the thing is that jimmy is objectively valid in his reasoning for politely turning down kara but also it's extremely funny to mock him for it so i'm gonna keep doing that
Rick and Morty's biggest problem is that it was written to be a niche show aimed at weird analytical queers with actual media literacy and it accidentally blew tf up and hit the mainstream and a bunch of people who have never had a second thought about anything got into it
The backrooms are a failing brain trying to hold onto even the most basic of memories, even as they warp and decay.
The backrooms are generative AI trying to capture something real but only achieving a malformed, mindless imitation.
The backrooms are stagnation, an unwillingness to step into the new and uncomfortable effort of changing, instead running through the same old routine even as it starts to fall in on itself.
The backrooms are nostalgia cannibalizing itself, trying to remake and remake what it already knows without making anything new, until the familiar is so bastardized it's barely recognizable.
Even a Replica can Fall in Love (Episode 1+2 review)
I'm a huge fan of the manga this is based on, so I figured I'd post a review of the first 2 episodes to help get more people into the show!
Genre/Themes: Highschool drama, mild thriller themes, mild supernatural elements, romance.
Premise: Sunao Aikawa looks like a normal high school girl, except for one small detail- she’s a Replica. A temporary duplicate conjured up by the real Sunao to run the errands she’s too depressed to do in person. The real Sunao can will away her replica, Nao, whenever she’s served her purpose, erasing her from existence until the next time she’s needed. Despite all this, Nao wants agency as her own person- she wants to live life outside of Sunao’s orders, to find hobbies, friends, and maybe even fall in love. But she’s completely powerless to do so as things are.
Thoughts: I think the anime has had a passable adaptation so far- I think some of the animation could be stronger and the airbrushing around the frame throughout may not be to everyone's taste, but the art style and color palette is still very cute regardless!
The anime has done a very good job capturing the growing tension between Nao and Sunao, and especially Nao's anxiety about being a temporary person without any real identity, who doesn't even get to keep her friends between her existences since Sunao doesn't care about them. I do think the manga does a better job of capturing the sadness of Nao's existence by keeping things in her perpective, showing everything going black when she's willed away, and focusing on the parts of existence that she loves- how she's never been able to eat dinner or sleep in a bed.
Otherwise I'd say this currently an 8/10 adaptation of a 9.5/10 manga! If you're uncertain about checking it out, I think waiting to watch the first 3 episodes together would be smart. If not, then by my estimates, the arc spanning episodes 6-8 is what cemented this series as one of my all-time favorites, so definitely try and catch up to that point when they air before you get spoiled!
Spoilers for the end of Episode 2:
My main critique is that I feel the visuals and pacing of the conversation at the end of the episode felt a lot more intense and emotional in the manga, with Nao happily returning home only to see Sunao waiting for her in the living room the moment she opens the door, her face shadowed menacingly. Or being called "just a replica" echoing more hurtfully in Nao's mind. And also actually seeing Nao get erased as she desperately reaches out to plead to Sunao.
I also prefer how we don't get to see the field trip in the manga- it puts us more in Nao's shoes that way. Seeing her get so excited to go and then immediately cutting to her being re-summoned in Sunao's room. The line "Perhaps this was my punishment (for being hopeful)" also hits so hard and I'm kinda sad it was cut.
Nevertheless, it's awesome to see this story start picking up! I think what really drew me to this series was the strong themes of feeling like "less than a real person". It reminds me of why I loved Book 2 of Infinity Train so much- to the point where I want to transcribe part of Mace's villain monologue from that show here because I think it matches this series' themes so well.
"What did you think would happen if you were allowed through the exit? You just go out into the world... and what? High School? Prom? College? Job? You and your prime with parallel lives??"
I finally saw Superman, and I genuinely cannot remember another movie in the past that has had me leaning forward in my seat, full of excitement and anticipation, like this one did.
Everything from the costuming, to the acting, to the score, to the director's choices made it wonderful and clearly full of love.
The messages of Kindness, Hope, Love, and that Every life (even a squirrel's) is worth saving, are so so needed, and I couldn't have asked for a better hero to represent them.
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