Mini-Review: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island

You never would have guessed from the opening that it would end up being a horror film. Considering it was written by a Silent Hill writer who also seemed to know OP enough to get things that in hindsight perfectly right, it's justified it ended up being the closest thing OP can get to a horror film.

I adore this movie. It's one of my personal favorites of One Piece films and horror films. Since I can barely watch horror films anyway. I can watch thrillers but slasher film is a big no-no. I can't bear to watch people to get murdered yet somehow I can watch body horror. I have no clue why... maybe my fascination with the grossness of anatomy makes it more enticing to me. I have seen a corpse before...even if it's only for an anatomy class and it still makes me sick while fascinating to look at. Still, horror films in general with the subgenre of torture and slasher porns are a thing I refused to watch with a ten-foot pole. I can only watch those genres only if they are animated. Because if I see it in live-action, I would duck my head and read fantastical books. I don't mind injecting horror then and there in my writing but I prefer to keep it in implication.

Yeah, I won't even see horror movies from the bland and forgettable to the decent to the brilliant. I can watch Peele movies because they at least offer something unlike say, Brightburn. For example, if Brightburn is just 'Superman but EEEVVVILLLLL' type of movie, then I won't watch it anyway. I have seen enough of it from DC alone, y'know. The Injustice games, anyone? And that's just an example. If I want to watch a Superman be evil, then I'll watch the actual Superman be evil incarnate. The idea the Justice League can be evil incarnate and ruling the damn world with an iron fist is nothing new. Superboy Prime is another example, for the love of Godoka. If anything else, Brightburn would just add up to another one in the pile with the only thing going for it is that it played up the horror aspect. Seriously, when the MCU and DCEU have more to offer than a movie that only offered that played up the horror aspect. It just marks this as a decent yet unremarkable movie into a cinematic universe that's just isn't worth it. I mean, go for it if you want to, Sony, because I don't think people in the comics fandom would care as much unless you expand on the mythos other than y'know just being expies of DC heroes. That's the thing that gets me wary about it because all you've been doing is just scaring up the DC heroes in the way DC heroes had been framed to death and back. It's nothing I haven't seen before, regarding alignment switches. You are basically making an Elseworlds tale but with major name changes. When other slasher films have more interesting mythos, expand more on your universe's mythos other than just aliens and corruption and innateness whatever. And I avoid horrors and all its subgenres! Again, no superhero film playing up the horror aspect, particularly with a cinematic universe of its own, is just adding up to nothing when we have other Evil Justice League works in other media like video games. When Zack Synder's Man of Steel has more to offer than you do, even if that writing is poor and your writing is definitely better, then your movie is just, as a whole, forgettable. Baron Omatsuri has a lot more to offer than Brightburn any day of the week.

I am never good with horror. I can only watch horror only if someone in the room with me and that it's daylight and that the house is locked up entirely. Sorry, I just hate watching horror and every subgenre with it like slasher and torture. Thrillers are a different beast and honestly, I'd watch those than horror. If you want to take out on a date to a movie, don't go to a horror film as a go-to. Not when you want me to cling to you. If that's your goal, then I'll make damn sure I pick the horror movie. Or pick another movie. I always make it a priority to watch animated films so watch out for that.

Many fanfictions including This Bites dealt with this movie, mainly because they see its worth not just in its nightmares but also it has clear indications of the original story's themes.

And that is why I really like that.

OP, despite opinions, has always been dark. Do I have to point you to the East Blue saga? It's not just Arlong there but there are also Krieg who was perfectly willing to kill. OP runs on a world of nonsense and imagination that anything can be possible in the Grand Line. Even nightmares like Lily Carnation. It's just this film takes it farther in that direction while keeping it simple. Its simplicity works in the film's favor. It stands on its own as both a horror movie and a standalone film. You can watch it without knowledge of One Piece. Although basic knowledge is recommended.

Hosoda, while I don't know if he knew enough about One Piece, was able to piece together Oda's themes of the found family with his common theme of family as well. He was able to create characters, while not strong physically, is a big help in the saving of the Strawhats.

The supporting cast of this film, Brief and the Tearoom Pirates, was able to carry the films when Luffy is the only Strawhat left. They are well-rounded, sympathetic, and likable to carry the films. It also carried a theme of Oda's theme of friendship and Hosoda's common theme of family to mesh well in an awesome cuisine.

Look at it this way, at this point, the film was released sometime post-Foxy arc. Before Sabaody, Marineford.

As a result of this, some hindsight such as Luffy's fear of loneliness and his preference to be hurt than loneliness, Baron Omatsuri seemingly templating Gecko Moria and his despair of losing his crew to Kaido, a captain losing his crew and Brook not wishing that pain on nobody, the crew's separation from Sabaody is legit and made this movie relevant. The sixth movie would fit in just as finely as the G8 arc. The film has long since been vindicated and could stand by G8 arc as one of the best the animation team could produce.

The horror aspect is tackled well. It has suspense which kept building and building with hints of its true nature is what makes it a good horror. They still kept the levity well and good with Tearoom Pirates' love for each other. As a psychology horror - which I am always here for psychological horror and existentialism - the movie fits this so well.

There are still flaws with this movie. It's ambiguous if the Strawhats were either infected by Lily Carnation's spores/pollen or their emotions had been heightened in a situation that didn't look out of place in a normal environment like the fight for Merry. There is almost no end at all, the CGI is very visible and could take attention off of what is necessary, and it's unlikely Luffy would tell them about their horrible encounter rendering the movie pointless. It fulfilled its purpose as a movie that does not affect canon, unlike Strong World. I'm pretty sure Brief and the Tearoom Pirates are unlikely to tell either. I think the Strawhats carried them off the island to a nearby island so they can retire peacefully there. I don't think the Strawhats would leave stranded people alone to fend for themselves, especially a family.

Sure, the animation can get weird but it's a director's take and I enjoy this take very much.

I will admit it's not for everyone's tastes in the same way Strong World, Z, or Gold is. Z is definitely one of OP's better films though. Post-Time Skip movies are weird with timelines, knowing just how the crew immediately arrived in Punk Hazard once they hit the New World. Seriously, any movie they released since Post-Time Skip is majorly before Dressrosa at best since the crew is separated for two weeks interim Dressrosa and Wano.

There is literally no between opinions in the general OP fandom for this movie. Either you hate it or you love it. The horror in itself that nobody expected from OP can be a deterrent as well as a draw. Personally, it's the horror aspect that draws me in as well as other stuff that made this movie much more relevant pre-Time Skip because as a Pre-Time Skip movie, it makes damn good about what OP's themes are as well as the hindsight of what OP can be capable of.

It's a movie that can stand on its own while still maintaining the central themes that are respective to both OP and Hosoda's in the director take. That is something, unfortunately, the Death Note live-action Netflix film couldn't do as well as Dragon Ball Evolution and Ghost in the Shell Hollywood films.

If you don't know how to start One Piece, I would recommend this movie as an appetizer or even cocktail before the main course.

Why do you create the most abstract theories that make the most sense to the damn story?! From the way you told everything, it makes the most sense towards the Inherited Will theory that includes the destruction of the Red Line and the erasure of the Grand Line and the Calm Belts as all the Blues and formerly the Grand Line and Calm Belts would join in, ultimately creating the All Blue.

While Joy Boy Theories isn't perfect in his theories, he does make abstract ones and think from different angles. I'm pretty sure some people in the world at least thought the Red Line works as a dam, which later was helped by Tekking101 who elaborated the supercontinent worked in the WG's favor in controlling the world.

The destruction of the Red Line always been there, even before I even arrived into the OP fandom. I always enjoyed theories and speculations because they always make fandoms all the more fun. Seriously, just look at VLD where the theories run rampant until the showrunners decidedly chose to flip the middle finger in the worst possible way. I always accepted the destruction of the Red Line theory because to me, where else the All Blue's existence had been blocked but its legends remained as a single ocean permeated throughout the world. Nobody could've guessed the All Blue literally meant all the oceans combined, not a separate ocean from the Grand Line, Blues, and Calm Belts. I doubt Sanji and Zeff thought that was meant to be literal. I thought that was the only explanation for why the All Blue doesn't seem to exist anywhere in the current ocean that is the One Piece world. Hell, we don't know any songs or what time these songs came from but we can guess the All Blue might've been around in the Void Century before the obstruction of the Red Line began.

However, I never would have imagined geography of the damn world of OP would be this important to this extent. The world has always been well-thought-out so I never bothered much about the geography when everything about it worked in the favor of the story and soon enough the World Government. I should've known though because the ocean is typically a key in pirate stories. For Godoka's sake, there was a sea goddess/personification of the sea in Pirates of the Caribbean.

The fucking ocean in which the Ancient Weapons governed (above/surface level the sea, under the sea, and what guides the sea) basically make you the King of the Seas literally. In the same way, the Deathly Hallows make the Master of Death. It makes the most sense really because if the Void Century was indeed one ocean before the Red Line, it makes sense the Ancient Kingdom would create weapons or have weapons revolving around the sea. That is why I now doubt Uranus is a dragon but controlling the weather up to the impossible and ocean currents is definitely a plus. Maybe it's a dragon with said powers. Maybe a dragon is guarding the One Piece that Luffy would later befriend. Perhaps that dragon is the last true dragon since the Void Century.

I think that's why Roger makes damn sure his successor is the one to free the world, not just gaining his treasure. He only had access to only one Ancient Weapon while Luffy has access to two so far. If anything else, the treasure is just a bonus for the Strawhats while the one that necessitated the true downfall of the World Government is the One Piece which can literally make the world one piece.

Of course, OP has been inspired by various legends and myths around the world. It's kind of a given, just based on the Ancient Weapons alone. The Tale of the Lost Fish Hook might've been one of the many since I already guessed that Japanese mythology would inspire Oda to create part of the history of the Ancient Kingdom and its involvement with Poseidon.

Hey, now I am not saying Toriyama is bad at storytelling. He usually writes as if he's procrastinating. It's clear in comparison to Oda, CLAMP,

I would call myself a casual fan at best for Kaiju. I still adore tokusatsu, which was seeded by Power Rangers after all. My brother and I were first introduced to Godzilla through a video game my dad bought for the Xbox. I remembered how my cousins, brother, and I played the game fighting each other with these gigantic monsters. I always loved playing Mothra while my brother loves Mechagodzilla and King Ghidorah - there's just something about Mothra I just loved even though I amd my brother has a deep fear of bugs, we like Mothra. We always loved how these monsters towered above everybody and we love it. We know King Kong of course but for us in the family, it's Godzilla that is the Kaiju best known. We're an Asian family certainly but knowing Godzilla and King Kong would be inevitable anyway.

I am glad that G-fans are having so much fun with these releases. I am so happy that Shin Godzilla became such a huge hit with a fan at its helm who understands the source material up to the original. Which unfortunately means what Gojira actually entails.

Look, for anybody who wanted to do reboots or remakes that happen to be a fan, find a way that respects the original without outright copying the original. Add the flavors of modern-day and understanding of such. Lauren Montgomery and Joaquin Dos Santos are on the other end of the spectrum, full of references or outright copying it but empty of its meaning - it's teehee, look, it's just like the original but nothing is being added that demonstrated why it lived on so well beyond humor. - or trying to tell a good story. Nothing more but spite was obvious. If they are huge fans, then they should understand what these references mean culturally. J.J. Abrams failed to bring an American Godzilla-like creature into our cultural consciousness although he did understand what Godzilla is partially; seriously, while you got parts of it down pat, you don't understand why Godzilla lasted as long as it did. Hideki Anno is a huge fan of Kaiju and tokusatsu and it's evident he understands Gojira while also making sure it's befitting our day and age. Even without knowing he's a huge fan, I can see just how much passion and love the writing and filmmaking were put into it.

Look, these films aren't perfect. At best, they looked like B-movies that Americans shrugged off in the likes of other monster films. However, they are cultural significances to their homeland and the world. Gojira is part of the Criterion Collection for the love of Godoka.

It's just Godzilla and I'm happy that the franchise continues to exist. To survive for this dang long is a miracle, especially in an age where people dropped media as quickly as a hot potato.

Also...for the love of Godoka, critics, understand the difference between a traditional film and a kaiju film. Don't come in with bad faith or understanding of what makes a good film. Yes, King of Monsters has massive flaws as does even the best films of the Godzilla franchise. Which I have to remind you, runs for over sixty years. For me, Shin Godzilla and Godzilla: King of Monsters is definitely Godzilla films, even when the latter is messy. And these two films from different parts of the world emphasizes Godzilla as both one of the most beautiful wondrous and the scariest and offputting. Essentially, Humanity's Last Hope and Humanity's Worst Fears. It's magical to see the incarnations of Godzilla of modern represent what Godzilla is throughout history, from the beginning to its current form. It's utterly amazing to see, okay!?

Disney Remakes

Live action adaptations aren't anything new. Even anime live actions nowadays are just a part of the process that I hardly cared much about it.

Now, most people said these live-action adaptations of Disney classics aren't really necessary, not when the original is right there for the taking. I agree. Some of these movies are its niche fanbases such as Aladdin although that movie is now really dated. Whether the audience like it or not, these remakes and reimaginings are still going to happen in the years to come. Come on, not just on the big screen but also in the new streaming site. We're not going to shake it off. Besides, there are far better things to worry about than a stupid movie that the general public would forget anyway within months.

To be honest, I'll rather worry about Disney's growing empire and monopoly. When One Punch Man criticized Disney for that, you know that is bad. Just Disney... You are making enough money already. Allow yourself to have competition because you need it. Having one sole monopoly makes everything so damn boring. Hey, Coke Cola doesn't expand this much.

Having live-action adaptations to their classics are the least of Disney's problems. We cannot change these decisions as well as the fourth Toy Story movie. Unlike Frozen movies which I refuse to watch, I will continue to watch anything Toy Story because the story they're making is interesting. If that ending is true, then... that is anticlimactic and goes against what is TS3. And I don't like TS3 as much as others do, preferring the previous movies. I would've thought they would make it even and their ideologies are so different they can't be together as before with a cynical yet world-weary Bo and still kind yet wise Woody and their ways of helping toys are different too. I hope they did that instead of having Woody leaving Bonnie and the others too soon. But I hope to God, that those who watched the animated movies at the Oscars give other studios a chance just like what they did to Into the Spiderverse.

These films can make mistakes - Lefou's homosexuality fell in the domain when you are gay, you also just happened to be the bad guy and Ella's Gandhi-like approach was criticized as not that feminist. The bi erasure of Shang for a character that many did not find interesting. Again, this is in the American western spectrum of social issues. Not the Korean, Japanese, etc.

The main part of these movies is its expansion. Why else would Donald Glover say it would more into Simba's angst? They could show his PTSD that the Broadway and sequels would later show because Simba is Disney's first character whose PTSD has been explored heavily. Frozen's Elsa's depression was not even explored as well. Yeah, I'll keep hammering just how bad that movie's depiction of depression is.

I'm sorry about that digression.

Hell, given how much Will Smith is going on about self-worth of Aladdin, it would focus on that personal journey. Revealed through elsewhere, it's also about Jasmine who wanted to be more than to marry. Since she's the Princess, she should be Queen or rather Sultana in this case. Considering Aladdin's official title should be Prince Consort rather than Sultan. Not even the sequel movies and tv show say a thing about Aladdin's title upon his marriage to Jasmine. Kiara is pronounced queen-to-be so many times in her original movie and Lion Guard that Kovu has to be Prince Consort. Now, Tiana is Princess Consort unless she wants to accept the title.

I understand where they are going with this, history bedamn. Because in the current social climate of America - where I might add, the original Disney movie Aladdin is being released, they have to get points for these depictions. Their depiction of Elsa's depression and status as queen is very superficial. Just like VLD, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to get undeserved points so I refused to award Elsa just for her queenhood or supposed status as an independent woman because there are others before her and done better. Mulan and Tiana are what I would throw back to those who throw around Elsa as if she's the pinnacle of feminism when she really isn't.

They really have to ignore some historical details in order to get into this social climate. It's nothing new to cast POC, LGBT, disabled, and mental issues like PTSD into main roles. It's just pushed as of the recent years since the beginnings of Trump administration at least in America. We have to acknowledge that in America's social climate.

Because they have to expand on the female roles a lot more and add POCs in roles they should've been cast in. I heard whitewashing or casting of whites in the remake of Aladdin though. Er... seriously, casting director, you didn't think of sending out casting calls for Indian, Middle Eastern, and other brown people to be extras. I can see why a biracial cast member may cause controversy, particularly one that is half white. Miles Morales didn't have this because he's half black and half Puerto Rican, both sides of which are POC so...

They have to reinterpret it for the modern audience and expand it to make a more cohesive sense. Historical accuracy could be a bonus though. Though that same accuracy would not be the same for something like what we have now. Actual history would make things too dark. Because our reality is anything but sugar sweets.

Of course, nothing could stand the greatness of the original's A Whole New World. Seriously, Naomi Scott and Mena Massaud don't have a chance. Mena Massaud is hot as heck though. Naomi Scott looks good too. Remember, I'm only commenting on their hotness because I don't know a damn thing about them. I appreciate new additions to the song list as most would just as I love what the Broadway add in their musicals.

Just as long they don't adapt Pocahontas, then it's all good. No matter how memorable the songs are, people would lambast the original film more. Just don't. They have better hopes of adapting Treasure Planet than Pocahontas because that movie has a fanbase that many bemoaned the lack of plushies and merch from that movie.

If there is a live-action Frozen, you can bet your tush I would refuse to touch it. Even if they corrected the stuff I mentioned back in my review, I still refused to give the damn Frozen movies time of the day. That is how the glorification of the movie soured my opinion so much I refused to even touch it. That's right. I won't watch the damn sequel even if I want to save my life.

As a whole, these movies aren't exactly groundbreaking. It's just okay with the then and there attractive people and people who can act in a Disney movie. Some of them are musicals and some not. They just exist. In a world where people would drop something pretty quickly and move onto the next new thing... yeah, nobody has to worry about them much. As a whole, these movies are just existing. They're just there. Nothing horrible about these movies to call them the scum of live-action adaptations. Their only crime is that they seemed to exist.

When Disney's increasingly problem is its monopoly. Does anyone see this? It's bad that Disney has a monopoly now and too big at that! These live-action adaptations is a blip when Disney's main problem is its monopoly in media to the point Frozen was won precisely it's a Disney film! Why are you even worrying about something as frivolous as live-adaptations of Disney classics when you should worry more about the growing empire?! I am so wary about Disney as of late with their acquisitions. They should at least stop being too big on the same level as Amazon and Google. We don't need this level of capitalism on top of our bigger issues.

Just to clarify, those who love the originals like Doug Walker, you guys don't even have to worry about these movies as much. Why are you even worrying as if it would take over? The Disney classics are called classics for a reason. I don't see the live actions being any kind of classic any time soon. Why worry about the live action taking over the animated version? Yes, they are making them modern and to befit the mindset of this day and age. But you don't have to worry about them. Just because you hate them does not mean others can't enjoy it. Your opinion isn't the best thing in the world and respecting others' opinions and enjoyment is the first rule in any media people wanted to like. Seriously, I'm not even worrying about a live-action ATLA or Your Name because, at this part of the process, it's just normal to have them. Think about the superheroes films of today. The comic fans don't seem to care much as seen with Linkara. Having live-action adaptations aren't new and won't take over or become the classics of the original or gain that level of a classic. They coexist and that's it.

I do have a question for Doug Walker. Since when you morphed your opinion from "everyone's opinions are valid" to "my opinion is better than yours. Your opinion on this movie is no match for my opinion! This movie sucked, therefore, you sucked for liking the movie!"? Just why? What happened? I have this inkling ever since the Frozen/Tangled review. But many more pointed out that you made fun of people for liking movies you don't like the Happy Madison movies and the Disney remakes. Why poke fun of these people? They don't deserve anything like that nor do putting down their intelligence levels. Their only 'crime' was to like a movie you don't. What the hell happened?

To be honest, I'm more focused on how are they going to retell these fairytales than it being remakes of Disney films. They are still Disney and they are still making fairytales so that is the least of my problems. That's the only thing I'm even thinking about the fairytale or anything that retold myths and famous stories. I don't care much of the CGI remake of Lion King or any of that.

What I do wish for these darker and edgier movies to do is just to have fun. Both Disney and their audience knew they can't take themselves too seriously when these movies can't measure up against the classic anyway. Just have fun with the adaptation! You guys can have your modern social activism while still having fun!

The flash animation is really jarring. I understand why they're using Flash. Much cheaper and quicker. It pops on the screen but not in a good way. It's not as good as it looked like before. I miss the original animation so much.

I'm not surprised about this at all. Like I said before, it's not new to have the marginalized as protagonists or portrayed in a good light or in starring roles with respect to their cultural identity. I have to comment on this: people would get to decide what they are, especially if they have descended and are POC. They are allowed to call themselves Americans, French, etc because that what they decided. It does not mean they hate their ancestry. If Marinette is French, she's French. It doesn't mean she hated her Chinese ancestry. My brother definitely thinks himself American even when he knew he has Vietnamese and Chinese ancestry.

I grew up with PBS with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, Between the Lions, Sesame Street, Arthur and Liberty's Kids to name a few. I do watch 4Kids with Pokemon and Yugioh on the air. My interest in anime did start there.

I'm also not surprised by some states or countries banning or censoring. Changes would not be immediate that every prejudice in the world disappeared in an instant. Again, the world isn't America-centric. It would take generations for respect towards the marginalized to become normal...as well as global warming to become harmful than it already is. Each country has its own cultural identity and the last thing America can do to any of them is to posture our western ideals on it and make it worse or make what is good turn bad. Cultural imperialism, people, we must not practice that in our day and age. And people tend to do that everywhere in America.

No matter how much Koreans or Japanese try to have any say in the western stomping grounds like Tumblr, they are ignored and get thrown off the site just because they have a different opinion. For example, Japanese feminism is different from American feminism so it's really cringey whenever I see Americans look at Japanese products with western ideas instead of approaching it with the culture and everything that goes with it in mind. That is cultural imperialism, America-centric people, you are not doing anybody justice in Japan.

I avoid any criticals towards any Japanese media in Tumblr for this reason alone although the main fandom still has those rose-glasses on. Either way, it's hard especially in the excessively progressive-liberal that is Tumblr that can be toxic to anybody that disagreed and I'm not talking about the conservatives and hate groups. I'm talking about the people who are in the same group as Tumblr prided themselves to be in...just in their own cultural identity and what that entails. I avoid this for any foreign media really because I do not want to insult the people over there. I avoid this in any fandoms I'm currently in and skipped over any criticism not made by a Japanese mindset or approached in that angle.

Watching the 4Kids dub of One Piece is better than the cultural imperialism going around in fanbases.

Yes, an appalling dub of an anime that is dark as fuck which destroyed everything OP is made of is better because I know its copyright and licensing is what made 4Kids the way it was back when it began.

I don't call them villains of my childhood because they are part of my childhood as well as my cousins and younger brother's. They don't make fun of 4Kids and still cherished things like Power Rangers and Pokemon till this day. Hell, Pokemon is one of my favorites kids shows on the anime side of things and I am unapologetic.

I understand their situation because at least they aren't practicing cultural imperialism, but commercializing it for their target audience. They may have rid of Japanese things in the edits but by Godoka, at least they aren't doing it because they feel they are better than them or ignoring their wishes. I don't think Oda would even care about that dub anyway because he is still making money off the merch everywhere.

It's not posturing one's culture over another as if that culture is inferior or does not matter. It's trying to make a fucking dark show that is extremely goofy in appearance into something for kids, even if it meant taking away so many things essential or nonessential really.

Yes, jelly-filled donuts are better than cultural imperialism.

Yes, the blockage of uncensored anime by 4Kids is better than cultural imperialism.

Yes, the fucking catchy One Piece rap is better than cultural imperialism.

As much as it is amusing to see the 4Kids memes and listening to the memorable songs they write, the 4Kids dub of One Piece would honestly feel like water in a desert.

That is how cruel cultural imperialism is.

To end in a happy note.

I know this cup noodle brand. I saw enough of it from childhood visits to Asian supermarkets - my mom bought them too before she switched to udon - and their labels are so iconic that I recognize it instantly. I ate this brand and I considered it bland and just fulfilled its purpose as an instant noodle. I'm never an instant noodle eater so I can't say much of quality. And I grew up in an Asian household, knowing Asian products. Which reminds me a cousin, who grew up in a definitely Asian neighborhood, actually had no clue about Asian products so much so my brother reacted in amazement that he didn't know these products even by accident even if he saw these products before but never connected them. Not even Lotte or Ramune or Calpico.

I never knew they began their Hungry Days adverts this way. Either way, it's unique among Japanese commercials. And you would forget they are selling cup noodles. And you would be forgiven. I concentrated on these high school aus that I forgot they are selling cup ramen. Hey, the funny Old Spice/The Man Your Man Could Smell Like is just as awesome. When great commercials concentrated on creativity, then it's better than to simply sell the product. Sometimes, it's good to have a mascot than and there like the Progressive Lady.

This instant ramen advert is gorgeous and the details, as an OP fan, makes me squeal and hugging my figures. I never thought I would see Katakuri, Ace, Bonney, and Kuma eating in the same table, in school uniforms and no inhuman body proportions. For God's sake, Kuma and Katakuri are bigger and taller than Ace and Bonney.

I love everything about this! From Bump of Chicken's music to the animation and the references! I need more and we're getting more!

But I hope to Godoka, that there is no romance in these commercials. Ship teases are fine but definite endgames are not. Especially in a series such as OP.

First Impressions: The Lion Guard

While I wouldn't call Lion King my favorite film of Disney, I would not hesitate to tell you that it's still different from all of Disney fare including Wreck-It Ralph. The experimental era of Disney would still stand up against Lion King in terms of ambition but not necessarily the success that LK has.

I don't care about the CGI remake of LK, to be honest. I am far more worried about how they are going to do it. Shot-by-shot like Beauty and the Beast or tell something different but the similar like Jungle Book? Expansion is already an answer because previous remakes expanded on their mythos. The new movie could try to redo the Broken Aesops in the original film or at least write it so it would make cohesive sense. LK works as an emotional story with intelligence rather than too deep storytelling the level of GF or OTGW.

I totally understand why they chose to make a child for Simba and Nala. TLK2 was released twenty years ago. I didn't anticipate the Disney crew to even acknowledge the sequel, knowing how long it had been released. At best, I expected Kion to be the only child and thus the heir of the throne. I was not expecting Kiara to return or even make canon at all. I'm amazed they chose to go back and expand rather than renew everything.

Honestly, I am glad to see her at all because Kiara is a likable character. She isn't perfect but she's a Mary Sue either. She's much more than a Juliet. There are glimpses of her true self in the LG after some troubles with the writing and there are still writing troubles now. The writing in LG tended to sway in terms of writing. It's not VLD thankfully. Yes, I'm going to use VLD as a level of writing, in the same way, I'm going to use GW/OTGW. I am mostly referring to VLD's level of writing as loss of potential due to either sheer obliviousness of what is good storytelling or spite for only part of a fandom which unfortunately targeted the rest of the fanbase and good storytelling.

I want more expansion of her character, please. Don't make her a complete damsel in distress in her entire appearances in the show. Yes, Kiara needed to be rescued twice in the original film too but she could take care of herself since she fucking run away! Don't waste her, for the love of Godoka, writers. The potential is ripe for not just sibling rivalry but how Kion could help her and she could help him. The sequel is right there with potential, not just to connect the dots, but to show how relationships could be hinted in the future and how that could be developed upon. Just look at Kion and Kovu for the love of The Man of the Beginning. You people are exposing TLK2 to a much larger audience than it used to have in the time of its release just as LK is still doing. Make more than just references and connecting the dots, do more with the characters that already existed in the movie! You already proved the adults are useless in the Pridelands but make the Outsiders more relevant than just a cult of the Roar. Just expand these characters, especially Kiara if you want to have a more female presence in the show. More than just original characters that exist in the show but not in the original direct-to-DVD film.

You showed the double standards of Simba's level of protectiveness towards his kids. I know they have different parts of royalty but for the love of god, would you just notice the difference in protection Simba gives. Just do something about it.

I'm kind of focused on the LK2... Seeing Nuka, knowing his eventual fate... eesh... Still, from what I saw from the clips, I honestly expected Zira to straight-up kill Kion right then and there without remorse. And there's no way a cub could be more competent enough to fight a fully grown lion like Zira - no matter how emaciated she looked - at that age. No fucking way.

I'm very sad about Simba's portrayal of this. Simba has shown intense PTSD that would haunt him for life and there's no way I would let something that Disney shows better than the supposed depression that healed insta-clean in Frozen or the PTSD that healed up clean in VLD. Yeah, I'm still grouchy about that. They still show his mundane kingly activities for which I am grateful for. He and many of the adults in this are purportedly useless. I know this is a show focusing on the kids but having reasonable adults that kids can trust can send a better message than adults never helping you when it is needed. At least there are responsible adults in later Persona games. A dead guy is more helpful than the current royal family and advisors.

Since TLK2 is now canon, I worry about the timeline and the convoluted canon that comes with it. That movie is still pretty dark with Lady Macbeth Zira planning revenge to the point of suicide.

Given how TLK2 has its own fanbase, the show writers must honor the fans of that movie, no matter how obscure it is. There are references littered calling back to the film which makes me a happy camper. It does show the writers at least went back to watch the decades-old sequel.

Now, for Lion Guard itself, as a show for very little kids, it's fulfilled its purpose. It's not the best-written show for LK, not even Tangled the Series level of writing and definitely not Gravity Falls. While GF left some things unresolved like how would Dipper reacts about Mabel's part in Bill's plans and her willingness to participate in the destruction.

There are still questionable writing like why the hell is the Lion Guard, composing of children mind you, are so goddamn overpowered? Even if Nuka is not trained as well, there's no way Kion would be able to take out Zira and overpower her as a cub. In the original, Simba and Nala barely escaped with their lives when Mufasa came to the rescue. Even Kovu and Kiara scarcely escaped death from crocs due to their own smarts. I am still dubious about the Roar though.

For one thing, I hope they continue to make their own spins of Shakespearean tropes in LG. There is a reason why people remembered LK as a Hamlet with Lions movie. It has more shades of Henry VII, Macbeth, and Sundiata Keita though it's not quite as well-known as being a Hamlet movie. It's mostly remembered as Hamlet with lions while there are traces of such, there are more Shakespearean tropes involved to make it a universal story. Again, there are more than just Hamlet used.

It would be great to introduce Shakespearean themes and tropes to make little kids to seek out Shakespeare and what inspired it. Just look at One Piece with the list of inspirations from Treasure Island to sea legends around the world.

It would be great for that to happen, given how everyone knows Shakespeare is a large inspiration for LK. And the reason why it's so different from other Disney fare of its time and current is the very fact it's deprived tropes of Shakespeare and other mythic stories out there. I hesitate to call it a Hero's Journey just like Star Wars ended up being.

I am not expecting a Shakespearean tragedy with a kill em all ending on the same level of Titus or Hamlet.

The show, from what I seen from clips, can get dark at times. While I doubt it would be as dark as Zira's original suicide or even TLK2 tone, it could be dark at times. Kids show can get dark, I am not hammering that kids shows should be light and soft all the time. I just worry because a lighter and softer series are aiming at toddlers and kindergarteners, not preteens. As long as they kept the levity just fine, I'm happy. Joaquin Dos Santos does not understand the point of levity in a dark series and why you should never ever do a series that focused so much on darkness for darkness' sake it becomes more narmy than alarming. Kids show can get dark by implications. Just look at OTGW and GF. Even kids shows in Japan that is not shounen or shoujo, I do mean aimed at preschoolers and young kids such as Pokemon and Yugioh does have their darkness that they won't even hide via implications.

What my dearest hopes and wishes are that they use the potential right there for the eating. After VLD, anything has better standards than this. Even SU, no matter how much I say the story is getting blander the more it's going, is better than VLD any day of the week. Sorry, VLD is really bad of badness that was ripe of potential ripped apart by people who don't understand the potential who want things done their way and refused others' consideration or advice.

There is no way in hell am I going to have my wedding at Disney Resort. Ever. As much as I would love others to do my planning and adjustments, my wedding would be waste-free, environmentally friendly while still fabulous. I don't want too much fuss nor do I want to waste so much money. I want my ceremony to be low-key while still emphasizing geeky nature. I want little flowers as possible while using geeky features. I want to put something tasteful while still emphasizing that geeky nature. All I want is a tasteful yet geeky wedding. Like I want to reuse my centerpieces as house decor like in one table there would be a Gunpla and another table would be the Pokemon Starters with Psyduck and another table would have a Thousand Sunny. Or I could put up numbers instead of those and let people see for themselves what geeky centerpieces they have along with favors. I want kimono-like designs for my bridesmaids and groomsmen with pins that relate to anime. Probably, my bouquets could be the Sailor Scouts' wands. I don't want something weighty to carry around so I wouldn't mind carrying around something small. Eh, I'm not a girl who looks at wedding mags for my future wedding, mainly just to see how pretty everything is.

As long as I don't involve Frozen in any way and shape and form, I will be a happy camper.

Change the Channel is back! Sort of...

Listen, I think for Channel Awesome to finally move forward in terms of that hashtag, they must have a subpoena and investigation. If the response is anything to go by, the major heads still have the documents.

That is what I think what has to be done. It might be bringing up bad memories but still if we want the channel to change and Michaud to leave and give up his part in the IP of the Nostalgia Critic, we must have a court order. Yes, that means the former producers must be interviewed and yes that includes Brad Jones and his friends. It might be full of tension because of the bad blood and broken connections. Many people must be interviewed including the significant others.

That is what I think must happen. Because Michaud is the head and doesn't have a committee to stop him, that would be hard. Therefore court orders must happen. I'm sorry but if we want Channel Awesome to suffer any consequences, we have to do more than just pull support. We must have those who been wronged to have a court order, more specifically a subpoena.

And by the way, people are allowed to enjoy something made by bad people. We can separate the art from the artist. There is something called Death of the Author. The point of the Change the Channel movement is for Michaud and the Walker Brothers to apologize for their mistakes. We must not go into a black and white morality but a gray and grey morality that the real world operates in. Even if some people might forgive rapists and murderers, some don't and it's okay. It's okay for forgiveness because it's not Destroy the Channel, it's Change the Channel. These guys who have been wronged was willing to extend an open hand and help the channel, even when these guys had hurt them repeatedly and never learn.

The Right Opinion is definitely the most objective and I would prefer anyone to watch that because he is unbiased in the matter.

First Impressions: Ace Attorney Anime

I love the Ace Attorney series very much. I enjoyed everything about it including my two ships, EdgeWright and Klapollo.

I had heard the anime was not up to the par that the live-action film looks much better in comparison. In my opinion, the live-action film did its best and did better than other known anime live-action films. Rouruni Kenshin was a great live-action adaptation while Another was hilariously bad. PGSM was a good series although others would disagree. I enjoyed the series regardless. We are getting a live-action Tiger & Bunny and One Piece in the future after all.

Now, Japan had done live-action stage shows before. SailorMyu and HetaMyu were popular enough. I cannot rid that the actor who played North Italy sounded exactly like Namikawa. There's a Tokyo exhibit of performance for One Piece. In USJ One Piece summer event, there were actors who play their characters.

I'm getting off-topic. Now the AA fandom had been waiting for an anime adaptation at least. They already had a live-action film and merch. Even if the adaptation might not be up to par, it's still an anime adaptation. Which leaves a lot of stuff out.

The point of adaptation was to make sure you have the spirit of the original, keeping what made the stuff great or good at least while maintaining its qualities.

For example, if I am adapting the Persona series into the live-action series, I need to consider town and persons as well as Jungian psychology. As much as I love police officer Akihiko in Trinity Souls, the anime contradicted actual Jungian psychology in parts. Akihiko should still have his Persona, growing stronger the older he gets. They got that people gotta be broken in order to have potential. I need to understand the Tarot cards and fortune-telling because the series always give accurate readings from Igor. Fortune-telling and urban legends is a big thing in SMT overall while also considering that we're dealing with real-life actions here and consider place and time. I had to think of themes appropriate. The series under Kashino's hands had color schemes as well as dealing with true-to-life situations and character flaws. Adachi's story was a Japanese cautionary tale after all and I need to get that out because he's not a sociopath in any way.

How about One Piece? I know the series runs on silliness. I need to adjust what I need and making sure it looks great and not as narmy. I need to know when I could make it cost-effective. Games of Thrones was one of the most expensive shows to date. I mean I get that money needed to pour in to make this a great product to watch. I know people would criticize which so I need to employ those who wanted to work and not to half-ass.

I'm getting off-topic but ya'll get the idea of an adaptation.

Just from the first episodes alone, you know it wouldn't be the same as the game. They need to translate the game into anime. The fun of the game was the problem-solving including THAT ONE LEVEL.

They skipped over stuff I know they could have got into depth. I like the VA's and animation just fine.

From what I see, they can expand and omit details that are not necessary. They still kept the craziness of the courtroom AA is known for, which I am thankful for.

I mean I wouldn't call this anime the epitome of what a video game to anime would be like. It's still flawed and isn't a perfect translation of how one can transition a video game to an anime format.

They made some of the more NaruMitsu moments even more romantic. I am a big sucker for those guys so I am thankful for those moments.

If I were to pick between which is the better adaptation of the games, it would be the live-action movie surprisingly. Maybe it's flowed better while sticking just close enough to the text. That is what I did and say about the live action Bleach movie after all.

Overall, from what I figured, the anime is underwhelming. It fulfilled its purpose of being a game anime adaptation in the same way the Persona series' adaptations are.

...Fans of Into the Spiderverse, be aware that these guys are terrible writers and planners. They do not deserve any benefit of the doubt. They deserved their firing from DW while Tim Hendrick deserves his promotion. Just look what happened to VLD for Godoka's sake. Even now, I'm still crying about the loss of potential or just plain good storytelling with these guys at the helm. They need people to keep them on a leash. Sony, please keep them under supervision before things go bad like how they did with VLD. Keep under them supervision and if they ever try unprofessionalism and other bad things they did at the helm of VLD, don't ever let them try.

If you have any doubts for what I am saying about them being terrible storytellers, look no further than sheer lack of planning and research. And that's not getting into darkness for darkness' sake and lack of empathy for the story and characters. Remember, they tried to recreate VLD as their original Voltron and failed miserably. The fact they don't understand mecha, especially Miss Montgomery, is a blaring red flag.

There were red flags for me as a mecha fan... These two don't know anything or try to know anything about mecha anime. At least, Gen Urobuchi knows about magical girl and Kamen Rider conventions enough to deconstruct them but not at the price of a good story and characters. I recognize the conventions Urobutcher deconstructed so that makes me an easy fan so much so I recommend both works. JDS and LM would sacrifice a good story and characters for their own pride and that's evident in their writing. And their pride consists of terrible writing layers of cake in one-dimensional characters and toxic messages and the dubious honor of being poorly written as an icing. The cake is a mix of baked and underbaked/dry combined with bland icing. Just look at the last season of VLD for the love of Godoka and the Man of the Beginning. And that's with Dreamworks doing damage control on these guys. As a result of this, Code Geass is a better mecha than this - and I honestly feel like I'm insulting CG with the likes of VLD because CG used mecha conventions while VLD refused to touch a single piece of mecha convention, not even a Char Clone for Godoka's sake. Lotor is the closest thing to a Char Clone and they don't take advantage of it at all. - and I think mecha fans would think the same because the use of Voltron is pointless and the Lions became plot devices to the worst degree. They can't clear the line between Real and Super Robots. Is the Lions Real or Super because it's hard to even tell! They should've watched some Gundam or even ask mecha fans about mecha anime conventions. Guillermo Del Toro knows about such conventions which makes Pacific Rim a glorious treat. Yes, PR - not the sequel - is more mecha than VLD and I wholly recommend it if you want to see an American reinterpretation of Japanese mecha.

And that's a genre they never understood. Utter lack of empathy for clones is anything for one. Kuron... The clones in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, Kingdom Hearts, and Tales of the Abyss are treated much better than Kuron on any day of the week in their original universe, even when the universe is clearly working against them. In fact, the current Tsubasa trio is working towards saving Clone Sakura and Syaoran right now and we still don't have a clue whether or not it's Asch or Luke or both who came back. Kuron is a signal that JDS and LM have no clue what storytelling actually entails. They don't even look at Young Justice? They humanized Kuron yet expects the audience to not like him. Um... then why show him vulnerable and above all human? Their incompetent storytelling is detailed right there and that's just one example. Let me tell you that VLD has many examples of bad writing under the helm of these two idiots. And the show is an example of how not to do a multi-seasonal show with micromanaging toxic bosses. If SU is an example of how to not do professional art in a series, then VLD is much worse. VLD, above all else, is a disappointment with cruel themes and poor storytelling. It would be a horrible full course meal to sit through and I wouldn't recommend going through with it except with a couple of seasons that has potential... But other than, yeah, VLD as a recommendation would not sit through. Only watch VLD for how not to do anything storytelling and animation really especially when the potential is spelled out in the first season alone. Ironically, the first season is probably the most well-written of the entire show and that's what makes it worse.

I wanted to give them a chance so badly. But their attitude keeps me from even trying to make peace. I sincerely wish them the best on whatever route they take but if they wanted to become better, they have to improve their attitude for the story and characters. When even George R.R. Martin cared more about the story despite his kill count, then those two are doing it wrong. With no empathy for the story and characters, how can they call themselves writers? Did they even see how Lord and Miller acted in their writing? The script is all out there for the world to see. I can feel the love in there just as much as I can feel the love in Bojack Horseman! JDS and LM don't share love and empathy as writers and readers that are made evident by their own writing in VLD. That's one of the worst things about them.

When the above-mentioned works are doing better than these two, then I refuse to give them anything resembling mercy. I am merciless if anybody ever acted this disingenuous. I am scrutinizing them for their next works because I hope to Godoka they get better. That's all I want from them: just get better from your stupidity and toxicity towards the marginalized, workplace, and storytelling in general.

You guys have this warning: Beware of Joaquin Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery. Don't say I haven't warned you guys if these guys continued their behavior.

If they want to become Alex Hirsch level of fame and professionalism, they are not it to look up to. They want to be Hirsch but they can't. Their level of toxicity and unprofessionalism refused to even touch Hirsch and hell even Miranda's level of professionalism.

So, Mr. Vic Mignogna is currently in a controversy. I had heard about sexual harassment about him before this mess.

I'm surprised the Me Too movement had yet to hit the American dubbing anime industries yet. Internet Youtubers had been hit after all. Just look at Tobuscus, Channel Awesome, and Austin Jones to name a few. I was actually expecting Vic to be in the midst of the Me Too movement.

Regardless of anime's growing popularity, anime is still a niche so people don't know any true news. Netflix doesn't seem to know how to pattern off the good anime from the not so good ones. I have to flat-out tell my cousins never to watch some of these or up to a point because it's terrible. I did recommend watching Neo Yokio simply for its insanity.

So to know that it's basically headline news... I hope Funi recovered from this because their reputation would take a hit about not doing anything about Vic's behavior at cons. Funi, Vic, and the accusers won't come out of this unscathed. If by some miracle, Funi managed to salvage it, then it's fine.

As for me, I'm just surprised it took this long. Although Vic, you really shouldn't let it out in the public eye so soon because as part of the Me Too movement, your repute would still take a hit. Nobody would let it slide you harass underage fans. Even when it's hard to even know the complete truth from both parties, reputation would still be in doubt for both. Thank god, there are no rape allegations but sexual harassment is still not okay. Just because you are famous in a niche doesn't mean you have the power to do any of this to another woman and taking advantage of their adoration to do it. You are bringing it to the forefront but you still won't win with reputation intact.

And I have a feeling that Sabo would have to be recast. FMA already ended so I don't have to worry about a recast. Many of his current roles like Broly might be potentially recast. Although I hoped the English dubs would still be up because they can't erase him from anime dub history. He is the voice of Ed after all and till this day, I still have the dub of the 2003 anime in my collection. I don't have Brotherhood because I preferred reading the manga anyway and yes, it's part of my collection in the Shounen section.

Yes, I have sections. However, I would buy English ones if it's a particular favorite of mine. I have dozens of CLAMP manga but I put in alphabetical order, then volumes.

Fanfic Rec: Ash Connection and The Road You Choose

The Ash Connection: A string of violent attacks at the hands of a mysterious Pokemon has caught Lance and the G-Men off-guard. Little about the motive is clear, other than Ash Ketchum is somehow the factor. His friends and rivals must confront an important question: Is he really the fabled Chosen one? Set during BW. Multiple pairings, including Pokeshipping, Contestshipping, and Ikarishipping.

Review: This is a series and the reason I left that part up there not linked because the last part isn't out.

I adore any fanfiction that has Ash as the Chosen One in some form or another, either by examining it in a similar fashion to Tales of Symphonia or just straight up asking why. This fic takes a creative route about faith in the Chosen One. Do people believe it or not? Melody certainly believes it and made a point to tell the G-Men flat-out.

The pairings don't detract from the writing at all. If anything else, it seemed more like icing, something that doesn't necessarily make things sweeter but there just fine as decoration. Makes me wonder what kind of cake I'll have for my wedding. Or I could do things creatively with the wedding main dessert course. I would prefer not to make anybody's allergies to act up.

Now, this makes all the movies canon. I want to comment on the movies that were released later in the Pokemon anime mainline: given that Legendaries and the occasional Mythics have been such an intrinsic part in the actual storyline of the main anime, I doubt Sun and Moon would have a proper movie despite its potential. While technically filler, I don't bother much about it since well I wonder how they are going about the Legendaries and Mythics in the Pokeani. Besides, making them canon is very easy just like making Baron Omatsuri canon for OP.

Okay, I know it isn't canon but it's just so good and one of few horror films I'm willing to pop in and have in my possessions. And I have seen body horror in Japanese media. A lot.

The Road You Choose: Since there are only individual stories, I'll put it up instead. Rewrites of movies with the exception of the last really big one which basically builds upon the Legendaries and the Chosen One's responsibilities.

Not the best but it's the best I can come up with. You would have troubles with the links too because there might be more.

Like the fic above, this is more about there is an actual Chosen One who has responsibilities given to him by birth from the Legendaries. The golden Ho-Oh, whom Ash initially thinks was just an image from a rainbow, watched over his first steps into the world.

It has similarities with Ash Connection but that is where the similarities end. It involved Legendaries and Mythics who had control over their element. It also adjusted game canon too. Y'know the Articuno in Seafoam Islands... Yeah, but that's not the Alpha one. The Alpha ones are the Orange Archipelago's Elemental Islands. Okay, that needs explanation. Alphas are the massive ones that are telepathic for the most part and lives in important places in the world. Think the Tree of Beginning and the aforementioned islands which held the flow of the world in its hands.

I really adored how the Legendaries are portrayed. They are gods that harbored frightening power. And to kill them is a big mistake because, with one killed, they are likely to throw off the balance of the world. They are the most powerful beings in the entire world. You can still catch the lesser ones though. They're just not as powerful as the Alphas and catching them won't mean the end of the world. I mean just look at Tobias. I adore creationism in fiction and adore anthropomorphic personifications of abstract concepts. Give me that and I'll drink that with gusto.

I also liked just how flawed the characters are. Paul, for example, is worried out of his mind for his brother and of course, things like morality wouldn't be a concern when there's an apocalypse far worse than the weather destruction nearly six years ago.

I wish the Try Guys continue this series. I know it would take a lot of work, getting judges and kitchens. I want them to try making macarons because I know just how difficult it is. Even my cousins who love to bake wouldn't dare touch even a recipe because of its difficulty. Custard slices, whatever was on the technical challenge in GBBO because this is the point of Without a Recipe. Challenging recipes that the Try Guys try to make. Hey, the Try Guys are basically in the technical challenge in GBBO...without a recipe and only the ingredients they have in their reach. And have the power of experimentation. Looking at you, Eugene and Zach. I kinda expect Eugene to add alcohol in his baking from now on.

Despite this somewhat taking after The Great British Bake-Off if only in a spoof, I can see traces if someone did really well they won't show it. I know this because after I watched a few episodes of GBBO, it became obvious. This is why I was able to guess Eugene at least got a high score on his since the video didn't seem to focus on him too much beyond his mistakes. Yeah, even when I know Eugene is drunk, I can tell he would at least earn not a star for the effort like Ned but rather a star for creativity and doing better than everybody else. Like Ned, Keith tries but still has something painfully basic. Like he knows but he didn't seem to go out there like drunk Eugene. Think of it as a beginner basic stuff with little experimentation. Eugene experimented and seemed to manage well. Zach on the other hand... I would not do what he does in his cooking. Even without a recipe, he didn't seem to have the palate to compensate. His pie was barely edible while his friends made passable pies. Zach, dearie, I hope you manage to create something decent next time. Your experimentation

Progress Review: Thieves Can Be Heroes

You people already know my opinion on the Persona series and MHA so let's go forward!

FFNet. Summary: Izuku Midoriya thought he was down on his luck the day he was convicted of a crime for trying to save someone. As if being Quirkless wasn't enough, how he was supposed to be a Hero with a criminal record? As it turned out, fate had another plan for him.

So basically the Persona series happened in the world of MHA but also in the very same Persona-verse. Because the Persona-verse goes space-time continuum level of madness.

While there are certain canon divergences (Shiho staying and the Illegals' activity), it's still P5. Major events will still happen.

Barring the Kaneshiro incident probably since, in the MHA-verse, the yakuza are gone. Literally with Chisaki's arrest. Maybe Chisaki or a Hero would up being one of the major targets instead of on the ranks of Madarame and Shido.

While the P5 calendar of events has to stay in a strict schedule from the targets to the social link to the Christmas Eve Apocalypse, I don't know what the Illegals and the MHA would do.

Additionally, by the story's end, please add the Shadow Operatives. The Shadow Operatives could be a Hero Agency but a strange hero agency at that since they picked those who only have not quirks but rather have a Persona. And they combat the supernatural when others like All Might and Eraserhead could not. Think of them more underground than even the underground heroes and villains like Eraserhead. And they don't even score on the board or anything. Every one of their workers has a day-job but has so much experience in fighting Shadows and the supernatural that it's a given they are far more likely to take on gods than All Might. And they are saving the world far more frequently than these heroes just fighting criminals who used their powers for the wrong reason.

Listen, Nyarlathotep could and will destroy everything All For One worked for in a second. I know it because I saw how he is during his appearance. Messing with All for One's mind would be so easy for him.

Well, Izuku...Be glad that you are part of Persona 5 than any other Persona flagship titles.

If you were in the original Persona, you will fight against the Snow Queen AKA Nyx and temporarily Nyarlathotep with Kandori. You were stuck basically in one city because it was cut off and new heroes could not come in to save.

Because if you were in Persona 2, you will fail to save the Earth from Nyarlathotep. Because you aren't part of the adult team that did save the Earth from being destroyed...

Onto Persona 3, you would save the Earth certainly but at the cost of your own life. The thing about P3 was accepting one's death while living life to its fullest extent. I'm sure you don't mind sacrificing your life to save the world and acted as the barrier between Nyx and Erebus but goddamn it's playing right into your self-destructive habit of saving people at the cost of yourself. Minato/Makoto knows this and did it too but never at self-destruction. Izuku must learn self-preservation, not to kill himself for the greater good which would go against the theme of P3. He must live while accepting death. His acceptance of death is not like Akinari or Shinjiro or Ken or the rest of SEES.

While Persona 4's protagonist survived, he's in high school. UA is a high school and I don't think Yasogami High has a hero course. I don't think Gekkoukan High has a hero course, no matter how rich it is. In fact, I don't see any Persona-user in any of the flagship titles choosing to become public heroes when they had other interests. It's not that they aren't heroic but because it's simply isn't them. They are good and moral people certainly and had standards. They would save people, regardless of one's history and will treat people with human decency. You might be saving the town from a serial killer and later the world from a god but I doubt you would want to stay like this. They had dreams and hopes that they can achieve on their own merits.

Besides, Persona-users are different from Quirk-users, mainly that it's not a power that anyone can get like candy. You quite literally had to be broken to have potential - the more visible the mask, the visible the persona. A persona is a mask to protect yourself. To be an actual Persona-user, you have to accept the darkness in your heart and have your power that darkness instead of the darkness powering you. Additionally, Quirks have a limit, Personas don't. Sure they had a limit on the stresses of your mind - SP/HP but they are easily revivable with items and spells while you basically had to wait out until everything's in order because Quirks are biological functions. I literally fought one boss in P3 for nearly three hours. I was just damn lucky I was efficient with my items and SP. Sure, there is 20% of the population who won't have quirks but if and only if they were broken, then they have potential. There is a major difference between gaining a Quirk and Persona; in one of them, you must literally be broken...while the other is a biological function.

For example, Aoyama would have potential and he would certainly accept his Shadow in one try instead of rejecting it because from what I saw from him, he won't even deny it since he was willing to talk about it to Deku. Normal people like Ojiro and Sero won't have any potential. The entire staff at UA won't have potential, not Aizawa nor Nighteye... Probably Nedzu would have potential but I have serious misgivings about him, namely of his misanthropic behavior and that he could be the traitor if the traitor theory is indeed true. I think All Might would have potential, just by the fact he's wearing a mask. Of Class 1-A, those who have potential will be Aoyama, Kirishima, Deku, Bakugou, MINETA, Asui, Jiro, and Ashido. Probably add Ochako and Iida depending on the masks they wear. Momo, as much as I love her, puts up a mask for some time but I doubt she has potential the same way her supposed love interest Todoroki has - listen, I'm not a TodoMomo shipper in the slightest but ship whatever you want. I'm a happy Tododeku shipper alongside Kacchako since I find that pairing more appealing than IzuOcha. Shinsou will have potential too.

Hell, in DRRR, Izaya and Shizuo would certainly make the shortlist of having potential; I am absolutely certain if I place them in the Persona world, they would undoubtedly have potential. Kadota and Tom will not have potential whereas Simon will. No matter how badass I find you, Dotachin, you would never ever had potential the same way Izaya and Shizuo has.

Izuku, you have no clue what is waiting for you in this world. Considering PQ2, you would be meeting other Persona-users who would use mythological figures from Greek to Japanese to Chinese. You have yet to meet Aigis, a humanoid android capable of emotions. It dropped right into the uncanny valley but she's just as real as Morgana and Teddie. You have no clue you just collided with gods or godlike beings at all, demons certainly, but gods or godlike ones like Igor and the Demiurge. You have no clue about the Great Seal and the multiple apocalypses this world even has. Persona-users are the only type of people who can fight against the godlike beings, not the Heroes. Not even All For One would be able to stand against godlike beings who can quite literally kill him on the spot and I do mean on the spot. Nyarlathotep could manipulate his darker tendencies and unleashed on the world what All For One can do worse than he was usually doing. Nyarlathotep could also kill All For One easily. Philemon can do the same as does Igor. Demiurge could also kill him, Izanami could kill him, Marie could kill him...  As gods, they are basically higher than any human, even a human with a longevity Quirk or multiple strong quirks. Nothing could kill them barring the destruction of humanity itself.

Yes, this world has apocalypses in the past...near multiple times for utter destruction but absolutely in one case...where if you were a teen and helping Tatsuya and the gang then...you will fail.

Listen, it's one of the things that make you a Persona-user and stopping an apocalypse at the hands at one of humanity's gods is one of them.

Like for Heroes, you stopping crime, petty or otherwise, although I doubt that they'll be able to stop the crimes that are still there in the real world and would still happen in a world with superheroes. Look at DC/Marvel where corruption amongst the populace and police are still viable.

But the end of the world shit where you have to stop gods from destroying everything. Yeah, Quirks could work but won't make a dent, unlike the Personas where the enemy is more likely to have weaknesses. Quirk-users would tire themselves out.

Let's go onto the world of BNHA.

Hmm... how can I say this? I think to some extent, it's quite dystopic.

For starters, Quirks are raised to a level. Yes, there is good equality for LGBTQ+ individuals - see Tiger of the Wild, Wild Pussycats - but there is the same discrimination. Just look at the bullying at Izuku and the posturing of Bakugou for starters. The Quirkless was bullied for something they can't control and those with 'heroic' quirks are raised up.

Not to mention, something that would fit right in with P5: the Hero industry. There are people who undoubtedly are not heroic by any means, taking it as a job than an act of heroism or using it for other means. Think the Heroes as...not as pros but rather as an auxiliary police force.

Even if Endeavor is not one of the Phantom Thieves of Heart's targets, then a Hero should be one. Since the Yakuza is all but gone in the series, then the Phantom Thieves' target instead of Kaneshiro could be a Hero.

Analyze the Hero Industry. If in the story there are corrupt cops, then they'll be corrupt heroes all the same. The canon of MHA practically had corrupt heroes and treated the job as a job.

Just because they are working against villains does not mean they are good people. The Phantom Thieves had their flaws but like the rest of the Persona-users, they are good people.

Hell, analyze the industry. Crossovers like the CCS crossover and Conversations with a Cryptid did it.

Now consider UA: it's basically a military school. While police schools are self-contained and they don't go to war against people who can bloody kill them in an instant... I don't think a majority had a license for teaching. Some of them can be good teachers like Aizawa and Midnight...but at the same time, they are moreover soldiers going to war against an invisible enemy.

Yes, there will be people who used their Quirks in criminal activity. I am not even going to talk about the League of Villains nor Chisaki in any form in this since it's pretty obvious.

I want to think about the pro Hero industry as an auxiliary force like I seriously wanted to. All Might helped stopping everything he sees including a robbery. However, these Heroes don't seem to know what is there to take about the know-how of policemen, particularly Japanese police.

The Japanese police force has lessons on how to interact which the pro Hero industry clearly did not demonstrate well in that regard. Some might be good with kids - All Might - but others not so much. They can take what it means to be on the field of pro Heroism but in terms of how the Japanese police do their work, they don't know shit.

The Japanese police learned theory lessons. From what we saw from UA, there are normal classes on top of training such as heightening their Quirk's limit/exposure. No lessons on interactions with victims or other necessary lessons that other take. I'm pretty sure they had Hero-related projects in the classes but something like teaching students to calm victims - something that apparently they had to know instinctively - is something that never appeared as appropriate classes. In comparison, Koro-sensei's classroom seemed downright normal because at least he only made sure they were trained in the arts of assassination for his murder and nobody else. Sure they can now defend themselves which is great. But he never wants them to use their new skills for anything but his murder. Nagisa even went on to teach with the sheer exception of his murder.

Sure, UA is teaching these Heroes about their powers but do we see theory classes on how to treat children or victims? Somehow, it must innate for them to even learn the dang thing. Saving them from a dangerous situation is one thing but it's another to reassure them without making them panic. Having kids learning to rescue traumatized victims from their horrible situations - I seriously wonder if I can pretend to merge any of the SMT worlds with MHA so I can see just how ineffective the whole Hero industry is when it comes to the apocalypse - and expecting them to already know. Deku literally had to learn on the job. Sure he and Togata are great with kids but he nor Togata are truly equipped to even go about a police operation that required superhuman powers to combat, not children.

These UA Heroes think they can sniff the traitor in their midst. Listen, just because they are Heroes does not mean they have the skills equipped for that level of investigation. Get the Japanese Special Defense - until it is a national threat, use something like the police force to sniff it out. Even the Persona series does this because the supernatural stuff is usually in that area and does not require national attention particularly for what looks like murder or rumors becoming reality or what just looked like people admitting crimes. Just look at Detective Conan where the Special Defense and the FBI are digging up dirt for the BO. I would totally understand the supernatural stuff where the police nor the nation realized what is happening. But when there is something like a traitor, don't get Heroes, get agents to infiltrate with the necessary skills. I'm more likely to trust Detective Conan's FBI/CIA/JSD over the Heroes any time of the day.

The over-reliance on overpowered spectacular Quirks is also a problem. Now it's probably Aizawa was in the same place as Hitoshi Shinsou and the probable cause of having a new test in mind of different Quirks.

Heroes are raised to another status altogether. Sure they are some good ones with All Might being worshipped for his genuine human decency but there are others who just had the quota.

Now MHA is all about what makes a hero.

I just don't trust the Hero industry in MHA. Yes, there are good heroes who deserve praise for common human decency like All Might but there are others who are not Endeavor or Captain Celebrity. I'm far more willing to trust the vigilantes in MHA than I will the Heroes.

Mini-Review: Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet

And once again, Disney garnered praise without doing anything else.

While these movies aren't particularly great, the two films differed in levels of mediocrity. Like Frozen - which sequel I am not looking forward to -, these two films are just average. Nothing that seems to spoke true like Into the Spiderverse.

I repeat I don't find them great. I find them mediocre at worst - looks at Ralph wearily - and relatively good at best. They have their good moments such as the expansion of Violet and Jack-Jack.

RBTI seemed already dated with references to current culture to its detriment. In fact, it's like the Emoji Movie in that sense. The worst part of RBTI is that it broke the established rules of the first movie and OOC-ness and lack of development from characters from the first film. I would not mind them breaking the established rules of the first film if they did something to justify it. Instead, INTERNET CULTURE takes priority above all else. And what's worst about the internet culture in the film was that it's disjointed and has so many cracks in connection to the overall story. VLD and SU have more cracks than RBTI but let it be known that RBTI does not justify breaking its established rules! In Madagascar, the sketches are at least related to one another in the bigger plot that is the Zoosters' friendship and sometimes personal arc.

There is no logical reason why Ralph behaved as he is as an idiot. He's a complete idiot! The Ralph I know from the first movie is sane and smart. Yes, he went Turbo albeit briefly but he understands the consequences of his actions.

I would not mind Ralph and Vallelope deciding to go their separate ways while still maintaining their friendship as hard as it would be.

What I do mind is why the hell is the writers - which yes, including the original ones like Jennifer Lee - are breaking the first movie's rules so casually.

I know better than to break establish rules but expand them concisely. The rule-breaking in the second Ralph movie makes me cuddle up on my dog.

For fuck's sake, we saw them basically went Turbo without any concern for their original games. And none of their friends are concerned about the Turbo nature. Wouldn't the owner and players realize missing characters? From the end of the first movie, we see Ralph got popular as well as the Kart racing game too so why the fuck isn't anybody doing anything? The owner is not doing anything especially when it was he who expressed concern before. Because imagine if I play a game designed with this character in mind, I expect to see the character. It's like not having Mickey Mouse shaped food in Disneyland. Sorry for the food references but I am craving something like it.

They have one of the flimsiest handwaves about now that Candy Kart is now a democracy but that does not justify Vallelope leaving the game altogether when her face is plastered on the side just as Ralph and Felix's. I thought visits as the ending of the first movie implied.

There are other gaming platforms, don't they know that? Not just on arcades like the original, but also on consoles and the fucking PC! I know this because my cousins are gamers in their own right, not competitive by playing on official grounds but still competent enough to know what they are playing online.

Wouldn't instead Ralph and Vallelope meet their counterparts instead? Like they are the arcade version while their alternates are computer versions especially if there is an online game expansion? I'm sure there are Kickstarter to have these games on other platforms due to nostalgia one way or another.

The movie is written by people who barely understand anything beyond old school arcades. The references in the movie are not as timeless in the previous movie.

Just, Ralph 2 is mediocre and nothing will change my opinion about it.

Like I'm annoyed that it's almost like Frozen but at the same time, I know Frozen is everywhere to the point of annoyance while Ralph is not. I am so not looking forward to the cavalcade of Frozen merch.

Brad Bird, Incredibles 2 might be one of your weakest films to date. Incredibles 2 is just underwhelming. Aside from expansion from the cast - which is good because I want to know more of Violet to name one character - the plot just seemed okay. Nothing too fantastic. Unlike Into the Spiderverse, it didn't have anything new or tight about it.

There is nothing wrong with deconstruction and realism. One Piece increasingly became realistic in spite of its usual running on the nonsense world. However, the realism did not hit you like a damn hammer like SU. There is nothing wrong with subversions but focusing on that would lose any bit of character and personality to your story. Focus too much on that and not on the sincerity of your story would make things die fast just like darkness for darkness' sake which happened to be one of VLD's many, many problems. Had anybody ever told you that darkness for darkness' sake is a really bad idea, Monsantos? Because even Banana Fish, a cynical piece of work, has a glimmer of joy to it. Banana Fish, the anime/manga based on a truly cynical piece of work! The last thing anybody wants is to have everything so miserable that it's difficult to have even a tiny bit of hope.

I expect deconstruction and realism out of Brad Bird's films. Ever since the original Incredibles and Iron Giant, I expect some kind of deconstruction but not to the point it takes over the story. Incredibles 2 seems to be that film.

I understand the saturation of superhero films and just how merchandisable they can get. It's a thing since forever. You can criticize that since I'm pretty sure that the story is lampooning that.

However, the confusing way the story is told - the damn girl! How the hell did she even know that is the real villain or not? We never saw her again in said context - makes his relatively weaker films stand out. I like the expansion of the characters we got with them in new roles such as Bob a house husband. It's not disjointed like Ralph 2. It's better in that aspect. I2 is not a bad film but I wouldn't call it great.

Maybe because Incredibles is in my top Pixar films of all time. Because of my strong love for the second Toy Story movie was when I saw the repetition... Really bad there, writers, are you really that unimaginative that you have to write it two more times in the row? Once was enough but the second not so much. Continue the story just like you saw your peers in Dreamworks. Even the worst sequels in Disney Direct to Video continues the story, no matter how badly written it came out. You technically continued the story but how everything started was noticeable (Woody telling the truth of something, toys turned against or refused to listen to him w/o rhyme or reason, toys transported to another destination and thus trying to escape but was stopped by the Big Bad).

I2, overall, is just fine. Not fine as a beautiful crepe cake or rose wine. Fine as in an okay bowl of french fries.

I stand by my opinion that Ralph 2 is mediocre of the pair and I2 is borderline treading the line of good. Both are not great films. A great film is Into the Spiderverse. Hell, even Teen Titans Go To the Movies is a better film than these two. Yes, it has better writing than the two films.

I just don't get why people would grovel all over these Disney/Pixar films because, in my opinion, they're just okay. Nothing fantastic about it. I wouldn't call the first two Madagascar films any more Oscar-worthy either but at least these films have consistent fun than underwhelming.

The UK!

Now I want to travel around the world with Japan being at the top of my list. I do want to visit England one day with spots like Sherlock Holmes 221B and Sherwood Forest. I would rather have my honeymoon in Spain really than Hawaii. Beach vacations are not my thing.

My cousin would obviously get this since she's a huge Pokemon fan alongside Fire Emblem in the mix.

Really, there are lots of things I want out of a UK-inspired region like dragons and myths because England is a huge place for such a thing that even the Hetalia version of England featured the guy having magic. I really want to see something King Arthur-inspired because one of my favorite books of all time T.H White's The Once And Future King is one of my favorite adaptations of said legendary King.

And the sword and shield should imply the Knights of the Round Table. Hopefully. I just hope to Godoka, it referred to that because I would faint just from sheer joy.