Progress Review: Battlesleep

Transformers: Okay, I do like the franchise enough. Like the Twilight series, the Bay films also make me laugh and mock them; admittedly, they're both my guilty pleasures...well except for the Breaking Dawn films though because it was not fun. As for the Animated series, I do like it. It's fun but it felt incomplete. There is good writing and then there's writing that makes me roll my eyes (the ladies for example). I enjoyed the comedy.

Let's move on quickly to the fanfic in question.

Battlesleep: Megatron escaping from prison was, of course, Sentinel's frag-up. What Optimus didn't count on was being kidnapped by the warlord on his way out. Now halfway across the galaxy, Optimus must discover the reason behind Megatron's reluctance to kill him, and with it a secret of his species' biology that may hold the key to peace between Autobots and Decepticons.

This is both a fic rec and a progress fic review. I wouldn't put on the blog in the first place. I'm already broke when I don't have the time for leisurely read books

Let's start with the easier stuff first. Normally I will put the positives and negatives in separate sections but this piece of fanfiction needed an explanation. Just the complications and the world-building.

The women bots are greatly depicted for what they are and should have been depicted. You would think that a Transformers show in the early 2000s would be more progressive but no. Competent just as their mech counterparts and just as wonderful. It does help that these femme bots are varied in personality too.

I love the buddy cop dynamic between Sari and Sentinel Prime, comedy duo. They are hilarious, playing off each other with their wit and sarcasm. Both are essentially bringing the best out of each other and I love it so much.

The fic also did a job, not ignoring and romanticizing the Decepticons' awful actions. If they want a second chance from their would-be breeders, they would have to earn a second chance. Don't romanticize horrible actions. In a way, the fic rebutted the fandom's sympathy towards the Decepticons. Seriously, this is not Star Wars, guys, where you can actually sympathize with the Sith and/or enemies where the Jedi are exceptionally complacent and self-righteous above good and evil. That was not fun, just watching the prequels and related media regarding the Jedi; if there was one thing that George Lucas and his crew made consistently, it was the hypocrisy and complacency of the Jedi. While Mr. Lucas was a Yoda stan, the other writers made it damn clear that with the exception of a few like Qui-Gon, most of the Jedi are clearly more hypocritical and lacked the understanding of the world they deemed theirs.

The world-building is awesome. Cybertron is usually depicted as some kind of dystopian society but the Decepticon is much worse. Some explanation is down below but certainly, the world-building aspect is one of the best parts.

There's also a nice reference to Steven Universe, implying that it might have the Gems and the Homeworld.

There is a lot of good things to look forward to. I love seeing the Autobots' side, the rescuers, the Sari and Sentinel Prime, and the Decepticons. And that includes the potential romances. Each perspective is awesome to look forward to. While I honestly love the Sari and Sentinel Prime interactions the most, the other sides of the story aren't half-bad either.

Now let's get going to the harder stuff. I would need a lot of good alcohol for this.

The world-building aspect, as I stated before, is utterly awesome. The parallels to human culture is a nice touch, providing social commentaries such as sexism (on both sides) and racism.

They are still alien robots, just to be clear.

Because they are aliens, this fic takes full advantage of its cracky nature and made a semi-serious fic. Like I said, this fic tried to tell how to not ignore horrible actions. I mean it's Decepticons here.

So this fic has mech preg where robots get pregnant. I think it's a Transformers-unique trope because AO3 only has Transformers in that tag.

Here's the gist: Long before the Allspark even came into the possession of these alien robots, the continuation of their species depending on a breeder/seeder society. Cyclonus also stated that injury and death in childbirth were common before he came into existence. When the Allspark made it possible without death and injury to streamline the process of life, the war began.

Now the current generations of Bots have no fucking clue of their ancestry (to the point even the most educated of the Bots have the idea they are not compatible) while those who are on Con space likely knew about that detail. The very old, like so very old Cybertronians knew about this fact; I think that due to the fact the war had gone on for so long, they don't see how the war would be resolved easily.

At this rate, it will become a Romeo and Juliet case with their leaders or former thereof with Megazarak.

Let it be known that the authors have no intention of basing the Cybertronian biology in human biology. It's similar but not really. According to the authors, it's complicated and no parallels are to be made to human reproduction. It's the closest analogy that most readers made but if the authors said it's complicated, then everything had yet to be explained in full detail.

C'mon, they are robots, which in this fic, can reproduce sexually. It meant all the works including childbirth apparently.

Now we don't know which Bot will be the first in years. It could mean Optimus or Minimus. Blurr doesn't seem likely since it's a subplot and Blurr clearly has issues with his former lover trying to kill him.

For right now as of the current update, not much of the biology is explained in too much detail. We got the gist of it when we got the explanation of the gender dimorphism,

And I think that's enough for now because I don't think a review would get enough of what a glorious read the fic is.

Just read it. You would like it or enjoy it.

...This dub is magnificent. It's right up there with the best dubs like FMA and Cowboy Bebop. I am not talking about the kind of quality dub those two anime has; I'm talking about the infamy of this dub that is so amazing.

Fanfic Recs: Hikaru no GO

Hikaru no Go is one of the best sports manga/anime I read; yes, it's still a sports anime/manga because the type of game is still a game, no matter how abstract. It's high on my list of recommendations for that particular genre. Hopefully, one of my cousins watched this series because I'm rewatching this again.

The manga abruptly ended with an open ending. Sure we got hints of the future (character development, conflicts, etc) but we know that Hikago would not be continued unless we have fanfiction or doujins. Seriously, the series ended with a match between Hikaru and Akira in the second round at the Young Lions Tournament. With no result named. The last picture was Hikaru slamming the go stone on the board. It was so abrupt that I felt that it wasn't meant to be an open ending. Even the anime ended just prior to the Hokuto cup with a montage. The Hokuto cup though managed all the way up until we even get the tournament itself. I wonder how long the series was supposed to be before it was canceled. I wonder if there is another world out there where Hikago continued.

It was strange. I personally thought there was a new arc brewing with Waya expressing insecurity, Hikaru's path in achieving the Hand of God and surpassing Toya and Sai, new insei, Honda's fear in the go pro world, Ochi's struggle for recognition, Akira's struggle to get out of his father's shadow, the New Wave and that's I can name off the top of my head. Something is there for new arcs and it abruptly ended. While there is closure, there isn't enough to consider the many things that had hinted beforehand.

I just wonder why it ended so abruptly. I heard disjointed theories like Korea didn't like how Japan seemed to prostrate themselves on a pedestal in a fictional go world. Did they read the manga? China and Korea are doing fine; hell, in the final arc, Korea won. Also, I heard it was because Sai not being there for another reason. I don't know the exact reason for its sudden cancellation but I wish there was an official canon following this because I know my narrative.

There are still flaws - characters, once Hikaru finished an arc, are almost never seen again (and if they were, they are mostly seen on side-stories or when we get peeks of them like we see Tsutsui's character development and I'm pretty sure he is popular in some way or another with a confident edge), not enough female go players (sure we got peeks of female pros in the official games in the epilogue and the games but no word on the female titles). Sure there are female go players (even a named figure, Sakurano Chieko, but we don't know whether or not she has a title). Then there's the abrupt ending that I couldn't help but feel it wasn't meant to be. Unlike Bleach and Naruto's endings which feel unnatural, Hikago's ending was just so...abrupt. There is no way of putting about it since we kept getting hints of a new arc. I mean it made little sense to end it like when we should have ended it not with insei (which I guess supposed to be part of the New Wave and emphasized that since the last chapter dealt so little with Hikaru and Sai). Hell, I understand you are trying to make both Hikaru and Akira as the head of Japan's New Wave.

Also, what is TV tropes spreading lies about Hikaru never winning against Akira? Do you know the narrative? Over and over again, we hear Akira wanting to climb so Hikaru would never catch up to him and his utter faith in Hikaru. Just because the current canon we got Akira always winning does not mean that Hikaru would not win in the future; in fact, his future was so very bright, gaining titles and already he is held on the same level his rival has due to his incredible performance at the Hokuto Cup. Hikaru's goal was to catch up to Akira and find the Hand of God. He was destined to find the Hand of God, which the gods led him to Sai and go. The gods would not waste efforts to have two geniuses. Kuwabara outright said they were geniuses and equals. The author made it a point of calling it Eternal Rivals. So to say that Hikaru would never beat Akira is like saying May would never beat Drew. Do you understand the narrative at all? Isumi or Waya or Ochi or Nase or Fuku wasn't meant to find the Hand of God; hell, it wasn't their goal because they wanted to be pros and make it there, not achieve something they have no interest in. Ochi's goal was to be a rival of Akira.

No, I don't ship anybody in Hikago. No, I don't hate the dub; some of the voices were pretty monotone but others do have a great job.

The Neverending Road by Leitbur: Hikaru's journey through the world of pros continues, facing opponents new and old as well as the challenges of the heart. It takes place after the series ends.

Review: It's been dormant for a while now, probably dead at this rate.

I like the love triangle execution in this one. Hikaru has two girls after him which none of his friends envied him for because they do not want to be in his place; they envied him for his impressive records as a pro but not in the romantic life because they are fine in that route, thank you. Even Waya has a girl chasing after him even though the girl is a pre-teen and poor Waya forced to pay for everything. At least the love triangle. It also helped that it also dealt with the futures of these girls in the Japanese cultural expectations. Japanese feminism is different from American feminism. And I'm not going to talk about that especially since Nase is a go pro in this one and I don't know Akari's future.

I do like how it takes the girls into consideration. These girls, while imploring interest in the MC, have their own goals and personality. They are mature girls who are friends with each other and didn't want to hurt each other. Hikaru didn't want to hurt them because he's oblivious to their love until they confessed. I actually like the chapter where the trio compared themselves to characters in Romeo and Juliet, identifying themselves as Rosaline. I actually think the romance actually enhanced the plot despite it being a subplot. If you want Japanese feminism, look at Persona 4.

This is more slice-of-life despite the pros and the amateurs. I mean we have Hikaru worrying about his love life along with the fact his desire to win and achieve the Hand of God. Then we have Waya and Ochi's insecurities besides the two Princes of Go.

The character development is really great. Each character wanted to surpass them or at least beat the two prodigies of Go, unaware that the two prodigies are under heavy pressure to live up to their mentor/father's shadow. Only one person knows Hikaru is Sai's student and that is the former Meijin himself, Touya Koyo. I really like the scene where he encouraged him. Hikaru still has character development to go through because he is still in stasis.

The overall drama is alright. I just wish it has more levity. Teasing Hikaru or Waya on their love lives don't quite seem to make an impression for comedy. I liked Waya's reactions to a girl's whims and the two Princes of Go's petty fighting. There isn't much levity or a balance of drama and comedy. Drama needs comedy to lighten the mood; this is why I really dislike the DCEU until WW.

At first, the chapters didn't have breaks on mobile. It was hard to see the change of POV/setting until you actually read it. Later chapters managed to have breaks thankfully. It was quibble since it could have something, anything to show breaks between a conversation between two pros, then a match. Admittedly, sometimes it's hard to see the difference when some chapters didn't even have breaks unless you read it.

I can appreciate how much thought the author put on the matches. It can get technical that the author's notes did their best to explain. I also appreciate the research of the Japanese in this. I understand you want to emphasize how the Japanese put so much stock on gender roles that the Japanese feminists are trying hard to break.

There is just an issue that bugged me in the story: I understand that Hikaru wants to keep his status as a student of Sai a secret although players who seemed his work and compared them to the Saint of NetGo have their suspicions, some more civilly than most but still. I understand that you want to keep Sai's memory alive in your Go, Hikaru. I just...can you just reveal that Sai is dead? It's not like he's coming back in this fic aside from mentioning his name by Hikaru and others. Unlike the other fic in which I can see Sai coming back, it's unlikely Sai came back to Hikaru via a new body. You could just reveal that he is dead on the NetGo site. Hell, you could have a new account on the NetGo site and just say in a memorial for him or something. This is why Ogata was so insistent on a game with Sai. Regardless, whether or not Sai trained you, Hikaru still managed to achieve a high level of Go comparable to the other Prince of Go, Akira Touya in just three years, the time you spent together with Sai. That is nothing to scoff at; even Sai would say you are a prodigy. Just because you haven't started at a young age doesn't designate you immediately as a prodigy. Akira is a prodigy and so are you, Hikaru. You still start out at a relatively young age and reached a level that only a prodigy can reach. I am getting off-topic but Hikaru, it's fine to reveal Sai is dead anonymously. It doesn't have to be your official NetGo account.

Unless Hikaru still hasn't come to terms with Sai's death, I don't see why he can't say that Sai is dead officially.

There are other flaws too. I mean it's not my favorite Hikago fic, not even the next one I'm recommending either. I deeply enjoyed the next one more than this one, to be honest. Both have their flaws and virtues and...

I love this movie.

Side-stories: Waya and Isumi's trip to China; Nase's Pro Exam; an original character's Shinshodan.

My favorite of the lot was the trip to China. These side-stories expounded or expanded on what happened when we're not following Hikaru. Sure we got POV shots from various characters but we're mostly following the titular Hikaru.

Paper Cranes by spontaneite: Two years passed before Hikaru admitted, reluctantly, that possession by a spirit seemed to have long-lasting side effects which probably won't go away on its own.

So if a new chapter is uploaded, check the author's Tumblr.

Review: Think of this as a Natsume Yuujinchou just with Hikago. It's not xxxHolic or Blue Exorcist or any anime/manga that dealt a lot with Japanese mythology (and there are many) including Spirited Away. The closest thing I could think of to compare is Natsume Yuujinchou. In this, Hikaru is not only growing up but also dealing with his spiritual sensitivity. I just love Hikaru's BS so much, trolling his friends because they haven't picked up fully. Even Akari was able to pick up the pace of his BS to the point she just goes along with the flow. She's not his best friend for nothing, a position that nobody envied because, in their opinion, Hikaru is weird as fuck. Everyone is just trying to deal with this eccentric boy whose crazy antics made them feel they lost years of their life.

I really like the employment of Japanese mythology in here. It reminded me of a lot of the other Japanese shows that used Japanese mythology. I love mythology like no tomorrow. I will read fairy tales including the most obscure. Over the Garden Wall won my heart on the fairytale aspect. Anything resembling fairytale would make my watchlist I am always dying to take a class on mythology soon.

Right now, it's still ongoing. I can't say any more than just read it alone for its good humor.

Check the TV Tropes for details.

Character - Arcana

Hikaru - Fool

Sai - Hanged Man

Akira - Death

Akari - Strength

Waya - Magician

Isumi - Chariot