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thedevilsantvocates · 6 years ago

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Informal Review #17: Let’s Play - is it worth the read?

[I do not own any of the images, gifs, or videos used in my posts; these visuals are used only for entertainment.]

Since I’m on a roll, I’ve got another review. This one is long overdue, and it’s something I’ve been reading for a while. Multiple youtubers have reviewed it too, so it’s gained a nice following. It’s been a little over a year since I started looking through webcomics (starting with Tower of God), and I’ve been scouring for good ones in that time, or at least ones that seem interesting. The one comic I always saw but never started until a couple months ago was this masterpiece, Let’s Play by Mongie. Time to dive in!

Just like Bastard, this was something I should’ve started sooner, since it’s amazing.

The story goes like so; Sam Young, pictured on the right, wants to create games, starting with “Ruminate”, a puzzle game she released on a site where indie game developers can try to make it to the big leagues. Problems befall her as her rating drastically plummets, no thanks to known Viewtuber Marshall Law, who played her game and trashed it publicly in his filmed Viewtube recording. Naturally, she hates him now for being arguably the sole reason her game isn’t doing well, but she won’t be rid of him anytime soon; now, they’re neighbours.

What does this wonderful comic do right? Strangely enough, I won’t be discussing many categories to showcase the plus sides of this comic.

Characters: The synopsis is the lift-off point for the story, in which we follow Sam and her days with Marshall as her neighbour. Nothing is the same for her, now that he’s there.

This goes without saying, but it’s a character-driven story, so like other things I’ve reviewed, it makes a huge impact if the characters are excellent drivers. Mongie essentially nails this, because everyone is so human.

First is Sam. I adore her, and loved her character almost instantly. She’s a bit awkward, shy, only enthusiastic around close friends, and not very assertive. Her dream to be a game developer is paralleled by her mundane routine working at a software company, run by her father. She’s good at what she does, but it’s not her passion (I’ll get into this more in my second category). She’s a realistic protagonist, relatable in many ways, and it’s worth noting that lots of video game references center around her character; a cat named Bowser, and a friend named Link among other things. There’s tons of wonderfully placed Easter eggs, but the point is, Sam is awesome.

Marshall Law, for me, was interesting. I don’t hate him or like him, but I empathize with him. That’s a personal opinion, but without a doubt, he is entertaining. He’s extroverted, friendly on the outside, and caring, depending on who he’s with. As a popular person on Viewtube, he is acutely conscious of the slippery slope of his career. Initially, it seemed as if Marshall, being the male lead, meant that him and Sam would have romantic relations, but that’s not the case. It’s refreshing, because the way the two protagonists are written, Mongie could’ve easily made them an item BUT DIDN’T. There are many comedic moments with his character, usually between him and Sam. Here’s one of my favourite scenes:

Normally I usually cover just the protagonists, but I would like to briefly go over a couple honourable mentions.

Link- a barista at a coffee shop. Tall, fit, and friendly, he’s probably the only man Sam interacted with before Marshall (I don’t really count Link’s younger brother since he’s a teenager and immature, but aside from him and Link you get the point); this isn’t the case now as the story progresses, but Link is great.

Angela - An energetic, hot-headed red-head, Angela is usually a source of embarrassment for Sam, but always looks out for her when it boils down it.

Vikki - The more mellow, level-headed of the main girls, Vikki is calm, usually mediates Angela’s brash personality, and is a voice of reason (on a side note, her, Sam, and Angela are so attractive. They’re all so charming in their own ways, and I love it).

Commentary/“Deconstruction”: this is the important part. It’s not like we read or watch things to become philosophers or answer greater questions, but the truth is that depending on the creative piece, it does speak to something about the human condition, society, world issues, the list goes on. Storytelling, in whatever medium it appears, is meant to speak to topics like the ones I mentioned. This goes for the good and bad stories out there, so it can be selective where the more representative stories appear. Let’s Play, a simple romantic comedy, is still grounded in reality, firmly rooted in the current zeitgeist. The current zeitgeist is one dominated by social media, viewing and streaming platforms like YouTube, etc. Not only does this comic show real problems of someone trying to accomplish their dream, but also comment on the nature of online popularity. Sam’s dream is predicated on people enjoying her game, providing feedback, and giving her a good rating; Marshall’s video of him doing an LP of her game is almost like a be-all end-all for Sam’s dream, since his fans agreed with him (based on his conclusions after an unsuccessful playthrough), whether they played the game or not. Additionally, on Marshall’s side, if he does not regularly upload, maintain a life outside of his public persona, or present himself in a certain way, his popularity and career could also go down the drain. Their contrasting experiences reflect something that’s prominent now; I’m sure, for those who know gaming youtubers and indie game developers, this is a realistic theme to convey, as well as the depiction of a fanbase; how quickly someone can bash something because they idolize the person, or how quickly someone can turn on the person they watch after something misconstrued and/or controversial happens (while scandals and such that are proven true regarding online personalities should not be defended, there are cases of misunderstandings).

I’m titling this part “Deconstruction” because I’m going to look through certain tropes and themes Let’s Play not only deconstructs, but repurposes to make for an engaging story.

- Portrayal of characters: None of the core characters fulfill any particular trope, which helps humanize them. This is prominent with characters like Marshall; with an outer persona to maintain, he can seem like a trope at face value, but is still characterized to have moments of doubt, hints at a backstory that make him who he is, etc. This particular characterization is what makes me empathize with him, even if I don’t adore his character. As I mentioned before, Sam has a job, but it’s not the one she particularly wants. Being good at something is different than liking something, a theme constantly surrounding Sam’s characterization and development. It’s easier said than done, and unfortunately too real, but we would all prefer the nice life where we do what we want, not what’s expected or something you’re just ‘good’ at. The harsh critiques Sam receives on her game is also disheartening, but realistic.

- The girls: I won’t say who, but the female characters are all very refreshing, in that they aren’t objectified for the sake of comedy, show strength as people with agency, and I won’t say who, but aside from Sam, there are notable girl gamers. I know that there’s a particular view on girls who, let’s say, stream on Twitch, or just gaming in general; it’s that they’re there for reasons I won’t describe, but are generalized to play video games with ulterior motives. Each of the female characters introduced (that do play video games) have lives outside of gaming, so they’re not defined by it. However, like drawing, reading, writing, or any other hobby you can name, they play games for fun, bringing characters together and bonding over a common interest.

- Age matters: As a segue from the previous points, these are all characters in their twenties (with some exceptions). They have jobs, daily routines, social outings with friends, and sometimes stress with what their work is on. These are not teenage protagonists, but young adults trying to make a living, while still trying to enjoy doing things they like. I’ve mentioned multiple times that this comic is grounded in reality, this being one of those reasons. It’s in the romance genre, so there’s no reason it could’ve been framed in the lens of teenagers. It’s important these are young adults navigating through life, not having experienced everything, but still possessing more wisdom and knowledge than your stock teenage protagonist. This isn’t to bash another favourite of mine, I love Yoo, which possesses similar themes but is still focused on high schoolers. That’s why this point matters.

I’m not saying this the best comic I have ever read, or that all these subtleties make it 20x more complex than other stories out there. This is still a simple, rom-com comic. The reason I recommend this comic so strongly is because of these subtleties, themes, and engaging characters, it’s worthy of praise and fun to analyze. This story is not necessarily for everyone, and there certainly are moments when circumstantial tropes commonly attributed to the genre occur. Even with that said, the characters and their experiences are interesting, entertaining, and engaging all the same. I always keep up with this comic, and I hope you do as well, should you decide to read it.

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thedevilsantvocates · 6 years ago

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Satou v Yuno: Which Pink-haired yandere is better? It doesn’t matter.

[I do not own any of the images, gifs, or videos used in my posts; these visuals are used only for entertainment.]

[Informal Essay #2: Comparative]

That sounds kind of blunt, but there’s something I’m cheesed about. Below is an opiniated piece/spoilers on two anime featuring yandere characters. I am not trying to hate, offend anyone, or take a particular side. You’ve been warned.

It may seem self-explanatory to others, but in simple terms, a ‘Yandere’ is a character trope most notable with female characters in certain anime, in which the character showcases a kind and friendly exterior but possess a secret violent drive, usually directed towards people who challenge their affection for a certain person.

Firstly, as something I’ll review or write it’s own informal essay on in the future, Happy Sugar Life is a psychological thriller anime centred around Satou Matsuzaka, a known popular girl who strives to protect her secret home life; living with a young girl named Shio, whom she loves, and keeps a secret from the world. To protect this secret, she will do anything. I’ve been holding off writing on this one because it messed with my mind so much. It’s so absurd and bizarre at times, yet so aptly captures the ‘psycho’ in ‘psychological thriller’, something I haven’t seen in a long time. I am both terrified of this show and in love with it in this strange twisted way, out of respect for the source material, the direction, the soundtrack, the voice acting, and motley cast of characters that make the show what it is.

Mirai Nikki is a favourite of the anime community, and features our quintessential yandere, the one everyone first thinks about when someone says ‘yandere’; Yuno Gasai. An ardent and affectionate stalker to weak-willed protagonist Amano Yukiteru, she is at her best when she’s defending him from any danger, and kills for him.

These are two very different shows, and yes, it’s easy to make the (appearance-wise) comparison between Satou and Yuno if you know Mirai Nikki, but I wanted to point out a couple things, as someone who has read/watched all of Mirai Nikki, and have watched all of Happy Sugar Life. It’s more than just the pink hair, and I want to discuss that to the best of my abilities.

1: the difference between their anime genres’ automatically puts these yanderes in different camps. HSL is meant to mess with your mind, but MN isn’t actually concerned with this. Yuno is a yandere in the thematic aspect of MN, because she loves Amano so much, and the nature of the diary game puts him at risk. It’s not weird that she’s happy to murder for him, because knowing Yuno’s backstory, she is desperate to protect this messed up love for Amano because she feels as if she has nothing if she doesn’t have him. Notably, unlike yandere from other anime, Yuno is quickly established as from the start, and is known to virtually every character in story as the yandere obsessed with Amano. Her role as a yandere in this story is part of her character and not just there to fill a character trope, even if this is exaggerated at times. HSL is framed specifically as a character-driven story and not governed by the forces surrounding the characters, which is the case for MN. In HSL, each character is the master of their own fate. This automatically makes Satou very different from Yuno, since she is not controlled by her circumstances but is the controller of her circumstances. This key difference is already apparent.

2: Satou is an atypical yandere, and Yuno is the quintessential yandere. This atypicality vs. typicality doesn’t really equate their characters to one another. Satou is a yandere because, as the synopsis states, she’s desperate to protect to her life and the love of her life. Yet, we don’t know the full story when we’re told this information, so we get to see her plunge into the yandere world as a process, rather than it being an established character trait. We do learn that before loving Shio, Satou was emotionless and quite detached despite her popularity and friendly outer appearance, to the point that she would have boyfriend after boyfriend just to fill the void in her that desires a certain kind of love. Yuno is an established yandere, and as I said, the quintessential yandere. It’s at least notable that this trope isn’t gratuitous, but Yuno isn’t the same caliber of yandere of Satou. Yuno gets more chances to showcase her murderous intent and instinct to defend her love, while Satou is much more methodical about the pain or blackmail she inflicts on others to protect Shio. They’re fundamentally different types of yandere.

3: Satou is far more complex compared to Yuno, in the context of their characters and not limited to their place on the Yandere spectrum. This is probably the point I’m most cheesed about. Not everyone watches anime to extrapolate a message; trust me, I watch brainless shows as well, I need time to not think and just have some white noise. But with HSL, you’re forced to think because it’s literally in the name of genre. Satou, in my opinion is more complex as a yandere and as a character compared to Yuno. This may sound like I’m showing bias to Satou, but this is with consideration to the genre. Yuno’s backstory isn’t a simple one and I quite enjoyed it the first time I read through it; the fact that she’s not from the same timeline of events as the main setting of the story ties up all loose ends nicely, and makes her character vulnerable and later susceptible to compromise, which turns the tables on her. It forces Yuno to not instinctually murder and be more cognizant of her circumstances, and I really did love that. As messed up as hers is, Satou’s character is particularly twisted; she grew up with her aunt, a masochist but also partly sadomasochist, with this very twisted version of love ingrained in her mind. Despite the absurdity of her aunt’s ‘love’, Satou managed somehow, through that childhood to desire genuine love and affection as a teenager; pure, unadulterated, and unconditional love. Shio is truly the only good character in the show, and has such a tragic backstory (it’s so messed up); her backstory ends with her mother abandoning her, despite Shio being so pure and endearing, and even at her young age, wanting to help her mother. When she fatefully encounters Satou, she manages to pull on Satou’s heartstrings in such a way no one else had, which then changed Satou for good. Satou begun to forget what it felt like to be detached with this affection now in her life, and thus, is desperate to protect it because it matters to her so much. Yes, both Yuno and Satou share high stakes regarding the factors (Amano and Shio) that contribute to their yandere traits, but Satou, being much more central to story, frames her character differently than Yuno. Yuno’s yandere-ness is conveyed through the high stakes battles, thwarting plots, and confrontations with other diary holders alongside Amano, while Satou’s journey as a yandere is solely based on her psyche and how she decides to bend situations in her favour to keep her secret safe. There’s definitely more action in Yuno’s story, but for the most part, any story framed in the psychological genre ultimately presents a more complex and twisted version of a trope, in this case, Satou vs. Yuno’s character.

4: in turn, Satou is NOT a Yuno 2.0. People just need to get past the pink hair. These two are so startlingly different, at least to me. We know that the twin-tailed, red(/pink, or any variation of this gradience)-haired tsundere (usually associated with fire) is an equally popular comparison, like Stella or Julis, but that comparison shouldn’t carry over for every character trope. I would never generalize Satou with Yuno because they’re so different, and I’m not asking for everyone to bear an inquisitive mind when watching anime. It’s just that it’s good to distinguish, and at least recognize when someone handles the trope differently, since it’s possible that there’s other yanderes out there besides Yuno Gasai. I don’t actually take sides when it boils down to “who’s better than who”, because as the title of this post points out, it doesn’t really matter, cause you can’t really compare them in that way.

5: love plays a different role for Satou and Yuno respectively, so to generalize Satou in that aspect as well is also off the mark. HSL is centered around Satou, but also the overall concept of love and how it’s approached by the neurotic characters of HSL. For one character, it’s strange, obsessive borderline-pedophilic love for Shio; for another, obsession and aspiration to be just like Satou, and for one, the long lost bond of sibling love. Take Satou’s aunt for example; she’s so greatly consumed by masochism that her twisted sense of love and affection impacted Satou’s psyche, and this is key. This is one of the primary conductors of Satou being a yandere in the first place. Satou is detached and struggles to understand love as an emotion and concept because of this upbringing, so the fact that in the moments where she seems to show genuine affection for Shio becoming somewhat marred by her growing neurotic behaviour, is due in part to the fact that Satou has to figure this emotion out on her own. This makes Shio’s role so vital to the story and Satou, in a way that sets the stories of HSL apart from the romance between Yuno and Amano. Shio seems to be able to love unconditionally, and despite being so young, finds goodness in others, or can tell when others ar hurting. Of course, her naïveté does partly drive the story because she is still a child sheltered from the world (not just by Satou but her family before Satou), but she possesses something fundamental that Satou doesn’t inherently possess. The fact that I can even discuss Shio in tandem with Satou as it pertains to this character trope is also very telling in and of itself. Another thing to clarify is there seems to be some confusion for those who may have watched HSL: Satou and Shio are not romantically involved. By that, I mean Satou is not sexually attracted to Shio, so it isn’t Yuri or pedophilia. It’s along the lines of strong affection, which is mutual between them. Love in Mirai Nikki, because it is not a focal point, does not compare to the same degree. Love is certainly present, with the tiny microcosms of romance emerging despite the circumstances, like Uryuu&Nishijima and Marco&Ai. However, it’s not a driving force of the story, and not a hinge that pushes the narrative forwards. This point definitely speaks more to the use of plot devices more so than the yandere trope, but the concept of love is key to both characters, and thus relevant when noting how they’re different as yanderes.

Conclusions? Ultimately, I do speak from a position of knowledge, so this isn’t meant to attack anyone because I wouldn’t pressure you to watch these shows just to gain insights, or assume that everyone who comments about Satou and Yuno’s similarities haven’t watched both shows, or maybe only one of the two. I do think that HSL does something very different and has an unorthodox approach to the yandere trope, one that challenges Yuno’s version of a yandere, the more well known one. I do find that sometimes, this generalization isn’t fair to the creators of HSL (or any creators that challenge established tropes, both hated and beloved tropes), because I’m sure Satou’s traits and colour palette are based off of Yuno, but to pool them together and call Satou ‘another pink-haired yandere’ isn’t really fair. Considering the VA for Satou, Kana Hanazawa, also commented that this was a new role for her, it’s easy to tell from the tonal voice acting that Satou isn’t a rip off Yuno. Design-wise maybe but not in any other aspect. All in all, these characters come from two very different shows, so the implementation of the trope is inherently very different within the the respective stories and characters. I don’t think one is truly better than the other; Yuno would probably win by brute force since she’s quite proficient with weapons of all kind, but Satou knows too well how to get inside someone’s head and use that person to her advantage, only occasionally resorting to violence (I know Yuno does too, but Satou I think is better in that regard).

Yeah, this was a lot longer than I intended so I guess I have more feelings about this than I thought? Anyways, I wouldn’t take this too seriously, I just felt like ranting about Satou. This was fun though so if you stayed until the end, I applaud you.

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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Y E S you go boi! Salty opinions are appreciated

The Nines Deserves Better .

So if you’re a fan of Darling In The Franxx, you probably recognize the Nines squad and tbh, who doesn’t lol.

Welcome to my talk/rant, where I am stating my dssatisfaction for their plot and screentime in DITF. HUGE spoilers are ahead, so please skip, okay?

Look at them. They’re great characters. They have decent designs and personalities. Nine posh and majestic elite teams who shows up to mess things up and to stir more drama, led by a narcissistic smug blonde boy. Nice.

They have unique motives and goals, along with a mysterious, powerful vibe that make you think, “Wow, these guys are quite the shit.”.

They also did a great job on representing what it’s like to be controlled in a dystopian environment. In my opinion, they are the representative of how it would be like if;

1. Society chose to remain faithful to the wrong leader.

2. Society took “equality” too far.

3. Society decided to abandon human basics to “evolve”, in an unnatural way.

At first, they may seem overpowered and inhumane, but as it was seen in latest episodes, it is shown that they still have human characteristics, like having uncontrollable emotions and survival insticts, also concern for each other.

Heck, even they got depressed the latest episodes due to their teammates dying!

Now this is where I point out what I think is the creator’s mistake; they rushed the plot and abandoned these good characters just to complete the main plot.

I see a lot of potential with the Nines, but the creators killed them off too early. And they don’t even get that much of a screentime!

Look, they already have most of the good character criteria, unlike Hiro who in my opinion is a bland character. But what core do they lack that the creators should’ve thought of?

Backstories.

Looking at the Nines, it’s clear that their attitude and their beliefs (like their strong dependence and respect towards Papa) hides an interesting backstory that could’ve been a good storyline for the anime.

Why are they in the Elite team? Why are they so dependent on Papa? Did Papa brainwash them? How did Zero Two’s DNA work to create them? Did they grow up like normal kids? Were they secluded like Zero Two? What kind of training do they go through? What did Papa taught them all these years? What are their interactions with eachother like? What are their thoughts on the current world’s condition? Who are they really?

So many questions left unanswered.

Instead, the creators decided to just end them, just like that, because they weren’t the “important characters” and continued to add more ridiculous storylines to strengthen Zero Two and Hiro’s stupid journeys together (no offense, I hate those two).

They killed Delta and Epsilon in a mere few seconds. One of them could’ve have survived because of the Franxx’s facillities (remember when Goro injected Ichigo out?). But guess what, they both died and never got a second chance.

And then without telling what happened to the triplets, suddenly they’re gone. WHAAAAT?! I really thought that at least Zeta could’ve survived, since she rode with Alpha.

And when these three (Alpha, Beta and Gamma) are left, whoo SURPRISE, they DIED too! (Except maybe Beta cuz the wiki states that he’s still alive// Still, doesnt mention what exactly killed Gamma!)

(Sorry cant find GIFs of Gamma my poor boi)

So yeah, thank you for reading my salty OPINIONS, I personally don’t like where the anime is heading and what’s happening but I still like it cuz it used to be a good and it was really good.

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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Darling in the FRANXX - E24 // The End

While this contradicts a previous statement I made, I had a couple things to say about the finale.

The show is done, and it’s been quite the journey. Overall, this sums up my thoughts on the episode and the show’s ending:

Liked:

- Kokoro and Mitsuru’s relationship and role in the narrative reflected a change for the good. You can tell that they’re not entirely cognizant of how they were once at a time, but having now built a strong and loving relationship for their new child despite what they can’t or can remember. It hints at past affection, but also demonstrates that there’s certain things that were lost. They represented what was wrong with how humanity functioned by them being brainwashed; they were an example for their plantation to never challenge Papa. Now, it takes a more positive meaning, in that Nana 2.0 states that Kokoro would be the first mother of the new generation, and needed the special treatment. Now, her and Mitsuru were a new kind of precedent that is more heartfelt and reflects better development.

- Nana and Hachi having a more involved role. I always liked Nana, and I actually enjoyed seeing Hachi grow as a character. Both are aware of their ambiguous role in society, but also understand their purpose. It’s like self-aware symbolism in the narrative, but I actually liked it.

- The use of implicit/explicit parallels. This has been something the show did consistently well, despite its flaws. First, you had Hiro and the Jian bird. Then, you had him and Zero Two reflecting the Jian. Next, the two become a couple, and ultimately symbolize the problematic aspects of their worlds. A new parallel is created with the romances that culminated: Mitsuru x Kokoro and Hiro x Zero Two. The parallel takes a more serious connotation; the love that managed to prevail (HxZT) and the love that was destroyed (MxK). Next, we had a parallel between the Klaxosaurs and VIRM, one that creates the discrepancy of the real enemy. Finally, we have the universal parallel of different “battles”, where humanity perseveres to survive, cultivate land, procreate, etc., versus Hiro and Zero Two’s lonely battle against VIRM. Some of these are more explicit than others, and these aren’t the only ones; I would say these cover the main ones. Point is, these themes were so central and well-integrated into the story. As someone who doesn’t think it deserves a standing ovation, I still think it really succeeded in conveying these parallels and themes. It was fun to analyze, and helped shaped the story into an interesting one in the early stages.

- The ending. I promise, I’m not made of steel, but I don’t cry easily, and this ending didn’t make me cry. Only a select few anime have done that to me, but I give credit where it is due; the ending really tugs at your heartstrings, especially when it shows the growth of the characters who survived. It hit all the right notes; the side main cast as adults, Kokoro and Mitsuru as experienced parents, Goro’s path of self-realization, Earth’s sustainable revival, and Hiro and Zero Two’s eternal unity, even in death. I actually have a “Meh” point for this as well, but that has to do with how it ended, rather than the overall themes and closure achieved by the ending. I found it predictable, but it made me wistful all the same. It was poetic that Hiro and Zero Two were together until the end, symbolizing that they would always be irreconcilably different than everyone else they knew on Earth.

- other themes the show touched on, especially that was prominent in E24. In whatever roundabout way the show decided to convey the message, magma energy is what I, and probably others, think symbolizes climate change and global warming in the real world. Magma energy helped build the Earth’s complex technology and new ways to build civilizations, but ultimately drained the Earth of sustainable resources, since Magma energy was finite. Again, like the ending, Magma energy also has some problems, but at least was effective for me in conveying this particular message. All of the children, Nana, and Hachi, worked hard to make Earth a habitable place, which symbolizes the hope we can have for real-world Earth. Fiction can breed hope a lot easier than what can be practically done in the real world, but it’s good message. Whether you believe in this theme or not, fact is Earth can become a habitable place, even with extreme events changing its constitution (think 65 million years ago); the world will only seem to fall apart for humans with the problem Magma energy proposes, but not for the planet itself.

Hope itself is another theme I thought was well done; not overdone, but subtle enough that you could sense the kind of story the creators wanted to tell. There were many instances of adversity, both small and grand; hope was crucial on both scales, whether it was Hiro making it past a third ride, or Zero Two rallying the voices of the main squad to revive Hiro for their ultimate sacrifice but subsequent victory over VIRM.

There were other themes that are fairly uncommon, whether it be the genre or just certain anime in general, at least in my experience. These kids are something like sixteen, but Kokoro and Mitsuru already reached a point of maturity where they started family (Kokoro had the option of abortion, but chose not to. That counts for something). There were comedic moments, but many scenes came across as more mature rather than childish or unreasonable. I mentioned in past posts that part of character development relied on the cast losing their naivety, which I thought was a double-edged sword. This actually worked to the show’s advantage, for the most part. Zorome was tolerable but still a comic relief, Miku was his female counterpart, Ikuno reached her own point of maturity, Futoshi grew like Zorome, and Ichigo and Goro handled that heavy burden of carrying this change as leaders, along with their own growth (we already know the deal with MxK and HxZT).

“Meh”:

- The ending’s buildup. It was predictable in a way that I was not upset by, but a lot of the flaws that constitute the ending relates back to previous criticism I made. The world-building began to falter towards the end, and a lot of the FRANXX tech, Klaxosaur history, and APE/VIRM narrative building suffered for that reason, points I still stand by. It was obvious Hiro and Zero Two would win in one way or another, but their long battles were repetitive in nature. The only way this could slide, for me, is if there was a decent foundation created for FRANXX’s needless capabilities as a Klaxosaur-based bot. It lacked good parts of this, the only foundation I saw have semblance in the narrative being the Doctor’s history as a scientist in this world. If these foundations had even a marginally between buildup, those final outer spaces would feel like so much more was at stake.

- the deal with Naomi. We had only a couple minutes to learn anything about her character in the pilot, and believed she died almost instantly. This isn’t a dislike as much as it is a point of confusion, since Miku, Ikuno, and Ichigo were much more emotional about seeing her again. I understand this, so I again, it’s not that I’m upset by this, but even if it only had a couple early visual cues, I would’ve liked to see this play out just a little better (I did like that little implication between Naomi and Ikuno in adulthood though).

- Klaxo Princess’s role, and Klaxosaurs in general. Another aspect of the story I would have liked to see a little more development in. This applies to previous statements, which is that I understand this show doesn’t have 2 seasons to whittle out the little details, but this was something I wanted to see a little more of. The Klaxosaurs are some of the most unorthodox, yet appealing creatures I’ve seen; the fact that they were once the dominant species, replaced by humankind on the surface, now toiling to retake what was once theirs is an interesting concept. The princess herself is so important for multiple reasons, the core reason being that Zero Two is a poor imitation of her. Seeing this play even just a little differently (such as the Klaxo Princess having an end credit scene earlier on, or even just a silhouette) would’ve helped how his show progressed. On a side note, the matte electric-blue/black colour palette is such a good combo, and I want that giant serpentine-Klaxosaur that was the Princess’s pet? I dunno, it looked really cool.

Neither here nor there:

- The Nines. They were never meant to be developed, but I can’t help but feel like there’s a couple things lacking. I did not mind that there was the presence of characters who were rejected in favour of a Klaxosaur imitation (another interesting concept).

- The Doctor. If his character was more likeable, that episode could have had a much more different tone (i.e his exposé episode). You can’t give this guy the benefit of the doubt, but he’s still crucial to the narrative in a way that doesn’t make him detrimental to the show. He died after he had been as useful as he could have been, but survived long enough to be a trash human being. His short-lived marriage actually had a chance to shape his character into an interesting one (in that she became a number on a board after his experience), but it, in my perspective, failed to humanize him, since he didn’t do extensive research for her, complete some kind of united dream they shared, motivations, etc. I put him in this grey area because he IS important, but his character is just difficult to like.

- Floating VIRM heads. I am just confused on this one, since they don’t have any true physical form, and can duplicate? This is another foundation that was not built as effectively as, let’s say, the parallels in the show, but something restricted by the timeframe. There’s just chunks of explanation missing, but again, I’m just feeling like something is missing.

Cheers to the bro of bros Goro for getting his happy ending; these were my thoughts, and what I would like to say is the true ending of my reviews on this show. Thanks DitF for making me thinking, I will miss that.

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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Swing time 2 (original idea)

Actually I wanted to add our beloved Zero two and Hiro watching their reincarnations from above, what do you guys think?

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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Update: I’m working on a super long rant on a video game that I did not intentionally plan on ranting about. I’ll delete this post once I get that one up. I now have this huge backlog of things I want to review, rant about, etc, but it’s all good.

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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After all the series about huminizing x object in Japan, this one is pretty much worth it!

CELLS AT WORK - RECOMMENDATION + FIRST IMPRESSION

[AKA HATARAKU SAIBO <-MAL LINK]

MAL SYNOPSIS:

This is a story about you. A tale about the inside of your body… According to a new study, the human body consists of approximately 37 trillion cells. These cells are hard at work every day within a world that is your body. From the oxygen-carrying red blood cells to the bacteria-fighting white blood cells, get to know the unsung heroes and the drama that unfolds inside of you! It’s the oddly relatable and interesting story that is the life of cells!

IF YOU HAVE ANY SORT OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HUMAN BODY AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS - PLEASE WATCH THIS ANIME

IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND THE TINY REFERENCES TO EVERYTHING HOW THE BODY WORKS IS HILARIOUSLY ACCURATE

youtube

JUST WATCH THE OP AND FIGURE OUT HOW MANY CELLS YOU CAN RECOGNISE AND THEIR FUNCTION IN THE BODY

SO YOU GET THE RED BLOOD CELLS [X 4 MILLION]

THE BADASS NEUTROPHILS

AND KILLER [CYTOTOXIC] T CELLS

THE GLORIOUS MACROPHAGES

ABSOLUTELY F-ING ADORABLE PLATELETS

THE GERMS ARE F-ING CUTE ALSO

SERIOUSLY THIS SHOW IS TRIGGERING ALL MY MEMORY OF MY IMMUNOLOGY STUDY BACK IN UNI

I’M SURPRISED I STILL REMEMBER SOME OF IT LOL

I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE MORE EPISODES!

PLEASE DON’T SKIP OUT ON THIS!

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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I love this. I will love it forever

If you’re ever feeling down about self shipping/self insert art just remember that Araki drew himself with his own character. If the creator of a very successful manga series can draw self insert so can you! 🌟

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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I just read your Part I on "Darling in the Franxx" and I wanted to say thanks for your continued in depth discussion about the series. I watched the 1st ep & I was hooked instantly. But when I got to the 2nd ep, I soon lost interest just because of the overt sexualization of the parasites, especially the positions that the girls would be in & how dominating the boys' positions were (being the 'drivers' per say). And yeah, they sure weren't being subtle about intimacy either.

The series most definitely has its flaws but they really did want to make an interesting statement in the show. I’m going to be writing about in depth looks at their concept of a Domesticated Population and Immortality in History so stay tuned!! Lov u

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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Part 2: But because of your in depth analysis, I decided to give the series another go, just because I really enjoyed the artwork, animation, OST & designs of the mecha. So keep up the awesome work!🥀🌹🥀🙆‍♀️

Omg! Thank you so much ;A; gfgvnknv i feel the same lol was a wild ride til the end

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thedevilsantvocates · 7 years ago

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YES! Finally some feedback on my fave game

Informal Review #11: Super Mario Galaxy - Is it worth the play?

This review is special, since this is a game that helped build my childhood. It is so quintessentially stated across social media that you ‘had a childhood if you watched/played _____’. You could say this game had that role in my life, forgive my nostalgia-driven language. Time to review this masterpiece: Super Mario Galaxy.

This franchise is so successful, whether you like it or not. Most are brainless platformers, but this, along with another Mario game I will review in the near future, break that mold in a fantastic way. Since I don’t want to spoil much of the story for this review, I’m limiting this content to Score and Gameplay, since if I reviewed anything else, we would be here for an eternity.

Gameplay: This is a Wii game, and most of us know how that goes. It’s not the same as playing on a handheld, obviously, but has its own charm to it BECAUSE it is a Wii game. It becomes easy to move around, figure out the combo attacks and moves, while also collecting star bits with the cursor (the best kind of currency out there because it looks like candy).

I’ve always been a bit of a space geek, so I fell in love with the appeal of this game. Its otherworldly in the best ways possible, incorporating this into the gameplay. The main function of the game is your base of operations is this elegant, space observatory. Since the ship is low on fuel (i.e. stars), you are limited to the number of places you access on the ship at the beginning. It’s a hub with other mini-hubs (e.g. Terrace, Kitchen, Engine Room), which then allow you to access the different ‘galaxies’ to collect stars from and beat mini-bosses, all before beating the boss of each mini-hub (often Bowser, or some manifestation of him). This is formulaic, but it really grows on you as you play through the game.

Every set of galaxies is unique in their own, which allows for more enjoyment when you play through it. I will say that because of the Wii controls the water levels are still a pain in the ass, but it has its own charm thanks to the score (which I will touch on next). The way the game plays out as you progress builds this kind of hope in you, as you aim to complete more levels to get closer to beating the game. Paradoxically, it becomes bittersweet once you get enough stars to power up the observatory to play that final battle because of how enjoyable it was to get to that point. There are some fundamental, Mario-game mechanics in there, but the wondrous worlds you visited to get to that point make this a game that you never want to complete.

Score: THE BEST. It’s easy to realize that when certain mediums of art (film, video games, etc.) have an amazing soundtrack, that medium then becomes so much more enjoyable and memorable. This game is amazing in that sense. When you unlock the boss level, the music actually changes. Each mini-hub has a stock tune playing while you choose which galaxy travel to, but changes to much darker sounding one when that Bowser level becomes accessible. Even if you exit out of the mini-hub and return to this selection screen, you’re now filled with a sense of dread as this eerie and mysterious track begins to play. Even if the boss level itself is nothing scary or difficult, this little touch of soundtrack change makes a difference.

Every bit of music perfectly fits the worlds it is tracked for, particularly the water worlds. It is that inexplicable sense of being fulfilled, where you hear a sound that perfectly suits what you’re looking at. In the more beach-oriented worlds, it sounds like you’re at the beach. Aided by the pleasant and smooth graphics, you’re kind of lulled into a semi-euphoric state because of how representative the music is of the game. Even in the more active worlds (like cannons being shot in your direction), you’re filled with exhilaration specifically directed to beating the level, while also just genuinely enjoying the what you listen to when you stomp on a poor goomba.

The music for the observatory has just much impact. Like the number of mini-hubs you acquire stars from and complete, the music gets boosted like your star count. Initially just the sound of faint twinkles and clinks, you get a more orchestral feeling before beating the game, hearing more instruments. It’s so adorably symbolic, while also sounding so peaceful.

Story: I changed my mind, I will BRIEFLY touch on the story. Princess Peach gets captured by Bowser on one of his floating ships (Super Mario Bros. 3 reference), and it becomes your job to save her. Mario ends up transported on a small planetoid, where he meets and befriends Luma, the cutest little pink thing. Luma is what gives Mario a new kind of attack that becomes hell for your wrist; the spin attack. Its cute, because most cutscenes preceding boss battles show Luma exiting Mario’s hat as they both look at Bowser in contempt, which is just so cute. Even if Mario’s personality does not exceed his static persona in every other platformer he’s in, it’s a little different in this game. Because this game, granted you suspend disbelief, is on a more galactic scale, there’s more at stake, and thus a greater sense of accomplishment when you play as Mario. Luma is one of many that are actually stars, guided by their de facto mother Rosalina (she’s got a backstory that is just so wholesome, and is such a great driving point in the game; can’t spoil because it is too good), who gives Mario advice as he continues to power up the observatory. Your travels as Mario have so much more characterization and dimensions, aided by a story that strays from the Mario-norm, even if it’s just little.

Even if you can’t own the game for yourself, watch playthroughs or something for it, because this game is one of the best I’ve ever played on any platform. It’s so rounded for a Mario game, and exceeds what even begins to describe the word ‘enjoyable’.

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