K-Pop: ATEEZ on Tour And BTS in the Clear

Promotional image of Kim Namjoon. Copyright goes to HYBE and BTS.

Hi! It’s Annie!

The last time I wrote a K-Pop news update wasn’t all that long ago, but there have been so many updates to what I wrote last time. Most are good to an extent, but some of which I really wasn’t expecting at all. I was really waiting to update until we heard anything about the ATEEZ tour, and I think some of the moves regarding that specifically have shocked everyone. But we also have gotten some more confirmation from BTS about exciting things and an update regarding their health that probably everyone knows about right now. This post will most likely mostly be about what I hope for when it comes to the ATEEZ concert that I will be attending in less than two weeks now. Which is absolutely insane. But I know that I missed so much BTS news and that deserves to be talked about as well. So with all that out of the way, I’m just going to get right into it!

BTS Updates:

First and foremost it is very important to note that BTS is now all clear from Covid. Yoongi, Namjoon, and Jin have all made full recoveries after minimal time quarantining, so it really was just a light case for them thanks to their vaccinations. Since then we’ve had absolute confirmation that BTS will be releasing an album this year. Many of us already figured that it was going to happen, but it’s nice to have more official confirmation. We have already seen both Namjoon and Hobi post photos on their respective Instagram accounts of them back in the studio. Though it seems as though Hobi is working on his own mixtape while Namjoon may or may not be working on the album itself. Namjoon could be working on his own mixtape and I would definitely cry if he surprise-released one. But I’m with most people in thinking that it’s probably more to do with the new album. In addition to all of that, we also got confirmation that BTS is back together after taking their vacation time. It’s unclear if their vacation is over or if they’re just getting together. I hope they still get some time to vacation! But many of them shared similar Instagram posts where they all could be heard in the background, confirming that they were spending some time together after all of the quarantining. It’s nice to know that they’re together again!

Another recent update is that the BTS webtoon, “7FATES: CHAKHO”, has been released. I’ve already read the first part and it’s more than I expected. I didn’t expect it to have a darker twist and I love that each of the members have weapons that match their old microphone colors. But Jungkook’s character has been trending because there was an implication from something, that his character might be gay. I don’t even know what exactly it was because it was so buried on Twitter by the time I got to it that I don’t think that most people knew what it was about. I think it had something to do with his character’s reaction to Namjoon’s character. (Me too, I’m still so happy that they gave Namjoon’s character canonical glasses!) #RESPECTJUNGKOOK started trending, and I, like many other people, thought that it was very stupid. It is not disrespecting Jungkook if you do something different with a character that is based off of him. The character is not him. It has never been implied to be an absolute one hundred percent adaptation of Jungkook. View it like acting. An actor is never completely represented in the character they portray. All of the time, they are absolutely different. This webtoon is set in a fantasy world where the boys are fighting demonic creatures. Do you see them fighting demonic creatures in real life? Exactly. Leave this alone. This isn’t disrespecting anyone. And if his character turns out to be gay, more power to him. Just don’t start assuming things about the real Jungkook if that happens because, once again, he is not his character.

ATEEZ Tour:

This tour has had my head spinning in so many directions that I have no idea what to make of anything anymore. Before their first few shows in Seoul to kick off the tour, many fans thought that they were going to just cancel because of the Covid spike that we’re seeing internationally right now. The show, however, went on without a hitch. It was a little odd considering that nobody could cheer at the concerts in Seoul, but everyone made the most of it! And it’s good that there were such protective measures in place! The idea before this turned out to be successful, was that if they cancelled the shows in Seoul then they would probably postpone the entire tour. And considering that the next legs of their tour required travel, many still though that this was the end of the tour for now and the rest would be postponed. Not long after the Seoul concerts though, ATEEZ announced the postponement of the European leg of their tour. All of which have dates that span between February and March, and most of them during the time when Covid is expected to see a little bit of a downturn. But the dates for the US tour, which are all in January and still during the spike, were not spoken about for a while. I think I can speak for most US fans when I say that every day I was expecting an announcement that the US tour would also be postponed. But then they made an announcement that they were flying to Chicago and this is the first day of their US tour, which did happen. I’m still not really trusting it. I’m still almost expecting a last minute cancellation, but now that they’re here I really hope they can travel safely and everything goes well without anyone getting sick.

I’m going to be as blunt as possible, for those of us going to the ATEEZ tour in the US, we have to be even more careful than we’ve been before. Possibly even for the BTS ‘Permission To Dance’ concert. Because the PTD concert took place before the spike and, though many fans travelled to see it which probably wasn’t smart then, at least the boys were quarantining and weren’t really traveling. When some of them travelled afterwards is when they got Covid, which was right at the beginning of the spike. I know ATEEZ is hotel quarantining in every location, but they are still traveling. And though there will be less fans traveling, it is more important than ever to keep everyone safe. Including each other. Now is NOT the time to be going to large events, out to big cities, or to any busy places. Now is the time to try and quarantine yourself as much as you possibly can before your concert date. Double mask, keep yourself safe. If you test positive, don’t go to the concert. I was personally hoping that ATEEZ would postpone for the safety of themselves and their fans, but I understand the decision to keep going. I am also very excited and impatient to see them. But it would have been much safer to try and postpone for late Spring or Summer when sicknesses in general are proven to go down. But that’s unfortunately not what’s happening. I’ve seen some people who are going to the concert in LA boast or post about going to giant events. Or some people who are planning to travel to LA from other parts of California or nearby states planning to do a list of things in the city while they’re here. I hate to be that person, but I wouldn’t recommend doing any of those things right now in general, especially not before the concert. It usually makes sense to do some of those things, especially if you’re on a trip. But the placement of this concert in the spike doesn’t really allow you to do any of those things safely. I would even strongly recommend double-masking at the concert itself.

I can’t speak for the venues in different states, but at least the one in LA requires you to be vaccinated and masked the entire time. If you can’t produce a vaccination then you must produce a negative Covid test within 48 hours of the concert. There will be other locations that don’t require some of this and just strongly encourage it. I think to go to this concert unvaccinated and not wearing your mask the entire time would be irresponsible. I wouldn’t even recommend taking your mask down for a picture. Please try and keep yourself and everyone around you as safe as possible. As excited as I am to see ATEEZ, I can’t say that the concert happening right now doesn’t make me a little nervous. I’m going to try and look on the bright side, but that depends on everyone being responsible and respectful of the artists and the people around them. And if the unthinkable happens and there’s some sort of an emergency that causes the concert to be postponed, please do not get angry that you won’t see them so soon. That should not be our first priority, everyone’s safety should be, and that also only means that safety precautions were put in place. Most people say that this spike won’t last very long. So if it gets postponed they will be back soon! Personally, I’m hoping that a decreasing spike might mean another BTS tour this year. But we’ll have to see!

Update: As of today because of the postponement and change of dates for the Monsta X concert, my sister and I will no longer be able to attend due to vacation plans we’ve had for months now. So unfortunately, we’ll have no post about that concert. But we still have the BTS concert post and, if everything goes to plan, we will have an ATEEZ concert post soon!

All I’m trying to say here is that we really need to keep our boys and each other safe! The concerts have already started and that’s an accomplishment in itself! But just because the US leg of the tour has started, doesn’t mean that the people hoping to attend their concert should drop their guard. We need to be vigilant. Let’s have fun but also keep each other safe at the same time. But seriously, all the worries and my general anxiety aside, I still have not registered the fact that Yunho is going to be in front of me. My brain is short-circuiting with this information.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

K-Pop: Oversexualization in K-Pop

Promotional image of the original Monsta X lineup. From left to right, Chae Hyungwon, Sohn Hyunwoo (Shownu), Yoo Kihyun, Im Changkyun (I.M), Lee Jooheon (Joohoney), Lee Minhyuk, and Lee Hoseok (Wonho). Copyright goes to Starship Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

Oversexualization is a term that gets thrown around a lot in K-Pop fandoms. Sometimes rightfully so and sometimes with no reason whatsoever. Though it doesn’t really ever go away, I’ve seen this word pop up a lot more often in recent days. Every once in a while ARMY will get into fights about oversexualizing Jimin and Jungkook specifically, which is starting to pop up again. This topic is complicated and there’s a lot of things to consider here. At the same time that a lot of groups, both girl and guy, market themselves partially off of attractiveness, at what point do fans start taking this whole thing too far? What is respectful and what is so disrespectful that it no longer acknowledges the idol as a human being? I’m going to dive into this for a ton of groups, not just BTS. And if the photo above is any indication, Monsta X will be a big part of this conversation. Let’s get into it!

What is Oversexualization?:

It seems kind of simple. Oversexualization is the act of aiming sexual content or comments at others to an inappropriate extent. In the K-Pop community, it most often takes the form of making content that’s sexual in nature featuring an idol, or making explicit comments about an idol, when that behavior is unprompted. The issue is deciding when that behavior is unprompted. As I said above, the K-Pop industry, as much as it might try to deny it, is run partly on looks alone. Attractiveness is a major aspect of choosing an idol for an idol group because it’s considered extremely marketable. As such, a lot of music videos and photoshoots use concepts most find attractive and rely on the fact that many people will be drawn to the idols as a result. So if idols and idol companies are inviting others to view them in a sexual way, when does oversexualization step in?

Oversexualization of Idols Against Their Wishes:

This one seems really obvious. If an idol tells you that they’re uncomfortable with certain explicit comments, don’t circulate explicit comments. But there are ways this can get a bit more complicated. Particularly when companies force their idols to adapt a suggestive look without their consent. Most girl groups have experienced this. Music videos that are intended to be cute end up not-so-cute because of the costumes the company chose, or companies shame girls who don’t seem sexy enough when they dance for “lacking self confidence”. These things run rampant through the industry and often times primarily affect minors. I mean, look how many girl groups start out their careers with either the school-girl or femme-fatale theming despite their ages. But yes, it’s simple to just say don’t oversexualize minors and move on, so here’s your warning that people can and do over oversexualize those who aren’t minors. Such as the group After School, who were forced by their company to do a pole dancing concept for a music video despite the fact that none of them agreed. What resulted was all of the women getting major injuries from trying to master a skill that takes years of practice in only a month. The moral of the story is, you can find members of K-Pop groups attractive, but if they don’t want that type of attention, don’t aim that type of content at them. Even if they are using suggestive themes for their work, if it’s not something they want themselves, they won’t want your sexual comments.

Oversexualization of Idols Who Don’t Invite It:

Above I listed the situations that are obvious examples of harmful oversexualization. I think most people would agree that oversexualizing idols against their will is disturbing in every situation. But this category starts to get trickier. In this category we have groups like BTS, where their general image is not tied to a “sexy” look, but they aren’t explicitly against it either. BTS has done more suggestive concepts. “Black Swan” and “Blood, Sweat & Tears” are great examples. They have also done photoshoots where they’ve played around with their self-confidence in both their personalities and their looks. So what counts as “oversexualization” here? To be honest, I think there are a few things people should consider when approaching comments that are sexual in nature towards groups like this. First, what is the content? If you’re posting something sexual in nature on a music video or concept that’s meant to be cute and endearing, you can probably count that as pretty uncalled for. When the idols do want to branch out and explore something sexier, It’s definitely alright, and may even be flattering, as long as you’re still being respectful. There’s a level of explicit that’s uncomfortable to everyone involved. Be sure your content or comments don’t reach this level. (Describing sexual acts in detail or dehumanizing an idol in any way is never appropriate.) It all comes down to making sure that you’re respecting the idol as a person first and foremost before saying anything. If it would make you uncomfortable, don’t say it to them.

Oversexualization of Idols Who Invite It:

Yes, this does exist. And this is where I bring in Monsta X. Monsta X has built a reputation for themselves off of breaking some cultural taboos by discussing sex in a lot of their songs. It isn’t the only thing they talk about, but they do base their image quite a bit on those themes in particular. Their concepts go along with a lot of “bad boy” imagery that goes very well with songs that break some societal norms and fall completely into the “sexy” category. You’ll also find some of the most strip-teases and thirst traps in K-Pop from some of these men. Shownu and former member Wonho in particular are known for these. The members help write songs, have some say in their general image, and take pride in what they do. So obviously, they’re inviting sexual comments. In that case, how is oversexualization possible? Simple. When fans forget the members are human beings. You can comment things that are sexual in nature all you like, but if all you have to say about the members are about their bodies, then you’re oversexualizing them. Be sure to note they’re people with lovable personalities as well. One of the things that irritates me the most with pictures of Shownu and Wonho in particular are the amount of people who crop their faces out of thirst traps and just keep an image of their bodies. Yes, they willingly post thirst traps and they have no problem with you making comments about their bodies. But cropping their faces out is an act of dehumanizing them. Whatever you do in any K-Pop fandom, never dehumanize idols. They are people just like us, not pieces of meat for you to fantasize over.

I hope this gives everyone a better idea of what oversexualization is and how to avoid it. I’ve said multiple times on this blog before that I’m asexual, and for me in particular, an excess of sexual comments does make me uncomfortable even when idols invite it. For that reason I did try my best to talk out my opinions with others and read other opinions to best navigate this situation. Overall though, I think this just comes down to critical thinking and respect. As long as you’re paying attention to context and you’re acknowledging the idols are their own people with thoughts and feelings, you should be fine. When in doubt though, be sure to do your own research on the idols you love. That way, you know if they’ve explicitly said how they want their fans to interact with them!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Book Adaptations: The Three Musketeers

Screenshot from ‘The Three Musketeers’ (1993) starring (from left) Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Charlie Sheen, and Chris O’Donnell. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I recently picked up ‘The Three Musketeers’ by Alexandre Dumas after not having read it since High School. I honestly don’t know why I haven’t picked it up since considering I liked it so much the first time I read it that I read it again not long after. But now it’s been years since I last read it, even though I liked it so much. Probably because I’ve reread more recent favorites more than this one since then. But waiting so long to reread was definitely a mistake, because I haven’t even read through all of it and I already love it! ‘The Three Musketeers’ is well known for its action, adventure, wicked sense of humor, and (most importantly) camaraderie. The best part of the book is the characters; specifically Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The want to make these characters come to life has spanned decades and several adaptations of the famous book. Specifically, three adaptations are the most popular and I’ve found to be the most talked about. All of them for very different reasons. So I will go through all three of these adaptations in detail and determine which of these is the best and which of these kind of missed the mark. SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

‘The Three Musketeers’ (1993):

I want to first mention that most versions of ‘The Three Musketeers’ take quite a lot of dramatic license. Which I completely understand, because the book is both very old and does go more into detail about things such as the gambling endeavors of the main characters. The stakes in the book are also often not as high as most film adaptations of the story would prefer. But really, the main point of the book is the camaraderie between the main four characters, so a good adaptation of especially the three and also of the camaraderie of all of them is what really makes an adaptation for me. And I have never seen the camaraderie between the group as well portrayed as it is in this adaptation. The sense of humor from the original book is present in spades in this movie, which means that all of the Musketeers participate in the back and forth bantering.

Athos- Most adaptations of ‘The Three Musketeers’ that I’ve seen often forget that Athos took just as much pleasure poking fun at people as his other companions. While Athos was wiser than his companions and less prone to flights of fancy, he was also just as witty and a known gambler. I don’t usually like to see portrayals of Athos where he spends most of his time brooding, because Athos sometimes broods but definitely does not spend most of his time brooding. And while I usually am not the biggest fan of Kiefer Sutherland, this is probably my favorite adaptation of Athos that I’ve ever seen. He’s wise, broods when he needs to, but also has fun with the others. He gives as good as he gets and he usually does it while laughing at something he or one of his companions said. Athos comes off as the leader he is without the creatives having him come across as humorless and brooding. This Athos is very warm and I love that about him!

Porthos- This is definitely a great adaptation of Porthos and the funniest that I’ve seen. Porthos in the book takes great joy in pretty much everything except for losing. And the way Porthos absolutely beams through every fight and every obstacle is a hilarious portrayal. Porthos in the books is described as being a dandy, meaning that he’s very cautious of the way he dresses and probably a little vain. Porthos’s vanity is rarely explored in adaptations, and it barely is here. But they do keep his vanity in the way he wants to look impressive to other people. But he’s mostly concerned with hilariously roasting people and faultlessly having everyone else’s backs. I laugh nearly every time he opens his mouth.

Aramis- Charlie Sheen is another person I am usually not the biggest fan of. Somehow, he makes Aramis extremely likable. Which is a miracle considering that I usually find his characters just as unlikeable as he is. Aramis is hilarious and a womanizer, but the pious nature of him is kept in tact while also making the former personality traits clear. Aramis is also more noble in this version than I had seen him before. He is always one of the first to be understanding towards someone else or lay down his life for the cause. I have always had a difficult time choosing which of the Musketeers is my favorite, but when it comes down to it I usually choose Aramis and this is no different. Aramis is charming, but to a likable degree, not just in flirtatiousness.

D’Artagnan- D’Artagnan is usually my least favorite of the four main characters, and this is no different. But I can’t say that it is all that different from the book. D’Artangnan is young, proud, and lacks wisdom. Though this version of D’Artagnan brings it to a bit of a new level. In the book, the other three eventually view him as an equal. This version of D’Artagnan never quite gets to that point. Though I’m not the biggest fan of him, he’s not all that different from his origins. Maybe just a little worse off.

My main gripes with this one is probably the lack of other Musketeers and the treatment of female characters. The Musketeers have been completely disbanded, and I like to see the camaraderie between the entire garrison. But I understand wanting to only focus on the four. The original material was also not very kind to women, but I don’t think that means that a newer adaptation can’t try to make this better. In fact, I think a newer adaptation should try to solve that problem. All that aside, this is a comfort movie for me and my favorite adaptation of the classic novel.

‘The Three Musketeers’ (2011):

This version of the story is by far the most ridiculous I have ever seen. Have you ever wanted to see an overly fantasized version of this story with flying ships and odd steampunk aspects? No? Neither did I. Especially because it doesn’t actually commit to it, it just kind of shoehorns it in. And the villain off this story is, oddly, Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham. Even though the Duke is usually a pretty small character and using him doesn’t tackle the original theme of fighting corruption within France that is usually prevalent throughout every other version. The camaraderie is also often not focused on in favor of action and other drama. Which pretty well ruins the entire point of the characters, but I’ll go through them anyways.

Athos- I can’t say that this adaptation focuses much on any character. Especially if they aren’t D’Artagnan. Athos in this version is pretty broody until he finally accepts D’Artagnan at the very end, which is an odd way to show brotherhood. While I absolutely love Matthew Macfayden, this one isn’t very kind to the lighthearted side of Athos that I love so much. I’m not a huge fan of how much this character obsesses over his past and neglects his current friends.

Porthos- Hilarious as usual, but probably one of the least focused on. He’s a giant and a charmer, but nothing much more than that. At least he comes with some of the banter that I missed.

Aramis- The nobility and the humor still comes across. At least Porthos and Aramis feel like friends here. But I wanted to see so much more of my favorite Musketeer. And I feel like I got him the least of any of the Musketeers

D’Artagnan- This D’Artagnan is actually a charming one. His pride stays in tact while also being likable. But my favorite part of this character is usually how his relationship with the other Musketeers develops. This pits D’Artagnan as the only main character, and his character doesn’t learn if he doesn’t have others to learn from.

There’s not a lot of nice things I can say about this adaptation. I liked the actors, the cast was amazing, but it seems to me like they were barely used. And, once again, all female characters are pushed to the side. Not to mention the absolute absurdity of almost every plot point. This movie is unfaithful to the original in almost every aspect and it doesn’t really pay off.

‘The Musketeers’ (2014-2016):

This was a series that aired on the BBC for three seasons and featured an amazing cast including Santiago Cabrera as Aramis. I am extremely biased here because I love ‘Merlin’ so much. This version of the story bases it’s entire existence on the fact that the four main characters are so lively and so important that they can be put into any storyline and they work. While this is not a perfect adaptation, it does try and treat its characters with love. It sometimes succeeds, especially in the first season of the show. And it certainly is packed with enough action and sword fighting to keep anyone entertained. This also has a different take on each of the Musketeers, some of which really work and some of which don’t. But in a way, this is also one of the most faithful adaptations I’ve seen to the book. Especially with it keeping the entire garrison of Musketeers including the Captain.

Athos- He is my least favorite character of the four main. He spends most of his time brooding until the final season where he seems to pick up some wisdom somewhere. But the brooding is his only character trait for far too long. Usually it is difficult for me to choose between the Musketeers, but the nobility of Athos is so barely there that sometimes I couldn’t even see the origins of the character. I just wish he also had a lighthearted side to him, because this version of Athos doesn’t seem to. I don’t hate him, but this version of Athos needed far more humor and wisdom. I like him much better once they put Sylvie into his life.

Porthos- I actually very much like what they did with Porthos in the way of honoring Alexandre Dumas. Many people don’t know that Alexandre Dumas was of mixed race, and his mother was a slave. Dumas was very against slavery because of it and often did not try to hide who he was. Porthos was cast to be the same and is given several storylines against slavery, which is something I was very happy to see within the story itself. His brotherhood with Aramis and eventually D’Artagnan is adorable and this adaptation of Porthos is just downright huggable.

Aramis- Can you get any better than Santiago Cabrera as Aramis? Probably not. This version of Aramis does not start out as a man of God, but his faith is built as the seasons go on. Which actually made for a very interesting depiction. Seeing his faith grow gives Aramis so much time to become the noble man we all expect, and I loved that development. I also found it interesting that they paired him off with the Queen. In the book Aramis’s mistress is actually the banished best friend of the Queen, so I didn’t find this as much of a stretch. But his learning to take on responsibility after that as well as his overwhelming charm makes him a character you can’t tear your eyes away from. Aramis was my favorite in this series.

D’Artagnan- Never before this have I seen D’Artagnan be the voice of reason. Ever. But I kind of like it. As I’ve said, D’Artagnan has never been one of my favorite characters, but he is here. He is still proud and runs headfirst into a fight, but he also knows when to take a step back and be more tactical. When someone is over-emotional it’s actually him rather than Athos that is usually the voice of reason. And his immense respect for every character in the show despite their status sets him apart. I wish I could see more depictions of this character this likable, but preferably not as much like what Athos should have been.

This show is by far the best I’ve seen for female characters. The Queen often takes care of herself, Constance becomes a badass in every fight, and eventually they also bring along Sylvie. A Black woman who becomes a strong point in the show as well. I’ve been waiting for an adaptation to portray women so well and I’m glad one finally did. They even talk about the unfairness of the way women were treated at the time. Though this show doesn’t go off of much of the original plot, it feels more like a spinoff using the characters. And I can get behind that. Especially because of the camaraderie between Porthos, Aramis, D’Artagnan and sometimes Athos. But the show could be better at establishing them as a group and the second season in particular is not good.

If you haven’t picked up ‘The Three Musketeers’ in a while, I would highly recommend it. It’s hilarious. And maybe check out one of the adaptations I mentioned! Some of them are really good and worth watching! I always love a good fantasy story with plenty of action for escapism and this is exactly that. I hope some of these suggestions have proven useful!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Star Wars: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ So Far

Screenshot of Temuera Morrison as Boba Fett in episode one of ‘The Book of Boba Fett’. Copyright goes to Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios.

Hey! Hallie here!

So I’ve been pretty radio silent on ‘The Book of Boba Fett’, a series I have fully intended to cover since its announcement. I’ve really liked Boba Fett for about as long as I’ve liked Star Wars. While it has always been true that he wasn’t focused on enough to have much personality, his armor has one of the best designs in the entire series and he was the audience’s main introduction to the interesting concept of bounty hunters in Star Wars. And honestly, the mystery really worked for Boba Fett. His menacing voice made him so intimidating and his presence was so intriguing that no personality was really needed to acknowledge how cool of a character he was. But, of course, curiosity only made fans, and me, want more. When Boba Fett appeared in ‘The Mandalorian’ I was thrilled. It was such a badass way to set up a solo show for him. So why haven’t I been gushing about ‘The Book of Boba Fett’? Well, because I’m not that big of a fan. For now I continue to hold out hope that this series will grab me in its remaining four episodes, but let’s talk about what I’m not liking here so far. SPOILERS ahead!

Episode 1:

Episode one had a great setup. The show jumped immediately into Boba Fett’s attempts to take over the position Jabba the Hutt once held, making it clear that though some are intimidated, Boba Fett hasn’t proven his power to Mos Espa yet. Making it even more difficult, the Mayor of Mos Espa outright refuses to honor Boba Fett as the Daimyo, or the new crime lord in town. This is just the type of introduction I wanted from this series. I wanted to see Boba Fett prove himself a more capable crime lord than Jabba ever was, and for him to do that, he needs to come up against opposition. However, in this episode we also see the beginning of a very confusing plot element. Boba Fett wants to rule with respect rather than fear, but his means of doing this seems to just be to act as the people pleaser. Whenever Fennec Shand warns him that he will have to make some sort of example to prove his position as the new Daimyo, he brushes her off for being harsh. And look, I understand that he wants to be noble, but he’s still a crime lord. I don’t know how anyone can take him seriously as a crime lord when all he does is play into the mayor’s ego by going to him while Shand and Jabba’s former men fend off attacks better than he does. Between this storyline we get tons of flashbacks. So many flashbacks. I did like seeing Boba Fett escape the Sarlacc pit, but the entire storyline where he was captured by the Tusken Raiders and slowly earned their trust really slowed down the story. I’m not a fan of prolonged flashbacks because I feel they often slow down the plot, but they can be used well if they tie into what’s occurring in present time. But these flashbacks don’t. It feels disjointed and boring, and this episode didn’t do a good job of making me interested in Boba Fett overall as a character.

Episode 2:

This is the episode where I slowly began to realize that the flashbacks are just as much the main plot as the present day story. And let me just say, as someone who doesn’t generally like flashback storytelling, it really rubbed me the wrong way. For the present day storyline Boba finally gets in contact with the mayor to make some threats that seem pretty empty as of now considering Boba Fett’s current respect level, and then he himself gets threatened by two of the Hutts and a badass looking Wookie. Otherwise, this whole episode is dedicated to that one time Boba Fett saved the Tusken Raiders from a murder train. It’s a very western storyline, but once again, the show doesn’t give us much reason to care. Nor does it tie in to anything that’s happening in the present. After a few of the Tusken Raiders die, Boba decides to steal a bunch of speeders to teach the Raiders how to ride them. Once he deems them ready, they take on the Pykes in control of the train, and in doing so, manage to gather some water. As thanks, the Tusken Raiders let a lizard crawl up Boba’s nose for what is akin to a drug trip, and then give him some cool new clothes. I like that the characterization of the Tusken Raiders in the show is influenced by Indigenous communities, but I don’t love how out of left field every aspect of their storyline is. The only thing we get out of this whole episode is the Pykes, who are a group set to play a bigger role in this series. Hopefully they fare better than the Hutts. I’ll explain in a moment.

Episode 3:

The cold open consists of a very smarmy seeming man coming to Boba Fett to ask for help with a few teenagers who have been stealing his wares. Which is just water. He’s selling overpriced water. Boba Fett accepts despite the fact that the request is obviously ridiculous and Fennec Shand rightfully thinks he should brush it off. Boba Fett then finds some edgy teens in a back alley whose designs are completely different from literally everything else in the area, tells them all to get jobs, and then offers them jobs when they say they have none. The whole concept was so amusing that I was giggling through the whole thing. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? No idea. I don’t think it was what they were going for, though. This episode finally takes more of a stand in modern day. All it really establishes with a short flashback is that Boba Fett found the Tusken Raider camp he had joined destroyed with the inhabitants likely all killed. After this flashback though, the Wookie returns to try to kill Boba Fett. And once again, Boba Fett needs help to fend off the attack. This time, the teens (and Fennec Shand) manage to take down the Wookie. Why they fare in hand-to-hand combat better than Boba Fett is beyond me, but they do. After this, Boba Fett has a meet up with the Hutts, who gift him with the cool Wookie, a Rancor, and Danny Trejo! Yay! They also tell him they give up and are done threatening him. So much for that plot line. All Boba Fett really has to worry about now is the mayor. But when they go to see him, the Twi’lek working for him lies that the mayor is busy and makes a run for it. Here we get to see the teens take on another one of Boba’s foes, this time in speeders that look like Power Rangers motorcycles. Turns out the mayor is working with the Pykes. I genuinely hope the Pykes manage to pull some story elements together. But overall, this episode felt ridiculous.

Though I do enjoy joking around about how much I’ve disliked this show so far, I don’t want to dislike it by any means. I really want to like ‘The Book of Boba Fett’. I have so much respect for Temuera Morrison and I want to see him do more with ‘Boba Fett’. I love Ming-Na Wen and Fennec Shand is quickly becoming my favorite character in this series, she just needs more screen time. I love the creature design in this show and I still adore the concept. It’s just the execution that’s disappointing me. I hope that this show completely blows me away with the last four episodes. But as of now, I can honestly say I like ‘The Bad Batch’ better. And if you know my opinion on that show, that isn’t a very glowing review.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Comfort Entertainment: ‘Victorious’ and Theatre Arts

Screenshot of Avan Jogia in ‘Victorious’. Copyright goes to Nickelodeon.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Lately, a video completely analyzing the Nickelodeon show ‘Victorious’ has been making its rounds on Youtube. And while the video is five hours and I couldn’t possibly watch all of it, I did watch some of it and reminisce on the show. Because this used to be one of my absolute favorite shows to watch. This is the show I probably watched the most other than ‘Power Rangers’ and I desperately wanted to get into performing arts and have this community because the show draws you in so much with the school itself. So, that’s exactly what I did. I think I’ve mentioned that I was deeply entrenched in a Theatre Arts program before on this blog. So the trending Youtube video kind of made me want to go back and look at how the show portrayed Theatre Arts as a whole, and which of these characters would actually succeed in a Theatre Arts program. Now that I actually have the experience to get all the references the show threw at us as kids, I couldn’t not talk about it! So I’m going to go character by character and talk about the way these characters interact with the Arts and whether or not they would actually succeed at Hollywood Arts. (Please note that I have a college perspective on this and not necessarily a High School one, but I do know some things about lower grade Arts programs from my experiences.)

Tori Vega:

It’s difficult to not start with the main character of the show. Tori Vega initially starts out the show with no performing experience, but a great singing voice despite that. When she has to take over for her talentless sister Trina, the school sees her talent and offers her a place in the school. Which I guess makes sense after her performance. I just have no idea why the show let go of the music classes, which we know are there, to only focus on acting classes. When Tori first tries acting she’s kind of thrown into an improv scene, which I can’t blame her for, and breaks a bunch of rules of improv. Like, not going with the flow of the scene and directly addressing the audience watching her. But Sikowitz in this instance should have let Tori watch a couple of scenes before trying to tackle it herself without knowing any basic rules of improv. But, as we all know, Sikowitz is crazy. Still, Tori gets blatantly bullied in that class and I don’t blame her for wanting to quit. Especially because acting is not what she came to do. As we get more into it, Tori’s role at the school becomes even more confusing. Usually students in any Arts program have to pick an emphasis, but Tori is continuously doing concert performances at the school and consistently getting cast as the lead in plays and musicals. I want to mention here that singing for musicals and singing for Pop performances is an altogether different form of singing and the show never really acknowledges this. In fact, every time Tori gets the lead in a musical she seems to sing directly to the audience and sing in her usual Pop style, both of which are usually not present in musicals. The one thing I will give Tori, is I thought the use of “The Bird Scene” was pretty clever. In most Arts programs you have to go through juries; in my program that meant we had to perform a scene in front of all the professors in the department in order to determine if we would move up in the program. Usually, you didn’t get cast in main stage shows unless you had passed juries or already had other theatre experience. While juries is not used to teach a moral lesson, it can help you learn to be more confident in your acting. So I liked this addition. But, over-all, it seems like Tori gets a lot of preferential treatment that realistically would not be given in Arts programs. She probably needs to choose between her Pop-Star dream and her actress dream. She can take classes on both, but she shouldn’t be performing to this degree in both. It shifts her away from her goals too much.

Andre Harris:

Andre can suffer from some of the same things Tori does, but to a lesser degree. Andre is not cast as leads as much as Tori is and talks about taking music classes far more than Tori does. So here we see a more realistic balance of what would actually happen, though still not completely consistent. But Andre is doing a lot more of the tasks you would think Tori should also be doing considering her focus is on a singing career. Tori never writes her own music and instead constantly asks Andre to help her, which is something that Tori would probably be forced to do herself if she was actually taking more singing related classes. Ideally, Tori should not just know how to perform as a singer. In a program like this, she should also know how to write her own songs. I know that Andre wants to be a songwriter, so he would have more experience with that, but Tori doesn’t seem to know anything about what she claims her goals are, other than the singing part. Which would be fine, if she wasn’t going to a school where she should be taking classes that assist with this stuff. Andre learns to play various instruments, sings, and writes songs. Andre would probably be following a similar track to Tori, so it is interesting that the school prefers Tori when Andre seems to be doing so much better at this track. Music majors and Theatre majors are often split up, even in fully integrated departments. Andre demonstrates this while still being involved and he’s definitely one of the most chill of the group to be around. I’d definitely hang out with Andre.

Jade West:

I see her potential for this program. She has a deep love of horror movies and she does her own writing and directing as well as having a passion for acting. But I still can’t see how Jade would survive in an acting program. Going back to the first episode, Jade immediately calls out Tori for not following improv rules. But she repeatedly breaks some herself. For example, in most Arts programs you are never allowed to call (or end) your own scene. You can gain a reputation amongst the teachers for that and then you have much less of a chance of being cast in shows. Even small things like that can be seen as big forms of disrespect. So Jade interrupting the scene to complain to Sikowitz is a huge no-no. Not to mention that she bullies Tori and pours someone’s coffee over her. Not only are you usually not allowed to use props in improv, but taking coffee away from a theatre student on a bad day might cause a rampage. Bullying is everywhere, but bullying to that degree in an Arts program gives you a reputation that it would be difficult to break away from. As soon as Jade makes herself known as too much drama, she can still take the classes but she’ll never be cast as a lead or in anything substantial. If she does survive the lack of casting, it will be because the teachers cast her in some small background role in order for her to get enough needed credits to graduate. And I can’t see how she and Beck are still together considering their conflicting morals and the fact that neither of them seem to like the relationship the way it is. Beck deserves better. (Not Tori.)

Beck Oliver:

He is by far the most talented actor that we see in the show, and that’s because that’s what he focuses on. For me, Beck feels like the most realistic character in the combination of where his talents are and the classes that he takes. Beck only focuses on acting, and you never really see him jump too far into the Pop performance or strict musicality role. He’s an actor, that’s what he does. But he also learns the entire scope of things and you see him pull his talents from his acting emphasis on various occasions. Like working backstage, writing his own one act plays, and also directing. More than anyone else, Beck also auditions for things outside of the school and is consistently trusted by the teachers to star in productions. Beck does what he does and he perfects it. He’s good at it instead of the writing from the show spreading him far too thin. I also want to talk about Avan Jogia playing this role, because he was one of the best actors on the show and I don’t think any other actor could have made Beck that effortlessly laid back and cool. Beck feels real, and he’s also one of those characters that you just wish that you knew so that you could hang out with him. Beck just needs someone who actually feels like they care about him. He also constantly complains about his relationship for comedy, but I don’t view that as funny, so I am very confused at his relationship with Jade. Besides that, Beck is the type of calm laid back actor that every professor (and student) would love.

Cat Valentine:

Cat confuses me, just like she confuses pretty much all of her friends. Cat performs and she acts, but she never seems to commit to anything in particular. She generally doesn’t get any substantial roles in plays nor does she try for them. When someone is trying to get a leading role in a show, it’s usually Tori and Jade. Cat also performs, but she’s always a background singer and she never talks about taking any music related classes. From what I can tell, it seems like she mostly acts. But she also never writes or directs anything. Cat’s more of a wild card, which makes sense for her character type but makes her very difficult to place. She definitely has the personality to be a Theatre student, but she’s sidelined so much in performance shots and she talks about class so little that I don’t know what she does. I think I’ve seen her work behind the scenes as a tech student just as much as I’ve seen her on stage. She could probably scrape by with the credits that she’s getting, but she wouldn’t be a premiere student. Even though she definitely has the talent to be one. And the show could do with infantilizing her less.

Robbie Shapiro:

Ventriloquism has aged out for the most part, but I understand that this was an effort to make a student who wanted to become a stand-up comedian. Except, this never really comes across. There aren’t really any classes that help with that at this school and Robbie only seems to take some acting classes and some tech classes. He once takes a required dance class which is absolutely realistic, but the ballet class is mostly men which is definitely not realistic. Despite not actually being a tech student, he has the record for a tech class final for some reason. This is then taken by Tori (who skips tech classes), which is even more unrealistic. Robbie also never expresses any interest in comedy nor does he ever perform stand-up comedy. I have no idea why Robbie even goes to the school and he probably confuses me even more than Cat. One of the only things Robbie does that is shown to be one of his interests is journalism. Which isn’t usually covered by this kind of an Arts school. I have no idea why he’s even in the school to begin with. At least Cat is shown doing activities for the arts. Also, Rex being “urban” is very racist and it shouldn’t be in the show.

Sinjin Van Cleef:

I’m glad that the show decided to actually focus on a tech student, but this is a pretty bad depiction. Tech students have just as much to offer and are just as important as performance students. In most Arts programs now, you are required to take tech classes in order to get a better understanding of the Theatre in itself and also to better understand and respect tech students. I liked that this show took time to show all of the major characters working backstage, because that’s something that everyone is now being required to learn in real Arts programs. But the fact that none of them are actually tech students, and Sinjin is the only one who really is, makes the representation of tech students in this show pretty insulting. They are all shown as being overly nerdy and creepy. I wish that one of the main characters had been a tech student, because tech students deserve to be treated as just as important as performers.

Trina Vega:

Nobody knows why she’s here. The fact that she’s even in the school is a running joke. It’s kind of pointless to talk about her when she’s supposed to be a mystery that never gets solved. But, needless to say, she would never make it into an Arts school realistically.

Mr. Sikowitz:

A lot of theatre teachers are a little bit crazy. Not this crazy, but he makes sense for Hollywood. He seems like a fun teacher to have, and most theatre students will connect with their favorite professor more than people in other majors or academics. So the students closeness with Sikowitz is both amazing and reminds me of my relationship with some of my professors. My biggest complaint with him, is that he teaches method acting as part of his curriculum. His curriculum includes necessities such as improv, acting challenges (though these usually don’t include the entire class), and scene work. In one episode Cat and Beck do a cop drama scene that, other than the unnecessary slapping, really reminded me of a scene that I had to do. But method acting has been proven to be dangerous and we are actually taught in most programs to never method act and make sure that we’re drawing a line between ourselves and our characters. Method acting is never helpful or useful and especially should not be taught to High School students. Other than this, Sikowitz seems like a funny and fun teacher to have.

So that’s it! Some of the details in this show are actually really accurate, and other details are there for more drama or to try and show the main characters doing more activities. But I love how this show exposed the Arts to kids in a more realistic way than what people usually see. The show even sometimes goes into how messed up Hollywood can be. And even though it sometimes isn’t perfect with facts, I love the escapism of the show enough for it to be entertaining. Even if some things, such as toxic relationships and the use of the word “urban”, definitely did not age well.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Theme Parks: Anticipating ‘Super Nintendo World’ Hollywood Opening

Screenshot of Mario from the official ‘Super Nintendo World’ Japan teaser. Copyright goes to Universal Studios and Nintendo.

Hey! Hallie here!

Now that it’s the beginning of January, I’m really starting to feel the anticipation building towards the opening of ‘Super Nintendo World’. ‘Super Nintendo World’ is set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood sometime this year, though Universal Studios is always pretty secretive about exact opening dates. The land opened early last year at Universal Studios Japan to some pretty glowing reviews, meaning Hollywood’s won’t be the first of its kind but will be something to look forward to. Given that the amount of space Universal Studios Hollywood has access to isn’t as large as the space ‘Super Nintendo World’ inhabits in Japan, it’s safe to say that we won’t see everything that Japan included in their land. But we’ve still been promised major attractions and scenery, plus some new characters to interact with. There’s so much we might get, so while you should be sure to keep your expectations in check, here’s what we might see when ‘Super Nintendo World’ opens later this year.

Attractions:

Of the attractions available to experience at ‘Super Nintendo World’ in Japan, we know for certain that Hollywood will be getting a ‘Mario Kart’ attraction. This attraction is groundbreaking in that it marries practical animatronics and sets with Augmented Reality technology. Each rider is given a headset that provides the Augmented Reality experience, including virtual interactions with characters and obstacles, while they sit in a kart and race through multiple areas. This attraction is really the centerpiece of the land and it’s very clear a lot of work and care was put into it. Reviews for the ride have been mostly positive but not entirely so. Many have complained about the speed of the ride, which moves too slow for those expecting a racing ride similar to Disney’s ‘Radiator Springs Racers’. Apparently the ride is slower in order to give guests time to fully comprehend all of the physical and virtual events happening around them. However, given that the ride is partially delivered via headset, it’s really hard to tell what the experience will be like if you haven’t ridden the ride. So for now, we’ll just have to see what we think once the ride opens in Hollywood. The other major attraction in ‘Super Nintendo World’ is ‘Yoshi’s Adventure’. This ride is a slow ride that occurs around, and sometimes in, the major scenery surrounding the land. While there are some cute animatronics and sets made specifically for the attraction, the main purpose of it is letting guests get up close and personal with all the details put into the general scenery, as well as allowing guests an overhead view of the area. This ride would be nice to have, but there’s no word on whether or not it will be brought over to Hollywood. Though we might not have the room for it over here, I still have my fingers crossed!

Power-Up Bands:

Almost as anticipated as the rides are the Power-Up Band interactive experiences. Much like ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ has its wands, ‘Super Nintendo World’ has Power-Up Bands guests can purchase in stores around the park. These wristbands are themed after various ‘Super Mario’ characters and allow the guest to interact with multiple set pieces around ‘Super Nintendo World’. You can activate certain animatronics, enter into games, and hit blocks to gain points. All of it sounds like a ton of Mario nostalgic fun, but I would be somewhat cautious if the videos in Japan are getting you hyped up. If I were to guess, I’d say that good chunks of the areas Japan has dedicated to these Power-Up Bands will not be present in Hollywood. Similar to the way that Orlando has an entire underbelly in Diagon Alley that has more interactive sets for guest to use their wands in (Knockturn Alley), ‘Super Nintendo World’ in Japan has a whole underground area dedicated to the Power-Up Band experience. But frankly, similar to the way we don’t have room for Wizarding World extras, I don’t think we’ll have the room for some of it over in Hollywood. While I do think that there will be plenty of Power-Band experiences in Hollywood, I get the feeling that we’re going to have less areas to use them in. Still, based on what Japan has demonstrated, the Power-Up Bands look even more interactive than the wands are. I’m excited to see just how interactive all of it really is.

Extras:

There are plenty of other things to see and do throughout the park that we may or may not see. First let’s talk about characters. I can’t see a reason why there wouldn’t be characters given the fact that Universal tends to love their character meet and greets, so I am expecting to see Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad in the park. In Japan all of these characters have designated areas, including an entire gazebo for Peach. Some of those areas likely won’t be present in Hollywood, but I think the characters are enough. They’re cute, they speak, and their eyes and mouths move. Yeah. I can only hope they actually let us go up to meet them considering the pandemic precautions. As for the other places to visit in the park, I think it’s pretty safe to say we’ll get the 1-Up Factory as well as Kinopio’s Cafe. The 1-Up Factory is the major gift shop in ‘Super Nintendo World’. There isn’t much to talk about here since Universal Studios Hollywood is already getting merchandise for ‘Super Nintendo World’ and the main theming of this shop is just pipes, but I’m still excited for more Luigi merch. Kinopio’s Cafe is another story. The cafe is located in a giant mushroom and hosts cute mushroom decor, digital windows where Toads will stop to say hi, and animatronic power ups. Once again, we might see a downsize here, but I don’t think they’ll skip out entirely on this restaurant. As for the menu, I really can’t say. There are some pretty delicious looking burgers, cakes, pastas, and adorably themed drinks on the menu in Japan, but usually theme park menus change drastically from country to country. Lastly, we have no idea what major scenery pieces will be present in Hollywood. Bowser’s Castle is guaranteed given that it’s the facade for the ‘Mario Kart’ ride, and I will say that it’s already looking like a pipe will be the entry to the park, but Peach’s Castle might be too much to hope for. Either way, I’m sure they’ll make the most of the space they have.

That’s it! I stressed pretty often throughout this post that we will be seeing a much smaller ‘Super Nintendo World’ over here in California, but don’t let that dampen your excitement! Universal Studios has proven time and time again that they’re at the top of the theme park game when it comes to immersive lands. Their ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ lands have been some of the biggest successes in theme park history and fans from Japan have already said ‘Super Nintendo World’ is on par with them all. I’m not at all expecting Universal to skip out on that quality when it comes to the Hollywood park. If anything, I hope this post gave you some idea on what to expect while we anticipate the inevitable surprises in store for all of us!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Superheroes: Power Rangers- Kat and Kimberly

Screenshot of Catherine Sutherland in ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’. Copyright goes to Saban.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I’ve talked a little bit about Kat and Kimberly in my post about favorite ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ characters to wear the multi-colored suits. But this conversation is one of the most intense in an otherwise not-all-that-intense fandom. After all, ‘Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers’ has always been the more wholesome and lighthearted of the superhero shows. Unless you’re talking about the comics, of course. There are so many people who don’t like Kat and many others who feel as though Kat might have connected to them more than even Kimberly did. And with Kimberly having been in the series for so long, Kat’s appearance was met with a lot of pushback. Some of which still comes through today. So I’m going to talk about each character and why the transition from Kimberly to Kat probably made the situation worse for everyone.

Kimberly:

I’ve seen opinions on Kimberly change more and more as the years have gone on. And part of that is because of the changing conversations on women in superhero shows. Kimberly was a superhero herself. She wasn’t just a love interest. She kicked ass and she embraced her femininity through it as well. But Kimberly definitely wasn’t a perfect character either. She was often damselled, especially after Tommy came in, so that other characters could save her. The yellow rangers weren’t often damselled in this way, and though Kimberly got herself out of a fair few kidnappings, there were also times where she had to be saved. And the simple fact that it was always Kimberly who was the one kidnapped said enough. On top of this, each of the members of the original ‘Mighty Morphin’ team were initially introduced as giant stereotypes. And while all of them shed the stereotypes to various degrees, it is no secret that Kimberly shed the stereotype less than many of the others. Her stereotype was also one of the most harmful, with the typical valley girl persona and the constant jabs at how much she loved to shop. The show even made a point of saying several times that her favorite thing was shopping and that she did it every day. Kimberly had a lot of good qualities too, don’t get me wrong. Kimberly is shown to be very caring and sweet, often solving most problems having to do with empathy. She is also used to introduce audiences to more inclusive ways of thinking. But many people look back at her and don’t find her completely relatable. I have to admit to being one of those people. Because Kimberly is a typical media popular girl character, she can feel like a difficult role model to live up to or completely relate to. But she was the original badass and kind pink ranger, and I think that’s still a huge accomplishment.

Kat:

Kat’s introduction was actually really smart and one of my favorite introductions to a new ranger. We already had the introduction of Tommy as an evil ranger, and I don’t necessarily think that we needed that again. But that wasn’t necessarily the introduction of Kat. She was a spy sent by Rita who not always took the form of an actual human and it was actually her saving Kimberly that broke the spell. Meaning, her very first act was to save herself. And Kat’s run as a ranger featured virtually no damselling. In fact, Kat’s run featured the pink ranger taking more of a leadership position within the team. I wrote a little about Kat before, and I chose Kimberly over her in ‘Mighty Morphin’, but overall I found Kat to be more relatable. She was more introverted and soft spoken at first and slowly got used to the people around her. She was kind but nervous and she showed her femininity without having to shop every day to prove it. But her personal stories were where Kat really shined as a character. Though I don’t really recommend watching Turbo, Kat had an entire storyline that addressed things like body image insecurity. And Kat in Zeo took over most of the ranger duties while Tommy recovered from his break-up. Most of Kimberly’s storylines had to do with things like bad hair days, which were fine but often didn’t focus on as serious topics as the boys. The boys often had storylines revolving around things like working together and dealing with insecurities. But even though Kat got better character development in the end, it did take a while to get there. Especially with the rocky start of trying to force Kat in Kimberly’s old positions. They gave Kat ballet instead of gymnastics, but they really did force a relationship between Tommy and Kat. Eventually it was a relationship I came to like, but it was always unneeded. Jason David Frank said that he wished that the show would have focused on another male character for relationships, and I can’t help but think that would have been a better idea if they wanted another romance. They also immediately made Kat Aisha’s best friend because Kimberly was, even though they had no previous history. But Kat has always been relatable to me in a way that Kimberly never was. And I don’t think she deserved quite the hate that she got for replacing Kimberly. She did start out as more of a blank slate inserted into places she shouldn’t have been, but she really found her place in Zeo and she’s definitely one of my favorite overall pink rangers.

Second Ranger Syndrome:

Sometimes it can be difficult for second rangers in the ‘Mighty Morphin’ series to get recognition. As someone who has had Adam as one of my favorite Power Rangers since I was a kid, it felt odd when people wouldn’t acknowledge that there were any rangers not part of the original team. Adam arguably had one of the best character arcs, from insecure and unsure about who he was, to second in command and a potential leader. And he was also one of the most supportive rangers, as shown in the episode where he encouraged Tanya to break up with her unsupportive boyfriend and told her that she deserved to be treated better. (Can we have more men written like this, please?) Aisha and Rocky were also amazing characters who deserve more recognition. But Kat has been the only character to receive such a negative reaction for coming into the team, and I think that Kat was just as good as Kimberly. Part of that is because as the years went on the writers actually responded to complaints about stereotyping with character personalities and ranger colors (such as the initial accidental assigning of Trina and Zack’s ranger colors). Kimberly was such an amazing start, but I think we can also acknowledge the improvements in the writing, even if the writing changes weren’t always improvements. But that doesn’t mean that the second rangers are completely better than the originals, or that the originals are worse because the writing hadn’t caught up yet. Still, it was nice to see characters and character development that were less dragged down by the stereotyping that existed in the first season.

The first and second rangers are always compared. And I don’t necessarily mean to compare them because they all have their merits. But I think it’s ok to admit that the second rangers have their high points even if they didn’t start off the series. And Kat deserves to be seen in a positive light even if she did replace a fan favorite character. Because she became a fan favorite character herself. I love Kat and she needs recognition for all the important topics that her character covered and the steps she took for all female rangers after her.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Sci-Fi/ Superheroes: ‘Deep Space Nine’ Kira Nerys Appreciation Post

Nana Visitor as Kira Nerys in ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’. Copyright goes to Paramount Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

For those who aren’t aware, ‘Deep Space Nine’ turned 29 years old yesterday! I’ve talked a bit about my new found love of ‘Star Trek’ on this blog, but since that point I finally finished binge watching most of the seasons of Star Trek (Aside from the newest series which I haven’t had access to). And ‘Deep Space Nine’ remains to be my favorite Star Trek series of them all. It’s bold in its themes, does some of the best work I’ve seen at genuinely tackling diversity and societal issues, and deeply explores its characters in ways rarely seen. But to celebrate its most recent birthday, I want to highlight who has become one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Kira Nerys instantly blew me away with her strength and confidence the moment she first appeared on screen. She changed everything that I had expected from Star Trek up until that point, so of course, I can’t resist writing about all of the things I love about her. Let’s get into it!

Breaking Expectations:

Before ‘Deep Space Nine’ we didn’t have really any main female characters who didn’t fall into some major form of sexist tropes within their series. The original ‘Star Trek’ treated their female cast about the same as many series at the time did. Which is to say that they were pushed into the background and made to be damsels quite often. Thanks to Nichelle Nichols, Uhura proved herself to be much more outspoken and badass than many other women got to be during that time. But that didn’t mean Uhura was exempt from these tropes. Moving on to ‘Next Generation’, both Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden have been open about their opinion on the writing of their characters. Deanna Troi wasn’t given an official ranking until much later in the series while Beverley Crusher was absent for a hefty amount of episodes. Also their personal lives, including their interests and hobbies, weren’t well explored. Jump over to Kira Nerys and the progress made is extremely clear. For one, Kira was the first woman we saw take up a command position amongst the main cast. She was second in command, acting as Sisko’s “Number One” though slightly different given her loyalty to Bajor rather than to Star Fleet. She had a life outside of her job, and not just one that revolved around her love interests. She was majorly involved with the religion of Bajor, and many episodes explored her faith and the way that she expressed it in her daily life. She was also shown to be athletic and good at sports. On top of all of that, her past experience fighting in the war against the Cardassians impacted her life in major ways that she was shown privately working through. And yes, her screen time was well matched with her male costars. For the first time, ‘Star Trek’ committed to giving us a well developed female lead from episode one.

Her Personality:

Kira Nerys was heavily critiqued by some male viewers, and there’s a reason why that fact in particular makes the writers of ‘Deep Space Nine’ so proud. Kira Nerys wasn’t the compassionate mediator many women in Star Trek had been in the past. Though there isn’t anything explicitly wrong with the compassionate mediator, too many writers had defaulted to these characteristics in order to meet female stereotypes. Kira instantly subverted these tropes by being introduced with a prominent voice, strong views, and a clear temper. She was a resistance fighter and a leader, meaning she was unused to handling peaceful negotiations and diplomatic situations. In fact, her diplomatic duties tended to frustrate her. When someone offended her, she was quicker to throw a punch than to just let it go. When it came to defending her home and her culture, no one could have been more passionate than her. She didn’t let Sisko do whatever he wanted just because he was in command. She let her opinions be known in every situation. But she wasn’t argumentative just to be contrary. She was argumentative because she held a strong sense of justice that she was unwilling to compromise on. Over time she learned through empathy that compromise was possible, even towards those who she held grudges against, as proven by the many excellent Kira-centric episodes where she was faced with a Cardassian who was not what she initially expected. But this empathetic approach was never a replacement for her strength. It always remained, even when the character and the actress were pregnant, despite how many shows begin to treat their female characters gingerly once pregnancy comes up in the plot.

The ‘Captain Marvel’ Effect:

Too many times in media, we see someone attempt to write a female character that subverts tropes by simply writing them like they would write a man. This has most recently been brought up in conversations about ‘Captain Marvel’, where the character was able to demonstrate strength but was never allowed to explore the depths of her emotion. To be fair, no character should be written this way, it’s simply the way that many forms of media still choose to portray men. In any case, it isn’t true of Kira. Just because she demonstrated her strength through stubbornness and anger, which was and is more often seen as traits in male characters, didn’t mean she wasn’t given emotional depth. Despite struggling to use empathy to solve problems, Kira always had compassion. The first episode where she actually connected with a Cardassian on an emotional level was all the way back in season one. In the same season, she was challenged with making an elderly Bajoran man leave his house for his safety, and she initially stayed with him and protected him because she cared about his well being. Also in season one, her deep emotional connection to Kai Opaka was explored. Kira saw Kai Opaka as an important religious figure, to the point that she sobbed over her when she seemingly died and broke down crying when Opaka helped her discover a piece of her past trauma. Even in her relationships, Kira’s emotional vulnerability was explored without taking away her power. The most memorable moment this was shown occurred when Odo was dying right before the series finale. Garak, thinking that Kira didn’t know about it, attempted to inform her that Odo was hiding his bad condition from her. But Kira revealed that she’d known all along, and while she continued to hold herself together so Odo didn’t feel that she was pitying him, she also was allowed moments to break over the fact that this was the second romantic partner she might lose in only the span of a few years. All of this was explored in a genuine way that never portrayed her as weak, but still lent itself to giving her depth.

I could go on and on about how much I love Kira Nerys. If I’m being perfectly honest with myself, she’s probably my favorite character in all of Star Trek. She’s excellent female representation without really trying too hard. She’s likable without falling into any major tropes. She’s strong without any caveats. She isn’t even over-sexualized like we saw in ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ with Seven of Nine, despite the captain being a woman. My only issues come from the Mirror Universe version of Kira, and even that has its perks (Though one of them is admittedly that this version of Kira was only present in a handful of episodes). I love her and I hope that someday, she’ll return in much the same way other characters have returned in ‘Picard’. I can dream, can’t I? Happy Late Birthday, ‘Deep Space Nine’!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Book Adaptations: ‘Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts’

Screenshot of Emma Watson in ‘Harry Potter: Return to Hogwarts’. Copyright goes to Warner Bros. and HBO Max.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Well, I just cried after watching this and I definitely need to talk about it. Because I don’t think I’ve made a secret of how influential ‘Harry Potter’ has been to my life and this was everything I could have hoped for from a ‘Harry Potter’ reunion. Complete with very little say from She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This was all heartwarming reunions between actors who have grown up together and confessionals from directors who had all the inside information on each of the movies. This is the type of ‘Harry Potter’ content announcement that I wanted out of the twentieth anniversary rather than the possibility of ‘Cursed Child’. And obviously, it was everything I could have asked for and more. If you want to watch this for yourself before reading further, I would highly recommend it. There are serious SPOILERS ahead! I’m just going to go over some of my favorite parts of the special by actor. And there are so many good moments!

Daniel Radcliffe:

His name coming up last in the introduction section almost brought me to tears by itself. But my favorite bits from him in this were with Emma, Rupert, and Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman was one of the adults a young Dan connected with the most and you could tell. Gary started out by commenting on how much Dan had grown since he had last seen him. From Emma we heard that Gary was the first addition to the cast that made Dan feel star struck; even telling Emma that she had to be cool around Gary. But once Gary met Dan, he decided to take him under his wing. Dan received a lot of advice from Gary, and when they greeted each other for this interview they really did feel like old friends. Gary even commented earlier on how odd it is to see the children from the original series as thirty year olds now. One of my favorite moments of the entire special was when Dan and Gary started talking about Alan Rickman and how he had convinced the author to tell him the future plans for Snape. When Dan broke out the Alan impression in talking about how he would explain acting choices to director Chris Columbus, he caused Gary to burst out laughing. More than that we got to see Dan reconnect with Emma over how fun the dancing scene in the seventh movie was and get very emotional at the end of the special. We even heard Dan read his note to Helena Bonham Carter that revealed that he might have had a crush on her. It was adorable and seeing Dan again just made me smile.

Rupert Grint:

Some of the anecdotes about Rupert were the best of any other actor. Especially when the actors and directors began talking about how much Rupert actually is Ron. We have all probably heard the story about how when Dan, Emma, and Rupert were given homework to describe their characters; Dan wrote one page, Emma wrote twelve, and Rupert never turned his in. But that wasn’t all. Dan and Emma talked about how in filming for the seventh movie, they would make a game out of who could run the fastest in the scene with the snatchers. Dan and Emma even said that they would often be competitive over little things like that to entertain themselves on set, and Rupert would never get involved. When talking about running for the same scene where Dan and Emma were having a race; Rupert noted that he thought running in itself was a stunt. But even over that, my favorite piece was Emma and Rupert having a heart to heart over how much the ‘Harry Potter’ cast felt like family. They even cried and told each other how much they loved each other. And I definitely cried along with them. Rupert is just a genuinely funny and sweet guy and it was so nice to see him again on screen with the rest of the cast.

Emma Watson:

Emma Watson has been very influential in my life for so many reasons. Her activism has always been inspiring to me and Hermione Granger as a character has made me feel less alone since I was a child. And seeing Emma back and so emotional about being back made me cry more than once throughout this special. Emma interviewed almost as many people as Dan if not the same amount. One of the most prominent was Robbie Coltrane, who helped Emma in the second movie when she had a particular moment of acting that felt like a lot of pressure. But the relationship everyone was talking about, was her and Tom Felton. Which is definitely touched on here. Though they weren’t together in the same room for an interview, Emma talked about having a crush on him and Tom talked about feeling protective over her. Emma, who admitted to often feeling lonely on set because of how closely Dan and Rupert connected, could often feel vulnerable with Tom. And they still have a close friendship and what they both view to be a kinship. And Emma being vulnerable about the fact that she almost left turned into something very inspiring to me. I also loved the footage of them as children. It really struck me how good of a speaker Emma has always been. She is the foundation of the Hermione that I’ve always looked up to, and seeing her back meant so much to me.

Tom Felton and Matthew Lewis:

The highlight of talking about Draco was probably how much Lucius himself had to say about it. Jason Isaacs sweetness turned scary nature was one of Tom’s most vivid memories. But Jason also thought that the way Tom played Draco was like a hero. Someone who didn’t have the background to do something good, but did something good anyways. Matthew Lewis talked about how with Neville, he always felt connected to the shyness and outsider nature of the character and was inspired by how much he grew. Seeing both of these actors talk about their roles again with such love really made it hit home how much love each of these actors have for the series.

Mistakes:

Fred and George Weasley have always been some of my favorite characters in ‘Harry Potter’ and I have always been able to tell James and Oliver Phelps apart. So when James and Oliver came on screen to talk about a hilarious prank they pulled on Rupert where they told him that they had all learned a new dance for a scene featuring Rupert; I was delighted. But when they showed up, it was clear that they had been labelled incorrectly. Oliver even posted on his social media about the mistake naming him as James and James as him; jokingly stating that he thought it was payback for the prank they had pulled. But this wasn’t the only glaring mistake in the special. When attempting to show childhood pictures of Emma Watson, the special instead featured a childhood picture of Emma Roberts. I do wonder how the mistakes were made and if they will be fixed soon. But it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the special.

I loved this special and I loved returning to the wizarding world with all of the actors. We’ve all heard how close the actors are and how much they view each other as family; but we actually got to see it in this special. I loved the interview style where many of the members of the cast got to catch up in the midst of interviewing. And the opening of it was gorgeous with a sequence of beautiful dancing in the Great Hall. Including Tom and Emma dancing for old time’s sake. This was nothing short of beautiful and I highly recommend it! It also distanced itself enough from the author that I will not name, that it was actually very enjoyable. If Hogwarts was your home for as long as it was mine, I would highly recommend treating yourself and crying along with this. Because you will cry.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: Happy Birthday Tae!

Promotional photo of Kim Taehyung, or V, for the “Butter” release. Copyright goes to BTS and the Hybe Corporation.

Hey! Hallie here!

Yes, this is coming after Taehyung celebrated his birthday in Korea as well as after we celebrated it here in the US, but really, Taehyung owns pretty much the whole latter half of December. So, Happy Birthday Taehyung! Taehyung has been my bias wrecker for quite a while now and the amount of times he both comforts and inspires me is sometimes surprising. Taehyung can seem both very silly and very intimidating at the same time, and yet he’s also very wise and genuine. He has this amazing mix of traits that’s unique and easy to get drawn in by. As it’s the end of the year 2021, I though I would use this post to look back at some of my favorite Taehyung moments that occurred this year to highlight all of those things we love about him. Let’s get started!

“Tata Mic”:

There was no way I was going to skip over this one. “Tata Mic” is perhaps the main quote from Taehyung that ARMY is determined to take into 2022. Half the signs I saw at the ‘Permission to Dance’ concert had this painted on them. For context, we saw this adorable statement in the behind the scenes for BTS’s 2021 FESTA photoshoot. During rest periods on site at the photoshoot, the staff decided to give the members the opportunity to win prizes. The prizes were left to the side of the room, but the only way for the members to get these prizes was to randomly draw slips of paper with the prizes written on them. When Taehyung and Hoseok (J-Hope) were sent up to win some prizes, Hobi was satisfied to play by the rules. Taehyung, on the other hand, was unhappy with his draws. So he went to scope out the prizes available, drew another slip of paper, and told the staff it read “Tata Mic”. Not only was this said in the most adorable voice ever, but his cute head tilt betrayed his ruse. The skeptical staff asked for the slip of paper to confirm that it said “Tata Mic”, only for Tae to promptly shove the piece of paper in his mouth. The whole situation was made even funnier by Hobi having already fairly won his own Mang microphone, which Tae was not-so-subtly staring at. Eventually the staff gave in and very nicely gifted Tae his “Tata Mic”. And thus, the adorably horrible liar and his request for a cute microphone was made into a widely spread meme. As was the only right thing to do.

Peakboy’s “GYOPO HAIRSTYLE”:

This music video included multiple celebrity cameos from Peakboy’s friends, but certainly one of the best was Taehyung’s cameo in the video. Taehyung was dressed in a gorgeously vibrant purple suit with a black bowtie and slicked back hair to play the part of the butler. In the video he gets a glorious reveal, where we first only see his legs as he ascends a flight of stairs before the camera focuses on him as he emerges onto the balcony. He uses the vibrant blue cocktail in his hand to toast the camera, recreating the famous ‘The Great Gatsby’ meme. He then hands it to Peakboy and makes a hilarious and cute annoyed expression when Peakboy shakes the content out of the glass. It’s a small cameo, but it’s also a really fun one.

Tae and Beards:

If you had told me last year that Tae would make a huge impression this year by sporting a fake beard on not one occasion, but two separate occasions, I would not have believed you. And yet here we are. The first occurred during the 2021 MUSTER ‘SOWOOZOO’ concert. This concert had many incredible moments, but one of the best moments occurred during the first concert day when the members surprised us with an OT7 performance of “Daechwita”. Taehyung, who has often expressed his desire to be part of the rap line, excellently performed his rap verse while wearing a fake beard. He was even tied up moments before to be “executed” by Namjoon while Namjoon completed his verse. I can’t tell you how hard I laughed when I first saw it, but honestly, I appreciate how willing to be out there he is just to get a laugh. Although, his raised eyebrow throughout his verse was very intimidating. The next occasion occurred during episode 145 of ‘Run BTS!’. This episodes was one of three parts in the “BTS Village” series, in which the members are each given a character or role and are dropped into an immersive area in order to decide whom among them are spies. Taehyung was given a warrior character, which he decided must come complete with a beard. And he proceeded to play the character to its fullest extent. He spoke in a deep voice, gave the staff following him new names so they could play the role of his servants, and requested the staff announce his entrance whenever he arrived to discuss clues with the other members. He even sacrificed himself to help Jungkook escape from the staff dressed as the royal army. Unfortunately, the beard fell off so many times that he asked Jimin to take it off for him. But that was no concern of Tae’s, who spent a good portion of the rest of his time rousing up the suspicions of other members by simply petting a cat. Poor Tae.

Solo Work:

This year we got a new solo song from Taehyung as part of the soundtrack of a new K-Drama. The K-Drama, ‘Our Beloved Summer’, was fortunate enough to get Tae’s gorgeous vocals in the song “Christmas Tree”. As you would expect from a K-Drama, it’s a cute love song. But more than that, it’s a calming song that feels comforting and nostalgic in a way. Tae has proved his capability of nailing songs like this when he sang “Sweet Night” for ‘Itaewon Class’. It’s one of my favorite songs of his and his deep, soothing voice is perfectly suited for it. This song is no different. His deep notes are just as awe-inducing as his high ones, which he shows off primarily in the chorus for “Christmas Tree”. It all fits incredibly well with the expression in the lyrics of the confusion and wholeness felt when falling in love. It also is sung in both English and Korean, which fit seamlessly together. This is one of my new favorites among his solo songs. Taehyung also gave us a glimpse of a song he was working on years ago that he never finished. He showed ARMYs this song on his Instagram with a video of him driving in a car while singing along to it. It’s another slower song with a very wistful feel to it, and some of the deeper notes in it are intensely satisfying. It’s also another English love song, and I’m beginning to feel that Taehyung is too well suited to love songs. He’s going to kill us all with his romantic lyrics and beautiful voice.

The ‘Permission to Dance’ Concert:

This one is especially important to me because I was able to attend day 4 of this concert. Taehyung was excellent this day. His voice was perfect, he was having tons of fun, and he made us all laugh. This day he didn’t dress up in a ‘Squid Game’ costume, but he did decide to mess up the audience waving their ARMY bombs and yelled at Jimin for being too revealing when his shirt began to droop too far down. He also decided to dance with some of the girls at the back of the stage during a few songs, prompting ARMY to joke about how comfy he was getting back there. Overall he was energetic and so fun to see live. But, as it was the last day of the concert, he was also very emotional. While I was crying during “Mikrokosmos”, I could see that he was too as he looked around the arena and tried to memorize as many faces as possible. No eye was dry during his Ending Ment, where he was too emotional to deliver what he wanted to say in English although he had practiced it. He talked about how difficult it had been for him the last few years and how he had even wondered whether ARMY would still be there by the end of it. But he also expressed how thankful he is for ARMY and how much he looks forward to upcoming concerts now that they’ve finally been able to do an in-person concert. I hope that he gets many, many more experiences interacting with ARMY in the very near future.

There are so many amazing moments I could have mentioned here. This year BTS gave us some incredible content and Taehyung was so notable in all of it. From his continued love of jazz, to his new art style, to all of his outfits in all of the magazine pieces that BTS did this year. My life has been so much brighter since I found BTS and Taehyung along with it. I hope he had an amazing birthday and I hope he has many more down the line. Happy Birthday Taehyung and Happy New Year everyone!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie