#shallow dive

[writerstiltzkin]

I have written a book, Shallow Dive, which you can order (paperback) here. And only there. For now.

It is $25 to order online, not counting shipping. This is because I self-published. I did everything myself, from the plot to the body copy to the formatting to the graphic design. The price reflects the cost for printing it, with a margin for both that printing company and myself.

[rumplefuckingstiltzkin]

I have written a book, Shallow Dive, which you can order online (paperback) here. More information at Writerstiltzkin.

[purpleenma]

This is not my typical art or meme post but a doubt surfaced in the Mcspirk Discord server about TarsusIV and if Kirk was on the list to die or to survive. So I made a kind of shallow dive in the net to see if I was able to find an answer, and I could say I did, but boy did I also find something I was absolutely NOT expecting.

For the record canon or alpha canon in Star Trek is what we see in the shows themselves.

(Some people may include here scriptwriters or directors publications/comments and interviews relating their work on the show and their intentions while making it, in general any of the key people that contributed to the canon we see in the shows. For others this is considered beta canon so it's a kind of grey area.)

Beta canon is all the rest under the Star Trek brand; novels, videogames, manuals, comics, etc.

Having established that more or less, here we go:

In alpha canon the answer to if Kirk was in the list to die or survive is; "it's tricky" xD

Memory Alpha in all accounts points to him being one of the other 4000 people that survived the mass execution, although it is not exactly specified that he was on any list to survive. There were previous scripts where Jim says he was, but it was scrapped among other things. Still, if Kodos executed the 4000 colonists all together in the antimatter chamber, and we haven't heard of any escapees or switches between people, I think it's safe to say he was on the list of survivors. However, I think it's important to note that we don't know if later Kodos just chilled, ordered more people killed or there were more deaths due to his ruling the more the situation became dire. And we also don't know how long he lasted in charge, since I couldn't find an exact time when help arrived either; it just states it arrived earlier than expected but too late to save the 4000 killed. So we can't be certain how much time elapsed from the mass execution till help finally got there.

Kirk is listed as a survivor of the TarsusIV Massacre, that encompasses all the struggle since what would be the uprise of Kodos and ordering those executions, till the unknown time later when help finally arrived. But we seem to be left to wonder if he could have been sought for later executions or persued in any way. In fact when we think back at what happened to his friend Tom Leighton, who was also a survivor and one of the nine witnesses, it is understood the damage to the side of his face either was caused by Kodos himself or took place during the massacre at least, maybe caused by Kodos enforcers.

Since we don't know exactly what happened and for how long after the mass execution, we can't be sure what or who was the cause. Like most of it, it's left to interpretation. But when you get into account that him, along with Jim and Kevin Riley, who were all rather young then, are from the few people who could identify Kodos because they saw his face, added to his wounds, makes you think that at least there was some big turmoil and, be it on purpose or not, these kids ended either in Kodos presence himself when most didn't even know his face, or could retrieve that photo we see in the TOS episode from Kodos' headquarters or some other important place that may store such data. As one ST Discovery novel (beta canon) suggests and also tells us more of what transpired after the execution.

So yes, alpha canon, or "the" canon left it ambiguous on purpose, since any intent to specify was scrapped before the TOS episode Conscience of the King was produced.

But here is where it gets juicy; beta canon (specifically Memory Beta) tells a very different story, one that made me have to read the paragraph twice and fact check because wtf xD

Two novels you'll see listed in the screenshot detail that Kirk was, in fact, on the list to die, but he escaped, saving Kevin Riley while he was at it. And not only that, but that Kirk was saved by SAREK who MELDED with him to erase the memory, because he also saved KODOS and gave him his new identity (wtf Sarek? You did that because you thought it was the logical thing to do or how come?? This could have tremendous implications...)

I don't know if any of you guys knew this but I sure didn't and the fic potential for this is unimaginable xD Maybe many of those that made Tarsus fics including Spock and/or Sarek there are based on this piece of beta canon but yeah, shocking.

I'm aware that Shatner touches on more about what happened in TarsusIV in some of the ST novels he wrote, like "Star Trek: Academy #1 Collision Course" and the "Autobiography of James T Kirk". For the latter I believe I read an excerpt some time ago that talked about riots and the situation getting really violent, but I couldn't find any information in this small search and I don't have the spoons to read the book right now, so take it with a grain of salt.

In the end it is all up for interpretation and you can go either way, but you sure get some interesting details in the various levels of canon xD

[dewbond-blog]

Shallow Dive: Wise Man’s Grandchild

I normally wait until my three episode check-in to give you my thoughts, but every now and then something comes along that just can’t wait for it. I have never dropped a series harder than I dropped this one. I can’t even find the words to describe it, so enjoy a slew of Jontron clips that accurately sum up my feelings, beginning to end, of my views of the show Wise Man’s Grandchild after the cut.

[dewbond-blog]

Shallow Dive: The Rising of the Shield Hero First Cour

The Rising of the Shield Hero has its entire premise be fuelled by a false rape allegation made by a woman. While it works in the sense of the plot, the overall execution is sloppy and doesn’t do the first episode any real favors. Frankly, Goblin Slayer did the whole “controversial opener’ far better. You either agree with all of that, or you don’t.

Ok, now that I’ve ripped off that bandaid, let’s talk about the best anime (so far) of the year. My thoughts on the first cour of The Rising of the Shield Hero are just after the cut.

If Isekai Slime has taught me anything, is that I need to be careful with heaping praise on a show that is only halfway done. While Slime started strong and had great moments, the remaining second half was never able to recapture those highs and overall seemed to meander to the finish line. I still like Slime and I love that first half, but I fear I should have held back my praise just a little bit until the whole picture was done. Yet once again I find myself in a difficult position because so far, Shield Hero has been an EXTREMELY fun ride.

In a sense, Shield Hero and Slime can be seen as sister series, in that both are adapted from light novels that are already completed, and both represent a standard Isekai experience but polished to a mirror shine. Yet while Slime was seemingly content in being the usual “shut-in loser becomes the god-king” story, Shield Hero opts to try something new within a familiar formula, and though Shield Hero has all the markings of standard Isekai, Naofumi’s journey has so far been different enough that it helps the show stand out.

While Shield Hero is not the Isekai break-down that has propelled ReZero to a masterpiece work (and a second season!) in my eyes, Shield Hero is at least not afraid to throw a bit of mud in the face of expectations among viewers. Naofumi’s struggles and how he deals with a nation who has turned his back on him are interesting (and controversial), but so far are things that have not been seen in mainstream Isekai anime before. His bitter attitude, to the point mannerism and overall distrust of everything around him, help set him apart from the myriad of other leads and helps paint a stark contrast between him and the other heroes, who believe that they are in a world that makes them gods.

Furthermore, the slow pace and “filler” episodes between waves have been excellent in building up character and atmosphere. Like Slime before it, having 25 episodes gives this show time to establish a world that too often other anime either ignore or blitz right through. The relationship between Naofumi and Raphtalia feels real as it can be in a show like this, with enough time spent building it up that it can feel understandable why she is so loyal to him. Both she and the adorable Filo are so far fun characters that help lighten up a show that could have just been Naofumi being an emo edgelord the whole time. Additionally, the show has a killer OST that feels lifted right from a golden age JRPG game, and the use of game mechanics feels built into the world and not something that was just thrown in there for kicks.

Twelve episodes in and I am loving The Rising of the Shield Hero, but I am withholding full judgment until the second half concludes, though I am confident it is not going to suffer the same lack half that Slime did. So far the show hasn’t had it’s “Shizu moment” and there is plenty of room left for it to hit greater heights. It is fully possible that Shield Hero fizzles out in the next half which would be a shame for an anime that is already going to end up on several “best of” lists at the end of 2019. With my expectations firmly in check, I head into the second cour hoping to continue the great ride I’ve had so far. If you have not watched this show because of the (admittedly sloppy) first episode, I highly suggest you give it another chance. This is a really great Isekai anime and deserves to be more than what it’s pilot episode tries to do.

[dewbond-blog]

Shallow Dive: The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

While the Isekai genre is the current dominant force in the Anime and Manga world, something that isn’t as common is the “Reverse Isekai.” This is when, instead of someone from “our” world is transported into a fantasy land, someone from a fantasy land is instead transported to OUR world. What would that be like for them? For someone who was a king, a warrior, or a princess to suddenly end up in present-day Japan?

Well, one such answer comes from an anime that has, at least in the west, rose to such cult-beloved status that it almost touches the level of shows like Full Metal Alchemist, Death Note, or Cowboy Beebop. After the cut let’s take a dive into Satoshi’s Wagahara’s The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

Now don’t let the anime opening trick you. The Devil Is a Part-Timer! or as I tend to mistakenly say: The Devil works Part-Time is not a drama or an action show. It’s a comedy, and it is probably one of the funniest anime comedies in years that doesn’t have to rely on fanservice. With great characters, a unique premise, and a heart-warming look at something almost anyone can relate to, we have an anime that is frankly almost good for its premise.

The premise itself is simple, we follow Sadou Maou and his servant Alciel who have fled their world after being supposedly defeated by the great hero Emila. Winding up in current day Tokyo, Sadou must struggle with new challenges like paying rent and bills the only way a demon lord could: working a fast food job.

Part-Timer is hilarious, absolutely truly fucking hilarious. Seeing Sadou and later Emila and the other characters have to deal with living in our world is such a genius and refreshing move in the Isekai genre, I’m shocked it has taken this long for it show up. While other shows have dealt with something similar, it has normally always been with one character and rarely ever the central point to the plot. Here though it takes center stage and benefits the show at every level. From things like Emila struggling up a set of stairs, Alciel refusing medical treatment cause he’s stingy with money, to Lucifer becoming a shut-in NEET is wholesome loving humor and the show plays it completely straight. Even better Part-Timer has one of the strongest English dubs around, with everyone bringing an A-game that one would have expected only from shows like Full Metal Alchemist or Attack on Titan. 

However, it is Sadou who runs away with the show and give it its heart. His sheer love of working at a Fast Food restaurant, his passion and an almost insane idea of “conquering the world by climbing the hierarchy at McRonalds” is played so well and because us viewers relate to his work, it makes everything only more funny, sweeter and more enjoyable. Look, we’ve all worked shitty “McJobs” once or twice in our lives, food service or not. The work is hard, pays little and there is no honor or accomplishment in it. So to see Sadou embrace something our society dismisses as “shit work” so warmly and with such love is a little ray of sunshine, even if Part Timer can be seen in a sense to be romanticizing the idea of flipping burgers. Special mention again needs to be made to Josh Grelle, who delivers his hands down best performance ever in a pitch-perfect casting as Sadou.

In a sense, Part-Timer can be read as an immigrant story, as Sadou, Emila and the rest are coming into a new world and experiencing the things we take for granted for the first time. While we have long since gotten used to things like fast food and turn our noses down at the work, Sadou and the others don’t have that, and they instead embrace it as a way to make money and simply live, even if their standard of living almost laughably sad. There are people in this world who come into the West and embrace jobs and things we have long since dismissed, and Part-Timer, while obviously not addressing the downsides of those jobs, seems to endorse that maybe flipping burgers isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Every now and then an Anime comes along that is something special to people. It may make you laugh, make you cry, or make you see something or someone in a different light. Sometimes those Animes are just really well done and have a premise and idea they fully commit to. Sometimes it’s just humor that hits well, hard and accurately. I think for many people, The Devil Is A Part-Timer is all of that and more. This is a very well done piece of Anime comedy and one that I would recommend to anyone regardless of their experience in the entertainment form. If you haven’t seen this yet, or you have heard it about it and still haven’t gotten around to checking it out, fix that as fast as you can. I can assure you that you’ll be glad that you did.

[dewbond-blog]

Shallow Dive: Bakuman (Manga)

I am a firm believer in the “Sausage Principle” something that was brought up by ‘Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver a few years back. The idea is simple: If you love something, don’t find out how it’s made.

I love anime and manga, and I feel I love it even more because I do not know what actually goes into creating it. I have a faint idea, and if you are around the internet long enough you get a basic outline of how anime and manga are created, and while that is a whole other discussion that involves serious issues, I want to instead talk about a manga that quite possibly is the best glimpse into the industry we have.

Let’s face it, anyone who is a fan of the industry has had those youthful dreams of packing up your bags, flying to Japan and hitting it big as a mangaka (manga artists). Don’t deny it, you’ve had the idea, I’ve had the idea, everyone has had the idea. It’s the joyful dreams of youth and it’s wonderful, but during those dreams did we really have an idea of just how that industry works, and the time commitment it takes?

One such series does, and after the cut let’s take a shallow dive into the manga version of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Bakuman.

Ohba and Obata’s names should be familiar to anyone who has been in the Shonen world for some time, as they are the writer and artist responsible for Death Note, long considered to be one of the best “gateway series” for people looking to get into the genre. Death Note’s impact on the Western fandom is significant and so it was a welcome surprise to see that both Obata and Ohba would be returning for new, very different series.

Bakuman is quite simply, a manga about making a manga, and it represents probably the most honest, open and revealing look into how Japanese manga is created, published and maintained. The story follows aspiring creators Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Tagaki as they navigate the cut-throat and work intensive life of creating a popular shonen manga series. Furthermore, Moritaka has promised his longtime crush, Miho Azuki that they will get married once his work becomes an anime, and she becomes the voice actress for the main heroine.

It’s a simple story, but it is also an incredibly interesting one, as again this is probably the only real look thousands of fans have gotten into an industry that is unknown to many outside of Japan. Instead of life or death villains, Mashiro and Takagi deal with things like meeting deadlines, difficult editors, creative differences, rival authors and balancing the intense pressure of being a serialized author. While there is a hint of a larger than life view of the manga industry being painted, and now and again the story feels it needs to create a “bad guy” for the sake of wrapping up a plot point, Bakuman is very much about the path of an artist, the dreams of youth and how you achieve them, and it’s very grounded look helps the series be as successful as it is. So your reception to the series is based very much in how interested you find a behind the scenes look into the manga writing world. This isn’t like Food Wars where the story doesn’t have enough confidence in just being a story about going to a cooking school and has to keep upping the ante. Bakuman is comfortable being exactly what it is.

However, the one major flaw (in my view) of the series that I feel I need to mention is that the overall storyline of the Mashiro and Miho romance. The start of the series paints them as innocent youths, who want to achieve their dreams and make a pledge to be together once they do. However as Bakuman takes places over years, chronicling their days in high school to their mid-late twenties, their plotline becomes more and more unbelievable as it goes on. The romance is pretty much forgotten for vast swaths of the story and only comes back right at the end of the series to wrap everything up. While that conclusion is fitting for the story, Bakuman very much falls into the same trap that other series have suffered from: The longer your story goes on, the stupider some of your plot ideas become. I had a very hard time suspending my disbelief that Mashiro and Miho would voluntarily choose to remain apart even after both of them achieve reasonable levels of success and that they are holding themselves to a promise made when they were kids. Is it a dealbreaker? Absolutely not, but during my time reading the series weekly, I found myself getting more and more frustrated and it remains a sore sticking point in what is otherwise an excellent piece of work.

Is Bakuman a 100% legit look into how the manga industry works? Probably not, but it IS the best attempt yet to show readers and fans just how manga is made, maintained and how the life of a mangaka is. The stakes are grounded, the characters are believable and the drama is focused on the art itself. Much like Black Cat before it, Bakuman shows up, says everything it has to say and then has the grace to exit the stage. Despite some hiccups involving the main romance, it remains one of the best short manga series produced in Jump, and something I would recommend to anyone who wants to see what life is like behind the writer’s desk. If you loved Death Note and wanted more from the authors, you should give this series a look and you might find yourself engrossed in its wonderful world.

[dewbond-blog]

Shallow Dive: Gundam Build Fighters

In 2011, the series Gundam AGE was released to the public. It was seen by many as an attempt to make a Gundam series directed more at kids and younger viewers compared to the older audience than had grown up with either the Alternative Timelines or the Universal Century.

People HATED it.

Aside from having dismal ratings, long-term fans derided everything from the character design, mech designs, storyline and trying to take Gundam, a series that had almost always dealt with more mature subject matter, and try to make it kid-friendly. Despite having some great music, there was little else going for AGE, and it looked like that the Gundam Franchise was going to head towards a slump.

Fast Forward to 2013, and Sunrise decided to try again at making a more Kid-friendly Gundam series, but this time they took a different route. What resulted was a show that’s massive success was never expected. After the cut let’s talk about the 2013 Gundam Series: Gundam Build Divers.

Build Fighters doesn’t take place in a world torn apart by war with Giant Robots. It takes place in a future version of OUR world, where Gundam and Gunpla model building has taken the world by storm. People create their own Gundams from model kits and use a computer-based interface system (think Duel Disks from Yugioh) to battle as if they were actually piloting the suits themselves. It’s all the action of a classic Gundam series, with none of the collateral damage.

The concept for Build Fighters is so simple and so brilliant that I am shocked it took Sunrise this long to figure it out. Instead of trying to shoehorn a kid-friendly plot into the tried and true Gundam Formula of “Colonies vs Earth” they instead to toss it away completely for an easy to understand, and established plotline of what is essentially a sports anime. Instead of the same worn out plots that have been done to death in previous Gundam series, instead, we have ideas like friendly competition, the honor of battle, and gaining the confidence to fight and compete. If this had been a normal sports anime and not tied at all to the Gundam Franchise, it might have been seen as boring and done before. However because it is done with the Gundam brand, it feels new and exciting and probably represented the biggest breath of fresh air Gundam has gotten since the much-maligned (but now beloved) Mobile Fighter G Gundam, whose influence can be felt both in Build Fighters, and it’s sequel Try.

Additionally, and to its great benefit, Build Fighters is LADEN top to bottom with references, cameos, and callbacks to all the Gundam series before it. There are scenes where you find yourself pausing the camera to just take in all the characters from so many series in one scene or another. If you are a Gundam fan in the slightest, you’ll understand why many people call Build Fighters “Gundam Valhalla.” Considering that many characters throughout the Franchise often mean gruesome and sad ends, it is good to see them in a happier light here. Suit designs and famous Gundams are stuffed in one scene after another, and several of the main characters mechs are homages or personal variations of the lead Gundams from various series. Mobile Suit Gundams Wing, X, and Astray are given time to shine here where they might have not had it back when their own series was on the air. 

Special mention should also be made to the cast. While Sei and Reiji’s characters have been seen before many times in other anime, they are a first for the Gundam franchise, and they carry the story well. Female lead Aila  Jyrkiainen walks away with the story though, and her personality and play on the Gundam Trope she represents is as heartwarming as it is a light riff on something Gundam is infamous for (the mysterious female pilot love interest)

There are a few minor issues though, as there are for most series. The attempt to insert some mystery magic with Reiji never really pans out and feels like something the writers tried to do but decided to toss out halfway through. The music and opening themes are decent at best, and you might find yourself wishing for better suit cameos, but these are minor issues at best, which is surprising for a series such as this.

Gundam Build Fighters is a great show, and a great Gundam series, period. It knows exactly what it is, and doesn’t try to be anything else. After the failure that was AGE, Sunrise wisely realized that if all they wanted to do was sell model kits, then they should make a show about those model kits. Thankfully though, they also made one of the freshest, newest, and most fun Gundam series in many many years. I highly suggest you give it a look and see for yourself. If only for that sweet Char cameo