Monte_Kristo's recent activity
-
Comment on How do you celebrate your birthday? in ~talk
-
Comment on Can AI-generated photos be art? in ~arts
Monte_Kristo (edited )Link ParentYeah it's not really an argument worth having. Mutilating corpses probably counts as art too, but that's not going to be the discussion being had if you start doing it. People find fault with the...Yeah it's not really an argument worth having. Mutilating corpses probably counts as art too, but that's not going to be the discussion being had if you start doing it.
People find fault with the actions taken to generate the images. Most other merits (or lack thereof), come second to that argument.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Monte_Kristo LinkI just caught up to date with the series Mieruko-chan which is a horror comedy series that started as a twitter web comic that is about a girl who starts seeing ghosts one day and decides that her...I just caught up to date with the series Mieruko-chan which is a horror comedy series that started as a twitter web comic that is about a girl who starts seeing ghosts one day and decides that her best way of surviving the ghost encounters is to act like she can't see them. It is a really fun mash up, as the author draws some genuinely creepy and messed up shit, so the horror still feels very real even when it is played for laughs. As the scope of the story expanded, it took on some more serious tones without really losing the initial charm. I think the author has a real understanding of horror movies, as the "camera work" of his panels is very good at setting suspense.
-
Comment on MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls | Announce trailer in ~games
Monte_Kristo Link ParentShuma is kinda in a weird spot rights wise, which is why the Shuma in the Doctor Stange movie was called Gargantos. He's also literally in the background of the only stage in we've seen so far, so...Shuma is kinda in a weird spot rights wise, which is why the Shuma in the Doctor Stange movie was called Gargantos. He's also literally in the background of the only stage in we've seen so far, so it isn't looking great for him.
-
Comment on MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls | Announce trailer in ~games
Monte_Kristo LinkThis is incredibly hype. Love that Arcsystemworks got this chance, as they continue to make the most gorgeous looking videogames ever. 4v4 has me nervous that this will be a visual mess when all...This is incredibly hype. Love that Arcsystemworks got this chance, as they continue to make the most gorgeous looking videogames ever. 4v4 has me nervous that this will be a visual mess when all of the assists are on screen, but I'll try to avoid being pessimistic. Love that they went with Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider because it gives them opportunities to channel as much Tradd Moore art as possible. Make Devil Dinosaur playable.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Monte_Kristo LinkSo I read a small series called Sanjin Sadou, which is the first series from the author Satoshi Mizukami. It's a brisk 21 chapters long, and follows an diminished exorcist named Fubuki, whose...So I read a small series called Sanjin Sadou, which is the first series from the author Satoshi Mizukami. It's a brisk 21 chapters long, and follows an diminished exorcist named Fubuki, whose ambitions as a youth led him to messing with powers beyond his abilities to control. He was a powerful blood thirsty warrior as a teenager, and he is now a weak and washed up late 20 something. His cast off spiritual powers manifest themselves as a spirit that has possessed and kidnapped a high school girl and he goes off to get her back.
It's a fun, if amateurish, little series. It would not be the series I would use to introduce Mizukami to people, but I would recommend it to people who have read or watched his series Sengoku Youko. They take place in the same universe, with Sanjin Sadou taking place in the present day, and Sengoku Youko (unsurprisingly) taking place during the Sengoku period of Japan. Sanjin Sadou is this neat little microcosm of ideas that get more fleshed out in Sengoku Youko. Both series tackle ideas regarding the concept of "strength", and what it means to both have and not have it. What it means for how one regards the self and how society will view you for having it or not having it. I would absolutely regard Sengoku Youko as the superior work, but Sanjin Sadou is sort of a fun way of seeing the blue print to what Mizukami would eventually make with his career. It's sorta like seeing the concept artwork for a game or a movie you enjoyed. Though I do think it is funny that Mizukami's art looks the same now compared to back then. Like I think his art is generally more detailed in the background and in action scenes, but the way he draws characters is almost exactly the same.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Monte_Kristo Link ParentYeah, both Knights of Sidonia and Tower Dungeon feel like they got made because Nihei's editor pleaded with him to make something mainstream. It just works out because his own personal interests...Yeah, both Knights of Sidonia and Tower Dungeon feel like they got made because Nihei's editor pleaded with him to make something mainstream. It just works out because his own personal interests bring an extreme X factor into the equation that really spices up simple premises.
-
Comment on Former US President Joe Biden diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office says in ~society
Monte_Kristo Link ParentI'm gonna go out and say that your odd coincidence is simply a coincidence. We have zero reason to doubt that he has known about his cancer longer than his diagnosis Friday. Given that it looks...I'm gonna go out and say that your odd coincidence is simply a coincidence. We have zero reason to doubt that he has known about his cancer longer than his diagnosis Friday. Given that it looks pretty rough, their timeline of which it is helpful information to keep hidden seems pretty much non existent. I think we know about it now simply because he knows about it now.
-
Comment on 700+ titles removed from MangaDex in ~anime
Monte_Kristo (edited )Link ParentI think I'd take it one step further and say that a large open source public library like Mangadex eventually becomes the most ethical way of consuming art. I have a pretty sizable library of...I think I'd take it one step further and say that a large open source public library like Mangadex eventually becomes the most ethical way of consuming art.
I have a pretty sizable library of physical media. I've got bookshelves overflowing with comics, and crates full of CD's. I try to see movies in theaters and then buy the Blu-ray afterwards. I really try to patron the arts I love as much as possible, but eventually it really just feels like it becomes consumerism. Your treasure just becomes a mountain of trash for your family to throw away when you die. The most joy I've ever gotten from buying a book was being able to share it with someone else to enjoy. Having a centralized place that people can contribute to and freely take from is a way better system than everyone being forced to create their own dragon's horde.
Much like endgame collecting not really being a positive outcome for the consumer, the endgame of trying to profit from the art is not really a positive outcome for the art. Like you said, a lot of those series were essentially in the dustbin of history. Long completed series with no official translation, and most likely haven't seen a Japanese language reprint in years. I'm not oblivious to the effort required to make manga, nor am ignorant to the economics of the ordeal. I think people should buy things from creators, because the creators need money to feed themselves and their families, but the profits to be found by keeping something behind a paywall erode as time marches onwards. Free for everyone is much better preservation than being locked in a vault.
-
Comment on 700+ titles removed from MangaDex in ~anime
Monte_Kristo Link ParentOne Piece wasn't on mangadex in the first place, and the viz stuff is probably the most customer friendly for English manga, so this response seems fairly misplaced. Kodansha can eat a dick though.One Piece wasn't on mangadex in the first place, and the viz stuff is probably the most customer friendly for English manga, so this response seems fairly misplaced. Kodansha can eat a dick though.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Monte_Kristo LinkI ended up binge reading Tsutomu Nihei's Knights of Sidonia. I'm a huge fan of his earlier work BLAME! and have been keeping up with his new series Tower Dungeon, and I found it kinda odd that I...I ended up binge reading Tsutomu Nihei's Knights of Sidonia. I'm a huge fan of his earlier work BLAME! and have been keeping up with his new series Tower Dungeon, and I found it kinda odd that I hadn't already read what is his most popular work.
The general premise is that Earth was destroyed by an alien threat called the Gauna and the cast of the series reside on a colony ship called Sidonia whose mission is to escape the Gauna and find a new home for humanity. The plot takes place several thousand years after the Sidonia's initial departure, as the ship reencounters a Gauna fleet that is in between them and the solar system they were planning to colonize.
I think it has a very cool set up. In the setting, humanity is using a mix of pseudo naval tactics and mechs while the Gauna are a sort of hivemind flesh mass, and the series has a fun call and response where both sides advance their technology and tactics based off of the previous skirmishes that escalates as the Sidonia and the Gauna home ship approach contact with each other.
I think it is both a good series, but also a good companion piece to Nihei's works prior to it. I think BLAME! is super sick, but I think the most common responses to it online are that the character's look weird, and that people have no clue what the hell is going on in the plot. Knights of Sidonia really feels like an attempt to tackle those critiques by both having characters and having character. In BLAME! the protagonist Killy is essentially a Terminator. He is a (mostly) solitary figure who stumbles though massive action set pieces, shooting almost anything that moves. This blog post may have more words in it than what Killy speaks in the entirety of BLAME!'s run. I think Sidonia's protagonist Tanikaze is intentionally an antithesis to Killy, to maybe mixed results. Tanikaze is on par with Killy as someone who always comes out on top in the harsh meat grinder sci-fi battles of their respective settings, but while Killy is taciturn and 100% serious all the time, Tanikaze is goofy and maybe even dumb. Tanikaze gets into dumb tropey haram protagonist shenanigans, but I think those stock tropes get grounded by the setting still taking itself seriously. Tanikaze feels invincible most of the time, but the overall cast is demonstrated to not be. To me the slice of life grab ass stuff heightens the horror aspects that the military engagements take on, as a new fresh hell get introduced every fight, and humanity's odd of actually winning look really grim for the entirety of the series. The mortality of the side characters is really felt imo, and I think it makes Tanikaze a little more interesting because he feels more invested in the stakes than Killy ever did. I'll also say that I think the romance "winning" girl fairly cute. Not anything ground breaking, but overall I approve.
I also think the art really has a glow up as the series goes on. I think the first couple of volumes have a bunch of characters that look kinda similar, and the space fights look somewhat confusing. I think Nihei just gets a grasp of his process. He mentions that when he initially started making concept art for the series he tried rendering 3D models for all of the mechs, but he said that it was too hard for him, so instead he bought a bunch of models and kit bashed them together. So I think he just ironed out some problems with the new things that he had never tried before art wise, and it jumps from just looking okay to looking really cool.
This series had an anime which I have not watched. I know it uses 3D animation for the mechs, I don't know if it is bad in motion or not. I feel like it can't be that bad because I remember the series maintaining a level of popularity as it came out, but who knows.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Monte_Kristo LinkBecause of their surprise recent crossover, I went and reread all of Azumanga Daioh and Yotsuba&!. They are both really wonderful series. Azumanga is a bit more absurd or zany. Yotsuba is...Because of their surprise recent crossover, I went and reread all of Azumanga Daioh and Yotsuba&!. They are both really wonderful series.
Azumanga is a bit more absurd or zany. Yotsuba is whimsical for sure, but strives for realism at all times, while Azumanga is just slightly off the ground most of the time. I think a good strength they have in common is a sense for the passage of time. The plot feels like it could go on forever, but there are soft deadlines in the background that show that they can't. They both really capture the essence of youth in that regard.
I think Yotsuba may just be the best written child character ever. Both in the sense that the story is good, but also that there is insane accuracy for child mannerisms. Being athletic but also clumsy, being selfish but kind and well meaning, and having insane mental conversations that none of the adults understand but play along with just all feel so real. I don't have kids, but I have a niece who is now just a little bit older than Yotsuba, and each family outing really just matches the vibe that the manga captures. It's been very fun experiencing it all again.
-
Comment on It's official, Switch 2 Joy-Con will not feature Hall Effect sticks in ~games
Monte_Kristo Link ParentYou may not be alone in requiring a mainline Mario and Zelda to buy the console, but I do not think that is the popular position anymore. Mario Kart 8 is the fifth highest selling video game of...You may not be alone in requiring a mainline Mario and Zelda to buy the console, but I do not think that is the popular position anymore. Mario Kart 8 is the fifth highest selling video game of all time. Higher than either of the mainlines, along with any Pokémon, PUBG, World of Warcraft, any Call of Duty, and Red Dead Redemption 2. From Nintendo's perspective, they are giving the people what they want.
-
Comment on Donald Trump White House directs US National Institutes of Health to study ‘regret’ after transgender people transition in ~society
Monte_Kristo Link ParentI know nothing on the topic, was the knee replacement statement just a joke, or does knee replacement surgery actually just suck?I know nothing on the topic, was the knee replacement statement just a joke, or does knee replacement surgery actually just suck?
-
Comment on Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 – 4.2.2025 in ~games
Monte_Kristo LinkThe games that they showed off look great, the pricing was not so great, but I think we kinda expected that going in.The games that they showed off look great, the pricing was not so great, but I think we kinda expected that going in.
-
Comment on US President Donald Trump executive order on Smithsonian targets funding for programs with ‘improper ideology’ in ~society
Monte_Kristo LinkThe executive order also said this So it seems like we are going to be erecting Confederate statues again.The executive order also said this
The Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior restore Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.
So it seems like we are going to be erecting Confederate statues again.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Monte_Kristo Link ParentI feel like they do a pretty good job of explaining why the stakes are different, and that there is plenty of danger and complications even within a system with resurrection.I feel like they do a pretty good job of explaining why the stakes are different, and that there is plenty of danger and complications even within a system with resurrection.
-
Comment on What are some good stories told from non-human perspectives? in ~books
Monte_Kristo LinkFeel like we got a lot of responses deep without mentioning Charlotte's Web.Feel like we got a lot of responses deep without mentioning Charlotte's Web.
-
Comment on “ALL YOU NEED IS KILL” | Teaser trailer in ~anime
Monte_Kristo Link ParentThe original work was light novel illustrated by Yoshitoshi Abe, and as I said in my first post, there is a western comic adaptation illustrated by Lee Ferguson. Both the comic and the manga...The original work was light novel illustrated by Yoshitoshi Abe, and as I said in my first post, there is a western comic adaptation illustrated by Lee Ferguson. Both the comic and the manga versions were made for the advertisement rollout of the movie.
I think a lot of people assume that the manga is the original version, as it's illustrated by Takeshi Obata of Death Note fame, so it looks the most high quality. Also light novels are not that popular of a format in the west (they are worst parts of novels and comics put together imo).
-
Comment on “ALL YOU NEED IS KILL” | Teaser trailer in ~anime
Monte_Kristo LinkI think it's neat that this is the fifth version of this story, all of them radically different from each other, but most of them have turned out pretty good (would not recommend the western comic...I think it's neat that this is the fifth version of this story, all of them radically different from each other, but most of them have turned out pretty good (would not recommend the western comic adaptation). I think I'll enjoy this version too.
I normally don't beyond maybe getting a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. A couple of friends and I gift each other games on steam for our birthdays, but it is normally very casual and not more than $30.
This past year was the first time I really tried to celebrate, because it was my 30th. I traveled internationally for the first time in my life and had an 11 day trip in Japan. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done, so I'm considering making travel a yearly tradition. Only thing that sucks is that my birthday is in the winter, so a lot of places have terrible weather. My Japan trip wasn't actually on my birthday because of this.