K-Pop and K-Dramas: Map of The Soul ON:E Concert

The ‘Map of The Soul ON:E’ concert promotional image. (From left) Min Yoongi (Suga), Kim Seokjin (Jin), Kim Namjoon (RM), Jeon Jungkook (Jungkook), Park Jimin (Jimin), Kim Taehyung (V), and Jung Hoseok (J-Hope). All rights go to BTS’ social media and ‘Big Hit Entertainment’.

Hey! Hallie here!

So we’re going to have to take a break from some of our Fall and Halloween posts to talk about BTS for a while. There are a few reasons for that, but the reason for this specific post is the BTS virtual concerts that occurred over the last two days. While I can’t say anything about the first day of the concert, mainly because I wasn’t attending, I have so much to say about the entire concert experience from day two of this amazing concert. And it was amazing. I’m going to go song by song and they performed quite a few of them, so let’s just jump into this.

‘ON’, ‘NO’, and ‘We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2’: The concert started with, unsurprisingly, ‘ON’. This seems to be the focus song of the album. In fact, when the initial planned tour for ‘Map of The Soul’ was cancelled, every member of BTS was very publicly disappointed that the fans couldn’t see their performance of this song. Seeing this performed makes it incredibly easy to see why. Firstly, the set is large. They started out the song standing on an actual replica of the cliffside from the ‘ON’ music video. They also were wearing robes reminiscent of the ones they are seen wearing in the music video, which allowed for a very epic face reveal for all of them. Which leads to yet another thing I want to gush about. THE HAIR. All of the boys are currently rocking natural hair colors, and about half of them have very clean and flattering undercuts. Jimin has a full on side shave which left me breathless for a moment. There was also a large amount of dancers for the boys to make their way through as they sung. One thing I very much respected about this entire concert was that all of the dancers were wearing masks. Regardless of which costumes they were wearing, some sort of mask was incorporated into each outfit. ‘ON’ featured it’s own small dance breaks that highlighted each members skills. The night I attended Yoongi later apologized for not dancing well because of his shoulder. Honestly, he did so well I didn’t notice. After ‘ON’ was over they moved to an emptier section of the stage to transition directly into ‘NO’. For this song the dancers left the boys alone to absolutely own the choreography. Then they transitioned into ‘We Are Bulletproof Pt.2’, which I was pleasantly surprised by. For this the marching band that opened the show was back with the dancers, and DAMN the dance break into this was good. It’s one of their older songs, but they, of course, killed this one too. After that we had a few interval videos so we could stare at how epic every single member of BTS looks before we went into the next group of songs.

‘Intro: Persona’, ‘Boy in Luv’, and ‘Dionysus’: When we came back to the stage we were greeted with President Namjoon rising out of the floor on a podium to murder us all with ‘Intro: Persona’. He literally lit his microphone on fire. Needless to say, it was incredible. All of the members joined Namjoon for ‘Boy in Luv’ in their new outfits for this particular set of songs. After that song finished, all of the boys took a moment to give opening statements. Everyone was quick to tell ARMY that they were happy to see those on camera and missed us all very much. Jimin assured everyone he was much happier than he was during the first concert. During the first concert Jimin was very emotional, mostly out of frustration for not being able to see ARMY in person. He was, as he said, a bit more chipper, though he was slightly embarrassed from being made fun of for his tears the previous night. One of the best moments was Jin’s attempt to blow a kiss at the audience being thwarted by a slap from Jungkook. After the introductions they moved on to a ‘Dionysus’ remix. ‘Dionysus’ is my favorite BTS song and the remix was amazing. The remix didn’t change much of the song, but it gave it an edge I appreciated. I always enjoy the choreography for ‘Dionysus’ and the boys didn’t disappoint, as usual. After that we had another costume change!

‘Interlude: Shadow’ and ‘Black Swan’: This was a smaller group of songs that opened with Yoongi walking through a very creepy hallway as he performed ‘Interlude: Shadow’. This performance was powerful. He hit every word so perfectly it was impossible not to feel the emotion. I was so enamored I hardly noticed the baggy clothing he was wearing until the dancers covered him and he revealed the black costume underneath. Cue the seamless transition into ‘Black Swan’. This song is yet another of my favorites when it comes to choreography. It’s less fast paced and more flowing, which was, of course, perfectly delivered. Afterwards the boys left Jimin behind for a lyrical dance piece. Jimin specializes in lyrical dance and I always love watching him perform. The music was heartbreakingly gorgeous and his floor work was equally beautiful. After that we were on to the next section!

‘UGH’ and ‘Zero O’Clock’: This time we got two songs that separated the rap line from the vocal line. We started with ‘UGH’ which was one of my favorite songs of the night. The stage was made up to be a boxing ring. Yoongi entered the ring first via elevator, wearing an accommodating robe and looking awesome. Namjoon and J-Hope entered one by one once their pieces of the song began, both looking similarly intimidating. They rapped at each other rather than with each other, even taking opportunities to physically push each other around. At moments they came together, and each time it was so seamless you couldn’t help but admire how in synch they are with each other. Afterwards the camera panned to a different part of the stage where all members of the vocal line were lined up in white suits for ‘Zero O’Clock’. The angelic harmonization these four can accomplish is unbelievable. And, as always, their individual voices were easy to appreciate as well. Onto the next part!

‘My Time’, Filter’, ‘Moon’, and ‘Inner Child’: The interval videos that led up to this group were all of the vocal line, so it wasn’t surprising that this group of songs was each of the vocal line members individual songs. Jungkook opened it with a stunning performance of ‘My Time’. He looked impossibly relaxed while both singing and dancing perfectly. That, plus his gorgeous red suit, made the entire performance difficult to look away from. After that Jimin took over for ‘Filter’. This was another of my favorite performances of the night. Part of the choreography involved Jimin trying on various pieces of clothing and I would just like to say, Jimin needs to dance with a hat over his eyes for more songs. There was also an entire costume change that happened within a second during the song that left my jaw on the floor. Partly because of how fast it was and partly because of how good the purple suit looked on Jimin. Then we got Jin singing ‘Moon’. The pink suit Jin wore was absolutely stunning, which was good because the fox masks the dancers were wearing were kind of frightening me. Still, there isn’t much that can completely distract me from Jin’s gorgeous voice. After the song was over, a small globe came down towards Jin, which he promptly hugged with the most adorable smile I have seen in my life. ‘Inner Child’ was last. This one got me emotional. For one, the giant carousel Tae and a very adorable small boy were riding, was stunning. Tae’s voice is always calming to me, which somehow made me emotional while I was hearing it. Plus, the small face scrunch he gave the little boy was too cute for me to handle. Then we moved on.

‘Outro: Ego’ and The Rest: ‘Outro: Ego’ was the last of the larger staged songs. J-Hope is always an energetic guy and a REALLY good performer. I had heard that he was born to be on stage from fans who had attended in person concerts before the pandemic, but this song convinced me of it. From the red car he entered in to the hardcore choreography he did in between each verse, J-Hope proved himself the perfect showman. The rest of the boys joined him to just dance around and have a good time as his song finished. Then they moved on to some of their bigger songs. ‘Boy With Luv’ was first, which involved some adorable umbrellas. Afterwards was ‘DNA’, and here we got to more of the songs where the boys started to let loose. There was choreography and plenty of background effects that were visually appealing, but it was fun to just watch the boys sing and enjoy themselves. ‘Dope’ was next, which involved a cool elevator background. All the boys responded to the movements of the elevator in their own goofy ways. Then we had ‘No More Dream’ to honor the first release of BTS. It was a remixed version where the background sounded like a score from an action movie. So yeah, it was badass.

Encore: And we finally came to the end. Some of these songs were different from the first concert. The boys performed ‘Spring Day’, IDOL’, and ‘Dynamite’. There was significantly less choreography for these and no more background effects. These songs were purely for interacting with the fans that were on screen and the cameras. There was plenty of chaos. Namjoon wore some awesome sunglasses and Yoongi tried his best to make ARMY dizzy by messing with the camera. Then we had closing statements. Hobi reassured us there was more content coming. Several of the boys expressed how happy they were to perform on a stage again. Jin expressed intense frustration that ARMY couldn’t be there in person. Tae nearly cried with how much he missed ARMY. And Namjoon, ever the president, reassured everyone that circumstances were no one’s fault. He thanked God, despite not having a religion, that all of this was happening during 2020 where the technology was available to allow them to do a concert at all. They walked out singing ‘We are Bulletproof: the Eternal’, a song written for ARMY. I missed them as soon as they were gone, but I’m forever grateful for the work they put into the concert despite their frustrations. ARMY won’t forget that night. Neither will I.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: Best and Worst Couples

Screenshot from ‘Jane Eyre’ 2011 featuring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. Copyright goes to Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Again, I have to go back to books since I feel this time of the year is the best for reading. You can finally snuggle under a blanket without practically dying from the heat! In my last post I did sort of hint at not liking Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester as a couple, and it made me think about romances in books that I liked versus ones that I don’t. So this is a list of good couples in books and, in contrast, couples in books that just don’t work. Please note that this post will have light SPOILERS for the books that I mention. With that out of the way, let’s get started! (I’m not going to include any couples from books I haven’t read, like ‘Twilight’.)

Worst:

Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre):

Of course, I had to mention these two first. No matter how hard I try, I can’t like this couple. Mr. Rochester is kind of a douchebag and Jane feels like such a strong character by the end of the book that you hate seeing her drawn back towards him. Or at least, I hate it. Mr. Rochester is never all that nice to Jane or really anyone and their relationship is completely built on lies. A lot of people have pointed to the fact that he was sort of tricked into the mistakes that he makes in the book, but that is no excuse for the way he treats Jane and how he leads her on for a good chunk of the book. The worst part? Mr. Rochester never really changes. This book feels more like Jane learning to deal with his toxic behavior than it feels like Mr. Rochester attempting to become kinder towards Jane. I wish this couple wasn’t held up quite to the standard that it is, because it isn’t really an example of a healthy relationship.

Westley and Buttercup (The Princess Bride):

Please note that I am, in fact, talking about this couple from the book and not from the movie. The portrayal of them in the movie is much much better and absolutely loveable. I should also note that this couple being bad was absolutely purposeful by the author who did write this couple entirely in parody. So, I’ll start this off by noting that Westley actually does hit Buttercup in the book. In the book they both come off as being brats, though still likeable enough to read about. But you definitely don’t believe the entire ‘true love’ thing because there are several parts in the book where it feels like they don’t even like each other. Buttercup is extremely dumb and Westley isn’t exactly a stereotypical hero. They are fun to read about, but not so great as a couple.

Christine and Raoul (The Phantom of the Opera):

Please also note that I’m talking about this from the standpoint of the book (though I don’t like Christine with either guy in the musical too, but I digress). Obviously, you shouldn’t like Christine with the Phantom especially in the book for many reasons. Namely the murder. The issue is, Raoul isn’t necessarily great either. He doesn’t really care about what Christine thinks, constantly ignores her thoughts and feelings, and views her as being too naïve and emotional even though he’s the one who’s generally naïve and emotional. This is also almost taken for parody in the book and is not meant to be a very good depiction of a couple. I will admit that the two as a couple is better in the musical, but it does seem to be at the expense of much of Christine’s intelligence from the book.

Pheobus and Esmerelda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame):

If you’ve read the book you might think that this is a no brainer. They were written to be a bad couple. But, I put this on the list for Disney fans. As much as I really like Disney, Pheobus should have never been depicted as a love interest for Esmerelda in any media ever. Pheobus was an awful man who considered sexually assaulting Esmerelda to get what he wanted, took advantage of her kindness, and eventually said nothing when she was executed (even though he knew she was innocent) because he didn’t want his fiancée to know he was being unfaithful. Pheobus was written to be an awful man and there is actually a character they could have easily used to be an love interest to Esmerelda that they didn’t even include in the movie. Making Pheobus the love interest for Esmerelda in the Disney movie was… a strange choice.

Best:

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice):

Obviously. They begin the novel at each other’s throats and eventually figure out how mistaken they were about each other. Through the process they also realize their own faults and work to become better for each other. By the time the novel ends they have both become better people and there is no doubt in your mind that they are absolutely perfect for each other. This novel also features Jane and Mr. Bingley who are an absolutely adorable couple and almost equally amazing as the main couple. Though I do feel that a bit of these romances are…well…romanticized… I do think that they are amazing and incredibly healthy.

Fire and Brigan (Fire):

I’m not always a big fan of young adult novels, so I don’t read a lot of them. I was honestly surprised at how much I liked this one, especially because romance as a main plot point isn’t necessarily my favorite either. Fire and Brigan are another couple that begin the book at each other’s throats, again because of a misunderstanding rather than an actual thing that either of them did. Instead of a sudden realization that they were wrong because of a dramatic action, they actually discover their first impressions were incorrect by spending time with each other. In the end, this couple isn’t exactly as passionate as you would expect most young adult couples to be. Which is what I liked! Their version of love is just being there for each other. They show their love by comforting each other and giving each other strength in important situations instead of by staring at each other for long periods of time or making out. Their love feels so much more real and tangible and warm than most of the couples I’ve read about.

Poppet and Bailey (The Night Circus):

I have to add these two in here, of course, because I love this book. You are probably wondering why I didn’t say Marco and Celia as they are the main romance in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I love that couple as well, but I just love the warmth and innocence of Poppet and Bailey. They are both pretty introverted in comparison to most of the other characters in the book, but they both find comfort around each other. As great as is it is read about the angst of Marco and Celia; I much preferred reading about Bailey and Poppet running through the ice forest circus tent or going to buy hot chocolate together. Away from other people, but still together. (I’m an introvert, can you tell?) It felt so natural and innocent and you can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be in the Night Circus with someone special.

Linus and Arthur (The House in the Cerulean Sea):

If you liked the couple of Crowley and Aziraphale in ‘Good Omens’, you’ll love these two! It’s basically like them, but if the show didn’t shy away from actually portraying them as a couple. This book was written by a gay author to help promote LGBTQ+ representation and it does just that. These two aren’t overly passionate, but also show their love by supporting each other and basically co-parenting the children in this book. In the end everyone, including the children, ships it. You will cheer at their small adorable dances together and when they finally get together. This is one of the healthiest couples you will ever see in anything ever.

There you have it! Some of my favorite and least favorite couples in books! Hopefully this list has included some book you’re interested in reading now! I made sure to only include books that I really like, even for the couples that I don’t like. Once again, happy reading!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Halloween: Morticia and Gomez Addams Are One of the Best Relationships in Media

Screenshot of Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez (Raul Julia) from the 1991 ‘The Addams Family’. Copyright of Orion Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

Every year, when October rolls around, I get the sudden reminder that I’ve been neglecting my favorite fictional couple all year. There are some nice fictional couples out there, but none so healthy and devoted as Morticia and Gomez Addams. Regardless of which adaptation you watch, Morticia and Gomez’s love for each other stands out. This especially surprised me coming back to the movies a few years ago as an adult. As a kid, Wednesday Addams was the character that stood out the most to me. But rewatching it, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Morticia and Gomez. Every Halloween it’s incredibly important to point out what exactly Morticia and Gomez do right that other couples in media don’t. Here’s my list of the most admirable things about this amazing relationship.

They Actually Like Each Other: This might seem obvious, but I would like to point out that it really, really, isn’t. It’s really common in media to see two people who have been married for a long time start to dislike each other. In fact, it’s a common joke in media for spouses to be annoyed with each other on a constant basis. This is especially true of spouses who are shown to have kids they are taking care of. This is absolutely untrue of Morticia and Gomez. They enjoy being in each others presence, so much so that they sometimes forget other people are present. They are never insulting towards one another, even if they don’t fully agree with what the other is doing. They often try to find time alone as well, as they both know how important alone time with one another is to their relationship. Regardless of what version you watch, they constantly speak about when they met or the day of their wedding as if it barely passed. It’s obvious that their feelings for each other have never waned and they have taken steps to ensure they both stay happy.

They’re Still Attracted to One Another: This specific thing blows a lot of people’s minds when they watch ‘The Addams Family’ movies. Gomez can’t stop kissing Morticia, and Morticia isn’t afraid to call Gomez “Mon Cherie” in public. This specific thing was even included in the black and white television show that aired in 1964. It was a controversial piece of the show at the time. It wasn’t very common to see a married couple act so affectionately in public, and was definitely not accepted enough to be commonly seen on television. Still, ‘The Addams Family’ has never been about portraying a conventional family. Fortunately, the creators of the show were less concerned about what couples in everyday society would do as much as they were concerned about creating interesting characters with a strong relationship. Not enough married couples in media are allowed to be so affectionate, even more than fifty years later. Morticia and Gomez deserve praise for being shameless in their attraction for one another.

They’re Good Parents: Morticia and Gomez love being around one another, but they always make time for their kids as well. They both are supportive, eager to guide their children and cheer them on. At Wednesday and Pugsley’s Shakespearean performance they are the only ones cheering, but that doesn’t affect how eager they are to show their pride. They can be strict with their children, but they rarely, if ever, raise their voices at them. Gomez and Morticia show just as much love and care raising their children as they do in their relationship. Often times media treats this balance as an impossibility. Couples can either care for their children or care for each other. The very act of a couple being devoted to one another seems to imply that they are bad parents. Just think of how many movies present parents going off on a date night and leaving their children with a babysitter as an irresponsible move. Gomez and Morticia prove that devotion in both areas of their lives is far from impossible.

They’re Equals: Morticia and Gomez have never, even in 1964, been portrayed as unequal in their relationship. There is no situation where Morticia’s views have ever been treated as less important than Gomez’s. In fact, Gomez is fully aware of how intelligent and strong Morticia is. He relies on her for both emotional support and advice. Likewise, Morticia knows that Gomez is much more social than she is and can be trusted in social situations Morticia isn’t knowledgeable in. On occasion Morticia will act as a damsel in distress, but Gomez never doubts that she is fully capable of saving herself. Gomez, also, can be very dramatic and easily depressed, but Morticia doesn’t doubt that he can bounce back from his slumps. They both know each others strengths and weaknesses, and admire one another for them. Neither would be caught dead (pun intended) taking advantage of their significant other in a vulnerable moment.

Morticia and Gomez’s relationship never fails to make me aware of just how single I am. Their love for each other is absolutely undeniable. Most importantly, they lack all of the unhealthy traits I see in other popular relationships. There’s no unbalanced power dynamic. There isn’t an unhealthy amount of bickering that is somehow portrayed as “quirky”. They aren’t expected to avoid one another just because they’re parents. They share interests but they don’t like all of the same things. They spend time together but they don’t shut other people out. They are probably the closest Hollywood has come to portraying a perfect couple. Their love of everything spooky is just an added bonus.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: Fall Recommendations

Image of Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Graveyard Book’ featuring illustrations by Chris Riddell.

Hi! It’s Annie!

This might sound kind of odd, but colder weather is definitely my favorite time to read. There is nothing better than a warm blanket, a cup of tea, and a good book. This also means there’s no better time to share some of my fall book recommendations! These are books I prefer to pick up during the colder season just because they give that feeling of fall. Whether it’s because the book also features it’s characters in colder weather or because it’s a book that lends itself well to the spooky (not scary) feeling of the season; these are hopefully all books that will help you get a little more in the fall spirit. We all sort of need someplace to go, at least in our imaginations, away from the world as it is right now; so I will only be recommending books that take you away to another world in some sense. You’ll probably find that those are my favorite types of books anyways.

‘The Graveyard Book’ by Neil Gaiman:

This is one of those books that is perfect for getting into the spooky season. After his family is murdered, a toddler wanders into the local graveyard where the orphan is adopted by the ghosts he meets. Nobody Owens is raised in the graveyard until he becomes a young teenager, when he becomes wrapped up in the mystery of his parents’ murder. Despite the dark themes of this book, I can guarantee you it’s really not scary. The ghosts are very much friendly figures and the book takes a decidedly lighthearted approach to many of it’s subjects that could have been much darker. Still, between the ghouls and a murderer on the loose, there’s plenty of spooks to get you into the spooky season. If this is too lighthearted of a story for you, I highly recommend checking out another one of Neil Gaiman’s famous spooky stories: ‘Coraline’. I still can’t watch that movie because the ending used to give me nightmares. Yes, I am, in fact, a wuss. But the book was something I did much better with. Still, if you’re anything like me, this book will be slightly more your speed. This is also the type of book you can read to kids if that’s what you’re looking for (this will be the only book like that on this list), but it’s a great book for all ages.

‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte:

If you’re looking at this book and wondering why it’s fall themed or spooky, you probably aren’t too familiar with the ending of this book. In that case, give it a shot! This book follows the life of Jane Eyre as she goes from school to becoming a governess in the household of a rich man. I will warn you that it can be painful getting past the beginning chapters of her school life. I found those chapters to be pretty boring. But once you get past that part you begin an incredibly complicated storyline with twists at every turn. I find that this book is often advertised to people as some sort of romance, in which case I will tell you that the romance is not the purpose of this story. If you are looking for a romantic book with amazing chemistry between the main characters, turn someplace else. What begins as a sweet romance suddenly becomes all the more disturbing as Jane finds out more and more secrets regarding the man she is falling in love with. By the end of the book you’re almost hoping she doesn’t get together with him. It is not the romance but really the ending of this book that makes this read worth it.

‘The Phantom of the Opera’ by Gaston Leroux:

This one pretty much speaks for itself, but I will warn you that it is very different from the musical you are probably familiar with. This books uncovers the mysterious identity of a man who haunts the Paris Opera House and his obsession with Christine, one of the singers. This book features a more capable Christine, better characters over-all, and is probably less spooky than you were expecting. The Phantom is much more like a child in this, but he’s also a bit more murderous. Even though this isn’t as creepy, there are still murders, kidnappings, and the regular stalking you expect from this story. It’s very different from the musical, but it’s just as good.

‘The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ by Stuart Turton:

Looking for a good murder mystery to read? I’ve got you covered! This book is one of my favorites that I’ve read and it’s probably because of my absolute love of a good murder mystery. This book follows Aiden Bishop, a man caught in a time loop who’s only objective is to stop the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle at the end of each day. Each day he will be placed into a different body belonging to one of the people in the Hardcastle mansion so that he may use their individual strengths to help find the killer and stop the murder. An excellent murder mystery with a supernatural twist and so many twists in the story you will never guess who the murderer is. But you also begin to discover that the identity of the murderer is not the most important of the mysteries you should be trying to solve. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is even mildly interested in murder mysteries and, trust me, it’s plenty creepy without being too scary.

‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern:

It’s really difficult for me to not put this on any list of recommendations I ever give. You might have recognized it from my favorite books section in my intro post. This book follows a couple of different storylines all intertwined into a mysterious circus that turns up unannounced only at night. This book is quite possibly my favorite that I’ve ever read, so you will undoubtedly see this pop up several times throughout my posts. I’m justifying this addition to this list by saying that most of the book happens during colder weather and one of the characters lives near an apple orchard; which is very fall aesthetics. But really, the reason to read this book is the escapism. I have never had the wording in a book be so detailed that it literally transported me into another world. This is the type of book where you scream “No!” once you finish it because you just want to stay in the circus forever. I can almost guarantee you that you will come away from this book absolutely in love with some aspect of the book. My favorite story line in the book follows Bailey, Poppet, and Widget; but there’s a bigger and equally as lovely competition/romance in this story that you will also fall in love with. Read it all and the read it again, because I know you’ll want to. Warning; it will also make you crave churros and hot chocolate and you will most definitely want to dance in an ice garden after reading this.

There you go! My fall reading recommendations! Obviously, if nothing else I strongly recommend ‘The Night Circus’; but all of these are more than great options. Hopefully these will provide an escape and make you feel just as cozy as these books make me feel! Happy fall reading!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Twins in Media: Thing 1 and Thing 2

Art of Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Suess’ “Cat in the Hat”. Copyright goes to the Dr. Seuss estate.

Hey! Hallie here!

Let’s carry on this classics week with another representation of twins! This one is one my sister and I have been compared to more than any other set of twins in media. It’s a normal thing to refer to twins as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sometimes even regular siblings get called Thing 1 and Thing 2. The reason why we’re counting this pair as a representation of twins is because these two look exactly alike and helped normalize many tropes regularly used for twins. You can probably already tell what my opinion of these two will end up being, but let’s go more into depth and see just how problematic they are. Also, just to keep it in the Halloween theme, I’d highly recommend checking out the Cat in the Hat ride at Universal Studios Florida on YouTube. There are very few things more terrifying than Thing 1 and Thing 2 looking a lot like Chucky as they try to push a piano on top of you.

The Good:

  • They’re cute? I guess? I mean their smiles are kind of adorable. Their dimples are hard to resist. Unless you’re talking about ‘The Cat in the Hat’ 2003 film starring Mike Myers. They are outrageously terrifying in that movie. Dr. Seuss’ original art style makes Thing 1 and Thing 2 almost huggable, though. Plus they’re wearing what looks like pajamas, which makes them seem cuddly. I wish there was more I could say here.

The Bad:

  • Synchronization: These two do literally everything in unison. They don’t speak, but they’re constantly side by side and act as a unit. And what’s to be surprised about there? Their names are literally Thing 1 and Thing 2. They wear the same outfit. It isn’t like there’s any sort of attempt at making them individuals in any adaptation of this story. This is exactly why these two are constantly used as a comparison to twins. Nothing they do is separate from each other. It isn’t surprising that they act as if they’re operating with one brain.
  • Mischievous Twins: This is what Thing 1 and Thing 2 do in any adaptation of the story. They’re brought out by The Cat to help everyone have more fun and instead absolutely wreck everything in the house. This trope is really commonly used for twins and I can’t help but point to these two as one of the reasons it’s so popular. If my sister and I looked like we were doing something even slightly mischievous when we were younger, it was always grounds to compare us to Thing 1 and Thing 2. It’s a weird thing to expect of twins and still it’s been carried on through most forms of media since.
  • Abnormal: These two are presented as being different from the human characters, and even different from The Cat. They’re drawn differently with tufts of blue hair, white skin, and shorter heights than everyone else. And yet, what’s stuck with audiences hasn’t been these features, but the fact that they look the same. They’re a constant when it comes to mentioning pairs of any kind, especially twins, because they look so similar. Whether of not Seuss intended for them to be a representation of twins or not, audiences have since made them popular twins in media. So, regardless, it’s important to acknowledge that these characters are shown to be nothing more than entertainment and trouble for the lead characters without true characteristics of their own. This has been common in the representation of twins in media. Twins are used as nothing more than an interesting thing to observe for personal entertainment. It’s definitely a harmful stereotype that these two characters contributed to.
  • Same Story: It’s not like you get much of these characters in the story at all, but it should be mentioned that they have the same storyline. They create trouble with The Cat, ruin various things, and then clean their mess up at the end. They both do all of these things together. They serve the same purpose in the story. The only thing that alludes to any sort of difference between them is a number. So why were there two of them anyway? I couldn’t tell you. Maybe for rhyming purposes? Who knows? All I know is that the lack of differentiation made them more harmful than helpful. Two different people acting as one unit is a common view of twins and it simply isn’t accurate.

You know what I’m going to say here. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are bad examples of twins in media. Also, most twins don’t really like it when you constantly compare them to this duo. However, these two are an interesting case. There’s no clear evidence that these two were originally intended to be twins. They just happened to fit many people’s view of twins. It’s less because of Dr. Seuss and more because of the audience’s misconceptions about twins that made Thing 1 and Thing 2 so harmful to twins in the long run. This week of classics was kind of a downer, so I’m going to close with at least one positive thing we can take out of this look into Thing 1 and Thing 2. If there weren’t two of them, you wouldn’t get to hear both of their terrifying laughter on either side of you as you ride the ride in Universal Studios Orlando. Ok less positive, more entertainingly horrific.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Twins in Media: Tweedledee and Tweedledum

Screenshot from Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Productions and RKO Radio Pictures.

Hi! It’s Annie!

This week for twins in media, we’re really going for the classics. These are the twin portrayals that paved the way for many other twins in media, and also popularized harmful stereotypes. It’s really difficult to talk about twins in media without a mention of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Alice meets this pair of twins on her adventures through Wonderland and is almost immediately annoyed by their presence in almost every version of this tale. What’s not to be annoyed about? They hop around, insult her, and talk in nothing but riddles much like most of the other people she meets in Wonderland. If you’re talking about the Tim Burton version, which I should mention purely for the purpose of name-dropping Burton during spooky season, they are some of the most useless characters in Wonderland. But do these things necessarily make them a bad representation of twins in media?

The Insane: (Wonderland’s definition of good.)

  • Their outfits? The flag hats are cute I guess. Right? I mean the color palate hurts my head a little bit. Maybe they aren’t as good. The longer I look at them the less I like them. But I had to put something in this category. I like their blue bowties. That’s something at least! Maybe I should have said their blue bowties instead of their entire outfits. Anyways…

The Sane:

  • Synchronicity. They are either speaking at the same time or finishing each other’s sentences. They can’t say anything without an interruption or continuation from the other, fueling this awful idea that twins somehow share a brain. It’s dumb, and let’s be honest, it would be annoying to hear a story be told in this way. Could you imagine someone sitting down to tell you a story and someone else constantly cutting them off and continuing parts of the story for them? It would totally ruin the flow. This trope isn’t just unrealistic, it’s also annoying!
  • Same lives. It’s not like there’s really any portrayal of these two where they have relationships with any other character. Never mind interacting with characters in different ways. They are their own two-headed entity that live in their own little world. This has fueled people into believing that twins only really like each other and live in their own personal worlds. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they were intimidated by me when they first met me; not because of how I looked, but because they thought my sister and I wouldn’t want to be bothered by people outside of the two of us. We are, in fact, people who live in the same world as everyone else and want relationships with other people. We aren’t some kind of alien race estranged from reality. We are siblings and best friends who want other friends and different relationships with different people. We aren’t going to bite your head off for daring to talk to us when we’re hanging out together… unless you say something really creepy.
  • Circus freaks. Here’s a good trope we haven’t talked too much about before! This is when a portrayal of twins treat twins more like something interesting to ogle than anything else. I mean, I would say most portrayals of twins actually do this, but there is an extent that exceeds what most other portrayals do. The fact that these two are in Wonderland along with the other weird creatures of Wonderland means the author is presenting twins as a weird creature. And yes, “a” , as in one singular creature instead of two. Twins are present in this story because Lewis Carroll deemed them inherently weird. He, like many people, looked at twins like a weird consumable object rather than two separate actual human beings. Their presence in the story is Carroll essentially asking the audience: “Wouldn’t it be weird to meet a pair of twins?” No. No, it wouldn’t. Twins are regular human beings and siblings. The fact that my sister and I were born on the same day is not something we could control. It wasn’t a result of experimental testing. It is not an uncommon occurrence. We are not aliens or weird creatures from another planet or an alternate dimension. The more you treat twins like circus freaks, the less you treat them like human beings. I am not an animal in a cage here for your amusement. If that’s how you want to see me or my sister… go away.
  • Paving the way. This is what’s most depressing about these two. They are some of the most popular portrayals of twins and also one of the first popularized portrayal of twins. People loved these characters, and still do, without seeing or acknowledging the issues with them. They are part of the reason why many twin characters in media are still way, way, way off the mark. People think treating twins like this and portraying them like this in media is ok. How many twins have been used for horror purposes because of their apparent “weirdness”?(We’ll come back to that later this month.) It is because twins have been portrayed like this for so long that my sister and I have been treated like aliens by people several times in our lives. They helped start it all for the portrayal of twins in media, and that sucks.

So are they good representation of twins in media?

No. I really like ‘Alice in Wonderland’! A lot of my room is actually Wonderland themed because it fits so well with my love of pastels! I’ve always liked the creation of full worlds that allow the audience to easily escape into them, which has fueled my love of fictional places like Wonderland and Neverland. I grew up reading ‘Alice in Wonderland’. It was my go to book at my Grandfather’s house when I forgot to bring my own books from home. Curling up on the couch and reading it all in one sitting is a prominent memory from my childhood. But I can still say that the book has a lot of problems. (Don’t even get me started on the fact that it’s creation is really messed up considering Lewis Carroll was a pedophile and Alice was a real little girl.) Clearly, the portrayal of twins in this book is, though bad, not the worst problem present. We need to start normalizing the acknowledgement of bad things in the works that we like. It doesn’t mean you have to stop liking those things, but you should be able to look at aspects of it and determine that they aren’t right or moral. Critiquing media is part of consuming it. And the Tweedles should not have ever been a standard to which twins in media were held. But they were, and there’s no changing that. We need to look at them as bad examples so we can be better.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Video Games: Games to Play During Halloween if You Aren’t a Horror Fan

Screenshot of Elizabeth Comstock from ‘Bioshock: Infinite’. Copyright goes to Irrational Games and 2K Games.

Hey! Hallie here!

As someone who loves replaying my favorite video games, I always like to play favorites that get me in the spooky mood around October. The issue with finding spooky games I want to play is that I’m not a horror fan. At all. Most games advertised for the spooky season are in the horror genre though, which means I’ve had to get creative with my game picks. So, if you’re like me, hopefully this list of games will help you find something fun and not-too scary to play. This list will range from not scary at all to scary on occasion, so keep that in mind while going through this list. I will also be pointing out which games have jump-scares in case you want to look them up first before you play, so no surprises here! Let’s get started!

‘Bioshock: Infinite’: This game is part of the Bioshock series, which is well known for it’s horror/adventure games. This game, however, decided to lean more heavily into the adventure side of things. While there is definitely some blood and dark themes in this game, you’ll be spending most of your time in the bright and beautiful Columbia. Columbia is a city in the clouds known for it’s heavily religious population and the blissful lives the population leads. Or so it may seem. Columbia holds many dark secrets ranging from racism to human experimentation. Fun. These dark secrets, however, don’t have too much bearing on gameplay. The game manages to be creepy through use of steampunk animatronics and many, many, ravens without constantly attempting to scare the player. There’s one level that’s played in the dark and dingy Comstock House, complete with lunatics for you to fight. Here you’ll find this game’s only jump-scare, which I would recommend watching online so you aren’t caught off guard when it comes up. Explaining it simply: The game takes advantage of the players lack of peripheral vision by putting a very loud enemy behind you after you turn to look at something. However, this level encourages the player not to fight, but simply to sneak around. Also, even if you do get caught by the enemies in the area, there isn’t anything particularly frightening about them. If you play the game and find yourself wanting something scarier, the DLC ‘Burial at Sea’ will give you gameplay closer to the first two Bioshock games. As for this one, there isn’t too much to worry about here.

‘Undertale’: I’ve talked about how much I love this game on this blog before, but allow me to gush further. This game takes place in the underground realm of monsters. There’s all kinds of monsters for you to encounter, including skeletons, ghosts, and a sexy robot. Besides the monster theme, it’s hard not to get in the spooky mood when Sans the skeleton is constantly hitting you with bad skeleton puns. The game can also be creepy. Flowey the flower becomes very unsettling very quickly, and once you get to his final boss battle he’ll get even more frightening. Aside from that, there’s an entire level in a dark laboratory that includes inanimate objects shaking on their own and ghost-like enemies. None of these things are overly scary, however. ‘Undertale’ is probably the most family-friendly game on this list. You won’t find any gore or jump-scares here. If you want something slightly spookier and you’re familiar with the game, you can also try the genocide route. The genocide route is full of much darker themes than any of the regular routes. The issue is being able to live with yourself once you’re done. Also, Sans will completely pulverize you.

‘The Last of Us’: Ok, so this one is absolutely a horror game. It isn’t particularly scary, though. It’s more…depressing. This game is about the zombie apocalypse. You play as Joel, a man who’s become capable of navigating the post-apocalyptic world after losing everything he’s ever cared about. Joel gets roped into escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, to a research base. Ellie is immune to the disease that’s turning everyone into zombies and if she can reach the base, it’s possible a vaccine could be made. This game gives you a minimal amount of supplies, which means you’re forced to sneak around and avoid fighting at many points. There are a few moments in the game that could be considered jump-scares, but most of them you can see coming. As a jumpy person, I only ever jumped when I accidentally got myself killed. (The death animations for Joel are kind of gruesome.) I will tell you that Ellie is a major reason why it isn’t easy to get scared in the game. She’s a very bright and comforting presence. That’s why the hotel level is the worst part of the entire game. The hotel level is infamous for separating the player from Ellie and trapping them in a small area with a few different zombies, a few of which are very high level. However, there are really easy ways to just completely run through that section of the game without having to fight at all. I recommend looking those up when you get to that section. Otherwise, you should play this game. Its characters and story are focused on far more than the zombies, and it shouldn’t be skipped over.

‘Ghostbusters: The Video Game’: ‘Ghostbusters’ is one of my favorite movies to watch around Halloween. It has just the right amount of frightening moments and comedy. If you’re also a fan of the movies, you can’t skip out on this game. It was written by Dan Aykroyd and the late, great, Harold Ramis. That means it was written by the original writers of ‘Ghostbusters’ as well as the actors that played Ray Stanz and Egon Spengler, respectively. It also includes all of the original Ghostbusters, plus Janine, reprising their roles. It feels like the third ‘Ghostbusters’ movie we should have had. There’s also plenty of scary moments. I would specifically like to point out the second Sedgewick Hotel level that leaves you walking around with Egon in the dark. As you explore the hotel you learn about one of it’s previous occupants, The Spider Witch, and her past killings. Unfortunately for those of us who hate spiders, the Spider Witch is indeed, a large spider. The level is chilling, but Egon is there with a good one-liner for whenever you’re feeling a little too on edge. The game walks that fine line, never quite breaking into the horror genre but still remaining satisfyingly spooky. Also, no jump scares!

That’s my list! There’s something on this list for everyone at any stage of horror-adverse. I’m at a different stage depending on the day, so I understand the people who’d rather stick with a cute game like ‘Undertale’ just as much as I understand the people who consider ‘The Last of Us’ light horror. Some of these games are classics, but some of these games might be new to you. I know that a lot of people missed out on the ‘Ghostbusters’ remaster when it came out, so here’s your reminder that it’s not expensive and also very fun. Regardless of what game you decide to go for this October, I hope this list helps you find something to suit your Halloween needs!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

K-Pop and K-Dramas: The King: Eternal Monarch

Screenshot from ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ starring (left) Lee Min-ho and (right) Kim Go-eun. Copyright goes to Hwa&Dam Pictures, Studio Dragon, SBS, and Netflix.

Hi! It’s Annie!

I apologize profusely from taking away from Halloween posts, but I finished this K-drama a while ago and the more I think about it the more I just need to talk about it. For those of you who aren’t aware, Netflix has a large collection of K-dramas to drown yourself in over quarantine. It has been, at least for me, a welcome distraction and you should definitely check out some of them if you have the time. Which, let’s be honest, who doesn’t have the time right now? ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ was not my favorite of the dramas that I ended up watching, but it was definitely the one that left me with the most…thoughts. As always: LIGHT SPOILER WARNING! I’m going to try and go at this with mentioning the least amount of spoilers possible, there will be a few semi-major spoilers I’ll go over, but I’ll announce it before I go over it. I’ll mainly go over basic plot points.

The Good:

  • The lead female character: The series primarily follows Jung Tae-eul, a cop in modern South Korea who is part of a fairly small homicide division of the local police. What’s nice about her is that she’s an actual badass. She carries the weight of all of the other cop characters in this show on her back and immediately strikes the audience as being fiercely intelligent. She is not the typical romance drama lead. Saving everyone else’s asses is one of the things that she does best, and it’s really great to watch.
  • The lead male character: I’m not generally a huge fan of the ‘fish-out-of-water’ plot when it comes to main characters. I often find that writers fall back on it for comedy too much. For some reason, I felt it worked here. In fact, it worked so well sometimes I forgot they were even using it. Lee Gon is a King from an alternate dimension and you can tell. But not in a bad way. I attribute this mostly to the actor, because the writing seemed like it could have been really cheesy on paper. In the end it was Lee Min-ho who sold me on this character by just being so endearing. Also, no perfect boyfriend syndrome here! He’s an actual character with actual flaws!
  • The skepticism: With a lot of dramas or television shows, this can get annoying. One character has some supernatural element to their story and, originally, the other main character doesn’t believe them. I mean, it’s always realistic for the other person to not believe at first; but a lot of times I feel like shows go too far with this. The skepticism in this show from Jung Tae-eul after Lee Gon tells her that he is a King is the best I’ve seen in a show. It isn’t over-dramatized or too focused on, it feels like something more in the background. It’s still present, but not violently so. They also get rid of this pretty early on by finding a way to prove to her the truth, which was also a relief. I’m glad they didn’t focus on this as much as they could have.
  • The side characters: This is one thing I’m finding about all of the K-dramas I’ve watched so far. The side characters are focused on more which makes them more likeable. This show’s main plot deals with alternate realities, so what’s more impressive is all of the side characters in each plot line are played by basically the same actors. Serious hats off to Woo Do-hwan who plays two characters so completely different that he is absolutely unrecognizable in each role. He played the characters who were probably my favorite in the entire show. The side characters are completely fleshed out and so many of them have secrets from the main characters that you start to wonder which of the side characters you can actually trust. And that breaks your heart because the side characters are all so incredibly likeable.
  • The romance: The romantic moments in this show are incredibly sweet and definitely make single people feel lonely. You get everything from this show. You get the cheesy romance moments as well as the constant saving each other amidst bloodshed. Best of all, they aren’t weirdly unrealistic. Even after they get together they are constantly teasing each other and making fun of each other. There’s one specific scene in a hospital that just felt so natural that you couldn’t help but smile. You really buy their chemistry.
  • The deaths: I won’t tell you who dies, but keep in mind that there is somewhat of an ongoing war, so people do die. When they die it is sudden and heartbreaking. You get so attached to so many characters that you care automatically about them and when they die it’s awful. These aren’t unfeeling deaths, which I massively appreciate.

The Bad: (All of the MAJOR SPOILERS are here, so read with CAUTION.)

  • The romance: Why is the romance in both the good and the bad? Because it was both very good and very bad. Moments of their romance are adorable; but the romance happens far too fast. I don’t mean just the dating to falling in love bit, I mean every single part of it. Lee Gon is immediately romantically interested in Jung Tae-eul, but it isn’t clear why he is. She is somewhat of a comforting presence for him without her knowing, but it’s honestly kind of weird that he viewed her romantically considering he’s known about her existence since he was a child. And he only ever knew about her existence as she was as an adult. I know that sounds confusing and I’ll get into that a bit later, but it’s kind of odd. They fall for each other pretty suddenly without a whole lot of build up and then are constantly finding ways to declare their love even though they just got together (mostly him). It is WAY too rushed.
  • The sub-plot romances- The only sub-plot romance I have ever seen in a drama like this that I loved was in ‘Crash Landing Into You’ and that one made me CRY. Really, it’s difficult to find anything that I like after that one; but this one was still disappointing because I wanted to see it happen. They were constantly hinting at Jo Yeong and Seung-ah as well as their counterparts, but you didn’t get to see any of this in either reality. It never went beyond constant hinting and ended up being kind of disappointing in the end. If you count it, they also addressed the one-sided crush Kang Shin-jae has on Jung Tae-eul, but it was difficult to feel sorry for him when the characters really felt like brother and sister.
  • The time travel: They start with alternate dimension jumping, which the show revolves around so it makes sense within the context of the show. They never explain it too well, but it’s not really to the point where you feel like they have to explain it. Then you get to the time travel that comes out of nowhere. They kind of hint at the time travel at the very beginning with Jung Tae-eul’s ID card, but looking back none of that had to be there. It just made the plot so much more confusing and the time travel was just weird in general. There were little to no rules explained and they threw in this weird little world where time didn’t pass that didn’t seem to serve any purpose at all. There’s only so much you can put into a show without explaining it to the audience first. They could have stuck with defeating the villain in the alternate dimension and skipped the time travel from the beginning onward. Honestly, the romance would have felt more natural if Lee Gon didn’t have the ID card.
  • The villain: This villain has no substance. He’s a pretty typical mustache-twirling villain. He murders for almost no reason, he’s given very little in the backstory department, and it’s honestly just boring when he’s on screen. He also didn’t have super clear goals or paths to these goals. He did a few things that you knew were him working towards getting the throne, but it wasn’t always entirely clear why those things would help him. He created some interesting scenarios for the main characters, but really anyone could have done that. He was not an impressive villain.
  • The ending: The ending was depressing and you can tell that they were trying desperately to not make it depressing; but they kind of wrote themselves into a corner. I’m not going to say exactly what happens, but for almost no reason they wrote that both of the main characters were too stubborn to be happy. It was disappointing and frustrating after everything literally everyone did to help them be together.
  • Luna: The alternate version of the leading female character. She didn’t have to be in here at all and I just try to erase her existence from my brain. There’s not much to say other than that.

The Verdict:

I would say this drama was ok. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad, so it really has to end up somewhere in the middle. The good in this drama really makes you wish it was better! It would have been better if they hadn’t tried to over-complicate the plot and kept with something a bit simpler. Alternate dimensions and time traveling can be really difficult to keep simple to the audience, and really they could have just taken out the time travel and they wouldn’t have had to deal with the plot becoming such a mess towards the end of the show. There are definitely better K-dramas to watch on Netflix, but this one is still cute if you need a distraction. Thank you for tolerating my K-drama ramblings during spooky season!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Studio Ghibli: The Best Studio Ghibli Film to Watch During October

Screenshot from ‘Spirited Away’. Copyright goes to Studio Ghibli.

Hey! Hallie here!

Studio Ghibli has a large amount of films that are good watches for Halloween. ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ follows an actual witch, one who’s primary transportation is a broom, and her black cat Jiji. ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ follows several wizards and witches, and also includes Calcifer, a fire demon. There’s one movie that stands out as the best Halloween watch from the studio, however. That’s none other than ‘Spirited Away’. While ‘Spirited Away’ absolutely includes the adorable style of all the other films, there’s a lot that’s creepy and unnerving to enjoy in this movie. Between witches, spirits, and genuinely chilling scenes, this movie isn’t out of place among the other must-watches during this season. So if you’re unconvinced, or even if you haven’t seen this movie yet, here’s all the things that make this movie so perfect for you to watch this Halloween.

No-Face: This character is probably the most recognized character from this movie. Even if you haven’t seen this movie before, you’ve probably seen No-Face around. He’s recognized by his strikingly creepy mask-like face and the black nothingness that makes up the rest of his body. While the mask on his face appears to be smiling regularly, it often only adds to how unnerving the character can be. For one, the smile on his face doesn’t actually represent where his mask is. You discover this when he begins to eat the other spirits. It’s actually quite a disturbing scene, and while all of the spirits aren’t harmed by the experience, there’s nothing that can erase the giant No-Face going on a hungry rampage from my mind. No-Face is an endearing character despite how off-putting he can be. He really only wants a friend, which causes him to make some misguided decisions to get the attention of our main character, Chihiro. When he finally is able to befriend her, he’s kind and quiet. No-Face may appear scary, but you can’t help but love him by the end of the movie.

The Witches: Studio Ghibli seems to like the concept of witches. This is also true of this movie. The first witch you see, and the most prominent one, is Yubaba. Yubaba is the owner of the bathhouse for spirits that Chihiro finds herself working at. There’s nothing about Yubaba that isn’t unnerving. She can fly with very little effort, can transform others into pigs, and can move things without touching them. She has a very large head that becomes more terrifying when you see it attached to her pet bird. She has three disembodied heads, the Kashira, that stay in her office and do her bidding. She also has a giant baby named Boh. As the main antagonist, you can’t help but fear the amount of power she possesses as opposed to Chihiro, who is just a normal girl. She isn’t the only witch in ‘Spirited Away’. Yubaba is actually a twin (Watch out for that because we may revisit them). Zeniba is her twin sister. Zeniba is a much kinder witch, though she is no stranger to creating mischief. Zeniba is also shown to be dangerous. She nearly kills Haku for stealing from her. Still, she is quick to forgive and quick to give Chihiro advice when she asks for it. Both witches are delightfully spooky additions to the film.

The Bathhouse: This is the main setting of the film. The film begins with Chihiro’s parents being turned into pigs and Chihiro becoming stranded in the spirit world. In order to hide until she can find a way to escape with her parents, she manages to get a job at Yubaba’s bathhouse. The bathhouse is exclusive to spirits and Chihiro is quick to discover how different a life among spirits is. Many spirits are much larger than her, have many more appendages, and care very little for her well being. She’s tasked with learning how to help clean spirits while trying to figure out how to turn her parents back into humans so she can escape the spirit world. The entire experience makes her a more responsible and capable person. The regularly demanding and frightening spirits bother her less and less while she begins to prioritize her family and friends more. While the atmosphere of the bathhouse never becomes less scary, the main character becomes less effected by it as the film goes on. The unnerving bathhouse plays a major role in showing the audience how far Chihiro has come by the end of the movie.

The Animation: I don’t really have to tell you this about a Studio Ghibli movie, but I’m going to anyway. This movie is gorgeous. I find it especially important to gush about the animation in ‘Spirited Away’ because the movie wouldn’t be nearly as unsettling as it is without the animation. Yubaba is scary because you can see every single wrinkle on her overlarge face. No-Face is frightening because he can appear either cute or terrifying depending on his body language alone. Every spirit in the movie is unique and just off enough to convince you that they shouldn’t exist in the real world. The colors of the spirit world are vibrant and pretty. They’re so beautiful, in fact, that you don’t question it at all when the human characters are so drawn to it that they become trapped. The movie lulls you into a sense of comfort with it’s breathtaking animation. It makes the frightening moments in this movie even more surprising when they occur.

‘Spirited Away’ is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films, but that isn’t why I’m recommending it for the Halloween season. It has plenty of qualities that many value in their regular family-friendly Halloween movies. It has spirits, witches, frightening transformations, and a strong female lead. Still, I don’t see anyone mention it around spooky season. So I’m mentioning it to you, instead. Watch this movie this October. Whether you’ve been looking for an excuse to re-watch this movie or you genuinely want another movie to add to your list of Halloween movies, ‘Spirited Away’ is worth a watch this month. Maybe if enough people make this movie part of their Halloween traditions, we can get No-Face the recognition he deserves for managing to terrify me while I’m in my twenties.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Disney: The Sanderson Sisters

Screenshot from ‘Hocus Pocus’ (1993) starring (from left) Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Copyright goes to Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Pictures.

Hi! It’s Annie!

It’s really difficult to not bring up the Sanderson sisters once October rolls around. They are staples of Halloween and it’s really hard to imagine a reality where they wouldn’t be some of the most iconic Halloween characters. What’s weird about them is that I wasn’t too familiar with these Salem witches until a couple years ago. I wasn’t one of those kids who grew up watching ‘Hocus Pocus’, but I had heard of the Sanderson sisters. Before actually watching the movie I had seen pictures of them around, but I hadn’t watched anything of them specifically. I went into the movie knowing almost nothing about the Sanderson sisters and I came out loving them…but not a whole lot else. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked ‘Hocus Pocus’! But it wasn’t what I thought it would be after hearing all of the hype. The main female and male leads (besides Dani!) weren’t that great and I thought the plot was a little too simple. Some of the side characters, like Billy and Thackery, were great, but they weren’t given enough time. But I still came out of the movie convinced that I would watch it again. Why? Because you don’t watch this movie for the main characters or the plot. This is one of those movies that you only watch for the amusing villains. The Sanderson sisters perfectly capture the spirit of Halloween while being some of the most fun characters you will watch in anything. It was clear just by watching them that Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy had the time of their lives as these characters. And this has actually been confirmed by them in interviews. Bette Midler has even said that Winifred was her favorite character that she ever played. Now that we’ve had rumors of a ‘Hocus Pocus 2′, the characters’ popularity has only seemed to grow. So what makes each singular sister so great?

Mary Sanderson:

Mary Sanderson is probably the most overlooked and least popular Sanderson sister; but that by no means makes her bad or any less important than the other two. Mary talks out of the side of her mouth for the entire movie and definitely is the most submissive when listening to Winifred, but she is a much needed presence. Though everyone loves a little chaos; can you imagine if it was just Winnifred and Sarah? I can guarantee you that Winifred probably would have strangled Sarah by now. Though she isn’t sharp enough to be a voice of reason, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t serve as a calming presence for each of her sisters. Often she is the one to calm everyone down and provides Winifred with someone to listen to her constant ramblings. Mary strikes you as the one who was possibly, or even probably, led astray by her other sisters. You can imagine that, without her sisters, she’d be living her life as a nice old woman knitting by a fireplace, which makes her placement in this group all the more hilarious.

Sarah Sanderson:

It is very difficult to not like Sarah. She is my personal favorite of the sisters, and it just makes me so happy watching her. You can often find Sarah jumping up and down or being distracted by something shiny. Or a spider that she just straight up eats. Either way, it is clear that Winifred is the only brain of this group of witches. Sarah has this innocence to her that definitely makes it feel like both sisters might have unwittingly joined their sister. But Sarah does have an ulterior motive that Mary doesn’t have. She is absolutely insane for boys and wants to be pretty for them. Becoming young again to her means being an object of affection for boys. Billy the zombie being a former boyfriend of Sarah is even a plot point. But the beauty of this is that it never becomes her entire character. Sarah’s main plot remains with her witchy-ness and her sisters. She is never seen as less of a villain for being boy crazy and her charm even gives her the ability to sing to attract prey to her and her sisters. It’s so easy to make characters you describe as ‘dumb’ and ‘boy crazy’ weak, but she has just as much strength as her sisters.

Winifred Sanderson:

Ah, Winifred. The only real brains in the group and the true villain of the story. Winifred is equal parts hilariously endearing and intimidating. If you fear for the kids in this movie, it’s because Winifred had that malicious glint in her eyes. Bette Midler is entirely unrecognizable and acts her ass off in this role. It’s weird to say that about a role that’s so light-hearted; but it’s true. You can tell she had so much fun that she put her all into Winnifred. If this character wasn’t there it’s doubtful her sisters would be witches and, even if they were, there is absolutely nothing that they would have ever gotten done. They would have died long before the hanging at the beginning of this movie and never would have reincarnated to come back and create chaos. Also, can we talk about Winifred singing ‘I Put a Spell On You’? It’s one of the best scenes in any Halloween movie ever. It even manages to make the character more endearing just by showing her singing randomly in the middle of the movie.

The Sanderson sisters have, rightfully, gone beyond ‘Hocus Pocus’. If you haven’t watched a video of their Halloween show at Disney World’s ‘Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party’, I highly recommend it. There’s a reason why these three have become staples of Halloween, and it has nothing to do with the plot of ‘Hocus Pocus’. All of the credit here goes to the writers and the incredible acting that went into these three. Halloween will never again be complete without a mention of these witches. I also appreciate them because I am not a horror movie person, but I absolutely love the spooky season. Having another movie to add to the list of spooky movies that don’t scare the pants off of me is very welcome during Halloween time! So you know where I’ll be one of these nights during October. Cuddled up in my ‘Hocus Pocus’ hoodie dress, eating chocolate, and watching Sarah jump up and down and yell “Amuck, amuck, amuck!”

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie