Happy Sunday!

This is a post that I have been waiting to do for, I kid you not, YEARS. Ever since the Artemis Fowl movie trailer was released, I've been anxious to watch it - not because I thought it would be good, but because I knew it would be bad.

See, I have an obsession with bad book-to-movie adaptations. I love seeing how directors somehow mess up fascinating stories, and I love making fun of the finished product XD. I kid you not, I have an entire rant prepared on how Murtagh has 0 significance in the Eragon movie, but that's for another time.

This Thursday, I finally watched the Artemis Fowl movie, and I Have Thoughts. Not all of them are bad, but not all of them are good, either. So this'll be a movie . . . review . . . thing? Who knows?


Let me just say this now:

This movie was a combination of books one, two, and parts of three. I'm not summarizing all of these for those of you who haven't read the books. I'll try to fill you in as you go along.

Basically, Artemis Fowl is about this genius boy who discovers that there is a world of fairies and other mythical creatures living just beneath our feet. During the course of the books and movie, he kidnaps a fairy, teams up with said fairy to save his father's life, and ends up saving the world.

I'm keeping it vague because those are the only similarities the books and movie have. XD

And if combining all these books sounds like a lot for a movie to handle: don't worry, they watered it down to the basics. -_-

I figured I should start off this post with the things I LIKED about this movie. Because I did like things about this movie!

For instance, the counselor scene at the beginning was wonderfully done! It was pretty much verbatim from the book, and I appreciated seeing Artemis's smart, quiet, snarky side come out during this conversation. It was one of my favorite scenes from the second book, and I think it was done justice here.

I also thought the CGI was pretty decent. It was mostly believable, despite some loopy scenes that made 0 visual sense. XD

The soundtrack to Artemis Fowl was VERY enjoyable for me! Patrick Doyle always does a good job with his music, and the music, with its Irish nods, really brought the movie to life. I particularly like "Father and Son" and any song with an epic beat.

My biggest love of this movie was MULCH. In the books, Mulch is a dwarf with a sense of humor as large as his appetite for rocks and dirt, and he's such a funny, interesting character. And the movie got 97% of this character DOWN. Besides my quibble about him being the tallest dwarf ever (literally - it's a side plot), his personality and even his appearance were practically perfect. He definitely stole the movie.

Not that it was hard to steal it. Because there were Definite Issues That I Cannot Get Past.


I'm going to separate this negative section into the three biggest problems I had with this movie.

THE WORLDBUILDING

Remember how I said the CGI was good? Well, that's still true: I think the world of the fairies was excellently shown, at least from a visual standpoint. From a storytelling standpoint, however, I found it lacking in several respects.

My main issue was that none of the rules of this world were ever explained. Ever.

Now, in some stories, you can get away with this. For instance, in Lord of the Rings, Gandalf's magic never has an explicit set of rules.

However, Artemis Fowl's world has a very specific set of rules regarding how fairies interact with humans. Very specific guidelines have to be met for a fairy to go inside a human's house, for instance. And while I think this movie kept these rules, they were NEVER explained.

This makes things very confusing, like when Artemis, out of the blue, tells Root (a fairy commander wishing to negotiate with him), "I invite you into my house." It seems totally unnecessary, unless you know that an invitation must be extended to the fairy before they can enter. The movie never tells us this, however.

It's kind of important for viewers to know this crucial piece of information, since it explains why the attacking fairy army can't go into Artemis's house.

Even if the movie did tell us this information (in which case, I missed it), they didn't place great enough significance upon it, which is a bad decision.

And several other things aren't really explained or are just downright wrong when compared to the book. For instance, Root tells Artemis, "Fairies don't pay ransom," but Artemis's goal for the entire first book was to obtain fairy gold through capturing a fairy and offering her up for ransom. And it works. And they pay a ransom. #irritation

But okay, just because a movie didn't EXACTLY follow a book doesn't mean that it's horrible. Right?

THE CHARACTERS

I'm going to be honest: the characters really disappointed me in this movie. Besides Mulch, who was done almost perfectly and deserves an Academy Award. anyone who got that reference, thank you

Let's start with the minor characters, shall we?

Foaly, our resident genius centaur, who delivered 78% of the snark in the books, had exactly one funny line. All right, he's not really a major part of the movie and there wasn't a lot of time for him, so I'll forgive that.

What I cannot forgive is what they did to Commander Root's character. In the book, Root is a younger man. In the movie, Root is an old woman.

#YIKES

And this brings me to one of my biggest complaints of the movie.

Holly, the main fairy character, and Root are both part of the LEPrecon, or the fairy's police force/army. In the books, Holly is the first and only female officer of the LEP, and Root is her hard but lovable commander. This lack of females in the LEP gives very high expectations for Holly, and it gives her motivation for everything she does: she has to prove herself constantly. It's why she's reckless, it's why she is punished harshly at times, and it's why her capture by Artemis is hard on her. It shows she's weak.

But in the movie, there are practically BATTALIONS of women officers in the LEPrecon. Root himself (or herself?) is a woman. And to me, that just ruins everything Holly stands for in the books.

And what did the movie writers replace this book subplot with?

Oh, you know, the typical "My father was a traitor, I'm pretty sure he was good, and I've got to avenge my family name" subplot.

*GIANT SIGH*

And you would think that the book subplot, which is HIGHLY feminist and women-empowering, would make it into the movie, but nooooooooo.


Now, let's talk about the villains, shall we? Or, should I say, very disappointing villains.

Briar Cudgeon has the least convincing villain character arc I've ever seen on a screen. In case you watched the movie and don't know who that is:

- he's the LEPrecon officer guy who hates Root and was recruited by the Main Baddie to stop the good guys . . . for some reason???
- since you don't remember his name, that's a pretty good indicator of how impactful he was.

Seriously, Cudgeon was a SEVERE letdown. But the Main Baddie, Opal Koboi, was the biggest of all.

See, both Cudgeon and Opal were taken from the books. But whereas Cudgeon can be delegated to a one-dimensional villain, to do so to Opal is a mistake.

Opal is one of the scariest villains I've ever read about. She attacks Artemis in at least four different books and nearly outsmarts him every single time. She's got really interesting, if  twisted, motivations, and she goes on a negative, vengeful arc in the books that ends with her trying to kill literally everyone.

But in the movie, she . . . wears a creepy cloak that covers her face. And she kidnaps Artemis's dad. And she has this weird raspy voice?? And she's got one monologue talking about her reasoning for . . . honestly, I completely forgot what her reasoning was. XD She just wants to Kill Everyone. She doesn't have any depth, and she doesn't even feel threatening to me at all.

The saying goes that your story is only as strong as your villains. Well, if that's the case, this story is pretty weak.

But you want to know the weakest point of all?

ARTEMIS AND HIS CHARACTER ARC

Allow me to go on a bit of a tangent here, because this genuinely makes me mad.

In the books, it’s made very clear that Artemis Fowl is NOT a good person. He’s selfish, cold, and is willing to sacrifice others in order to get what he wants. He kidnaps a fairy for the SOLE purpose of getting rich off of fairy gold, and he poisons another fairy to get her secret fairy book. And we hear that he’s kept his father’s criminal empire running.

Let me repeat this: ARTEMIS FOWL IS NOT SHOWN AS A GOOD PERSON.

He has some good qualities, though, such as taking care of his very ill and grief-stricken mother. These scenes in the book, though few and far between, were quite powerful. They showed that Artemis is not irredeemable. They showed that he does have a soul, even though he buries it under cruel intellect.

As the series progresses and Artemis grows, those scenes become more common. We see Artemis begin to open up to others and trust them, and he starts making friends. It takes time - LOTS of time - for him to change, because he’s not used to being a good person.

But this redemption arc is masterfully done because of that, and it yields powerful results. At the end of book 8, we see this boy, who used to be selfish, manipulative, and withdrawn from others, selflessly sacrifice himself for his friends. It’s one of the most amazing endings I’ve ever read.

Now, let’s go back to the movie, shall we?

NONE OF THIS IS SHOWN. ABSOLUTELY NONE OF IT.

Because here’s the thing. Disney chose to portray Artemis as a GOOD person who makes some . . . questionable decisions? But even when he does make those questionable decisions, he makes them out of a selfless desire to save his father.

Yeah, he’s a little antisocial, and he makes some sassy remarks to the counselor, but he never ONCE strikes me as a criminal mastermind, as a bad person. We are TOLD he's a bad person, and we're never SHOWN that he is.

And his character arc is . . . um, kind of a negative one? He learns to not kidnap fairies, and he accepts his legacy as the son of a criminal. This isn’t NEARLY as powerful as the redemption story of the books.

As for the powerful scenes with his mother, the ones that showed his humanity? Yeah, well, they didn’t happen, because DISNEY KILLED HER OFF. She’s not even in the movie! Those scenes could have been so beautiful. I genuinely would have shed a tear.

Instead, I just didn’t care.

Artemis’s arc felt so rushed and shallow, to the point where I couldn’t tell you, in explicit ways, how and where his character changed. Actually, most of the arcs in this movie are rushed, the most frustrating one being the relationship between Artemis and Holly, the fairy he kidnapped.

It took three books for Holly to completely trust Artemis, and with good reason. And it took that same amount of time for Artemis to feel a spark of friendship towards her.

But ten minutes after Artemis kidnaps her in the movie, he RELEASES HER. ?????? It takes HOURS in the book until this point is reached. *distant screaming* And yes, there is worldbuilding in the book that prevents her from killing him, but this isn’t mentioned in the movie at ALL.

Twenty minutes after THAT, they’re declaring each other as “forever friends.” Yes, that is actually a line from the movie. Yes, it’s Artemis who says that. Yes, that is the last thing Artemis would ever say. *throws up*

I came for a redemption arc. All I got was a semi-negative arc that at least ended with him in a suit and tie. Because he didn't even wear that in the beginning.

But I just can't see the point of his character arc in the movie. I can't come up with a coherent theme the movie could possibly be teaching us. It honestly just feels . . . empty.


There are tons more things I could rant about, such as the narration or the Aculos or Trouble Kelp or the fact that Artemis is actually athletic for some reason OR why literally everything in this movie is told and not shown, but I figured I better cut it short. This post is getting long as it is. XD

So would I recommend Artemis Fowl?

*sigh*

If you haven't read the books, I'd recommend it as a good starting point. And if you like the movie, then READ THE BOOKS.

If you have read the books, you have two options:
- Don't watch it and spare yourself the trouble and pain.
- Do what I did and watch it so you can have the pleasure of screaming at a TV for 90 minutes.

Anyways, it's not the worst book-to-movie adaptation I've ever seen. Percy Jackson and The Last Airbender are both much worse. The acting isn't bad, honestly! I just wish it had been better written.

The real question is, are they going to make a sequel or not? XD because they actually did leave it open and that irritates me

-Nicole <3

Happy Sunday!

I think you’ve seen this around, but HAMILTON IS NOW ON DISNEY+.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHH.

For those of you who don’t know, Hamilton is my all-time favorite musical. I got into it almost two years, and I . . . never really stopped listening to it. XD except for the last few months because anime openings exist

But if you’ve considered watching this fantastic musical, but haven’t yet, here are some reasons why you should spend almost three hours watching people sing on stage.  XD



When I started listening to Hamilton for the first time, way back in November of 2018, I would get songs stuck in my head for DAYS. (You have no idea how long My Shot was in my head. It was insane.)

The story is all told through song and rap. I will admit, when my history teacher first told us that tidbit of info (she was the one who started me on it - she constantly nagged our class to listen to it), I was extremely doubtful. After all, rap? Every single rap song I’d ever heard just annoyed me.

I don’t know why Hamilton is different. Maybe it’s because its songs aren’t as . . . crude . . . as the more mainstream rap songs. Maybe it’s because these songs tell a story in a really creative way. Either way, this is the ONLY sort of rap I will listen to.

I find it really funny how fast this GIF goes

When you listen to Hamilton, it’s clear that the writer put a lot of thought into the character growth. Alexander grows from a rash teenager, to one of America’s Founding Fathers, to a man whose life has crashed down around him. Burr grows more impatient throughout the musical. Washington just gets more and more irritated (XD just kidding). Eliza changes from a lovestruck young woman to a heartbroken wife unsure of how to keep going.

The only major character who doesn’t really change is Jefferson. And that’s just fine.

This has nothing to do with this point. I just find it great.

Hamilton doesn’t shy away from showing the consequences of bad actions. Alexander does really, really stupid things throughout his life. He gets involved in multiple duels, one of which ends up killing his son. He cheats on his wife and tries to cover it up through any means necessary. And he openly admits to cheating on his wife by writing a HUGE PAMPHLET ABOUT IT AND RELEASING IT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. (I facepalm so hard during the Reynolds Pamphlet because GOSH HE’S AN IDIOT.)

But the musical SHOWS that these things had horrible consequences for Alexander’s life and the lives of those around him. It shows us that these things were wrong to do. And, leading in to the next point, it teaches some very important things in the process.

Excuse me while I yell at a historical figure now

Hamilton shows us that we need to think things through before we do them. So many of the problems Alexander goes through could have been solved if he didn’t just jump into them headfirst. I mean, come on. You really thought sending your son into a duel was a good idea? *sigh*

It also leads us to question what we’re doing in our lives. So many times we put off doing things and procrastinate. But Hamilton reminds us that we don’t know when we’re going to die, and we don’t know when others are going to die. We need to show love for others now. We need to actively start pursuing God now. And we can’t just say we’re going to change the world. We have to actually do it.

So we can’t throw away our shot.

It hurts me to put this GIF here. PHILIP :_(

I find stories are always more powerful if they’re true, and the same goes for musicals. Sure, Anastasia is moving in its own way, but it’s most definitely fiction. Wicked (which I don’t entirely agree with) has a powerful, inspiring friendship, but it’s fiction. Hamilton shows the consequences of actions and courage in war - and it does so by telling a true story.

Now, I’m not denoting that fiction is powerful. The stories that have changed my life the most are fiction. But it’s a different experience to look at such an incredible life story, like Hamilton’s, and think, “All this was actually true.” It’s crazy.

“The Room Where It Happens” is a particularly good song

I’m seriously not kidding. The last two tests of my U.S. History class were about Hamilton’s time - the first test basically covered Act I and the second one covered Act II. In fact, the second test’s material basically stopped after Hamilton’s death.

Did I really study for the tests?

No.

But did I listen to the musical while “studying”?

HECK YES I DID.

(It must be said here that I was also reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton at the time, and some of that material did correspond with the test material. That biography also helped me pass. But Hamilton did cover most of it.)

Also, if you tell your History teacher that you listen to Hamilton, you’ll either get extra points in her book - or she’ll think that you’re one of THOSE people. *shrugs*

My history teacher when she learned I now listen to Hamilton

LAFAYETTE IS THE BEST EVER.

Seriously. His song “Guns and Ships” is one of the most fun-to-sing songs on the entire soundtrack. (Don’t believe me? I rapped to it here.)

In addition, he’s one of the most interesting people of the Revolutionary War era. I read his biography, Lafayette, and found it really good. Highly recommended!

Immigrants. WE GET THE JOB DONE.

Content Warning: admittedly, there is quite a bit. I recommend listening to the clean version, as it censors most (but not all) profanity. Some reoccurring words were d***, f***, w****, s***, and h***. God’s name is taken in vain several times (but I really like how Alexander ends up turning back to God towards the end). A major part of the plot is that Alexander cheats on his wife. Drinking is mentioned in several scenes, and sex is mentioned in one or two songs. There’s also a few bad messages, but I think the good outweighs the bad in this case.

If you want a complete list of the content in each song, ask me down in the comments, and I’ll draft something up for you!

I also have a playlist on my Spotify that does not include the heart-wrenching songs or (some of) the most vulgar songs. (“A Winter’s Ball,” for instance, literally makes my blood curdle.) Here it is, if you’re interested.


Again, I really hope you at least try Hamilton. It’s definitely not for everyone, but as someone who doesn’t like rap music or bad language, I LOVE it.

Hope you guys have a great day!

-Nicole <3


*all GIFs from GIPHY

Happy Sunday!

So, apparently, June happened, and no one informed me. A few weeks ago, I looked at the calendar and realized it was the middle of June. I had thought that it was, like, June 4th or something. XD

But anyways, summer is halfway over, and with it, half the year. Kind of a depressing thought, so let’s move on from that and discuss some OTHER things!


The best thing about this month by far was that SCHOOL IS OVER. yes I am still excited about that. It’s such a relief to not worry about homework for an entire month. :D

And for the first time in months, I actually interacted with people in-person!! I met with some friends and, among other things, played some Sorry with them. (And my *cough* more competitive friends may have thrown around some threats, but it’s fine.) I also got to see some family members who I don’t see often, which was nice.

One of my favorite parts of the month was having Chick-fil-a twice in a week. That was nice. ;) we’re not going to discuss the amount of food from one Japanese restaurant I had in the same span of time


I’ve also been getting into writing letters! I’m not one of those “artsy pen-pal” people (though I wish I was XD), but it’s been fun just writing to friends who don’t live close to me. (The only problem was that I soon ran out of cool stationery and had to buy some more.)

And Masses started back up at our parish! I’m so glad we can go celebrate Mass at a physical church, instead of in a living room, watching a YouTube video without any music. :(

Star Wars. My family and I finished our rewatch of the original trilogy! It was such a burst of nostalgia to hear John Williams’ soundtracks and watch these characters again. Luke’s character arc in particular struck me as excellent (and I spent a full thirty minutes analyzing it after Return of the Jedi XD).

Also, excuse me for a rant here, but there is NO HECKING WAY the Emperor survived that fall. No. Way. He literally fell down a long shaft, into some sort of reactor, which then was exploded by Lando. Look, I can suspend my disbelief for Bucky’s resurrection in Captain America, but not for this one. *sigh*

Anyways.

I have a theory that the Emperor is just winging everything and just says this to be intimidating XD

I Love You So Mochi. This was, hands-down, one of the cutest contemporaries I’ve ever read. I really loved the Japanese setting, and the romance was adorable! Although there were a few things I wish weren’t included, I still fangirl whenever I think about this story, and I wish there was a sequel.

Fullmetal Alchemist. After finishing Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood last month, it was only logical for me to watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist TV show. It’s definitely different from Brotherhood, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing yet. But I’m really appreciating the character arc of the main character, Ed. I kinda want to write a post about it, honestly.

*wants to hug him through the screen*

Attack on Titan’s first opening song. I haven’t TECHNICALLY watched Attack on Titan yet, but I HAVE listened to Guren No Yumiya at least ten times. It’s SO EPIC, guys. (And you can bet that as soon as I finish FMA I will be watching this show. I am PUMPED.)

I would mention TwoSetViolin’s lofi being added on Spotify after a month of waiting, but I think you guys are sick of me mentioning them

Writing, you ask?

It’s going FANTASTICALLY.

I can’t say much more than that, except for that Project Chaos is going along just fine! I mean, I’ve already killed off one innocent cinnamon roll chara- I mean, *cough* all my characters are staying safe and healthy.

Also, I wrote 6000 words in one day. Don’t ask me how, because I have no clue.

Here are the posts I did this month, in case you missed them:


I took a commenting semi-hiatus due to Life Things, which is why I’ve been so late, both commenting on blogs and replying on this one. And I'm not quite caught up yet, so bear with me. I'm getting there, I promise.

Meanwhile, the blogosphere has been EXPLODING. This has been such a hectic month, but I’ll do my best to cover the highlights.

Bethany @ Scribbled Fiction gave some tips on avoiding procrastination which I desperately need. :D

Emily @ The Ones that Really Matter discussed finding peace in this crazy world. Everyone needs to read this post. <3 <3 <3

Ribbon Ash talked about some “writer’s obsessions” she has, which was fascinating! (Now I want to write a post about my own obsessions. XD)

Hanne @ Losing the Busyness started a YouTube channel! So far, she’s posted super-aesthetic journaling and pen-palling videos, and if you’re into that, I highly recommend checking it out!

Megan @ The Pen and the Cross posted about the Catholic liturgy, and if you’re going to write Catholic characters or just want to know more about the faith, I suggest you head over there! (She’s also organizing a Catholic Liturgy Week with Samantha, which is going to be EPIC.)

And let’s not even mention the fact that some more bloggers are publishing this year!!! Lia’s poetry collection and Sarah and Julian’s pirate novel are just a few.

————————————————————————

Things seem to be looking up for 2020, with all those releases. July is also going to bring some awesome things, like the Hamilfilm on Disney+! *shrieks forever*

Everything is changing again, hopefully for the better. But don’t forget to stop and take a deep breath. Because if July goes by as quickly as June, you might miss it if you blink. ;)

-Nicole <3

Happy Sunday!

Welcome back to another episode of Nicole Does Yet Another Dead Tag And Hopes It’s Entertaining. XD Today’s feature is the Fictional Vacation/Would You Rather tag, which I was tagged for by Melody. :D

Since it’s the middle of summer and vacation plans are going strong, why not consider some fictional locations? ;) There’s less travel time involved, although these places are a little less immersive and don’t have photo ops.

Oh well, it’ll probably be worth it. XD

The Rules:

Include the graphic Madeline made. Check! (Also, I had no idea Madeline made this tag! :D)

Answer the questions. We’re getting there. . . .

Tag some other people if you feel so inclined. I. Love. This. Rule.

Okay, let’s do this thing.

WOULD YOU RATHER . . .

*sigh* we’re starting off with probably the hardest question of the entire tag. Go figure. XD

Honestly, I’d rather go to Hogwarts. I have nothing against Camp Half-Blood, but I’m physically weak, and I’d probably die after a day at Camp. Hogwarts, however, is very academics-based, not so much physically-based, and I’d have a lot more fun.

Also. Hogwarts has a library. That alone has me sold.



Never mind, THIS is the hardest question.

If you’re going to make me pick, I’d say Middle-earth. Yes, I would probably die early on, but at least I would die happy in one of my favorite fictional universes of all time.

Narnia would definitely be a lot safer, and it would satisfy the whimsical part of my soul! However, I think I’d do a horrible job as queen of Narnia, due to my indecisive nature. XD And to be honest, I don’t have that nostalgic connection to Narnia that most people have.

So don’t mind me as I just live out my after-questing days in the Shire. XD assuming I survive



If the Mad Hatter is the Sebastian Stan version, then MAD HATTER ALL THE WAY. XD Despite the fact that I’ve never seen Once Upon a Time, if Sebastian Stan plays him, I’m sure it’s an excellent character. ;)

If it’s anyone else’s adaptation of the Mad Hatter, than I’d much rather go to Neverland, please and thank you. Flying with Peter sounds really fun, and Neverland in general is such a cool place. :D

(I’d probably throw up while flying, but that is beside the point.)



Um. Neither???? XD

I’ve seen a few Jumanji movies, and not even the video game concept would be enough to drag me into that world. *has traumatic flashbacks to the original movie*

I think I’d be less likely to die at a party in Panem, so I’d rather go there. Plus, I’m assuming the party will have food. If all else fails, I’ll just stay in the corner by the food and refuse to talk to anyone. XD



DID SOMEONE MENTION CHOCOLATE?????? *raids the factory*

Yes, the food in that factory probably has bad consequences. BUT if I just stick to the legit chocolate that is sold to the general public, I should be fine. ;)

Yes, I really did just pick the creepy dude’s factory over a perfectly sweet outing in the woods because of chocolate.



So . . . I haven’t seen either of these movies.

*crickets*

I’ll just pick Atlantis, because (a) underwater cities are always cool, and (b) it could be the Atlantis of KOTLC, in which case I am SOLD.

Also, gold-hunting is really not my thing. I can barely find the notebook I put down ten seconds ago - how do you expect me to find gold???



NOT OZ. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE. As much as I love Wicked, I HATE THAT WORLD. SO MUCH.

Even though I haven’t seen Merlin (though it’s on my list!), I think Camelot would be a really cool place to visit! It sounds really magical, and there are knights, and I’ve always loved the stories of King Arthur. :D



Ummmm, from what I remember of Inkworld, I don’t think I’d want to go to that world. Sorry. XD

Fantastica is from the Neverending Story, right? Isn’t there a cool dragon who guides the main character? Somebody please confirm this. I’ll go with Fantastica, based on that very limited knowledge. ;)

THE TAGGED:

So technically this wasn’t required BUT I still think Christine and Samantha should do this tag! And if you want to steal it, go right ahead - I haven’t seen too many people do it, and I want to know where your next fictional destination will be!

Of course, we all know that I’d go to the world of ATLA if given the chance, but shhhhh

-Nicole <3

Happy Sunday!

Today, I’m bringing the analysis of Your Lie in April that nobody asked for, but I kept promising anyways. XD I struggled for a looooong time on what to discuss - there’s a lot I could talk about, from Kousei’s internal conflict (which I LOVE) to the *cough* ending *cough*.

But all of those are either depressing or way too spoiler-y. look, if someone says this anime is happy, they are lying to you

And I want to discuss something I sometimes see in a character tropes or archetypes list: the manic pixie dream girl.


First and foremost, what is a manic pixie dream girl?

Basically, a manic pixie dream girl (can we just call it MPDG for the rest of this post?) is a character who exists solely to open up the eyes of a man. All their personality traits center around this one mission, and this is their only purpose in the story. They’re usually “quirky” and full of energy and life.

(I would give some examples, but I looked some up and I didn’t know any of them, so . . . yeah. XD Although I suppose that in a way, Glinda from Wicked is kind of a MPDG???)

The man who coined the term, Nathan Rabin, described it as existing “solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” Source

I think you can probably see why people don’t like this character trope. Characters that exist solely for the main character’s benefit, with no motivation or desires of their own, don’t feel real, and they come across as annoying or stupid.

But I’m going to make a case FOR the MPDG - I think that, like most tropes, if you do it correctly, it can make for a really interesting character. XD

In short: I think to have a successful MPDG-type character, you have to make them just like any other character. Give them their own desires, fears, misbeliefs, motivations, and personality beyond “helping the male protagonist.”

I’m sure that was a mind-blowing concept to everyone. XD

And I think Kaori Mizayono is a perfect example of a MPDG done right.

(In case you haven’t seen the show, here’s a warning of MAJOR SPOILERS for THE FINAL EPISODE. If you have ANY intentions of watching the show, you need to click off now. Thank you for reading! <3)

...

...

...

...

All right, I know you haven’t finished the show, but you are very brave to continue on. I’m not holding anything back.

Here we go.


At first glance, Kaori seems like a typical MPDG. She’s quirky in nearly every sense of the word. She does strange things to live life to the fullest, and she DEFINITELY shoves our main character Kousei out of his monochrome world. Some examples:

• Jumping off a bridge because she wanted to try it and convincing Kousei to follow her (the bridge wasn’t too high up, don’t worry)
• Setting off fireworks on top of the school (??? I think it was on top of the school, anyways???)
• Pestering Kousei to be her accompanist for days, which involved taping sheet music on his locker, piano, textbooks, and every other available surface
• Chasing after a cat for the first minute or so of the show

Happy Sunday!


You know, I really don’t think I have to explain the current state of America and social media right now. You know what’s going on. You’ve seen the links and lists of ways to help.

And if you’re like me, this has all been really overwhelming. So much is happening so fast.

But I think that, in this rush to do everything possible to support our black brothers and sisters, we’re forgetting one of the most important things to do to enact change.

Pray.

As a Catholic, I firmly believe that prayer can change hearts and lives. It’s a direct plea to our God and Father, asking Him to help right wrongs and heal brokenness. It allows us to grow in our relationship with Him. And I do believe that He listens and answers every single one of them, even if it’s not in the way we expect.

This year, we have more things to pray for than ever - especially right now.

Yet whenever I see people discuss the protests and #blacklivesmatter movement, and they spell out ways we can all help, prayer is never one of them.

I’m not saying that the steps they give are irrelevant - far from it! Actively taking steps against racism through speaking out and supporting others is fantastic.

But at the end of the day, there’s only so much we as humans can do. It’s a sad truth that sin IS in the world, and it will be until the end of the world.

There’s also a Savior who died for our sins against the dignity of human life, and he IS listening.

So please. No matter what else you do, pray.

Pray for an end to racism.
Pray for an end to senseless violence.
Pray for the day when everyone, regardless of race, can stand side-by-side and not feel afraid of discrimination.
And pray for all of us, that we can work hard to recognize the value of each and every unique human life.

Lord, please, heal our nation, and heal our world.

-Nicole <3