#this whole scene was just amazing as a character introduction and i'm so sad we haven't gotten anything half as good since.

[petratherrock]

Watched Kung Fu Panda 4

I have...feelings...

Spoilers ahead

I didn't like it.

I can't believe there comes a day when I say that I don't like a Kung Fu Panda movie. The previous three have been amazing, all three of them imo

This one tho....

1. It irked me that the Furious Five didn't make an appearance, like, they're friends??? I understand it's probably budgeting issue, Beyonce and Jackie Chan, Ian McShane and Gary Oldman all in one movie is probably not affordable

But come on???

2. When Tai Lung appeared in the first 5minutes I was hyped that they might be redeeming him and Po will be choosing him as the Dragon Warrior

I know, it's not possible because he's literally been sent to the other realm but c'mon

For the sake of the plot i would've accepted any twist if it means he gets to be the Dragon Warrior

It would've been delicious, but nope my hope was dashed.

My bad i guess lol

3. Look, introducing a new character to be The Dragon Warrior just doesn't sit right with me. The story was uber cliche

I could smell the "i was taken in by villain and so I'm leading you to your doom and now i regret it we're friends again and I get to be the chosen one" from the moment Zhen pulled the 'was taken in by someone' thing

Call it misogyny. Maybe it is.

But I'm really sure i won't have any problem with it if they wrote Tigress or Snake as the Dragon Warrior

It's not about Zhen's gender.

It's about how it's written

4. It just felt like they wanted to cram as much as possible in a movie resulting in a chaotic but predictable storyline

I was bored. It didn't interest me as much as I always did with the previous movies

A lot of jokes also kinda fell flat which is sad because I always find the jokes in Kung Fu Panda really funny

5. I miss the Furious Five friendships with Po.

Esp Po and Tigress.

Viola Davis as The Kameleon tho? 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 I adore her voice. 💯/💯

I wish there's more time to develop her story because The Kameleon was terrifying--quite possibly the most terrifying KP villain. Totally overpowered at the end, but even before that when she could turn into just anything she wanted, she was already terrifying af imo

If they'd just use other characters in the franchise that we already know, they wouldn't have to waste sm time introducing Zhen and making us empathize and like her, thus giving more time for us to feel for the villainess or elaborate her story like Tai Lung, Lord Shen, Kai

Maybe it was just me tho. Maybe I'm too old for KP and it's catered for children so now it falls flat for me

She just came outta nowhere, little lore, introduces herself in a few sentences and we're expected to take Po and Zhen's side because she's the villain. There! Is! Not! Enough! Material! To go on with!

Too many redundant scenes

Once again, I blame the writing and introduction of a whole new character just to make her the Dragon Warrior

[flower-boi16]

The Ghost and Molly Mcgee is cute

Recently I just talked about the current era of Disney TVA, and I mentioned that I'm going to make a review of The Ghost and Molly Mcgee in that post. Well...here it is! I don't really know how to make an introduction here, so...let's begin.

1. Art Style and Animation

First, let's talk about this show's visuals. I like how this show looks, it does kind of look like it was made in some kind of tweening software like Flash or Toon Boom, and I think the art style looks quite nice here. The character designs look quite nice too, they look bouncy and expressive. The colors look nice and there are some really good-looking scenes in this show as well.

2. The Songs

The Ghost and Molly Mcgee is a musical series, so it's going to have songs in it. The songs in this show aren't half bad; They're pretty nice and catchy. Some of them are mildly cringe-inducing but most of them are nice to listen to. The songs I liked the most were "You've Been Jinxed", "Enjoy Your Afterlife", "Ghosts Aren't the Enemy", "If You Believe" and "In Your Mind". The songs are pretty short but they are still nice. The show doesn't have the best soundtrack of any cartoon I've heard, but it's pretty solid.

3. Characters

Alright, now we've talked about the superficial elements of this show; let's talk about the characters.

Molly- I like Molly. She's one of those "optimistic and joyful" female characters that we've seen throughout the media. But that is far from a bad thing, and I actually like this character archetype a lot of the time. Molly isn't any different; she's a good protagonist. She's a likable and fun character that I enjoy watching on screen.

Scratch - Scratch is Molly's ghost-best friend who's the usual cynical friend to the overly optimistic protagonist. I also do like Scratch as a character, he's just really funny and his development throughout the series is nice. And also I like the plotline with him discovering his past in season 2, I hope they start exploring more of it (or maybe that mind episode was the end of that plotline but maybe they'll explore Scratch's past more idk). Also, Molly and Scratch's friendship is pretty cute, they have a good dynamic and chemistry with each other.

Libby - Libby is kinda like Willow from The Owl House; the shy girl being best friends with the bright-eyed and optimistic protagonist. She's fine. I like her dynamic with Molly like Scratch, they also have good chemistry with each other and her whole story with her neglectful father in that one episode was pretty sad. Don't have much to say about her other than she's fine.

The Other Mcgees - I decided to lump these guys into one section because I don't have much to say about them individually. First we have Molly's father Pete, Molly's mother Sharon, and her little brother Darryl. Like all the other characters, they're fine. Pete and Sharon are good supportive parent characters and Darryl is a mischievous boy who still cares for his siblings and friends. They, like most other characters in this show, are fine and enjoyable to watch.

Ollie - Alright, I might get some hate for this but...I like Ollie. Sure he's not an amazing character but his relationship with Molly is cute and I like the development he got in the episode The Haunting of Brighton Video, where he feels guilt over hunting ghosts. That's good development for him, so ya, Ollie is a good character.

The Other Chens- Like with Molly's family I decided to lump in the rest of Ollie's family into one section due to me not being able to say much about them. They are one of the main antagonists for season 2, they are a family of ghost hunters who came to Brighton because they detected ghostly activity there. They work pretty well as antagonists throughout season 2, and I'm interested to see where the show goes with them.

Andrea - Andrea initially looks like the generic "Mean girl overly obsessed with smartphones" type of character, and she does admittedly kind of start out as that, but she does actually develop into a nicer character who is a good person but just has a REALLY shitty pair of parents, who neglect her to the point where she has to sell things to herself in order to try and get their attention. Once again, Andrea's a good character with a fun little personality and good dynamic with Molly and the other characters.

So the characters aren't amazing or anything, but they're all fun and likable and have really fun and interesting relationships with each other that keeps me engaged with them.

4. The Comedy

The jokes in this show are pretty good. There were a lot of things I laughed at and the slapstick is pretty entertaining as well. But my biggest issue with the comedy (and the show overall)...is the use of toilet humor. Like, there are WAAAAY too many jokes that revolve around the characters stepping on shit and I remember there being a few fart jokes in this. Don't remember what episode it is, I just remembered that the show did have at least one fart joke in it. So ya, the only major issue with the show is its use of toilet humor in some points, but aside from that, the show's comedy is pretty solid.

5. Conclusion

The Ghost and Molly Mcgee is a pretty good show. It's not a masterpiece or anything, but there's a lot of entertainment value you can get out of this show that makes it a fun watch. It's a cute show with good characters, great-looking animation and a decent soundtrack.

Score: 7/10

[hezuart]

Heya! Just wanna say I can't wait for more about your au and also what is your favourite L. Game from concept art to design?

Hi! <3 L Game? as in Little Nightmares?

I'll go least fav to fav 3. Very Little Nightmares. Tiny mobile app screen where you tap to control. The screen cannot recognize my meaty fingers's input!!!!! UGH I'm just annoyed with the controls. The story was fine I suppose but felt like it lacked something. Lacked some oomph. Lacked true moments of horror. Not made by the original developers. Was the first LN game to introduce the fact that there are other children out there with scary supernatural powers. This LN game was a side story for the explanation behind the hanging man from LN 1. (At least... kind of.... the hanging man is a weird situation thanks to the comics...) It's an odd Six cop-out. We're led to believe this character we are playing is Six, only to reveal at the end she's a whole different character and then just... immediately killing her off. We can't even figure out who she is as a person. We don't really have any interactions with other characters enough to solidify her personality. I did adore the hidden easter eggs in the game. Nome with a bow was cute. I was curious about the other enemies and their circumstances, like why the butler is handcuffed. Where the girl's mother was. How so many kids end up at the Nest. Really only lead to more questions than answers.

2. LN1 is really good. Heavy Ghibli inspiration. A great introduction to a dark world, a unique dollhouse camera angle perspective style. A slight rocking to the screen to indicate you're on a boat. The amazing lighting. The finale; Six walking off sucking out souls of the guests that chased her to eat her, when she's now eating them. Perfect revenge power trip. Knowing she no longer has to physically consume things anymore. The nome she killed, but all the nomes she hugged still coming over to watch her leave (?) great scenes... The DLC introduced tough water mechanics that glitched out the physics engine but still were interesting enough for the DLC character. Showcasing a true addition to the Maw to peak the interest of viewers. The horrific and terribly sad ending and plot twist that took everyone by shock. Despite its glitches and perspective-deaths, its still overall a solid game. 1. LN2. I'll admit LN 1 is more put together than the second game. The sequel (or prequel rather) seemed messy in development, like they weren't sure where to really go with it. They had a lot of rough concepts and a lot of it seemed to get scrapped mid-production. Seems like they even intended for heavy DLC exploration with other children too. With how it turned out, its a pretty decent game. But knowing the scrapped DLC content and alt. directions the story was gonna take, it feels like a bit of a confused narrative. We got confirmation that the children really do turn into grotesque adults. That there are other children with creepy powers. We know of Shadow Six's origins. We know why people flee to the Maw or other places away from the mainland. The concepts are frankly more fascinating than the finished story, (children plugged into tvs, Mono feeding Six or Six feeding Mono, giant ???? meat baby???? you can't top THAT) tho the finished story is probably cleaner than the latter. Six dropping Mono at the end was so shocking to everyone and after thinking hard about it, I can't find any real logistical or emotional reason for her to do so. I think it was just genuinely a forced in betrayal for shock value. And hey, it certainly was shock value. Despite this game ending in completion, or really, a loop... and despite it being a PREQUEL... I can't help but feel like this game ends on a cliffhanger to me. Like there's more to the story. There's stuff untold about this universe. So LN 2 and LN1 are really close in favoritism. LN2 had the most fascinating concept art ...without Ghibli Bath Houses to take inspiration from like in LN1, so they really took it in risky directions. But I still acknowledge LN1 is more solid of the two. I think I just enjoy the LN2 mechanics a bit more. I like working together with Six, though frankly I was really disappointed learning that LN2 was in fact, not a multiplayer game. That Six gets separated from Mono several times throughout. I have plenty more to say about these games but this is probably the simplest assessment to give right now!

[cloverthirteen]

unsorted (and spoilery) mario movie thoughts under the cut since I saw it today

first to get it out of the way: critics apparently complained about the plot being too simple and straightforward, none of the characters changed that much, too much stuff being thrown at you and too many references...it's a mario movie. this is basically what the plots of the games are. if anything these things helped the movie by making feel more like the games!

for my personal issues: first half of the film goes at an absolute breakneck pace and luigi doesn't get to do nearly enough. mario and luigi also spend way too much time apart :(

otherwise, though, THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING. it was clearly made by fans and caters directly to fans, the amount of easter eggs and references is enormous.

THE MUSIC. nearly all of it is BEAUTIFUL orchestral versions of songs from the series and it's everywhere and in the most unexpected places. underground theme in the sewers, bowser's castle theme as his fortress is approaching, super mario 3 athletic theme (I think?) when mario gets the tanooki suit, mario kart menu music in the kart garage, LUIGI'S MANSION MELODY WHEN LUIGI FIRST ENTERS BOWSER'S KINGDOM? I am kissing all of the orchestra members and composers DIRECTLY on the mouth for their work. and if we're talking about music...

DK RAP BABY!!!!! the crowd loves that guy! they even name-drop diddy kong during the scene!

there are also a few pop songs in the movie, though take on me during the introduction to the jungle kingdom is the only one that felt really out of place

the bros' path to their first job being a recreation of world 1-1 complete with a castle-like building at the end...that scene was totally there to show off but it's very neat

MARIO AND LUIGI ARE BEST BROS...mario gets to protect luigi from insults and luigi gets to say that any princess with good taste would be into mario...their relationship is the BEST and I'm so sad we didn't get to see them directly interacting more...

somehow I wasn't expecting bowser's plan being to marry peach since it was left out of the trailers...but it's hilarious seeing bowser plan it all out and they even got bowser's and peach's wedding outfits from odyssey, so it was perfect

I was a bit worried that they would lean too hard on peach being a do-anything Girlboss™ but while she's tough she's clearly got her kind side too! protecting her people is her biggest concern and it's even exploited by bowser!

bowser gets to sing a love song for peach with bisexual lighting and everything. you can tell jack black was having the time of his life

speaking of the voice cast, they all did really well! I didn't have many doubts as a whole but even chris pratt was great as mario. didn't think I'd ever write that sentence but it's true

kamek was such a proud dad to bowser despite his limited screentime. love it

I'm not sure why spike was part of the initial advertised voice cast because he's barely in the movie lol

out of all the powerups I expected to return, I was not expecting the mini mushroom and ice flower, but they were incorporated very well!

other things I didn't really expect: mario and dk having a rivalry that builds into a friendship was cute. also they straight up get swallowed by the mario 64 eel

princess peach backstory?????? at least in the movie canon she isn't from the mushroom kingdom and just arrived via warp pipe from...somewhere as a baby. also using the baby versions of peach and the bros for flashbacks is incredibly cheesy but also cute in its own way

there were surprisingly few cringeworthy or self aware jokes and no awkward overly long gags, which must be some kind of first for illumination based on what I remember

the animation was spectacular as expected. rainbow road looks fucking gorgeous and the character animation was fun to watch

no really romantic moments between mario and peach unfortunately, though we did get a lot of very nice interactions between the two overall so I hope they build on their relationship in a potential sequel

so yeah...it's good and very fun. go see it if you haven't already!!

[naughtygirl286]

Yes we finally went to see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (aka Black Panther 2) everyone who was going could go so the tickets were bought and we all showed up in the lobby before the movie started

Also yes there was plenty of Black Panther stuff down at the theater which of course included cups and buckets! you can read more about that here.

As for the movie I thought it was very good! I did enjoy it and I feel that all the Marvel movies are more like chapters in the larger story and this was a pretty good chapter in that context.

It probably would have been a completely different movie if Chadwick Boseman didn't pass away, but what we got was pretty good

I'm sure alot of ppl wanted to see how they would handle things in regards to him not being there and I think they did a good job at the first of the movie somewhat explaining what happened where it was like an "unknown illness" and the whole funeral scene and all that was very impressive and I felt they gave him a true King's send off with all that.

alot of the movie deals with grief and loss and trying to move forward with life after some who you loved and cared for passes away. I can only imagine how everyone was feeling when filming this it must have been hard at time to do certain scenes. It was a very emotional movie at times and ppl were all saying stuff like they sobbed through the whole movie becasue it was overwhelmingly emotional and full of sadness and all that. Now me personally honestly I didn't shed a tear or get emotional at all during the movie and didn't feel sad or anything. They had a nice tribute to Chadwick Boseman at the end of the movie where Letitia Wright's Shuri is remembering her brother and all the good times and letting him go so to speak which was very touching but didn't at the same time it didn't effect my feels/emotions at all.

I think that was partly becasue I was more interested in other aspects of the movie and not focused on the absence of Chadwick Boseman but more focused on the introduction of characters like Namor who is a very prominent character in the Marvel Universe and was interested in how they would bring him to the big screen.

Now I thought Tenoch Huerta did an amazing job as Namor he looked the part and he acted the part although I did feel that he was a bit soft at time where I thought Namor would be more stern or aggressive becasue he is not a very nice guy alot of the time from my exposure to him in the comics but I do feel that Tenoch Huerta absolutely nailed it also Mabel Cadena as Namora I didn't recognize her at first until her name was said and then I was like oh thats her! I kinda had a feeling it might have been her being she looks completely different then she does comic wise and Alex Livinalli as Attuma and I thought he did an excellent job with him and the look of the character was you could tell it was Attuma.

Another interesting addition to this was introducing the character of Riri Williams aka Ironheart I can't say I'm a fan of the character and in a way I felt she was kinda shoed into this and becasue kinda like this whats the word? MacGuffin? for I would say the first half of the movie until she is rescued by the Wakandans and begins to work on her suit with Shuri don't get me wrong Dominique Thorne was great in this but I just felt that she was kinda shoed into this to be a plot point. Also I know she is getting a Disney show and I guarantee it that ppl are going to be all "its that IronGirl from Wakanda Forever" when that show starts. Also everyone else who returned to the movie did an amazing job also reprising their roles Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Winston Duke and Martin Freeman were all fantastic.

The score was great there was some nice music in this and apparently a song by Rihanna which was suppose to be the title song was playing during the credits but didn't pay too much attention to it being I was talking to friends while we waited for the mid credits scene. I'll probably listen to it later to see what its like.

of course the production design and costumes were all amazing and it was cool to see the world of Wakanda fleshed out more from the first movie.

The fights and action were great also but I don't find there was alot of action in this one it was a bit more dramatic and extremely story centric with lots of dialogue and subtitles the cool thing though was the subtitles were color coded for different langues which I thought was a interesting idea.

Also the visual effects in this were quite amazing all the all the sea life that was created was impressive, having Namor fly with his classic winged ankles was awesome and the whole scene where they take a tour of Talokan (the Atlantis of the MCU) that was extremely impressive all the under water stuff that was don't was visually amazing.

Now here is the part that ppl might not like and it would probably be considered an "unpopular opinion" but after watching both Black Adam and Wakanda Forever I personally and the other 5 people in our movie group who watched these with me we all agreed that Black Adam was a better movie. After Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was over and everyone was talking before the mid-credit scene everyone agreed that we all seemed to have enjoyed Black Adam more then Wakanda Forever one of my friends said they felt Wakanda Forever was too "scattered" and they were doing to much at one time

It was a good movie and I did enjoy it for the most part and as I said above this was a good chapter in the MCU storyline Its going to be interesting to see what is going to happens next. the only thing I guess I am sad about is that we didn't get to see the original version of what the movie was suppose to be, but out there in the vastness of the Multiverse there is a Black Panther: Wakanda Forever staring Chadwick Boseman but on this Earth this one was pretty good.

[helicarrier]

Then what is it? Yoga? The Avengers (2012) | Joss Whedon

[moiloru]

😇Angel Beats! Review!🎸

Hello and welcome to a new anime review! Today, I'll be reviewing a true anime classic: Angel Beats!

Angel Beats! is one of the most well-known anime of the 2010s, so I don't think I need to introduce it much. Still, it is a drama & supernatural anime that aired in 2010, so it's already quite old! It has thirteen episodes.

As I said in my introduction, this anime is a classic, which means you've probably heard its name at least once. It has many fans, and rightfully, because it's a good anime. Yet, I believe it is still pretty overrated and not the masterpiece some say it is...

In terms of plot, this anime is interesting in theory but in application, the story is forgettable. It's supposed to be sad, but... it's really not. Maybe I'm just heartless, but I didn't feel sad even once when watching this anime.

It's not told very well, some details make little sense, and while each individual episode is good on its own, the whole thing is nothing to write home about. Luckily, this anime has some pretty funny scenes and quirks to (partly) make up for it!

Where this anime scores some points is with the characters. The two mains are (really) good, and the supporting cast is decent without being amazing. At least, they work well together, and the dynamics are pretty cool.

The animation is pretty good for something that's twelve years old. Of course, we have prettier things nowadays, but it hasn't aged badly at all! The artstyle is pretty charming, too.

Musically, this anime is very good, no questions asked. People praise Angel Beats! for its OST, and it definitely is praiseworthy. The OP is a banger, too, both to the eyes and to the ears.

Overall, this anime is good. Not more than that, but good, especially near the end. Nostalgia probably makes people overrate it, but it's not a waste of time. I would recommend it!

Down below is the tierlist for the characters in this anime! Thank you for reading this review!

[palbabor-writes]

*Sits in my therapy couch*

Oh boy I have some Thots to share about the MVA arc. Idk if you've seen the rest of the episodes by the time you get this ask, but just to make sure uhhh pls don't read until you have lol.

I know a lot of people have been really upset about how MVA was adapted, nothing in depth, i never looked too closely at anyone else's opinions because i wanted to see everything as a whole before i developed any opinions.

With that said....I do like what we got of MVA arc. To an extent.

I like what we got, some episodes more than others, how it wraps up everything more or less. Like most of what I consider important, they did fine with. Sad Man's Parade?? Excellent episode as a whole. Shigaraki's backstory episodes were also great for the most part. (Tho, I'm not fond of the fact they sprinkled some bits of his backstory in earlier episodes as like, some sorta wink-wink nudge nudge to the audience. I'd rather have had it all as a single whole in a cohesive fashion)

The rest of it? Ehh. You can really tell they cut out content that they shouldn't have. I thought the beginning part of season 5 was amazing and it kills me that there wasn't the same level of care during MVA. Wonky off model faces (dabi what have they done to you, you're not even 6 ft-) or detail that was lost to cut corners i feel (that scene where shiggy decayed that mob of people was just. two. frames.)

Side character arcs being shafted or cut completely, spinner im sorry dude you were supposed to be the narrator. A friend pointed out to me that this'll bite them in the ass later because his character arc becomes really important later on for his relationship with shigaraki and to the league as a whole?? and anime onlys are gonna be like ??? wtf why is spinner getting attention like this now?? (SO angry they left out the "beautiful horizon" line)

Like, holy shit Re-Destro's whole introduction. In the anime all he does is make a phonecall to shiggy, threatening to call the heroes on him if he didn't come for a high noon showdown. He just comes into play as a smiling politician, and then away from the cameras he casually murders one of his followers like it was nothing. that's an establishing character moment that should not have been cut out! And just...yanno. Some tiny world building that add context to the storyline as a whole. Sure you might not need it, but a little extra seasoning is appreciated. Toga's quirk therapy, the fuckin KKK esque anima meta quirk cult people. Hate that they were cut out.

anyway uh those are my thoughts, sorry this got so long lmao

hey, hey! sorry this took me so long to get to, but i finally watched all of season 5 & saw the movie this past weekend and i... well, idk what i was hoping for when it came to that, but the movie definitely DID NOT make up for what a mash up some of this season felt like.

warning: major spoilers for BNHA season 5 below the cut

totally agree with you about sad man's parade and the full Tenko backstory episodes! although nothing will ever, EVER compare to the beauty of Horikoshi's artwork and nuance, i was comforted by the care BONES poured into those frames.

however, was also kinda frustrated that they didn't give Tenko/Tomura his red eyes. i always figured that his mother and sister might have them - it makes sense, both genetically and thematically, for that to be a shared trait - not something that inherently symbolizes trauma? evilness? freaky-deaky eye color shifting??? after all, Bakugo has red eyes and they seem to be a seminormal occurrence in the general population as a whole, sooooooo why were Tenko's greyish brown?

but i digress...

because, like you mentioned, SPINNER is a much larger issue & that i do take an active issue with.

when we got to the MVA arc in the manga, it was such a massive switch up because suddenly the villains are our protagonists. we see their struggles and catch a glimpse of what the world, and hero society, looks like through their eyes. And for a downtrodden and discriminated person like Iguchi, (and i put person here because it seems like some of us kinda forget that Spinner is a MAN, not an animal, even though he has a mutation/quirk that makes him look like an iguana/lizard dude, he is a human, with a human brain, impulses & emotions) we see that life in this quirk based society is pretty fucked up.

the first group they square off against is a literal cult called the Creature Rejection Clan and their acolytes hate and actively persecute those who they deem as "abnormal," which in this case often refers to humans with animal like features. sure, they're called fossils but the rhetoric that they spew has always been present in the society of BNHA; it's just usually cloaked as microaggressions, and as we're told in the first chapter:

two of the biggest, or at least the most frequent, perpetrators of these anti-mutant microaggressions are the Todoroki boys. we first see it with Shotō, back during the Stain arc & then with Dabi in the Overhaul arc:

and neither of these are “accidental.” they’re both saying these dehumanizing names purposefully; for Shotō it’s undermining the authority of the police chief, whose assessment of his involvement in the rescue of Native & Iida goes against what Shotō deems to be “true” and “righteous” heroics that saved lives - and for Dabi, well, he’s likely just doing it to irk Spinner, but it shows how low of an estimation he holds for this “lizard” shaped human. 

and don’t think the fact that these are children of Endeavor escapes my notice either. sure, some of this is societal, but the shit we say out loud we’ve often learned is acceptable behavior from the examples that our family and loved ones set for us at a young age. 

but the absolute destruction of Spinner’s involvement in BONES’ adaptation of the MVA arc is pathetic, imo. because quirk acceptance, or non-acceptance in this case, and the Meta Libration’s mission is a MASSIVE point for the overall tone of the upcoming war arc:

and don’t get me started on Re-Destro; they completely took away his impact and terror with that crumby entrance that they shoved together - what with him just sipping on wine & sounding like he’s joking around with the league. because idk if ya’ll remember, but Re-Destro’s original entrance is nothing short of bone chilling in the manga:  

like... we didn’t know who the fuck that WAS.

and he just shows up in a commercial, where he’s all smiles, and then brutally SNAPS THE NECK OF HIS MUTANT ASSISTANT. i’m sorry... imma be what? who? guh. the missed impact of that boggles the mind. and sure, it’s a kid show, censorship, WHATEVER - but Midoriya oozed buckets upon buckets of blood in the new movie - so shoo with that, i don’t wanna hear it.

anywhoo! thanks so much for replying friend! i always love hearing your takes and as always you were spot on with so many of the things that needled under my skin during the watch. i get we wanna sell that the kids are cute, and look at this new and “improved” Endeavor guy, but they missed so much of the meat and potatoes with the MVA portion of the season & for me... the new movie didn’t make up for any of that trimming. 

but lemme know what y’all think!   

[dtrhwithalex]

TV | Leverage (Season 2, Rewatch)

Rewatch of the second season of TNT's LEVERAGE (2008-2012), created by John Rogers and Chris Downey together with Dean Devlin and his production company Electric Entertainment.

In anticipation of the show's reboot / revival / sequel LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION coming to IMDbTV on 09 July this year, I am rewatching the original 77 episodes and writing about my favourite moments and things from each episode, season by season.

201: THE BEANTOWN BAILOUT JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 15 July 2009.

We here at the Rabbit Hole adore the Beantown Bailout Job very much (and by we I mean me). It is such a great season-opener and everything about it sets up the season so nicely. Also let me just say, I love the cheesy intro. I like to imagine that this plays on whatever website the clients usually end up finding the team. It would be so confusing. And wonderful.

This episode, of course, also introduces another of my favourite characters: Lt. Patrick Bonanno, State Police. And I am very sad that there is zero chance we'll ever get to see him in the reboot, since the wonderful Robert Blanche has unfortunately passed away last year. Bonanno was such a fantastic addition to this show and I love him very much. He is just brilliant in every episode he is in.

Aside from the introduction of Bonanno, Beantown is a brilliant episode for various reasons, but I wanna talk about this one most of all. John Rogers talked about this on his blog, I think -- not one member of the team can come straight out and admit that they need the others. It is the impromptu meeting at Sophie's performance that brings them together again (very much against Nate's best attempts). Only once they're at McRory's and Parker suggests stealing something to cheer up Sophie is when they all fess up and tell Nate that they want this team back together again. And then, of course, we have one of my favourite sequences in this entire show: Nate forcefully being bullied back into this family. They do exactly what he did to them in The Second David Job -- they get him to contribute knowledge to the case that they, allegedly, lack. And he knows what they're doing, of course, he's not an idiot. Well played, indeed.

I would also like to personally thank one Nadine Haders, this show's most brilliant costume designer, for every single piece of clothing she put on Christian Kane for this episode. That green sweater with the brown jeans jacket? All my love to you, Nadine. All of it. Also, uncharacteristically, Nate has some very good looks in this episode (the man looks healthy for once!) and I am unreasonably mad about it (actually, he has some very good looks this entire season).

One last thing: I would like to have a word with whoever decided to play the Andy Lange song here that Sophie's departure in The Two Live Crew Job is set to. It makes this first half of the season a circle. Who do I need to have words with? Who?

202: THE TAP-OUT JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 22 July 2009.

An absolutely amazing episode for Eliot but also very much for Sophie. They are the Conference Of Mom Friends, and I adore them very much, thank you. It is a fantastic episode for them individually, but especially also for the specific relationship these two people have. There is an amazing post floating around on this website (this one here) talking exactly about this episode and Eliot and Sophie in the role of protectors in their team, their family.

There are a few scenes here that I really like and really, most of them are about or with Eliot. I love in the briefing at the hotel that Eliot does not just dismiss Sophie's misunderstanding of wrestling, but takes the time to explain to her what the sport is about -- and she listens. We also here get a nice glimpse at the fact that Eliot teaches them certain fighting skills and self-defence techniques, which I just love so much. Just as Sophie coaches them all in their grifts, he makes sure that they all have a certain know-how in fighting and protecting themselves. It's so good.

I am also very fond of both the moment where Eliot brings Sophie to the restaurant to meet with Rucker, but also Sophie showing up at the gym at night to talk to Eliot while he's preparing for the fight against Tank. Eliot gives away so much of himself in this episode, and it is very interesting to me that the person he does this with is, continually, Sophie. The others may be on comms, and might be, for all we know, listening in, but it is Sophie he tells these things to. It's like Hardison says later in The Two Live Crew Job: "We trust Nate to make sure the plan works, we trust you (Sophie) to make sure we're all okay." While I would not necessarily call Sophie the heart of the group (that's Hardison), she is very much the emotional centre of it.

This episode is also just very lovely to see how they all take to an environment that is, for once, not big city life. Eliot takes to it immediately, which makes sense, because he probably is from a town not much different from this one. Parker, somehow, fits in immediately as well (I love her I <3 Nebraska shirt). I feel like Nate never has any issues fitting in anywhere, he just takes things as they come. It is Hardison and Sophie who have difficulties -- Sophie because she is, after all, a bit posh and needs certain standards met, and Hardison because his world of technology does not mix well with a small, rural Midwestern town ("Can't hack a hick" anyone?).

203: THE ORDER 23 JOB

D: ROD HARDY. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 29 July 2009.

I occasionally see some posts on here that call what the team does to Charles Dodgson in 512: The White Rabbit Job the worst thing the team does to a mark. I have to say, objectively, I think what they do to Eddie Maranjian in this episode is much worse. Of course, Dodgson is a good person, and Eddie is a crook, but still. Objectively? This episode is more evil.

Anyway, this episode has some fantastic moments that I adore a whole lot. I love Eliot and Hardison as cops, Sophie's act is absolutely amazing, and I have a super soft spot for both Nate teaching Parker what he is doing, and also Eliot and his side quest of helping Randy.

I am so incredibly fond of all these little moments where Parker's eventual role of Mastermind is already being planted. She always asks Nate questions, if she doesn't have a part to play in the con, she is with Nate, learning. She says it in the pilot episode already: "I'm really good at one thing, only one thing, that's it. But you, you know other things, and I can't stop doing my one thing, can't retire." And then she does her best to learn the other things Nate knows. This episode particularly, how Nate explains to her how NLP works, that what he is selling is fear. Nate is so patient with her, too. I love them both so very much.

Eliot's side quest with Randy and his abusive dad is an absolutely excellent addition to this episode. Especially after the previous Eliot-centric episode, this small thing just goes to show that, at their core, these are good people. Yes, they are criminals, the lot of them. But they are not bad people. Things like this just make me think that, it had to have been this exact combination of people Dubenich put together. Any other thief, any other hacker, and Nate would have walked away from this alone. It had to be Parker, Hardison and Eliot for this to work exactly as it did. And Eliot looking out for Randy even though they are in the middle of a con, taking his time to make sure Bob, the U.S. Marshall goes to see Randy, is exactly something that brings this point home.

Lastly, I adore that everyone shows up at the court house when Eddie goes to find his money. He knows they all conned him, but they know no one is ever going to believe him. It's a fantastic gloat scene. And I also really love that Nate explains why this works to the others: "So, here's everything you need to know about criminal law. Every crime has two elements, Actus reus, the act itself, and mens rea, Literally "The Guilty Mind." ... Now, for escape, the prisoner has to both break out of custody and show the intent to escape. ... Which brings us back to our friend Eddie and how the brain reacts to fear. In the heat of the moment Eddie didn't ask himself a simple question, who would doubt his guilty mind?"

204: THE FAIRY GODPARENTS JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 05 August 2009.

This one was Bernie Madoff inspired, if I recall correctly, who was arrested in 2008, around the time Berg, Downey and Rogers were already bouncing ideas back and forth for this season.

There is so much to love in this episode! Where to even begin. Maybe with Parker replacing Sophie at the client meeting? Or Sophie immediately heading for both popcorn and the cookie tin after the breakup? How about Parker perching on Eliot's arm rest with her food? Nate's headmaster act? Eliot as Coach Brewer (red is a fantastic colour on him, thank you Nadine)? Hipster rich newlyweds Parker and Hardison? The return of my beloved FBI fools McSweetheart and Taggert? Taggert being McSweetheart's biggest supporter in his affection for Parker? Sophie and Widmark? The actual science-sical with all these adorable kids singing about science?

So much to love. Chock-full of greatness, this episode. Also Frakes, once again, directed the hell outta this. I love this episode so very much.

One moment that does, however, absolutely win out over everything else, is the scene at Nate's apartment after Hardison and Parker meet McSweeten and Taggert again:

Eliot: One of you two can identify the gunman, right? Hardison: Oh, yeah, sure. He stopped and let me take a picture of him as I was chasing him. Eliot: Hey, you know what, man? I've been around little kids all day. I don't need to come home and do all this crap.

That line, Mr Spencer? "I don't need to come home and do all this crap"? Home? Sir, we are four episodes into the second season, and you are already calling Nate's apartment home. Honestly, that boy has been invested into this group as a family from the moment Hardison hands him a check in the pilot episode, if not earlier. And I am very much here for all of it.

205: THE THREE DAYS OF THE HUNTER JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 12 August 2009.

This is another one of those episodes which, when I think about it, I am not entirely into, but then when I watch it, I always love it. It's a brilliant episode, but the mark rubs me in all the wrong ways and I think that's why my general reaction to this episode in theory is mostly "ew". Which I think is kind of the point, as well.

There is much to love in this episode, though. Sophie being Nate in this one, Nate being very wary of this concept and also having difficulties letting someone else take control ("If you don't mind, I would still do the 'Hardison, run it' thing" Nathan you precious little man, I love you so much). I think it's so nicely done. I mean Sophie has run cons before -- she was the Mastermind behind the First David Job, and she runs their con in the Second David Job as well -- but then she was confident, now she is going through things, on the brink of rediscovering herself for who she is. And of course, it bites her in the ass a little bit.

I absolutely adore Conspiracy Nut Hardison and his fantastic apartment. Set Design did a magnificent job here. I am so fond of Parker asking Eliot about the different things -- the council, the moon landing, Loch Ness monster -- and also very much the bit at the end where he and Hardison answer Parker's questions while he prepares food. That ending bit overall is just absolutely excellent and I love it with my whole heart. Eliot cooking for all of them in Nate's kitchen, giving Parker stuff to try, while Hardison sits there and sips his orange soda out of a wine glass. Meanwhile Nate pouring wine for Sophie, and then going over to her to make sure she is alright. For his slightly more sadistic streak in this season, Nate is so good with Sophie here. And honestly I think this conversation here is one of the reasons why Sophie feels able to leave them for a while. It is Nate's reassurance of "Whatever you need, I'm here for you" that lets her take this leave of absence.

206: THE TOP HAT JOB

D: PETER O'FALLON. W: M. SCOTT VEACH & CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 19 August 2009.

I adore this episode! The fantastic Veach and Boylan on the keyboard for this one (who, I've had to find out, are both tangentially involved with my latest hyperfixation, SHADOW AND BONE -- Veach having written my favourite episode, and Boylan being married to the showrunner), which is just lovely, because they are both excellent.

First off, I would like to, once again, give all my love to Nadine Haders for that Pizza Guy outfit she put Kane in for the recon sequence. A+ costuming, thank you Nadine.

This episode has so many excellent comedic beats and a wonderful many Hardison/Eliot moments. Sophie trying to set up Nate with their client is absolutely hysterical -- especially considering that she had just been broken up with and had been urging Nate to figure out what it is that is between them since day one. I especially love her attempt at finding things Nate has in common with Jameson: "She's a scientist. And well, you're a bit nerdy, aren't you? ... And food, she works with food. Well, you eat, don't you?" Like, girl, what are you trying to do here, really?

I absolutely adore Hardison and Eliot trying to get into the server room so Hardison can access the data they are trying to get before anyone can get rid of it. Eliot hooking Parker's rope to Hardison's belt, Eliot's complete awe at Hardison's ability to remote access their mark's phone ("You can do that?" Eliot, honey, he can do so much more), the two of them wedged underneath the desk, and then, of course, Eliot's huge smile when Hardison hacks the scanner at the door with the help of his gummy frogs. I love these boys together so much, and this episode has given me so many great moments.

I am also incredibly fond of Nate's magician act. That is a brilliant role and it suits him so well. And I love how genuinely enthusiastic he is about magic.

207: THE TWO LIVE CREW JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 26 August 2009.

This is an absolutely brilliant episode for so many different reasons. Let me get two things out of the way straight off the bat: 1) Where do I address my "Chaos For Leverage: Redemption" campaign to? and 2) Where do I address my "Apollo Robbins For Leverage: Redemption" campaign to? I want both of them back desperately!

Of course, this episode is important as a major stepping stone in Sophie's character arc. Because of Chaos and his bomb, she has to kill off one of her aliases which is the last thing that then leads to her taking a leave of absence to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. That scene in her apartment with the bomb is also just an excellent moment for the team as a family. The care with which everyone interacts with Sophie, Parker's instant pudding hack, Eliot's instructions on how defuse this situation, Sophie's immediate shift into protector mode once it becomes clear that the only real solution is to run and telling everyone to leave immediately, Nate staying behind and even when Sophie tells him to leave, waiting for her by the apartment door -- they care for each other so much.

I also really love the con-off with Starke's crew. It is so nice to see how similar yet different he and Nate are, and the same goes for the other crew members. I adore their individual confrontations a lot. Eliot's non-fight fight with Mikel Dayan, Parker's thief-off with Apollo, Hardison and Chaos' baby monitor fight. It just really highlights who our beloved characters are and what makes them them, now that we see them, metaphorically, in front of their mirror.

And then, of course, the actual heist is also just amazing. I adore that Starke chooses Nate as his alias to gain access, it is such a great move. Parker and Apollo talking in the ventilation shaft about birds is also just so lovely. And as an admirer of Eliot's arms, I am also very fond of his fight with Mikel. Good choices have been made, I appreciate all of them. The reveal at the end is also absolutely amazing. To beat them they had to save them? Brilliant.

Lastly, of course, Sophie's goodbye at the graveyard with Nate. What a spectacular moment. Also just, the visuals are so beautiful. I love the lighting here. And of course the return of Andy Lange's song, which is just perfect. I am so happy that this is the journey they decided to give Sophie when it became clear that Gina would not be able to be in the full seasons due to her pregnancy. They accommodated her so beautifully and gave Sophie such an amazing moment of character growth. This is why I love this show and the people who made it so much. All my love, to all of them.

208: THE ICE MAN JOB

D: JEREMIAH CHECHIK. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 02 September 2009.

We love The Ice Man Job! Another fantastic episode by one Christine Boylan who we love in this house. Our very first episode without Sophie being there, and it's a great one. I absolutely adore how they worked in moments with our favourite grifter in a way that so wonderfully accommodates Gina's pregnancy.

I absolutely adore the moments where all of them eventually end up calling Sophie. Parker, hiding underneath the bar after Nate tells her she'll be the grifter in this one, calling her mom Sophie in a panic without wanting the others to know, but still needing her advice and missing her so much. Then Eliot, calling to complain to his mom Sophie about Hardison going overboard again with the grift, needing the knowledge that his concerns are being heard and aren't unfounded, needs to hear the other protector of the family acknowledge his rightful fear that things will go sideways. And of course also Hardison, calling mom Sophie so she can pick him up from the party help him out of the mess he's made, hoping against all hope that she'll be able to help without having to involve Nate. The others both had the luxury to ask Sophie not to tell Nate -- Hardison had no other choice but to let her call it in. Lastly, Nate too, at the end, calling his wife Sophie. And honestly, I love that Sophie drops her phone into her drink after the call, because Nate is the only one not giving her what she wants to hear. The kids, all of them, called with an "I need you" and that is the one thing Nate doesn't give her.

There are many other things in this episode that I love very much. The opening briefing, Parker feeling alone on the big empty couch, trying to sit next to Eliot, but he makes her move. Nate's big DadTM moment of "Eliot, can you please sit next to Parker" and Eliot's very long-suffering oldest child answer "No! I'm sitting here now."

Then of course Eliot and Hardison's two moments -- Eliot telling Hardison "I ain't bailing your ass out" and then when he eventually does anyway, Hardison's smug joy, forcing Eliot to sort-of-hug him back at McRory's. Eliot's unsuccessful attempt to make him helping Hardison a decision forced onto him by Parker, and Parker refusing to accept the "blame" immediately. Their whole dynamic this episode is just so good. Neither Eliot nor Parker being happy with Hardison in this role (Parker's refusal to ride with him in the Ferrari), Eliot proudly watching Parker do her thing over the security camera ("Stuck it!").

Lots of love also to Pasha Lychnikoff as our main Russian goon, who is just fantastic here, our much beloved Lt. Patrick Bonanno, and also Nadine Haders for so many amazing looks, especially on Eliot.

209: THE LOST HEIR JOB

D: PETER WINTHER. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 09 September 2009.

Court-room episode, which means we have our friend Chris Downey on the keys here, and he gave us an absolutely excellent introduction for Tara Cole played by the lovely Jeri Ryan. Honestly, the more often I watch this episode, the better it gets. Tara is just so good.

Highlights of this episode include: Sophie's immediate "who died?!" when Nate shows up at her apartment in London, Hardison playing "Where is Waldo Ford," Hardison and Eliot in prison, the first appearance of Nate's lawyer alias Jimmy Papadokalis who wears brilliantly loud and obnoxious suits in outrageous colour-combinations, Hardison stalling Blanchard at court security with his keys, Nate's reveal of Ruth as Kimball's daughter (I am fascinated that he completely drops the character here -- he is just Nate now), and of course, the reveal of Tara at the end.

Honestly, this is such a magnificent episode to introduce Tara's character. We have just watched the team scramble and fuck up without Sophie, and then their next job gets more complicated because of this random lawyer who shows up. And she's so righteous and law-abiding and absolutely not someone they should be taking with them on their job. And Tara plays it perfectly. Her honest try at getting Orson to talk to them, her confusion about her "dogs", her excited smile when she gets to con Blanchard and be a bit dishonest -- it is so good. And then we get that complete 180° when the team finds her in Nate's apartment. Not just visually, but the personality. Her voice drops a bit too. Jeri fucking rocked this introduction. The reveal is so damn good.

210: THE RUNWAY JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 13 January 2010.

I have zero interest in fashion but I honest to God love every single one of these characters at fashion week. Fashion!Eliot is absolutely fantastical and I love him. Julien, my beloved. Fashion!Parker is very cute with her braid and even before she gets the model makeover she outshines every single other person at the event. Fashion!Hardison is surprisingly understated but I dig it. Tara as Caprina is also just excellent. And I absolutely, un-ironically adore Fashion!Nate. Jacques is such a character. Nate exchanged the usual "obnoxious and greasy" with "gay," slapped some would-be-French that sounds like German on top of it, and called it a character. And I love it.

I also very much love the three video calls with Sophie in this episode. The kids calling in the beginning, complaining about Tara. I absolutely adore both the "she's hot" moment and Eliot's "...and all the way to Europe?" when Sophie says Nate lets what is good for him walk out the door. Parker's little "I just miss you" before they hang up has me all the way up in my emotions every damn time. Tara calling Sophie to complain about Nate is also just excellent. The whole bit with Nate's "I'm sexy because I'm broken" thing is just *chef's kiss*. And of course Nate's call at the end. I love that Sophie hangs up on him, it is so fair, it is absolutely justified. And I think he knows that too.

So many great other moments too -- Hardison's Steven Seagal comment about Eliot's clothes, Nate's "Julien, sweetheart" and Eliot's little clap before taking the money, Nate and Parker at the mark's house, Eliot and Tara vs the Triads, Eliot and Parker at fashion week together ("It's a fashion show, not Thieves'R'Us"), and of course Tara's "For what it's worth, Sophie was right. You guys are the best I've ever seen ... But no one in the world, is as good as you think you are."

211: THE BOTTLE JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 20 January 2010.

This episode has got to be one of my favourites, if I were forced to chose some. I love a bottle episode, and this one is just magnificent. Excellent client, great mark, fantastic additional characters, wonderful episode for the team. All around just, so good. Not surprising if Frakes and Boylan are at the wheel together, of course.

The addition of Cora is so lovely. I would have loved to see more of her, to be honest. She is such a great character. I love what her presence does to who we see Nate as. I adore when characters get to show new sides of themselves, it's so nice. Also, Nate's comment to Eliot about him not wanting Eliot to like Cora because she's like his niece? Most excellent.

I adore our three police officers too. Mickey, Danny and Johnny are such great additions. I really liked them. How they just went with whatever Nate was planning and in the end decided to just pretend none of this ever happened, it's just so good.

Doyle and the Liams as our villains of the week are also just fantastic. Also I just love Irish accents, it sounds so good. I love to hear it.

Other highlights of this episode include: Tara's "I'm Trish and I'm lonely", the kids going for their individual emergency funds stashed in Nate's place (they are all so fantastically in character, I love it), Nate using his dad's name as his alias, everyone stopping to see if Nate is going to succumb to the booze again, Hardison's excitement about pulling off the wire in under 2h, Hardison faking the weather, Eliot and Parker on safe duty. Also, rewatching this episode, I am absolutely 100% convinced that what Eliot is doing to distract the Liams from Tara conning Doyle, absolutely categorises as flirting. The way he throws that dart at the board and then buys them beer? Mr Spencer, sir, you are flirting with these guys.

212: THE ZANZIBAR MARKETPLACE JOB

D: JEREMIAH CHECHIK. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 27 January 2010.

The wonder twins with yet another magnificent episode. No surprises here. We have not just the return of Maggie but also of Sterling! We love this!!! (Seriously, I want both of them back in the reboot. I don't care that they're most closely tied to Nate. Bring them back.)

This episode has so many absolutely excellent moments as well. I love the opening sequence in the bar, with them going over possible next clients together, Nate kicking Eliot for flirting with the bartender, and then of course also Sterling walking in. The interaction Nate and Eliot have here is just fantastic.

Sterling: *walks in* Nate: Eliot, I'm gonna ask you not do do anything violent. Eliot: Wha-what are you talking about? I only use violence as an appropriate response. Sterling: Hello, Nate. Eliot: *responds appropriately*

And to think that Sterling only gets beat up here because Mark Sheppard's son was visiting the set that day and wanted to see his dad get beat up by Eliot. We stan one Sheppard Jr.

I very much love the scene where Nate and Sterling go over what they have on Lundy, and then Parker interrupting them out of nowhere, just sitting there on the counter, like she's been there forever (which she probably has). Also just, fantastic clothes on Parker, thank you Nadine. Maggie showing up here is of course also brilliant and I am very fond of Parker making Maggie a fugitive bag. It is so completely adorable. I love my girl so much.

Another favourite moment is, of course, Tara and Eliot getting Chernov to tell them where the sale of the Fabergé egg will take place. Tara not saying a damn thing, Eliot grumpily doing what Tara tells him to ("Do that thing with your eyes that scares people" / "What -- I don't know what you're talking about"), Chernov's complete unease about this whole entire situation, and then of course Tara and Eliot's other interaction:

Tara: What we imagine is always so much better than reality. Eliot, with the tiniest voice possible: Like love? Tara: *just stares at him, confused*

Just, *chef's kiss* this scene.

The scenes in the embassy are also just excellent. Tara and Nate pretending to be a couple, Nate's inability to deal with the idea of Maggie and Alexander, Maggie and Tara hysterically giggling while talking about Nate, Sterling pretending to be drunk (and incredibly gay) to get Parker access to the egg room -- brilliance, all the way through.

I adore Eliot taking charge of the situation once it becomes clear that Maggie and Nate have been taken hostage. Parker doing her magic and switching the bomb with the empty briefcase in the elevators is beautiful. Maggie kissing Nate instead of Lundy in what could have been their final moment and regretting it instantly the moment Parker shows up is excellent.

And the final scene back at McRory's is also just wonderful. The kids watching the news about Sterling with Tara ("I hate this guy" / "Now, you're part of the team"), and Nate talking with Maggie. I adore Maggie in this scene so much. Her and Nate's relationship is so lovely. We know Sophie understands how Nate ticks, but Maggie knows him so well too, still.

213: THE FUTURE JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: CHRIS DOWNEY & AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 03 February 2010.

This episode is so good for so many reasons. First off, I adore Luke Perry (I'm still sad about him) even if he plays creeps like Rand in most everything I've seen him in. He was just so good. Second, Medium Tara is probably my favourite role of hers. It's a lot softer than many of the other characters she's done, and I love it. Also the costuming is just excellent.

But I want to talk about Parker most of all. The scene where Rand cold reads her is so well done. Riesgraf knocked it out of the park here. Also, I love how Nate, as soon as Rand starts approaching and doing his act, barely ever takes his eyes off her. He occasionally glances at Rand, but his attention is on Parker at all times. And it just makes me feel things.

The team coming back to Nate's to find Parker sitting on the floor in front of the couch, crying also makes me super emo. They are all so very careful with her here. Even Tara, who hasn't been with them for that long. I quite like how Eliot and Hardison choose to sit a bit away, giving her space, and Nate carefully approaches and sits closest to her. They are all so good with her here, I love them all so much. And I absolutely adore this part of the conversation:

Tara: So what do we do now? Parker: Cut off his arms. And his head. Yeah. I wanna kill him. Can we make that happen? Eliot: Yeah, I can...I mean, I could...

Also earlier, after Tara acknowledges that Rand is good at what he does, Hardison says "He should be shot." I adore how both our boys would not hesitate to end this man for hurting Parker like this. That's their girl and he went too damn far. And even though Nate suggests a way of retaliation that is less final, he isn't above hurting the man either. Because that's his girl, too:

Hardison: Nate had me rig the table with a mild electrical current. Eliot: You electrocuted him? Nate, smugly: Yes, I did. It helped sell the bit. Parker: I approve. Nate: Thanks, Parker. Eliot: No, her agreeing with you is not a good thing. Nate, whispering to Parker: Thanks.

And add to that the absolute joy each and every one of them have when fucking with Rand to fulfil Tara's predictions? *Chef's kiss.* Absolutely beautiful.

There is so much more absolutely fantastic content in this episode, but I just wanna point out the ending where they meet with the client again. Nate is so good with them here. The way he talks to Jodie about her baby and how she will see her late husband in the child, makes me cry every damn time. Just like Tara says, "Yeah, now I see why you do it," this is why this show is so damn good. It's because of this exactly. Because for one shining moment within so much suck and tragedy, there is goodness and a wrong that has been made right. They help people and it isn't just fleeting momentary relief. They change people's lives for the better. I love this fucking show so much.

214: THE THREE STRIKES JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 10 February 2010.

First half of the second finale! Patrick Bonanno my beloved! I get so sad every time he gets shot here. My man deserves better than this. I love Bonanno so damn much, man. I absolutely adore that Nate goes to see his family at the hospital. Like, this is a cop. The very opposite side of the law Nate and his people operate on. But he goes to see him anyway, because this is their cop. And I love that Bonanno's wife recognises Nate's name. "He wanted to buy you a drink. And then arrest you." That's just so good.

I also absolutely love Richard Kind as Brad Culpepper, the corrupt mayor. I would love to see him back in the reboot, but I doubt there'd be any reasonable explanation why on earth they'd have to see this particular mayor again. I just think Richard Kind is an absolutely fantastic actor.

Anyway, favourite moments. Hardison and Eliot at Bonanno's house is beautiful. I am so fond of how Hardison deals with law enforcement while impersonating law enforcement. He tears them down and builds them back up again, every single time. And I adore how Eliot just smiles at his antics. He crawls around on that carpet with the young cop and Eliot just stands there and smiles. I love them, guys. I really do. Parker pretending to be Brad's pregnant lover with Tara's help is also just most excellent.

And of course: Roy Chappell. Baseball Eliot, my most beloved. There is so much to love about this whole concept. Eliot's reluctance at first because he doesn't like baseball. The discovery that baseball is actually something cool and something he is good at. His absolute childlike joy at the energy drink commercial Hardison made him. His damn hair during the actual game. The sandwich! The enthusiasm about the sandwich. Hardison admitting that the sandwich thing is cool.

I also absolutely love Hardison and Parker as Beavers Fans. The badly photoshopped picture of Dean Devlin and John Rogers as the radio hosts makes me smile so much. So does hearing their voices on the show. Both Hardison and Parker's phone calls to them are also brilliant. Parker speaking Spanish? Marvelous. The two of them demonstrating the Beavers leaving? *Chef's kiss.*

The final showdown with Brad and then the FBI is also just most excellent. Nate going ballistic on Brad because of Bonanno. Hardison and Lucille. Parker giving Lucille a little kiss before they send her to explode as a distraction. Hardison quoting Spock to say goodbye to Lucille. Hardison being pissed at Nate about Lucille. And of course: Jim Sterling, Interpol. The bastard. I love him.

215: THE MALTESE FALCON JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 17 February 2010.

Second half of second finale! And it's a good one, too. This show has absolutely brilliant finales, lemme tell you.

What do we love about this episode? MUCH. Tara's naked bit is excellent. Eliot and Parker sharing a look after watching Tara's naked bit is even better. Parker turning on the porn channels on the hotel tv is hilarious. Eliot talking to the receptionist about the gym is hysterical ("Ah, the fitness spa. Isn't the Zen Steam Garden divine?" / "Yeah....delicious").

Nate on stairs vs Sterling in elevator is probably the pettiest thing I have ever watched on television and it is absolutely amazing. I don't think anything can ever top this as pettiest moment. It is just so good.

Sterling, of course, is always great fun. I love that he has his own little villain theme that announces him before he even enters the screen. Love a good villain theme. And I adore his moment with FBI Bob outside Brad's hotel room.

Sterling: Name's Bob, right? Bob: Yes, sir. Sterling: You've been here the whole time, Bob? Bob: Yes, sir. Sterling: And nobody's gone in or out, Bob? Bob: No, sir. Sterling: Then would you mind explaining, where the HELL THE MAYOR IS?!

Absolutely perfect.

Nate going back to his place always has me all up in my emotions. Also, I think Sterling here absolutely believes that what he is offering Nate, is good for him. That he can save him from himself or something. They were something like friends at some point, after all. And of course, Nate calling Sophie. She is, of course, unbeknownst to him, already on the way to save his ass. But he calls her and finally tells her exactly what she wanted to hear at the end of The Ice Man Job: "I need you. Not the team, me." Sir. I am emo about you.

And then of course the final con and the reveal of Sophie's return. I absolutely love that Parker's first reaction to Tara possibly betraying them was to try and throw her off the roof. That's my girl (I love Tara, but that was fair). Also just, if you pay attention on the boat scenes, you can see Sophie from as early as Kadjic hearing Nate's offer and then leading Nate and Eliot below deck. If you can pick out her hair and know the colour of her coat from the scene in the helicopter, you know that she is there. And then, below deck, you can see her so many times -- at one point essentially back to back with Nate -- before any of the characters know she's there. And can I just say, I absolutely love Nate's completely shocked face when he hears her voice. Those comedically big eyes are just excellent.

Everyone seeing Sophie again is done so well. Hardison and Eliot's confused "Sophie?" when she walks past. Eliot winking at Sophie after they free Nate. Parker hugging her immediately once her and Tara arrive on the ship. Hardison putting his hand on the small of her back as he passes by her to go down the stairs. I just love them all so much.

And lastly of course, the reveal of the plan, Nate cuffing himself to the railing and making Sterling leave his family alone. What Nate says to them always makes me so emo too: "You guys are the most honourable people I have ever met in my life. You have become my family, my only family. And I will never forget that." John Rogers, sir, we need to have some words once I get this lake out of my eyes. And I obviously can't not mention the kiss. Finally, finally Nate gets his shit together. And she slaps him and it is perfect. And then they leave and he sits down and bleeds and Sterling, for a moment, is genuinely concerned about Nate as a person and not merely about Nate as his only way to nail Kadjic.

Bob: Who the hell is this guy? Sterling: I have no idea. Nate: My name is Nate Ford. And I'm a thief.

Yes. Yes you are, you magnificent bastard.

[image taken from the electricnow website]

[thirstyforred]

I'm curious, what is your favorite gwent card art, premium or not? Like the top 10 that you say you would craft for the art alone.

asking me to pick only 10 is such a cruel demand anon 😩

10 Jacques de Aldersberg by Bryan Sola

currently I'm collecting scraps and ore just so I can play Firesworn/Salamandra in Gwent, I haven't played Syndicate even once since it debuted in the game, and honestly, at this point, I'm a bit intimidated with the amount of management that involves coin distribution, but idc I will do everything for my fav son... I have been waiting for Alvin/JdA cards ever since someone dig out the artwork somewhere at the start of the Open Beta. It's been literally years ago. I hoped he will be introduced with Homecoming, nope, maybe somehow with the Crimson Curse since, also nope, then Syndicate dropped and even tho Salamandra operated in Vizima, not Novigrad, it's still an organized crime, right? Nope, no self-proclaimed messiahs in that expansion either. Iron Judgment? There's Salamandra, but literally without a leader, soo... I was too tired to be even slightly disappointed when Merchants of Ofir suddenly dropped. And look 2020 is rough for all of us, but at least Gwent treats me right 😌 even the upcoming Way of the Witcher has some Salamandra content, and maybe, maybe, there's one card with Jacques hanging out somewhere in the background. 

9 Coup de Grace by Lorenzo Mastroianni

how one even begins to praise Mastroianni? I mean just look at literally any of his artworks, they look like classical paintings, but are still so full of magic, and really capture the mood of the scene they're portraying... I want this on my wall. Honestly all special cards from Master Mirror are absolutely amazing, yes even Amnesty by Karol Bem

8 Ulfhedinn by Anna Podedworna

Podedworna, another legend when it comes to Gwent artwork. I love the dynamic pose, the force, and the power that emanates from this werewolf. Look at that sword, it's barely a toothpick! This guy fucks.

7 Feign Death by Astor Alexander

I’m low-key salty that this is the only scenario that actually tells a story with its art. Ball, Haunt and Gedyneith all look pretty, but none of them manages to immediately tell me what's going to happen on the board in few next turns. And whenever I see my opponent playing Feign Death I feel like I really have been fooled and now I'm in danger.

6 Joachim de Wett by Lorenzo Mastroianni

I like the orange. I like Nilfgaard. I recently acquired de Wett-related brain rot. I really think that the Polish version of his line "I shall flog them into submission" is incredibly sexy. A few weeks ago I spend hours trying to figure out how voiced his lines and I still have no idea, but I hope it's Krzysztof Banaszyk, bc he has an incredibly sexy voice 😩

5 Aelirenn by  Lorenzo Mastroianni

the composition, colors, fuck you d'hoine attitude... I really can't imagine a better illustration for the Rose

4 An Craite Greatsword by Bartłomiej Gaweł 

I love the yellow skies, the details, this guy's tattoos, his armor, the way he holds the sword. I still remember seeing it being revealed for the first time before one of the updates in Open Beta, and how I fell in love with it. It's still one of the prettiest Skellige cards. Even I have only bad memories of playing against the self-harm archetype it introduced 😩

before we get to my top 3,  I'm going to give special shout out to one extra card from every fraction, bc they're all so pretty and special to me: Knickers, Seltkirk of Gulet, Heymaey Flaminica + Corrupted Flaminica, Collar, Procession of Penance, Ida Emean aep Sivney and The Apiarian Phantom

3 Morvudd by Lorenzo Mastroianni

my boi, Morvudd... I spent the first weekend after his introduction just looking at the premium loop, hypnotized, it's just so damn pretty

2 False Ciri by Bogna Gawrońska 

the first card I crafted just for the looks, back then I wasn't even playing Nilfgaard, but I had this need to have this one because it's so stunning. She's so beautiful and sad, and there's not only the Emperor's hand on her shoulder but the whole weight of the Empire, and there she's, not even the real girl. I wish CDPR cleaned up her situation better because she doesn't deserve being forgotten and swept under the rug like that.

1 Nithral by Marta Dettlaff 

yet another obscure character that I absolutely love. He was repeatedly killed during the Open Beta and I mourned him every time v.v I love the blue, the shattering magical shield, his voicelines are and how one is kinda flirtatious, one proves that Aen Elle are real polyglots and speak even Arabic, and one that establishes Nitral as That Bitch, because he's the only enemy who calls Geralt a cunt 😊

[jw231992]

Danganronpa: Despair Time

(ダンガンロンパ:絶望のタイム)

=======================

First of, I just want to say that this is a fanganronpa that I recently found thanks to Moboxer, the head of what is known as Danganronpa: Kill/Cure. I want to do an analysis of that one soon, but this one I figured would be a good start. So, like the series we've come to know and love, Danganronpa: Despair Time is a series where a group of high school students are trapped in a building and must commit a murder to get out of their situation. With the prologue being released just now, we can get a feel for the characters, and maybe some of my predictions will be right? Who knows. Without further ado, let's get into it.

We will start with the main female lead, Teruko Tawaki, the Ultimate Lucky Student. She's seemingly plain, but not Tsumugi Shirogane plain. I really like the hair color she has going on, and I can't accurately tell what color it is, due to me being colorblind, but I believe it's brown going into gray ends. What also sets her apart from previous Danganronpas is that most of the leads are male. Ones like Danganronpa: the After and Danganronpa REbirth both have female leads which I find very refreshing and would like to see the killing game from a female perspective. The thing that also seemed to stick out to me was how she says she was cursed with bad luck, much like Makoto Naegi feels he was in the first game. It also gives me a sense of sadness, much like Qrow Branwen of the RWBY series and his semblance of always bring bad luck to those around him. As of right now, I can't say too much else about her, but as the main character, I feel she would be a survivor. She'll make it to the end and stop the televised killing game (more on this for another character.)

Alexander Matthews, or Xander, is the Ultimate Rebel. He definitely gives of a Kaito Momota vibe from how he confronts those that insult him, but he also has a very friendly demeanor. So because of this, I am giving him the title of Best Boy, because we all need a Best Boy and a Best Girl. According to the series, his talent isn't so much as being a troublemaker, but moreso taking a stand against what he doesn't like and wants to improve for the better. Honestly, maybe Revolutionist or Protestor would have been a better title? Maybe, but Rebel also has a nice flair to it, so we'll go with what the creator intended. His red hair also gives him a fiery feel, which is what I've come to expect from the Best Boys of the games and fangans. The sad part is, I see him dying in the fifth chapter as a culprit. Probably something he didn't even mean to do or something he didn't want to do, a heartbreaking chapter. But the series isn't fully out to the public yet, so we can't say for certain.

Eden Tobisa, the Ultimate Clockmaker. She's adorable, soft, and I just wanna protect this innocent cinnamon bun. That being said, I don't think she is the one that would get the Best Girl status. A lot of her sprites are pretty cutesy, much like a cat, which seems to be a running theme within this fangan. Or I may just dig a little too deep and find stuff that really isn't there. She gives me a big Chihiro Fujisaki vibe, and would love to see this character being explored more. However, it kind of breaks my heart to say she's probably not going to make it, and I believe she would be the Chapter 1 victim. Like I said, she's small and soft, and makes for an easy victim, but I would definitely love seeing an execution if she ends up being the culprit in a case. Probably something sad and gruesome like her being crushed between a few clockwork gears.

So I wanna say this right off the bat, and I'm sure anyone that saw this girl's talent was like, "What the actual hell is a Zither?!" Thank goodness they tell us what it is and I appreciate learning new things. That being said, this is Hu Jing, the Ultimate Zither Player. Her demeanor gives me a slight Kirumi Tojo vibe, especially given the sprite that I took of her. The way she speaks is amazing and I want to see more. I am probably being way too premature about this, but I have wholeheartedly given her the additional title of Best Girl. She may not have a lot to bring to the table as a Zither player but playing instruments takes dedication and I can speak from experience. Not all instruments are easy to play so learning exotic instruments is that much harder. I also say that she's going to be a survivor as well, making it to the end of the killing game but if not, she'll more than likely be a victim.

Here we have J Moreno, the Ultimate Effects Artist, a talent I can also really appreciate. According to the series, J is a nickname but she gets flustered and doesn't exactly say what that nickname is, which may actually come up later during a trial or some form of Free-Time Event. She also seems to prefer quiet people, as opposed to those who seem flashy or boisterous, like the actors she deals with behind the scenes. I use to be a theatre kid (bring on the TikToks) and whenever I could, I would also attempt to learn tech stuff, namely moving set pieces and the sort, so I have a slight personal connection with this talent. She may have a bit of a standoffish attitude but deep down, I feel she has a heart of gold and would definitely help her friends in a time of need. This sort of demeanor would probably give her more of a Kiyotaka Ishimaru vibe, but not in a "Running in the halls is not welcome in a school environment" kinda feel. More towards the personality. However that assistance may go too far and I feel she is more likely to be a culprit in Chapter 2 of the series. Makes me wonder how the execution of an effects artist will go. We'll see if I'm right.

Oh Jesus. This name is gonna be the death of me, but meet Veronika Grebenshchikova, the Ultimate Horror Fanatic. As you can probably tell from the screenshot, she loves everything horror, and I really like the hair ties she has on with the eyes. It makes her stand out, and I feel makes it tie her whole outfit together. The outfit also seems to be giving me Celestia Ludenberg vibes, but at least people aren't asking if she's Japanese. When I first saw her, I thought she would be some form of Optometrist or something but I'm glad she's a horror fanatic. I, too, also happen to like horror pop culture, and I thought it was kind of funny, and slightly suspicious, that she mentioned that they would be trapped in the building and be forced to kill each other. Because of that, it makes me think she knows more than she's letting on, so a possible traitor/mastermind thing going on with her? If not, she's still probably not going to make it and I've labeled her as one of the victims in Chapter 3. But a horror fanatic's execution would definitely be something I'd be interested in, like Emma Magorobi from Super Danganronpa Another 2.

The Ultimate Inspirational Speaker, David Chiem. I'm unsure of how to pronounce his last name, either Hhheee-em or Chai-em. Either way, I feel kind of let down that a speaker that Xander looks up to really hates his talent, or moreso the people that actually listen to him, revealing he's kinda two-faced, being able to talk shit about those that come to his speeches and then nice to their face. It might have been something that developed while doing it, like he was amazing and loved it at first but then later down the road, he started hating it and wanting it to stop. I don't think the two-faced bit will be as extreme as Kokichi Oma or Nagito Komaeda (his facade at the beginning of Super Danganronpa 2 to the end of Chapter 1) but it may come into play during the trials, maybe during his own? Or if he's being framed for a murder? Despite that, I've marked him as a survivor who let's this killing game change him back to OG David where he loved giving speeches and uses the killing game for a new lease on life.

Arturo Giles, the Ultimate Plastic Surgeon. I don't like him. He's a bit of a snob, and to those that he seems ugly aren't worth his time apparently. Which seems odd, given his talent. I mean, he's a plastic surgeon, so of course there will be people looking to fix a few things they don't like about themselves (I'm talking like Nip/Tuck here, people.) He has this utter fetish for celebrities and their beauty however I was watching a thing way back when, I dunno what it was, but it says the ones that have the most plain faces and such tend to be more beautiful to humans. Or something along those lines, but I'm thinking his mask is hiding something he doesn't like about himself. It makes me kinda sad because precious girl, Seiko Kimura, wore a mask and she was so upfront about everything, so maybe there is a hidden redemption arc just waiting to come out. Watch it be something like ugly teeth or some scar he doesn't want people seeing. Enough about this guy though, as I have labeled him a victim, specifically Chapter 5. Remember how I mentioned that Xander would probably end up being a culprit? Well, I think it'll end up being something that he didn't mean to or want to do, despite not really getting along with Arturo. But if he isn't a victim, he might be a survivor.

Daddy. Haha, I'm kidding, this is Levi Fontana, the Ultimate Personal Stylist. He gives off the "intimidating but innocent cinnamon bun" vibe that Gonta Gokuhara gives off, and even mentions his past during the introduction. Something I wish to see come into play during a trial. Now, a theme I seem to run across is the big person, who is amazing usually dies in Chapter 4, and I hate to say this might also be the case. His past may not have something to do with the trial, but if it does, he would be a culprit. I hope not though because I would love to see the intimidating guy live to the end.

Okay, this guy is also an asshole, and I wanna say it's probably because he's short. Kinda like Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Ace Markey, the Ultimate Jockey. Despite how he's short like Fuyuhiko, he isn't as willing to go to that point, as he's kind of a wimp. This kind of demeanor makes him less likely to have friends, but I'm interested to see how he got to this point. Probably some form of bullying while he's on his horse, to be honest. Like maybe having issues getting on and the other jockeys laughing at him, but maybe his coach, or mentor giving him this disapproving face when he tries to start something. That's how I see it anyway, but he is probably the Chapter 1 culprit. His execution might be something along the lines of being tied to a fence where horses have to jump over him and he gets hit in the head with horse feet and horseshoes. Then as the fence falls over, he gets trampled on, leaving a bloody mess. I wouldn't be too sad about this character but we'll see as time goes on.

===============================

I would love to continue on but apparently there's a 10 photo per post limit. I will be posting the second part shortly.

[amitds]

Thanks for answering the ask!! About the sannin part I think they meant that introduction of characters like madara,who as kishimoto described had no weaknesses, cancelled the sannin relevance to the story and the author using sannin concept again to show sakura's equivalence was bad writing,they wanted her to have an arc to show her full power I guess!? as they were well aware of mistreatment of female characters and of the characters who are not/do not align with narugod in this series...also idk how you feel about this(because I see western sakura stans;most of them are narusakus;complaining about sakura and the other girls being underpowered)but imo naruto doesn't have/never had good storytelling so rather than being sad about sakura and my other favs' sidelining, I'd just do the selective reading and make my own headcanons, I know we rely on canon for powerscaling but there are just too many asspulls out of nowhere(I'm glad sakura didn't have one tbh and that most of her characterisation was consistent throughout the story);don't know if my thoughts make sense but thanks again for answering!! I hope I didn't waste yor time and if did I'm really sorry!

“Thanks for answering the ask!! About the sannin part I think they meant that introduction of characters like madara,who as kishimoto described had no weaknesses, cancelled the sannin relevance to the story and the author using sannin concept again to show sakura's equivalence was bad writing,they wanted her to have an arc to show her full power I guess!? .as they were well aware of mistreatment of female characters and of the characters who are not/do not align with narugod in this series...”

Oh okay well imo the sannin relevance was never cancelled because what people don’t get is that team 7 was a NEW version of them in that volume and the 3 way deadlock theme was here for a long time so the story required we get an instance of team 7 being the new gen sannin. The whole relevance thing kinda falls apart when we remember that they were a new gen sannin i.e. better and stronger. 

I do agree that Hashimada and then indra and asura ruined it for team 7 but my thing is, and I agree with you, I don’t let the bad cancel out the good so, so what if Hashirama and Madara are Gods compared to the sannin? Sakura and team 7 surpassing the sannin and making a new stronger trio in volume 66 is still amazing and worth celebrating. Heck if all 3 reached the same God level we’d still have a sannin thing going on again because the sannin are a concept of a deadlock and a Japanese rock/paper/scissors and I’m sure we’ll be seeing amore ‘relevant’ sannin version in Boruto with Mitsuki, Sarada and Boruto even though it’s not by Kishi. 

I can get mad about Sakura being left behind again while acknowledging that the new 3 way deadlock scene(s) were amazing. So no, stronger characters coming about doesn’t invalidate the sannin parallel since the sannin parallel has nothing to do with the sannin’s actual power level, but a scenario with 3 equal ninja and equal forces working together with none ever being dominant. And easy way to make this better would have been to have Sakura still help fight Obito with the boys so fans would be more accepting of the fact that she was EQUAL.

I wanted Sakura to have treatment like an actual main, as well. Though I disagree that the sannin parallel was irrelevant. I however wanted a Mito, Hashirama and Madara parallel like the sannin one to come about but sadly, it never did and well the boys become Indra and Asura 2.0 so Sakura was pushed out completely. 

 “..also idk how you feel about this(because I see western sakura stans;most of them are narusakus;complaining about sakura and the other girls being underpowered)but imo naruto doesn't have/never had good storytelling so rather than being sad about sakura and my other favs' sidelining, I'd just do the selective reading and make my own headcanons, I know we rely on canon for powerscaling but there are just too many asspulls out of nowhere(I'm glad sakura didn't have one tbh and that most of her characterisation was consistent throughout the story);don't know if my thoughts make sense but thanks again for answering!! I hope I didn't waste yor time and if did I'm really sorry!”

I somewhat agree however imo it’s not strictly that the girls are underpowered, it’s more so that they do not get opportunities to shine and show what they are capable of. Kaguya was the strongest character, Sakura was on par with EMS Sasuke and KCM Naruto, Tsunade was equal to the other sannin and Temari was stronger than most of her gen with Mei being a kage of comparable power to Gaara (from my interpretation of the 5 kage vs Madara fight). 

The powerscaling comment wasn’t really against you or any fan, rather, it was against people do deny clear standards set. Like Kishi making it clear that Tsunade = Orochimaru = Jiraiya and Seal Sakura = EMS Sasuke = KCM Naruto are not up for debate and me thinking EMS Sasuke’s blaze release is OP and badass and leagues above Sakura’s punching DOES NOT alter these facts. Unlike FT, Naruto’s power scaling isn’t that bad. Most of the ‘asspulls’ are Gods coming or ghosts coming and handing power to people and I do agree that Sakura not being included in that was great. She was the only team 7 member who never had power handed to her literally, vs Kaguya. They had to asspull a ghost for Kakashi to get power similar to God Sasuke and this is after Kakashi was sad about Sakura helping but not him and after he said him and Sakura would still try to help even though they’re not Gods. It was shit writing. 

[cannot-decide-on-a-fandom]

Because I can't keep only making Haikyuu videos, I'll just do this here

(Part 1) I'm gonna go ahead and rate every match in the series

Rules:

1) We need to see a significant portion of the game, so simply glimpses of practice or official matches or just really short games don't count (so let's say more than 2 chapters long in the manga (with one exception as it's kind of a crucial one), I know this will miss out a few great moments, and basically the entirety of the training camp, but this list would be like 1000 pages long otherwise)

2) I'll go in chronological order as opposed to preference order because I'm too lazy for that

3) This first post is gonna be all the matches already in the anime, and I'll make a second about the manga (I'll post a link to each other on both) so this is spoiler free. Here's part 2 with the manga matches-

Alright

Yukigaoka Junior High Vs Kitagawa Daiichi

Okay, obviously this was more like a prologue than anything else. It holds a place in my heart for introducing us to these characters, and later on for not dropping Kouji and Izumi, and I liked the little details like how being in the football club meant he was able to make a good save or 2 with his foot. But of course this was hardly a match necessarily. Still fun and I enjoyed a lot of it, though.

6/10

Karasuno 3 Vs 3

Oh, Tsukki, to think you aren't as big of a douchebag as you seemed here.

I really do appreciate the entire situation, though. Tsukishima never disliked volleyball, it wasn't like he suddenly started getting serious after never doing so before when the Shiratorizawa match came, he was always one who could be riled up but he just didn't want to show it because it was irritating to him that people were so intense.

The match itself was really nice for what it was. The early matches really contained a lot of foreshadowing, like Yamaguchi messing up the serve we saw him do. And of course this was the start of the partnership between Kageyama and Hinata. Still warming up to proper matches, of course.

6/10

Karasuno Vs Aoba Johsai practice match

Okay, this is undoubtedly the funniest match of the show. Not necessarily the funnest (I won't forget Jozenji) but it was kind of hilarious. Poor Hinata freaking out, I love him, but it was so endearing. And of course there's the serve mistake he made. Baby crow grew up afterwards.

But then Oikawa's introduction was badass as hell. I love the entire Seijoh team, they're great, and I love every opposing team, but Oikawa is still the best rival in the series in my opinion. And people like Tanaka got some spotlight too which was nice.

7/10

Karasuno High Vs Neighborhood Association

Listen. I may be biased because I love the Neighborhood Association, but I absolutely loved this match. It was hype even though it was low stakes. We got Noya and Asahi playing for the first time, and Suga as well in fact. The introduction of the jump float serve. Some fantastic saves and spikes. I love it. And it was emotionally fulfilling.

7/10

Karasuno Vs Nekoma practice match

NEKOMA! Sorry, sorry. Just love them.

Anyway, I'm only talking about the match so I can't count how much I adored Kenma's introduction and the two of them meeting (Hinata, you're my cinnamon roll), nor can I count the ridiculous interactions before and after (Yamamoto and Tanaka, Kuroo and Daichi, and Yaku and Suga, are just too perfect) but other than that, I REALLY liked how Nekoma was the first team to show us how any spike can be countered. I loved Hinata and Inuoka's rivalry, and I so appreciated how they showed Kenma being a strategist. Also, in the manga, there's like 20 panels of him like this

Which is a) a freaking mood, and b) one stupidly endearing quality about him.

Maybe this match is just about how much I love every character?

But it was so fun. Oikawa is the best individual rival, but Nekoma is their best rival as a whole. It's just so great.

7.5/10

Karasuno Vs Tokonami

I loved how we got backstory for Daichi. I don't know why, but I didn't exactly expect it? Like I expected development, but I guess I'm used to the focus being purely the main characters in terms of backstory, at least this early on, in most series. But I really like Ikejiri and I find his dynamic with Daichi endearing.

Not the best "match" but I appreciated the sentiment

6/10

Karasuno Vs Dateko

Oh, now we're talking. Gonna be honest, Dateko is one of my least favourite teams (I still love them! I love every single team. They're just on the lower end of a really highly appreciative scale) but this match was fantastic.

Again, I may be judging this based on one aspect, but I mean to this day Noya's save is one of my favourite scenes in anything. It was so well done, both anime and manga, and I just fell even more in love with Noya. And the symbolism of smashing through the iron wall was so great.

8/10

Karasuno Vs Aoba Johsai (1st official match)

And we come to the only team which Karasuno faced more than once in an official game (that we see) and that means I can't help but judge it harsher because their second game was awesome

HOWEVER! I still 100% love this game. It's such an important game to everyone and though I won't count the after effect, in the restaurant and all, I will count the immediate aftermath. It was so sad but also understandable and the entire match itself was intense. I could go into it, but it just paid off. The build up and the animosity between some of the players, the background we got for the characters during this game, the freaking soundtrack which is incredible in any of the matches.

Fantastic.

8.5/10

Karasuno Vs Oghiminami

...Meh

4/10

Karasuno Vs Kakugawa

...Meh again

With a side of interest in the idea of facing a 2m tall player, but...yeah, meh (neither game was bad, I just hardly cared about the actual matches. I enjoyed the surrounding discussions and all way more)

5/10

Karasuno Vs Jozenji

Most certainly NOT meh!

I love Jozenji so much. I want to see them more! They're so, so fun, and this shows you don't have to stick within a specific type of play. Be able to have fun while also being serious, it's important!

And, like, they're good! They're not bad or anything, even though they're messing around. They're entertaining as hell but also try hard.

I love them

And we got to see Suga playing too. I love him so I need to point this out.

8/10

Karasuno Vs Wakutani

Firstly, rip Daichi.

Alright, but seriously, I'm so glad we got to see someone like Takeru. His playing style is completely different to Hinata's at this point, yet they admire the same player, but neither of them are actually cruel or rude to the other team. This was such a respectful match while also being intense.

And we got to see an injury of a key player who couldn't go back on the court unlike Kags in the previous game, which, while unfortunate, is actually really, really good to see. It happens and can throw a spanner in the works, but it allowed us to also see 1) Ennoshita stepping up, 2) Tanaka's reaction to accidentally injuring Daichi (though it wasn't really his fault), and 3) an entirely different type of dynamic on the court.

Also, Yamaguchi! My baby! I felt like crying for the poor thing, but this was the start of his confidence and I love him so much.

I really, really, really liked this match.

8.5/10

Karasuno Vs Aoba Johsai (2nd official match)

YES!

Okay, firstly, the strategies in this game. Using a double edged sword like Mad Dog from Aoba Johsai, and Karasuno going with a more tactic savvy thinker when in a bind, like Suga, even though Kageyama is over all a better player, it was SO great to see. Suga may not be a genius or a prodigy, but his intelligence doesn't just lie in volleyball, so he can use general knowledge to his advantage so well, and teach Kageyama something too.

Kyoutani is such an interesting character and forms a brilliant dynamic for the team to play with, it's great.

Oikawa being shown to make genuine errors is such a fantastic thing. No matter how good you are, Oikawa, Kageyama, Ushijima, whoever, you will never be 100% perfect, and you will always have moments where you make mistakes. I really enjoyed seeing that. Especially his serves, which we were introduced to before his setting.

And, of course, the Hero of the match...

I WILL PROTECT YOU! BUT RIGHT NOW YOU DON'T NEED PROTECTING, YOU ARE SMASHING IT, YES BABY!

Sorry. Got over whelmed. But real talk, I also liked that they did eventually lose that set. Miraculous plays don't automatically win the game, but it also doesn't diminish their importance.

9/10

And finally for this list

Karasuno Vs Shiratorizawa

Well, do I really need to say it?

Yes, Tsukishima owned this match, this season of the show, but he wasn't the only great player

Nishinoya had some amazing moments, Hinata is such an idiot but he utilised that to his advantage by...not thinking. Like, he deliberately received the ball with his face. I mean, come on.

Yamaguchi played great too, Suga was such a key part even when on the bench (yelling at them from the side lines is absolutely brilliant), pretty much everyone was amazing here.

But while it was longer, I still preferred the Aoba Johsai game. Only slightly. Still-

9/10

Okay! So that was the anime, now...

I committed to do the manga too, didn't I?

Alright, it does contain my 2 favourite matches, so you know what? Yeah, let's go

[traincat]

Hi! I've seen people ask about your opinion on the Fantastic Four movies before, but I was wondering about your thoughts on the various Spider-man films we've gotten throughout the years and the actors who played him (I really liked Tom Holland in Civil War and I'm looking forward to Homecoming a lot!) Thanks for taking the time!

Haha every time I talk about Spider-Man and Fantastic Four movies I really do feel like it’s the Unpopular Opinions Hour because my favorite superhero movies are Fant4stic and TASM2.

It’s been approximately one million years since I saw the Raimi movies as a baby Spider-Man fan so I can’t exactly say a ton but I remember… not liking them. Raimi Peter is just such a schlemazel that there’s really nothing appealing to me about him. I love underdog Peter as much as the next person but yeesh. I do love their JJJ. I really should rewatch them, though, so maybe my opinions will have changed. (Probably not.) (The dance scene in Spider-Man 3 really is art though.) (Who is going to get drunk and watch every Spider-Man movie with me.)

I just remembered that John Jameson was played by a guy who later went on to be one of the Originals in Vampire Diaries and cracked up. ‘Cause, you know, John’s a werewolf sometimes in 616.

The Amazing Spider-Man movies I loooooove, though. TASM2 is probably the movie I watch most when I’m just feeling down. Andrew Garfield was such a good Peter Parker in my opinion, and he has both the good eyebrows and the good Spider-Man opinions. (He said he played Peter as Jewish and he wanted Peter to be bi and also to kiss MBJ but that’s neither here nor there cough the otp cough.) As somebody who lives right outside NYC, New York has a feel to it that I think TASM really gets. The Parker home feels very real to me, and I love May and Peter’s dynamic and Ben and Peter’s dynamic and that he loves them, but he’s angry, too, and feels abandoned, and that he and May both know the other lies to them. And I love that it lets Peter have an edge. For me Peter’s kindness and compassion are much more interesting when contrasted against his anger and deep sadness – if he’s sweetness and light all the time it strikes me as hollow. Going to get Way Too Personal for a sec but that kind of economic and social shift that young (look at Richard&Mary’s house in the beginning vs Ben&May’s) really does a number on you and I recognize a lot of it in TASM Peter. Anyway, the fast-talking, also really good, moving along here.

And like! There’s so much stuff in the background of these movies! I kind of don’t know where to begin because I just have so many Thoughts – that beautiful apartment the Stacy family has, like, where is that money coming from? Presumably from her mother? A police chief isn’t affording that place. Asking Peter where his suit for dinner is? WHAT WORLD DO THE TASM STACYS LIVE IN. It’s so weird. It’s great. I love it, I love the differences between Peter and Gwen represented by their environments and their almost magnetic attraction to each other. And like! Flash and Peter in the first movie – the hallway confrontation, Flash’s “It feels better, right?” when Peter pins him up against the lockers, referencing Flash’s abusive home life. Why did they have to cut Flash’s one TASM2 scene. You will never convince me that the brunette girl with glasses in the first TASM movie isn’t TASM Jessica Jones.

I REALLY like the decision to skip Norman as the Green Goblin altogether and go straight to Harry, and I think Dane DeHaan’s Harry was amazing. I never thought I would kind of ship Electro/Harry Osborn but here we are. Okay this is just. Getting really long. I love TASM. I love its Peter. I cry like, every time at the car scene when he takes the mask off while saving the little boy and also at all the swinging. I love how lonely a series it is. I’m realizing this is why my really long TASM2/Fant4stic JohnnyPeter fic is Just So Long, it’s all of these feelings. (It’s actually because I have to keep switching povs because from Johnny’s pov I can’t convey Peter’s deep grief properly and from Peter’s pov I can’t find an elegant way to mention that Johnny and Victor made out once and it was a bad time.) 

Stuff I didn’t like: 

taking Dr. Ashley Kafka, who in 616 is a woman in the psychiatric field who is professional and compassionate, and ending up where TASM ended up with THEIR Dr. Kafka, a sadistic male scientist with a German accent. Why.

SO MUCH RICHARD PARKER HONESTLY WHO CARES ABOUT RICHARD PARKER

but it’s fine because we could’ve either gone the clone place or the android parents place with that alternative ending and I would sat there stuffing popcorn into my face being like “wow give it every oscar”

But really they should’ve cut every scene with an airplane in it in TASM2 and kept the one where Flash and Peter hug and Flash says he loves him instead

We’re never getting TASM3 and I will never get to roll around in all the cash I would’ve won betting on them doing the Ultimate Spider-Man Venom plotline

I really liked Tom Holland in Homecoming edit I meant Civil War in my defense this is a lot of names. I thought they did a great job with the introduction – my entire theater burst into THUNDEROUS applause as soon as QUEENS flashed on the screen, and they established his power set really well. (Stop Underpowering Peter Parker 2017.) The trailer for Homecoming looks good! I’m excited! I totally called the Vulture AND the Shocker villains so if they crash prom Marvel owes me money for stalking my twitter.

I have like. Two complaints.

Why Is Ned Leeds Ganke, like, okay, Ned Leeds in his original incarnation is Peter Parker’s romantic rival for Betty Brant and, later, his coworker and friend. (He was also a supervillain. It’s a long story!) Ganke Lee is Miles Morales’ best friend and confidant in all things Spider-Man. MCU Ned Leeds looks incredibly similar to Ganke, and Ganke loves legos – we see Ned playing with legos in the trailer. I’m really (eyebrows raised) about the MCU so blatantly taking a major Miles Morales character and grafting him onto a Peter Parker minor character. If you wanted to make a Miles Morales movie, MCU, you should’ve made a Miles Morales movie. (Before anyone says yes I know there’s going to be an animated Miles Morales movie.)

I’m ehhhhh about the amount of Tony Stark in the trailer and the role he was presented in. I know trailers lie, and I was … mostly fine with Tony giving Peter the suit in Civil War, but one of the things I like about Peter Parker is that he’s an inventor, and he’s mostly street level, and he’s kind of a weird loner solo player. So. I don’t know. I’m going to see the movie and form my opinions I guess! Trailers are just trailers! Let Peter Parker make his own stuff before we go all Iron Spider.

I’m also worried it will be Too Fun because what’s a Spider-Man story without creeping, crushing sadness. And I literally just said I hate fun. Rest assured if I was capable of being sorry for being this way I would be. 

Anyway I am the opposite of the entire internet and I wish we had like, five different Spider-Man movie series running at all times so we could really get deep into Spidey mythos and explore a whole host of things. There’s no such thing as too many Spider-Man movies! There could be ten a month and my dumb self would be in the theater every opening night stuffing popcorn into my face and whispering “gosh I just love Spider-Man.”

PS the night I went to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 I went to my local theater where it’s almost always just me and a handful of other people and there was this trio of old people up in the front row having a loud and passionate argument about PeterGwen vs PeterMJ and it was the best real life ship war I’ve ever witnessed.