on various media

[xparrot]

So at naye and shayera's insistence the bro and I watched the One Piece Strong World movie, which was totally awesome and fun and proves that Odacchi should've written all the movies, because no one else has a handle on his chars like he does. (I really do have a bizarre....respect? for the Gintama animators, who actually stopped making the show until they had more manga to adopt. My theory is that absolutely no one understands exactly how Gintama manages to be as popular as it is, so they don't dare monkey with Sorachi-sensei's inexplicably magical formula.)(With One Piece, on the other hand, everyone knows why it's as popular as it is, but it's impossible to replicate because about 80% of the formula is that Oda Eichirou is a storytelling god.)

So that inspired me to finally catch up with OP (I'm two years behind the manga at this point - though not entirely unspoiled, which is part of why I'm so behind) but I decided if I was going to do that I might as well just go ahead and reread the whole manga, all 600+ chapters. Thanks to plane flights and airport waits and my Kindle (I <3 my Kindle) I'm now up to the Drum Island arc, and yep, I stand by previous assertions, this is maybe the best damn manga ever written. The art is amazing (cartoonish style aside, it's incredibly dynamic and intensely expressive), the characters are insanely lovable, the female characters are awesome, and the story is so much more complex than it initially seems - and yeah, Oda really does plan stuff out years in advance (rereading Loguetown, it's clear that he knew at the time exactly who Dragon is and who he is to Luffy). And the Arlong Park arc still makes me tear up. In like four places. ;_;

In other manga news, read 20th Century Boys a couple weeks ago - quite enjoyed that one, too; I do like a good apocalypse tale, and I very much appreciate Urasawa Naoki's clean, strong art. The plot's not quite as tight as Monster but it's just as hard to put down - Urasawa's storytelling style seems to be to crank the suspense up to 11 in the first chapter and then keep it there for the next 20-whatever volumes. Curious about the live-action movie trilogy now - don't expect it makes much sense, with the amount they had to condense, but would like to see the imagery and casting. Wonder if it's been subtitled...

Speaking of movies, gnine and I, being together in San Francisco this weekend for a wedding, caught Fast Five, which was, um...better than it had any right to be? Somehow, a ridiculous 5 movies in, this franchise is going from being a guilty pleasure to being an actual pleasure - it's one of those action movies that very early on the director establishes that reality has no relation whatsoever to any event on screen, so just sit back and enjoy the ride. Which we did. And while it wasn't quite as slashy as the previous films (well, 1 and 4 anyway, haven't seen 2?) it still had its moments, and also the cute family stuff was so terribly cute that I'm okay with it either way (preferred reading is a big happy polyamorous family!) (Also it's awesome to have a major action movie with only one obviously white guy, and he's not even the main star.) (Also also it was great to see David Sinclair Alimi Ballard again, even if Colby was nowhere to be found and he did have to get blown up :( )

In San Fran we also visited spacealien_vamp who provided us with wonderful personalized manga recs, and also shared with us a bit of Scarecrow & Mrs. King (babyfaced John Sheridan Bruce Boxleightner, aww!) and the latest ep of Who.



Was fun watching it together, and liked a lot of it - mostly it was a romp to save the world, and while a few things didn't make sense to me I was happy to go with the flow.

Did have a problem with the Silence (Silents?) supposedly being on Earth for ages and influencing human development, as that plot's been done before and is a bit played out and seriously, in all the past centuries/millenia the Doctor or anybody else never noticed them before? What was so special about this time? And them being responsible for humans going to the moon particularly irks me, because cheesy as it is, I have this conviction that space is our destiny (this recent xkcd almost makes me cry...) and I don't like that drive being taken from us and attributed to aliens in bad suits. (What was with the MiB outfits, anyway?)

Also not terribly thrilled that it looks like we're getting yet another scifi pregnancy arc...those rarely go well (SGA being the startling exception; but a baby on the TARDIS is somewhat more impractical than on Atlantis.)

As for the River/Doctor, it actually didn't disturb me as much as it could've...not that I'm happy about it, just that I'm resigned to it. This ep made it pretty clear that the only type of human relationship that Moffat has any interest in exploring is romantic m/f (as evidenced by how, even after Rory and Amy's love has been proved several times over, he still has to play with her possible feelings for the Doctor), so there's no way River/Doctor could turn out to be anything else but that. At least the way it's going now, with their reversed timelines, I can make up a head-canon where the Doctor's pretending sexual attraction because it's what River expects, to satisfy both her (who he is coming to love, I think, if not in that way) and the timestream...

All that being said, I had fun watching the ep, I still love Rory, and Mark Sheppard conspiring with them (and he was gay after all, hee). And I'm curious about Neil Gaiman's upcoming ep. Next week meanwhile we get PotC? Hopefully it's the fun ghost story it looks like - enough with saving the universe, let's have some adventures!

Comments

[sholio]

I was thinking about you when we got to the kiss -- in the "oh god, I hope this doesn't break xparrot's heart" sort of way, I mean. Also, my feeble attempts to fanwank their relationship away have obviously suffered epic fail. XD However, I like your explanation that he's essentially trying to give her the kind of relationship that he's gotten the impression she wants -- basically trying to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, in a sense. For one thing, his body language during the kiss was that of someone who is actively trying to get away, not someone who is startled and then begins to enjoy it later. I don't really like what that implies about River herself, except ... given the weird circular nature of their relationship, it's possible that they're both playing to expectation, neither one of them quite realizing what each other wants or needs. (Which I'm fairly sure is not at all where Moffat is going with it, but I think it can work ...)

Somewhat randomly, I had actually forgotten COMPLETELY, until someone mentioned it in a reaction post to this episode, that River died in the Silence in the Library 2-parter. For some reason (maybe because I didn't like her all that much at the time) I didn't remember that ... so everything that happens to River from here on out is, at the very least, going to be the "past" of the Ten-era River. I'm still not convinced that she and the Doctor are 100% reversed from each other, but it's looking like it's a lot more linear and less convoluted than I thought at first.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

given the weird circular nature of their relationship, it's possible that they're both playing to expectation, neither one of them quite realizing what each other wants or needs. (Which I'm fairly sure is not at all where Moffat is going with it, but I think it can work ...)

I'm not entirely sure what Moffat is going for, really - the pre-destiny-ish aspect of their relationship seems pretty strongly played, really?

Though I don't think it says anything that bad about River, really - if they are going fairly linearly in reverse, and this was their first/last kiss, it's maybe the only time the Doctor didn't seem to enjoy it, from her POV? So it's not like she'd be expecting him to be reluctant...

(I was going to make a reference here, but then realized it would go, "it reminds me a bit of B5, when SPOILER met SPOILER in SPOILER and SPOILER SPOILERED"...)

I don't think they can be 100% reversed - since then the synching of the journals thing wouldn't be necessary? - but the SitL was definitely implied to be the first/last time River & the Doctor met even in the episode...and yeah River "died" but she could come back...? Time/history is only fixed in Who when the writer wants it to be :P

[shayera.livejournal.com]

One Piece is totally the best manga ever written! ♥♥♥

As for the Silence in Who, my explanation is that they weren't there all along - they appeared in history after the universe was rebooted in The Big Bang. Which would neatly explain why the Doctor has never run into them before. Also, the aliens in The Vampires of Venice said they escaped from "the Silence" (which they noticed through the cracks in the universe, meaning the cracks could easily have led to different timelines), and they did not find any Silence on Earth.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, interesting point about the Silence, and the Venice Vampires! I will accept that ^^

[naye]

Yep, yep, just gonna agree with shayera on this one! Unsurprisingly, since we watched the ep together, and were mulling it over for the next couple of days. The Silence not existing in the universe before The Big Bang is an explanation I like. Because, in a sense, it means that even though the Doctor did do good, it still means that you can't restart the universe without consequences. Hmmm~.

Also, remember the very first episode with Eleven? He was warned that the Pandoricon would open, and that silence will fall. But if it's this Silence, and they fall... isn't that a good thing? Like, empires fall? Or is it more ominous; is "falling" what the Silence do when they strike?

I DON'T KNOW. BUT I NEED ANSWERS. If Moffat doesn't know what he's doing with the metaplot, I will be sorely disappointed. D:

I also do not want the Heisenberg's baby. :/ Interesting as the concept is, I just. Um. No.

That said, OMG I AM LOVING THESE EPISODES! \o/ I seriously love the timey-wimey stuff, I love having the pants scared off of me in this creepy, non-graphic, very imaginative and visually interesting way, and I love that Moffat is spinning a plot that is so intricate and long-ranging. I also love the characters together, and want MOAR MARK SHEPPARD. As usual, I simply adored him, and I can't get over how happy the final exchange with Nixon made me. AWESOME CHARACTER IS AWESOME. And also, GO MOFFAT.

The pirate episode is written by Steve Thompson, which makes me very suspicious about it. He's the guy who wrote the fail!ep of Sherlock. ...at least if he's writing sci-fi he can't be horribly racist? Or. Um. Yeah.

In conclusion: ODACCHI IS THE BEST. ♥ FOREVER!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hmmm..."The Silence will fall" kind of could imply that they were indeed there all along, at least they were there at the time of the prophecy - though it also predicted things post-Pandoricon? I don't know! Time-travel in the Who-verse is so very make-it-up-as-it-goes-along. But I still like them slipping in through the cracks from another universe, So. Yes. Will go with that!

The Heisenberg/Schrodinger baby, yeeeeah...I know why guys are so fascinated by SF pregnancy but I've just about had my fill. :\

Pirate ep from the preview looked like it could be anything from fun to horrible, will haveta see, I guess? not that I've ever been prejudiced watching a show because of issues with a writer... :P

And yes Odacchi is <33333333333, on that we can agree! ^____^

[hyoutan.livejournal.com]

OMFG, more OP love, yes! Strong World broke me in all the best ways, and after getting my friend into the series, I've been rewatching it. Oda is a GOD. Full stop.

I think it's like a prerequisite now that I tear-up at least once an arc...stupid show!

(Also, yay Who!)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, reading the manga there's a few scenes I've been thinking I want to rewatch in the anime - though the first 50 or so I watched several times over (showing them to various people) so even if it's been a while I still remember them clearly. It is marvelous, though.

...And yeah, I don't cry at anime, as a rule, but OP is the exception...stupid Oda~!

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

Oh, One Piece! I am getting behind myself -- not two years behind, but several months. I'm looking forward to a nice long catch-up session. :D

I enjoyed the first Fast and Furious movie, but then I didn't watch the sequels until just recently(mostly, I thought they looked ridiculous.) But then I caught A LOT of anticipatory squee around LJ about Fast 5, and decided to catch up. I still haven't seen #3, the Tokyo Drift one, since the main characters aren't really in it? Though, now that I've met Han in Fast 5, I'll probably give it a go too. I really liked the latest one! I love chase scenes anyway, so having all the family ties and friendships was like delicious icing on the cake. ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

OP is \o/ and I'm definitely enjoying the reread ^^

I've loved the first F&F for ages for its ridiculous amounts of slash. Never saw 2, but did happen to see 3, only because my car-loving uncles & cousins wanted to show it to Gnine & I so we could laugh at how they did Japan. Which actually backfired because while the movie itself I didn't find that interesting (I honestly can't remember what Han did in it. Other than look hot, which I'm assuming he did smashingly, given his performance in F5 XD) but it's actually got one of the most accurate portrayals of Japan I've seen in an American movie (if I recall it had a Japanese co-director, and was actually filmed in Tokyo, and rather than trying too hard to be all cool-Asian-y it spent all its Hollywood on the cool cars?)

Anyway, we saw 4 and were pleased with the slash, and so went to 5 hoping for at least that much - and instead got awesome action and lovely family stuff, so yeah, very satisfied (and kind of looking forward to 6, which I hear is in the works - I find myself hoping they go with the humor and introduce the baby into the mix XD)

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

(Did you stay through the credits to watch the teaser for 6?) I'm looking forward to it too! I love the whole adopted family vibe they've got going.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

We did, and I am curious how that will play out - but I think the baby thing will be even more fun! ^^ (as long as they don't kill anybody - especially now that they're so family they're not allowed to! tho' if Letty's really back anyway...)

[lady-karasu.livejournal.com]

Just rewatched Strong World the other day, and have been going back through older arc's myself. Gotta agree - Oda does write an amazing story. Don't think I'm going to stop loving it any time soon (ever). Feeling very nostalgic about it lately too, which is kinda nice. (It never fails to give me the warm fuzzies... unless of course it's ripping out my heart at the time) Got my butt moving to do some writing in any case.

As for Dr. Who... caught up Monday. Largely entertained, but I really would like my nice asexual Doctor back. Waiting to see where it's heading, in any case. ;)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Rereading OP is great fun - really do adore it, and yeah, Oda's stories are incredible. Maybe it'll even get me back to writing it - at least to finish that one dang fic! ^^;

Yeah, I miss my asexual Doctor too, but oh well...maybe someday we'll get a new writer; meanwhile I'm trying to enjoy what I can.

Good luck with your writing, gambare~!

[lady-karasu.livejournal.com]

And wouldn't that be a lovely outcome... I've been missing writing from you, and dear lord I'd love to see more of 'that one dang fic'. Well, more of quite a few unfinished fics, but we'll focus on that one right now. ;)

As I recall, I've got one of those myself... *rolls up sleeves and gets to work* ^_^ Thanks hun~