#the OP and EDs would be fucking legendary

[batcows]

hot take of the night: the 100 should be an anime

[tsuki-sennin]

PreCure~! I watch this sometimes~!

Battamonda's definitely being fazed out of the regular cast lineup soon, and so we only kinda sorta mourn since (in my opinion at least), he's just a little mid. Kinda funny and gives the Cures great character moments, but he's definitely run his course. Nothing against the legendary KENN, of course! Here's his last chance to really impress me.

-Thank you, Elle-chan, very cool!

-Wing Attack!

-Oh right, I... half-forgot the King and Queen... and the King's bitchin' moustache.

-Our energy intake is growing low.

-BERIEBERY

-Oh! The Captain's been found already.

-...well of course we found her, she's in the OP!

-...I didn't realize this before, but damn is Shalala leggy.

-An urban legend has formed around the Captain.

-Well damn Mashiro.

-...Sora, I don't think Mashiro can read the Skyland Script. ...Skyscript. ...Skyskrit?

-Never Falter, Hero Girl!

-Come now Mashiro, any Hero worth their 20% off salt would care about sales! Just ask Saitama.

-Y'know I get it, I'd feel pretty damn terrible if something happened to my hero. ...that's why I tend to temper my idol worship.

-Heewo!

-Hee-Ho!

-Dampurin~!

-Cheemse...

-Shalala on the Street.

-If there's one thing PreCure does surprisingly well, it's these quietly tense moments.

-The choice in frame rates, the way Sora's so small in the background, compared to Shalala, the... fuckin' bassy droning, it's all good stuff.

-Ohhhhh! There it is!

-Illusory lightsaber strike.

-Just for kicks, huh?

-...come to think of it, what're the Underg gonna do when they win? I can't imagine Battamonda'd get much of a stake in keeping the world controlled if their boss has anything to say about it, but...

-Speaking of good tension, thank you for that flashback.'

-Ah that's cute, a pajama party eyecatch :)

-Anyways ROCKS *boosh*

-Throwback to Episode 1, Sky flyin' solo.

-Do these Sky Landian weapons have official names?

-Drag him!

-Y'know, it being all glowy kinda makes me think it'd have some kinda beam attack.

-No gettin' off easy for you, Sky.

-Stare him down!

-Ohhhhhh

-Oh, she's fucked.

-Missed opportunity to call it Shalalanborg.

-Sent flying straight back.

-Prism, it's Shalala! They put bugs in her!

-Caught her~!

-Green is for medicine!

-"Yameteeeeeee!"

-These performances go hard.

-"Oh okay, we'll just purify her then~!" It ain't gonna be that simple, huh?

-Wanderful~!

-Oh

-That ain't good.

-I have to say, Battamonda's definitely better as a villain than I give him credit for.

-That is a masterful Morton's fork right there.

-She's leaking.

-Beating the shit out of you as a valid option.

-"I'll slowly grind you kids into nothingness~!"

-This hurts

-Rendered totally powerless without her heroic spirit. Fitting.

-Oh shit, new ED.

-It's definitely a vibe, at least.

-Idk how to feel about it yet tho.

-Ah, yep. Comin' back next episode.

-Nothing can truly hold Sora down for long.

[curligurl0896]

So getting to read @thejakeformerlyknownasprince 's FMA AU reminded me of my own ideas for a FMA/Animorphs fic. A crossover, in this case, a Megamorphs of sorts (complete with rotating narration) because I really want an excuse to have the Animorphs interact with the characters of the FMA universe. I don't have enough ideas worked out to confidently write a whole fanfic yet, so I think I'll just share some of my ideas so that at least they don't stay inside my head forever like the vast majority of ideas that I either never finish enough to post it or just never get around to at all, especially when my brain is always generating new plot bunnies instead of focusing on developing the ones I already have, it's so distracting lol

(Also maybe y'all could give some suggestions if you wanna, I'd definitely appreciate it lol)

Anyway, here it is:

First off, the answer as to how exactly the Animorphs end up in the FMA universe: I was kicking around a few ideas for this, and was originally thinking something along the lines of like, a freak accident that somehow results in them ending up in front of the Gate of Truth, but I think a better idea would be for an alchemist (or perhaps even several alchemists) to end up in the Aniverse, get Yeerkified, and the Yeerk (or Yeerks, as it may be), intrigued by the memories and knowledge of an alternate Earth where you can manipulate matter and shape it according to your will with nothing more than a well drawn chalk circle (or even less than that if you've been through the Gate, as the Yeerk(s) will eventually discover), lured in by the idea of a legendary object that supposedly can be used to circumvent a pesky little law known as Equivalent Exchange, decides to pull something of a "Tom's Yeerk and his Yeerk buddies a la book 52" deciding to start their own colony in the FMAverse where they won't have to answer to the Council of Thirteen or the Visserarchy (well, at least the ones higher ranked than the Yeerk in charge, who, I imagine, would have to be a Sub-Visser at the very least to have the power to arrange all this) in addition to being able to use alchemy, which, much like the morphing power, can be used for a massive variety of things, ranging from merely convenient to pretty damn useful in a pinch to OP as fuck to even just downright terrifying.

It takes a lot of time and meticulous planning, of course, as they have to find a way to transport the Yeerks, their ship, and all the other stuff they'll need to thrive over there through the Gate and into the FMAverse-- all while in a universe where alchemy flat out doesn't work. The Yeerks have to figure out how to get around that issue, and it takes at least a year of research and using their new hosts' alchemical knowledge to work out a solution, but they work it out, and soon enough they get everything set up and ready to go. At some point, the Chee find out about this secret unknown project going on, inform the Animorphs about it, and Jake decides that they should at least check it out on the off chance that it's something big.

That's where the story officially starts: with our team of traumatized teenage shapeshifters at the location where this thing is being set up (haven't figured out the where yet). They've spent the past several days spying on these Yeerks, but still aren't sure what exactly is going on-- they keep talking about opening a gate-- and aren't sure if it's worth it. Marco's convinced the whole thing is ridiculous, especially after overhearing a human Controller mention something about a "Philosopher's Stone" ("What is this, Harry Potter? Are they gonna wave wooden sticks around and yell in Latin?") . Rachel is bored at this point, and just wants to kick ass and call it a day-- they were probably up to no good anyway. Cassie isn't particularly keen on the asskicking part, but she's been having a bad feeling about all this that she can't shake, and Tobias agrees that something fishy is going on and says they should wait a few days-- after all, from what they've gleaned, whatever plans these Yeerks had would be set in motion very soon. Ax, being Ax, declares as usual that he'll just go along with whatever Prince Jake orders, though when Jake presses him about his opinion, he just says he isn't sure what to make of it. In the end, they keep it up for a couple more days, and sure enough, the time comes for the Yeerks to "open the gate", whatever that means.

After all the time they'd spent spying on the Yeerks, it is conveniently now, when the Yeerks are about to do their thing, that they're discovered. It quickly turns into a fight, and the Animorphs attempt to bail as they're soon overwhelmed-- and then the Gate is opened.

None of them had any idea what to expect next. They certainly weren't expecting the blue lightning that erupted around them in a massive circle, seeming to originate from the curving lines that had been so painstakingly carved into the floor. They aren't expecting the atmosphere to turn dark and purple and creepy, or for a giant grey eye to suddenly appear beneath them, or for wavy black tentacle arms to come out of that eye. And they definitely were NOT expecting to abruptly find themselves in the white void of Zerospace.

Only they aren't in Z-space, exactly. Surrounded by it, sure, but somehow they stand there, as if on solid ground, surrounded by the eerie blankness that had once nearly suffocated them to death.

Each Animorph is utterly alone, with nothing and no one else in sight. That is, until they hear a voice, one that sounds like several voices speaking in unison, and suddenly they see a figure-- or, more accurately, an outline of a figure, with only shadows to mark where the figure ended and the void began. The figure is shaped like a human in all but Ax and Tobias's case: the figure Ax sees is shaped like an Andalite, and Tobias's version takes the form of a bird.

Truth gives the whole "I am God, I am the world, and I am also you" speech, then informs them they can't pass through the Gate without payment. Suddenly, there's a huge gateway where previously there was nothing. Truth is unconcerned with the fact that these "A-ni-morphs" have zero clue what's going on-- it simply takes the required toll and sends them on their way.

Except the toll is literal body parts-- which, even then, isn't usually a big deal for an Animorph, but in this case it absolutely is a big deal, because, as they'll soon discover, there's no way they're going to just replace their lost limbs through morphing. It's expressly forbidden for one to simply have nice things in this universe; in other words, Truth isn't letting them off the hook that easily.

The discovery that they're not able to replace their lost body parts through morphing is especially horrifying to Ax, because, well, y'know... book 40. The one that every Ax fan, and really anyone who otherwise genuinely enjoys Ax's character, would like to pretend never fucking happened.

In fact, given Truth's precedent for irony when extracting payment from people who've opened/been through the Gate in the series, I have no doubt in my mind that Ax would end up suffering the exact same fate as Mertil. Andalites, after all, place high value on their tail blades, especially the warriors; it's their number one go-to weapon when shit hits the fan. Ax himself is such a warrior, in fact it's a huge part of who he is as a person. Needless to say I think yeeting Ax's tail blade would be the exact kind of twisted irony that Truth would employ.

He gets over himself eventually-- well, sort of. However, it takes him a long time to truly come to terms with it-- instead of accepting that the attitudes he'd been taught his whole life regarding those who aren't fully able-bodied are actually shit, I feel like he'd be more likely to double down on them, internalizing them, and actually go into full-on self loathing as a result.

He holds his metaphorical tongue, though, upon seeing that Tobias has suffered a payment that is arguably far more cruelly ironic-- given that Tobias is a bird, given that his initial attraction to the morph that eventually became his default body came from the sense of freedom and escapism only provided through flying, I think it's fairly obvious what Truth would take: his wings.

As for the others: Rachel has lost her arm (for basically the same reason Ed did), Cassie loses her hands (which she uses to, you know, help injured animals and stuff), and as for Jake... well, it was a bit of a struggle, the best I could come up with is the idea of him going blind much like Mustang did after being forced to open the Gate (though maybe not for the same reason, though... idk. If anyone has any better suggestions, please let me know lol, I couldn't think of any solid ideas for what body part would be ironic for Jake to lose). Marco is the only one who doesn't lose any outwardly visible body parts-- what he loses is his voice.

At some point, they are discovered, taken into custody by the Amestrian military, and eventually they end up in Colonel Mustang's office. Mustang listens to their story with a massive dose of skepticism. He isn't sure what to make of these bizarre barefoot children, nor their claims of fighting bodysnatching slugs from outer space by turning into animals, nor their wingless pet hawk, nor... well, he could only assume the other creature was some sort of chimera, although he had zero clue what animals could have possibly been used to make something with blue fur and extra eyes.

At this point, they're about to do a morphing demonstration to prove to the Colonel that they aren't completely batshit, when suddenly the door is slammed open, and a teenage boy with blond hair and sharp golden eyes comes sauntering in, accompanied by a hulking giant covered head to toe in a suit of armor.

The boy immediately starts shouting at Mustang, calling him a bastard and accusing him of wasting his time, to which Mustang responds by merely rolling his eyes and sighing, as if this sort of thing happens all the time (spoiler alert: it does). After a moment, the kid stops as he takes notice of the other kids standing in the room.

"So," he says, calmly, as if he wasn't yelling at his superior just a moment ago, "what's the deal with these fuckers?"

The casual use of the kind of language that would have surely landed them in hot water back home was quite shocking, but they don't comment on it. Instead, Rachel says, in a voice sweet as honey, "Oh, look, Marco. He's just as short as you are."

Before Marco could turn to glare daggers at her (come on, it wasn't like he could argue back in that moment), the boy goes absolutely ballistic, and the armored guy has to physically restrain him as he screams obscenities at Rachel ("The fuck did you just call me, you freakishly oversized bitch? I'll show you too-fucking-short-to-fucking-sit-at-the-fucking-table-without-a-fucking-booster-seat! Call me short one more fucking time, I fucking dare you to! You think I give a shit that you're a girl? I'll fuck that pretty face of yours right up, just you fucking wait--")

"Brother!" The armored guy cries. "Calm down!" Then, to the Animorphs: "I'm sorry about my brother's behavior. He's, um, a bit sensitive about his height."

"A bit sensitive" is the understatement of the century, but none of the Animorphs call him out on it. They're too dumbfounded by the sound of his voice, which sounds sweet, innocent, and, despite his size, sounds like it belonged to a boy no more than nine or ten years old.

And that's where I'm going to leave it for now, since I've spent way too long on this post already. I have a few other ideas, but mostly in bits and pieces, not really any more comprehensive plot points beyond this point. Please do let me know what you think!

[the-stray-liger]

Favorite op/eds of any shows?

god I have so many that a few years ago I actually made a thread on twitter but finding it would be impossible bc twitter is a shit website

A few of them tho would be Daybreak's Bell, Ash Like Snow, Vestige, Mizu No Hoshi E and the cover for the origin that straight up makes me cry

For non gundam, Innocent Sorrow is literally one of my favorite songs ever, and I was a huge fan of Nana Kitade's in the early 2000s so ofc Antoinette Blue and Kesenai Tsumi are right up there, along with Ready Steady Go because L'Arc is legendary??

Special mention to Tekkaman Blade's first opening which fucks so hard I can't even begin to describe how much I love it

[tswiftandtsn]

Okay but here’s what we got so far because of this whole thing and how we can fit everyone into the sequel:

Mark:

Obvious I’m not gonna mention it

Eduardo:

Eduardo can actuall git in because of his recent statements too honestly

When Mark Zuckerberg celebrated his IPO by ringing the Nasdaq opening bell from Facebook’s California offices in May 2012, his cofounder Saverin was thousands of miles away and out of mind, save for a securities filing detailing that his 53 million shares were converting to common stock. No surprise there. Saverin’s stint with the company had ended in 2005, mired in controversy and lawsuits over his reduced stake in the company. By 2009, Saverin had moved to Singapore, giving up his U.S. citizenship two years later. His life seemed a cliché: Gossip sheets gushed about his Bentley, a standing table at an elite night club and legendary bar tabs that could reach $50,000.

And to hear Saverin talk about it, he’s at peace with his Facebook past (and remains one of the biggest individual shareholders, with a 2% stake in the $475 billion company). Across two interviews, Saverin says the company is “incredibly close to my heart” and shares praise for Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg’s leadership. “I’m incredibly proud of what Mark has done, to build an institution of its size and value. He’ll work hard to get things right,” he says.

Eduardo Saverin distanced himself from Facebook more than a decade ago. Saverin gave up his U.S. citizenship and built a venture capital firm based in Singapore. He still has a 2 percent stake in Facebook, and in a March Forbes interview said the company remains “incredibly close to my heart” and that he’s proud of what Zuckerberg has built. But in 2018, Saverin also forecasted that regulation is coming. “It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of the type of regulation,” he said, while also pointing out that federal legislation should help smaller companies that are trying to compete with behemoths like Facebook.

Whether Saverin’s serenity is the result of maturity or careful practice, it’s unfaltering. As he speaks via Google Hangout in January, Forbes asks if he’s used a Facebook Portal, the video chat device the company launched in October to some criticism. Saverin bought one and hasn’t opened it, but he’s optimistic his son, now a toddler, will be one of Facebook’s next billion members. “Today, hopefully he doesn’t become a user at his age, he’s too young. But hopefully it will preserve and be something then,” he says.

Access to Saverin is one key component of the B Capital pitch. “People come in expecting him to be a rock star,” says Ganguly. "And he sits with the entrepreneur and starts asking about first-time delivery success rates.”

Facebook famously implored its early employees to “move fast and break things.” Fifteen years later, its estranged cofounder offers up a twist on the old motto for 2019: “Make mistakes all the time, but learn from it immediately,” Saverin says. “Apologize if it affects anyone else. And make sure you don’t make that mistake again.”

Dustin:

In 2018, it was revealed that Dustin Moskovitz, who left Facebook in 2008 to launch the productivity software company Asana, was the largest donor to Color of Change, a partner of the Freedom From Facebook coalition that supports a U.S. regulatory breakup of the social network. (Color of Change is also one of the George Soros–supported groups that reportedly caused Facebook to launch a PR attack against the billionaire.) When asked in 2018 about his thoughts on Facebook’s mounting struggles, Moskovitz declined to answer directly, but did say: “I do think it’s nice to have a straightforward business model [with Asana] where you create something valuable for companies and they pay you for it. There’s a lot fewer rough edges, I guess, since we’re not a content platform. We’re really providing infrastructure.”

Chris:

His whole op-ed betrayal

Sean:

Still involved did Mark’s times person piece but also said:

It's a social-validation feedback loop ... exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with, because you're exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.

The inventors, creators -- it's me, it's Mark [Zuckerberg], it's Kevin Systrom on Instagram, it's all of these people -- understood this consciously. And we did it anyway.

As Parker left the stage, he joked that Mark Zuckerberg was going to block his Facebook account. Perhaps it's just wistful thinking on my part, but it seems to me that it's Zuckerberg who should be worried that more and more people might start carrying out this blocking all on their own.

Divya:

Was seen talking about FB on the News today

Winklevoss:

They’re always going off plus bitcoin shit.

Erica:

She wasn’t real anyways so we can slide her in

Honestly, it looks like it really is gonna be everyone against Mark and Eduardo coming in like everyone back the fuck off. This is the sequel I want not the senate thing.

[thenichibro]

Fall 2017 Anime First Impressions

And so here I am again, three weeks late because I can never keep up. Fall 2017 thus far doesn’t seem too, too bad, but I’m sure that will change, considering the multiple original shows on my watching list. Luckily there’s plenty of cute girls doing cute things shows, which is all I need, really. As usual, here’s what I’m watching, with MAL links and original shows marked: Osake wa Fuufu (MAL) Starting off with a short show this time. Osake wa Fuufu follows a wife, Chisato, and her husband, Sora. Sora likes making drinks, and Chisato likes drinking. Match made in heaven, if you ask me. The show even includes drink recipes depending on the featured drink, and a food pairing with it. It's a three minute show about a cute, drunk wife. What's not to like?

URAHARA (MAL) Taking a sharp departure from the calmness of Osake wa Fuufu, URAHARA involves three fashion-loving Harajuku girls saving the planet from aliens. This show is Harajuku personified. Everything from the character design to the OP explodes with a bubbly, colorful atmosphere, wrapped up in a beautiful watercolor aesthetic. ORESAMA's fantastic brand of electropop is the exact cherry on top the art style needed. Rito is the skateboarding, soft-spoken girl with demon horns, Kotoko is the peppy blonde kemonomimi, and Mari is the twintailed idol who also owns the clothes shop the girls work at. After aliens sucking up cultural landmarks appear, an American girl wearing a talking fried shrimp shows up, gives them "physical manifestations of imagination," and they promptly transform into magical girls and fight the aliens, making them explode and turn into donuts. Sure, that made no sense at all, but everything's so colorful. Capped off by a similarly bubbly ED, this show is just outright fun. If it stays about three cute girls happily fighting fashion-stealing aliens, I'm in.

Dies Irae (MAL) Just as an FYI, Dies Irae aired an episode zero prequel, but I've waited until the formal episode one before doing any impressions, seeing as the prequel was a complete clusterfuck anyway. Now then, after the prequel involving Nazi supermen, Dies Irae's main series cuts to the future and the protagonist Ren, a solemn oft-hospitalized teen. Plenty of mysteries abound - a sudden murder, a strange vision at a museum, a runaway friend, a girl calling him Cagliostrio in a dream - interspersed throughout an otherwise thoroughly boring slice of life. Following that, the episode alos teases plenty of the insane bullshit the prequel was few of. In one line, one character drops 5 proper nouns we have had zero interaction with, with the off mention of one name from the prequel episode. Foreshadowing is fine; introducing three characters in the span of 15 seconds and then talking about 5+ more of them is a bit much. The art is nothing special, and the orchestral soundtrack is unique enough, but if the prequel was any indication, this show is going to get insane, really fast. And not insane like the fun, rollercoaster ride kind. More like the trying-too-hard, unnecesarily edgy, impossible to actually follow kind.

Net-juu no Susume (MAL) Ah, the MMO spin on the isekai genre. Net-juu follows Moriko, a NEET woman living alone who devotes her time to playing a guy (Hayashi) in an MMO. She meets with an amazingly cute girl, Lily (who later we see to be a guy IRL), and they start adventuring together. Cut to 70-odd levels of grinding, joining a guild, and an upgraded PC later, Moriko/Hayashi has settled in just fine. First off, Lily's VA is the fucking cutest, holy shit. My reactions about echoed Moriko's anytime she was being cute. Other than that, the first episode was surprisingly sincere. Relatively light on the "MY REAL LIFE IS ON THE INTERNET!!" in favor of Moriko just being more of an awkward, lazy video game nerd. Using video games to not have to deal with real life is nothing new, but the heart with which Hayashi/Lily meet and grow in just one episode impressed me. This could go either way, and I'm hoping it stays a interesting vignette on the trials and tribulations of the two lives Moriko lives.

[ORIG] Just Because! (MAL) Next up, Just Because sees Eita Izumi returning after four years to his locale's high-school, reuniting with people he lost touch with. The first episode sees a wonderful moment of return, as Eita practices with an old baseball friend, leading the practicing band to strike up into the chorus they played at games, seeminginly on their own. The trumpets flowing into the full orchestral matches the rising tone perfectly. Juxatposed with a Photography Club facing termination and a former class prez buried in obligations, a web of connections lies in wait, ready to reaccept Eita. The art is quite muted, and even with complaints about the hot weather, the sun is behind clouds and the cityscape is grey, as opposed to the beating sun we often see. Just Because's first episode, while not telling much, showed plenty, and indicated what the main issues would be and who would be involved, and that's exactly what a first episode should do. If an original work is showing that early on, maybe it has more direction than most - and that's a very good thing.

[ORIG] Two Car (MAL) Sidecar racing is something I haven't seen, for sure. The island of Miyakejima, with its uncontrolled speed limits, is home to famous sidecar racing, or "kneeler racing" competitions, and the show follows the endlessly arguing but amazingly similar local team of Yuri and Megami. A bouncy pop soundtrack plays over the high-speed racing, creating a light yet competitive tone that perfectly fits the colored visuals, featuring the same artist/production company as Masamune-kun no Revenge from a few seasons ago. Discord has cropped up between Yuri and Megumi due to their beloved coach leaving for greener courses and the feelings they had for him as he left. The cuts between the high-speed raising and the melancholic, reflective flashbacks does quite well in explaining their movements throughout the race - catching us up to speed, so to speak. The tone of the show comes across perfectly as the episode closes, backed up by the fantastic soundtrack and beautifully done OP and ED. You just feel this show is time spent on an island, split between relaxing and racing. It's wonderfully done. It remains to be seen if this show will echo others like Minami Kamakura and Bakuon and go really into the mechanical aspect of sidecar racing. However, this show is a surprisingly emotionally-based piece where emotions are expressed on the race course - and I'm interested in more.

[ORIG] Animegataris (MAL) Minoa is our orange-haired, ahoge-sporting protag, called out by the school princess Kamiigusa to talk about anime, of all things. Go figure. Coming off the trash that was Gamers last season, the blonde perfect girl actually being a huge nerd is already tiring. Minoa is looking for the name of an anime that moved her as a kid, and to do it suggests to get the anime club back in action, then promptly gets roped into leading it. Her endless optimism isn't original but it's always refreshing, and the use of anime to let Minoa see "more of Kamiigusa's faces" is a bit better than just having the red face of a normally "perfect" girl besmirched by the recognition she likes anime. Also there's a huge-headed cat and a somehow magical beret, which came out of the blue just a bit. We get a sneak peak of the future members, ranging across all archetypes and social cliques, and then the magical beret comes back and the cat now talks. Interested to see where the hell any of that goes, but if this stays more comedy and less Gamers romance-misunderstanding bullshit, I'll be satisfied. Also, both the OP and ED (especially the OP - GARNiDELiA is so good) are great. Some very strange plot choices, especially worrying in an original work, but if they pay off this will be enjoyable. Let's just hope they do.

Mahoutsukai no Yome (MAL) Backing off the slice of life, Mahoutsukai imagines a modern day world intertwined with fantasy - beastmen, magic, and the few humans who can see it - one of them being Chise Hatori, ostracized for her power until she is bought at an auction by a legendary mage, Elias, who aims to make her his apprentice. Chise is actually a "Sleigh Beggy," a rare being that attracts "faries and mysteries," whatever that will eventually entail. Mahoutsukai thus far gives off a kind of Uchouten Kazoku vibe as Chise moves into Elias' tranquil house. An ostensibly normal-looking environment inhabited by mystical beings, and a duality of calmness and turbulent themes below echo Uchouten's politics. The juxtaposition of the forcible buying of Chise versus the welcoming environment she is brought in creates an interesting dynamic that I'm interested in seeing played out. The animation is beautiful, and the small switches to a more chibi style aren't disruptive in the least. Aside from some confusion about the initial setup of the world, if this show becomes a magical slice-of-life with even a fraction of the heart of Uchouten, I'm in.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (MAL) Two girls in old-school fatigues, cruising around a cold, apocalyptic, industrial wasteland. Sounds cool to me. Chito is the collected, tired foil to Yuuri's galavanting, charismatic self. The animation is a bit divergent, in that while the landscapes are detailed in their greyness, the art of the two girls echoes something like Hidamari in its style. While initially strange, it didn't become anything more than just "noticeable." The muscial backdrop is a flowing, airy tone that fits well with the girls having fun praticing shooting or walking around looking for supplies.The music and the attitudes of Chi and Yuu create an atmosphere to the point that doesn't feel like a depressing, sober look at war. Seeing it through the eyes of two children also puts the concepts of war and conflict in eerily simple terms, providing a new look at a concept done to death, so to speak. There's a strangely relaxed feel despite the landscape and color scheme. It remains to be seen if this will go the route of Made in Abyss, especially with an out of place scene at the end of the episode, but while MiA was fucking phenomenal, I could do with less bawling two seasons in a row. This is a strange one, but the simple story of Chi and Yuu trudging across the snowy landscape is appealing.

Konohana Kitan (MAL) Cute fox girls working at a traditional Japanese hot spring hotel? I'm in. Yuzu is the nervous newbie, Kiri is the charismatic head attendant, Natsume is spunky and atheletic, Satsuki is responsible to a fault, Ren is the doll-like one whose personality doesn't match her cute exterior, and there's the diminutive, quiet Sakura. The personalities of the girls are varied and interplay nicely, and I look forward to seeing how Yuzu fits in. Moreover, the art is fantastic. The character designs echo perfectly the individual personalities, and the landscapes of cherry blossoms are stunning. I personally love the traditional Japanese aesthetic the inn and surrounding town embody, and it obviously fits well with the fact that the girls are all kitsunes. Konohana seems to me like a slightly less energetic/comedic Urara Meirochou, which is a good thing. The aesthetic is great, the girls are cute - this is a show for healing, and I need it.

Blend-S (MAL) Maika, a perpetual job hunter with her naturally scary eyes, finds her home at a cafe where all the waitresses are archetypes, as the sadistic one. Blend-S is almost like a more overt version of the varied personalities in Working!, with all comedy and less romance. I quite like the juxtaposition of the girls' normal personalities when talking to each other and their work personalities (especially when the line blurs). While usually its a cute girl who's actually evil or something and used as boring shock value, being the point of the show pivots the concept into a new way I enjoy. Even moreso, Maika especially has plenty of quirks that bely her role as the "normal" main character. The art is clean and sharp, and the girls have great character designs - I really like the facial designs. The OP, by the VAs (which is always a plus), is fantastic both in design and music, and compliments the more relaxed ED (which is also by the VAs). Overall, this show is friendly and the girls are cute. Sounds good to me.

Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken (MAL) Adaptations with stock character protagonists and plenty of overt fanservice.  Yay. I'm amazed this isn't from an LN, because it is exactly that kind of show. Shobitch begins with our MC Shinozaki confessing to Kosaka, which she accepts. Then she learns "how to be a good girlfriend," which far more often than not involves plenty of fanservice. Also, despite him having a girlfriend, there's a whole variety of other girls interested in him - the childhood friend and imouto get ticked off the list int he first six minutes. On the bright side, the art is great. Character designs aside from the protag are varied and well-drawn. Kosaka's earnestness with which she wants to be a good girlfriend is endearing in itself, but the 100% focus on sexual themes is just a bit tiring. Sort of like how Kuzu no Honkai went from seriously emotional to reducing any character motivation to "the only way I can be loved is physically." Regardless, you know exactly what you're getting into with a title like this show. There are some genuine emotional moments, but they are few and very far between. Otherwise, Shobitch is a well-drawn yet bland ecchi definitely-not-LN adaptation.

Inuyashiki (MAL) Last but not least, adding to the limited action slate I'm watching this season, we have Inuyashiki. Inuyashiki is, for lack of a better term, strange. It begins with nearly all CG, but then transitions to a mix of normal animation and CG for the rest of the episode. The first half of episode one is one of the most solemn, depressing sequences I've seen, and that's blown away by a whirlwind of aliens, body-swapping, and mechanical bodies. While the tonal shift is quite jarring, the change wasn't anything completely incomprehensible. The problem will be where this will go, now that Ichiro, our man with months to live, is now equipped with alien technology. I'm hoping that within the mix of action there will be a sense that Ichiro, now unshackled by sickness, can make concrete steps to make his life better. While the action shots were nice-looking, and the CG actually doesn't look half bad, with how emotionally powerful the first half of episode one is I want to see more of that as well. Either way, Inuyashiki has my attention, and I'm eager to see where Ichiro goes.

[zephyrthejester]

Reflecting on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Please click “Keep Reading” to view my concluding thoughts on Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Unfiltered spoilers inside.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is, simply put, a narrative masterpiece. One of those once-in-a-decade stories. But before I sing its praises, I feel I'd best get my complaints out of the way first thing. They're all laughably petty, as far as complaints go, and I'd hate to leave this reflection off on a sour note.

1: For how important he was, I felt Alphonse's role was too small. He had a very interesting mini-arc about his identity early on, but after that, he was very passive. He took the support role in both dialogue and combat. Though, he did have what is probably the show's single biggest "fuck yeah!" moment all to himself when he turned the tables on Pride and Kimblee. I dunno, maybe I was just hoping for FMA:B to be "The Edward and Alphonse show ft. a ton of cool characters." But it was actually "The Edward show ft. Hohenheim, Alphonse, and a ton of cool characters."

2: Let's be real. Trying to dethrone God and take their place is just about as cliche an anime/JRPG plot you can get. It was a bit underwhelming, but this complaint is completely dwarfed by the fact that the whole narrative I'm about to exclaim love for is written closely around it, and the fact that the villain actually succeeded (briefly).

3: I wish that one of the show's biggest twists, the Country-Wide Transmutation Circle, wasn't revealed so early. Though the plot certainly had some out-of-nowhere reveals (that always made logical sense when they happened), most were foreshadowed or hinted at. But around episode 20, Dr. Marcoh dropped a guess about the plan to sacrifice Amestris, just... out of nowhere. Looking back, I can't help but think it would have been so much better if we first saw the Xerxes flashback story, then learned about Father's plan for Amestris. It would have been a gut-punch double threat. But by the time we did see the Xerxes story, we were well familiar with the concept. We could have been surprised at the same time as "young" Hohenheim. We could have felt that "oh shit!" feeling when we learned it was about to be repeated on a larger scale. But we didn't.

4: Lack of side character screentime. This may actually be a compliment in disguise, because I'm complaining that the characters I really loved weren't around enough! Danny Brosh, Maria Ross, Barry, Alex Armstrong, Sheska, Jean Havoc, Izumi and Sig Curtis, Ling Yao (who disappeared for a chunk of the show, and then when his body was on-screen, half the time he wasn't actually there, if you get what I'm saying)... I guess too much screentime for some of them would have made them grating or tiresome. But as trickle-fed novelties, I ended up loving the characters and just wanting more. More of everything!

5: It's understandable why this happened, as the second half of the show is incredibly grim and serious, but I found myself sorely missing the humor found in the earlier episodes. There was a new joke every minute, once. By the end of the show we were lucky to get one joke in an entire episode. Again, completely understandable, maybe even necessary. But I still missed the humor... because pretty much every joke landed for me.

Um. That's it. That's all the complaining I have in me. Literally every negative thing I feel about this legendary show. Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

This story. This story is just... it's just mind boggling. It had the illusion that every little detail was planned out from the start. It juggled over 30 important characters and plenty more in lesser roles with breakneck pacing that never felt too rushed (outside the first three episodes). And let me tell you, I am just sitting in stunned awe as I think back about every single nuance. Every major character was admittedly fairly simple, but it is perhaps this very simplicity that makes them so understandable, likable, and sympathetic. Nearly everyone had only one character trait and a very clearly defined goal from the outset of their introduction... The beauty was seeing these various traits bounce off each other and seeing how the characters got to their goal.

This was not a story where characters changed and grew. I think this story was about how the characters fought hard not to be changed. Ed and Al were tempted to drop their morals, and they didn't. Hohenheim was tempted to hate himself, and he didn't. Winry was tempted to take a life, and she didn't. Mustang and Scar were changed-- into monsters-- and were pulled back from the abyss by their friends. It... genuinely feels like everyone was mostly the same person at the start and end of the story. And somehow, it actually all works. Though, saying this sounds a bit silly because Truth scolded Father for not changing... Oh well.

Moving from the macro to the micro, let's talk about the tiny little details. There were so many elements introduced that seemed innocuous and unimportant, but were actually extremely important. Edward's short height, the butt of many early jokes, was because his body was sustaining Alphonse's. The motion of clapping hands to form a Circle out of your body, a "gift" from God, looked like praying. Havoc's family business ending up being a munitions store. The creepy tubes beneath Central, which I didn't even think to question, ended up being the pumps that fuel the Mannequin Army. As I said, it feels like every single remote detail of this grand story was planned from the very beginning. From the small to the large, it all feels so complete. There's not a single part of me wishing something was more fleshed out (aside from wanting more screentime for my favorite characters, of course).

Indeed, I'll be fondly remembering and respecting this show's narrative and characters for a long, long time to come. It started strong, stayed strong, and though it may have slowed its pace at the start of the Briggs arc, it never faltered in its step. Best of all, it even delivered a very satisfying ending. So satisfying. So happy and perfect and sweet it almost made me diabetic.

Let's wrap things up with what's left, shall we? Thinking hard, I can't exactly recall most of the background music in the show. There were one or two standouts, but... Well, I guess none of the songs were jarring or displeasing, but all the same I can't exactly praise them. They were... serviceable. Yeah. Though, I do really like most of the OP and ED songs! They all grew on me more and more, and a few I still can't get out of my head.

Then there's the animation! My goodness, the animation! For an anime of this length, I was blown away by the effort put in to make all the important fight scenes look damn good. And damn, did they look good. This show had some stellar fight choreography, even with the more fantastical magic powers, and I won't lie when I say I immediately went back to re-watch a few fights the moment I had finished a liveblog session.

Well then. That's everything, I think.

I guess there's only one more thing I have to say.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has succeeded Gurren Lagann as my favorite anime of all time.

In the hopefully long-running lifespan of my blog, I expect that no show will ever top the final score I've allotted FMA:B. By averaging all scores, I calculate the final score of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to be a stunning 9.3/10!

Experiencing this show was an absolute pleasure. But even better was taking this journey with you guys.

Thanks for reading.

[darkvalkyria]

6, 7, 19, 27!

6. Favorite Yugioh rival

In terms of being a supportive friend and a good competitor I think I have to go with Jack, in regards to both Yusei and Yuya! He’s a powerforce with a really funny personality who knows when it’s time to be serious, and he has such a strong and confident will. His relationship with Carly and their adventures to regain his confidence were endearing, and his duel against Aporia with Rua and Ruka is one of my favorites because he does a really good job of coaching them both without treating them like incapable children. That one time when he beat up those dudes for sabotaging Aki’s duel runner exam was so good, I was very proud. He and Crow are good friends, good brothers; I love their arguments and misunderstandings that come as a result of Jack being used to a richer lifestyle. They had cute bromantic moments in Arc V too (even I’m disappointed Crow didn’t cradle him in his arms after Zarc almost killed him). One of my favorite Jack moments is at the end of the series when Jack has that montage of training really hard because he wants to surpass Yusei, and even after he loses he congratulates Yusei in a really heartfelt, pure moment. In Arc V JACK IS SUCH A GOOD MENTOR TO YUYA I LOVE IT! I was mad at him at first for beating and being a dick towards Yuya but he makes up for it lol. I also liked how they made us question his character further in that scene where he gave the supposedly “trash” card to that boy whose name I forget. Even though he meant to be encouraging the kid just read his signals wrong. His interest in Reira and how he reminded him of himself was a nice introspective look as well. I love when he smiled at the end of the duel where Yuya beat him and you could tell he was really proud.

IN OTHER NEWS EVEN THOUGH HE’S A DICK I LOVE KAIBA AND HE’S MY BOYFRIEND OKAY HE’S THE ORIGINAL EXTRA AS FUCK HOT JACKASS NERD TECH-GENIUS RIVAL WITH DADDY ISSUES WHO IS ALSO PRETTY. I love the whole “end war with card games” thing he did and his love for Mokuba is some pure heartwarming shit. Also my heart explodes every time he mentions wanting to build Kaibaland; Sakaki Yusho wishes he could get on his level. Pretty much I just looooove how extra he is about everything. I just wish he had been more of a competition for Yugi.

7. Favorite Yugioh female

Yooooo I’m gonna have to say Mai from Duel Monsters. I really love her a lot. She’s got such a cool, tough personality and her deck is strong too. I love that she’s probably one of the first (if not THE first) top female duelists and I’m sure she’s legendary for that. She was one of the first people to give Yugi a real run for his money in their Duelist Kingdom duel. Her speeches in that duel were so on point and she toughened him up exactly the way he needed. She was KILLIN THE GAME TOO upon rewatch I was really salty she lost. The moment afterwards that duel where she gave her prize card to Jounouchi while giving him courage is one of my favorites too. Her relationship with Jounouchi is one of my favorites in the whole series, and I love the big sister vibe she has with Anzu and the other girls in the series. One of my favorite moments is when she lost intentionally/surrendered to Anzu. Her duel with Marik was amazing too. She’s so smart and I wish Yugi would have taken her more seriously as a true rival. My mind right now is hazy regarding what she did Post-Battle City so I don’t really remember what she does afterwards lol… Her outfits are always great tho. I think most of all I love the tough love she hands out. I wish she had been in Arc V or DSOD, I miss her! I truly think she is the Yugioh female we’ve always deserved, a perfect mix of emotions, strength, maturity, and will.

HONORABLE MENTION TO ISHIZU THAT’S MY GIRL RIGHT THERE!

19. Favorite 5Ds OP/ED

YAAAAAAAAS NOW WE’RE TALKIN IMMA LET YOU FINISH BUT “FUTURE COLORS” IS THE BEST YUGIOH OP/ED OF ALL TIME!!!!!!! FIGHT ME OVER THIS!! VISUALLY AND MUSICALLY! SO GOOD! THIS SONG MADE THE END OF 5DS SO MUCH MORE EMOTIONAL! I will never be over this ending okay?? Best 5D’s opening visually and musically for me is “BELIEVE IN NEXUS!” I love the instrumentation of this one, the gritty guitar and the build up of the song. The animation is also gorgeous and I love the visuals they chose, it always feels like a really full, comprehensive opening.

27. Favorite antagonist

You know Marik has always been memorable to me. He was over the top when it came to blaming the Pharoah for all the wrong in his life but I love the relationship he has with Rishid, and how his recognition of  Rishid’s brotherly affection and dedication to him was strong enough to contain his dark half. The worst thing Marik ever did was risk Rishid’s life by giving him that fake Ra card and saying that he was only worthy of the Ishtar name if he could use it successfully. That was cruel. His Rare Hunters were creepy too. Plus LittleKuriboh has made so much fun of Marik it’s made me love him so much more.

Also shoutout to Yubel for probably being the most evilly evil of antagonists... seriously she did so much evil it still surprises me how easily Judai forgave her. Devine was one creepy ass motherfucker and I’m glad he died. Z-ONE had a good story and he was a good person; the whole Yusei revelation was wack. I’ll also give Noah Kaiba some props because I loved his arc and I he was a nice kid for choosing to sacrifice himself at the end.

[dj3two1]

New Post has been published on DJ3Two1

New Post has been published on http://dj3two1.com/2017/03/01/op-ed-why-hip-hop-needs-the-nicki-minajremy-ma-battle/

Op-Ed: Why Hip Hop Needs The Nicki Minaj/Remy Ma Battle

Just the song cover alone let you know that Remy wasn’t bringing no subliminal bullshit.

It’s now painfully apparent that one of the most vicious and precisely aimed diss records in the history of Hip Hop was shot by a convicted female felon at what many would say WAS the only relevant female emcee in the game today. There’s no argument that Ms. Pink Print has held it down for the women in the rap game for just about as long as Remy Ma was sitting behind the wall at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. In that time, the momentum built up from artists like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, Eve, Trina and others coming into the new millennium had all but come to a complete halt with the exception of who many chalked up as just a Lil Kim wannabe; Nicki Minaj.

Those who are old enough to remember the Nas vs. Jay-Z battle will confirm that the climate of Hip Hop’s “bling era” was type stale and a battle between NYC’s best rhyme spitters brought excitement back to the community that was still healing from the deaths of Biggie and Tupac after their battle on wax. Verses about material possessions or sexual prowess weren’t conversation worthy among real rap aficionados anymore since rappers no longer had a financial or creative ceiling, but when they heard the “Fuck Jay-Z” on the beginning of Nas’ “Ether”, everyone paid acute attention because they knew regardless of who made the most money, that’s what the essence of an emcee is made of. Also, someone’s career could be over at the end of the verse. Remy Ma, being raised the borough of Hip Hop’s birthplace and reppin’ an extension of the legendary Diggin’ In The Crates crew(Terror Squad) she knew the importance of dropping a competitive track like Ether, thus, “Shether” was born. Just as Jay knew he had to beat the best in order to be the best and as Kool Moe Dee knew before he took on Busy Bee and as the Blastmaster knew before BDP dropped “The Bridge Is Over”, Reminisce Mackie made a conscious decision to take a shot at the throne…and she hit the bullseye.

Now, what is the next move for Nicki? For the rookie minded Hip Hopper or music fan in general, the answer would be for Nicki not to respond and continue to make the mainstream hits that made her a household name. Well, Onika hails from a similar background and understands how her career could be disgraced by this, so a comeback of some sort is due, especially since her rhyme writing skills have now been put on trial. It’s a reminder that her success morphed from a culture that thrives on the notion that your entertainment persona mirrors your real life and you better be ready to prove it. Besides the fact that she is a lyrical beast being a prodigy of the late Big Pun, a large part of Remy’s appeal is that she shot her former friend for “sneak theiving” from her, went up north, did her time and is now back on the scene. That street certification and spontaneity has always overshadowed mainstream success in the Hip Hop community. Add on the accusations of being a negative role model for girls and supporting a pedophile and you have the contents of a real intellectual challenge for Nicki Minaj in striking back at Remy in front of the culture that made her the successful artist she is today. After all, that’s what Hip Hop is about.

Read more here:: The Source