Friday, September 23, 2016

Giving In

A couple of weeks ago, I caved and gave into the pumpkin spice. I bought the Pop-Tarts and the Twinkies. They are so delicious. It's still hot and humid where I live, but the watermelon gum I still have has lost its appeal (probably because it started melting in my purse it was so hot this summer). I don't think I'll be getting the pumpkin gum if that comes back, and I'd really rather not get pumpkin marshmallows, even though I will probably give in to that too. I was on board with the pumpkin Cheerios, but they were sold out when I went shopping after work, as per usual. I'm not interested in pumpkin Special K (I tried the apple cinnamon and wasn't impressed), and I forget if I tried pumpkin Life already. I haven't tried the Cheeto Chicken Fries yet, probably won't, but for all their Cheeto dusting, why can't they bring back the Shake-em-up Fries?

I finally gave in and signed up for Pottermore. I'm a Gryffindor (wanted to be a Ravenclaw) and a Pukwudgie (which I'm assuming is the American equivalent of a Gryffindor), so I suppose I'm a Hermione as opposed to a Luna. I have a cherrywood wand with a unicorn hair core that is 10 3/4 inches long and bendable. My patronus is a dolphin (in my fan fics I have a lynx but I'll take it). Being a Gryffindor, for me, is like being a Green Lantern. I keep getting that result too when I'd rather be a Blue Lantern. Compassion is pretty important to me.

I liked Calluna's review of Digimon Cyber Sleuth. I like how she keeps bringing up Persona in her reviews (and even in her guest appearance in Linkara's Pokemon Omicron videos recently - which actually inspired me to draw Ienzo with a Litwick). The best parts were the little skits, like when she finds a lost object for her Tanemon plushie literally on the other side of the room to replicate one of the earlier side quests. I loved the fake flashback to her eleven-year-old self crying and covering her Gatomon plushie's eyes as she's watching Wizardmon die in the anime. That's why it was so satisfying when she got a Wizardmon in the game. She broke down the game pretty concisely and demonstrated why it's better than Pokemon Go.

This time there were five more Digimon Tri episodes released. I didn't have a problem with it for the most part except for the fact that none of my questions were answered. The person masquerading as the Digimon Emperor turned out to be Jennai (or is also masquerading as Jennai). Derek Stephen Prince wasn't listed for it on imdb, so I'm assuming they're going to use young Jennai's voice actor (or it just hasn't been updated yet). I didn't trust Himekawa. I'm not sure what she's up to or how she does what she does, but I didn't think she was dangerous. As usual, the Digimon parts were great (especially Gatomon) and the only thing that continues to hold it back is the half-baked plot.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Decisions Were Made

Season 1 of Tales of Zestiria the X will end with encountering the Lord of Calamity on the battlefield in episode 13. Season 2 will be next year. It's kind of weird to do it that way, I think. Pending the success of Berseria, who knows if they'll be making another appearance as well? I hope not. The dub wasn't bad but I still don't care about the game. They have a connection with Edna's brother but that wasn't tied into the anime at all. Doing that in season 2 might make it worth it, or whenever they next try to deal with him. Conga line for peace through violence indeed.

Not only will there not be a female Aqua Ranger, but there will not be a Talon Ranger either. I'm only disappointed because expectations were so high going into this and what we got was the short end of the stick by comparison. They still used the Talon Ranger's Zord, but in this continuity Shelby created it herself. That sounds like more work to keep the Spinozord footage but cut out its proper Ranger's existence entirely.

Yotsuba and Princesses was a cool chapter. To be continued, though, not that it really ended on a cliffhanger. My favorite part was when her dad didn't understand so she went next door where the oneechans live because SOMEONE would get it over there. Asagi became her fairy godmother and made her a dress out of trash bags. Yotsuba had tied strings with ribbons to her hair to have it trail on the floor like Rapunzel, but it looked more like Princess Serenity (although she did get TANGLED up in it like a familiar scene in said movie).

I'm glad The Silver Chair movie is being made. I didn't realize the Narnia films did so bad at the box office that the series was cancelled. At this rate I'll never get to see Magician's Nephew made. Please don't let this new movie suck. I want it to keep going.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Tales of Kingdom Hearts and Fast Food

Nope it was Berseria. This is what happens when I let people correct me; I always think I'm wrong. Even dubbed, I still don't care. After that, the Zestiria story proper diverged from its video game counterpart, but I assume that was done for time. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though. They even did some parts offscreen then flashed back to them later. The way they call the drake "dragon puppy" in Engrish is weird too. And I found part zero dubbed elsewhere. Alisha should not be a tomb raider, but she can have a conga line for peace. She's seen some shit.

Marluxia's zodiac segment went up as planned, and it got two views overnight (whereas Lexaeus' got one view in about five weeks). That only leaves two more, and it should be pretty easy for people to figure out who they are (if anyone cares). I felt a little uneasy posting it on 9/11, but that's what the schedule worked out to, and it's just another day. The world doesn't have to stop because of something terrible that happened 15 years ago. You just need to keep it in your thoughts. People who were the same age I was at the time are learning about it without having lived through it. That's some perspective. Besides, I already referenced it in my Ninja Turtles: Next Mutation project. I can't wait til KH III comes out so I can work on the amv for that one. I've got a great idea for the stinger (it makes me laugh, anyway). For some reason, I keep having dreams about Ansem and the apprentices having to fight Maleficent. I can't really finish my story about if Xehanort lost in BBS without seeing how the events of KHIII affect her. I find it funny that Arby's did an ad featuring a Keyblade since there was that one fan comic I dubbed wherein Vexen and Zexion went to Arby's.

I was finally able to buy a Crystal Pepsi. For once, The Walgreen's had a few in their mini-fridge left when I stopped there on my way home. People must buy them first thing in the morning because there usually aren't any left for me at work or Walgreen's by the time my shift is over, which is mid-afternoon. It just tastes like a Pepsi, which is still pretty good since I've been drinking mostly Coke at my fiance's house (and there's a Coke bottling plant halfway between work and home). My senses are tricking me into thinking it's Sprite, but it isn't. I like it. We stopped at a 7-11 for slushies the other day, and I got the Skittles green apple one. That was pretty great too. Speaking of my fiance, he's been playing Nuka World. He plans to use all of the Raider clans to get their achievements (and Gage's perk) before killing them all to make the park an actual park again.

Friday, September 9, 2016

Top 10 Channel Awesome Duos

10. Malcolm and Rob as the Chart Guys (various). Specifically, they were in top form in the Alvin and the Chipmunks review, and I liked their song lyrics in the Phantom of the Opera review. In general, I'm not too interested in these characters, but they look like they're having fun.

9. Doug and Tamara as Uncle Lies and Aunt Deceit/Despair (various). They were standout characters in The Happening review, and even before that when they weren't named (they'd just been labeled The Abusive Parents). They're not my favorite characters in the new review format, but they are good for a laugh. "Our daughter is a twat!" "You guys like hotdogs, right?"

8. Count Jackula and the Horror Guru (various). While I don't watch either of their shows (horror's not really my thing), I have seen them pop up in other people's reviews, and I loved it when they were in Some Jerk's Haunted Mansion review. More recently, they appeared in Calluna's review of Scooby-Doo & KISS Rock and Roll Mystery (though I could've sworn they'd done a KISS episode in the past) by helping her kidnap Luke Spencer of Rocked Reviews (as well as stick around for commentary and the hallucination at the end). I've mentioned before how much I enjoyed Jack's song in part two of the Haunted Mansion Review, but Horror Guru was no less entertaining (especially the running gag of shaving his head between the pre-filmed bits and the actual review segments).

7. Billy Jo and Patty as Doctor Affect and Nurse Cause (various). I too was under the assumption that these two had their own show, but they don't. They are two of ERod's allies in the Blockbuster Buster reviews. They are actually a couple, so their back-and-forth is believable as well. I especially liked when he was criticizing her for the breach in security and she just flipped him off. Lately they've taken on the personas of Doctor Doom and his assistant, but they are nowhere near as funny as their completely original Cause and Affect (except maybe the "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me" bit).

6. Film Brain and Mike J, Uncanny Valley. These two are friends in real life and have appeared in each other's videos before. However, their submission into the Year Five movie Uncanny Valley took things to the next level. I enjoyed their interactions more than I did the ones between Film Brain and Luke Mochrie in the Year Three and Four films. Their performance is the most sincere, even if they don't swing that way.

5. Doug and Tamara as Devil Boner and Hyper Fangirl (various). I can't help but smile at this pairing. It seemed to come out of nowhere, as they weren't introduced at the same time and even got together offscreen (as revealed at the end of the Mad Max Fury Road review). The joke could've been satisfied by any character played by Doug, but DB was the most over-the-top to match Hyper's enthusiasm. Their interactions during the Old vs New Cinderella review were the best, showing that he'd do anything for her (including fight Benny over her and settle the Old vs New argument himself).

4. Tim and Beth, Phantom of the Opera review. I have seen a few episodes of their show Shark Jumping, but their appearance in the Phantom of the Opera review was outstanding. I'd say their being a real couple helped in this instance, as they were stand-ins for Raul and Christine. This was hilariously turned on its head as Tim and the others barely noticed her absence when she was kidnapped by the Fandumb Ghost (at most, Tim found himself without a ride home). They've made appearances in other  videos, but this one was the highlight.

3. Elisa and Paul, Les Miserables review. Like Tim and Beth, the couple was put into a musical production of the movie being reviewed as the romantic leads. In this case, they were the love-at-first-sight cliche in which they pretty much ignored everyone around them. Unlike Tim, Paul was sad to see Elisa go (Kyle tricked her into thinking there was a Buffy marathon going on downstairs). "Cockblocker!" These days they put out the occasional video, including their baby son.

2. Doug and Brad as Adam and Jamie, Sharknado review. It's crazy how well they pulled this off. Doug had all of Adam Savage's energy and enthusiasm, and Brad was as deadpan as the real Jamie Hyneman (even if the joke was that he had to drink to get into it). I certainly wasn't expecting the MythBusters to appear in a review about a deliberately ridiculous movie about sharks in a tornado, but I suppose they've done enough Shark Week episodes for it to make sense. I loved the parody these two did (the build team not so much, but at least the real build team are getting their own show now).

1. Malcolm and Rachel as the Devil and Evilina (various). Who else could be at the top of this list? While the Devil and Santa Christ can play well off of each other, it's not as entertaining as it was when Rachel was still around to play the daughter of Satan. Either bonding with the Critic over the original Dr. Seuss stories or torturing him under her father's tutelage (while annoying both with her My Little Pony obsession), Evilina is unforgettable. Malcolm plays the Devil so well that breaking character during the behind-the-scenes is quite jarring. The elevator scenes in the Devil review had him saying some of the best lines, like anticipating everyone turning to look at him accusingly or making up stuff about "Stupid Day." And of course there was Evilina in the control room the whole time.

Honorable Mention 1: Handsome Tom and 8-Bit Mickey. I didn't really know these two outside of the earlier anniversary movies, but who could forget them? Handsome Tom was the tall, mostly silent one, and 8-Bit Mickey was the short, excitable one (remember how he killed that federal agent when Tom wasn't around in To Boldly Flee?). Whether as themselves in Kickassia or as Willow and Peter Pan in Suburban Knights, it certainly wasn't dull with them around.

Honorable Mention 2: Nella and Elisa as Dr. Block and Dr. Tease. Lindsay/Nostalgia Chick's sidekicks appeared in several of her videos, but their standout roles were the two scientists. Nella as Dr. Block was the one grounded in realism and Elisa as Dr. Tease was overly enthusiastic. They also appeared in the beginning of To Boldly Flee when they were trying to decipher the message on the computer screens and figure out what was wrong with Spoony. They disappeared after the feds captured Spoony, allegedly fleeing to Mexico, and were never heard from again. Who knows what sort of adventures they had after that?  

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Nerd Roundup

So I guess it's Beseria, not Berseria. I thought it was a portmanteau of Berserk and the Tales naming convention (based on a combination of looking at it too fast and not really caring since I was pissed). While it has nothing to do with Berserk, it does straight up rip off concepts from Dark Souls, Bloodbourne, and other games (purely by coincidence, I'm sure; please don't take legal action from this). In other gaming news, the 20-sided die came from 200 BC Egypt, at least according to something I saw someone repost to Facebook. While they used two 10-sided dice for Monster World, it does seem uncanny for something that could be Yu-Gi-Oh!-related (although Atem's past was somewhere between 3000 and 1000 BC). I also finished watching the Best Friends Play Nier. The Shades seemed like Heartless to me, and the human vessels were like Nobodies. The voicework in it was the best part, many of them having appeared in Tales of Vesperia. That Freezeria game looks pretty fun too.

So if we're to believe Ventus was a Dandelion, that raises a couple of questions for me. Did they all get sent forward to the same time period in the future? How did Xehanort get Luxu's Keyblade (and does he have any connection at all to Ephemera and Skuld)? Should we have been playing as Ventus all along in X and Unchained X? I had to draw something new to get this pent-up frustration out of my system. I drew Aeleus and Dilan being defeated by a Heartless swarm while Even and Ienzo look on in horror. That's probably not what you expected me to say, but I've just been feeling some kind of way lately.

Now each member of the Thrilling Intent trio has gone and made a big move without consulting the others, so none of them is in the right as far as I'm concerned. I was the most angry at Gregor as his was the most arrogant and also the first. Ashe was next, but it can be argued that she was manipulated by Xin. I was confused by her reasoning, as we went straight from her being mad at Gregor to having an existential crisis. Markus is chaotic, but lying about destroying the Iconoclasm spell and then using it to kill Xin was extreme. Thus, the best character in my mind now is the Goddamn Wonderpuss.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Catching Up

Dino Super Charge came back, and judging by how these past two episodes went and how many remain, the series is suffering from too many Rangers with too few episodes. Phillip and James don't feel like a part of the cast since they only show up when the Graphite and Aqua Rangers are in the footage used in the episodes. Matt showed up again, but at this point he's more like Richie from MMPR - a red herring for a possible Ranger (even though he was originally supposed to be one). The Titanozord saves him in Gone Fishin, but that doesn't make him the Silver Ranger. The Talon Ranger isn't slated to appear until almost the last episode, and there's no mention of the female Aqua Ranger at all. We basically have to go through some filler and Zenowing's story arc, and then it's the end. While that's great if you're Zenowing or a first-string Ranger, everyone else gets the shaft. I'm still waiting for this Dino Thunder crossover conspiracy to happen, but it doesn't seem likely. The actress playing Shelby has a nice singing voice; too bad it's wasted here (though to be fair, Shelby did say she wrote that song for a talent show in elementary school, and it shows).

I'm not sure what The Siege Card used to be, or why it's called that if all it did was make Sakura's room a big pocket dimension balloon. The chapter itself seemed somewhat hollow (well, maybe that's not the right word - expected? It hit all the notes it was supposed to, I guess). There's more going on, and Eriol's obviously worried about Ruby (not sure what happened to her), but he still refuses to tell Sakura because it isn't time yet. If this is starting to affect both of them, wouldn't they need to work together? I'm jealous of the food they were eating, though.

Looks like the Zestiria dub is going ahead with the Berseria interruption. And the X is pronounced Cross. I wonder what happened to episode zero, unless the site I'm watching it on didn't upload it.