Mini-Review: Umamusume Cinderella Gray

 

I've been getting way too into Umamusume at the time of writing. Who knew a silly premise of anthromorphizing horses to girls would turn into sports dramas? Sure, there are still some inklings of the idol aspect that remain in concerts, but when most of the time is spent practicing for the big race instead, it's focusing primarily on the sports aspect. 

Cingray is notably really shounen by way of how Berno Light is the girl, even though everyone a girl. While yes, the other are sports stories too, but Cingray focused on the racing and competition aspect more so than any other. The idol aspect was playfully poked fun at and didn’t even feature that much. Even BOANE has the girls performing at a big concert at the end. Cingray has none of the large performing venues at all. Heck, I don’t think we even have a Cingray version of Umapyoi Densetsu. 

Cinderella Gray is given special notice of this since it's more of a serious sports drama than a slice of life sports drama than the previous one. I think Cinderella Gray's influence on the franchise cannot be understated because Road to the Top, Beginning of a New Era, and Star Blossom feature some idol-like stuff, even if there are just glimmers. On a side note, I really love the Umapyoi Legend version from the movie because of how distinct the voices are. Heck, we see Jungle Pocket after her victories going around doing athletes' promo rather than actually seeing her sing, which is reserved for the ending. That's great worldbuilding, though that active Umas has some promo that is beyond plushies that probably only gained popularity during Oguri and a little bit before it. 

Now, Cinderella Gray is effectively dramatizing Oguri Cap's career. Anime-wise, we are at Oguri Cap's Arima Kinen. There's still the second Japan Cup, Super Creek, the slump, and the final retirement race. 

The manga is really good with the anime, while good, it cuts out some parts and does parts that are just okay, whereas the manga is actually written better. I understand the time constraints here, but certain aspects of the explanation could have been improved. 

It's just sad that the Umas are destined to live out their previous lives' hardships without the death. The point was supposed to give them a better life. It’s why mistreated horses can actually be celebrated here and given better overall.

With that being said, we know retired Umas just go on their daily life, achieving a modicum of fame that will set them up for life, maybe. We know Tamomo Cross and Oguri's mothers at least reflect their real-life housing, with the former being so poor, while Oguri is at least on the lower middle-class, where White Narubi has to afford her daughter's healthcare, appetite, and tuition. 

They are set for life with food and housing. I don't know what Oguri would do after her Tracen graduation. I can see Kitasan Black becoming a fitness trainer after retiring, but all the real Oguri Cap's done after his stud career is eat and sleep. Would she go around and do press? I know that fans lined up to see Oguri after his retirement, so that's a good reimaging where her popularity allowed her to travel and sign autographs. However, it's not something that Oguri would do often or go too far and would either do those press in her hometown or an event close to Tracen. 

Now, in the manga, it's already finished with Oguri fully retired from racing. She's able to eat and sleep to her heart's content. Again, I do not know what she would do. 

I could see Agnes Tachyon becoming a sports medicine doctor, as that's her field of study. Kitasan Black was studying to be a fitness trainer after retirement. 

On another note, with the legendary horses and named horses who had won at least a graded race, it’s been taken for granted just how difficult the races really are. Never mind that some races are one and only chances, such as the Triple Crown. Even winning a G3 puts a horse in the top 5 percent. Twin Turbo and Machi-tan might not have won a G1 like Rice Shower, but they are still a lot better than the regional Umas. 

It’s extremely difficult. Haru Urara only got in due to goodwill and will not win fuck all. 

Keep in mind that although the Umas themselves are as strong as horses, we take for granted the status of what it means from the cream of the crop, which we are frequently exposed to than the regionals. Even regional Umas would've soundly beaten humans anyhow since they are horses. However, the regional horses will be soundly beaten by any of the Tracen students. I think Haru Urara's acceptance into the school was not due to her race record, but rather her spirit and popularity, similarly to how Oguri was scouted and accepted to Tracen, who were too good for regionals.

While March Tosho definitely outlasted Oguri in terms of career years, March Tosho wouldn't be able to go up against the best in any of the graded races. Again, there's a reason why Oguri was chosen over March Tosho to even get a chance at nationals. 

While the animanga have always been sports stories, the focus on the humanity of athletes was very emphasized, even when they were exaggerated, because Umas are superhuman. 

While horses are horses with personalities of their own, Umamusume dramatized everything, including aspects of jockeys in the Umas. 

I really want to get into worldbuilding. 

For example, idol concerts are apparently Japanese only. It’s actually been hinted at by S1, no les,s with Special Week performing alone. Obey only performed because she was that prepared and will insist on it. 

What about the other horse sports? Umas have to have their equivalent. Heck, Silver Sonic switched from racing to jumping. I wonder how they are going to translate dressage? Is it just dancing? At least what about Steeplechase? 

There is just so much worldbuilding to be had. The worldbuilding so far is very subtle, as everything has been accommodating to Umas since ancient times, to the point that obsolete tech is still being made for them if they are unable to afford smartphones. 

Even if you don’t want to participate in the game, there’s always the animanga and other forms of entertainment. It’s a multimedia franchise. We don’t know what future projects they are going to focus on. 

Since there are horses now and then still having incredible stories to tell, who knows what is going to come? 

People have been more interested in horses and racing since the release. There are horses not yet announced as more people become interested in the tales. The anime is a gateway that real life is stranger than fiction that some tales are so great to be told. 

People are learning what kind of personality they have and the varying levels of horse. Even learning IRL horse facts and giving them out as trivia to non-fans is a fact of the fanbase at this point. Never mind the trivia videos, even trivia comments are also just as known to comment and explain whenever they can. 

For what it's worth, you can get into any part of the franchise no problem since each iteration is basically its own universe and each with its own protagonist with different personalities that might strike your fancy. 

ORV Live Action Mini Review

 

Was anyone surprised that the actual movie was shit? 

I personally wasn't. Maybe I was more tempered in my expectation, with mediocre being my guess in the end. 

I was not expecting outright bad and incompetent writing and filmmaking in general. 

The initial premise just seems like a run-of-the-mill apocalypse movie with superhero shit. There is none of what made ORV so great in the first place. Heck, the Star Stream scenarios were supposed to be humanity's punishment for some goddamn reason by the universe, I guess. Yeah, that's a thing. 

The cinematography felt more like a commercial than an actual film. I feel like the medium of film is not used at all. There is no love in the frame, not any love for anything but the director's own misguided beliefs, revealing repulsiveness. 

The dialogue is completely stilted and unnatural. There is no love in this. 

The characters are OOC if not outright in name. What the hell happened to everyone? No, KDJ won't do that. No, that's no Yoo Sangah. No, that's no Heewon either. No, that's not Gilyoung. No, that's definitely not Yoo Joonghyuk. No, that's not HyunSung. I feel like a broken record. Fuck, the villains aren't them either! 

The women's struggles and their experiences are completely erased. I mean it, SA, sexual harassment, domestic violence, and the sexism the women experienced are rendered null. There is no interior to them, only them serving the main character's 'growth'. This is misogyny revealed by the director and production team, who, at best, merely reviewed a Cliff Notes version, rather than one that required critical thinking. Or, at worst, they didn't bother and just read a summary, deriving everything from there. 

Kim Dokja's victimhood of bullying was also erased because this is something they also refused to touch. There is absolutely nothing about domestic violence here, folks. Nothing about his dad being a piece of shit, and that he literally rewrote his own reality for killing in self-defense. Nothing that his mom took the fall and any of the complexity of their relationship. Honestly, the backstory of KDJ conveyed so much about KDJ's character, and they butchered it. No, KDJ is not this heroic figure who is this altruistic about the world. He would sacrifice the world for his friends and is a manipulative fucker. 

The misguidance of the roles of the reader, writer, and protagonist in this movie is a trainwreck. Those roles are of fucking importance in the original, and what do you mean KDJ is the writer??? There is no YSJ because all her stuff is going to KDJ anyway. What do you mean that YJH isn't KDJ's favorite character and it's Heewon instead? Heewon, who is only revealed to be a canon character way later? YJH is now reduced to a side character, a disservice to his protagonist status as well as one of the roles as the three main characters. 

There are no skills that made KDJ the reader here. There is barely a mention of the Constellations, if at all, honestly, because it feels like they erased them either way. What do you fucking mean that he hates the novel he's been reading since that pivotal point in his life? He's not Shen Yuan!! That removed an important part of KDJ, and they fucked it up! 

There is a removal of characters that takes away a significant portion of the story. LSH is not even here because her role was taken over by YSA for some reason, and that reason is obvious. 

Every character is a disservice to their original characterization. I feel that if I discussed more of the SA and the sexism that the female characters experienced in canon and compared it with how they are portrayed misogynistically in the live-action movie, I'm gonna explode and rant. At least I kept KDJ as a paragraph, and I was trying to not go on because I refuse to give the movie more thought than it deserves. 

It feels more like they are attempting a power fantasy because how else can the women, with the loss of their interior service nothing more than the male fantasy? Getting rid of any queerness and making everything just another matter of power fantasy for dudebros and idol fans. 

They eliminated important arcs and skills that are prevalent in future arcs and the story as a whole. There are literally no character arcs for anyone, as they are reduced to power fantasy for the dudebros to project and pretty things for eye candy because that's what they essentially reduced every single character to. 

It was not even an adaptation. How could it be when it couldn’t adapt basic elements? And the changes aren’t made due to time constraints or easier adaptation from words to the screen. It’s made because the director and production crew couldn’t be bothered to read and actually understand the source material in a meaningful gesture. As misguided as the FMA live actions are, at least they try their hands at the source material. 

Godoka, you know as well as I do that KDJ’s actor would’ve nailed the novel characterization. What glimmers we had of him were just that glimmer, but otherwise than that, he was so changed that it couldn't be helped. Of course, they would get rid of any arcs for the women. YJH’s actor tried his hardest to be as close to the original as he could, but there were so many changes that his acting didn't change a thing. 

For Arceus’ sake, this was supposed to be a five-movie franchise. With arcs that they eliminated for no good reason (they couldn't even bother doing the theater dungeon if that gives you an idea of just how fucked they are with storytelling), there is no fucking way I see them tackle any of the arcs well, seeing how they got rid of established worldbuilding and character writing to get this mess. 

I’m putting this all at the feet of the director and the production crew. The actors are hired for the shit. Yeah, it’s bad that their first introduction was to a badly written slop; they were blended from a basic summary and a horrid interpretation of said summary. Those who read the novel had fought but failed to win against an apathetic director and production crew who only used the ORV name for their own benefit of revealing everything ORV stood for. 

It is disappointing that a large part of the cast did not read the novel, but I'm firmly blaming the director and the production crew here. They are in charge of writing the shit for the silver screen and failed in adapting. There was no communication of important info such as the master-disciple relationship, but considering how much the director and production crew 'care', I doubt they were thinking about anything else but their own arrogance. 

It wasn't even their first rodeo of badly adapting either. Their previous contract had the writer in tears. 

SingNSong is diplomatic about their views on the movie since they can’t say anything bad about it. They are damning it by faint praise, and really, the faintest praise I can give it is…some actors tried their best to be as close to the actual characterization. 

Had it been original, it would just be d-tier save the world power fantasy mediocrity, which it still is. 

However, with ORV slapped on it and the ORV is in name only, then it's just stupid, mediocre, or even just plain bad leftovers that aren't even good. 

There is a part of ORV fandom that I think is toxic positive about this movie. I have to make it clear: This movie have it been a standalone and not associated with ORV would be a second-rate underwhelming apocalyptic film that does not stand out from its brethren other than having some interesting things that isn't explored that much anyways. However, it has ORV's name slapped on it, and SnS has been diplomatic, not outright approving of it but not outright hating it either, because they have to be neutral. Do you really want this KDJ associating with our KDJ? Do you really want any of the movie's superficiality associated with the novel's complexity and themes, because I hope fucking not, because the movie isn't HTTYD! The movie can't stand on its own, other than being a high-profile but lacking camp in name only movie that displayed cliché tropes that did nothing to stand out. 

Do you really want outsiders to think that this is a good taste for the source material they could take a dive into? I'll recommend the One Piece and Bleach live actions for appetizers if they really want to tackle the actual thing. I would not recommend the FMA live action to anyone to even consider watching FMA that way, nor would I recommend Death Note 2017 for that either. Fuck, even the new dub for Detective Conan is a great appetizer if they really want to tackle the series as well. Again, adaptations are great as a sample for the real thing. If people see these bad adaptations, they might not take the dive either way. The movie has the chance to show the world why ORV is so loved, and this is not it. Being toxic positive about the movie is not going to change the fact that most people won't understand why ORV has such a large following if this is the reason. 

Why else is there so much happiness when newbies come in from the OPLA and fans welcome the newbies? 

ORVLA is in the same status as these live actions. They could be appetizers for the real thing, which in this case is the novel. The live-action adaptation is never supposed to be a substitute for the real thing, but at the very least, it could've been more than just in name only and driven interest in those who would be genuinely interested in what ORV actually offers. Instead, what it looks like is that all the movie offers is a power fantasy of the lowest grade. Heck, at least Solo Leveling earns that power fantasy on the same level as SAO, admittedly, but at least those have something while this movie has nothing. 

It's not even a good movie by standards. It's just bad with all the worst elements of what ORV fought against to write their story. Do you want to be positive about that when ORV wouldn't want their themes and what they have written their characters to be associated with something so clearly misogynistic and lacking love for anything? 

This movie lacks love everywhere it has. Nothing is going for it, and why should you want to defend something that is going for the easy route of K-drama and idol fans instead of making quality films and actually using the language of filmmaking, just as ORV used the language of storytelling? 

I know the novel said that even the worst of storytelling has its own place in the world, and people use that. I would like to point out that it does not excuse the movie for being everything ORV stood against. Really, this movie's flavor of bad isn't even a so-bad-it's-good kind, just bad, with a clear display of misogyny and a misunderstanding of the source material, all on full display. I'm sure it has its lovers, but when people are putting the novel to elevate a mediocre piece of work that is the movie, then shouldn't they know the point was to adapt, not to change so radically that it's in name only? The movie production crew and director have been putting down the novel because they skimmed it instead of bothering to read it deeply. To them, it's a power fantasy that they see and change to their will. 

Do not watch this movie. It's utter trash and an affront to the novel, the very concept of storytelling and filmmaking. 

As SNS-nim said, please read it. You know it's bad that the only praise they could even utter is that they like the opening scene, and that's it. 

Mini-Review: Cherry Magic

 

I haven't done a review in a long time so why not with Cherry Magic?

For all that it looks like with the virginity concept front and center, you would think toxic concepts would be all over it. 

I feel I should discuss the history of the ongoing manga. I’m shocked that it’s still ongoing. You would think it’ll end by their wedding but nope. I’m shocked that it’s still ongoing. 

It was originally a Twitter one-shot that was picked up for publishing and was supposed to end when Adachi loses his virginity but extended due to the success of the Jdrama and now it’s just going. Now the story is so beloved that it would up creating a whole new trope for fanfiction. 

The manga is by far the best one obviously. I scoff whenever I see the Thai version get praised as the superior version. Read the damn manga. The Jdrama is influential just for its success and its virality but it stood on its own feet when it had to deal with anime are forced to make things as they go when they don’t have the source material. At least the anime is giving the manga direct attention. 

So if you want to go, read manga first and foremost, and go to Chinese radio drama. then Jdrama, then anime. The Thai version should be your last priority if you can't find a way to watch the 2.5D version aka the musical. At the time of writing, not until people and fans see the play itself, the 2.5D stage play is in a nebulous position. At the very least, we're going to get a proshot which is hilarious to me because Broadways refused to get their proshots out there out of fear of money even though so many film successes have shown that people are willing to buy tickets to see the actual damn play. I know many animanga fans who want to experience a 2.5D musical for real instead of just seeing the proshot. At the least, the 2.5D people knew where the money was. The problem is that the plays unless made for an international audience are only sold in Japan and relatively Asia as a whole. Once I have enough information, I will edit to see what the general fan reactions are and the placement. 

From what I heard from people who was actually crazy enough to get livestream tickets, it’s campy fun. Apparently, this Kurosawa have been pining for six months and their first date went perfectly fine in comparison to their counterparts. Kurosawa of course get love songs to his name ala first date song.  

Ultimately, it’s actually the concept that is a conduit for a character-driven story. The only remaining one who has not popped his cherry is Tsuge in the manga. Cherry Magic is just an artifact and is used as magic realism for character development. And it's not like it's hurting what is in the end relationship hurdles of a committed gay relationship. 

Adachi, a bitter (because let’s be honest, his assumptions and judgments about others are very bitter and toxic) 30-year-old virgin, found he had telepathic powers and quite accidentally found out his most popular coworker’s deep crush on him going on a year or seven years depending on the adaptation. 

Adachi’s boring life was very eventful as these powers gave him the courage to speak up and take up space. Even after he lost his powers, a point of the series was his character development. I really like the edge of the original Adachi. Snarky and an ass, in the beginning, he’s brutal. No other adaptation came close to that. The Thai version of Adachi is the worst, being the stereotypical BL uke with nothing much at all. What was changed did little favors. We see Adachi grow in confidence and even take the initiative several times canonically with his relationship with Kurosawa both romantically and sexually. Fuck, their first time together was a result of Adachi kissing Kurosawa first out of passionate love he’s finally communicating in words. Adachi even denied sex when he saw Kurosawa having problems of his refusal to rely on others at work. Where was the bite in the Thai Adachi? It’s the same way that I feel anime Eiji didn’t have enough teeth for him in comparison to his flawed manga original self in Banana Fish. Is it bad that I want teeth for characters? I’m grateful BF got an anime adaptation because anime is the promo for the manga and what BF fought so hard for to get their name out there. It’s just I want the biting depths that might not even be called good. 

An otherwise invisible introverted guy who prefers not to talk back but in his head turned into a quiet steely man. He still has his self-esteem issues and sometimes fails to speak up but he’s not a pushover anymore. 

Kurosawa is hilariously unhinged. Outward placid, his thoughts can run racy and absolutely normal. Godoka, I love how unhinged he is. Even before he becomes friends with his love interest, his imagination goes wild. That imagination did not tone down upon marriage because marriage made it worse. Even when Adachi doesn’t know the exact thoughts, he can tell what kind of unhinged thoughts his insane placid husband is thinking. If he had to deal with the fantasies and whatever gifts he had for Adachi, he knew just how insane Kurosawa would go. The gap moe is also a factor too. Kurosawa is genuinely in love but for all of his obsession, he’s a sweetie who wants Adachi to experience everything. 

Kurosawa does want himself to be the man for Adachi but he seems willing to acquiesce if it comes to women for Adachi as long as he makes sure there are no advances. He’s otherwise a gentleman even when there are chances to sneak a full-on mouth kiss. Considering he’s been pining for so long, Kurosawa probably believed even after Adachi made it clear he doesn’t exactly hate it that Adachi sees him as a friend. He confessed, not expecting a reciprocation, only as a way to finally get over him. For as long as he knew him, Adachi had never shown interest in men so it’s pretty obvious it would shock him of the reciprocity. 

Kurosawa wants to know everything about Adachi. His virtues and his flaws are equally ensnaring to him. 

Each iteration often characterizes the jdrama first because that’s the popular version that utterly overshadows the original piece. The Chinese radio drama is the closest I can get to the unhinged Kurosawa and snarky ass Adachi. We do have to give the jdrama thanks for helping the manga not end shortly but we really need to give the original manga its flowers. 

Still, regardless of adaptation, all were made of love. The Thai version never even picked up the manga or even the original jdrama, probably watched the trailer and that’s it. I want to be kind to it but it just didn’t display anything that I like about the original in the first place. I have my misgivings for the weaker adaptations but I do like the better parts of the Thai iteration such as the localization (house, transport to work, etc) which is only up to a point, unfortunately. But the Thai version was made of love regardless of quality. 

I really like the jdrama fleshing out the side characters more due to its slower pacing. The jdrama might not done well when branching on its own stuff well that isn’t the side characters except Minato but it’s adequate. While the original Fujisaki inhabits the Yaoi fangirl shipper, the jdrama iteration is her own fleshed-out character who is firmly AroAce. 

The friendships Adachi has been fleshed out beyond just Rakakou and a little bit of Fujisaki. It’s about the relationships Adachi makes beyond just his romance. The point is to live life and there is nothing wrong with experiencing all of that in their quarter-life. 

I’ve been drawn to protagonists in their late twenties to thirties lately because they show there is nothing wrong with experiencing the life you supposedly have at a young age and don’t carry it into the quarter life. The story of ORV is ultimately about love written with love. Any kind of love is written with romance being ambiguous. ORV isn’t BL but the ambiguity of it as well as the queer subtext seems almost text. It got to the point that the queer subtext was outright erased on the ebook version. 

As someone who has trouble socializing but wants to reach out to the rest of the world, Cherry Magic and ORV and their themes are always comforting that life is still going for me and there is nothing wrong with experiencing love of all kinds at this age. 

People have written Cherry Magic off both in the BL and at large in general due to the title alone and what they feel is a dime a dozen. 

BL has so much denigration and is under fire even though the topic of discussion is more nuanced than that a blanket statement the entire genre is entirely rape. Not to mention, there is always a popular mxm ship in every single fandom 

If Cherry Magic retold the story so many times including a fucking musical version, there has to be something special to Cherry Magic, don't you think? More than just being a relatively mature shounen-ai at best? There has to be something special that created a fanfic trope. 

I don't think dismissing it alone when fans are willing to experience the story over and over again. 

I believe the character development, that the story is well past the main character in the main romance losing his virginity and thus his powers, and that it's about the love of all sorts and the building of relationships to experience the world is what made Cherry Magic a standout in the crowd. 

Yes, these things exist in other BLs too. Whatever Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, language there is for BL, it is still BL. And in BL, you must stand out lest there wouldn't be adaptations in other mediums. However, Cherry Magic isn't even the most popular thing ever even the Jdrama had done a lot for the manga but it's still not even some of the most popular danmeis' level of popularity. Sure they are translated and have a big fanbase but whereas MDZS is a deconstruction of xianxia with BL, Cherry Magic is essentially a slice of life BL that explores love in all its forms as well as the hurdles of a committed relationship that does deal with the societal homophobia. 

There are many different BLs including affectionate parodies. Like any other romance, there are many different kinds of romances that tackle all kinds of things. Cherry Magic's magic is its gentleness in depicting the love of all kinds and that no matter what the brain thinks those who care for you do care for you. 

The BL and the LGBT stories that do stick out in the crowd deserve to have eyes on them, the ones that are good anyway. 

At the moment, I’m in deep with Blue Flag and Gambare Nakamara. 

The likes of Emilia Perez, a supposedly LGBT story that does not showcase any topical subjects meaningfully, failed hard in their performative activism and was safe enough for elites to get behind. Oh, so the song is about political corruption even though the movie never acknowledged that Rita is colluding with corrupt figureheads nor was the subject of the song ever brought up before the song. That’s not even the worst thing regarding the writing. If anything, that’s a minor footnote to the list of misdeeds. The movie was already rotten to the core but to know just how putrid it was through each rot in the lead-up to the Oscars 

The Death Note US live-action is just horrid because when the original Japanese series criticize the Japanese justice system, this one doesn't do shit about the American justice system and how it impacts the BIPOC community. Just nope. L being black could be a thing to connect the dots from there but nope. Of course not. The thing for the guys behind this adaptation is not the themes or even attempting to emulate the cat-and-mouse play in a good way, it's about the imagery of Kira the cult, and the grandeur of the death. No fun for the cast and crew will ever wipe away the loss of potential. I can't even enjoy that much when everything else was horrendously written so flat. 

That's the process I feel with the worst of performative LGBT media that are hailed as legendary when it's not. For every Moonlight or I Saw the TV Glow, there is always an Emilia Perez or Girl. 

While the story is officially a BL, there are LGBT themes present. The author supports gay marriage in Japan. 

I’m happy that it exists happily. The series itself is not as groundbreaking as YOI and Utena; or in the mainstream where there definitely be more thought put into it like FMA. However, not all art is supposed to be high art to be enjoyed. There is a heart there with a power of connection that allowed its staying power in so many iterations. It’s powerful enough to get a fanfic trope. The last I remember was Seven Days. 

Final Review: Titanic 1997

Ah, Titanic, the infamous maritime disaster. By far the most recognizable but not the deadliest tragedy in the world. 

The stories of the Titanic are well-known even to those who just have the gist. The debated last song, the breakup theories, interest in the passengers, and so on remain in discussion. 

The films cemented the foundation of a disaster film. The 1997 film was the culmination of all the Titanic films that came before it including references to dialogue.

Titanic is a fascinating topic as it’s a tragic accident that didn’t deserve its fate. For everything done wrong, there are still things done right to save as many lives as possible. 

The tragedy is so well-known a permanent exhibit was set up in a fake pyramid in Las Vegas. On an aside note, the recreation of the famous scenes from the movie takes me out of the otherwise somber exhibit. I understand why but it’s hard. Compared to other Titanic museums (looking at you, Branson), it’s so small out of the entire exhibit whereas Branson has events in the museum that are just so why??? A valentines and business dinner??? Sure why not give the Titanic the Christmas decor she never had but why??? On the outside seeing a replica of the infamous iceberg scraping scene was alarming and should be a red flag because everyone knows the Titanic but to see it like that just for attraction's sake is just alarming. Just imagine the Word Trade Center with the airplane inches from the diorama/attraction. 

We are so divorced from the Titanic tragedy regardless it wasn’t the deadliest disaster in history that people can take a museum attracting attention by building a replica of the infamous iceberg scraping scene outside of films and television. It’s best that any scenes of the iceberg are in that medium than the horrid attraction for a museum just for attention. 

You know it's bad when the musical version is not the animated version which largely used minimal sets and either hydraulics or actually setting it on a lake. 

Everyone knows the scene, it just… we’re craving a visual Titanic museum. Titanic Honor and Glory were trying to be this had it not been under the ambitions and arrogance of its former leader and face. I don’t think AAA studios want to touch it. 

I’m digressing. 

The 1997 film is the culmination of everything that came before it, a melodramatic love story and all. Seriously, if you just look at the Titanic on film, a star-crossed love story is not out of place. Fuck, fictional love stories were told, it’s just in 1997 one featured one of third and first class as the lovers. So anyone decrying the love story and melodrama is just not educated on the film history of the Titanic. 

I mean one of the maids fell in love with a steward in the real-life Titanic. Telling a romance story on the Titanic is not new. 

Titanic's overall story even with all the myths associated with it made it a Greek myth or a fable or a morality play. Ignoring the complexity of humanity, archetypes were seemingly at play during the voyage and the sinking. 

For better or worse, the Titanic fascination will remain just based on so many factors. 

And well, time to discuss them as objectively as possible with the movie.

Plot

Now everyone knows the plot. The first half is dedicated to the love story of Rose and Jack, the second half is dedicated to the sinking, and the present-day scenes are largely about Brock Lovett. 

The romance and the characters are often criticized for their simplicity and cliches but it doesn't mean that it's bad. Really, for all the thin plot and characters that aren't that explored outside of Satine Moulin Rouge had been criticized, it's a tongue-in-cheek melodrama of Bollywood influence. 

I was a child when I first saw the movie on VHS as my cousin originally had it on the shelf. I was far more interested in the ship and only rewatched the movie as a teen with a more appreciation of what the romance and characters are supposed to represent. 

Honestly, the criticism of the melodrama is just stupid. The Titanic disaster have been romanticized long before Cameron came around. The idea of a touted unsinkable ship sinking on her maiden voyage with the captain intending to retire is melodrama and that’s not taking the band’s final number and class stratification and inequality into consideration. Yeah, it’s melodrama but on the other hand, it was a melodramatic historical event hence its romanticism.  

Seriously, did you see the 1953 version?

Please when we got a real-life story of a husband kidnapping his two sons in a bitter custody battle from his wife and dying in the sinking. His body was recovered! The reason I even knew about this was that I researched. 

If people just know the inherent melodrama, a star-crossed lovers' story is nothing. 

The romance itself had been derided and nowadays I see a small minority saying that Cal is the better choice because of money and protection. 

...Buddy, Cal at the end of the story may have been more regretful when he tried to search for Rose but recall how much Cal acted Rose was a possession than a woman of her own right. He literally tried to kill Jack for fuck's sake, someone as I will point out again represents the loved ones lost. 

Cal does not offer Rose the happiness she desired, the need she sees in falling in love with someone who is indeed penniless. 

Seriously, just because Jack does not offer much does not mean he is the bad choice in the love triangle that is obviously going to have Jack be chosen. Jack is literally the Manic Pixie Dream Guy in this situation with his flaws being in the periphery and the memory messing things up. I’m pretty sure Jack knows he doesn’t offer much to a rich girl who had everything but he sees the fire in her. 

If we also think in the same black and white of Christian and the Duke in Moulin Rouge, then the Duke by that same thought process should be the better choice. 

Fuck, the musical version of the romance seemed to be written by the Duke as the Duke is seemingly the better choice while Christian will try to kill himself just so Satine can say she loves him. Unlike the movie, Satine slept with him and the Duke basically wanted her as his wife lest he will not invest whereas the movie threatened the pull out of the investment after Satine refused to sleep with him and he tried to rape her. Satine had the choice to break up lest the Duke kills Christian or be the Duke's wife and remain her short life as a trophy wife with all the luxury she can imagine in exchange for her loved ones' safety in the new Moulin Rouge. The Duke had implied to be violent in business matters before but that was apparently getting out of agreements rather than forcing into one. Here, the Duke gave her agency on top of them sleeping together. In the musical, Christian represents the romantic love that Satine feels she cannot return as the Moulin Rouge had been her home longer than the movie Satine's. The star-crossed lovers' aspect of a prostitute who cannot fall in love and a penniless writer is still there just done badly in the musical version. In the stage musical, Satine kept her TB a secret from her loved ones but in the movie, Satine didn’t know until the day of her death because movie Satine was the golden goose of the money squeezing her talents out of just as Christian wasn’t informed because he’s the writer to make the play as successful as they can. 

Whereas Christian humiliated and throws the profession that he knows Satine only used to keep herself off the streets but still rather leave her life than do anything else than that whereas the Duke actively tried to kill Christian regardless of Satine breaking up with Christian and even after he didn't bother further investing to keep Satine's memory alive. 

It was only because Satine saw that Christian, the man who loves her for her, was about to leave her life forever and she does want him, willing to die for love. In the last few minutes of her life, she was happy with her love. To Satine, Christian represents freedom from her cage; she did really want to run away with him before she learned she was gonna die that night and that she had to break his heart to save him from the Duke. She could choose to see Christian gone from her life or she would die shortly after the play alone and she chose love. The only choice she could make at the end of her short life. 

The musical still had the break his heart to save him trope but that was quickly dented by Christian threatening to kill himself just so Satine can say she does love him. No Orpheus and Eurydice here, folks, no walking away and turning back. Just straight-up abusive behavior from the man she loves. Again if you thought Christian was bad in the movie, the musical just made him even worse than our supposed villain.

It's even right there in the visuals with her costume in the Tango de Roxanne scene where she was given that expensive necklace that stranded her to the Duke's mercy. 

The Heart of the Ocean was as much as a prison chain to Rose as that necklace was to Satine. 

Rose never wanted to be with Cal who had that outburst when they were in their private promenade. She obviously never wanted to be with Cal who while never cartoony emphasized the negative traits of the first class on the Titanic disaster. Come on the bribing and using a child to save his own life, are negative traits associated with the men who supposedly survive that way, particularly the first-class men. 

I’m honestly thinking that people thinking that Cal is the better choice forget about Rose’s character development, why the story was written the way it is, and the sheer symbolism of certain characters fitting roles in the tragedy. By saying Cal is the better choice because of money and protection, it denied Jack’s sacrifice for Rose and his role as the loved one lost for Rose in the tragedy where so many lost their loved ones. It also denied that Jack should be fully aware of his class and let Rose choose including that kiss. Rose knew he was a bohemian so his records are lost. Really, did these people forget the scene where Rose try to say she loves Cal in front of Jack and that Jack likes the fire in her scenes or what?

The historical accuracy outside of the ship itself has been broadly noted. I'm not picky about history despite being a history lover. 

Honestly, I was so fascinated with the ship that I didn't care the lights were everywhere in order to let the viewers and crew see the ship while shooting. The blue shading when the lights were turned off permanently 

The ship itself was so beautiful with its framing and sweeping shots to indicate the grandiose beauty. With the exception of some parts of the boat including second class which we don’t see outside of a few real historical people (Thomas Byles and the band), there is no denying we are appreciating the ship. The way we were able to get into the mindset that tragedy was so far away as we witness so much hope and optimism from the beginning of the boarding and the days in a freaking flashback and just hoping the ship will dodge the iceberg even though we know from the present day scenes where we look back at the science and physics (how the boat sinks, Lovett commenting the ship was too big to turn) is a testament. That is a flashback, we were able to push the ship’s inevitable sinking to the back as we want to see these characters get their happy ending. 

Even though we know they aren’t.

The second half, the disaster film sequence, was just so great. 

Normally, other disaster films focus on the disaster entombing the world but not the people. The rare clips I do see of disaster films that don't focus on the apocalypse were the people running away with all the panic and fear permeating everything. 

Titanic's approach was just so humanist. We do not just see Jack, Rose, and the other fictional characters' experiences in the overall terror of the dark desperate night. We see the historical characters and the minor characters who don't even follow but their panic and fear pervade the screen. Even as a child, I was frightened for everyone even though I know that only a few will come out of the ship alive. It was enough for me to not seek out other disaster movies until high school because that's how bad Titanic scared yet fascinated me. 

I remember watching The Day After Tomorrow in my high school science class. While the teacher was showing it just to show the science albeit far more escalated than normal that it would've been in real life, I distinctly remember forgetting a group of people that left one of the main cast of character groups because they didn't listen and suffered a horrid icy death as the other group of main cast stumbled across their dead bodies. It was that bad because the disaster did not see the deaths of those people as we do see the deaths or even the implied deaths of those on the Titanic. At this point, I know the ship carried people with dreams even as a kid and to see the dreams destroyed alongside the people’s desperate terror it feels human that other disaster movies failed to capture. Even to this day, I actively seek out the sinking scenes and then the grandeur. I feel the people and the event in the movie more than any other disaster movie I have seen. I feel the fear and terror than I do other disaster flicks that focused primarily on the disasters than the actual people trying to escape death. 

Coupled with the grand choral music, we see the deaths of people screaming and running in terror as the water rise and floods and the ship breaks. In the movie when we saw the Grand Staircase before the dome imploded, the Honor and Glory Crowning Time clock was 2:15 aka only five minutes of Titanic's life were left. Godoka and then the floods that destroyed the skylight dome and the hallway was just as tragically magnificent as the scene where the sweeping shot was used to show the souls on deck running for the stern. 

We know it was a cold desperate night full of panic and fear. As much as people try to paint that there are people who bravely remained on board, there are those who were trapped. I want to emphasize that, there were trapped people who want to get off the death ship. 

Cameron wanted to show the disaster was exactly that. There’s no gentle pool of water enveloping the gentlemen. It was a flood of water destroying everything on its path. 

I’m pretty sure the men left behind died horrible deaths. It’s not a gentle rush. Funnels fell and the ship broke. How was it elegant? Oh I'm sure the men who dressed up in their best romanticized the inevitable but it didn't have to be 

If you know the basic percentages of death via class, you know the fictional third-class passengers will die. Trudy, unfortunately, has to die because she’s a connection with Rose’s old life. Because Ruth obviously won't die in the sinking given only four 1st class women die and it fits her character to be on the lifeboat with Molly Brown, it just made sense. Likewise, Cal would prove himself a coward with his attempted bribe only to barely survive when he climbed onto a lifeboat safely somehow with a child. 

As a kid, I cared more for the ship and did feel half of the intended impact as we saw the sinking from so many angles. However, with the love story and other fictional characters we have grown to care about, the impact is even stronger growing up. The love story enhanced the disaster as the disaster enhanced the love story. 

I also have to talk about the ending. People said that Rose is selfish for not selling the diamond when selling the damn thing would say that she's alive to her mom and ex-fiance both of which she did not want in her life. Her ex-fiance filed an accidental insurance fraud but it's still the point that Cal's family will notice the diamond circulating around in the US after being known it was lost to the sea. How did the diamond come to the land when the Titanic sank to the deepest darkest depths of the ocean? 

Also, Rose valued her life with her husband and kids. She lived her life how she knew Jack would've wanted her to have. Jack fucking gave her his blessing to marry another man prior to his death. Jack knew he isn't likely to survive as made evident in the text. 

Jack was the Manic Pixie Dream Jack and does not deserve his fate. Jack changed her life just as the most traumatic memory of her young life happened. She made peace with her tragedy and Jack which she passed on the memory of to her granddaughter, Brock Lovett, and his crew. 

Whether or not she died at the end should be a matter of discussion. Just because she seemingly reunited with Jack and all those who died in the disaster does not mean she neglected her husband and children for a fling. A 'fling' that changed her life. 

Characters

Rose is the only fully realized character in this whole movie. The historical people are from popular legends whereas the original fictional characters are archetypes but still have a fleeting gleam of life to them. 

The other fictional characters marred the most from Rose’s memory. They are usually archetypes we see by now including the Manic Pixie Dream Jack. Minor nitpicks like Jack’s origins can be seen as Rose not knowing enough or her memory failing her. 

Jack at the end of the day was a free spirit who didn’t have a character arc. He’s a static character meant to represent those loved ones lost in the disaster. He’s likable hence why people reacted so strongly to his death. 

On an aside note, I was just frustrated by Leonardo Dicaprio’s need to get out of being a teen girl’s star as if it damaged his career. Yeah, go out and take manly man jobs including getting mauled by a bear. Thank god for people still in the industry making you half of a love story equation. Just look at MovieBob’s review. Honestly, I’m just frustrated that women’s interests are denigrated that the lead actor went so far because he wanted to get a serious job yet still highlighted the serious problem of seeing feminine interests as lesser and invalidating to the overall film field. Really, Baz Luhrmann who made unrepentant romances never gave him pause? He never gave a shit that his films get mixed responses, why should he care ultimately women are more likely to like him because of his focus on romance?

Ruth’s actor attempted to make Ruth more three-dimensional but Cameron refused. To his credit, Cameron didn’t want a cartoonish villain so he rid the scene of Fabrizio being bludgeoned to death by Cal from one of the lifeboats to Fabrizio being one of the victims of the funnel’s collapse. 

Just as Jack represented those loved ones lost to those who had been saved, Cora represented the children lost. 

The minor fictional characters originally had larger roles such as Helga being Rose’s foil by being the dutiful daughter who stayed with her parents till death and fell in love with someone in the same class but nope. Cameron was apparently adamant the movie ends with the two hours and forty minutes spent exactly in the past.

The historical characters need much more attention and it’s hit or miss. 

On the one hand, EJ Smith did stay on the ship and died. On the other hand, he was just so complacent and did little to help the situation. He tried his best but he knew that over a thousand will die.

The regulations were what truly killed Titanic in the end. Smith and the officers did the usual speeding because that was the usual thing to get the hell out of the way of hazards; the Marconi operators are from the company, not the officers hence the priority of private messages over warnings; the lifeboats wasn't filled to capacity for multiple factors such as unwillingness to head out into the cold, unease about the lifeboats when they had already been tested in Belfast, and the whole ferry thing; 

I am of two minds about Ismay. While it is true that his scapegoating was cruelly spearheaded by an enemy of his and didn't deserve the level of infamy as he did help women and children escape, he also still did not go down with the ship, only there at the right time on the right place and rightfully feared for his life. We still cannot forget that hundreds of White Star employees were still on board including Ismay's personal staff died a dreadful death. Why did so many employees were left to die a horrible watery death when their rich boss lived? 

Even though Thomas Andrews has been martyred, we know that he had been helping people until the last time he was with EJ Smith. 

I have so many mixed feelings about EJ Smith. I don't want to speak ill of a captain who did go down with the ship with passengers stranded with no way out and no help to come. He did cancel a lifeboat drill on the day of the sinking which would've greatly helped the evacuation. 

The evacuation was botched when they should've evacuated as soon as possible. 

The Murdoch thing had already been said. The fact he was seemingly villainized was just not good, accepting Cal and accidentally killing Tommy was just not good. However, there is a possibility he could have committed suicide because he, Wilde, or any other officer had a gun. We can still say that he saved the most lives while saying that he could've still committed suicide due to the stress. Lightoller saw Murdoch crushed by the first funnel though so really who knows who really killed himself that night? 

I would be hard-pressed not to mention Titanic itself is a character. We first saw her as a gray ghost then transitioned into the beautiful ship brought to life by a proud crew and passengers in awe of her grandeur. We knew the ship sunk, heck, it's in the present-day scenes where we learn the forensic science of how she will sink. But we were taken to many of her decks including sweeping shots and even down below in the boilers in her voyage and her eventual death. Now the sweeping shots that used to show her majesty are now used to helplessly watch the people running in terror from the rising waters. 

When she sank, we are not only watching the sinking of the Ship of Dreams but also the death of the dreams of many. There was so much hope and optimism imbued into her that nobody on the damn ship in 1912 thought her to lead them to their deaths. In the final ten minutes of her life that we saw onscreen at least (the entire flashback takes place in the time it takes Titanic to sink), we see Titanic as a dying beast taking down 1500 lives with her to the depths of the cold North Atlantic. 

Even though Rose initially saw Titanic as a prison, she came to see Titanic as a place where she met Jack and a place she dreamt often as the Ship of Dreams in all its glory. That was how survivors eventually came to see Titanic even though her twin sister was right there. Yeah, she got a Parisian cafe later on but Olympic was effectively still her twin. Titanic just got changes that Brittanic later got and would've gotten a longer career than her eldest sister had it not been for the mine. 

By the end of the movie where we see the submersibles going up leaving her in the dark alone and that final shot before she slowly regained her former glory in the dream/heaven, Titanic did not deserve her final fate to be alone at the bottom of the cold Atlantic. 

Themes

Making every day count for you never knowing when your day is your last is the driving theme. 

That pairs well with Titanic’s own stories of sacrifice, heroism, and cowardice. The stories of the band playing till the last thirty minutes, the priests staying to comfort, the engineers and stokers staying till near the last, Thomas Andrews and Smith helping the passengers till the last few minutes, Murdoch and Moody trying to get the collapsible lifeboat on the still intact davit but running out of time but washed away and Murdoch ended up crushed by the funnel, and other stories. 

Rose was trapped in her life and only began living in her time with Jack. She made a promise to Jack and lived a fulfilling life and died an old lady of natural causes in her warm bed. That is how Jack always wanted her to live her life and fully support her in finding someone else to start a family. He knew he was gonna die and knew he wouldn't keep his side of the promise to her but the fact that he met her and sacrificed himself for her safety is more than enough for him in his short life. 

The ship was full of promises of hope for a better future. The sinking was so unthinkable for these people because just days before they could reach New York, they died tragically. 

It's understandable why Jack has to die. This was a tragedy. Not only are people divorced from the tragedy generations apart who cannot comprehend that this was the Edwardian 9/11, everyone who had survived lost someone on that ship. To empathize with those survivors, we have to get into the headspace therefore Jack has to die. Jack symbolized the many loved ones who were lost. 

Killing characters off for the themes is not unusual. MHA's Twice was killed off for the themes too as well as the deaths in Persona 3 and The Great Gatsby. Not that these characters can't be saved in fanfiction. Go off and save them from the hands of the themes while still keeping the themes intact. 

It’s essential to the story Jack must die. In fanworks, save him if you can because there are alternate ways than just attempting to switch. It made no sense for the period and the situation for Jack to think he has a chance of living but he can save a loved one.

Costumes/Visuals

The fashion deservedly won the Oscar. Rose's intro suit was on point. Her dresses remained icons today. 

Course, it’s not always perfect as Cameron admitted to taking liberties with the fashion to tell a story. For example, Rose walks out of the cafe after rebelling without a hat despite the conduct where women wouldn’t go out without a hat. I understand the story standpoint as well as the historical standpoint.

Cameron placed lighting fixtures for both the cameras, actors, and the audience to see what was going on including places where the lights didn’t exist. The makeup was far more pronounced as at that time lipstick was worn by prostitutes and other women like actors I think, don’t take my word for it. 

I do have to give credit to James Cameron. For more or less accuracy to how the ship would've been built, the sets became a control test in how we understand our understanding of the disaster. 

The most obvious (ie the first-class dining saloon was all set up for breakfast the next morning. Of course when that room floods, everything will float) to the surprising (ie the Grand Staircase breaking away from a steel-reinforced structure, pinning stuntpeople unexpectedly, reinforcing the theory that Grand Staircase simply broke away from being submerged as the dome imploded and caused a suction. Archibald Gracie was the one who was the closest to the Grand Staircase as he said suction and gave that testimony with many survivors noticing the amount of wood that came to the surface. Perhaps it broke away piece by piece but regardless we know that the entire staircase didn't come out of the dome implosion, just pieces.) is a goldmine for researchers. Historians were surprised to learn such details that gave volume to theories thrown around but now the possibility it did happen was all the more conceivable. 

Even though the davits are built to specificities, the lifeboats aren't and even then those lifeboats are just as precarious that no wonder passengers who weren't aware of the danger won't go on there, not helped they want to stay in their warm cabins when their warm cabins won't be warm much longer. It gave insight to historians into the mindset of the passengers who refused to get into safety. 

In fact, as they play out the events like one lifeboat nearly toppling another while seamen frantically cut the ropes, I bet it was like reliving what happened. 

Even though the sinking and the breakup were based on the nineties' understanding of the disaster, it turned out that in the end, it was only half right and half wrong. To this day, we likely won't know what happened to the ship. Not just the listing and the direction of the stern in its final moments but the band's final number and the final places where many famous victims were at the time of their deaths. While it was agreed upon that Thomas Andrews was in the First Class Smoking room, evidence has proven that he stayed trying to help people before he jumped with Edward Smith. 

Outside of liberties with history and using the popular legends to tell the story where we know Rose didn't see happen, the science was fascinating to learn as it gives a glimpse into the sinking. 

We aren't likely to know the truth of how the ship sank and all of that sort. We really don't know as we only have only a third of the story. The rest are dead and nobody can speak to the dead. 

While A Night to Remember is best for its accurate portrayal of the sinking with this movie coming a close second, this movie is best for accurately portraying the ship and its interiors because Titanic itself is a character. 

Overall

It’s a well-made movie. It deserved its accolades. The flaws are heavy but it doesn’t detract that much as we can see the intention why certain foils are cut from the final piece. It's in the end Rose's story and memory of a traumatic event. 

Romance epics aren’t a thing. Not just because feminine interests are trashed even more so when romances that get big and make lots of money are seen as not true filmmaking, and other movies that followed cliches of romances are disregarded. 

While I don't think this movie is anything bad, a modernization of A Night to Remember with all the known survivor accounts that can at least align where they once stood and not have Lightoller be the protagonist who did the duties that his fellow crew did. Just a thought, yeah, because at the same time knowing that we will never know what truly happened that night, the details that we do know should've been the elevation. Also keep the replica that was destined to sink and break up, keep that and use it as a museum. 

While I really don't like Julian Fellowes' Titanic 2012, the only good thing that came out of the whole mess was a survivor's perspective from the last ten minutes of Titanic's life. It's far more accurate as from far away, the breakup occurred at a much lower angle and the stern still sank upward. Even though it's horribly written with Downton Abbey rejects and dereliction of duties, the sinking sequence from a survivor's perspective from the water and onto a capsized lifeboat is the best thing. 

Ah, Julian Fellowes, what an upper-class twit. His classism and that the gentry liked the servants and vice versa even though the maltreatment was historical evidence and his Shakespeare comment can only be understood by Cambridge. Never mind that in America, Romeo and Juliet are taught in the high school curriculum and much of the language is much closer to our language with so much of our language coming from him (the words had dwindled because it's because Shakespeare heard the way women speak at the time and utilized the language for his plays). 

Honestly, I don't know who is worse. James Cameron colonized his own fictional world when his colleagues literally created something alien in both music and fauna and not something heard from Oklahoma to South Dakota and not analogs of our animals or Julian Fellowes, an elitist twit who is unwilling to see the servants won't like the aristocrats and likewise, aristocrats cared more about themselves even in the last gasps of the aristocracy.  

*sighs* It comes to this. It was so unexpected that somehow Titanic claimed 5 more lives with the Titan submersible. 

On one hand, it’s hard to feel pity for billionaires who have so little oversight on the safety precautions that the Titanic - the Titanic, infamous for the disastrous dominoes of disaster in which after the disaster inquiries about the safety at sea were at its utmost discussion - was basically spit in the face of. 

On the other hand, the 19-year-old didn’t deserve that. The wife who was the descendant of the Strauss couple didn't deserve that. The loved ones did not deserve that. 

However, my point of contention was how the Titan submersible destruction spit on the face of the Titanic disaster. That just grinds my gears of the arrogance of the rich to flout safety while in the past, Titanic did what they always did while not considering the worst possible thing that could happen to them as they botch the evacuation. There is a damn good reason why the Titanic myths exist. 

The Titan really spat on its face with its name and its flouting of safety. Its name, the fact there was nothing about it that could be considered safe, the prices to pay, its construction… 

It’s not a repeat of history but more so a flouting of history. Titanic was built with safety and comfort in mind while so many conditions drove the ship to its grave because the worst possible outcome fatefully killed the beautiful ship and her passengers. In fact, the Olympic class truly was strong, just that Titanic simply didn’t have high and attached bulkheads that killed it. That’s one of the very few flaws, not the damn fire or poor steel or poor shipbuilding. Titan was not built with safety in mind hence its implosion. 

Unlike Titanic, there were no inquiries but like Titanic, more attention to the 1% took attention away from the poor immigrants as seen with the Greek ship disaster with the immigrants drowning while the Coast Guard did not bother for an illegal ship. 

There should be rescue for the illegal ships too as well as saving lives because Titanic’s legacy should be reduced to this. The prevalence of the Titanic disaster and its lessons have ever been more needed. 

Titanic will never ever go away as it lasted over a century of fascination. 

Yet for the rich, the fascination turned deadly if they don’t take in the lessons their ancestors learned from the disaster. 

Is it so hard for the lessons that people took from the Titanic to learn and expand? We got the Ice Patrol and ship advances to make safety the priority. 

But ships and submersibles are just not even with the recent advances with the kites, not masts. Safety precautions and life-saving protocols are needed at this time more than anything. 

I’m just shocked. I just can’t believe this. I thought nobody was sane enough to not think about safety but nope, arrogance led to death here. A combo of ignorance and arrogance led Titanic to doom but here, all arrogance killed them all. 

Just to be clear, James Cameron was not asked for interviews because he made Titanic. He’s an expert on undersea engineering and made contributions to oceanography. He dove into the Mariana Trench solo and proved himself in the field of ocean science. 

Mini-Review: Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir Awakening Movie

 

Even I made previous posts about my disappointment with the series in general because it just won't take advantage of its potential and when it does, it was undone quickly by Astruc who is an incompetent writer who writes according to his personal feelings. Just look at my rants because I'm just disappointed in the show for not even taking the potential of anything and the abuse apologism which perhaps is stronger than my feelings about the writing now that I think about it more. 

The show and movie are two totally different beasts and they coexist. If one person prefers the show over the movie, go do you, I suppose even though I would point out that the common saying is 'nobody hates Miraculous more than the fans'. It's inevitable there will be comparisons but just to be clear, one is Astruc's vision and the movie was Zag's. 

Not to mention they are two different mediums. Though we can compare the movie's writing with the show's movies and specials like Shanghai, Christmas, New York, etc. Those specials are definitely movies as they clock over an hour at the least. At least that can cover a relatively standalone adventure next to a completely different universe.

I'm trying to be diplomatic so that anybody who is saying that they prefer the show over the movie can just do their own thing and allow that opinion. 

The movie has pacing issues and time constraints which means important information would be sacrificed. 

The movie is not introductorily friendly. It required just a tad bit of knowledge of ML but not much more, just at least seasons 1 and 2. 

For a newcomer, it's not friendly but for fans, it's a treat to see better execution. 

Just to be clear, the show and movie's characters are different but the movie's characterization is far more logical and realistic while the show does not follow anything logically. 

The movie is bare bones but when it does really well, it's really good. 

The Agreste Family arc is far better this time around. Whereas Gabriel treated Adrien like a doll in the series, the movie had Adrien be an ordinary student albeit rich - think of the many anime-rich kids that attend school with the other middle class like Tomoyo Daidouji and Sonoko Suzuki. He's quiet and withdrawn yet he has a lot of energy as Cat Noir, finding the identity free from all his troubles. 

Adrien was grieving after the loss of his mom and only found the Cat Noir identity freeing from his mental isolation caused by grief that he fell hard back on from rejection. 

The downside is that there weren't any scenes that show Adrien's transformation or even a song for him to Gabriel. While the movie knows the final battle for Hawkmoth must be given to Adrien, it's still a major flaw. 

Still, Adrien in the movie is still treated much better than the show as he was allowed his own agency and he did outright tell his partner why he's Cat Noir in the first place so it's just a tad bit better but could've been stronger. 

However, there is so much controversy over Adrien showing flaws and his emotional needs taken into account in the movie when the show does show flaws but expects people to see him as the good boy to ignore his needs. Considering media literacy is so awful due to Twitter and binging and so many other factors, people did seem to fall for the perfect victim propaganda. It gets to the point they spew out abuse apologism as they side with characters unable to help each other emotionally due to the bad writing in unable to grow from their flaws and plain badness. No characters are able to grow from their flaws especially helping each other emotionally but only for one but even that one can’t grow either. I think people failed to realize that the show never developed the characters in a logical way. It isn't a fucking slow-burn, got it when people just want a satisfying conclusion when ML will never be satisfying with the abysmal S5 finale. 

Gabriel is much more redeemable this time around or at the very least earned it. He was still distant but his love for his family triumphed. Though with the stinger, Gabriel might have given up but Natalie certainly didn't and the Peacock is out there. 

Fuck, unlike the season 5 finale aka the end of the fucking Agreste family arc, Adrien gets to confront his dad in both forms! The movie has the decency to know the emotional weight belongs to Adrien, not to Marinette because it's his fucking father who needed to be confronted by his son! 

Seriously, I was squealing when I realized that Dabi would get his confrontation with Endy in the final arc! That Shouto will save him at last with his family! Yeah, that fight only slightly dented Dabi but at least he called Shouto his brother! Dabi has to confront his dad prior to his saving! 

Because that's the fucking point! That's just another example where it has to happen and the series refused to make that confrontation happen because 'Adrien must be a perfectly good boy well-behaved, no sneaking around, and he is so weak-willed even though there should be growth there for independence!'. At this point where magical boys were brainwashed in magical girls' shows, they at least grow! 

Moving onto Marinette, her character is much better here as she is believably clumsy and not exactly proficient. It's only as time went on with her time as Ladybug blossomed her confidence and self-assurance. It was enough to have Chloe respect her when she did fight back. It was dizzying to see Marinette as Marinette ask out Adrien when I spent years just watching a girl who just can't do anything but be stalkerish instead just to get the boy she likes. 

As for the Kwamis, they are literally gods who decide their users and don’t bend to the guardian’s will if anything the poor guardian has to play peacemaker for the argumentative ones. 

Let’s get the bad out of the way first: Plagg is reduced to a fart joke, nothing to show a different dynamic with a much different Adrien. I understand that Adrien went out of his shell on his own but it was with the Cat Noir persona he allowed himself that. So Plagg being reduced to a joke doesn’t help. 

I like Tikki in this one as she refused the refusal of the call and just downright won't take no for an answer. 

Now onto the secondary characters that didn't have much of a role. All Alya and Nino done had shown that they're friends with the titular characters, and tried to matchmake, and it was hinted that Nino have feelings for Alya long before this and tried to make his move. 

Nino was already Adrien's bestie at the start. Since Adrien is no longer a model for the Agreste fashion brand and is simply a rich kid, it's fine. It's not like we need to know that just as we know Tomoyo and Sakura are friends in school without knowing if they had met as cousins but given how Sakura reacted to Sonomi, the Daidouji mansion, and knew fuck-all about her grandpa, it's unlikely they met as cousins. The worst Nino did was just the well-meaning advice he gave to his bestie. 

Alya became friends with Marinette at the beginning of the school year. While I don't think she's running a blog here, she is still a photographer. 

Chloe has much better treatment here. We don't know if she's still the mayor's daughter or not but it's still likely she's still a rich kid. She's petty and she focused a lot on her reputation but she has a limit. A mean girl but not the bully Astruc always wanted her to be. 

Sabrina got a spine too! She had the agency to know and let Marinette sneak away from Chloe. 

The background characters are Luka and all of Marinette's classmates. We got a speaking line from Luka pointing at the rooftop and that's it. 

I mean it's fine since we aren't getting Lukanette or Adrigami with the reveal. It's unlikely we're getting the jealousy tactic or moving on briefly when there's no need for it. It's unlikely Luka is ever gonna be a superhero as this isn't exactly going on forever because I think unlike Astruc who would push for more seasons instead of building any type of long game like One Piece, Bleach, and fuck even Naruto has a better building of the long game and have proper climaxes and themes than the mess Miraculous is, Zag knows when to stop. 

The movie might've needed more time, preferably 20-35 minutes more to flesh out more and add more information for the newcomers. 

Pacing is standard as movies tend to clock an hour or so while absorbing visual film language. Animated films didn’t go for the two-hour mark until ATSV. Now we don’t know if any future animated films made in the US will follow in their footsteps when ML Movie and anime films are doing well in their regional and international releases that are not streaming. 

At the time being, the Miraculous isn't as bad as the series. When there are repetitive powers that are situation-only than anything creative, negating the supposedly powerful Miraculous, then it says that they are not thinking it through. 

When I have been exposed to better magic systems, Miraculous is just plain weak. 

Here, the Miraculous was distilled, and as the users grow more powerful, so do they. Cat Noir learning about Cataclysm is awesome as he knew he had the power of destruction but did not know what that meant. Likewise, the Ladybug is the power of creation that Marinette only learned what it really means at the end, and the Lucky Charm is not used for some quick-thinking problem-solving crisis of the day but instead of the original purification of the Akumas and its sentience; the Lucky Charm didn't reset everything just purified the Akumas, just Marinette using her Creation Miraculous Cure powers to rebuild everything but not reset everything back to normal. 

Really, outside of that one purification, I don't think I ever saw a single Lucky Charm item that saves the day. Both Cat and Ladybug have to use their creativity to save the day such as the fair instead of the Cataclysm and whatever Lucky Charm item of the day it was meaning mostly the yo-yo and the staff. 

Honestly, that's better as it raises the stakes and it's not quick and easy to just reset, just rebuild with magic. 

The Ladybug and Cat Miraculous are far more equal, befitting the nature of the dual protagonists. Because that's the point that they are partners, not heroes and sidekicks like the show wants to say it ever was. 

I believe the other Miraculous that we have seen so far are the Bee, Turtle, Fox, Butterfly, and Peacock. The Butterfly not only returned at the end but seemed to be used to make Akumas more than anything else. The stinger at the end with the Butterfly charm on Emilie's preserved corpse made it clear that it's now Natalie is to take up the mantle. I don't think I ever saw the Bunny - the time travel one - or any of the more repetitive powers which thank Arceus because in the original the time travel Miraculous was not even utilized to its full potential just to say that 'yeah Adrien is weak-willed therefore he can't know anything even though keeping secrets from him will break his trust'; why add the time travel one at all if you aren't gonna use it well? I have seen better time travel stories with said power. 

I don't know how many movies will be but a sequel had already been written and announced. With the other known Miraculous shown in the intro of the first movie, it's best they shrunk it down to just five heroes and two villains rather than having an entire class be the superhero team. 

As for the musical aspect, I didn't know what to do about it. I like musicals and at least the musical has the motive of pushing the story. it still feels weird. However, after the badness of the Christmas musical of the original series, these songs are actually better. Stronger Together is somewhat a lesser form of Rewrite the Stars but still pretty nice. You are Ladybug and Courage in Me is pretty nice. My Lady and Chaos Will Reign are a fun romp. There was actually a cut song too. 

The issue is primarily the dissonance of Lou and Christina Vee's voices which still doesn't help much in the French version either from what I heard. Why is Christina Vee not able to sing whereas Keith Silverstein was able to? They aren't Broadway singers by any means but competent and should be able to fill it in. Lou shouldn't have to sing the English parts unless it's to spread her skills to a fanbase who have only been exposed to her singing the theme prior. Lou is a pop singer hence the pop songs flavor in the movie. 

There are deleted scenes that should've made it into the final product such as Adrien and Marinette's conversation about Adrien's mother with him showing her the locket. It was instead cut into the montage instead but it could've been so much powerful. There's also Marinette's morning routine on her first day of school too. 

For what it’s worth, it does seem to be based more on the anime 2D PV with Zag’s vision. What little of Astruc’s original vision only carried over in tiny doses because it’s only the initial promises made with some themes carried over. 

It really does seem more based on the PV than anything. 

The Mime in the series is a good guy while the PV shows that the Mime was a criminal which the movie runs with. 

While Adrien isn't the Felix of the PV, he still has a bit of an edge and is a loner with a limited friend circle. 

Marinette is actually a normal girl and isn't a rich girl too with a family that has generational wealth and a grandma who can travel around easily rather than say knowing the best deals with her budget and so forth. She isn't rubbing elbows with the rich, powerful, and famous. She is just a normal girl who happened to be friends with a rich kid. She isn't babysitting for Paris' prominent news reporter or doing anything that could even be said she had an in with any powerful fashion industry. Fuck, Chloe is definitely still rich from her attitude but I don't know if her family is running a top hotel catering to the rich. 

It's just what I always thought about how Miraculous would handle it given its anime inspirations. All the middle-class friends with the rich as the big fancy houses in anime are shown off spectacularly. Given the space in Japan, it's understandable something like a big mansion like that would garner a reaction. 

Heck, given the ball at the end of the movie, that is likely open to everyone since Marinette is actually a normal girl this time around. There is no Gabe around to help her or a rockstar asking for a commission. 

The animation is amazing and yet still uses cartoon physics rather than realistic ones. The best animation is in its subtlest moments like glitter on the masks or chimes of the cat bell or emotions. It is after the most expensive French animation movie ever. 

It’s like night and day with the animation of the movie and the show. The show has the dubious honor of multiple studios working on it and often it’s not consistent. I don’t hammer too hard on it because at least compared to other shows that had reduced episodes that are downright comparable to 12-episode anime series though it shouldn’t be the case over here, at least it had those episodes even if they don’t do anything with it. I am not letting that go considering how the story refused to do anything logical plot-wise, trying to have two cakes and eat them but failing to reach both cakes on the same table no less. 

Yes, I seem to be hitting the show hard despite the diplomacy. I’ve been with the series since season 1 and it felt like the movie answered my prayers. Basic it may be but it fulfills the basics of storytelling. It’s really hard when ML has been in the lost potential pile with VLD, RWBY, and others I won’t mention. Genshin Impact seemed to have the worst repute nowadays despite its popularity and the merch here; it feels similar to its previous hate but with Sumeru, it escalated?? Gacha gamers are self-deprecating because they know what they are getting into. This feels different somehow. 

Flaws aside, the movie is still one of the best things that came out of Miraculous's official canon that is not fanworks. It stands side by side with the manga version quite well honestly since that also fixed stuff and streamlined it into a cohesive story that has more thought and effort put into it than Astruc ever did. When all Astruc can think of is spite and just being bad at writing in general because he can't even write slow-burn correctly or even proper character development in any way when Jeremy Zag knows how; his old fucking boss knew how to write better than Astruc! or at least show-run better! 

I apparently heard a lot of good things from the multiverse special featuring the bad guys version of our protags. Apparently, there's actual development that was not there in the last five seasons and specials for these guys. On one hand, it sparked hope there might be better writing for S6 but on the other hand, it could be an isolated incident just like the movie where it featured no behind-the-scenes shenanigans from Astruc. 

For a longtime watcher of Miraculous and making my brain melt because nothing of the story is moving forward and if anything moved forward, it is quickly shot by Astruc. Astruc is the French Butch Hartman but he's milking Miraculous for all its worth instead of finishing everything else in one more season. Then again different times.

The movie and the manga were all I ever asked for when the series began. The series is white noise to me as I do chores but I will watch the movie as entertainment any day of the week if I ever grew frustrated with the series when I do watch the series. 

I wasn't expecting gold but silver was what I came away with it. I'm far more satisfied just as much when I did read the manga version. 

It's amazing when more competent people band together rather than be overseen by an immature manchild who cannot take criticism. Zag at least understands constructive criticism better than Astruc ever will. 

Astruc is still gonna remain on the team even when he’s not gonna be the writer or showrunner in later seasons. So even with Zag’s better writing skills, he is still blocked by Astruc. 

This is me ignoring any ego that either man has but Godoka, when Zag demonstrates basic storytelling while Astruc goes for twists without correct plot progression or just attaching to the themes because what is consistent is abuse apologism wrongness. Kishimoto and Horikoshi may have weird story events but the themes are tight with those weird dips. Astruc like Steven Moffat made plot twists without logic or even keeping with the themes. The reason why I let Kishimoto, Horikoshi, and Kubo slide is because they stayed consistent with the themes with the weird events that looked like they don’t make sense but they do with the themes in mind. They know the themes whereas Astruc and Moffat sacrifice narrative and themes for plot twists that don’t make sense with the themes if they even bothered or forgotten the themes in favor of surprise. Seriously, ML seemed to forget the theme is about love past season 3 if people like the finale anyhow. Even Code Geass R2 keeps to the themes even when the movie doesn’t except on a surface level. There is little that Zag can do with the specials with Astruc’s overseer even with his name on it so the best he could do is make the movie his vision away from Astruc’s grasp. It’s as if ML moves along, it forgets its core themes and values which is love because it seems to forget it even when breaches of trust and inability to grow up naturally are made often. Because while there are additional stresses, Marinette and Adrien did not grow from their flaws. 

So yeah, with the ending of the Agreste family arc which ended with the villain winning even though the wish had always been said to be bad and should be prevented no matter what with no consequences to his image and his son looking up to him even though Adrien should know he was emotionally abused and the Butterfly Miraculous never recovered despite Marinette right there, Zag is fighting an uphill battle to have the next arc, the Butterfly Lila arc. 

Which fans have been clamoring for but do you think even with Zag’s help, Astruc is still there? Miraculous Ladybug has been going on for far too long and didn’t grow with its audience nor it does slow burn correctly. Look, I have been exposed to long fics for years (I’ve followed two of them so far, maybe three. I’m discounting pre-written fics that update in a schedule, erratic or otherwise, and fics that had hiatuses that lasted years due to failing interest or lack of inspiration or real life or WIPs or writer’s block. I’m counting ongoing only that does have an erratic schedule too but it’s still updating.) that are the definition of a slow burn but even they have a clear purpose than whatever the hell ML is doing. Pokémon is a long runner but they have a clear purpose for the plot and characters. Unlike ML, they actually earn it as we do see growth, logic, and sticking to the themes. 

Well, there is a clear purpose in the show but it’s never logical or worse characters act like idiots. There is no consistency where it matters. 

Fans have theories Astruc runs with but he fails to consider the writing progression or logic. At the end of the day, they are just theories, and creators from the outside should observe. Theories may seem to be presented with canon evidence but in no way that’s planned as even creators admit that. Astruc seemed to play it off as ‘I totally planned that’ when the writing with its lack of logic and progression made it clear he did not. 

Awful writer, awful magic system, awful story, awful characterization…

Magic Girl and superhero shows are better than this. Even though I was never a fan of Young Justice the cartoon that seemed to try for a Teen Titans spiritual successor, the fact the core four was ruined made me cry and SuperMartian remained one of my ugh ships that aren’t quite the level of my most hated but certainly an avoidance. And even then the show shows a better plot and characters than the mess that is Miraculous Ladybug. 

Yeah, YJ the cartoon isn’t my favorite DC show when the DCAMU got Kon right but again no Tim! Not even the Titans show got them right not try to make them besties. Why is DC ignoring them as bestirs in other media? While Timkon is a popular ship, I don’t think it reckons this much change because Gotham Knights and Wayne Family Adventures still have them as besties with Tim dating Bernard. Damian and Jon get to be besties and so do Clark and Bruce. Why are Tim and Kon avoided in media just to be besties and not because Tim is usually adapted out? Even if you already paired off Kon with someone else, having them as besties is better than leaving Tim lonely when he shouldn't be even when he's dating someone else like Cassie in the YJ cartoon which is a why from me then again Tim is a non-character anyways so why does it matter who he's dating the cartoon when Cassie was dealt badly in the core four just as much as the others were. A major point of Tim's character is how he will help Batman and create a support system for him and he's the reason why the Batfam exists at all in its current form when in the past the Batfam were separated and out doing their own thing to tragic results as in the case of Jason but for Jason, that was many extenuating factors. Oracle was doing work not for the Batfam specifically but for the Sirens but only when Tim came along that she became a Batfam member that people didn't realize that she wasn't originally even though she was Batgirl. 

Why isn’t the actual Young Justice animated because they have wacky adventures with an unhinged Robin? Imagine the YJ team the one teen superhero team that has no supervision ending with the Robin most likely to be a supervillain and they have a how many days since board to keep up with it. 

I’m just in despair we’re never getting the wacky adventures and the crimes of an unsupervised team with Batman none the wiser because Robin lied to him proudly and got away with it. 

No blowing up Mount Rushmore (honestly, the fact idiots think Naruto is somehow copying Barbie when Mount Rushmore is so famous as a landmark made me want to die. Mount Rushmore, one of the famous American landmarks to the point other countries know about other famous American landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Hollywood Sign somehow existed as a Barbie thing even though Barbie didn't exist when Mount Rushmore was created just a decade before Barbie was ever released) or invasion of countries, or baseball games to save worlds or war crimes. So unsupervised with two leaders. 

Anyways, I would still watch YJ even if it’s not the YJ I wanted. It’s still a hell of a lot better than Miraculous. It actually has a consistent story and themes with the best episodes for example being the therapy and ethical nature of child soldiers inherently in child sidekicks or heroes like Captain Marvel. There is still some really bad stuff in it because of how it dealt with the core four. I didn’t care for SuperMartian at first but my opinion of it turned negative when the show excused the abuse. 

Just go watch the movie. Read the manga. Read the fanworks. 

If you can enjoy the show in spite of its horrid writing, you do you. There are better shows than Miraculous Ladybug out there that has better writing ML deserved to be thrown in the pile of lost potential with VLD and RWBY. 

Fuck, if you want a superhero shoujo fix, go watch My Adventures with Superman. ML is definitely superhero shoujo but it failed to do shoujo right just as it does the superhero genre badly. 

Mini-Review: One Piece Live Action

When I made my OFMD review post, I commented that pirate media wouldn't come back in a big way. While I still think that, pirate media is having a comeback this year with OFMD season 2, Assassin's Creed Black Flag is remaking into a new game, and the One Piece Netflix live-action show. It's not huge but there is strong word of mouth. I mentioned One Piece in my OFMD review because normal people would see the length and drawbacks against it, not knowing they would fall down the rabbit hole. 

The One Piece Red movie was a rounding success here in the US due to both the strong fanbase and word of mouth so I hope the same would do for the live-action adaptation. 

I do watch the live-action adaptations of animanga. I want to see how it would adapt and do the source material justice. I even managed the bad ones despite knowing they were the bad ones. Of course, low expectations aside, I was still gonna watch the live-action Netflix show adaptation of One Piece. 

I want people to get into animanga but the stigma still remains even with the rising popularity. As much as live-action adaptations tend to just be there (looking at you, FMA), a good adaptation could draw people into the source material to check it out at the very least. A very bad adaptation can at worst tell people nothing and make them avoid the source material thinking that it would be just as bad as the live-action adaptation they just watched. 

Now the show only adapted barely past Arlong Park but not Loguetown because according to one of the interviews, they would need more money and time to film. They wanted to but considering this show is as expensive as Game of Thrones at this rate, they need to stop at one point for now because if it's a success, then they can go all out. The show is even more expensive than any original shows on Netflix combined. 

Initially, I was wary about it when the script presented a seemingly heroic Luffy. However, as the cast, trailers, teasers, and especially the clips came out, it made me excited though I try to tamp it down because I want to keep my expectations that as long as it feels like One Piece, then I'm happy. I was trying to keep my expectations low because when anime adaptations that do great can wow me, it's great. I mean the Death Note live-action movie Netflix bored me because at one point I kept half an ear while scrolling through my phone. 

If it really worked out well and proved a critical success among fans, then it would hopefully teach Hollywood and any entertainment monopolies that with time and the right people involved, it will pay off for them and for the fans. One Piece Netflix could walk so future live animanga adaptations could run. 

I know Rurouni Kenshin exists because it has been deemed as the best of the live-action animanga adaptations ever. Please note that the movie series doesn’t have Watsuki’s influence at all outside of providing the source material (the fact so many including Oda support him after Watsuki used his influence and connections to escape punishment. Yeah, still disappointing because Kohei Horikoshi wouldn’t support Watsuki but Horikoshi has his own flaws such as Momo and Hagakure…ugh, that cover… I mean Horikoshi still has Oda’s support in the final leg of MHA because Horikoshi is tired just not as bad as Kishimoto who bends to the executives and editors. That’s why I don’t really try to care about authors, especially after the JKR debacle but we shouldn’t hold them up as idols either, simply as a creator. At least the ones who haven’t done crimes or shown themselves to be asses to everyone.). If One Piece could do that, then it could mean anything. 

When video game adaptations are working very well now with the latest of the lot doing well, the curse has very well ended though people argued that there have been good video game adaptations even if they are more on the low-key reception. That’s the same with animanga adaptations too since Alita had done pretty well but it’s low-key. If it’s for an IP that isn’t well-known or made in a foreign country, unless it does Squid Game and Stranger Things numbers on a streaming platform, it’s not gonna be known or registered as part of a curse.

Even now the Bleach live-action movie while received nicely is low-key nowadays. The One Piece live-action have huge promo even in the strike through weird promos. 

Tumblr promos are pretty bad but hating on the show, the animanga, and their fans will get them nowhere. The adverts are ridiculous even by the standards of Tumblr adverts but people shouldn’t shout at the people who made the show or the fans but yell at the staff instead. The One Piece fandom on Tumblr is lowkey especially when Zosan scored around the 60s on the AO3 ships. I should add that they aren't crossing the picket line when they aren't even in the industry itself, just advertisers. It's still pretty bad though they seem to be siding with Netflix so it's best to send them disapproval about the adverts during the strike. I want to ask: Why are they bending over backward over a silly clown that amounts to a billboard because Tumblr isn’t actors and actors aren’t coders? They went so far to defend Barbie’s adverts but when it comes to One Piece, it’s pitchforks. I’m asking why they’re more upset about One Piece. 

Also, I can't believe I have to say this: One Piece content creators are gonna make reviews about the show because the work itself is not struck when again the people behind them would've said something by now about not seeing it. The point with the strikes is that they want people to see and give positive reviews to the stuff they made, just not work with the struck companies. The OP content creators and other random people online aren't gonna take the side of Netflix when all they're doing is reacting to the one thing that has been anticipated for years, especially in the times of the strike. The content creators aren't scabbers because they aren't with the unions but they side with the unions by giving positive reviews and demanding a second season with rightfully paid actors and writers. The strike will say something about what not to watch and One Piece is not one of them because that's jumping the gun on something that had been in the works for years and the ones that the strike will say to boycott have not even been released. The strikes are important but please understand the nuances instead of taking everything negatively in the worst possible way when the media that are released nowadays have been made years prior. 

Fuck, people are so fucking excited for OFMD which is not struck because the cast and crew would've said something by now, and fucking HBO is a fucking struck company but no, people don't understand that because apparently, it's best to jump to conclusions that by watching Netflix and Max, they are basically supporting the struck companies when these had been worked on prior to the strike and isn't counted as a struck work but the struck companies are. What people are doing and spreading misinformation is hurting the cause rather than helping. 

The struck shows are the ones ongoing in production. The Drew Barrymore mess is one such thing. One Piece S1 was done well before and isn’t struck.

Actually, I think I should talk about that. The people involved and the strike did not say to boycott shows that are already made. Netflix in their video promos made it clear that it was filmed before the strike and the producer and team involved had interviews with people who aren't involved with the industry to promote. If the strike said which show to boycott, it's definitely not this show because they would've said something about it by now. Stephen Amell is a scab willingly when his coworkers definitely aren't. The people involved with the strike will tell people what to strike and to jump the gun on One Piece made me question you because it seemed you hate One Piece in particular while saying nothing about Barbie and Oppenheimer at all. 

It would be amazing that One Piece out of all things would get a good live-action adaptation out of this. Now two of the Big 3 have good adaptations, Bleach, One Piece, and now it's Naruto's turn. I'm waiting for Naruto's turn now because One Piece turned out to be solid. 

There is just so much passion and love for One Piece in every nook and cranny. Easter eggs and everything feel One Piece. On that note, I was not expecting references and foreshadowing to future arcs at all. As a hint, Noland. Holy fuck, I wasn't expecting Noland to be referenced as far back as the East Blue Saga which I should be expecting now that I think about it because One Piece is so far along that later arcs should be foreshadowed at this point because why not? 

Besides the easter eggs leave tantalizing hints for newcomers who are utterly unfamiliar to One Piece's famous foreshadowing. It's so fun to see newcomers speculating whether or not Shanks got a Devil Fruit because that is how much the fandom used to speculate too. It's not only a great recreation but also a great way for newcomers to get invested in mysteries that won't be revealed until later. Besides, I'm cackling at newbies and casual watchers wanting to know the basic structure of Reverse Mountain because they got their first taste of the world and want more. I cannot wait to see their faces when season 2 happens and we get to the Grand Line! 

The characters, the writing, and the world feel One Piece which is more than I say about Cowboy Bebop which the world feels not like the anime at all. On its own, Cowboy Bebop live-action might be a story that could do well even if it's doing more telling than showing but as an adaptation, it's piss-poor. They actually kept the world and characters campy. It felt like a good mix of Hook, Muppets Treasure Island, and Pirates of the Caribbean. 

The Strawhats are the Strawhats. The found family comes through strongly as well as the individual characters even if there are changes. I felt like I was back reading and watching One Piece all over again and falling in love with the characters. They definitely aren’t 1:1 (I can tell you flat the OPLA Luffy is not animanga Luffy but it’s not a bad thing because the essence of Luffy is still there; Animanga Luffy is selfish but he is kind and a great judge of character. He’s just not good-good, you get what I mean, right? A lot of things got lost in translation as well as making it friendly to Westerners. The core of the characters in addition to acting the shit out of these characters does not detract from that.) but they are close yet their own spin. 

The actors are fantastic as they have done a great job making the characters their own but not losing the essence. Special mention goes to Jeff Ward as Buggy who is a wonder to watch; he doesn’t overstay his welcome too as a bonus. Please if people are surprised about Buggy fuckers, they haven’t seen his Impel Down arc yet; whether people like it or not, Buggy fuckers have always been a thing. Buggy isn’t even my favorite character in any incarnation but Jeff Ward’s performance certainly deserves an award. Godoka, I want him to interact with so many characters and Impel Down and to see Jeff Ward as Buggy the Warlord. The Failing Upwards as Buggy always is per the guy. 

The music is definitely an A plus. The We Are motif and Bink's Sake in the background made me so happy. 

There is a mix of practical and CGI but it will get more CGI-heavy given this is One Piece we're talking about here but since we haven't reached the Grand Line Paradise yet, we have yet to see how they are going to continue that mix. 

The costuming looks natural, not too cosplay but natural enough. I cannot believe Zoro’s green hair looks so natural. In some parts, it could’ve done better but when Mihawk looks like an utter badass, I don’t know what to say? Please we are in a world of merpeople, fish people, furries, islands that are stuck in one climate or have the ability to have wild stuff, and so much more. 

I definitely like the expansion of a tiny Transponder Snail that acts as a Bluetooth earpiece. It’s both modern yet it still feels like One Piece. The sets are beautiful like Going Merry and Baratie; the bar at the fish’s mouth makes me want so bad to visit and eat there. If possible, they could make a museum out of the sets because I want a damn theme park. 

It does say a lot just how fantastical the series is because of course Baratie needs a dock and uses as much space as possible for the restaurant-boathouse for living space and the restaurant itself. Of course, Going Merry is gonna be small with just enough room to relax because it’s a caravel that is meant for simple cruising in the East Blue, not the treacherous waters of the Grand Line. 

The story can get wonky and could do better in some parts. There are parts where I think the original is better. Not once did I think it was ever going too fast or too much going on. In fact, I think I was enjoying it outside of thinking parts of the story could've been better or the original was better told. If that isn't a mark of an adaptation instead of a 'everything sucks' that I see often, then I don't know what is? 

I think that because of time constraints, they couldn’t let the arc breathe in just a tad to build the arc just a little. The emotional moments didn’t feel impactful. Then again I had this same problem in the Episodes of Nami/East Blue too so there. I just hope that come season 2, they are allowed to breathe in just for a while since unlike East Blue where you can skip Gaimon, you can’t skip the entirety of the Alabasta saga because Little Garden is so important. 

But the live-action adaptation cut too much of Nami, Usopp, and even Sanji's pivotal moments in East Blue Saga to the detriment of uplifting Koby as the future of the Marines and Garp. I have no problem with the Marines getting a B-plot as a concept but when it cuts into the pivotal moments off, it felt not necessary, particularly with Cocoyashi Village as a whole. Genzo getting demoted really does not help that secondary parental figures for the Strawhats are not getting the screen time with the exception of one character probably due to another character's status as being raised by said character. At least those who are interested and want to start over would look at the differences with clear eyes as to why fans aren't major fans of those changes even if it was signed off by Oda. 

If I do have a major criticism, it’s that the world doesn’t feel lived-in enough. In the manga, the cover and background made the world feel so much. Because of the show cutting the minor characters, that lived-in aspect is going towards those who know the Strawhats. The sequel book on the final episode of season 1 shows a wider world than the endings of the Strawhats leaving the islands.

There are changes to be streamlined and made palatial for casual fans. I understand that but sometimes I miss some parts of the story that I love so much that ended up being easter eggs. 

At the end of the day, it's an interpretation of the story that it respects in a live-action format that works so well because it's still One Piece. It has a reason to exist which I can't say the same about Death Note 2017 where those changes made it no reason to exist on its own such as the constant thought of why the fuck is this happening? Those story changes made no sense to the themes if they had any because Justice never made any examination except surface level. For CBLA, they spell out the themes without showing them. 

In the end, it felt like the Strawhats were heading to Reverse Mountain. However, since producers had stated they wanted to make Loguetown, it's still likely we'll see Loguetown in the second season until just past the Alabasta arc where Robin joins because Alabasta is so expansive that it's needed to fill that much. It's just that this time Smoker will have more of an idea when Luffy finally arrives in Loguetown and the execution where he will get the feeling Luffy will become Gol D. Roger's successor. It's likely Logetown will be reduced to one episode instead of two episodes unless Netflix agreed to let them have more episodes this time around. 

God, I want to see so many characters in the second season: Ace, Laboon, Chopper, Robin, Vivi, Smoker, Tashigi, Crocodile... It makes me so happy because aside from Enies Lobby being my favorite arc of Paradise, I just want to see the Alabasta arc in all its glory and why fans love this arc in particular. As for the New World, it's a fight between Whole Cake Island and Zou; again, I haven't watched/read Wano in its entirety yet so that's why it's not in the running. 

The thing I could see biting them in the ass is the non-existence of Hachi. Given how important Hachi is later on, it's necessary they still need him around if they plan to finish the entire series in live-action. 

The colors are muted which is compared to OFMD which is basically Muppets. OFMD didn't exactly try to build every single ship or village. It's expensive surely because of the period wear but they still use virtual production. I just wish there were more colors in this rather than the color grade we ended up getting. There are still colors but more dull except when it’s in the bright sun. It got better but the color grading can be pretty bad at times. 

The show still feels like a swashbuckling adventure mixed with Looney Tunes. While I was still disappointed in the color grading, at least it feels like that. 

I don't jive with all the changes but every aspect still captured the spirit of One Piece and it's solid enough to stand on its own. 

If I have to give it a score, a decent seven out of ten straw hats is pretty good for an anime live-action adaptation. While no Rurouni Kenshin, it still squeezed out the score that is by all means a C plus. 

Honestly, the Rotten Tomatoes Score for both critics and audiences are pretty good parameters. Just a heads up, the few negative critic reviews are pretty bad, saying that it’s too close to the source material which is just nuts when that’s a good thing. I haven’t seen the East Blue Saga in years but I recognize the story beats as it’s second nature and I can tell them upfront that the adaptation is an adaptation and definitely not 1:1 as they imply. 

It makes me laugh that One Piece out of all things managed to get a good adaptation and will make other future adaptations run. The curse on the Western anime adaptations has finally been broken because now Netflix found the formula to help future adaptations. Notice I said Western because the curse on Japanese anime adaptations was broken long ago by Rurouni Kenshin. However, there are just bad adaptations released before and after the trilogy but the fact still remains: there are still good Japanese anime live-action adaptations as long as they give the story its dues. 

Really, when Cowboy Bebop and Death Note, the latter of which is grounded in reality, couldn't be adapted properly, then what about One Piece? How is it possible that the cartoony One Piece managed that? 

As it turns out, a balance of realism and fantasy, a central story that respects the source material while changing it to fit the live-action medium. 

I am going to say this especially when I saw it during the leadup to the release: Do not mess with people who just want to have fun and enjoy something. Sure, you might dislike One Piece or think the live-action might be good or just think the live-action looks bad but that does not mean you can be mean to others because you think your opinion means more to someone's enjoyment. 

Also, One Piece fandom, don't even try to gatekeep. Fans of the live-action have their first exposure due to this. They aren't gonna be 'true fans' just because they haven't read the manga. Give them room to explore the animanga without spoiling the fuck out of the rest of the series. We want to introduce them to One Piece and the live-action can provide as a mediator until they choose to explore the wider world. With One Piece drawing near its end in a couple years, the live-action should act as the same core story but in a different medium. 

I am endlessly entertained by non-readers/watchers of One Piece getting introduced to the world, seeing the wild clothing with regular and historical clothing, and snail tech with weirdo captains with hyper fixations that crews just went along with, falling in love with the Strawhats. If they think the East Blue is weird, then they haven't seen anything yet. They haven't yet witnessed the craziness that is the Paradise and that's nothing compared to the New World. 

No, really I've never been so proud to see newcomers cry about Shanks and Luffy and the backstories. 

With One Piece ending in a few years, the live-action opened itself and the source material to a whole new audience who never considered watching/reading One Piece, either uninterested or put off due to its length and art style. I was there since Dressrosa around 2015 because I was waiting for Zou's chapters. Just like I know I was there for the MHA Dormitories arc because it was just after the Kamino arc when I got into MHA. This is the only way I knew when I actually got into manga I was interested in was when an arc was either just still ongoing or starting a new one. I mean how else did I know when I got interested in KHR during the Future Arc when I knew I was waiting for the Inheritance Ceremony Arc? 

I am here for it. 

Actually, the live-action is a great litmus test for newcomers. If they like it, they should check out the series from the beginning since the live-action changed just enough that there will be confusion. If they don’t, they just don’t vibe with the series. That’s how it is. 

The show isn't without criticism but taking that length to gatekeep and hate others when one should ignore the live-action piece out of respect for the people who are passionately involved. 

The people who made the series still deserve respect for their art. It’s not perfect but it’s hell a lot better to give credit when it’s due. The people are on strike but this is a work before the strike began and deserve that.

With the success of the release, animanga will definitely be fast-tracked to film and television soon after the strike is resolved with writers and actors getting their dues. One Piece Live-action Season 2 would definitely be greenlit but until the strike resolves, there is no one going to work on it. 

However, there should be a completion rate and making GOT/Stranger Things numbers. Hopefully, with strong word of mouth, the completion rate might be done within weeks. From what I heard, while Sandman did have great reception, it didn’t pull great numbers on par with Stranger Things. Squid Game was the most-watched show but I haven’t heard if I pulled Stranger Things numbers considering the stretch between seasons. OPLA has to make those numbers and continue to make those numbers every single season if it has the chance to make it to even Enies Lobby and at best the final saga. 

Netflix wants to make money and adapt animanga into a live-action format. If it all goes well for all parties, we might reach Enies Lobby. At worst, it would be canceled due to not making the numbers.

A lot of potential merch would be OPLA-themed. While it is still Oda’s work, they would like a slice of the cheese of their own products. 

Because that’s the final obstacle: it needs to make and continue making GOT/ST numbers. 

Besides, Netflix has a lot to lose if they cancel it now. Not only did they spend so much money, but they also wanted to have a good reception for a live-action animanga adaptation. After having earned it, they want to keep that given the positive reception from newbies and casual watchers, especially from the fans and animanga watchers in general. They after all cancelled CBLA after the backlash and they want to try again with Death Note. 

Considering this is GOT money here, these seasons might be enough for the entire series if each season made Stranger Things numbers. I mean judging by that, it's up there with GOT in terms of seasons, just with more episodes, let's say twelve episodes seasonally. Twelve is too generous but ten is a good bet too considering that Loguetown was originally supposed to be the last two episodes of S1, a ten-episode season is a chance for future seasons if it comes to that. I don't see it going for the double digits here, folks, just within the GOT seasons. The bigger arcs should get multi-parters like Alabasta. 

I would love it to get that far with the cast since all the material is there. I want OPLA fans and casual watchers to understand there is just so much more. Unfortunately, I don’t see it going that far maybe Thriller Bark but when non-fans like Dan Murrell suggest that it wouldn’t end up like GOT, he’s still a non-fan who doesn’t know that the budget would go over GOT and needs more budget than even the most expensive show now to realize the world. I just hope that non-fans hope that we might get a start to finish OPLA from East Blue to the Final Saga.

At the moment, they might have surpassed Wednesday and ST S4's premiere numbers but that's all it is, premiere numbers within the first days of release. From what I'm hearing, there are good numbers so far but it needs to do more than enough in its second week to secure its renewal. And it was renewed not even two weeks later. 

Getting good reviews for the cast and crew would make the big studios reconsider and actually pay everyone. That's the point of the cast and crew's excitement to announce the second season through Oda. The team wants to get a good reception so that they can continue that success all the way through because the work itself is not struck but the company is! The team so desperately wants to promote but only those who aren't actors and writers can promote it hence the costume and set departments give interviews on BAFTA. 

Don't work with the studios in any capacity but review the show from the outside and give the cast and crew the support by praising their hard work that is beneficial to the strike. 

Because the strike would've said something about boycotting an anticipated work already if this is the case! One Piece and OFMD are releasing during the time of the strike as we're heading into the Autumn of the Strikes. Why are you not supporting One Piece and supporting OFMD when they are the same case of 'support the cast and crew by watching and giving praise to review, don't partner with the studios until we say which TV/Movies with actual scabs and AI which is years to come by the way'? Again, they would've said something by now to boycott any of these releasing now but no, the strike said nothing about boycotting what has been released!

Considering that the strike is going to end soon, OFMD may or may not be a so-called boycotted attack from people who don't consider that the cast and crew want good reviews and want to celebrate the success alongside the fans. I will forever loathe how people who want to help are unintentionally hurting the cause by hurting productions that had years of development behind them and were just released during the time of the strike. 

It’s the writers’ strike that is ending soon, have not heard anything from the actors’ strike yet. OFMD is releasing on Thursday from Monday where negotiations are gonna be made for the actors so is OFMD gonna still air during the strikes or not? So it probably still is going to be released during the initial talks. 

Don't hurt the movement by jumping to conclusions just because a work is being released in the times of the strikes when said work had been anticipated for a long ass time. Get your head out of your ass!

Because it's the second season's success that will determine the show's continuation. We might even get all the way to the final saga with Enies Lobby being the one to pull the big guns that will show just how emotional and dark the series can be because Enies Lobby to this day remains many people's favorite arc. 

Now I heard apparently from a producer of the show that at best they hope to make it to Enies Lobby where they might end on a high note which...come on, considering how much I love Enies Lobby, I don't think fans of the live-action and newcomers will be satisfied after that. The moment I heard Enies Lobby was like 'Uh huh, yeah, good luck with that' because Enies Lobby is a fave arc for many people even to this day, and stopping it there for non-animanga fans who only watch the live-action would only make them crave more what happened next. 

I know everyone is worried about shows getting canceled due to the whole writers not getting paid enough to live by studios canceling shows anyway and tax write-offs. It hasn't been that long since Batgirl was trashed hence all the worries of the shows released on streaming services getting cancelled. I know people fear OFMD season 2 might be the last season due to all the LGBTQA+ media on HBO Max or Max now getting canceled. The strike will ensure the writers and actors will get paid from then forward and fave shows won’t be canceled so easily. 

We are likely going to get multiple seasons. Considering CBLA was intending to be multiple seasons with John Cho moving to New Zealand just for that alone, I think we are getting that for OPLA...just Eventually it might get canceled. There is a chance of getting to the end but it's a slim chance only. 

The producers are hoping to make it to twelve seasons with six and six being both pre and post-time skip. It depends if the second season stuck the landing and made people more ravenous. 

It’s not the best season and series right now but the series has the chance to grow as fans know the story only gets better from here. Why else am I hammering about Alabasta and Enies Lobby or hell Wano right now? However, it still opens the door to getting the parts it needs to be the best series ever or what could’ve been had it stuck to the themes. ST and Wednesday are new stories that started off great but then try to recapture with innovations and occasional good storytelling with the skeleton there. 

If we somehow made it a complete story from the East Blue to the Final Saga, I would cry ugly tears of joy worthy of One Piece. 

As for awards, while I don’t care even though they give prestige however artificial but sometimes deserved, I don’t think we’re gonna get more than VFX and set design. Sorry but even with all the praise, it’s not gonna happen for more than that. 

As for me, I should get back to reading and watching Wano because like Whole Cake Island, Wano needed to be finished first before I could do that. As the anime is now relatively finished with the Wano arc as Gear Five and all, I can now go on that route motivated with the live-action to finish Wano at this point. With the final stretch in reach, the TV show will benefit because Game of Thrones did not when not even they have insider knowledge of what the author wants.