Except he didn't just have a raspy voice. He was mixing up words, rambling, even struggling to put full sentences together at points. And when he wasn't talking he looked to be spacing out at times, just trying to hold it together at others. His performance was as if he was fighting a very high fever, a migraine, and/or was trying not to puke the entire debate. I totally believe reports that he had a minor illness and was having an off day as a result, but unless he had something like the flu (in which case he wouldn't have been allowed on stage, certainly not that close to Trump) it would be completely reasonable to expect him to perform much better even while sick.
I think that matters to voters, because as president you don't get to take a sick day; shit goes down and you need to be there for it. Maybe he's not too old to be president on days when he's feeling well, but I think a lot of viewers last night thought he looked completely incapable of handling any kind of sudden crisis in his condition last night.
Obligatory: assuming he's still the nominee I'm voting for Biden in November anyway because all the alternatives suck more.
So initially I thought AOC was too young to be president, but she turns 35 in October, so I think that means she'd qualify?
Historically most presidents were in their 50s or 60s when inaugurated; I struggle to see anyone who barely made the cutoff even being considered for nomination.
I've heard several of these "I accidentally found out I have ADHD when I tried meds recreationally" stories. How accurate of a diagnostic strategy is this, actually? For many reasons this would never be implemented in a medical setting of course, but theoretically if you gave a room of random people ADHD meds and recorded who got high and who calmed down, would there be a lot of false positives/negatives in determining who has ADHD?
Yeah I kinda suspect these anti-mask laws are going to be a disability lawsuit bonanza
The alternatives for tortillas would be purchase from a bakery (made fresh so no preservatives), purchase frozen (so no need for added preservatives), or make at home (surprisingly easy to do).
I remember really enjoying How I Met Your Mother when it was airing. I tried for a rewatch recently and only made it a few episodes in because I was so disinterested. It felt empty, and the humor wasn't hitting. I think it's a combination of I've changed (I've aged out of the "20-something singles fool around in a fantasy version of NYC" demographic) and TV has evolved (good comedy shows are no longer just goofy hijink situations and setups for one-liners).
So instead I rewatched Archer season one (same era as HIMYM) and fortunately that one still slaps.
Every climate scientist crunching the numbers right now is freaking out behind semi-closed doors because they're worried that if the media starts running with the story that "thanks to a series of feedback loops the climate may already be fucked beyond hope of ever returning to normal, and at this point the best we can do is try to minimize the damage but even that will require completely upending the status quo," everyone will give up on climate/environmental action entirely, so the public instead is fed an alternating diet of toned-down warnings and positive news about microscopic improvements to maintain a general sense of hope.
If that's "moving in the right direction," we deserve our demise.
Are we still rapidly backsliding on climate issues? Then don't wonder why "no one knows about how much Biden is helping the issue." I, like I'd imagine most people, have little interest in hearing about his "wins," be they climate, economic, etc, if all they amount to is "I helped make a worsening problem worsen slower!" That's not news, that's just a reminder of how pathetic the better of two evils is. If he actually does something substantial enough to improve even one of the many giant problems the country/world currently faces, everyone will know about it because it will visibly change the communities that we live in, and directly affect our day-to-day lives. The time for incremental change was the 20th century; we've kicked the can down the road for so long it landed in "go big or go home" territory.
To be clear, I'm going to vote Biden in November because the alternatives are all so much worse, but damn, that's not something to celebrate.
Once upon a time you could entice youngsters to the countryside with promises of low cost of living, but then rural housing got super fucking expensive super fucking fast during the covid years. Like sure, maybe rural housing is still cheaper than suburban/urban housing (although this is HIGHLY location-specific), but gone are the days where you could buy a pretty nice house (or an iffy house on a sizable chunk of land) for less than the down payment on a house in a "desirable" area. You might be able to convince a middle-class 30- or 40-something American to live in the middle of nowhere in exchange for a good house they're able to pay for in cash with change to spare (and with it the opportunity to retire a decade or so early). But once rural housing started needing mortgages to afford and buyers still had to deal with crap like bidding wars and sparse inventory, where's the draw? At least in my state (Washington) rural housing inventory is finally going up and prices are starting to come down (although monthly payments are still at near-record highs if you need a mortgage), but it's going to either be many years of incremental decline or a very sharp, very painful crash to return rural housing affordability to how it was.
I'll admit, I was on autopilot when making the first round of posts to populate this community and included this channel without thinking it through completely. As you've observed it's an EDM channel, not synthwave. Despite my mistake I'm leaving the post up because 1) there's a good amount of overlap between fans of synthwave and fans of EDM, and 2) the DJ seems to be trying hard to make good videos despite his lack of audience, and I want to direct more folks to his channel.
You might want to consider a priest for the damned lakes (which were presumably corrupted by the damned rain?)
I was really confused because last I heard, Greece had a preposterously high unemployment rate. Assuming this data I randomly pulled off of Google is correct, unemployment has been dropping like a rock from its peak: https://tradingeconomics.com/greece/unemployment-rate
However! It's still above 10%, which in the United States at least would be considered devastatingly high. Sounds like yet another case of "nobody wants to work!"
Well, it's extremely unfortunate then that the last half-century of zoning and building policies have put us two million homes in the hole. Where y'all plan on putting millions of surplus people, broken down RVs in the Walmart parking lot? (Except now it's also illegal to be homeless in many places... It's hard to pay into social security when you've been fired for your job after getting arrested for "loitering"!)
Archive link: https://archive.ph/7Z0VX
(The article is worth reading, IMO)
You're completely correct on the exposed demand issue. I would also add that in most cities (in the United States anyway) hotels can only exist in very specific corners of the city due to zoning, often in just three places: downtown (expensive!), the suburbs (so not even in city limits), and "motel alley" (which is usually an old highway in askeevy part of town lined with mid-20th century fleabag accommodations that are slowly being abandoned/bulldozed). For some cities this isn't an issue, but in others it's a problem for accessing the tourist attractions, especially if the tourists in question don't have a rental car. Then there are the non-tourist visitors to consider: if you're in a city to visit family, you're probably going to want to stay as close to them as possible. Same with a lot of business travelers. This is a bit of a conundrum when the nearest hotel (or affordable/decent hotel) is a 30 minute drive away.
Perpetual growth in a finite system is impossible, and anything that relies on perpetual growth to function is doomed to eventually fail.
For instance: social services that rely on perpetual population growth (especially youth population; e.g. Japan/South Korea), companies that rely on perpetual increase in users (most publicly-owned companies; e g. basically every social media company ATM), industries that rely on perpetual advancements in technology (e.g. industrialized agriculture, which constantly needs new ways to fight self-induced problems like soil depletion and erosion), housing as wealth generation (to be a wealth generator it has to outpace inflation, but at a certain point no one will be able to afford to purchase houses at their inflated prices no matter how over-leveraged they get; e.g. Canada). [Note that these are merely examples where these issues are currently coming to a head; they are by no means special cases, they're just in a more advanced state of "finding out."]
In other words, a lot of the modern world, in both public and private sectors, is built around a series of ponzi schemes.
All I want to know is: will this push companies to rethink infinite scroll? Like, even to make it a toggleable option.
I really appreciate that Lemmy still has distinct pages. "I'll stop at the end of this page" is the easiest way to quit a social media session, which is why most companies have eliminated it.
Great album! Solid all the way through; I think my favorite songs were actually toward the end. Thanks for posting!
I just want the communities that already exist to have more engagement. It's pretty demoralizing making a high-effort post and getting only a handful of upvotes and no comments. And it's like watching a hospice patient visiting a neat-sounding community and realizing all the posts are by the single moderator (and are getting less and less frequent).
I think one of the best ways for folks to contribute to the health of Lemmy would be for everyone to spend some time on "all - new" (or even "all - top hour") on occasion. "New" on Lemmy is not the cesspool of reposts and garbage that it was on Reddit (although there is a LOT of porn if you don't have NSFW toggled off), and the quality of the first few pages of "top hour" is usually pretty good (except again for the porn, which it turns out gets pretty decent engagement). I visit "top hour" pretty regularly, and nearly all posts that are stuck in zero-engagement/minimal-engagement pergatory are simply niche content rather than bad content.
Let us count the "waves"...
One of my favorite aspects of "wave music" is that it's spun off so many various sub-genres and niche aesthetics. We've got:
Synthwave, Chillwave, Vaporwave, Retrowave, Darkwave
as some of the main players, but what else is out there? What other "waves" have you come across?
New Community: "Wave Music"
All things “wave” music: synthwave chillwave vaporwave retrowave cyberwave darkwave dreamwave…
Hello fellow synthwave fans! I created a new community for all the "wave" genres: synth, vapor, chill, retro, dark, cyber, etc. Please come check it out!
Introducing "Wave Music," for all things synthwave, chillwave, vaporwave, retrowave, darkwave...
For fans of '80s-inspired contemporary beats. Share artists, albums, compilations, -wave channels, and vibe art.
Listen to This: Droid Bishop
Droid Bishop (real name: James Bowen) is a one-man synthwave artist who's put out multiple banger albums over the last decade-ish. Each album feels like the soundtrack to an introspective 80s drama/action film. Beyond the Blue is probably my favorite road-trip album of all time; it makes driving through the empty expanses of I-80 through Wyoming feel like a grand, meaningful adventure.
As far as I can tell he doesn't have an official YouTube presence, but this channel seems to have all his works: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYb8MJseDAimJBFCJQ8Hfvg
Listen to This: INEXED
INEXED is one of my favorite channels for background music. If I wanted to introduce someone to synthwave, this might be where I direct them.
Videos are consistently high-quality, and the compilations are long (1hr to 2hr+) without repetition. There's perhaps not a lot of variety in vibe: some videos label themselves and vaporwave, chillwave, retrowave, etc, but I'd consider those to be more the flavor of synthwave being featured than actual examples of those genres. Most compilations are calming but energetic, with a bit of a surreal touch.
It's frustrating that INEXED only has about 37k subscribers when the quality is so much better than a lot of other synthwave/chillwave channels out there. Please check them out!
https://www.youtube.com/@INEXED
Listen to This: NewRetroWave
NewRetroWave is the GOAT.
They've posted over 3000 retrowave and synthwave songs and albums since 2011, and more keep coming. With over a million subscribers, they're one of the biggest players in the YouTube synthwave scene, and for good reason: in an era of low-effort compilations repeating the same tired tracks over and over, NewRetroWave somehow keeps finding quality fresh material for us listeners. Most of their posts are single songs (3-6 minutes), but there's a few longer (hour-ish) compilations mixed in.
This feels less like a YouTube channel and more like a library. Definitely check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/@NewRetroWave
Listen to This: dreamingr0b0ts
Dreamingr0b0ts is a fantastic house/trance YouTube channel with a mere 123 subscribers. (It may not technically be synthwave, but it's synthwave-adjacent)
Some of the very oldest videos are a bit rough around the edges, but they quickly improve in quality. I like this channel because it has more of an old-school vibe than most synthwave; it reminds me a lot of early-2000s electronica, back in the days of Armin van Buuren. Vocals are present more often than not, and the vibe is more "dance" than "chillax." Great music to stay awake during a long road trip, or to stay motivated during a big house clean-up. A lot of synthwave videos rehash the same songs over and over, but as far as I can tell these are quite fresh.
Check out their "The Daily Dose" series, each of which are albums of about 20 minutes each.
https://www.youtube.com/@dreamingr0b0ts
Let's share recommendations for the easiest native plants to grow from seed!
Inspired by a comment reply I made in another thread, I thought it would be fun to share what plants native to your region you've had easy success with growing from seed, either in pots or direct-sowing. Please mention your country/region when commenting!
Want to grow a native pollinator garden but are uncertain where to begin? The Xerces Society has you covered!
Cross-posted from [email protected] original post: https://lemmy.world/post/16458535
The Xerces Society is an insect conservation nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon. They engage in a variety of work to protect native insects, including publishing resources for the general public.
One such resource are their Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects guides, which are curated illustrated lists of plants broken down by geographic region. The lists include basic growing conditions info for each species, as well as some info on how the plants benefit insects. They even have separate lists specifically for supporting the endangered monarch butterfly.
If you're a native plant fanatic like me you can cross-reference their lists with the USDA Plants Database (I wrote about that other great resource in this post here) to verify if the Xerces-recommended plants are native to your county, however the Xerces lists are broken up into relatively small regions so you're unlikely to cause damage or introduce problematic species even if it's not technically native to your specific county.
I hope y'all find these lists as useful/inspiring as I have!
Want to grow a native pollinator garden but are uncertain where to begin? The Xerces Society has you covered!
Disclaimer: data only available for the lower 48 United States, although Southern Canada and Northern Mexico should be able to extrapolate
The Xerces Society is an insect conservation nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon. They engage in a variety of work to protect native insects, including publishing resources for the general public.
One such resource are their Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects guides, which are curated illustrated lists of plants broken down by geographic region. The lists include basic growing conditions info for each species, as well as some info on how the plants benefit insects. They even have separate lists specifically for supporting the endangered monarch butterfly.
If you're a native plant fanatic like me you can cross-reference their lists with the USDA Plants Database (I wrote about that other great resource in this post here) to verify if the Xerces-recommended plants are native to your county, however the Xerces lists are broken up into relatively small regions so you're unlikely to cause damage or introduce problematic species even if it's not technically native to your specific county.
I hope y'all find these lists as useful/inspiring as I have!
Review: 1HP Club (webcomic)
A comic about the daily life of dungeon boys. Slaying the city, saving the dragons... or something like that.
Title: 1HP Club
Type: Webcomic
Year: 2022-?
Country: Unknown (comic published in English)
Genre: Dungeons & Dragons (fantasy/action/adventure/slice-of-life/comedy)
Status: Ongoing (review as of chapter 130)
Platform: Webtoon (read here)
Appropriate for 30+?: Yes
My rating: 4/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
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1HP Club is a webcomic series about a group of adults playing Dungeons & Dragons. That's it, that's the premise. However due to a combination of eye-candy art, rapid pacing, engaging action scenes, and interesting characters, 1HP Club actually manages to be a surprisingly fun and easy read.
There are a number of works out there that take place in the D&D (or similar) universe, ranging from the live-action Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among Thieves, the animated The Legend of Vox Machina, and webcomics like The Weekly Role. However 1HP Club takes the approach of primarily taking place in the D&D universe but occasionally pulling back to a (also fictional) table-top setting. In my opinion this dual-setting is handled quite well and overcomes the issues frequently inherent to D&D fiction that primarily focus on one or the other: bouncing between table-top and in-game action helps facilitate good pacing and avoids "downtime" in both settings, helps ease the issue of "suspension of disbelief" (because not only is it "just a story," it's "just a story within a story"), and adds padding to character development (because every character also has a character playing them).
Do you need prior knowledge of D&D for this series to make sense? Not necessarily, but without at least some basic knowledge of game mechanics and/or general tabletop gaming experience readers are likely to miss at least a few references, plot points, or jokes; the series isn't quite a parody, but it does assume prior D&D knowledge. However even the completely uninitiated may still find the action/adventure plot and eye-candy art to be more than sufficient to enjoy the series. On the topic of art, I really like how it's handled: both the table-top and in-game settings done in a colorful and aesthetically-pleasing style, but the table-top characters look more like normal people while the in-game characters are more attractive with some occasional mild cheesecake (interestingly of the male characters only, which is strangely refreshing given that nearly all non-romance fantasy series are more about sexualizing their female characters).
Ages of the table-top characters and in-game characters aren't mentioned, but they act and look to be in the 20s-30s range. There's no content "objectionable" to older readers, and while zany antics abound, they're thankfully of the standard D&D/role-playing variety. It shouldn't take more than the first ten chapters or so to figure out if this is a series you'll enjoy or not, and with each chapter being about a one-minute read, why not give 1HP Club a try?
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As with all my reviews, the above is nothing more than my personal opinion. Have you read this series? What did you think? Post in the comments!
It's Pride Month! What are your favorite examples of LGBTQIA+ representation in pre-2000s comics and animation?
Featured: Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena / 少女革命ウテナ), a manga and anime series from the 1990s with a bisexual, gender-queer protagonist and an equally 🏳️🌈 colorful 🏳️🌈 cast of supporting characters.
Review: Live with Yourself! (Webcomic)
An explosive time-space accident leaves happy-go-lucky 20-something Todd living with himself, himself, and himself. You get to watch the struggle.
Title: Live with Yourself!
Type: Webcomic
Year: 2016-2024
Country: United States
Genre: Comedy/Sitcom/Sci-Fi
Status: Completed
Platform: Webtoon (read here)
Appropriate for 30+?: Yes
My rating: 3.5/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
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Live with Yourself! (LWY) is one of those many-genres-in-one series: mostly a comedy, but with a sci-fi premise, a sitcom style, and plot-lines that vary from action to slice-of-life to romance to drama. The plot is organized with one large over-arching plot that lasts all 545 chapters, and lots of tiny sub-plots, some of which only last a few chapters, some of which pop in and out every few dozen chapters, and some chapters are standalone one-shots. In other words, this series is kind of all over the place, but in a mostly good way. Like most semi-episodic series, some plotlines/chapters are way superior to others and you'll encounter a few duds along the way, but fortunately the chapters are so short that even during its lowest points LWY typically doesn't take more than a few minutes of reading before it picks up again.
For a mostly fluffy, goofy series, the premise and plotlines can be somewhat heavy: after interacting with a mysterious machine, the protagonist, 20-something-year-old Todd, accidentally becomes four versions of himself (Todd the baby, Todd of today, Todd of tomorrow, and Todd the old man) and is thus forced to "live with [him]self." While he tries to continue life as normally as he can while dealing with constant time paradoxes and shenanigans, he encounters a variety of other supernatural and weird individuals and experiences, culminating in "Time City," a place outside of time that regulates and polices time anomalies (such as himself). However don't expect hard-core sci-fi out of LWY: the rules of comedy prevail, and when your entire premise is based in a paradox, it's easy to make logic take a backseat as needed for the plot or a joke.
LWY is a fun, albeit somewhat forgettable, easy-read series. Most sub-plots are only a few chapters long, and the chapters only take a minute or so to read. There aren't a lot of laugh-out-loud jokes (this is more an "amusing" comedy series than a "funny" comedy series), and the goofiness factor can sometimes get out of hand, but if nothing else, LWY is unique and generally engaging. It's a doozy to try and marathon, but fortunately its episodic nature makes it an easy series to pick up and read a few chapters here and there whenever you have downtime but don't want to get into anything too engrossing (like on a work commute, or when you're stuck on hold). The characters are a mixed bag: Todd is IMO a bit too much of a typical "white guy nerd" in that he is techy, likes video games, is a bit of a bumbling idiot when it comes to "adulting," is slightly socially awkward, and... that's about it. This primary character blandness can pull the series down a bit at times (especially given that it's a sitcom/ensemble series, and a full quarter of the ensemble--baby Todd--has basically no personality at all), but fortunately as the series progresses more characters are added to help add substance (even though most of them are also pretty two-dimensional). LWY is a bit like the old days of newspaper comics: not a lot of depth (except in occasional small chunks), but that's not what you're here for anyway. There's not anything in LWY in particular to attract or repulse the 30+ crowd, except that Todd can be annoyingly immature at times.
While far from groundbreaking, LWY is amusing, easily digested, generally upbeat, and definitely different. I found it lagged a bit somewhere around/after chapter 400, but it picks right back up around chapter 500 for a solid, albeit slightly abrupt, ending. While a bit lacking in substance and subject to quality variations, its fun nature that isn't afraid to play around with its paradoxical premise and try different things throughout the series makes Live with Yourself! a (mostly) worthwhile read.
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As always, this review is nothing more than my personal opinion. Anyone familiar with this work is encouraged to express their own in the comment section. Or submit your own review… it’s a free country fediverse.
If you live in the United States, you should know about the USDA Plants Database!
Identifying what plants are actually native to your area can be surprisingly tricky. A lot of info out there is state- (or even less helpfully, region-) specific, but if you live in a large and/or geographically diverse state what's native in one corner may be completely foreign in another. There's also a lot of information out there that's too vague or straight-up incorrect, especially for any plant with numerous common names or multiple sub-species.
Enter the USDA Plants Database! While far from perfect, it is hands-down the best tool I have encountered for verifying what plants are native to an area of the US down to the county level.
I often use the database to cross-reference plant guides and recommendations, such as relating to pollinator-friendly gardening. For instance, you would be really surprised how often plants that are not actually native to your area will slip into "native" seed mixes! On the flip side there are also lots of plants that are native to large regions that are often overlooked because they're not a regional specialty, such as selfheal (Prunella vulgaris), which is native to much of the northern hemisphere.
Many of the more common plants, such as selfheal, have two-page writeups in the Plants Database that have an admittedly agricultural bent to them, but can still be quite helpful for home gardeners too (continuing with the previous example, here's selfheal's). I highly recommend giving them a read, especially if you want to grow your plants from seed or propagate them.
Unfortunately the database is not fully populated (some entries are more info-rich than others), and things can get a little confusing when all you have is the common or even scientific name for a plant that has many subspecies (or even worse, if the scientific name has changed at some point), but that's more an issue with taxonomy than the database. If in doubt, checking the images tab can be quite helpful in verifying you have the correct plant entry. Still, I have yet to find any source as comprehensive and accurate as this one.
[Nostalgia] An American Tail & An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (western animated movies)
Cross-posted from: [email protected]
Original thread: https://lemmy.world/post/14414789
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Title: An American Tail, and the sequel: An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
Type: Western animated movie
Year: 1986; 1991
Country: United States
Genre: Kids/comedy/action
Appropriate for 30+?: Unable to judge
My rating: N/A
Note: IMO it’s impossible to give a piece of your childhood a fair review (nostalgia and dozens of rewatches heavily warp one’s perception of a work), so I decided to go in a different direction from my typical reviews and focus on the rewatch experience instead.
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (hereby: FGW) was one of my favorite movies as a young kid. I watched it so many times I could practically recite the dialogue from heart. After learning that it was actually a sequel I watched the original 1986 movie (hereby: AAT) once or twice, but didn’t like it as much. I remember feeling that while the sequel was a laugh-a-minute romp with engaging action scenes, the original just wasn’t as fun and was instead a bit of a downer with some scary/creepy moments (especially the climax when the cats attack and the Mouse of Minsk is released).
Several decades since my last viewing, I decided to give the two movies a watch to see how they held up. I started with AAT and found it somewhat rougher around the edges than I expected, but still above-average for a kid’s movie. I then watched FGW, and wowza I was not wrong as a child: the sequel is such an improvement on the original. It’s the kind of sequel where they basically go through the plot of the original again with a different setting (ala The Hangover), but FGW is such a superior movie that it was more like watching a wildly successful reboot. The animation, soundtrack, pacing, dialogue, humor, and villains experience a huge improvement over the original. There is mild value in watching AAT first (as it explains a few confusing parts of FGW, like why Fievel is willing to risk his life for a hat, and why his father is confident he’ll survive getting lost by himself in the desert), but 99% of FGW stands up on its own.
One major difference between the two is that FGW is infinitely goofier, and is possibly one of the best examples of Looney Tunes-style slapstick humor out there. I haven’t been a fan of slapstick this side of elementary school, and had I had been introduced to these movies as an adult this aspect might have put me off to the sequel, however whether through the power of nostalgia, quality choreography, or the fact that the slapstick is intertwined with other types of humor, I did not mind the slapstick segments much. Additionally, it was quite fun whenever a joke or bit of dialogue came along that made me go, “aha, I’m pretty sure I didn’t catch that as a kid!” I know I didn’t properly appreciate the performances of John Cleese and James Stewart! FGW runs at a mile-a-minute, and there’s so much nonsensically-brilliant dialogue, tight choreography and cinematography, and easy-to-miss details that elevate the movie beyond just a kid-pleasing goofy romp.
I walked away from this exercise in nostalgia relieved that AAT and FGW still hold up over 30 years later (there are some racial stereotypes in both that probably wouldn’t pass muster today, but they’re mild compared to the stuff from that era that didn’t age well). I was impressed with how effortlessly AAT and FGW were able to portray “the American story” in a way easily digestible for young children while still including subtle real-life details (like the pogroms that pushed the Mousekewitz family out of then-Russia-now-Ukraine). I don’t know if an adult watching the movies for the first time would enjoy them, but I definitely had a blast.
Review: Inside Job (western animation)
Cross-posted from: [email protected]
Original thread: https://lemmy.world/post/12538199
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Title: Inside Job
Type: TV series
Year: 2021
Country: United States
Genre: Comedy
Status: Cancelled (RIP)
Platform: Netflix
Appropriate for 30+?: Absolutely
My rating: 4/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
Inside Job is peak Millennial media. Most of the main characters are Millennials, jokes and cultural references are aimed at 20- and 30-somethings, a major plotline revolves around the Millennial protagonist and the strained relationship with her Boomer dad, and there’s even have an entire 80s nostalgia parody episode.
Overall I’d give the series a B (4/5 stars: good but not great). The humor generally lands and the plots are interesting enough. The characters start out painfully two-dimensional but become more charming over time. Unfortunately the latter episodes somehow lack the charm and fun of the earlier episodes, and alas the series never got a chance to redeem itself in season two after being unfairly axed by Netflix after a mere 18 episodes (and a cliffhanger ending). Perhaps not a “must-watch” for the general public, but I’d heartily recommend it to any fan of western adult animation.
Summarized in a phrase: a funnier, smarter American Dad.
Review: Shimanami Tasogare / Our Dreams at Dusk (manga)
Cross-posted from [email protected]
Original thread here: https://lemmy.world/post/12816521
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Japanese title*: Shimanami Tasogare (しまなみ誰そ彼)
English title: Our Dreams at Dusk
Type: Manga
Year: 2015-2018
Country: Japan
Genre: Drama
Status: Completed (four volumes)
Platform: Seven Seas Entertainment published the series in English; old scanlations can also be easily found online
Appropriate for 30+?: Resounding yes
My rating: 5/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
*the title in Japanese has a double meaning, with "Shimanami" being a place name, and "tasogare" meaning "twilight" but it's spelled to loosely translate instead to "who is he?"
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To preface: I almost never give out perfect 5/5 ratings, but Shimanami Tasogare is just that solid. It's a series I've read several times and adore for both general and personal reasons. I've written an unusually long review because there's just so much to unpack here. While there are no major spoilers ahead, if you trust my judgement stop reading this review and go read the series instead: I don't want to unnecessarily color your experience.
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Shimanami Tasogare is a series of understated brilliance that does so many things well that it's difficult to know where to start dissecting it. I'll start with the subtlely beautiful art, which features just enough detail to be realistic yet a touch dream-like, and it confidently dips into the surreal to introduce brief, almost flow-of-consciousness moments for the purpose of conveying the characters' emotions in the moment (this is only one of many ways that the series excels at "show don't tell"). The setting is itself an integral part of the story, and is portrayed in a level of detail and specificity rarely seen in manga. Then there's the tone: while the series deals with serious topics and sad moments, it handles them with grace and skillfully maintains an overall uplifting and joyous vibe (which I really appreciated, as I rather dislike "I smiled through the tears!" or "orphan-crushing machine" stories that are billed as "bittersweet" or "heartwarming," although be forewarned some characters' plotlines are more tragic than others, and the emotional impact of each plotline will almost certainly differ from reader to reader depending on whether it hits close to home or not).
One of the series' greatest strengths is in the characters, every one of which is complex, imperfect, sympathetic, interesting, and above all human. While the protagonist is a high school boy, the supporting cast range from approximately age 11 to 60, with most in their 20s/30s, and about an even gender split. You could argue this is a coming of age story, however the high school plotline is portrayed with maturity, and the older characters all get their own fully-fleshed-out plotlines too, so I think the more generic "character drama" label is much more appropriate. Characters' reactions are not always immediately understood by the audience, but they never feel arbitrary, like they came out of nowhere, or merely happened for the sake of plot development. The characters always drive the plot, never the other way around.
Speaking of the plot, while far from an "edge-of-your-seat" series, the plot is quite engaging, and barreling through the entire four-volume series in one sitting is far from unthinkable. The pacing is fantastic, much of which is thanks to the series' excellence in "show don't tell": the dialogue never feels excessive nor insufficient, and the author conveys characters' thoughts and emotions via art, expression, and action as much as via dialogue. This leads to scenes that squeeze a lot of development into just a few panels, but it never feels rushed or confusing.
Two details that made me personally love the manga even more are: (1) the series is set along the "Shimanami Kaido," which as mentioned in the manga is a historic area of central Japan made up of a series of islands connected by a long highway that also features a fantastic cycling route that I've ridden myself (if you ever visit Japan and are capable of riding a bike, rent yourself a cheap mama-chari and ride as much of the route as you physically can). (2) The characters are involved with a non-profit that renovates old abandoned houses ("akiya") and repurposes them; I love old stuff and there's something so romantic and enticing about both the slow-decline vibe of abandoned houses in depopulated areas and the magic of "restoring something old to its former glory" renovation projects. While neither the Shimanami area nor the akiya restoration project are the focus of the series, they are explored in a good amount of detail and the reader should walk away from the series having learned something about both.
Now that I've sufficiently buried the lede, it's time to discuss probably the most noteworthy elements of Shimanami Tasogare, which is that it's possibly one of the best LGBTQ+ manga ever written; it certainly was groundbreaking in the mid-2010s when it was released for its realistic depiction of LGBTQ+ issues in Japan. However! Much like how the series feels relevant and highly accessible even to readers much older than the adolescent protagonist, Shimanami Tasogare is far from a manga only for LGBTQ readers. In fact, I'd strongly argue that everyone regardless of sexual/gender orientation should read this manga, not only for all the series' fantastic qualities I listed above, but also for its poignant messaging about intentional and unintentional homo/transphobia and what it means to be a supportive ally. I would go so far as to wish it were required reading in every middle school in the US, up there with other cultural touchstones like To Kill a Mockingbird, because it covers a lot of "culture war" issues (both in relation to LGBTQ+ issues and otherwise) in a compassionate, clear, and concise way while somehow never feeling preachy. Full disclaimer: I do not consider myself a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and thus this review is from the perspective of an ally. However my understanding is that the manga received rave reviews from LGBTQ+ communities in Japan and abroad, so I feel confident in my positive assessment of the series.
As just one example of effective messaging, the series clearly demonstrates the value and importance of "safe spaces" (both IRL and digital) for marginalized populations, and what can happen when they're invaded, even if it's with good intentions. One of the supporting characters is a pushy and opinionated straight/cis woman who takes it upon herself to white knight for her trans friend and repeatedly oversteps her bounds until she's finally told off and sheepishly retreats to the literal background for the remainder of the series. No one ever comes out and explains that "a true ally is someone who knows when to step up and when to step back," but anyone with a touch of reading comprehension will hear this message loud and clear.
This is how almost all messaging in the series is: rarely stated directly, but portrayed so clearly that anyone with a shred of compassion or sympathy will understand them. I've considered myself an ally of the LGBTQ+ community for over twenty years, and have read many explanations on microaggressions, safe spaces, the importance of allyship, "the queer experience," etc. (in addition to similar pieces related to other marginalized groups, such as racial/ethnic/religious minorities). Rarely have I read a more clear, convincing, and more importantly precise and concise argument for so many concepts often dismissed as "libtard bullshit." I think this is a case of using a medium to its full potential: the graphic novel format allows the author to portray a lot of concepts non-verbally, which better allows the reader to feel like they've been able to observe the situation for themselves and thus draw their own conclusions, while simultaneously avoiding the inherent "preachiness" of verbal communication. The author never needs to state "don't do X, because it will make people feel bad," because the reader can instead watch X unfold, then infer for themselves that it made a character feel bad based on their expression and body language. This technique only works because every character and every situation feels so realistic, especially in relation to each other, which is why it's critical that so many other elements of the manga are as solid as they are.
Another testament to how successful the author is at conveying difficult messages in a positive and effective way is in how the manga has aged: usually with quickly-evolving cultural topics (such as LGBTQ+ issues) there's almost always something that even expert creators get wrong, that feels outdated even only a few years later, that comes off as misguided, divisive, controversial, or offensive. The stronger the messaging the more likely these blunders are to occur, and Shimanami Tasogare definitely has some strong messaging. Now perhaps there's something that I overlooked or missed that someone from the LGBTQ+ community would identify as a misstep on the part of the author. However I think the author did a brilliant thing to avoid this when crafting their messaging: they portray imperfect characters that are often conflicted and uncertain of what they should do, characters that cause hurt and feel hurt even when no ill will was intended. Further, and as outlined above, the author avoids preachy dialogue that declares absolute truths by instead utilizing "show don't tell." After all images are inherently more nuanced messengers than words (there are a few moments where characters do have to spell things out for each other, but the messaging is usually either extremely general or portrayed as just their opinion, and is always plot-relevant and never feels ham-fisted or forced). One of the central themes of the series is the difficulties people inevitably have understanding each other, often even themselves, and how this unfortunately leads to people hurting one another even when they're trying to help or do the right thing. Yet the series is generally positive about society and humanity as a whole, and would fit right in with the "it gets better" campaign. This all further helps the series feel nuanced, as if to assure the reader, "no one can always get it right (not even me the author) and that's okay."
In summary: Shimanami Tasogare is a story about people (LGBTQ+ or otherwise) and their relationships with themselves, other individuals, and society as a whole. It is brilliantly composed, with exemplary art, pacing, plot, dialogue, setting, and characters. It is smart but accessible, with timeless themes about human relationships that are also painfully relevant to contemporary issues, and it conveys poignant messaging without soapboxing. A core theme of Shimanami Tasogare is that your sexual/gender identity is part of you not all of you, and the same should be said for this manga: while it is a story that covers LGBTQ+ issues, it is far from being just an LGBTQ+ work. I highly recommend this series to everyone, regardless of age,* nationality, or gender/sexual identity.
*Given the nuanced and sometimes difficult content discussed, some discretion is advised. I'd give it a 12+ age rating, although it may resonate better with audiences 14+.
Review: One Room of Happiness (manga)
Cross-posted from [email protected]
Original thread here: https://lemmy.world/post/14998497
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Title: One Room of Happiness (Original Title: 幸色のワンルーム)
Type: Manga
Year: 2017-2022
Country: Japan
Genre: Drama/Psychological
Status: Completed
Platform: Licensed by Crunchyroll (license discontinued?)
Appropriate for 30+?: Yes
My rating: 4/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
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Warning: One Room of Happiness contains difficult subject matter such as suicide, abuse, and rape. Many of the characters are or have been victims of abuse, and as such this series has multiple scenes and chapters that can only be described as "emotionally unpleasant." However the series also has many "warm and fuzzy" moments, and while there is tension that things could suddenly go horribly wrong underlying much of the series, this is balanced with joy and hope. In this way the series shares a lot of thematic and tone overlap with Oyasumi Punpun.
Given that Oyasumi Punpun is an infamous emotional trainwreck of a series, and given that the premise and initial chapters of One Room of Happiness send off super-skeevy vibes, here's a mild spoiler about just how bad One Room of Happiness gets:
spoiler
The ending of One Room of Happiness is bittersweet: nowhere near as devastating as Oyasumi Punpun, but certainly not a fully happy ending either. The "kidnapper" does not attempt anything untoward toward the "kidnapped;" their relationship is generally wholesome, albeit in a fucked-up way. However rape-attempt scenes involving other characters do occur on two occasions in the series.
The core of the series is in its character study of abused individuals dealing with trauma, and the character development that comes with working through it and connecting with others also scarred by abuse. The plot is fairly engaging, and there's some cat-and-mouse as the "kidnapper and kidnapped" try to evade the police. The art, pacing, and dialogue are all quite good. Because one of the core themes of the series is recovering from trauma, the series is overall more wholesome, heartwarming, and uplifting than most "psychological" series, which depending on the series can border on torture porn. IANAP (I am not a psychologist), however I left One Room of Happiness feeling like the difficult subjects handled in this series were done respectfully, gracefully, and at least somewhat realistically.
The two main characters are on the younger side (14 and early/mid-twenties), however the subject matter is mature and, likely due to their trauma, the characters act mature for their age. The series's overall quality is high, and the "turn-offs for older audiences" that I try to watch for with these reviews are basically absent. As long as you are prepared for the heavy subject matter and can get through some of the more questionable content/vibes of the early chapters (including one chapter with non-sexualized 14yo nudity), I think this series is both appropriate and enjoyable for older audiences.
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As always, this review is nothing more than my personal opinion. Anyone familiar with this work is encouraged to express their own in the comment section. Or submit your own review… it’s a free country fediverse.
Review: One Room of Happiness (manga)
Title: One Room of Happiness (Original Title: 幸色のワンルーム)
Type: Manga
Year: 2017-2022
Country: Japan
Genre: Drama/Psychological
Status: Completed
Platform: Licensed by Crunchyroll (license discontinued?)
Appropriate for 30+?: Yes
My rating: 4/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
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Warning: One Room of Happiness contains difficult subject matter such as suicide, abuse, and rape. Many of the characters are or have been victims of abuse, and as such this series has multiple scenes and chapters that can only be described as "emotionally unpleasant." However the series also has many "warm and fuzzy" moments, and while there is tension that things could suddenly go horribly wrong underlying much of the series, this is balanced with joy and hope. In this way the series shares a lot of thematic and tone overlap with Oyasumi Punpun.
Given that Oyasumi Punpun is an infamous emotional trainwreck of a series, and given that the premise and initial chapters of One Room of Happiness send off super-skeevy vibes, here's a mild spoiler about just how bad One Room of Happiness gets:
spoiler
The ending of One Room of Happiness is bittersweet: nowhere near as devastating as Oyasumi Punpun, but certainly not a fully happy ending either. The "kidnapper" does not attempt anything untoward toward the "kidnapped;" their relationship is generally wholesome, albeit in a fucked-up way. However rape-attempt scenes involving other characters do occur on two occasions in the series.
The core of the series is in its character study of abused individuals dealing with trauma, and the character development that comes with working through it and connecting with others also scarred by abuse. The plot is fairly engaging, and there's some cat-and-mouse as the "kidnapper and kidnapped" try to evade the police. The art, pacing, and dialogue are all quite good. Because one of the core themes of the series is recovering from trauma, the series is overall more wholesome, heartwarming, and uplifting than most "psychological" series, which depending on the series can border on torture porn. IANAP (I am not a psychologist), however I left One Room of Happiness feeling like the difficult subjects handled in this series were done respectfully, gracefully, and at least somewhat realistically.
The two main characters are on the younger side (14 and early/mid-twenties), however the subject matter is mature and, likely due to their trauma, the characters act mature for their age. The series's overall quality is high, and the "turn-offs for older audiences" that I try to watch for with these reviews are basically absent. As long as you are prepared for the heavy subject matter and can get through some of the more questionable content/vibes of the early chapters (including one chapter with non-sexualized 14yo nudity), I think this series is both appropriate and enjoyable for older audiences.
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As always, this review is nothing more than my personal opinion. Anyone familiar with this work is encouraged to express their own in the comment section. Or submit your own review… it’s a free country fediverse.
Review: Clinic of Horrors (Webcomic)
In a strange city, there is a clinic that will treat the victims of horrific diseases. For a price.
Title: Clinic of Horrors
Type: Webcomic
Year: 2021-?
Country: It's complicated (distributed team; comic's original language is English)
Genre: Horror/Comedy/Dystopia/Sci-Fi
Status: Ongoing (review as of chapter #116)
Platform: Webtoon (read here)
Appropriate for 30+?: Maybe
My rating: 2.5/5 stars
(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)
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The early chapters of Clinic of Horrors are real rough. The dialogue is so clunky the comic reads like a mediocre fan translation of an East Asian series, the comedy element is weak, the bizarre setting (while intriguing) is barely explored, the art is bright and snazzy but anatomically questionable and lacking in details, and there's no character development or plot to speak of (the format is monster-of-the-week, but with each chapter only being a few panels long each concept is introduced then resolved in the blink of an eye, like if Black Mirror tried to make TikTok shorts). Fortunately the series improves dramatically as it progresses, especially once the chapters get longer, more is revealed about the setting, and an overarching plot kicks in.
Unfortunately the progression is only enough to drag the series out of "not good" to "just okay albeit with potential." There's a definite attempt to tell a dark dystopian, anti-capitalist/anti-monopolist sci-fi tale, but unfortunately the quality is still a bit lacking. While there are some interesting ideas being played with, none of them are all that original, and while this particular concoction of concepts is perhaps unique, each individual dystopian/horror/sci-fi concept has already been explored much better in other works. For example there's a plotline about a fungus that is taking over people's bodies, effectively killing and turning them into zombies, to create a mycorrhizal network of sorts; this is an interesting enough premise except that it was resolved when the protagonist dumps a handful of antibacterial vaccine vials into the water supply and triggers the sprinkler system (which is... incorrect on so many fronts). If the art were truly bad (like, early chapters of Tower of God-bad) I doubt Clinic of Horrors would have ever gotten off the ground, because the other aspects of the series are definitely not good enough to carry the series.
However, that's not to say Clinic of Horrors is completely without merit. If you're looking for a bubblegum series with bright and colorful art, short and easily-digestible chapters, and a mildly-creepy pop-sci-fi setting, this series isn't a bad way to burn an hour or so (the chapters, especially at the beginning, are really short, so even at over a hundred chapters you should be able to blow through the whole series in one sitting). There's nothing in particular that stood out to me as "older audiences won't enjoy this" other than the series's general mediocrity. Because it is so short and such easy reading, I'll probably stick with the series and hope that it continues to improve.
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As always, this review is nothing more than my personal opinion. Anyone familiar with this work is encouraged to express their own in the comment section. Or submit your own review… it’s a free country fediverse.