The Unexpected

I don't know why people are saying the Persona 5 anime is a waste of time. It had only been three episodes in at the time of these videos' release (Glass Reflection and Mother's Basement). Granted, the Kamoshida Palace took up the first four episodes of a 24-episode run to set things up, but I think it's still way too early and that we should reserve judgment until the end.

"Sakura and Meling's Friend" was the latest stupid title, as well as how it was presented. The Clow Card they compared it to was The Twin Card fought by Melin and Syaoran. The Struggle Card is obviously a recreation of The Fight Card, which was from Meilin's first episode. She fought it by herself only to fail, and Sakura beat it with The Power Card. The Swing Card was also a weird name, as it doesn't really call to mind anything earth-related like The Earthy Card. Kaito slips up and mentions a detail about Sakura's dad that Akiho never told him, so he has to rewind time a little bit to undo his mistake. It's like what Whis does but with a pocket watch and a glyph.

I'm disappointed that Derek Stephen Prince announced that he hadn't been asked to record Even for KH3, which means he's probably still unconscious or doesn't have a speaking role (which also means he might appear during the end credits). Larxene is going to be there, though. It would be cool if the rest of the clip where Marluxia confronts the heroes includes her joining him. Others had signed non-disclosure agreements and can't say if they're in it or not.

I gave in to curiosity and tried Hershey's Gold. It was surprisingly really good, like caramel ice cream with pretzel bits and nuts (things I usually don't like). It's probably better than the caramel pudding Kit Kats because of the stronger caramel taste.

I feel bad that Grif didn't get his pizza. This is what happens when you repeatedly ignore a call to adventure - it blows up your favorite pizza place and forces you to answer.

Indulgence

Halo Top is overrated. It's still good, but it lies. I was willing to let the mint chip slide, even though it wasn't what I was used to. But then came cookies and cream. It was not as advertised. There were no cookies, just cocoa powder splattered on top, and not a lot of it. It's fine for a white chocolate ice cream, but that's not what I was looking for.

It took me three sittings to get through the Vox Machina musical (it's based on Hamilton so it's long). It was great, and I'm going to listen to it again, hopefully all the way through, when I have time. It goes from the fall of Emon to Scanlan leaving the party (with Taryon popping up to kick off the credits). Of the new group, Caleb is my favorite, followed by Nott and Jester. The fan works for that, like the animations and Fire Emblem parodies, are also amazing (people who used to animate for the Vox Machina campaign improved their skills, especially Gee Whiz, who also animates Achievement Hunter).

Thinking back on the last episode and others, AJ probably acts like an overprotective idiot around family because her parents are dead and she doesn't want anything to happen to anyone else. But that's the problem: if you don't let anything happen to the ones you care about, nothing will happen to them, good or bad. The recent MLP episode was almost about divorce, but instead it was literally about living in two worlds (despite the parents living in separate worlds, they didn't act divorced). Scootaloo's behavior also had unfortunate implications, namely that being a sea pony was just like flying, but she said she'd rather be a pony than a bird. She didn't have a "lucky fin" like Nemo, though.

Since Melin is still in the narrative of the Clear Card anime, it's getting hard to tell how much of what she was involved in is filler. For instance, the picnic episode happened in a flashback in the manga, and the Gravitation Card doesn't exist. Anything going on with Akiho's book (what she read about the Mirage Card happening to Alice that actually happened to Sakura) may or may not be canon, just like the viewing party that happened in the most recent episode. The anime is really pushing the Sealed Card movie as canon, even though it can't really fit into the narrative anymore the closer they stick to the manga.

Channel Awesome Update and MLP Review

Rob and Doug have quit and are suing Mike, but I don't know if watching their videos on YouTube will give money to the Walkers or Michaud. Even hearing the theme music in other people's videos talking about the whole debacle makes me sick. Speaking of sick, I took down my JewWario video because now I know why. People either didn't know about it, heard about it but didn't believe it, or knew about it and covered it up. I've been trying to make sense of the clique drama too, but to cover everything would be impossible for one person. From what I could gather, Hope is now Jacob, but the way (s)he broke up with Nash and took advantage of his hospitality wasn't great. But Nash is also an asshole for demanding pizza and beer at a party that didn't have either and then leaving before the people bending over backwards for him could get it for him. And then there was everyone in Lindsay's group concerning GamerGate and their "if you're not with us you're against us" attitude. I don't even know where to start with that, other than the fact that Lindsay's input was dismissed during anniversary specials yet she is dismissive of other people's input as well (though not to the point of causing dehydration/exposure to the elements/etc.). Despite any of their content, there are few reviewers who are actually good people. It's just too bad we had to find out like this. *exasperated sigh* Why couldn't it have just been creative differences among everyone?

I feel like the latest episode of MLP "Grannies Gone Wild" wouldn't have been possible without AppleJack's meddling. If she hadn't given Rainbow Dash all of those overprotective instructions (we know dealing with family makes her stupid - she is a repeat offender and the characters know it). If they had gotten there and Rainbow had said "But AppleJack gave me this list" and then the Golden [Horseshoe] Girls told her to throw away the list and have fun with them/do whatever she wanted, there wouldn't be an episode. Except there still could have been, because it would just be an episode of the Golden Girls. Flim and Flam own the place but don't make an appearance (though their likenesses are everywhere), Rick and Morty ponies wait in line for the roller coaster, and there's a stage magician who may or may not be Trixie's father (or at least a male version of her). It wasn't a waste of an episode, but it did take the wrong approach. I could see it going that way if AJ had gone with them, but Dash didn't even check with Big Mac to see if AJ's rules were legit. But again, it's not an episode if everyone's being stupid.

Down with Awesome

I ordered more Japanese Kit Kats because I couldn't help myself. I wanted to try the caramel pudding ones because Phelous said they were good, and they are. I can't stop the people I live with from eating them on me, so I'm going to have to order more come Halloween. I also got black tea flavored ones, or Uji Hojicha. They're every bit as delicious as I thought they would be when I wondered if they existed or not. They are now my second favorite after green tea (caramel pudding can be third I guess, or maybe strawberry cheesecake). I will probably end up ordering more of them too. After tasting all these flavors, though, I do find myself missing regular milk chocolate.

Mike Michaud is possibly worse than Al Kahn ever was, and that's saying something. Kahn was a bad businessman and a terrible CEO, but he at least never bullied or harassed the talent (that I know of). I don't like Rob and disagree with Doug on notable occasions, but I believe Doug is the lesser of the two evils as he seems to be an actual human being (at least, I want to believe that). To clarify, I think the Nostalgia Critic is a character and Doug is not himself that arrogant; however, Doug can be a raging egomaniac at times while Rob always seems to have an air of superiority to him. Mike apparently owns Nostalgia Critic and is a giant man-baby when he doesn't get his way. Doug is complicit but also I believe his hands are tied in some ways. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be held responsible, though, as he as almost as big a man-baby as Mike. There are cliques in any workplace situation, but it makes me sad to learn that not everyone on the site is open and friendly as they seemed during crossover events, or they were but it all fell apart. I will never watch the anniversary specials again, nor will I ever go to the Channel Awesome site again. I will remain subscribed to the Channel Awesome YouTube channel, but things have to change. For all involved, it would be too little, too late, and too much to hope for.

Oh Boy...

People must like Miles. His video got 30 views, but Michael's still only has three. I posted the lightning round, and I'm glad to be finally done. I guess I could have included more Ryan, but putting in more than just Port was a last-minute decision. I didn't have time for any Nomad stuff, and I completely forgot about Camp Camp since he's two people. I had fun, but it's been an awful week. First I almost didn't get my vacation due to an error in the schedule. Then my husband's car was broken into and his entire work bag was stolen, including his brand-new GPS. While I was working on researching the final parts of the video today, a car crashed into the fence across the street and flipped up-side down. And while it is nice to have an extra two days tacked onto my vacation, I do have to work the rest of next week, with all but one being 6-hour shifts. I'm going to need coffee and prayers.

I read the first volume of Wolf & Parchment after only having seen the Spice & Wolf anime. There were parts of it I liked, but I don't think I'm going to continue reading the whole series. I don't find it quite as compelling as the first series, and that one could be boring at times. My biggest problem is that Myuri wants to be with Col, who she has always seen as a brother. While that may or may not be a problem since they're not actually related, I was all in for a brother-sister adventure until they threw that in too. Col is training to be a priest, so that makes it difficult for Myuri with his vow of abstinence and all. I also find the church's plot to be juvenile in its execution, what with its name-calling and waiting games. I think one of the old priests had a heart attack and died during that.

The English dub of Clear Card has almost caught up. Good call not joining the literature club, Naoko. Meilin is coming back, but since she's been gone I think I like Chiharu more.

I had a hard time finding onion bagels at the store I work at too. Thanks, Dunkin Donuts. Without you selling them, we're sold out. The most Munchkins you can get is 25 now. I could've sworn we used to get forty.

RWBY Chibi idea: Phyrra and Nora break Cardin's legs.

It's My Birthday (Sunday)

The Clear Card anime had pictures from the Sealed Card movie, which means it has to be canon. But it can't because it doesn't fit in the continuity now. They even had to change the ending of season 2 as the prologue to this series. It took them until almost halfway through the anime to comment that a lot of the new cards are the same as the old cards, and even that things tend to happen in the same locations. I don't know if this is lampshade-hanging or if the characters are getting genre-savvy. And it was Tomoyo who pointed it out. It also kind of annoys me that, most of the time, the action with the cards doesn't happen until the second half of the episodes whereas they used to be an ongoing threat throughout in previous seasons. I also forgot to mention Tomoyo Naruto-running for no reason when she went to grab Syaoran to play piano for them in an earlier episode. I bought volumes 1 & 2 of the manga for my birthday and pre-ordered 3-5.

If the season 7 finale of MLP didn't bother me before, the comics have made it even worse. The current narrative is riddled with mistakes that are hard to ignore, such as saying "hands" instead of "hooves" on multiple occasions and calling Flash Magnus Flash Sentry. Saying "people" instead of "ponies" I can let slide, but not all the time, especially as it gets more frequent. The animated series set the standard for Equestrian parlance and stuck to it.

Power Rangers Shattered Grid follows the Lord Drakkon storyline from the comics, starring Jason David Frank and composed by Ron Wasserman. This is the movie that was promised to us, so I hope it gets green-lit.

Miles' video is up. It's a good thing I waited for the RWBY Chibi episode to come out that week because it had great Jaune fodder. I will probably finish and upload the lightning round during my vacation in a couple weeks.

The Casa Bonita DLC for Fractured But Whole makes me want to ship Kenny and Henrietta - Kenrietta. They're as cute as Wendy and Stan when they're in the same party, that's all.

The 24-hour Dunkin Donuts gave my friend the wrong thing as well. They really don't care anymore.

Update: The 358/2 Days light novel was pushed back to November. My plan is to buy Birth By Sleep when it comes out (maybe next year), then follow it up with Part 2 of KH2 (I think all the Roxas stuff comprises all or most of part 1), THEN wait for Dream Drop Distance.

All of the Feels

I cried at the end of Life Is Strange: Farewell. Max ended up moving away on the day of Chloe's dad's funeral. We finally get to see her parents, but they don't have lines. I still don't like them. It's clear from the way Max talks that she spends more time at Chloe's house than her own, and they're probably the reason. They don't abuse Max, but they probably spend more time working, and their work is the reason they're going to Seattle. No words at the funeral, just patting Max on the shoulder as she stands next to Chloe and her mom, and they walk away expecting her to follow. What's worse is Max's recorded message to Chloe at the end, which is heartbreaking since you just played through a game in which Max doesn't keep in touch with her.

Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel has had some pretty dumb episodes that require everyone to be stupid otherwise problems wouldn't last the whole episode. In some cases, they teach lessons that didn't even need to be learned. Hayley and Preston are in the drama club, yet Calvin doesn't think they could be rehearsing for a play (though they were being pretty method about it), and rather than admit to her stage fright Hayley continues to avoid and lie to him. Then Sarah has to give up working on her hover board to spend time with her friends despite having won fairly the first time but didn't because everyone falls for Vincent and Monty's tricks (Vincent didn't start at the same time she did and just appeared on the track with her). It seems like she gave up too easily after Mick shamed her for using a monster's ninja star. Mick may have had a point about using stolen tech, though he just came across as jealous that she didn't use one of his ninja stars, but that would still be cheating. And he already has a habit of doing crazy/dumb things just to prove a point, like when he purposefully dropped a hammer on his foot and yelled at Calvin.

At least around here, the stock of Dunkin Donuts is the same (though the non-24-hour ones have more than just plain or everything bagels, they don't have onion either). At least the people at the one across the street from where I work are nice.

The Michael video is up, and the Miles video will be soon. I'm still working on the lightning round.