Anime - coasting on emotion rollers

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

More SU. Steven and Connie's parents meet, and then Garnet faces the wrath of ULTIMATE RINGO.

[majestic]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Speaking of Usagi and Rei, I was watching the intro for Sailor Stars, and there's that part where they all hold hands together and go to spinnyworld - but the first two hands actually properly grab each other, while the last three more just stick their hands on top of the other two...which made me curious as to whom the first two were, since it was a little difficult to follow. Well, I slowed it down, and what do you know, it's Usagi and Rei! Don't that figure?

One of the more beatiful things Sailor Stars does is to clear up what's going on with the two. I mean, beyond adding some subtext in the storyline episodes at the end that I immediately disregarded because Sailor Moon doesn't need homosexual subtext, and never needed it right from the start with Kunzite and Zoisite or Haruka and Michiru. There are parts of the fandom who spun an entire relationship between Ami and Makoto out of Ami asking Makoto to dance with her (and the scene in the first season where Ami fell over and Makoto stared under her skirt for a while).

But seriously, if anything were going on between any of the Guardians, I doubt the showrunners would have been coy and subtexty about it. There's subtext, allegory and interpretations for other things, for instance Usagi and Unazuki talking about kissing in S which probably was Sailor Moon appropriate talk about sex (given Usagi's reaction to it, which otherwise makes no sense even within Japanese social norms, for which Usagi has no regard whatsoever anyway, just look at how the Sailor Moon R movie begins. Smoooooch me in public, Mamo-chan!) or how awakening as Guardians stood for the onset of puberty for the five, and possibly for coming out for Michiru and Haruka.

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

I watched the baseball and plane episodes, which were pretty good, but I didn't have much to say about them - well, except for Minako and Rei tying up the announcer and hijacking the game, because of course they did, . That, and I felt a little bad for Lead Crow, who is like the very definition of anime tsundere, but very obviously had a soft spot for her "rival" (or should I say "cousin"?). I was very right that they would be no match for Nezzy.

It's not like they were given a chance to be a match for Nezu, were they? It's pretty clear that the writers, even while Iron Mouse was still around, simply abandoned trying to come up with interesting fight scenes, or any meaningful scenes with the villains. If nothing else, I liked Aluminum Siren's polite manner when talking to the people she was going to attack, and Lead Crow's irritation at it (and the constant eating).

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Spoiler

 

lmao at poor Rei getting saddled with Usagi/Seiya's problems - I remember that video where Usagi came here to see her, but didn't realize Seiya would be as well. This show is such a meme sometimes. And nobody ever recognizes each other's faces or voices - everyone's half-deaf and half-blind, I guess.

They didn't even hit, confuse, or distract the monster before Usagi melted it. This is advanced "the minions don't matter anymore".

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

I really liked that scene and it was a great idea to have Seiya come in first. I mean, accepting that neither of them recognizes Rei is a bit of a stretch, but hey, the anime is set in a world where nobody (except for some random nobodies that are never mentioned again) figures out that the only two people with a certain hairstyle on the entire planet in Tokyo who look and sound the same actually are the same, so... might as well accept this too.

Back to Seiya coming first and Rei actually helping him in a meaningful way after thinking what she should do for a moment. She and the other girls clearly have misgivings about the amount of time Seiya and Usagi spend with each other. Even Ami gets angry at it, murdering that carrot and calling Usagi filthy (the Japanese original used "impure"). So while we all might pretend like SuperS didn't happen, Ami clearly remembers making an idiot out of herself in front of Mamoru for Usagi.

She could have easily told him to not bother any more. Or have given him any sort of advice that she knew would put Usagi off. But she didn't. Well, and then Usagi comes in anyway. I linked that scene a while ago before you started watching Sailor Stars when we were talking about Rei and Usagi and their friendship. For  a moment I wondered what Rei could possibly mean when she said "The Usagi Tsukino I know would stand proud..." but that works if you disregard SuperS. Because even as far back as R, Usagi just stood up in Rubeus' gravity beam, and helped everyone.

It's not just that she helps her friend in spite of her misgivings about the situation, it's also the level of trust she shows there. Sure, Usagi says that she doesn't think of Seiya "like that" which Rei answers with an exaspterated sigh of relief, but still, it shows that Rei sees much more in Usagi than just an airheaded dummy.

I also think it is really telling that there is no moment in the season where Usagi helps Rei (healing he cousin doesn't count because Uasgi heals every phage after all), and instead it is Rei helping Usagi here. We've had Usagi helping Makoto and Ami by now, there's an episode coming where she helps Minako with something, but here it is Rei fixing things for her friend.

Spoiler

Is it any wonder that I like this season more than I should, given its flaws?

 

So, how did you like Sailor Tin Nyanko's outfit? Suddenly Aluminum Siren doesn't seem so bad any more, right?

Edited April 18, 2021 by majestic

[Bartimaeus]

33 minutes ago, majestic said:

One of the more beatiful things Sailor Stars does is to clear up what's going on with the two. I mean, beyond adding some subtext in the storyline episodes at the end that I immediately disregarded because Sailor Moon doesn't need homosexual subtext, and never needed it right from the start with Kunzite and Zoisite or Haruka and Michiru. There are parts of the fandom who spun an entire relationship between Ami and Makoto out of Ami asking Makoto to dance with her (and the scene in the first season where Ami fell over and Makoto stared under her skirt for a while).

Oh come on: people have problems. Although maybe I have the opposite kind of problem, since I obstinately refuse to ever read into characters that way (as well as the notion of "shipping" - please read that word with absolute venom - in general). With that context, I sort of understand more why you hate that particular scene in season 1 - I probably would have had too if I had to deal with with other distasteful watchers making such a big deal of it. Have these people never had friends who put them themselves into embarrassing or compromising situations...or friends that needed support exactly after such incidents?

33 minutes ago, majestic said:

It's not like they were given a chance to be a match for Nezu, were they? It's pretty clear that the writers, even while Iron Mouse was still around, simply abandoned trying to come up with interesting fight scenes, or any meaningful scenes with the villains. If nothing else, I liked Aluminum Siren's polite manner when talking to the people she was going to attack, and Lead Crow's irritation at it (and the constant eating).

They really weren't given a chance (not that I think they would've matched up anyways - at least for me, Nezu had just the right kind of voice with the right kind of personality and wacko situation that made her significantly more fun and interesting that most), but yeah, they weren't all bad - a lot better than something like a deadbeat/pulseless Kaolinite.

Huh, yeah, you're right that it was good for Rei that Seiya came in first - the other way around, and you could say that she only tried to help Seiya specifically because she already heard that Usagi really wasn't interested in him. Definitely illustrates Rei's trust and love for Usagi...this season pretty much cements the whole "best friend" idea between them, I think, .

Hm: I still find Aluminum Siren and Lead Crow to be more distasteful than Tin Cat...and actually, it's not really even close. Maybe it's because I don't have proper context for it, maybe it's because I have a greater distaste for specifically more "anime" types of skimpiness like those two were designed...and maybe it's also because the Sailor Starlights have already inured me to a much worse version of it - at least Tin Cat has a proper skirt and shirt, and is mostly covered up. Her hat thing or whatever is probably the weirdest/worst part of her getup to me, .

Edited April 18, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Maedhros]

Currently watching a show called Dorohedoro on Netflix. The premise is that the main character has a reptile head and amnesia, and is trying to figure out how that happened. His world ("The Hole") is bleak and downtrodden, and sorcerers are teleporting in daily to abduct, and experiment on its inhabitants. It's got a weird lighthearted tone, despite being very dark and creepy. I'm halfway through it, and so far I can recommend it.

Before that I watched Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. For a shounen (is that the term?) show it was really good. Very likeable main character, unlike other series in the same genre.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

18 minutes ago, Maedhros said:

Currently watching a show called Dorohedoro on Netflix. The premise is that the main character has a reptile head and amnesia, and is trying to figure out how that happened. His world ("The Hole") is bleak and downtrodden, and sorcerers are teleporting in daily to abduct, and experiment on its inhabitants. It's got a weird lighthearted tone, despite being very dark and creepy. I'm halfway through it, and so far I can recommend it.

Before that I watched Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer. For a shounen (is that the term?) show it was really good. Very likeable main character, unlike other series in the same genre.

You're in for a ride with Dorohedoro. Shame it's cgi.

Demon Slayer was pretty generic for me.

[majestic]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

Oh come on: people have problems. Although maybe I have the opposite kind of problem, since I obstinately refuse to ever read into characters that way (as well as the notion of "shipping" - please read that word with absolute venom - in general). With that context, I sort of understand more why you hate that particular scene in season 1 - I probably would have had too if I had to deal with with other distasteful watchers making such a big deal of it. Have these people never had friends who put them themselves into embarrassing or compromising situations...or friends that needed support exactly after such incidents?

I have rewatched that episode and more or less made my peace with the scene. It is funny, until it suddenly isn't any more - specifically when Makoto changes her expression after a while, because then it turns from everyone is embarrassed to be stuck in this situation to Makoto looking like something embarrassing is underneath Ami's skirt. Which feels weird to me, within the context of the girls transforming next to each other like they usually do. Makoto's embarrassment here is for the benefit of the audience, not because it's something that makes sense for her in this scene, if that makes sense?

That part of the scene will always bother me, but that's just me. Everything else, especially the stupid fandom, no longer seems as relevant as it did before I read Naoko Takeuchi's statements about her own work.

Shipping, well... oh boy. You're saying you don't like Pearlmethyst or Amedot? Seriously? Hahaha. Yeah. I started out being online at the time when the Ur-Ship sailed (surfed?) the depths of the nascent world wide web. Shippers are the worst. It's doubly bad because I still think Chris Carter caved to the fandom when they actually wrote Mulder and Scully into an actual relationship, instead of a professional relationship that turned into a deep friendship.

Character reading and subtext depends a bit on the context. There's the scene in the couple cruise episode where Rei invites Ami and says they don't need boys to have fun. Oh lord, has the fandom read things into this one, while in context, the only thing Rei did there was to annoy Usagi who wanted to go more than Ami did, and the girls had just met each other too. Homosexual subtext doesn't need to be read into Sailor Moon because it's openly lived anyway.

And there certainly isn't any unresolved sexual tension between Ami and Makoto, for crying out loud. Or anything. Do the two even talk to each other alone at some point, outside of Ami offering to dance with Makoto because nobody else danced with them? There's not much one on one time for the girls without Usagi in general, I think. It's almost always Usagi and one of them, or they're in a group.

2 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

They really weren't given a chance (not that I think they would've matched up anyways - at least for me, Nezu had just the right kind of voice with the right kind of personality and wacko situation that made her significantly more fun and interesting that most), but yeah, they weren't all bad - a lot better than something like a deadbeat/pulseless Kaolinite.

Well they can't all be fun like Fish-Eye.

2 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Huh, yeah, you're right that it was good for Rei that Seiya came in first - the other way around, and you could say that she only tried to help Seiya specifically because she already heard that Usagi really wasn't interested in him. Definitely illustrates Rei's trust and love for Usagi...this season pretty much cements the whole "best friend" idea between them, I think, .

Absolutely, yes. Which is why I really liked the scene, regardless of the contrivance necessary to make it work.

2 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Hm: I still find Aluminum Siren and Lead Crow to be more distasteful than Tin Cat...and actually, it's not really even close. Maybe it's because I don't have proper context for it, maybe it's because I have a greater distaste for specifically more "anime" types of skimpiness like those two were designed...and maybe it's also because the Sailor Starlights have already inured me to a much worse version of it - at least Tin Cat has a proper skirt and shirt, and is mostly covered up. Her hat thing or whatever is probably the weirdest/worst part of her getup to me, .

I don't know, Tin Nyanko screams bondage fetish in a way that Aluminum Siren didn't, but yes, the Starlights are... worse.

Still sad that we missed out on Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon. Just imagine what the animators could have done with her:

 

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, majestic said:

I don't know, Tin Nyanko screams bondage fetish in a way that Aluminum Siren didn't, but yes, the Starlights are... worse.

Ah, see, that's what I mean when I say I'm lacking the proper context for it to register as being worse. This is simply not my forte, so I'm more looking at their outfits just for what they are rather than any additional connotations, . She definitely looks incredibly weird and off-putting...but the way I was looking at it, at least she has some actual clothes on instead of going full anime skimpiness.

Soul Hunter Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon? What a legendary name. The lady...not so much from the looks of it.

1 hour ago, majestic said:

Well they can't all be fun like Fish-Eye

(although not for Fish's Eye, but the actual good ones, lol)

1 hour ago, majestic said:

That part of the scene will always bother me, but that's just me. Everything else, especially the stupid fandom, no longer seems as relevant as it did before I read Naoko Takeuchi's statements about her own work.

Nothing like realizing literally everyone is wrong and thus were always irrelevant to begin with, huh?

1 hour ago, majestic said:

Shipping, well... oh boy. Hahaha. Yeah. I started out being online at the time when the Ur-Ship sailed (surfed?) the depths of the nascent world wide web. Shippers are the worst. It's doubly bad because I still think Chris Carter caved to the fandom when they actually wrote Mulder and Scully into an actual relationship, instead of a professional relationship that turned into a deep friendship.

Don't even know what that is, probably don't want to know what that is. I certainly don't mind trying to figure out where more subtle characters are standing in relation to each other (NEWS FLASH: Sailor Moon characters are NOT in any way subtle), but there's a big difference between "trying to figure out" and "actively re-writing as if my feelings have any merits to the outside world whatsoever", .

Spoiler

Also, put all the SU character shippers straight into the garbage. L-P is probably the most common in the fanbase and I guess RELATIVELY harmless, but there are some particularly nasty ones out there I've had the misfortune of running into, including Steven and...not Connie, let's say. And they actually think they're not awful when they try to bring it up with the rest of us. Eugh.

 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[InsaneCommander]

22 hours ago, majestic said:

Heavy ending spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica ahead:
 

  Hide contents

What's really interesting about the antagonist (because is he really a villain?) of Puella Magi Madoka Magica is that everything he does just makes you hate him more, while all the while he isn't actually wrong, right?

How did you like the soundtrack by the way?

And
 

Spoiler

 

his people didn't do it because of sadism or any evil intentions. Still horrible for the ones involved.

The soundtrack was good, but to be honest I skipped most of the intros and endings so I didn't listen to that part that much.

 

 

21 hours ago, ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP said:

 

  Hide contents

It's one major fakeout that completely goes against first impressions from what the trailers, images, or the opening suggest it's going to be. More importantly it is a very good show that I'd highly recommend.

Human nature hasn't changed and negative stuff manifests as Wraiths which are harvested at less yield but happier endings for the magical girls than witches were. Madoka is a god now and comes to see off magic girls to their afterlife. The Incubators are still doing the same job.

Supah Sekrit Spoilers about the movie sequel, which I think has a bit weaker ending.

 

So what's next to watch?

 

I still have to watch the second season of One Punch Man. But the next one is probably Castlevania. I haven't watched any of it yet but it seems the last season is coming next month.

After that Goblin Slayer and any other "short" one that I want (that is, with maybe 20-30 episodes top). Eventually Legend of Galactic Hero and Jojo's Bizarre adventures. Jojo comes later because it is longer and I'm craving for some SciFi.

[majestic]

13 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Nothing like realizing literally everyone is wrong and thus were always irrelevant to begin with, huh?

To be honest actually reading the manga, or at least parts of it so far was a major wakeup call. More than watching Crystal was. I don't think I've ever run into a deeper gulf between what seems to have been the creator intention, her statements (some which were probably made in anger while utterly stressed out) and the fanbase misunderstanding and misrepresenting everything while being incredibly militant about it.

Plus an immense amount of people taking these fan statements at face value and perpetuating them even into professional reviews. In almost every review of the first Crystal season the reviewers state how much better, loving and "healthier" Mamoru's relationship with Usagi is, compared to the 90ies anime, because Mamoru spent a longer time being mean to Usagi in that one - and dated Rei for a while (which in itself is a subplot that I find a bit bewildering - what's Rei doing there, annoying Usagi or does she really like Mamoru? Going by Sailor Stars it really seems to be the latter. Poor Rei, nothing really goes well for her either, does it?).

Did they even watch the show they were reviewing? Kissing a passed out Usagi? Yes, that's certainly healthy. Jumping through her open window? Oh boy, yes, please do more of that. Telling her to transform in front of him? Wohooooo. And the final kicker, abducting her when she falls unconscious after reviving Toyko and then creepily holding her back at the shoulder and sniffing her hair while giving back her bag. How romantic.

Nothing screams healthy relationship more than being a creepy obsessive stalker, after all. And let's not at all get into the murder-suicide or what happens during Black Moon.

Mamoru's and Usagi's relationship becomes actually nice and good and... yes, healthy, in the third arc. They love and talk to each other like real people would. By that time Mamoru and Usagi have a normal relationship in the anime as well. Just a lot less of it, because it's probably the least interesting part of Sailor Moon. We could examine what happens in the season that shall not be named, but the manga equivalent there has some of the worst things ever in it, so that's not entirely fair either.

The manga fanboys are just cherry picking here and conveniently forgetting that the anime and the manga ran concurrently. Mamoru being mean to Usagi for a while was because he was distant and initially a bit mean to her in the manga (what with her test scores) and it was not at all clear if he was an ally or an enemy up until the second half.

38 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

Ah, see, that's what I mean when I say I'm lacking the proper context for it to register as being worse. This is simply not my forte, so I'm more looking at their outfits just for what they are rather than any additional connotations, . She definitely looks incredibly weird and off-putting...but the way I was looking at it, at least she has some actual clothes on instead of going full anime skimpiness.

Yeah. For fun I just googled Sailor Tin Nyanko and came across a cosplay costume.
 

Spoiler

 

 

So that's actually one thing I would like to ask Naoko Takeuchi should I ever get the chance. When she complained about the anime being made by men (even though some of the most prominent animators working on it were women) and her characters too sexualized, that was before she made the Dream and Stars arc, obviously.

I wonder if she still feels that way when you look at all the characters - including the Amazoness Quartet, or if that statement was purely meant for the heroines, or if she stopped bothering after the third arc and just went with it.

[Bartimaeus]

Hey, look, cosplays - another thing I cannot and will not ever understand, try as I might. The only way I can even kind of accept them is when I keep in mind that most - most - of the people doing them are just doing it for some kind of goofy fun. It's all I've got.

52 minutes ago, majestic said:

In almost every review of the first Crystal season the reviewers state how much better, loving and "healthier" Mamoru's relationship with Usagi is, compared to the 90ies anime, because Mamoru spent a longer time being mean to Usagi in that one - and dated Rei for a while (which in itself is a subplot that I find a bit bewildering - what's Rei doing there, annoying Usagi or does she really like Mamoru? Going by Sailor Stars it really seems to be the latter. Poor Rei, nothing really goes well for her either, does it?).

them clowning on each other was like the only interesting or fun part of their entire relationship throughout the entire series outside of a very rare episode here and there

Yeah, a lot of Naoko's own drawings seem pretty sexualized (and never mind the WRITING, as you've pointed out)...but been there, done that, forgiven her given the situation. But yeah, completely unaware fanidiots have a tendency to ruin everything whenever you interact with them on their favorite things - throw 'em all in the trash. I'm borderline hypercritical of my own favorite things - you could take literally any of my favorite movies, games, or TV series and I could point out a number of objective flaws or at least subjective things that I feel could've been done a little more effectively in different ways. That's the beauty of art, particularly highly collaborative art that has tons of people involved, not to mention all of the moving parts and compromise making games or film requires given resource constraints and deadlines...and that's the way it's always going to be. If you ever find something that is truly literally perfect for you all the way through (themes and ideas, characters, plot, setting, dialogue, technical execution...the whole shebang), hold it closely forevermore, because that is a rare occurrence indeed.

Edited April 18, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Bartimaeus]

Sailor Moon After Dark, episode 190:

Spoiler

Aw, look at that, Ami and Makoto also doing their parts to try to help Usagi. Imagine that: our beloved characters actually loving and caring for one another makes them more likable, and the show more enjoyable. ...GET THE HINT, SUPERS? DO YA? ...Rei already did her part, so I wonder if Minako okay well literally as I was writing this here comes Minako to inform Usagi of a number to call, y'all girls got me.

"Just listen to me..." UH, HOW ABOUT NO, HARUKA? When the hell have you ever been right about anything concerning Important Stuff? Like, seriously - you have some good life wisdom and experience to share with the other girls, but you've been wrong at literally every (story) turn. Heh, their faces when she said "JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!". Thinking about listening to your precious princess who's always right about the Important Stuff? ...No? Well, then you deserve to get yelled at. I kind of love that Seiya, as the leader of HIS group of Sailor Guardians, is getting Usagi-ed (i.e. decisions made for him like he's a dummy) just as much as Usagi is - very fitting.

"I'LL FIND THE TRUE STAR SEED THIS TIME - JUST YOU WATCH! ...Come to think of it, Siren loved amusement parks, ." Uh, some emotional whiplash here, Lead Crow.

Wow, some actual emotional support from even LUNA, of all people. Yikes. Verily, these are indeed the end times for Sailor Moon, .

They're really getting their mileage out of this "Search for Your Love" song. ...Wow, they animated Seiya collapsing so well - very weighty.

"We are the three guardians of the Outer Planets..." Uh...three? You guys...forgetting someone? Someone important? What the hell happened to Hotaru anyways?

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[majestic]

9 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Spoiler

"We are the three guardians of the Outer Planets..." Uh...three? You guys...forgetting someone? Someone important? What the hell happened to Hotaru anyways?

 

 

Spoiler

 

This is a leftover from the modern astrological basis of Sailor Moon that always had a little problem insofar as that Jupiter's assignment to the Inner Senshi is kind of wrong. In astrology there are three groups of planets: Personal, social and spiritual. Personal planets are up to and including Mars, social planets are Jupiter and Saturn and spiritual planets are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

So while the personal planets are essentially what matters for a person, i.e. your sense of self (Sun), emotions (Moon), communication and learning (Mercury), aesthetics and relationships (Venus) and finally assertivness (Mars), Jupiter and Saturn represent a group of persons and society, and your place in it. Jupiter governs morality and ethics, while Saturn represents laws, rules and boundaries. The spiritual planets deal with topics that affect entire generations of people, and matters of destiny. Since modern astrology is heavily based on the works of C. G. Jung (who himself was convinced that astrology is legit), they govern the collective consciousness.

Still, you can see how that works in the context of Sailor Moon, with Usagi being the emotional core of the team, Ami the smart/studious one, Minako the more outgoing person, Rei the headstrong and assertive one and finally Makoto with her strong sense of morality - like when she attacks Sailor Uranus because she thinks their utilitarian aproach is reprehensible.

It's only when we go beyond Jupiter that things become a little less clearly defined. Saturn is the rule of law and order that govern society, not philosophical "laws" like Jupiter. The death and renewal aspect of Saturn doesn't come from astrology as much as from the Roman god equivalent - part of Saturn's portfolio was farming, sowing in particular, and time. Classical astrology has Saturn as the problematic parts in your life, death, suffering, hardships, sickness, while modern astrology sees Saturn as a planet indicating an area where hard work and persistence may yield great rewards. It indicates areas of inhibition and problems to overcome (which can combine with other planets, for instance if you have a Saturn/Mercury opposition that supposedly means you're only expressing yourself when you're certain what you're saying is correct).

Hatoru... did all she was supposed to in S. She overcame her own insecurity, limitations and sickness, and earned her rewards (well, her rebirth). Insfoar that fits with the interpretation of what Saturn means for you personally.

But for a more logical explanation, Hotaru really has nothing else to do, especially with Chibi-Usa gone. So she is conveniently left out, but she's not really a part of the outer planets anyway, that's what I was getting at.

The outer three also kind of work within their personality framework, Uranus being unconventional and liberated when positive, acting out when negative, Neptune is artistic, represents the third eye, but negatively also deception and delusion. Pluto deals with taboos, power and powerlessness, emotional entanglement and dependence, transformation and transcendence.

While Haruka and Michiru kind of fit their respective planets in that regard, Setsuna's the problematic one. Except for her breaking the time taboo. She says she's governed by the planet of revolution, but she... she's not in the anime enough to showcase anything.

Anyway, as much as I like Usagi basically saying "racism is bad you guys" when she tells Haruka that she thinks it doesn't matter where they come from and talking to each other will help, I really don't like the way this conflict is forced. I get the mistrust, in a way, but what else could Seiya do than to almost die for Usagi to convince them?

edit:

Obviously agree with everything else. I said it before, I think, I could watch an entire season of the girls just interacting with each other, and this is pretty much as close as it gets to that...

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by majestic

[majestic]

Watched a bit more of the first Madoka "film". The animation and sound quality are really much better - or that is because this has a bluray source and the anime I watched on Netflix. The scenes are obviously more detailed - see the pictures I posted before - but maybe the quality issue is also from using a streaming service. The material itself works just as well as it did the first time around. While you could say that the initial watch is full of surprises, a second watch doesn't fall short. The emotional impact doesn't rely on surprise at all, if anything, knowing what is going to happen makes certain parts...
 

Spoiler

 

...even more tragic. Homura telling Madoka that she long ago lost count of dead allies and friends hits much harder when you know that actually means watching Madoka, Sayaka, Mami and Kyoko die hundreds of times in an attempt to make her most desperate wish come true. Mami happily saying that she's not afraid any more because Madoka promised her that they'll soon be fighting together, shortly before she has her head bitten off by Charlotte. Seeing Madoka's despair at Mami being dead in a place where her body will never be found, with no one but them caring for the lost, unknown and unseen protector.

The way Kyosuke unloads his pent up frustrations on Sayaka, who in her despair of not knowing what else to do decides the make the contract, with Kyubey overlooking the scene from the window.

This little, disgusting piece of trash who preys on girls, with his unblinking eyes and unmoving mouth.

Oh, yeah, kind of strange to see how the second episode (well a scene that was in the second episode, anyway) spoils Kyubey's role long before it is actually revealed (at last for people who can read German), by having excerpts of Faust written as graffiti on the walls of the building where Mami fights Gertrud.

 

There's one thing that can be a little irritating, I suppose, in case you would really look at this as a film instead of six 20 minute episodes shown as one. The structure doesn't really adhere to any conventional film wisdom, of course. How could it, that was meant to work as six discrete episodes. Minor things, at any rate.

Edited April 19, 2021 by majestic

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

SU again.

Steven and Connie got real close, he found his mom's home video, and he took a test. May be more I'm forgetting.

I think Garnet is a fusion. The two gems instead of one could have been an artistic choice, but the door has a star with 5 gem symbols on it, 3 of which apply to Pearl, Amethyst, and Steven/Rose Quartz while the last two light up when Garnet touches them.

At least she isn't a big ol meanie zucchini.

[Bartimaeus]

LET'S CHOP IT UP, JUST CHOP IT UP, AND SERVE IT WITH LINGUINI! AL DENTE! ...AL DENTE!

1 hour ago, ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP said:

Steven and Connie got real close

That's a novel way of describing it.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

6 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

LET'S CHOP IT UP, JUST CHOP IT UP, AND SERVE IT WITH LINGUINI! AL DENTE! ...AL DENTE!

That's a novel way of describing it.

Indeed.

Steven Universe really likes to talk about food. This would normally make me hungry, but Steven has some nasty flavor combos like cheeseballs on a cake or fish stew pizza that keep me from getting too hungry. Zucchini and pasta can be really good tho.

[Bartimaeus]

Yeah, I'm like the opposite of a foodie, and in fact, when I tried the show for the first time, I watched the first five episodes and specifically remember being very put off by all the food and eating in it (and I wouldn't come back to the show a lot later as a result). First episode had Cookie Cats, second episode was fries, third episode was hamburgers and bagels, fourth episode was...that Together Breakfast monstrosity, fifth episode was Frybo. I ain't tryna watch no gross food cartoon - after I came back to it, the food focus disappeared for a while and I got over it when it occasionally was a thing again.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

6 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

second episode was fries

I believe you mean "The Bits", which are explicitly not fries according to the Fryman family.

[majestic]

3 hours ago, ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP said:

I believe you mean "The Bits", which are explicitly not fries according to the Fryman family.

Steven's onto something there though, isn't he? "The Bits" are clearly better than fries.

[Bartimaeus]

The texture of a potato is disgusting...unless it has been properly fried and crisped. Ergo, Steven does indeed know what he's talking about, .

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

27 minutes ago, majestic said:

Steven's onto something there though, isn't he? "The Bits" are clearly better than fries.

 

13 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

The texture of a potato is disgusting...unless it has been properly fried and crisped. Ergo, Steven does indeed know what he's talking about, .

The Bits would be overfried and either greasy and/or burnt, Steven is not onto anything with them. I will do the Caesar pose and fite anyone who disagrees.

Edited April 19, 2021 by ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP

[majestic]

15 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

The texture of a potato is disgusting...unless it has been properly fried and crisped. Ergo, Steven does indeed know what he's talking about, .

For me that's mushrooms. People love the things, but I absolutely hate biting down on them. It's disgusting. The taste would be fine in most cases - there are some mushrooms that are better than others, of course, but it's the experience of eating them that turns me off. Ugh.

Like potatoes in all variants though, even if they're just boiled in salt water and have  some butter on top.

Sigh. Now I'm hungry. No, that's a lie, I was hungry for a while now and it's just gotten worse.

  

2 minutes ago, ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP said:

The Bits would be overfried and either greasy and/or burnt, Steven is not onto anything with them. I will do the Caesar pose and fite anyone who disagrees.

Still better than regular fries. Don't kill potatoes, fry them at least in wedge sized chunks!

Edited April 19, 2021 by majestic

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

59 minutes ago, majestic said:

For me that's mushrooms. People love the things, but I absolutely hate biting down on them. It's disgusting. The taste would be fine in most cases - there are some mushrooms that are better than others, of course, but it's the experience of eating them that turns me off. Ugh.

Like potatoes in all variants though, even if they're just boiled in salt water and have  some butter on top.

Sigh. Now I'm hungry. No, that's a lie, I was hungry for a while now and it's just gotten worse.

  

Still better than regular fries. Don't kill potatoes, fry them at least in wedge sized chunks!

Mushrooms are disgusting. It's the texture, the only times I've had mushrooms where the texture wasn't awful has been when they've gone to lengths to disguise the mushroom by chopping them finely and incorporating them into something where you aren't likely to chew the mushroom itself. The only other thing that gets that reaction from me is mollusks, specifically octopus and squid.

The Bits are potatoes that have been killed at least twice. Wedge fries are the opposite direction of The Bits.

[majestic]

43 minutes ago, ArtistFormerlyKnownasKP said:

The Bits are potatoes that have been killed at least twice. Wedge fries are the opposite direction of The Bits.

The Bits are at least greasy and crunchy and a fun experience to much. So... yeah.

Spoiler

I need food.

 

[Bartimaeus]

Wedge fries are death. And I hate to admit it, but KP probably has a point - in the real world, those "bits" that have been sitting in the fryer all day are very likely to be burnt fossils instead of the idealized version Steven always gets. Give me some good shoestring fries.

Edited April 19, 2021 by Bartimaeus