#literary inspired webseries review
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LIW Review: The Emma Agenda
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, then you know that I think this series is a brilliant adaptation that deserves a lot more love–though of course it has its rough patches like any other LIW.
Premise:
Jane Austen’s Emma set an American college with a female Knightley, a male Fairfax, and a lot of self-discovery.
Spoiler-free plot overview:
Emma Woodhouse is a directionless nineteen-year-old college student who decides to find a boyfriend for her roommate, the lovely Harriet Smith. Emma and Harriet have different ideas about the sort of boy who will make Harriet happy, and Emma is oblivious to the feelings of everyone involved–including her best friend Jordan (and herself).
Format:
A mixture of Emma’s public vlogs posted to her fictional YouTube channel and traditionally-filmed episodes with multiple camera angles. All videos were uploaded to the Quip Modest YouTube channel, and transmedia was minimal and nonessential.
Representation/diversity:
Well, it’s Quip Modest, and they’re always fantastic at diversity in all its aspects. There are out queer characters, closeted queer characters, and characters who figure out their identities over the course of the show. There are even a couple probably straight characters this time, but they are definitely not the focus. Racially, things are fairly diverse as well, but I’m not going to get into the details of everyone’s ethnicities because I WILL say something ignorant and incorrect.
If you’re looking for queer representation by the numbers, confirmed identities by the end of the series include two lesbians, a gay trans man, a bisexual man, a bisexual woman, and two pansexual women. There isn’t an ace or genderqueer rep, but there are a lot of other webseries that do those things very well, and of course no one series can be expected to include every type of queer character. That would be impossible and would likely lead to more issues than it solved.
My three favorite things about TEA:
1) Jordan Knightley. I don’t always like this character (the age difference in the novel is a little weird, and it’s even worse in certain adaptations), but I absolutely LOVE this interpretation of the character. Plus, I’m actually in love with her, so there’s that.
2) The Jon/Lincoln relationship. This is something that I’m usually very uninvested in, but for whatever reason I absolutely love these versions of the characters, and they make me care deeply about the ship without betraying the nature of their relationship in the book.
3) Probably all the different facets of the queer experience that are shown in this series. It warms my heart, guys.
Difficult things about TEA:
The traditionally-filmed episodes can definitely be jarring in contrast to the vlog episodes at first. These traditionally-filmed episodes also have a few episodes out of the necessities brought on by not being funded. I do think these issues are pretty easy to deal with, though, mostly because the traditionally-filmed episodes manage to tell parts of the story that never would have come through in vlogs.
Another rough bit in TEA that’s a very personal one for me is the lack of Jordan in the Box Hill episode. Yes, this is weirdly specific and was unavoidable due to the cast’s schedules, but if you’re like me it’ll still make you sad.
There are also a couple hasty resolutions of various plot points, so be forewarned that that’s going to happen.
Misc thoughts:
TEA is definitely far from perfect, but for whatever reason it really struck a chord with me, and I honestly can’t recommend it enough. It’s just very unproblematic and real and relatable, and we need more of that sort of content. It’s also a fantastic adaptation, as I’ve said elsewhere, in that it knows where and how to change things to adapt to the new setting and the new genders/relationships of various characters while still staying true to Jane Austen.
I recommend TEA to all Austen fans who want more gay Austen (especially if you noticed Emma’s not-so-subtle sapphic tendencies in the original) or who are sick of barely-tolerable adaptations of the novel like I was. I also recommend it to anyone and everyone who’s looking for queer representation, as there really are so many facets of it here.
Cast:
Selis Maria Varga as Emma Woodhouse
Jillian Hite as Harriet Smith
Angela Carbone as Jordan Knightley
Daniel Fisher Golden as Lincoln Churchill
John Yazzo as Jon Fairfax
Alex Brunt as Phil Elton
Shelby Capone as Taylor Anderson
Alina Jacobs as Hedy Bates
Yeujia Low as April Hawkins
Andres Cordoba as Robbie Martin
Created by Quip Modest Productions @quipmodestproductions
YouTube Playlist
IMDb Page
Yeah, so I’m writing reviews again! I’ve also decided to ditch the star ratings because they’re not actually helpful and end up placing too many judgments on things that aren’t controlled by the creators (production quality). I will continue to comment on the issues/potential issues/difficulties with any given series, but I am no longer giving quantitative ratings to the series as a whole.
Let me know what you want me to review next! My askbox is always open, and I’ve open to recommendations from anyone. If I haven’t seen it yet, I promise I’ll watch it (though I do have a slight backlog of those that I still need to get to).
#liw#teaseries#LIW Review#literary inspired webseries review#zoë's return to reviewing#guys it's been too long#i'm going to try to get on some sort of regular schedule with these now#though if it's too regular i'll end of running out to things to review way too quickly#anyhow please send me recommendations/requests#and watch tea because it's fantastic!
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Fangirl Corner #3: Carmilla
#vlog#vlogger#vlogging#carmilla#carmilla the series#literary inspired webseries#october#hallloween#vampires#review
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Writing Timeline
2000-2001: wrote my first "real story" (I discovered how much I loved writing around '98 or '99). I began posting on Yahoo Groups and bulletin boards, then fanfiction dot net, then Livejournal. My first fic was for The Invisible Man (SciFi series), but I became best known for my Stargate SG-1 Sam/Janet stories.
2004: Discovered the real life Squire's Isle, an inspiration for my original work, on my way to Gatecon in Vancouver. Also the start of my love affair with Seattle.
2006: Wrote "On the Air", which was accepted by a publisher within a week of finishing the manuscript. It was a crazy situation where a cover artist for the publisher saw the story and told me she'd put in a good word for me if I submitted.
2007: First novel published.
2009: Started writing Riley Parra, a story that would become a novel and eventually so much more.
2010: Won my first Golden Crown Literary Society Award (first time it was awarded to a man) for my second novel, Gemini.
2012: Published the first Underdogs novel, my most popular series
2014: My original writing, which was honed by years of SG-1 fic, led to an invitation to write an official Stargate SG-1 novel.
2015: Won my second Golden Crown Literary Society Award (still the only male winner as far as I know) for Underdogs: Dogs of War.
2015: Received a starred Kirkus review for Trafalgar & Boone, the first book of my latest series. Kirkys also named it one of their Best Indie Books of 2015
2017: 'Riley Parra,' adapted from my novels, premiered as a Tello Films webseries starring Marem Hassler, Liz Vassey, Marina Sirtis, Maeve Quinlan, and Connor Trinneer.
No magic lamps. No genie offering three wishes. Just lots of writing, millions of words (not kidding, I've literally written over four million words, and that's just the published stuff), and putting it out there for people to see.
NaNoWriMo is coming up, so I wanted to say keep writing. Keep putting it out there for people to read. No matter what your endgame is, if you just want to write fic or if you're hoping it leads somewhere bigger, you can only do it if you're writing.
Also, if anyone wants to ask me anything about this post, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have!
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A Sleepy Liddy Reviews | Episode 20 - Away From It All
2 VIDEOS IN 1 DAY?????? 😮 😮 😮
nearly didn't post this but after the games me and the most beautiful Sherry Miller went to this big midnight viewing of The Princess Bride and everyone else had seen it before and was all dressed up and yelling "THE CLIFFS OF INSANITY" and we were like??? but then it was magical and omg we're never talking about anything else ever again. xxx
Liddy and Sherry fill us in on their night out.
Subscribe to Liddy here!
‘Away From it All’ is a modern web series adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’, told in a multimedia format.
Watch the series here!
Follow the series:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
And use #AFitA to join in the conversation!
#AFitA#Away From it All#A Sleepy Liddy Reviews#PutALiddyOnIt#episodes#webseries#literary inspired webseries#liw#Thomas Hardy#Far From the Madding Crowd#Liddy Smallbury#Sherry Miller#Liddy x Sherry
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I was tagged by @goblinhorde (nice to meet you!)
Rules: Answer the questions in a new post and then tag ten blogs you would like to get to know better. Or don’t. It’s up to you.
Nickname: Sal, though hardly anyone calls me that--but I like it when they do!
Sign: Capricorn, supposedly
Favorite Music Artist: Lately I mostly listen to classical music. Bands I like from other genres include the now-defunct Girlyman... and I still love lots of old 80s songs. Also: almost any music involving an accordion.
Last TV Show You Watched: I hardly ever watch TV--but I did recently watch the Ian McKellen episode of Who Do You Think You Are. Mostly I watch webseries, but at the moment I'm not watching any--the most recent one was Poe Party.
Last Movie You Saw in the Theater: Hidden Figures.
What Are You Wearing Right Now: Little black leather sneakers with custom orthotics, stripy socks (white and magenta), tapered dark blue jeans, a black 3/4-sleeved jewel-necklined flared-skirt (ish) cotton knit dress, a turquoise hoodie, brownish-reddish-purplish wrist warmers, 3 silver rings, glasses.
What Do You Post: A mix of fandom stuff (mostly from literary-inspired webseries or other adaptations), including a fair amount of meta; my reviews/thoughts/responses to movies, books, plays, and dance concerts; other personal stuff, including photos of my cats and stories of my ineptitude in the kitchen; math, science, art, feminism, and (due to these troubled times) a larger dose of politics than I would prefer. For more info go here.
Do You Have Any Other Blogs: Not that are purely mine, no.
Why Did You Choose Your URL: This name was given to me back before I joined Tumblr, when (after lurking a bit) I started signing my otherwise anonymous Asks to @leslielikesthings. She started referring to me as anonsally and suggested I should join Tumblr myself.
Do You Get Asks Regularly: Once in a while. I used to get them more, before the chat function was added.
Hogwarts House: Probably Hufflepuff. But my own house is House Floppentusk. House colors are yellow and purple, with red accents; house mascot is the walrus (Floppy); house traits include goofiness, klutziness, fannishness, and nerdiness. Illustrious alumni include @destinationtoast.
Patronus: I'm not sure. Giraffe? Sheep? Cat?
Pokémon Team: I've never played, but I would've been torn. Team Instinct is yellow, so I would've been drawn to that, except that it was led by a dude, so I would probably prefer one of the others. Wife was Team Valor, but she has quit.
Favorite Color: YELLOW. And also purple.
Favorite Character: This is a ridiculous question. I have tried to answer it a few times already.
Hobbies/crafts? Modern dance (several classes per week, plus a ballet barre and a Hatha-ish yoga class approximately once/week each). Catgazing. Seeing live performances (mostly dance, some theatre, particularly Shakespeare). Geeking out. Hanging out on Tumblr. I would like to find time to read more fiction. I am not very crafty, though I occasionally do some paper collage-ing.
Collect anything? I am trying really hard not to accumulate stuff I don't need. Things I have a hard time resisting include nice stationery, sustainably produced chocolate, lavender sachets, and stripy socks with high natural fiber content.
Current challenges you face? Largest challenge is the totally fucked up political situation, of course; that's actually been causing me some serious anxiety that I am trying to manage by a combination of pharmaceutical assistance, rationing of my news consumption (particularly in the evening), activism, and distraction/escapism. On a more personal level, my research isn't going that well lately (the dataset just isn't big enough to support the kind of analysis I'm trying to do, I think). Plus we are probably going to start having a harder time obtaining funding: a lot of our grants come from the federal government, which I suspect no longer particularly cares about worker health. Minor challenges include mild plantar fasciitis and a daunting amount of marriage-related Adulting.
Things you’re looking forward to? A number of things! Wife and I need to actually plan it, but we do intend to take a honeymoon to Hawaii. I also have a trip planned with extended family and friends to Wyoming for the total solar eclipse this summer (and I will visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks with my cousin, assuming the National Parks still exist at that point). I'm also really looking forward to @thecandlewasters’ next projects (they are working on two webseries, one of which is an original musical and one of which is an adaptation of Hamlet with comics). I have a bunch of books I am looking forward to reading if I ever find the time. And every day I look forward to seeing my cats when I get home!
Anything you want to promote? @goblinhorde's response to this was good: Logic, compassion, empathy, the Scientific Method, the fact that “free speech” != “speech without consequence or a guaranteed platform”, responsible pet ownership, penmanship, The Oxford Comma. I would add human rights, kindness, and resistance.
Anything else you’d like to share? In these scary times, it is important to continue doing things that you enjoy and that can feed your soul. Make art, or go see art. Support free expression. I’m afraid we may not have the freedom to do these things in the future, so we should take advantage of the opportunity now if we can. That will help give us the strength and the motivation to resist.
If any of the following people would like to respond to these questions (no obligation), I tag: @wandering-not-so-lost, @ladyherenya, and @matterofawesome. And anyone who was not tagged, but who wants to respond to these, I’d love to see your responses too so consider yourself tagged by me!
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LIW Review: Nothing Much To Do
Posted (late) in honor of the third anniversary of the first episode on March 26th.
Nothing Much To Do has been the gold standard in literary-inspired webseries for close to three years. The series won eight out of ten awards (best supporting actress, best costume and set design, best ensemble cast, the honorary award, best script, best actress, best actor, and best LIW) at the first-ever literary-inspired webseries awards in 2015.
NMTD was created by The Candle Wasters, a group of four young women from New Zealand who decided they’d like to create a Shakespeare adaptation. They chose Much Ado About Nothing and set it at Messina High School in Auckland, New Zealand, where Beatrice Duke has moved to stay with her cousin Hero while her parents are in Australia. Bea decides to take up vlogging, and that’s where the story starts.
Plot Overview:
Beatrice Duke’s parents move to Australia, and she chooses to spend her last year of high school at Messina High with her dear cousin Hero, her old friend Pedro, her arch nemesis Benedick, and the rest of the gang. Hero has a crush on soccer goalie Claudio, and when it starts looking like things might be on track for the pair of them, the characters decide, led by Pedro, to get Beatrice and Benedick together. The result is a romantic comedy musical of Shakespearean proportions, with the occasional flamingo or bathtub thrown in, just for good measure.
Format:
The series takes place across three YouTube channels, all of which are essential for understanding the entire story. The main channel is Nothing Much To Do, home to Beatrice and Hero’s weekly vlogs. Once he sees Beatrice doing it, Benedick decides to take up vlogging as well. His channel is called benaddicktion. The third channel, Watch Projects, is home to Ursula’s film projects, Verges and Dogberry’s detective show, and Balthazar’s music videos.
Realism:
NMTD was the first webseries in which all of the content on all YouTube channels was equally important to the plot. The description boxes on every video were written in character and were often as important as the content of the videos themselves (see “An Ode” and “one foot on sea one on shore one in the boiling hot lava”). The titles of the videos also reflect the personalities the person uploading them (Benedick, for example, gives all his videos one-word titles that are thematically linked in his mind to the contents of said video).
The Candle Wasters stayed up late to upload videos when the characters would have. The characters interacted with the audience (and once with each other) in the comments section. Beatrice also had a Twitter account, Hero had an Instagram, and Ursula had a Tumblr, and the transmedia supplemented the story but was not necessary for understanding it.
Also, these people act both like the characters in the play and like actual high schoolers, which is rare in any sort of adaptation, much less one with no budget.
Representation/Diversity:
The only non-white character is Ursula, who is of Asian descent, but the LGBTQ+ representation is strong, especially for 2014. Hero and Leo have two moms, who are off on their belated honeymoon for the duration or the series. Balthazar is openly gay (though he never actually uses that word). There’s also another semi-surprising and very satisfying coming out in one of the final episodes.
Film Quality:
Astonishingly good for not having a budget, because The Candle Wasters put in the extra effort to borrow good film equipment and to edit skillfully.
My three favorite things about NMTD:
1) Benedick’s bathtub vlogs
2) The music. Seriously. These people deserve many awards for the music in this show.
3) “one foot on sea one on shore one in the boiling hot lava” – you have to watch it to know why.
While I personally don’t find any faults in this webseries, there are a few things about it that are difficult for other people. The Candle Wasters have a hatred of exposition, so a lot of background information is late, vague, or nonexistent. It can also be hard to understand all of what’s going on if you don’t read the video descriptions, which is an extra step not required by many other webseries. Racial diversity, as I said, is low, but considering the resources The Candle Wasters had at the time, I can’t fault them for that. Besides, every last one of their casting choices was perfect.
The verdict:
NMTD takes a famous Shakespeare play and, while staying completely true to the story, manages to bring in discussions of slut-shaming, create queer representation that doesn’t even go against canon, AND make the whole thing a musical. They explored the vlogseries format almost to its limits. And the characters are just so loveable.
I would recommend this webseries to anyone and everyone with any interest in Shakespeare, feminism, musicals, literary-inspired webseries, or a whole load of other things. My love for NMTD is eclipsed only by my love for the sequel, Lovely Little Losers, so stay tuned for that review soon.
5/5 stars. And I probably won’t be giving out many of those.
Wow, that got long. I wouldn’t have written a review this long for anything else, I swear.
Starring:
Harriett Maire @harriettstella as Beatrice Duke, aka Queen of the World
Pearl Kennedy as Hero Duke, her cousin, “practically perfect in every way”
Jake McGregor @jakeasaurus--rex as Benedick Hobbes, Brit, Whovian, bird enthusiast
Matthew J. Smith as Claudio, long-time bachelor and soccer player extraordinaire
Caleb Wells as Pedro Donaldson, “all round great guy”
George Maunsell as John Donaldson, Pedro’s shifty half brother
Holly Parkes as Verges, has to wear the suspenders to prevent the Devil from infiltrating her
David Hannah as Dogberry, Sherlock fan and adorable little muffin
Jessica Stansfield as Margaret “Meg,” aka Queen of Scream
John Burrows as Robbie, Meg’s boyfriend
Reuben Hudson as Balthazar, the most adorable, precious, talented, non-confrontational person in all of webseries history
Lucie Everett-Brown as Cora, John’s shifty friend
Tina Pan as Ursula, lovely girl behind the camera
Alex MacDonald as Leo, older brother of Hero and coach of the soccer team
Created by The Candle Wasters @thecandlewasters
Running time:
Approximately five hours
You can watch the whole thing on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4M4eic7acSLgM6Fs_VYWafCgwIByldy
Or here with links to the transmedia elements:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1e5Y1TM2sDnE5SuaBl6Y9fFm3F2d9eptde0PjUTwN3oY/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g617374c14_124
#nmtd#nothing much to do#Nothing Much To Day#three years#beadick#pedrazar#liw#literary inspired webseries review#flamingos#sorry this is late#LIW Review
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LIW Review: School Spirit
Okay, so as I watched this series, I was rehearsing for my senior class’s production of Blithe Spirit, which never ceased to amuse me. I’m playing Elvira, and the series definitely gave me a couple new angles on things – though I still prefer the very gay alternate version my drama teacher and I came up with. Message me if you want the details about that.
Premise:
Charley Condomine is doing research about the supernatural for an article they’re writing. They decide to hold a seance with their girlfriend Ruth, their friends Brad and Violet, and Ruth’s roommate Emily. The experience is run by Miss Arcati, a somewhat scattered medium with her own YouTube show. Suddenly, Charley’s mostly normal life turns into a bizarre piece of comedic magic realism complete with ghosts and a lot of breakups.
Format:
In-universe vlogs posted on Charley’s YouTube channel and songs (”Notes to Europe”) and a couple other videos that aren’t Charley’s vlogs on the Finger Guns Productions channel. There was some transmedia as well, but it wasn’t a big focus. Easy to watch in a day without having to make a lot of effort.
Realism:
Well, there are ghosts, so how realistic can it really be?
However, this is potentially as realistic as anything with ghosts in it can be. The other characters can’t see the ghosts, even on video, but it’s acknowledged that the viewers can, which helps things seem slightly less far-fetched.
The characters themselves are pretty realistic, though of course comedic and therefore mostly fairly flat.
Representation/diversity:
So Noel Coward, the author of the original play, was a gay man who wrote some very heterosexual plays. Sadly, an all-male production wasn’t possible (it was made at a women’s college), but it is all female/nonbinary and very gay, which is a wonderful tribute to the author.
Charley is a nonbinary lesbian, and her girlfriend, Ruth, is bi. Brad and Violet are an f/nb couple, and anything else would be a spoiler, but no one in this is in any way straight.
This series also deals really well with mental illness and also explores pretty well the disconnects that would happen if you died and missed a whole lot of cultural events while still staying lighthearted.
If you’re looking for great representation and a lot of sapphic characters, this is for you. If you want diversity, maybe not so much, because, broadly speaking, it’s entirely queer white women and therefore lacking in true diversity, which requires members of various groups.
But who cares about that, really? We all know most of the viewers are queer white women anyway, and the casting choices were deliberate.
My three favorite things about School Spirit:
1) Charley. The character is adorable, and Daisy is adorable in the role. I seriously never thought Charles Condomine could be so sympathetic.
2) The punny episode titles – “The Honest Ruth,” “Take a Trance on Me,” etc.
3) The line, “My life is a bury-your-gays trope.”
Difficult things about School Spirit:
As I said before, If you want men, you ain’t gonna find them here.
Obviously, the whole premise stretches belief somewhat, and the production values are quite low, but it works because it’s not trying to be something it’s not.
There are some holes in the plot, though actually not as many as there are in the original play.
It’s also VERY Charley centric, so if you don’t like her, you won’t like the series.
The verdict:
Obviously this series is far from perfect, and in many ways it almost doesn’t work, but it’s also adorable and funny and goes a lot of places that a lot of other series don’t go. I strongely recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of comedy, saphic pairings, ghosts, or music. An enthusiastic 3/5 stars (not that star ratings mean anything).
Cast:
Charley Condomine: Daisy Johnston
Ruth Canter: Nicolette Paglioni
Ellen: Emma Fischer
Miss Arcati: Sidney Joines
Emily Howard: Andrea Torres-Aldana
Brad Manning: Rose Boyce
Violet Rutherford: Jennifer Byrd
Created by Daisy Johnston/Finger Guns Productions @pansexual-link-larkin @schoolspiritwebseries
Watch the series in full here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOicy-drQP_QxPCONlaDyzmTvuzXHeq5A
EDIT: I only said that it was entirely queer white women because Daisy described the cast as all-female and because I couldn’t come up with better phrasing. I am of course aware that Charley and Brad are both nonbinary.
#ssauw#liw#literary inspired webseries review#LIW Review#charley condomine#and the proper reviews return#next up are afita and the roedell project#and then probably poe party#and the writings majors because i love that show#after that i need to finish from mansfield with love#and then i'm open to suggestions#which i will review if i've seen them and watch if i haven't
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LIW Review: Lovely Little Losers
Much as I love NMTD as my favorite adaptation of my favorite Shakespeare play, LBD for introducing me to the genre and the genre to the world, and so many other literary-inspired webseries for so many reasons, Lovely Little Losers will always be my favorite.
The premise is simple: Benedick, Balthazar, and Pedro (now going by Peter) from Nothing Much To Do are going to university in Wellington and living in a flat together with the lovely and awkward Freddie Kingston. Freddie and Ben decide to impose some order on the flat with a set of absurd flat rules that everyone has to follow, including a curfew, vegetarianism (and vegan Fridays), Ben getting to film everything, imposed flat bonding in the form of challenges, and the worst rule of all, no romantic relationships, aka no shenanigans.
The series is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, but in reality there are only about five episodes that have anything to do with the plot of the original play. Apart from those moments, the inspiration mostly just creates the premise and the names of certain characters.
Plot overview:
Freddie, Benedick, Peter, and Balthazar sign a bunch of ridiculous flat rules that at first seem like a good idea and quickly spiral out of control. Then Beatrice and Meg decide to road trip to Wellington, where, due to The Rules, they end of sleeping in a tent in the back garden along with Kit, another friend of the flat. It’s hard to say more about the actual plot without spoilers, since it’s barely revealed what’s been going on until almost the end (starting around “SARDINES” and going until “FEATHERS”), so I’ll move on to my other categories.
Format:
All actual episodes are posted on the Lovely Little Losers YouTube channel, with Ben as the main (unreliable) narrator, Meg as secondary (mostly reliable) narrator, and other characters (such as Beatrice and Peter) occasionally filming/uploading videos as well. Fifteen videos are devoted to “Balth in a Bath,” which was all filmed on the same day in February but is uploaded sporadically throughout the year. There are also between fourteen and seventeen song videos, depending on how you define “song” (more on that later). There are also a few extras on other YouTube channels that, while not technically part of the story, help illuminate things considerably (the channel I’m referring to here is Zoos Job, though there are also two videos on the Nothing Much To Do channel).
How to watch LoLiLo:
This is ordinarily not one of my categories, but in this case it is very necessary. You MUST read the video descriptions, and also check the comments section, to have ANY idea what’s really going on here, and even then most of it’s going to be subtext. You can watch the series either in the order it was intended to be watched in or in chronological order (which ruins a little of the mystery but averts a Zoos Job marathon later on. Links to both playlists are below). Keep in mind that Benedick is the narrator of nearly the whole thing, and that he is editing the content to fit his own agenda – the one @beatriceeagle calls “Project Birdy-Fingers.” This means that two-thirds of the love stories in LoLiLo are almost entirely hidden from the viewers and once again need to be read through subtext.
Realism:
Off the charts dedicated. This series has a much more experimental style than NMTD – several episodes use more than one camera angle, nearly every episodes has multiple characters in it, and is frequently filmed over multiple days and edited into non-chronological order – but there is still always a reason for the camera to be there and always a reason, in-universe, for it to have been edited and uploaded the way it was. This dedication to realism made things that much more difficult for The Candle Wasters, but it also adds hugely to the value of the series.
Music:
As I mentioned above, many, many episodes of LLL are actually songs. The series has been referred to by many people as a “secret musical” because of this. 11 songs are almost entirely character development. “A Merry Note” was written by Shakespeare and was mostly The Candle Wasters being clever and making us think our ship had sailed. “Heaven in Her Lips” is a cute love song. “Stay” is secretly plot, though the lyrics also assist in understanding “one foot on sea one on shore one in the boiling hot lava,” which is the real first episode of LoLiLo. Then we get to the question of whether certain other videos are songs. “Berry Nice,” while a Balth in a Bath episode, is clearly a song. But what about “Beatrice and Ballads,” which is essentially the reprise of “Beatrice, You’re Vivacious”? What about “A Sonnet,” which, although not a song, is the inverse of “An Ode” and should therefore be included for the sake of symmetry? Of course, the numbers don’t matter, because the songs are amazing. The songs themselves were mainly written by Reuben Hudson, Elsie Bollinger, and Maude Morris, with some help from other writers, and are performed mostly by Reuben Hudson and Mouce Young, with help from most of the rest of the cast.
Representation/diversity:
Very strong. Several characters are not white at all (Kit and Jaquie), and race just generally is a non-issue. LGBT representation is also great, especially for a pre-2016 webseries: Peter is now openly bisexual, Balthazar actually uses the word “gay” to describe himself, Paige and Chelsey are a lesbian couple who have basically the only functional relationship in the whole series, and the sexuality of several other characters (Kit, Freddie, Costa, Vegan Fred), is never defined, though I headcanon them all as bi. Though there are no disabled characters, there are extensive explorations of mental health issues, though as usual for The Candle Wasters, this is largely in subtext. Also, people actually talk about money in this and have realistic issues with money, which is a nice change from every other webseries I’ve seen.
Film quality:
Fantabulous, especially since The Candle Wasters had an actual budget for this series. As mentioned before, there are even episodes shot with multiple cameras THAT ACTUALLY WORK. Yay for realism and quality combined is all I can say.
My three favorite things about Lovely Little Losers:
1) My two favorite episodes, “RUSSIANFUDGE” and “ACCOSTED”
2) Balth in a Bath, because Balth in a Bath is perfect and innocent and lovely and actually includes a lot of exposition and character/relationship development that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
3) The fact that I keep getting more out of it on every rewatch – and I have now seen this thing in full ten times, though it’s been more like twenty for some episodes (”TEA,” “RUSSIANFUDGE”), and I have no idea how many times I’ve watched/listened to some of the songs.
Difficult things about Lovely Little Losers:
On first viewing it can be almost impossible to understand what’s going on almost all the time, and it can be easy to skip things because the series seems largely plotless. Do not give up hope! There is indeed a plot, but you have to hunt for it. If you finish the series and still feel confused or dissatisfied, I recommend a rewatch and @beatriceeagle and @marydebenham ‘s LLL rewatch metas, which have been invaluable for many the confused/dissatisfied viewer. It can also be frustrating that certain things (like apologies) are never said on camera, but we can blame realism for that.
All I can say is, despite its surface flaws, LoLiLo is not only my favorite webseries but also only of my favorite pieces of literature of all time. There’s so much here, in character, in content, and in theme, and I could talk about it for ages more than I already have. Although on first viewing I had no idea what to make of it, I now give LLL a solid and glowing 5/5 stars.
Cast:
Benedick Hobbes – Jake McGregor @jakeasaurus--rex
Peter Donaldson – Caleb Wells @letslipthedogsofwar
Freddie Kingston – Bonnie Simmonds @bonniesimmonds
Balthazar Jones – Reuben Hudson @reubenhudson
Meg Winter – Jessica Stansfield
Beatrice Duke – Harriett Maire @harriettstella
Kitso Harper – Phodiso Dintwe
Paige Moth – Mouce Young
Chelsey Long – Bronwyn Ensor
Rosa Jones – Ella McLeod
Hero Duke – Pearl Kennedy
Jaquie Manders – Kalisha Wasasala
Costa McClure – Robbie Nicol (Aka White Man Behind a Desk, now part of The Candle Wasters)
John Donaldson – Geroge Maunsell
Vegan Fred Boyet – Daniel McBride (aka Sheep, Dog & Wolf)
Dogberry – David Hannah
Claudio – Matthew J. Smith
Leo Duke – Alex McDonald
Ursula – Tina Pan
Zeb – Jim Mitford-Taylor
Kelsi Forrester – Calum Gittins
Julia – Mirabai Pease
Violet – Hannah Mitford-Taylor
Maria – Hannah Geddis
Created by The Candle Wasters @thecandlewasters
More complete social media links for the cast and crew are available from people who aren’t me :)
Running time:
Approximately ten hours.
Time frame:
December 24, 2014-December 25, 2015
Watch it in the original order here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4M4eic7acR3w0c4lLxWE8SnpT2WzoCJ
Or in chronological (Zoos Job) order here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4M4eic7acRAEqZtFwMqTz_lvB5YxKs4
Or in upload order as a slideshow here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tvK1vOQNA9ClJi8K061c_sxiY4pwHfxbUvj8yPd_yuE/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.p
#lolilo#lll#lovely little losers#the candle wasters#literary inspired webseries review#liw#pedrazar#beadick#balth in a bath#LIW Review
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LIW Review: The Adventures of Serena Berg
My first exposure to this story was in ninth grade, when the eighth grade did a production of Cyrano de Bergerac. I loved it. I cried, I felt things. The lead actor was phenomenal (and happened to be a person of color), and I thought about that production for a long time. So I was insanely happy when I discovered that a webseries adaptation was happening.
Premise/spoiler-free plot overview:
Serena Berg is a tough, poetic trans lesbian who is insecure about the massive scar on her face and is in love with her apparently straight best friend, Roxanne. Roxanne falls for Chris, a new student from Canada. Chris is bad with words (and with girls), so Serena offers to help him. Things can only get worse from there.
Format:
Much of this series is filmed traditionally (huge props to the team for doing that with no funding whatsoever). The other episodes are framed as private vlogs from Serena to her friend Brett, who is living in New York. Unlike most offscreen characters/vlog recipients in webseries, Brett actually exists and ends up being in a few episodes later on.
Realism:
Pretty strong. Serena can say anything to the camera because no one but Brett will ever see it (though they do all know that she makes vlogs for him). The rest of it is traditionally filmed, so there aren’t any issues with why that footage exists. There is one MASSIVE time jump that is pretty jolting, but since there’s no assumption that things are happening in real time, it doesn’t really affect the realism that much.
One small problem here is that even in scenes where the characters are at a party, there aren’t any extras anywhere, and the fictional campus is always very empty. Obviously this was because the series was so low-budget, but it did affect the feeling of realism at times.
Representation/diversity:
SO good. There are about two straight characters (who also happen to be some of the only white characters). Serena is not just a trans lesbian but also demiromantic and Asian American (as are Brett and Roxanne). Luke’s asexual, Deena’s bisexual, Rags is pansexual, and there are a couple other characters who are assumed to be lesbians.
There’s also an actual coming-out scene, a lot of female friendship, and some mental health issues, all dealt with well.
Production values:
Quite low because of the low budget. The film quality is pretty poor, as is the lighting. I can’t really comment on sound quality since I watched the entire thing with earbuds, but I think it’s much better.
The script is really good, but the acting is at times a little less smooth than one might hope for.
My three favorite things about AOSB:
1) Serena. There are so few trans characters in webseries (especially compared to the surprisingly high number of nonbinary characters), that it’s awesome to see one as the protagonist. She also reminds me really strongly of one of my closest friends, who is also a strong, very tall trans girl who’s been through a lot.
2) Female friendship! Deena is the sort of friend we all need, and I love every episode she’s in.
3) The line “I am way too asexual for this.” So iconic.
Difficult things about AOSB:
The things I mentioned earlier about production values are definitely an issue quality-wise, but they don’t take away from the enjoyment of the series. The emptiness of the campus, the time jumps, and the occasionally stilted acting are more of an issue for me, but I love this series too much to nitpick. Other viewers will probably either not care at all about these issue at all or will have serious problems with them, so be warned.
The verdict:
This series obviously isn’t perfect, but it’s adorable and enjoyable and addresses some really important issues, so I highly recommend it. It’s also a lot less depressing than the original play, so expect exploration of horrible things without anyone actually killing anyone else. An enthusiastic 3/5 stars. Also, vote for them in the LIWAs, because they totally deserve the attention!
Cast:
Serena – Kendall Chan
Roxanne – Angela Sarabia
Deena – Emily Scott
Chris – Jake Brewer
Rags – Claire Dunn
Rosie – Kristen Pizzo
Tony – Nick Gallagher
Victor – Emmanuel Morales
Luke – Christian Aguilera
Brett – Victor Chen
Eddie – Daniel Hurst
Lissa – Aleks Jamison
Mikayla – Leila Lahidji
Created by BookNerd Productions @theperksofbeingabooknerd @theadventuresofserenaberg
74 episodes.
Watch the whole thing on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdOSFhd5rRPXXvbC8oeDaeOvZxCpj-FN8
#liw#literary inspired webseries review#LIW Review#aosb#the adventures of serena berg#i love all of these people's names#diversity
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LIW Review: Project Green Gables (Season One)
This series especially excited me because it was such a fresh take on the story, especially since the book is still barely a hundred years old and has been faithfully adapted well elsewhere.
The series starts out with Anne Shirley, a seventeen-year-old foster girl, moving to the town of Avonlea. Her host/foster mother (sorry, I don’t know the word for it) Marilla suggests she take up vlogging as a creative outlet because she likes to talk so much, and so she does.
Anne is adorable and nerdy and also very poetic. She sings her own theme song a capella. She likes too many things and can never pick a favorite of anything. She loves life and people and jumps to conclusions easily. In other words, she’s the perfect Anne Shirley.
Anne quickly meets and befriends Diana Barry (who is the redhead in this adaptation), as well as the fiercely feminist Jane Andrews and the surprisingly layered Ruby Gillis. She also becomes the sworn enemy of Gilbert Blythe, a boy at school who compares her hair to his dog.
Format:
Vlogs on Anne’s channel, which some added transmedia elements. There are no on-screen adults, but Anne’s friends appear frequently, especially Diana. There are episodes entirely devoted to their poetry club, as well as a short film created by the characters (the behind-the-scenes video was that week’s actual episode).
Realism:
This series is one of the best I’ve seen at feeling like an actual vlog. The characters who aren’t Anne don’t talk about their private lives much on camera, and Anne only does because she likes to talk so much and often doesn’t think before she speaks. She does tag videos and Q&A videos and the aforementioned poetry club and short film, which all serve both to advance the plot/develop the characters and to make the channel feel more real. There are also a lot of really lovely videos that are shots of nature with Anne speaking or reading poetry over them, which is also very in-character.
The main problem with the realism in this series comes from the fact that the wonderful creators are from Finland but are pretending to be in Canada. This causes difficulties once more characters start showing up who all speak with Finnish accents and yet insist that they are Canadian. I don’t think there was a way to work around that and still have the series be in English, but it definitely stretches belief on occasion.
Production value:
Decent camera, not-always-fantastic but okay lighting, great costuming (in that it’s realistic for what the characters would be wearing, Anne in particular). As I mentioned above, Anne sings her own theme song, and there are a few times when that plays over her talking (in the poetic nature episodes), making it hard to hear what Anne is saying.
Representation/Diversity:
This series’s most brilliant move was reimagining Anne as a person of color. It brings attention to current issues while also updating Anne’s hair struggles in a way that actually works today. Anne is also queer and still working out exactly what her identity is, which is wonderful to see. Her sexuality is addressed much more in Season Two, but it’s still very much present in Season One.
The rest of the characters are all pretty heterosexual and white, mostly because it’s set in Finland and they kept everyone’s original genders (Mrs. Lynde is also black, though she never appears in a video, and Ms. Stacy is definitely not white, though I don’t think her exact ethnicity is ever specified).
The real strength comes from the discussion of feminism, mental illness, and other issues on the part of the characters, especially Anne and Jane, in the form of poetry and just in regular conversation.
My three favorite things about PGG:
1) Anne freaking Shirley. Laura Eklund Nhaga is brilliant in the role, and this interpretation of her is just so lovely. I feel like she’s my friend when I’m watching, whenever she does something dumb or something wonderful or says something that I agree with. My favorite fictional teenage female vlogger since Beatrice Duke.
2) The vlogger realism, which I mentioned earlier. It’s good not to have to suspend disbelief about why certain things are on the internet.
3) The adorable theme song. I’ve had it stuck in my head for days. They changed it for Season Two, and I’m sad, even though I recognize the need for change.
Difficult things about PGG:
The Finnish accents, and there’s nothing that can be done about that. It’s just the way things happened. That being said, it does get in the way when some of the actors in minor roles don’t have good English and so don’t end up acting super well either. Luckily that’s not a problem with the leads, but it is there.
People who aren’t me may also be frustrated by the fact that Gilbert is not in Season One as a speaking character. We see his back once and hear his voice once, and he’s mentioned all the time, but there’s never any reason for him to be in Anne’s vlogs, and so he just isn’t. It was a choice made for realistic storytelling rather than to torment the viewers, so I forgive them, but it might frustrate some people.
The other frustrating thing is those times when you can’t hear Anne talking over the music. Something probably could have been done about that, and it wasn’t, which is a little disappointing.
The verdict:
This series is very Anne-centric with Diana as the secondary character and everyone else as pretty minor roles, and I love the amount of character development that allows for. Obviously there’s not much character development of those secondary characters, but I didn’t need that. Anne is wonderful, Diana is great, the format is realistic. What’s not to like?
Obviously I have my issues with it, as I mentioned earlier. This series is not perfect. It has a lot of flaws and bumps, just like Anne herself, but it’s thoroughly enjoyable and meaningful despite them.
I recommend this series to anyone who likes complex characters, realistic vlogging channels, rants about real-world issues, or the original Anne of Green Gables books. I give PGG Season One an enthusiastic 3.5/5 stars and look forward to reviewing Season Two once it finishes.
Cast:
Anne Shirley – Laura Eklund Nhaga (she’s also one of the creators, because this girl isn’t talented enough already)
Diana Barry – Jutta Majava
Ruby Gillis – Sara Vaittinen
Jane Andrews – Viviana Irving
Charlie Sloan – Otto Kiesiläinen
Official website:
http://www.projectgreengables.com/
Official blog:
@projectgreengables
Watch Season One here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3RpwkbU8xqyWJHICW-DJSYWux-Iky5j_
Or all of Anne’s vlogs here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3RpwkbU8xqwghv0a0v40Pl5IFLdZJZQB
There are three seasons planned, so get caught up now!
Enjoy!
#project green gables#pgg#laura eklund nhaga#good adaptational choices#realism#LIW Review#literary inspired webseries review#liw
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LIW Review: The Cate Morland Chronicles
I’m a sucker for Jane Austen adaptations, and I was so excited when I found out someone had done Northanger Abbey properly as a webseries (I’ll give my thoughts on Northbound at some later date). I did a whole school project on this book last year. Let’s just say it’s pretty close to my heart.
The premise:
Catherine “Cate” Morland has just finished grad school when she lands a job at the famous Persona Magazine. This real job is amazing, but at heart Cate is a fangirl – of everything, but mostly of the fictional TV show The Mysteries of Udolpho. She runs a Udolpho fan blog, and it’s popular enough that she has an automatic following when she starts blogging. And yes, that actually worked.
The plot begins when Cate goes to Comic-Con and gets to interview her celebrity crush (and the star of Udolpho), Henry Tilney. Sparks fly, magic happens, and everything continues from there.
Format:
Vlogs on Cate’s YouTube channel, with a few extras thrown in as well. Cate was also active on social media, but none of those components were necessary for the story.
Realism:
Cate’s vlogs work as vlogs because of who she is. They stretch realism by having a significant number of important video calls conveniently happen on camera, but otherwise it’s pretty strong. Also, another fun feature of this series is the existence of the fandom in-show. One character actually creates the ship name for Cate and Henry and takes to the comments section to talk about it. It’s beautiful.
The Cate M Chronicles also actually utilizes the description boxes, which is always nice to see. In this case, they’re not necessary for understanding the plot, but they are a lovely edition, as are those comments from a certain character.
Production values:
High. Everything is well-filmed, well-lit, and generally attractive. These people have good film equipment, in other words, and I’m happy they do.
Representation/diversity:
I had no idea how much I needed Dele Opeifa to play Henry Tilney. He and Eleanor (who is his assistant, not his sister) are both black, and Eleanor is a lesbian in a happy relationship with an offscreen character.
This series is also just so accepting in general. It talks about fandom (and defends if, hurray!). The characters don’t do problematic things. There’s very little strife but still plenty of meaning. It’s wonderful.
My three favorite things about The Cate Morland Chronicles:
1) Madeline Thatcher and Dele Opeifa’s chemistry. Catherine and Henry are adorable in the book, and I love this slightly older and more self-aware but still adorable version of them.
2) The fact that they created a t-shirt for their fictional show-within-a-show. WHAT! Yes, they really did.
3) Cate’s beautiful defense of fandom, which was straight out of Jane Austen while simultaneously being very in-character and very relevant to now.
Difficult things about The Cate M Chronicles:
Well, there certainly aren’t many actual obstacles in this series. It’s pretty smooth sailing, and it’s pretty self-referential and free from the troubles of the world. If you desperately need a series that addresses those troubles and puts major obstacles in the way of its characters, go look somewhere else.
My only real issue with this series is that it’s too short. I watched the entire thing in one morning without being interrupted, and that never happens.
The verdict:
Adorable, relatable, true to the book, easy to watch. What’s not to like? This series is easily in my top three Jane Austen webseries, despite the stretched realism and excessive video calling. Oh, and the very silly but wonderful ending. An enthusiastic 4/5 stars.
Awards:
The Cate Morland Chronicles is up for this year’s Literary-Inspired Webseries Awards! Go nominate them in any of the following categories before April 15 (full cast list follows).
Best script
Best transmedia
Best costume and set design
Best LIW
Best lead actress: Madeline Thatcher as Cate Morland
Best lead actor: Dele Opeifa as Henry Tilney
Best chemistry: Madeline Thatcher and Dele Opeifa
Best supporting actress: Amanda Taylor as Isabella Thorpe, Erika Ovudoba as Eleanor Monk, or Charla Cochran as Leslie Allen
Best supporting actor: Rob Zimmerman as James Morland or Frankie Madril as John Thorpe
Created by Apple Juice Productions @applejuicepro
Watch the Complete Chronicles here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOG9unl8i4qE-ECzoWlJX11BVggB3hhj
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I just finished watching season one of Project Green Gables @projectgreengables (I don’t know why it took me so long), and I am IN LOVE. It feels so much like a real vlog, and Laura Eklund Nhaga’s Anne is one of the best character interpretations I’ve ever seen in a webseries.
I’m going to write an actual review soon, but I just had to mention how much I love this show before then.
It has its issues, of course, and I’ll address those in my review, but for now I just want to bask in happiness and go get caught up on season two.
#pgg#project green gables#laura eklund nhaga#liw#literary inspired webseries review#LIW Review#i'm a fan
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LIW Review: The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy
This series is a little different from others that I’ve reviewed because it has three seasons, and I’m reviewing them all together because the whole story is short enough for that to be possible.
The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy is loosely based on Peter Pan, but the characters are now adults living in Neverland, Ohio. Tinkerbell is still an actual fairy, but Peter is now a comic book author and the Darlings own the local newspaper, the Kensington Chronicle. Tiger Lily is now Lily Bhaga, a businesswoman with more money than you can shake a stick at. Hook becomes the owner of a media company (JH Media), and Smee becomes his multitalented assistant.
Format:
This series is very mixed-format. In Season One, everything is either a “Dear Darling” video filmed by Wendy or shot from the point of view of Tinkerbell, which allows the camera to move and allows her to exist as a fairy without having to show her. In Seasons Two and Three, a lot of episodes are shot by the cameras that Jas Hook has installed in all of his offices. The characters were all active on Twitter, and the Kensington Chronicle (later the K-Chron) existed as a real newsletter.
Realism:
Well, there’s an actual fairy involved, so obviously we’re stretching belief a little bit from the start. The real issue with realism is the filming. All the footage exists in-universe, as I said, but there’s no justification for how it’s being edited or for any of its existence on the internet. Since there’s no in-universe YouTube channel, it works, but creating the justification for filming and then not creating a fictional framework for what happens with the footage is a strange combination that doesn’t entirely work for me.
Representation/diversity:
Season One starts out with only five characters. Four of them are white. Lily is Indian and very, very rich. She and Wendy also have a very negative relationship, and Lily is generally not portrayed in a very positive way. I’m not convinced that Season One passes the Bechdel Test, though I would have to rewatch to be sure. If it does, it does not do so with flying colors.
Season Two is different, and just generally better. We get Billie, a female pirate (fine, JH Media employee) who has an actual friendship with Wendy. Ethnic diversity goes up in Season Two. The characters get more complex (Peter does bad things, Hook does good things), and there’s non-stigmatized LGBTQ+ representation (well, okay, just G, but for such a big-budget webseries that’s huge).
Season Three is the wrap-up season, and it pays equal attention to the gay relationship as to the two straight ones (technically it’s the second most important/spotlit relationship of the three). There’s good parental advice, which is always nice to see. There are discussions of money, which is something the was sorely lacking in the first two seasons (these people are hopelessly upper class, especially for LIW characters).
I should also mention that John Darling has OCD, and it is discussed frequently, usually in a very healthy way. Other characters (notably Peter) probably have various mental health issues, but these are never discussed or named.
My three favorite things about The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy:
1) Episodes 12 and 13 of Season Three. I can’t say why without serious spoilers, but those two episodes made me feel many things.
2) John Darling. I don’t identify with him, but at the same time I do, very strongly. I sympathize with and understand him more than anything else, and I love him.
3) The aesthetic. The production values are super high, the sets and costumes are a pleasure to look at – visually, everything is wonderful.
Difficult things about New Peter + Wendy:
Well, the money and realism points I mentioned earlier are definite issues, but I think this series suffered from two other big problems. First, an aversion to really digging deep. There were moments of raw emotion and honesty, but not as many as there could have been. The script often just didn’t quite go where it maybe should have gone. The second issue is how dependent they were on funding. Season Two somehow got massive amounts of money, so they cast recognized actors, filmed more episodes, and frequently used multiple camera angles. Then, for Season Three, they had considerably less funding, and so there were fewer episodes and simpler filming setups. While I understand that funding is important, especially if you have to pay your actors, it seems silly to see a series with many thousands of viewers asking for many more thousands of dollars when series with similar formats make just as high-quality content with no money whatsoever or with very little (Nothing Much To Do and Lovely Little Losers spring to mind, though there are obviously others as well).
The Verdict:
I enjoyed this series immensely, and of course the production itself was nearly flawless, but the lack of depth, the small number of episodes, and the disconnect with the rest of the LIW community cause problems for me that no other series has. It’s in a weird place between television and a regular LIW, and it maybe could have taken some queues from other LIWs in how it operated. That being said, when you need a cute little diversion with high production values, fairly strong representation, a fairy-cam, and actors who people have actually heard of, you really can’t go wrong here. 4/5 stars overall.
Cast:
Wendy Darling – Paula Rhodes
Peter Pan – Kyle Walters (who also played Ed Denham in Welcome to Sanditon)
Michael Darling – Brennan Murray
John Darling – Graham Kurtz
Lily Bhaga – Lovlee Carroll
Jas Hook – Percy Daggs III (you may remember him from Veronica Mars)
John Smee – Satya Bhabha (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, among other things)
George Darling – Jim Beaver (yes, that Jim Beaver)
Billie Jukes – Meghan Camerena
Created by Kyle Walters and Shawn DeLoache/EpicRobotTV @newpeterwendy
Three seasons, seventy-six episodes.
Watch the entire adventure here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkF--ahv3nwpPqCfzKh1OyfR9NwVRAXwD
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LIW Review: Twelfth Grade (or whatever)
Twelfth Grade (or whatever) aired for much of 2016, with the first episode on January 6 (twelfth night) and the epilogue exactly one year later.
Source material/premise:
Based pretty closely on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or what you will, one of Shakespeare’s darker comedies, a story about twins, cross-dressing, and love triangles. In this version, Viola Messing disguises herself as a cis guy, Sam, in order to attend the all-boys boarding school that rejected her trans brother, Sebastian. If you’ve seen She’s the Man, you know the basic plot already.
Spoiler-free plot overview:
Viola/Sam’s roommate and best friend, Oren, has a crush on local girl Olivia “Liv” Belcik and sends “Sam” to be his wingman, which results in Liv’s developing a crush on “Sam.” Meanwhile, Viola definitely doesn’t have a crush on anyone... All sorts of adventures ensue.
Format:
Uploaded without any sort of regular pattern on three different YouTube channels: S Messing (Viola/Sam, Oren, and their other friends at school), Liv Belcik (Liv and her family and friends), and S-messing around! (Sebastian). The whole thing is available in one playlist, which I will link below. All of the videos exist in-universe, but there’s quite a lot of creativity that goes along with that: there are a couple gaming videos, one filmed entirely in the dark, and one that, in-universe, was deleted shortly after being uploaded.
Realism:
Fairly strong. A few things stretch belief, but those issues ended up actually being dealt with (like why people weren’t watching each other’s videos and what happened when they found them) and actually became part of the plot. Though the lack of communication between Viola and Sebastian was a little hard to believe. The different types of videos also helped improve the realism factor, but something else that took away from it was the fact that many of the actors seemed to be looking at the script in several episodes. The characters themselves, however, are very realistic as both high school students and Shakespeare characters, and all of the casting and acting was great.
Representation/diversity:
So, so good. So many characters are played by minority actors, and race is just a total non-issue. Liv has agoraphobia (Confirmed! They use the word!).
LGBTQ+ representation is almost at an all-time high here. The series starts out with everyone being straight and ends with no one being straight (also no endgame heterosexual relationships whatsoever, which meant that both my ship and Shakespeare’s were wrecked, but I was still happy with the ending).
Sebastian is trans and interested in men. Viola is bisexual and demiromantic and probably a demigirl, though she doesn’t end up finding the right label for her gender before the end of the series. Liv is also bi. Oren is eventually questioning/(spoilers). Drew is gay. Vic and Curt are assumed to be gay. Tammi is a lesbian. Maria is pansexual. Foster uses they/them pronouns but I am unsure of their official gender label and so won’t use one here. Viola and Sebastian also have two moms (named Hermia and Helena because this is a Shakespeare webseries after all). Malcolm might be straight but we don’t care about him.
Film quality:
Not great. They only had one camera, and it wasn’t a very good one, but it was pretty realistic to what the characters would have realistically had, and it’s hard to make visually high-quality content without a budget.
However, what they lacked in camera, they made up for by having very creative episode titles (lots of references to SO MANY THINGS) and actually utilizing the description boxes, which is still not done nearly often enough. Sebastian’s titles are very in-character. The others are relevant and could potentially have come out of the heads of the characters, though it’s nothing on the level of NMTD/LLL episode titling.
My three favorite things about 12gw:
1) The first episode. Everything about it is perfect and sets the tone so well for everything to follow.
2) All of the internal shipping that happens in this series. These people come up with occasionally intentional, occasional accidental ship names for themselves, they talk about ships in ways that torture the audience to extremes, there’s an episode called “Ship Steer” – need I say more?
3) Oren Douglas. The acting, the character development, Julian Hermano’s face (sometimes I’m shallow). I love the man so much.
Less great things about 12gw:
The low film quality and the actors’ occasional script glancing are definitely the big ones here. Another negative aspect is that the actor who played Sebastian couldn’t be in the same location as the rest of the cast, so he isn’t in any group scenes, which is extremely disappointing. I personally am also sad that they changed Shakespeare’s endgame so much in this particular series, just because I came into this with a ship already formed, but regardless you will ship everything and be disappointed by something, because they can’t all be endgame.
Viewing time: about three hours, easily bingeable in a day.
Verdict:
3.5/5 stars, edging toward 4. I highly recommend this series to lovers of bisexuality, crushing the patriarchy, extreme sassiness, and shipping absolutely everything with absolutely everything else.
AWARDS!
Twelfth Grade (or whatever) is up for the Literary-Inspired Webseries Awards this year! Go nominate them by April 15th and then vote for them afterwards! Eligible categories (plus the full cast list) below:
Best Actress: Sarah Taylor as Viola Messing and Kristen Vagahos as Liv Belcik
Best Actor: Julian Hermano as Oren Douglass
Best Supporting Actor: Jon Steiger as Drew Aguecheek, Andres Cordoba as Vic Caius, and Eliot Barnhardt as Sebastian Messing (you may also recognize him from The Adventures of Jamie Watson and Sherlock Holmes).
Best Chemistry: Sarah Taylor and Julian Hermano or Sarah Taylor and Kristen Vagahos
Best Script
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Set and Costume Design
Best LIW
The rest of the cast:
Justin Linville as Curt Slender
Derya Celikkol and Michelle Persoff as Tammi Belcik
Adriana Figueroa as Maria Waites
Evan Neiden as Malcolm Volinsky
Jeremy Stewart as Anthony Capozzoli (this beautiful man also played Henry Tilney in Northbound)
Daniel Golden as Foster Page
Cathie Boruch as Hermia Messing
Created by Quip Modest Productions @quipmodestproductions
Mainly the brainchild of Jules Piggott @threeminutesfast
Watch the whole thing here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7Aos6cZ-mUxgWreHGvC1S5dY5IHq3Am6
#twelfth grade or whatever#12gw#liw#literary inspired webseries review#liwas#vote for these adorable little people#LIW Review
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LIW Review: Bright Summer Night
Before I even start, I have to say that Bright Summer Night is probably the most artistic LIW that has ever been made. That plus the fact that it’s made by The Candle Wasters should be enough of a reason to watch it.
BSN is loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The entire thing is set at a house party in Wellington over the course of one night. There are three main groups, the Lovers, the Fairies, and the Mechanicals, just like in the play, with Puck as a floater between all three, and there are nine point-of-view characters. Everyone is in love with everyone else, and there are drugs and songs about climate change and a shocking lack of running water.
Format:
Filmed entirely in traditional TV style (because The Candle Wasters had actual funding for this one, hurray!). There are ten episodes, nine from the point of view of one of the main characters (Puck, Lena, Petra, Bryn, Zander, Nicky, Deme, Mia, Awhina) with the final episode as the finale.
Realism:
BNS is not even partially a vlog, so that type of realism is not an issue. The whole thing is very surreal, so it might take some concentration to understand what’s happening, but unlike in the original play, there isn’t any magic, so the actual events are pretty grounded in reality.
Representation/diversity:
Amazing. So, so good. NMTD and LLL were both mostly white (with a few notable exceptions). BSN is about as racially diverse as it’s possible to be in New Zealand. I won’t go into the details because I will inevitably get someone’s ethnicity wrong, but the diversity here is excellent.
LGBT representation is also fantastic. In such a short series, it was hard to officially acknowledge characters genders/sexualities, but here’s a breakdown based on the story: Puck is nonbinary (potentially demiboy) and at least a little interested in men. Deme is gender fluid (played by an actual gender fluid person) and is interested in women (and probably other genders as well, we just don’t see it). Thea and Poppy (Mouce Young, aka Paige Moth from LoLiLo) are a lesbian couple. Lena’s sexuality is completely unknown because the only person she expresses interest in is gender-fluid Deme. I won’t name any more because I don’t want to make assumptions about the other characters, but regardless the most that can be straight is probably four (and I’m 99% sure Mia is bi anyway).
Puck has serious mental health issues that, while not explicitly named, are acknowledged much more explicitly than any of the mental health issues in LoLiLo. Lena also has the most horrific social anxiety, and I really appreciate the way The Candle Wasters deal with that.
Also, politics! The Mechanicals talk about Trump, climate change, Palestine, gun rights, and a number of other issues, and a lot of current social and world issues are themes throughout the whole series, culminating in the song “Relationship Problems and the Environment” in the finale.
Film Quality:
Off the charts incredible. They had funding, so they filmed using multiple cameras and angles. The lighting and effects are fantastic. The background music is perfect at all times. AND they got a crane to use in two episodes. WHAT. There are a few moments when the editing could have been more professional, but since it was their first traditionally-filmed series, I think we need to cut them some slack.
My three favorite things about BSN:
1) Puck. Everything about them is so perfect. And, interestingly, more true to Shakespeare than anything else in the series (I’ve always thought that Puck could be played/headcanoned as any gender, and this is a great example of that).
2) The costumes. Deme’s flame jacket, Nicky’s giraffe onesie, Petra’s whole aesthetic. Frankie’s hair. Mia’s bralette. They just all look so good.
3) The amount of depth they managed in ten episodes, which was incredible.
Difficult things about BSN:
There are only ten episodes, so it’s hard to get attached to the characters. There’s a lot of information that isn’t developed or is sprung in suddenly without much lead-up (polyamory mention in “Mia”). Also, the acting, writing, and production design are so good that it’s sad it had to be so short and that we’re never going to see more of these characters. The end of the plot is a little hurried as well, since the first seven episodes only manage to get through about half of the source material, but everything still gets resolved without any loose ends.
Verdict: The aesthetic is fantastic, the music is fantastic, the script and acting are fantastic. The editing only has a few slight issues. The characters are wonderful. It is far too short, but it’s also so, so good. I cited BSN heavily in an essay about climate change and social responsibility, and my teacher loved it.
This series is amazingly well made, but it isn’t quite perfect. The format is so innovative and new that it isn’t quite there yet, and as I mentioned before, it’s hard to get quite as invested in the characters in only ten episodes.
Overall, I give Bright Summer Night 4.5/5 stars.
Awards!
BSN is up for the LIWAs! Nominations are open until April 15, with final voting after that. They’re eligible for Best Costume and Set Design, Best Script, Best LIW, and Best Chemistry for several different combinations of characters. I don’t know what to say about the acting awards because The Candle Wasters haven’t made any formal announcement in that department and it’s hard to know which characters belong in which categories (Are all nine POV characters leads? If they use they/them pronouns, do we nominate them for best actor, best actress, or both?).
EDIT: The Candle Wasters have answered the nomination question. All nine POV characters are leads, with Puck as a little more of a lead than the rest. Meesha Rikk and Dani Yourukova shouldn’t really be nominated because they don’t fully identify as male or female, though they still deserve many awards. Read that post here:
https://literaryinspiredwebseriesreviews.tumblr.com/post/159481476531/hey-just-wondering-how-you-want-nominations-for
Cast:
Puck Goodall – Meesha Rikk
Awhina Parekura – Neenah Dekkers-Reihana
Bryn Alberich – Jack Buchanan
Lena Balavu – Kalisha Wasasala (Jaquie from Lovely Little Losers)
Deme George – Dani Yourukova
Zander Makau – Shane Murphy
Mia Selene – Maddie Adams
Nicky Xing – Gala Baumfield (she has a YouTube channel!)
Petra Quince – Thomasin McKenzie (who has been in actual things like Shortland Street and The Hobbit. no joke)
Frankie Piper – Nova Moala-Knox
Taylor Sutton – Brendan King
Poppy Hoú – Mouce Young (Paige from Lovely Little Losers)
Thea Quince – Freya Milner
Created by The Candle Wasters @thecandlewasters
Ran from July to September 2017. Ten episodes. 1 hour 18 min long, making it the shortest adaptational literary-inspired webseries.
***NOTE: Although BSN does not take place in the same universe as NMTD and LLL, there are several promo videos made by those characters, specifically Jaquie and Costa and Ben and Bea. In-universe, Paige and Jaquie are playing Poppy and Lena.***
Watch Bright Summer Night in full here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4M4eic7acRxRp2L-0Lrcvd_c1PpP1Fp
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Just confirming that AOSB is indeed over before I write my review. Either way, it’ll be up in a few days, so keep an eye out for that.
I’m also planning to review a few more old webseries, especially ones that I feel deserve more attention than they ever got. If you have suggestions on that score, please let me know.
And feel free to keep recommending things in general. It may take a while because I’m currently working on graduating high school, but I will watch it all.
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