#dr who spinoff | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sparrowlucero · 22 days

Note

Instead of discourse about showrunners and lesbians and whatever, I'm gonna bring a different type of discourse...whats ur fav and least Dr Whomst monsters. Hard mode: only the practical ones.

ok so I do like all the obvious ones, I like the angels, I like the vashta nerada, I like the not-things, I like the eternals. Here's a few deeper cuts (focusing on the tv show specifically):

they peaked with these maggots. they rock. pretty sure they're made with taxidermy? really great puppetry. I really like this thing:

what a cool design for this kind of forgotten midseason episode.

this is such a fun design for a langolier-type monster. I love how their crest and tail gives them the silhouette of a grim reaper

The 60s cybermen rock. I feel like they're hesitant to use them often in the modern show because they do look very 1960s but I think there's something really uncomfortable and evocative about the cloth faces that's lost when they're cool metallic robots. The mix between looking like an old diving suit and the implication of there being a chopped up person inside is gnarly and I love it. Simple, creepy, iconic design.

My favorite design in the show is probably this:

The 456 from the spinoff series torchwood. They didn't need the puppet to emote or move a ton since it spends the entire season in a little tank obscured in mist, so they just went crazy with the design and made it really bizarre looking. Extremely top tier alien. Anyways, negative. I really don't like this satan. the satan kind of sucks. the impossible planet is great atmospheric sci fi horror; every image of build up in it is haunting and leagues ahead of the climactic scene where he meets the satan. It singlehandedly kind of kills the vibe.

Personally I would have just kept the actual appearance off screen, just have it be eyes in the dark or something. Apparently they also tossed around the idea that it would end up being a normal little girl who was chained up in the cave and I think that would have visually fit the rest of the episode better.

I'm really not big on the modern design for the sea devils (the green one on the right). I think the classic ones clearly took a lot of direct influence from real animals and generally is a pretty thoughtfully realized design, the modern ones seem like they were first and foremost using the classic ones for reference and didn't quite capture the nuance of the design. Sad, as I would really like to see design for these guys with modern puppetry.

I think this is actually a pretty contentious opinion but the work of the specific studio who headed this redesign generally wasn't my favorite. Apparently there was some sort of major, semi public falling out between the fx studio that had been working on the show since 2005 and the people who started running the show in 2018, and they were briefly replaced with a much less experienced studio. No hate to them of course (I think this was actually their first job like, ever, and a lot of the work was done in crunch time?) but the difference did stand out to me:

#creature design ramble. this is more on brand for this blog

477 notes · View notes

see-arcane · 6 months

Text

Thinking about how Jonathan Harker’s role as the haunted vampire hunter-archenemy has been so thoroughly pushed onto Van Helsing's shoulders. Annoying as it is to see in so many adaptations and spinoffs, I can’t help King Laughing about both the comedic and dramatic potential of this misconception as it would apply to future supernatural shenanigans post-Dracula canon

Specifically, how hilarious and/or advantageous it would be to

Have would-be enemies getting bamboozled by one of Dr. Abe’s monologues, as per rambling banter rule, only to have some soft-spoken solicitor drop off the wall behind them and kukri them in half without a word. Or,

Have our good friend Jonathan Harker constantly getting approached by people with a bad case of the Horrors, said people assuming the white-haired, haunted-eyed, knife-wielding, vampiric vendetta fellow must surely be the famous Abraham van Helsing who—by way of a game of Victorian telephone is assumed to have—‘spent a season in close quarters with a horde of vampires, injured the latter without even a holy item on his person, scaled a mountainside and traversed the Carpathians barefoot, and sent Count Dracula himself running after nearly splitting him in two..!’

All while Jonathan ‘Only Assertive Under Duress’ Harker is just sitting there, politely waiting for the chance to speak up and say, no, actually, that professor over there is Abraham van Helsing. His name is Jonathan H—

“Oh, Jonathan van Helsing? My apologies. Was it your father who did all that?”

Jonathan, sweating: “um—"

Van Helsing, not immune to a Good Bit: “No, no, it was him! My child, do not be shy on the matter of your so many harrowing feats! He brings such pride to the Van Helsing name.” :)

Jonathan, internally: (Why this???)

Mina, internally: (It keeps our name out of the wind and away from snooping supernatural ears, darling. I’d rather Mary not open the door on an angry undead horde because they knew where to find Mr. and Mrs. Harker.)

Mina, out loud, the Power of Prank Compels Her: “He really is too modest.” <3

I just think it’s a gimmick that could get some good mileage as a misdirection ploy and a feasible in-universe excuse for why Van Helsing keeps getting all the Dracula Nemesis credit

#it could be such a fun thing to play with if only it wasn't so warped into a literal interpretation Every Single Time by Dracula-media #augh #jonathan harker #abraham van helsing #mina harker #dracula #re: dracula #dracula daily

898 notes · View notes

welcome-to-green-hills · 3 months

Text

What We Know, What To Expect, & Moving Forward!

Hey Y’All!

By the time this post is made, we’ll be–roughly–eleven months away from the release date of Sonic the Hedgehog 3(2024). As of now, we don’t have a whole lot of information concerning the Knuckles Series on Paramount + and when it will release. The same can be said for the third Sonic movie. Last time I made an updated post was back in January of 2023. Since then, we’ve gained some new information. I’ve combed through everything that’s been posted since 2021 to compile into a large master post! When leaks and other news resurface, I’ll update this post monthly to share via reblog.

Release dates:

It’s safe to say that the third Sonic movie is on track to release on December 20th, 2024 in the United States. Global release dates for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have yet to be released.

The SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023 has not interfered with the movie’s production. Though not yet confirmed, we can infer that the strike has pushed the Knuckles Series back by a few months. The original release date for the series was meant to release “sometime in 2023” (Otterson, 2023). It is unclear when the Knuckles Series will stream on Paramount +. However, Screen Rant’s interview with Tika Sumpter implies that a release date for the series will be shared on Super Bowl Sunday (Screen Rant, 2024). Super Bowl Sunday is on February 11th, 2024.

Returning Actors/New Actors:

The following are actors that will be returning to SONIC MOVIE 3:

Ben Schwartz will reprise his role as “Sonic”

Colleen O'Shaughnessey will reprise her role as “Tails”

Idris Elba will reprise his role as “Knuckles”

James Marsden is expected to reprise his role as “Tom”

Tika Sumpter will reprise her role as “Maddie”

Lee Majdoub will reprise his role as “Agent Stone.”

As of now, a voice actor for “Shadow” has not been announced. A “Big Name Actor” has been chosen to voice “Shadow” since 2022 (Klamath Comicon, 2022). The popular rumor is that Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker) will be Shadow’s VA (Physical Media President, 2024). This has not been confirmed as of yet. There is no indication that previous voice actors from other Sonic games will appear to voice Shadow the Hedgehog.

It’s unclear at this moment in time if Jim Carrey will reprise his role as “Dr. Robotnik.” The agreement is that if Jim Carrey is committed to his retirement, then the character will be retired completely. Dr. Robotnik will not be recast (Klamath Comicon, 2022). In late 2022, after announcing his retirement, Jim Carrey appeared in an interview with GMA saying that he would make an exception for Sonic 3 if he liked the script due to loving the Sonic series (GMA, 2022).

Other characters–Rachel, Randall, JoJo, Wade, “Crazy” Carl, and characters from the Knuckles Series–have yet to be announced.

The following are actors that will be starring/returning in KNUCKLES SERIES:

Idris Elba will reprise his role as “Knuckles”

Adam Pally will reprise his role as “Wade Whipple”

Tika Sumpter will reprise her role as “Maddie”

It is unclear who the newcomers to the Knuckles Series will be playing. The actor list can be found HERE.

**NOTE: At this moment in time, it is unclear whether or not we will gain new characters in the third Sonic film. Fans hope for Rouge, Amy Rose, Gerald Robotnik, and Maria Robotnik to appear in these continuations. Writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller are aware of there being more female Sonic characters and a need for Sonic characters in general (Movie-Robotnik-Positivity, 2022). Also note that characters are meant to take reference from GAME CANON only; characters from comic books, mobile games, and other spinoff titles will NOT appear in the SCU franchise.**

Flexibility & Mandates:

Yes, this is a separate subject. I have received questions about this in the past and continue to today. In 2021, Pat Casey shared that mandates are not a thing when writing the films; they are provided lenient suggestions and have asked for source game material from SEGA in the past (Movie-Robotnik-Positivity, 2022). These suggestions are NOT the same as the IDW comics. If the writers are not sure of something about Sonic lore, they contact SEGA. Canon for movies is meant to draw in from the game-verse instead of comic books and spin off titles due to familiarity.

“Everyone recognizes Sonic as a video game icon rather than a TV show or a comic strip.”

New lore can be created–I.E. chaos emeralds being entities within the Master Emerald rather than viewed as separate items–as long as it follows elements of games, and made easy for fans and newcomers to follow (Movie-Robotnik-Positivity, 2022).

The movies are NOT canon to the video games, but take heavy inspiration from them. They exist within their own canon universe.

Ian Flynn has NO involvement with the movies whatsoever.

Tyson Hesse is the producer for the Knuckles Series, the movies, and a creative consultant.

Pat Casey and Josh Miller have asked for game-material ONLY for Shadow's characterization, they do not plan to use the comic books or previous TV shows for writing Shadow (Legacy, 2022).

Story and Plot:

SONIC MOVIE 3–It is unclear at this moment in time what the plot is for the third Sonic film. What we can infer is that Sonic 3 will take “heavy inspiration” from both Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow’s solo game for plot (Klamath Comicon, 2022). This does NOT mean that it’s going to be an exact replica of these games. The third film is meant to tie-in with the Knuckles Series. Whatever is shared in the miniseries will be carried over to the movie’s plot (Lang, 2022). The plot synopsis shared in late 2022 with AmyRose, Big the Cat, and Metal Sonic was DEBUNKED by @tailschannel. The synopsis for Sonic 3 released in November of 2023 was DEBUNKED.

Drafting and planning for Sonic 3 began late 2021 (Movie-Robotnik-Positivity, 2022). Storyboard planning for Sonic 3 began late 2022 (Welcome-to-Green-Hills, 2022). A finalized script for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was finished weeks before the SAG-AFTRA strike (Pat Casey, 2023). Filming for Sonic 3 began in August 2023 and continues currently (Welcome-to-Green-Hills, 2023). The budget for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is massive (Legacy, 2022).

In 2022, Pat Casey states that Sonic will have trouble trying to reach out to our beloved anti-hero. In the same interview, Pat Casey also stated that the tone of the third film is meant to be a bit darker. Understand that a story’s tone doesn’t always have to reflect a film’s rating, meaning that the story can be dark and still fit within the requirements of a PG or a PG-13 film. Pat Casey also shared with Screen Rant to be prepared to cry with their wild story (Bythrow, 2022).

What we can expect from the movie is a scene at a ski lodge, a GUN car and motorcycle chase scene on a bridge in a Tokyo-like city, scenes at a research facility/storage unit, scenes at Green Hills, and a scene in space.

KNUCKLES SERIES–The Knuckles series is a limited series debuting only on Paramount +. The story follows Knuckles as he teaches deputy Wade Whipple the ways of the Echidna Warrior and goes on an adventure of self-discovery (Otterson, 2022). The limited series is six episodes in total that are roughly an hour long (Welcome-to-Green-Hills, 2024). So far, leaks online have shown that Knuckles, Maddie, Wade, Wade’s extended family, and a female villain will be the main characters for the series. We can expect scenes to take place in Reno, a bowling alley, a diner, and parts of Green Hills, Montana. Lore and stories that take place in the Knuckles Series will continue over to the third Sonic film.

Music Selection:

The demand for Sonic music in the third film and the spinoff series has been at an all-time high. At Klamath Community College’s Comicon event, Pat Casey and Josh Miller have shared their hopes for Crush 40 to appear in the film, specifically the song “Live and Learn (2001).” An interview with Pat Casey in mid-to-late 2022 stated that SEGA’s copyright laws for their music are tricky to include into the films (Movie-Robotnik-Positivity, 2022). He and Jeff Fowler (director) hope to find a loophole in the copyright.

Leaks Online:

Storyboards– On January 11th, 2024, Twitter user @/cartoonupdates released 462 storyboard pages of the Knuckles Series and 443 storyboard pages of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Welcome-to-Green-Hills, 2024). These were taken down less than 24 hours after publication. Storyboard leaks for the Knuckles Series depicted a scene between Knuckles and Wade fighting the Black Arms, as well as a person in a mechanical suit. This scene is in front of a bowling alley with witnesses watching and Wade saying, “the flames of disaster.” Storyboard leaks for the third Sonic Movie depicted Super Shadow and Dr. Robotnik in a space station traveling back in time. Super Shadow spins the space station back in time to where Dr. Robotnik is able to see a fight between Super Sonic and Shadow, Agent Stone nursing him to health, and Dr. Robotnik firing a hand laser.

Reddit– At this moment in time, there have been no plot-related leaks regarding the third Sonic movie in Reddit chatrooms. We can expect NDA special screenings around mid-to-late summer, or early fall.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, & Instagram–Leaked set photos of Sonic 3 have surfaced during the SAG-AFTRA strike. These scenes show stand-in models of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles residing in a campsite near a snowy lodge. One leaked scene featured a motorcycle chase scene with police cars and an explosion on a bridge in London, England. Jeff Fowler shared a stand-in model of Shadow’s shoes in a warehouse-like setting.

Rating:

At this moment in time, both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) and the Knuckles Series do not have a strong rating. However, speculation is that Sonic 3 will push for a HARD PG due to the Slovakian rating/certificate system released earlier this year (Welcome-to-Green-Hills, 2024). Official ratings/certificates for both of the series are expected to release closer to their aimed launch dates. These ratings/certificates are usually given four weeks before released to the public.

Continuation(s):

There are no existing plans or confirmation that there will be a fourth installment of SCU currently. Clarity on whether or not Paramount will approve a fourth Sonic movie can be expected closer to, or after, Sonic 3’s release date. Rule of thumb is that if fans are interested in the series, then Jeff Fowler and Pat Casey will continue to make Sonic-related content (Movie-Robotnik-Positivity, 2022).

On January 16th, 2024, Hollywood Handle announced a potential “Shadow the Hedgehog” title (Hollywood Handle, 2024). It is unclear at the moment if it’s a limited series on Paramount +, or if it’s a movie. It’s also unclear if this rumor is true.

Reliable Sources:

In a world full of technology and misinformation, it is very hard to tell whether or not someone is a trustworthy source. This is understandable. The following are blogs and resources that can be used as a guide (I might miss some, sorry if I do):

TUMBLR

TailsChannel

Movie-Robotnik-Positivity

SonicStation

Aawesomepenguin

SonicMovieUpdates

Kitsuoi

If you want to include myself to the list, then cheers!

TWITTER

TailsChannel

SonicMovieUpdates

DiscussingFilm

The Hollywood Handle (50/50)

DanielRPK (50/50)

o_Azul35

Cybrid01

Contrieorb4

Movie-Robotnik-Positivity

SonicMovie (The original Twitter account with a golden checkmark and a Paramount logo on it)

If you want to include myself to the list, then cheers!

Any staff members of SCU

INSTAGRAM

TailsChannel

Cybrid01

Paramount

Any staff members of SCU

MAGAZINES/NEWS ARTICLES

TailsChannel

Variety Magazine

ScreenRant (Please be careful reading subtitles. Sometimes they don’t like to clarify whether or not it’s an opinion article or not unless a subtitle is given).

The Gamer

DiscussingFilm.net

SonicStadium.org

For the love of god almighty, do NOT use Giant Freaking Robot as a source. They are notorious for spreading misinformation.

REDDIT (Disclaimer):

Reddit is notorious for leaking NDA special screenings, photos, as well as having members of the SCU crew make throw-away accounts to post teasers. “Leaks” of any kind can be found in either “#SonicMovie3” or “#SonicMovie” chat rooms with a spoiler warning.

Reddit posters that usually make these leaks get to see special screenings of films in mid-production. Understand that these advanced screenings are given to people on invite; they are asked to watch a film that’s in mid-production and critique it for improvement. If leaks are shared about their advanced screening, they can’t always go into full detail due to violation of their NDAs. On the rare occasion that they do share details of the screening, the posts are taken down by both Paramount and by Reddit Staff within 24 hours.

It is also common for there to be two screenings of the same movie with minor tweaks. I.E., in 2019, two versions of the first movie were available for test screening within a week’s time. One test screener’s filming experience featured a “campfire scene” and Longclaw going to earth with Sonic. Another test screener’s filming experience was the same, but featured a Dr. Robotnik and Agent Stone fight scene with General Walters. These were scrapped later on and found in the first movie’s “deleted scenes” feature.

The best advice that I can give for checking the authenticity of a post is to look for consistency, as well as HOW test screeners describe their experience. It’s easy to tell the difference between sharing a feeling and telling a fabricated story for likes.

Moving Forward:

Both Tika Sumpter and Pat Casey have shared that any members of SCU CANNOT share anything related to Sonic 3 or the Knuckles Series. They are under a strict NDA contract that could remove them from the projects entirely if discussed publicly. Questions online, private interviews, and so forth cannot be shared unless Paramount gives them permission to. If you ask them a question on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or any other social media platform regarding the movies, they will ignore it. This isn’t them being rude, it’s them honoring a NDA contract.

Expect radio silence for extended periods of time. The third Sonic film is meant to be a major improvement from the last two films. Paramount has been cracking down on leaks and anonymous tippers online for the past two months. There will be times where we receive a flood of information about the films, other times there will be nothing. This is completely normal, I promise.

If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the Knuckles Series are the end of SCU, know that I’ve had an incredible time enjoying the hype and moments with y’all. What an amazing journey we’ve been on! Thank you! And know that as long as there’s a talking blue hedgehog around, I’ll be here. Until then, let’s enjoy this adventure together!

#sonic movie #sonic movie 3 #knuckles series #sonic cinematic universe #sonic movie 3 spoilers #sonicmovie3spoilers #knuckles series spoilers #sonic the hedgehog movie 3 #sonic the hedgehog movie 2024 #knucklesseriesspoilers

186 notes · View notes

ot3 · 3 months

Note

Hi, I just finished the AA trilogy with my bf and we fell in love with it! I found your blog the other day, and it sometimes feels like you're the only one giving correct takes on these characters' writing and the minutiae of everyone's inner worlds (or the fumbling of, see Godot).

I just got here, but, something that's been bothering me about the fandom's approach to the sequel trilogy is like... the imperialist undertones are glossed over, or swept under the rug. Researching "The Dark Age of the Law" and beyond puts a sour taste in my mouth. And with Khura'in the country vs Kurain the village? It all feels racist at best (the concept of the Divination Seance gives me squick). If you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts about AA5 and AA6 in relation to the world of AA as a whole. Thanks again for all of your thoughtful and nuanced takes on this series!

so glad to hear you guys liked the games!! thank you for enjoying my posts, i always appreciate it.

the tl;dr of it is that i do think they are genuinely bad enough additions to the franchise that they have signed mainline ace attorney's death warrant. picking out the dark age of the law stuff and aa5 and the imperialism in aa6 you've pretty much honed right in on my two biggest critiques

however i do want to say that although they're being bundled and sold as a 'second trilogy' that's not quite accurate either experientially when playing the games or from a development perspective. aa4 had scenario design/creative direction by series creator shu takumi, with the art director being kazuya nuri (responsible for character design for rise from the ashes in the series previous to this); aa5+6 was spearheaded by takeshi yamazaki, who had been with the franchise since its first game, with the slightly less tenured takuro fuse on art direction/character design. yamazaki and fuse are not without skill, but i think they're both significantly less skilled than takumi and nuri respectively and. it really shows.

pair that with the fact that aa5 and 6 fundamentally do not follow up on any of ace attorney 4's established characters or plots more than superficially, i don't think it's particularly useful to critique 4-5-6 as if they're a single body of work in the same way the trilogy is. apollo justice isn't a perfect* ace attorney game but it's a good one.

anyway i think buying into the 'dark age of the law' stuff in ace attorney 5 necessitates cheapening all of the events preceding it. the implication that 1. the law wasn't that bad before but it Is Now and 2. a single case was the tipping point for whether or not the entire legal system would be bad just ruins the times when ace attorney has managed to acknowledge corrupt systems as a massive source of problem for the everyman in the past

i think this screenshot from the dark age of the law wiki page says a lot:

For starters, that phoenix quote. He would not fucking say that. I don't think there has ever been a point during or leading up to phoenix's career where he thought the legal system had 'glory' he would then want to restore it to. you seem to get it so im not gonna harp on this too much on this but. jesus christ

then, then there's fact that even by stating the most basic details about the franchise's events undermines the whole premise. like okay notice that the corruption that happens during the trilogy/investigations spinoffs is coming from all of the actual agencies that represent law and order/the system: the prosecutors, the police, and the prosecutorial investigation committee. however in aa5 the thing they choose to paint as responsible for supposedly unprecedented levels of corruption in the legal system is defense attorneys resorting to more drastic means, and the general public; aka not the people who are responsible for upholding the legal system but the people who are victimized by it and in opposition to it.

i don't think this was an intentional choice as much as it's just sloppy, inconsiderate, and contrived writing.

aa6 is just flat out racist. 'imperalist undertones' is i would say the gentlest way you could phrase it. like. japanese characters going to a made up south asian country that needs to be taught how to govern itself to quash its internal rebellion is like. so high on the yikes meter.

making a bunch of fake 'ethnic sounding' nonsense names filled with apostrophes to make them into silly sounding english phrasing was a disastrously tone deaf thing for the localization to do. they're really unforgivable. the worst of it all is probably "Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III" i'm unsure if the names are quite as offensive in the original japanese because i haven't looked too much into what they actually are and have a really limited knowledge of the language. but. this name in japanese is "インガ・カルクール・ククルーラ・ラルバン・ギジール・ホフダラン・マダラ・ヴィラ・ヤシマ・ジャクティエール・クライン３世" which is written in katakana. katakana is, in contrast to kanji and hiragana which are used for writing japanese, used to phoenetically transcribe foreign languages or to write loan words. so the foreign-ness of this character is being emphasized here in the original text as well.

the supposed cultural inferiority of the khurainese people is baked into the game at pretty much every level, down to the gags. khura'in has the 'plumed punisher' show, which is actively criticized by the characters in game for just being a cheap ripoff of the steel samurai. they don't even get to have their own tv.

i believe the reason the racism is pretty much glossed over a lot in the fandom is for several reasons. for starters, ace attorney fans overall tend to fall into three camps: 1. people like me who fucking hate these games, refuse to acknowledge them, and would retcon them out of existence if possible. 2. people who have found things they like about the game and have a Good Version of the characters and plots that they have constructed in their head and 3. people who view all of the hate on these games as completely overblown

the first camp Does talk about how the game is racist but we're all already in agreement about that so it's kind of preaching to the choir and a bit redundant to keep going on about. the second camp tends to acknowledge the stickier aspects of the game but focuses on making content around the elements they like rather than critique. the third camp is the type to throw the baby out with the bathwater re: critiquing a thing they like. it's all haterism to them. but either way i think its kind of fucked up how many people will be like 'aa6 isnt that bad you guys are just mean' without even acknowledging these complaints.

anyway the khura'in country vs kurain village thing is really weird to me it shows both a lack of imagination and a disregard for the series' own established lore. why would a girl from a village where almost everyone is a spirit medium need to go to a place where only, like, two people are mediums to train.

i will say though that the divination seance is kind of one of the only things i found about aa6 to be an interesting addition. for a franchise with ghost summoning and murder solving, the two have a kind of hilariously low amount of overlap so i found the idea of bringing ghost bullshit into court really fun. mechanically speaking, the divination seances also felt a LOT better to play than the mood matrix segments of aa5.

in general, i think the biggest weakness of the mainline franchise under takeshi yamazaki's stewardship is its misunderstanding of stakes. both aa5 and 6 prioritize more bombastic and impressive on paper material stakes. oh no! the ENTIRE JUSTICE SYSTEM BEING GOOD OR BAD depends on this one case! on no! we have to DEAL WITH REBEL INSURGENTS! complete horseshit when there is not competent and functional enough character writing to get us emotionally invested here. yamazaki seems to think bigger is better, and that just simply isnt true for something like ace attorney

i've pointed this out in the past when critiquing aa5 and 6 but if you look at the actual material stakes on the line in ace attorney, they're at their highest after rise from the ashes. ousting the corrupt chief of police is the most impressive and impactful thing phoenix does with his career (arguably until the jurist system, but definitely in the trilogy.) but that's not the big Finale case for his character arc. his finale case is defending his college girlfriend; a nun who lives in the mountains, whose conviction would have had zero implications on the larger fabric of ace attorney's legal system. because takumi's writing clearly shows that he understands what makes a plot impactful is the emotional stakes the characters have invested in the events.

before taking over the main franchise, takeshi yamazaki was responsible for the miles edgeworth investigations spinoffs. i do enjoy both of those games - aai2 in particular is really strong. yamazaki does a great job with edgeworth's character arc even if i have some specific gripes with the duologys writing. i think theyre solid additions to the franchise. but you can see traces of this sort of misalignment in narrative priorities here as well. for example, the last case in aai1 is notorious for still going on for, like, an entire hour or two past the time when the last remaining plot point we care about has been revealed. because yamazaki seemingly had no understanding that That was the thing the case should have been about, and that should have been the final mic drop of the game. it just keeps going! he didn't know the game was done and he added a bunch more bullshit busywork after it that no one likes!

so yeah. without going into anything even as specific as how individual plotlines or character arcs were mishandled in aa5/6 that's really my overview What Went Wrong of those games.

#i genuinely might need to put my opinion on aa5 and 6 in my faq at this point #not because i mind getting a chance to talk about how much i hate these games. but just for due diligence #ace attorney #*there are two perfect ace attorney games: aa1 and plvspwaa #this got so long im so so sorry.#i think ill just hotlink this post in my faq because it hits most of my talking points about these games

240 notes · View notes

blueberry-lemon · 10 months

Text

An introductory guide to getting into Sonic the Hedgehog...

…if you're a grown-ass adult who is busy and doesn't want to play a bunch of video games but thinks the characters look sorta cool.

If you've ever been curious about Sonic as a series but haven't known where to start, I have some recommendations! I think Sonic is a cool and still somewhat unique thing because it takes cartoony characters (like a Mickey Mouse or Felix the Cat) and lets them jump around in cool action sequences through the lens of a shonen anime. It's colorful and usually pretty light-hearted, and I think the character designs are pretty iconic.

There's two handy places you can start without prior context, to see if it's something you'd be into...

Getting Started: If You Wanna Read Something

The IDW Sonic Comics

There were years of different Sonic comics back in the '90s and early 2000's, but the franchise got a complete reboot and fresh start with IDW Publishing in 2018. If you're looking for the most straight-forward way to get into this world of characters, I think this is a great start. You don't need any prior knowledge whatsoever to crack open issue 1 and get started. All you need to know is "Sonic and his friends protect the world by fighting against an evil scientist named Dr. Eggman, who they just recently defeated after he briefly took over the world."

I love these comics and I feel that the writers and artists who work on it have a really good sense for this series. Reading issues 1 through 12 will get you the first major story arc. If you like it so far, I highly suggest reading up through issue 32, when another major story arc concludes. After that, the world's your oyster! Unlike the tangled web of Marvel or DC comics, IDW Sonic has a very simple and linear reading order. You pretty much just read the issues in order, and occasionally there are spinoff stories that are optional to read.

Getting Started: If You Wanna Watch Something

Sonic Mania Adventures

Maybe comics aren't your thing and you want something even quicker. These are a series of animated shorts that are lovely. Conveniently, they've been compiled together by Sega into one little video right here.

It's a great intro to some of the main characters, and combines cartoon slapstick with some amazing action sequences.

There's also a nice little epilogue short.

Sonic CD's intro cutscene

If I had to pick a single 1-and-a-half minute clip to embody what I like about this series, it would be this very simple intro movie that plays before Sonic CD. Check it out!

Sonic Origins/Sonic Origins Plus Cutscenes

In 2022, Sega released a compilation of the classic Genesis games on modern consoles. In it, they added a few animated cutscenes. You can watch those cutscenes, plus the Sonic CD intro and the Sonic Mania Adventures episodes, all compiled into one handy Youtube video.

Taking The Next Step: If You Wanna Read Something

The Archie Sonic Comics

You might have heard that Sonic had a comic series published by Archie Comics from 1992 to 2016. This was a vast, overarching series that wrote an original story by weaving together ideas from the different Sonic cartoons and games. It went through several different writers, many different artists, and obviously spanned over multiple eras of pop culture.

It's pretty cool! The fact that it was so long-running, and the fact that Sega wasn't very strict with what the writers could do, led to a lot of buckwild lore, new characters, and plot developments. That said, it's also pretty bizarre, complicated, corny, and cringey at times. There is a stretch in the middle that is pretty infamous among fans.

You have a few options for jumping in.

Option A: You can start at the very beginning and read all of it. If you do this, it is going to be like a One Piece / Homestuck / etc. kind of undertaking, and you're going to be pushing through the good and the bad of huge genre and tone shifts. That's your call!

Option B: You can brush up on the main characters on a wiki and then start at Issue 160, when Ian Flynn (who now does a lot of work on IDW Sonic) became the lead writer. More specifically, you can jump in at the start of a new story arc by starting at Issue 175.

Option C: You can start at Issue 252, when there is a universe-altering event that essentially retcons all of the characters and plot threads from the previous writers and starts completely fresh. Easier to keep track of and you won't have to worry about all the previous plot and lore.

If you want something you can read in a single sitting, you should instead read Sonic: Mega Drive, a short-lived miniseries published by Archie that follows "Classic Sonic" characters (aka, the same vibe and art style of Sonic Origins, Sonic Mania Adventures, etc.) It's really great!

Taking The Next Step: If You Wanna Watch Something

Sonic the Hedgehog (OVA) aka "Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie" (1996)

This is, essentially, a 1-hour Sonic anime movie. You can watch it in Japanese or in English. I adore it. It makes up its own lore and continuity so you don't need to know anything before going in, besides generally knowing a one-sentence synopsis of who Sonic, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik are. It's action-packed, well-animated, and has great music. Enjoy! Sonic X If you're enjoying what you've seen so far, and you want something much, much longer...there's an official 78-episode anime adaptation of Sonic called Sonic X. It's an original story that loosely pulls together some ideas from a few of the games. It's mostly intended for a younger audience, but I hear if you watch it in the original uncut Japanese, it feels a little less "for kids."

Other Ways To Get Into Sonic

There's some great video essays on Youtube about the series!

Professional animator Dan Floyd did an in-depth video looking at the highs and lows of Sonic character animation in the games starting from Sonic 1 up through Sonic Forces.

Super Bunnyhop plays through the first level of a bunch of Sonic games to compare how the mechanics, physics, and level design feel throughout the games' history.

Liam Triforce has a great deep dive on the franchise's music.

You can play The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, a murder-mystery-party themed visual novel put out by Sega. It's nice and short, so you can finish it in an afternoon.

If you haven't seen them already, you can check out the live-action/animated hybrid films Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 featuring Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey, they're pretty good. That Sonic Prime cartoon that's currently on Netflix is pretty good too.

This may sound strange, but honestly you might enjoy poring over the sprite sheets from the old games. In particular, I really like the sprite animations from the GBA games, like Sonic Advance and Sonic Battle.

Sega is pretty lax about allowing noncommercial fan games, so there's at least a hundred different Sonic fan games out there by hobbyist developers. Check out the Sonic Amateur Games Expo and the Sonic Fan Games HQ.

You can watch LPs or cutscene compilations of the games on Youtube! If you watch Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes, you'll get a crash course on most of the characters.

And finally, of course...you can play the games if you want to! There's a number of them that are available on Steam, Switch, Xbox, and Playstation if you don't have access to older consoles.

There's a lot of different angles to come at Sonic as a franchise, and lots of different entry points. Have fun!

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sth #idw sonic #idw sonic the hedgehog #sonic mania adventures #blogofkylelab

410 notes · View notes