Tumgik
#the story was a little stupid but i liked the artstyle and it was fun to play
yellow-yarrow · 10 months
Text
>looking for a new rpg game to play >ask if the writing is like disco elysium or boring >it's just like disco elysium ma'am >download it >it's boring
62 notes · View notes
coyotiii17 · 1 year
Text
Ngl, since I'm rewatching Pokemon Sun and Moon now, I can't help, but feel stupid, because of how much I didn't want to watch this series at first. And sadly it was, because of the artstyle. I'm gonna say it right now, even tho it's been a while since this season first aired. I'm late. I know that. But Pokemon Sun and Moon is the PERFECT example of "don't judge a book by its cover". I totally understand why people thought and may still think this show's artstyle is a disappointment. Pokemon S&M is happening right after Pokemon XY&Z, a series where everything looks so amazing and the characters not only look more mature, but also act more mature. Meanwhile in S&M, Ash looks much younger, goes to school and acts more "childish". But to be honest? What's wrong with that? When you're watching Pokemon S&M, you see that it has much different vibe than other seasons. Ash isn't really travelling there. He lives in Kukui's house, goes to school and he's just having fun. And here's the important word: fun. It's not that Ash is childish in this series. He's still mature, but he allows himself to just have fun and be a normal kid. After reading some fanfictions, I totally headcanon that the reason Ash came to Alola in the first place was to take a little vacation and heal after what happened in Kalos. Because it was a little weird to see him come to Alola not on his own, but with his mom. Normally when Ash comes home from his adventures, he's ready to go to the next region next day. With Alola it wasn't like that. Alola is a region where Ash could finally rest and have fun being a normal kid. Where he could just hang out with his friends in school and go with them on silly little adventures. Even when there was something serious going on, it didn't have the same impact as in the other series. And even when Ash had to save the world, he wasn't alone. His friends were there with him and they all saved the world as Ultra Guardians. And he found a second home in Kukui's and Burnet's house. Not to mention the father figure he found in Kukui. So what if Ash has a father? What kind of father he is when he literally won't wait for his own son and literally leaves before Ash can even see him? Yup, Kukui is Ash's real dad and that's that. And some would say, oh S&M is just for kids, there's nothing heavy in it. WRONG. It's such a wrong thing to say, because I literally cried on some episodes. Litten's story broke me, Mallow's backstory broke me. There's just so much of difficult topics there. Pokemon Sun and Moon is really amazing. I just feel the need to say it, because I'm still ashamed of how disappointed I was when I first saw the artstyle, even tho artstyle is not everything. And honestly? I'm actually very fond of this artstyle now. I think it's really cute and it fits the Alola's vibe! I'm also protective of this series, because S&M really helped me when I was battling my depression. It's kinda a reminder for me that sometimes it's okay to just stop and take care of yourself. Maybe Ash needed that too! So if you've never watched Pokemon Sun and Moon and maybe left the anime after Pokemon XY&Z, I really encourage to check it out, because in my opinion, it's really worth it!!
Tumblr media
170 notes · View notes
desultory-novice · 1 year
Note
So, I recently played Kirby's Star Stacker on NSO, and...
Well, I now understand why this version never released in North America (I want to send the screenshot soooooooo badly!) 😂
Ah, yes! Sorry about having media asks turned off! After some of the horror stories I've heard, I just didn't consider it worth the risk.
But yes!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I love this image so much! Actually, I love so much about the adorable little cutscenes in Star Stacker! Meta Knight without his mask (...and gloves! You can see his little orb hands!) doing his darndest to still look like a cool tough warrior as he stands on the tallest possible hill (not that tall) and says "We shall meet again!!"
...Meta Knight... Oh Meta Knight... /positive
Now, then I assume there were probably many factors involved in Star Stacker not coming over to the west. It was released quite late into the SNES's lifespan for one, a year before the console was discontinued in NA. And it was a "remake" of a game that may not even have sold all that well the first time...
I hate to say it (especially as someone who values story and characters in video games) but an added "story mode" was almost certainly not considered a "selling point" to make it worth anyone's investment. Unfortunately, video games were still sold on their edginess to the teenage boy market in those days and a pastel-themed block matching game isn't getting any backing...
Grr...
Sorry. Just remembering how many good games my generation missed out on for stupid reasons. Games that I consider the best the system had to offer: Live a Live... Secret Treasure of the Rudras... Trials of Mana... Tales of Phantasia...
Ahem...
BUT the fact that Kirby and friends canonically go drinking at a bar if you lose probably didn't win it any points on its localizability and would have almost certainly caught the eyes of the VERY fierce, VERY determined censors of those days!
Of course, the funny thing about this is the bottle Kine is drinking from actually reads "Ocean Water" and is NOT alcohol! NoA wouldn't even have had to censor it, just translate it and you're clear!
...Although I'm sure if they had, rumors would have persisted for years that in "the original" Kine was actually drinking booze!
Maybe it wouldn't have mattered though, because Coo certainly looks ready to hit the hard liquor lined up on that shelf. ^_-
Actually, looking closely at the image, all the triangle motifs, I wonder if this is some kind of Dedede-themed Bar & Karaoke establishment? Seems they didn't bother rebuilding it after Kirby's infamously destructive singing voice wrecked the place!
...Man, there is something so utterly charming about the SNES era of Kirby! Star Stacker plays right into DL3's watercolor pencil artstyle and I love it and miss it, on occasion.
Unpopular opinion, perhaps, but I hope that our next Kirby game is not a big expansive mainline title but another "full-bodied" spinoff. Not a contentless fluff spinoff, like Dream Buffet or the 15 minute mini-games of the 3DS entries but something a little more comfy and fun, like Epic Yarn or Rainbow Curse! Something where you can have a bunch of characters reunite to do something silly and ridiculous like play competitive puzzle-matching or bubble-wrap popping (...or Air-Riding...) and pretend like it is serious business(tm)!
75 notes · View notes
cyber-corp · 9 months
Text
2023: The year of all time
This felt like the first year post-COVID where things really kicked into high gear for me personally. My new year's resolution was that I would go out and have fun for once.
And had fun I did.
I did some voicework reading for a story podcast, I went to a bunch of amazing concerts (nothing beats seeing Weird Al for my birthday!), and I sorted out a bunch of RL stuff and put a neat little bow on it. Thank goodness.
But fuck all that sappy shit: Here's a small collection of things I really enjoyed this year!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: An excellent sequel to a seemingly unfollow-uppable first film. Takes everything from ITSV, and amps it up to twenty with a stunning visual style, a sonically fitting soundtrack, and a meta-commentary on the nature of Spider-Man's character and whether they really deserve all the tragedy thrown at them.
Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe: The guys who made Pud did another show, this time with funding from the Australian Government! While stripped back in its setting, they continue to provide the same stupid bullshit that put me into laughing fits as they did with their Netflix show. Haven't they done well.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: I think when people heard about "An animated Scott Pilgrim show with the live-action cast and Edgar Wright producing", they did not expect "A proper dissection of Ramona Flowers' character and her motivations, as well as her own journey of forgiving the Evil Exes. Also lots of yaoi." Scott Pilgrim continues to dominate as the premier "guy learns not to be a shithead" franchise.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Live in Accor Stadium: The Peppers prove their pertained power as performers by playing the purest psalms in their prospectus from the past 35 years (eugh, what a mouthful). Flea came out, did a 30-second handstand, waved and said hello to the moon and then got up some people littering in the crowd. Their life is more than just a read-through.
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: I had absolutely no clue who Caroline was before I listened to this album. I now realise that she might just be the person that pop needs right now. A soaring collection of songs destined to become classics down the line, like a greatest hits compilation that doesn't exist. We're all on Caroline's island, and we ain't leaving.
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk: I kept my eye on this game as it was developing, and it was absolutely worth it to see it come through in the end. Satisfying gameplay that requires you to learn how to combo to progress, an addicting artstyle inspired by Y2K, and the soundtrack. Holy fuck the soundtrack. I just can't get enuf.
Weird Al Yankovic - TUROTRSIIIVT: Man, what a title. Emu Phillips come out swinging with jokes I did not expect, and then Weird Al comes out aggressively swinging, with all the songs you don't know him for. He then did a polka melody of his parodies, did a ritual halfway through, and then ended the concert on a high note. Only the best from Strange Alfred.
Doctor Who 2023 Specials: That bastard David Tennant returning led me down the rabbit hole known as watching Doctor Who, and did it ever pay off more than these specials. A trans woman saves the day and the Doctor realises he's bi, black, and needs therapy. A magnificent close on a chapter of one of the greatest sci-fis ever, and a bright step into the future.
The Hyperfixation of the Year award goes to none other than
Tumblr media
Homestuck, everyone's favourite webcomic! Everyone's.
And I think that's partly because I joined this website to begin with. I probably say this all the time, but leaving Reddit was probably the best decision I could have made at that time. As much as I reminisce, the communities I was in began to get a little stale. Same jokes, same shitposts, a different day. Tumblr in some strange way, is not that. It feels less like a big communal website and more like a collection of small towns spread across a large spot of land. Calm and village-like, you know?
So to all my mutuals, my followers, to the people that liked and reboggled my stinky posts, to all that offered mealworms and crickets in my askbox, thank you. "Gecko Boy" might just be a silly lil joke in the grand scheme of things, but it's a fun joke to play into.
Whatever comes next year, I know I've got the energy to keep going. Have a good 2024 everybody. <3
Tumblr media
40 notes · View notes
quartztwst · 10 days
Text
tbh all these fantasy manhwas are kinda boring there’s probably some that are good but im talking about the princess/villainess ones bro
there’s always some wannabe girl bosses and there’s boring ass male mcs i just need a good one bro please
the only manhwas with the princess type beat i finished are “Who Made Me a Princess” bc it was like my first one
the others that I have read but didn’t finish are “Trash of the Counts Family (CALEEE HEHEHEH CALEEE)” “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” “Second Life of a Trash Princess” “Beware of the Villainess” “Surviving as a Maid” “College Student Empress”
Okay i think we both know Trash of the Counts Family and Omniscient Reader are like different compared to the others bc they have male leads and also they’re a little different. Trash of the Counts Family does follow the isekai villain thing but also i dont remember most of it so damn
I stopped reading “Surviving as a Maid” after I heard that the female lead was just catching these men like pokemon. What I meant is that it was a harem. I don’t like harems. And also the fact she was going to romance the Emperor too made me gag and throw up bc I genuinely liked the red hair guy. He was the only guy to help her and protect her. I don’t know why she needed the harem. That guy was literally top tier AND THE EMPEROR DOESN’T EVEN PAY ATTENTION TO HER. He’s GAY or bi idk but I knew sure as hell that he wasn’t attracted to the fl. I dropped it after that news.
WHAT DOES THE REVERSE HAREM EVEN DO FOR THE STORY?? super forced the red hair knight was enough i loved that guy
“Beware of the Villainess” took too damn long. The build up was good and i thought it was funny. I thought the fl was gay. THEY YURI BAITED ME. Instead we got this blue furry. Honestly, he’s cute. I don’t care for him. I don’t care for the rest of the guys too.
“Second Life of a Trash Princess” attracted me because of the artstyle but then I dropped it since I had no idea what direction it was heading.
“College Student Princess” I LOVEEDDD i loved that comic. it was so silly and fun. I love the silliness and the stupid pervertness of the fl and the oblivious and awkward ml. And im not saying he’s meek. He was honestly pretty tough. Their chemistry, I believed, was really cute. I dropped it after the style change (IM SORRY) also i forgot about it
I need to read more manhwas bc I used to read a whole bunch in middle school through freshmen year since the websites were unblocked
12 notes · View notes
notedchampagne · 1 year
Note
What graphic novel would you recommend? (And if you don't read graphic novels: what book would you recommend?) :D
i dont read often enough to get a lot of pick and choose so my recommendations here are varying states of "if youd like x then why not":
- junji itos artstyle and storytelling is fascinating to me but needless to say his stuff isnt the typical thing you would read before bed. its fleshy and detailed and leaves you feeling a bit weird so like. tread lightly! most recently i read his graphic novel rendition of no longer human by osamu dazai which was heartbreaking so i rec you google the rough synopsis of that story before you know what youre getting into
- does manga count. for the love of god haikyuu and witch hat ateliers panelings are out of this world in different aspects: haikyuu encapsulates a lot of action and movement being a volleyball based story and picking apart its artstyle is SO fun when you want to learn foreshortening and larger composition with big casts. witch hat has such gorgeous linework and detail in its character designs, and i definitely recommend it if you love fantasy worldbuilding
- im already insane enough about the locked tomb so i might as well put it here: sci-fi horror series about love. charming narration that practically begs you to reread it for extra hidden understanding the second and third time around. books that tease questions around you but lead you by the hand to the answers if youre a little stupid like me. the biggest complaints ive heard about these books can just be resolved by reading further, which sounds annoying but you Have to give it a chance and entertain it for what its got. if you want a singular, straightforward love story you are Not going to get it here
- in high school my friend gifted me strange the dreamer which is part of a duology- its been fucking years so i really dont remember much of it now but i do remember it enchanted me with worldbuilding and an overarching story that wove in tidbits of charm and like, the horror of gods, so theres that
- this is how you lose the time war is SO GOOD GUYS. im sorry bigolas dickolas was right that book is so short but it left me sobbing. now if you want a singular straightforward love story THATS what you need
22 notes · View notes
1eos · 1 year
Note
miss Kendra you also check out myreading regularly?? 👀 any recs?
literally everyday after i get home from work i check myreadingmanga looking for a little bl abt adults. as a treat. i have to fight for my life but i check!
but some of my faves:
ookami-sama no koiwazurai by tobi washio - a surprisingly fun story abt a sleazy wolf guy falling in love w a human :') i loveeeee the art style and i need this to have a volume 2!!!!!
konokoi wa unmeijanai by yamada yugi - one of my all time faves. its abt two printmakers who fight then fall in love. the love interest is soooo mean looking and stupid i love him
kabukichou bad trip by eiji nagisa - a guy works as a host and can read minds nd reads the mind of a model nd finds out he's into freak shit :) (bdsm nothing crazy) such a sexy artstyle n the bottom has BOOBS
ameiro paradox by natsume isaku - this series raised me. its abt two coworkers who have beef but then realize theyre beefing bc they wanna smash!
hashi no xl saizu by omoimi - a guy has a giant dick....thats the whole plot but its surprisingly cute lol
liquor & cigarette by zaria ranmaru - a guy starts thinking abt his bisexy childhood bestie and we know where it goes from there. and the art style is gorgeousssssssssssssssssssss like the backgrounds are fucking insane love this one
totally captivated by yoo ha jin - literally my problematic fave when it comes to yaoi. its old so the yaoi hands be yanding and the top is as mean and as adverse to the word no as the come but its a classic i fear. oh the plot. ummmm a broke college student's ex that they cheated on is now dating a fucking scorpio mafia boss and well......
vampire library by lee sunyoung - the slowest gay vampire slow burn ever but the art is so pretty and its really funny. its not...omg it finished? let me reread it then....
honto yajuu by yamamoto kotetsuko - thee classic. everyones read it or if they havent they will read it. a cop meets a pretty mafia twink and becomes bisexual! diversity win!!!!!!
datte maou sama wa kare ga kirai by yamada nichoume - the premise is kinda weird. theres a demon king and hero reincarnated every generation and they have to defeat each other but instead of doing any of that the hero is trying to hit it. i love this one for some reason....if only it would update....
25 notes · View notes
soul-sparx · 2 years
Text
RYU’S SFV COSTUMES RATED
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done one of these, but they were some of my favorite posts on my old blog before it got nuked, so I figured I’d do another just for fun, and who better to choose than the series main character, in his final outing in the role?
Default
Tumblr media
9/10
Ah, Ryu’s typical look. What can be said about it that already hasn’t been said? Not a whole lot. Ryu has aged gracefully in the past more than 35 years, and is one of the characters least affected by SFV’s confusing, pseudo-realistic art direction. The only marks I have against this are the color of his gi, and his hairstyle. On the gi, it looks like he hasn’t washed it since the first SF game came out back in 1987. That thing crunches when he walks. I get they’re going for a worn, used look, but I feel like they pushed it a bit too far here. As for his hair, I was just never a fan of the black, spiked look. I much prefer the look from SFII-- dark brown and brushed forward, hanging over his bandana with some weight on it. Ultimately, though, these are small marks against an otherwise great take on an old look.
Story
Tumblr media
7/10
“But Ava!” you may say, “Doesn’t this costume do exactly what you criticized the default costume for not doing?”
Yes it does, however a couple things make it far less appealing to me. To start with positives, the color of his gi and belt are much better, still looking worn and used but not outright dirty. This Ryu takes care of himself and his stuff. That said, in trying to replicate the Street Fighter Alpha look, they made some...odd choices. Lightening his skin makes him look paler, not sickly but...getting there. I’m not going to call it whitewashing, because I don’t think it is, but it is a strange choice. His hair looks...molded, rather than brushed, like a clay headpiece you’d customize a Lego minifigure with. Finally, they tried to apply an odd cel-shading look and, what little consistent artstyle SFV has does not work with cel-shading. Overall, I’d say it’s a good idea with less than stellar execution.
Battle
Tumblr media
10/10
Now THIS is how Ryu should’ve looked by default in this game. Theoretically, Ryu’s story in this game is the culmination of his battle with the Satsui no Hado, and this haggard, worn-down Ryu comminucates that beautifully. The torn, dirty pants, the unkempt beard (which also shows him working to defeat the Satsui no Hado, bringing him closer to his master, Gouken, visually), the ramshackle sparring gloves made of nothing but tightly-tied sports tape, this is Ryu at his lowest, ready to reach his highest, and I’m so glad they based his appearance in SF6 on this costume.
B-Boy
Tumblr media
9/10
Now look, I get it, this is goofy, this is out of character, this is just stupid. But... I kind of love it for that? Like, it’s so goofy and out of character that it becomes hilarious and I gotta love it for that. On top of that, it’s actually pretty solid? Functionally speaking? The silvery pants and coat mirror his gi, and the black shirt and black trim of his jacket keep the emphasis on his arms and legs, further emphasized by the red shoes, rings, and wristbands. Like...it’s stupidly fun AND doesn’t hamper gameplay. How am I supposed to get mad at this?
Halloween
Tumblr media
6/10
Don’t get me wrong, this costume is VERY cool, but I feel like the everpresent stark red might betray its functionality. I feel like it’s at least inspired by Bishamon from Darkstalkers, but Bishamon makes up for his almost all-red color palette with gold trims and wide, open posing that makes every keyframe clear. This has the gold trims, but Ryu’s posing is very closed and guarded. I’m sure it’s still usable, but it’s not nearly as readable as, for example, the default or b-boy costumes.
Capcom Pro Tour 2017
Tumblr media
8/10
I'll admit, my understanding of Japanese culture is limited, but this does feel like some kind of traditional festival attire, and to that end I think it's very successful and fairly in-character for Ryu. He strikes me as a traditionalist, and I'm sure he's very popular in the village that I'm certain lies just down the mountain path from Suzaku Castle. It also works well from a functional aspect. His exposed arms and red gloves contrasted against blue/white ropes bring proper attention to his arms for moves like the Hadouken and Shoryuken, while the black vest draws your eye downward into his blue, long, wide pants to prepare you for moves like the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku. I'm curious about the purpose behind the dragon on his back, if that serves as a cultural reference, but it looks cool without getting in the way of functionality, so I can't be mad at it.
School
Tumblr media
7/10
I question the choice to make this costume in the first place, it seems odd, but it looks fairly cool and is perfectly functional between the rolled up sleeves, long coat, and tapestry lining the coats inside to keep the legs visible. Doesn't do anything for me, and is kind of weird from a character perspective, but it does what it sets out to do and I don't have any real gripes with it.
Arthur - Ghosts ‘n Goblins
Tumblr media
5/10
I have nothing to say here that I didn't cover with the Haloween costume. I do appreciate the Ghosts 'n Goblins reference, but thst doesn't excuse bad readability.
Jin Saotome - Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness
Tumblr media
4/10
Same as above, but I'd say it's even worse here. If you notice, his shoulders, elbows, knees, and feet are covered by a kind of metallic material. In artwork, as well as sprites in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Jin's only playable appearance outside of a mecha), those metallic parts are a starker, darker silver color in order to make his posing more readable despite his all-white outfit. In other words, they actively made the design worse for...seemingly no reason.
Mega Man - Mega Man
Tumblr media
9/10
This is so goddamn funny to me. Like, Mega Man is this tiny little Astroboy knockoff, he's not even 5 feet tall. Meanwhile Ryu is this hulking, muscular mass of meat. It's so funny to me how much this doesn't fit. As for readability, Mega Man is already one of the best designed video game characters ever made, so this is perfectly fine functionally.
Kairi - Street Fighter EX
Tumblr media
8/10
I'm not particularly familiar with this character, as I've only played SFEX once, but it's very cool to see them referencing such an obscure piece of SF history. Not to mention, it just looks cool. Not much to say beyond that.
Track Suit
Tumblr media
5/10
Eh....if you remember my old costume reviews, you know I'm not a fan of these. They're fine functionally, but I have no idea why every character has one, and they just get boring and tiring after looking at them 14 times over.
BCRF
Tumblr media
8/10
It's pretty cool. It looks oddly tactical, and I don't really get the asymmetrical look-- why bring so much attention to one arm over the other, it's not like Yamazaki's right arm in Fatal Fury/KoF, which contains the power of a god. Ultimately, though, it was for a good cause and it works well enough. Not gonna complain.
16 notes · View notes
arcadian-vampire · 2 years
Text
Video Game Infodump... 3!! (Disgaea 4, Chapter One Pt. 1)
[LONG post, most of it under a 'readmore' link, RIP to y'all but it's real autism hours again]
There's this tactical rpg called Disgaea 4 that I've had my eye on for a while now, so when it ended up being 60% off on Steam for Black Friday, I snatched it up. Not five minutes into it I found that it 100% would've been worth the full price, I love it So Much. It's like,, Fire Emblem but silly
The protagonist is so, so beautifully stupid. He's a vampire, and he's introduced w a monologue abt drinking blood- or at least, that's what it seems like, until he reveals that his favorite thing in the world... is sardines.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
This man has four (4) traits: being pretty, gullible, sardine-obsessed, and so dead set on keeping promises that it's absolutely absurd.
Oh and he's the instructor for the prisoners of Hades, known as 'prinnies'. They're penguins that apparently are human souls who, to carry out punishment for the crimes they committed while they were alive, have been tucked into the world's saddest fursuits (blubbersuits?)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Also, the voice acting in this?? Is SO fucking good. I'm usually not a huge fan of English dubs, but this one is fantastic. Valvatorez' VA's passion shines through in every line, and it really brings this character to life, it's so much fun to hear.
[The VA is Troy Baker, who is known for his work in anime and video games, including the second incarnation of Greed in FMA and Excalibur in Soul Eater!! I went to his wiki and there's a section on NFT drama though, sad clown honk]
Tumblr media
The story really kicks off when Val's beloved class of prinnies are 'kidnapped' before he can fulfill his promise of one (1) sardine, and he ends up rebelling against authority just to get those penguins their fish. They're set to be exterminated to deal with overpopulation- a big huge Yikes- but he doesn't care about that. The prinnies can be killed AFTER he gives them each a sardine. They can't die before he's followed through on his word!
Tumblr media
To go with goofy characters, there are goofy items: for healing, I've got a fuckton of sardines, the beginner armor is a garbage bag, and every item description is rather silly (pot lid shield that simply says 'it can protect your body but not your pride' my beloved)
Tumblr media
There are also goofy names. I totally forgot to take screenshots, but my fighter's name is 'National Holiday', and at one point I fought a prinny named 'Contact Lenses'
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Back to discussing the story bc I'm obsessed with it, the first antagonist, kidnapper of the prinnies, is the warden of Hades. He's sort of opposite of Val, and I don't think I'm ever going to get over his design- no shirt, the silliest coat ever, and his EYEBROWS... reminds me a little of Ralphie (ask me abt Ralphie ask me ask me I dare you)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Even after we kick his ass, he refuses to let Val feed the prinnies, boooo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The government of the Netherworld is called the 'corrupternment', which is. yeah.
Tumblr media
And Val's loyal servant also does not wear a shirt. Low-rise jeans that expose a man's hip bones are The Trend in the Netherworld, I guess.
This artstyle makes it look like all these guys got grabbed by some giant hand and were squashed around the middle... it's so funky
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
The quest for the prinnies continues, with Fenrich pulling some political bullshit, but I am. nearly at the image limit and it probably isn't reasonable to just post most of the entire first chapter of this game, huh.
Anyway TLDR; this is my favorite game now, and I adore Val so so much, he's Pathetic <3
10 notes · View notes
Text
Widdershins, hobbledehoy, rigmarole
It was a totally typical morning for her as she read her favourite webcomic as every Saturday morning. 
Widdershins… 
It was fun, a good artstyle...just an alright start in the morning! 
While she did so, her ears listend to hobbledehoy. 
What's that, you ask ? Music of course ! 
Some crappy, funny music she liked! As the word it was totally awkward and that's what she liked, she needed!  
Afters this hell of a week...she truly had a rigmarole work to do, last week!  
First it started with Monday, where she had aaaaaall these stupid meetings telling her what to do the rest of the week. 
Next Tuesday, where she had to analyse the situation. 
Wednesday was filled with reading...again, no practical work… 
Thursday ? Yeaah... let's not talk about this… 
But Friday... Friday finally was a relief.. 
After this hell of a week she needed to go out, a nice bar, have some drink… 
Actually there was no plan to meet someone but...when there was this girl… 
I mean, she never was interested in woman but...she talked to her first and...it was hard to resist...and...so she got a drink...a talk..a relieve just crapping all her hate for the week out...this rigmarole week, only curable with widdershins and hobbledehoy!  
At the end, both laughed...they even exchanged numbers… 
This girl was good, she knew...and while reading her weekly comic, she smiled and got up, making herself ready...for the date.  ________________________________________________ I hope you liked that one! I wrote it a while ago for a friend who really liked to give me hard words for my little stories ... #GoodFriend
0 notes
sabertoothwalrus · 3 years
Note
saw your post about the buzz lightyear movie & I saw an initial reaction to the trailer that was similar to yours, asking “why is this looking realistic in design & color isn’t a buzz a toy” but since this meant to be a movie about a human who inspired the toy buzz lightyear rather than the toy buzz lightyear, that makes why the movie is much more naturalistic. it’d be a little weird for a ordinary human in a relatively ordinary setting to be so vibrant and exaggerated in design, or at least I think so. THAT BEING SAID a separate movie with all the Y2K images you posted would be so fun - that art direction deserves its own movie & story rather than like…a buzz lightyear spin-off prequel
nononononono I completely understand why they made it realistic in that regard. I just think it was a stupid decision.
Buzz Lightyear already HAD in-universe lore! And it looked like this! Why did they feel the need to retcon it completely???
Tumblr media Tumblr media
My question of “why does this movie have a realistic art style” is not about the story-related explanation, it’s more like “why did they think making a movie with gritty, realistic artstyle (& story) was appropriate, relevant, or necessary for a movie about Buzz fucking Lightyear”
875 notes · View notes
maleyanderecafe · 3 years
Note
Hey there was a mobile game I wanted to recommend you check out! It’s called MazM: The Phantom of the Opera. Obviously the phantom himself is a well-known character and prime example of a yandere, and this version’s Raoul also takes on that trait a little (although it’s mostly because Christine is in a life or death situation and this he’s protective over her), he’s very sweet and doesn’t wait a moment to shower her with praise. Anyway it’s a pretty faithful retelling of the original book and was extra fun for me as a yandere-lover as you play as Christine caught in between the yandere and the actual boyfriend. I think it’s coming to the switch soon as well if you want to wait for that.
Tumblr media
...Are you sure that Raoul just takes on this trait a bit...?
Joking aside, sorry it took me so long to answer this ask. I was originally going to watch a walkthrough on youtube, but then I realized that you said it would be on switch and since I just got my switch emulator, I ended up playing with a friend. I will say that there is a lot for me to say about this game, so this will be a long read.
First things first, I'll admit that I've never actually read or watched the Phantom of the Opera before, so I genuinely have no idea what happens in the story. This is where my friend who I was streaming for comes in because she has read the story so she helped fill me in on what happens (she's also making a yandere vn in the future which I will be spamming the heck out of because yandere vn). I think from what she told me, most of the story is relatively accurate, though some parts are changed for one reason or another (for instance, The Persian has a name in this game, but in the original, he doesn't), which has some pros and cons for some characters. Overall though, the story was pretty good for a first timer like me since it really let me experience what the Phantom of the Opera is truly about. I think the creator Mazm did a good job for historical detail, which makes sense considering their platform is about creating games that reinterpret famous stories (they've also done one for Wizard of Oz and Jekyll and Hyde which I sort of want to play), and there are a lot of different notes the player can collect in the game that give more historical insight into what is going on.
The story for the most part is pretty linear. There are some choices you can choose, but except for two, they don't really affect the story. For the most part, the game plays as a visual novel, though you do have to walk around to talk or interact with things to proceed the story. There are cats and notes that lie around the game too, with the notes giving more historical insight and the cats being used as hints in case you don't know where to go. The story is about a detective trying to find out the truth of the Phantom of the Opera at a request of a client whos husband was a victim of him, but most of the story is played through a flashback.
There are also small minigames as well that aren't too difficult, though I honestly felt like some of the minigames got to be tedious at times, specifically the one minigame where you have to press the order of the mirror combo which I found really annoying because besides the fact that I'm bad at those games, you had to do it every time you wanted to enter under the Opera house, which was just... ugh. The game itself seems much more optimized for mobile than it was for switch considering how slow the characters move (and its really slow walking to different places sometimes) as well as the fact that it takes forever to load between different scenes and there's no touch screen option for switch (that I know of). Plus the buttons for moving and pressing hints were annoying to deal with (though this could just be because I'm using an emulator). I also kept getting confused when I was playing, since sometimes I would walk around the entire opera house trying to figure out what to do next, only to learn that I was suppose to talk to someone that was literally five steps from where I spawned. The last thing I found annoying was the fact that there's no option to skip dialogue which is really annoying when I wanted to replay a specific part of the story to take some screenshots. If you play this game, it's probably better to play it on mobile than on switch.
In terms of artwork, Mazm's Phantom of the Opera is really gorgeous, from the overworld sprites to the dialogue sprites to the background and CGs. I love how cute the overworld sprites are (I think Jammes and Raoul's are my favorite, they're both so cute) and every background is really nice to walk through and gives a good atmosphere of what it's trying to show. The character sprites for each characters are nice and varied. I can always appreciate characters that have recognizable faces and shapes, since a lot of times I have face blindness when it comes to characters that look way too similar. The CGs of course are super well done and I love all of them. Overall, the artstyle of this game is very solid and I love the way it looks.
The main character of the story was Christine, who looks really good ( I really love her hair), was for the most part alright initially. While I found her to be a bit naive (because she believed that there was an actual Angel of Music when it was just... the Phantom), she was for the most part alright, and even ended up saving another character from the phantom. However, I found her actions annoying after she met the phantom, specifically the part where she agreed to stay underground with the phantom for two days and would be released as long as she didn't touch his mask, and guess what. Right as she was literally about to leave, SHE TAKES OFF HIS MASK, AND FOR WHAT? YOU WERE JUST ABOUT TO LEAVE?? The other thing that bothered me was the after being trapped with the Phantom for about a month, she is given free reign to go back above ground, under the conditions that she only goes to the opera house and at home. During this time, she's expected to break it off with Raoul, so she fakes a honeymoon with him before he leaves for the artic. However, during this time, she doesn't tell anyone, not even Raoul about what the Phantom is up to. She has an entire month, an ENTIRE MONTH to tell someone that the Phantom is likely to hurt people (as previously he had dropped a chandelier on top of the audience) and she just... didn't. Understandably, she might have been afraid that the Phantom might have heard her, but still, what is he going to do to the possible 100 people that Christine could have told about him. She could have saved people from death if something like that were to happen. Near the end, she does get proper character development and learns to choose things for her sake and not others, which was pretty nice and does stand up to the Phantom after all the trauma (and doesn't get stockholm sydrome, thank goodness), but I still think that a lot of her actions could have probably been written better to make her less naive (since apparently in the original she was about 16ish while in this remake she's about 20 so it's less awkward between her and the phantom).
Raoul is the next character I'll be talking about, because even though he is very adorable, he also has one braincell and talks about Christine way too much. My friend and I actually decided to make a counter on how many times Erik and Raoul say "Christine." Erik says Christines name 128 times and Raoul... says it 340 times. This isn't even counting his introduction and only starts up to when Erik is introduced as a formal character and also doesn't count any time he says it in the overworld. 340! My friend kept on joking around that because Raoul says Christine so much, his brother Phillipe became an alcoholic because he's so tired of Raoul talking about Christine. Raoul only really has like three things going for him: the fact that he was in the military, the fact that he's part of the Chagny household and Christine, and that's it. Throughout the story, his goals are pretty much always related to Christine, whether it be to give gifts to Christine, being worried about her or trying to protect Christine from the Phantom. When the chandelier drops on half the crowd during one of the performances, instead of being worried for them or trying to get out of the Opera House, he instead looks for Christine, who is on stage and quite literally in the safest location within the theater. I would consider him a redeemed/protective yandere though, considering his priority is always Christine (he even gives up his own family name to be with her) and he's always trying to protect her. There's a part of the story where Raoul becomes really unhinged when it comes to protecting Christine, lashing out her her friends and other members of the Opera house. He does some really dumb stuff because of the Phantom, specifically throwing away Christine's ring that she got from the Phantom (that she also literally told him before that as long as she's wearing the ring she wouldn't be harmed by the phantom and he just...?? okay??). When he's tortured in the mirror room, he hallucinates Christine blaming him for her capture, and he even cries while hallucinating that Christine friendzones him (which I though was actually really funny, even if it was a tad bit stupid). His redemption comes near the end of the story where he apologizes for being so emotional and realizing that he was a bit of an obsessive beast, and in one ending he lets Christine go to travel the world. To be honest, I don't know if Raoul would continue to be as protective and obsessed with her even after the Phantom's death, but I guess there's not really any way to know.
The Phantom, or Erik (which I know is his cannon name but it makes me laugh because he really doesn't look like an Erik) is the main villain of the story. Unfortunately, in this version, I don't think I can call him a yandere, for one simple character: Melek. Melek, as far as I know isn't in the original story, is a prisoner that Erik has after she refused to marry her. As a character, I do actually like Melek since she's the one of the more sensible characters in the story and she's the more rational one between her and Christine, but her role in the story basically deconfirms Erik as a yandere, at least in this version. For one, Melek is a blind maid of Erik that he did fall in love with and trap, similar to how Christine was, which kind of comes off as Erik being the kind of person who would trap any girl that he likes. Even if this is the case, I don't understand why Erik would keep her alive even after she fell for Christine. Supposedly the reason is that Erik wanted to make Christine feel despair and he did attempt to kill her, but Melek survives and he just... doesn't do anything with her. Honestly, if Melek were straight up not in the story, I would have put him as a yandere because pretty much all of his other actions point to a more possessive/worship type of yandere, but because of Melek it's just not possible in my eyes. Besides that Erik sort of reminds me of a chunni in this version (he's like this absolute darkness is my curse! Like people with 7th grade syndrom seem to have), it was kind of hard for me to take him seriously in certain times. He is very intimidating when he threatens Christine, but his overdramatic nature (which I know is something he's always known for, just this version is uh...) really makes him seem like a child. Erik is for sure suppose to be more antagonistic in this version, considering the addition of Melek and his general actions of possession towards Christine and his disdain for Raoul, but near the end we do see more of his story and we see just how devastating his life is from the moment of birth. I did feel really bad for him when Hatim/The Persian keeps on mentioning the prince he used to work with because its really obvious that he still has trauma from it (and he keeps begging him to not talk about his past and the Persian just... keeps traumatizing him I guess) and the fact that he was treated so badly because of his appearance, but this doesn't excuse his actions in the story. Christine does try to sympathize with him using her own tragic backstory, which Erik kind of pushes away (like bro, we're not trying to see whose parents are worse, she's just trying to sympathize with you, dang) as not being tragic. I think that Mazm did present him pretty well in this story, not showing just his antagonistic side but also his more tragic side. Sadly, like I said, I can't consider him a yandere because of the addition of Melek, at least not in this version.
In terms of other characters, I really like the trio of Meg Giry, Sorelli and Jammes- the friends of Christine. From what I can tell, they're all a bit more aged up in this version, with Sorelli being the oldest and Jammes being the youngest and I feel like they gave more character to them than in the original version. Sorelli is the head of the dancers and the dating partner of Phillip de Chagny, Raoul's older brother and she's the mature and strong willed one of the group, wielding a blade that she uses to protect her friends. I like the fact that they made her a bit more protective and in one of the overworld sprites its mentioned via rumor that Phillip fell in love with her after he saw Sorelli swing her dagger, which I thought was pretty cute. At the end though, after Phillips death, she realizes that she was struggling too hard to climb up the social ladder and decides to forge her own path. In the beginning she attempts to protect her and her friends from the Phantom, declaring that she'll stab him if she sees him. Next is Meg Giry, and from what my friend told me, she was very young in the original books and kind of scardy cat. In this version, she's a bit older but maintains the scardy cat position, and is very terrified of the Phantom. She does gain more character development during the story, standing up to her mother and the managers and overall being a more assertive and confident person, which I thought was a nice touch. Last but certainly not least is my best girl Jammes. In the original story, she barely makes an appearance, but in Mazm they made her quite literally the best character. For one, the canonical reason why there are so many cats hanging out in the opera house is that Jammes keeps on feeding them and letting them in and she has named all of them after the Opera House staff. Jammes loves to spin and has a cute animation and while she can be loud and a bit strange sometimes, she can be smart and assertive when she needs to. Jammes always pushes the other three into being better and protects them when needed (for instance, when Phillip lashes out at Sorelli, she steps in and demands that he apologize for his actions) and can be really smart at times (she's the only character that attempts to at least cover her mouth when the Phantom's fragrance, a hallucinogenic gas, starts to fill up the box seat, despite others who have been in there not even trying) and is the one who stands up for Christine's abuse as well as for the dancers at the opera house being treated unfairly by the manager as she organizes a strike against them. She also becomes part of the women's suffrage after the events of the story. I could go on and on about Jammes, but instead I'll leave a cute picture of her at the end of this entire analysis. Besides those three, I did like Carlotta, the original singing lead of the opera house. Originally, she became an antagonist towards Christine after she became the lead singer, however, she did apologize to her afterwards and befriended her once more before traveling the world. I love her interactions with Raoul because she basically said that Raoul only has Christine and military training and when he gets angry and lashes out, Carlotta glares and him, causing him to cower (this actually does happen multiple times), and I just found that really, really funny. Mifoid, though useless in the story is actually pretty cute as well, I love his bouncing animation. The last character I'll talk about is Phillip because he became meme material for me and my friend considering he probably is so tired of Raoul talking about Christine (we joked that the reason he was sent to military was so that he didn't have to hear her name again) and while he is mostly a decent but strict character in the story, his last appearance really makes him out as a jerk. I did think it was kind of weird that Phillip was so willing to let Raoul go to the Artic mission considering nobody that has gone there has ever returned, and he was rather elitest towards him, not letting him marry Christine because she's of lower
class but during his last chapter before he dies, he goes on a frenzy after he and Raoul have a fight, revealing to Sorelli that he only dated her for fun and not to actually settle down with her, which is just horrible. It's a bit sad though that Raoul only saw him as someone who tried to get rid of him considering that Phillip did raise Raoul and that his last actions were an attempt to save Phillip from the phantom, and yet Raoul barely has a reaction after seeing his body and doesn't even go to his funeral. It's really sad that Raoul didn't even really cry after seeing Phillip's body, considering that he was basically his father figure.
Overall, it's a good game to play and a good retelling of the Phantom of the Opera. I wouldn't consider the Phantom to be a yandere in this game, but I do think that Raoul is one. Thank you for this recommendation!
Tumblr media
61 notes · View notes
bluerogueanna · 2 years
Text
What I'll end up posting here.
First of, I wanna be honest and say that I'm not hoping to become famous or popular. I simply wanted a place to share some of my ideas with someone. Friends or strangers alike. Most of what I write is simple and short ideas that come to me during the day. English isn't my first language and I'm not a smart person, I'm not an eloquent or poetic person. What I write sometimes feels more like ramblings than actual stories. I do have some bigger stories I've been writing, some that I've been working on since I was a child. But I mostly write and draw to pass the time. This is nothing but a hobby for me, some people have insisted I somehow monetize my hobby, but I don't want to. If I ever wanted to make writing my main source of income, I would've already started printing my own little books and comics. But that's not what I want, what I want is to share my silly and stupid little story ideas. I want to see and know what people may think of them. Maybe they're terrible ideas, maybe they're entertaining. Some may cringe, laugh at me, others may actually like what I do, and maybe some others will have suggestions and requests.
I also hope that maybe what I do will inspire someone to give it their own twist, spin and creative vision. And with that I'm not saying that I'm writing revolutionary works of art. But maybe what I write has just enough potential for someone to make something great out of it.
I'll mostly post short ideas for stories I've written. I'll try to post a bunch of shorter ideas together. And if any idea is a little larger, I'll make a post for that idea alone. And this finally brings me to the main reason I wanted to start sharing my stories with someone.
A few weeks ago, I was looking through my notebooks, which I turned into the main medium I materialize my ideas onto: pen & paper. I saw an idea I came up with a long time ago, along with my siblings. This idea was fun and it's the drawings I'm using for the blog's banner and such. I wanna post some more details about it too. It's the story that made me think "I need to know what people would think about this story".
And so, here I am. Sometimes I'll want to post also some drawings. I don't usually feel proud of my drawings, doodles and sketches. However, whenever I see some of the most popular comic creators' artstyles and some of YouTube's more popular animators... no offense, but, I think my drawings aren't bad when compared to what we enjoy looking at. Yeah, I follow some of the comic strips makers and while their styles are simple and sometimes funny, most are either minimalistic, black and white only or flat out stick figures. And I'm not saying those styles are bad or ugly or wathever. But that when I see that (me included) a lot of people enjoy looking at them and their silly jokes and ideas of jokes, then wathever I draw has a chance to be enjoyed too. I'd love to see what others think of my work. Sorry that this is a huge post, I just love writing whatever it is that's going through my mind.
Thanks for reading though!
2 notes · View notes
cryingcow · 4 years
Text
Character Story - Yuki (2006) [RGGO]
The next few stories will be about three very beautiful, very elegant, very alive ladies (which should narrow it down quite a lot lol). First up: She’s single! She’s 39! She’s probably addicted to gacha games! It’s Yuki!!
Tumblr media
Story: Yuki learns that her father is ill, and wants to show him that she is reliable and capable so that he won’t pass on with regrets. Everyone tries to help her maintain the lie because she is, in fact, neither reliable nor capable. Majima gives a speech about the power of friendship.
(Featuring the 3 different artstyles of RGGO-verse: anime, paint-y, and Dragon Engine; all in the same weird screenshot!)
Majima & Youda: “We love you, Yuki-chan. Even if you’re dumb, and clumsy, and stupid, and gullible . . .”
Yuki: “. . . I wish I had better friends.”
.
CHAPTER 1
.
|Four Shine wins the Cabaret Club Grand Prix, and became a popular cabaret club after that . . . The temporary club manager Kiryu leaves Sotenbori, so the owner Yuki and the club manager Youda handle the club in place of three people.|
|Four Shine, Sotenbori.|
Tumblr media
Waiter: “Kirara has been nominated for Table No. 2! Bring a wet towel for Table No. 4!”
Yuki: “Phew~ . . . I’m even busier than usual . . . Oh? Koyuki-chan, you look pale. Maybe you’re sick?”
Tumblr media
Koyuki: “. . . I couldn’t sleep much yesterday. But it’s fine. We’re short on staff today.”
Yuki: “No, no! What if you break your body! Please go home now and get some rest!”
Koyuki: “But the 5th table . . .”
Yuki: “No buts! I’ll do something about your absence, just leave it to me!”
Koyuki: “I . . . I understand. But, I want to work once I feel better, so I’ll just rest here in the back.”
{Koyuki leaves to take a break.}
Yuki: “Indeed . . . Koyuki-chan is a hard worker.”
Waiter: “Yuki-san. Where is Koyuki-san? Table No. 5 has been waiting for a while now . . .”
Yuki: “Eh?! Table No. 5?! That’s right, I forgot . . . Koyuki-chan is resting right now. What should I do . . .”
Waiter: “If Koyuki-san can’t do it, then I guess they can wait a little longer, Aika-san would be available then . . .”
Yuki: “Y-Yeah, yeah! I’m sorry, please do that . . . ! I’ll go apologize to the customer later . . . !”
{The waiter leaves to give Table No. 5 the news.}
Yuki: “Haa . . . I said to leave it to me but then I completely forgot . . . I’m losing my mind . . .”
Tumblr media
Cast Member Erica: “Uuugh . . . Yuki-san . . .”
Yuki: “Oh?! What’s wrong, Erica-chan? Isn’t it your day off . . . ?”
Cast Member Erica: “I . . . I was dumped by my boyfriend . . . I was feeling sad and lonely . . . so I came here . . .”
Yuki: “Oh . . . Don’t cry Erica-chan. I’m sure you’ll find a better boyfriend. And even if you don’t have a boyfriend, it’s fun! It’s great to be able to play online games by yourself at home!”
Cast Member Erica: “I-Is that okay for Yuki-san? Even though you’re 39 years old, you haven’t had a crisis about having no boyfriend . . .”
Yuki: “Eh?! I-I . . . ? I-Is that actually bad after all . . . ?”
Cast Member Erica: “Well, I guess it depends on the person . . . you’re 39 years old. If you like older men, would you like me to introduce one to you?!”
Yuki: “Don’t mention my age so much . . . you’re making me depressed. At the very least, Erica-chan seems to be feeling much better.  . . . Oh!! Look at the time! Youda-san wanted us to talk about shifts!”
----
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Ah, I’m here . . . but, is he on the phone?”
Tumblr media
Youda (on the phone): “. . . I want to go to the amusement park with my family too, but as the club manager, I can’t take a day off on a busy Friday. So maybe next time, when everyone’s schedule lines up again . . . yes, I’m sorry.”
{Youda hangs up.}
Yuki: “Youda-san. Are you talking about next Friday? You can take a day off if you want to go with your family!”
Youda: “Eh?! Ah, Yuki-chan. No, that’s not the case . . .”
Yuki: “It’s not a problem. I’ll do something about it when the day comes. You should enjoy yourself with your family once in a while!”
Youda: “. . . Thank you, Yuki-chan. Your words have brought me happiness.”
----
Tumblr media
Yuki: “. . . Ah, this is bad, this is bad! Before I forget, I should make a note of the change in Youda-san’s schedule . . . Is Takada also on break that day . . . he said he’d be on a date with his girlfriend so he’ll be taking a day off. Oh? Shirota is also taking that day off. That means . . . there are no waiters for that day?! I’ve done it now . . . how can I do this without Youda-san . . . But it’ll be hard for me to say he should work again . . .”
Youda: “Hey, Yuki-chan. I’m grateful for you giving me next Friday off. Thanks to that, both my wife and daughter were happy.”
Yuki: “I-Is that right . . . I’m happy for you . . . Haha . . .”
{Yuki’s phone rings.}
Yuki: “. . . Hello? My dad’s . . . you’re a colleague of my dad? . . . Eh? He collapsed and was brought to the hospital?! What . . . What should I do . . . I . . . What should I do . . .”
Youda: “Go do what you need to do! Leave the club to me . . . go on!”
Yuki: “. . . Yes. Youda-san, thank you very much. Excuse me . . . everyone, please let me through!”
----
{Yuki bumps into someone on her way out.}
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Ah! S-Sorry . . . I’m in a hurry . . .”
Tumblr media
Rough-looking Man: “Oi, oi . . . that hurt, Neechan . . . my bone is broken where you hit it. I think the cost of treatment’s gonna be pretty high.”
Yuki: “B-Broken bone?! Are you okay?!”
???: “If you can get a broken bone from getting hit by a girl, you’re a pretty pathetic man~.”
Rough-Looking Man: “Oh? Who’s that?”
Tumblr media
Majima: “Hi~hihi! Awfully hostile for a weak kink! Are you a masochist looking to experience some pain?”
Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san!”
Majima: “Yo, Yuki-chan. I was in the area so I dropped by . . . but it looks like you’re in a hurry! I’ll handle this pathetic Niichan. You should get going.”
Yuki: “Th-Thank you very much . . . Please excuse me. I’ll pay the treatment fee later!”
{Yuki runs off.}
Rough-Looking Man: “You let that Neechan go without my permission. Are you paying for my treatment fee instead?”
Majima: “No one’s paying. Unlike Yuki-chan, I ain’t a fool who believes ya actually broke a bone.”
Rough-Looking Man: “. . . So I guess you’re not paying up obediently. If you go against me, you’re paying for your own treatment!”
{Majima beats up the guy.}
----
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Haa . . . Haa . . . My dad’s hospital room . . . is here . . .”
???: “I’m . . . so terrible . . .”
Yuki: “. . . ?!”
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Doctor. Please keep it secret from my daughter. My daughter . . . I don’t want her to know. How much longer do I have . . .”
Doctor: “. . . Around 1 month.”
Tumblr media
Yuki: (1 month?! My dad only has 1 month to live?! So . . . to not make me sad . . . Dad has been trying to keep his illness from me . . .)
Tumblr media
Doctor: “Excuse me.”
{The doctor leaves, and Yuki enters the room.}
Tumblr media
Yuki: “D-Dad . . . Are you okay? I heard you fell down . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, Yuki . . . you came. It’s not anything major . . . nothing to worry about.”
Yuki: “Is that so . . . that’s good.”
Yuki: (That’s a lie . . . it’s really a major illness. But . . . it’s a lie he’s telling just for me . . . so I can’t say I know it’s a lie . . .)
Yuki’s Father: “That’s right. So . . . urkk!!”
Yuki: “?!”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s nothing bad . . . I just got a big hiccup, hahaha.”
Yuki: (. . . that’s also a lie. I’m sure he’s sick and his body is in tatters . . . to be enduring such pain . . .)
Yuki: “Dad . . . I’m going to the bathroom for a while.”
{Yuki leaves and starts pacing outside the room, crying.}
Tumblr media
Yuki: Uuugh . . . Don’t cry. It makes no sense for my dad to hide his illness so desperately.”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Haa. I hope Yuki’s alright.”
Yuki: “. . . !”
Yuki’s Father: “I can’t help but worry about the future of that child.”
Yuki: “Dad . . . he’s worried about leaving me all alone. It’s because I’m not reliable . . . If Dad is worried about me, he’ll die with regrets . . . That’s not good! I have to let him know I can make it on my own . . . I have to reassure him at least . . . !”
{Yuki marches back in the room.}
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “So Yuki . . . is work going well?”
Yuki: “it’s going really well! It’s going so well, I’m actually worried about needing to expand the club!”
Yuki’s Father: “Well, that’s good. Isn’t Yuki’s clumsiness causing trouble for the club?”
Yuki: “Ughh . . . speaking of which, earlier today . . .”
Yuki: (I shouldn’t . . . I have to reassure him . . . ! He has to know I’m not a bad owner!)
Yuki: “Don’t you know, I’m not the same Yuki anymore? I’m called a charismatic owner now. I’m so reliable, everyone in the club is piggyback riding on me! So I’ve been busy lately!”
Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . Yuki has become great too. Okay. Can I come see the club tomorrow? I want to see the work of a charismatic owner.”
Yuki: “Eh?! Come see me work?! But you’re ill . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “I’ll talk to my doctor about it. It won’t interfere with your work, right?”
Yuki: “Y-Yup. Of course. I, I, I . . . I’ll show you what a charismatic owner looks like.”
----
|Four Shine.|
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Hiii~! Everyone, Wh-What should I do~!!”
Tumblr media
Koyuki: “You really went all out by saying you’re a charismatic owner . . .”
Youda: “Moreover, your dad is dropping by tomorrow . . . you don’t have time to grow up . . .”
Tumblr media
Majima: “Hihihi, then I have no choice but to show off my charisma skills to Yuki-chan!”
Yuki: “You’re going to help me Majima-san?! Thank you so much!”
Youda: “Making Yuki-chan look charismatic . . . It’s a difficult problem, but I have no choice but to do it.”
Koyuki: “For Yuki-san . . . we’ll overcome any troubles!”
Tumblr media
Majima: “Alright! Let’s turn the stupid, stupid Yuki-chan into a person full of charisma!”
Koyuki & Youda: “Yeah!”
Yuki: “It’s like being casually told something so cruel . . .”
.
-END-
.
CHAPTER 2
.
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “Sorry for bothering you. Oh, this is the first time I’ve seen it, but it’s a lively club.”
Yuki: “Fufu. That’s because it’s a club run by a charismatic owner like me. I’ve told everyone, so you can tour around as much as you like.”
Yuki’s Father: “Yeah. I want to see Yuki’s hard work. I’ll just be careful not to get in the way of everyone in the club.”
Tumblr media
Majima: “. . . Alrighty then, Youda-han. Let’s start the operation. Ask away.”
Youda: “Please leave it to me!”
Tumblr media
Youda: “Owner! I want to consult about our monthly sales.”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, it’s Yuki’s turn right away . . . good luck, Yuki. I’ll be nearby.”
Youda: “Compared to last month, weekend sales have dropped by about 10%, what measures should we take?”
Yuki: “I see . . . last month was a busy month, we’ll need to deal with the decline immediately.”
Youda: (Good, Yuki-chan. Just like I taught you. Now just talk about the measures as it is. That way your dad will think you’re an owner who makes solid management decisions . . . Operation ‘Make Perfect Management Decisions’! Yuki-chan, tell me exactly what I taught you . . . !)
Yuki: “Since the seats are almost full by 7:00 PM, If we want to increase sales, we should consider opening at other times or making outdoor seating available. To the customers who come in early . . . you need to be ‘sensitive’.
Youda: (?! No, Yuki-chan! You need an ‘incentive’! You don’t need to be sensitive!)
Yuki: “Besides labor costs . . . you also need ‘Cosmo Cut’. Make a list of the things you need to buy in large quantities.”
Youda: (Yuki-chan! You’re supposed to say ‘cost cut’! Cosmo Cut is a special move . . . !)
Yuki: “I’ll do it, I’ll call our suppliers. I’ll be out for a while.”
{Yuki leaves.}
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Sensitive? Cosmo Cut?”
Youda: (No, no! He has doubts! At this rate, the hopeless owner will be revealed . . . I got it!)
Youda: “Oh, you might not know about it. Those are technical terms used in the nightlife industry.”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, is that right?”
Youda: “Yes. ‘Sensitive’ means good customer service that enhances customer satisfaction and encourages future visits. ‘Cosmo Cut’ is a cost-cutting method where we purchase on a large scale, as large as the universe.”
Yuki’s Father: “I see! I was wondering if Yuki had made a mistake. I learned a lot. Thank you very much.”
Youda: (Phew~ . . . that’s good. Somehow I managed . . .)
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Fufufu. How was it, Majima-san? I did it perfectly.”
Majima: “Yuki-chan, did you even notice you made a mistake . . . you should thank Youda-han later.”
Yuki: “Eh?! I-I made a mistake?!”
Majima: “No worries. Youda-han managed to fix it. Operation ‘Solve the Cast’s Worries!’ is ready to go, so it’s okay. Good luck.”
----
Tumblr media
Koyuki: “Yuki-san. I have something to consult with you . . . is that okay?”
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, a consultation from the cast. Can I watch from nearby?”
Koyuki: “. . . Yes. No problem. Because you’re the father of the charismatic owner Yuki-san.”
Yuki’s Father: “Thank you! Then I’ll be close by. Good luck~ Yuki!”
Yuki: (It’s fine . . . Koyuki-chan is going to talk about customer service and I just have to give advice . . . I failed earlier . . . but I can’t make any more mistakes. I have to give solid advice as an owner.)
Koyuki: “Actually, I’m worried because the number of requests for me has decreased recently. How can I give good customer service that will increase my number of nominations?”
Yuki: “I see . . . That’s . . . um . . . hmm . . . That’s . . .”
Yuki: (Why is nothing good coming out of my mouth?! Wh-What do I do, what do I do!!)
Yuki’s Father: “Oh? Is something wrong, Yuki? If you keep silent, you won’t be able to give advice . . .”
Yuki: (Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Nothing’s coming out! My dad’s going to figure out the lie!)
Koyuki: “. . . I understand, Yuki-san. You’re saying I should find the solution myself.”
Yuki: “. . . Eh?!”
Koyuki: “Even if I think I’ll understand if I ask other people for help, I won’t really get it. Instead, I should think hard and figure it out myself . . . ! You did something as bold as shutting up, just so I’d be aware of it. Thank you very much! I’ll try my best!”
Yuki’s Father: “I see . . . It’s better to figure things out by yourself. To convey that through silence . . . Yuki has grown up.”
Yuki: “A-After all, there are things better communicated if unsaid . . .”
Yuki: (That’s good . . . thanks to Koyuki-chan’s wit, I managed to keep up the lie . . . Next, Majima-san’s friend will cause a ruckus and I’ll stop him in Operation ‘Don’t Tolerate Annoying Guests!’ . . . What kind of person is this Nishida-san who’s going to play as the annoying guest?)
Tumblr media
Majima: “So, is it time to give the signal to Nishida and the others?”
Waiter: “Excuse me, Majima-san. A thug outside the club said to ‘give this to the man in an eyepatch with a Techno haircut’ . . .”
Majima: “Haa~, it’s hard being so popular.  . . . I’ll give the signal to Nishida and the others when I get back.”
----
Tumblr media
Rough-Looking Man: “I thought I saw a similar guy entering this club . . . looks like I was right on the mark.”
Majima: “. . . Huh. You’re the weak Niichan from yesterday. Did you come back to have your bones broken for real?”
Rough-Looking Man: “This is the end of the line Eyepatch Guy! This time I brought a friend who prides himself on fights! We’ll kill you and sink you in Sotenbori River!!”
{Majima fights the guys.}
----
Tumblr media
G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san. Is it okay to rampage now?”
Nishida: “No! Stop, stop! We have to wait until Boss gives the signal. But what is the boss doing . . . it’s been too long since his last instruction . . .”
???: “Stop screwing around, idiot!!”
Nishida: “?!”
Tumblr media
Waiter: “C-Customer. Please calm down.”
Troublesome Customer: “No way! I’m paying a lot of money for so few drinks!! I’ll teach you what happens when you try to scam me!! Bring me the person in charge!!”
Tumblr media
Nishida: “Eh . . . ? Is that a real disruptive customer? We have to stop him . . . but . . . knowing Boss, he could have actually prepared someone other than us to make it a surprise . . .”
G.B. Holmes: “Would you like to go ask the boss . . . ?”
Nishida: “Yeah. It would be bad if we get in Yuki-san’s way . . . I’m sure Boss went out the club a while ago . . . Let’s go look for him, Gary!”
----
Tumblr media
Troublesome Customer: “Where’s the person in charge!!”
Yuki: “The person in charge is here! I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”
Yuki: (. . . I keep failing so far. I have to make a quick decision here and recover my honor! Even so . . . He’s a much scarier person than Majima-san said . . . this Nishida-san.)
.
-END-
.
CHAPTER 3
.
Tumblr media
Troublesome Customer: “Where is the person in charge!!”
Yuki: “I’m Yuki, the owner. If you have any complaints about our club, I’ll listen to them as much as you want!”
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “That customer . . . that man looks like he’s yakuza . . . will Yuki be alright?”
Youda: “She’ll be fine. Yuki-san is a charismatic owner.”
Youda: (It’s a customer we prepared . . . but, I didn’t know Majima-san’s friend Nishida-san was this kind of person . . .)
Tumblr media
Yuki: (Repel this disruptive customer prepared by Majima-san . . . I’ll show my dad what I can do! Show him I have a solid place . . . my dad with a low life expectancy . . . I’ll reassure him!)
Yuki: “This is my club! I won’t let you do anything! If you have any complaints, then settle your bill and please get out!”
Troublesome Customer: “You’re the owner? How dare you speak to your customers like that!!”
Yuki: (Huh . . . ? Nishida-san is supposed to run away if I say ‘get out’ . . . Did he not notice the cue for the little arrangement? I’ll say it more clearly . . .)
Yuki: “G . . . Get out!!”
Troublesome Customer: “Who are you to order me around!!”
Yuki: (Eeh . . . ?! He still hasn’t noticed?! It’s really spontaneous, Nishida-san. Maybe he’ll understand if I speak in a Kansai dialect? . . . Alright then!)
Yuki: “L-Let’s get out!!”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . Huh?”
Yuki: “Eh? Did I say it wrong? Then . . . Can’t get out! . . . Is it still wrong? How about . . . Please get out!”
Troublesome Customer: “What are you doing! Are you playing around!! I’m being serious!!”
Yuki: (Kansai dialect isn’t working . . . ?! I-I don’t know what more I can do!)
Yuki: “N-Nishida-san . . . I’m already saying your cue to turn back. Next time I say it . . . please run away.”
Troublesome Customer: “What the hell are you whispering!! And who is Nishida! I’m Kawano!!”
Yuki: “Ka-Kawano-san?!”
Troublesome Customer: “You keep saying a Miss like you is the owner, the owner! I was just having fun, just got a little handsy and rattled the pitcher a bit! I’m a customer who paid lots of money! How will you make up for making me feel bad!!”
Yuki: (He’s different from what I heard from Majima-san . . . This person, could it be . . . h-he’s a real disruptive customer?!)
----
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Majima: “You’re a really stubborn guy . . . Hm?”
Tumblr media
Nishida: “Boss! I have a little something to tell you . . . uguh!”
{Nishida suddenly gets Tachibana’d and drops to the ground. Fortunately, unlike Tachibana, Nishida is wearing a Majima Construction Helmet ™.}
Tumblr media
G.B. Holmes: “Nishida-san!”
Tumblr media
Rough-Looking Man’s Friend: “That’s one of your buddies down . . . Don’t think you can get away with doing that to our friend.”
Majima: “. . . He still has friends. I thought he only had one. But . . . it can’t be helped, Nishida. Sorry I didn’t keep them away.”
Nishida: “I’m sorry, Boss . . . ow ow . . .”
Majima: “I’ll show you right now how to pass judgment on a fool who chooses the wrong kind of prey!”
----
Tumblr media
Troublesome Customer: “Hehe, I finally see a scared face. Then I’d like you to apologize quickly.”
Yuki: “A-An apology . . . ?”
Troublesome Customer: “I was looking forward to throwing back drinks here, so get me a lady and a waiter. Shouldn’t you pay me too? Call it a compensation fee. Then I’ll think about forgiving you a little.”
Yuki: “Th-That’s . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “I don’t care about your opinion! Bring me a lady and a waiter!!”
Yuki: “B-But . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “Do it!! Or I’ll kill you!!!!”
Yuki: “Hiii! Do-Don’t kill me!”
Troublesome Customer: “Heh, you’re a pitiful figure. If you don’t want to get killed, bring me a lady and a waiter and give me back my money! I’ll hit the waiter until his face is messed up, then I’ll bring the lady to a hotel and punish her a lot.”
Yuki: “. . . ! I . . . I won’t let you do that.”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . Oh?”
Yuki: “To do my best to give the staff peace of mind . . . that is the work . . . of an owner . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “Huh?! I’ll kill you!!”
Yuki: “I’m sorry you’re not satisfied, but everyone in the club is doing their best to serve customers. Doing things that the girls don’t like . . . If you have any complaints, you don’t have to come here anymore. Here’s your bill. Now go home and don’t come back again.”
Troublesome Customer: “Don’t come back again? Is this your attitude towards customers!!!!”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . what are you doing?”
Tumblr media
Youda: “Apparently, he’s not the guy we prepared. As the store manager, I can’t forgive any violence!”
Yuki: “Youda-san . . . Erica-chan . . . Koyuki-chan . . . ! it’s dangerous! Stay back! Don’t get hurt for a bad owner like me!”
Youda: “. . . Didn’t you switch around my shift so I can go to the amusement park with my family? Think of this as me returning the favor.”
Koyuki: “That’s right! I also have a lot of gratitude towards Yuki-san for caring about my physical condition!”
Cast Member Erica: “Me too! You showed me a lot of kindness after my boyfriend dumped me!!”
Yuki: “E-Everyone . . .”
Troublesome Customer: “This disgusting club . . . treating me as the bad guy. If you all get in the way, then I’ll kill you all together!”
{All four of them gang up on the guy and beat him up.}
Troublesome Customer: “Haa . . . haa . . . you cowards . . . fighting 4 against 1 . . .”
Tumblr media
Four Shine Customer A: “Not just 4! If you do anything else, we’ll join in too!”
Four Shine Customer B: “That’s right!! There’s no better club than this! If you have any complaints, then get out!!”
Troublesome Customer: “. . . ?! That’s it, I’m never coming back to this club again!”
{The disruptive customer runs out.}
Tumblr media
Koyuki: “. . . Yuki-san, are you alright?!”
Yuki: “Y-Yeah . . . I’m okay. Everyone . . . thank you so much for your help.”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . That was great, Yuki.”
Yuki: “. . . I don’t think so. My clothes got dirty . . . I’ll go get changed a little.”
----
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Haa . . . it’s no good . . . I . . . Even this year, I’m still being helped by people . . . Because of this, my dad can’t be reassured by the lie that I’m a ‘charismatic owner’ . . .”
Tumblr media
Majima: “. . . As usual you’re thinking so negatively~. I . . . I don’t think that’s the case.”
Yuki: “Oh! Majima-san?!”
Majima: “Yuki-chan did well today. Didn’t you stand up against a real nuisance customer? Besides, it’s not a bad thing to be helped by people. It’s all thanks to Yuki-chan’s humanity. Youda-han, Koyuki-chan, Erica-chan, the customers, they all took the risk to help Yuki-chan.”
Yuki: “Ma-Majima-san . . .”
Majima: “I don’t know if anyone can live by themselves. If you need help, then you’ll be given help. As a father, if I found out that there are many people who can help Yuki-chan, I think that’s enough to give me peace of mind.  . . . even if Yuki-chan herself is a stupid, stupid owner.”
Yuki: “. . .”
----
Tumblr media
Yuki: “Dad . . . do you have a moment? . . . Actually, I have to apologize for something.”
Yuki’s Father: “Eh? Apologize for what . . . ?”
Yuki: “Actually . . . it’s a lie that I’m a charismatic owner of the club and everyone relies on me. As you saw, I’m a hopeless owner who can only do things with the help of everyone . . . Dad, I’m sorry for lying to you . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Is that so. I had a feeling it was like that. But I’m glad I could see your hard work even if it was a lie. Even if you being a charismatic owner is a lie, I could see you were loved by friends.”
Yuki: “Dad . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “I’m relieved that you are blessed with good friends.”
Yuki: “U . . . uugh . . . Daaad! I don’t want you to dieeeeeeee!!!!”
Tumblr media
Majima: “Yuki-chan . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . Die? What are you talking about?”
Yuki: “. . . Dad has a serious illness and only has a short life expectancy. I heard you ask the doctor to hide it from me, to ‘please keep my illness secret from my daughter’ . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “Oh, you heard that?! I should have told you properly.”
Tumblr media
Yuki’s Father: “This is hard for me to say, but my illness is . . . ‘hemorrhoids’.”
Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that is a serious illness . . . wait, hemorrhoids?!?!”
Tumblr media
Majima, Youda, & Koyuki: “He . . . Hemorrhoids . . . !?”
Yuki: “Hemorrhoids . . . that’s . . . is it the one found on your butt? It has a similar name with a serious illness . . .”
Majima: “. . . you can’t find hemorrhoids anyplace other than the butt.”
Yuki’s Father: “I was so embarrassed it hurt so much that I fainted . . . so I kept it secret from Yuki . . .”
Yuki: “Th-Then . . . wasn’t it your life expectancy that the doctor said was only ‘one more month’?”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . That’s how long it takes for my hemorrhoids to heal completely.”
Yuki: “So when you sometimes looked like you were in such pain . . .”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . It’s because the hemorrhoids hurt.”
Yuki: “Then when you said, ‘I’m worried about Yuki’s future’, didn’t that mean you were worried about leaving me all alone?”
Yuki’s Father: “. . . I heard that the tendency to get hemorrhoids is inherited. I was worried you’d develop terrible hemorrhoids.”
Tumblr media
Yuki: “E-Eeeeeeeeh?! So it was just a misunderstanding that you have a short life expectancy?!”
Yuki’s Father: “Th-That’s right. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding . . .”
Yuki: “I-I see . . .”
Majima: “. . . Haa, I was so exhausted trying to make this work. And it was all because I was swayed by hemorrhoids.”
Koyuki: “I was almost crying until a while ago . . . but it was just hemorrhoids . . .”
Youda: “What was the point of the strategy we brainstormed last night . . .”
Yuki: “Majima-san, Koyuki-chan, Youda-san . . .  um . . . I-I’m so sorry!! I-I know! I’ll apologize to everyone with sushi! So . . . please forgive me! See, with the money in my wallet . . . huh? Huh?! I don’t have my wallet . . . Wh-Where did I drop it? Le-let me look for it for a second! Aaa~h, I can’t find it anywhere!!”
Majima: “Haa . . . Yuki-chan will always be Yuki-chan.”
Yuki’s Father: “You’re right . . . hahaha.”
Yuki: “Where did you gooo~ my wallet!!!!”
.
-END-
Masterlist
131 notes · View notes
kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years
Text
Some Reasons I Love One Piece
So I set up a poll to ask what I should do for my 4000 follower milestone, and something like 85% of the responses to my poll said you wanted me to do a compilation of stuff I love about One Piece! So hell yeah, get ready for me to talk about pirates for way too long (a sentence that could also serve as an accurate blog description).
Before that though, lemme just say- thank you all! Seriously! When I started this blog I figured I’d be extremely lucky to end up with like a thousand followers, and now I have four times that and it just keeps growing, which just constantly baffles and amazes me. I adore every one of you, and you’re providing me something fun and productive to do in quarantine, and I love you for that.
Anyways! Let’s talk good shit.
Let’s start with Luffy. The whole story starts with him, after all.
I love Luffy, just as a character. He’s one of my favorite protagonists in anything, ever, when ordinarily protagonist characters don’t really appeal to me all that much. I genuinely think he might be my favorite character in One Piece now that I sit down and really think about it. I love how unconventional of a main character he is- he actively shuns the idea of being a hero and is in fact the most chaotic neutral motherfucker on the planet, and yet he’s so friendly and loyal and fun that you straight up can’t not love him both in-universe and out. 
I also love the Strawhats just in general, both as a group and individually. Found family is one of my all-time favorite story tropes, and they do it better than like, the vast majority of stories out there. They’re all so completely unique from each other and play off each other so well and they really do feel like a family. I love how often Oda just shows them fucking around and hanging out. (One of my only gripes with post-timeskip is how much time they spend split apart.) I think it says a lot about them that I struggled so much when someone asked me to rank the Strawhats a few months back and had to rearrange the list like four times. I just!! Love them all!!
One of my favorite things about One Piece is that it’s the story of Luffy’s rise, and that it occurs in a world that’s so solidly scaled and well-developed that all progress he makes actually feels tangible and impactful. Some of my favorite moments in One Piece are the ones where we can see how far he and the crew have come and see other people’s reactions. His reappearance at Sabaody after the timeskip is my favorite scene in the manga, full stop. His entrance at Marineford and all of the Decks of the World cover stories delight me for the same reason.
Speaking of the worldbuilding, god it’s so good? I think one of the greatest potential strengths of a long manga is that its just got so much time to establish and build on so much information, and sometimes that leads to mangaka kind of tying themselves in knots with too much lore and explanation, but Oda just fucking nails it. 
I recently read a conversation during Zou where the Strawhats are talking to Inuarashi, Nekomamushi and the Wano folks about all their mutual acquaintances on the Roger Pirates- Brook asks about Crocus, Franky mentions Tom, etc- and I had a moment where I realized how in pretty much any other series all those connections might seem contrived, but in One Piece it works so well. So much time has been dedicated to establishing all these facts and characters and connections over years and hundreds of chapters that when they do come together, it just feels so satisfying. 
Like, at Twin Cape Crocus mentions he was a ship’s doctor and then mentions Roger as the Strawhats leave, at Thriller Bark we find out he’s Brook’s friend, at Sabaody in conversation with Rayleigh we find out for sure which ship he was a doctor on and that he joined them to look for Brook’s crew- and it all just falls together so nicely. One Piece is maybe the strongest series I’ve ever read in terms of how it establishes its characters and concepts and how they all fit into the world and cross over and connect with each other. The world of One Piece is huge, but it also feels so alive and interconnected, and that’s just wonderful. 
I love how hopeful One Piece is. I was talking to a friend a couple months ago who doesn’t watch it, and she kind of dismissed it as ‘a show where nobody dies.’ Which- setting aside the fact that that’s just not fucking true- my first response to that was, “So?” I think it’s nice that we can all know for pretty much certain that the Strawhats will achieve their dreams in the end. There’ll be a happy ending, and Luffy’s going to be Pirate King, we’ve known that from the start. The fun is in seeing how they get there. 
Aside from a few specific cases, I also really like how Oda does his character writing just in general. The female characters in One Piece generally get a bad rap, largely from people who haven’t watched the show and judge it on the (admittedly exaggerated) artstyle, but fuck if I haven’t seen such a widely varied and developed and flawed female cast writing-wise since- I don’t even know. Oda does a really good job of giving his characters, both male and female, unique and memorable personalities, which is super fucking impressive considering just how many there are. Similarly, I’m impressed by how new characters are introduced without getting repetitive or annoying, and very often those characters are really fantastic. I could talk about all the different One Piece characters I love and why, but we would legitimately be here all day. 
I also love how unlike a lot of long-running series like this, characters don’t just go away when their time in the spotlight is done. In just about any other series, characters like Buggy and Coby and Crocodile would just be gone and never to be heard from again after they’ve served their purpose. Instead you have the stupid clown villain from the second arc becoming a fucking shichibukai several hundred chapters later, and it makes sense in the context of the story! The whole concept of the cover stories works really well towards this aspect of One Piece, letting us see what all these other characters are up to without taking attention off the main story. This fits in with the interconnectedness I mentioned earlier, too. 
And I like how (and I know there are people who will argue this, I have had them in my inbox, but I do not care) One Piece has stayed so strong for so long. I’ve mentioned before that both of my favorite big arcs are pre-timeskip- Alabasta, for the civil war storyline and great supporting cast and villains, and W7/Enies Lobby, for the epic emotional highs and lowers + ANOTHER great supporting cast. But like, I’ve been enjoying the more recent arcs just as much! Honestly, now that I’ve finished Dressrosa, I think it definitely ranks up there among my favorites as well, for how chaotic and fun and high-stakes the whole thing felt when I was binging through it. I’m only a few chapters into Whole Cake Island so far but it seems very promising, and I’m really excited to get to Wano from what I’ve seen of it.
I haven’t even really touched on the art yet, either. I know the artstyle turns some people off of the series, for how kind of cartoony it is sometimes and how different it is from most other series, but honestly I just love it. I wasn’t sure about it at the start but it grew on me very fast. Hell, I have a whole tag (which I should use more) dedicated just to appreciation of pretty panels.
And the action scenes in One Piece are so fun and expressive and creative and almost always at least a little silly just by the nature of Luffy’s powers. I don’t think I’ve ever been bored during a One Piece fight. And the splash pages are frequently just breathtaking. I’m a writing person, not an art person, so I’m bad at putting this kind of thing into words nearly as well, but- yeah. One Piece Art Good. (My friend Narramin also has a really, really good series of posts about how great the visual storytelling in OP is starting here that I highly recommend, if you’re interested.)
Finally, I think my favorite thing about One Piece is that it’s all one story, start to end. I kind of touched on this above with the worldbuilding thing, but you can see what a ridiculous degree of thought and planning Oda has put into his story, and how well everything comes together. It’s the main aspect that got me to give One Piece a try in the first place- I heard how good and thought-out the long term storytelling is, and I just eat that shit up. I don’t think I’ve ever had the level of trust in a creator to handle and end their story satisfyingly that I have in Oda. It’s a good feeling. 
466 notes · View notes
juni-ravenhall · 4 years
Text
my opinions on mistfall!
under a cut bc spoilers and/or not everyone wants to read :D 
overall experience: 
its fun that there IS a sso cartoon now even if its not exactly amazing quality, and im happy to see if there will be more series or movies after this. it was fun to watch and see sso things in cartoon form too and i wish that we had more already (of sso animation in general). imagine if there had been a ssl cartoon? i also kept thinking throughout this, that it wouldn’t be hard for me myself to make an animated series with around the same length episodes and in a similar quality to this (aside from voice acting and music production), which made me feel a little inspired.
favourite scene:
skye taking photos of blaze and hanging out
positive points: 
i like the background art a lot, i think the style of it, and the colour schemes, helps give the series a specific vibe that fits for an sso series in my opinion. 
i like the concept art (i assume) illustrations which we saw in the recipes and other posts on sso ig, i think it looks a lot better than the characters in the series, but thats normal for concept art!!
the music is really good quality (whether or not its your taste, the quality is good) which is ofc bc its sso - theres already good music and not something they only did for the cartoon but something they care about in all of the starstable media. 
i think skye is a nice character (despite the series’ overall low quality writing) and i like her design. i also think rania’s cartoon design (visually) is cute.
skye and rania being a teensy bit gay (minus points for sso if they dont end up really gay in later canon)
i like that blaze wasnt actually like... mean or anything to skye, and i like that shes a mare since typical stories like this usually have stallions. but i just like that there wasnt really any “ooh difficult horse” things between skye and blaze in the current time of the story, blaze actually was sweet to her most the time. blaze seemed pretty charming whenever there wasnt “omg fire” drama. 
the animation itself (not meaning the details of the drawings or scene timing, just the actual frame by frame / puppet movements) was fine! not amazing, but absolutely fine.
points i have constructive criticism for, which doesn’t mean that i expected more from the series, but that we’re all allowed to discuss the quality and our opinions of media regardless of the target audience, budget, etc:
the writing was childish and rushed - this is not to be rude, but a matter that affects a lot of “media for girls / kids”, and a topic talked a lot about by Lauren Faust (creator of the FiM reboot of MLP) who wanted to show that a show about rainbow ponies “for little girls” didn’t have to be badly written, and could be engaging and interesting. if you watch the older MLP cartoons and compare to the first season of FiM (where Faust was still on the team) you can see a huge difference in quality of the storytelling, characterisation, etc. Mistfall, so far, did not subvert any expectation in the quality of what typical “cartoons for girls” are like, and is reminiscent of stuff like “The Ranch” (french horse cartoon) which imo is so bad that its hard to watch. (and ofc... that goes for a lot of “cartoons for girls / kids”, but doesn’t have to be like that.) in order to improve on this, the writer has to study more on storytelling and study from better writers.
on the topic of being rushed: no, it’s not an excuse that the episodes are short: - you have to ADAPT your storytelling and writing to the length of the episodes, not do a bad job and blame the episode length. being able to adapt to different types of media is a necessary skill if that’s what you work with. this comes down to proper planning and structuring the story and writing in a way that works for the length of the episodes. i don’t think that was overall done well here (at times it was okay), and bc of that, it feels rushed and has exposition thrown in your face instead of being shown through better storytelling. the classic thing with exposition is “show, don’t tell”. this is what the writers/directors should study, or pay more attention to. 
the timing (length of shots, length of scenes, or parts of shots, etc) was rly bad at times and overall unimpressive - this comes down to the skill of directors and editors. to improve this they have to study more on the topic. bad timing and pacing can really ruin a good scene or a good story and make it feel disconnected and hard to immerse in for the audience.
the artstyle of characters and horses is fine at times, but appears very low quality at others (skye’s childhood scene really bothered me bc her kid-self had really badly drawn eyes in my opinion). this, like everything else on this list, is ofc something that appears in almost every single “cartoon for girls” that ever existed. to improve on this, most likely it’s not a problem with the artists but with the budget and the production timeline (allowing the artists more time to produce better quality art and animation), and it can also be a problem with the art direction, if the art directors aren’t very skilled or experienced (i don’t say that they aren’t, im just giving examples of what could cause these problems.)
the character design for all characters that aren’t skye, rania, or blaze was very lacking. none of the not-main-3 characters looked interesting or fun to look at, they looked very dull and like the most boring NPCs you could think of. even though its understandable that the mainest-main characters would have the most interesting designs, that doesn’t mean everyone else has to look that boring. this is an issue with art direction or character design. i think most likely there was just very little time (equals money) put into designing the other characters.
the horse design could be improved for a cartoon that focuses on horses this much. like, horses are a big part of the selling point here, so make sure that their designs and art/animation is good. at times even blaze looked awkward and uninteresting, as did the other horses.
“alonso” looks nothing like sso alonso and i don’t like that they used his character if it’s not going to have anything to do with him. they should have given this character a different name if they wouldn’t make him seem like he had anything to do with the sso character aside from being a male ranger. (also in the game he’s like 22 or something, skye is 15...?)
why did they add a “he’s cute” dumbass fucking stupid hetero comment for literally no reason other than adding a dumbass fucking stupid hetero comment?
considering that they “can’t confirm whether a sequel is happening or not”, it seemed very meh to throw in druid cult magic stuff and not really connect to it and now the series ended? you would have expected to find out more about the cloaked people, the runes, the magic that the ranger guy did, and blaze’s magic in general, and skye herself, why her mom is “a witch”.... thats a lot to throw in while saying that you can’t say if there’s a sequel coming to answer all those questions. (it wouldn’t have been a criticism from me if they said “we’re working on season 2″ or “there will be a comic book that continues the story” or anything that told us that these questions, in this particular iteration of a story in jorvik, will actually be answered. - and i assume they ARE working on the continuation of the story, but i dont agree with that they’re not upfront about it, when they left so many questions unanswered.)
at times rania’s blindness was handled stupidly and i think they should have gotten more consultation from actual people with visual impairment, but i think its still good to HAVE a blind character in the main cast and that it’s not a big dramatic story thing but just an everyday thing. at some points it was fine though; and i personally don’t think the scene with rania being able to see blaze was necessarily a problem - because - a lot of blind ppl can see sharp contrasts in light and dark, and this seemed relatively realistic to me when blaze is on fire. (however, the way it was drawn as if she could see the whole shape of blaze and skye could be criticised for sure, and makes it feel more like “i can see because of magic” and not “i can see bc THIS MARE IS ON FIRE”). 
personal opinion which i said before, but i don’t think rania’s voice fits her at all, and it’s not the voice actor’s fault (i’m sure they’re lovely) but the casting and the directors. from the sso character, rania would seem a lot more lively, quick and adventurous, and not as calm and gentle as she appeared here. she seemed a lot too sort of motherly or just adult, instead of an adventurous teen who runs off on her own to do whatever she feels like. compare in-game rania going “MC, thats a jorvik wild!!!” and alonso going “stop talking nonsense” (paraphrased), to Mistfall rania going “jorvik wilds are really rare...” (calm, sort of disinterested, doesnt seem like she cares that much about adventures)
the voice acting overall was meh. i see this as a direction problem, not an individual voice actor problem (and the writing didnt help - it’s hard to provide good quality acting with a poor script unless you can just toss the script aside and improv, if you have good actors). it felt childish and uninteresting at most points and generic low quality for “cartoons for girls”. from a voice acting perspective i think skye had the best result. anyway, the way to improve this is for the director in charge of voice acting to not direct the actors to perform in this childish manner. (again, refer to cartoons with better writing and better voice acting, that have a very similar target audience.)
ok, i think that was everything that i wanted to write about for now, might think of more later lol
6 notes · View notes