#thank you for starting this discussion because the former love triangle was so real

[gracecarstairss]

@lyrnaalnieren said: let’s start with how the original love triangle is cordelia x james x grace i’ll fight anyone who disagrees

SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS!!!!!

hot take but the only reason that the gracelet (and Grace’s power in general) exists is to cause salvageable relationship drama between James and Cordelia that ends in the fact that James only ever truly loved Cordelia. It was the cheap way out instead of the bold move which would be to have James actually love Grace and then grow out of that love and then fall in love with Cordelia and not perpetuate “Herondales only love once” because that’s BS and unhealthy imo

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Do you any suggestion for Super Sentai?plz

*cracks knuckles*

Well first off, if anyone wanting to get into Super Sentai watched Power Rangers growing up, I’d check out the series whatever season you watched was adapted from to see how things went there in comparison to how they were in the United States. So if you grew up with the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, watch Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. If you don’t know what the Sentai the season you grew up with is called, I’d check out RangerWiki, which provides a lot of information on both franchises.

I’d also recommend checking out a few episodes of the very first Super Sentai entry, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. Not all 84 episodes, mind you, but I’d just watch a few to see where Super Sentai got its roots from, because the team football attack gets referenced a lot further down the line. Yes, you read that correctly.

But for individual seasons for beginners, it’s harder for me to answer. Super Sentai has varied aesthetically and tonally across its 45 year run. Some shows are dark and gritty, while others are light-hearted and goofy. Some shows have a vehicle motif, while others use animals for a motif. So the seasons I’m going to talk about will cover all kinds of tones and themes across the years. I also haven’t seen every single entry, so these are the ones I’ve seen that I recommend for beginners.

Denshi Sentai Denziman (1980-1981, 51 Episodes)

Centuries ago, the evil Vader Clan conquered and decimated the Denzi Civilization. In the modern day, the talking dog IC awoke from his slumber when the Vader Clan began their invasion of Earth. So IC recruits five people to become the Denzimen to defend their planet and stop the Vader Clan once and for all.

The first three seasons of Super Sentai were very experimental, but Denziman was where Toei started to get an identity for Sentai down. Not only would the black visors and sculpted mouthpieces become a staple for Sentai’s (and by extension, Power Rangers) suit designs, but this was also the first season to really start a few Sentai traditions. It was the first season to have female villains, the first to use a transformation device for the heroes, the first time the monsters grew to fight the team’s giant robot.

The Denzimen, while not really going through any character development, are still very likable characters, especially Denzi Blue/Daigoro (played by legendary tokusatsu actor Kenji Ohba). The villains are also a lot of fun, a real improvement from the first three villain groups, who were all basically Earth-based terrorist organizations and/or death cults. The Vader Clan is full of villains who are just as entertaining to watch as the heroes, especially Queen Hedrian, played by the late Machiko Soga, who would later go on to play Witch Bandora, the character Rita Repulsa is adapted from in Power Rangers. There’s not that much of an ongoing for most of the series, and it can get pretty goofy at times, but it’s still a really good show.

Choushinsei Flashman (1986-1987, 50 Episodes). 

Five infants are abducted by the Reconstructive Experiment Empire Mess to use as test subjects for experimentation, but are saved by benevolent aliens from the Flash Solar System. They all spend the next twenty years in the system developing their combat skills and special powers until they decide to head back to Earth to fight Mess themselves as the Flashmen, despite the warnings of their alien caretakers.

The 1980s are usually referred to by fans as Super Sentai’s golden age, with a string of great seasons thanks to famed writer Hirohisa Soda. Flashman is no exception. While Denziman tended to have more stand-alone episodes, Flashman is more story-driven. Later on, there’s a really dark plot twist that I don’t want to give away. Admittedly, some of the special effects can be dated to showcase the Flashmen’s powers in addition to stock footage being reused a lot, but the action and camerawork are still fast-paced and rarely do the fight scenes get boring.

The villains are the kind you love to hate, and their actors all give great performances, especially the late Unsho Ishizuka (the Japanese voice of Professor Oak) as Great Emperor La Deus. This is easily one of the darker Super Sentai entries, but if you don’t mind that, I highly recommend it.

Choujuu Sentai Liveman (1988-1989 49 Episodes). 

At an academy for the finest minds in the world, three of the students feel their talents are being wasted on designing a satellite to conduct scientific research. They soon join up with Great Professor Bias, leader of the Armed Brain Army Volt, who takes them all under his wing as his students and generals. Before they leave, they kill two students, leaving their three friends traumatized. Two years later, Volt begins its plan to conquer Earth, but the three friends of the two victims developed their own technology to fight them as the Livemen in the two years since they last saw their former classmates. Bias’ students have developed their own abilities through mutating their bodies, starting a conflict between some of the most intelligent youths in the world while figuring out what Bias’ evil plan is...

Some Sentai fans consider this to be even darker than Flashman at times due to the themes discussed. Unlike earlier seasons, the heroes have a more personal connection to the villains, and act as foils to them in terms of morality. The show also has some surprisingly deep themes at times, deconstructing the harsh standards the Japanese have for education and the effects they can have on people. Seriously, the main villain, Great Professor Bias, sets up a competition for his generals as a way to advance his plans, treating it like a high academic honor. 

This series also has some amazing special effects for the time. This was the first Sentai series to have an animal motif, so they go all out by using one of the most complicated models for his giant robotic lion, a stunning innovation for special effects. It was also the first series to introduce the gimmick of combining two robots, which is a genius marketing tactic when you think about it, motivating kids to buy both robots to combine them. Even putting those technical aspects aside, this is still one of the most iconic Super Sentai seasons, and a must-watch for beginners.

Choujin Sentai Jetman (1991-1992, 51 Episodes)

An elite soldier is chosen for a top-secret military project meant to turn him into the leader of a team of supersoldiers called the Jetmen. After he gets his powers, the satellite base is attacked by the Dimensional War Party Vyram. Not only are the four remaining “Birdonic Waves” meant to empower the rest of the Jetmen scattered across Earth, powering four civilians instead, but the soldier’s fiance is killed in the process. So he has to recruit the rest of the Jetmen and form a competent team to stop the Vyram from conquering their dimension.

A lot of Precure fans view Heartcatch as the best series in the entire franchise, and many Sentai fans view Jetman the same way. It was a huge success in ratings and toy sales, which actually helped to save Super Sentai from cancellation after the disastrous sales and ratings of the previous series, Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman. It also had some elements that made it stand out from earlier Sentai seasons. While I’ve talked about how Marinette was forced to become Guardian against her will while the show doesn’t acknowledge it, this show actually does point out that almost the entire team is a group of civilians with no combat experience. Earlier episodes are not only spent assembling the team, but also training them to better fight the Vyram and pilot their giant robot.

The series introduced a love triangle for three of the Jetmen, and while controversial among fans, was very popular with Japanese mothers, who were rumored to find Gai/Black Condor very attractive and begged Toei to not kill him off. The love triangle, while arguably one of the weakest parts of this show (but still better written than the Love Square), was part of the main theme of the team being more conflicted, showing they weren’t all best friends all the time.

This extended to the Vyram, who also tended to fight with each other over their plans to conquer the Earth. Sure, there was the occasional villain in earlier seasons who tried to overthrow the big bad, but this was the first time we had a whole group of villains trying to one-up each other. The best way to describe the Vyram is if the cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia were supervillains who were still competent at their jobs.

The series is also incredibly dark, and is often seen as the darkest Sentai has ever gotten. There’s a lot more violence and blood than usual, and a lot more onscreen deaths that aren’t just limited to the villains. Humans are actively killed or hurt in the crossfire, and it shows just how painful this war is. And because of all of that and many other reasons, this is seen as the peak of Super Sentai. If you have to watch a single Sentai series, watch Jetman.

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (1994-1995, 53 Episodes)

During Japan’s Sengoku Era, a team of five ninja sealed away the leader of an army of Youkai, rendering their kind powerless. In the present day, one of the few surviving Youkai tricks two bikers, who are actually descendants of two of the ninja in the past, into undoing the seal and giving all of the Youkai their powers back. Another descendant of the ninja recruits them into taking on the legacy of their ancestors to fight the Youkai, becoming the Kakurangers.

The 1990s were when Super Sentai was starting to delve more into fantasy elements rather than just science-fiction, and also started to take on a more light-hearted tone. Kakuranger is no exception. It’s a lot more goofy than the other entries, even using comic book-style graphics during its fight scenes. There’s also a narrator who appears to explain the history of the Youkai of the week, a detail I really like. While this show is still unashamedly goofy, it still gets more serious in the second half, but never loses its comedic moments entirely.

Like with Jetman, Kakuranger shows the reality of drafting two civilians to fight a war against the supernatural, with only one of the first three Kakurangers knowing how to fight. That Kakuranger in question, Tsuruhime/Ninja White, is easily one of the best Sentai heroines of all time. Not only was the first female and non-Red to lead a Sentai team, but she was only fifteen years old while the other Kakurangers were in their twenties. Marinette could learn a lot from her, and no, that’s not an insult. Tsuruhime is a complete badass, and a team-up with Ladybug would be the coolest thing ever.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah, watch Kakuranger.

Kyukyu Sentai GoGoV (1999-2000, 50 Episodes)

The demonic children of the Grand Witch Grandiene begin causing natural disasters to bring destruction to Earth in order to revive their mother. In response, five rescue workers who also happen to be siblings are recruited by their estranged father to become a team dedicated to saving lives from the Psyma Family’s actions.

Did anyone ever watch Rescue Heroes as a kid? Imagine that show, but with the intensity turned up to eleven. This show is epic, with amazing action and some of the coolest giant robots in Sentai history. One of their robots is a giant train armed to the teeth with guns. Even putting aside the action, this show does a great job at highlighting all the dedication rescue workers have to their jobs by showing a lot of rescue scenes in addition to having GoGoV fight the Psyma. It even teaches the audience about firefighters from Japan’s Edo Period. There’s really not a lot of shows that explain what rescue workers were like in the past, which shows just how invested this show is in teaching people about rescue workers.

While this wasn’t the first Sentai series to feature a team of siblings (the first being the aforementioned Fiveman), I think it managed to capture the dynamic best. Family is a key theme of the series, with the healthy relationship between GoGoV contrasting with the more toxic environment the Psyma Family has.

This is easily one of the most action-packed Sentai series ever made. It is literally Fire Force twenty years before that anime premiered, and it is AWESOME.

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (2004-2005, 50 Episodes)

In the not-too-distant future (Next Sunday, A.D.), the universe has come together to the point where Earth has made contact with several intelligent alien civilizations. However, intergalactic arms dealer Agent Abrella starts to help out the extraterrestrial criminals on Earth, called Alienizers, by providing technology and giant robots to them because he enjoys profiting from crime, and dreams of a world without the police. In response the organization Special Police Dekaranger, or S.P.D., brings together a team of officers to apprehend the Alienizers.

You want to see space cops doing space cop stuff? Then this is the show for you. Admittedly, this isn’t the most story-driven show, but is instead carried by its characters, who go through a lot of development. The Dekarangers have one of the best team dynamics in Sentai history. All of them are very likable characters, and it’s a lot of fun to see them interact. But the best character in the show goes to the Dekarangers’ boss, Doggie Kruger/Dekamaster, a dog alien who becomes a Dekaranger himself, labeling himself The Watchdog of Hell. That has to be the coolest title any superhero has ever had. Dekamaster is another one of the greatest Super Sentai characters ever, taking down a hundred goons in his first battle by himself.

I haven’t even gotten to Agent Abrella, one of the coolest Sentai villains of all time. He’s obsessed with profit and chaos, and he’s easily one of the most sadistic main villains compared to his predecessors. He isn’t some evil emperor who wants to rule the world. He just wants to raise hell and make a quick buck from it. He’s also voiced by Ryusei Nakao, the Japanese voice of Frieza from Dragon Ball Z. That’s another appeal of Sentai, the voice talent. A lot of big-name voice actors have voiced characters, like Mao Ichimichi and Kotono Mitsuishi. Hell, the currently ongoing Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger has Yuki Kaji of Attack on Titan fame voicing one of the main characters.

Dekaranger is easily one of the most popular Sentai seasons out there, as it has a lot of additional material. Not only did the Dekarangers get a theatrically released film like many other seasons before it, they teamed up with two separate Sentai teams, some of them cameoed in the anniversary series Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, they got a reunion movie ten years after its finale, four of the Dekarangers guest starred in another Sentai series two years after that, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger, which served as a prologue to a team-up with another Toei hero, Uchuu Kenji Gavan, and then that led into the Dekarangers cameoing in another Kyuranger movie meant to be an epilogue to that series.

Yeah, this is why I haven’t talked about the Sentai movies in this post. You don’t have to watch any of these unless you really enjoy Dekaranger, which you should at least check out. It’s slow at times, but it’s still a lot of fun.

Engine Sentai Go-Onger (2008-2009, 50 Episodes)

The Banki Clan Gaiark have traveled from their home dimension of Machine World and chosen Earth as their new home, but they have to pollute the planet to serve as an ideal living space for their kind. In response, sentient animal-themed vehicles called the Engines choose five humans to partner up with, the five humans in question becoming the Go-Ongers.

Unlike most of the shows I talked about, Go-Onger is incredibly goofy, and I love it. The characters are all incredibly likable, both the Go-Ongers and the Engines. While Sentai had touched upon the idea of treating the mecha as sentient beings, this was one of the earliest series to actually have their partners talk, leading to some interesting character dynamics. The villains are also really fun to watch. While they’re about as competent as Team Rocket at times, there are moments where you actually feel bad for them, especially towards the end of the series.

It’s also really funny. Granted, comedy is subjective, so you may not find the same things as funny, but there are a lot of funny moments in this show, all helped by the actors giving amazing performances. Go-Onger can get extremely wacky at times, like in Episode 31. I’m not going to say what happens, you should watch it for yourself.

What makes the humor really work unlike the last attempt at a comedy-focused Sentai, Carranger, it didn’t really feel mean-spirited by portraying the heroes as idiots by claiming to be “parodying” Sentai. Yes, the Go-Ongers can be dumb at times, but they still take their jobs seriously when they’re not goofing around. There’s not really much I can say about Go-Onger other than it being a bunch of dumb fun. If you’re in the mood to start off with something more light-hearted, I’d check it out.

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (2009-2010, 49 Episodes)

For centuries, generations of samurai have waged a war against a race of demons from the underworld called the Gedoshu. After their leader was temporarily sealed away for several years, the Gedoshu begin another invasion of the surface while trying to flood the Sanzu River, which grows through human misery. In response, the current generation of samurai, the Shiba Clan, assemble to fight the Gedoshu as the Shinkengers.

This was actually one of the first Sentai seasons I ever watched, as my first Power Rangers season was Samurai. And yeah, while Samurai is a really bad adaptation, I’m here to judge Shinkenger on its own. Admittedly, there are a lot of qualities that can be chalked up to cultural differences, like the whole honor code samurai have and certain plotlines you’d see in a jidaigeki film. The Shinkengers themselves are all very likable characters, and you can really relate to their struggles of being forced into this war (again, handled a lot better than what’s going on with Marinette). All of them have different responses to their situation. Some of them dedicate themselves to wholeheartedly following their lord (Takeru/Shinken Red) or being more vocal in their hatred of their duties.

The villains are also really interesting. Sure, the big bad is pretty boring, but the side villains are just so twisted they really steal the show. Takeru/ShinkenRed gets a rival who serves as a perfect foil to him, representing the idea of why one fights. Even the concept of the Gedoushu is pretty terrifying. Demons from another world hellbent on causing misery to flood our world with their water, which I must point out, is deadly to humans. They’re not my favorite villain group, but they’re a close second.

There’s also some clever plot twists that happen late into the series that I don’t want to give away. Sure, you might have a hard time getting used to the Japanese culture at first, but Shinkenger is still a great series.

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (2011-2012, 51 Episodes)

The Zangyack Empire invades Earth and because of their army reaching across the universe, they become the greatest threat the planet has ever had. In response, the previous thirty-four Sentai teams unite to fight them. They succeed, but the attack they used to wipe out the battle fleet stripped them of their powers. A few years later, a group of space pirates come to Earth in search of “The Greatest Treasure in the Universe”. While the pirates couldn’t care less about stopping the Zangyack, they still have to deal with them while searching for the treasure, which is somehow connected to the previous thirty-four Sentai teams. Also, the pirates form their own Sentai team, the thirty-fifth Sentai team in particular, the Gokaigers, who have the ability to TRANSFORM INTO ANY OF THE PREVIOUS SENTAI TEAMS.

For Super Sentai’s 35th anniversary, Toei wanted to go big this time. While the previous two anniversary seasons only had movies that paid tribute to Sentai as a whole, this was the first season where the anniversary aspect was in the premise alone. 

The interesting thing is that the series was changed last-minute, and it was totally for the better. See, in March of 2011, Japan’s Tohoku Region was devastated by an earthquake registering at a 9.1 on the Richter scale. To this day, it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan’s history, and that’s not even getting into the tsunami it caused the same day. What does this have to do with Gokaiger? In response to the tragedy, several tokusatsu stars including Super Sentai alumni took to social media to encourage kids to stay positive, and even asked some of Gokaiger’s showrunners if they could reprise their roles in an episode. Originally, there were going to be some cameos from past Sentai heroes, but it would only be limited to the ones whose powers would upgrade the Gokaigers’ giant robot. After this, there were a lot more cameos from Sentai alumni in the latter half of the series. Out of Gokaiger’s 51 episodes, 24 of them were tributes to past seasons. And that’s not even getting into all of the cameos in the movies too.

This was another one of the first Sentai seasons I ever saw, and it really helped me get into the franchise as a whole. It manages to explain things to people who haven’t seen certain seasons, while paying tributes to said seasons and making clever homages older fans will understand. Admittedly, the show does spoil the endings of the older seasons like Liveman and Jetman, so keep that in mind before starting this one.

Even outside of the tributes, the Gokaigers are some of the most memorable characters Super Sentai’s had in recent years. While they aren’t exactly evil, they start off not really interested in protecting Earth and care more about getting the Greatest Treasure in the Universe. The only reason they fight the Zangyack in the first episode was because their lunch was interrupted. A team of anti-heroes in Super Sentai hasn’t really been done before. Even then, there’s an interesting dynamic where some of the Gokaigers have more of a moral conscience than the others. And as the series goes on, they start to care more about protecting the Earth, even if they don’t admit it.

It’s just a really good show, and even if it isn’t your first, I’d check it out.

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (2013-2014, 48 Episodes)

When the alien entity known as Deboss invades Earth during the prehistoric era, another bird-like alien named Torin empowers several dinosaurs into the mighty Zyudenryu to fight off the invading force. After a brutal final battle, Deboss was sealed away, but his army of followers was still growing. In response, Torin started to recruit several humans throughout time into the modern day to become the Kyoryugers.

While Gokaiger was the first Sentai I ever watched, Kyoryuger was the first Sentai I watched every week as it aired, so it has a special place in my heart despite its middling reputation. Yeah, Kyoryuger has been criticized for starting the trend of Red Senshi stealing all the screentime, and while that can easily be applied to later entries like Shuriken Sentai Ninninger and Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger (the latter basically made Red and Gold the only ones to pilot the giant robots while the others watched), I don’t think it's as bad as everyone says it is.

There is just an amazing cast of characters here. It’s the first Sentai to be composed of ten rangers (while Dekaranger also had ten, three of them were just one-offs), and it does a really good job at balancing them all out. Yes, Daigo/Kyoryu Red does get a handful of power-ups and can be the focus at times, but the other characters all have their own distinct personalities and are just a blast to watch. I’d honestly recommend watching a few episodes of this show to get an idea on how to do an ensemble cast. If I end up doing the whole “tokusatsu has better toy tie-ins than Miraculous” thing, expect me to talk about how Kyoryuger introduces its new characters and giant robots.

And then there’s the soundtrack. Oh my God, the soundtrack. Sentai tends to have banger songs for their seasons, and Kyoryuger is no exception. “Vamola! Kyoryuger”, “Solid Bullet”, “Kyoryu Gold! Iza!”, “Yuuki Bakuretsu”, “Chou Shinka! Kyoryu Beat”, “Houkou! Bragigas”, and “Senkou no Brave”. So many of these songs are incredibly catchy, and I haven’t listed all of them. The show has a bit of a music motif, so it makes sense for there to be a lot of insert songs.

The one major flaw I have to point out is that you kind of have to watch the theatrical movie (which is only slightly longer than an average episode), in order to understand some of the plotpoints for the season’s endgame, but other than that, it’s still a really good season to start off on.

Mashin Sentai Kiramager (2020-2021, 45 Episodes)

The Dark Empire Yodonheim attacks the planet Crystalia, with the king’s brother betraying him and siding with the enemy. The kingdom’s princess is sent to Earth to recruit five warriors to fight the Empire. The chosen five all possess “Kiramental”, a way of weaponizing their imagination, which they use to defend the Earth’s radiance.

Precure fans might remember this being the season where Cure Star met the Red to promote the latter’s season (actually referring to Cure Star as his sempai), and I can kind of see why. A lot of fans have jokingly compared this season to Precure because of the gemstone motif and focus on creativity, with Juru/Kiramai Red acting like a Pink Cure according to some of the comments I’ve seen in Sentai discussion forums.

This is the most recent season to finish as of this post, and it’s already gotten a lot of praise in terms of writing, characters, story, and managing all of these during the COVID-19 Pandemic and having to adapt to losing five episodes in the process. The characters are very likable, the Red is one of the better ones in recent years with him being more timid compared to the more hotheaded ones, and the villains are also amazing, and some of the best in recent years. Episodes can range from funny to tragic to just plain awesome in terms of writing, with seemingly innocent filler episodes being the source of major bombshells and plot twists. 

Honestly, there’s not much I can really say about this show other than check it out for yourself.

But these are just my recommendations. If you do some research and see a season you like, I’d go for it. If anyone else wants me to do these for Kamen Rider and Ultraman, I’d be happy to.

Sorry this took so long.

[bthump]

I wanted to touch on the whole gutsca thing with someone (I know zero people in this fandom so you're my lucky pick!). Am I alone in feeling like their first time together came out of no where? My meta with Guts is that he was not at all comfortable with sex at that time of his life (this instance being his first time [outside of the rape he experienced as a child]). His choice of words too, "here I go", translated to me like someone only doing what they felt was expected of them rather than something he was yearning for. He clearly wasn't even ready given how rough he was and how he regressed and attacked her. This moment seemed very forced and almost rang to me like Kentaro's declaration of "no homo though". I would be curious to know how Kentaro felt about homosexuality (bisexuality, etc) and if he ever addressed the ever blatant gay tension and romantic-non-platonic-love blossoming between Guts and Griffith pre-eclipse. I do get the sense that this may be a case of severe queer baiting or perhaps a PSA against gay love altogether ("falling for a man will literally destroy you and send you and everyone you love to hell" type of message); but I'm a very jaded person so I hope to be proven wrong. Sigh, my point being Gutsca seems pretty dang forced and empty of true development. I buy them more as besties than anything romantic. Especially since both he and Casca are actually in love with Griffith (what a fucking triangle!). Does anyone in fandom have any opinions on the sad possibility of this whole beautiful and ultimately tragic love between Griffith and Guts actually being a fucked up anti-gay PSA? Are there any interviews with Kentaro shooting this theory down so I can stop being sad and bitter about it? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for sending this, I'm definitely down to talk about it! I hope you connect with more people in the fandom but don’t worry about sending random asks even if you do lol.

Anyway you’re definitely not alone. I have a lot of thoughts on Guts and Casca's hook up, and they're all pretty much "it feels really forced and not particularly romantic but I think you can argue that that's deliberate" lol. For instance I discuss in a lot of detail here how various aspects of the scene indicate that Guts and Casca having sex is shown to be a case of both of them rebounding from Griffith and sort of giving to each other what they were unable or failed to give to him.

And I talk a lot about how Judeau essentially orchestrates it all and what that suggests about Guts and Casca's relationship here.

And lol sorry for all the links but also this post is about how their relationship feels one-sided to an extent and is used to illuminate a lot of Guts' flaws, using Judeau as a comparison point.

Oh shit and also one more lol, here's a comparison between the sex scene and Griffith's with Charlotte that suggests that both start as ways for the dudes to repress their feelings.

(Don't feel obligated to read all those posts if you don't want, you should get the gist of what I'm saying w/ those descriptions.)

But yeah basically I do think that Guts and Casca getting together felt forced and awkward. At best it might be intended to be seen that way, as two friends hooking up awkwardly in an emotionally intense moment but probably doomed to failure because neither of them are ready for a relationship with the other, or particularly interested in one deep down, once they finished "licking wounds." At worst it’s just bad writing lol. But again like I think there are good arguments for the former.

I also totally agree that their relationship has a strong vibe of doing what's expected. Like for real, at least to me both Guts and Casca read so easily as gay and repressed lol. Casca talks about her feelings for Griffith in terms of “he was a boy she was a girl can I make it any more obvious”

and I can’t help but see it as Casca like, wow I have strong feelings towards Griffith, he’s a man and I’m a woman, so clearly these feelings must be romantic, there’s no other option. Then when she has sex with Guts she keeps contextualizing it essentially as repayment for Guts saving her, like she owes him. “I too want a wound I can say you gave me.” “Not just being given to... maybe I can give something as well.” Which just doesn’t make her desire for him look all that genuine lol.

And then you have Guts. The way he tells Casca that from the start only her touch was okay with him after he has sex with her, referencing the scene when he wakes up with her on top of him and starts to panic before realizing she’s a woman, is soooo suggestive of repression to me. Like, first off because it’s incorrect, he was also okay with Griffith going in for a face-grab after winning a duel Guts had been projecting his rape trauma all over, which seems like a pretty conspicuous omission. And secondly because the reason he was okay with Casca’s touch specifically is solely because she’s a woman, not because she’s special or because they have a magic romantic connection - it’s because she’s not a man. To me that just screams that Guts was open to sex with Casca because she’s the only woman he knows, and he’s afraid of the idea of physical intimacy with men, regardless of what he might actually want deep down.

So yeah that’s basically how I feel about Guts and Casca’s relationship, strong agree with you.

When it comes to Miura’s intent, I can tell you that Miura was asked about the subtext in an interview once, back in 2000, and he responded with something along the lines of ‘two men can have passionate feelings for each other without it being romantic.’ The interview is here, but this is a paraphrase the translator mentioned in the comments.

Other than that I’ve never seen him address it directly, but on the flipside he has cited several textually gay stories as inspiration (off the top of my head: Kaze to Ki no Uta, Devilman, Guin Saga, mangaka Moto Hagio in general), and he has straightforwardly said that the (magical intersex) central character of his other work, Duranki, was intended to have romances with both male and female love interests. Also people tell me there are strong griffguts vibes with the main, presumably canon or intended-to-be-canon ship there. So there’s that lol.

As for the no homo aspect and the potential homophobia in the griffguts subtext... I can’t deny I’ve also considered the idea that it’s a deliberate anti-gay PSA (though I haven’t seen anyone else address the idea as far as I remember, and I’ve only briefly mentioned it offhandedly). Like, Guts and Griffith’s relationship turns bad because they’re both too invested in each other, maybe the barely-subtextual desire is meant to look like a sinister twisting of pure platonic feelings that ruins everything, if Griffith hadn’t loved him the Eclipse never would have happened, etc.

But honestly I don’t think that reading holds up compared to a much more positive reading of their feelings, in which it’s their failure to understand them and act on them, thanks largely to formative childhood trauma and self-hatred, that leads to tragedy.

I don’t know what Miura intended, and there certainly are aspects of the story that are homophobic regardless of his intent, even if my best-faith reading is entirely correct, like the only textual gay attraction being pedophiles and over the top heretic orgies lol, or yk, Guts and Griffith both assaulting the same woman while looking at/thinking about the other in a very sexually charged way.

But the reading of their relationship where it’s positive and good for both of them, even including sexual desire, and only gets fucked up because they both incorrectly think their feelings are unrequited is legitimately so weirdly strong, much stronger than a reading where the sexual nature of their feelings is what fucks everything up, so I’m pretty happy just rolling with that take.

And as much as Casca can be seen and may very well be intended as a no homo, it’s also very easy for me to read her relationships with both as less of a hopeful opportunity for positive heterosexual romance and more of a “here’s how repressing your feelings thru attempts at heterosexuality fucks you up” PSA lol. Griffith and Charlotte too, for that matter. It’s definitely a stretch to think that’s intended, but whether it’s intended or not it’s an easy sell for me and I’m fine with not really worrying too much about possible authorial intent there.

Finally, I also want to link this post that goes pretty thoroughly into why I interpret griffguts as very positive rather than as a cautionary tale or predatory gay lust etc

And also have this shorter post about Femto on the same subject too, why not

Oh and maybe this thing where I split hairs about Guts’ lust for Griffith and desire for revenge to make a point that the homoeroticism isn’t necessarily being equated with violence by the narrative lol

[thefloatingstone]

i've never watched umi ga kikoeru what's wrong with it? other than the uhh guy punching the other guy

Umi ga Kikoeru/Ocean Waves was a smaller movie created by Ghibli’s B team who usually work on commercials. It was their opportunity to show their skill level working on a feature film (I can’t remember if it was a theatrical release or a TV movie and I’m on mobile so I can’t fact check too easily). Anyway, the movie is visually extremely nice. Not as “cinematic” as Ghibli’s main films but with really nice colours and atmosphere. It’s an extremely pretty movie.

The movie, being of a much smaller scale, was an adaptation of a Japanese novel of the same name, rather than a completely original story. And I don’t know if the novel is similar, but literally every single thing I hate about this movie involves its writing and characters, making it one of the most infuriating animated movies of all time and one of the very few movies where I can honestly say “I hate this movie”.

It’s about our main character, nice normal boy and his friend, glasses boy, and a new transfer student to their high school, terrible horrible bitchy girl. And the movie’s a love triangle. So... yeah immediately it’s like “ugh”. But that’s not why I hate it. I hate it because the girl both these boys are infatuated with is possibly one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever watched in a movie, and it’s filmed in a way that it’s clear we’re supposed to LIKE her.

She’s unhappy to have moved out of Tokyo to this island. She’s pretty intelligent but really arrogant, and she constantly leads people on to do what she wants before unceremoniously dropping them. She’s a massive maniplator who, when called out on her bullshit, starts pullying the “I’m secretly really unhappy” garbage.

I’m just gonna copy paste the plot summary from Wikipedia so you can see what I mean because I’m only on mobile and I refuse to suffer by recounting the whole thing myself:

In Kōchi, two years prior, Taku receives a call from his friend, Yutaka Matsuno, asking to meet at their high school. He finds Yutaka at a window, watching an attractive female transfer student whom Yutaka was asked to show around. The boys discuss their upcoming school trip to Hawaii. At the school gates, Taku is introduced to the new girl, Rikako Muto. She thanks Yutaka for providing directions to a bookstore. Taku teases Yutaka about his infatuation.

The school year ends, heralding the Hawaii trip. Taku, suffering from an upset stomach, is stopped in the hotel lobby by Rikako. She explains that she has lost her money and asks to borrow some. As Taku has a part-time job, he lends her ¥60,000. Promising to repay him, she warns not to tell anyone. As she departs, Taku sees a stern Yutaka and feels compelled to explain. Later, Rikako admonishes him for telling Yutaka about the money, saying that he also loaned her ¥20,000.

Back in Kōchi, the third year begins with Rikako making a friend, Yumi Kohama. Rikako hasn't returned Taku's money and he wonders if she has forgotten. Out of the blue, a distressed Yumi calls Taku, explaining that Rikako had tricked her into coming to the airport on the pretence of a concert trip, only to discover that their real destination is Tokyo, tickets paid for with Taku's money. He races to the airport, sending Yumi home, saying that he will accompany Rikako.

Upon arrival, it appears that Rikako has not forewarned her father, interrupting his planned trip with a girlfriend. Her father thanks Taku, repays the loan and arranges a room at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Later, Rikako explains that when her parents were fighting, she'd always sided with her father, but had now discovered he wasn't on her side. Comforting her, Taku offers his bed and attempts to sleep in the bathtub. The next morning, Rikako seems back to her normal self and kicks Taku out so that she can change clothes to meet a friend for lunch. Taku wanders around the city. After catching up on sleep at the hotel, Taku receives a call from Rikako asking to be rescued from former boyfriend, Okada, who is not as she remembered him.

Returning home, Rikako ignores Taku, but doesn't hide from others that they spent a night together. Taku discovers this from Yutaka, who had earlier confronted Rikako to confess his feelings toward her, but had been rebuffed. Taku confronts Rikako in class for hurting his best friend, calling her "The worst!". She responds by slapping him and he slaps her in return.

The autumn school cultural festival arrives and Rikako, who has been avoiding Yosakoi dance rehearsals, becomes more distant from the other girls, many of whom openly dislike her. Confronting her behind the school, Rikako stands firm as one girl, believing that Rikako was flirting with her boyfriend, attempts to strike her but is held back. Taku, who has seen all, approaches Rikako and comments that he is impressed with the way she handled herself. She slaps him but runs away with regret. Yutaka confronts a somewhat stunned Taku, who tries to explain. Yutaka punches him to the ground calling him an idiot before walking away. None of the three talk to each other for the rest of the year.

In the present, Taku's plane lands and he is offered a lift home by Yutaka, who explains he punched him because he'd realized Taku had held back his feelings for his sake. At a class reunion, former student president Shimizu mentions she had met Rikako earlier. She explains that as Rikako was attending Kochi University, she had flown to Tokyo for her school break, missing the reunion. Taku realizes that Rikako was the woman he'd seen at the station. Walking home, Yumi tells Taku that she too had met Rikako, explaining she couldn't make it to the reunion and that she wanted to meet someone, but wouldn't say who... just that he slept in bathtubs.

In Tokyo, Taku again sees Rikako across the platforms, but this time runs to find her. As the train pulls away, he finds Rikako and realises that he had always been in love with her.

We’re supposed to like these characters... I think??? We’re supposed to be HAPPY that this bitch and this dude end up together at the end. And no. That summary is NOT leaving out any redeeming qualities about this girl. She’s AWFUL. She’s literally one of the modt hateful characters I have EVER seen in a movie.

And we’re supposed to be HAPPY THAT THIS IS A RELATIONSHIP. THIS IS SO FUCKED UP AND TOXIC WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE????

I hate this fucking movie so much.

At least it’s pretty I guess.

[film-clown]

Holy shit. So I’ve just watched 13 Reasons Why, season 3.

I know I cry at pretty much everything but god fucking damn, this show hit. It hit in every way possible and it is absolutely their best season. They talked about such important issues in the real world such as ICE and abortion rights, and they carried the sexual assault storyline better than ever. I think, almost every plot line was done very, very well. I’m gonna discuss everything from the show, so spoiler alert if you haven’t watched it.

First and foremost, I’d like everyone to give a huge standing ovation for Devin Druid’s performance this season. I cannot even BEGIN to express the way each and every one of his scenes moved me. They obviously continued the story of his assault by Monty, and they did it damn well. This storyline also very well showed that a person can move on, heal, and better themselves from mistakes they make. Tyler changed, with the help of amazing friends and a support system. I loved it, truly. I’ve seen many comments about how this was the show’s way of making viewers feel bad for a school shooter, and honestly? I’m not going to look at it that way. Second chances are how the world runs, but I’ll get into that later.

Now speaking of Monty... LOOOOOOOOOOOLL

Alright so.. I kinda saw this coming? 💀💀

I mean, kinda. But not really. I feel like as much as people would call Monty’s plotline this season toxic, due to the internalised homophobia, I’m going to choose to look at this as something people genuinely go through.

As a male jock, in high school, it’s a HUGE joke to be gay. Unfortunately, slurs are always thrown around, and even if you aren’t homophobic, the energy that jocks give out about the LGBT+ community will surely make you into that. So honestly? The demonstration of how Monty felt throughout the season when it came to his sexuality was accurate.

Now this little bit is gonna be my soft side talking - don’t attack me for it. The scene in the last episode where Monty finally goes up to the guy from Hillcrest and isn’t a dick to him, I can’t describe how that made me feel. And when Monty’s dad later came to visit him in prison, and spit on his face because he figured out he was gay? That shit made me sad. If you’re gonna spit on his face, do it because of what he did to Tyler. Not because he’s gay. Fuck.

In conclusion, I think Monty had some potential. Some. I don’t think he deserved to die though, and he certainly did not deserve to be blamed for Bryce’s death just because he’s dead.

Jock culture is so toxic. It was strongly established this season with both this plotline and the assault one (gonna get to that later) and I hope the world watches this show and takes some action. I don’t give a fuck what you’ve done in your life, nobody deserves to not love, or be loved.

I really feel bad for Monty to have grown up in such a toxic environment, with a piece of shit homophobic dad and that jock culture. The scene where Winston says, “You can be whoever you want to be” and Monty says “No.. I can’t.” Yeah I’m sorry but that scene broke me.

PSA: Monty’s still a dick. This is just my lil gay self talking.

Also, Timothy Granaderos and Deaken Bluman are so sexy. Thank you for listening.

Now fuck. GOD DAMMIT YO. Tony Padilla’s storyline fucked me up.

As much as I cried half the time, I’m so glad the writers brought up the misuse and abuse of ICE towards POCs in America. It broke my heart into so many pieces when viewers found out that his family had been deported and/or held in detention centres. It is so not fair. And to think that there’s countless families in our real world who are suffering through this shit. :(

I love Tony and Caleb so much. Imagine finding somebody who loves you THAT much. I’m glad that after showing a toxic gay “relationship” (Monty and Winston) they showed something as beautiful as this. Definitely one of the best parts of this season.

Speaking of relationships... wow.

I loved them. Like truly. First of all; the SEXIEST couple I’ve ever seen in any series. Also I think my emotional connection with them is cause they literally came back to each other...

...and they stayed together. Through everything that happened this season, they stuck together (for the most part, lol) and I loved that. The love triangle of Alex, Jessica, and Justin was weird though.

I also really, really loved Jessica’s journey on loving her body again. And treating herself right. It’s good that they brought up female masturbation in this season too, the stigma really needed to be broken. I’m so proud of her 🥺.

Okay and, wow. Justin’s reveal on being a survivor.. my god. One thing that’s really good about this show is, it highlights that men can also be sexually assaulted, or raped. And, that does not make you any less of a man. Society needs that reminder.

Also. I love Justin so much. So so much. But I’ll make a separate post for my man.

The brotherly relation between Justin, Clay, and Zach. My favourite thing to come out of this season. I’m so glad that the realest people in this show found a brother in one another.

The adventure of Justin settling into Clay’s family was a heartwarming thing to watch, as well.

This scene made me cry SO much. Clay coming back from hearing about what happened to Tony’s family, to tell his parents he loves them and making sure he’s thankful that he has them. I love this family so fucking much. It was a true wake up call for me too. I went and sat with my mum after watching this. Even if your relation with your parent(s) is rocky, please never take their place in your life for granted.

Alright. The best fucking scene from this ENTIRE show. All 3 seasons. This scene was: it.

You can watch Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.

I cried start to finish on this one. Viewers also find out that Justin is a survivor, and I.. wow. Fuck. I literally have no words for everything to do with this.

This scene is so important for everyone to watch. It’s important for survivors to watch this to know that they’re not alone. You are never alone. And to those who haven’t been a victim of assault, please stand by those who have. Please support them, fight for them. The justice system is cruel to survivors, and unity within society is what can get us through another day. It can make things better.

Honestly I suck with words. Go watch the scene and hear what Jessica says.

Alright, now it’s time for the most controversial topic of 13 Reasons Why; Bryce Walker.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that the show is shitty for trying to sympathise and make viewers feel bad for Bryce - and I’d like to agree to disagree. Bryce is awful, the fact that he raped so many girls and did such horrible things to so many different people will neither be forgotten, nor forgiven. But I’m gonna choose to look at his plotline in the most positive ways possible.

You cannot forgive a rapist, or an abuser. They aren’t mistakes, they’re somebody’s actions that were intentionally done. But you can choose to let the person learn from it. You can choose to let the person grow, do better. I believe that everyone, no matter who, deserves a second chance. Not a single person in this world is perfect and if people weren’t given second chances, this society would be lifeless. I will choose to believe that Bryce was doing better. I saw a post that said something along the lines of, “It took the loss of his girlfriend, friends, and social status for him to realise that what he did was fucked up.” And I agree. Of course it took that for him to realise. Nobody realises what they’ve truly done until they, themselves, face the consequences for it.

The writers truly did an amazing job on portraying Bryce’s storyline. As problematic as it is, it’s reality, and as Thanos once said, “Reality is often disappointing.” Like, do you know how good you have to be at your job to make viewers FEEL BAD for a rapist? We all knew how horrible Bryce is, yet some of the scenes with him and his mum brought me to tears. I’d also like to give a whole round of applause to Justin Prentice because, wow. That man is damn talented. He did an amazing job this season. Don’t ever forget to separate the actor from their character!

One of the things that really stuck with me from this season is when Ms Baker was brought in for questioning. She said, “Did you know that this department has put more investigative efforts into solving the murder of a convicted rapist, than it ever did for any of his former victims?” And WOW. Did she lie? Did she really fucking lie?? No she didn’t.

Going back to what I said earlier, the justice system is cruel to victims. The way they investigated Bryce’s death vs how they treated Hannah’s case is how things are in real life. It’s really upsetting.

Also, the way they portrayed feminism/the SO club was DISGUSTING. I wish they had done better with that, rather than to carry on the annoying and disrespectful feminist stereotype. Protesting at Bryce’s funeral was so disrespectful.

By the way, wasn’t that Audrey from Scream? LOL

The last topic I wanted to discuss is Ani, but she annoyed me so much that I refuse to put in effort to talk about her. She’s absolutely disgusting for having sex with her friend’s rapist, as well as sticking her nose in business that had nothing to do with her. As Justin once said, “Fuck off, Ani.”

In conclusion,

This show is, and always will remain controversial and problematic. And a lot of people will choose to view it in the most skeptical way possible, rather than to see the points it makes. I definitely agree that this show hasn’t always been the best at portraying certain things - especially in season 1 - but they’re doing better now. This is high school culture (not the part where students are investigating a murder instead of doing homework). This is how the justice system treats rapists vs their victims. These are the struggles of survivors.

AS USUAL, THE SOUNDTRACK SLAPS. Go listen to it, please and thank you. This one is my personal favourite!!

Also, I’m always open to discussing/debating the things I talked about in this post. :)

[saltyaos]

lillysbitchfest

replied to your post

“a loooong meta about lots of things I hated about 5x14 and what...”

This explains well what I've been seeing... since season 2. I've desperate to ship Jemma with someone else because... she needs a person to be there for her when the team, and the whole universe, obviously isn't. It breaks my heart watching her get guilt-ed into this relationships, which with how the love triangle ended and how everyone we saw talk about it was saying "Team Fitz!" it's always going to feel like Jemma is with him romantically because she was told if she-

cared about him at all she HAD to be. Now with season 5 it's just even more abusive and painful. People call Jemma a bad friend to Daisy because of the Fitz thing but... Daisy pushed Jemma into believing she HAD to take care of Fitz above everything just as much as anyone else did. Feeling it now... no wonder I've been mad at Daisy, for all people are calling it a betrayal it just feels like those "you two are meant for each other!" chickens came home to roost... :(

oh look, this is one of those things in which I half respectfully disagree and half agree so much and it’s a very complicate place for me to be in lol 

I’ll explain: 

I believe Jemma is in love with Fitz, and that s2 represented a person who is demiromantic/almost aromantic (possibly because I’m aro) who has a hard time distinguishing the enormous love felt for a friend from the loving love felt for a potential boyfriend, and that in the end she was able to sort it out. Even just because Jemma is a character of those writers who say they are in love, but generally speaking, I can totally go for that. Like, when they made up at the end of s2 and Jemma brought up what he said at the bottom of the ocean, he told her they didn’t need to talk about that, he was going to be her friend and that’s it. And she insisted, because she felt it. And in Maveth she made herself go on talking about the date, fantasizing, hoping she’d be home soon. 

Later, they were back to being just friends in season 3b, she could have kept things that way, but she once again started asking for more because she was ready, with Fitz not being sure if it was a good idea or not, but then she assured him they had waited long enough. 

(You don’t see it that way and that’s totally fine, just a reminder that I’m not going to fight you on it, just express my opinion lol)

BUT. But that makes things so much worse to me. 

Because if you look at it from my point of view, the point of view of Jemma being in love with him, this is... literally what happened to many women I know. They are/were in love, and their boyfriend loved them, but in some cases they didn’t get along that well or the boyfriend did something not okay or the women were simply in need of a break for some reason, or actually weren’t happy, and the fact that they were ‘in love’ felt reason enough to NOT ever take breaks or put themselves first, not ever give up (because if you are in love you gotta stick with him even when you are breaking down too, apparently) so for me, in this context, even without the constant cheerleaders of the ship reminding her they belong together, if Jemma had needed a break in s5 or after s4... she wouldn’t have been able to take it, because she also feels extreme guilt in general, and s2 did happen with her ‘leaving’ and Fitz ‘breaking’, so in good conscience how can she leave him? If you love someone you are supposed to put aside your ‘less painful’ problems to focus on theirs (I disagree with that but that’s what the world often says), and Jemma, who always minimizes her problem and has a boyfriend who just went through brainwashing, a fake life in which he was turned into a sociopath, his brain damage, the depression and guilt he had from before, and now a psychic split and his in a cell, has no real choice but to put aside all the violence that has been inflicted on her because she has a better handle on it, and just make sure he’s okay. That’s what ‘people in love do’. If she needs to go, it’s abandonment.  

But THEN you add the fact that while she was at least TRYING to think about how she felt, for once in her life, and she had 2 different people remind her she can make Fitz happy, they are in love and they should stick together, and BYE to the chance for her to take a break. 

It hit home for me. Because I don’t know people who were pushed into a relationship by friends, but I definitely know people who are in love with someone and they reached all a point in which they needed a break but didn’t feel it was even an option because they are in love with them (in Jemma’s case a break would be needed because she’s incredibly traumatized too, and because hey, maybe she also needs to feel safe until his mental illness gets treated because 1) he can’t be responsible for his actions, he could think he’s saving her life while violating her body autonomy next, it’s not because he’s evil, but his morality has changed and he’s hearing voices and the show decided to portray it as the kind of mental illness that brings you to do things like tying your friend to a table and cutting her neck, without even trying to discuss with her about the fact that her inhibitor could lead to the end of the world - which btw thank you for portraying a mental illness as a reason for someone to be that dangerous and threatening. As if real life people don’t have enough problems with their mental illnesses being used to villainize them 2) Jemma has seen herself get physically harmed by TWO Fitzes: a LMD one, and her brainwashed real one. And then saw real Fitz operate on Daisy. It would be okay to feel unsafe. Especially since he was very detached from reality when he was doing it. It’s not about love or not love if she decides not to walk in his room, he can think he’s in control and not be, he’s not getting any professional help, no therapy, no meds. He’s trapped in a room.  so yes, it would be okay if Jemma wanted a break from Fitz because she has all kinds of reasons

and It’s not like Fitz, in the middle of, you know, hallucinating and having facial expressions that didn’t match his feelings, which is also a very big sign of not being Okay, wasn’t chill about the gun pointed at Jemma by the robot, assuming she wouldn’t move, and while she didn’t because hey, how would that help Daisy? She’d need to be dragged out and patched up immediately, a bullet in the leg is not a joke. She could still have snapped, as a former torture victim, and jerked forward and gotten herself shot and then what) 

so like i said, for me it hits home more to think that she’s in love, and that she WANTS to be there for him and she’s been taught by the world that when you love someone you absolutely can’t leave them even if your mental health is going to hell, and that is exactly what I see happening to women I know

and having 45 friends tell her that she can help him, that she has to understand him, that in a potential future she DID help him, and that is a direct response to her expressing distress too, not even to her asking for advice, sure as hell didn’t help her make any other decision. 

so while for you it’s a situation of: she was already pushed to be with him and to be responsible for him, and she’ll never be free, for me it’s a she loves him, feels responsible and has the whole world confirm to her that it’s her responsibility and in her abilities to make him okay. In both cases, instead of a ‘well, it sucks that you were physically and emotionally tortured, gaslighted, traumatized, enslaved, and all that, but instead of telling you that you should try to take a break as soon as the end of the world doesn’t happen and get some therapy and time for yourself while he does too, and then you can both decide if you two can be together, and you can also support him from afar and he’ll support you, we will help him too so you don’t have to worry about him, and we will help you too, so don’t worry about that now’ we get a ‘well, it sucks that you were physically and emotionally tortured, gaslighted, traumatized, enslaved, but don’t worry, you can help Fitz anyway so find your happiness in the fact that you two love each other and can conquer everything’. 

as for Daisy, here’s the other thing: the ONLY acceptable and vaguely normal option for me would have been Jemma feeling torn between the two and yes, ultimately she’d have wanted to get Fitz out of his cell and have his help when they went to destroy the particle accelerator, she did disagree with Daisy’s sole focus on Coulson. Because Daisy IS her friend, because what happened WAS traumatizing to see too, hell, it was traumatizing for viewers, and it was just weird that Jemma wasn’t shown empathetic at all. That’s what makes me angry at her. The complete lack of softness when dealing with Daisy. Daisy is the only person who always checked on Jemma, at least once a season, even if Jemma never really answered to her ‘are you okay’s in a truthful way except maybe in the deleted s2 scene. 

However, the complete lack of care in that direction can also be read as Jemma being so broken and desperate that she had to choose one way to go (be on Fitz’s side) and be blind to everything else because if she doubts herself, if she lets herself be unsure of what to do for a second, she will fall apart completely. She had to give full focus to Fitz, and ignore Daisy’s pain because in her head they’d have to eventually be okay again, all of them, and recognizing how Daisy felt would mean also recognizing how fucked up it all was, and how fucked up she is and Fitz is. So it’s also a sign of unhealthy response and not just bad friendship (except that the writers didn’t think of it so deeply, in the writers’ mind it was just a woman in love choosing her husband because she did think they had no other choice and Daisy had to eventually accept that it was either that or the fear dimension taking over the world. Nothing else. If I think the way the writers did, it is bad friendship. Because as an aro person -but there are plenty non aro people who feel the same - a best friend can be just as important as your husband and you can be torn between them). 

Daisy did, often, brought up how Jemma can be Fitz’s salvation though. So while she didn’t in season 5... it is also a fruit of Daisy’s labor if Jemma feels like she can make Fitz feel better out of her sheer stubbornness. To be fair, when Daisy reassures Jemma that she and Fitz belong together, it’s because Jemma is spiraling down thinking Fitz is dead or gone for good. I would have done the same. But it wouldn’t cross my mind to bring that up when Jemma doesn’t know what to do about her relationship after 5x14 because she’s not thinking Fitz is dead and because?? it’s not good for her??? 

so... summing it up:

-in my case, I feel like Jemma does love Fitz, which just adds up to the narrative that she cannot put herself first in this, and it’s also the same narrative fed to people since forever and that fucks up so many real people in real life, and hurts me even more because god, she’ll never take care of herself. Never.   -She had too many people insist that she was responsible for Fitz’s mental health and happiness all by herself, in good and bad ways. It stuck.  -I can understand why Daisy would not trust her. I can understand why Mack was pissed at the very traumatic pretend-to-have-drank-acid moment, but... in Mack’s case, while he has all reason to feel betrayed, and while he was angrier at Elena and Fitz than he was at Jemma since their interactions were pretty normal after that, he DID basically tell Jemma that she had to see things from Fitz’s point of view. -Jemma’s arc could have easily been shown as Jemma losing her mind and needing to desperately focus on Fitz, unhealthily so, and it’s like a ‘remember your mental health is important too even when your loved ones aren’t feeling well or you might end up breaking yourself’ kind of story, except that’s not what the writers wanted to write  -there is NOTHING that can be done now. It’s just too late for Jemma to have an actual storyline. Anything she does has to be done keeping in mind what happened last time Fitz was stressed out. and anyway it would even be weird, she never reacted to anything because the writers didn’t care enough, it wasn’t even a thing about her being in character, it just wasn’t important enough.   -regardless of you liking her story with Will and me not liking it (but I’m not going to focus on that, i’m just bringing it up because it shows a pattern), it’s clear that the writers have a thing for Jemma having to give hope (it was supposed to be like a game between her and Will, but the writers were like ‘you know what, we’ll just keep her doing that with everybody all the time forever’), no matter what she’s going through and no matter who the boyfriend is, it’s been like that with Fitz in s2, partly, when people in shield and people in the fandom expected her to be this machine who could constantly support him, it’s been like that during her brief time in Maveth with Will in s3, four months of constant hoping while being told it couldn’t work and then, believing she was stuck there, she still tried to be super cheerful right away and see every bright side possible, then again with Fitz in s4 and s5, and she even have never-ending hope with Elena; Jemma is meant to be a woman who has to hang on and give hope, and the few times she couldn’t take it anymore, whether leaving SHIELD (to go undercover) because she thought it was best for Fitz, or leaving Will behind in Maveth, or putting herself first once and letting Lash out of his pod so she could escape, she’s been punished in and out of universe so violently that I could never blame her for going to ‘drinking acid’ levels of obsessed with ‘believing in someone’ and ‘wanting to think they are invincible’. I can pity her, and I can hate the fact that a character was changed this much because that is NOT who she was in s1, and she was also resisting it in s2, she wasn’t unnaturally hopeful, she needed Fitz to give her hope during FZZT too, she was immediately full on hating Ward and fighting the pain of his betrayal with anger, she lost hope in s2 too, she was NORMAL, realistic, but the moment the writers decided she was going to date they started making her more... typical. they also saw how much people loved Iain’s performance in s2 so they decided that he’d be constantly suffering.  If you put the character they chose to be the Hopeful one and the one they want to hurt all the time together, what’s going to happen? That he will be constantly shown hurting, have horrible things happen to him, and he’ll react like a normal person and break, and that she’ll be relegated to the role of giving him hope and being supportive, suffering over the consequences of what he’s going through too but not allowed to show it. Also perpetuating stereotypes that are especially harmful to women, since they are the ones most often expected to endure and be supportive and stay with the man they love no matter if they are suffering or not. 

Mind you, because of my... family situation and chronic illnesses and various messes, I’m very much a Hope person. Sees the bright side, laughs things off, constantly supporting my loved ones, exactly like Jemma, but 1 I break every now and then and get all kinds of support from those people 2 nobody is there telling me I have to take care of my loved ones when I clearly can’t 3 if anybody told me that someone’s health depended on me I’d have an immediate breakdown but also tell them to go to hell because that’s not how it works at all 4 I have some people who don’t need me as hope and we just have a good time together 5 I’m not violently traumatized once a month and demand time and space whenever I need it. I’m about to post the last post of my meta about how stereotypical FS became and this reply to you ended up being longer than that lmao 

(you ship WillJemma, said you were desperate to ship her with someone who is there for her, that is also why when I write with my friends I ship Jemma with Hunter instead, totally building it out of nowhere so we can do what we want lmao the one person she never had an argument with, never judged her for leaving in s2 not even behind her back, who really wanted to be there for his loved one and support her and all he asked was to be let in. But that’s in roleplaying where everything can make sense and we change the plot. But also hey, I can ship AU FS in which they actually talked about all their problems in s2 and kept supporting EACH OTHER and he adores how weird she is, which is a trait that stayed, and he gets therapy, and she gets therapy which is mentioned to have happened maybe in between seasons, and they are both equally excited to be together instead of him obsessing over her protection and them being in completely different places in their relationship, and she gets to break and to have her own arcs. Need me a ship like THAT. Where they both seem to be having fun together and TALK to each other

I need a ship where NO ONE is put on a pedestal, where he doesn’t think he’s not worthy of her and focuses on protecting her and hides things from her so she doesn’t have to worry about him, where instead they are both working on a relationship and love each other and talk to each other, and they both want the same things because otherwise Jemma is the only one working on the present happiness and alone in the relationship. They put each other first up to a certain level, but they know when they can retreat or say ‘this is too much’ and take a step back.)

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 4/15/2018

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Sunday 15th April 2018. Remember that you can read full articles via subscribing to Nation News Online, purchasing a Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS) or via Barbados Today (BT).

STAB OF DEATH - The usual hustle and bustle of a Saturday afternoon in Bridgetown came to a standstill yesterday following the brutal murder of a 36-year-old nail technician and mother of two. According to police reports, the woman, whose name was not released, but who our investigations indicated is Onica King of Four Roads, St Philip, or Lead Vale, Christ Church, was working in her shop at No. 41 Mandela Plaza on Swan Street when she was attacked around 2:45 by a man who is well known to her. He reportedly fled the scene on foot. This latest killing sent the number of murders in Barbados for this year to ten. When a Sunday Sun team arrived on Swan Street, the mood was sombre, with people speculating on what had taken place. Shops in the immediate vicinity of the plaza were also forced to close because the area was inaccessible. As news of the stabbing incident spread, hundreds of curious onlookers gathered on both sides of the cobbled street, which had already been cordoned off by police, so they could only watch from a distance. Many who abandoned their shopping or delayed trips home took up any available vantage point as they tried to catch a glimpse of the body, which was still in the building. Many passers-by, including fellow nail technicians, vented their frustrations about the incident and most called for the Government and the law to do something to punish the perpetrators. Since the stabbing, a video of the dying woman has gone viral, showing the victim’s two children (a boy and a girl) crying and screaming for their mother before being taken inside a room by an unidentified male. At least one woman collapsed on the street sobbing uncontrollably. When the news team left the scene at 5:45 p.m. a large crowd was still gathered, waiting on the body to be removed. This incident comes on the heels of the stabbing death of police officer Shayne Welch on March 26 during a reported love triangle at his home in Kingsland Drive, Christ Church. Applon Parris has since been charged for his death. (SS)

NEW BUT PRESIDENT ELECTED – Sean Spencer is the new president of the Barbados Union of Teachers. He secured more votes than former president Pedro Shepherd and Everton Briggs when elections were held on Friday. Below is the full list of those elected to serve on the executive for the period 2018 - 2019. President - Sean Spencer; Vice president - Richmark Cave, General Secretary - Herbert Gittens, Deputy General secretary - Rudy Lovell, Treasurer - Candacy Griffith, Public relations officer - Julian Pierre;  Executive members: Andre Holder, Asha Yearwood, Tanya Mayers, Jacqueline Prescod, Andrea Puckering, Dwayne Greenidge.  (SS)

MARA: IT WAS STRESSFUL, STRENUOUS – The former Member of Parliament (MP) for St John Mara Thompson is confident she made the right decision to step down from electoral politics. She spoke about the decision on Friday night after a meeting at the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) constituency office in Carters, Gall Hill. There she said her final goodbyes to party members and those who made up the constituency council. In a brief interview after the proceedings, she said while she enjoyed representing the people of St John as one of the few female MPs in Barbados, as a mother, she felt relieved. “I am so filled with relief that I am not sure if I have mixed feelings of such,” she said. “I am sure I made the right decision and I am happy to go and take care of Mara now.” Thompson, who was elected in 2011 after the death of her husband former Prime Minister and MP for St John David Thompson, in 2010, said public life was a bit more than she could chew. “Yes I found it was stressful and strenuous. I felt that I wasn’t paying sufficient attention to what’s happening at home and how the girls were doing. I still have a 16-year-old. “One of my daughters said to me when I first started out that I have taken on all the hats that David wore and as I thought about it leading up to my coming out, it was true. I pretty much took on everything he did, constituency and all, but David had a wife, a cooperative, supportive wife and I don’t have what he did.” When asked what was the straw that broke that camel’s back for her, she said it was too personal and could not comment. However, as it relates to her achievements, she said she was pleased with what she did, pointing to her success in completing the David Thompson Health And Social Services Complex at Glebe Land, opening a new post office in Four Roads and fixing roads in Haynesville and other areas. Thompson added that she thought people in that constituency were annoyed with her for her decision to back down but to her surprise they were not. “They seemed thankful and grateful to me for running . . . . It was a phenomenal experience and I learnt a lot despite it was taxing.” The candidate for the parish in the upcoming General Election is George Pilgrim, the general secretary of the DLP and three-time defeated St Thomas candidate.  (SS)

ALARM OVER WEIGHT OF GIRLS, WOMEN – Barbados is eighth in the world in relation to the number of females – 15 years and over – who are overweight or obese. According to a report produced by the World Health Organisation in 2011, Barbados comes in at 63 per cent in the rankings. Trinidad and Tobago runs a close second with 61 per cent, while Dominica and Jamaica bring up the rear with 60 and 53 per cent, respectively. Professor Alafia Samuels, director, Chronic Disease Research Centre, at the University of West Indies Cave Hill Campus, said the situation was alarming. She was giving the inaugural lecture entitled Confront The Epidemic Of Obesity – Is Sugar The New Tobacco? in the Roy Marshall Lecture Theatre. Data analysed in 2010 showed that 33 per cent of nine- to ten-year-olds were overweight or obese, representative of more than one per cent increase yearly. “The other issue with childhood obesity is that it causes raised blood pressure in children. Most children have no reason to have high blood pressure; it is a disease of adulthood, but obesity will bring on raised blood pressure in children,” she said. While she added that obesity was the most important underlying cause of death in Barbados, she said in order to reduce the amount of sugar consumed on a daily, people needed to eat foods with a low glycaemic index. “We break everything down into glucose, but the large starch molecules or complex carbohydrates give you a slow and extensive breakdown and therefore a slow rise in blood sugar,” she explained. She said sugar-sweetened beverages was the leading cause of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in both adults and children. (SS)

SOCIETY LOSING FIGHT AGAINST NOISE – The Society for a Quieter Barbados (SQB) has not been muzzled. But a lot of its members who agitated over the years for a noiseless Barbados have either passed away or are no longer active in the organization. President Carl Moore told the Sunday Sun that he was still inundated with noise complaints from Barbadians and visitors, but he said with only he and a public relations officer now running the show, there was little they could do to campaign against noise pollution.  Recalling when the organization was first launched in 2002, Moore said he never expected it to be around for a long time because he believed Barbadians would easily comprehend the seriousness of such an irritant. “All we had to offer was quiet, and we thought that people would welcome a little quiet, but it was not to be,” he confessed during an interview at his home.  At the height of its popularity the organisation attracted a membership of 250 people.  “But overtime people died. . . . We lost people like Dr Leonard Shorey, Peter Morgan, Leonard St Hill, Sir Frederick Smith and Oliver Jackman and things started to slow down from about 2006. We were pretty active in keeping a website, we ran short notices in newspapers and we participated in town hall meetings.” One of their major successes was having the issue of noise pollution addressed in the National Commission on Law and Order 2000. However, Moore said even with this significant mention the legislation which they so badly needed to bring effect to the issue, eluded them.“We were involved in all these things but still not able to nudge the decision-makers to the point where they would put on the statute books strong legislation to deal with noise pollution,” he lamented, pointing out that even though noise pollution was addressed in four pieces of legislation, they were relatively weak. “We were calling for something with real teeth. The Road Traffic Act, Highways Act and the Public Order Act, they all touched on noise and the nuisance that could be addressed. As far back as 1979, discussions were held but to date there has been no real progress and police have to rely on persuasion and veiled threats of prosecution. Moore, 78, said the SQB started to fall off around 2008, struggling for three consecutive years to raise a quorum. “So Barbadians have learned to live with noise, to tolerate it; but the thing about noise, you may adjust to noise by ignoring it but the ear never closes . . . .” Some of the noise pollutants include loud music, kites, revving of vehicles and motorcycles, political and church meetings, barking dogs; even the ringing of cell phones. Moore hopes that Barbadians would become more considerate and tuned into the health hazards that excessive loud noise can create, but he still remains optimistic that young people will step forward to continue to fight for a quiet society. (SS)

POLICE APPEAL FOR INFO ON JEMMOTTS LANE FIRE – Police are currently investigating the cause of the building fire which occurred about 5:30 a.m. today at a section of the Ministry of Health at Jemmotts Lane, St Michael. They have cordoned off the area and are appealing for anyone with information to contact them. Public relations officer Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss revealed that both the upstairs and ground floor sections housing the Vector Control Unit were destroyed by the blaze. The upper floor of the Barbados Family Planning Association was destroyed while the ground floor suffered water damage only. One section of the two-storey wood and wall structure was used to store files, furniture and chemicals belonging to the Vector Control Unit. The ground floor of another section contained computers belonging to the Barbados Family Planning Association and, the upper floor was used as an exercise area. Three fire tenders and one water tanker along with 12 personnel responded to the fire and at 12:30 p.m. they were still on the scene. Anyone who may have any information on the fire is asked to call Central Police Station at 430-7676, Police Operations Control Room at 430-7100 or any other police station. All information will be held in strict confidence. (BT)

FIRE CAUSES CLOSURE OF TWO AGENCIES – At least two agencies will remain closed tomorrow after yesterday’s early morning four-hour blaze at the old Ministry of Health buildings on Jemmotts Lane, St Michael. The fire sent residents of nearby communities scampering, affected the Vector Environmental Section and brought operations at the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA) to a halt. It appeared to have started at one of the unoccupied buildings and was reported to the Barbados Fire Service at 5:30 a.m. The upper floor of the BFPA was destroyed and that agency will remain closed while the ministry’s Rodent Bait Distribution Centre will also be closed, with officials advising members of the public to collect the bait from any polyclinic except the Edgar Cochrane, Wildey and the Glebe, St George. A few residents who did not want to be named said they were awoken by the sounds of sirens and they quickly picked up the scent of burning wood. Smithy of Smith’s Corner Bar, which is located south of the compound, was on the beach when he noticed the smoke. He immediately rushed home to see if his property was affected. Though it wasn’t affected, the asthmatic said he and the eight other tenants of the two-storeyed building left due to the thick smoke. The intense flames burned for hours and engulfed a number of buildings, including the section used to store files, furniture and chemicals of the Vector Environmental Section, while the upper section of the BFPA used as an exercise area was destroyed and the ground floor used to store computers suffered water damage only. Those who showed up at the clinic yesterday had to be turned away. Minister of Health John Boyce who was briefed on the incident later said the necessary chemicals were taken away from the area. The BFPA acting executive director Anderson Langdon and chief financial officer Sonya Alleyne were both at the scene assessing the damages. Alleyne estimated that about 35 people from their Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM) which handles the Adolescent Young Mother’s Programme would be affected along with the Community Sexuality Education and other youth outreach activities. Langdon said the BFPA had been the home of the institution since 1966, and even though it was an old building, they had now being set back, as he made an appeal for help. Divisional officer Mervin Mayers said the residents who lived on Jemmotts Lane including residents of London Bourne Towers and Nelson Street were asked to move due to the asbestos roofing. Four fire tenders and one tanker, and 14 officers from Worthing Fire Station and Bridgetown responded and their investigations are ongoing. (SS)

RODENT BAIT DISTRIBUTION CENTRE CLOSED – The Rodent Bait Distribution Centre located on the old Ministry of Health compound, Jemmotts Lane, St Michael has been closed after today's fire which destroyed a block of buildings. The public is advised that rat bait may be collected from any polyclinic except the Edgar Cochrane, Wildey and the Glebe, St George.  (SS)

EUNICE GIBSON POLYCLINIC TO CLOSE EARLY MONDAY – The public is advised that the Eunice Gibson Polyclinic, at Warrens, St Michael, will close at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 16, to allow staff to attend the funeral service for a former colleague. The Ministry of Health apologises for any inconvenience this closure may cause.  (SS)

SIR JOHN A MAN OF PRINCIPLE – He was their cheerleader, their life coach and their teacher. And he was not afraid to take a stand if he believed in a principle. These were the memories of the children of Sir John Connell, Lachmi and Dr Kwame Connell who were speaking at his service of thanksgiving at the Cathedral Church of St Michael and All Angels yesterday. The 81-year-old retired Justice of Appeal passed away on March 28, and his service yesterday drew legal luminaries and politicians from across the divide to the 229-year-old church. During a service attended by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart; leader of the Barbados Labour Party, Mia Mottley; Retired Chief Justice Sir David Simmons; Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson; members of the judiciary, the magistracy and the legal fraternity, Lachmi remembered her father as a man who stood on principle “regardless of the repercussions”. “An example [was] his voting with the Government while being an Opposition senator on the issue of increasing the number of constituencies, having discussed with the leadership at George Street that they would not rescind the law if they win the next General Election, only to be fired from the platform by then party leader Errol Barrow,” she said, adding his philosophy was that he should be able to face the man in the mirror every day. She said he was branded a radical but explained that his humble beginnings in a chattel house in the “Back Ivy”, born to a carpenter father and a seamstress mother, underpinned his philosophy of educating Barbadians. She added his one unfulfilled desire was that he wanted to do more for Haiti. Her brother Kwame said his father taught by example and was a teacher “who was never tired of learning”. “He wanted to educate his people even though it wasn’t always well received,” his son recalled. He held his father as their teacher, their cheerleader, their moral compass and their life coach. “He taught by example and he set a very high standard,” he told the congregation yesterday, adding his father had “genuine trouble” with the “concept of boredom” when “there were so many books to read”. The sermon was delivered by Dean of the Cathedral, Dr Jeffrey Gibson. (SS)

THOUSANDS ATTEND WINNIE MANDELA’S FUNERAL – Thousands of mourners crowded into a stadium in Soweto, near Johannesburg, where the campaigner was given a high-level send-off. Her casket was draped in the national flag, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the eulogy. Mrs Madikizela-Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela, died earlier this month at the age of 81.  (BT)

KADOOMENT BAND LAUNCHES PICKING UP STEAM – The Crop Over Festival fever is quickly heating up. So far, a number of bands including Zulu, Khepri Kulture and Erup The Band have unveiled their costumes which they will take on the road come Grand Kadooment on August 6. The latest was Erup which released their Hidden Treasures: Gems of the Caribbean theme on Friday night at George Washington House. Their five sections include Ametrine, Black Opals, Mystic Topaz, Mojave and White Diamond. Zulu International Inc., the self-proclaimed Fun Band were the first out the gates on March 18 with their theme Hidden in the Stars. Sections include Milky Way, Unidentified Wukking Object (UWO), Stargazer, Apollo, Nebula, Supernova, The Auroras, Comet and SagiA: The Black Hole. New band Khepri launched soon after with sections designed by varying section leaders. Options include Denyque, Silent Morning, Flavaa Nation, Spektrum and Mojito. Krave the Band is set to launch tonite at Ignite Bim, followed by Xhosa tomorrow night. Kontact, Eunioa, Colorz, Baje, Aura, Betty West and LUX Carnival also have quickly approaching dates. Crop Over will be officially launched on June 2. (SS)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 263 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles  #dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[babygirl06301]

What made you ship Spuffy in the first place? (I do too, I'm just curious)

Hey anon! I like your question!

So, let me start of by saying that I totally get why certain people don’t ship Spuffy. It’s because they see what I see, but the way they interpret it is different from how I interpret it. Which is completely fine. It’s the same reason I don’t ship Bangel. Differing opinions are positive things that bring about discussion and debate, so I don’t dislike the people who dislike my ships. 

Now that I’m done with that annoying little preface that seems to be necessary on Tumblr nowadays: 

I enjoy tumultuous pairings. In a lot of the content I watch, there’s typically a fairy tale, dream romance and a gritty, rough romance (which seems to be the way of love triangles). When talking about Buffy, obviously Bangel is the former and Spuffy is the latter.

The reason I prefer tumultuous pairings is being they feel realistic, and that’s something I like to see. Especially when the overall story is placed in a nonrealistic environment. It makes everything feel grounded and concrete to me. Spuffy, although surrounded by supernatural circumstances, was real. “Love at first sight” wasn’t a factor, they weren’t immune to the issues that developed between them, and you could see the struggle they went through to love each other and to realize if they even wanted to love each other. 

Again, there’s no bad blood between me and those who ship Bangel, but their love struck me as predictable and steady, reliable though it was. No matter what they faced, the love never went away. They were kept apart by a curse, not because they kept themselves from being together. All that may sound great to some, but that type of romance just doesn’t interest me.

Beyond that, I love Spuffy because I love Spike and who he became. It’s difficult to argue that, during the run of Buffy, Spike’s character: was developed more fully than any other character (including Buffy), had the most dramatic arc, and made the most personal changes (i.e. moving from the side of evil to good). That’s not to downplay the rest of the characters’ parts in the show, I just felt that Spike had the richest parts to offer. 

So, naturally, I’d want my personal favorite character to be paired with the main character. 

I could go through some other stock answers like: “He got a soul for Buffy!” or “He’s a better man than Angel!” or “He loved her without the soul!” Because, while I believe these can be made into good arguments, none of them are full arguments. Not to mention, I don’t want to argue a point that will degrade Angel in any way, because Angel is a great guy. I just feel that his characteristics don’t mesh the right way with Buffy’s characteristics. Their characteristics work well together, sure. They’ve got similar morals, similar things that are important to each of them, but that doesn’t create tension. And tension is an indicator of reality. 

In closing, I find Spike to be the guy for Buffy for one, broad reason: Buffy has the whole world looking to her all the time, whether the world knows it or not. She has so many people that need her, so her priorities tend to sway toward the “hero role” so she can help all those she can (similar to Angel’s priorities). Protecting everyone else, looking out for everyone else, that always comes first for Buffy. 

But, for Spike, what always comes first... is Buffy. And that’s what Buffy needs in a partner. Someone to look out for her while she’s looking out for everyone else. And Spike needs someone like Buffy, someone that can pull out the good in him and celebrate it. Thankfully, in the comics, that’s where they’re at now. I’m glad they found peace together, finally.

Thanks for your question! I love analyzing stuff like this! 

Send more my way, folks! I’ve nothing to do... like ever... :D.

[thefilmsnob]

Glen Coco’s Top 10 Films of 2018

As with my Oscar Predictions, I’m just going to forgo a flowery prelude and dive right into this nonsense. But first, I’ll list the runners-up and the traditional bonus track. There’s always a bonus track.

Runners-Up

-Annihilation

-At Eternity’s Gate

-Avengers: Infinity War

Full Review: http://thefilmsnob.tumblr.com/post/173652439630/avengers-infinity-war-12-out-of-5

-Can You Ever Forgive Me?

-First Man

-Game Night

-Grinch, The

Full Review: http://thefilmsnob.tumblr.com/post/180497247345/the-grinch12-out-of-5

-If Beale Street Could Talk

And here are my top 10!

#10b. (Bonus Track) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman (Three directors. Jesus.)

Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld

At first glance, this seems like an unnecessary endeavour, especially since we’re not hurting for Spider-Man films. Yet, although the final act is a bit of a blur and there’s some clutter here and there, this a gorgeous, innovative and hilarious spin on the Spider-Man mythology. We follow Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino teen who becomes another universe’s Spider-Man and must unite with even more alternate-universe web-slingers to save the day in the classic comic book tradition. Miles and his supporting cast are beyond likable, especially Spider-Ham who has the likeness of a little pig. It’s also refreshing to see some eye-popping animation that diverges from the standard Disney/Pixar fair. It even changes styles with various characters. The cherry on top of this cinematic desert is the humour which includes one of the funniest throwaway lines you’ll ever hear regarding a bagel.

#10. Green Book

Director: Peter Farrelly

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini

You could argue that it’s been done before or that it’s a little too corny in places or that Viggo Mortensen’s performance verges on caricature. Or you can accept the minor flaws and enjoy this beautiful story of friendship and its undeniably charming characters. Frank Vallelonga aka Tony Lip is tasked with driving pianist ‘Doc’ Don Shirley through the racially intolerant American deep south of the ‘60s for a concert tour in a film that’s important and informative, especially in today’s sociopolitical climate. But, what makes it so charming is the friendship that forms gradually between two polar opposites--the boorish, ignorant loudmouth, Tony, and the sophisticated, articulate gentleman, Don--a friendship that’s completely engrossing and a wonderful example of how people can and should look past their differences. It helps that Mortensen completely transforms himself as Tony and Mahershala Ali gives a pitch perfect performance, maybe the best of his career. So, ya, there’s some sap, but maybe we can use a little of that right now.

#9. Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: Koyu Rankin, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson

2018 was a great year for animated features and like Into the Spider-Verse, Isle of Dogs moves away from the Pixar model to give us a uniquely textured and imaginative look at a dystopian Japan of the near-future. By turns charming and unsettling, the story follows a young boy named Atari who searches for his dog Spots on Trash Island after the species was banished there following a canine flu outbreak. He’s helped by a group of dogs voiced by a who’s who of Wes Anderson favourites including most of the actors listed above. The dogs are already well developed and fun to watch, but these familiar voices make it that much easier to identify with them. There are plenty of intriguing social and political themes at work for a cartoon and Anderson adds his signature quirky tone and deadpan humour, but it’s the impeccably detailed stop-motion animation coupled with some truly inspired action sequences that make this movie come alive.   

#8. Roma

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Starring: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira

One of cinema’s greatest qualities is its ability to challenge society and its ugliest of tendencies. Whereas men like Donald Trump would try to convince you that Mexicans are all drug dealers and rapists, director Alfonso Cuaron and his film Roma introduce you to the real Mexico and an ordinary group of people not so dissimilar from you and me. But, because Cuaron’s at the helm, the commonplace becomes a thing of beauty and, with the help of newcomer Yalitza Aparicio, an ordinary maid to a wealthy family becomes a hero, a transformation that sneaks up on you before taking your breath away. As you begin to watch, you may struggle to understand what all the fuss is about, but gradually you become almost hypnotized by Cuaron’s slow, smooth, contemplative camera pans and crisp black & white presentation that feels more colourful than most films. These qualities factor into some of the most quietly powerful scenes you’ll see in film like the beach sequence, devoid of the usual pyrotechnics yet destined to become iconic.

#7. Widows

Director: Steve McQueen

Starring: Viola Davis, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Liam Neeson

Director Steve McQueen follows up his 2013 masterpiece 12 Years a Slave with another extraordinary film about a group of resilient women who take up the work of their husbands who died in a botched robbery and steal a large sum of money to pay back a crime boss in order to finance his electoral campaign. Did you get all that? If not, you will during a viewing because, though screenwriters McQueen and Gillian Flynn weave a complex web of crime, revenge, political corruption and social injustice, ultimately it’s easy to follow and even easier to enjoy. This quartet of ladies is a pleasure to watch in action, especially the Oscar snubbed Viola Davis, facing numerous threats including a truly sinister villain played by Daniel Kaluuya and a few corrupt politicians in a movie that has no shortage of plot twists and turns. The best shot of the movie, thanks to McQueen and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, places our vantage point on the hood of a limo during a fabulous extended take. The wealthy politician played by Colin Farrell discusses business with his assistant within the car as our eyes remain fixed on the neighborhoods around them that start out impoverished then become gradually wealthier until they reach their headquarters. This one shot tells us so very much. Widows is more plausible, insightful and nuanced than most heist films and one you really ought to see instead of Ocean’s 8.

#6. BlacKkKlansman

Director: Spike Lee

Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace

This is one of the most bizarre stories told this year and would be so unbelievable if it wasn’t based on real events. In a return to form for writer/director Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman recounts that crazy time when the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, Ron Stallworth (played with boundless charisma by John David Washington) infiltrates a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. The only thing is, that plan would be insane. So, fellow detective Philip ‘Flip’ Zimmerman (Adam Driver) acts as his surrogate when ‘Stallworth’ has to meet the Klan in person. This old story, right? In this briskly paced film full of snappy dialogue, Lee does the impossible and finds the humour in the situation. He walks the finest of lines and keeps his balance, imbuing the film with a light tone and some actual laugh-out-loud moments while refusing to allow the comedy to undermine the serious nature of the issues he raises. The movie works as a comedy, drama, thriller and, with the help of Terence Blanchard’s nostalgic score, a ‘70s style action flick. Honestly, Topher Grace portraying the nonchalantly evil ‘Grand Wizard’ David Duke is worth the price of admission.  

#5. A Star is Born

Director: Bradley Cooper

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott

How is it that a film that’s been remade 57 times starring a woman who’s never headlined a movie, directed by a man who’s never directed is one of the best films of the year? It’s due to writer/director/actor *huff puff* singer/producer Bradly Cooper who’s made the familiar gritty, more contemporary and painfully honest, enlivened by stellar performances, both musical and dramatic. The old story of the the scruffy, alcoholic veteran singer (Cooper) who meets, falls in love with, mentors and harms the career of the vivacious undiscovered prodigy (Lady Gaga) feels surprisingly fresh. We know Cooper is a great actor and Gaga can sing like an angel, but who knew the former could sing and the latter could act? When the duo sings ‘Shallow’, the best original song of the year, it starts out great, but when Gaga takes center stage and belts out that chorus, it’s purely sublime. This film really benefits from its authenticity; not only is this true of the acting and dialogue, but of the musical performances as well. Each one feels like an actual live event and, in fact, some were even filmed at real music festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury with real audiences. And, yet, they feel  deeply personal, despite the grand scale which is true of the film as a whole.

Full Review: http://thefilmsnob.tumblr.com/post/179054198000/a-star-is-born-out-of-5

#4. The Favourite

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz

If you’ve overlooked The Favourite out of fear that it’s a stereotypically stuffy historical drama, you might want to reconsider because this isn’t your grandma’s period piece. This film has everything: crazy monarchs, duck racing, gun-toting duchesses, rooms full of bunny rabbits, aristocratic love triangles and even some insane 18th century breakdancing. And that’s not including the deliciously alluring plot involving Queen Anne’s (Olivia Colman) advisor Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and her impoverished younger cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) vying for the affections of the queen in order to become her ‘favourite’ with the schemes  growing more ruthless as the movie unfolds. The goal of this farce is to highlight the ridiculousness of unlimited power and those who’d strive for it, especially amidst an unseen war occurring in the background. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better trio of performers in 2018; the three lead women are sensational and deserve their Oscar nominations. You’d also be hard-pressed to find a more peculiar looking film. Director Yorgos Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan use some truly bizarre yet stunning lenses and camera pans. At certain points, it’s as if we’re looking through a telescope, observing these snobs and their shenanigans like a twisted social experiment, luckily from a safe distance.

#3. Leave No Trace

Director: Debra Granik

Starring: Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie

For a film that’s the second-most reviewed motion picture with a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, you’d think more people would know about it or at least give it some recognition at awards shows. But, that wasn’t in the cards for this incredibly touching indie film about an Iraq War vet, Will (Ben Foster), suffering from PTSD and living with his 13-year-old daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie), in a public park in Portland, Oregon. They live in fear of being discovered and forced to live in society. Both actors give such raw and convincing performances within this heartwarming, at times heartbreaking, father-daughter relationship. This, combined with director Debra Granik’s naturalistic approach and Michael McDonaugh’s vivid photography, makes the movie feel almost like a documentary. Consequently, some passages feel so intense that the characters’ anxiety becomes palpable as when the two are lost in the dangerously cold forest with only minutes to build a shelter. Writers Granik and Anne Rosellini do a masterful job at exposing the agony of mental illness and the awful treatment of some veterans yet refuse to paint Will as a saint and the authorities as evil. We understand the perspectives of everyone involved who are just trying to do what’s right for the young girl born into someone else’s pain.    

#2. A Quiet Place

Director: John Krasinski

Starring: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt

Like Bradley Cooper, John Krasinski is way out of his comfort zone, taking on triple duty as writer, director and star of a horror film despite his mostly comedic background. In a genre whose output is usually pitiful, Krasinski excels by eschewing the standard group of disposable teens for an intelligent and loving family for whom we care deeply and instantly. The premise, involving the few survivors on Earth trying to avoid creatures with impeccable hearing by staying virtually silent, might seem gimmicky at first, but Krasinski explores its full potential as it evolves in ways that are so creative and complex that you could argue it’s one of the best allegories for our current political climate or dictatorships in general. The film also looks and sounds gorgeous with crisp shots from Krasinski and cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Chistensen that are rich in information and sheer beauty, accompanied by the wonderful score from Marco Beltrami. The acting is great all around, but Blunt is on another level, expressing terror in some of the most nerve-wracking sequences imaginable, exquisitely staged by her real-life husband. And the ending is pitch perfect; at once revelatory and obvious, it makes complete sense with regards to the film’s established rules yet makes us look at what preceded it in an entirely new light.  

Full Review: http://thefilmsnob.tumblr.com/post/173081465380/a-quiet-place-out-of-5

#1. First Reformed

Director: Paul Schrader

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles

*I promise this is the last time I’ll talk about this film. It’s the start of a new movie cycle and I’m looking ahead. You will not here another word out of me about how this movie and Ethan Hawke were robbed of accolades as I cried myself to sleep 27 times since the nominees were announced......anywho:

Paul Schrader is responsible for writing some of history’s most lauded and iconic movies like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ, and now he’s written and directed First Reformed, a movie that rivals even those classics. It’s tragic that no one’s heard of it. In possibly his most demanding, powerful, complex and, ultimately, greatest performance, Ethan Hawke plays Ernst Toller, reverend of the First Reformed Church that mostly serves as a tourist attraction. Already dealing its declining attendance, alcoholism and the death of a his son, he now has to deal with a crisis of faith after speaking with a despondent radical environmentalist who challenges Toller’s beliefs, causing the reverend to mentally and spiritually unravel throughout the film while battling physical illness just for good measure. Obviously, this isn’t a popcorn flick, yet it’s so profound, topical, haunting and mesmerizing. Cinematographer Alexander Dynan helps Schrader create an almost horror movie feel which is appropriate for dealing with issues like a deteriorating man and the end of the world. There are so many striking, if not shocking, images on display and at times the film enters into the realm of the surreal. This is truly a work of art that challenges you to think critically about the world and where we’re headed. When you add these heavy themes to the stellar acting, directing, writing and overall grandeur of the film, you get the one true masterpiece of 2018.

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On this day, 26 years ago, Indian cinema got one its biggest superstars of all time. Yes, we are talking about the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. Shah Rukh Khan had faced film cameras for the first time for Hema Malini’s directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai (1992). But it was Raj Kanwar’s Deewana (1992) that got released earlier and became his debut film.. Along with Shah Rukh Khan, the film also starred Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharti. Shah Rukh Khan showed up in the film after the interval and yet he managed to make a strong impact and gave a glimpse of his incredible potential. It was also the first time he gave his signature pose of standing with his arms wide open, an act that was to become synonymous with his performances in later years. The first film can give jitters to any actor, especially when he is required to perform along with established actors. But, Shah Rukh Khan appeared comfortable on screen even when performing with stars like Rishi Kapoor and Amrish Puri. His performance in the film also earned him the Filmfare Best Debut Award (Male). In the same year, Shah Rukh Khan was seen in films like supernatural comedy Chamatkar, drama Dil Aashna Hai, and the social comedy Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman.

In 1993, Shah Rukh Khan challenged the boundaries of a hero in Bollywood and earned great appreciation for essaying two villainous roles in Darr and Baazigar. Darr also marked the first of many collaborations that Shah Rukh went on to have with Yash Chopra. In Darr, Shah Rukh played the role of an obsessive stalker who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Shah Rukh’s iconic dialogue from the film, “ I love you K-K-K-Kiran” is liked by fans even today . Shah Rukh Khan also earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Male). With Baazigar, Shah Rukh Khan turned traditional Bollywood convention on its head as he played the vengeful Ajay Malhotra in this Abbas-Mastan film. Baazigar also marked Shah Rukh Khan’s first on screen appearance with Kajol. His performance in the film earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

In 1994, Shah Rukh Khan played a love struck musician in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa which was directed by Kundan Shah. With this film, Shah Rukh again veered away from the tried and tested path. He played a slacker named Sunil who was head over heels for a girl named Anna (Suchitra Krishnamurthy) who unfortunately was in love with Chris (Deepak Tijori). Traditionally, the underdog would ultimately get the girl as seen in most films. But, in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa no such thing happens. In the end, it is Anna and Chris who live happily ever after because Sunil bows out gracefully. His performance, which was way different from what he did in Darr and Baazigar earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. But in the same year, he got back on the bad guy bandwagon with Anjaam. In fact, he was so good being bad that he won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his performance in Anjaam.

1995 was probably the year that made Shah Rukh Khan the man he is today. It was the year in which Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), a landmark film in the history of Bollywood, got released. It changed perception about him yet again and cemented his position as the numero uno lover boy of Bollywood. The edgy path-breaking disruptive outsider of the early ’90s had become the ultimate poster-boy of the Bollywood romance. Even though DDLJ played a big role in making the star he is today it is interesting that he wasn’t keen on doing the film at the time he was offered. He felt that the role was too typical and it took a lot of convincing from the director of the film, Aditya Chopra, for Shah Rukh Khan to come on board. It’s said that in Aditya Chopra’s office there is a poster of DDLJ which is signed by Shah Rukh Khan which reads, ‘Thank you for making me the star that I am today’. DDLJ went on to become the longest running film in Indian cinema after completing more than 1000 weeks at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai. The film won ten Filmfare Awards, including the second Best Actor trophy for Shah Rukh Khan. In the same year, Shah Rukh Khan was also seen in Rakesh Roshan’s reincarnation drama Karan Arjun which went on to be the second highest grosser that year.

In 1996, Shah Rukh was seen in four films which failed to impress the critics as wells the audience. His next mega hit came towards the end of 1997 with Yash Chopra’s musical romance Dil Toh Pagal Hai. The love triangle received massive praise from the critics as well as the audience and earned him his third Best Actor Award at Filmfare.

In 1998, Shah Rukh Khan won critical praise for his performance as an All India Radio correspondent who develops an obsession for a mysterious woman, who turns out to be a terrorist (Manisha Koirala) in Dil Se… Karan Johar’s directorial debut, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji, titled Kuch Kuch Hota Hai too came out in 1998. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is regarded as one of SRK”s best films to date. It presented him in a designer avatar in the first half and also had him playing a character closer to his real age in the second half. It earned him another Best Actor nod at Filmfare.

Shah Rukh Khan turned to production for the first time 1999 with Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. The satire, which talked about the current state of our country however failed to perform at the box office.

Shah Rukh Khan made his Tamil debut with Kamal Haasan’s Hey Ram (2000) in which he played the role of an archaeologist named Amjad Khan. It was a brief role but carried an impact. In the same year, Shah Rukh was seen in Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein as well. Although the film didn’t impress the audience much, Shah Rukh Khan’s performance received massive praise from all over and earned him his second Filmfare Critics’ Award for Best Actor.

In 2001, he was seen in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, a movie that he cites as a turning point in his career. With a star cast comprising Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol and SRK, K3G, as the film was popularly called, was a casting coup of sorts. Mounted on a massive scale, it was Karan’s version of The Ramayana and the audience instantly fell in love with it. The film managed to break many records at the box office including the title of the top-grossing Indian production of all time in the overseas market for the next five years.

In 2002, Shah Rukh Khan played the role of an alcoholic in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period romance Devdas, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s iconic novel of the same name. The film earned numerous accolades including 10 Filmfare Awards, with another Best Actor trophy falling in Shah Rukh Khan’s kitty.

The following year, Shah Rukh Khan starred in another Karan Johar production titled Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). The film discussed the vagaries of life and death and Shah Rukh Khan’s moving performance in the film as Aman Mathur, an individual who knows he’s dying and yet has his sense of humour intact got highly appreciated.

In 2004, Shah Rukh Khan started Red Chillies Productions and got Gauri Khan onboard as the producer. In the company’s first production, he starred in Farah Khan’s directorial debut, Main Hoon Na. It was Farah Khan’s homage to Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra’s brand of cinema and was full of in-jokes about films and film folks. Her comedic interpretation of the cinema tropes of the ’70s met with a good response from the audience. In the same year, Shah Rukh Khan played an Indian Air Force Pilot who falls in love with a Pakistani girl named Zara (Preity Zinta) in Yash Chopra’s cross border love story Veer Zaara. Veer Zara and Main Hoon Na were some of India’s highest grossing films that year. In his last release of 2004, titled Swades, Shah Rukh Khan played a NASA scientist who returns to his motherland in order to make his own people gain from his knowledge. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his 2004 releases and eventually won the award for Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades.

In 2006, Shah Rukh Khan collaborated with Karan Johar again with Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. The film boldly depicted a story of two people who end up having an extra marital affair after being unhappy in their respective marriages. It was his most grey-shaded character in ages but he surpassed that with his next release Don, where the villain was actually the hero. The Farhan AKhtar venture was a remake of the 1978 iconic film starring Amitabh Bachchan.

In 2007, we saw Shah Rukh Khan portray the role of a hockey coach in Chak De India! which was directed by Shimit Amin. The film is said to be inspired by the life of Mir Ranjan Negi, India’s former hockey player who after facing a lot of criticism for his performance in a game against Pakistan came back out of nowhere and helped the Indian Women’s Hockey team to a Commonwealth Gold. In an interview with a leading daily, Shah Rukh Khan spoke about how the film took him down the memory lane. He said, “I feel hockey as a sport has been monstrously neglected in our country. I used to play the game during college. In fact, I was quite a good hockey player. So the role was a lot like going back to my past.” The film earned Shah Rukh Khan another Filmfare Award for Best Actor. In the same year, Shah Rukh Khan starred alongside Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone and Shreyas Talpade in Farah Khan’s reincarnation drama Om Shanti Om. Shah Rukh developed six packs for his role in the film. Although the film received mixed reviews from the critics it went on to have a phenomenal run at the box office.

In 2008, Shah Rukh Khan starred in Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. The film marked the debut of Anushka Sharma. It was a dance musical and SRK was able to showcase his versatility even in this hitherto unexplored genre.

Khan began shooting My Name Is Khan (2010). Set in the backdrop of the September 11 attacks on American soil which saw the destruction of the World Trade Center towers, Shah Rukh plays a man suffering from Aspergers Syndrome who is determined to prove that even though his Name Is Khan, he is not a terrorist. To prepare for the role, he spent several months researching his role by reading books, watching videos and talking to people affected by the condition. My Name is Khan became one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of all time outside India and also earned Shah Rukh Khan another Filmfare Best Actor trophy.

In 2011, Shah Rukh Khan tried his hand at the superhero genre with his home production Ra.One. The film didn’t perform as well as expected though he was appreciated for his zeal of trying to push the envelope.

Shah Rukh’s only release in 2012 came with Yash Chopra’s swan song Jab Tak Hai Jaan. The film re-established the fact that nobody does romance better than Shah Rukh Khan.

After Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Shah Rukh Khan was seen in a bunch of commercial masala flicks like Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014) and DIlwale (2015). Although these films received mixed reviews, they did go on to do bumper business at the box office.

He then played a double role in Maneesh Sharma’s thriller titled Fan (2016). He played himself and his biggest fan in this exciting thriller, which was way ahead of its time as far as it’s idea is concerned and didn’t appeal to the audience. Though he was again appreciated for doing something out of the box. In the same year, Shah Rukh Khan was seen in Gauri Shinde’s Love You Zindagi which also starred Alia Bhatt. The film revolved around a budding cinematographer Kaira (played by Alia) who meets Jehangir Khan or Jug (played by Shah Rukh). Jug is a psychiatrist and helps a heartbroken Kaira gain a new perspective on love and life.

In 2017, Shah Rukh Khan went back to being the badass with Rahul Dholakia’s Raees, which showcased the rise of a gangster in the Prohibition hit Gujarat. The film was a hit at the box office and Shah Rukh Khan’s performance received praise from all over. Shah Rukh Khan had another attempt at the romantic genre with Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal which came out the same year. The rom com failed to entice the audience.

This year, we will see Shah Rukh Khan reunite once again with Anushka Sharma in Aanand L Rai’s Zero which also stars Katrina Kaif. Zero is without a doubt one of the most hyped films of the year as for the very first time we will see Shah Rukh Khan as a dwarf on the big screen. Shah Rukh will also be seen in the Rakesh Sharma biopic, tentatively titled Salute.

26 years down the line and he’s still pushing the boundaries. Here’s wishing for many more years of King Khan’s reign.