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blog-of-hubris · 11 months

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Choujin X Chapter 42: Closed System

Ishida is ready for the next big arc of Choujin X... and so am I!!

Preface:

So, I am going to start doing metas on Choujin X every new chapter! Choujin X is currently one of my all-time favorite series to read ongoing, and I have been bottling up my brain rot a little too long!

So if you like Choujin X and want to read more metas like this, give me a follow or keep up with my tags! I hope everyone who reads enjoys, and feel free to send any asks about the series!

Ishida is eccentric in a lot of ways. He does very unconventional stuff with his manga, and of course Choujin X is no exception. Specifically, I am referencing,

The White Choujin

So, the beginning of this chapter was weird for me (lol). I'm African American, and the whole “whiteness” thing with this choujin automatically made me think race was being referenced. I quickly dismissed that notion because I feel like the racial perspective I have as an American would differ drastically from a Japanese man. Furthermore, I also have a hard time believing this was in reference to race, but instead deeper symbolism to the overall path Choujin X (tokio specifically) is facing.

I'll expand on this more in a later section (because they tie in together) but I just wanted to mention my initial thought just in case I'm completely wrong and maybe Ishida was doing something else.. Who knows.

Pressure on Palma

If you know me, or know my opinions on Choujin X (which i don't think anyone on here does) then you would know how much I hate Azuma. I quite literally hate him. I see his value in the story and as almost a foil (or better yet rival) to Tokio, but as a person I hate him.

This interrogation of Palma doubles down on my hatred. I understand that Azuma has to be stern to make sure Palma isn't an enemy but based on her answers, her past and who she was dealing with it is very obvious she was being used. I think even Ely picked up on this, and even said that it's better for the police to handle the specifics with her sentencing because of the common laws broken. I mean, damn, he was literally rephrasing all her answers to come off as possibly intentional evil. (very much something a police officer's son would do. fuck him and his lame ass pig dad).

For Azuma to call Palma a bad guy without self awareness, but he literally tried to kill his “friends” when he became a choujin is unacceptable. It's the pot calling the kettle black. Azuma, YOU are the bad guy without any self awareness, and that's what makes him so damn annoying to me. Ely realized how much Palma was simply being used, but Azuma believes his sense of justice is above all... just like an unaware bad guy, huh?

Palma is so precious, too, because she thinks to herself how she needs to now learn the laws of the land. She is only 16 (Tokio.. she is yours) and has such a genuine personality to her. I really hope we get more of her and Tokio because I think two of Zora's beasts becoming a couple or at least a strong duo would be a perfect twist. We'll just have to see where Palma's path goes.

Ember, Xember, and Fortunes Unseen

(this section will have multiple mini sections!)

Ishida,,, you beautiful man. When I tell you I was begging for this Batista backstory since we first got introduced to his character, I am not overexaggerating. Finally, seeing what caused Batista to be pushed to the edge (or more so a glimpse to it) is exactly what was needed to really send this manga into its next big stage.

But before we get to that, i wanna dive into Batista's conclusions from his experiment with Palma.

There are now two beasts for Zora: Tokio & Palma

Xember can be used on Choujin

Azuma could possibly become a beast with Xember

Now, these three things are extremely important to the pathways that can be taken in this series. We could see Palma take over the powers from Zora (might be cool to see), we could still have Tokio takeover, or Azuma could become a beast and take Zora's powers. OR, there could be a whole new beast created like Palma. Ishida basically is either giving us a red herring, or it is a strong possibility that he won't be taking Zora's power; (but I feel like he will be due to him already having such a high connection to Zora).

However, I do not know what this means for Batista. Does he want to create as many of Zora's beasts as possible? Is he trying to find the perfect vessel? Or is he just creating back up plans if Tokio doesn't take her powers? Or is he planning something else entirely? Maybe he wants to see if he can take Zora's powers, or maybe even just a part of them? I am not sure how deep Batista's loyalty really goes with Zora, and that leads me into his past.

Mado's Prophecy:

I do not trust Mado, I think she is shady as hell. Ishida showed us a glimpse of this scene, but now we get to see the full moment where Mado claims Sandek has to kill Batista. Apparently, Mado had a vision with Batista bringing rise to the destruction of Yamato Mori (I assume because she simply says “our destruction” who is “our”? I feel like this is a little ambiguous on purpose). She claims that he has to renounce his choujin powers in order to avoid that fate, and this brings about two questions from me:

What does it mean to renounce his choujin powers? Is he giving them away? Is he just swearing not to use them?

How does Mado know this will fix the future? If her prophecies always happen, what does renouncing his powers do except alienate him?

I feel like Mado has a lot of secrets, and once these secrets get revealed, things will flip on their heads. But, my main point is that she pushed Batista away from their group, ultimately alienating him from even his own brother. I think there is more to Mado, and possibly she is an unaware bad guy as well.

I liked that Sandek spoke up and tried to vouch for his brother. I loved that a lot. Not only that, but I think it was foolish of Batista to give up something that makes him who he is because of Mado's prophecies, but he even said it himself that they always come true. I feel like betting on Sandek's initial proposal would have given them a better chance, but instead the pieces were set in motion for Batista to become their worst nightmare.

Even If You Can't Lift A Hundred Tons:

Batista's life as a “human” separated him from his brother and made his connection to Mori drastically change. Apparently, this drug called “Ember” was the original core research Batista was working. There isn't much detail (that I can recall) about Ember, but it seems that it was something he thought would benefit everyone. I hate seeing Batista say that only those who contribute as Choujin are listened to by the Yamato Mori, and that fact alone leads me to believe they are not the same faction that Zora founded. It doubles down my belief that Mado changed Yamato for the worse, and is using them to get rid of Zora.

(I think Zora and Mado can alter each other's prophecies, and Mado is trying to take out Zora to make her visions absolute.)

Aside from that, Batista had to find happiness and satisfaction as a human, even though he was a trained Choujin. As a human, he kept researching to make the world a better place, and even found love. This love kept him going, gave him purpose, and I also believe was what allowed him to accept his life as a “human”. He may not be able to life a hundred tons, but he is still a great choujin. I think his lover, Hartley, was telling him this to remind him that he IS choujin, and that no matter what they cannot take that from him. Everything he is doing is as a Choujin, not a Human. I find this metaphorical usage to be very powerful, and it leads directly into the next subsection -

A Wonderful Future No One Has Foreseen:

I find Ishida to be a sick man for giving us such a beautiful love seen then going right into a spread of Batista looking like he hit rock bottom; giving up his hand for a new hand by the Chimera Choujin.

I find the fact he is giving up a hand really cool because it feels like a play on “the hand you were dealt”. Batista clearly lacked the power Sandek had, and he also didn't have the respect Sandek had. With going to the Chimera Choujin, he is now giving himself a new hand to play, literally being able to take other's powers for himself. I need Ishida to give us more info on Hartley and her marriage to Batista. What happened that caused Batista to resort to becoming the chimera choujin, and how does this all connect back to Zora?

One thing I do know, is that Batista is pursuing a future that is unseen. That tells me that he isn't as loyal to Zora as his constituents may think, and could just be using her to counter whatever Mado foresees. Give me more Ishida... please.

Sandek/Batista & Tokio/Azuma Connection:

Earlier, I brought up that I would be talking about the beginning of the chapter in a later section because it would tie in later, well here it is. When it comes to the beginning of the chapter with the Whiteness Choujin, I think this was ishida foreshadowing the “black” overcoming the “white”.

“Black” = Tokio & Batista. "White” = Azuma & Sandek

Sato already made mention that he made Tokio's overall goal be to surpass Sandek. In the fight against the whiteness choujin, he specifically calls Tokio black. I could be over analyzing this, but when you think about it, it makes sense. Why else would Ishida give us that choujin in the same chapter we get the deeper info on Batista leaving Yamato Mori? We even get more symbolization of Sandek being the “white” and Batista being the “black”. I think this applies to Tokio and Azuma too. I think there will be a big clash between Batista and Sandek (and Sandek will die). The death of Sandek will be the beginning of Yamato Mori's fall, and I speculate thast Azuma will try to take over Sandek's role while Tokio will be determining if he still wants to side with Yamato Mori.

I know this is a big theory, and is all based on my analyzing of Ishida's use of symbolism, but I think it holds weight. Even if this doesn't exactly happen, I see something of similar nature happening. I like that Ishida is adding complication to the usual symbolism of black and white, making it possibly for either side to be the face of good or evil.

Checking up on Chandra

I love that Chandra Hume hasn't been tossed to the side as a character. He still has so much loyalty to Zora, but since he doesn't have his choujin powers, he is useless to them. So we get to see him living his mundane human life... until he gets kidnapped in a bathroom by Ricardo and Ririka.

P.S I am madly in love with Ririka and Ricardo, and I am very desperate to see them every chapter, so thank you Ishida. Please keep them around forever. I love that they are independent contractors.

Also, before we get into the kidnapping, I found it very interesting that Chandra thinks about Ely while taking a smoke break in the bathroom. I think the concept of smoking reminds him of his choujin powers. It is his way of copping, thinking about flying in the sky with his smoke, like an old war veteran thinking about his past glories. That all gets interrupted though by R&R (Ricardo and Ririka).

I love that Batista and Chandra have never been on the same page, so when Batista thinks of a choujin test subject for Xember he thinks of Chandra. Even Chandra knows they were sent by Batista just from seeing the syringe in the Ice choujin's hands when he wakes up in the garage. With a quick exchange of words, Chandra accepts the syringe dosage. Batista talked about the possibility of Choujins blowing up, and seemingly thats what happens to Chandra. He yells that his heart was pounding, then his body busted into pieces.

Even Mr. Ice calls Batista a 'masked scoundrel' because he believed that Chandra would have been the choujin to survive the dosage of Xmber. Does this mean even he doesn't trust Batista, but has to listen due to a power hierarchy? When you think about it, it did come off like Batista and Chandra were on equal footing and had the other followers of Zora listening to them. This could have been Batista's way of getting rid of Chandra (possibly) but even if he survived it, it just proved the efficiency of Xember. It's a win-win scenario for Batista!

Even I for a moment was saddened to see Chandra go because I really enjoyed his character. He was an antagonist that served as a perfect catalyst for Ely and I think there is a lot more that can be explored with their dynamic. Of course, Ishida doesn't disappoint!!

Chandra is alive, bodyless. Just a head. He is being preserved by the extremely sexy Yubiko. I swear Ishida knows I love her because he drew her even thicker and sexier than when we first met her. This has me so excited because it seems the Xember worked! Chandra is just a head, but he is alive. He might need time to raise due to the heavy damage, he lost his eyeballs in the explosion, but has them now. So it is apparent that raise is happening, albeit a slower pace. I really wonder how this dynamic with Yubiko is going to unfold on the next episode of Checking up on Chandra (lol).

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings about Choujin X chapter 42! I am going to try to keep up with every chapter meta as I can. Sometimes I just get lazy, LOL.

Please comment below with your thoughts, feel free to hit my ask box about anything and make sure you share if you enjoyed!

Tell me, how long do you think it will take Chandra to fully raise (if he does).

Hopefully new chapter soon!!

#dh🍵#choujin x #choujin x 42 #Choujin X chapter #Sui Ishida #choujin x review

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crippleprophet · 3 years

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hi, just wondering if you'd be willing to break down that quote you liked from biopolitics of disability? I felt like I understood the first half (ish) but I'm not really sure about the second.

Is the idea that research on disabled bodies is profitable, or that disabled people will become nondisabled and join the workforce, or is it arguing that like this research is done out of genuine care and concern for disabled people? I can't quite grasp it. obvs if you don't feel like answering I won't be a dick, just thought since your tags seemed enthusiastic you might have things you might wanna say about it.

absolutely, thank you for asking! it’s a somewhat dense quote that could easily be confusing if you don’t have familiarity with certain texts & concepts. i’ll just take it in sections, but i totally invite other commentary & insight! any emphasis is my own.

Rather than social pariahs, disabled people increasingly represent “research opportunities” in the sense that medical race sociologist Aihwa Ong means when she argues that “treating” ill and disabled Cambodian refugees in the United States increasingly “became the justification for state and local clinics to obtain much-needed funding from the federal government” (96).

historically, the goal of biomedical interventions in disability has been to eliminate non-normative bodies. the concept that all disabilities require medical intervention (often framed as an approach that is in opposition to creating an accessible society) is referred to as the medical model of disability. it argues that our bodies (i use the term broadly, inclusive of minds) need to be fixed and that eradicating disability is a good thing.

this quote expands on that prior scholarship and argues that biomedical research into disability exists not only to bring disabled bodies into the sphere of normalcy but also as a way for clinics to obtain funding—funding which only exists because of the government’s panic that people, especially immigrants, may become recipients of services like SSI and Medicaid due to disability.

Rather than a former era’s economic “burden,” disabled people have become objects of care in which enormous sectors of postcapitalist service economies are invested. In the terms of recent political economy, disability has been transformed into a target of neoliberal intervention strategies—a “hot” ticket item for potential research and policy funding schemes. Disabled people, once thrown out of the labor system on the basis of their lack of normative productivity in a competitive labor market, now find themselves “at hand for [the] purposes of accumulation at a later point in time.

to rephrase this in a very bitter and sarcastic way, disabled people used to be rejected from society because we aren’t as productive as abled people, but under neoliberal capitalism, we can be good little consumers just like everybody else! even initiatives that aim to increase disabled people’s autonomy and independence focus on us as consumers of disability-related services and our right to make financial decisions in a capitalist marketplace (link to a bit more on that here).

i’m not saying financial autonomy isn’t important—for many people, it’s the difference between life and death, and i’ll include a quote below with more perspective on that than i can provide. but under the current system, it results in corporations vying for disabled people’s money and watered-down activism arguing that businesses for which we are “objects of care” shouldn’t abuse us because then we won’t pay them.

in a broad political sense, it’s a reactionary rather than revolutionary mindset; sort of like how modern gay rights organizations in the US & other countries push for threatening politicians that they’ll lose the “gay vote” if they support a dangerous homophobic policy. it gives us a sort of power, but one that we only need because we’re living under a deeply broken system. but again, that’s not to say that financial independence isn’t vital for disabled people in the here and now, it just shouldn’t be the biggest we can dream. my goal for our people is liberation, not increased consumption.

“It is about time for revolution. We, people with disabilities, have to claim the decision making power and the financial means that are set aside by the taxpayer for disability policies. We have to gain control of our own lives, our own physical rehabilitation, our own personal assistance. We are the experts, we have to build up our own expertise and know-how. We don't need medical doctors, bureaucrats and social workers to decide what our needs are. We know what our needs are and how they can be fulfilled. We ask services that respond to our needs. We don't want to be the object, but the subject of these services.” —Huys Jos, “From Object of Care to Subject of Services,” Rethinking Care—From the Perspective of Disabled People (link to source pdf)

Put in the language of contemporary postmodern political theory, we might say that capitalism necessarily and always creates its own ‘other’” (Harvey, Neoliberalism 141). The historical production of others situates bodies in a position tantamount to un(der)explored geographies: they come to be recognized as formerly neglected sites now available for new opportunities of market extraction that fuels so much of the production end of neoliberal capitalism.

essentially, disabled bodies are Antarctica: left alone by the capitalist marketplace for a long time out of a vague fear and repulsion, but now everyone’s eying us, wondering what profit they can extract, and we aren’t protected nearly as much under global treaties. neoliberal capitalism demands constant expansion, constant profit growth, so instead of being rejected from the (literal and proverbial) marketplace, we’re catered to in a flimsy way that risks hiding the true state of discrimination we experience.

think of the recent erupting discussions around pride month merchandising and advertising; incredibly discriminatory, oppressive companies change their logos rainbow because they’ve realized lgbtq+ people are profitable. similarly, entire sectors of the market start salivating when you mention the US’s aging population because of all the assistive technology people will need. it’s not access as a human right, it’s access for a profit.

Such developments arrive, inevitably, with their own contradictions intact, but they also provide opportunities for rethinking disability as not only alternatively social, but also nonnormatively material, subject.

the social model of disability argues that disability is created by an inaccessible society; what is disabling is not, for example, someone’s paralysis which requires them to use a wheelchair but rather the fact that the apartment buildings in their area don’t have elevators, the streets don’t have curb cuts, and the stores don’t have automatic doors. this excerpt argues that not only is disability constructed through these social means, it also has a nonnormative materiality, in the sense of dialectical materialism; disabled people are uniquely affected by socioeconomic interactions in ways that affect the conditions of our lives.

#leftism #the biopolitics of disability #disability theory #disability studies #asks #long post

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kiliinstinct · 6 years

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Like a Trojan: Prt 2

Small funny Fairy Tail One-Shot. Modern AU. Pairing: Nalu, Gajevy Rated: T for .. questionable shopping items.

The Little bit of Humor I wanted to get out of my head is getting a little bit expanded. But this time, around- I’m making it interactive! This is part two of the little funny I wrote, but for my next part- I want YOU lovely readers to help me decide what comes next!

If you reblog- please put in the tags, or send me an ask/im the form below. Based on what is submitted will decide what happens next in Prt 3! Sound fun? I hope so!

So, to help be a part of this stories’ fate- just tell me these following things:

Character Perspective: (1st chapter was in Natsu’s and the second in Levy’s- who’s next?)

Event: Describe an idea that you think should happen in this chapter. I.e. Lucy and natsu’s first phone conversation? Natsu runs into Lucy at HER work? Come up with your own!

Yes Or No, should Natsu: and Lucy interact next chapter?:

If answered yes, how?

Other: (if you have any other ideas/requests for this story that wasn’t mentioned above- put here)

There is only one rule for this: No tragic/heavy angst ideas. This story is meant to be a comedy!

Part 1 | Part 3

“The Grocery store? You went and dragged me here?” The voice was agitated, laced with a sense of incredulity and disappointment. “This ain’t what I was expecting when you said you needed my assistance, Shrimp.”

Levy Mcgarden, local known ‘shrimp’ and bookworm, certainly wasn’t having it. Not with that attitude. Eyes scanning her list of items to grab, the blue-haired woman shuffled through her bag for a pen, ready to tick off any item she acquired and swiftly began her trek through the store with cart in both her hands. Her companion, a much taller man with metal studs covering his face, followed with exaggerated stomps in his steps. He may ACT as if he didn’t want to be there, but oh, she knew better. She could ask her boyfriend to take her to an Ice Rink wearing a pink hat and mittens and he’d do it; grumbling all the way. “The sparkling water I need is always on a high shelf, can you get the raspberry flavor for me?”

“Why would I- “ Gajeel, grunting his agitation while a thick arm moved to do just as asked, lifted a studded brow and stared at her. Was she ignoring his first question? “Whatever, you owe me for this, shortie.”

“Quit calling me names and I’ll buy you a treat!~” Was her answer, fingers tapping a rhythm on the handle as she thanked him. Always eager to help no matter what was said. It was one of the many reasons she enjoyed her time with him. Gajeel’s actions had always spoke louder than his words, after all. Winking, she continued to push her cart along to find the rest of her list. “And no, I don’t mean whatever you’re perverted mind was thinking of- I’m meaning a snack!”

“Hey! I wasn’t thinkin’ a damn thing!” He barked, sounding offended despite the telltale marks of red crossing his cheeks. Levy sighed, grinning at her tiny win as she crossed a box of tea leaves off her list. “Uh huh-” Levy monotoned, ticking a few more items off, “Then what WERE you thinking when I called you to come meet me at my apartment, hmm? You certainly looked WAY too disappointed by the sight of Lucy answering my door to be expecting anything else you pervert.”

“Oh please, I just thought you dyed your hair and suddenly grew a foot, easy mistake.”

“Ah!” A pause, the cart squealing to a stop as Levy grit her teeth and turned to face the man. Did he seriously just- she couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself to walk into that. Just when she felt she was getting the upper hand too! “Supid, stupid, Gajeel- are you trying to say I magically got HAIR Extensions too?!”

“Stranger things have happened.” The smug smirk was enough to make her stomp her foot in consternation. How dare he! Fixing him with a stern stare, Levy’s ire only grew when he chuckled, clearly not intimidated.

“You’re impossible.” She grumbled, returning her attention to her grocery list. Focus, focus- they didn’t need to cause a scene with his brand of flirting right in the middle of the aisle, did they? A squeak of surprise erupted from her when Gajeel’s arm suddenly wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her against his back as he hunched over her.

The smaller woman couldn’t deny how the sudden action had made her heart jump into her throat and cheeks flame as bright as a traffic light. Especially when his annoying laughter lowered a few octaves and rumbled against the shell of her ear.

“Gihee- I might be, but maybe I can show ya’ JUST how impossible I really am once I get your ass home-” A suggestive squeeze along her hip and a nip to her ear put Levy immediately into a mode that certainly wasn’t made for public spaces. Swallowing thickly, she wriggled herself from his arms and lightly tapped his stomach with her elbow.

“Gajeel! Not in public, you jerk!” She hissed, putting space between them. The roar of his laughter called forth many a stare and Levy was certain her body had warmed up to producing steam. “B-besides, -” She managed while pulling her crumbled nerves back together again, “Lucy’s staying the night: we can’t.”

The dark-haired man’s laughter died off, jaw dropping as he stared, “What?! Then what was th’point in bringing me along if you were having one of yer damned girly nights?!”

“Maybe I wanted to spend some time with you, stupid!” “Oh.” His face reverted right back to its earlier bluster and Levy took a mental moment to celebrate. That’s right, big guy- you can make your pervy innuendos all you want, but the moment I say something sweet, you’re PUTTY in my hands so EAT IT.

Obviously, he couldn’t read her mind, but he definitely got the point when she smirked imperiously and began her trek back through the aisles again. Some onlookers might think they were arguing, but the banter was all part of their dynamic. She had fun with it. So did he. It was just how they worked. Though, the offsetting silence that followed only made the both of them all too aware of the elevator type music echoing through the small store.

How do the cashiers not fall asleep here? She wondered to herself, not for the first time. Levy had been coming to this corner store for years, ever since she had moved in the apartment complex a few blocks down. It was nearby and hardly ever packed by other customers. Absolutely perfect for when she needed to just get in and get out with her groceries.

Although, the last time she needed items, her best friend Lucy had gone to get them instead. Quite the questionable material, in fact- and the moment her blonde friend had returned, cheeks bright red and chest heaving from a lack of air, the blonde had quickly informed Levy that she would never, ever, go out and buy a thing for her ever again.

‘Oh, come on Lu, it wasn’t THAT bad was it?’ She had asked- accepting her bag of items with ease. It wasn’t as if she had asked for the condoms for a fun romp with Gajeel, after all- (No seriously, it hadn’t been!) They were needed for a prank, a PRANK! … .If said prank so happened to be against the very man she often slept with anyway, well- that was merely coincidence.

‘It wasn’t bad, it was HORRIBLE. You can’t make me go there ever again, Levy!’ And still, not three weeks later, the smaller girl hadn’t learned the true story of what happened that day. Save a few, small details.

“So, why’s blondie over at your place again anyway?” Ah, casual conversation- a great way to break through those pesky silences. Levy mentally decided to buy him his favorite cookies for that. (Then again, she already had those on the list.) Shrugging, she ticked the last of her items and began the process of weaving her way back to the front of the store.

“She’s convinced the police will be knocking on her door any day now.” She replied, nose crunching together as she thought it over. “I keep telling her she’s fine, but she gets oddly paranoid about those things.”

Gajeel’s confusion was clear- as well as completely understood. “Ya’ wanna provide context for that, shortie?”

A huff and a glare was sent his way, only to be met by a smirk and Levy threw a hand into the air to wave his question off. “Something about stealing some woman’s groceries and a stolen twenty? I don’t know, she got all flustered and embarrassed and didn’t give me all the details.”

“Huh, never thought she’d have it in her to steal something…”

She paused, brows scrunching together before her gaze slid back towards her boyfriend, “You’re still at the academy, no threatening to arrest her.”

“Pfft, don’t take my fun away.” It looked like an entirely new banter was about to start, with Levy lifting a finger to prod it into Gajeel’s arm, frowning in mock consternation, but no further words could escape her mouth. Stepping out towards the registers seemed the equivalent to a gate opening and letting forth a whirlwind the two of them had not been expecting.

That whirlwind being in the form of a pink-haired Cashier, fists slamming down his ‘register closed’ sign as he practically leaped over the bagging area and stomped his way straight towards them; the employee apron slipped off in a smooth motion, quickly being flung over his shoulder like an old, forgotten towel. Levy took an instinctive step back as his intensely focused eyes drilled into hers and barely noticed her boyfriend tense up and immediately move on the defensive.

“Hey, pal, the hell do ya you’re doing-” the cashier ignored him, pointing towards Levy with wide eyes.

“You’re Levy, right?! Blue hair, talking about stolen groceries and a twenty?!” Brown eyes widened and the stunned woman stared, unsure of how to respond. How did he- how did he know her name?!

“Don’t you ignore me, twerp- back off from my girl!” Muscles bulged as Gajeel moved to step between them- eyes narrowed and voice turning into a dangerous growl. One that meant business, but the boy merely leaned his head over to keep his eyes trained on her with a stubborn curiosity that matched her own when she found a book she adored.

“Are you or are ya’ not the chick who sent a blonde here a coupl’a weeks ago to buy her TROJANS?!”

The whirlwind suddenly turned into a loud echo that left every person in the store turning to look back at the trio and Levy felt her entire body grow still while all her blood focused on her face. Traffic lights paled in comparison. Gajeel, just as stunned, turned his head to look back at her and raised a brow.

“He talkin’ about those condom balloons you filled with glitter all over my apartment?” He asked numbly.

Levy Mcgarden had a realization in that very moment. “W-wait a moment- you can’t just, erm- eh?!”

Lucy was right! I’m never coming here AGAIN!

#Like a Trojan #Nalu Fanfiction #Fairy Tail Fanfiction #Mira's Fanfiction #Gajevy #Nalu #surprise!#i'm making more to this little thing #was going to try working on flame's desire #but after the mental blocks i've been having #i decided to work on the comedic one first #to help me out #anyway #i wanted to try something a little different with this #so i hope people participate in the event above and send me their ideas!

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chromsai · 6 years

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GX Review

I’ve finished my long, grueling trek through GX and so now it’s time for a quick review. I don’t want to make this too long because I don’t wanna continue rambling on the same points I made throughout my liveblog, so let’s get this goin’ already...

Season 1 (Episodes 1 - 52)

This beginning fourth of the show introduces us rather gently to GX’s trend of “filler” episodes, or, rather, episodes that introduce us to villains-of-the-week that serve as fodder for our protagonist (and sometimes for GX’s side cast characters). Yes, GX is that kind of show. While I’d say it’s worthy to note that not every episode or characters is exactly boring, what is boring is GX’s complete refusal to build up its own world beyond just the span of the perspective of a few characters. It’s such a shame, really, because the concept of a world which takes dueling to a whole new, professional and academic level is quite interesting but it’s not explored much this season. That being said, certain characters are fun and have interesting enough beginning development brewing up slowly, however the group of main villains introduced in the second half are almost all incompetent and lacking in any appeal to the main cast, and even less so to the audience. They’re overall forgettable, as are most of the episodes this season. It certainly doesn’t help the side cast’s appeal that the majority of the duels are dependent on Judai, the protagonist’s, victory, leading us to quickly (and appropriately) assume that even they are easily expendable. Still, there are fun moments here and there, especially when the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is something that GX later tries to “fix”.

Production value-wise, it’s passable in terms of animation and sound design (which admittedly gets repetitive), but not anything to write home about.

Overall rating for this arc: 2.7/5

Season 2 (Episodes 53 - 104)

Season 2 introduces a bit more of a proper overarching conflict throughout the next 50 or so episodes. We’re introduced to a cynical villain and a new rival for Judai that leads him to develop... or so we would figure. While it does indeed seem so at first that Judai is about to undergo a bit of growth, mainly Judai’s defeat to this new “rival”, Edo Phoenix, leads him to the discovery of a new archetype that he tacks onto his deck as easily as that. While this season has a bit less of the villain-of-the-week -esque episodes, it still drags along its cast to near helpless states, which Judai is expected to eventually save them from. The overall plot focuses on the main villain Saiou and his relationship with Edo, however the spotlight is stubbornly set on Judai and of course all other characters are as expendable as Judai is the protagonist, and oh boy is he ever the protagonist.

We get a bit more world building but nothing is ever expanded upon too thoroughly as all the world building we get is mostly through side-character agency, which, as you may have already noted, doesn’t ever last too long. Production value-wise, it’s about the same as Season 1. For me, the most enjoyable moments included expansion on Edo’s backstory and Hell Kaiser Ryo’s fall into the corrupted underground duels scene, but again... those moments aren’t too often. I’ll give this season a bit more points for at least keeping a consistent plot line running, even if it was marred with nonsense and irrational interactions between some of the more, in my opinion, potentially interesting characters of GX’s cast.

Overall rating for this arc: 2.9/5

Season 3 (Episodes 105 - 156)

Ho boy.

Not sure how many people read my review of DM, but this arc suffers from a lot of the similar issues found in the Doma arc of that show.

I want to emphasize that up until now, the show’s central themes (about... having fun with dueling... and.... believing in your cards (?), as well as... growing up (???), destiny(?!??!???)) have not only been vague and jumbled, they’ve also been laughably weak, so when GX decided to use this season to finally “get serious” about addressing it’s “maturer” tones, you can probably guess how that played out. Hint: it plays out as well as any fanfic tagged under the “#angst #war au #self-insert” tags you’d find on the 13th page of AO3 at 3am after your 8th shot of vodka because you’ve lost control of your life, just as this show has lost control of all sense of its identity.

It’s illogical, melodramatic, dreary, predictable, and just a drag to get through. When Judai’s “friends” aren’t sucking on his poor, abused teet, then you can bet the show is doing its damnedest to appeal for you to take your turn too. It envelops him in this over-glorifying aura that just screams “look at me, I can do the development too” but then falls flat, settling on an anticlimactic plot twist that makes you question why you didn’t just skip to the last episode.

It has a few quirks here and there, I’ll give it that. A few sassy lines from a character here or there makes it a clever show, right?

Overall rating for this arc: 1.5/5

P.S. Yes, this is the season every ardent GX fan wants you to see. This is the one that makes it “worth it”. Right.

Season 4 (Episodes 157 - 180)

Just when you thought the worst is past you, your beloved GX characters have made it back to their regular daily lives, more or less, but then, suddenly, you’re enshrouded by endless DAAARRRKNESSS.

DAAAAAARRRKKKNEEESSSSS.

DAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRKKNEEESSSSSS.

*Ahem*

Judai returns as well, having developed into a much less sociable young man. He’s oh so very pleasant to be around now that he actively ignores his friends, but, of course, this is due to the traumatic experiences he went through in Season 3. He’s now a grown up. A fully fledged adult. And mature. And the show will make sure you know this. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem.

Judai withstanding, which is now extremely difficult to do for this show apparently, I can promise you that none of your favorite characters will receive proper treatment throughout this arc and only a very limited number of them will receive a proper send off. And the plot for this arc? Well. It’s pretty DARK. As in there is not a single shining fleck of light emanating from this rushed story line of a final arc.

Overall rating for this arc: 0.6/5 (I stand by my belief that 4Kids’ decision to end their dub of this show at the end of Season 3 was the correct narrative choice to make for this show).

Final Overall Rating for this show: 1.9/5.

Final thoughts: My final calculated score may seem rough but I agree with it. GX is not well written and, to be fair, that may have been due to the fact that, as the first spin-off of this anime franchise, the show’s producers seemed to have had an air of skepticism when approaching it. While I enjoyed watching it as a kid, a fresher perspective on GX didn’t bode me as well as I initially believed it would. I did enjoy some of the cast of characters, but I found their written development overall disappointing. And Judai for me could have been a likable protagonist but he ends up coming off as pretty insufferable and egotistical by the end of the show. Despite this, I think the rating I gave it reflects that there is something salvageable from it: character concepts and alternative theories of its under-developed and underutilized ideas. Nevertheless, it almost hurts me to say this because I do still see it as having been a part of my childhood, but I see now that it is no longer a show for me and I think it’s best I’ll keep it in my past.

Bonus note: Having revisited some clips of the dub, I believe it to be the more enjoyable of the two versions due to the fact that it doesn’t tend to take itself as overly serious so its themes don’t come off as disingenuous as the original version definitely does.

#sai watches gx #ygo hell challenge #i don’t wanna say much more...#yes i know the seasons have names but i don't care

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