#the song alone makes me want to do it However it's a whole ass franchise plus after elden ring rdr2 is there in my library. and yakuza. So

[dormiloncito]

I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING 🗣🗣‼️

[monkey-network]

Why Shrek IS The Best

Tastes can change, you know? And it’s less about “What’s good about this now compared to before”, more of “Why would you like this now as opposed to before”? Unless allergic, you didn’t get why dark cola or hot chips tasted bad to you as a child, but when you grow up you can come to understand and appreciate it. Shouldn’t pressure yourself, that makes things worse, but things can certainly align in helping this newfound respect you get for something you’d believe you would never want again. That really is where I stand with Dreamworks’ Shrek. As a kid, while Toy Story left me traumatized for a while, Shrek left me side-eyeing with how crass and ugly it looked and I never wanted to think of it. But, as I grew up to respect animation a lot more, 2018 was where I looked back at Shrek and soon come to understand how wrong I was and how much greatness it has that I now consider it an all time great. And with it getting inducted into the Library of Congress, I thought it was finally time to present what I see in this film. Let’s do this right with...

The SOMEBODY

Now this frame has been meme’d to death. If there’s anything iconic about this film, ‘bout the franchise as a whole, it’s the exact moment when our main character charges out of his outhouse as Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ gets going. But this honestly just says a lot about Dreamworks’ direction from its previous films where compared to Disney that’ll take their time making the setup before getting into the hype point for its lead, Shrek gets going in one minute if we don’t count the logo intro. Not even The Emperor’s New Groove, which was going for the same tone before Shrek even released, took more of it’s time with the fairy tale aspect of it in its intro. Shrek literally wipes his ass with the fairy tale aspect before giving us the SOMEBODY, all around a minute. This frame really shows that this is sticking to the Disney formula in some way because it’s wasting no time getting into it. It represents the more brisk pace Shrek has with pulling you into what it’s gonna be about. This overall frame works in its thematic and parody aspect and I’ve yet to see anything top this exact moment, not even the greatest films I’ll ever remember.

But enough about the fact that I made a whole paragraph about this one frame of the movie. Let’s dive into what I say is a piece of the heart for this film.

The Earnestness

Speaking of Disney, you probably notice that their films have some cushioning in their presentation, like they generally don’t show things with a straightforward lens; there’s some theatrics in the way their best movies present themselves. That’s not a problem, mind you, but that helped me understand how Shrek does things very differently whether you consider it parody or not. While it throws mockery at the played out conventions associated with fairy tales, especially its most subtle jab at copyright, it doesn’t full on say fairy tales are annoying and bad. Hell, the film IS a fairy tale adapted from a fairy tale about a fookin’ OGRE that can eat lightning and kills with farts. But, it’s an accurate and earnest way to view a fairy tale from a somewhat realistic lens. Let’s take Shrek’s journey for instance.

Typically, the main character would want to experience something more; explore new horizons, prove themselves, find their calling. Shrek off the bat doesn’t need or desire any of that. He’s content with his life, beside the angry mob he casually scares off, and throughout the film he’s not interested in anything else outside getting the squatters out his swamp. He happily makes a deal with the villain of the film to exile those innocent refugees off his land so he could then build a wall to keep everybody out. Bringing up Emperor’s New Groove again, Shrek and Kuzco are the few characters I know that are actively antagonistic even when they’re forced into their situation from outside forces. However unlike Kuzco that gets to be emperor again but learns humility, Shrek is in the same spot as before but learns that there are people out here that can love him for who he is. I can’t say there’s anything grand about that, but it doesn’t need to be unlike the many Disney or any film that tries to shower you with the grandest themes. The relationships Shrek has with Donkey and Fiona are the most grounded I’ve ever seen because they’re not only natural, they’re hardly dolled up with the bells and whistles made to either drum up the biggest laughs or tug the heart strings viciously. When I think about it, I honestly could see myself in Shrek. He isn’t made to be a legend, he isn’t some secret genius or lost prince, he’s just an every-man ogre that wants to live peacefully or meet SOMEBODY that doesn’t treat as someone to be feared or disgusted at. Everything Shrek says is something anybody could or would say if they were his shoes because he, and the film in general, is the most grounded without making it all distractedly meta or genre-savvy. This is generally helped by...

The Dounkaey

Everyone’s talked about how Donkey is the best confidant for Shrek and Fiona. How he’s most true to himself to where he’s the most openly musical character in the film, and how he’s the most balanced here with his comedic vs serious moments. But I gotta say it too: Donkey is one of the greatest sidekicks ever. He’s a motormouth, but is never annoying to where you wish he left the film. The couple times he is purposefully annoying, not for a joke, is when he knows Shrek isn’t being truthful. He truly gets to know Shrek on this journey, and is the character Shrek gets to capacity to actually loosen up to, so it’s fitting that he’d be the one to push Shrek when the ogre’s sounding more vague than usual. Even when he’s harshly insulted, Donkey doesn’t take it as bad as when Shrek kept trying to shut him out again in the 3rd act after the Hallejulah sequence which is the scene in every Shrek movie where’s there a super sad song because Shrek is alone and yadda ya. I’ll get to it in a bit, but he is as much responsible in providing Fiona that seed of doubt that Shrek wouldn’t love her as the ogre she is. Donkey is the greatest friend because he wants to be there for those who are okay with him being around, and while you could give and take sidekick animals in your notable films with them in it, this film really wouldn’t have happened without him. Speaking of Fiona, I won’t retread what’s been said before like with Donkey but I did want to bring up something I haven’t seen many talk about,,,

The Love for An Ogre

I’ve seen many say the scene where Shrek overhears Fiona talk about “Who could love an ugly beast?” and misinterprets that as her talking about him as a cliched or contrived downside to the film, but I feel that a defense can be made. It personally makes sense that Shrek would misinterpret that and take it personally because 1) Who else would Fiona be talking about? 2) How would he know she was talking with Donkey? 3) Why would he just barge in on her? 4) Has no one considered that this moment is parallel to when Fiona overhears Shrek’s conversation with Donkey the night before?

Fiona is very much the antithesis to Shrek’s character where she can very much be open about what she wants but is scared at the idea of anyone figuring out who she really is. She’ll gladly be gross, kick ass, eat the young of a bird she let explode, but won’t let anyone see her true face. That’s why her curse makes sense, and why Shrek would take a fondness to her despite her initial disdain of him rescuing her. Fiona’s a character where the surface level beauty is her weakness as opposed to Shrek where it’s internal. Which is why when she overhears Shrek open up to Donkey about his societal isolation, she’s soon more comfortable around him. And it’s why when she opens up to Donkey about her looks, Shrek would unfortunately take it personal enough. I ask again, why would Shrek barge in on a conversation he wasn’t aware of or who she was talking about to not take it about anything else but him when what he heard such a cut so deep, especially from a character that bears his similar issues? It also helps that Donkey was in on it, as Shrek feels reasonably betrayed by the only other person he’s come to appreciate in his life. Contrived as it seems, it’s thematically important and appropriate to the conflict of Shrek’s character and the film overall. Don’t know how this could be conveyed any other way because it adds up at least.

I just wanna know how Shrek got to Faarquard’s and back by sunrise like did he run cuz that looked like a huge distance to travel on foot but anyways...

I’m sure things could’ve worked out if Shrek knew, either by barging in that night or through Donkey, but I think it’s fitting that the climax takes place at the wedding. After Shrek and Donkey understand their friendship, after Donkey reciprocates the Dragon’s love (more ways than one), and when Shrek grasps the mistake he made to charge over to Fuccquad’s chapel, we get to...

The End

After everything, we get to the moment where Shrek and Fiona get to share their first kiss, Fiona permanently transforms into an ogre, and we get this exchange. One of my favorite exchanges in the whole film:

Shrek: “Are you all right?” Fiona: “Well yes. But I don’t understand... I’m supposed to be beautiful.”

Shrek: “But you ARE beautiful”

We don’t need any other vows to understand their relationship was built up to this. This moment where Shrek can reaffirm Fiona’s feelings of being able to be herself in every way, because she allowed him to be himself in every way before. That’s that mutual love, baby, that just gets me every time and makes this film one of the best romance stories I know as well, even when it isn’t solely about the romance. This is Shrek’s story, and there’s nothing more touching than seeing this outcast not only get another to view him as a friend, not only someone to love, but people, if only a couple, to actually wanted to get to know him. I know Shrek 2 expands on this more, and it’s considered a golden sequel, but I will always cherish the first movie for how much it tells us off the bat while appearing as a “Take That” to Disney films. This is the genesis of Shrek feeling more accepted for himself and society and it just bears so much good commentary while being a good adventure nonetheless. Like you could say this film indeed has... dimensions? “You were trying to meme about la-”

The Conclusion

Mentioning it, I always had this thought with the conversation Shrek and Donkey had of why Shrek didn’t just “be an ogre” and pillage Fuccnut’s fortress. It’s possible Shrek could’ve taken out Faarquid himself, but that would mean being the beast he knows people have shunned him for, grabbed the torches and pitchfolks for, made him feel worse for. Shrek enjoys being an ogre, but he doesn’t like how society makes him feel lesser as an ogre. That really is what the four films have been about for him and what I’ve come to appreciate about these films personally. It can be easy to love yourself even when there are others out here that stand against you, but it’s hard to consider that anyone else could love you for who you are in spite of how you try to present yourself. But if there’s anything Shrek showed me, it’s that it’s possible. There can/will be people out here who appreciate the real you, will be there as much as you want to for them, and can help you realize more about yourself as opposed to suffering to silence eternally. Generally ideal, I know, but this film in the least offered me that thought in the most balanced way possible. It’s incredible how much of a tightrope this film has in its parody and sincerity and that makes its induction in the National Film Registry and being the first ever Best Animated Award winner pretty justified all things considered.

I know this film, the character, has been a meme over the years. As Schaffrillas mentions in his video, the direction Dreamworks made because of Shrek’s success kinda turned it into a heel people clowned on because, in theory, it was nothing but a joke with the onions and the swamp and IT’S NEVER OGRE. Then again, like I said in the beginning, tastes change. I’d say with Schaff’s masterful analyses on the film series and 3GI’s Shrek Retold and Shrekfest, the perception of the film sure enough shifted like the perception of Megamind. It’s one thing for a movie to blow people away or leave them thinking it’s horrible beyond belief, it’s another to take the time to then look back and see how those feelings have changed. For Shrek, it’s a film that was able to trudge out of the meme era to be a film many consider a strong, rewatchable, and unique. Like the beauty of Spongebob, Shrek is a considered a classic because as in the times as it appeared when it released, this film actually stood on its own with the most enjoyable and meaningful timelessness, exploring the desired love for the self, that deserves to be recognized. What else can I say, people?

It’s The Best

[popculturebuffet]

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life Review

Happy Birthday To Me, as I continue my birthday celebration by taking a look at comics that have a personal connection to me.. And for our main feature, i’m taking a look at the first volume of a series that was vitally important to a teenage me, Scott Pilgrim. 

Scott Pilgrim is the brainchild of Brian Lee’O’Malley. O’Malley came up with the concept from a number of things. Being a fan of the band Plumtree, O’Malley was curious about the name of their song “Scott Pilgrim” and wondered who this Scott Pilgrim guy was. So over the years he slowly built the guy up in the back of his mind using bits of his life and what not. As for why he ends up fighting 7 evil exes, that came from a discussion with his then girlfriend, later wife and currently ex-wife Hope Larson, where he threw off the joke that her exes should form some kind of League. After finishing his first solo work Lost at Sea, O’Malley decided Scotty would be his next project and the rest is history. To date while O’Malley has written two works since, Seconds which is delightful and Snotgirl which didn’t grab me but I intend to try again, Scott remains his most popular work, in large part due to it’s SUBLIME video game and movie adaptations, the former of which is finally getting a rerelease next month. 

The series charm is in it’s style: A manga styled comic that combines two desperate kinds of story: Shonen Fight Manga and Slice of Life Indie Comics. The story shifts from Scott going through normal life stuff while trying to make his new relationship work and get his shit together and Scott getting into big bombastic fights with his new sweetie’s exes for the right to keep dating her and to you know, stay alive. The series effortlesly blends a video game like world with real grounded characters and is wonderful for it.  As for where I came in, one Free Comic Book day I found a little comic named Free Scott Pilgrim, which I genuinely loved and was instantly charmed by it’s humor and well done art. So I picked up the second and third volumes of the series proper and the first once I could find it and the rest ,as they say, is history. For my high school life, this was one of hte most important things in it and I wrote fanfiction, which I thankfully never put online and in general enjoyed the hell out of the series. Then I just kind of.. let it sit on my shelf for a while. It wasn’t BAD, I just never got back to it and as the franchise went dormant I just sorta slept on it and the movie and that part of me...

Cut to a few weeks ago, when Comixology did a massive sale for black friday that marked a ton of Graphic Novels down to just 1 buck each, and the color editions of Scott Pilgrim happened to be part of this, though only volume 1 was that cheap. But thanks to my best friend micheal and an early christmas/birthday present I got the rest and got to revisit the series as a whole, with me rethinking my previous thoughts of volume 1 and thus.. wanting to review it and share both why this series is so damn special and what’s good, and what’s not so good about it. I’ll also be covering the game, once i’ts re-released, and the movie once i’m finsihed with the comics so look out for that. And get ready to take a trip to the glorious land of canada... 

As a heads up and as you can tell i’ll be using the color version as while I could get scans of the black and white, I prefer the color version. While the black and white was fine and always will be, I think the impressive coloring job really adds to thing and makes the already great fight scenes pop more, as well as making certain background elements stand out a bit. While it does negate the black and white gags, the tradeoff is more than worth it. That being said either version is fine so if you can get the black and white cheaper that’s fine and i’ve kept my original copies, with volumes 4 -6 having been picked up as they came out. 

So as our story starts we meet our hero: Scott Pilgrim Age 23, a charming but jobless and kind of sketchy possible college graduate whose really been adrift in his life since a breakup about a year ago. And when our story opens he’s taken a turn for a worse and decided to date sweet but naive and inexperinced Knives Chau, a 17 year old girl. And why yes the power dynamics there are messed up and why yes Scott is pretty damn sketchy in this moment in time, and while yes I am aware the age of consent in canada is 16, it dosen’t make this any less greasy and the story knows that.  And how it knows that MOST of his friends aren’t on board. The only ones who seems to is Stephen Stiles, leader of Sex Bomb-Omb, the band scott’s in with one of the best names ever and even then it’s hard to tell if he’s being sarcastic or just a total douche. The other, Young Neil Nordgraf, Stephen’s roomate, is well 19 or 20 and kind of a dipshit so we just ignore him. I used to use him as kind of a projection, to put myself in the adventure when I was younger as Neil kind of lacks personality in the comics but in the comics.. he’s not hte best or most complex character. He is great in the movie though and Edgar Wright did an amazing job fleshing him out.  The rest of his circle are .. not so permissive. His best friend, roomate and king of all gays for all time Wallace Wells very much does not want to come with Scott to school to pick her up because every part of that sentence after hurt to type. Granted Scott gets him to come with him with promises of boys, but frankly knowing wallace he was probably just playing along/wants to protect this poor child. His ex and fellow bandmate Kim is clearly bothered by it and is flat out worried Scott is taking advantage of her. Kim and Wallace are easily my faviorites both for personality and because I have a massive crush on both. With Wallace it just didn’t manifest till the reread. Finally Scott’s kid sister Stacey chews him out over it before genuinely wondering if he’s gone insane or he’s actually happy. For my two cents: he’s not. He WANTS to be, but he dosen’t know how. And as someone whose both neurotypical, which given Scott’s troubles with empathy and relating to people like yours truly I strongly suggest he is, and has struggled with depression I can relate to that. He wants to move on but he just.. can’t, he just wants to get past the haze he’s been in since Envy dumped him.. but he dosen’t know how. So instead of doing someting constructive or finding a job or anything .. he just took the first and easiest way out of his depression he could. I’ve done that with video games and stuff. Scott did that by entering a relationship that’s really easy, requires only so much effort, and is with someone who utterly adores, looks up to him and will never expect better. Being with Knives makes him feel better.. but it dosen’t MAKE him a better person. As i’ve made clear dating someone just for a boost makes him actively worse and had fate not intervened, I shudder to think what Scott might have become. That being said his actoins are still creepy and since Scott has a habit of landing ass backwards into being an asshole here’s a counter to track that. That’s 2 for doing this overall, one for tleling her to be good, and 1 for trying to ply wallace with underage boys. 

Your the Scum of the Earth Scott Counter: 1

Thankfully fate does and Scott’s dreams, ones of him crawling through a desert alone, are interupted by a mysterious pink haired girl on skates. The next day he’s just sort of in a daze, kind of confused, and even more so when he sees her IN REAL LIFE, while at the library with Knives. He’s understandably frazzled but ends up finding out he’s not hallucinating when talking to MIcheal Cormeau. Micheal is a minor character and another artist and friend of o malley’s who represents that one guy in social circles who knows everybody. And indeed he knows the mystery girl, Ramona Flowers and that she’s there. Scott TRIES talking her up but just creeps her out, so Scott goes with plan b and decides to ask around about her. Enter Sandra and Monique, two college aquantinces of Scott, who just sorta show up at major events and aren’t that developed or intresting. They turn him to Julie who forbids him to date her. To which I say. 

Naturually we’ll aslo be needing a counter for this. 

Shut Up Julie Counter: 1

Scott however did find out she’s a delivery girl for Amazon Canada, and thus orders some CD’s on Wallace’s Credit card to hopefully see her. And while his behavior IS obessive.. it’s understandable. I’d be weirdly obessed with finding someone too if they showed up in my dreams every day and were apparently a real person. I’d probably play it cooler but still i’ts kind of understandable. So after a day with knives in which he’s clearly checked out she kisses him, he freaks out and it’s very clear that while Scott’s good at attracting women he’s just.. not good with his emotions and has finally woken up to how messed up this is, but has no idea how to get out now he’s intrested in someone he actually has a future with maybe.  Speaking of Scott’s package and Ramona finally arrive. Scott’s move is to.. ask her out abrubtly but after he mentions her Dreams, Ramona finally puts two and two together and explains things: She’s been using Subspace, a seris of highways connected by the subconcious and apparently more common in america, though it’s later revealed she was taught this but being the first book with a lot of the lore and what not ironed out this is fine. Point is she was just using his dreams as transit and didn’t mean to get him obessed. Scott continues to try his schtick and eventually gets her to agree to hang out with him. Why she does I generally do not know, as SCott basically fell ass backwards over himself conversationally, but whatever. If he didn’t succeed we wouldn’t have a plot. 

That being said things pick up a bit with the date though. The scene is really good and simply just the two.. talking. Having plesant conversations getting to know one another. That good stuff. it’s just really nice to read and it’s hard to explain why. Highlights include Scott’s x-men patch, Ramona not wanting to talk about her last job and Scott admitting he hasn’t been obessed in a long time.. and it comes off sweet rather htan creepy like that sounds. It just means he hasn’t fell this head over heels felt like this. As I said Knives was easy.. but this is hard.. and this.. feels right. So as things Snow Ramona yanks scott through subspace to escape the blizzard. 

So we end up back at Ramona’s place and she offers some tea which leads to one of the best gags of the volume as she lists them off: 

So Ramona goes to get Scott a blanket, Scott ends up following finds her changing, and she decides to warm him up another way.. by embracing him... cue.. the inevitible really. 

It feels organic though: The two are clearly attracted to each other and while Scott came on as strong as freaking colossus, he still rebounded well once they hung out and he could relax a bit and show the scott underneath the lairs of dumbass. The two end up cuddling in bed and Scott seems..genuiley happy saying he needed this... awwwwwww. They part the next morning with him asking her to his band’s performance. 

So Scott finds Wallace  at home who says what Scott needs to hear “You need to break up with your fake highschool girlfriend scott’ Granted the entire first 40 pages could’ve been titled that but now he’s actively cheating. He’s also got a letter. 

It’s a death threat Scott barely grazes through, just like an email earlier. 

But scott’s more concerned with his emotional distress.. i.e. the consequences of his throughly shitty actions finally hitting him in the face. 

Scott heads to practice for his gig and can’t bring himself to break up with knives, but does find out about the opposition: Crash and the Boys, based on an NES game title because of course it is. Crash, their leader, Joel their baseplayer who scott hates because he hates all other baseplayers (”I don’t hate myself kim) and Trasha, an 8 year old progedy they found playing Drum Mania. Don’t ask me what that is, i’m not going to get every refrence. 

So at the show Scott runs into Stacey and her new boyfriend Jimmy  with Stacey being supportive. And then Knives shows up and then RAMONA SHOWS UP. Oh no scott’s cheating might be discovered! 

So Scott books it while we’re introduced to Crash and the Boys. Wallace heckles them, to the band’s annoyance, until they eventually get fed up and we easly get the best gag of the volume. I was wrong this clearly tops the tea thing. 

So Crash and The Boys continue to play their set, including a song that supposdely kills the audience but really knocks them out.. which of course bothers kim because they play next. Meanwhile Ramona and Stacey meet and the two really get along.. and come back to find the audience ko’d and Wallace Making out with Stacey’s boyfriend. Oh no! Which is a dick move, no question. But Stacey’s next move is questionable even for a 19 year old: She says “You won’t steel another guy from me and tells wallace to sit over there”. Okay Stacey even if he is bi, and this series has trouble with the concept of bisexuals we’ll get into that later trust me, he made out with someone else entirely while on a date with you. Wallace is still an asshole, it’s part of his charm.. but it dosen’t change the fact your date kissed someone else seconds after you were gone and has been eyballing him all night, as seen even above. He’s not into you as you thought, just accept it, move on, and kick Jimmy in the balls and then wallace like a proper lady. So Scott prepares to play and this happens

And it’s here, at the very end of the comic the series main premise finally kicks in and the world takes it’s true shape. It’s a world where an indie comedy about a mess of a being putting his life together after finding his dream girl.. also has said mess being forced to get into fist fights with wizards, movie stars, vegans, half-ninjas, twin roboticists and a katana wielding douchenozzle record exec in order to continue to have the right to date his girlfriend. 

It’s where the series charm comes from and really what made it a huge sucess so it’s no suprise this volume perks up immensley for the climax. I’ll get more into it’s pacing problem at the end. For now it’s fight time and as we find out in a hilarious and awesome turn.. Scott is the best fighter in toronto.. which just makes me REALLLY want a Scott Pilgrim version of letterkenny. I mean who wouldn’t want to see wayne fight some guy who can turn his hands into dragons or see Squireely Dan do E.Honda’s hand slap move from streetfighter or see the skids all fuse into one mega emo. It’s just.. the possiblities are as endless as they are wonderous and I want this now. 

But yeah as Patel is both the first boss and Scott’s first real opponent Scott.. handles him really easily. This was by design as O’Malley wanted a shonen progression to the fights.. and honestly it’s a great way to do things. Since the fights are styled after shonen and video games, and both have power based progression in bad guys and threats, it just made sense. Patel.. is just pathetic even with his magic powers, and his habit of sending letters and emails just pounds it in. Though he is right to be a bit pissed Scott didn’t read a letter he hand delivered in a snowstorm. That’s just a tad rude. 

Mid-Fight, Scott, now he knows the whole evil ex boyfriend thing, wonders what Matt and Ramona’s past is and while Matthew refuses to tell.. Ramona spills easily. It was midddle school, all the jocks wanted her for whatever reason, likely because from experince in high school, guys really like indie girls. Matthew was the only non-white non jock, so they teamed up and with her strength and his mystic powers they beat them.. but since his use had dried up, she flipped him off and left.  Matthew dosen’t take this well and summons demon hipster chicks to fight while Scott and co, minus ramona, fight back with a finger gun routine and block his fire balls before propelling Scott into matthew somehow, and landing the KO Evil Exes Left: 6 Matthew bursts into coins though fun fact, O’Malley says the Exes all respawned back at home afterwords and learned their lesson. With Pattel I genuinely don’t think he did... but clearly given his penchant for formality what with the letters and emails, he probably felt it’d break protocol to attack before the rest were done. He probably jsut formed a hipster emo band and found more sucess using his magic for that instead and just forgot about the whole thing. Could be wrong but that’s what i’m going with.  So Scott asks Ramona to go out with him then make out with him, both of which she says yes to. Nice one scotty boy. Ramona then explains the whole evil exes thing: He’ll have to defeat each one as they come after him, and while Scott wonders if they’ll come one at a time Ramona’s not sure. As time will bear out, Scott is MOSTLY correct as most exes take him one on one, with the exception of the twins. But since as I said earlier the twins are basically one person, and as we’ll find out by choice, so it’s an exception. Plus their the last step before the final boss, so by that token it’s a bit fairer to have the penultimate boss get an unfair advantage. Scott is fine with that, he and Ramona share another moment and a kiss.. but Scott makes the mistake of asking if gideon is one and Ramona’s head starts glowing with her dodging the subject, though still going out with SCott and him worried.. it just feels.. off. not a bad ending but the only one of the series three cliffhanger endings that just dosen’t work for me, especailly since it is a bit before the Gideon mystery really picks up steam again. But with that we close this chapter

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Precious Little Life is a decent start to the story.  While Scott is loathsome at first, he’s still a compelling character and does get more likeable as things go, the humor when it is there shines and is one of the series best assets and while the fight is short and only at the end, it is oh so glorious especailly in cover with the impacts taking cues from the movie. It’s a good intro to Scott’s world and ther’es a reason the movie adapts this book the closest as it sets up the cast and premise well, with only Stephen Stiles feeling a bit off and ONLY for the first few chapters.  The volume is only really held back by it’s pacing, as before Scott runs into ramona in his dream the story feels a bit sluggish as we’re just watching some douche date a high school kid. While it is necessary to set up the world, it just dosen’t have the snappy pacing the series would be known for and that makes the rest of the series more charming. it’s nto BAD.. but it’s not FANTASTIC like the series would become. What keeps it from being bad is simple: These aren’t general badness signs but more just O’Malley coming into his owna nd getitng better and better as the book goes, to the point that by the next book the pacing is much better and by book 3 onwards he has it down pat.  Overall not a BAD volume but certaionly the weakest of the bunch.. which given it’s still really good says something about the ride we’re in for. I’ll be back sometime in the future, likely january. Yup i’m taking on YET ANOTHER PROJECT. but since this one, while clearly exausting and time consuimg, is much shorter in overall length, and i’m still proritizing the three I have running over this, I think i’ll be just fine. Until next time, have a happy holiday. 

[jrobert1698-blog]

The Mandalorian Season One Review

The Mandalorian is a Disney+ original television show starring Pedro Pascal and created by Jon Favreau.  In addition to featuring a supporting cast of Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito, the show also created a legend of our time: Baby Yoda.  Logging just eight episodes in its debut season, the show follows a conflicted bounty hunter as he attempts to honor the creed of his people, the customs of his profession, and his heart’s desire.  If you haven’t seen the show yet, I highly suggest you check it out.  Some spoilers lie ahead if you wish to turn back now; otherwise, “this is the way.”

I’ll be honest: I’m a really big Star Wars fan.  I should qualify that by saying I haven’t consumed every bit of the Star Wars canon, and I’m not extremely familiar with the Expanded Universe.  I know this qualifies me as scum; force choke me if you must.  Nonetheless, it is one of my favorite franchises dating all the way back to my early childhood.  This makes it somewhat difficult to review anything Star Wars related because I’m always subconsciously rooting for it to be good.  I allowed this to get the better of me with The Last Jedi, and I defended that film for far too long.  In short, I tried to approach The Mandalorian with an open mind but without letting my inner fanboy take over my sensibilities.  I’d like to believe that this review is as neutral as possible but if I do sound overexcited please forgive me. 

Before I get into The Mandalorian in detail I want to take a brief step back to 2015.  Before The Force Awakens cam out, everybody was excited to see Star Wars again.  Despite box office success, some people dismissed Episode VII as too derivative of A New Hope.  Others were just happy to have new characters, a diverse cast, and a competent director in J.J. Abrams.  I will go to the grave believing that the single biggest mistake Disney made since purchasing Star Wars was hiring Rian Johnson to direct The Last Jedi. While he is clearly capable of creating a great film in his own right, his vision clashed significantly with Abrams’ and the end result was a very divisive movie that split up the Star Wars fan base.  It made at least half the fandom bitter and jaded towards anything Star Wars that Disney produced.  People desperately needed something to unify them and make them remember why they love Star Wars again.  I’m happy to report that season one of The Mandalorian is exactly what the fans, and Disney, needed. 

I feel as though its only proper to begin a review of The Mandalorian by discussing Din Djarin himself as portrayed by Pedro Pascal.  I liked him in Game of Thrones and I like him even more here.  Some people might assume that having a mask cover your entire face makes acting easier.  To some extent this is true.  Not having to express emotions with one’s eyes and mouth alleviates some of the burden.  However, its also a unique acting challenge to make people get invested in a character whose face they can’t see.  The fact that so many love this character is a testament to good screenwriting and Pascal’s acting ability.  The audience actually roots for Mando to keep his mask on because the writers made it a crucial part of his identity.  Additionally, Pascal has to express emotion through the intonation of his voice, the speed at which he turns his helmet, and his deliberate pace when he walks.  This is far more difficult than people realize, and Pascal deserves a lot of credit for making this season the success that it was.

The character of the Mandalorian also stands out to me because in many ways he exemplifies the qualities of a good action hero.  Again, good screenwriting.  He comes off as a believable bad ass from the minute he slices a guy in half with a door in Episode 1.  However, unlike other Star Wars protagonists of late, he never feels overpowered either.  Audiences need to feel like their hero is in danger of getting hurt or dying in order for excitement to register.  There are many moments in this season where Mando gets his ass kicked.  He gets electrocuted by Jawas, gored by a Mudhorn, pinned down by Bounty Hunters and almost blown up several times.  However, like any good action hero, he always manages to bounce back and lives to fight another day.  This is why audiences truly respect this character who, at the end of the day, is just a human being like all of us. 

Another great, and perhaps underrated, aspect of this show is the amazing score by Ludwig Goransson.  I really liked his work on Black Panther as well and I’m looking forward to any future projects he works on.  This is the first time I can remember that anyone other than John Williams has made an original and memorable Star Wars score.  The main title is freakin’ awesome.  It’s the perfect blend of tribal mysticism and the military marches we’ve come to know and love.  Fortunately, this space opera comes with some great overtures to highlight it.

Before I sound like a total fanboy, let’s talk about a few issues I have with the show.  There are certainly issues you can nitpick from a canon perspective but that isn’t my main concern.  My biggest complaint would be the sometimes haphazard nature of the show.  Episode 5 in particular felt like a sizable departure from the main story.  Episode 6, while more entertaining, similarly broke from the overarching narrative to give us a little bit of Mando’s backstory.  I don’t necessarily have a problem with this video game mission approach to the show, but I do hope that some of these side quests get paid off more significantly in future episodes.  I also would have liked a more consistent emphasis on the supporting cast members like Carano’s Cara Dune and Weathers’ Greef Carga.  Even Kuill could have used more screen time if for no other purpose than to make us more attached to him before his untimely death.

My complaints, in the long run, are relatively minor.  Compared to my overall respect and enjoyment of this show, they pale in comparison.  One major reason why is that Disney spared no expense in making this show the best it could possibly be.  The visual effects, where I feared they might skimp, were better than a lot of feature films.  The show felt cinematic, like Game of Thrones did at its best.  The cinematography was mostly great as well.  I particularly liked Taika Waititi’s direction in the season finale.  That shot of Mando finally using a jetpack to latch onto Moff Gideon’s TIE Fighter deserves to be on a poster.  I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the closing shot of Gideon holding the fucking Darksaber.  I can’t wait to see Giancarlo Esposito in an expanded role in Season 2 and hopefully beyond.  If he can play half the villain he did in Breaking Bad it will be a success.

And, of course, I had to save the single best part of this show, by far, for last. Baby. Fucking. Yoda.  This is one of the most well-concealed plot twists in recent memory.  Disney, somehow, did a fantastic job of keeping Baby Yoda out of marketing materials and trailers in the pre-release process.  When I first saw that adorable green face for the first time I somehow screamed, laughed and cried out in excitement at once.  This character is great for so many reasons besides obviously being the cutest thing to come out of 2019.  The Child makes Mando extremely conflicted and puts him in the most difficult quandary of his life: honor his code as a Bounty Hunter or follow his instincts and protect this child in need?  Baby Yoda also kicks a lot of ass for a one-foot-tall fifty year old.  His obviously strong connection to the force presents a myriad of options for his future: will he train as a Jedi, be a powerful vigilante, or turn to the dark side?  I’m kidding, but I’m also serious; he did force choke Cara Dune after all.  And he’s grown up among a series of explosions, laser beams, and punchy storm troopers.  That’s a pretty traumatic childhood.  Clearly, Baby Yoda has turned into a phenomenon and sparked an infinite number of memes, songs, and art.  I think it’s well deserved and I can’t wait to see more adventures in baby sitting with our little green friend. 

My thoughts on The Mandalorian can be expressed very simply: it’s fucking awesome. There is a whole lot to like about where this story is going and what Favreau and the slew of directors have done so far.  They’ve managed to inject genuine excitement into the fan base for what feels like the first time in a very, very long time. Additionally, Disney needed to knock one out of the park in order to salvage their reputation and preserve fan interest in one of their most valuable franchises.  Despite a few minor missteps, season one of The Mandalorian is a fantastic and I eagerly anticipate season two whenever it comes out.  If you haven’t seen it yet, go check it out.  Baby Yoda alone makes it worth it.  I have spoken.

Rating: 9/10

[thesydneyfeminists]

A Feminist’s Review of Avengers: Endgame

** Warning: Contains Major Spoilers **

 I want to preface this review with another warning: while I am a self-confessed nerd who has long enjoyed comic book movies and geeky pop culture, I was quite disappointed in this film. In my criticisms, I'm going to be honest as to why. If you are on a high from the film and just want to enjoy it without having somebody rain on your parade, then it is probably best to skip this review. However, if you’re curious about this feminist’s perspective on why Endgame fell flat for her, please read on.

Image Description: Film poster for Avengers: Endgame. It shows all the main characters, including Iron Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Thor and Thanos (among others) in their full battle gear against a dark night sky. At the bottom of the poster, the title of the film is written in large, blue and gold letters. The Marvel Studios logo is just above the title. There is undiscernable text at the top and bottom of the poster. The release date (April 26th) is written in white at the very bottom center. The “a” in “April” is the Avengers symbol. Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers:_Endgame

When my partner asked me for my first impressions, I said the movie should’ve been called “Iron Man 4 (and Some of the Avengers”). The entire film felt like a swan song for him, a requiem for the character who started it all. It was made clear that Iron Man was the film’s emotional centre, the person whose stakes viewers are most meant to care about. While I don't mind Iron Man as a character, I am aware he is the favourite of most of the franchise’s fanboys. It really felt like that was the crowd this movie was aimed at. In contrast, women and other minority groups did not fare so well in terms of representation or importance in this film.

The writers had choices on who do they decided to turn to dust at the end of Infinity War. There was ample opportunity to leave behind a more diverse group of heroes to carry out the tasks in Endgame. For example, instead of Antman, we could have had Wasp. In the comics, Wasp is the female avenger, not Black Widow. It would have been such a nice nod to the canon and added an additional female character to the core cast. Instead, we ended up with a majority-white team of mostly men. The two women who were involved were treated in a frustrating manner. 

While Black Widow essentially leads the Avengers at the beginning of Endgame, she (nobly) throws herself off a cliff halfway through the film, essentially ending her story. This plot point was vexing for a few reasons. First, the writers/directors got rid of one of the only women on the team, turning most of the rest of the film into a sausage fest. Second, Black Widow’s sacrifice was not given the same weight or gravitas as Tony Stark’s. At the end of the film, we see a beautiful funeral for Tony. But there are no moments of remembrance for the other characters who gave their lives (Black Widow, Vision, even Loki). They are only briefly (and quietly) mentioned by Clint and Wanda. Outside Endgame’s main storyline, the timing of Natasha’s death is also awkward sinceMarvel is supposed to be making a Black Widow movie in the next few years.

Image Description: Close up photo of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) from the neck up. She is looking above and to the left of the camera with a serious expression on her face. Right above her eyebrows, the words “avenge the fallen” are written in a white to light-purple gradient. The “a” in “fallen” is the Avengers symbol. At the bottom of the photo, in the center, is the Marvel Studios logo. The release date for Endgame (April 26th) is written in bold, white letters beneath the logo. Image source: http://collider.com/endgame-black-widow-death-explained/

As for the remaining female character, Nebula, she proves to be the “weak link”. While all members of the team had their struggles in trying to obtain the infinity stones, it is Nebula who gets captured and ends up compromising the entire plan. While I don’t have an issue with Natasha and Nebula’s scenes in and of themselves, they do come across as problematic in a film that gives little limelight to its female superheroes in general. Right from the beginning, Captain Marvel is sent off-screen for most of the film, a major disappointment for those who were hoping to see her involved. I suspected this would happen and sadly I was right.

As I mentioned before, at the end of Infinity War the writers could have kept some key figures to make a more diverse remaining team. However, even with the characters they chose to leave behind, there were missed opportunities. One of the biggest missteps for me was Valkyrie.

When Bruce visits the village of New Asgard to find Thor, he first encounters Valkyrie. In the film Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie had a drinking problem which she overcame by the end of the story. This time around, it is Thor who is battling alcoholism. She tells them about his drinking, and, rather than asking her to come along and help on their mission, they bypass her completely. I was really upset Valkyrie did not feature in Infinity War and felt doubly irritated that she was sidelined yet again in this instalment, for no good reason. Had they included her, she could have been the one to rescue Thor and use his hammer, instead of Captain America. Given that she is an elite Asgardian warrior, this decision would have made much more sense and been a great moment for her fans. She is also one of the very few openly LGBTQ+ characters in the MCU. Including her would have given the filmmakers opportunities to better represent this marginalized group, rather than their paltry attempt at the film’s beginning.

Then there’s Thor, who, in my opinion, was treated so poorly in the film. Other feminist writers have already explained why the fat jokes and cruelty directed towards Thor’s substance abuse and mental illness were extremely problematic. They turned one of the most damaged characters into mean-spirited comic relief, rather than addressing the serious issues he was contending with. I really felt sorry for Thor the character, but I feel worse for the real-life people who were triggered by his horrid treatment.

Image Description: Photo of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) from the waist up sitting in a chair. He is looking to the left of the camera with a serious/ angry expression on his face. He is wearing a light-blue t-shirt and dark grey, zip up hoodie. With his right hand, he is picking up what appears to be a donut from a wooden bowl. Next to the bowl is a can of soda. The background is mostly wooden walls and one hallway table with decorative vases. Image Source: https://www.screengeek.net/2019/05/02/avengers-endgame-thor-changes-explained/

Given so much needed to happen in this movie, I was also annoyed by how much time the directors dedicated to trivial things like Captain America’s ass and Thor’s beer gut. I’m all for comedic moments in a heavy film, but I wanted to hear some more speaking lines from characters who appeared toward the end, ones we had not seen for the last 2 1/2 hours. The final battle scene felt bloated and confused as writers tried to squeeze in nods here or a glance there to the rest of the crew. At least, however, the greater ensemble was back, fighting together side-by-side. That is until Captain Marvel showed up.

Now, I am a fan of Captain Marvel. I enjoyed her origin story and was excited to see her in this movie, even if it was late in the game (no pun intended). When she made her arrival and took down that ship, it was the first time I cheered during the whole movie. And then it all went pear-shaped. When Captain Marvel was given the gauntlet by Spiderman there were so many creative choices they could have made. Anyone who knows the canon would be aware Captain Marvel is more than capable of handling the power of the infinity gauntlet and could have done what the Hulk and, ultimately, Tony Stark did. Instead, they came up with this convoluted plan for her to fly into Antman’s quantum machine. I mean, the woman can fly at the speed of light so she could have done that in the blink of an eye. But, somehow, Thanos stopped her by flinging a heavy metal object towards the machine faster than Captain Marvel can fly.

Image Description: Two photos laid side by side. The one on the left is a close up of Captain Marvel from the chest up. The one on the left is a close up of Thanos from the neck up. Captain Marvel is looking below and to the right of the camera with a serious expression on her face. The star on her chest is glowing. Thanos is looking slightly above the camera, also with a serious expression on his face. Both backgrounds are cloudy skies. Image Source: https://mashable.com/article/captain-marvel-avengers-endgame-theories/

While that act alone was infuriating, it’s not the scene that most annoyed me. It was the moment when, for no apparent reason, many of the female superheroes crowd around Captain Marvel stating she had their help. I didn’t like the scene for two reasons. One, it felt unnatural and contrived. Many of these characters didn’t even know each other and were all preoccupied fighting on an enormous battlefield. There was no reason why they would all suddenly have a 90s girl power moment and gather around one woman at that particular moment in what was an incredibly chaotic struggle. And two, even with the backing of all Marvel’s strong heroines, they could not get the job done. No, that glory was saved solely for one man: Tony Stark. The takeaway seemed to be, even combined, women can’t do the job properly; they need the men to step in and show them how it’s done. Maybe this sounds like a stretch or too harsh a criticism, but this was the very visceral reaction I had during the film. Marvel’s filmmakers have a long history of utterly depowering their female characters and this scene just seemed to follow in those footsteps.

I was also very disappointed by how small a role T’Challa and many of the amazing Wakandan characters had in this movie. As the leading tech hub in the world, I don’t know why the Avengers weren’t going there to ask for help in creating a time travel machine, or why they couldn’t have made it the new HQ, given Tony Stark had retreated to a log cabin somewhere in the woods. There were so many ways the writers/directors could have included these fantastic and important characters.

Image Description: The Marvel Studios logo set against a blurry, close up shot of a comic panel. The panel is blurry and undiscernable. It is tinted entirely red. Image Source: https://marvelstudiosnews.com/2017/12/10/marvel-studios-highest-grossing-superhero-movie-8th-consecutive-year/

The only glimmer for me at the end of the film was that it established the old guard were retiring or moving on to other things. We had something of a handing of the baton moment: Captain America gives his shield to Falcon, making him his successor, and Thor finally, officially makes Valkyrie the leader of Asgard (or what’s left of it). It is my hope that in future Marvel films, the creators will focus more on their characters of colour, female characters, and LGBTQ+ characters. They have an opportunity now to start a fresh wave that will resonate with so many more people than the classic, white, fanboy nerd. After all, you don’t make $1.2 billion in one weekend just because white millennial guys went to see a film. Many people love superhero films for a variety of reasons. It’s time we started serving them, too.

By: Tessa Barratt 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sydney Feminists. Our Blogger and Tumblr serve as platforms for a diverse array of women to put forth their ideas and explore topics. To learn more about the philosophy behind TSF’s Blogger/ Tumblr, please read our statement here: https://www.sydneyfeminists.org/a

[firesofdainix]

I Learn to Live Half-Alive

the former pianist knows everything.

Kaede wakes up and feels as if she has the right to guess everything that has happened to her.

PREVIOUS

She feels the chain on her neck, painfully making her move across the area, to the piano keys, as she tries to get it off to no avail. Her breathing becomes hitched, her wind pipe not letting her breathe the outside air. She's being hanged; she knows this. She ignores her classmate's cries of plea, including Shuichi's. After all, she's just a girl who killed their closest friends. She feels bad for everyone who's watching this. Then she can only see darkness, knowing the end is near.

Kaede wakes up from the simulation, face wet with both sweat and tears. She feels as if the world around her is revolving, spinning like a top. Her head hurts, but she feels as if her neck is itchy. That's it? She was just a Chapter One killer who killed the greatest participant in all of Danganronpa? Not to mention that her execution is hardcore brutal. It isn't as mediocre as the others in the whole franchise. It's over the top, extremely brutal.

Being hanged was her punishment? While she waits for the pod to open, she feels the sudden urge to scratch her neck. With the limited space, she can't really reach her arm all the way to her neck, but, desperate to scratch it, she squeezes her arm, and starts to scratch. Her finger nails are very long, so when she starts to scratch it harder and harder, she feels pain in her neck. But she doesn't care. She wants the itch to be rid of.

When Kaede finally (thinks) that the itch is gone, the hatch opens up, and she sees the face of a Team Danganronpa staff. She suddenly feels anger surging inside her, but decides to let them help her get out of her respective pod. Kaede, before leaving the room, she looks back at the others' pods. There were fourteen now, and she glances at the empty pod at the corner of the room. Rantaro's. Kaede knows that she has to confront Rantaro, but why would she apologize to him just because she killed him in the simulation.

"We will contact your parents two hours before night time", the staff says. Night time. That brings back those memories where she's stuck in that simulation, not too long ago.

Otherwise, she's still pissed and bitter that she didn't live long enough to see others die right in front of her. She craves to see corpses in front of her, executions. She doesn't really care about friendship and all that shit, but the virtual her, values this kind of thing? Kaede never really liked her 'friends' in the real world, she just see them as pawns. Even Momota.

Momota maybe a caring person, well, in her eyes, but she never liked him. She just wanted someone who would relate to her in so many ways. It's surprising they wrote both she and Momota as the caring people of the class, along with Tojo. Kaede sighs, and feels the itch on her neck again. She starts to scratch it, and stops on her tracks. She sees a room right next to her and goes inside, continuing to scratch her neck.

"Fucking itchy", she says to herself as she sits on the bed, not going to bother the blood trickling at the back of her neck. She just wants the itch gone.

Kaede hears her fingers, scratching and scratching, breaking the skin of her neck. But she doesn't care. The damn itch is still bothering her. After a few minutes, she now thinks the itch is gone. She looks at the bed she's sitting on, and lies down. After her scratching session, she can feel her neck boiling hot, but she pays no mind to the injuries she had caused to her neck. All she wants now is sleep. Peaceful sleep.

Kaede can hear herself screaming. The itch is coming back. But she can also hear someone's voice, calling out to her, telling her to stop. Was she dreaming? Was she scared of falling to her death? Why is her breathing so hitched? The image comes back to her mind. The piano, the rope and chain, dragging her to each piano tile as she struggles to breath. Kaede finally wakes up from her nightmare to see a Team Danganronpa staff.

"What's wrong?", she asks. Kaede scoffs.

"Nothing", Kaede answers curtly. "Leave me alone."

"Before I leave, I must give you your dinner", she says, holding a small tray.

"Yeah, thanks." Kaede takes the tray from the staff's hands, and the staff leaves Kaede's room.

The food was exquisite. She feels as if she hadn't eaten anything from the past two days. She feels herself getting full, but she doesn't mind. When she finishes her dinner, she puts it on the coffee table in the middle of the room. She sighs, knowing she should relax after eating that much. She can feel herself, wanting to sleep. But she opens her eyes, wider this time. Every time she closes her eyes, she would dream about her execution, her virtual self, her... so-called friends. Especially Saihara.

"What the hell is wrong with me?", she mutters to herself, getting up. She finally sees the room in its full view. Kaede gulps. It looks just like her dorm room back at the simulation.

Kaede starts to get sick, just by reminding herself that the room looks like the dorms. Why is she... getting sick? Didn't she love Danganronpa? She must be thinking about the times she was there. She loved death, she welcomed death, she hated living in a world where filthy assholes step. But, why is she feeling sick to her stomach as she reminds herself of Danganronpa? A while ago, she felt pissed because she was the one executed first. But why is she changing her mind all of a sudden, just because she got executed and still remembers her death in the simulation?

Then suddenly, she wants to vomit up her food so bad. She covers her mouth, attempting to hold her bile in, but it's no use. As soon as she kept thinking about violence, it becomes worse. Her heads start to get dizzy, so she runs out of the room in a panic. She runs through the hallways, corridors, until she finally finds a restroom. She quickly opens the door and goes to the first bathroom stall, opening her mouth to let her half-digested food become toilet waste.

Kaede, after that mishap, flushes the toilet, and leaves the stall, facing herself on the mirror's sink. She looks absolutely different from the last time she sees herself. Below her eyes were eye shadows, maybe from lack of sleep, and she looks skinnier as well. She really does look like she hadn't eaten in two days. Maybe that was her first meal in two days. She sighs, yet again, and shrugs the burden off of her shoulders.

Kaede exits the rest room, only to find out it was for men. She shrugs, then goes on her depressing way, not bothering to look for the room she had slept in. She sees a signage that says Waiting Area. The Area is quiet, with a lot of chained chairs, but then, she sees a familiar face she hadn't seen after she killed the guy.

"R-Rantaro?", Kaede asks, and Rantaro looks up, surprised that he had company.

Her talk with Rantaro is dreadfully awkward, with him being her victim and all. But then, Rantaro says that Kaede did not kill him, and it was Shirogane who did everything. Kaede remembers him from 52, but she paid no mind to the blue-haired girl. Shirogane is a plain girl, both in 52 and v3. Her being the mastermind is likely predictable, for some Danganronpa analysts out there. Kaede wonders how she would execute her own plan in the killing game.

Now, Rantaro brings up Saihara, Kaede's victim in the world. He still has his gloomy, awkward, shy nature in the killing game, but she didn't mock him for it. She actually encouraged him into revealing the so-called truth in the first class trial. But, in the real world, she mistreated him for being different, along with the others.

Mixed feelings her ass. She's having a conflict on morality after this. Does she like picking on Saihara? Does she regret acting like that towards others? Does she hate Danganronpa? Is she still obsessed with it? Is she really friends with everyone there? Or should she just think of them as pawns? Her mind gears are turning with confusion.

Before she finishes he conversation with Amami, however, a staff tells her that her parents are already here. She wraps up her conversation with the boy, actually concerned if he's going to be alright, alone. Amami dismisses her, and she follows the staff to the parking lot, where her parents are waiting for her. She gulps.

Her mother, Kirigiri Kyoko, is in the car, tapping her fingers to a song in the radio. Her other mother, Celestia Ludenberg, is leaning on the car, taking a smoke. Kaede squints to see her sister on the backseat of the car, reading. She feels her heart beat. Of course she's nervous. She hadn't told her mothers that she had participated in a show they never wanted her to participate. Kaguya, well, she wants to catch up with the girl.

Celestia finally glances at her, and throws the cigarette stick to the ground, stomping on the still lit stick. She walks up to Kaede, graceful as ever, and cups her chin.

"You are here", she says in a European accent. Kaede feels her nails around her delicate cheeks, but Celestia lets go and hugs her tightly. "How we missed you."

Kaede didn't respond. She's at a last for words. After all, she's going to have to confront her parents after the whole ordeal. She's going to be with her family again. She had moved out of their house after she turned seventeen to go live at Tojo's house. But without the girl, she has to confront her parents once again.

"Come, we need to go back home", Kyoko says through the window, and Celestia and Kaede walk into the car.

Kaede sits beside Kaguya, who is busy reading. She taps her shoulder, and Kaguya looks up. Kaede smiles and waves at her, but Kaguya simply goes back to reading her book.

"We'll have the talk tomorrow", Kyoko says from the driver's seat. "It seems like you need to rest after... what they did to you."

Kaede nods, agreeing with her mother. She had always defied their orders, always hated them for not letting her do what she pleases. But now, she feels as if she owes both of them an apology for being a burden to her ever since childhood. One of her many regrets was not getting close to her mothers. Maybe this time, she'll spend time with them. Maybe they can all forgive and forget what has happened in the past.

"Your neck", Celeste says. "What has happened to it?"

Kaede touches her neck and looks outside the car window. Though there's only dim streetlights, he can tell there were scratch marks and red blemishes on her neck.

"I... did this to myself." It isn't the lie, she just wnated to get rid of the itch. Or maybe, she was imagining about the itch, like she was feeling nothing but her cold hands digging through her skin.

Kyoko sighs. "We'll treat that once we get home."

But, what is home?

Kaede looks at her old home. It's a really big house, maybe because she haven't seen it for almost an entire year. It looks quite different, without its normal lights and design. Kyoko and Celeste had designed this house, and it was incredible to look at. Now Kaede has to go back to her childhood home, where she lost her innocence.

"I have some ointment products to clean your neck", Kyoko says, approaching her daughter. "Now, steady as I put this on your neck."

"Okay." Kaede isn't complaining. Now she can feel the heat on her neck, the pain she had brought to herself.

She winces as Kyoko rubs her neck and starts to massage her neck. It is relaxing in some sort of way, but at the same time very troubling. After Kyoko puts the ointment on Kaede's neck, she gives Kaede a scarf.

"It doesn't really help you stop scratching, but here." Kaede takes the scarf and puts it around her neck. She's now ashamed of showing wounds, unlike who she is before.

At least she had her prize money getting delivered to her tomorrow. It's her prize money, she can do whatever she want. She wants to do drugs now, to get her mind off of Danganronpa. She had always had this obsession with drugs after she kicks herself out of the house. Then she meets the others who are obsessed with drugs. Drugs is truly ecstasy.

"Can I go to my bedroom?", Kaede asks.

Kyoko nods. "Sure. Just sleep well."

"I will."

But instead of sleeping, she just stands near the balcony, looking at the night sky. She wishes she had a cigarette and a match so she can smoke and shit, but looks like she's under probation. Not allowed to do drugs, or smoke. She's fine with that, she thinks. She hears a knock on her door and she opens it to see Kaguya with a packet of weed and some cigarette sticks. Kaede couldn't help but smile.

"You read my mind", she says.

They hang around the balcony, lighting up their cigarettes and inhaling drugs. Kaede is so fucking high, she can only see a shit ton of bricks as the outside world. She looks at Kaguya, who isn't as high as her, but is smoking.

"Didn't know you were in to this kind of shit", Kaede says.

"Started after you left", Kaguya replies, then looks at Kaede with a grim look. "That trial was..."

"Cool, right?" Kaede knows it isn't fucking cool to see your own sister die in front of you like that, virtual or not.

"Your fucking neck", Kaguya says.

"Yeah, my neck."

"That fucking hurts. I hate that shit show, and even more after you came out scratching your damn neck.

"I'll love that show with all my heart." But she knows her love for Danganronpa is fading away, ever so slightly.

"Well, fuck you too then." Kaguya throws the cigarette into a trash bin and walks out of Kaede's room, closing the door behind her.

Kaede lies on her bed, waiting for Lady Sleep to help her go to the land of dreams. She holds on to the bag of weed, and smokes a cigarette as she closes her eyes.

She fell in love with Danganronpa because of violence. And now, why does she feel sick just mentioning it? She hates having to talk to her mothers tomorrow, and she hates having to see her pawns die at the hands of Team Danganronpa. She was a good person in that simulation, but can she be good in the real world too?

Only time will tell.

NEXT:

[extraquarterblog]

Reflecting on Gears of War series

Epic Games and Microsoft biggest Xbox franchise 

Gears of War is a landmark success for Epic Games and Microsoft. The two companies have a rich history together based around this series. It's a bit astonishing to think, that Gears of War was originally pitched to be nothing more than a Tech Demo to display the Unreal 3 Engine and who can forget, Epic Games convinced Microsoft to increase the 360 RAM size from 256mb to 512mb, all to achieve the beautiful visuals that Gears displays. 

When you think of the Xbox 360 and its legacy, Gears is without argument, one of the top titles of the 360 library. Over the 360 lifespan, 4 Gears of War titles have been released. But the icing on the cake is that they're actually good, just not a pretty painting with no substance. Despite its rock solid gameplay and Cole Train rap song, Gears is not without flaws. The story is what ultimately becomes its more controversial point. Even with a confusing and conflicting story, Gears success is undeniable, spawning numerous copycats as well as giving inspirations for other Studios. 

While the Gears Saga began with Epic games, Microsoft is continuing on its legacy by having Black Tusk Studios build the next chapter. But before we can begin to fathom a next-gen Gears, we need to go back where it all started. 

Gears of War

When Epic Games officially unveiled Gears of War for the Xbox 360 in 2005, it was a shocker. The visuals were so unbelievable, at the time, It made the rest of the Industry look lazy. And who could forget the stunning trailer "Mad World". The song titled "Mad World" - by Gary Jules for the film Donnie Darko (a cult classic) playing softly in the background, while you see Marcus running through the rain, alone and hopeless. 

During the start of the 360 release, countless arguments swirled around the debate if gaming visuals have peaked, can more polygons make a better picture? I still remember the 360 launch titles being compared to PS2 games, like Metal Gear Solid 3 for example.  With any new console release, consumers want that instant justification. An enormous leap in visuals, sound, gameplay, ect. While the 360 did have some promising titles like Dead or Alive 4, Kameo: Elements of Power, Project Gotham Racing 3. All looked good, but I wouldn't call a leap over the previous gen. 

No, nothing was truly Next-Gen at that point, until you popped in Gears of War. I will never forget that moment, All the debates and arguments over the visuals, if Gears of War was just smoke and mirrors. But when I sat back on the sofa, watching the opening scene unfold then started to play. Oh shit, the hype was real. Epic Games delivered and next-gen just begun. 

"Look at all that Juice! "  -- Cole Train

But it wasn't only the visuals that made Gears so appealing. From the start Gears of War had this unique atmosphere, a world ravaged by a species called the Locust that lived deep within the earths core. For whatever the reason, they were pissed and started to conquer the earth, despite the military's best efforts. The Locust, were winning. The entire game had this beautiful yet dark vibe. You would walk through gorgeous decaying chapels, abandoned streets surrounded by stunning detailed buildings. The entire Gears world was covered with this rich lore. Early concept art work showed a world where Mankind was slowly falling apart and nature was taking back its land.

The scary part, is when Nightfall happened, that's when everything gets worse. Epic nailed the feeling of hopelessness when the last sun rays dipped behind the horizon and swarms of Locust start to fly out. Right when that happened, you knew, you were in some deep shit. The Locust without a doubt ruled the night. There was no winning against that, only running. 

However - this is where Gears gets following for. On paper, it appears to be a survival horror game, well, besides one little bit...You happen to be a giant 800lb armor gorilla, bad ass, wielding a chainsaw attached to a machine gun. Accompanied with a wrecking crew of fellow gears, that's all out of bubble gum. Where no one dared to step out into the dark, You did. When the action gets hot, you charged towards your opponent revving that chainsaw, and once you got close enough, you saw a spectacular animation of sawing, blood spraying, body parts flying, all while your character screams as blood splatters across his face. 

It was satisfying, every time. 

Now say what you will about the boss fights, Yes, the big lead up for the opportunity to fight with a Crawler was disappointing, however, seeing people deal with the Beserker for the first time always made me laugh. Not to mention the oh shit moment when the Train you're on also happens to have a Berserker on it. I still wonder how or why a Berserker was on a train in the first place....

The first Gears of War is without a doubt my personal favorite. Few games capture that dark atmosphere, that let you go wild. You didn't care about saving ammo, or running from the larger opponents. You just grabbed for a bigger gun and went to town. You also get the opportunity to explore a few parts of the world too, from a run down factory, to touring through the ghetto, while civilians cheer on for Cole Train. 

The Cheery on top was the fact you could still system link up two systems and have 4 player competitive play, which made it a big hit for late night bashes. No need for Xbox Live, just plug'em in and grab the sticks. 

Gears of War 2, took a slightly different approach. Instead of playing defense, we take the fight to them, on their own turf. Gears 2 was taking everything up a notch. More fights, more explosions, more things to drive. The vibe for Gears 2 really is payback, for years mankind has been on the ropes, but now we are digging deep through the earths crust and invading on their backyard. 

The excitement for Gears of war 2 was through the roof, as Epic teased a lot more expansion for multiplayer. Sure, the campaign was fun and a friend can even join in, but at this time of release, Xbox Live was hot. Who didn't want to be on Xbox live killing each other or surviving wave after wave of the Locust in the new Horde mode. 

However, what really surprised most about Gears of War 2, wasn't the better graphics or the aggressive multiplayer. It was the story. Epic Games went all out in the story, expanding its background for each of the characters, including a few new plot twists, and adding the Lambert to the fray. Its story, while larger, didn't really raise the bar past the previous game, much like how each Expendables film, you watch to see your favorite Actors, you really don't care what they're doing.

The story answered a few questions, gave some new ones, and your favorite crew of Gears continued to lay down one liners when they can. And there's nothing a good chainsaw action can't solve. Giant Worm sinking an entire cities? No problem, I got a chainsaw.

The campaign mode was perfect in length, the diversity and boss fights always kept you engaged. Gears of War 2 is anything but boring and thankfully it has a decent balance of combat and exploration. There's a fine point in game design, where the players enjoyment and challenge are in a perfect harmony. In some games you find yourself endlessly continuing the same motion, by the time you reach halfway, you don't care anymore. Gears 2 always makes sure to keep that perfect balance. You won't find yourself running throughout same place time and time again, nor do you constantly deal with the same headaches. Sure, you'll shoot the same Locust pains through the game, it's how the game presents it that makes the difference.

At the time, Gears of War 2 had a lot of praise and mixed emotions. People were sad to see the whole afraid of the dark vibe missing and some of the story plots were shallow with little interest but now, being 2015 and looking back. Gears of War 2 is amazing. After years of playing so many shooters, it makes you really appreciate Gears of War 2 and what it accomplishes. 

I still remember how pumped I was when I got to control that Brumak for the first time. Oh, how sweet it was. 

Gears of War 3, where do you go when the world is in ruins while Lambent is running rapid, and the Locust continues their obsession on killing everyone? Gears 3 early on gives you the sensation of isolation and how do you pick up the pieces to start again? What pieces are left and is it worth doing? 

The third installment, without argument, is the largest of the three. With almost everything being grander and more intense than before. Multiplayer continued to expand with Beast mode and updated improvement for Horde mode continued to feed the habit for Gears fans, not to mention the campaign now allowed 4 player co-op. This time, it's for real.

Over the top is a subtle way describe Gears 3. The Lambent at first, add an interesting level of diversity for your fights. Locust turned Lambert is like being on steroids, charging on stop towards you. Puking imulsion and exploding on death. Not to mention all the mutating and tentacles that seem to sprout out from anywhere, can take the action from odd to straight up bizarre. 

Love or Hate Gears 3, there's no denying its sense of scale. The game feels large, from the places you'll visit and even the different means of traveling,all feel large. With constant barrage of attacks from the Lambert each step of the way. Gears of War 3, much like the previous in their series attempts to continue laying the story for your characters. From depressing to downright laughable. In my view, this is what ultimately was the Achilles heel for Gears 3. If I had to relate the story to a film, it would be X-men 3. After all the destruction, death and odd plot twist. You reach the end point without feeling truly connected or involved. Just grab this gun and blast some more shit. It also didn't help that some of Gears 3 Pre-rendered cut scenes looked  painfully low res due to compression. Compared to the in-game cut scenes that looked crisp and sharp. It's obviously due to disk size that the pre-rendered scenes had to be compressed to fit all on one disk.

Though that should also be a testament to just how large this game really is. Gears 3, again as I said before, was a Love or Hate for fans. However, it was also one of the best bang for your buck too. The game had so much content to explore but the multiplayer was becoming its bread and butter,  sadly it was subject to a lot of heated debate in its prime. I think the reason for it was simply because the Gears series had picked up so many fans over the years, all having their own personal taste, eventually clash. Also at the time of Gears of War 3 release, Call of Duty was king of the multiplayer world, so fans expecting a similar competitive experience, quickly frowned on the slower, larger, duck n cover mechanics that the Gears series is known for. 

Looking back at each of the 3 main titles developed from Epic games, its remarkable at how different Gears 1 is to Gears 3. You could call that a true complex progression or completely going off the rails. That's really up to each person's taste. While I enjoyed Gears 3, it didnt have that same flair I loved so much of 1 and 2. Everything just felt so over the top, even more so from a series like this. 

So now what? Marcus saved the day, the planet still exists and mankind is slowly, rebuilding the world. What can you do next? We'll that's where former studio People Can Fly (now Epic Poland) comes into the picture and decided to do a prequel to the Gears of War series, Judgement. Now if you recall when I spoke about all the backstory and details they put into the first Gears of War.  I wasn't stretching the truth, the Gears series often talks about several events preceding the series start. The Pendulum Wars, Emergence Day, and Judgement Day, for example, are re-told often through each game. Gears of War Judgement, puts gamers in the events around Emergence Day.

People Can Fly previously worked with Epic Games on several Gears titles, developing on Gears of War Judgement should be a perfect fit and it shows. Gears of War Judgement has some of the best visuals out of the entire series, and often remarked to have the widest range of colors from a series that's known for its dark and gray visual theme.

Judgement also changes up the formula in many different ways. Starting off, there's no Marcus, there's no Dom. You find yourself playing as Damon Baird, joined with Cole Train and a few new members. But not to worry, Clayton Carmine also makes an appearance. No Gears game is complete without a Carmine brother. 

The game combat also makes various subtle changes. While the previous Gear titles are known for the duck n cover system. Judgement gives Gamers more of a chance to stick their neck out, favoring the bold. Only need to cover in the extremest of times. Judgement you could say was seeing how far the Developers could push the boundaries for what Gears is known for. Just what can they change to freshen up the series.

Sadly, Judgement was greeted with poor reactions. Many, felt why have the need to rock the boat, for a series that's been known for its stable features and character. While others loved the game and gave it praise for pushing the envelope for what Gears is known for. 

Gears of War Judgement also came out late in the 360 lifespan. Talk about next-gen systems were heavy and many gamers were already setting their sights on what comes next. While Judgement might be considered to be canon for the series, the talk of next-gen shadowed it, making it the most overlooked title for the Gears series. 

With Cliff Bleszinski leaving Epic Games and Epic showing interest in other projects. It would seem that the Gears Saga has come to a close. No more Locust popping up from the ground, no more chainsaw grinding action, and no more arguments from Cole Train and Baird. Or is it..All that changed when Microsoft announced the purchase of the Gears of War franchise in early 2014. All the sudden, you could hear a chainsaw softly in the background starting up. The Gears Saga lives on. So just what do we know? Microsoft revealed one of their new first party studios, Black Tusk will be developing the next Gears of War game. Microsoft ensured that the studio was up to the task, claiming that Black Tusk has some of the best veteran Game Developers around and to further ensure the next gears success Microsoft also hired on Rod Fergusson, the former director of production for the Gears series at Epic Games.

At this time, details are pretty slim, Rod and the rest of the Black Tusk team have been pretty quiet. Could the next Gears title be a reboot? Or will we continue on with a Gears of War 4? Will Marcus return and will Gears continue to change itself as we seen in Gears 3 and Judgement? Also, does Black Tusk even have the chops to deliver a true next-gen Gears title? 

What subtle hints that have been given. There appears to be a strong chance of seeing Gears return back to its roots, going back to what made Gears unique. I would expect a reboot, but not starting at Gears 1, but even further back. Really exploring the background of this world. Could we start off at the Pendulum Wars? Events leading to Emergence day? 

Who know's, your guess is good as mine. But I do know this...

E3 gonna be good.