Doug Walker, Nostalgia Critic, and Channel Awesome

I talked about Channel Awesome before so let me talk about Doug Walker. 

I will never say that I wasn't a fan of his. I was at least until I grew disinterested in his work. To say that I was never ever a fan is disingenuous for me. I was a fan and watched his series before he uploaded it to YouTube officially. 

Because I watched his videos, I found others to watch like Linkara and JesuOtaku. 

Now that's history is out of the way, I wanted to discuss Doug Walker as an artist.

In all intents and purposes, Doug wanted to be an auteur filmmaker and producer. He certainly thinks himself better as one while his former friends and associates (Lindsay Ellis, Ed Glaser, Eric Rodriguez) who actually went to film school disagreed. I don't know about Noah Antwiler but since Spoony wanted to be a part of the filmmaking scene, I just don't know especially given poor Noah's mental state. 

For the time period of the early 2010s, his editing process would be deemed okay. Not respectable, amateur but okay. His friends, AVGN, Angry Joe and Phelous, have better editing at the time. 

You would think he would hire a group of editors or just some editors to help him make better. Arin Hanson hired editors, the Try Guys hired editors, Safiya Nygaard hired editors. 

You would think for a group hiring actors and collabs would also hire editors.

But the editing has not changed. It's easy cuts to scenes to 'theatrical cuts' of some plot or skit. The green screen is not easily blended to show enough realism and the editing would just come off silly. It makes the videoes he just didn't put in the effort, even for a video he supposed have months to show for. 

It's no secret Doug has an apparent egocentric self-centered personality about his filmmaking. He legitimately believed he is making art when his editing is a bit not good. There's a cringe compilation for the love of Godoka. 

However, his naivety and often times his ego would get in the way. Just look at the production issues with all three of his anniversary movies. 

Let me make this clear.

Those movies are his movies. While Mike Michaud may make the final calls in official business including firing people for not being at a Skype chat for fifteen minutes, the movies are Doug's babies. To Boldly Flee was Nostalgia Critic's swan song.

However, if only Doug gets out of his head of his own issues which he fully admits and actually extends a hand he negligently forced upon unwarranted cruelty just so he could escape lawsuits. 

Doug wanted to be a filmmaker. He made his intentions clear with Demo Reel.

Except he should've let his fans and producers know about it. They would still support him if they were allowed time to adjust. Announce the retirement of your character to your producers first about a year beforehand, allowing them time to organize how to survive.

Doug can have his Demo Reel by trying it out as a separate show from the Nostalgia Critic main. That way, not only Doug can have his passion project but get fans' reactions. Have a pilot and test it out. It couldn't be easier than to get fans' reactions and the allowance to make changes if necessary, getting the groove on.

Instead of forcing fans to dedicate forty minutes of their lives each episode to a show that had a loose schedule and poor reception from the get-go because fans didn't have enough time to adjust with the lack of Nostalgia Critic. 

I was willing to give Doug the benefit of the doubt that he believed he has the support from fans and producers if he surprised them instead. 

But hindsight is fifty-fifty. 

Fans are not willing to support something they aren't used to that has no advertisement beforehand or announcement of the previous show's ending that came abruptly.

They are willing to give you the ending Nostalgia Critic deserved. If they didn't spring upon with the news of Nostalgia Critic's, in their eyes, abrupt cancellation. 

They would fully understand that you want to get out there and produce auteur filmmaking but give them a warning beforehand, give them time to adjust. 

*sighs*

I'm supposed to be talking about Doug as a filmmaker.

He's not a filmmaker. He legitimately believed he is making art if his reviews and skits have anything to say about it. 

He's a YouTuber, a guy in a costume ranting in front of the camera in a blank room. 

For all his belief he's a filmmaker, he never tried to evolve. His editing is the same early 2010s style that would jive with the YouTube of 2019's editing. 

It might work then but it won't work now.

Not when video essays and commentaries with well-animated and precise explanations and research are desired in this day and age. 

Easily flowing editing that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb like Ben from Game Grumps and the group of editing the Right Opinion rounds up for his commentaries are notable examples. An informed well-researched explanation/critique is all that people would want.

Even videomakers who didn't go to film school but study film in books and attend some class in improv comedy - yes, Arin attended improv to better improve his comedy - shows that Youtube had grown since the early 10s. Abroad in Japan and Slime House is one of the examples I can name at the top of my head. 

Yes, they would escape reality with videos of Let's Plays or travel videos or living vicariously through those whose traveling or finding fun in people doing challenges. 

But considering he didn't do a simple Google search for soundproof sound stages in his office he got just for Demo Reel... Yeah, I wouldn't hold out hope he would be nothing more than a YouTuber who got lucky and wanted to be a filmmaker above all else.

And the only fame he would get is from his little fanbase. 

Doug has been a laughingstock ever since the Change the Channel debacle about his many, many flaws as a reviewer and a video-maker. 

When even people who have small channels with few subscribers say they would not make his piss-poor editing is an understatement. It would work for a first-timer but for someone who did it as long as he did, it's unacceptable. 

Doug's type of evolution is being a filmmaker.

He adds skits because he so desperately wants to be an actor and director. It shows so hard that he wants to be one.

But he doesn't want to go to Hollywood. Other than the horrible business practices Hollywood often partakes in, Doug doesn't think he would survive in an environment.

Then why doesn't he become an independent filmmaker then? 

Let's look at another filmmaker who is two decades his senior. 

He crowdfunds his movies and people support him because he made entertainingly bad movies in the likes of Tommy Wiseau and James Nguyen. 

Breen didn't even study in film school. He's a real estate agent and only made the movies because he has a deep passion for them. If IMDB is right, then Doug did get to film school and according to Erod, bragged about attending one film shooting unlike the many that Lindsay, Eric, and Ed may have attended. 

Neil Breen is an independent filmmaker and for all his faults, he's inspirational for aspiring filmmakers especially of the independent type. 

And Doug Walker will never now walk in Breen's shoes as an inspirational independent filmmaker.

If Doug wanted to become a filmmaker, then become an independent filmmaker but learn from the mistakes first and crowdfund your independent movies that people want to see.  

Instead of forcing the actors to recoup the cost for you. 

Crowdfunding wouldn't do much for Doug since that game show was shot to hell and considering that the Walkers and Michaud see it as e-begging...

Yeah, Doug Walker would never become the filmmaker he desperately wanted to be. 

He couldn't get shooting permits for his previous movies, for the love of Godoka and thinks that fast food runs are all enough for his actors when his actors need food and water the entire time they are in the vicinity of the set. He can be aware of his actors getting sick or borderline thereof but something like providing food and water is something not obvious to him. Even I am aware of this because this is both a necessary and common sense. 

Doug has to have known his movies are vanity projects, given Nostalgia Critic blatantly point it out. 

But his movies, according to his former friends, came with him had no intention to learn. Because he thinks he knows everything.

Though given years later, he doesn't soundproof his new office or tries to make his editing look more fluid.

I don't know when his ego came in full-force.

But his friends were supportive up to a point. In To Boldly Flee, while they did have fun, the hellish production was too much for everyone involved. The management didn't even try to make it better for everyone involved. 

When even his friends who aren't even aiming to be actual independent filmmakers have the common sense to provide their crew with crafts services and get permits. Linkara learned from Doug's mistakes and made damn sure to have his cast and crew comfortable. Marzgurl, who made the unfortunate Farewell FamiKamen Rider, made sure she paid for the time her cast and crew made for the movie. Mike Jeavons, who made Internet Dating and Me, outright said that he paid the shooting permits and hotel for his cast and crew. James Rolfe outright stated that he went through so much trouble to get legal permits. None of them are aiming to become indie filmmakers in any way since that's not their goal and they know they're YouTubers. 

Doug, get your head out of your ass and learn from your mistakes. If you truly want to become that auteur, you must learn to become a truly great filmmaker.

It's amusing Tommy Wiseau actually went to the Golden Globes whereas Doug Walker would never be recognized in the same fashion. 

He basically became Tommy Wiseau in Internet form. But this time, Doug's works wouldn't be recognized on the same level as The Room's fun. 

I understand Doug has the right to hate or don't care. I honestly do not care Doug don't like Pokemon or Power Rangers. That does not hurt me. What hurt me is that he doesn't care for their legacy or their adult fanbase whose heart truly loves it. 

His jokes border on the mean-spirited and the implication he never tries to understand the thing he doesn't like or understand. 

Just look at Sailor Moon. It's obvious he doesn't care and spread misinformation when Sailor Moon is a shoujo, written by a female mangaka, and shoujo is aimed at girls. 

Yes, Sailor Moon has its problems but all stuff does. Do you think I let the flaws of Hetalia and One Piece ruin my enjoyment? Never. 

I am not asking him to become a fan but rather the willingness to have him understand so he can make an informed decision from an outsider's perspective. Bring in major fans who actually know the ins and outs of the series and provide insight. 

Don't make assumptions. Learn, research, and understand why the thing you're hating managed to become so big even among adults now and managed to maintain their reputation to this day. Doug seemed to think Pokemon is a fad when not really... His excuse that he was in high school when Pokemon came out is weak when I know full well high school and college students are in love with Pokemon. Adults love Pokemon and they are unrelenting about their love. 

It would be disingenuous for the fans who love the series Doug hate. Even if he would never understand, he could at least make an effort to understand the fanbase since he seems to like being praised.

That's all I've been asking him. 

I'm pretty sure the fans of Pink Floyd's The Wall want the same thing too given how much backlash he did not understand what the album means personally to Roger Waters or its historical context. I'm pretty sure they don't care if you hate or love the product as long as you review it and not waste time with repetitive badly written 'parody' songs. 

The reason I'm saying this is because of Doug knows how to put in the research. For the most part, his editorials can be a hit or miss. Just look at his Whitewashing video for the love of Godoka.

He can put in the research if it's something he loves like TMNT. Just look at his Ducktales 2017 video. 

And even then he doesn't do that much. Just look at his poor understanding of Jean Grey and her character development. Listen, the comic history is convoluted but he could at least reach out to people who know the history or look it up for better understanding.

It's not that hard. A simple Google search is all he had to do. Go to forums or go to his friends who actually know it. For the love of Godoka, Calluna released a retrospective on Sailor Moon. 

Seriously, a Google search is all he can do so he doesn't embarrass any further by portraying himself as an auteur director when he's anything but. 

When his fanbase is based entirely on new fans with old fans abandoning due to disillusionment. 

What he can do to rebuild the bridge and reach out to those he hurt in his ten-year reign with Rob and Mike. 

What he can do is learn and understand.

Channel Awesome might never reach the level of its golden days but the complications may prove difficult for those who want a happy ending. 

But considering real life, I don't think Doug would be apologizing or understanding of differing opinions or listen to criticism.

Listen, unlike Arin Hanson who doesn't see the comments he gets about how he's terrible at games or how he's bullying Dan but if you know the long history, they are best friends and stuck together for years now. His comments are basic and there are times Arin has shown to be a decent player. Like he's no Jirard or Joe Vargas but if he knows how to play a game, then it's all fine. He's not an egotist since I bet he's fully aware of his flaws and is a good friend up to including to letting SuperMega go as his editors for their happiness despite knowing he has to hire another editor.

Doug, though, has an ego and thinks himself a next Steven Spielberg. He doesn't listen to his friends when all they want is to give advice so he could make a better product. Yes, he has issues during his production which he admitted to not eating or sleeping for long periods. But his depression doesn't give him the right to have negligence in the set as forcing people to endure in a hot attic with no filming or go to the local Walmart to buy bottled water in bulk or just call crafts services for the love of Godoka. 

What Doug has to do is learn, understand, and become better for it. 

Listen, for those who are still watching Doug's content, keep watching him for all your heart's content. 

I honestly do not care if people still enjoy it. 

There's a difference between cancel culture and the death of the author. 

The problem is Doug himself and his unwillingness to change or grow in the decade he got his Internet fame. And he's losing it the more he doesn't do the research or respect the material he's reviewing when all he had to do is just search online.

Come on, he has problems with tech and a single Google search is probably the easiest thing anybody can do, even the least tech-savvy. He should have an easy time researching, given he actually went to college where research is definitely required for a better essay. It should be a no-brainer that he could do a simple Google search on the Wall gave how much he said this is his pet project, something he had been working on for months.

Instead, that effort clearly went into getting collabs and those collabs have a tight schedule for the release of the video, and the songwriting and just basically recreating the scenes probably from one watch. I doubt he even saw the movie again. 

By someone who outright mistakes names and not jokingly too and outright misinterprets scenes when the scene is right there in the original. It's alright for a bad movie since everybody can watch a fascinatingly bad movie like The Room but it's another when it's something that actually has exposition right there and it's spelled out to you like Deadpool and the newer Jurassic Park movies. 

Doug does have potential and I will never deny anyone their dream. 

But the way he's going is showing he isn't growing and learning the more he continues in his trek. What he must do is obvious if he truly wants to become an indie filmmaker and that's to learn and grow. 

Universal and Disney

Look, I always planned to visit USJ one day with my one desire to see the One Piece Summer Premier. Now though, it looked more tantalizing.

The last theme park visit I ever had was at Universal Hollywood which I am actually glad about. The last time I ever visited Disneyland was just before I entered middle school I think because I am sure I never visited Disneyland anytime after elementary school. The closest thing I could ever get to Disneyland nowadays was a trip to Downtown Disney and that's years ago.

I harbor no interest in ever visiting Disneyland or any Disney Parks...with the sheer exception of Tokyo DisneySea and that's only because I want to see the beauty. Without any IPs.

I'm not a theme park visitor. Again, the last time I ever visited a theme park was at Universal Hollywood. And I'm sure I was there before the Hollywood Universal Park version of Harry Potter opened in 2016. Because if I was there, I'll pretty much drag my parents there. My family kept complaining about the hiking prices at Disneyland, making them not want them to visit again. My cousin and brother are the only ones who visited Disneyland sometime within last and this year. My little niece visited Disney World years ago with her mother, grandmother, great aunt, and father and that's two years ago and she's three.

Seriously, having a Nintendo land is going to give a good black eye to Disney.

I don't want Disney to fall. All I just want for Disney is to have rivals because having rivalry is good for capitalism. The fact Universal Harry Potter land had given them a black eye in the past is great for them.

All the things Disney is doing is a bad look and even me, not even a Disney fan for a long time, is worried that they are increasingly arrogant and need be taken down a peg. If it takes the Japanese video game sphere - which I have to remind you will not sell themselves to Disney, no matter how they love it because what they are built on the blood and tears of their ancestors - to do it, then Disney needs that punch.

Because Japanese and Korean media have been increasingly popular nowadays with the rise of manga and anime to the point Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are trying to compete for titles on top of Funimation, Sentai, and other anime dubbing companies.

I mean the Hagrid ride has a ten-hour wait line!

Right, where crowds are light at Disneyland and rides at Galaxy's Edge. But for Disney crowds at the parks in the peak summer... yeah...

Yes, Harry Potter beat the hell out of Star Wars!

Disney needs rivals and this is a good one.

Especially since one of their few successful games ever is Kingdom Hearts. Although I consider that more Square Enix because it's Nomura's baby. I doubt Disney had any hand in the main overarching story at all. Yes, the Pixar crew and some writers on the Disney American side of things helped with the story writing even if it's for an arc or two - I count each world as an arc - but they barely had little idea on what Nomura is even planning. Even the most dedicated of KH fans still have their confusion with the story and they caught up with the entire saga.

But in comparison to the likes of Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Pokemon, Donkey Kong...

Yeah...

Disney had tried to appeal to the video games crowd before and didn't work out too well.

But when it comes to Nintendo where today the Nintendo Switch is huge and Nintendo games are a continuous success, I think Disney is panicking right now. I don't see Mario and Zelda losing their appeal in the years to come.

And they need to and should panic.

Disney had made many bad decisions in regards to Star Wars and their parks with their price increase. I know this because my family doesn't like the price increase. They have no desire to go to Disneyland. In the end, they began traveling abroad or up north in Cali instead. My aunts who long since became new grandparents began traveling to New York to visit the Niagra Falls and only visited Walt Disney World years ago. They even have a Niagra Falls souvenir on display at their house. My other cousins with their parents traveled to London, Italy, and France. Another cousin with her now fiance traveled to France and Japan. My entire family knows about my desired trips to Japan because it's not like I made it more evident with watching travel videos regarding Japan.

Now my family does visit Disneyland but it's only a very few. They still love Disney albeit relatively muted. Again, only one of my cousins and my brother are the only ones who visit and they aren't annual pass holders.

Disney cannot keep raising prices that even my cousins are complaining about it. They must not.

If they want to keep getting money from their consumers, they must be treated as consumers.

Disney cannot buy any more franchises or create mergers with any other big companies. They are already in big debt and eating themselves alive at the theatres. They must not buy more, not when they are raising prices at their parks and potentially Disney Plus. When their parks are in trouble, they cannot afford to buy more and force their consumers in their overpriced products. There's a reason why the Disney Character Warehouse Outlets is doing well.

Disney, don't buy anything more and don't increase prices to your previously overpriced products and parks. You won't get any more consumers if you price out your middle-class consumers who would likely find it much better spending money on overseas vacations or your theme park rivals or even your overseas Disney park.

Make your prices reasonable or making things cost so much less. Bring entertainment back because people go to your park, not as a mall, but for entertainment. Listen, I don't go to Universal Hollywood to see just more than just the rides, I see the shows.

People want entertainment and in a period where various methods of entertainment can be found, cutting entertainment out of the parks would leave nothing but a mall with rides.

You're practically making your rivals and your overseas parks as a better avenue of vacation any day of the week.

Just don't, Disney, don't overspend, overprice, cut entertainment, fire people who least deserve it, and most of all, don't lose sight of your consumer.

As for your Galaxy's Edge, you shouldn't open it early and at least give out information about changes. Don't budget cut it, especially when your rival Universal throw money just to compete with you. If Universal knows they have to go all out to compete with you, then you shouldn't budget cut it. In the realm of theme parks, you either have to go all out or find some efficiency or both.

Especially when that Disney magic and showmanship could get you the money you need to pay back.

For fuck's sake, Iger, get your head out of your rear end and help save the company that made you rich in the first place.

Listen, I understand Disney is a business. I understand that fact for a long-ass time.

But it shouldn't come at the detriment of people not willing to shell out more than hundreds and thousands.

The middle class is something you should be tackling, not draining the only ones who are going there regardless of price. Lower the goddamn prices. Don't get rid of entertainment when people go there to be entertained. Fill your hotels to capacity by lowering the prices so much you could have more families going in.

People understand you need money, Disney. They understand at some level, you are a business.

What they do not want is for Disney to lose that magic. People are getting more disillusioned the more they learned they learn bad stuff like low pay or budget cuts that rid of entertainment or focus on an audience. Don't lose your core audience to your greed.

You cannot keep doing this, Disney. Just don't raise prices even more and produce quality works that are actually worth it. Don't overspend on wastes of money that would increase your debt, forcing you to drain your loyal customers.

Universal learned this lesson well with the Harry Potter land which managed to stand the test of time simply for its immersive atmosphere and activities.

It's good and all you are focused on diversity but your story and characters must not be detrimental. Call people 'racists' or 'sexists' simply because they don't like the character would not help the movement. Respect your audience and consumer but don't lose sight of what matters to people and that's a good story and character.

And Rose Tico is not a well-executed character or the potential is lost there all just for politics rather than making a good character and the loss of the potential of Finn, Poe, and Rey is much evident.

Let me address the elephant in the room.

Disney's bad press is increasingly closing on them. From denying a simple headstone for a boy who was a fan of theirs to the flop of Galaxy's Edge to Chinese politics to allegations of fraud, this quarter is not a good look for them. In fact, it's really easy nowadays since the debacle of not allowing a dead boy's favorite character on his tombstone.

I don't hate Disney. I am annoyed at Disney and horrified that Disney is going to form a monopoly in a flawed capitalistic world. I don't buy much into Disney's hype nowadays. Not since Toy Story 3 and Frozen. While Brave did weather my liking for Pixar, TS3 screwed the pooch and made me refuse to buy even a single merch for them. Same with Frozen. Then again I haven't had any Disney merch since I was a child. Any kind of Disney merch I even have currently such as a lounge fly mini backpack that was bought from Tokyo Disneyland is from my cousin. Years later.

I don't think Disney would fail anytime soon. In all likelihood, Disney would be forced a humble pie just as the same pie was forced into the faces of the Channel Awesome higher-ups. Disney needs some humbling and if it takes the people to force them to eat that pie, I would have no problem joining the crowd, breaking the pedestal.

I grew up with Disney watching The Wonderful World of Disney and having some Disney movies on hand. My nostalgia has long since disappeared and I have since looked at Disney with a critical eye. I still have a fondness for animated movies but my family knew full well how much my opinion is pretty much 'meh' and my disliking of Frozen. And my dearest wish to travel to Japan seasonally.

I don't want Disney to fail. I don't want Star Wars and Marvel to fail. I don't want Sony to fail. I don't want Fox to fail.

They should be held accountable for their actions that hurt others.

The way Disney is handling PR and things that are coming out right now especially for a company that manufactured a good family-friendly image. So, Disney, all I can say is Good Luck.

Despite my feelings towards Disney nowadays, I still have fond memories of the movies I watched in my childhood and my childhood summer trips to Disneyland. Even now, Disney Cinderella is held close to my heart. Disney is the reason why I always planned a retelling of fairy tales novels with Cinderella being the first of the lot.

I don't hate Disney. I just want them to do better than just attacking fans just for not agreeing.

I understand the betterment of the marginalized and their rep in media. But pushing that as the only appeal rather than the story and the character is no good.

People can still have their better rep but it shouldn't be the only appeal. The appeals generally are good story. If it has a gay character that is respectfully treated, then that's good and a bonus to a good story.

Disney, I want you to do better and get your head out of your rear end.

If anyone has any negative thoughts that I hate Disney, I don't. I still treasure my childhood trips to Disneyland. I still love the Disney movies with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White being the first exposure I ever have to Disney.

As a tradition, before we went inside the park, we always take family pictures in the front garden. We still kept pictures of it.

Now, I worry about Disneyland's attendance.

After that, we immediately went for Fantasyland for the Teacups, Peter Pan and Snow White rides. Because that's also a tradition. After that, it's Small World, then Toontown, then Pirates. (It was annoying when Disney got rid of the wench scene but for the love of Godoka, last I heard from parks fans, there was no decrying).

I remember the day walking around the park, riding rides I can't remember.

And all of this was in the Eisner era.

I won't dispute others for having precious memories in the Iger/Chapek era of Disney right now but I certainly don't remember the sardine level of crowds. I was able to walk around easily.

While I would love to visit Disneyland again, I would rather choose studio tours - I went to Warner Bros Studio Tour - and other immersive theme parks and especially trips to Japan. I definitely want to see Tokyo DisneySea.

I don't want the parks to fail.

While my family isn't hardcore Disney park fans, we love the parks for its experiences. And let me tell you, my brother and my cousin aren't ap holders. And they will go to the parks if they planned it.

When I say experience, it's stuff like the rides and the atmosphere that got us. While some of my family members do have Instagrams, they aren't social media influencers and prefer to take pics when it's cute or show some kind of experience they deeply enjoy. For example, my cousin who went to Japan with her now fiance has an Instagram of her friends there so she could know when to take her trips next. She loves the Nara deers. I'm sure they would take photos of cute food since my other cousin took a picture of an alcohol bottle shaped in a Chinese dragon but they aren't social media influencers. They love taking pictures but they aren't influencers.

I truly doubt my brother and my cousin who went to Disneyland actually go there for the walls when they have been there for summer childhood family trips.

So anime and manga had been on the rise again.

I was surprised about the sudden rise of Naruto and Bleach coming back to the forefront with the latter live-action movie, which I actually like. And I was there in the rise of manga and anime partially because my cousins were definite watchers of Pokemon and Power Rangers.

Japanese and Korean media became increasingly popular for various reasons. From superheroes shifted the focus to the variety of anime and manga had to offer...

I'm worried about Hollywood and Disney. Disney already owned too much and they need competition thus be taken down a peg.

I honestly don't care about live-action adaptations of anime. Yes, I will still seek them out if I'm interested but for the most part, I don't care.

Why should I worry when I got my anime and manga to watch and read? I'm perfectly happy with One Piece Wano arc's animation. Speaking of which, I'm honestly want to watch the live-action adaptation of One Piece to see if they can adapt a series who mainly used the sea as a major backdrop and elaborate settings.

Yes, I do worry about the PC and cultural imperialism that will inescapably occur in this inevitable adaptation. Not even caring about what the Japanese have to say about their own political and social sphere. Because why care about the Japanese voice when your voice is stronger!?

For the love of Godoka, please try to know what's make these series inviting in the first place and don't ruin the original's magic. I already had my heart stabbed by many American live-action adaptations with the recent one being Ghost In the Shell.

I already had enough of American feminists trying to inject their PC into a Japanese work where Japanese feminism exists. And Japanese feminism is a whole different beast.

Speaking of which, I am hoping to see a new Ouran High School Host Club because I genuinely love the series to the point I have a complete collection of the manga and hoped to see the completion of the original manga in anime form. Hopes that adaptation would in the likes of the current Fruits Basket adaptation than the slightly dubious Sailor Moon Crystal. And I'm not the typical watcher of re-adaptations when I have the manga. Because seriously why not? There's already Sailor Moon, D.Gray Man, and now Fruits Basket. Why would another truer to the text anime adaptation hurt any more when there are already several to choose from?

Comic Books and the Direct Market

As far as I can remember, my childhood home doesn't have a single comic book store. I saw some comic books during my childhood library visits. However, I always made it a point during that time was to see the audiobooks, children's books, manga, and the fantasy section. I saw a comic book section but I don't know how to start.

My first exposure to western superheroes was cartoons and movies with the occasional video games. I'm pretty sure I have a Batman Arkham game somewhere. But knowing the basics of DC superheroes and some Marvel is something I would understand. As I recall, unlike manga, there is so little advertisement. My cousin, who is a gamer than manga and anime watcher, agreed with the sentiments.

Because there is little to no advertisement unlesss there is word of mouth and that's growing less and less.

Because no fucking clue where to start with American superhero comic books. There are so many reboots and continuities that somehow meshed into canon to the point that people point out western superheroes are now the Greek mythology of the modern era. Where these guys are now basic archetypes that transcend the media. However, some ideas would pervade somehow in the mythology like Alfred Pennyworth's role as Bruce's batman and caretaker and Supes as the Boy Scout when ironically he's both, not an actual boy scout and started out as someone who challenged the status quo. Ironically, western superheroes started as a challenge at the status quo.

But I digress.

The point is that people do want superheroes. Just look at the past decade and tell me what is the current Hollywood trend.

It's just the typical superhero comic books that are generally unavailable through various means.

• a typical neighborhood don't have a comic book store and if there were, nowadays, they're closing down and people have to go to libraries or book stores like Barnes and Nobles or online to get things 
• the Big 2 has a confusing numbering system with reboots every few months and interconnecting stories with other superheroes that readers have no intention in reading when people just want to read a damn standalone superhero comic without having to deal with events and reboots, etc.
• nobody knows how to start. Even though it's not necessary to read #300 of a comic (reading the very first issue of Superman isn't necessary for issue number I don't know 200), a logical person would think a numbering system would mean reading order, right? Hahaha, you are so wrong about that. The numbering system for the Big 2 does not mean reading order most of the time; it's collectibility or some special event like a crossover.
• the requirement to read other heroes when you really shouldn't understand the bigger picture when most people just want to read a standalone story with that hero as the main protagonist.  
• Longtime fans have to make recommended lists for anybody to get started. Linkara and Spacetwinks made a list each. However, because they have to do this, instead of Marvel and DC, it speaks a lot about how the fans are working towards trying to get people already interested in it and the Big 2 aren't expanding their audience. 
• the relevant stories are not collected and if they are, it's pretty rare. DC and Marvel did nothing to collect them, forcing new customers to hunt down copies that probably cost more than they thought it would. Pirates did a much better job organizing the comics than DC and Marvel ever could. 
• their books typically aren't standalone and those are pretty not too many of them. And even then, they cost way too much. 
• they think they can walk into a store and just pick out a comic book thus helping the sales, just like manga. When they have to preorder the comic through a confusing system and it doesn't help there are variant covers. 
• prices are unreasonable. Their apps don't offer their entire backlog and not in concise order and recommendation from the author about reading order or what is or is not necessary to read. Their recent issue would take months, even half a year to get uploaded and that's just not worth it. Floppies are not the way the go especially when they cost ten dollars a pop than y'know a full phonebook of various stories to choose from when people nowadays are used to getting things for dirt cheap with an entire backlog to look at. Just look at Crunchyroll, Shounen Jump, and Netflix. 
• so little marketing. Their marketing is unknown to me because even comic book stores don't know which would be successful. If they aren't, it'll be sitting on their shelves, getting dusty. Normal people who want to get into comic books don't know what to choose or if the comic they are looking at them is right for them. 
• so little variety. There is a slice of life then and there like Ms. Marvel but there isn't much other. Even the MCU tackled various genres with fantasy in one then thriller the next. 

Even newspaper comics have more means of availability. 

Now, I'm pretty sure I rarely found pirated comic books. I vaguely remember seeing a couple pages in a LiveJournal once but for the life of me, I cannot remember the title. I'm pretty sure it's DC because I'm an undeniable DC girl. While I don't mind DC and Marvel, it's DC I'm more drawn too. But unlike manga, people really don't all out for it.

See, I'm a DC girl and even I had trouble getting into comic books. And even then, I rarely foray in it anyway.

I read manga as long as I know anything resembling comic books. I will make it clear that my first completely read CLAMP manga is Tokyo Babylon and it holds a special place in my heart. I remember picking up FMA, Naruto, Cardcaptor Sakura, and so much more. I remember seeing One Piece, Bleach, and so forth on the shelves.

Why?

Unlike the Big 2, manga knows how to market, distribute, and make it accessible for a sensible person to get into at dirt cheap. A magazine would cost a dollar in Japan and a reasonable set of chapters are collected into a volume that also cost a reasonable amount. Volume 1 and chapter 1 is exactly that. You don't have to read Naruto or One Piece to understand Bleach! You just need to read fucking Bleach! There are various genres and variety you can get into. Seriously, there is a manga about making bread! Dr. Stone is very popular nowadays and I heard it through word-of-mouth and adverts!

Just what the fuck are you doing, DC and Marvel?

Shonen Jump offered their app at barely three dollars and it's free if you download on your phone right now.

And don't you know what's worse?

The magazines that typically hold 200+ pages of various stories to choose from resembled the Golden Age. Yes, if DC and Marvel get their ass in there, they could sell their books.

If they want to survive, they have to evolve and adapt.

It's not like general people don't want superheroes. They love One Punch Man, Tiger and Bunny and My Hero Academia.

My cousins love OPM to the point one of them watched it multiple times. I have to direct them to the good anime when Netflix didn't know how to shuffle them or recommend them in a way that would make sense to actual details the anime offered. Now my dad used to have a Netflix account but he pulled out a couple of years after we moved into our house.

There are so many problems with the American comic book industry.

It's not the diversity or SJWs that are the problem that is driving the industry to the ground. It certainly doesn't help these guys on top are either well-meaning or just don't know the fandom. The fandom wants good stories.

They aren't getting the broader audience they need. IDW is selling, DC ax Vertigo and rumor have it Disney is planning to ax the comic book division of Marvel.

The comic book industry needs to reach a broader audience. But they also need variety rather than sticking to the same old plain bread.

Jesus, just looking at the ruined weddings of BatCat makes me so angry because they have potential right there and they didn't take it. Give Bruce happiness for once in his life with someone who he can share his life with. Christopher Nolan of all people gave Bruce that happy ending with the implication he's traveling the world with Selina, living mainly in Europe but still.

Comic books from the Big 2 is not regarded as the originator or the viewing of a different medium in the manner of manga (seriously, I heard purists about manga vs anime a lot in the community so I don't bother than I do comics vs movie and the only time I have seen those arguments is when a particularly badly written comic like Nu52). They're now loss leaders and now regarded as merchandise like caps or toys.

That is dismaying for a comic book reader.

Now, the characters are popular but the comics are not, deeming them more or less background. Although people have always had a connection in mind like Batman's unwillingness to kill or distaste for guns. Remember, SuperBat has its interpretations of the first meeting from friendly to dislike.

Everybody in the entire world knows Batman in some capacity through many mediums and knows the tragic backstory that led him to become Batman in the first place. They know Batman has an aversion for guns and adopted lots of kids and surprisingly idealist despite his fear tactics.

But comics themselves are not popular. People have an inkling but they don't know where to start. They have to seek out recommendations from long-time fans to even get started. I got started after Linkara's list.

Fans have to shuffle the comics themselves and put in a list that people can understand with notes whether or not it is necessary for the story or not. Fans, not DC and Marvel, have to do what the Big 2 doesn't have the effort to do. Like compiling their comics into readable volumes so that people aren't forced to seek out copies that are either in the back of storage or shelves. Just put together the relevant entries into one book so people literally do not have to worry about buying more floppies or seeking out hard-to-find copies.

These characters and their basic backstory and sometimes their stories translate into archetypes. These characters had now gone through many interpretations that are either well-respected or not. Just look at DCEU and Nolan's interpretation of Batman and Superman, with the audience rejecting DCEU's Supes that now they are scurrying to fix at the detriment of a great Superman comic. People love Captain America and Wonder Woman films so it showed that people do want hopeful and all-around decent heroes who do the right thing. 'Boy/Girl Scout' heroes. Especially since the idea that got around is that Supes is exactly that character, a decent person who is doing what is good in the world when the rest of the world disagreed what constitutes as a boy scout. And people called Cap a boy scout too yet his films are often called the best of the lot and he's popular.

The comic book industry must not rely on the direct market and should focus on gaining a new audience who are interested.

They shouldn't worry about the confusing system of preordering or reading order. They shouldn't worry about confusing interlinking stories that required you to read other heroes or other mini-series or variant covers. There is tied in a material attached to let's say Transformers Prime but unless you seek it out, it doesn't hurt. Speaking of Transformers, each continuity is different and I don't recall a lot of people backlashing this much against it unless it's a poorly written one like the Micheal Bay movies.

It doesn't help that in the current time period of DC and Marvel, they are focusing on either diversifying their cast or deconstructing to the point that embracing something cheesy is seen as not classy or revering them for what they are supposed to be.

There is nothing wrong with diversity.

While the current sociopolitical landscape does demand better rep and there's nothing wrong with better rep, people want to have great stories with the bonus of better rep. You can have your politics but for people's entertainment, people don't want politics stuffed in their faces blatantly but rather in a subtle manner that treats them like equals rather than being lectured when any sane person should make their decision.

Anime and manga had always been full of embracing that cheesiness to the point of unrepentant. Even their most deconstruction of all tended to have some kind of wholesome reverence of what they are parodying. Just look at OPM with its depiction of shounen fights and heroism that some of the characters do have that innate goodness and want to do good in the world. Unlicensed Rider is a great example of this. In a parodic show, he's genuinely heroic and honorable.

Even Spiderman PS4, Into the Spiderverse, and MCU embraced the wholesomeness of what made these characters, cheesiness and all. Even their slight mocking would seem as an affectionate nod to the original which created them.

Explore different avenues than simply just reducing to deconstruction. Realism can help but what a story needs is its embrace of what made it was. There is nothing wrong with diversity. There's nothing wrong with affection and affectionate parodies. There's nothing wrong with parodies.

There is a problem forcing it down people throats when people would rather like it through allegory or subtlety without hitting a sledgehammer over their heads. Captain Marvel did this. Into the Spiderverse did not do this.

Don't make diversity as the only appeal that works for the audience. People want more than that. They want good stories and respect not just for them but also for the movie is supposed to represent. Ghostbusters 2016 does not respect the original and is a major setback for feminism.

While I am concerned for the comic book industry with IDW putting out great books, they need to market to people who are used to accessibility with buying the physical copy as a bonus.

The American comic book industry is dying.

It's just sad to see it happen and the small fandom will likely be saddened by their demise.

Live Action Adaptations/Remakes

I guess you can call this a continuation of the Disney Remakes post I made last time.

I have nothing against live-action adaptations. Why are you even worrying about it? The original is still there and can be watched and bought online. For the most part, most people think of these adaptations as unnecessary or doesn't stand a chance against the original or have an identity from the original, justifying its existence. Some people - look pointedly at the Walker Brothers - hate them for absolutely shallow reasons. Seriously, Doug, every time I see a review or even just the thumbnail of any of the Disney remakes, I am wary that you would make it unfair and you would preach the hell out of it by the end of the review anyway which is annoying.

Yes, some adaptations can be bad. And I'm using 'bad' as an understatement. I am not downplaying adaptations can be horrid. The Death Note Netflix live-action still leaves a bad taste in the mouth for many reasons and more importantly,

I don't care much for live-action adaptations. Yes, comic book adaptations are in a golden age. I don't think superhero films are going away any time soon. They would still be there. Some of them can have their own identity from their own adaptation - Civil War, for example.

What I worried above all else is this: how can they tell the story.

Think of this as how I consider an adaptation. It depends on each work formation. So what I am going to do is tell what would fit a generally good adaptation in my opinion.

This, of course, depends on how you planned to adapt it into live-action. Are you planning the use the original's themes and premise but still make it enough that it's the original product? Or are you planning a more expansive retelling with your own spin? Or changing the genre altogether?

• What the original's themes and motifs are. Know what the story is telling before doing anything else. If you want to try another way to tell the story's actual themes, it's good as long as you hit the second point.
• The important points and beats of the original story. Yes, this is crucial for a recognizable adaptation. The Little Mermaid did this well with instead of a relationship with God, it's with her father. Frozen did not do this well because all it had was a woman with ice powers. No glass shards, no meeting important people... The only possible glass shard is the ice that was embedded in Anna and even then that doesn't have the same function as the glass shard. Jesus, just thinking of how Frozen utterly wrecked the fairytale with the 'inspired' bs stamped on it makes me so angry. They aren't trying anything new but lampshading and not doing anything about it. Hans came out of nowhere because a Disney movie needs a villain when there is no need to. 
• Get rid of things unimportant and keep the ones important to your plot and the plot of the original. Change stuff when needed...but never to the point of changing the entire setting and making it unintelligible for those who have a basic knowledge of the series. For example, if you make the live-action of One Piece landlocked - without warning that it's not a high school AU or any other AU but the original series in landbased series when the original series is all about the ocean and what the ocean represents. Speaking of One Piece, everything one way or another is important. 
• The characters must be IC/recognizable. This is a must because for the fans you are aiming this at, they would recognize their dear characters whom they followed for some time. A big detriment for the Death Note live-action is the characterization because, for the most part, it failed to adapt these characters in an American setting. 
• Understand what the Japanese have to say in the work you are adapting. Allow the Japanese voices in your project, who knows how manga and anime works and why the series that they are adapting works. It's already horrifying VLD doesn't get the mecha genre's anti-war sentiments. Because above all else, you have to know what the original nation have to say when it's their product you're adapting, Hollywood. Just don't practice cultural imperialism and say your culture is more PC when over there is a whole different beast of sociopolitics. There are dubbing mistakes after all in anime already and the last thing I need to see is in the live-action adaptations. 

People do have the right to worry about Hollywood. Hollywood is hovering, just waiting to grab one of the popular manga and anime.

It took over 20 years to have One Piece spinoffs and a live-action adaptation!

I love One Piece. It's one of my favorite shounen to the point my favorite figures are typically One Piece. Because anything FMA nowadays is rare and on the occasion, expensive.

But I don't want Hollywood to strip what makes One Piece as great as it is, strip-mining of its foreshadowing and worldbuilding.

Anime and manga have the benefit of not having the same limits as live-action. Even Game of Thrones has its limitations, being the most expensive show ever produced.

But One Piece, a series that take place entirely at sea and islands with various communities, is going to be a task. You need a herculean hand and money to recreate the massive and crazy world of One Piece.

Again, people do have the right to worry if Hollywood or any live-action for that matter can capture the spirit and heart of the series they love so much.

I already accepted there will be Hollywood live-action adaptations of anime and manga in the future. Because this is Hollywood and they already have their superhero run. While I do think superheroes will be fine, Hollywood's next target is anime like Your Name.

Given the rising popularity of titles like One Punch Man, I don't doubt Hollywood wouldn't try to get their grubby hands on the licensing.

Seriously, if they ruin one of my all-time favorite arcs in anime and manga (my first foray into One Piece was a clip of Enies Lobby and I was never so much happier when I actually watched Enies Lobby arc), I will cry a waterfall and it's not the tears of joy. Like, there will be tears of joy but mixed with tears of despair.

Then again, why worry?

When you have the original? It's not like live-action adaptations would ruin the original's magic any time soon.

Let me tell you this again.

Then again, I was surprised to see my cousins who were originally interested in stuff like Sailor Moon get into other manga like One Punch Man. My other cousins love OPM that one of my cousins complained about how many times they actually watched it.

Unsurprisingly, I was the one who my cousins go to for recommendations. Because I had been enveloped in anime and manga culture in a longer expanse of time and my cousins know it. It's not like I made a secret of my love.

But I really will be happy if they give a Gunpla or a figurine I really like. Or give me tickets to Japan. Because trips to Japan is my dearest wish to travel abroad.

I'm more surprised people, particularly new readers, are looking at Naruto and Bleach and One Piece and so forth recently. A Funko Pop collector has him and a brother offhandedly mentions the former Big 3, well one of the Big 3 is still there but still; they are watching it. Although given the so-called 'Woke' attitude in American media, all they want is entertainment and if they have diversity, it's just a bonus honestly.

The American comic book industry is in trouble. When their competitors offer much better prices and accessibility than the Big 2 any day of the week...

Remember, it's the direct market and the Big 2's piss-poor marketing and affordability for a single floppy and its many, many events is what led to their downfall.

They refused to change as their Japanese counterparts and webcomic counterparts are doing so much better. Crowdfunding comics are doing a hella lot better than the Big 2 any day of the week.

I don't want DC and Marvel to fail.

I'm sure there are people who do want them to fail.

But in this case, where these two were a major inspiration for much western superhero-inspired anime and manga, it's just facepalming.

You think they would've adapted to the times. Getting an app made with dirt-cheap prices that they can literally list all the comics dating back as soon as their first appearance! If they really like it, they can order the physical copy.

It should've been easy with their influence. People know Batman and Superman, right? Even in the age where superheroes dominated the airwaves, you would think there's an app made with everything free and organized to events and reading order. Like it would immediately direct you to the next issue that would continue the story.

But at the same time, their relaunches and events drive away potential readers who just wanted to read a damn story of their favorite superhero. They aren't used to events that they have to read.

They are used to reading self-contained stories that spin-offs are unnecessary.

They are slowly learning so that their industry doesn't fall horribly.

They really should've added new readers and not alienate them further. Give better prices, cut down Comixology's price tag to Shounen Jump's app price tag so you can better compete. Organize everything. See what it means for new readers, rather than forcing them to read stuff they have no clue about or don't want to read about.

Listen, people want to read slice-of-life Batman. Bruce Wayne and Alfred hanging out with the Dick, Damian, Jason, and Tim playing Pokemon Go or exploring a regional culture or eating their favorite food or cooking or playing video games. Damian feeding his many pets and petting police dogs.

Yes, people want to see the everyday life of heroes who are not doing hero work. Just doing something that they love like traveling or eating their favorite food at large amounts or going to the mall.

There is nothing wrong in exploring that angle in its full extent.

Slice-of-life is one of my cousin's favorite genre and a popular genre in its own right.

What is wrong with Bruce Wayne hanging out at a Target knock-off and being utterly confused at the mundane things that he could easily buy them out and Tim laughing at rich boy Wayne?

What is wrong with Damian taking care of his pets and embracing police dogs whenever he goes out in public and feeding every animal that comes his way?

People want Batfamily! It's not that hard!

What is wrong with focusing entirely on that?

They dedicate a couple of pages at best, never to a full comic book.

As opposed to slice-of-life manga which spends volumes just committed to a love of food or culture of a region. Even Persona dedicated itself to slice-of-life.

Slice-of-life is really popular and if the Big 2 get a piece of the pie, they could have a whole new audience. Dedicated entirely to this daily life.

Big 2, diversify your superheroes a lot more.

Like, don't make Elseworlds. Make literally AU and self-contained stories using your IPs.

X-Men acting out a romantic comedy? An Avengers high school parody? Tony Stark going to burger joints and reviewing cheeseburgers on his blog as an amateur food critic? Steve Rogers adjusting to modern-day with awe at amazing inventions? Clint and Natasha seeing something nightmare fuel? The Avengers singing a pirate song for Talk Like A Pirate Day? Young Avengers going out to karaoke?

Barry Allen in a more musical take? The Justice League at a Fourth of July and accidentally wreaking havoc? A gag series with the Justice League or Avengers? A cook-off between Batman and Green Arrow? Wondy introducing the Amazons to I don't know, Gunpla? Bruce Wayne and J'onn watching Sailor Moon with merch to boot and Alfred cleaning Bruce's figures every week? Bruce going to the Sailor Moon exhibit, cafe, and store when in Japan with dutiful Alfred carrying his merch? Tim's Youtube Channel, showing off his nerdy collection including anime figurines?

A Batfamily slice-of-life in a school setting? Tim and Kon hanging out at the mall and shopping for their favorite games and movies? Damian working at an animal shelter and bathing dogs? Dick Grayson hanging out at raves in-costume or attending comic book conventions?

Marriages? Bruce finally getting happiness for once with someone who he can share his life with? I don't mean it platonically, it's romantic I'm calling here. Did you know what's worse? The only official BatCat marriage is in the Nolan movies! Nolan is giving Bruce the romantic ending the comics and unfortunately, the animated denied him. I love the DCAU as much as the next person but even I wish Bruce was at least given a happy ending with Selina in his life in Batman Beyond. I settle for Wondy if I didn't like her with Steve Trevor but I do!

It might be borderline fanfiction but at the very least, there is an audience they can draw in.

I'm just throwing out ideas at this point, but DC, Marvel, I want you to live, not die a sickening slow and painful death.

You have to adapt, you two, you can't keep living in your own bubble. Putting out diversity would not be enough. It would not even be the death knell. The death knell would the direct market, lack of marketing, distribution, pricing, and inaccessibility for new readers.

Go Woke, Go Broke or so the saying goes...

So things that have social justice in it had been under fire recently. To the point that something as overt as normalizing trans people is seen as political.

I'm sorry but things had been political. It's just either it had been subtle enough or you just weren't smart enough to see it.

I can see how the phrase "Go Woke, Go Broke" applies. But I think there could be many factors that I will discuss in this post.

Because, whether you like it or not, activists and SJWs (I put them in separate divisions because of levels of sanity and rationality), people are not looking for activism in stories.

If you really are watching a series only for representation, then I don't know what to tell you.

Most people want to see something for various reasons. People seek out a story precisely because of a good story and characters it offered.

Let's look at a popular anime and manga making the rounds in America: My Hero Academia.

In the series, there is a trans man who was introduced in the eighth arc, Hero Team Wild Wild Pussycats' Tiger and a trans woman named Magne, a villain.

In no way were these characters depicted defined entirely by their minority definition. They gained fans precisely because they were good characters. The Wild Wild Pussycats has many fans in the fandom.

Let's look more into an American TV: Star Trek.

Released in the midst of the American Civil Rights movement, in the small screens of families everywhere, in the bridge of the Enterprise sat a black woman, a Japanese man, a Jewish man, a Russian man in a five-year mission of exploration.

Nobody is knocking against Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura. Heck, Uhura was one of the symbols that Martin Luther King Jr. was pleased to see.

Let's look at another recent one: Wonder Woman 2017.

The media is all about the first female superhero solo movie made. Notably, Patty Jenkins did not go all out to make damn sure that this movie is feminist, just a good movie. Its feminism is just a bonus.

Nobody is knocking against Wonder Woman. People had held Wondy as a feminist symbol for a long time before this movie even been greenlit.

However, the film made it clear that her sex does not define Wondy. It's her justice, her kindness, her mental strength was what ultimately made Wondy into the forefront of the DCEU. This is what made her popular. The feminism of the movie was just a bonus.

Here's something that doesn't push diversity above all else: Power Rangers!

I'm pretty sure nobody is knocking against Power Rangers for its diversity, something it has since the beginning of the goddamn franchise. Which people did push against was the accidental casting of the Black, Yellow, and Red Rangers with the races, something Saban didn't even notice but later notice and admit their mistake.

The writing prioritized good writing, not that of their culture or race or POC that ultimately made them special. It is because they are fucking heroes and chose to do the right fucking thing is why these guys are Power Rangers!

Nobody is knocking against the movie cast either for its diversity or rep. If anything I saw, people seemed to praise that they were the first superhero film to even portray LGBT.

You can have your leads. Hell, there are POC leads as the Red Ranger in Beast Morphers and Ninja Storm for example. Even fucking Tommy is a POC Red Ranger - it's in his backstory even - and he's one of the most popular Rangers! Sure people are annoyed with Tommy now but that's because the writing kept shilling him at the expense of other Rangers.

The Captain Marvel film, however...

Brie Larson (*facepalms* I heard of her before but not as an actress. I first heard her from Barbie: Magic of Pegasus music video "Hope Has Wings". Which is why I'm surprised she even became an actress. At best, I thought she would have her music career albeit obscure. Yes, I heard about her from a fucking Barbie movie!), in a sphere of intersectional feminism and the #MeToo movement, repeatedly put herself up on a pedestal, not even acknowledging the past efforts of women and men for equality to put herself as a symbol of feminism. She puts herself up as the end-all-be-all of all feminism and racism while insulting the people that they should cooperate with to create a bigger and better society.

Marvel Studios and Disney, I think you should fire her. Running her mouth did hurt some of your PR. Although your current PR marketing must be insane right now with Galaxy Edge and the criticism lobbed at you by women in power and your former and current employees.

Of course, people would find that insulting.

The point of feminism is equality between men and women with the men no longer having to worry about so-called feminine activities they partake in such as make-up or moisturizing or spa or anything related to femininity and women no longer have to worry about unwanted sexual advances or gender norms. They can simply be feminine and sexual for themselves and not for anybody else. They wear that sexuality and femininity. And just guys wanting to wear skirts would not be confused with drag or that girls have to forced to act masculine or guys have to act masculine to fit into society. Just like the point of fighting racism is having races treated as equal and not having the black/Asian/Native American person chosen because they are that color than any other skill. They have to be chosen because of skill therefore treated as equals. That's the thing: Everyone is treated as equals and they don't have to worry about judgment.

Equality, not superiority and revenge.

America is firmly in a position of social justice over telling good stories that they would rather have characters defined entirely by their minority rather than by their character. It's getting increasingly clear that people can hide behind Progressivism and called those who disagree even with something as simple as storytelling 'sexists' or 'racists'. It's frustrating to see that is no way in building a better society for everyone who is equal and doesn't have to worry about discrimination about the simplest thing.

I'm not an outspoken feminist but I will call out bs that treated men and women unequally. Posturing women as the answer to all and the men as stupid just like the Ghostbusters 2016 or Jennifer Lawrence demanding a larger pay than her costar Chris Pratt rather than asking for the same pay is not the way of feminism's true goal.

Activism is good and all. There is no problem with fighting for what is right.

But most people aren't seeking out stuff because of representation. I'm sorry but people have to get through their heads that the general public doesn't go out of their way to seek representation in works. It's the good stories and characters is what people prefer more than a character defined entirely by their race or sex.

If you seriously push that this movie or tv has a female character as the lead and you push that as the only appeal... you are not going to get the broad audience you seriously want.

Here is what the general public would want:

• Tell a great story
• with great characters
• who just happens to be 
• LGTBQI+
• POC
• women
• who are treated respectfully
• but don't make their culture/sociopolitical identity their character entirely
• but that culture influenced their character
• it has to be character first
• don't make them superior when the point is equality and respect 

Listen, Progressives, you can have the respectful treatment of the marginalized.

But not at the expense of telling a great story and great characters.

For the radicals, don't use the industry you are in just to get some brownie points. Don't use the industry as a tool for your own personal gain or gratification and hide behind a veil once things go wrong or backfire or that people have the right to criticize. Is this America where freedom of speech is the first amendment? There is nothing wrong with what you believe in but what you are pushing above all else is not welcoming for a lot of people.

If you are adapting a work or want to make diversity in a work that already has diversity:

• understand what makes that work appealing, especially if it has a long history of portraying women, POC and LGBTQI+. Keep true to the spirit of what made it work and endured. Yes, I am looking at Star Trek and Star Wars. 
• But don't hit people over the head with feminism, diversity, and LGBT. 
• The focus is on a good story and characters, not the number one priority of diversity
• the diversity must be well-handled in all regards
• but don't push diversity as the only appeal
• it would alienate the fans who had stuck through the series 
• a general audience wants a good story and characters
• if they want diversity, they can seek out diversity
• but a general audience wants entertainment and escapism, not forcing things they are already aware of in the news 
• diversity is a bonus, not a crutch that will make or break the work
• Even metaphors are fine as long as you know what the hell you are talking about

It's not the diversity that is the problem. It's not the problems of racists and sexists who do indeed exists.

It's the problem that people look for entertainment first, not diversity. If anything, it's just a bonus.

There may be other problems that are involved too, but diversity is not the main problem most shows that have diversity failed. It could be execs or poor damn writing. It could be the industry's poor marketing. It could be anything but playing the blame game on the audience is not the solution.

Above all else, media, DO NOT TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY SHOULD WATCH AND BELIEVE IN WHEN PEOPLE HAS THE RIGHT OF OPINION. DO NOT BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU AKA THE FANDOM AND CASUALS.

How about a fanfiction?

Dalton by CP Coulter.

This fic has many LGBTIQ+ and some POC in there. However, the major draw of the fanfic is that's good. Even to this day in a somewhat dead fandom of Glee and Dalton, Dalton is still regarded as one of the Klaine classics to read.

Speaking of which, Glee!

Glee, for all its problems, normalized homosexuals and treat these characters as people. Sure, their writing is a mess and does hurt the LGBTQI+ community with their biphobia.

But while the latter problems had been noted, the writing problem had been lobbed at the writers more than you count by the general public. The decreasing viewership is what led to Glee's cancellation, not the lack of respectful representation. I'm pretty sure there were outcries about the poor representation because this is Glee. And series would stir up controversy and criticism once it's let out into the open public who can be vicious.

Glee didn't try IN YOUR FACE representation and posture themselves as better than the people who just want to watch the damn thing. What's alienating watchers and probably some Gleeks was its poor writing.

Insulting your potential audience and alienating a niche audience is not the way to go if you want goddamn money and cookies.

This may don't look like it's part of the subject at hand but I can't help but show that this isn't the problem.

I know that it is easy to blame SJWs or Diversity because that seems easier to blame something somewhat tangible in the American sociopolitical sphere.

But the American Comic Book industry had only been hanging on by a thread by their own business practices which they refuse to change.

When Shounen Jump already their own app and light novels are also available through an app, DC and Marvel aren't primed up for an entire catalog of their goddamn history in a site for dirt cheap.

In this current economy where people would rather spend their subscription wisely and cheaply, DC and Marvel refused to budge and adapt to the current times.

It's only recently they were forced to change in the light of their competitors in Japan actually seem to know what they are doing.

If you can't appeal to the common folk who have no clue how to understand comic books, your shrinking niche market is growing more tinier. Even Linkara, a DC fanboy all the way, agreed with Spacetwinks on all his points of American comic book industry.

You can't keep doing this, Big 2. What you are only doing is just losing readership you desperately need to keep your companies afloat.

Then again, when Disney is running Star Wars and now Marvel to the ground and Universal kept Harry Potter in some modicum of decency... I don't know if DC and Marvel could survive by latching on other industries just to survive. And even then, the businesses who only see money would not see the worth in them and ax them. DC already ax Vertigo. Would Disney unrepentantly ax the comics division of Marvel? Only time will tell.

With their comics not as the originator but as part of the merch in the same way as a cap or a mug.

It's the longstanding problems of DC and Marvel's marketing and distribution system that made it fail currently. Even in the midst of the superhero decade.

Not the SJWs or diversity.

For the love of God, don't blame them or be hypocrites.

Even SJWs, for all their problems, don't deserve the blame for the American comic book industry's decline. They don't deserve the blame and neither do people who have the right idea but took the wrong way entirely either towards their potential audience or general audience who just wants to be entertained, not be forced to sit through propaganda.

I don't want DC and Marvel to fail. I want them to adapt to the times and learn from Shounen Jump and manga in particular or hell webcomics.

What they are doing is not good for their economy and should adapt to the times, should allow themselves to evolve.

I never once thought guilty by association would be in full-force. Even just being a friend, when that friend who is in no way associated with the controversy. I saw James Rolfe faced backlash for having Doug Walker as an associate in a video, I think? Rolfe has not associated with the Change The Channel controversy in any way. He's not mentioned as one of the perps that abused his friends and coworkers.

If they defend these perps, sure, you can say that? Not really?

It's already horrifying people are crucified for simply having another opinion but it's another that they are deemed just as guilty just because they want to be friends, forcing them to keep their relationship in the shadows or that they simply have a different opinion. The world is not black and white. It's grey and people have to know that reality is more complex than a fight over evil that their escapist fantasies like to say.

You could say they pick a side but they at least be empathetic to others' plights or try to understand why or would people make these stuff up or given a choice of neutrality simply because they don't know how to handle or help an escalating situation.

Nowadays, it feels like people have to choose a side. Us vs Them in the Trump administration and culture, huh?

There is nothing wrong with choosing a side, understanding them but decisive or just don't know how to move forward from learning all of this, or ultimately remaining neutral.

I'm just tired in this state of affairs.

America is so thin-skinned that they want to have an easier time blaming others for the mere association than actively trying to help society. Do things yourselves than be lazy and blame others. I know it's not unique to America but being exposed to America who is all loud and proud about this to the point of cultural imperialism is not fun.

It's not enough to point fingers and lay back to let others do the work. Show your support by helping society in ways, vote in people who are competent, not just because they are women or POC. We are to help create a better society of equals, which meant both men and women and POC and everybody else is happy and benefit and cooperate with one other.

It's disheartening to see and know that guilty by association is still happening in American culture where diversity and sex as the only appeals that should draw in the audience are put above respect and freedom.

I don't read FMA for Arakawa's representation of women. I read it because I love the story and characters. Yes, I have the complete collection on my shelves because that's my favorite manga of all time.

I'm pretty sure that rep - even when that rep is different in Japan - was just a bonus for many feminists for those reading it. Because FMA didn't get to the top of many lists just because of representation.

I'm sorry if this post was disheartening to read. I honestly just want everyone to be happy or at least be understanding of each other.

As for me, I'll be reading my favorite manga and anime because this topic is just depressing.

Figures, Nendoroids, Funko Galore!

I am not a collector's type. I would just pick out figures of what I like and don't care about what others have to say. I like my Gunpla and my figures. I like them because they present a good look and make me happy if my books don't give me a sense of joy.

For collectors, each toy must look good and have enough differences among them like say interchangeable parts like Nendoroids or paint primers like Gunplas or poses like scales. Hell, you can adjust the angle of the scale models to make it look great for display or photography. They have fucking incredible details on it that looks utterly fantastic. Gunplas have so many different models that it is great for collecting and building!

Yeah, I really like Figmas, Nendoroids, and Gunplas.

They seem to fit the title of a collectible because they allow poses and that you can fucking play with them in some form. Even scale models have enough of a splash that it makes an impression.

Yes, all of these need great care for it to continue to look good.

For my opinions of each, let's just start with the one I have mixed opinions about.

I don't hate Funko Pops. It's the eyes that stared into me with unholy eyes of an abomination. I like it when I have seen it in drawing and transition well enough into a figurine. See, Deadpool and Spider-Ham.

But even then, it's not enough for me to get even one Funko Pop.

Why don't Funko Pops allow some sculpture making competition in the same line as Banpresto World Figure Colosseum or Gunpla Builds World Cup?

It would be awesome!

I'm hard at work, trying to care for Gunplas and I know I am nowhere that motivated to participate in a worldwide tournament.

My very first figure! 

Heck, one of my figures is a Banpresto World Figure Colosseum Usopp. And I plan to keep it until I can sell it later it in my life. Hey, if my cousins want to decorate their room with succulents albeit fake and other false gems and other minimalistic black/white comfort,  I want to have a room decorated with what I want and that's anime figurines, Nendoroids, Gunpla, books, doujinshi, and other memorabilia.

There are already bootlegs for Funko just like the figures I just named. It's nothing new. Heck, you allowed painting for a blank Funko Pop.

So why not have your own competition? You could sell the finalist figures as part of your collection. That's what Banpresto did. The Gunpla World Cup displayed the winners at Gundam Divers City.

Yes, it would motivate more bootlegging but at the same time, you could push for creativity and imagination.

Like, there's a thing called Wonder Festival. right? I'm pretty sure you should at least heard about it with people selling their own sculptures there without any risks of legality?

Yes, I am fully aware that the Banpresto allowed PVC, which in itself is a cheap product, and for Gunpla models, they, among other things, melt their old runners for new parts entirely.

And Funko is made entirely of plastic.

But it doesn't have to be made of plastic. Anything nonlethal is great like clay or even PVC itself. The competition could allow adjustable parts like joints or bobbleheads to be made. It doesn't have to stick with a single design of a plain Funko pop with blank eyes. It could have glistening eyes or more expressions. Not only would this be great for collecting, but it also required care. As long as you decide on a theme, you can do it. Gunpla World Cup doesn't have a theme nor does BWFC. BWFC actually has categories like DB and OP as categories to build from but there would be potential for more categories if something had made just as great as an impact as those two shounen mangas I just mentioned.

Even Legos have their own competitions!

Not only it would greatly help spread the name of Funko but it would be awesome to see creativity.

There are already bootlegs and people do order Funko in their own image and let's not forget Funko HQ has a built your own pop!

Make it much more than just collectible. Because at least I can play with mine and happily pose my figures that look beautiful.

Okay, fine, it's partly my frustration with Funko that I couldn't with them exactly.

I would like the top more if it had a more complete sculpture with the bottom.

There could be so much potential with a Funko...y'know acting like actual toys instead of taking up space. I kept my Gunpla and figure boxes because one of these days, I think I could pack them up and move somewhere.

Funko doesn't justify much collectibility. The template is literally the same. Yes, the Nendoroids have similar but at least it's interchangeable that I could dress up and pose my characters however I wish. It offered so much for that fact along you play with them.

Even for scale models, you can do so much with them, photograph them or display them in a way that looks visually marvelous.

As for Funko, it just sits there on the bookshelves or desk, not wanting to be played. If anything, Funko seemed to push collectibility over playing it. Heck, most people would list it as a toy. It's listed as one in Amazon!

Whether or not I start playing with even a single Funko, it wouldn't do a thing for Funko's pushing for collection over playability. From what I can find, only the common Funko are used as toys. I just want Funko to justify its status as a fucking toy. Even Arin Hanson called his figures in his office toys! Amiibo served more function than Funko and I can't get Amiibos because my cousins and I don't even know how to use it.

Look, I know people collect stuff that wasn't meant to be played like antique coins or stamps. But at least, those served a function of y'know display when cleaned up. Hell, stamps could be placed in a photo album and be shown off.

But Funko... nobody is playing with it. It's still plastic and plastic toys do exist. Gunpla is plastic after all. And even Gunpla allowed more playability with the posing!

Every now and then, other than cleaning up my figures every week, I adjust posing and I'm having fun with it. Heck, even I am happy to play with my Going Merry and Thousand Sunny.

Funko, I repeat, is something nobody is playing and the company is not helping that fact with their push for collection purposes than playing.

Which makes me wonder how the hell the Funko Pop movie would play out if it wants to be the Lego Movie?

Because Lord and Miller know the potential of Legos while playfully satirizing our society.

What is the appeal of Funko Pops? The eyes? The IPs? The sculpt? The design? The paint job? It's still a plastic toy, no matter how they try to posture it as some kind of collectible when it's actually not. There are customs that can be made and painted but it's still the template used.

Just what? I can name the appeals in Nendoroids, action figures, and anime figurines.

What is the motto of Funko Pop? Let me paraphrase, everyone is a fan of something.

Just... Ugh...

Yes, there is something for everybody with all your IPs. I only adore your Deadpool and Spider-Ham figs but do you see me going my way out to buy them? I'm pretty fine, seeing them in pictures just as the Perfect Grades of Gunplas which I would love but can't have. That's a bad analogy since I would love a Perfect Grade but having a Funko pop, even just one, even if it's something I like, is something I don't want on my bookshelves. I would feel awful, just placing it next to my anime figurines, books, manga, anime, doujinshi, Gunpla, and Grand Ship Collection. It just seemed to take up space when I can't do anything with the posing or make it look glamourous.

Funko, my issue with you is three things:

1. Your fucking bead eyes, regardless of color or design. It doesn't have a reflection. Something there's no proper mouth when it's supposed to be a trademark smile or something! Sometimes, your figures don't look like it's should've been done that way. There is so little creativity with a little template and when you do make something marginally decent, you have to change your template just enough. Just do something different than just stick to the template and pumping it out! The point of a collection is having something different yet similar. 
2. Your figures can be too normal that would dissuade actual collectors because a collector wants something different for each thing they get. No matter how many stickers you stamped on a fucking box, no matter how many differences you managed to achieve from your template, it doesn't justify collecting. Nobody is collecting every anime figurine in the goddamn world and even they have far better restraint than you do. 
3. No playability! As a toy, that's dismaying. You push collection above playing when even Amazon listed it as a toy! I play with my Gunpla and most of those time, I spent those for posing for a great look on my desk! Just make me cry because this isn't a toy that is supposed to be used! 

I would gladly have even just one of those three problems that have been fixed to some degree. But considering how much Funko is doing well, I'm not sure they'll be taking much advice.

Speaking of which, you really aren't going to get the IP of Glee, aren't you? Because I don't think you will because the general opinion of Glee exempting fans is pretty bad. Gleeks, I don't think you would get your own Funko pop of Sue.

Look, I can't tell the future of whether or not this Funko Pop is a fad or not.

It's difficult to say because our current world is rather cynical and of course would believe the worst of our situation. We can't tell the future.

If Funko has only a few years left of this popularity, I don't know. I don't care to know because I'm not likely to collect Funko any time in the future or even just buying one.

Nendoroids have been around since 2006 and if anything, its popularity had only grown due to its incredible playability and posing in its chibi form.

I don't hate Funko Pops. I will only get Nendoroids, Scales, Prize, Gashapon, etc figures that are actually different and playability!

Hell, I don't even have to worry about collecting pieces when everybody in the anime figure community collects what they like and show them off rather than y'know not having something too stationary and doesn't look good.

My cousin, again a gamer, is an Amiibo collector, specifically of the Fire Emblem series. She only has five but she loves them, particularly two that she puts on the desk. There is nothing wrong with her collecting Fire Emblem figures since she's a major fan of it.

I don't want Funko on my shelves but I won't dissuade others for doing what they love and in this case, collecting their favorites. People like stuff that they would have in a collection such as movies. So it's nothing new. It's something people loved and if something they need to take off such as dusting and cleaning respective products for longlasting display.