Welp, if last episode was a basically an 80's Tomino episode of Mobile Suit Gundam, this episode is straight out of 90's Gainax... right down to the egregious fanservice. Bleh...

Also, I was joking about the problematic polycule with the Space Ghost of Char Aznable I didn't think they'd actually go for it lmao

(that visual storytelling through blocking tho)

A lot of people are going to draw comparisons to FLCL here for the first half, and yeah I see it. Teenage angst isn't what interests me in the show though, it's the political commentary: here's hoping Tsurumaki can connect the dots successfully to make the personal political (as I suspect is his intention), but also I get nervous when a character like Nyaan gets depicted in this way since I'm reflexively expecting The Swerve: I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt and wait to see how it plays out tho.

Next week: we assassinate a fascist!

It's May already

Manga:

Shibuya Near Family continues to be good. Koji Kumeta seems to be taking time off, so there was only one chapter in the last month. A

Iwakutsuki Bukken no Yakuro-san is a short (19 chapters) cute read about a ghost waifu. For what it is, it was alright. B-

After Being Executed With the Words "Necromancers Are Disgusting," I Will Start My New Life as a Demon is one of those otome isekai manga with horrible long titles... this one's 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝕶. Unfortunately it seems to be a romance with the evil but secretly caring demon lord. Mehhhh D+

Anime:

I have watched the first half of Gundam 00's first season. The politics are funny. It basically takes Mithril from Full Metal Panic and makes their goals more ridiculous - while also being completely serious about it. But the show itself is fun, and the visuals aged quite well. Also, I discovered that the album the ED song is from (The Back Horn - Pulse) is actually quite good. Apparently the show goes off the rails soon-ish, so I guess I'll see how much of a shitshow it will become B

The Namek arc in Dragon Ball Z is very strong. There's still... 200 episodes to go. A

A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof is the new Studio Shaft anime, and unfortunately is nowhere as adventurous as their peak (beyond the start of E1, which is done in an authentic early 1970s animation style). The show itself is fine. C+

Recovery of an MMO Junkie is something Animefeminist.com fawns over, and the first impression confirms their views. Moriko is a very relatable protagonist for anyone who is an adult that feels directionless in life (and got hooked on being terminally on the computer) - but I am too early into the show to comment if it's worth watching.

Bakemonogatari is a show that, for the most part, has not lived up to its sordid reputation (unfortunately "for the most part"). In fact, it's significantly more interesting than what I expected. I'm reserving my judgement until I see where the story goes, if anywhere, beyond character arcs. For better or worse, this is Shaft at its peak.

Western Animation

Gravity Falls is still fun. Though was the Dipper in love aspect of the show really necessary? Ah well. B+

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Blorptube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this edition of Saturday Anime Night, we’re returning to the much-beloved anime adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s legendary manga, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, with episodes 31 through 36 of the sixth part, Stone Ocean. This one stars a lady, but she still does the usual poses and fights a bunch of muscley guys in ever-more-convoluted ways.

Next is Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), the last cel-animated feature from Dreamworks. It bombed at the box office, but some people still swear by it, so we’ll check it out. It follows, in broad strokes, the tales of the hero of the same name, as recounted in the Arabian Nights. For some reason, though, he has been re-imagined as a Greek hero here, and battles against the goddess Eris retrieve a magic book that can save his friend. Director is Tim Johnson, the guy behind, uhh, Over the Hedge (2006) and Antz (1998).

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Blorptube, right here:

https://blorp.bot.nu/o/visual_cuisine

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean: https://letterboxd.com/film/jojos-bizarre-adventure-stone-ocean/
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: https://letterboxd.com/film/sinbad-legend-of-the-seven-seas/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/768593
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/18887

CWs for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean:

• Death of dog.
• Stalking.
• Gaslighting.
• Child abuse.
• Deaths of animals.
• Animal cruelty.
• Death of cat.
• Death of pet.
• Spiders.
• Bugs.
• Sexual assault: a creepy man gropes a teenage girl’s breasts.
• Implied pedophilia. Not depicted.
• Objectification of female characters.
• Self-harm.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Someone struggles to breathe.
• Amputation.
• Squashed head.
• Genital trauma.
• Broken bones.
• Tooth damage.
• Finger mutilation.
• Torture.
• Death of child.
• Death of parent.
• Kidnapping.
• Cheating.
• Ghosts.
• Shower scene.
• Possession.
• Trypophobia.
• Vomiting.
• Someone soils themselves.
• Audio gore.
• Hospital scene.
• Violent mentally-ill person.
• Suicide attempt.
• Misophonia.
• Suicidal ideation.
• Crying baby.
• Ableism.
• Someone is hit by a car.
• References to sex.
• Blood and gore.
• Gun violence.

CWs for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas:

• Sexual innuendos.
• Kissing.
• Stabbing.
• Slapstick violence.
• Possession.
• Vomiting.
• Ghosts.
• Cheating.

Links to movies:

• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean ep. 31: https://tankie.tube/w/beeW3JC1h7UnPNMPjxwFMj
• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean ep. 32: https://tankie.tube/w/pephgVAbcjVMAU3xoA7r1p
• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean ep. 33: https://tankie.tube/w/oaDRDxsntGxvFbU4fwdSjY
• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean ep. 34: https://tankie.tube/w/ajjXdAJszmRhMhFCxme17q
• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean ep. 35: https://tankie.tube/w/9waq22UD75wywWBZQ5WYpH
• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean ep. 36: https://tankie.tube/w/sgAVphFsHExpDhY8CSAzeH
• Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: https://tankie.tube/w/ppBNEV1quZAf5UjLXge2wD

The early arcs of the manga are super dark and it makes japan out to be a pretty fucking dangerous place full of lunatics.

Article talks a bit about GQuuuuuuX, FLCL, Diebuster, and Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Between this interview and the OP, it definitely feels like we'll get more Zeta Gundam stuff in this one.

Yoooo this shit slaps, I love it! I watched some dot hack YEARS ago but never really got into it because I felt like it didn't capture what online games or video games in general feel like, but so far on chapter 2, SLF nails the whole vibe of playing mmos!

Plus the art is great too, love the line work. I often get put off by art in some mangas and end up dropping it over that but not here. So I hope it's good as I continue on reading.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/4765631

Will and Hesse talk about two films which deal with the psychological tolls women face in the entertainment industry: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (1948) and Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue (1997).

Not even being subtle

Also in the same scene they allude to a coming Zeon civil war (classic fascist infighting), which kinda adds higher stakes to Challia's quest to find the Red Comet.

Another banger episode, although we just speed ran a whole bunch of UC tropes all at once. Shiiko's a pretty good antagonist, and the stuff that happens in this episode is really going to push the main cast in interesting directions, so I'm all for what they're putting down even if it's a bit familiar- Tsurumaki was really channeling his inner Tomino in that (admittedly very cool) dogfight, right down to the comic panel cut-ins and dialogue.

(Also, something tells me that if they're in a rush to get through all this kind of story stuff early on, that they're planning some wild swings later, but that's just a hunch).

Remember,

The follow-up scenes are also funny

https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=9xwsWwhrauI

https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=rklG6pcYNUI

The Feddies owe Gene a statue.

Here's what the in-show headline is supposed to be:

The leader of the colonial government was framed for selling weapons to the anti-colonial insurgency.

Here's another page they used for another article in the show:

The animators also wrote out that headline specifically in a future frame:

They were cooking with this one - it's fantastic.