Mini Reviews 2

Now that I've watched enough shows to write another set of reviews, I'd thought I'd do yet another mini-review post! :) P.S. - some of these shows I watched a long time ago.

Spoilers will be in several posts, but it's all pretty vague.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Ah, Avatar: The Last Airbender- such a good story and a hidden gem. It was made by Nickelodean who usually makes kid cartoons(that I loved watching as a kid, mind you), so it's understandable that people out of the channel's typical age-bracket might just brush it off as yet another 'kiddy tale'. However, they couldn't be more wrong. Avatar: The Last Airbender, while childish at times, is one of the best, most complex stories I've ever watched. It has some of the best characters ever, has some GREAT representation(lots of female characters, pretty much everyone is non-white, etc), and the main core cast have amazing character arcs. Every since character is fully realized and well rounded, and the story, as it goes along, gets surprisingly(and thankfully) mature and dark. And not only is it able to maintain a mature and dark tone for older viewers like me to appreciate, it still keeps things appropriate for younger viewers(there isn't extensive/gory violence, sexual content, or cursing).

(brief summary. And don't worry about spoilers, this is all pretty much laid out in the first five minutes of episode 1).
The story takes place in a world similar to our own, in a land which is a nice Asian-influenced fantasy. Unlike us, the world in which these characters live in infused with a unique kind of magic. In various places of this world, there are people who can bend the elements of water, earth, fire, and air. And there is one called the Avatar who can master all four elements; there is only one at a time and when the old one dies, another is born. The Avatar can be born out of any of the four nations(the Water tribe, the Fire nation, the Earth Kingdon, and the Air Temples) and be a girl or boy. In this show, the Avatar is a young airbender boy by the name of Aang, who mysteriously reappears after disappearing a hundred years ago. In these previous hundred years, the Fire nation had begun a takeover of the other nations, and now it is up to the Avatar and his companions to help bring balance back into the world.

As a fan of character development(and as a girl who loves good female characters) this show is golden. We get a variety of personalities in this show and each of them undergo, as I stated up, a large amount of growth. From the anti-hero of Zuko(the shamed prince of the Fire lord) to motherly, yet stubborn and tough Katara(who smashes the patriarchy quite nicely at one point), we get a myriad of characters to watch change and grow. Not only that, but the show has great action, animation, humor, and emotion as well and is sure to appeal to many! :D

I'd recommend this for people of all age groups. My brother watched it as a little kid and loved it, and my sister got my mom to watch the entire show and she liked it a lot as well, which goes to show how much this show appeals to all ages :)

Favorite episodes
Sozin's Comet Four parts(The Phoenix King, The Old Masters, Into the Inferno, and Avatar Aang)
The Ember Island Players
The Boiling Rock part 1 and 2
The Southern Raiders
The Firebending Masters
The Puppet Master
The Crossroads of Destiny
Zuko Alone
The Library
The Desert
Sokka's Master
The Drill
City of Walls and Secrets
Lake Laogai
The Earth King
The Runaway
The Cave of Two Lovers
The Day of Black Sun part 1 and 2
The Awakening
The Headband
The Siege of the North part 1 and 2


Sherlock

I read the book "The Hound of the Baskervilles" several years ago for school(and loved it), so of course I was interested in the modern-retelling, BBC version of this popular story. And, fantastically, the show delivered! The first two season were stellar and precise, developed the characters nicely as well as gave us amazing, excellently presented mysteries. I remember watching "A Study in Pink" and being so impressed with how the mystery unfolded. Season 3 was a tad weaker, though I did love the last episode and the wedding episode "Sign of Three" had a fun way of telling the story. And even though I am a Johnlock shipper(and I was a little disappointed about that), I really loved Mary's character and she was a lot of fun!

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are both perfect as the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes and the down to earth John Watson. They fit into their roles as if they were made to play them and their acting chemistry is such fun to watch- whether you ship them romantically or just like them as friends, you have to admit, they are so much dang fun. The hilarity, the emotion, and the great bond they share are just amazing and I can't wait to see where these characters go in the future.

The scripts and episodes are also immaculately put together, plot and character interaction melding seamlessly together. In fact, I would say some of the episodes were some of the best put together stories I've seen. While I do have some problems with what Moffat as said(he said Sherlock wasn't asexual since he thinks they are boring), I am glad that the female characters have gotten better and are more numerous(we now have Molly, Mary, Mrs. Hudson, and Sally).

I would recommend this for 13-14 + (though, word of warning, there is a dominatrix in the first episode of season 2, which might bother some people; personally, I found her to be a creeper).


Favorite episodes
The Reichenbach Fall
The Hounds of Baskerville
A Study in Pink
The Great Game
His Last Vow



Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket was the first anime TV series(except for the little Pokemon I'd seen) I ever watched and I finally finished the entire story by reading the rest of the manga earlier this year(and it was perfect! Very happy with it).
While the anime doesn't show the entire story from the manga, we are still treated to a well-done, accurate, story(for the most part on accuracy *cough*Akito*cough*).

An interesting/fun mixture of fantasy and slice of life, Fruits Basket is almost its own little niche in the anime genres(which shows Clannad also belong to). The plot is about a young high school girl named Tohru Honda whose mother has died and because of that, she is living at a tent in the woods(since she doesn't want to trouble her extended family). It is here where she meets the Sohma family, a large group of  people who hide away and live amongst themselves by order of their leader(the mysterious Akito) because of a curse that affects 13 members of the family with animals of the Chinese zodiac(and the cat). The cursed individuals are human but will turn into an animal if hugged(or have someone fall on them) by someone of the opposite sex or if they are frightened/angry/very upset. This whole problem leads to some hilariousness and some sadness for the members of the family cursed and leads to a unique, enjoyable tale which I think pretty much anyone could enjoy.

While Tohru interacts with all of the zodiac members, the one she is the closest to are Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure(who she lives with when they find out she's living in their forest). Yuki is the rat, Shigure the dog, and Kyo is the cat(who is an outcast and treated with disdain by many in the family, since the cat missed the banquet in the old story of the zodiac animals). Each character in this story is well developed and have different personalities that make the show even more exciting and thrilling to watch. Of course, a lot of this development comes to full fruition in the later parts of the manga that the anime doesn't get to, but what we do see is perfectly sufficient and closes on a good note. Also, the show is a good one to watch after having watched a bunch of dark stuff- it does have its fair share of darkness, but it's more uplifting than disturbing/upsetting.

I would recommend this for ages 12 + (there are some inappropriate things said, but it's pretty mild).

Favorite episodes

Let's Go Home
True Form
The Curse of the Cat
Don't Cry, For the Snow Shall Surely Melt
If We've Three Then We Don't Need to Fear Jason
There are No Memories it's Okay to Forget
Ayame's Secret Life
A Solitary New Year
A Plum on the Back

I would recommend reading the manga after watching the anime. It really does end the story and it has a great sense of closure.



Spice and Wolf

Unique stories set in the middle ages with a twist are among my favorite fictional stories to watch/read.
When I started Spice and Wolf, I was searching for a fun, lighthearted, short series and the show delivered on all fronts. It's a witty, exciting fantastical story, gave an interesting take on the time period(showing the lives of merchants in the middle ages, which I appreciated, since it's not something we get too often), and has an excellent duo who are lovable and hilarious(Holo and Lawrence! XD).

The story revolves around a young merchant named Lawrence who comes across a young girl with wolf ears/tail named Holo. She had come from the north a long time ago, being treated like a god for years in the village where she'd settled down, and she now wants to return home. Lawrence promises to take her to the north(she has to pay though) and through their travels, they teach each other things and grow to be good friends. Even though their relationship turns into a romance, I did like how it gradually went there, and showed them being good friends as well(since those are the best kinds of romances, in my opinion).
The show also revolves around the life of merchants, bartering, etc. While I was a tad confused at times(since I'm not an expert on medieval currency), I understood everything for the most part and it was interesting to learn about(I love the middle ages time-period).

This is definitely something I'd recommend for people interested in middle ages fiction(with elements of fantasy), fans of humor, and even those who have an interest in finances/money.

I'd recommend this show for 14+. The show has some inappropriate mentions in it, but they are pretty mild. Also, Holo is naked a few times(since her clothes rip when she turns into a wolf and when she becomes human again, they're gone), but it's done in a way that doesn't sexualize her(and she looks nothing like an actual naked human). The money/battering portions might confuse younger viewers, so that's another thing to think about.




Star-Crossed season 1(since it hasn't been renewed or picked up by another station yet)

Sadly, it looks like this show won't be getting a second season and, especially after that fantastic finale, that is a shame since I was really wanting more! The show had a lot going for it- it had Matt Lanter as a co-star(who I talked with at CVI! :D), it had some great things to say about social injustices(I really liked how the plight of the Atrians resembled that of African-Americans and other minorities during the 60s) which led to some really insightful conversations(and ones that I wanted more of), it has a good amount of minorities in the cast(yay! Representation!) and it has-for the most part- unstereotypical characters that really do grow on you. Roman, Julia, Drake, and Sophia, and Lukas were probably my favorite, but everyone was interesting and I felt like we could have learned more about them the more the show went on.

Another really cool thing about this show is its usage of science fiction and aliens- unlike most stories where the aliens come to invade, that's not so much what happens here. Instead of the aliens abusing the humans, it's the other way around which makes for some fantastic delves into how every individual needs to be treated with care and kindness regardless of what gender/race/sexual or gender orientation/etc(well, except for rapists and murderers, they deserve terrible treatment).

As I mentioned above, the characters are all very intriguing and I wish we could have gotten to have known them better. One that I was especially impressed with was Taylor- when we first meet her she comes across as a stereotypical popular girl. However, she ends up becoming one of the more interesting characters and her romance with Drake actually turns out to be really nice(they aren't confessing their love to each other, though it's obvious they care about each other- in fact, all Taylor says is that she "really likes Drake"; it's so refreshing to see a high school age relationship like that!).
Oh, and of course, having Matt Lanter as one of the leads didn't hurt XD

I'd recommend this for ages 16/17 +, due to some inappropriate scenes.

Fate/Zero

Basically, SABER IS AMAZING AND THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW! And so are Waver and Rider! Iri and Maiya were cool as well.

Sorry about that. Anyway, this show is an amazing, unique fantasy/horror show that really impressed me at times. While there were a couple of problematic things that popped up- the way the two other kings were talking to Saber, who is also a king, came off a little belittling, like they thought a woman shouldn't have been king; now, I wouldn't have minded so much since they were from a long time ago , but Saber listening to them just felt a little wrong; also, Kiritigu killing his father also felt off- why would he do that? I get that he was disgusted with his father, but for a child to coldly shoot their own parent like that? That was a bit disturbing(since, in real life, even children from abusive homes often-times can't hurt their parents, plus, most kids don't have the mental capability to commit murder unless forced to by another adult). Oh yeah, Caster is a creep and I'm so glad that he and his master were killed!

Anyway, this show- while disturbing at times(it's one of the few shows to actually show kids being killed and the way Kariya strangled the women he supposedly love was just a bit sick)- is so amazing! It has one of the most different and unique plots I've come across and all of the characters are interesting. Saber was my favorite and her awesomeness made me happy- she's a character we very rarely get with a woman(one who is knightly and chivalrous and a bit boyish and very good with a weapon) and that's something I really appreciated and something I really want more of! She was definitely a badass and I only wish she hadn't gotten injured so we could have seen her at full power the entire time! Her being King Arthur(but a girl!) was just perfect since I love the Arthurian legends. My other two favorite characters in the show were Waver and his servant Rider(Alexander the Great). Waver, I found, was one of the most human(and kind) male characters on the show and, while he wasn't the strongest physically, he was still a badass all the same and his growth of character was one of the highlights of the series for me. His friendship with Rider was very well done as well and, even though Rider is insensitive at times, he does a lot to help boost Waver's self-esteem. The ending scene between them was really poignant and got the emotion just right(especially when Archer came over to talk to Waver, loved that moment!).
The whole plot behind the story- the war for the Holy Grail and what the grail turns out to be- were fantastic and very imaginative. Everything was intricately woven together and somehow balanced the various characters and plot lines effortlessly. Of course, the ending was a pretty big letdown after all the coolness :P But beyond that, this is a show I'd definitely recommend those who can handle to the more disturbing aspects of it.

The show also has awesome opening and closing songs!

I'd recommend this for ages 18 +. This show has a lot of creepiness and gore, so keep that in mind before watching.





Clannad + After Story

I finally finished Clannad and After Story last night. And, boy, was I impressed! Very few shows can create such hilarious humor and such realistic sadness(it was just as evocative as such books as Speak, The Bridge to Terabithia, and Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince, which are also stories that made me sad and made it all feel real). The depressing stuff in the show doesn't come until After Story, but that doesn't mean Clannad's first season isn't good- in fact, it's really great! Filled with hilarity and well developed characters, both seasons of the show are a must for anyone who likes contemporary fiction, a good romance, or a good tragedy. Now, THIS, is how you write tragedy(in comparison to the not-sad-at-all novel of "The Fault in Our Stars" and the musical "The Phantom of the Opera").
This show also gets the romance right. Unlike most shows which show far too much, this one doesn't show us anything beyond holding hands(there's even no kissing- YES!). As someone who has never liked  kissing/sex scenes being so overt in fiction(seriously, that stuff is private- I don't need to see it), I liked this approach better. This way, we were able to see the emotional connection between both Tomoya and Nagisa and better appreciate their relationship better, then if the show focused on the more physical aspects of their relationship. And since the connection and interactions are the reason I like shipping in the first place, this was so amazing to see. Tomoya and Nagisa were also a perfect match and I loved seeing them together.

The characters are also very well developed. While Tomoya and Nagisa are arguably the best drawn out, the other characters in the series get their chance in the spot-light. Besides the two leads, some of my specific favorites were Tomoyo and Kyou. Both were badass, but had different personalities, which I enjoyed. Also, it was nice to have their fighting ability stay consistent throughout the series(and they somehow didn't have to get rescued by a guy). Fuko was another  favorite- she was adorable, hilarious, and really reminded me of myself as a younger child(I don't act like her now, of course). And while I don't like him as a person(since he's a sexist little punk, and little boys like that are so annoying to be around), the character of Sunohara was HILARIOUS! As was Tomoya. The pranks and the interactions between those two and everyone else were perfect XD "Do you want to play basketball?" Nagisa's parents were hilarity-inducing as well.

While Clannad is a great series, the show really digs deep during it's second season, Clannad: After Story. This part of the series shows what happens after high school and the adult troubles that come with leaving childhood behind. One part of the show that really resonated with me was when Tomoya graduated and got a job- since I'm starting college in the fall and will soon be stepping into the adult world, I especially related to Tomoya. Which leads me into my next thought- both Tomoya and Nagisa are such good characters and people! In fact, Tomoya is now one of my favorite male anime characters and his development is phenomenal. Since we have known him since high school, and have grown to like him as a person, when terrible things start happening to him you care. You care about his relationship with Nagisa, you care when he loses those he cares about, and you care when happy moments happen. Another arc in After Story that really made an impact was when he started bonding with his daughter- it was perfect and their relationship was just so sweet and realistic.

The ending is good and, while it might be considered a cop-out, I think it worked for the most part. Oh yes, and the DANGO song!! :D This anime certainly has a good soundtrack.

I'd recommend this for ages 13+. Though, my brother who is 8(almost 9) watched it and loved it just fine(though, I did have to skip a few things for him, since they were a bit inappropriate).

Once Upon A Time season 3 thoughts

Warning, spoilers will follow.

        After a bit of a shaky second season, season 3 of Once Upon A Time ratchets up the tension and craft of the story and characters, and gives us a story closer to the amazing first season, with great character development and exciting plot lines.
    While I did love a lot of season 2(it had some very amazing stand-out episodes, such as "The Outsider", "Manhattan", "The Crocodile", "Lacy", "The Miller's Daughter" "And Straight on Til Morning", etc), it did feel a bit scattered in terms of plot points, especially in the first half. The second half was a lot better, especially with the delving into the characters of Rumplestiltskin and his son, Baelfire. And the season 2 finale promised for an even more exciting ride.

   And for the most part, season 3 delivered. There were a couple of missteps the show took, but the majority of the time I had fun with our heroes and villains as they all fought for their happy ending. Most of the characters got a nice dollop of development this season, which I greatly appreciated. This show is primarily a character driven story, so getting some much needed development for our leads was very nice.

As watchers of the series probably noticed, the third season was split into two mini seasons; after the splintered, random gap-filled stop and starting of season two's run, this was a welcome format. Also, because the season was split in half, I'll be reviewing each half separately below, as well as giving a blow by blow on what I thought about our main cast of characters and their development this year.

Season 3A: The Neverland Arc

   Unlike a lot of fans, I really enjoyed this arc! :D I was annoyed by the lack of my second favorite character of Belle(since I've been wanting to see more of her ever since the show's best episode "Skin Deep" aired), but the overall plotline- saving Henry from Peter Pan- was tightly written and excellently presented.
Making Peter Pan the villain was also an intelligent move, as was the decision of casting the amazing Robbie Kay. Robbie is close in age to me(a couple of months older than me) and he is definitely one of the best teen/young adult actors I have ever seen. He plays the part SO well and makes the villain even more interesting and deep. He especially impressed me after we learned he was Rumplestiltskin's father; very few 18 year olds could have pulled off being the bitter, selfish, dead-beat dad of a fifty year old(which is how old Robert Carlyle, the actor for Rumplestiltskin, is; the character is much older), yet somehow he manages it. Robbie Kay pretty much made the first half of the season for me, and is what OUAT can do with a good villain when they have one.
Of course, Peter Pan wasn't the only highlight of the first half of the season. Regina really came into her own this season. I've always liked her character, but season 3 was when I really started to like her- Lana Parilla shows that she is a very talented actress who I hope will go on to have an illustrious career. The entire setting was also quite nice- the dark, eerie place was exciting and also made one long for the comfortable Storybrooke.
Basically, while it wasn't completely what I was expecting, I still loved this half of the season.

Favorite episodes from S3A
Think Lovely Thoughts
Dark Hollow
Going Home
The New Neverland
Save Henry
Lost Girl

Season 3B: The Wicked Witch arc

    While the villain of this half of the show was lacking(to me), I really loved the feeling and sense we got from it. Regina's character was pretty much perfect here- her redemption arc was fantastic, I love that she still has her snark and her pragmatic thinking, and the fact that they finally showed Regina has being Henry's actual mother(since adopted parents are the real parents of the child) made me very happy, as well as making me love her more. I was also happy that we got to see more of Belle, more development for Emma, and just more of Storybrooke in general. I was a little annoyed that we didn't get to see much of Rumplestiltskin this season, but it ended up working out.
Sadly, I can't say the same about the villain. To be quite frank, I couldn't STAND the Wicked Witch of the West(a.k.a. Zelena). Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by Wicked's Elphaba and OUAT's fantastic villains(Rumple, Regina, Pan), but I found Once's rendition of the character(and the basic Oz story) to be relatively weak. Zelena was neither a likable villain we could root to be redeemed(like Rumplestiltskin and Regina) or a fun, well acted evil villain you could love to hate (like Pan, Hook, and even Cora to an extent). She was just a shrieking, unsympathetic, prone-to-hysterics whiner who I failed to care about. Her life didn't seem as terrible as Rumplestiltskin's, Regina's, or even Emma's and Baelfire's, so I don't get why she was all 'turning evil'. Her adopted mother seemed to care for her and even if her dad was a jerk to her, she still had the ability to choose not to go crazy. Also, her wanting to destroy her sister didn't make any logical sense. She basically went "oh, so my mom abandoned me, but she gave birth to another daughter who she is using for political gain and is growing up with a pony and pretty dresses..I'm SO envious. I know, instead of going after my dead-beat mom, I'm going to completely ruin the sister who doesn't even know I exist! Aren't I so SMART! I'm the best witch EVER!". In the end, I was okay with Rumplestiltskin killing her since it was justified with how terribly she treated everyone(especially Rumple and Neal). I also didn't like how she was so much more powerful than Regina. Plus, why does it seem like all women are into Rumple? That just seems a bit odd.....(Milah liked him at fisrt, Cora did, Zelena did, and Belle did).
In the end, I really liked the second half of the season(even with the annoying villain) and the next season promises to be another great one! Let it Go! :D (yes, Elsa is coming to Storybrooke!)

Favorite episodes from S3B
There's No Place Like Home
Quiet Minds
Curious Things
Bleeding Through
Kansas
New York City Serenade
Snow Drifts

Now for the character discussions.
(I'm going in favorite character order).

Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold
Sadly, this season has been a bit too light on my favorite character in this show. But even with that, he still has some GREAT development and moments this season. I loved his ascension to hero at the end of "Going Home"(the first half's finale), as well as the relationship with his father, which I adored exploring. Getting to see Rumple as a little kid helps fill in the gaps and adds so much to our standing of not only his relationship with his father, but his relationship with his son Baelfire. His development in the second half of the season was much more subtle and I feel like, due to the crap Zelena put him through, he is going to start slipping backwards into his old ways.
Also, getting to see more hilarious Rumple was just perfect! XD "What the hell am I doing here?!"

Belle
While she is probably the most underdeveloped person of the main cast, I can't help but love her character. She shot up to my top favorite after her debut episode of "Skin Deep", and has remained there ever since. I've been wanting more development for her since then and, while we have gotten a bit(The Outsider and The Crocodile being prime examples), I really feel like she's been given the shaft. Almost no episode has been devoted to her, all the trauma she has been through has been virtually ignored(don't tell me that no one changes after being locked up for years and years, getting shot and losing their memories{and being abused and lied to at the hospital}, and having a whole different personality forced on them), and her family life is pretty much unknown. However, we do get some more development with her this season, especially in the second half. We see her stand up to Regina about the crap the former put her through, see her actively search for Rumple, as well as bonding with her supposed-to-be step-son. Her friendship with Ariel was also nice, as was the one she had with Archie (though I do wish we could have seen more of her and Red). I do have to say, one thing I liked about season 2 was that we did get more of Belle in it(though I do wish we'd been shown her meeting and bonding with Emma and Snow; it made the whole 'comforting/hugging after Neal's death quite hollow, since we had seen nothing between these characters).

Baelfire/Neal
WHY did you kill my third favorite character, creators!?  Curse your sudden, but inevitable betrayal(haha XD)! Sadly, he didn't get much development this season with this character in comparison to what we got last season. I did like the episode that showed Baelfire as a kid again(it's always great to see Dylan Schmid, since he always impresses), and the parts with Neal and Rumplestiltskin reconciling were great. However, I was disappointed in how his death was handled as well as the loss of potential with his character. I'd been looking forward to seeing Rumplestiltskin, Belle, and Baelfire interact together as a family unit since season one, but it looks like I won't be getting it now :/

Regina Mills
Okay, Regina has definitely had the best character development this year! She was great in the first half, but she was just so amazing in the second half. She has really moved up in my favorites, and I can't wait to see more of her. Her budding relationship with Robin Hood was very well done as well, and I am very happy with how it's went(except for bringing back his dead wife- Emma have you learned nothing from Doctor Who? NEVER mess with time!); in fact, it has become my second favorite pairing after Belle/Rumplestiltskin. I was also gladdened with how Regina was FINALLY acknowledged as Henry's actual mother. The show has definitely gotten better at portraying adoption and I hope to see this better approach to the subject matter be continued. Looking forward to where Regina goes next season!

Emma Swan
While not the main-main focus of the season, Emma got some GREAT development this season, especially in the second half. As Emma hasn't had too much development since season 2, what we got in the second half of season 3 was just amazing and I really think Emma is in a perfect place for next season. Several issues she's had in her life have finally been addressed and she has dealt with them to an extent. She has finally excepted Snow and Charming as her parents(and that they really do love and care for her), which I was really happy to see. She seems on the path of healing and letting her walls down, which I am thankful for, since she really deserves to get to be herself.

Robin Hood
I've always loved the story of Robin Hood(I used to play it as a tween and I love the BBC show as well as just the overall legend), so getting to see Robin Hood play a bigger role on one of my favorite show's was a blast. They really got him right and Sean Maguire plays him excellently(which made me happy, since I didn't care for the character of Robin in the BBC show). He seems to have a great story ahead of him and I can't wait to see where it leads.

Snow White
The Charming family hasn't done much this season(which is to be expected, since Ginnifer Goodwin, the actress who plays Snow is pregnant and can't run around as much as she could), but I do have to say, they were both great in the finale! I hadn't been too interested in the Charmings for a while now, but these two episodes reminded me about how much I'd liked them in season 1 and rekindled my interest in them. And with that, I definitely am excited about seeing where Snow and her husband are going next season(plus, I was very happy with the fact that they named their son Neal).

Prince Charming
Like Snow, Charming hasn't done too much since season 2, but the second half(and a little in the first half) finally gave Josh Dallas some great acting scenes(which I was pleased to see, since he's a good actor) and some more development for his character. Like I mentioned above, the finale reminded me of my love for Snow and Charming, and the episode revolving around Charming and courage was also a great peer into the character. Hopefully we'll get more progression like this next season as well.

Hook
While I still don't find him hot like a lot of fans do, Hook really grew on me as a character this season. I didn't care for him at first since he was a womanizer and a creep who seemed to enjoy hurting innocents, but this season he's really made a 180 and makes it so that one can't help but like his character. I especially began enjoying his development in the second half of the season, where he had some great scenes and moments. His redemption arc has been a little rocky in its execution, but I'm fairly satisfied with where it is going now.


Plus, Robin Hood's son, Roland, is such an adorable little kid :)


So now that season 3 has come to a close, it is time to think towards season 4.
Here are some things I want to see next season

More of Belle(her past, her family, more time focused on her); I also want to see her reaction to Rumple lying to her and the repercussions of that. Meeting Belle's mother would be nice as well.
More Belle/Rumplestiltskin since we got so little of it this season
A good, sensitive portrayal of Elsa(and I hope they use the world of Frozen better than they handled Oz)
Good, well rounded villains(like Rumple, Regina, Pan, and even Hook and Cora please).
A good resolution to Regina/Robin that doesn't do the annoying 'cheating' storyline. I can't stand those.
More of Emma with her parents(I want to see them bond as a family)
Have Henry meet Roland
Delve even more into the redemption some of the villains are trying to achieve
And I'd say more Rumple/Belle/Baelfire bonding but WE WON'T EVER GET TO SEE IT! D:

What about you? :)

Graduating High School

Hey everyone! :) Good news- I recently graduated High School(homeschool)!! :D Last Saturday to be exact.

I still have a couple of weeks left(since the group I was graduating with decided to have their graduation earlier than I was planning for originally), but it's mostly just math and essay writing, since I've completed everything else.

Anyway, I had a great day and while I am glad to be done with high school, it will be sad to not be a homeschool student anymore :( However, I will be attending college in the fall and I am looking forward to that(though I am a bit apprehensive)! :D.

                                   The first thing we did in our ceremony, was walk into the church nave(which was where we held the graduation) to a song by Switchfoot. After we sat down, we had a slide-show of all the students, speeches, and finally the distribution of the diplomas, while our speaker read a biography about each student. Also, you know the tradition of the dad handing the diploma to the student and the student handing the mother the flower(we had a purple carnation)? Well, with my parents, we switched it, since my mom was the one that taught me when I was little and is the one that does all the school work. So yay us! :D Also, we actually had a pretty large group of graduates, which was nice.
     The ceremony was actually quite good and I enjoyed more than other ones I've attended(we got to do things in our graduation ceremony that most graduations don't get to do). We only had one official speaker(our group's president and vice president briefly spoke as well), who was a House Representive in Congress for our state. While I vehemently disagree with the person's political beliefs, he gave a, for the most part, good speech(though the part about America being the 'best' was a little annoying) and I liked how he would add little commentary when he read each of our biographies XD With mine, when he got to the line about me wanting a black belt in TKD he added "so don't mess with her". I looked over and I must have looked surprised, because he then said "I added that part".

                                               My hat fit a little weird; probably due to my poofy hair. :P

                                              Afterwards, we went to a cool restaurant I really liked with all my family that came :) It was a fun, but exhausting, day :).

                                        We also brought poster-boards about ourselves to the graduation to set up; you could also bring various things that are important to you(I brought quite a few things from over the years to put up on a display). :)

I'll be enrolling in the college of my choice soon(officially, anyway), as well as meeting with an adviser and discussing college course plans. I also recently picked out my room in the dorm :).
Onward to College! :D...YIKES! D:

A Tribute to the EU

 



            If you are a Star Wars fan, I'm pretty sure you've heard the terrible, tragic news. The people in charge of the Star Wars franchise(Lucas, Disney, etc) have decided that the EU is unimportant and gets in their way, so they have deemed it(everything except the movies, TCW, and Rebels- WTH!) uncanon, and all of it now considered 'legends'(not cool, bro, not cool. They sure do have a lot of nerve). Of course, I will always know that the EU is canon and I will never be convinced otherwise(and I will do my best to get new fans to read the EU and keep this belief in the integrity of the EU alive), but it still hurts and is a big slap in the face to fans who devoted a lot of our time to reading(and discussing) the works of fiction, as well as the writers who spent MONTHS(or even years) working on these books. I'm sorry, but, as a writer myself, I find this very cruel, since you should never just dump someone's hard work into the trash.
Also, if they make Obi-Wan have a granddaughter like that shitty rumor I've been hearing, I will rain fire/lightening down from the heavens like Azula. Because that is just DISGUSTING and VILE!

I could rant about this all day(and I have to my family and on tumblr), but right now, I want to appreciate the beauty of the EU and show Disney what exactly they are throwing into the trash without care. There is so much history, so many good stories, so many heartbreaking characters and chapters that are now gone. I mean, I'm glad that Taria, the Republic Commando books, and some of the not so great books are gone, but the good HIGHLY out-weigh the bad.

So, without further ado, here are some of the great things the EU has to offer.

The characters(especially the abundance of female ones)

The EU has(had according to people who don't still believe in the EU like myself) an amazing set of female characters. The Star Wars movies are really good in that regard, by showing strong capable women in leadership/fighter roles, and the EU expanded upon that. From Jedi like Siri Tachi, Jaina Solo, and Satele Shan, to Sith like Darth Zannah, Darth Traya, and Darth Cognus, to non-Jedi, but still badass, characters like Astri, Cerasi, and all the women from Jedi Apprentice/Jedi Quest, the EU is filled to the brim with awesome women and girls from all walks of life. They are all different, multi-layered, and interesting each in their own way(except Taria and Etain, but I chose to ignore those blights on the EU, since they are hardly there) and give good representation to most kinds of women, which is awesome in our media! Also, I really love a lot of these women. They have inspired me, excited me, and caused me all kinds of emotions over the years. So, thanks, people in charge, you just destroyed some of the best women in Star Wars(and some of my childhood heroes). As well as some of the best male characters as well. 

So, thank you EU, for giving me such characters as(male and female)

Siri Tachi

Jaina Solo

Tahiri Veila

Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo

Anakin Solo

Jacen Solo

Ferus Olin 

Satele Shan

Nomi Sunrider

Vima Sunrider

Bastila Shan

Mara Jade Skywalker

Meetra Surick(The Jedi Exile)

Tahl

Darth Bane

Darth Zannah

Darth Revan

Darra Thel-Tanis

Lowbacca

Bant Eerin

Scout(Talisibeth Enderwung-Esterhazy)

Astri

Cerasi

True Veld

Soara Antana

Ben Skywalker

Ry-Gaul

For Ty-Ana

Darsha Assant

Admiral Thrawn

Kerra Holt

Darth Cognus

And every other character I am forgetting. 

The stories.

    One thing I've always enjoyed about the EU was the stories it told. It filled in the blanks, told stories we wouldn't have otherwise have gotten, and was(on the whole), quite mature. However, without the EU, the Star Wars universe is very......empty. Character development of people from the movies and those exclusive to the EU, historical events, all nuked, all gone. All the back story, all the explanations that made the Star Wars movies even richer, are now going to be hidden away from new fans, who will most likely be discouraged away from them because so many count them as fanfiction(which they aren't since they were published by an actual company), or they won't hear about it in the first place. It is sad to think that so many new fans coming to the fold will miss out on such great stories like this.

Without the EU, we lose
Obi-Wan Kenobi's amazing character development; if you read a lot of the books, especially the ones written by Jude Watson, we really get an all-encompassing tale of my favorite Jedi. We learn why he is the way he is, we see him start out as a young boy who struggles with himself, to the calm, wise old man in the desert(who lives with his demons with a grace few could muster). We see him slip up, fall in love(with Siri), experience heartbreak, fight against his insecurities/anxieties, and learn what being a Jedi is all about. Without the EU, we lose all of this. We lose the man who tells Siri that she has grown stronger and smarter(as well as more beautiful) in Secrets of the Jedi; we lose the boy who worried that his Master would never accept him and who loved food; we lose the young man who grieved for his master and loved his young apprentice through it all and always tried to stand up for him and to take care of him(but wasn't, sadly, ready for such a task); we lose the child who did a masterful feat of the force at only thirteen, something only a Master should be able to do. Basically, without the EU, we lose a lot of what makes Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan.

Our deep connection to Anakin Skywalker; I remember, before reading the EU, the Anakin of AOTC annoyed me. However, after I picked up the Jedi Quest series(and later, the Revenge of the Sith novelization), I started to absolutely adore his character. While he did still annoy me from time to time, I still found him endearing and, especially in the ROTS novel by Mr. Stover, I found myself forming an extremely deep understanding of him. We understand his doubts, his fears, his obsessions in a way only a book can tell you. Without the EU, all of this connection, all of this empathy for the character, is lost.

Qui-Gon Jinn becoming an even more integral figure. I always loved Qui-Gon after seeing him in "The Phantom Menace", but his character became an even great favorite after reading the Jedi Apprentice series. He evolves into such a depthful character that, I'm sure, had I read the Jedi Apprentice series before knowing that Qui-Gon died, I would have cried during the death scene in the film.

The spanning epic of Jude Watson's work. Jude Watson's voluminous contribution to the Star Wars canon is one of the most important stories added. Her writing begins with a story about a young Dooku in the first section of "Legacy of the Jedi" to the beginnings of the rebellion in the Last of the Jedi series and a diary from the point of view of Leia. She wrote Obi-Wan better than any other writer, and gave us an amazing run.

 The beautiful, well-thought out relationship between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Siri Tachi. Unlike the uncanon(to me) Satine and Taria, his actual relationship with Siri was well-developed, gradually grew, and somehow made Obi-Wan's character an even better person, unlike the other(fake) ones which didn't. And without this story, we don't see how Obi-Wan learned to "love with an open heart).

How deep, and tragic, and close Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship was(as well as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's).

We lose the perfect, tragic tale of the Revenge of the Sith novelization. We miss out on some very important pieces of Obi-Wan and Anakin's characters(as well as their relationship), we lose plot threads and explanations that are missing in the movie, and we lose the gorgeous language Matthew Stover used!! How dare they chop out- "Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the Stars"?!

We don't get to meet the Solo children and their fellow Jedi/friends. We don't get Jaina who loves mechanics and is the Sword of the Jedi, Jacen who loves animals but ends up turning to the darkside, Anakin(Solo) who loves peace and quiet and is a formidable Jedi, Tenel Ka who is a Jedi/Warrior princess who looses her arm but keeps being just as badass, Tahiri who talks constantly and hates shoes, Lowbacca who is a computer expert and nephew to Chewbacca, Mara Jade who is complex and is Luke's wife without that being her only point, and many more people.
We also won't be getting the Jaina Solo series we were promised

We don't get the backstory of Obi-Wan and Bail's strong friendship, which can be found in "Wild Space".

The peer into Mace Windu's psyche and the great person he actually is behind his stoic exterior in "Shatterpoint".

The exploration of the Force, as well as that of the Jedi and the Sith

The history of the Star Wars galaxies- it would appear that great conflicts like the Great Hyperspace war, the two Sith wars, etc never happened.

The entire storyline in the so-cool looking games of Knights of the Old Republic and the Old Republic(no Revan, no Bastila, no Jedi Exile, no Satele)

The Sunriders(Nomi and her daughter Vima)

Canon female Jedi Grand Masters

Canon female Sith Lords strong in the Force

Darth Bane and Darth Zannah's stories

and basically, all the good books(not the bad ones) that I've been enjoying since I was nine. :(


Another problem I find is that the authors, who put all of their hard work into writing these works of fiction and made sure it lined up with as much of the EU as possible, have been completely screwed over. Let's just say, that if I was a Star Wars writer, I'd be SO PISSED that all my work, all the hours I had put into crafting these works of fiction, were being thrown into the fire.

Now, of course, I don't plan on going down without a fight. I will do my best to make sure the EU is kept alive(and I'm talking about the REAL EU, not the crap they are trying to shut us up with that they will be releasing to fit 'their' version of things), by passing it on to new fans I come across, by encouraging Star Wars fans I meet to read the books/comics and play the video games, and by raising any kids I have to be EU fans. And hopefully there will be enough people, who believe the EU is real, to keep our stories alive and well into the future.

You may have blown up the EU, whoever is in charge, but we EU fans know that the EU is and always will be canon. And nothing that can be said or done will ever change that.

So, let's get reading!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Female Characters (10 for kick-ass ones and 10 for strong, but not physically, ones).

So this is a weekly posting for various topics in fiction; this week, everyone was doing different things, so I picked my favorite of the ones others were doing and here it is- my top favorite female characters(this one person did one for ones that are strong, but not kick-ass). Since I can, I decided to do my favorite of both. :) (I meant to post this yesterday, but I wasn't able to get around to it).

So, first off, I'm going to do my favorite strong, kick-ass female characters.

1: Siri Tachi

                                 Well, she's obviously a Jedi and they are always badass(well, expect for a certain Etain, who is ANNOYING). She was in the same classes as Obi-Wan(even though she was two years younger), and was an excellent, all around, Jedi. She became a Master, trained a Padawan, and was the best Jedi she could be. She was loyal, yet never a sheep, and has been a role model and someone I have related to ever since I read about her. :)




2: Jaina Solo

           She's a Jedi, a mechanic, the daughter of Han and Leia, and the Sword of the Jedi. What else needs to be said?

3: All female Jedi and Sith (Tahiri Veila, Tenel Ka, Satele Shan, Nomi Sunrider, Vima Sunrider, Meetra Surick, Bastila Shan, Luminara Unduli, Shaak Ti, Barriss Offee, Aayla Secura, Darra Thel-Tanis, Adi Gallia, Stass Allie, Darth Zannah, Tahl, Mara Jade, etc)

 

 

All female Jedi and Sith in Star Wars are amazing, kick-ass women/girls(except Etain). It was one of the many reasons I loved Star Wars growing up- the abundance of female Jedi for me to read about. 

4: Eowyn and Tauriel (Middle Earth Women)

5: Hermione Granger

6: Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg (and pretty much all Buffyverse girls)

7: Attack on Titan girls (Sasha, Annie, Mikasa, Christa, Ymir, Petra, etc) I'd add Hange, but they are non-binary, so I decided against it since they don't identify as female(or male).

8: Doctor Who women (Rose, Martha, Donna)

9: River Tam

10: Black Widow

11:(bonus) ATLA girls (Katara, Toph, Suki, Mai, Azula, and Ty-Lee)

Honorable Mentions: Mulan, Padme Amidala, Leia Organa, Annabeth Chase(PJ and HoO), Katniss Everdeen, Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, Zoe(Firefly), Arthuria(Fate/Zero), Holo(Spice and Wolf), Melinda May(Agents of SHIELD), Faith Lehane(Buffy/Angel), Juliet(from Romeo X Juliet), Princess Mononoke, many of the girls in Studio Ghibli films, Marian(Robin Hood BBC), Djaq(Robin Hood), etc

Strong, but not-kick-ass, female characters

1: Belle(OUAT)

2: Cordelia Chase

3: Tara MaClay

4: Women of Downton Abbey (Anna, Mary, Edith, Sybil, Mrs. Hughes, Violet Crawley, Isobel Crawley)

5: Toshiko Sato

 6: Skye and Jemma Simmons(Agents of SHIELD)

7: Melinda Sordino

8: Winifred(Fred) Burkle

9: Makoto Konno

10: Mon Mothma

Honorable Mentions: Julia(Star-Crossed), Sophia(Star-Crossed), Eponine, Cosette, Fantine, many girls in Studio Ghibli films, Asuna(Children Who Chase Lost Voices), Belle(Beauty and the Beast), etc