This is where I write about stuff I watched, read, played
or consumed otherwise!
ongoing:
games:
anime/tv series:
manga/books:
completed:
超次次元ゲイム ネプテューヌRe;Birth1/Hyperdimension Neptunia ReBirth1, finished playing 03.11.2024
This was such a fun opportunity. Hyperdimension Neptunia is, in and of itself, a very lighthearted and fun time for RPG and anime fans. What really made the experience for me though, was playing it in a game club with a bunch of people who, over the course of two months in which we played this game togeter, became my friends.
You know how fun it is to play a newly released game, and then for a while, a bunch of your friends are playing it, talking about it, sharing their fun with it? Imagine having the chance to have this feeling for every game. This is what this game club was. We were sharing tips, talked about our favorite scenes, jokes, characters, and much more beyond just the game. I can't wait for the next time we do this!
This was such a fun opportunity. Hyperdimension Neptunia is, in and of itself, a very lighthearted and fun time for RPG and anime fans. What really made the experience for me though, was playing it in a game club with a bunch of people who, over the course of two months in which we played this game togeter, became my friends.
You know how fun it is to play a newly released game, and then for a while, a bunch of your friends are playing it, talking about it, sharing their fun with it? Imagine having the chance to have this feeling for every game. This is what this game club was. We were sharing tips, talked about our favorite scenes, jokes, characters, and much more beyond just the game. I can't wait for the next time we do this!
Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens, watched 31.10.2024
They were showing Nosferatu in my local noncommercial cinema, and since I don't particuarly like huge halloween parties anyway and we hadn't planned anything smaller scale like we usually do, I asked my friends if they wanted to go. I think it was a fun watch, and it's kinda nice to know what the buzz has been about for the past 100 years! However I gotta admit it was kinda dissapointing to learn that Nosferatu lives in Transylvania and not actually within the Krusty Krab.
They were showing Nosferatu in my local noncommercial cinema, and since I don't particuarly like huge halloween parties anyway and we hadn't planned anything smaller scale like we usually do, I asked my friends if they wanted to go. I think it was a fun watch, and it's kinda nice to know what the buzz has been about for the past 100 years! However I gotta admit it was kinda dissapointing to learn that Nosferatu lives in Transylvania and not actually within the Krusty Krab.
Regular Show, finished watching 25.10.2024
I've been watching Regular Show for a long time. Always firing up one episode whenever I was interested in some really light entertainment. For that it was perfect. Felt very "TV-core", kinda nice.
I've been watching Regular Show for a long time. Always firing up one episode whenever I was interested in some really light entertainment. For that it was perfect. Felt very "TV-core", kinda nice.
Dragon-Half, watched 12.10.2024
Dragon-Half was legit great. It was super funny, the animation was great, the characters cute. I don't feel like there's a lot to say about, since it's really just two episodes of good comedy with no catch, so let me just ask you to check it out if you haven't.
Dragon-Half was legit great. It was super funny, the animation was great, the characters cute. I don't feel like there's a lot to say about, since it's really just two episodes of good comedy with no catch, so let me just ask you to check it out if you haven't.
Cipher the Video, watched 10.10.2024
This one felt like a fever dream, in all the best ways. Not in a million way I expected an original anime on VHS to tell it's story in this way, so I will not spoil it and just ask you to check it out. It's a fun 30 minutes.
Also it's so funny to me how heavily they feature the twin towers. Tag yourself, I'm the one with the antenna!
This one felt like a fever dream, in all the best ways. Not in a million way I expected an original anime on VHS to tell it's story in this way, so I will not spoil it and just ask you to check it out. It's a fun 30 minutes.
Also it's so funny to me how heavily they feature the twin towers. Tag yourself, I'm the one with the antenna!
Fire Emblem, watched 08.10.2024
An absolute classic. I watched this anime soley for it's infamous dub, and it did not disappoint. As someone who never played the original Fire Emblem, I found the pacing weird and the story hard to follow, but none of that really mattered to me, because it was fun to see the suprisingly solid animation move alongside this super weird audio track. Caeda is really cute in this though. And her voice I actually liked a lot of the time, too.
An absolute classic. I watched this anime soley for it's infamous dub, and it did not disappoint. As someone who never played the original Fire Emblem, I found the pacing weird and the story hard to follow, but none of that really mattered to me, because it was fun to see the suprisingly solid animation move alongside this super weird audio track. Caeda is really cute in this though. And her voice I actually liked a lot of the time, too.
The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes, finished playing 07.10.2024
I'm so glad I played Triforce Heroes.
The original plan was to do so before the shutdown of Nintendo Network, but sadly we missed our mark. That doesn't mean however that I had to get two friends to play the game locally. Sure, that would've been awesome too, but a little hard to arrange with the friends I chose to do this with, the awesome Natalie and Juna. It was as easy as getting them to hack their 3DS (Which is suprisingly easy), and having them set up Pretendo. We met up one evening per week to play together and it was great fun. Sometimes it would get really hard, sometimes we would have to tilt and take a break, but eventually we were able to overcome everything the base game threw at us, and it felt super empowering and satisfying and like we were getting so good at teamwork!
...Which obviously didn't mean the trashtalking wasn't also fun. It was great. So great in fact, that we already decided that next week we'll start to continue our adventure with Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Until then however... well I'll be super busy with the Week of Charity. And also Goblin Bunker game club, I'm falling behind on Hyperdimension Neptunia!
I'm so glad I played Triforce Heroes.
The original plan was to do so before the shutdown of Nintendo Network, but sadly we missed our mark. That doesn't mean however that I had to get two friends to play the game locally. Sure, that would've been awesome too, but a little hard to arrange with the friends I chose to do this with, the awesome Natalie and Juna. It was as easy as getting them to hack their 3DS (Which is suprisingly easy), and having them set up Pretendo. We met up one evening per week to play together and it was great fun. Sometimes it would get really hard, sometimes we would have to tilt and take a break, but eventually we were able to overcome everything the base game threw at us, and it felt super empowering and satisfying and like we were getting so good at teamwork!
...Which obviously didn't mean the trashtalking wasn't also fun. It was great. So great in fact, that we already decided that next week we'll start to continue our adventure with Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Until then however... well I'll be super busy with the Week of Charity. And also Goblin Bunker game club, I'm falling behind on Hyperdimension Neptunia!
After Life/ワンダフルライフ, watched 01.10.2024
After Life is a movie that has an English title in Japanese but then it got another English title for it's western release, so it's not my fault if I call it Wonderful Life in English.
Aside from that, it is also a really nice movie. The way it portrays the pathway to the afterlife as this mundane office building, how everything is so grounded in reality. And also how it handles the stories of so many characters without diverging from its documentary-style storytelling. It was a really nice time for an evening by myself.
After Life is a movie that has an English title in Japanese but then it got another English title for it's western release, so it's not my fault if I call it Wonderful Life in English.
Aside from that, it is also a really nice movie. The way it portrays the pathway to the afterlife as this mundane office building, how everything is so grounded in reality. And also how it handles the stories of so many characters without diverging from its documentary-style storytelling. It was a really nice time for an evening by myself.
Pikmin 4, finished playing 19.08.2024
Remember when I said after beating Super Mario Sunshine not on stream that I might do the same thing with Pikmin 4 now? Yeah I did, and I'm glad for it. It's a little disappointing that I now have another stream project that never got finished, but considering how hard the game got in the end, I'm glad I could just concentrate on that, and not on being entertaining, playing the game, and not being overcome by my shame over the performance that I would have broadcasted. Instead I just used the rewind feature a few times when I really fucked up, used up all my glowseeds and items that I accumulated over the game and never used in the final cave, and it was fine because I was doing it for myself, I was using the tools at my disposal to make the game fun for me, and I would've felt like a loser doing that on stream.
But enough of my complexes, how did I like the game?
A whole lot, in fact! I don't think I like it more than Pikmin 3 at this point, but that doesn't detract from it being a great game in its own right. It is just really long, which I am not used from a Pikmin game, and maybe I don't want that as much? I like the replayability and almost arcade-like structure of Pikmin 1 and 3. (I haven't played 2 yet because it's supposed to be the hardest)
Everything that was there was really fun. All the levels, all the submodes, challenges, whatever. I like the multiplayer a lot, since it is more simplistic than bingo battle, but lends itself to ease new people into playing Pikmin with you for that reason. And Bingo battle isn't gone, I can still play that with my friends that got good enough to kick my butt at dandori-battles. So yeah, I'm really glad I played this game, but I'm also glad to be done with it. I could hop straight into Pikmin 2 now, but I think I'm gonna wait a bit. I've been having a pretty good time with tying up loose ends lately, and I think I wanna keep that going for now. I can always jump into new things whenever I feel like it.
Remember when I said after beating Super Mario Sunshine not on stream that I might do the same thing with Pikmin 4 now? Yeah I did, and I'm glad for it. It's a little disappointing that I now have another stream project that never got finished, but considering how hard the game got in the end, I'm glad I could just concentrate on that, and not on being entertaining, playing the game, and not being overcome by my shame over the performance that I would have broadcasted. Instead I just used the rewind feature a few times when I really fucked up, used up all my glowseeds and items that I accumulated over the game and never used in the final cave, and it was fine because I was doing it for myself, I was using the tools at my disposal to make the game fun for me, and I would've felt like a loser doing that on stream.
But enough of my complexes, how did I like the game?
A whole lot, in fact! I don't think I like it more than Pikmin 3 at this point, but that doesn't detract from it being a great game in its own right. It is just really long, which I am not used from a Pikmin game, and maybe I don't want that as much? I like the replayability and almost arcade-like structure of Pikmin 1 and 3. (I haven't played 2 yet because it's supposed to be the hardest)
Everything that was there was really fun. All the levels, all the submodes, challenges, whatever. I like the multiplayer a lot, since it is more simplistic than bingo battle, but lends itself to ease new people into playing Pikmin with you for that reason. And Bingo battle isn't gone, I can still play that with my friends that got good enough to kick my butt at dandori-battles. So yeah, I'm really glad I played this game, but I'm also glad to be done with it. I could hop straight into Pikmin 2 now, but I think I'm gonna wait a bit. I've been having a pretty good time with tying up loose ends lately, and I think I wanna keep that going for now. I can always jump into new things whenever I feel like it.
Napoleon Dynamite, watched 16.08.2024
Napoleon Dynamite certainly is a movie I watched. It maybe even is a comedy, and I can confidently say that I was engaged and that you should watch it. I won't tell you why though.
Napoleon Dynamite certainly is a movie I watched. It maybe even is a comedy, and I can confidently say that I was engaged and that you should watch it. I won't tell you why though.
Super Mario Sunshine, finished playing 12.08.2024
I did it. After all these years I finally played Super Mario Sunshine to the end. Any%, because fuck the blue coins honestly, but I beat it.
I wanted to play this game basically for as long as I knew the Gamecube existed. But the only two copies that I could ever get my hands on as a kid both happened to have broken disks, so it was hopeless. Eventually I held the Super Mario 3D Allstars-Collection in my hands, which is how I played it now. A lot of it with an actual Gamecube controller too, but not all of it because it's kinda annoying to get out another controller and also I played a bunch on my balcony because the weather was so nice. You know immersion and all, it really felt like I was doing work on a tropical island. And that's the thing really. After I got into the controls I actually grew quite fond of a lot of the game, but not all of it. Mostly Hotel Delfino and the fucking Chucksters have been really bad, and I hate that they are mandatory. Naturally, I ended up leaving the annoying parts for last, which meant that my last few hours, the hours now freshest in my mind, have been kinda not so fun. There really should have been a way to make more missions optional, I think that alone would have improved the game a lot.
The strongest feeling I have right now is however, that I am just glad to finally have played it. I should have done so much earlier, I didn't because I wanted to commodify my experience in a livestream. After all, you can only play a game for the first time once, so why not share my experience with everybody? Maybe because the pressure would have made it even less fun. Now I might even finish Pikmin 4 offline so I can finally put that from the upper shelf down here. I can still share my experience here after all!
I did it. After all these years I finally played Super Mario Sunshine to the end. Any%, because fuck the blue coins honestly, but I beat it.
I wanted to play this game basically for as long as I knew the Gamecube existed. But the only two copies that I could ever get my hands on as a kid both happened to have broken disks, so it was hopeless. Eventually I held the Super Mario 3D Allstars-Collection in my hands, which is how I played it now. A lot of it with an actual Gamecube controller too, but not all of it because it's kinda annoying to get out another controller and also I played a bunch on my balcony because the weather was so nice. You know immersion and all, it really felt like I was doing work on a tropical island. And that's the thing really. After I got into the controls I actually grew quite fond of a lot of the game, but not all of it. Mostly Hotel Delfino and the fucking Chucksters have been really bad, and I hate that they are mandatory. Naturally, I ended up leaving the annoying parts for last, which meant that my last few hours, the hours now freshest in my mind, have been kinda not so fun. There really should have been a way to make more missions optional, I think that alone would have improved the game a lot.
The strongest feeling I have right now is however, that I am just glad to finally have played it. I should have done so much earlier, I didn't because I wanted to commodify my experience in a livestream. After all, you can only play a game for the first time once, so why not share my experience with everybody? Maybe because the pressure would have made it even less fun. Now I might even finish Pikmin 4 offline so I can finally put that from the upper shelf down here. I can still share my experience here after all!
ハウルの動く城/Howl's Moving Castle, watched 06.08.2024
I was asked to watch this at work and was obviously all for it. Since I have a hard time watching movies on my own I still have a huge backlog of Ghibli movies, and I'm happy whenever I can check one of the bucket list. And it was a really nice one! Beautiful, fun, wholesome. I really like the family aspect and how much time was spent focusing on it. The antagonists were only as much a part of the movie as they needed to be, and most of the time was spent with the main characters really growing closer to one another in a fun and entertaining way.
I was asked to watch this at work and was obviously all for it. Since I have a hard time watching movies on my own I still have a huge backlog of Ghibli movies, and I'm happy whenever I can check one of the bucket list. And it was a really nice one! Beautiful, fun, wholesome. I really like the family aspect and how much time was spent focusing on it. The antagonists were only as much a part of the movie as they needed to be, and most of the time was spent with the main characters really growing closer to one another in a fun and entertaining way.
Madame Web, watched 28.07.2024
I watched this because I was high and I wanted to watch something that was new to me but that I don't care enough about to the point where I want to actually pay attention. And for that this movie really worked. It's a modern Marvel movie, so I cannot help but feel like I am not supposed to pay attention. Like, it was a fine movie, and I don't feel like hating more on it than it deserves, but it certainly is one of the modern Marvel movies. Just a long movie telling a safe story in an okay way. Maybe it's just that I can't hype myself up for these things like I used to, but I feel affirmed in my decision to not watch them religiously anymore.
I watched this because I was high and I wanted to watch something that was new to me but that I don't care enough about to the point where I want to actually pay attention. And for that this movie really worked. It's a modern Marvel movie, so I cannot help but feel like I am not supposed to pay attention. Like, it was a fine movie, and I don't feel like hating more on it than it deserves, but it certainly is one of the modern Marvel movies. Just a long movie telling a safe story in an okay way. Maybe it's just that I can't hype myself up for these things like I used to, but I feel affirmed in my decision to not watch them religiously anymore.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch, finished watching 16.06.2024
Finishing this show kind of feels like an era coming to an end for me. When I started watching this, I only just finished the Clone Wars and was pretty much on the height of my Star Wars fandomism, through it's runtime however, I kind of shifted towards trying new things, and watching shows and movies that weren't part of an expended universe that I felt at home at. Because of this, I kind of stopped paying such close attention to Star Wars and the MCU, and I only watch stuff that I have reason to believe is good. With the Bad Batch ending, it also feels like this way I used to interact with the franchise is coming to an end for good. I'm ready to have Star Wars stuff existing now that I just won't watch, and instead I will watch some of the classic movies that people talk about that I never had the chance to watch growing up.
Finishing this show kind of feels like an era coming to an end for me. When I started watching this, I only just finished the Clone Wars and was pretty much on the height of my Star Wars fandomism, through it's runtime however, I kind of shifted towards trying new things, and watching shows and movies that weren't part of an expended universe that I felt at home at. Because of this, I kind of stopped paying such close attention to Star Wars and the MCU, and I only watch stuff that I have reason to believe is good. With the Bad Batch ending, it also feels like this way I used to interact with the franchise is coming to an end for good. I'm ready to have Star Wars stuff existing now that I just won't watch, and instead I will watch some of the classic movies that people talk about that I never had the chance to watch growing up.
Pokémon Concierge, finished watching 13.06.2024
Just a short, cute and fun vacation into a world where everything is fine and pokémon are also there, which is really cute and that's the appeal. I think it's mostly fun to see a Pokémon thing that has an adult as the main character. Usually the escapist appeal of Pokémon requires adult fans to project themselves into the role of a child, but not here, and it is still very cute and fun and whimsical! And lets not forget the stop motion part of it. It looks absolutely beautiful! I really recommend it, especially since it's so low commitment. But savour it a bit, don't watch all episodes at once. I watched one a day this week and it felt perfect.
Just a short, cute and fun vacation into a world where everything is fine and pokémon are also there, which is really cute and that's the appeal. I think it's mostly fun to see a Pokémon thing that has an adult as the main character. Usually the escapist appeal of Pokémon requires adult fans to project themselves into the role of a child, but not here, and it is still very cute and fun and whimsical! And lets not forget the stop motion part of it. It looks absolutely beautiful! I really recommend it, especially since it's so low commitment. But savour it a bit, don't watch all episodes at once. I watched one a day this week and it felt perfect.
The Looney Tunes Show, finished watching 05.06.2024
I loved this show. I couldn't imagine a better way they could've brought the Looney Tunes into the 2010's. Check it out if you haven't and behold the wizard! Beware his power! Unspeakable power!
I loved this show. I couldn't imagine a better way they could've brought the Looney Tunes into the 2010's. Check it out if you haven't and behold the wizard! Beware his power! Unspeakable power!
Cyberpunk 2077, finished playing 16.05.2024
This is a game I got as a gift from a friend who really liked it. I played it for a few hours, and found it wasn't for me, but later came back to it because the Action Button review kinda got me interested enough, and with 3 years of patches and the realization that characters calling something a "stealth mission" doesn't mean I can't just gun everything down with my stolen car, it was a good enough time, but I really mostly only just saw it through for the story. I gotta check out the tabletop RPG.
This is a game I got as a gift from a friend who really liked it. I played it for a few hours, and found it wasn't for me, but later came back to it because the Action Button review kinda got me interested enough, and with 3 years of patches and the realization that characters calling something a "stealth mission" doesn't mean I can't just gun everything down with my stolen car, it was a good enough time, but I really mostly only just saw it through for the story. I gotta check out the tabletop RPG.
Wario Ware: Move it!, played 12.01.2024
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, watched 18.11.2023
This was so fucking awesome. I loved it. You need to watch this anime, it has it all: Great soundtrack, great and witty jokes, fun refrences and most importantly the coolest 2D animated action scenes I've seen in recent memory if not ever. Just one thing: To fully appreciate this anime adaptation you should have read the comic or at the very least seen the live action movie. Both would be best of course. And with that I will send you off, because this is my blog and I will dive so deep into spoilers for literally everything that's on my mind and you'll be very sorry if you don't take my advice and leave NOW.
And with that taken care off... WHAT WAS THIS SHOW???
I went into it expecting a retelling of the story that was closer to the comic than the movie. A nice little thing but nothing I would need if not for the reason that animation seemed so fucking good from the trailer. But then what I get is a full on alternative story/sequel that just gives me so much more fun, iconic and great moments with these characters I love? Sign me up!
I didn't even get it at first. I just watched the first episode on launch day and misremembered Scott dying as a thing that happened in the comic but he just respawned at the stage and kicked Matthews ass.
Then I go back to the show one day later to watch it with my girlfriend, and we get to the second episode and I was like... "wait, Scott didn't get a funeral in the fucking comic?!"
So that's when it dawned on us. This is something else. And we binged it in one day. It was so great to see all the evil exes reformed and in a more likable way compared to how they were "just" incredibly funny before. Stuff like Edgar Wrong also really cracked me up, and of course, it was super interesting to speculate about the mystery behind Scotts "death" and Young Neils script. And man, the revelation just felt so right. Scott was always a flawed protagonist, and in the comic he was meant to be. He got shit on for being such an asshole with Knives (and also dating a high schooler in the first place) and for leeching on everyone and whatnot. But yeah, one might still say he came of easy. And when we talk about the movie, he absolutely did, no argument there. So it's great to see that it really wasn't enough. He didn't quite grow enough, and now we find out what he got for it and it feels right. Scott also isn't redeemed at the end of the anime, but it's easier to think that he'll get there. And well, if he didn't... we know what he'll get for it. Even though Pop 'n TwinBee is fucking awesome and I hope they get together even if Scott doesn't end up like that and even if Sex Bob-Omb stays active.
Also, I have no way to proof it, but IN MY HEAD I totally called that the VR machine would be a Virtual Boy while older Scott input the fucking Hadouken as a code. And I was like "OMG he's just like me except pathetic!" because I have a Virtual Boy! This really is the future I wanna live in. But yeah. Safe to say, this anime was a blast and you should totally watch it, which of course you already did because otherwise you wouldn't be reading this now, right?
...Right?
This was so fucking awesome. I loved it. You need to watch this anime, it has it all: Great soundtrack, great and witty jokes, fun refrences and most importantly the coolest 2D animated action scenes I've seen in recent memory if not ever. Just one thing: To fully appreciate this anime adaptation you should have read the comic or at the very least seen the live action movie. Both would be best of course. And with that I will send you off, because this is my blog and I will dive so deep into spoilers for literally everything that's on my mind and you'll be very sorry if you don't take my advice and leave NOW.
And with that taken care off... WHAT WAS THIS SHOW???
I went into it expecting a retelling of the story that was closer to the comic than the movie. A nice little thing but nothing I would need if not for the reason that animation seemed so fucking good from the trailer. But then what I get is a full on alternative story/sequel that just gives me so much more fun, iconic and great moments with these characters I love? Sign me up!
I didn't even get it at first. I just watched the first episode on launch day and misremembered Scott dying as a thing that happened in the comic but he just respawned at the stage and kicked Matthews ass.
Then I go back to the show one day later to watch it with my girlfriend, and we get to the second episode and I was like... "wait, Scott didn't get a funeral in the fucking comic?!"
So that's when it dawned on us. This is something else. And we binged it in one day. It was so great to see all the evil exes reformed and in a more likable way compared to how they were "just" incredibly funny before. Stuff like Edgar Wrong also really cracked me up, and of course, it was super interesting to speculate about the mystery behind Scotts "death" and Young Neils script. And man, the revelation just felt so right. Scott was always a flawed protagonist, and in the comic he was meant to be. He got shit on for being such an asshole with Knives (and also dating a high schooler in the first place) and for leeching on everyone and whatnot. But yeah, one might still say he came of easy. And when we talk about the movie, he absolutely did, no argument there. So it's great to see that it really wasn't enough. He didn't quite grow enough, and now we find out what he got for it and it feels right. Scott also isn't redeemed at the end of the anime, but it's easier to think that he'll get there. And well, if he didn't... we know what he'll get for it. Even though Pop 'n TwinBee is fucking awesome and I hope they get together even if Scott doesn't end up like that and even if Sex Bob-Omb stays active.
Also, I have no way to proof it, but IN MY HEAD I totally called that the VR machine would be a Virtual Boy while older Scott input the fucking Hadouken as a code. And I was like "OMG he's just like me except pathetic!" because I have a Virtual Boy! This really is the future I wanna live in. But yeah. Safe to say, this anime was a blast and you should totally watch it, which of course you already did because otherwise you wouldn't be reading this now, right?
...Right?
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, finished playing 09.11.2023
Pokémon Violet, finished playing 03.11.2023
Pokémon Blue Edition, finished playing 16.06.2023
Across The Spider-Verse, watched 13.06.2023
It happened. It finally happened. After being sick for over a week and unable to go to the theatre, I was finally able to watch the new Spider-Verse movie, and it was everything I hoped it would be, if not more.
And now I'm gonna make you read my thoughts and ramblings about it! I'll try my best to structure it, but it will probably be just as incoherent as everything else I write on here. Also spoiler warning! I wanna talk about this movie as much as I want and I also want you to watch it with as little prior knowledge, so please watch it if you're able.
So, let's do this one more time: This movie makes you feel seen. It's incredible. Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but for me and a lot of people I talked to it really was like this. If you have some relationship with being a discriminated minority, there is probably something in here that speaks to you, and it is absolutely great.
For me it was obviously mostly the trans allegory in the relationship between Spider-People and their parents. I could really relate to everything that both Miles and Gwen felt in that regard. Especially with Gwen running away because she just cannot face the rejection of her father, even though all she ever did was to make him proud. And her proper outing after that was protrayed so beautifully, everyone is talking about them using the colors of the trans pride flag, but it was also the color pallete of her costume! And it's just... so perfect! And so realistic! Of course her dad is not gonna arrest her after all that, but obviously he is still struggling, and she is still struggling, and that might not ever change, but also it's so great to see both of them genuinely try.
With Miles it was really similar. Now, he didn't have his real outing yet, but even just seeing him try multiple times, but then chickening out, is an experience that I myself had at multiple points in my life and I can really get. Seeing his parents struggle with knowing that he is hiding something is also so heartening. Obviously it's sad, but it speaks volumes about how understanding they already are. I don't think my own parents, or at least one of them, ever really knew or suspected that I might be struggling through something I am not telling them. They always acted like they knew me better than I know myself, as if their memory of me that one time in a scenario they were able to observe has to dictate how I will feel and act now. They still do that sometimes. I haven't been living with them for 5 years at this point, and yet sometimes we will talk and they will be like: "Oh, you think you are like this? Well I think you can't be like this because over 10 years ago I percieved you like this instead!" And I'm like... so what, you think I'm delusional now? What makes you think I wasn't delusional back then? Oh right, because you have this made up fake kid in your head that you want to see me as and that earlier thing serves your narrative better.
But I'm getting of track. Or rather I have been, for quite some time. But this is my site, I can do what I want!
I still wanna get back to the movie. It's funny. The jokes are clever, the refrences are cool and not in your face. The casts diversity is like, so great. I just find it incredibly funny that Oscar Isaac now portrays five Marvel characters, in a cinematic multiverse where basically all of them are still canon.
The jokes also really landed for me. Some of the classic Spider-Man quips were just "okay", but to be honest I wouldn't wanna miss those. The Spot? Great villian. I love how he started out as basically his pathetic comic book self, but then got redeemed through his character growth, in a negative direction of course, that made him more bitter and more menacing and also just much more evil. Also he was a little chubby. But I didn't feel like that was part of the joke, at least not to me. They did make fun of his appearance but not for that. He just wasn't much of an athletic guy, but a scientist, and I think as a desk dweller who isn't into sports its more common to look like that than anything else.
Pavitr Prabhakar? Very likable guy. He was fun, wholesome and a little bit too cocky, but that is only natural for a Spider-Man who can have it all... for now at least. To be honest I think he might be one of the most likable Spider-People who haven't realized that with great power comes great responsibility.
Spider-Punk? Spider-Punk. Fucking Spider-Punk, man! How can a dude be so cool??? How can a dude who is this cool be allowed in a movie like this? If you think about it, it becomes a little scary to realize how capitalism is so comfortable to sell us anti-capitalism as a product like this. But I don't want to hold it against the movie too much either, because I am very convinced that the people who actually made the movie aren't capitalists. But seriously. He looks so cool. He is animated so cool. It's cool how he is so honest about being a proper fash-bashing punk rocker, and how he is basically planting the seeds that make Miles and Gwen rebel against the establishedsystem canon.
And then there's this. The movie really makes me think. Of course I'm anti-establishment. Of course I want Miles and Gwen to be able to save their fathers. Of course I want Miguel O'Hara to realize that he is wrong.
But I would be lying if I told you that I wouldn't want my Spider-People to be struggling. One of the things that made Spider-Man: No Way Home so great was that Tom Hollands Peter ended in a more traditional Spider-Man role, right? It's what makes them relatable, it's what makes them human. If Spider-Man can have it all... then how am I supposed to feel this strong bond between me and him? I certainly can't have it all, and seeing all of these cool and powerful characters going through similar struggles is absolutely the point.
However, in the end I don't think it's the canon events that make Spider-Man appealing. It doesn't have to be a police captain close to him dying specifically. While the concept of Spider-Man being this guy, always struggling to keep up with both his lifes, is near and dear to me, I don't think it's the police captain or even uncle Ben dying specifically. Canon events don't matter that much in the grand scheme of things, they aren't what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man. They are symptoms of the ongoing struggle of him. Mere examples of the things a Spider-Man has to go through. And Miles earning the ability to defy canon won't mean that he will stop facing problems. Him having this won't let him balance school and hero life. He can have his cake and eat it to if he bakes two cakes, but baking two cakes will never be not stressfull, and the cakes won't last forever either.
However, these thoughts cast aside, I have absolutely no doubts that the third movie will be great. And I am confident that the people behind this trilogy will give it a satisfying conclusion, that both feels like a good Spider-Man story and satisfies our punk-rocking hearts with a story that won't yield to a flawed status quo.
It happened. It finally happened. After being sick for over a week and unable to go to the theatre, I was finally able to watch the new Spider-Verse movie, and it was everything I hoped it would be, if not more.
And now I'm gonna make you read my thoughts and ramblings about it! I'll try my best to structure it, but it will probably be just as incoherent as everything else I write on here. Also spoiler warning! I wanna talk about this movie as much as I want and I also want you to watch it with as little prior knowledge, so please watch it if you're able.
So, let's do this one more time: This movie makes you feel seen. It's incredible. Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but for me and a lot of people I talked to it really was like this. If you have some relationship with being a discriminated minority, there is probably something in here that speaks to you, and it is absolutely great.
For me it was obviously mostly the trans allegory in the relationship between Spider-People and their parents. I could really relate to everything that both Miles and Gwen felt in that regard. Especially with Gwen running away because she just cannot face the rejection of her father, even though all she ever did was to make him proud. And her proper outing after that was protrayed so beautifully, everyone is talking about them using the colors of the trans pride flag, but it was also the color pallete of her costume! And it's just... so perfect! And so realistic! Of course her dad is not gonna arrest her after all that, but obviously he is still struggling, and she is still struggling, and that might not ever change, but also it's so great to see both of them genuinely try.
With Miles it was really similar. Now, he didn't have his real outing yet, but even just seeing him try multiple times, but then chickening out, is an experience that I myself had at multiple points in my life and I can really get. Seeing his parents struggle with knowing that he is hiding something is also so heartening. Obviously it's sad, but it speaks volumes about how understanding they already are. I don't think my own parents, or at least one of them, ever really knew or suspected that I might be struggling through something I am not telling them. They always acted like they knew me better than I know myself, as if their memory of me that one time in a scenario they were able to observe has to dictate how I will feel and act now. They still do that sometimes. I haven't been living with them for 5 years at this point, and yet sometimes we will talk and they will be like: "Oh, you think you are like this? Well I think you can't be like this because over 10 years ago I percieved you like this instead!" And I'm like... so what, you think I'm delusional now? What makes you think I wasn't delusional back then? Oh right, because you have this made up fake kid in your head that you want to see me as and that earlier thing serves your narrative better.
But I'm getting of track. Or rather I have been, for quite some time. But this is my site, I can do what I want!
I still wanna get back to the movie. It's funny. The jokes are clever, the refrences are cool and not in your face. The casts diversity is like, so great. I just find it incredibly funny that Oscar Isaac now portrays five Marvel characters, in a cinematic multiverse where basically all of them are still canon.
The jokes also really landed for me. Some of the classic Spider-Man quips were just "okay", but to be honest I wouldn't wanna miss those. The Spot? Great villian. I love how he started out as basically his pathetic comic book self, but then got redeemed through his character growth, in a negative direction of course, that made him more bitter and more menacing and also just much more evil. Also he was a little chubby. But I didn't feel like that was part of the joke, at least not to me. They did make fun of his appearance but not for that. He just wasn't much of an athletic guy, but a scientist, and I think as a desk dweller who isn't into sports its more common to look like that than anything else.
Pavitr Prabhakar? Very likable guy. He was fun, wholesome and a little bit too cocky, but that is only natural for a Spider-Man who can have it all... for now at least. To be honest I think he might be one of the most likable Spider-People who haven't realized that with great power comes great responsibility.
Spider-Punk? Spider-Punk. Fucking Spider-Punk, man! How can a dude be so cool??? How can a dude who is this cool be allowed in a movie like this? If you think about it, it becomes a little scary to realize how capitalism is so comfortable to sell us anti-capitalism as a product like this. But I don't want to hold it against the movie too much either, because I am very convinced that the people who actually made the movie aren't capitalists. But seriously. He looks so cool. He is animated so cool. It's cool how he is so honest about being a proper fash-bashing punk rocker, and how he is basically planting the seeds that make Miles and Gwen rebel against the established
And then there's this. The movie really makes me think. Of course I'm anti-establishment. Of course I want Miles and Gwen to be able to save their fathers. Of course I want Miguel O'Hara to realize that he is wrong.
But I would be lying if I told you that I wouldn't want my Spider-People to be struggling. One of the things that made Spider-Man: No Way Home so great was that Tom Hollands Peter ended in a more traditional Spider-Man role, right? It's what makes them relatable, it's what makes them human. If Spider-Man can have it all... then how am I supposed to feel this strong bond between me and him? I certainly can't have it all, and seeing all of these cool and powerful characters going through similar struggles is absolutely the point.
However, in the end I don't think it's the canon events that make Spider-Man appealing. It doesn't have to be a police captain close to him dying specifically. While the concept of Spider-Man being this guy, always struggling to keep up with both his lifes, is near and dear to me, I don't think it's the police captain or even uncle Ben dying specifically. Canon events don't matter that much in the grand scheme of things, they aren't what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man. They are symptoms of the ongoing struggle of him. Mere examples of the things a Spider-Man has to go through. And Miles earning the ability to defy canon won't mean that he will stop facing problems. Him having this won't let him balance school and hero life. He can have his cake and eat it to if he bakes two cakes, but baking two cakes will never be not stressfull, and the cakes won't last forever either.
However, these thoughts cast aside, I have absolutely no doubts that the third movie will be great. And I am confident that the people behind this trilogy will give it a satisfying conclusion, that both feels like a good Spider-Man story and satisfies our punk-rocking hearts with a story that won't yield to a flawed status quo.
