#but it clashes with the well-being of visually impacted people
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Here it is! Some splatfest-screenshots and my overall thoughts!
(warning, I might sound a little cranky at the start, but ofc I'm grateful for the results and had otherwise lots of fun!)
I didn't fight much, the first day atleast, since I was at a convention. I wore a little "Go Team Keyboard"-Sign around me 24/7 tho :D even ran into another Splatoon-Cosplayer! (Had a closet cos of agent 8)
I'm not sure if the complaints are still getting to me, but the amount of times I've lost to spawncamping made the first and ¼ of the second half... Not that much enjoyable. I got pretty heated, to be fair, but it's honestly just a silly squid game, so it's not that deep. I'm tbh a little embarrassed :'] Especially when you lose 3 out of all the 5 10x battles they gave you. It's just not fun to run out of your spawn and get instantly downed again, but it's not something I'd blame a specific team on. (And you shouldn't aswell!) I got friends on both Drums and Guitar (I was almost alone on keyboard :')), so GG to them ofc! Sorry if I got a little toxic in the first half :( (But just saying - having this kind of battle experience, then miraculously winning, only to come online to get insults thrown at your face because youre so "toxic" and "tryharding"... Less fun. But more on that below.)
Alright, enough with the negatives! Let's focus on the stuff I actually liked!
Walking around the plaza, as always, was very fun! I love almost all of the first half songs so much :'D (with the exception of City of Color, which I don't hate, but I love Tomorrows Nostalgia Today too much lmao). I honestly wish I could put more than one video in here.
In the first half I played as my side order octoling "Reed". Need a bit more lore on him. I had a few ideas but wasn't sure on going through with it. Second half however...
DUDE WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SPLATFESTS TO HOST
I decided to cosplay as sury! It indeed made things a little more fun, although I had to choose Mel's weapon instead because I couldn't deal with the slow, large splatana :'D
Usually I make OCs out of my Splatfest-Teams, but using preexisting characters is even more fun! Let's see if I can use Mel in the future too :D
I don't have the oth amiibos
It was at the second half, but I did manage to win some 10xs in the end :] (Which means I've officially heard all three singular idol win themes in-game)
To come back to the results-thing, I expected everyone to be bitter as usual, but everyone was... strangely nice and happy for the win. At first I was kind of annoyed, but if it continues like this, I feel Splatfests might actually get excited for everyone again. (I was actually pretty optimistic and fine with every decision so far, but it's even better if I can actually agree with the fandom lol)
Again, good job to Team Drums and Guitar! And Overall, good job team! Excited for the next splatfest :D 🩷💚💜
#splatoon#splatoon 3#drums vs guitar vs keyboard#and also WOAH i can see the appeal of oth now their plaza looks amazing#oh yeah i also really liked the fizzibang mechanic#but it clashes with the well-being of visually impacted people#hope the color lock could atleast fix some things :(#splatfest
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hi chi i hope youre doing well♡ i just wanted to pop by to say i'm finally catching back up on tpg after a while of my brain not working enough to read lol but anyway! i just got to the retrial in ch34, and when nanami's defense culminates in this moment:
“You don’t have to stop caring,” Nanami reassures. “Humanity would cease to exist if we did that. But if all you do is count the reasons why you shouldn't be here, you’re going to miss out on every little joy that makes it worth being here anyway.”
Nanami whips his head towards Judgeman. He’s decided how to plead.
“You’re right. I nearly killed Nara along with every last member of the Inumaki clan. But I didn’t, because someone in the courtyard needed me and I saw meaning in giving him a home.”
Judgeman’s jail bars of teeth bare themselves one final time.
“Innocent,” it declares. “Restoration.”
hhhh oh my god. i got chills sitting here in between sets on the leg curl machine ahsjhwksbd. i've been so engrossed in this chapter i havent been able to put it down, the fight has been awesome and i've been having so much fun visualizing it. and ive been soooo stressed about nanami's technique being confiscated just desperately hoping all his words could get through to higurama... AUGH the clash of ideals is just as juicy as the physical violence.
but like. nanami choosing toge over the vengeance, finding meaning in the small happinesses that happen in daily life... it's such a beautiful arc to his character that he's changed from the man who views adulthood the accumulation of small despairs into who he is now. and i'm just so excited for higurama to go through his own journey. but yeah ! i just wanted to take a moment to fanboy about it in your inbox because i don't think i have yet and i needed to rectify that Immediately!! i love tpg soooo so much 💕 anywhoo i'm gonna keep reading now haha ^_^
YOU READ TPG?!?!?!??!?!?!??!?????????????? WHAT OH MY GOD I HAD NO IDEA
but damn i am so so happy you like it!! GOD ch34 fucked me up too...fight scenes are my favorite thing to write and i love striking that balance of physical vs emotional impact. it's awesome to hear you think i succeeded with this fight!! i've always thought it would be interesting if nanami and higuruma interacted, but i actually think they wouldn't get along, at least not at first. after all, higuruma went straight to murder and apathy upon realizing the cruelty of the world, while nanami decided to bear that emotional weight and use his power to help people anyway.
omgggg the character development for nanami was SO satisfying to write. that journey of him believing little despairs making someone an adult to little joys making life worth living...auughgrtghfggahj i love him so much!! higuruma's about to go down a crazy journey of his own for sure, and i hope you enjoy it. thanks for this message im literally BEAMING
#SERIOUSLY I HAD NO IDEA YOU READ TPG. THIS IS CRAZY#giggling like a schoolgirl rn#THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY#tpg
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Dropped: Hell's Paradise
Its not trash but I can't recommend it. There's plenty of stuff to enjoy in there, but I found myself bored by something that looks like it shouldn't be boring.
What it did well Its done by studio mappa so the production quality is there. The visual aesthetic is appealing with a really vibrant palette for the background art, some interesting character designs, and some wild monster designs.
Why it didn't work for me: I don't want to be ranty but I think I also want to be less structured on a negative review.
I like animes that take some risks and try new things. Its why "how ambitious is it" is fundamental to how I evaluate things. There's also a ton of shonen action series out every year so I really tend to look for them to do something interesting. This one wasn't it. The monsters are cool and the mystery of the dangerous island they are on was intriguing, but the characters and their interactions felt really rote.
However, I'm not above being entertained by jangling keys, this one just didn't jangle enough. There's a common pitfall when translating a comic to animation. The two mediums have very different relationships between space and time in their storytelling.
Manga panels are static images, and you have a very limited amount of them in which to tell your story. So ideally, every panel is both visually interesting and conveys more than one point of information. If you have a battle with any back and forth to it, its going to take up several of your precious supply of pages. So, to be economical you load up dialog during action sequences, with great monologues being delivered in what appears to be the time it takes to throw a single punch.
A too literal interpretation of this can really hinder an animation adaptation. That fight, which took up several pages of the manga, would really only last a minute or two at most in real time. You often want to stretch it out a bit, but only so much. If you try to have the same monologues and dialogue in real time during a battle as there was in the manga, you lose any momentum or impact the fight might have as it just becomes slow panning shots over people not moving much.
Hell's paradise had a lot of that. The action would start, then grind to a halt as a character had to think about or announce the one or two motivations that define their entire existence. Then a sword would clash and the other character would think about or announce their one or two motivations. Then we would discover that the main character is functionally unkillable and it would have been 10+ minutes. Blurgh.
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Photography Essay – Shane Fernandez
Before I formally begin, I want to mention how my thinking changed. My first choice was to just use found images such as old family photographs and analyse them, but this did not feel right to discuss. Furthermore, it did not highlight to core topic, being photography, enough and became a tad too personal.
While photography is not something I was interested in at first, I admit my research led me to re-evaluate its importance. Photographs can be used for various purposes like expressing political and social issues through street photography or advertising products with food photography. My attention was first brought to landscape photography because it impacted me the most. This form of photography allows people to explore the world and capture many features of the world, whether they are historical monuments, beautiful natural landscapes like mountains or oceans. Furthermore, these being photographed allows them to be seen by those who are unable to visit them. Also, these images help bring people together by encouraging travelling to other destinations leading to an increase in cultural exchange.
After a session of reading sections of a piece of writing called ‘On Photography’ by Susan Sontang, a quote I find stuck in my head is “Photographs furnish evidence. Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we’re shown a photograph of it”.[1] I agree heavily with this statement because, using a personal example, it is from my childhood. My parents have been divorced for years and I cannot recall a time of them loved each other let alone being comfortable in the same room. This perception changed for me when I recently found a picture of them much younger sitting beside each other with the biggest smiles I had ever seen from either one of them. This led to me to realise the exact meaning and feeling behind the quote.
While I was browsing for images, I discovered an artist named Chris Burkard. For context, he is an accomplished artist as a creative director, explorer, and photographer. They are also well known for showcasing images of wild and powerful landscapes, that some would arguably have a difficult time believe were real and just photoshopped works.
Typically, on many media platforms, the types of photos and images shown are ones that highlight the world as a hellish place which led many including myself admittedly to view the world in a pessimistic lens. This image I found depicts a terrible car crash in Wisconsin which resulted in the deaths of 9 people.
My interest in landscape photography is that it can represent the natural beauty of the world and going back to the quote by Susan Sontang, many would not believe this existed unless shown direct proof, which can be shown via a photograph. This is also why I developed a huge interest in Burkard as his photography seems to revolve around this idea.
The first image I chose was a landscape featuring a forest accompanied by large, frosted mountains that overshadow a small residence in the middle. This was taken near the Dolomites Mountain range in Italy on 19th October 2015. Unlike the first photo, the wildlife is much stronger and more visually appealing. To me this photo clashes perfectly with the current state of areas in the world that have been over-populated with pollution and large architecture. Although these are not inherently bad, these photographs distract us from appreciating the beauty that is not always within view. Additionally, it looks like he slowed down the shutter speed to capture the fog to make the photo feel more alive and almost provide a sense of motion.
The second photo I chose is another Burkard work that shows Alberta, a province in the West of Canada, which is a very popular tourist destination. The photo share's similar themes of the previous one with a heavy focus on nature and scenery. Something that stood out to me in this was the cleanliness of the lake, known as Lake Louise, which is rare in the UK. This is a great example of showing the type of wilderness that Burkard explores and tries to showcase. This photo builds upon the previous through use of a person at the edge of the right cliff adds a human element that further emphasizes how grand the landscape is. Moreover, this gives the viewer a way to place themselves in the setting for a greater emersion and can be highlighted among the landscape because of the person’s bright orange jacket to help them stand out.
The third image I chose is another photo by Burkard taken in Iceland on 26th February 2016. This is a more dynamic photo that shows a cooler tone compared to the warmer tone from the other two Burkard works. I speculate that the shutter speed of this photo was also increased to capture the movement and highlight the surfer in frame. This could be a result of surfing and other water sports being a huge part of his lifestyle. [5] By changing the aperture and shutter speed of the camera, Burkard manages to make the Northernmm Lights stand out well and like the previous photo allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the experience with a human element. This is a significant photo as the Northen Lights is a unique reaction taking place when the Sun’s activity is high and can be seen in few places. [6]
The final image I chose to look at is a huge contrast towards Burkard’s other works. Both from an aesthetic and photographic perspective. The photo was taken at Monument Valley in Utah on the 1st December in 2017. It differs drastically from the other images but showing a much wider aerial shot to encapsulate a vast scenery. The back lighting is beautiful and taken at sunrise where the sun borders on the horizon and almost targets the center. Burkard truly accomplishes something magical with his photography and shows a world hidden among us through all the chaos and despair.
[1] Title - On Photography
Date Published – 1973
Publisher - Picador
[2] Italy - Best Sellers - Chris Burkard
[3] Alberta, Canada - Best Sellers - Chris Burkard
[4] Iceland - Best Sellers - Chris Burkard
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Burkard
Date Published - 26th December 2023
[6] What are the Northern Lights? And how can you see them? - BBC News
Date Published – 4th March 2024
[7] https://www.chrisburkard.com/Shop/Best-Sellers/i-GtCmdtH/buy
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Body modification, Media and Cultural Preservation
Body modification is one of the oldest concepts accompanying human culture. According to Britannica, since prehistoric times, discoveries about body modification tools of ancient people have existed in many cultures. chemistry. This demonstrates beauty initiatives and needs, which according to Idea Ted, "Gates also notes that people act differently in beautiful environments, suggesting that beauty can foster care and pride in one's surroundings." Or as Helicon personally stated in the discussion "Some argue that beauty is not just instrumental for economic or social outcomes but is a fundamental human need in itself, with a role in fostering justice and peace."
This is obvious because human beauty needs are one of the basic and essential needs. Another factor as mentioned in previous articles, the 21st century witnessed the explosion of social networks with individual and small content creators appearing more and being shared more. This once again leads to a higher demand for personal beauty as anyone can now appear in public. (This links to the concept that the first impression is always the most important - according to 9soul.vn)
However, there is a contradiction here: if body modification is a more potential market than ever throughout history, then why is it in conflict with preserving traditional culture?
Take a representative example of modern media cases, which is the image of Ba Tung. Ms. Tung, real name Le Thi Huyen Anh, is a famous figure on social networks in Vietnam. She is known for her shocking images and statements, as well as expressing herself through videos and posts on online platforms. Below is some information about Ba Tung:
Fame: Ms. Tung has attracted attention through sharing personal and controversial content on social media. Like photos that reveal women's sensitive areas
Recent Activities: Recently, she appeared in a male singer's MV with a sexy and attractive image.
Although there is a train of thought when taking this example as it is more about using media content and not body modification. However, remember that any visual device and posting on social platforms with a perfect appearance is edited. (we will compare photos of Ba Tung below).
This makes Ba Tung a controversial example of being too sexy, going against Vietnamese customs and traditions.
This creates two streams of judgment.
First, why are there so many creators today who reveal more personality and sexiness from their bodies without being criticized, but Ba Tung is criticized for going against tradition so much? An understandable explanation is that she is a pioneer in this matter, so if the public is not familiar with it, it is natural to face criticism.
Next is why there is such criticism. An explanation according to The Rangeview Raider Review The need for beauty is a constant because it is deeply rooted in human nature, often associated with harmony, balance, and a sense of well-being. However, the perception of what is considered beautiful can vary across diverse cultures and time periods.
The conflict between contemporary beauty standards and traditional culture arises from several factors:
- **Cultural Evolution: ** As societies evolve, so do their cultural norms, including those related to beauty. What was once considered beautiful may change or expand to include new standards⁵.
- **Globalization: ** The spread of Western ideals of beauty through media and pop culture has influenced beauty standards worldwide, sometimes clashing with local, traditional aesthetics.
- **Media Influence: ** Media often promotes a narrow range of beauty standards that may not align with the diverse expressions of beauty found in traditional cultures.
- **Body Image and Identity: ** The portrayal of beauty in the media can impact individuals' body image and self-identity, leading to a conflict between embracing one's cultural heritage and conforming to modern beauty ideals.
- **Commercialization: ** The beauty industry's focus on certain standards can marginalize traditional beauty practices, leading to a cultural shift that prioritizes commercialized beauty norms.
The need for beauty persists because it fulfills a fundamental human desire for aesthetics and self-expression. Yet, the definition of beauty is ever-changing, influenced by a complex interplay of cultural, economic, and social dynamics.
Works Cited
A, Orellana, Michelle. “The Constant Conflict between Female Beauty Standards and Society.” Veritas News, 28 Feb. 2016, veritas.enc.edu/2016/02/28/constant-conflict-female-beauty-standards-society/.
Aiken. “Vì Sao Ấn Tượng Đầu Tiên Lại Quan Trọng?” Tâm Lý Học Ứng Dụng, 24 Mar. 2017, tamly.blog/vi-sao-an-tuong-dau-tien-lai-quan-trong/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2024.
“Beauty Standards and Cultural Influences - Women’s Journal.” Womensjournal.com, 23 Feb. 2024, womensjournal.com/beauty-standards-and-cultural-influences/.
“Is Beauty a Basic Need and Right? | Helicon.” Heliconcollab.net, heliconcollab.net/beauty/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2024.
Johnson, Mandy. “How Culture Influences Beauty Standards * Arts Equity LA 2022.” Arts Equity LA, 18 May 2022, artsequityla.com/beauty-ideal/culture-influences-beauty/.
LINDA, SARAH-. “Why Beauty Is Essential to Your Happiness.” Sarah-Linda, 11 Dec. 2020, www.sarahlindaforrer.com/journal/2020/12/11/why-beauty-is-essential-to-your-happiness. Accessed 3 Mar. 2024.
Scheel, Judy. “Culture Dictates the Standard of Beauty.” Psychology Today, 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-food-is-family/201404/culture-dictates-the-standard-beauty.
Tsehaye, Bezael. “Beauty Standards throughout Culture.” The Rangeview Raider Review, rangeviewnews.org/25683/features/beauty-standards-throughout-culture/.
---. “Beauty Standards throughout Culture.” The Rangeview Raider Review, rangeviewnews.org/25683/features/beauty-standards-throughout-culture/.
“Why Beauty Matters.” Ideas.ted.com, 14 July 2015, ideas.ted.com/why-beauty-matters/.
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Buddha Statue for Home Decor | Revitalize Your Space with Aesthetic Serenity
Introduction to Buddha Statues
For thousands of years, people have turned to Buddha statues to anchor the aesthetics of their living spaces in a realm of calm and mindfulness. Far from being mere ornamental pieces, these effigies have held tremendous significance in cultivating a tranquil atmosphere that permeates any home setting. The popularity of Buddha statues can be attributed to their serene demeanour which often exudes a contagious sense of calm.
The Buddha statues serve as timeless tokens of balance and clarity in an often chaotic world, capturing the essence of enlightenment in their stillness and expressions of repose.
Their impact is felt in the subtle shift of energy within a home, where space seems to stand still, inviting in an ambiance of pure tranquility and reflection.
Charming Buddha Statue for Home Decor
Incorporating a Charming Buddha Statue into your home decor can significantly alter the dynamics of your space, introducing an element of serenity and aesthetic appeal. Whether you prefer a classic depiction or a more modern interpretation, these statues can serve as focal points in your home, symbolizing peace and contemplation.
You can explore a variety of "Charming Buddha Statues," ranging from earth-touching to meditative poses, each style offering a different essence.
Ideal placement of these statues is crucial; it's recommended to place them in certain sectors of your living space to harness the full potential of their tranquil charm.
Significance of Buddha Statue in Home Decor
Beyond ornamentation, a Buddha statue signifies much more; it's a physical embodiment of the teachings of Buddhism—balance, mindfulness, and a release from the materialistic whirlwind. This iconic figure promotes an atmosphere of well-being and mental clarity.
Each statue tells a tale of philosophy; its symbolism runs deep with connotations of spiritual awakening, peace, and understanding – a constant reminder of the path to inner serenity.
By integrating these statues into your home, you open a conduit for positivity, inviting an energetic harmony that can transcend the mere visual.
Selecting the Right Buddha Statue
The quest for the perfect Buddha statue for your abode is a personal journey. It should harmonize with your design sensibilities and resonate within your space, bringing comfort and tranquility.
Contemplate various elements before embracing a statue—size, material, craftsmanship, and the energy it brings forth into your everyday living.
For those with budget constraints, worry not; an array of affordable yet captivating Buddha statues is available that do not compromise on the essence or quality.
Placing the Buddha Statue: Dos and Don'ts
Positioning your Buddha statue is a deliberate process. Traditionally, there are certain conventions to heed to amplify its spiritual and aesthetic virtues.
To create an optimal area of serenity, aligning the statue to face the entrance or setting it at a heightened platform is generally advised.
Conversely, there are practices to sidestep, ensuring the statue's symbolic integrity and respecting the profound ethos it represents.
Caring for Your Buddha Statue
Upholding the pristine condition of your a Buddha sculpture involves routine attention and gentle handling. Its upkeep is essential to preserve both its appearance and its serene ambiance.
Simple maintenance routines, such as gentle dusting, can prolong the statue's exemplary condition and safeguard its quiet presence.
Mindful handling of the sculpture is paramount in maintaining its spiritual significance and ensuring that it endures as a sanctuary within your home.
Integrating Buddha Statue with Various Home Decor Styles
The serene Buddha statue knows no bounds when it comes to complementing various home decor aesthetics. Its timeless elegance can synchronize with contemporary flair or enrich traditional settings without clashing with the surrounding design.
Modern home decor can welcome Buddha statues as a soothing counterbalance to sleek lines and minimalist spaces.
In a traditional decor scheme, the statue stands as a testament to timeless spirituality, enriching the space with a sense of enduring peace.
Buddha Statues for Different Rooms in Your Home
A Buddha statue can transform any room, imbibing each space with a unique ambiance. Its mere presence can turn ordinary rooms into sanctuaries of peace.
Select statues with a quieting presence for living rooms, fostering a warm and inviting atmosphere for guests and dwellers alike.
Bedrooms and home offices benefit from the Buddha's serene influence, encouraging restful sleep and creative clarity in these personal spaces.
Online Platforms to Buy Buddha Statues
Shopping for a Buddha showpiece online can offer a meditative retreat in its own right, with various platforms presenting a broad spectrum of options suited to every taste and price point.
Only consider trusted online venues that provide authenticity and quality, ensuring that the statue you select is a genuine conduit of serenity.
For a seamless shopping experience, keep an eye out for secure payment options and customer reviews when purchasing your "Charming Buddha Statue."
Conclusion: Buddha Statues- A Timeless Decor Element
Buddha statues have the power to reimagine home decor as sanctuaries of stillness and grace. These silent guardians of peace serve not only as decorous objects but also as emblems of a life lived with intentionality and repose.
Incorporating a Buddha statue is an invitation to the divine, allowing the home to breathe a spiritual depth that enriches everyday life.
In the end, Buddha statues stand as timeless decor elements, infusing spaces with an aura that is both grounding and transcendent.
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'As a society, we are often enthralled when opposites are forced to co-exist...
Therefore, it should be no surprise that the so-called ‘Barbenhimer’ craze became so widely discussed.
You would be hard-pressed to find two more tonally, artistically and thematically different films.
This makes it fun to compare the two features visually, making the subject ripe for internet virality and meme-making.
With all of this being said, which film is truly superior?
Well, going off the financial figures, Barbie is the clear front-runner.
Both films opened on July 21; as of August 13, Barbie grossed $1.18 billion worldwide while Oppenheimer trails only amassing a measly $649 million. Dollar amounts don’t always indicate quality, so further investigation must happen.
Despite their differences, both films have very similar strengths.
Both films have ensemble casts who deliver fantastic performances.
For Barbie, Margot Robbie, Michael Cera and Will Ferrell play their roles well.
Ryan Gosling shines the brightest, in my opinion.
He knocked this one out of the park for someone not mainly known for comedic roles.
Oppenheimer sports memorable performances in its own right from Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr.
Not enough people are talking about how good Emily Blunt was as Kitty Oppenheimer.
I bought into the role and felt her acting seriously elevated her character.
One striking aspect of both films is the colour.
It’s what makes both films so distinct from one another, and it is something both films use to create meaning.
In Barbie, the grotesque amount of pink and other bright colours in the Barbie world perfectly matches the inhabitants.
It also serves as a perfect visual contrast to the real world, which Barbie and Ken eventually visit.
For Oppenheimer, the muted tones are apt for the period and the often depressing subject matter.
Of course, more vibrant colors are also apparent throughout the film, but they become more impactful due to the muted surroundings. While both films thoroughly entertained me, they both had their own respective flaws.
The way the political messaging is presented in Barbie isn’t subtle.
It hits you over the head with ideology, which doesn’t lead to effective communication with the audience.
The film also takes this message very seriously, which clashes with the otherwise laid-back tone of Barbie.
Oppenheimer’s greatest issue is the pacing, specifically during the film’s first half. Characters talk too quickly, their dynamics become confused, and it feels like no scene lasts longer than a minute.
Scenes need time to breathe to enjoy and understand them fully.
The film’s better second half largely mitigates this issue, but the pacing is an issue that significantly drags down the beginning of Oppenheimer.
So, which film is better?
Oppenheimer beats out Barbie by a slim margin if you ask me, but that may be due to my preference for the subject matter. All I know for sure is that box office numbers and flaws be damned, this summer had two blockbusters that genuinely delivered.'
#Barbie#Oppenheimer#Cillian Murphy#Robert Downey Jr.#Florence Pugh#Kitty#Emily Blunt#Ryan Gosling#Margot Robbie#Michael Cera#Will Ferrell
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Research - ANIME
Akira was a groundbreaking film in many ways. It was one of the first anime films to be released in the United States and helped popularize the genre in the West. Its detailed animation and striking visuals set a new standard for animation and have influenced many subsequent works. The film's themes of post-apocalyptic survival, government conspiracy, and the dangers of unchecked power have also resonated with audiences and have become a staple of the genre.
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Akira is sourced as a place of inspiration for a whole generation of animators, being one of the first to really show off the potential animation had for action sequences and story telling as a whole. It even started to trend the bike slide in animation.
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Akira’s animation is nothing short of a triumphic feat for back in the 1980s,with how it still holds up today, and how very few animated features have actually truly rivalled it. The level of detail and frames there are for just a character talking is insane. The explosions, the gun fights, the gore is incredibly well constructed and well done, there’s weight to every impact.
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The story of the film takes place immediately after the events of the first season of the anime. The protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, along with his sister Nezuko and his friends, Zenitsu and Inosuke, board a train called the Mugen Train in order to investigate a series of disappearances. They soon find themselves facing off against a powerful demon named Enmu, who has the ability to put people to sleep and enter their dreams. The group must fight for their lives and prevent Enmu from carrying out his evil plan.
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train broke numerous box office records in Japan, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japanese box office history. It was also well-received by critics and fans alike, with many praising its animation, action sequences, and emotional depth. The film is often noted for its use of stunning visuals and breathtaking animation techniques, such as the use of digital effects to create dynamic battle scenes.
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Attack on Titan has many epic fight scenes that have been animated in the anime adaptation of the series. These fights are known for their high intensity and emotional impact on viewers. In Season 2, there is a memorable fight between Eren and the Armored Titan, a powerful Titan controlled by the villainous Reiner. The fight takes place in the open field, and Eren and the Armored Titan clash in an intense battle of strength.
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My thoughts on Sauron VS Lich King
I'm gonna preface this by saying I have no attachment to either of these characters. I've watched the first Lord of the Rings movie. That is the extent of my knowledge of these characters. That being said, I was still decently hyped for it given how powerful and intimidating these two are. And now I'm gonna post my thoughts to my Tumblr account because I genuinely cannot be bothered to record and edit a video for YouTube.
Starting with the analysis, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed learning about these characters and the jokes were all decent. I didn't laugh at any of them but I haven't laughed at any Death Battle episode I've watched so I guess I just don't find this show overly funny. I guess it's not all that important since the selling point of this show was never the humor.
Anyway, moving on to the fight, I'm just gonna start by saying that this has probably the best visuals out of any 3D fight the show has ever done. The models look great, the effects are beautiful, especially Sauron's eye, and the backgrounds look great as well. I like how the fight incorporates the environment, with Sauron making a volcano erupt. It gives a great atmosphere to the final part of the battle.
I can't speak for how well the characters are portrayed, but I CAN speak for how much I like their portrayal, and I love how Sauron is done in this animation. Ryan Solis does a phenomenal job voicing him. He sounds really intimidating and imposing. I like Lich King's portrayal too. Phillip Sacramento's voice performance, while not quite as good as Sauron's, is still really good.
The fighting itself is also amazingly done. The brief segments where they're just clashing weapons are what Jason VS Michael should have been: slower action, but the hits have a lot more impact. Also, I know people are gonna complain about Sauron’s janky movement when he gets hit with the plague, but I’m pretty sure that was the intention. The plague is clearly draining him, so his movements are a lot slower.
The ending is also stellar. Sauron forms a body, jumps at the Lich King and shatters his sword, and it's raw as fuck. Then Sauron makes a giant fire vortex around Lich King, Sauron gets an amazing ending line and he sucks the soul out of Lich King. Admittedly, it was a little difficult to tell what was happening the first time, but I had just woken up at the time and looking back on it it’s pretty easy to tell what Sauron is doing.
So in conclusion, this episode is fucking phenomenal. I give it a 10/10, my second favourite of the season behind Spongebob VS Aquaman. Go watch it if you haven't already, and if you have watched it already, go watch it anyway because it's amazing and deserves to be seen.
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Crimson desert xbox one
#Crimson desert xbox one full
Based on the developer commentary of the trailer, tons of detail was put into making sure giant landmarks like mountain peaks were as easily identifiable as possible when exploring. The world of Pywel appears to be designed to inspire exploration through the use of landmarks, both in nature as well as civilization.
#Crimson desert xbox one full
No particular spells were shown off like Geralt’s Signs, but considering Macduff literally rides a dragon in one scene, the concept of using magic isn’t totally far-fetched.Ĭrimson Desert’s world also seems to be a pretty clear highlight of the game, with the first trailer for Crimson Desert showcasing a massive world full of peaks and valleys. Attacks and enemy interactions are weighty and impactful, with tons of dynamic interactions like swords clashing, dodging, mounting, and tackling enemies to the ground. Much of the visual flair and style found in the combat abilities from Black Desert Online are present in Crimson Desert, but this game is clearly designed to have much more player feedback in combat. Crimson Desert: A Vastly Different Project for Pearl AbyssĮspecially different compared to Black Desert Online, and tangentially The Witcher, is the game’s action RPG battle system. As for how that’s going to work in multiplayer has yet to be revealed, but really all that’s been shown of the game is gameplay and narrative moments from singleplayer moments. Rather than players creating their own character, they all embody a unique version of Macduff, meaning the emphasis of singleplayer storytelling is especially important in Crimson Desert. The game does feature some PvP and MMO-like elements, but a majority of the game’s storytelling is focused entirely on the singleplayer aspect of the game. Though it’s unclear whether or not it’s in the same universe, Crimson Desert is not directly connected to Black Desert Online in any specific way. See also Stardew Valley Selling 10 Million Copies Is Strange & Amazing Says Creator However, that’s really where the similarities end. Gameplay also shows Macduff hunting what appear to be monsters and animal life as well, but it’s not clear whether or not his occupation is primarily a monster hunter, unlike Geralt of Rivia. Evidently, according to Crimson Desert’s first trailer, this expands beyond helping commoners to being embroiled in the politics of both their homeland and the places Macduff travels to. On a surface level, the similarities to The Witcher seem pretty obvious: A mercenary named Macduff will travel across varying villages, kingdoms, and lands, listening to the trials and tribulations of the people and helping where they can. Crimson Desert Falls Into a Similar Vein of The Witcher 3 Whether it’s the expansive and detailed world, the off-the-wall dungeons involving the manipulation of time and physics, or the much more bombastic and barbarian-esque combat style, Crimson Desert moves and plays very differently compared to the studio’s previous efforts in Black Desert Online. Other than the general framework of an outsider who’s got a troubled past, who ends up somehow being enthralled in the political dealings of a foreign land, the world and general gameplay is very distinct in Crimson Desert. That comparison isn’t entirely off the mark, but it’s clear that Crimson Desert differs in several key areas compared to The Witcher 3. Many drew comparisons to a certain other impressive open-world RPG, specifically CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Even more surprising is that Crimson Desert is due to release winter 2021, just a year after its first trailer. After the visually impressive cinematic and gameplay trailer, many were surprised with the game’s initial. Known for its popular MMO Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss is also working on another vastly different game: a singleplayer action RPG called Crimson Desert. You Are Reading : Crimson Desert Could Be More Than This Generations WitcherĪt the Game Awards last year, among all the other exciting announcements, one particularly exciting reveal came from South Korean developer Pearl Abyss. Crimson Desert Could Be More Than This Generation’s WitcherĪfter Black Desert Online, Pearl Abyss’ next project Crimson Desert seems to be more than just a Witcher-inspired singleplayer action RPG.
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OPINION ;; BODY HORROR & THE FATE OF TED FARO
@cosmologyofgaming already wrote a very nice take on Thebes that I didn't want to piggyback on [but still recommend reading, if anyobody takes reading recommendations from a blog named "ted faro apologist"], so here's my own two cents:
Most horror movies centered around creatures [not counting classic monster movies like Godzilla, Shark movies, mummy or werewolf movies where you already have a general idea of what it looks like] really stand and fall with the creature design.
You know it's THERE, you've seen a shape moving in the background, a silhouette or figure in the trees, and there is this sense of dread of what ungodly horror beyond our comprehension might lurk there — and if they don't manage to pull that off, the tension immediately just collapses into itself. [This unfortunatly also appplies to video games in a sense - Bioshock is my favourite game ever but upon finally meeting Fontaine the tension went from 10 to -4]
I always found that HZD wasn't as much of a game that confronted you directly with the horrors it presented, but a game that made you experience the horror that happened by-proxy, through voice recordings and messages of the final hours people lived through, through seeing the carcasses of the swarm frozen in battle with the rusty remains of tanks, though holograms and military sites long abandoned and devoid of life, seemingly frozen in time.
I feel Ted is the same. It's not a direct visual, but the implications that carry so much weight; 1000 years in complete isolation, nobody to talk to but your own, disjointed thoughts as you slide further and further into madness and, both physically and psychologically, lose all sense of self, all sense of humanity, becoming nothing but a bunch of cells driven to stay alive by animalistic instincts.
Seeing the mutation wouldn't have mattered in that sense as it wasn't Ted anymore, except on a biological, DNA related level. "Ted" died when his consciousness and sense of self did, and I feel like seeing and being able to set fire to the thing as the player would bring no satisfaction.
It would be, if anything, more a Cronenberg-eque excursion into body horror than a creature moment.
I would have loved to see the "process" of him becoming immortal having worked with maybe only very minor mutations, [which would have been incredibly impactful considering how vanity is an implied trait for Ted Faro] but his mind just incredibly fractured beyond repair due to guilt and, more importantly, isolation. Seeing Aloy, mistaking her for Lis but not even being able to articulate that as he lost the ability to talk due to a millenia of silence. A man that is still largely self-aware of who he is, of what he is, with animalistic and irrate behaviour, more pitiful than arrogant, a husk — that would have been true horror.
I would have loved to been able to be given a choice at this point in the game -
FIST - kill him. ANGEREY.
HEART - Mercy kill.
BRAIN - Leave him to his fate. It will inevitably sort itself out.
[ I know this would have led to a bit of a clash regarding the entire storyline surrounding the Quen, but while we are at it - I would not mind having had to strangle the CEO with my own bare hands as he was the most insufferable POS that I had the misfurtune to encounter hroughout the entire series. ]
TL:DR;
Being confronted with the mutation and killing it would have brought no satisfaction, neither to the player, nor to Aloy - it's not Ted. It's a bunch of cells. Having been confronted with a still mostly human Ted, who due to loss of speech after 1k years of isolation cannot even talk back or try to justify, a Ted who is utterly lost in his own mind but still largely human and aware of what is happening, aware of how judgement has, finally after a millenia, caught up with him - and the player having to decide if this mess in front of them is even worth killing, or if leaving him to his pitiful existence, knowing too well that he won't survive longer than an hour if he ever sets foot outside of his temple of vainglory, is maybe even a worse fate than death, would have been much more impactful.
#ted faro#horizon forbidden west spoilers#horizon forbidden west#hfw#aloy#horizon zero dawn#hzd#faros tomb#I'm staring off the week with a hot take and i actually might write a Ted POV fanfic thing on this cause i love the idea of it A LOT#meta
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Prelude (Ethan x f!MC)
Book: Open Heart, Book 1
Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende)
Word count: 1.5 K
Premise: Three moments leading up to their fateful meeting.
Author’s Note: In which I try to explain why MC didn’t know what Ethan, her medical hero, looked like. Also, my (late) fic for the book 1 replay. Thank you @aestheticartsx for pre-reading!
Three.
Harper frowns down at the file in her hand, her sharp gaze burning into the collated papers as though coercing them to solve their dilemma once and for all. From the end of the table, Cyrus lets out an inpatient sigh.
“It's very simple, Harper,” he drones. Ethan's fists clench reflexively at his sides, urging to remind Cyrus that Harper is the chief now and warrants more respect than his insufferable tone is offering. “The last spot should go to the candidate from Harvard. We are the best hospital on the east coast, after all. It only makes sense.”
Harper looks unconvinced and still, her pensive expression remains fixed in the file.
“An ivy league degree does not a good doctor make,” Naveen adds sagely into the ensuing silence. His smile is placid enough but Ethan knows the older doctor well enough to hear the warning edge in his voice. Evidently, even Naveen disapproves of Cyrus's lack of respect for their new chief.
Cyrus scoffs.
“And if you need further proof of that, Doctor Cyrus,” Ethan begins dryly, eyes boring into him. “Then look no further than your side of the conference table.”
A few attendings—at least the ones who have become increasingly tired of Cyrus's boastful proclamations about his alma mater—laugh quietly at the jab. Cyrus splutters, his face an unpleasant shade of red as he glares daggers at Ethan.
“This candidate,” Harper says at last, unaware or uncaring of what she had just interrupted. Her two lone words are enough to command the room's attention at once, but her hazel eyes are on Ethan. “You're convinced she's the best fit for Edenbrook?”
Ethan meets her eye and pauses.
It's the first time they look at each other directly since he ended their relationship two weeks prior. Despite the brief time apart and an unshakeable resolve to be professional, his stomach sinks heavy, like a stone.
Harper looks as graceful and dignified as ever, keeping every emotion in check. Yet, as she holds his gaze, Ethan can see a small flicker or sadness and his stomach twists with guilt.
“I'm positive, Chief Emery,” Ethan responds. “This candidate exhibits the type of potential we look for at Edenbrook.”
The use of her new title seems to snap Harper out of a reverie.
“She graduated top of her class and ranked in the top percent among our chosen cohort of interns,” Ethan continues. “I've also looked into her research and it's among the most promising I've seen. I recommend her without reservations.”
With a single nod and a sense of finality, Harper closes the file.
“Then it's settled. We have our last intern.”
“You're joking, Harper,” Cyrus blurts out, incensed. “We're giving a coveted spot to the candidate from UCLA?”
He says the name of the school with so much derision, Ethan feels his ears flare up.
“That Doctor Ayala?” Cyrus continues.
“Doctor Allende,” Ethan corrects, jaw clenched.
“Don't we have enough charity cases in the cohort already? This is token—”
But the vitriol is quickly interrupted by several things happening at once: Ethan darting forward, fists ready; a startled, collective gasp from the other attendings; Naveen, quietly intercepting Ethan and halting his steps with a steady hand, a feat that is impressive for a man much older and shorter; and Harper, also on her feet, directing a disgusted look at Cyrus she doesn’t bother to disguise behind professionalism.
“I would think very carefully about finishing that sentence if I were you, Doctor Cyrus,” she says, her voice low but with the impact of a clashing gavel. “And I ask that you address me as Chief Emery moving forward.”
Two.
“If you end up marrying someone with a Boston accent,” Laurel is saying with a devilish grin. “I will never be able to keep a straight face when they talk. Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd.”
Her older sister peers at Lilac over the flaps of an open cardboard box, the glint in her eye growing wickeder still. “Imagine what they’d sound like in bed. You're so fucking gawgeous, dawctaw—”
Before her sister can escalate that impression into disturbing territory, Lilac silences her with a well-aimed pillow. It succeeds in hitting Laurel straight in the face but also in turning her laughter into a cackle.
“Are you going to help me pack or not?” Lilac says sternly, though the effect is entirely ruined by the smile that manages to break through.
Laurel raises her hands in defeat and returns to packing Lilac's books neatly. They work in companionable silence for a few minutes with nothing but their favorite music blaring from the speakers of Lilac's phone.
“Is this the book?” her sister asks suddenly, turning a worn textbook in her hands and studying it closely. “The one written by your medical crush?”
For some inexplicable reason, Lilac feels her face flare with heat. “He's not my crush.”
“You just worship the ground he walks on,” her sister returns, flipping through Diagnostic Principles. “Though, you're right. In order to have a crush you'd need to know what he looks like.”
Laurel reaches the back cover, frowning. “Why wouldn't he add an author picture?”
Lilac says nothing, biting the inside of her cheek. She can't blame her sister for being curious and a bit disappointed at the lack of visual representation. After all, Lilac had felt crestfallen when all she found in the author's information section was the green and blue Edenbrook logo.
“Maybe he's a private man and doesn't like his picture out in the world? Maybe he wants aspiring doctors to focus on his research and not his looks?”
“So he's either really hot or really ugly,” Laurel returns, unmoved by Lilac's impassioned speech. “Have you ever tried looking him up online?”
Lilac had been tempted many times, but she was fiercely adamant about keeping her medical hero a mystery outside of his work. It already felt invasive enough to track down his undergrad research and every other minor paper he'd ever written. When it came to Ethan Ramsey, Lilac had searched every corner of scholarly journals and databases, absorbing every piece of his work with an adoration that was already embarrassing enough.
Plus, she would never admit it out loud, but she was also afraid that knowing what the brilliant doctor looked like would somehow ruin him for her. Or at least, alter the image of him she had constructed in her head for so many years. It felt right to continue seeing Dr. Ramsey as the brilliant force that pushed her into her dream career and not as a definitive set of features.
“It doesn't matter what he looks like. He's the best and I'm going there to learn from him, not to judge his appearance.”
“I'm Googling him,” Laurel announces, already typing furiously into her phone. After a few seconds, her phone returns results and her eyebrows shoot up, staying suspended for longer than normal.
“What?” Lilac asks despite herself.
“Wow.”
“Wow what?”
“Just… wow.” Laurel stares down at the screen with such awestruck amazement that Lilac feels a powerful wave of curiosity. “He’s shirtless in some of these.”
“What?” Lilac yelps, feeling her face flare up at once.
“Yeah, apparently you’re not his only fan. Tons of people have taken his picture.” Her sister seems to blink out of a trance, turning the screen toward Lilac. “Here, see for your—”
But Lilac turns her gaze away almost out of reflex.
“No!”
The word comes out far more impassioned than Lilac intended. Still, she resolutely turns her head. “That feels...invasive, somehow?”
“Come on—”
“I'm serious, Lau. I don't want to see. I'm already nervous enough about this whole thing without having to worry about this wow-worthy revelation. And besides, taking someone’s shirtless picture without their consent and posting it online is already bad enough. It feels wrong supporting that.”
Laurel rolls her eyes.
“I'm going to see him in less than a week anyway. With clothes. In a professional setting. As I should. If I waited all these years, I can wait that long.”
A knowing, devious sort of smile pulls at her sister's face. She mumbles something over the music and Lilac can swear it sounds oddly like: “...worth the wait.”
One.
Ethan should have taken the broken and sputtering coffee machine in his apartment as an omen. His morning definitely declined from then on, starting with gridlock traffic and ending with an infuriatingly long line at his favorite coffee place.
The ultimate lack of coffee is probably his fault because Ethan had spent too much time deliberating whether or not he wanted to go with store bought coffee on what promised to be a grueling day. When he had finally made up his mind, however, the line was already out the door.
Irritated and caffeine deprived, he drives back to Edenbrook.
“You're earlier than we agreed,” Naveen says as soon as Ethan accepts his incoming call. “What was the point of rearranging the whole schedule if you were going to come in when you pleased anyway?”
“I'm not even through the gates yet. What are you spying on me?”
“No need. You forget how predictable you are.”
Naveen chuckles as he says this which eases some of Ethan's irritation. The older doctor had purposely scheduled him later in the day to give him some peace on the first day of the new intern cohort.
Naturally, Ethan arrived several hours early, as per his custom.
“Or maybe you know me too well by now.”
Naveen's benevolent laughter turns into a dry but lingering cough on the other end of the line. Instantly, Ethan's insides freeze over, his stomach sinking unpleasantly.
He opens his mouth to question his mentor about this persisting symptom, when sheer reflex prompts him to stomp on the breaks so suddenly, his body jerks forward then slams against his seat.
“Shit.”
Something—or rather someone— had crossed the parking lot road right in front of his car, standing mere inches away from his front bumper.
“Ethan?” Naveen asks through the speaker.
When Ethan recovers and regains movement of his arms and legs, he feels the spike of adrenaline give way to pure annoyance.
The offending pedestrian is a young brunette clad in blue scrubs, a medical intern by the looks of it. She stands there in the middle of the road, her mouth hanging open in a way that would have been comical to Ethan if he wasn't so irritated.
They stare at one another, though Ethan is convinced she can't see much through the tinted glass.
Then, right before his eyes, she seems to recover from the shock. Drawing herself to her full height, she glares at Ethan. At least, he thinks she's glaring through the dark lenses of her sunglasses.
Ethan almost scoffs.
She has the audacity to be angry when she was the one who made the rookie mistake of aimlessly crossing in front of him?
Who the hell does she think she is?
“Asshole,” she mutters, the word quite audible through his windows.
Before a stunned Ethan can respond, she turns on her heel and rushes toward the hospital, a curtain of dark hair dancing behind her.
“What was that?” Naveen asks, still on the call.
“I hate interns,” Ethan responds much to the older doctor's amusement.
Bonus:
Author’s Note: In other words, my MC was late to her orientation because of Ethan and that’s how she met him in the waiting room lol. Thank you so much for reading!
*Tagging Separately
#open heart#ethan ramsey#ethan x mc#Ethan ramsey x mc#ethan ramsey fanfiction#choices fanfiction#open heart fanfiction#Oph book club#playchoices#My writing
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RECAP ON ASTOLFO AND ROLAND
So, with the last chapter, we received some new information about the relationship between Astolfo and Roland. As I have too much free time and the need to exercise my English, I've decided to make a little recap of what we know insofar of their falling out, and what can this mean for the Chasseurs internal dynamics.
"A monster who became history's youngest paladin at only fifteen", "The chasseur's prpblem child" and "A passionate Roland hater".
This is how Astolfo is introduced to us, via Vanitas. A series of descriptions that the reader should have no problem believing: Astolfo has just killed an entire battalion of soldiers because they were disrespectful to him, and is hatred for Roland has been enough to make him fall for Vanitas' ... subtle manipulation
The way Astolfo visualizes Roland is interesting. Insofar, he has been presented as a terrifying warrior, sure, but also a cheerful and amiable fellow. Here ... he looks so serious. Maybe disappointed?
Still, later in the chapter we find out about his marks from vampires, courtesy of Charlatan; he was appearently covered in them, and the memory is clearly traumatic. And it's also presented his family's fate, already hinted at by Vanitas' taunting.
The experience also has the side effect of driving him even more berserk, explaining the reasons for his hatred of vampires: dear old-fashioned vengeance for a family exterminated.
Later on, thanks to Noé being an empathic person who is genuinely interested to the people trying to cut him into slices, we find out an even more chilling detail: said vampires entered the Granatum house by betraying thr trust of Astolfo himself, back then a child so kind that he would help a supposed enemy.
An interesting detail here: Astolfo lashes out at Noé by calling him an heretic that shouldn't exist; I'm quite interested in the term, as Astolfo had earlier said that his duty was killing vampires, not defending people; an inversion of Roland, who in the previous arc allied himself with Vanitas and Noé in order to save someone, but also not a position much in line with the Christian doctrines of salvation and forgiveness.
To this, Noé answers by asking if that was what he actually thought, or if it was Church propaganda; this gets Astolfo, as he was likely trying to not talk about his actual, very personal reasons.
Still, I'm interested in the approach Astolfo takes to his faith, and how it relates to Roland: the latter has been the one talking about the love of God for everyone, but as Olivier says, he appearently has more faith in himself as a follower of God than in God Himself. Astolfo, on the other hand, doesn't really seems to care for love, forgiveness, or even God, listening only to the words about damnation rather than salvation.
Next, we have this little chat. Roland tells Noé the reason of Astolfo's hatred for vampires, and he takes care to emphasize that the situation came about because Astolfo was too kind, recognizing the good qualities the kid had.
Meanwhile, Astolfo keeps having flashbacks. He was in a desperate situation, he prayed for someone to arrive, and someone did: Roland. But he also came in too late for Astolfo's little sister.
Immediately later, the two actually meet in person for the first time on page. And Roland has the serious, disappointed (?) expression from before. While Astolfo remembers begging Roland to save the little sister, and ...
Collapses in the arms of the one he famously hates so much. Who is still very serious,but also kind of comforting.
And so we get to the latest issue. It adds that their fallout is a very recent thing, up to a little while ago Astolfo positively idolized his savior:
But it also mentions that Roland made some kind of mistake, or at least, it was such in Astolfo's eyes. And it must have been pretty serious,as the kid managed to become famous for hating someone who not only saved him, but grew to know so well he coumd predict his movements, something not even Roland's old friend could do.
So I wonder: what could have caused such a drastic change?
I have two teories on this: it had something to do with Astolfo's little sister, or it is a clash of ideologies.
Astolfo beg Roland to save his sister,but appearently, the girl was already dead by the time the older paladin arrived. But this doesn't seem to have impacted Astolfo's initial 'worship' of him. So, is there something we haven't seen? The sister managed maybe to survive, but died later, in circumstances that more or less directly involve Roland? There isn't much in favor of this thesis, so I'll turn to the next.
It's a clash of ideologies. Roland and Astolfo's attitude towards their duties as Chasseurs are pretty much opposites: the former is focused on 'salvation', on saving as many lives as he can, even allying himself with the vampires if he has to do so. The latter is focused on 'damnation', on killing all vampires he comes across if he can, and also humans he doesn't like.
Moreover, we know that Roland is more or less discretely critical of the Church and is conducting some kind of more or less secret investigations on them. Meanwhile, Astolfo accepts acritically the Church's anti-vampire spiel, or rather, he accepts the spiel because it validates his own hatred.
But it appears that Roland personally trained Astolfo. So, he taught him only to fight, but did nothing about such an extreme way of thinking he clearly doesn't agree with?
Or maybe Astolfo found out about Roland doubts - maybe his mentor actually tried to talk to him, maybe some higher authority reprimanded Roland to Astolfo's shock - and the hatred for the vampires was stronger than the love for his savior.
And here's the end of this useful (?), practical (hahaha no) recap. Thanks to all who took the time to read this!
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fic writer interview
tagged by @meikuree, thanks for having me in mind! It’s been a while since I did one of these.
name: NoxCounterspell
fandoms: Currently writing for Kakegurui and Shingeki no Kyojin.
two-shot: The Beginning and the End (or Knocking on Heaven's door), a Kirasaya (KKG) Fic. This was intended to be a one-shot, however ended up being posted in two chapters because it was too long (insert here cynical laughter when I'm currently posting 14k chapters).
The project was conceived by a very creative mind and acquaintance that came to me with a very fucking good outline. Together, we managed to create a very immersing post-canon AU, even if I say so myself. This touched a lot of different subjects, everything revolving around the concepts of family and freedom, right versus wrong, the lack of understanding, psychological projection. One of my favorite parts is the tag Meeting the Parents, and how that can play in how the story is perceived.
most popular multi-chapter: To you, the girls lost in Hell (SnK, Mikannie). An absolute whim of mine, taking Yams story and twisting it and shaping it into a narrative that fits snippets of my own imagination, regarding Annie and Mikasa's relationship (this is basically going to be an enemies, to lovers, to enemies, to friends, to lovers). Really, this is a fic entirely about them, for them and how their basic symbiotic relationship: clashing and attraction impacted everything happening on SnK.
This is an excuse to study two characters in canon-verse, getting and providing a humble glimpse of how these characters, in the context they are being written, work. Vomiting a heck ton of my own headcanons, I'm trying to add angst, action, psychology and others to the table, following the overall outline Yams created, but redrawing the entire canvas.
Honestly, I'm deeply surprised by how well received the story has been. This will try to keep up the intensity, overall, the outline is designed to play with emotions for the whole ride: we know where we begin and where we are going, but the how it's the sting.
actual worst part of writing: Writer's block. Obsessively researching something to realize it just won't fit the story. Self-doubt. Isolating oneself while writing non-stop. The built-in expectations one may have about their writing that might not be met by the end result.
how you choose your titles: One of my favorite parts of writing it's designing titles. Most of them respond to the question of what does the fic need, how can I guide the reader as to why this has been written?
So say, To you, the girls lost in Hell is a direct nod to SnK's first manga chapter and the Light Novel: Lost Girls. This story is for Annie and Mikasa, two girls/women left to their own devices, surviving, searching, trying. A message I hope gets delivered. The Time series (Kirasaya, Meariri, Kakegurui) needs definition. Words are concepts we never really stop to decipher, as much as we ignore human behavior. Defining an entire character study by just one word, the context is easily guided: perhaps Fall is the clearest one, how can a character fall and break without them meaning to?
I can rant for days as to what's the process I prefer for title creation, but I can summarize in: how can a whole story be told from the very beginning?
do you outline: Yes. My outlines give me an overall idea of how to get from A to Z, without closing the doors to letters from other alphabets. Pretty much every story I start comes from a dialog that won't leave my mind or a very vivid scene I pictured. Building around it - how the narrative goes and comes, rises and falls - is what outlining comes to do in my case.
I outline in two stages: overall skeleton (indents, phrases), then, general paragraphs describing each scene. To this, add specific dialogs and phrases that are non negotiable. If I can’t fit them in, then the scene is not working. I like highlighting bits and pieces of the prose. Phrases that will get stuck with the reader and myself.
ideas I probably won’t get around to but wouldn’t it be nice:
PACIFIC RIM MIKANNIE. There, I said it. This has been running around my mind for a while but I think it's mostly for the lols and for how much of a nerd I am. I don't think I would write it but there are snippets in my head of what that might look like. There is also an ExMilitary!Annie and Cop!Mikasa Modern AU running around in my head, with them getting into a relationship with twists and turns to pertain to what they've lived, boundaries, psychological walls, PTSD... etc.
For Kakegurui: BLADE RUNNER + ALTERED CARBON AU.
Yes, I like SciFi. I have a heck ton of wips, some might see the light, some might not. We'll see.
callouts @ me: I don’t know what a omniscient, general narrator is. For the love of Dio I can’t wrap myself around how to narrate something without siding with a character. I’ve read examples, designed scenes... and still there is always one character I get introspective with or predominates in the scene and everything, then, sides with them. So I’m faulty of jumping from POV to POV by scenes. Or I write an entire fic based in once character’s perspective. In both instances, I always hope it’s not confusing.
Long sentences without breaks or very stuffy wording is another fault of mine. Probably from the fact that I like to write from thoughts and actions in depth than leaving things to the reader’s imagination. I want readers to see what I see, to feel what I feel. I try to write from a place of empathy, channeling the character and their psyche, and the impact that creates is what I want to reflect. So overdetailing is a dear friend of mine. A very talented fellow fic writer told me that I build until people can’t escape what I wrote. I think that’s both good and bad, as I’m taking the freedom people get when picturing their own version.
best writing traits: Based on comments, narrative and characterization. Again, I try to write from a place of empathy, and I undust my psychology classes each time I’m trying to write a character. I like character studies, dissecting something until it’s raw, how can I make or break a persona that’s already been written, that already has a defined mind/soul. That’s why I love angst and currently, thriller/horror.
I’m, also, obsessive with details. Everything has to be accurate and clock work. Does anyone care if the bus I’m describing actually exists? Not really, but I need to have a model in mind. Is it really necessary to open google maps and calculate how long it would take X character to walk from Tokyo’s University to a fictional apartment building? Certainly not. However I need to know in order to sell it. If it makes sense to me, then I’m comfortable enough to write it. It’s not practical, but allows to create tangible actions/places.
spicy tangential opinion: Very snob of me... but mind your text’s visual presentation. If the text is unappealing to the eye, it can be uncomfortable to read. I like fics (and books as well) that are mindful of the aesthetic in lines of words. Having adequate spacing in between paragraphs, balancing length of sentences, using defined styles for dialogs... Gives a very professional feel to it.
I’m all for AUs and canon divergence, but fanfiction has a very fragile requirement that is to respect the character. Do with them whatever you like, have them tap dance or bungee jump, alter their canon-verse or send them to Hogwarts, but keep the essence. How and why is a character acting the way they do is key while writing fanfiction. I’ve read great stories that would have worked best as original fiction, because I can’t feel the characters. Again, a very snob thought.
tagging (no pressure): @ladyjay1616 @askboxangel @blankiebandit and anyone else that may want to join
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Callie’s Disney Princess Retrospective: Beauty and the Beast
(Snow White) (Cinderella) (Sleeping Beauty) (The Little Mermaid)
The Little Mermaid was a huge success for Disney. It was such a big success that it began the Renaissance Era of Disney Animation and returned Disney to the top animation studio. While many people such as John Musker, Ron Clements, and Glen Keane can be credited for the film's success, the biggest player by far was lyricist Howard Ashman. He put his heart and soul into the film, and not just with song lyrics. He wanted the characters to connect to the audience. He wanted to play a part in the story. He wanted this film to be something special, and he succeeded. But he was also frustrated, could be argumentative when others didn't like his vision, and unknown to everyone, he was dying. After winning two Oscars for The Little Mermaid's music, Howard revealed to composer Alan Menken that he had AIDS, and he didn't have much longer to live.
However, Ashman wasn't going down before completing one more film. Though he had been writing music for Aladdin, he ultimately ended up as the lyricist of another film. A film that had been through many different iterations and was handed off to newbie directors. Little did anyone know just how impactful this film would be for Disney, and for the industry as a whole. Well, except for Ashman himself. The film that we are discussing today is the first animated film to ever, ever be nominated for Best Feature. That film is 1991''s Beauty and the Beast.
Overview
Belle is a beautiful young woman, but is seen as an oddity in her village due to her love of books and her utter disinterest in local heartthrob Gaston. When her father, an inventor named Maurice, leaves for a science fair, he ends up taking refuge in an old, abandoned castle. But the castle is actually enchanted and acts as the home to dozens of talking inanimate objects... and a fearsome beast. When Belle goes looking for her father, she offers to take his place as the Beast’s prisoner. But during her time in the castle, Belle discovers that this Beast may not be as much of a monster as he appears, and this may lead to both discovering true love...
Review
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I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this is by far one of Disney’s most beloved films. It got praise form both critics and movie-goers when it came out, and it’s only become more beloved in the nearly 20 years since. Belle is praised as a feminist's icon and the film for it’s themes of toxic masculinity, judging a book by it’s cover, and some of the darker aspects of society like those we blindly praise. I... like the film, but I never loved it to the extent as others. Not because it’s bad, that is a ridiculous notion. I just liked other films more and Belle just didn’t interest me as others like Cinderella or Mulan or Ariel. But seeing it again as an adult who has seen the darker aspects of society since I was a kid, it REALLY rings more deeply than it did back then.
One aspect that no one can argue about is the animation. The film is beautiful. It has some of Disney’s best animators at the time such as Glen Keene, Mark Henn, Andreas Deja, and so much more. There was so much life put into the film and it is a true visual spectacle.I meant hey managed to take inaminate objects, and bring them to life. Sure they have faces to help humanize them, but to make us believe that these are talking, moving objects that were once human is still a VERY difficult task. But they have so much personality like the suave, passionate candlesick Lumiere or the stuffy, orderly Cogsworth. The backgrounds andf settings are also great fromt he Sleepy Hollow-esque village to the gothic castle of The Beast, to the creedy woods that look even more terrifying when it snows. There’s so much color and lighting that is used so well, especially with the castle eminating so much mystery and intrigue compared tot he plain village that Belle is from.
But the setting we all remember most of all is the ballroom. While Disney has been using CGI some before, such as Big Ben in The Great Mouse Detective (yes,t hat WHOLE setting was computer graphics), this is probably the biggest use to date. The ballroom is a gorgeous golden color and looks so big and vast. It takes you’re breath away. There’s a reason why this is the most well-remembered part of the film. The animaiton for this film was very straining, especially due to conditios to accomodate Ashman that we’ll get to later. It was stressful, but they absoluteley put their all into it. When you watcht he ballroom sequence, added to the dance and Angela Lansbury’s lovely vocals, you forget that you’re even watching a movie. It feels like... well, love. It’s by far one of Disney’s best looking features.
As I said in the intro, the film ultimately fell into the laps of two relatively rookie animators; Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. This was after several various attempts to adapt the film, with none successful. Wise and Trousdale’s biggest claim to fame at the time was doing animaiton for EPCOT’s now defunct Cranium Command attraction (look up Who Stole Buzzy, boy is THAT a story) and while they had worked on other features, they had never been in the director seats. To make it more difficult, due to Ashman’s health continuing to gradually decline, Katzenburg decided to move produciton over to New York to spare him from having to travel. Which is a VERY noble effort and it’s sweet that they were willing to do so to keep working with Ashman, but as you can imagine this was quite a strain on the production team and as before, they would sometimes clash with Ashman and his vision. Still, they along with Menken returning as composer and writer Linda Woolverton, they reworked the then-script into something that they were happy with.
The setting is very reminiscent of another Disney work, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. One of two segments from the Package Film Era feature The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. We all know the story of Ichabod and his infamous ride where he encountered the Headless Horseman. Here we have a similar quaint village where people seem rather simple-minded. Like in Sleepy Hollow where everyone took notice tot he rather strange looking Ichabod Crane, we see a similar notice of Belle who is an anomaly to them. Though unlike Ichabod, who had pretty much everyone under his thumb and is kind of a gold diging jerk, Belle is ostracized and is a FAR better person. Gaston bears a striking resemblance to Brom Bones in both looks and social status (tough Brom isn’t as bad in comparison or even compared to Ichabod, though still a Jerk Jock) and the Bimbettes bear a bit of similarity to Katrina. I wouldn’t be surprised if the crew used Sleepy Hollow as inspiration for setting and character design. Only thing missing is the Headless Horseman, which that would have been interesting XD
The film deals with several topics. There’s the standard ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ and ‘true love conquers all’ messages. Both of which are handled very well. But there are also some that IDT Disney had ever really tackled to this point. There’s encouraging women to make their own choices, which Disney HAS tackled but this one does it differently with Belle rejecting the standard good-looking man and falling for the monstrous looking one. In fact there is really a strong theme tearing down toxic masculinity and male entitlement. It says that no, men are not obligated to a woman and that women have the freedom to reject them no matter the societal pressure. Especially if they act as despicable as Gaston. With how much more aware we’ve become of how horrible some men in power can be and how they use that power on vulnerable women, this remains a relevant message to todays audience. It let’s women be empowered, confident, and enjoy things like reading as well as have the hope of finding those who will be accepting. These are all important things, and the film does an excellent job in showing it and what actual love should be like. The Beast especially starts as a jerk, but once he decides to become better and wants to be better for no ulterior reasons, he proves worthy of Belle’s love. That’s how love should be and how a person should change themselves. Again, very well done.
Despite his health and being downcast about not completing Aladdin, Ashman still put his all into the film. As I said, they outright shifted production to another state at a time when social media and things like Skype and Zoom were a distant dream. Still, Ashman along with Menken put their all into the soundtrack, and it paid off big time. This film, along with The Little Mermaid, really set up the precedent for Broadway-style animaed films and considering that they continue to be successful, I’d say that that says a lot. There are a lot of memorable songs int his fimlm, and there’s even some that didn’t make it in. One in particular, Human Again, actualy got animated and added back for the film’s IMAX release and various home media releases (sadly it’s not in the Disney+ version). The score is also very well done, especially at the end. Just listen to the music when the Beast finally turns human again. It added to the outright magical animation will leave you in awe as much as Belle was.
But what about the vocal tracks? Good question. Let’s go over them:
Belle/Belle Reprise: Our first song which as the name suggests, is about our leading lady. It does a lovely job establishing her character as a book-loving, intelligent young woman feeling that there was be more than this life ans village that she remains stuck in. It also establishes the village’s rather simple-mindedness and socital expectatons, finding Belle a beautiful but very strange girl because of her loving reading more than getting married. It also establishes Gaston’s smugness, entitlement, and holding the entire village’s admiration, The music is optimistic, but there’s a lot here that’s gonna take a dark turn a the film goes on. The reprise is short and more somber, but let’s Belle express her unwillignness to marry a man like Gaston, wanting to find love on her own terms. Little does she know what’s awating her right after.
Gaston: No one can have a song named after Gaston like Gaston! Yeah, this inspired plenty of meme’s, didn’t it? Even Disney itself has gotten in on the fun haha! But seriously, this is a fun villain song. I gotta give Gaston this, he’s a smug, horrible person but he shows that he can back up many of his boasts. I don’t doubt that he can eat dozens of eggs a day or is as strong as an ox. The song also further shows the town’s utter blind devotion to this brute, not being concerned about his entitlement to a girl who clearly isnt interest and more because of how handsome and grand he is. Isn’t society fun kids?! But then at the end, after Maurice is kicked out, it takes a darker turn as Gaston makes his plans to essentially blackmail Belle with her father’s safety... and right back to blind praise! I feel zero sympathy for any of the villagers in this film. But yeah, a song with a lot of dark implications, but still a very enjoyable villain song.
Be Our Guest: This is a true show-stopper, and I’m not just saying that. Lumiere wanted to create a show, and BOY did he succeed. The song is the most like a Broadway number in it’s composition and grand feeling. The fact that we have a huge number full fo singing, dancing, stuntwork, etc is being done by a bunch of dishes and pretty freakin’ impressive. Yet the animators gave it all so much life and Jerry Orback sings with so much passion and energy and it is just SO much fun to watch! Especially with poor Cogsworth at first trying to get everyone to calm down, but by the end he gets real into it... well until Lumiere knocks him to the side. The only negative is that for being a song about serving Belle dinner, aside form a bit of The Grey Stuff she didn’t even eat dinner. For shame! So 1 out fo 10 of food servive, but the show was worthy of two thumbs up!
Something More: This was the song that replaced Human Again. It’s a sweet song about Belle and Beast beginning to realize their feelings the more that they spend aroudn each other. Belle sees that Beast may not be very well-mannered or much of a looker, but he does have a good heart and the more they interact, the more it begins to show. Belle’s kindness, intellience, and willingness to look beyond the surface has Beast falling in love with her, yet his fear of being a monster is still holding him back. Still as we see the two do things like have dinner, play in the snow, or even Beast letting Belle read to him, the more we see that spark of love slowly grow, even if they haven’t fully grasped it. It helps advance the romance, and it’s just really sweet.
Beauty and the Beast: The song that won Menken and Ashman another Oscar. It’s not hard to see why either. The song is beautiful. It’s performed by Angela Lansbury, and her gentle vocals accompanies by the gentle orchestra is just lovely. The woman outright did the song in one take. One take. That is insane, yet it happened. And I can see why because the song is just beautiful. It adds to much to the already majestic ballroom scene, being about two unlikely individuals finding love and ultimately making the other a better person. It’s just a work of beauty. There’s also the pop version by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, which I also really love. It’s more commerical, but still very pretty especially with Celine’s gorgeous singing voice. Both versions are beautiful, and the first thing I think of when I think of this film... and no, not just beause of the name.
The Mob Song: This is exactly as you would expect with a song with that title. It’s dark, angry, and scary. Gaston rallies the troops to kill The Beast, convincing them that he is a danger to them all. They grab their torches, weapons, and there’s just this tense atmosphere throughout. This is the culminaiton of al the socital expectations and blind devotion to a person who doesn’t at all deserve it. It’s also a very accurate protrayal of the mob mentality, where you become a part of this hivemind following the rest of the crowd no matter how wrong it may be and despite your own senebilities. The only ones who don’t fall into it, Belle and Maurice, get tossed into a basement for their trouble. What makes this song sad though? In Disney+’s documentary Howard, produced by Don Hahn who also produced this film, it was explained how in the eyes of several of his colleagues, it seemed like Ashman was venting about the AIDS epidemic. That was a VERY dark time where the gay community was especially under fire, persecuted, hated, and so many other horrible things because the world chose to blame them for it. Ashman was a gay man. He had an ex partner die of AIDS, and had another partner at the time who talked about him in the documentary. Imagine being scapegoated just because of your sexuality, even though you never caused any harm, and society hated on you and others fell into he mob mentality, and they went as far as to either demand you to die or do the job themselves. All because you were different. Really adds a new perspecive to the song, doesn’t it? This can be applied to so many groups too, which makes the song even scarier, but also emphasize even more how dangerous the mob mentality is. Very effective song.
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Sadly, Howard wouldn’t live to see all of his numbers to completion. With his health declining rapidly, Menken and various others went back and forth between Burbank and New York in order to work with him. Ashman worked until he psycially couldn’t anymore. He was even giving notes to performers like Paige O’Hara despite barely being able to talk. He managed to complete his work, at least to my knowledge, before his passing on March 14th, 1991, just a few months before the film’s release. After a screentest, which proved very successful, Don Hahn and some other colleagues went to see Ashman in the hospital to say their goodbyes. Hahn told him of the reception, and jokingly asked who would ahve expected that the film would have turned out so great? Ashman’s response? “I did.” The work he managed to do for Aladdin would be included in the film, which we’ll discuss when we get to that one. The soundtrack won the Oscar which was awarded to Ashman (as well as Menken) posthumously and a dedication to him was including at the end of the film. It’s always sad to see such a talented individual leave us far too soon, but his work truly brought new life to Disney and is beloved even all these years later. That is a legacy that will never fade.
Now we get to characters, and we have quite a good number of them. We have of course the village that Belle is from. On the surface, they seem like pretty plain people, satisfied with their way of life. But this also causes them to at least not think highly of those who break from that way of life. The men work, the women care for the children. If men don’t work, they’re jerk slobs. They all especially fall into blind admiration for the strong, handsome Gaston who is hailed as a local hero. So much so that no one gives ANY of his terrible actions an ounce of consideraiton. Selling Maurcie tot he looney bin? Well he’s alreafy viewed as crazy, so ah well. Belle trying to tell them that The Beast isn’t a monster? While their first imprression of him is defeniteley a bad one, the fact that they listen to Gaston and not the woman who actually interacted with The Beast says a lot about how simple minded they all are. I hope they learned their lesson after all was said and done, but even if not Belle doesn’t have to pay them any mind anyways.
The only person who is accepting of Belle is her father, Maurice. He’s viewed as a crackpot, but Maurice is a good-hearted, smart, and perfectly sensible man. He’s a bit of a goof with how his inventions can go haywire, but otherwise is no diferent from any other person. But like his daughter, his interests have him judged instead of what he’s like as a person. It’s especially sad when he tries to get help to save Belle, and he is merely laughed at and thrown out because of his status. Maurice is a loving father, accepting of Belle and of her interests and choices. She isn’t interested in Gaston? Fine with him. People view her as odd? That’s utterly ridiculous. It’s really nice to have a parent who is supportive and involved int heir kids life, especally compared to Triton last time who may be caring, but is utterly against everything that matters to Ariel. In fact it’s the firs ttime we’ve had this since Snow White and Cinderlla’s parents are dead and their stepmothers are horrible, Aurora grew up away from her otherwise caring parents, and Ariel... it’s complicated. Maurice is a good guy and it is good that Belle has someone who accepts her unconditionaly. She loves him so much that she sacrificed her happiness for him twice to protect him, which really shows how strong their bond is.
That brings us to our villain, Gaston. He is a hunter who is muscular, handsome, and has physical skills that he can back up. However he is also entitled, egotistical, sefish, and just a horrible person. He wants to marry Belle only because of her beauty and instead of trying to get to know her or shifitng atteniton to any of the girls who would gladly grovel before him, he pursues her despite her not liking him. It’s especially bad when he goes to her house, sets up a huge engagement party, and gets into her personal space in his attempts to charm her. She not only rejects him, but promptly humiliates him. Yet instead of thinking that he had tried far too hard and jumped the gun, he blames Belle for daring to reject him. He reflects exactly how society can view someone like him. No one thinks about the woman, they only see a good-looking man get rejected despite us not knowing anything about ther perosn or their relaitonship. Especially if that man is essentially a celebrity, which makes people look past anyhing.
But none of these things are indicitive of an evil perosn. An arrogant jerk yes, but not evil. That all changes when, after Maurice tries to get help, Gaston comes up with a new plan. He decides to have Maurice admitted to an asylum for being crazy, and to use this to force Belle to marry him. This is what shifts Gaston from a jerk to a true villain. This is how far his entitlement and selfishness goes. He is willing to take Belle’s own elderly father and use him and his freedom as blackmail to force her to marry him. Even compared to the four villainesses before him who committed horrible acts such as attempted murder, mental/emotional abuse, and even attempting world domination, this is utterly despicable. Then there's him deciding to kill The Beast. Despite what he says, it's not because of the potential risk to the town, it's solely because he sees that Belle loves him and can't stand it. He outright calls her crazy AND locks her and Maurice up out of pure entitlement and selfishness. He doesn't give a damn about Belle or her though and well-being. Only about his own.
Gaston is entertaining, but very much evil. As I said above he bears a lot of similarity to Brom Bones from Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. A muscular jock-like figure often the most beautifiul girl in town. Only while Brom was a jerk, he was arguably less bad than Ichabod Crane depending how you looked at it. Gaston essentially has Brom's muscles an Ichabod's selfishness. He cares only for himself and his own pride. Admittedly he put up a decent fight against The Beast, but that's only because Beast wasn’t fighting back until he saw Belle. When he did, Gaston whimpered and begged like the pathetic man that he is. Then he stabbed him despite being spared out of pure spite. An act that cost him his life. Fun fact, originally he survived the fall and was truly killed via the wolves. They ended up saving that for Scar's death in The Lion King. But yeah, Gaston died in the undignifiedmanner that he deserved. A despicable but memorable villain who was perfect for this film.
Then we have the castle characters. You’d think that it would be difficult to give life to a bunch of furniture and appliances... and it probably was. But this movie makes it look easy. They do give most of them humanoid features, like eyes and a mouth, but not all of them and even then it would be so easy to make it look creepy. But the castle staff is just os much fun and beaming with personality. We’re gonna discuss the main four: Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip.
Lumiere is a candlestick, which matches his passionate characterization. He’s a showman. A romantic. A more daring, out-going character compared to his frequent frenemy Cogsworth. Cogsworth is a clock and I think he’s implied to be the Beast’s butler or some other kind of advisor. He’s stuffy, nervous, and the most lawful of the characters. Though he CAN get into the fun of things with a little provoking as demonstrated in Be Our Guest and the big battle during the climax. Hoenstly, Be Our Guest is a great number to demonstrate the two’s contrasitng perosnalities. Belle has been banned from eating and Cogsworth doens’t want to both break the Beast’s orders nor cause a bunch of noise that would anger him. Lumiere however? He’s dead set on getting Belle to fall for the Beast, so she should be treated as their guest, not a prisoner. Plus he and the other staff are tired after ten years of being stuck as they are and all alone, so cue the extravagant show number. Lumiere is having the time of his life while Cogsworth tries to convince everyone to stop... but by the end gets caught up in it and joins in ont he fun. Too bad that Lumiere knocks him off the center stage at the end haha. But yeah, their constant banter is amusing but they are clealry friends, especially in the fight where Cogsworth saves Lumiere. They’re both also performed wonderfully by their VA’s, Jerry Orbach and David Odgen Stiers, the latter of whom would appear in several more Disney films, including one for this series that we’ll get to fairly soon.
Mrs. Potts is a teapot and her son Chip is a tea cup. I guess that Chip ended up that way to match his mother, which her being a teapot matches her mothelry persona. She’s very kind and consoling towards Belle and seems the most understanding about The Beast and why he acts ike he does. Which since I think that she was essentially the house caretaker, makes sense since she’d have likely been the one looking out for him. Plus she herself is a mother, and since Beast has the emotion coping skills of a child, she’d know how to deal with it. Chip is the token child character, though not a bad one. He’s a nice kid with a huge curiosity. It’s really cute how hen allt he adults are seeing the bloomign romance between Belle and Beast, he’s uttelry confused like any kid would be haha! He takes a liking to Belle quickly, though more like he sees her as if she were an older sister than any kind fo crush or the like. He’s also smart, figuring out how to use Maurice’s inveniton to free Belle and Maurice quickly...and him wanitng to do it again got a good laugh out of me haha! Mrs. Potts is a nurturing mother and her with Chip is so sweet,e specially when they’re truly human again. Plus her advice of how things will turn out alright in the end is advice that I look back on sometimes. it’s really comforitng.
So... as I’ve mentioned in these reviews, a big issue is how underdeveloped that the prince has been. The first two were plot devices only. Phillip and Eric were better int hat they were active int he plot and Eric had some more perosnality and motivation than the other three did. But it just didn’t feel like the male elads were... quite at their full potential yet. They generally didn’t recieve any character development and were mainly there for the sake of being a lov einterest to the heroine. That all changed in this film with our hero, The Beast.
Beast is one of the most well-developed male leads in a Disney Princess film. A few like Aladdin, Naveen, and Eugene rival him for overall best (though tbf the former IS the lead of his movie so that may not count) but Beast helped make the princes more equal to their princess without overshadowing her. Beast is the co-protagonist to Belle and the character that recieves the bulk of the character development. The opening tells us all that we need to know: Beast was once Prince Adam, a spoiled brat. When he turned away an elderly begger, it turned out that she was an Enchantress and she cursed him into his monsturous form. Since he looks like a monster, he subsequently acts like a monster... or more accurately, like the child that he never truly grew out of emotionally. He’s angry, lashes out constantly, and roars at the top of his lungs when at his limit. Like how a child screams and throws a tantrum when things don’t go their way because they lack the social and emotional coping skills to handle their feelings properly. Becoming a beast left Beast isolated and ashamed to face reality, and thus he didn’t learnt he proper coping skills. He accepted that he would forever be a monster, and succumb to acting like one.
That is, until the day that Belle arrived. When she offers herself to free her father, it’s the opportunity that Beast never beleived that he would get. If he can win her love before the rose petals all fall, he’ll be human again. He’ll be free. While he begins still acitng agressive and even bordeirng on emotionally abusive, e isn’t heartless. When Belle is crying about not getting to say goodbye to her father, Beast seems to legit feel bad for hurting her. It doens’t change his behavior, but it’s still a small moment that shows some humanization. It’s important to add moments like this and his despair when using the mirror to hear Belle talk about him. She’s justified in disliking him at that point, but it’s his reactions that matter. It shows his insecurity, his fear, his utter despair that he’ll be cursed for the rest of eternity. He’s already succumbed to acting the part of a monster and is already struggling to act more polite. As amusing as the scene of him yelling at Belle through the door is, it demonstrates just how hard this is for him but if he can’t improve his behavior, then he has no chance. He knows it, and views it as hopeless. It helps humanize The Beast, showing that despite his appearance there IS a human soul in there somewhere. Someone who on some level does want to be better, but he doesn’t know how. If not for these moments, Beast would have been utterly unsympathetic, but they pulled it off.
The turning point comes after Beast rescues Belle from the wolves. Remember, he’d already pretty much given up on winning Belle over and being human again and the confrontation on the third floor certainly didn’t help matters. He could have just let Belle to her own devices... but instead he went to save her. I sincerely do not believe it was because she was a prisoner or because he needed her. He had given up. He had succumbed. But he did it anyways, showing that he isn’t a bad person. It’s something that Belle sees and she gets him back to the castle to treat him. She called him out on his temper, but is sincerely grateful and Beast is stunned by this genuine act of kindness. She didn’t fear him. She wasn’t disgusted by him. She didn’t even leave him to die despite having pretty good reason to leave him and go. Belle still chose to save his life as he did her’s, showing Beast probably the first true act of love that he ever experienced in his life. We know nothing of his family and while I’m sure that staff members like Ms. Potts certainly cared for him, clearly they didn’t do much to quell his spoiled behavior. Belle was kind because she’s a kind person, and Beast finds that he wants to be kind to her in return.
From that point, we see Beast in a new light. He calms down significantly. He’s happier. He carries himself less like a wild animal and more like a person. He’s outright excited when he prepares the library to surprise Belle with. He’s still awkward as shown with his table manners and interacting with birds durign Something There, but he is trying. He’s trying for Belle. He activly enjoys her company. He sees how beautiful she is physically, but that’s not why he likes her. She’s kind, intelligent, independant, and she makes him feel in a way that he never has. He still feels that she can’t love him because of what he is, but the change that she has caused is so evident. He’s fallen in love and the ballroom scene only strengthens that with himt he happiest that he’s been all film. But the crowner that truly demonstrates htis? When Belle expresses missing her father, he lets her use the mirror. Not only does he seem legit concerned when they see Maurice freezing to death but when he sees Belle’s clear distress, he decides to let her go. He’s sad when he does so, knowing that she may very well never return. But Belle’s father needs her. he can’t force her to say and be miserable. He loves her so much that he decided to let her go. But it does mean that he gav up his final chance at being human after feeling more human than he had in ten years, and he is left in despair.
His despair is so strong that when Gaston and the mob arrives, he doesn’t even try to fight back. He just waits and is prepared to let whatever happens to him happen. Fortunately Belle coming back restores his will to live and he fights back. When Gaston grovels for his life, what does Beast do? He grants it, simply growling at him to leave. It is that moment hat shows how much of a better person that Beast is compared to Gaston. He was an angry man bordering on abusive, but he changed. He met someone who wasn’t willing to take his behavior, but was also willing to see the good that was in him. He changed for her, and it made him a kinder, more selfless person. The only thing that remains is his self-loathing, even saying that maybe him dying is for the best after Gaston has stabbed him. Fortunately Belle confesses her love, and it not only saves his life, but breaks the curse just in time. Beast is restored to Adam, having earned the right to having his humanity back. It was a lovely way to cap off his development, and allowed him to earn his happily ever after.
Beast was very much Belle’s equal. Even nowadays they’re both promoted and marketed pretty equally. One’s story would have been incomplete without the other. They gave each other what they each wanted and needed. I’ll go into specifics for Belle when I get to her below, but in the Beast’s case he needed someone kind, but also independent. Someone who wouldn’t tolerate his behavior and push him to change himself, but still kind-hearted enough to see that there is something there and be willing to help. Belle treated him in a way that no one else had. She was defiant, but also caring. She pushed him to rediscover his humanity. She got him to want to be kind. She got him to want to be a better person, and he not only treated her better but he was kinder to his staff as well. He finally grew up from the spoiled brat that he was before. He had found a reason to, and his love was so genuine that he let Belle go to be with her father again. It’s a beautiful story of growth and did enough to make Beast’s issues clear and not excusable, but sympathetic enough that we wanted him to be better and feel happy when he does so. He’s the best developed male lead in a Disney Princess film up to this point and helped pave the way for equally well done male leads. Ones not there just to fill out a plot beat and be the princesses’ reward, but to stand at her side as her equal.
Boy did THAT one get long. there’s other minor characters. Le Fou, The Bimbettes, the psyche ward keeper voiced by the late, great Tony Jay, various other castle characters, etc. all of them are entertaining, I just don’t have much to say about them. So then... we have one more to go.
Belle Analysis
https://youtu.be/M4ne1A1aNrI
Belle is one of the most praised and beloved Disney Princesses of all time. She is smart, playful, independent, and kind-hearted. I feel like she gets overly praised at times, mainly because some like to use her to bash her four predecessors since she didn’t have the goal of falling in love. I won’t repeat what I said about the four, you can read the reviews, but it’s a VERY unfair argument not just to them, but to Belle as well. She’s used as a tool to bash other female characters instead of being loved for herself. Then agains he also gets bashed for the Stolkholm Syndrome argument, which we’ll get to that aspect here soon. But for now, let’s just discuss Belle piece by piece and see where the path leads us.
Belle’s intro establishes everything right off the bat. So much so that the intro sing is literally titled Belle. She’s bookish and cheerful, but it’s clear from her interactions witht he villagers and their own gossip that she’s seen as weird. The only people who seem to like her as she is is the bookshop owner and her own father. The women are jealous of her beauty, the men only see her for her beauty, and both sides are confused at her lack of conformity. Belle lives in a town that clearly has very old-fashioned views regarding gender roles. The men work, the women get married and have babies. They all seem content with this... except for Belle. She enjoys books and adventure, musing about wanting more than the provincial life that she has. She strolls through the village with her nose stuck in a book, but has no trouble navigating at all depsite the distraction. Books provide her a source of adventure and thrill that her limited life does not. She breaks those old-fashioned norms and he village is uttelry baffled at to how she can be this way. But what truly makes her a bafflement to everyone? Her utter rejection of Gaston. While just about every other women swoons at his feet, Belle couldn’t be less impressed if she tried. She’s familiar with how he is and if she had’t recieved his advances before their first scene, she’s probably seen it enough times to know that she doesn’t like him. Him dismisisng her passion for books and insulting her father did him no favors.
On the surface, Belle does’t seem bothered by these things. But when home, she does express some hurt about ti to her father, the one perosn who loves her for her unconditionally. She knows that she doesn’t fit in. She knows that she’s not happy with her life. She wants someone to understand her besides her father. She wants more to life where she can be herself. She wants to find love on her own terms and not have to deal with the advances of men like Gaston. None of this stops her form being able to handle herself, as demonstrated when Gaston goes to her house to force a proposal. She handles kicking him out with utter grace and her “I don’t deserve you” line is icing on the cake. But none of that changes how she feels. If anything, it enforces it. The village is all on Gaston’s side and at that point, her father has left for the science fair. He won’t be there forever, hence why she wants to find someone who will love her for her. To control her own destiny. To those who feel forced into their gender roles or being forced into a relationship that they don’t want whether by an agressive person or by peer pressure, Belle’s struggle is very relatable. Her independant spirit is also admirable as while she is dismayed with where she’s at, she still is able to smile and live her life as she wants. She’ defiant. She makes do with what she has and is able to handle what’s thrown at her with pure wit and ingenuity. Gaston nor anyone else can bring her down... at least, not until her wish for adventure ends up unexpectedly granted.
Before we progress forward, let’s pause to discuss Belle’s VA, Paige O’Hara. When Beauty and the Beast was beginning casting, O’Hara was already a rising Broadway actress and Disney happened to be seeking Broadway talent specifically. After several call-backs, she finally earned the part. She’s credited Howard Ashman as a huge help in guiding her to finding her voice as Belle, and she performs the role beautifully. She captures Belle’s independence yet playfulness very well, as well as her defiance and heartbreak in certain scenes. And her singing? Beautiful. Maybe not on par with Jodi Benson, but you can tell why she was a rising Broadway star. Today, O’Hara works mainly as a painter with Belle very much being one of her main muses. Sadly due to how much her voice has aged, she rarely plays Belle herself anymore, the role nowadays being primarialy done by VA Julie Nathanson. While she also does a lovely job at the part, O’Hara will always be the first to bring the character to life. Fortunteley she still shows a lot of love for the role and has attended multiple events and even got to reprise Belle at least one more time during Ralph Breaks the Internet. She had reprised Belle multiple times between various DTV films, TV appearances, and other events. So even if she is limited nowadays, her large body of work will live on forever.
Back to the film, Belle discovers that her father is in danger and ends up at the castle. We all know what happens at this point. Belle offers to take her dad’s place, Beast agrees, and Maurice is kicked out before Belle can so much as say goodbye. She’s distraught at this, and who can blame her? In a matter of hours, her life as she knew it was ripped away from her. Now instead of her old provincial life, she’s a prisoner in an enchanted castle ruled by an angry beast. Even when given the nicer room, she doesn’t feel that much better. She’s never going to get to see her father again or even know if he’s safely back home. She has no reason to believe that a rescue is coming. Some may say that she should try and get out, but isn’t she allowed this? To be upset and at a loss of what to do? It’s not like she just cries the whole time, she calms down enough to refuse to go to dinner despite the others insisting that she does. Even when Beast yells at her to do so, she refuses. She may be a prisoner, but she’s not going to play the victim. She’s going to be as she normally is; however she wants to be.
Soon, Belle’s able to calm down enough that she decides to go explore the castle. She is ultimateley a curious, adventurous spirit. Regardless of the circumstances, she can’t help but want to learn more about this new, strange place and these new figures that she’s encountered. You can tellt hat she’s warming up reatly during Be Our Guest where despite not actually getitng to eat anything, she is just havng far too much fun to care. It gets her spirits back up and now she can’t resist exploring more. Even if it risks The Beast’s wrath, one her curiosity has peaked, she can’t resist it. It’s a great strength, but also probably her biggest flaw. Despite having been told not to and knowing by now how Beast will react, she slips away from Cogsworth and Lumiere to go explore the West Wing. This ends with her seeing the trashed area, finding the Enchanted Rose, and getting yelled at by an enraged Beast. That is the last push needed to make Belle decide to escape.
So now that we’re at this point, we have to talk about one of the big topics that comes up when discussing this film: Stockholm Syndrome. To put it simply, Stockholm Syndrome is when the victim becomes emotionally attached to their aggressor and doesn’t want to leave them and tries to justify their actions. So when the vicitm is rescued, they may react negativly or even aggressively towards the rescuers in favor of the agressor. it’s a psychological response. This is actually a case where I was able to go to a professional to ask about it,: my own mother. My mom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and currently works as a therapist. I’m fairly sure that she’s never treated anyone with Stockholm, but it is something that she knows of. I did ask her about if the film did glorify Stockholm Syndrome as some accuse it of. The gist of what she told me is... well, there’s enough in-film that either side can use it to prove their case. After all she DOES develop positive feelings towards Beast while a prisoner, so one can take the context and use it as an example, and same for the side who don’t agree. Ultimately Belle is a ficitonal character. We can’t sit her down and give her a psychoanalysis because she’s not real, and most of us doing these analysis’ aren’t therapists, psyologists, or mental health experts anyways. I’ll leave some sources below if you’d like further reading on the topic, but doing research isn’t the same as being a professional trained to go over these kinds of things. My mom said at most, Beast can be viewed as emotionally abusive, though it is because of his own trauma and he did ultimately improve to be a better person.
I fully agree that yes, if someone wants to make the arguent that the film promotes Stockholm Syndrome, they can. It’s their opinion, this came out in a diferent time than now where we take things like emotional abuse in cinema far more seriously, and in the end it’s a piece of fiction and people are free to view it however they wish. But the same also applies to me and in my opinion, no. Belle does NOT suffer from Stockholm Syndrome nor does the film glorify it. Now I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. This is strictly my opinion going off my understanding of it. I may be wrong and if that’s the case, I apologize. But from what I know and understand, the case in the film is not a straight forward situation like the various case studies in the real world. Plus I think we see enough of Belle being defiant and not feeling positivly towards Beast to see that she certainly hasn’t developed any psychological attachment towards him to cope with her situation. We’ll be seeing her feelings towards him change, but I’ll explain why I don’t feel that it counts down below. But again, I’m not an expert. This is just my understanding of it.
So... why the long tangent there? Well we’re now at the wolf attack scene. The turning point in the relationship. Belle’s effort to escape ends with her cornered by a pack of vicious wolves. Fortunateley, The Beast rescues her and drives the wolves away... but he is inured in the process and passes out. As I said in Beast’s character breakdown, he didn’t have to do it at that point since he’d given up, but he did so anyways. It showed that he isn’t a bad person. Something that Belle also saw. The Beast had been aggressive and rude to her throughout, and she had every good reason to continue on her way now that the path was clear. But Belle didn’t. She got Beast onto her horse and took him back to the castle, the closest shelter, to treat his wounds. Is this because she feels compelled to do so after forming a psychological dependency or attachment to him? No. We see as she treats his wounds that she still isn’t going to tolerate his temper and rudeness towards her. She stands up for herself and talks back at him until he calms down. She very much retains her independence. So then... why did she save him? Because Belle is a good-hearted person who just saw this seemingly hateful beast save her life when he didn’t have to. She isn’t the kind of person to leave an injured person to die. She did it out of kindness and gratitude as we see when she genuinely thanks Beast for saving her life. She’s seen a new side to him now, and it’s made her reconsider her earlier stance. Thus Belle remains at the castle.
The characteristics of Stockholm Syndrome include positive feelings towards the captor and belief of goodness in the captor, no real effort in escaping, learned helplessness, and feelings of pity to the captor. You can read the list and learn more here, and the link will also be with the sources. So you’re probably looking at that and going ‘...uuuggghhhh’ at the movie right now. Which fair enough. However let’s also look at where we are now. This is the part of the film where Beast makes an honest effort to improve himself. He’s nicer, trying to be more polite, and treats Belle as a person. She’s really not a prisoner anymore at this point and while mybe theposisbility of being human again is motivating Beast, for the most part I think it’s because he genuinely grows to like Belle. As for Belle, I think that she likes the castle. It’s enchanted and full of intrigue and mystery, just like in her books. It’s the escape form that provincial life in the village that she’s been longing for. It’s a temptation that she just can’t resist. The staff all like her and treat her kindly and no one tries to force her to be something that she isn’t. Beast especially loves Belle’s love of books, even giving her the huge library to repay her earlier kindness. Belle is able to be who she is and be around those who are accepting of her. Even fi for the staff it’s for ulterior motives, IDT that they’re faking liking having her around and Beast certainly isn’t. This isn’t really a straight-forward captive or abuse situaiton that Stockholm Syndrome would apply to in my opinion, especially since Belle never once succumbs to the Beast’s terms. She only respects and acts friendly with him when he does so towards her, and they are both clearly benefiting positivly from it. We know that Beast has no malicious intenitons regarding Belle and it’s Lumiere and co. insisting on the relaitonship happening moreso, and that’s because they want their humanity back so it adds a bit of complexity. It’s just not a straight forward case where we can easily apply Stockholm Syndrome to and get an accurate reading, at least in my opinion. She certainly is FAR from helpless.
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So then let’s discuss Belle’s feelings for The Beast. We know how much Belle’s influence changed The Beast. But what about Belle? She really doens’t change during the movie, nor did she realy need to. She’s already confident about herself, likes herself, and she knows what she wants with her life. Sure her curiosity can get her into trouble, but otherwise she didn’t realy need a character arc like Beast did. What Belle needed was acceptance. To find someone who would like her for who she is and not see her as weird for it. Beast doesn’t at all view her that way. He enjoys being around her because she’s smart and independant and even gets her to read to him. It’s that kind of acceptance that Belle hasn’t recieved from anyone outside her father. The more that she sees Beast try to be better, the more that she sees how sweet and endeairng that he really is and she’s more than happy to help him. I think that seeing this kinder side bloom and that acceptance and even enjoyment of her is what makes Belle fall in love with him. It’s what helps make the ballroom scene so magical. Two people considered outsiders coming together and dancing the night way happily together. It’s beautiful, magical, and the perfect culminaiton in everything prior. They brought out the best in each other. Made each other happier in a way that no one else had ever done. They’re better now because of the other, and it’s just lovely to see.
But of course, we know what comes next. While happy with Beast and being at the castle, Belle still misses her father. When she sees him in the snow and horirbly sick, she’s distressed. Seing this, Beast allows he to go. Honestly I think that Belle could have left whenever she wanted at that point and Beast wouldn’thave fought it, but she was staying willingly at that point because she was happy. But her father needed her now. If she truly had Stockholm Syndorme, I don’t think that she would have done so. But she doesn’t really give it any kind of thought here. While sad to leave The Beast, she has alreayd mad eup her mind when told that she could go. She leaves to save her father, The Beast giving her the mirror and unbeknownst to her Chip tagging along. Belle fortunateley gets Maurice home safely... and just in time for Gaston to initiate his plan to have Maurice locked away. Belle is of course shocked and outraged and in a panic, uses the mirror to confirm The Beast’s existence. Despite her insistence that he isn’t a bad person, it’s too late. Gaston realizes that she’s in love with the ‘monster’ and we get the iconic line: “He’s no monster Gaston, you are.” Beast treated her like a person and improved himself from his more toxic behavior. Gaston treated her like the prey that he seeks during his hunts, refusing to let up until he’s won. Beast had even kept his word about letting Maurcie go and returned him to the village safely, and of course let Belle go to help him and even seemed to feel guilty for what he had done previously. Gaston though? He shows no guilt over trying to use Maurice to blackmail Belle. He continues his horrible behavior not only by forming the mob, but locking Belle and Maurice in their own cellar for simply speaking against it. Belle didn’t call Gaston a monster because she’s been conditioned or due to a coping reflex. It’s because Gaston is a genuinely despicable person while Beast grew to become a good person. She saw this and stood her ground as she always has, but this time at the point where she won’t tolerate it anymore. Which if it was your parent being shipped off to the insane asylum by some jerk just because they want to marry you, woudln’t you call them a monster in comparison?
So we reach the climax. Belle and Maurice arrive after Chip frees them with Belle rushing to get to Beast. She makes it and seeing her reignites Beast’s will to live... but he’s stabbed by Gaston. Belle saves Beast from falling over the roof, but there’s nothing that she can do to stop him from dying. She’s devestated, blaming herself for it. Beast’s final words to her are that at least he got to see Belle one last time, and if she hadn’t figured it out before, I think that this was when Belle realized that Beast loved her... and that she loved him. We knew that Beast certianly loved her but we needed it confirmed from Belle as the curse was still intact. As Beast lay motionless, Belle cries and at last confesses that yes, she does love him... just as the last rose petal falls. With that confession, the curse breaks and Beast is ressurected/becomes human again. Belle is shocked as she sees not The Beast standing before her, but Prince Adam. You can tell how confused she is. is this reallyt he same person that she loved? Adam confirms it and Belle looks into his eyes... and that’s all it takes for her to finally smile. yes, it is the same man that she had fallen in love with. They kiss,a nd the curse is truly broken. Everyone becomes human again,t he castle is restored to it’s original state, and Belle and Adam dance happily, free to live happily ever after.
Belle is a role model character. She’s there for girls to look up to, and I think that the amount of fans that she has proves that she succeeded. She encourages girls to be themselves. To be independant and not bend to social norms or pressure. To find love for themselves and not succumb tot he pressure of unwanted admirers or the pressure to marry them. Something that happens far too much in reality. She doesn’t change, but there was no reason for her to. As I said, Belle’s not one of my favorites. Not because I dislike her by any means. if anythign I like her much more now as an adult now that I have a stronger understanding of the film. I just have princesses that I like more, and that’s really it. I also don’t like how some insist that she’s the best Dsney Princess compared to her predecessors because as I hope I made clear in those reviews, the previous four pricnesses are NOT badly done. If anything, I think it’s more anti-femenist to use a woman to bash other women without just cause. Saying that belle is better because she didn’t fall in love witht he guy at first sight or didn’t sell her soul for a guy without caring to analyze those characters isn’t empowering, it’s saying that if you don’t act a certain way as a woman, you’re anti-feminist. Which is a terrible stance. No woman is the same and women shouldn’t be used against women in this kind of way. Regardless, that’s an issue with certain ‘critics’, not Belle herself. She’s a great character and someone that I can admire. Maybe not as much as others, but I can certainly see why she’s left such an impact on so many and not even just little girls. To many people of all kinds. Who could be upset about that?
Final Thoughts
Beauty and the Beast is a lovely film. Is it my favorite? No. I didn’t watch it all that much as a kid. As an adult I have a greater appreciation for it. It’s beautfully animated, it’s themes are well-protrayed and still relevant, the characters are memorable and fun, and it’s music is phenomenal. I can absoluteley see why this as the first animated film to ever be niminated for Best Picture. It’s a tragedy that it lost, but it still proved that animation very much had staying power as Walt proved all those years ago. And of course the film is the final testament of Howard Ashman. He may not have been part of the Disney Renaissance for long, but his contributions single-handedly changed the company and their films for the better. Even today this style of musical films is very much going strong even over 30 years since it began with The Little Mermaid. We lost Ashman far too soon, and who knows what amaizng things he could have one if he were still alive. We can never know the what ifs, but we can always appreciate what came during his lifetime. He, Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Alan Menken, Don Hahn, various animators, and so many more did so much to bring this film to life, and it will forever stand as a true Disney Masterpiece.
The film was a giant success, and Disney wasn’t slowing down one bit. The very next year, another animated feature would come out. A film about a dashing street rat who found a magic lamp and unleashed a magical genie who would make all his dreams come true. But wait you may ask, isn’t this a Disney Princess retrospective? Yep. So why am I talking about a dashing hero? Well there is a princess in it, but she occupies a bit of a unique place in the line-up. She is the first and so far only Princess to not be the main charater in her film. But she still left a huge impact and i included in the main lineup so we are NOT leaving her out. So next time, come along as we enter a whole new world to discuss 1992’s Aladdin, and in particular Princess Jasmine.
Image Source: Animation Screencaps
Further Reading on Stockholm Syndrome: Healthline, Medical News Today, GoodTherapy, WebMD,
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Binge-Watching: Re:Zero S2, Episodes 22-23
In which the climax gets off to an explosive start, the past burns down in flames, and Emilia sees herself clearly for the first time.
Burning Down the House
You know, as we’re closing on the end of Re:Zero’s second season, the thought occurs to me that I’ve never really discussed this show from a visual standpoint. There’s always been so much to talk about in regards to its writing and story structure and themes, so there’s never been a good opportunity for me to sidetrack and talk about its animation and overall production values. But that’s also because that, well, the production side of Re:Zero is probably the least interesting part of it. Not because it’s bad; in fact, I’d hazard to say it’s very good. But whereas Tappei Nagatsuki’s story is insanely layered and complex with so many moving pieces and complimentary ideas, White Fox’s adaptation of that story is about as simple as you can get while still serving and enhancing it. The animation is overall decent with a few dips in quality here and there. The character and world design is unique enough without being too outside the box. There’s a lot of CG assistance for background characters and big monsters, but it’s rarely too intrusive. And it’s all tied together by smart direction that constantly finds new ways to frame a scene and knows how to emphasize the most emotional moments for maximum impact. This especially comes in handy for the many long conversations, as the camera is constantly shooting the characters from different angles to emphasize their changing emotional state and break up the scene’s flow so it doesn’t just feel like seven straight minutes of two faces talking at each other. As a production, Re:Zero is good in a very straightforward manner that rarely calls attention to itself, covering for its weak points with strong direction and saving its resources for the moments that most need to stand out and bring the house down. It’s not the most impressive or unique production I’ve ever seen, but it does its job communicating the story and its emotions beautifully, and it doesn’t really need to be anything more than that.
That said, in those rare moments where Re:Zero pulls out all the stops and kicks the animation into overdrive... hoooooly shit, does it kick ass. And now that we’ve reached the climax of this arc, I’m happy to say it’s living up to that bar. The two simultaneous brawls going on- the mansion fight against Elsa and Maylie, the sanctuary fight against Roswaal- are stuffed to the gills with some of the coolest, most ferocious spurts of action we’ve gotten from this show in a while. Garfiel catches Elsa’s blade in his teeth! Roswaal lays siege to the forest in a rain of fire! Maylie comes charging in on a giant ravenous hippo! Garfiel goes full beast mode and rips the hippo’s head off by leaping into the air and spinning it like a corkscrew! Puck goes supersized and lays down a storm of ice (”I just got bigger!” I swear to god if he went full Beast of the End I would’ve lost my shit)! And Jesus Christ on a cracker, Garfiel and Elsa’s final showdown is the stuff of legends. It’s brutal and bestial and bloody, like two feral wildbeasts determined to rip each other to shreds no matter what. They try to fucking bite each other to death, for crying out loud. It’s the single most ferocious fight Re:Zero’s ever had, and it. Fucking. RULES. I can’t think of a better clash for Elsa to finally meet her end in. It even manages to find some unique character beats between the two: Garfiel and Elsa are both fighting by the side of their “sister,” and while Garfiel’s determined to kill Elsa no matter what, Elsa says killing Garfiel will only be the beginning for her. She only loves people in death, unlike Garfiel who’s determined to protect the people he loves and keep them alive no matter what. And for all their ferocity, it’s Garfiel’s determination to rise above the blood and guts, rather than delight in them, that wins out in the end. Let Elsa wallow in death; this guy’s still got a lot of living left to do.
Let the Past Die
And that’s been the common theme underlying this entire season, hasn’t it? Our entire cast has felt trapped by seemingly inescapable dead ends that they need to move past and see the future beyond them. Betty, Roswaal, Emilia, Subaru, Garfiel, hero, villain or bystander, basically everyone has been locked in battle against a seemingly unchangeable fate set in stone by powers long ago. That’s obviously the most explicit with Roswaal and Beatrice, who live their lives by books that supposedly actually do tell the future, but that’s only the most literal manifestation of the fatalistic poison infecting everyone. Beatrice has faced 400 years of losing people and being left behind, following a script without ever thinking for herself, and she’s long since lost the ability to believe her situation could ever be fixed. She’s even happy at the thought that she might finally die and escape this endless, lonely torment. And I’ve certainly spilled enough ink already about how deeply Roswaal feels trapped by his past self and wants the whole world to be trapped with him (”All the wonderful things I know have happened in the past.”) One of them faces a future devoid of possibility, blank as the pages of her Tome of Wisdom. The other faces a future where only a set path can be followed, a path laid out in meticulous detail in his own tome. Both have spent centuries internalizing the idea that this is the only way things can be, to the point they can no longer imagine any future that deviates from the story their pages tell. There’s no path left for them to escape this pit on their own... which means it falls to the people who love them to pull them out.
And good lordy, has Subaru risen to the challenge. When he first confronted Beatrice, he couldn’t begin to fathom the pain she was experiencing. Now, though, he’s been through the fires of hell himself, and he knows that no future, however seemingly inescapable, is a sure thing. He knows that ultimately, the only thing keeping Beatrice from escaping her blank future is her own nihilistic belief that there’s no other way. She’s letting a blank book and a 400-year-old promise rule her, and if he needs to break that promise to give her the chance to live again, then nothing’s gonna stand in his way. The last 400 years of stasis have made Roswaal and Betty believe that this is the way things must be; it takes Subaru to point out that if they were actually trying, 400 years is more than enough time to find a better solution. All they have to do is let go of the belief that they can’t change anything, that the future’s set in stone. And if Ram has to throw Roswaal’s tome into the flames to drive that into his thick skull, then so be it. Holy shit, what a fantastic moment. I still have no idea why Ram loves this murderous clown, especially since he’s a member of the cult that destroyed her village in the first place, but power moves don’t get much cooler than ripping the literal embodiment of predetermined fate out of your loved one’s hands and burning it to ash so he has no choice but to see the potential future through his own eyes once more. But I swear to god, Ram better not have died in that final blast. She is too fucking good a character to die for this monster’s sake.
Her Own Eyes
And then, at last, there’s Emilia. Emilia, the girl who’s past ate at her like an open wound. Emilia, the girl who thought herself too weak to ever stand on her own. Emilia, the girl who has proven that she’s worth so much more than she ever believed. Over the course of this season, we’ve seen the silver-haired half-elf grow from a scared girl, paralyzed by her past, into someone worthy to sit on Lugunica’s throne. We’ve seen her face her trauma head-on and live to tell about it. We’ve seen her open herself up to people after closing herself off for so long. We’ve seen her realize that she’s capable of great things, that she’s worthy of the love she’s shown, that she doesn’t have to be bound by mistakes she made long ago. And over the course of the last two trials, we see what it looks like when someone like Emilia finally has the courage to soar. This time, she accepts Mother Fortuna’s love without question, no matter how deep her grief runs. This time, she believes that her friends will be there to catch her when she falls (”You won’t break?” “If I was alone, maybe. But they won’t let me be alone.”) This time, she promises to help and protect her loved ones just as they’ve done for her. This time, she faces down an endless stream of terrible futures (many of which Subaru will find himself in during future arcs, no doubt) and comes out the other side still believing things will turn out alright. She faces the grief, she faces the pain, she faces the fear that once bound her in place, and still finds the courage to keep walking forward. After all the misery she’s endured, at long last, Emilia has become the hero that this world deserves.
And it is nothing short of beautiful. I can’t count how many times watching her self-actualization made me tear up. She calls Betelgeuse her father! She accepts and lets go of the perfect found family she once had and carries both of her true parents’ love for her onward! She even shows kindness toward the witches and offers to share a tea party with them the next time they meet! And Jesus Christ, I was not prepared for Emilia’s kindness to wring tears from the witches themselves. She made Echinda cry! The Witch of Greed herself, cruel and capricious and calculating, reduced to tears by the warmth of Emilia’s love for the people she lost! And Minerva openly weeping in relief when she realizes how far Emilia’s come (”For once, her evil schemes did something right.”)! God, that fucking destroyed me. If even the embodiments of sin itself can’t help but cry over her, what choice do I have? Emilia is living proof that Roswaal is wrong: the past doesn’t have to bind us forever. We can forge our own future, overcome the worst parts of ourselves, find new love when our loved ones are taken from us. Emilia lost so much- her parents, her home, her community- but when she walks out of the trial chamber for the second time and sees the people of Arlam and the Sanctuary alike waiting for her, giving her all the support they can, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s gained more than she could ever lose. No longer is she an outcast defined by the world’s hatred of her; now, she’s become a part of that world at last, ready to live a free life and forge a better future for everyone she can.
And there’s no better image to sum it all up than Emilia diving into the sea of her dream world, opening her eyes to stare her reflection in the face just before she hits the water... and noting that her face looks less like Mother Fortuna than she thought.
After living in the shadow of her past for god knows how long, Emilia is seeing herself clearly for the first time.
Goodbye, Sanctuary. Hello, the great wide world beyond.
Odds and Ends
-”There’s no way I could ever be that person to you!” AND SHE JUST YEETS HIM OUT ASJKDHASKJDHAKSD
-”Sorry, my priorities suddenly became very clear to me.” stop bullying Otto ffs
-”So, if we’re friends, you’ll totally let us go, right?” Lmao, Petra’s adorable.
-okay but why the repeated focus on Frederica’s boobs tho
-”I’ll leave the rest to you two young folks.” skdjfhsdkjfh Emilia plz
-”S-stay super-duper close forever and ever, okay?” Listen, if you told me in the past I’d get this emotional over fucking Betelgeuse, I never would’ve believed you.
-And the way her voice shifts back to its normal register once she recognizes Echidna’s there... ow.
-”He’s just gonna laugh as he sends em flying!” “No no no no no no way!” dkfjhsfsdjfs fucking hell this show has such great jump cuts
-”Taste the spirit of science!” This is a good time to remember that Subaru’s VA also voices Senku in Dr. Stone.
-’You’ll like her. She’s really fun to tease.” D’aaaaaaaw.
-”Just come back alive or I’ll throttle you.” Otto, I appreciate you.
-WOAH WHY IS REM IN EMILIA’S FUTURE VISION
-”I’m uh, y’know, a terrifying witch who’ll make your hair stand on end!” dskjshdf Minerva’s great y’all
-”That part of you is nothing like your mother.” ...I swear to god, if Emilia is actually Satella’s daughter, I don’t know how I’ll handle it.
-Wow. Echidna’s grave is beautiful.
-OH FUCK WHY IS THE BLIZZARD HERE
-”If I just keep killing you until you die, you die.” Garfiel, have you perchance met a boy by the name of Emiya Shirou?
-Egh, not sure we needed the attempted rape in Elsa’s backstory. At least they didn’t show it exploitatively *cough Kara no Kyoukai cough*
-Ooh, so Puck’s met the Melancholy Man too? Iiinteresting.
One more session to go. God, I’m not ready. See you next time for the grand finale of Re:Zero season 2!
#anime#the anime binge-watcher#tabw#re:zero#re zero#Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu#re:zero starting life in another world
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