#miyazaki would probably have something to say about all that

[thecommunalfoolboy]

What your favorite Lupin The Third Character says about you

When people make these they always just say nice things and traits of the character and it’s dumb so here’s me being right

Anyway my reputation for misogyny is legendary

Ok this largely depends on if you like edgy Jigen or goofy ah Jigen but

You desperately need to stop getting into arguments online, both in general and on whether Jigen is deep and emo or a silly guy

Gay Gay homosexual gay 🫵

You took one look at him and Lupin and said “Damn these bitches gay!” In a half joking way but the show itself proved you right in 10 seconds

Lol emo

Ok but actually seek psychiatric care

You either write porn about him in your head or you’re extremely asexual

There’s something weird going on with your gender but that’s kinda true if you watch this show in general

You’re too broke to get that next piercing don’t do it

You’re either as devastated about them whitewashing our boy as I am or you should be

Hey remember they whitewashed Goemon too you should be equally as mad about that

You head canon he speaks Spanish

Go to bed

He’s a nice man

Seek help brother

You play with jpegs like dolls

Beneath your eyes is a deep dark hole of information on this show’s lore

You also hate him so much and you want to see him die painfully <3

You want that twink OBLITERATED

You should really raise the price on your art it is so much better than you think it is

Some of you have only seen the first and it shows

“Brother,,,,, help me,,,,,,”

“Long live the king……”

Lol you thought I’m not letting you off that easy you’re deeply traumatized You’ve never felt safe in your life and the most inner hurt part of you desperately needed an adult to help you at a time in your life when you should’ve been worried about learning your times tables not whether you’d survive another day and one of the reasons you’re drawn to characters like this and collect fictional fathers is because you see a glowing smile and an infallible hero who could’ve saved you when you needed it the most

Or you’re Japanese native but like

Autism 👿

Woah dude are you like… autistic???

Stop looking at his tits

A small but significant subsection of you people are just racist and cannot be normal about Japan

If someone asked your thoughts on him you’d just be like :)))) the silly

You have way too many screenshots of him looking weird in the background

You def hate part 5 and twcfm

Whenever tms forgets he exists for a while you still watch it but you look like a wet kitten

You’re def short

You need to stop coping and accept it he looked fully insane in part 3 the hair is so so bad

You’re probably transmasc

I just wanna say I’m so sorry

She’s an ugly bitch there I said it

STROP BEING HORNY

You’re probably a girl

And definitely bi

Y’all probably know the least about the show as a whole

Good for you!! You actually touch grass

Or again you’re in the racist subgroup

The titles for each character confuse you but you only realized this one’s Fujiko because either I just said it or you saw the “stop being horny” and knew

You probably have insanely hot takes on the show

They did your girl dirty im so sorry

You’d die on the hill of whichever of her hair colors you think is best but at least you’re dead

I’m scared of you

Hey you should watch the first if you haven’t already

Zemigamna 🥺

You cry every time someone says Yata was boring and didn’t need to be in the show

Miyazaki studio gibli ass 🫵

Please you still have time left you can get out before you become obsessed you’re not in too deep yet RUN RUN SAVE YOURSEL

Or this show is all you have left and it’s infinitely too late for you no in between

Again probably a girl

You’re definitely not normal about fujiko either

You hate that one movie where he’s a dick with a burning passion and you would write 20 page essays on it

If you’re obsessed with him you probably have a chronic illness (same bestie) or major physical disability

Anyway if I fully clocked you let me know I think it’s funny to see you guys suffer

[katyspersonal]

Let’s talk about Adeline for once!

1. Do you project onto this character?

11. How did you “fall in love” with this character?

19. Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

Her!! 🌊 (Asks from this ( x ) as game)

1) Do you project onto this character?

Kiiiiinda...? a whole lot Although it would be more appropriate to say that I see myself in her than project, because the more relatable bits are "canon", actually xD She is a weird one out amongst the patients to not be scared of horrors of the Deep Sea but desire them, she is guilty of neglecting/not getting Maria's advice of going a more sparing road towards the Stars but then sorta gets it when Kos reveals the same advice to her in inhuman language, and she is so nervous about no longer being in contact with the horrors... I know all of this very intimately. (Mental health TMI warning) Heck, I am the type that gets nervous when hallucinations, voices or 'presences' are absent for a while because I have this deep belief I've failed as a human being and only by being in contact with "horrors" my life can have some meaning :^)

I'd say 'projection' bit comes through how I interpret her motivations! "Grooming" of Blood Saints IS a translation error and in the original the word is used to say "prepare"(as in medical procedure), but it doesn't exclude some sort of emotional manipulation, just makes it a choice rather than direct lore. But nope! I took Adeline as a volunteer in experiments, coming from her own depression (and even insanity), not listening to advices or warnings of people that wished better fate to her and trusting a guy who was obviously full of shit cultist because she is Just Like That and having a good time with horrors not because her sense of self-worth was reduced by Healing Church, but because she never had one.. Blood Saint era, I think, was her willing to sacrifice something about her to help people. Laurence benefitted from that, not created that! I am guilty of all this, so now she is too :> In other words, she has agency because I do.

11) How did you "fall in love" with this character?

It actually took me some time! And I actually feel ashamed of how 'selfish' my reasoning was :') I always liked her enough, but she raised so far in the top of my favs when I figured her connection to 'Sea' theme, yeah. Right after I properly analyzed it via Miyazaki's bad post-BB hangover in DS3. Hhhyhhhghj Basically, figuring we did have spiritual connection with this character 'activated' my brain to notice and focus on everything else about her. And I've found soooo many things.. I brought back the "Points of interests about Adeline" analysis just recently and so you probably believe me x)

19) Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

Oh, absolutely! Whenever I scrutinize how far I've spiraled and it gives me feelings of self-hatred, I do find comfort in knowing that "I am just like Saint Adeline for reeeeal!!!!!1! XD". ......representation matters....? And comfort character term especially fits, because in most cases I focus on her when I have a bad day! (Don't worry and send me DMs when I do post about her though! Like I said, she DOES make me feel better already!)

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Studio Ghibli has adapted a few famous books (Earthsea, Howl's Moving Castle, The Borrowers), but they change bits to enhance the whimsy and carry a specific emotional throughline... and Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä show the studio has a broad tonal range...

So, what if they did an adaptation of the Twilight series as a single film? Like, what scene as written has the biggest Ghibli vibes, what gets cut down to make the film more coherent, and how do they change the aesthetics of the supernatural to be more... Ghibli?

On Ghibli and Adaptations

"change bits"

That's a bold statement.

I haven't read Earthsea, but both Howl's Moving Castle and The Borrowers are extremely loose adaptations of their source material.

Howl's Moving Castle, as an example, completely changes the main character personalities (Sophie and Howl are very toned down/more palatable), drops an entire subplot involving Sophie's sisters, adds in an entire war/a major theme of environmentalism, ages down one of the characters significantly, and basically only shares the castle with the original book.

(I say this loving the film and actually preferring it to the book, but it needs to be said)

Borrowers... has Brorrowers, and that's about as far as that goes as well.

Twilight as Adapted by Ghibli

Depends on which Ghibli director we're going for, obviously, but we'll just stick with Miyazaki as I'm most familiar with his work.

We're looking at a film that has the name Twilight but has characters with the same names and that's about it.

There's a lot more meadow and nature scenes, Edward probably actually lives in the woods, environmentalism becomes a major theme of the film as vampires like Edward bemoan what humans have done to the world and how soon this beautiful landscape will be gone.

The vampires themselves are likely far more inhuman, they have the features of people, but move completely differently and look markedly different from humans. I imagine they act very different as well, more like spirits, which means Edward sure as hell isn't going to high school.

There's a climactic adventurous confrontation as something happens with Bella. She gets kidnapped by the Volturi, ends up trapped in the vampire part of the forest, and very likely conflict between humans and vampires.

The wolves likely play a more neutural third party to all of this and it's clear that no one's really "the bad guy" in this. Instead, all parties have their own reasons for doing things that make them all, in their own way, short sighted in a way only Bella can see as an outsider.

Meyer is probably mildly flummoxed/upset as it's existence as it's cool her work is an anime film but it's very clearly not her story. At all. And it's not her Bella and Edward (we're talking about a woman who felt strongly enough to give us Midnight Sun because the fans were getting Edward wrong).

But a Scene?

They probably keep the meadow but--

That would honestly be it.

I'm not joking, it'd be completely different.

[will-o-wips]

It is 4 am. I'm staring at the ceiling of my bedroom, coincidentally having my phone right in my line of sight, and write this with the exasperation and intense focus that I probably won't ever have again. I'm about to attempt to make any sort of sense of the latest Hayao Miyazaki movie, The Boy and the Heron (or rather, How do you live? in Japanese), that I watched for the first time in theatres a day ago.

I cannot claim to be right, or to know everything about this movie. Actually acclaimed critics and people with obviously more braincells than me have probably better takes than I do. But I must speak, lest the insanity truly take over my brain, lest I really end up combusting because of how much I want to talk about this.

Prepare yourselves for the most incoherent train of thought and line of consciousness you will ever experience.

FILLED WITH SPOILERS READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE.

Before I start with my actual thoughts, however, I'll state my personal feelings about the movie, because I feel that matters too, and this is my post anyway so! But I personally left the cinema feeling somewhat mellow. I was not insane about it yet. It was,,, "meh". The impression of the ride was great; I was giggling along with the funny and even sometimes not purposefully funny moments, I enjoyed the animation to the point I would genuinely flap my hands in excitement at how good it was, I understood the story in great lines by noticing small details and going "oh so does this mean x?". But I did not cry. Not a single tear during or after or before the movie. I did not waver with my opinion on it as I rambled about it to my friends online and irl, much to their annoyance. I did not hesitate when I put it in my silly little Studio Ghibli movie tierlist maker that I update whenever I watch another one of these films together with my friends, categorized (in)discreetly under "all vibes no plot but there's a witch/wizard". I still don't, in fact.

So, given all of this, you'd probably say that I disliked the movie. That I would not have so much to say about it, after doing my mandatory ramble and update. Wrong. I still have more to say, somehow.

Despite that, I didn't rewatch the movie itself. I read an entirety of one (1) review of it, together with one (1) random video essay of 8 or so minutes, covering the basics of it. I reblogged one (1) post about its protagonist on tumblr and otherwise kinda read through the rest of the posts on here. I did not re-experience or re-examine this movie again. I cannot (again) accurately reference anything besides that what I vaguely remember from watching it a day or two ago. It's not playing anywhere near me anymore/not out anywhere else yet, so really, I don't even know what possessed me to write about this, or even say anything. The most fascinating thing (to probably all of us here) is; what made me change my mind about it?

It might've been the review on IndieWire. David Ehrlich and his well-written review, bringing things into much needed context as to why this movie was created. It could've been the fact that I've actively processed the movie better, now a little bit of time has passed. [Honestly it deserves a second watch/view for something more concrete, but I'm repeating myself with this, you get it.]

But I don't even really understand it myself. I felt and still feel so detached from this movie in a sense. I appreciate the artistry that went into it, and I adore the way it simply tells the story and leaves it up to interpretation. It references every single film Hayao Miyazaki has ever made before, and elements of other Ghibli films can probably be found in there too, if you looked hard enough. The vibes were similar to those of Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle, given how inexplicably fantastical the world was. It just existed and breathed, and we as the audience jumped straight into it. We never got more exposition than what was needed; honestly I have a feeling that the second half of the movie was the vaguest piece of media I have ever consumed in my life. But it also had this perfect balance of the more drama-focused Ghibli films. The Boy and the Heron, in my opinion, is like the golden middle between reality and fantasy, both in terms of its narrative as well as comparison between other Ghibli movies.

This might also be the reason why I felt confused. The lines between reality and fantasy were so effortlessly blurred, that you could only process a singular picture. And when things are vague to me, I constantly need to pick them apart and analyse them, simply to satisfy my own curiosity.

The moment before I stepped into the movie theatre, my friend who watched along with me told me they heard it was a film about grief. I nodded along and said "yeah, okay, that just means it's another one of many Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli films. Most of them are about some kind of loss, and dealing with it, either way." I sat down together with them; row 9, chairs 17 and 18, with my two bottles of water (one carbonated, one stilled) and the bag of terribly sour packaged chocolate pretzels I bought at the theatre itself. Horribly overpriced for the quality, I must say. My friend held onto the popcorn, and we sat through the ads, talking and laughing, anticipating something that was supposed to blow us away.

I cannot speak for my friend, but I think they really liked the movie regardless. They didn't cry at it either, even though we both know of each other that we always cry at such things. Somehow this movie evoked a certain stillness in us both; a stalemate between emotions and confusion. Maybe delayed processing. Maybe something else entirely. We both, or at least I, hid it until later.

It was midnight, and right before we stepped on our train home, I was excitedly going on about the references and animation, the things I did appreciate. I bragged a bit about how I recognized Kenshi Yonezu's voice in the final credit song that we didn't get to listen to entirely, because it was so late and we had to rush to get home. They laughed at me and told me to take some time to actively formulate any coherent thoughts on it. I disagreed (lovingly and jokingly of course), and we left it at that.

In the train itself, the same high dimmed into a simmer, the excitement replaced with contemplation, and I kept talking.

I told them: "I believe that this truly is his last film. This felt like a goodbye." And in return, they replied: "It's crazy how this is the last time we'll ever get to live in such a moment. The release of the final Ghibli movie in theatres.

"I'm glad we got to go."

I was too.

I got home, rambled about the intrinsic way The Boy and the Heron referenced other Ghibli movies to my online friends who had yet to see it. Followed by a heated tangent about how When Marnie Was There truly could have had better direction in regards to the narrative, as well as how Only Yesterday was the most boring out of all Ghibli movies. It was a nice night. I didn't think about the movie again.

The following morning, I contacted other friends, who told me about how Robert Pattison voiced the Heron in the English dub, which I hadn't seen or heard at all. He did a great job, judging by the trailer. This led me to another opinion, namely the video essay (I will try to find it and put it in the notes later if you are curious), which claimed something similar to this (of course, paraphrased):

"This is a farewell. The one true movie to tie such an expansive career. It is another movie where you are allowed to explore the magical together with the main character, while sticking close to the processing of it all."

The review I read said it was a swan-song, that it was the question and title of the movie in Japanese, posed at us, after The Wind Rises left it open to interpretation at the end of its run. That this was a story about the legacy that Miyazaki is leaving behind, how reality and fantasy coexist together, possibly influencing each other (not explicitly said but what I interpreted that review saying, so no this is also not completely like this).

Other tumblr posts I've seen on here say it was a film most likely dedicated to his son, Goro Miyazaki. That it was a gentle "I'm sorry, the shadow I leave behind is huge. I know that you will try and fail to fill it. It's okay; you don't have to. You can leave it behind. It's alright if this legacy dies with me."

Some other sources I've seen compare the main protagonist to Miyazaki himself, trying to grapple with the ending.

Yet somehow, all of these interpretations seem to fail to explain the entirety of this movie. The bigger picture if you will. These themes and moments and interpretations are not wrong, but to me, they're not satisfying enough.

Because maybe I am the only one who actually was insane about this moment, but I will never forget the delivery room scene between Mahito and Natsuko. How Himi addresses the magic stone, pleading to let the two go, saying "Natsuko and the boy who is to be her son". (Again, paraphrased, I cannot remember the exact line.) Maybe I am the only one who witnessed the whimsical fire witch and the going back in time plots and the fact that a younger Kiriko and Himi were there, already part of an ecosystem. How we already know from the other grannies in the house that Mahito's mother disappeared once for a whole year into the tower, and then came back the same as before. How the pelicans were BROUGHT there, that they did not belong there, and yet were forgetting how to fly. How they ate the Warawara, these creatures that were rising above to be born in the upper world. How the Heron's weakness was his 7th tail feather (or something along those lines), and how the fish and the frogs chanted for Mahito to join them in the tower. That the great-great-uncle was hoping for Mahito to succeed him and build a new tower, yet the king of the parakeets butted in and haphazardly did the job, resulting in it immediately toppling over, as well as the stones getting cut.

I think about the final scene where the Heron says "It's best to forget. Do you have any keepsakes?" And Mahito shows not only older Kiriko's figure, but also a piece of the stone paths they walked upon in order to get to the centre, the beating heart, the magic stone and his great-great-uncle.

How this is taking place during a war, that the timeline goes from his mothers death that Mahito cannot get over, to the welcoming of his stepmother and his new younger sibling. Them moving back to Tokyo. The way the tower completely collapsed. Completely and utterly collapsed and perished; not even a trace of it left behind. The way that older Kiriko keeps yelling it is a trap to Mahito in the beginning, but that both he and the Heron know. That it is inevitable to tread this specific path. That he must see for himself, whether his mother is truly alive. The way she both was and wasn't; first a mirage of her older self disappearing into a puddle of water, and second a firey spirit of her younger self coming to help Mahito. The way that he reads and cries at the book she left him, the way he hits himself with a rock after his big fight with his classmates; the way Mahito in general drowns consistently in the beginning of the film. He drowns in the fire that he lost his mother in. He drowns in the mud and the dust when he tries to enter the tower at first. He drowns in his dreams, in his tears, drowns right into his quest to find Natsuko (straight through the floor, by behest of his great-great-uncle), drowns in pelicans trying to eat him, nearly drowns in the actual sea until younger Kiriko fishes him out.

Now these things may seem like me just randomly naming shit that happens in the movie. Hopefully in a slightly poetic way, possibly. I could go on and on about the imagery, truly. But my point is, this movie may have been Miyazaki's last movie, his way of closure, his way of speaking to his son about his legacy, his way of describing the grief of losing his mother (idk if this is autobiographical or not. It very well may have been), yet...

Even so, it doesn't really fit the entire picture. It feels incomplete. The analyses always focus on the true meaning behind this movie, what happens behind the scenes, this one key climactic moment between Mahito and his great-great-uncle. But that's as if you would ignore the rest of the movie in general. As if the fantastical aspects weren't there to abstractly tell a story besides just being a symbol of closure for the person that directed it.

Personally, this is a tale of rebirth. Of losing yourself, and then rediscovering yourself in a way. I associate it with my own personal loss of my grandfather; the family member I felt closest to out of everyone.

The way you look back at such a traumatic stage in your life, something that irrevocably changed you for good, something that you probably don't ever want to relive again, but also mustn't forget. The way you instinctively are afraid to learn about who the person you love and grieve was, before you were in their life.

To this day, I still cannot speak to my mother about whether my grandfather had a favourite song before me forcing him to sing along with my favourites. A favourite book before he read out bedtime stories to me tirelessly. Who the boy in him was, and what wisdom and life lessons he carried on, into his grave, into the hearts of his children.

This movie depicts so much more than just grief, it's so much more than just legacy, even. It directly reflects the way I know I would have felt had I dared to actually see things for myself. If I actually dared to go through my grandfather's old things; the books he wrote and dedicated to me, the books he read when he was young. This movie depicts not how to live, but how to live on.

And the only way to live on is to move forward. To look at the foundations upon which it was built, to evaluate whether you truly want to have this be your burden to carry for the rest of your life. Mahito's abstract grief in regards to his mother, and the solace he finds in the fact that he at least knew who she was; that he at least had her in his life as both his mother and the girl that his stepmother knew, that at the very least he knows his mother would do it all over again, if she could. That despite everything, she did not regret a thing, and that she was not afraid. That somewhere, in the past, she lives on, happily marching toward this fate, because she knows that Mahito will be there to meet her again in the future.

And Natsuko, god, she worries relentlessly about whether Mahito will accept her. She worries to the point she yells at him, telling him that she hates him and his existence, because he rejects her so coldly and yet still bothers to show up in front of her during her most vulnerable moments. That he only takes and takes and takes; he steals her cigarettes in order to learn how to sharpen a knife from one of the servants. He uses those techniques to create a bow and arrow, a weapon. He gets into fights at school, he gets gravely injured on the side of his head, leaving a lasting scar.

If I were in her shoes, I would be furious at him too. Especially if he walked straight into the delivery room, trying to drag me out of bed while I was doing my damn best to keep the other child in my belly alive.

That scene, that sheer rage, and the way it ALL FUCKING SUBSIDES the MOMENT Mahito accepts her and calls her mother. The moment Mahito understands that through the literal whirlwind of plasters, things used to tend to wounds, none of those pleasantries/guards will truly allow him to reach her. The way he tries to nurse his own wounds, as well as try to nurse hers, over the loss of their shared connection (Natsuko's older sister, Mahito's biological mother), will NEVER allow him to make a connection with her. By being careful, by being polite, he will never get to be her son.

And he realizes, in that moment, that he wants to.

The magic stone tries to stop this. The magic stone dislikes disruption; dislikes things changing, dislikes breaking traditions (the taboo of entering the delivery room). The parakeets in the tower flourish because they follow the magic stone's whims more or less. They agree to follow its rules, even if it means they are prone to its abuse, because it gives them an advantage, a place to stay. The pelicans have to eat the Warawara, because there is no other food available to them.

The way younger Kiriko says "you reek of death", and how they establish this place is mostly made up of death and dead people. Dead people, or dying people, creatures that are begging to survive another day. Creatures that are begging to be reborn. That want to change, that wish to fly once more.

My mother once gave me a poem dearest to her heart. We have always been a family filled with literature and stories, but my mother was always the best at both writing them and reciting them. She used to read them out to me, back when I was in a particularly bad spot mentally, to the point I could not get out of bed for weeks on end, to try and reach me. She read with the sincerest passion in her voice, a small plea to get me back to the girl I was before.

I cannot explain or remember the poem by heart, but once I was at my true rock bottom, she told me to look it up. A Serbian poem, written by Miroslav Antić (I will add the name of it later), that was about growing up and growing into your own person. It made me weep, for it had a phrase I think I can only translate to this:

"Run and don't look back."

Somehow, whenever I look at all of these birds and creatures in this fantasy world, trying to fly desperately, trying to get to the skies, trying to get to even live, and think about the fact that the only way they can is by leaving this place. That the only way they can fly and survive as themselves is by leaving this tower, this stone, this foundation. By leaving and being born, by leaving and being reborn.

And, after all of this. Somehow I'm not even done yet. I haven't talked about the great-great-uncle in depth, nor the king of the parakeets, nor the heron whatsoever. I have not yet even touched upon what I might think the magic stone is, and the sheer amount of like symbolism I picked apart in my brain because of my insanity.

I'm probably not the only one who noticed these things. But so far I haven't seen anyone actively share these things, so, I will do my best to continue and genuinely wrap it up as best as I can. So that this can also bring the same amount of closure as the movie does.

The magic stone is like a shooting star that came onto the earth. It realizes dreams and worlds of whoever dares to walk into it and claim to own it; like how Mahito's great-great-uncle got obsessed and built a tower around it, caging it, taming it. And yet he still had to play to its whims, consistently making sure his own tower of blocks did not fall, that all of his work did not amount to nothing. Personally, I do believe the great-great-uncle could represent Miyazaki himself. That Miyazaki is trying to express how he built Ghibli and that now it has been going on for so long, and it has become unmanageable to continue upholding it. That it is time to retire.

A thing I find interesting and remember pretty well is the conversation between the parakeet king and the great-great-uncle. How they talked about Mahito's transgression, breaking into the delivery room (side note: he broke in and broke through to Natsuko with his mother's spirit. Mahito became Natsuko's son with the blessing of his mother; with the sheer love she had for him being carried on and through), and how the great-great-uncle says something akin to this:

"It is why I wish for him [Mahito] to succeed me."

"I cannot overlook such a transgression."

I feel this is important. It is key to how the great-great-uncle views Mahito in this. Because Mahito was not sent out on this quest to find Natsuko out of pure selfishness. Sure, his uncle would have wanted him to succeed him, but the entire reason WHY he believed in Mahito to begin with, is the fact that this boy was able to break the foundation and the traditions in the first place. Mahito inherently disobeys from the chosen path. Mahito inherently does not believe the Heron when he says that all herons lie. Mahito doesn't waver when the heron flies straight at him, he doesn't sway when the frogs or the pelicans overwhelm him. Mahito stands firm in who he is, even if he is trying to deal with new circumstances. Mahito inherently goes to places he should not be in (his curiosity for the tower). Mahito has enough power on his own to create a new tower, but only by rebuilding it from scratch.

This ready acceptance that the great-great-uncle has towards Mahito's decision NOT to inherit his legacy, is what makes me believe this is what this movie is supposed to represent. Break away from the old, off into the new. Closure. Moving on.

This is also reflected in the sentiment that Mahito truly DOES move on. He goes back to his family, his father, school, he goes back with Natsuko as his mother and a new younger sibling to Tokyo. He returns there where he came from, but he is not the same anymore. He is reborn into a new Mahito.

And god I feel like I'm repeating myself to death here; I really should have thought about the structure of this, but give me some slack okay. It's like 6:30 am already and I'm still not done, despite continuously writing and labouring at this.

So, the tower that immediately falls apart by someone who always follows the whims of a dream (the parakeet king and the stone respectively). God it is just such a momentTM. Because in the end even this shows that the parakeets, too, even though they by far had it the best in that goddamn tower, had to leave. For they could not build something on their own without learning who they were outside of the already established. Outside of just following the rules and all.

They had to leave, my GODDDDD.

As I'm getting progressively more unhinged, we shall move onto the most unhinged character in this entire fucking movie. The Heron himself. God there's too much to unpack here, really, but the truth is, the Heron was supposed to be the guide to Mahito. The Heron was supposed to be Mahito's biggest, most aggressive enemy, the direct antagonist to Mahito's protagonist. The Heron doesn't want change. The Heron tries to bribe Mahito with the fact that his mother is still alive, that he need only enter the tower, and lose himself to illusions and dreams. That fantasizing about his mother being alive won't only drown him more, that it won't just let Mahito sink into the deepest pits of his despair and anguish about such a death, that losing yourself to the belief that something is there when it is not wouldn't only be counterproductive. The Heron masks himself consistently; he says that all herons lie. He says that he only has one weakness, his own feather, that allows the arrow to automatically target him. In essence, the Heron shot himself in the foot beak. He himself slipped up in his mirage world, and came out to be who he truly was, this weird little man with a huge nose and a conniving demeanour. He adamantly cannot disobey the dream, for then his true nature comes peaking out (a small detail I absolutely love is the fact that the Heron's feathers also disappear out of Mahito's hands when Mahito is called back to reality by the grannies. The grannies protect him in the dream world too, by being his tether and support system while he gets over himself and starts trusting Natsuko). The Heron doesn't WANT to be a guide, for in order to be a guide, you must tell the truth. You'd need to know some facts about the world around you and share this information with the ones seeking guidance. This is how I believe Mahito understood the Heron before we did.

It's not that all herons lie; it's just that this particular one does not want to face the truth/reality.

Another interesting detail: the whole reason why only Mahito was able to cover up the hole in the Heron's beak was reminiscent about how only those that called you out can really patch up your old image. Only those that have poked holes in your false narrative are able to fill them back up again, and even then it is not the same, and even then it will not always be comfortable/reliable.

Either way, the Heron, after this wings partially turn into hands, his true nature, is unable to fly all that well for a while. He relies on Mahito's corkscrew thing in order to relish in his comfort zone of lies again. But throughout the movie, the Heron slowly starts to ignore the corkscrew completely; simply opting to stay in his (frankly, freakish) half gremlin man half heron costume form. The Heron changes because Mahito inspired him to change. Even though his image used to be spotless before, and he tried to deceive Mahito, after a while, he stopped doing that. The mutual trust both Mahito and the Heron had grew. The Heron became a person, although his heron-ness would never go away.

The Heron thus warns Mahito that he should want to forget. That he will forget, either way. That this struggle of his to grapple with the reality of his situation, and the fantasy that he was delving into, will become a far-off memory that Mahito should not revisit. The Heron, I believe, is genuinely trying to look out for Mahito.

"Don't dwell in what you have already overcome. Don't revisit the things you have already outgrown."

And this is where the movie more or less ends. Mahito still keeps that stone, and his mother's book, and he goes back to Tokyo; the only crucial difference is that he has overcome his own grief.

Now, I've said this like a billion times now, but this is the rebirth. This is what I think this movie stands for. What it means, at its core. This is what it means to live; to move on and to cut ties with that what has no place in your life anymore. Miyazaki, I think, is trying to give us closure, a final farewell to Ghibli altogether.

Now I don't know about any speculation that he might come back again, and personally, I don't think it really matters. If he does come back, good for him. I just don't know enough to say anything for sure, so I'll just say I cannot say.

Either way, I think, even though Miyazaki conveyed the need for a new start/a rebirth, he didn't really end on the complete abolishment of all that used to be. You are allowed to keep mementos of it; even though the Heron advises not to. Mahito is allowed to reflect upon this experience, to see it as another stone in his foundation/formation, to say that, yes, the spirit of this change will always stay with me, although it has passed.

Just like how Mahito's mom was someone who returned to the past without regrets. She never came back. She was a spirit that pushed Mahito forward, and he will always remember her, but it's better that she stay a memory than become a fantasy.

This is why I'm so impressed by this movie in general. I'm so thankful that I was able to witness this with a friend of mine. I'm glad that I was able to see this, even though my insanity knows no bounds, and the fact that I didn't even think about any of this until I really sat down to look through the options of interpretations.

I'm so glad I got to go. Now it's time to run towards the future, and never look back.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 15 Fictional Trains

In the words of a random bit of silliness courtesy from the Internet, “I like trains.”

(SLAM-HONK-SPLAT.)

…If you got that reference…yay. XD

But seriously: ever since I was a boy, I’ve always had a fascination with the railway. From real-life trains and railways of great repute, to various fictional railroads and their engines found in books, video games, movies, and more. I’m not the only one: the railroad has always held an enduring sense of intrigue for all sorts of people all over the world. Something about these great Iron Horses, racing along the tracks, seeming to fly across the landscape with such grace and speed, remains iconic. From steam locomotives to more modern diesel engines and electric trains, the sense of power, speed, and the symbolization of ever-moving progress they embody will forever be indelible. Whether you’re fascinated by the real history and technical aspects of railways and their engines, or just see them as a fun visual motif, they aren’t going away.

I thought it would be fun to talk about some of my favorite fictional trains and engines, because…well…I just want to. Yeah, I’m not tying this one into anything, there’s no special occasion, I just…want to talk about them. Is that so wrong? I hope not. Now, this will be specifically dedicated to FICTIONAL trains, so you won’t be seeing real railway constructs on this list. And, of course, I have to know about the trains in question in order for them to count. (SPOILER ALERT: “Infinity Train” is nowhere on this list. I’ve never seen it, probably never will, and basically don’t know anything about it.) With that said, let’s get on with it! Full Steam Ahead! These are My Top 15 Favorite Fictional Trains.

15. The Rainbow Sun, from Shining Time Station/Thomas & the Magic Railroad.

It is pure nostalgia, above all else, that gets this train onto the list. The Rainbow Sun was the main engine piloted by Billy Twofeathers: chief engineer of the Indian Valley Railroad. This was the railway line serviced by the titular depot in “Shining Time Station.” The show, of course, was a showcase for the animated series “Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends,” during the 1990s; Shining Time and all of its characters acted as a framing device, with episodes of Thomas (usually connected in some way to the central plot) interspersed into the story. In the original TV series, the Rainbow Sun was portrayed by the Union Pacific 844. When the film “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” - which combined elements of Shining Time Station with Thomas & Friends - was made, all of the scenes at Shining Time were shot on the Strasburg Railroad. Strasburg’s 475 stood in for the Rainbow Sun. (That’s the version pictured here, since my guess is more people will recognize the movie than the TV show version.) There’s really not much to say about the Rainbow Sun, I just…like this train. Both versions. Both the movie and the show were a part of my childhood; this train, in each incarnation, is much the same.

14. The Sea Railway, from Spirited Away.

“Spirited Away” is widely considered one of the finest animated fantasy films ever made. Released by the world-renowned Studio Ghibli, this picture - like many of Ghibli’s greatest works - was the brainchild of the mighty Hayao Miyazaki, and is known for its sense of surreal, bizarre, at times nightmarish visuals and scenarios, as well as its fun and fascinating cast of crazy characters. One of the less bonkers elements of the film, yet also one of the most memorable, is the Sea Railway: while the scene where this train appears is brief, it is nevertheless very fondly recalled. In the scene, the main character - Sen - travels with her newfound friend, the mysterious No Face, to find the enchantress named Zeniba. The pair hop aboard the Sea Railway: a double diesel rail car that runs on tracks across the ocean. This is a scene all about visuals, that is both spectacular and yet shockingly peaceful. No dialogue, just the emotions of the music and the animation, as the strange railcar glides across the sea. Like several other trains on this list, its time in the film is short, but the moment is immortal.

13. The Ghost Train, from Casper: A Spirited Beginning.

This is a pretty “bleh” movie, in my opinion. A prequel to the 1995 film “Casper” (based on the comic and cartoon character of Casper the Friendly Ghost), this film tells the origins of the titular character. (They are nowhere near as interesting and exciting as they probably should be.) However, I’ve always had a soft spot for one particular part of the movie: the opening sequence. Why? Well, the movie starts off actually quite promising, with the ghostly Casper - freshly dead (how pleasant) - waking up on the Ghost Train. There have been many kinds of ghost trains in fiction over the years; in this case, it’s a railroad which transports souls to the afterlife. The Train is pure nightmare fuel of the best kind: a battered old steam train, carrying a heavy rake of carriages, with a crimson skull for a smokebox, its glowing eyes acting as the headlamps. Damned souls spew from its funnel in lieu of steam, skeletal limbs act as its coupling rods, and inside its chattering mandibles are a horde of black cats. The furniture inside the coaches is made from bones, only adding to its macabre sense of style. While it’s only onscreen for a few minutes (the opening, plus a couple of scenes later), this Ghost Train nevertheless made a big impression on me as a kid, and it was by far the best part of the film…which gives you a good idea of how bad the movie is, sadly. Still, points where points are due: this train is still pretty epic to this day.

12. The Time Train, from Back to the Future: Part III.

What’s cooler than a DeLorean? The answer is…well…probably the TARDIS, if anything, BUT BESIDES THAT I’d say a flying, time-traveling steam locomotive definitely deserves some credit! In the climax of the third and final pillar of the “Back to the Future” Trilogy, our heroes engage in a daring chase scene involving a runaway steam train. At the end of the film, Doc Brown reappears before Marty McFly, and reveals he’s “recycled” the busted engine to create a time traveling train, colloquially and appropriately called the Time Train by most fans. (It’s also sometimes referred to as the Jules Verne Train, but I’ve always liked Time Train more: it’s catchier and simpler.) While I love the look of the Time Train, once again, it’s not onscreen for very long, and doesn’t honestly do THAT much in the grand scheme of things. It’s not even clear, despite what I’ve said, if this is the same engine as the one from earlier in the film, or just a very similar one, since the aforementioned steam train did sort of…well…friggin’ EXPLODE. Regardless, it’s a memorable engine, and has long been a fan favorite. Definitely worthy of placement in the Top 12.

11. The Soviet Missile Train, from Goldeneye.

One of the few non-steam engines to be mentioned on this countdown, this diesel engine is also one of the most sinister creations on the list. This armored passenger train is interesting in that it actually doubles a mobile secret headquarters: in the James Bond film “Goldeneye,” the main villain, Alec Trevelyan (a.k.a. Janus), rides around in this battering-ram-on-wheels with his henchman. The train is based on real-life armored trains owned by the Soviet Union, but has been exaggerated to give it a more outright evil, almost futuristic sort of look, with a sharpened nose and colored all in black, with blood red Soviet Stars on the sides. The train is destroyed when Bond first derails it with a tank (because of course he does, he’s James-flipping-Bond), and Trevelyan - forced to abandon his mobile HQ - blows up what remains in attempt to destroy his nemesis. The Missile Train made a memorable appearance in the Nintendo 64 video game adaptation of the film, where the players - as Bond - would have to make their way inside and around the train to take out Trevelyan’s goons and save our resident Bond Girl for the evening, Natalya Simova. Whether you love it best for the movie or the game, this big black beast is definitely one of the fiercest things to ever ride the rails.

10. The Wanderer, from Wild Wild West.

Much like the previous entry on the list, this steam engine proves that if there’s one thing cooler than a spy car, it’s a spy train. “Wild Wild West” was a TV series that was a sort of off-kilter combination of the spy film and Western genres. The plot focused on a pair of clever cowboys - Jim West and Artemus Gordon - who worked for a special branch of the U.S. Secret Service. They rode around the country, stopping crimes and committing acts of espionage against evil masterminds. To accomplish this, the pair traveled via a luxurious private passenger train called the Wanderer. In the series, the Wanderer was largely portrayed via stock footage of Inyo, an engine that, at the time, served the Baltimore Locomotive Works. The Train was basically just a mobile headquarters for the duo; it didn’t exactly do much, but it allowed for an interesting“Home Base” location to see in every episode, and it helped make the series a bit more unique. In the later 1999 movie version, starring Will Smith as Jim West (that’s the one pictured here, for the same reasons as the previously discussed Rainbow Sun), the famous engine the William Mason was used to portray the Wanderer. While the film is basically a giant mess, I’ve actually always had a sort of soft spot for it; it’s a guilty pleasure, to say the least. Part of what I liked was the way the movie “suped up” the Wanderer: not only was the train an HQ-on-wheels for the spy-fighting duo, but now it was basically the equivalent of having a Bond Car riding the rails, with all kinds of gadgets and secrets hidden in the engine and its coaches. Even if you don’t like the movie (trust me, you aren’t alone there), or never saw the series, I defy you to say the Wanderer isn’t pretty cool.

9. The Infernal Train, from Alice: Madness Returns.

Not all trains are colorful, whimsical, and fun to ride. Perhaps no fictional train in history has been quite as forbidding as the Infernal Train from “Alice: Madness Returns,” the sequel to the cult classic video game “American McGee’s Alice.” For those who don’t know, the games focus on a grown-up Alice having to traverse through a twisted, warped, morbid reimagining of Wonderland; shaped by her own trauma and insanity into a chaotic nightmare world. At the end of the first game, however, Alice is able to conquer her fears and problems, and seemingly goes off onto a happy ending…but in the second game, we soon learn it wasn’t that easy. When Alice returns to Wonderland, it at first seems to be back to how it should be, but it quickly becomes clear that new threats and new problems are once again causing it to steadily fall into a state of hellish doom. The centerpiece of all this horror is the Infernal Train: a massive locomotive, seemingly built from a Gothic cathedral, which soars through the skies of Wonderland, spreading a tar-like substance called Ruin wherever it goes, destroying everything in its path. Alice’s mission is to find out who is responsible for the Infernal Train, and stop it in its tracks before it completely obliterates Wonderland forever. The Train is almost a character in and of itself in the game; a force of nature, the presence of which is a constant source of dread. It’s one of the most sinister locomotives ever created, and memorably so. It has well-earned its place in my personal Top 10.

8. Casey Junior, from Dumbo.

Whenever I think of the phrase “Circus Train,” the first thing I think of is this whimsical train from the classic Disney movie, “Dumbo.” The whole movie focuses on the adventures of the titular character - a baby elephant with abnormally large ears - during his stay at a fictional circus. The circus travels from city to city, town to town, via the Casey Junior Circus Train, so called after its lead locomotive, Casey Junior. (The name is a reference to the famous engineer, Casey Jones, who would appear in his own animated Disney cartoon…but that’s another story.) Casey is the first train on this list who isn’t just a vehicle, but actually a real CHARACTER, with his own sentience and intelligence. He speaks in a voice that is made to mimic the puffing of steam, and seems to be a hardworking, determined, slightly child-like little engine. And, given the broad smile painted on his smokebox, we can presume he very much enjoys his work. Casey Junior has reappeared several times in the Disney canon since the release of Dumbo. Most notably, a non-sentient rendition of him appears in Tim Burton’s live-action remake of the original film, and there’s also a kids’ ride at Disneyland called the Casey Junior Circus Train. There’s also a water attraction at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World called the Casey Junior Splash and Soak Station. No matter where he shows up, this chipper Circus Train is as confident as he is colorful.

7. Tootle.

So far, all of the trains we’ve talked about have come from screen treatments: movies, TV, and video games. This is our first engine on the list who originates from a book. “Tootle” is one of many titles in the classic Little Golden Books collection of stories, and focuses on its titular character: a rather silly steam train by the name of Tootle. Young Tootle is a brand new locomotive, still a child, who goes to the town of Lower Trainswitch, “where all the baby locomotives go to learn to become big locomotives.” Tootle wants to grow up to become a Flyer engine, a fast express train, so he studies very hard…but there’s one important lesson he has trouble with: “Stay on the Rails, No Matter What.” Tootle is a curious little engine, and he starts leaving the tracks to play in the meadow and explore off the rails. With help from his teacher, an old engineer named Bill, Tootle learns that, while there’s nothing necessarily wrong with dreaming, shirking one’s responsibilities and ignoring safety is never wise. It’s interesting to see stories like “Tootle,” which effectively teach children, “know your place.” At first, that probably sounds overly authoritarian and ill-advised, but in truth, sometimes it’s genuinely important to know one’s boundaries and limits: we all have dreams and desires we wish we could fulfill, but it’s important to know which dreams and desires are worth chasing, and which ones could just lead to trouble. The book is one of the most popular in the Little Golden Books series; in fact, in 2001, it was named the third best-selling English children’s book of all time! The story has been adapted to a PC game, a children’s audiobook, and more. The character of Tootle himself also appeared in the animated series “Little Golden Book Land,” inspired by the entire collection. I read a lot of these books as a kid, and “Tootle” was always my favorite. He and his tale are definitely worth placement in the Top 10.

6. Chugs, from The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town.

This somewhat obscure Rankin/Bass special is a follow-up/sequel to their more popular Christmas TV tale, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” Just as that holiday special told the origins of Santa Clause, this one tells the origins of the Easter Bunny. Part of these origins is explaining how the Easter Bunny gets around the world. Cue this little fellow: Chugs, a talking train whom the Easter Bunny - named Sunny - saves from possible scrap. Chugs is a little old engine whom no one ever uses, so Sunny buys him, cleans him up till he’s shiny and new again, and paints him in springtime colors. Chugs is thus given the job of piloting the little white rabbit and his train of Easter eggs, jellybeans, and other gifts for children all around the land. He also brings mail to the Easter Bunny’s home. (Because…well…we had to justify Fred Astaire returning as a singing mailman SOMEHOW, didn’t we?) I am convinced the reason anybody remembers this special at all is ENTIRELY because of this stop-motion animated locomotive. He’s certainly a big part of why I remember the movie; as a kid, I used to wish I could have a toy train of Chugs, so obviously, he’s got a soft spot deep in my heart. Oh, one other thing: Chugs is referred to as “the Famous Little Engine Who Could” in the story, which…I guess means this film technically also counts as an adaptation of that. Go figure. Speaking of which…

5. The Little Engine That Could.

This classic children’s book is actually based on an old folk story, which has been passed down through the generations. The railway folktale has changed over the years, but it’s the storybook publication written by Arnold Munk (published under the pen name “Watty Piper”) that has become the most well-known. In this version of the story, a train full of sentient toys and treats (I guess they must be riding through Toyland) breaks down on its way to bring its cargo to a town full of good little children on the other side of a tall mountain. The toys try to get various other trains to stop and help, but all of them refuse, either being too tired or too stuck-up. Just when all hope seems lost, a Little Blue Engine arrives, and she promises to get the train of toys and goodies to the town. All the way on the journey, the Little Blue Engine repeats a simple mantra: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” Finally, her determination proves true, and the Little Blue Engine succeeds in pulling the train over the mountain. It’s a simple little story, which teaches a simple little message, but that’s really all it needs to be. The tale has been referenced, paid homage, and adapted numerous times: Chugs, of course, is inspired by the folktale, and even Casey Junior references it in a scene from Dumbo. My personal favorite adaptation is an animated short film made in the 1990s, which expanded on the story as written by Watty Piper, and featured voicework by many veteran performers; Kath Soucie plays the Little Blue Engine, and Megatron and Optimus Prime themselves - Frank Welker and Peter Cullen - also play characters in the story, just to name a few. Another adaptation of the Piper version was made in 2011, inspired by the 1990s short subject; that one featured talents like Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Warburton, and Jamie Lee Curtis, again, just to name a few. No matter which take on the children’s story you look at, its simplicity is as immortal as the tale itself. I think one can say this Little Engine has many more mountains to cross before its story is truly finished.

4. The Rainbow Line, from Ressha Sentai ToQger.

“Hold on a second!” I hear you all cry. “That’s not a train! That’s a freaking robot!” Well, you’re right, and you’re wrong. It is, in fact, a giant mech made out of magical trains. Yes, you read that correctly. No, I am not drunk. Perhaps I should start from the beginning: “Ressha Sentai ToQger” is my personal favorite entry in the Super Sentai franchise. This series is basically the original version of Power Rangers: that show is essentially made, for those who don’t know, by Americanizing the Super Sentai shows in Japan. While both use some of the same footage and costumes, and follow the same basic plot points of colorful heroes fighting rubber suited monsters and using giant mechs for each final battle, the stories and characters are often very different. “ToQger” is one of the few Sentai series that hasn’t really been adapted into Power Rangers (at least not yet), and I rather hope it stays that way. In this one, the visual motif is - you guessed it - trains, with the Rangers using magical trains as their transportation system, as well as the means through which they battle the monsters when “giant mech time” happens. I don’t know what possessed Japan to make “Thomas the Tank Engine: Power Rangers Edition,” but I’m very glad it happened, because this show is amazing. The trains of the Rainbow Line - the good faction of the series (the villains are called The Shadow Line, and they have their own transforming locomotives to do battle with) - are all unique and colorful, and it’s honestly pretty cool to see how they all come together to from the massive machines the Rangers use in combat. There’s a toylike quality to all of the engines (which I think is intentional, given the themes of this series), and I would sincerely LOVE to have real toys of each and every one of them. If a fleet of locomotives that can turn into a sword-wielding, laser-blasting battle mech DOESN’T sound equal parts crazy and cool to you…I would like to know what does.

3. The Polar Express.

The top three choices on this list all have the same things in common: all of them started as trains in books, primarily aimed at children, but have since become massively popular largely due to the adaptations of said works. The first of these is the titular train from the classic Christmas story, “The Polar Express.” Originally appearing in a book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, the story arguably achieved critical mass when it was adapted into the still-very-popular 2004 animated film. The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and starred Tom Hanks in multiple roles. Both are still considered staples of the Yuletide season. Both the film and the book have the same premise: the main character is a Boy who is whisked away by the titular magic train, which transports a group of children to the North Pole. It’s revealed that one of these children will have the honor of being given the First Gift of Christmas by Santa Claus himself that year. It’s a tale of belief and faith, both in oneself and in things beyond our ken. The book is well-known for its remarkable illustrative artistry, and the movie mostly lives up to it. Ever since the film came out, at least, it’s become quite popular around Christmas time for heritage railways around the world to have Polar Express outings, dressing up their engines and coaches to resemble the titular locomotive and its train. I’ve never gone on one of these trips, but even at my age, I’d still very much like to if I ever get a chance. The idea of this enchanted engine, racing through snow and mist to a place only children can understand, remains as powerful as it is entrancing. I dare say Christmas would not be Christmas without some version of the Polar Express.

2. The Hogwarts Express, from Harry Potter.

On the note of the idea of a magical, secret train that carries one off to a land of mystical wonderment…if one such express line can beat the Polar Express on that front, it would have to be the Hogwarts Express. Hidden away at the exclusive, disguised-by-magic Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, and painted in vivid crimson livery, this passenger line is every aspiring wizard or witch’s dream come true. While the train, itself, seems fairly ordinary, many of the most memorable scenes in the Harry Potter stories take place aboard or around the engine and its carriages: from Harry’s first encounters with Ron and Hermione, to a flying car chase scene, to the first appearance of the Dementors, and more, many fans of the films and the novels alike well-remember the mystery and awe of the Hogwarts Express, both inside and out. In the films, the locomotive was portrayed by Olton Hall, a stately engine originally made in service to the famous Great Western Railway. It is currently preserved and on static display in London. Famously, the train was recreated into a full-scale, functioning electric line for Universal Orlando, where it acts as both a mode of transport and its own attraction. The Hogwarts Express there carries guests between the Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida, with a special show inside the engine that makes it seem like you really are riding the rails between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Having gone on the ride myself, I can safely say it is an experience even casual fans of the Harry Potter fans should enjoy at least once in a lifetime.

1. Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.

How many of us first became fascinated with railways, and especially steam trains, thanks to Thomas and his friends? I know I certainly did. Before things like Batman or Alice in Wonderland, “Thomas & Friends” was my first childhood obsession. I collected toys like crazy, gobbled up the VHS tapes (yeah, remember those?), and even read a number of books, including the original “Railway Series” books the TV show was based on (written by the late, great Reverend W. Awdry.) The TV show got started in the UK during the 1980s, and is still being produced and aired to this day. Naturally, over time, it has undergone some changes: originally, the series was produced using animated model trains. Then it transitioned to CGI for a spell…currently, the show has been completely retooled into the series “All Engines Go!” with 2D animation. Everyone who knows about the Island of Sodor has a favorite incarnation, and has grown up with a different era of Thomas…not to mention its characters. From cheeky Thomas himself, to his best friend Percy the Small Engine, to the vain and flashy James the Red Engine, to the villainous Devious Diesel, and so many more. All of them have fun personalities and different quirks that have stood the test of time, one way or another. For me, it’s the original Awdry books and the first six or seven seasons of the TV show that I will always hold fondest in my heart, but I can see the value in other renditions. What’s great about the show is that, aside from its whimsical and fantastical elements that can appeal to children, there’s also a lot of great lore and even connections to real life railways that adults can find interesting; it appeals, in its best versions, to all ages. For me, it’s a nostalgic piece of my soul: anytime I think of Thomas, or revisit the old stories or episodes, I’m brought back to a simpler, more comfortable time, in a way nothing else can manage. For that, and for being the main reason I love trains in the first place, Thomas and all of his friends on Sodor have most definitely earned their place as my number one spot on this countdown.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Choo Choo Charles. (This monster counts. :P )

The Bioquimek Train, from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow II. (A personal, more obscure favorite train from a video game.)

The Wonderland Railway, from Alice in Wonderland (1985 Miniseries). (Pictured at top.)

Starlight Express. (Wasn’t sure if this stage show should count on the main list, but it’s worth at least an Honorable Mention.)

[aevyk-ing]

Rambling about the Ghibli movies I’ve seen Part 2

Read part 1 here.

11. Tales of Earthsea

This one was... weird? Just boring? I really liked the designs for the mosaics and the city, but the rest needed a lot of work. I was intrigued about the main character and found myself thinking how the books are probably better. I had some problems with the character designs and the story was all over the place. 

12. Only Yesterday

A little too long, dragging in the middle, but really cute. I loved the way it depicted the country life, the softness of the scenes in the past and the fantasy bits. I also have the feeling I should live somewhere else since I was little (I love nature and forests) and I’ve been remembering a lot of stuff (well, that’s a side effect of going to therapy, I guess). Anyway, I enjoyed the little story and the way some moments were animated and I wasn’t expecting to hear castanets in a Ghibli movie. 

13. Porco Rosso

Em... this one was pretty, but the story was weird. The scenery, music and flight scenes are really good. I was interested in the transformation part, but then it started saying things like: “Sorry only women are going to build the plane.” and then making a 17 years-old fell in love with a 36 years-old. Yikes. Just yikes. Then the ending is rushed. Started out good, ended up... meh.

14. When Marnie Was There

I really liked this one. The story got me hooked, I related a lot to the main character and everything was so beautiful (just look at that house!). It can be a little confusing sometimes, especially during the middle part, but once it starts explaining things... oh, boy. My only complain is that I only knew it was the story about two girls and, once Anna started blushing I started shipping them... SPOILER it didn’t end up well. 

15. The Wind Rises

So beautiful... and also sad. Miyazaki sure loves aeroplanes and that sort of stuff, huh? But I can’t complain: his flying sequences are always amazing. I also really liked the cinematography in this one, there’s a lot of interesting angles and uses of animation. It can also be funny sometimes (I still think that German guy ate a decorative plant) and I’m glad it didn’t dwell too much in the sad parts, even though I would have liked to see a little more after Nahoko leaves and before the dream sequence. Talking about dream sequences, that’s yet another thing Miyazaki excels at. BTW, I was ready for the sad ending, but still got me. 

16. The Cat Returns

Utterly bizarre at the beginning, took an interesting turn midway where it reminded me of morning cartoons. It’s a cute story, although I’d have preferred something a little deeper or more nuanced. But it’s nice. Not the best one but fine enough for spending some free time. And yes, I’m well aware this one was made for small kids (maybe it’s the only one so far). Also, didn’t like how they teased out that Haru and the Baron are in a relationship. I still ship him with the other cat statue from A Whisper of the Heart, thank you.

17. Grave of the Fireflies

There are some movies you can just watch once... but even though, you’re glad you watched them. This movie was a ride and I was getting ready mentally to watch it, thinking that I could never find the perfect moment. However, something happened that hurt my soul so I was at the right place. It was painful, with exquisite music, but it hurt a lot. Just like Life is Beautiful... I won’t be rewatching soon... but I’ll thank it for what it is.

18. The Boy and the Heron

Proof that we still need fairytales! Have to say it was strange to go from the last movie to the beginning of this one because SPOILERS, I immediately knew what was going on. I loved the take on trauma and mixing past and present in a fantasy world that also looked an awful lot like a limbo (thanks, Over the Garden Wall). Overall, while it reminded me of other stories, it had enough heart and stuff going on to keep you hooked. You can tell it’s the result of a lifetime telling stories and my only complain is the creepiness. It was the least thing I liked from Chihiro and while I get why it has to be done, it doesn’t make it less disturbing. 

19. Tale of Princess Kaguya

(disgruntled noises) I loved the first part. Cute animation, interesting style and adorable characters. I was having such a great time. Cut to the palace bit and the escape after the party and the story starts dragging on and totally changes genres. It went from fluffy and uplifting to depressing and sad. Why? Just why? If I had seen this movie when I was a kid, I would have never wanted to watch it again. Sigh. 

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @princesssarisa @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @faintingheroine @tamisdava2 @amalthea9 @adarkrainbow

Last night, I rewatched 1937's Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs on Disney +.

It's funny that the Dwarves are established as characters who resort to violence in case of danger the moment they get home. They show fear, but still plan to massacre the "monster" that broke into their house (before realizing it's Snow White).

When they enter the room, and Snow White is covered in the sheets, Happy asks "But where is the head?"

And then there's the subtle change that when the threat is aimed at Snow White, they don't tremble like they did when they imagined the threat was aimed at them: they behave with pure courage and determination to attack the Queen and protect Snow White.

From the vague memories I had (not helped by some comments that some friends and family made), I was bothered by some of the dwarfs (Dopey and Bashful) acting like they had crushes on Snow White. Rewatching it today, I acquired a more lenient interpretation: a detail that I didn't notice before is that when Snow White talked about being in love with the Prince, the Dwarves didn't feel jealous. On the contrary, they asked to hear more, and were moved by her dream of meeting him again.

So that's when I realized: the Dwarves' love for Snow White is the idealized love of a Knight for his Lady! This love goes beyond the labels "romantic" or "platonic", "brotherly", "filial", etc... It is a transcendental love based on the intense desire to see the Lady happy and protect her from all evil!

The main difference this movie has from later Disney movies is its simplicity, ​specifically the fact that it does not fit into the "Three Acts in which the Protagonist Undergoes a Major Change Throughout the Narrative" format; it does not explicitly preach a moral using the protagonist as an instrument to teach the audience a lesson.

Snow White continues being the same character from the beginning to the end. And when she suffers the apple's effect, at no point does a character say "I told you so."

When it appears that she has died, the Dwarves mourn her loss, and when she is awakened by the Prince's kiss, they celebrate her resurrection.

Grumpy is the one who has an arc (admitting that he likes Snow White and stopping being misogynistic), but it's something very subtle, instead of being treated as a "theme" of the film.

​I've seen some people saying the film is a longer Silly Symphony. I disagree. The focus of most Silly Simphonies was to make the movements comical to the music, with one or another piece focusing on a quieter, slower atmospheric narrative.

In Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, the focus is not movement for movement's sake. Everything is calculated to be used to establish the characters' personalities and how they interact with each other. A Silly Simphony wouldn't stop to show a group of characters stopping to react to a story being told, or getting ready to find places to sleep.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs stops to show the moment sthe characters stop to breathe and how they move through everyday actions, without rushing to get to the next scene.

It's almost comparable to what Miyazaki would do decades later in his animated films.

Also, revisiting the scene of the Poisoned Apple, I was reminded of this definition of suspense by Alfred Hitchcock:

“There is a distinct difference between "suspense" and "surprise," and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I'll explain what I mean.

We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let's suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, "Boom!" There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!"

In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story.”

Basically: the Poisoned Apple was our first bomb as children. We knew it had poison, but Snow White didn't, and in the process we were tense with the suspense of whether she would accept it or not. And when you get older, you learn to notice the character's body language: Snow White is reluctant to accept that fruit or not.

[getvalentined]

For the truth and dare ask game: 🍓🍄🧩🧃 (any or all)?

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

My family has always been in fandom; my mom is a furry, my biological father was a Trekkie, and my dad is a Whovian. Fanfiction has always just kinda been there, I literally can't say the first time I engaged with it. My mom did fanart and short fancomics for series she followed, so fanworks were just always there! I do know that the first bit of fanfiction I ever wrote was for a Miyazaki film and was like a hundred words written out using a typewriter in the early 90s. I was probably eight years old or so.

Because it was something that always existed in my lived experience, when I wanted to see something from something I loved, I just made it myself! As far as I knew, that was just how it was done.

🍄 ⇢ share a headcanon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Did this for Vinesis and Tseeve earlier, this time we'll go with Sephesis: this has come up in Smoke and Mirrors (specifically chapter five), but Sephiroth is the reason Genesis has the single long earring, and that fact is why he pretty much always wears it. It would make this post way too long to explain it, but Genesis considers it a precious reminder that Sephiroth cared about him once, and Sephiroth recognizes it as proof that Genesis still cares about him—no matter what else happens between them.

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Bad formatting and technical errors are the first thing that puts me off, but I think that's pretty normal.

As far as actual story content that will do it, I'll back out pretty fast if I come across certain fanon characterizations, and back out instantly if I come across certain ships that I have blacklisted. My "favorite" instance of this is when people post explicit fic tagged for a specific pairing, but they actually ship them in a threesome or polycule with other characters and just didn't tag it that way because the other character(s) aren't actively participating in the sex scene. The characters in the pairing actually tagged will refer back to the other character(s) who are not participating, sometimes the other(s) will be in the room, but they're not tagged because they're not naked. It's the worst. A complete waste of my time.

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

I'm not actually sure what this question means, since the phrasing is so vague. Personal lore as in headcanons, or personal lore as in something IRL that I haven't talked about?

If it's the first one: Yuffie ends up with Kunsel postcanon, and I am not explaining that further unless asked specifically.

If it's the second: I lived down the street from my city's cemetery for a couple years as a child and my siblings and I used to play there sometimes. This may or may not have led to some local stories about a bunch of quiet, thin, dark-haired children with big black eyes running around the graveyard around sunset in the summertime.

[ writers' truth & dare ask game ]

[embervoices]

Pondering with my partner which of my many interests are such deeply ingrained Fandoms that I'd seriously consider tattooing some symbol of them onto my body somewhere. Things that induced so much hyperfixation they took over my brain for huge swathes of time, not just in intensity, but also endurance.

I immediately thought of four, thought two of them could be smooshed together, thought of another fourth, and fifth, and then pondered whether those should be smooshed together...

Gaiman: Sandman, Good Omens, American Gods, Neverwhere, Stardust, etc. Henson: Muppets, Fraggles, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Storyteller, etc.

But then that overlaps with the Frouds...

Legend of Zelda

Dragon Age

Alice in Wonderland/Looking Glass

I will likely never actually put most of these on my body, if only because I tend to avoid the assumption of permanence by default. But I have found myself trying to figure out how I would design tattoos for them many times. Perhaps another anklet, like the one for my too-many gods, but looking like jewelry instead of nature, with charms for each fandom? Something relatively subtle.

The thing is, everything on this list except Dragon Age has lasted multiple decades so far, and I've written well over 400k words of DA fanfic most of which self-insert, so I feel safe saying that one will stick, too.

Still, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer were both intensely important to me in adolescence, and I'll never give up the swag I have for them, but I don't find myself pondering tattoos for them. Though if I went the charm anklet route, I probably would add the TNG symbol.

And the Lord of the Rings movies were at least as invasive, but it was fleeting, if only because I quickly found that, for all the enchantment, I was kind of miserable from it. Like eating fairy fruit. I just felt bereft whenever I paused to look up. It's not good for me, so I put it down.

I seem to put back down the fandoms where I'm very steeped in one particular branch, but don't want to dig into the entire franchise? Like, Batman: The Animated Series, but I never got into the comics, or indeed, LotR and ST:TNG. Star Wars is definitely on that list, and Doctor Who, Babylon 5. Sci Fi has to fight harder for my love than Fantasy, I know, but it's also how big the universe already is when I arrive, and how much pushback I get from those already steeped in it? I guess, sometimes I see that bigger universe and want to dive in. Sometimes I see that bigger universe and decide I don't feel like drowning today. I don't know.

On the other hand, I have never balked at taking on the Addams Family, but it has never felt like a deep love, the same way, no matter how many times I return to it. It's always a joyful return, but it doesn't quite feel like a place I need to live? Miyazaki's work is the same way. I'm unlikely to ever turn down a visit, but it's not home.

And that's just looking at the ones for which there's some video element. What about my book-only loves? My music loves? My art loves? My other collections, like Barbies? Don't they matter, too? Of course they do. But they don't take over my brain to the same degree. Or, at least, not as easily. For all that I'm looking forward to this Barbie movie, I doubt it will plug into my love of collecting the dolls very much.

I don't know. I feel like I should get my relationships with Fandoms more than I do. It's not like I don't have a lifetime of practice, right? But maybe that's the thing - it's so much of my life, it's an endless fractal, and no one level seems to have a clear-cut boundary around it. Each bleeds into the next. I know what is and is not mine, but I don't always know why, or how deep it goes.

[cartoonfanorwhatever]

I've been meaning to finally watch all ghibli movies. And o want to get trough them all by end of August. I've seen bits and pieces of some of them, have watched many a video essayist talk about them.

I'm going to talk about each of them as i watch them, mostly all in chronological order.

But first i'll quickly say something about the ones i *have* seen. In more or less the order i've seen them.

First one i ever saw was 'laputa: castle in the sky'. I saw this one years ago so i don't have many specific things to say. But it's absolutely wondeful. And the action is fenominal

Then i saw either 'Kiki's delivery service' and 'Howl's moving castle' i don't remember the precise order. But i saw both either this or last year. Both once again beatiful stories. I empathised with Kiki so much and it's such a nuanced yet heartfelt coming of age story. Howl's moving castle however might so far be my favourite. It's such a unique take on a beauty and the beast type story and the magic and the world keep me endlessy interested. Also the main theme (Merry go round of life) slaps and every few weeks it starts playing on loop in my brain.

Then i also watched 'Lupin the third: castle of cagliostro' which, yes, i do count.

I'll once again be frank and admit that i don't remember if i watched it before or inbetween or even after the last 2 but whatever, time-blindness is a bitch.

Anyway it's amazing probably the Best Lupin III content out there and it's so influential on animation as a whole. Even if you know nothing about Lupin the third it's fully enjoyable. I'm very angry Netflix doesn't have it anymore because i really wanted to rewatch it (don't worry i did pirate it but i kinda didn't want to because i want to puch Netflix's algorythm towards animation as much as possible. But that's neither here nor there.)

A couple of months ago i saw 'nausicaa of the valley of the wind' which is underappreciated in my opinion. It's based on Miyazaki's own manga. It's a truly epic story with an important message about environmentalism that's as relevas It's ever been. The main character, Naussica is so cool (and I'm fully planning a dnd character greatly based on her). The alien environments and inhabitants of the fungal forests are breathtaking. Nuff´ said.

Then finally, this friday i watched 'My neighbor Totoro' and what can i say that hasn't already been said? A beatiful view in the life of young girls going trough a rough time in their lives juxtaposed with the innocence and beaty of childhood mixed with Japanse mythology. Let's just say Totoro is ghibli's flagship mascot for a reason.

This movie hit particularly close to home because of my job of working with kids their age. And the fear, confusion and even despair the youngest feels about their situation that they're just too young to properly grasp just kept rending my heart in two. Not to mention the older sister who has to be the responsible one and has to keep herself together despite that it's clear how hard it is on her as well. The characters in this film are real in a way that only Miyazaki has mastered portraying.

(Fun fact: the person who voiced the father is 'Shigesato Itoi' who is also the creator of the 'Mother' video game series.)

Finally, finally, to switch things up; today I watched 'a silent voice' i'll probably elaborate more in the future on a different post. But needless to say it's exactly as good as people say it is, maybe even better.

It was a touch longer than i thought it would be but it wasn't really a problem. It's a super interesting story with a nuanced take on redemption, attonement and friendship. Rended in a way that only animation can truly accomplish.

Up next: I'll go in proper release order from now on so next thing is 'only yesterday'. A more slice of life film and one i might even be to young to fully appreciate seeing i'm only just in my mid 20s and the main character is in her early thirties i think. But i've heard nothing but good things about it so i'm sure i'll be fine.

And concidering that i'm sick and won't go into work tomorrow I'll most likely watch it then

[unfortunately-a-fangirl]

Since you asked several I got another

What piece of art has made you cry the hardest?

Ended up being a really long one. Rest is below the cut, but I don't really cry all too much. It's really hard for me, I don't know why, but it is annoying. For most of these it's to the verge of tears, though Everything, Everywhere, All at Once got a Death of a Salesman type cry out of me.

In terms of Film:

When Marnie was There (2015), The Wind Rises (2016?), and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (2022) all got me real close to crying. EEAAT specifically hit me really hard, because pointing at the screen Joy is just like me for realsies (she isn't but the story was something I sympathized with). When Marnie was There was a story that I think spoke to me somewhat when I was younger, but I didn't realize it, and I wasn't really prepared to process what it got me to feel. The Wind Rises is just about an artist fundamentally, though the framing is about the construction of the Zero, the film is adapted from a manga Miyazaki wrote, which was in turn based loosely on a series of dreams he had where a role model he had would visit him, and (to bring it back to point) it comes through in the film as Miyazaki thinking about how his career is coming to a close. That's what I think, at least.

Also, not crying, but I'm still thinking about Lawrence of Arabia (1963?). It's a film that stays on my mind and I'm not sure Why.

In terms of Television:

Puelli Madoka Magi Magica (2011-2011) I think yoinked the most tears out of the tear ducts. Themes surrounding the social contract, loss, and lesbianism + the USB-ification of a certain member of the cast early on really helped get me invested early so that seeing homura and madoka's actions in the final episodes + rebellion really hit hard. Idk stories about having to sacrifice memories really strike me in a specific way. For other TV shows, uhh MST3K probably got me rolling on the floor more than once. It's really good!

In terms of Video Games (if the LoC says they're art, they're art to me):

Disco Elysium (2019, 2021).

In terms of Music:

Windows 96's 100 Mornings has a very listless feel to it that really got me to cry a bunch when I was younger, though now it's more just listless and a sort of wall-staring component for me (cf. Boa's Duvet, or Gorillaz's Melancholy Hill)

Though uh what was it Jesus Beleibt Meine Freude? by Bach also got me staring at walls and ceilings largely because like, you know, the funny evangelion song, but it's been exorcised of all sadness by Mister Manticore's JESUSINVIETNAM. I would need to think hard, but Chernaya Noch, Hills of Manchuria, Gloomy Sunday, and probably a few others got me sad and crying at times. But I don't think I have much in terms of music to cry to.

In terms of painted works:

idk man, not much off the top of my head, sorry. Theres a lot of pretty art out there and the Romantics always sort of got that same wall-stare out of me as mentioned above. Emphasizing a hollowness I feel within myself

ANYWAY :] thanks for asking a lot of the things mentioned here are good :[ some aren't, but thanks!!!

[windowsloth]

logging onto tumblr dot com because I need to post my thoughts after finishing the Book of the New Sun somewhere:

I read it back-to-back with the Left Hand of Darkness which was a pretty jarring choice in a lot of ways. There’s some superficial similarities in the way the books are structured or constructed (narrator recounting events past, a strange an alienating world the reader is kind of dropped into the middle of, a long and arduous journey that occupies most of the story and leaves the main character profoundly changes), but they feel so different to read. I also thing Genly Ai is one of the most likeable and interesting protagonists I’ve ever read, whereas Severian is extremely interesting but (in my opinion) kind of pretty unpleasant

I think it’s interesting that there seems to be a lot of discussion about whether or not Severian is an unreliable narrator. I think he absolutely is, but I also think he knows he’s being unreliable. As in, I don’t think he’s trying to actively deceive the reader any more than he’s trying to convince himself that what he’s saying is always completely true. By the end of the story his own identity and personhood have been mostly stripped away, and by telling a fable about himself he’s able to recast himself as one of the mythic heroes he would read about in the little brown book

Stories in general are a huge part of the book. Severian himself says as much during Foila’s contest in the lazaret. The idea that the language and the culture we grow up in helps shape and define how we see the world runs throughout so much of the narrative, from Severian’s upbringing with the torturers to Loyal to the Group of Seventeen’s life in Ascia. The context that we experience the world from might not even be something we’re conscious of; it’s something that Severian spells out in the first chapter when talks about how symbols define us even if we aren’t aware of it

Jonas is probably my favorite character. I just love the “lost sailor” concept so much, and I think his fascination with Jolenta is so interesting. I wish he’d had more interaction with Talos, I need to reread and see if they spoke at all

From skimming some discussions online, I don’t think I’m super interested in doing the work of trying to untangle everything about the story. I’m okay with letting a lot of it be kind of ambiguous and weird, but I am fascinated by Severian’s (implied) sister. I don’t have much else to say about that, I just think it’s such an interesting thread that is raised and left dangling (maybe it gets address in some of the follow up books that I haven’t read. I’m not really planning to read any of them, probably?)

Agia is my second favorite character. I actually enjoyed her dynamic with Severian, even if it starts with him being a horny little freak and evolves into her being some kind of weird Pokémon rival who keeps showing up to try and stab him, and then ends with some kind of Batman/Joker perpetual enemies dynamic

Little Sev getting vaporized made me laugh. It’s a grim moment but it was so abrupt that I couldn’t help it

Love the dead-starships-as-fortresses thing that Nessus has going on. Honestly the setting in general is incredible, all of the locations are fascinating and cool. I do love that the Antechamber of the House Absolute has a drop ceiling, the idea of an old cubicle farm buried under centuries of dirt being repurposed as a dungeon is very good

I was trying to explain what the book was like to people and I kept saying it’s like first 60 pages of Dune meets a Miyazaki movie, and while I do stand by that, I hate that Cameron Kunzelman sums it up so much more succinctly and also reads me to filth in his Waypoint article by describing it as Dark Souls

I probably (definitely) have more thoughts but I want to jot some stuff down and Twitter isn’t the place. Good book though? Just not a book I’d actively recommend to people, probably.

[sendaidivision]

Ryūzō's Thoughts on Urayasu Division

Suzuki Kirara

"Kirara-chan... she's a good student, and despite being younger than some of her classmates, she's something of a 'big sister' to her friends. She always assumes a leadership position whenever it is possible. She's... not the best when it comes to classwork, unfortunately. I can tell that she really tries, though. ...Strangely enough though, despite not being the best at class, she still seems to pass all of my pop quizzes and test with ease. Usually, it's the other way around with students. It's very odd..."

Miyazaki Aimi

"Aimi-chan... I have to say, I'm a bit surprised that she has such good company despite the fact that she acts so arrogant and uppity. She comes from a very rich family, so much like the team from Aoyama division, she believes that puts her on a different spectrum than others. Strangely enough though, her friends often speak of her in a different note. They state that despite her personality, she is actually quite nice and acts aloof from time to time. If only she acted like that all the time, I wouldn't have to keep her after class all the time.

"As far as her grades go, Aimi-chan seems to be an average student. Her grades aren't good, but they aren't bad either. She seems to have a good knowledge when it comes to fashion and such. Not at all surprising considering her MC name. But if she truly dreams of being a... fashion designer, she needs to do better in class."

Aikawa Maki

Unlike the other members of CGR, Ryūzō sighs at the photo of the third member. "Maki-chan... as much as I don't want to speak anything negative about such an optimistic and friendly young girl, I'm afraid I have to. She is quite possibly one of the worst students I have in my class. She does horrible on my tests, and I think if not for her friends, she'd probably do bad on her classwork and homework. Despite her high energy, she seems to have a very, very low attention span. I can't count the number of times I've called on her in class only to get a 'huh?' back as a response.

"As stated, she seems to be a very energetic person. I think this stems from the amount of sugar that she consumes on a daily basis. I've often seen her sneaking bars of chocolate and candy into class to eat when she thinks I am unaware. But it is very hard not to notice that she's eating something when her desk is full of empty candy wrappers. I've had her clean the classroom multiple times because of this. You'd think she'd have gotten the clue the first time that this is unacceptable, but I suppose my words fell on deaf ears."

Cherry Go Round!

"As different as these three young women are, I can actually see the three of them being in a team together. I don't know if that is good or not. Unfortunately, I don't see the three of them making it very far into this tournament. And truthfully, I think that would be the best. For one thing, I'm not sure this tournament is suited for young women such as them. I'd rather they focus on their schoolwork than being involved in something like this."

[zaptap]

i didnt post anything about the pokemon 2019 finale (aside from accurately predicting it would make me cry a lot--my eyes started welling up right away and there were tears running down my face by the end) so here’s my thoughts

it only took until episode 2 for this to become my favorite pokemon series. i loved that gou’s goal was to catch every pokemon, since that’s something we’ve never seen from an anime protagonist, and it’s my favorite thing to do in the games

and plenty of other stuff made this series really fun. going to every region, bringing back old characters, the amazing soundtrack (shinji miyazaki had always done a really good job, but i think i’ve enjoyed yuki hayashi’s take on it more)

gou even caught my favorite pokemon, which is something i never expected to see happen because suicune is a legendary! he didn’t even catch any other legendaries aside from eternatus

sometime over the past year i realized that they must have made this series instead of a galar-centric one as a celebration of 25 years of the anime, but now i realize it’s more than that, it’s a celebration of everything ash’s been through over all that time, culminating in him getting the victory he’s always wanted as he leaves the spotlight

it’s a way of saying goodbye, and they did it in the best way possible. they could have had him suddenly decide to leave at the end of galar, but instead he gets to travel around to everywhere he’d been before, reuniting with almost all of his old friends (i think tracey, may, and max were the only ones left out? and he probably sees tracey off-camera when he visits home anyway)

and he participates in a worldwide championship, fighting against gym leaders and rivals new and old and earning himself a spot in a tournament filled with champions he’d met on his journeys, plus alan, ultimately surpassing them to become basically the strongest trainer in the world

they could have just spent a few episodes sending him off. but they took 136 to do it properly, and even threw in another 11-episode miniseries that really just feels like a bonus

my only complaint is ash greninja didn’t come back. like ash saw his greninja again, which was wonderful, but they didn’t do the bond phenomenon, which felt kind of anticlimactic and disappointing

anyway, i remember feeling really sad when xy&z ended, because that was my favorite series, but it took until the xy&z part of it to get that distinction, whereas this one was my favorite from practically the beginning

sun and moon was still good though, so the gen 9 anime might still be good. but after all this time jumping around to different regions, it’d feel almost boring to stay limited to paldea if that’s what they’re doing. if they have interesting enough characters they might be able to get around that though

and just like how xy&z was my favorite until pokemon 2019 came around, there could be some future series i like even more. who knows?

i’m also so sad to see gou leaving, but surely they can have someone show up again with a similar goal, right? like they did “girl who does contests” like 3 times and that’s something that isn’t even in every game (it wasn’t even in xy but they did it anyway). though i guess catching all the pokemon isn’t in any game anymore, but that didn’t stop them from making gou in the first place

[cthulhubert]

Please don't cry! And please be boring!

For the movies ask game I'd say 2, 3, 25, 26, 51 and 54 if they're not too many (whoops).

regarding this ask game (and my tags :P)

2 What movie(s) could you watch over and over and not get tired of?

I don't think there are any. For whatever reason, I've always had a lot of trouble rereading books, replaying games, or rewatching movies. Well, not always. Since around age 14? When I was very young I watched Little Nemo's Adventures in Slumberland over and over and over. And then a little bit later I watched the Battle Angel Alita OVA several times. If I had to guess, I think it's that my attention is very all or nothing: either I'm invested or it's a distraction; and it's hard to get fully invested in something with the novelty stripped away.

I think the closest you could get now would be something by Hayao Miyazaki.

3 Any old school favorites (pre-70s)?

I haven't seen many, and the ones I have seen I probably share with a lot of people, since if you're watching a movie older than you are, it's because it's highly recommended despite its age, right? (A kind of survivorship bias.) Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alice in Wonderland, and the Wizard of Oz are all pre-70s movies I quite enjoyed, though none is quite a "favorite". I even have some others on my "to watch" list, like Metropolis, or the ultra classics: Casablanca and Citizen Kane.

25 VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray?

Blu-ray.

26 Best experience going to the movies

A friend and I laughed our asses off about Lazy Sunday, and by sheerest coincidence, a local theater was rerunning Chronicles of Narnia (one of those chill dinner and a movie places where the seats are basically couches). So we immediately decided to go watch it after buying some Mr Pibb and red vines. We didn't get high, but should've. Honestly though, the best part is being able to tell this story. Aside from that, seeing Spirited away on an IMAX was primo.

51 A movie that was better than the book?

This one's easy: The Princess Bride's book was good and had some bits (the frame story, with its asides about cutting out dozens of pages was cute, and establishing Prince Humperdink as a master hunter), but really the movie just perfectly distilled the book's essence.

54 A movie that changed the way you view the world?

I honestly can't think of any. No movie's really introduced a new concept or brain twister that I hadn't already gotten from a book. It's all been reinforcement.

[choppedcowboydinosaur]

The Boy and the Heron Review

I originally did not intend for this to be a review but the more I wrote about it the more I realized this might as well be a review.

I saw the Boy and the Heron and was considering reviewing it, but I saw other people's takes and it made me think I should rewatch it to catch any possible deeper meanings I may have missed. Everybody seemed to be gushing over this movie. It felt like Studio Ghibli's greatest hits in both a good and bad way. It's meant to be a celebration of Ghibli's work but also doesn't feel as strong as some of their previous work. Like you have the usual Ghibli tropes like: The Ghibli heroine, the food preparation scenes, the cute spirit things that resemble other tiny, cute forest creatures from Princess Mononoke and those dust creatures form Spirited Away. It repeats these tropes, but it doesn't have the same impact for me personally as their previous films.

I thought it was going to be anti-Imperial Japan in the beginning since it takes place during WW2 but it doesn't really dwell on it. Instead, it portrays civilian life during the war in a matter-of-fact sort of way. Which is interesting since Miyazaki usually makes it very obvious how anti-war he is in his movies.

The intro with the hospital fire is amazing and the animation is something I've never seen Ghibli do before. With the way the flames and smoke distort Mahito's perception of everything around him. For me it's one of the standout features of this film that make it unique.

There are also bits of meta commentary on Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki's legacy using the old man and the fantasy world he created. He leaves it to his descendant but it's too late and the place just collapses in on itself. Some see this as a metacommentary about Miyazaki's relationship with his son or his employees, but I feel like that might be reading too much into it. I guess the way I would interpret that ending is you can't live in the fantasy world and must move on with your own life. For the metacommentary part I guess it's Miyazaki realizing his studio will collapse without him and that his fans should move on with their lives. (The impression I get of Miyazaki is that he has no successor at all). That or just make their own fantasy as Mahito still has a piece of the fantasy world with him after he leaves it.

Also, some people on twitter were saying the parrots were allegories for anime fans or pretentious Ghibli fans who just consume everything in sight. You could interpret it that way but I feel like that's reading way too much into it.

In speaking of birds the Heron is probably the most interesting and fun character of the bunch. He is so bizarre and his voice is just so weird, growly, scummy and funny. It was surprising that he kind of drops out half way through the movie.

Mahito and the kid version of his mom don't interact as much as I would have liked them to. Mahito clearly misses his mom and gets this opportunity to talk to her and bond with her but they never take that chance. It's a shame because you could get some good character drama with that, but they never explore it. The kid version of his mom is very much a typical Ghibli heroine. She is a tomboy who is capable as the men and is adventurous. There's not a ton to her character which is a shame since there is potential to explore her given the way all the other characters talked about her when she was still alive. The kid version of the mom is not bad but not that new or interesting either.

It's good but not as good as some of their other films like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Castle in the sky, Porco Rosso or Princess Kaguya. It tries to be like those movies but doesn't have the same impact or energy for me tbh. It has the skeleton and some of the muscle for a good story but it's missing those connecting tissues and tendons to make it complete. I get the general story for this movie is that Mahito misses his dead mother but he must learn to move on with his life. But it's not explored as well as it could have been.

Perhaps it's just my own mindset when I saw this movie, but I didn't feel that same magic or mystique in this movie compared to the other Ghibli films I have seen. I'm aware that not all Ghibli movies are masterpieces. For example, the Cat Returns is what I consider to be a mid-level Ghibli movie. It's fun and never feels like it's trying to be a masterpiece. But the Boy and the Heron feels like it wants to be a masterpiece but doesn't reach that same mark as something like Spirited Away or Porco Rosso. It feels like a Ghibli's best of reel for better or worse.