for anything not even a penny. If you want money you make your own.

🍺A gift, you refuse any gift unless it is his love and affection that you'd gladly take.

🍺Shanks drinks alot sometime you question his liver. When his drunk his someone that anyone would like around a happy drunk, his not sad or angry, just ×10 more cheerful and clingy.

🍺PDA *Public display of affection*

🍺He wants bear hugs daily. Once your in his lap he doesn't let you out for a long time same goes for your butterfly kisses he wants them daily.

🍺He'd die without your attention.

🍺Your eyes must always meet his.

🍺PDA kissing 🍻😚~ Shanks doesn't mind cheek kisses or a make out session, he thinks it's brave of you that he won't take you then and there.

🍺At home DA *Display of affection*

🍺He loves when you leave a trail of kisses on his neck down to his lower abdomen, it happens rarely but he just loves being under your touch

🍺The little things you do for him makes him wanna keep you for himself.

***

The End.

Maybe~😏

[aj-anime-blog]

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts - Review!

First review here we go!!

So, after being completely and utterly obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen and AOT season 4, I decided to check out MAPPA studios and watch a bunch of stuff from their roster. My so-called "MAPPA binge" included this strange and unknown piece: Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e, or in English, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts. An adaption of a manga originally released in Bessatsu Shounen (you might recognize this as the magazine that released Attack on Titan!), it looked pretty promising. I do have to admit that I didn't read a page of this anime's manga, though the art style on it looks gorgeous!!

The concept behind the show: A war has torn two halves of a nation apart, split into the North and the South. The Northerners, who were previously greatly outnumbered in battle, created a half-human, half-beast species known as "Incarnates" because of their God-like abilities. But the Incarnates begin having some issues when their beast forms take over their bodies, turning them into monsters. When the war ends, our protagonist, Hugh Hank, an Incarnate and previous captain of the Incarnate squad, swears to kill all of his mutating Incarnate buddies before they can destroy the world.

This review will not contain spoilers until the labeled "Spoiler" section at the bottom.

In general, what do I think?: 4/10, this show kinda sucked. Ouch! I hate being that blunt! Especially on my first review here! But To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (let's call it TTASB from here on out!) had glaring flaws that, while it did hold up as a show, made it uninteresting and hard to love. Not only were the characters mediocre and boring, but the show seemed to contradict itself and its own opinion of the Incarnates all the time! Are they bloodthirsty monsters that need to be killed? Are they misunderstood humans who should be given peace? I don't know! Our main characters don't seem to either! Other than the "war bad" motif that gets shoved down your throat from episode one, the show felt stagnant in what it was trying to make the audience feel.

I hate being so cynical about it, though, because it does still earn those 4 points! Even though a lot of it falls flat, as a whole, it's still an ok show! Hank and Schaal have good concepts and their dilemmas are interesting in certain parts when the writers manage to nail pits and pieces of their development! The fight scenes were cool and I think that the concept for the world was neat! And the show does have a pretty cool title. Let's be honest, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts sounds super metal.

So what about those characters?: 5/10! Hugh Hank and Schaal are our two main protags for the show, and they both have pretty interesting concepts! Hank is an Incarnate, he used to be the leader of the other Incarnates, and he made a vow with them that when they lost their minds, he would kill them himself. Schaal is the daughter of one of these Incarnates that fought under Hank. Interesting, right?! How could these two opposing characters get along with one another?

TTASB tries to give the two of them a sort of grumpy-old-mentor-teaches-a-cheery-youngster relationship (which, admittedly, is one of my favorite tropes) and manages to forget everything good about having this kind of relationship. To start, it feels like Schaal has next to no reason to be tolerating Hank, and vice versa. She follows him around because *insert some excuse about understanding the Incarnates?* and Hank lets her because *insert I really don't know*. It really feels like Schaal doesn't need to be there, and she's just a plot device to move along Hank's character development.

Then, the two of them never really interact in ways that really moved me. It never felt like they made a deeper connection that meant something to the plot. They interacted, sure. They spoke about their issues, yeah. But it never felt like Hank needed Schaal, or that Schaal was emotionally tied to Hank, until the show spoonfed it to you that they were.

In the end, neither of their developments felt compelling or interesting. There were a few scenes that maybe, if you squinted, hinted towards them growing as people, but for a 12 episode anime, it was very menial. It also felt like said scenes were fairly forced, with their development not really leading them to the point that they ended up at. Again, TTASB has a bit of an issue with contradicting itself.

The villain was so meh. He has a motive, yeah. It's pretty lame. He's not compelling at all. Nothing about him is interesting or kept me hooked on him. The show probably could've existed without him, to be entirely honest. I don't really have much else to say about him! I just did not really care about him at all.

The best characters in the show are hands-down the supporting cast of Incarnates. Each one has fairly interesting motivations, and even though they're only given an episode or so to tell their stories, they feel the most genuine. My biggest qualm with them is that the show doesn't build their connection to Hugh Hank at all, so when he gets emotional over them, you're kind of like "uhhh u know this guy??". More about this down in our spoilers section, as I'll go over a scene where this is prominent.

So characters were meh, but what about the story itself?: 4/10, just as meh. Again, very interesting! Lots of potential! But it fell flat where it mattered. To be clear, just before we dig deeper: the 12 episodes of TTASB isn't the entire story. It's clearly intended to be continued, though, as of writing this, I haven't been able to dig up any news about a potential season 2.

I don't really mind if animes aren't completely original, as long as they're fun, but TTASB didn't really do that. A lot of the episodes felt boring and reused like it was a watered-down copy-paste of other material. Some episodes were repetitive and seemed to be trying to hammer in the same themes, only to be later contradicted by other episodes. TTASB will spend a few episodes showing you how misunderstood and sweet the Incarnates are and then have an episode where an Incarnate murders a bunch of people. I would love it if it was, in any way, shape, or form, sarcastic, but it is not. TTASB just thinks it can get away with the blatant disregarding of its own morals. It only ends up feeling disconnecting and frustrating.

It follows an almost monster-of-the-week style format for introducing the Incarnates, which does them a bit of a disservice, in my opinion. I really would have liked it if there was a bit more overlap between the Incarnates and their stories! We know that they're all very close (or, at least, the show tells us that they are without really showing us) so seeing them interact with one another outside of their respective episode would've been fun!

The story tries to be darker and grimier than it actually is. I didn't end up caring much for the nation itself and much of the politics that the show tried to utilize felt boring and, again, watered-down. It felt like the show wanted to make it a political drama about war and human rights and only ended up shying away from what makes those genres impactful. Again, this isn't to say that TTASB's story is bad, it's just not as good as it could've been.

But it's MAPPA, so the art has to be good, right?: Yeah! Art was cool! Nothing golden, like MAPPA's newer stuff, but a solid 7/10! The fight scenes were nice, and even though a lot of them felt redundant to watch, they were still smooth! I have some qualms about a few of the Incarnates' beast forms (especially Hank's) looking like they belong back in 2001, but they still looked cool nonetheless.

I don't really have much to say on this front! Nothing really blew me away, but I never looked at the screen and winced away.

Ok and finally, pacing!: 4/10. 12 episode animes always have tricky pacing to them. I like to think about the show being pretty much only 5 hours long, which isn't that much time to cram in as much story and plot as they might want to. Overall, TTASB actually had pretty decent pacing, with a long enough build-up that led to a final showdown. If you ask me, I do think there was a pacing problem in the second half, as it felt far too stretched out, but that could've just been my perception of it.

My biggest issue with pacing loops back to the characters again. They're never really given time to explore or build up relationships. Especially not Hank and his prior team of Incarnates. I think that there should've been more screen time dedicated to their time in the army, to better explain the emotional distress that he's going through as he's forced to hunt them down. Instead, TTASB relies on a throwaway line or scene to deliver this emotional blow, and it nearly always falls flat.

Music!!!!: 6/10, The soundtrack in this anime really wasn't memorable and I don't remember much from it. Whoops!

I did like the opening a bit! It was done by Mafumafu, who I think has done a Pokemon intro song? Either way, it was energetic and fit the theme of the show well! The ending is also a bop, now that I'm thinking about it! It manages to be nostalgic and sad without being too slow! So good music on both fronts!!

OK, now we're in spoiler territory! Be warned!

I don't have too much to say regarding spoilers. Nothing in the show really feels important enough that I have to mention it under a spoiler tag. A few small notes, I suppose.

The show treats Hank like the more important character but then throws him away in his "death" to focus on Schaal, which was a very frustrating episode. Schaal felt so bland and useless in it, even when she faced her father again. Bringing him back to life felt like a sad excuse to force her into character development. I did like it when she found the courage to shoot him, but I also thought that it wasn't really as emotional as the show wanted it to be.

Hank's connection with Schaal, particularly in the second half, feels completely unnatural and forced. When she gets kidnapped, he has some sort of mental breakdown over her and it, if anything, felt creepy. It was undeserved and was forced down your throat rather than built.

Beatrice was the best character in the show and I think that if they stuck to ideas like hers (misunderstood creatures who just want to go back to their old lives), the story would have been much better. Instead, you switch to characters like the Gargoyle Incarnate, who just goes on a murder spree, and it ruins a lot of the development that Beatrice brought to the table.

& our deep deep look at one part: Forgive me if I get this screwed up a bit, it's been a weekish since I finished the show and my brain dumped out all details of it already.

Hugh Hank goes to the mountains and fights the Garmr Incarnate, Rex (Roy? I'm a bit confused on his name), in an epic show-down. Obviously, at the end of it, Hank wins, killing Rex. Now, if you're like me, you sat there for most of the fight going "who tf is Rex and why is this battle important?" and only at the very END, when he's dying, do you see a clip that you might remember from the very beginning of the anime, with Rex talking about Schaal. You go "oohhh I know who he is!" but you wished that you remembered this ten minutes ago when the fight started because it would've been so much more impactful. The show didn't remind you of this scene. It didn't tell you that Rex was this same person that you already met. It expected you to remember, and I didn't. This scene sums up a lot of the character problems with the show, where even if something does have emotional weight, the show doesn't act on it.

Now we're done!: Sorry if this was harsh, but that's my full review on To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts! I'd love to hear if you agree with me or think that I'm totally wrong! If you've read the manga, tell me if it's better or worth a read! And thanks for reading!

(The crossed-out "Hugh"s are all of the times that I got Hank's name wrong! I'm not super great with character names, but I always take it as a bad sign when I screw up the name. )

[kitsunes-multiverse]

Got You in My Sights

Chapter 11: A New Mother

Later that evening, Kitsune returned to Jesse's house. Jesse had already informed Alice and Carrie about her arrival, so they had long since been aware. They were also told that the two adults had some very special news for them, which made the two girls both curious and excited. They also helped making sure everything was in order- with Alice helping with some of the dinner preparations and Carrie setting the table beforehand.

Before long, the door bell rang throughout the house- catching the family's attention. "Ah, that must be her." Jesse pointed out before turning to his younger daughter. "Carrie, could you get that please?" He asked.

The little girl gave a nod, an excited smile on her face. "Ok!" She chirped, skipping over to the door and opening it. "Hi Kitsune!" She beamed, looking up at the woman on the doorstep.

Kitsune gave a warm smile. "Hi Carrie. How are you?" She greeted.

"I'm good! Dad and Alice should be finishing up dinner soon. Come in! It's chilly out there." Carrie responded, backing up a bit to let the redhead inside.

"Thanks, kiddo." Kitsune stepped into the house, ruffling the little girl's hair which prompted her to giggle. "Hi Jess! Hey Alice!" She called in greeting.

"Hellooo!" Alice called in return, before glancing at Jesse. "I think I can handle things from here, dad. Besides, you need to relax more- otherwise you're gonna look more tired than ya do now." She joked.

Jesse huffed, rolling his eyes as he chuckled a bit. "Very funny, Alice." He sarcastically remarked. "But thank you- I appreciate it."

Walking into the living room, he quickly spotted Kitsune sitting on the ground at the coffee table with Carrie. Somehow, in the short amount of time between Kitsune entering and him walking into the living room, Carrie had managed to get some paper and pencils. They were both drawing together, though Carrie seemed to be quite invested in whatever it was Kitsune was working on. And so was she for that matter- as her amber eyes narrowed in concentration.

Jesse hummed in curiosity, strolling over to them. "And what's going on over here?" He asked, prompting Carrie to perk up.

"Kitsune and I are drawing Sailor Moon characters, but I got distracted because she's doing it really well! It almost looks just like the show!" She chirped.

At that point, Kitsune seemed to snap back into reality. She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Oh, I don't know about that. I've never been good at imitating art styles- especially anime." She responded.

"Let me see." Jesse crouched down, looking at the drawing Kitsune was working on. Granted, he never had much knowledge about Sailor Moon -the most he knew was that it was about five girls that have magic powers and they fight evil, and random tidbits Carrie told him- but he had seen the art style quite a bit since he'd pass by the TV whenever Carrie was watching it. So because of that, he could see the similarities. It wasn't an exact copy of the style, but it definitely had the traditional 90s anime aesthetic.

"That's quite impressive! I didn't know you could draw." He commented.

Kitsune giggled a bit. "Ah, thanks. And yeah- I never told you. Never knew how to bring it up in conversation, I guess." She shrugged.

"Dinner's done, everyone!" Alice called, walking in.

"Ah, wonderful. You all have a seat- I'll get the plates ready." Jesse stated.

With a nod, the three girls went to the table, sitting down together. Before long, there was a plate in front of each chair. Jesse sat down beside Kitsune, looking at his daughters. "Right, so... Before we begin eating, Kitsune and I have something important to tell you." He stated.

Alice and Carrie glanced at each other, fighting back smiles. Though Carrie couldn't resist bouncing in her seat a little. The two turned back to their father, anxiously awaiting for him to continue. With a nod, Jesse resumed speaking.

"So... Earlier today, I, embarrassingly, woke up with a hangover since I had a bit too much to drink last night. Kitsune helped me handle the majority of it, and well... I wound up admitting that... Well, let me phrase it this way- we're together now." Jesse explained.

The two girls' faces immediately lit up with excitement. "She's our mom now?!" Alice eagerly asked.

"Indeed she is." Jesse nodded, smiling.

Carrie let out an excited squeal, running over and hugging Kitsune. The redhead giggled, hugging back. "Easy there hun, don't trip." She joked.

She didn't ever anticipate to be a mother, but honestly? She didn't mind one bit- especially if it was them.