Thats A Really Good Point Because Then Theres The Question Of: Why Doesnt Gabriel Just Weaponize Adriens

That’s a really good point because then there’s the question of: why doesn’t Gabriel just weaponize Adrien’s loneliness and sadness again? It’s possible that because Adrien has also been shown to have grown and is slowly but surely breaking out of Gabriel’s grip. While Gabriel can give Adrien commands, he, himself, is also feeling like he can no longer control Adrien completely anymore. Because Adrien would just sneak around behind his back.

So he has to threaten Marinette. But while Marinette is somewhat affected by the threat, she still doesn’t cower but is confident enough in her judgment to oppose Gabriel - regardless of what the threat entails. And by reassuring Adrien that she is supportive of him, and that Gabriel’s authority no longer scares her, Marinette is once again allowing Adrien to seriously consider opposing his father, like what happened in Risk, Strike Back, and Evolution when he finally says he wants to quit modeling.

We as a fandom don’t talk enough about this

In Chat Blanc, when Gabriel tries to separate Adrien and Marinette, Marinette’s response is to comply to that demand and breaks up with Adrien, prompting him to run after her and is forced to out himself as Chat Noir. This incident leads to the blue-eyed nightmare that is Chat Blanc.

But in Pretension, when Gabriel tries to separate Marinette and Adrien again, this time by threatening Marinette that if she doesn’t give up Adrien, he will make sure she can never work a single day in the fashion business. However, this time, Marinette stands up to Gabriel. More importantly, she reassures Adrien that she will NEVER abandon him.

This is important for 2 reasons:

1. It really demonstrates how gutsy Marinette has grown. She is no longer weak in the face of a looming authority like Gabriel Agreste. She is now confident, assertive, and not going to obey anybody, much less Gabriel.

2. Marinette shows Adrien that she can be his emotional pillar of support, so that he is no longer alone. He has somebody to rely on when his father fails (which, let’s be real, Gabriel gets worse and worse each season). And to show him that standing up to Gabriel is possible and absolutely the right thing to do, she could have inspired him to try and stand up for himself too.

Is Chat Blanc still a looming specter of threat? Perhaps as both Marinette and Adrien grow up into confident and self-assured adults, he will become less and less of a nightmare, just a “what could have been.”

In other words, I’m not pressed about the reveal. It’ll happen when it feels natural and consensual for both sides. Even if that means season 12 🤣🤣🤣

Takarazuka’s Elisabeth is like if somebody took 1984 and made it all about how Winston and Julia fell in love like it was all a fairytale.

Takarazuka’s theme song for Rose of Versailles is so cheap and cheesy, it overshadows the subtle poetics of Ikeda Riyoko’s words. (Also the ending of RoV’s anime slaps harder than any song the Revue can write)

The only good Takarazuka show I’ve seen so far is El Halcon because Aoike Yasuko is such a good action writer that even when her material is heavily watered down and compressed, it’s still, at the very least, fun to watch. Heard Haikara-san ga Tooru is good too but haven’t tried.

ive gotten into takarazuka when i found out they did elisabeth! do you have a fav takarazuka tod perhaps? i think ayaki nao was a quite seductive tod (though takarazuka ofc have their own interpretation of tod!)

I’m going to be brutally honest here - I do not care for the Takarazuka productions of Elisabeth. Part of it is getting to know some of the fan culture surrounding the Takarazuka productions in general, and their fetishistic nature towards the actors, but most of it is that I just do not vibe with the direction it takes. I don’t like how it romanticizes the story, I don’t like how Elisabeth’s role is reduced, I don’t like how spineless they make her. I absolutely know that this is how Takarazuka does this and that many fans enjoy it, and that’s fine! There’s room for lots of interpretations of the story, and I am fine with this one’s existence (plus it releases lots of proshots and has gorgeous costumes). But it is really not my thing.

All of which is a really long way of saying that I do not have a favorite Takarazuka Tod, because I do not watch it enough to have one, and when I do,  I focus almost entirely on Elisabeth. Because if they are going to reduce Elisabeth to a secondary role in her own musical, then I, spiteful contrarian that I am, will focus on her and her alone, just to show them. So there.

(Though I guess I did like Asumi Rio as Tod, but I think that’s less a sign of her quality and more because I watch the 2014 cast the most, because I find Ranno Hanna to be a cutie patoot.)

What is Dorian saying to Klaus? Wrong answers only

For the past 2 days, the Mononoke team’s decision to recast the Medicine Seller has been living rent free in my head. And today I come to offer another perspective.

Because of the way animation in general does not allow for much appearance of the creators, much of the public credit and acknowledgement go to the only slither of humanity that can be seen or rather … heard. People equate their favorite characters with the providers of their voices. Kaji Yuki is literally Eren Jaeger. Dante Basco is literally Zuko. And Sakurai Takahiro is literally Shirokuma, Osomatsu, Makishima, Rohan, Kusuriuri, etc. Except this is a very reductive view because in truth, the voice actor does not, at all, play any part in the actual creation of a character or vision. They are the missing piece of a puzzle, but the other 99 pieces, the base, the frame, they’re the works of the writers, the designers, artists, animators, and directors. The voice actor simply HELPS bring that vision to life per directed, they are not creators.

In light of the recast decision, I have seen outcries saying that without Sakurai Takahiro, the Medicine Seller is no longer the Medicine Seller, which is a sentiment I can understand. I, too, have deep attachments to the characters voiced by him, and thus, indirectly, to his voice. But while his voice is perfect for such calm, mysterious, almost mystical character, consider this. Would you want a main character of a story that intentionally explores the lived reality of women in history (both pain and gain) through a humanizing lens, whose affiliation is neutral but with subtle acknowledgement and empathy for the victims of each crime (who are mostly women), to be voiced by a man who has, for a very long time, deceived and taken advantage of the women in his life? The compatibility between Sakurai Takahiro and the Medicine Seller is purely superficial, they stand for complete opposite things. And the team, while fully know the risks they are taking, sided with their creation.

With that decision, their creative interest is fully protected. By recasting the Medicine Seller, they are asserting their rightful claim to the credits of creating both the character, AND the series. THEY are the mysterious lines spoken in several intakes of breath, THEY are the glamorous kimono, THEY are the cheeky and mischievous actions that also imply a sense of misanthropy. The Medicine Seller is NOT, and never has been, Sakurai Takahiro. Secondly, with such cruel actions as his reputation, it is difficult for any production to continue working with Sakurai Takahiro, especially in a lead role where he would no doubt be involved in many promotional materials and inevitably be linked with its name. Hence, it is likely that, without any drastic action, upon finishing this movie, the Mononoke team, too, might close its door and try to move on. But by detaching him from the name, they are now able to look forward into the future and continue to conceptualize the universe that we all love and crave, without the weight of such an impactful and disrespectful scandal, that directly contradicts their stance, on their mind.

In all, with the single brave decision to recast one of the most recognizable traits of their central character, the Mononoke team has protected their character, their work, their creation. It is truly commendable.

Does anybody have the transcript of the original German lyrics of the ORIGINAL Schwarzer Prinz? The one in 1992? 🥹 Cuz I can’t seem to find it anywhere. The only one I found is the one used in the Viennese Revival which is already changed …

FACTS. You're so right about 2005. it's the perfect mix between historical and psychological. i love mate and maya so MUCH. *whispers* i also have fanfiction and i am also accepting prompts....

1992 with Uwe and Pia is fantastical and mesmerizing, the overall tone is like a story where Lucheni is the writer, flipping through each pages. 2005 with Maya and Máté is intense, it’s a constant struggle for power over the narrative and other characters, Elisabeth, Death, Lucheni. They seem to be truly living and occasionally intercepting each other’s stories. So full of drama. It’s the most cathartic for me. And Maya might not be THE Elisabeth like Pia, but her passion and fire is unmatched, like how Máté invented a new Death, she invented a new Elisabeth. I even adore the roughness in her voice.

Also drop the fanfic link, friend 👀