I just finished the Hanadan movie, and I must share my thoughts on this whirlwind journey I have undertaken these past few weeks. I must!

So, my only previous interaction with this property was the kdrama version, which I watched in... 2014. Yikes, that was a long time ago. It was one of my first kdramas, and I would say I had a good time watching it, even though it’s terrible. The thing about the kdrama is that it’s just so deeply stupid that it’s actually incredibly watchable. And although I haven’t rewatched it, I remember being genuinely into whatever LMH was doing. In retrospect, I’m not sure if I would say he gave a good performance, but I find him to be a deeply charismatic actor, and he really was on the wavelength of the drama in a way that worked, and compensated for the fact that all of the other main performers were actively terrible (okay, I liked the gangster kid! He didn’t do anything but he was sweet).

And honestly, I think the reason it took me so long to watch Hanadan, even though it has been sitting on my hard-drive for like seven years, is that I assumed that it would be just as dumb as the kdrama, and I didn’t see the point in sitting through that story a second time. But this winter break, I decided to watch it.

And I really liked it! Here’s the thing: it’s still deeply, deeply dumb. And the jdrama is arguably even more over-the-top than the kdrama? But it works so well. It is UNREAL what a difference an ensemble that can actually act makes, and especially having a leading lady who is capable of representing human behavior onscreen. Inoue Mao is so good at showing Makino as a relatable, down-to-earth person who nonetheless fits into the cartoon world she lives in. A huge part of why the romance here works so well is that she is so winning that the viewer totally gets why Domyouji falls for her like a ton of rocks, and supports him exploding his life to make room for her in it. When she punches him and he looks at her like his world is finally in color, you get it, because she really is that dreamy. And the actors actually have chemistry! Watching them bicker and fight and laugh and pine at each other is enjoyable! (These are the basics of screen romance, I know, but the kdrama clearly though they were optional.) 

As for Domyouji himself... even I, an LMH fan, must admit that there’s no comparison. For one thing, much as I enjoyed the GJP perm--you could see LMH actively willing it to look good in every shot--Domyouji’s perm is just unironically great? He looks incredible, and he just kind of slinks and struts around everywhere in a way that is very compelling to watch. This character is definitely way more intense that his kdrama counterpart--the argument could be made that Domyouji is a full-on psychopath. I mean, his favorite activities are beating people up and calling girls that aren’t Makino ugly. He’s so genuinely volatile and violent that it’s hard to disagree when his own friends call him a beast. IRL, if I’m Makino’s friend I’m telling her to do everything in her power to stay away from this guy. But the fact that he can be this scary kind of just makes the cartoon fantasy even stronger? When people who know Domyouji say that it’s only around Makino that he acts like a human, it’s undeniably true. She doesn’t make him a better man, or inspire him to improve himself--she is the force that transforms him from animal to person. That’s romance, baby! Like, it’s not healthy romance, but it’s a cartoon world so who cares. And Matsumoto Jun just sells Domyouji’s unpredictability and vulnerability and rage and childishness so well, and every time he looks sadly/longingly at Makino something inside me broke. I’m not about to go dive down an Arashi rabbit hole, but if this were the version I had watched in 2014, that may very well have happened.

I don’t have a ton to say about Hanazawa Rui, but Oguri Shun was fun and quirky and I enjoyed him. But I do have to take a minute for Nishikado, because I think Kim Bum, an actor I like, is horrible in BOF. The whole point of that character is that he is a massive playboy, and Kim Bum just displays negative sexual charisma over the course of the drama. It torpedoes the character. But it turns out that when you put a deeply sexy actor in the role, it’s suddenly more than watchable. Ah, Matsuda Shota, looking at you is one of my favorite things to do. (Watching Nishikado avoid Yuki was a more compelling romance that whatever Kim Bum and KSE were doing, I’m sorry.)

So, yes, I had a great time. The plot got increasingly stupid as we made our way from the first season to the second season to the movie, but I didn’t care. Watching this made me feel like a teenager again, but in a good way, somehow. It’s loud and euphoric and silly and it hits the same music cues over and over again, but damn if it didn’t work. Is there any trope under the sun better than “oh no you’ve fallen on top of me and your fiancée just walked in”? No, there is not.

Also, petition to have Namjoon in his white suit from his concept photos and Hoseok frolick in a field of flowers together

ah yes BLISS

tho ngl wildflower mv came to mind first but i love this sm too 😍

if y'all ever want a bit of modern harlivy angst that ends happy and doesn't feel laced with ooc toxicity in the like "oh the writer's apparent reference for ivy's characteristics in their relationship is plant ivy and that's it wow..." I'd recommend their little story from DC's Harley Quinn Romances cause <33333 it's very special to me

they make me unreasonably emotional

Ivy after reading Harley's au fic where she gets to punch Joker with her at prom:

the saddest line in the trailer

at first I was too distracted by Stede's plunging neckline and gold earring to fully realize why this kept nagging at me but:

"I've been a failure my whole life."

and the way he says it:

as a matter of fact, because he fully believes it – it's an integrated part of his self-image

to comfort someone else (presumably), meaning that even though it is sort of similar to Ed's "I'm not a good person" from s1e6, this scene doesn't seem to be about Stede getting comforted – he is just throwing that line in there

with the follow-up line of "It's not so bad once you get used to it," because he is used to being called a failure by everyone around him, even when he was a kid, so much that he doesn't question it

and yeah, Stede fucks up a lot and can be a bit air-headed/naive and overestimates his abilities (Stede's super high confidence vs. shit self-esteem is a central part of his character), often to the detriment of himself and everyone around him, but his biggest "crime" growing up was simply that he was different and didn't live up to the norms of masculinity. and this is what caused him to be made to feel like a failure by the world around him.

(putting the rest under the cut because I have a lot to say apparently lmao ⬇️)

idk it is just so sad that after everything that happened at the end of season 1, he still echoes his father's and the Badmintons' words when talking about himself (and his own "I'm not a pirate, I'm an idiot" from s1e1). he still has a lot of growth to do.

and while it's good that he embraces his own shortcomings (and I hope he stays a loser in many ways <3) and the show reinforces that you don't have to be perfect to be worthy of love/that you are worthy of love just as you are, it is just. idk SO SAD to hear him say that about himself so earnestly

but do you know who doesn't let Stede self-deprecate?

THIS GUY, FROM THEIR VERY FIRST DAY TOGETHER

from telling Stede he isn't such a terrible pirate (at least he's alive), to not letting Stede call his own ideas stupid, Ed likes Stede for who he is WHILE not letting him talk bad about himself like that.

now we can't know who Stede is talking to in the scene in the trailer, just that it is someone with long dark hair:

and it could be someone else (to me it doesn't look quite like Ed's hair, but the quality/lighting makes it difficult to tell), but if it IS Ed, it has the potential for him to (once again) go against Stede's negative self-talk 😌

I am so interested to see how this scene plays out and I REALLY hope we get a scene mirroring the bathtub scene (even if it's not this one) but with the roles switched ✌️

i think we are all glossing over the fact that my boy CAPTAIN gorebladder (first captain of his family) is gonna get laid thanks to the incredible wing woman that is chirp featherfowl

I want to make a longer post about this someday but: I think Arya's TWOW arc is going to include her coming to terms with her identity as a Lady. This has been an ongoing conflict with her since her first chapter and I think her flowering in winds is going to mark a turning point. The theory of her having an apprenticeship with the courtesans holds a lot of weight and the idea of Arya going through puberty among a group of unconventional women she's fostered a positive relationship with is just too perfect. It would really have an impact on Arya reconciling her personal idea of what a Lady should be. There's also a lot that she could learn from them in terms of courtesies, communication, appearances, body-language, etc. that would elevate her current skill-set and ways her relationship with them could push the plot.

Not to mention she will undoubtedly reclaim her identity as Arya Stark, and her being a Lady is inseparable from that. Arya Stark is a Lady Stark and being a Lady is a social position, not a measure of how well someone preforms feminine tasks. She shouldn't have to relinquish her position because she doesn't fit patriarchal standards. That's not to say that she's ever going to be the perfect example of a traditional Lady but what I think will happen is that she becomes capable of playing the part. She plays several identities throughout the series but she's always been Arya underneath, so I think it's appropriate that she learns to adopt a "persona" that's part of her. Her remembering Ned putting on his "Lord's face" (+ the various examples of other characters being separate from their ruling persona) makes me think that Arya will be donning her "Lady's face" when she makes a return to Westeros.

This is my favorite song🤩 <333333

Nothing goes as planned for our boy😔

Also

Tony: hey spidey why do you not fight like strong ppl do?

Peter:

Tony:

everyone say hi jordan ✌

oop

so theres these 2 zombie apocalypse daughters and im a disappointed parent who plays favorites

You really gotta appreciate the way that every single Court played their hand in the new episode. Namely, in how similar they played it.

The chorus in the court of wonder, clearly in an attempt to consolidate power, offers to make rue a member of *them*. of *the chorus*. which is buck wild, because they clearly aren't even all in agreement despite saying they are (and also what a terrifying offer. like yeah sure let me become a member, lose all my individuality, and become part of what appears to be a magical collective? sounds delightful)

the goblins promote knickolas pnackolas hob to major, and, just like how the chorus tries to entice rue with similarities, they entreat upon the ways that hob and blemish and boil have comparable dispositions, irregular to their court. At least with the goblins, while there is a clear amount of deception and manipulation to get what they want at play, the comparisons and understanding between hob, blemish, and boil did feel a mite more sincere.

Andhera definitely flips the script a bit - instead of seemingly being brought into the fold by their mother, he is instead the one demanding that place by their side. but by the end of the confrontation, they did indeed seem to be inviting andhera closer if he can continue to prove he is worthy of it. There is also something to be explored about how andhera is confronting their mother for participating in this larger plot to hoard magic, and yet the queen of air and darkness implies that those decisions and power plays are all Suntar.

So there you have the three courts and the way they are dealing with this unrest - somehow managing to make the exact same types of plays despite being different courts. Binx, interestingly, does offer a place in their court to knickolas pnackolas hob (and rue) as well, but at least on their end it seems like an offer less of a court and more of a family, even if she is also the leader of a court now.

Which is why its so beyond funny to me that, in proving how differently the lords of the wing operate, grandfather completely upends expectations and instead of bringing his grandchildren further into the fold as a reward for doing so well, instead he goes and kicks them to the curb. Not only is it very within character, but it really speaks to how cleverly aabria is maneuvering everyone into the path of hard choices and low points within their own individual stories based on their own circumstances.

Guys guys guys guys guys guys guys guys

GUYS

Who the fuck is this guy

Bad bitch with her baddie friend 💅🏻🌻

Takaba seeing the way everyone’s praising Kenjaku when HE’S the real MVP of the chapter

it can’t just be type-casting, this has to be type-writing at this point

they dont know how long it takes / waiting for a love like this

every time we say goodbye / i wish we had one more kiss

ill wait for you, i promise you, i will

OCs: maive (she/her) | rauel (he/him)