This page is the stupid fucking words page. For the stupid fucking images page, see https://kpwu.radio.fm/art
Wed, 22 Jan 2025, @979 .beats
This is a very important episode for Kirika. Before anything of importance is said though, that kitten looks fucking ugly. I'm sorrry, I know this show was made on a shoestring and it looks really good despite that, but that cat looks absolutely horrible. Anyway. This episode also raises a lot of questions. Should Nazarov be killed ? Even if he'll die soon ? Even if it's to enact revenge ? Even if he helped so many people who will miss him dearly ? Even if he was also enacting revenge ? In the end, none of these questions really matter. Mireille does choose her targets to kill almost exclusively assholes, buta job is a job. Kirika understands that at the end. There's also an important question being raised from Nazarov being a Norga, or rather an interesting point : Noir, the assassin, is just a hand pushing the wheel of violence forward. Nazarov wanted to stop the violence. He went into hiding, changed his name, tried to do good for the rest of his life and nearly died for it. But, the Tashkil found him and asked for him to be killed, thus making the wheel turn once more. Does Noir have a say in that ?
Mon, 20 Jan 2025, @943 .beats
It's been a while... forgive me, last week was rough and ended with a ten thousand year slumber. This episode feels almost like a direct response to episode 3. In e3, Mireille's philosophy that assassins can no longer be real people and lead normal lives is shown, but in this episode we learn that Vanelle had a family, and we see an old barkeep who was an ex-assassin. This episode also sees the reveal of the main antagonist. Mireille only reads the second paragraph of the page but the first one is the introduction monologue.
Wed, 08 Jan 2025, @979 .beats
This episode is really really good, and despite being one of the earlier episodes, its one of those that stick the most in my mind; This is, I believe, the one and only episode where we see a normal girl of Kirika's age. In this episode, she seriously considers a lot of things, and she starts to internalize that she is now no longer human, a theme in continuation with the previous episode. The final scene is the reason why it stands out so much to me. Kirika is in front of Hammond's daughter, face to face. She does a basic gesture of politeness, Hammond smiles to her, and then... she leaves, not saying a word. She could have told her so many things, but instead she accepts her place as no longer human, and simply says nothing. Also I forgot how flashback heavy these first episodes are. It gets better later on.
Tue, 07 Jan 2025, @865 .beats
Good fuck Nimona is a good movie. Everything coalesces so well together. From the very start you can guess how this militaristic complex is managed, from the biased media to the holy and sacred origin story. Everything is done incredibly well. One thing I particularly appreciate is that Nimona is never... toned down. In another, worse alternate universe, Nimona has to learn to respect others and be kind and blah blah blah. Not in ours though, and we can be glad. The line "I don't know what's scarier, that everyone in this city wants to stab my heart, or that sometimes I want to let them" is just... It's good. It's fucking good. It has so much significations, it means so much, I relate so heavily to it. I love that when Nimona becomes a giant monster she doesn't destroy anything, she just goes to the statue, scared and hurt, to impale herself. It's just... god.
Ok ok ok. Take two. It is incredibly complicated for me to put thoughts on this movie due to how well it does things. Everything about it seems transparent. But. This is a story about stories. I love stories about stories. More specifically, this is a story about the stories told by governements and mass media in propagandistic efforts to paint some as evil (the monsters) and some as good (the knights). Who must be killed, who must be praised, who must be eradicated without question, who must be bathed in light and love. Also, this is one of the best stories i have seen about being an "other" in society. Nimona is ostracized. She is not in the Us of this kingdom. She is in the Them. What I truly love about this movie is that Nimona is never apologetic. It's not about her trying to fit in with the world she's in. It's about her unapologetically trying to live as she wants, as she should have the right to. In fact, in the end, it's not her that changes to accomodate society, but instead it's society that changes to not just accept, but love her, after she saves the kingdom. This movie is sof fucking good.
I saw the tv glow. fuck. fuck. fuck. fuck. the world may not be concentric in shape. or maybe its a spiral and its getting faster and faster. Fuck. god. god. god. god. god. god. fuck. fuck. fuck. this is... fuck. fading sense of reality. world of stillness. memories like distant stars. a heavy veil engulfs everything around you. nothing can break out. nothing can break out, but you. you have to be ready to cast your body behind. fuck. fuck. fuck. nothing ever changes everything ever stays the same.
Mon, 06 Jan 2025, @936 .beats
Dlumpo.. This episode is pretty good. The culprit is entertaining in that he openly mocks Columbo. That is probably his biggest downfall. He ver openly mocks Columbo's judgement ability, comparing him to a fictional character he pretends to have created. At the same time, his murder would have been rather flawless if it weren't for La Sanka. She singlhandedly helps solve the murder, and it's barely because of her testimony, despite havin gseen firsthand the most incriminating evidence.
Now for a tangent. I really like the scene where Franklin offers a drink to Columbo just after they first find the body. Franklin pours him a drink, and then... they don't clink their glasses together ! Maybe I'm reading too much into this and that's not a thing you do as much in 1970s USA, but in France we do it basically whenever we can. We love clinking glasses. The gesture comes from medieval times. It was down to mix the liquid in both glasses, as a counterplay to poison but also as a show of trust. If your drinking buddy poisoned your drink, some of it would end up in theirs. But here, they don't do it. So why ? Well, we can go through this as a chess interaction, essentially. Franklin could very well have poisoned Columbo's drink, and the lack of clinking (even if nowadays you don't mix the liquids) is to show that. But also, if Columbo dropped dead from drinking, it would be incriminating for Franklin, and both of them know that. The fact that they don't clink manages to shwo extremely well the rift between the two, the cold and antipathy they feel for each other.
Sun, 05 Jan 2025, @987 .beats
This one is great. The main two characters have been establish, their way of doing things has been established, and so now the real things start. One of the main themes in Noir is what it means to take a human life. An underlying philosophy of Mireille's character is that killing is like, fine, if it's your job, but you have to give a part of your humanity. You can't have a grave, your name can't be remembered, you have to keep killing and killing or esle you'll die yourself. Kirika has no real philosophy yet. She views those she kills as people, and though she has no problem killing them, she's conflicted about that. Shouldn't she feel sadness at the death of another, especially if that death was caused by her hands ? I also really like Mireille's conversations with the other hitwoman. At first bonding over the wounds of their past, and then Mireille suddenly realizing, in the heat of things, that yes, she will have to kill her. And, at the end, Mireille's deep frustration at not knowing that woman's name, nor the fact that she can never have a grave, can never be a human being.
Wed, 01 Jan 2025, @987 .beats
The first job. I find it really interesting that Mireille decides to use the codename noir, especially knowing just how important that codename is. This first job is also very interesting, in the sense that we get an explanation of the situation before it. What I find interesting is that this japanese media made in 2001 is still relevant when it comes to french politics in the year 2024/2025. Like yes the ministry of defence absolutely would work with alt right groups, and probably does, because what in our current governement isn't in cahoots with the alt right. I also really like the sheer contrast between the scenes of daily life and the part of the episode where they do the job. It's great, this show is great.
Sat, 28 Dec 2024, @944 .beats
This time for real. The episode I watched previously is an uknown episode that you get if you illegally stream Columbo on any site. Like it's just this one and no other. So I torrented the first season.
I feel like this episode takes a bit too long to set up, but at the same time it's a good start for the series. Columbo isn't, like most other detective stories, about seeing a detective gather clues and uncover more of the mystery. Rather, it's about knowing everything about how a crime went, and then seeing Columbo play mental chess with the culprit. THat's why it's such an interesting show, I believe. For exemple the discussion between Flemming and Columbo they have along with a glass of Bourbon in Flemming's office becomes such a climactic and important scene. Columbo manages to make Flemming describe himself when asked to describe a lambda murderer. Columbo is about seeing him slowly lay a trap around a murderer, and then suddenly pull the snare.
Sat, 28 Dec 2024, @638 .beats
Jojo's bizarre adventure has always stood out to me compared to other shounens. The fights, the artstyle, the writing... all of it is very different compared to other shounens. I am not the only one to feel like this, I know. But... I wanted to try and understand why.
As I understand it, Araki has a situation based writing-style. That is to say, he will not write with a specific idea of the character's ability, but rather will begin with a situation he has in mind, and then write abilities and plot-points and characters around that. Let's look at an exemple from part 7 : the Boom Boom family, which spans from chapter 15 to 17. This encounter can very easily be traced back to a few situations : the trickery with the lizard bite that starts the encounter, the race away from mountain Tim, and Mountain Tim working alongside Johnny and Gyro. These situations clearly point to an ability, being magnetism. the lzard bite allows for something interesting by having the magnetism be activated by touch. This itself leads to a new situation : the bullet being used to sidperse blood. And like that, the structure of the fight falls down. The fight, which extends on 3 chapters (quite long for part 7), ends up being dynamic and having multiple quickly separatable parts, in which the characters change their strategy and techniques, that all succeed and lead into each other without being drawn out. This writing style can be inferred in most of Jojo's. Most fight end up revolving around a specific set-piece (the electric chair in Dragon's Dream, the orang utan in Strength, the zombies in Cameo, the timeloop in Bites the Dust).
This makes Jojo's quite different from other shounens. The fights cannot be taken away from the place the happen in. Furthermore, it makes every fight interesting and engaging, even if the character's aren't overpowered. This is something that you can't really say for, as an exemple, One Piece. Luffy has to constantly get stronger, and always find new techniques, always reachng for new power levels. Meanwhile, in Jojo's we can see wild fluctuations in power level. It also makes certain fights that would not be engaging very interesing : for exemple, Hayato stuck in Bites the Dust, or Lucy Steel running from Blackwell. Bothe of these characters are children with no special ability, nor any fighting experience. And yet, these encounters are among the most interesitng in the manga because they are situation based : what if Hayato had to try and get Jousuke's attention ? What if Lucy had to hide from an omnipresent threat ?
It's equally interesting to see the way Araki developped this writing style. Part 3-6 see an increase of the complexity of the stands, ending in the absolute ridiculousness of certain stands in part 6. But, in part 7, Araki now understands how he writes. He understands his situation based approach, and how to integrate it better in his story. Many of the stands in part 7 are incredibly simple, and many of them are very similar to stands we've seen before. Oyecomova's stand is essentially Killer Queen, The Boom Boom family's is essentially Bastet. Yet, these fights are so different from the originals that you forget the similarities.
Jojo is one of the most refreshing mangas to read. It's also infuriating to see the community that formed around it be so insistant on defining clear frame works for abilities that very clearly never had any intended, as that is antithetical to Araki's situation-based writing.
Fri, 27 Dec 2024, @001 .beats
Well, this is a rewatch. I watched this about... a few month to a year and a half ago, give or take, my reactions being recorded in a similar manner on the Something Eternal forum. Seek that out if you wish. I've been craving to rewatch Noir lately, though. One thing that's immediately seen is just how... french it is. And I don't mean that it's in Paris and so on. If anything, the few shots we see of Paris in that first episode are stereotypical and nothing like Paris. Rather, the atmosphere is very reminiscent of a french movie or a french series. The contemplative shots, the patience and scant dialog... and, knowing how the series goes, the storyline is also very reminiscent of french cinema. One thing I was surprised at, however, was that Altea already shwoed up ? like its just a few seconds but damn girl
Thu, 19 Dec 2024, @807 .beats
All art is communication. The artist communicates something to a spectator, using a variety of mediums, whether visual, audio, narrative, interactive, and such. Communication relies on a key point : the understanding of the speaker. In effective communication, the speaker is understood by the listener.
To achieve such an understanding, it is important to consider the speaker themselves. Ignoring their condition will lead to non-understanding. Just as in communication, it's important to consider the artist themselves in a work. This comes in the form of basic questions, such as the intent of the work, but it also comes with a broad range of meta-narratives. To effectively understand a work, we must understand the context of a work, and of the author.
A piece of art is a bridge between two contexts. The artist, who created it, and the spectator, who observes it. One of these contexts, the artist's, is fixed in time, whereas that of the viewer is evershifting. The context of a work is not limited to the artist themselves, however. This context extends far beyond that, but essentially can be divided in two parts : The emotional and the political context.
The political context of the author refers to the world around them. In which configuration of politics, geography, history, under which rule, under which socio-economic and cultural shifts was this work made ? This is especially important when considering the work made by marginalized artists, due to the changing nature of the viewer's context. A piece of art that might have been considered controversial and ground-breaking when initially created might nowadays be considered moot, barely relevant.
The emotional context refers to the author themselves. What emotions were they feeling, in regards to their personal life, to themselves, to their work, to their craft ? How did this emotion translate itself into the matrice of their creation, how much did they let their emotions and internal tides influence their poiesis ? This context is much harder to pin down for certain works. But, a key difference between it and the political context of the author, is that it is undiscutable. Whereas a movie then considered a queer film might seem mundane today, the emotion left in it by the creators remains.
This difference is due to the way these two contexts are compared. A piece of art is, in fact, only half of the bridge between the contexts, with the other half being the spectator's reading of the piece. Because of the evershifting political context of the spectator, the political context of the piece is considered in a relative way. This means that it is now considered for itself (which is a rather moot point) but is intead considered in relation to the current political context, and to the history that bridges the two. Meanwhile, the emotional context is regarded in a more abstract, objective way, though there is some leeway. A certain person might find a painting full of anger and fear, whil another might read sadness into its strokes.
As such, the consideration of both of these contexts, and the relationship between the contexts of creation of a work and the contexts of the viewer are ever important. However, this notion brings another one : that of implied context, which is more relevant to political context. An artist, when creating art, will not necessarily explain the full breadth of the political context in which it was created, instead relying on the spectator's knowledge. In P.K. Dick's "The man in the High Castle", the author does not explain to us the entirety of the politcal context that lead to World War 2, the rise of fascism in Europe and Asia, or the way in which the US implicated itself in this conflict, nor the waves this situation created in the coming decades. Instead, this context is implied, and P.K. Dick prefers to explain the differences between the reality of the book and ours. A key point here is that while context is explained, it's not the context in which the book was written, but rather the one found in the universe of the book.
This notion, however, meshes particularly well with the idea of vagueness. Vagueness in a text is the non-explanation of elements, and the way in which some ideas might, purposefully or not, be unexplained, instead left for the reader to decipher. This notion melds itself with that of implied context, and many artworks dance on the line between the two, a blurred line erased by words for thousands of years. This dance has become common practice, but the works that separate themselves from the mass of others are those that purposefully choose to remain in that border, without ever shedding it. Such an exemple of this can be found in J.L. Borges' work, specifically the short story "Tlon Uqbar Orbis Tertius." While Borges' fictional works are his most well known works, he was also famous for his literary analysises. As such, this story is notable in its presentation. "Tlon Uqbar Orbis Tertius" is presented in the same style, tone, and manner, as one of Borges' analysis. The writing style and the presentation of arguments intermingled with personal anecdotes is the same as in his non-fictitious writings, with the key difference being that, in this instance, he is not writing about a book that exists. The thin line between implied context and vagueness is entirely removed, and unless you hold the knowledge that this book is not real, you would not know it from the story, not until the final sentences. I recall my step-brother trying to read it, and putting it down because he didn't know of the book, oblivious to the fact the book did not exist.
This line is a fine one to straddle, precisely for this reason : people like to know. Works that straddle this line are seen as strange, otherworldly, and uncomfortable, because they make the spectator confront their own lack of knowledge, even if this knowledge is nonexistant. The viewer is confronted with a gaping philosophical abyss, and is as such put in a difficult situation. Will they persevere in engaging with the work, despite this ignorance, or will they put it down, prefering safely knowing that they know their own world ?
Thu, 05 Dec 2024, @906 .beats
This is the case of Leslie Williams, in case the place i'm watching this one got the episodes shuffled.
This is a really good case. I do appreciate a lot the idea of the culprit being a lawyer, it makes her much more threatening. She does do a few mistakes, such as with the bag (just keep it on the plane !) but it's fine otherwise. There some really, really funny moments from time to time as well, such as columbo's reaction to piloting a plane. He's just a little critter. Just a little rat.
Sun, 24 Nov 2024, @981 .beats
My main takeaway this episode is the similarity between Mamimi and Haruko, which is hammered in one last time. Both find a component of Atomsk (Mamimi with the core thing, Haruko with Naoto), both try to control it and make it more powerful for their own gain (Mamimi with her revenge list, Haruko with her quest to find Atomsk), and both forsake that Takkun when it grows out of their control.
My second takeaway is with the end of the series : Nothing changed. When you compare the beginning of the series with how it is currently, the only change is that a year went by. And yet, *something* changed. I'd be willing to say that that thing is... Naoto, and more precisely his outlook on the world. While he hasn't necessarily grown as a person, he has started to, and has learned that it's a thing you can do. It's a reason why FLCL is so interesting, I think : it's not a show about wanting to grow, and about wanting something in the world, it's a show about learning that you can do that. It's about learning that you yourself can change the world, be dissatisfied with it, and want something for yourself. Yet at the same time it's a show about toxic relationships where a young boy gets preyed on by women who want something out of him.
Tue, 19 Nov 2024, @913 .beats
A recurring theme in this episode is abandonment. Mamimi leaves Naoto behind when he gets cocky and starts to act by himself, and she can no longer control his impulses. Eyebrows gets abandoned (and got abandoned, in the past) by Haruko because he was useless to him (symbolised by her throwing the guitar away). And Haruko also shows signs of leaving Naoto behind when she gets close to waht she wants, being Atomsk aka red Canti. This reocurring theme is interesting, because it follows a pattern of someone no longer being controllable and thus being left behind.
Another seen I thought was significant this episode was the one where Naoto sees his 3 schoolmate working. This scene feels like him suddenly feeling left behind as everyone rushes to grow up. It shows that, even if he is dissatisfied with this world, he's still a child. He's constantly told to stop acting like a child and to grow up during the show, and this moment feels significative in regards to that. It's him noticing that yes, he should grow up. At the same time, his mates still haven't quite reached adulthood, as seen by them being paid in toys. It's also interesting how in this scene, Naoto suddenly realizes that his actions have an impact on this world. He suddenly notices that when he swung the bat, even if he didn't swing it to change the world, it did regardless.
Lastly, theres the scene with him and Mamimi talking about drinks. Mamimi notices that he likes the same kind of drinks as Haruko. The same thing happened in the past to Eyebrows, who acts as if he likes spicy food and sour stuff, but can't tolerate spiciness and wants the sweetest sweet.
Mon, 18 Nov 2024
Before everything, I just want to comment on a throwaway line on of the baseball player says. "Nothing happened since that fatory happened." What's interesting is that Naoto said something that contradicts this in the intro of episode 1, when he says that this was a nothing town, and that people were happy when the factory opened up bc itd mean jobs. I'll go on a limb and say that the twelve year old kid probably does not remember properly something taht happened a few years ago. I also say this because of the signification of the factory. It was put into this city and its role happaned, that role being of course to remove all wrinkles from the world, aka to make it flat and boring. Isn't flat and boringa good way to describe Mabase ? I don't have much to say about this episode, at least stuff that isn't obvious.
Actually I should talk about Kamon bc I said i'd do it when relevant, and now is the relevant !! So why does Kamon's head not work for the gate ? Well, there are multiple people who have been tested for the gate. Naoto, Ninamori, and Kamon. Ninamori didn't work because she was lying to herself that she was satisfied. Naoto works because he's dissatisfied with the world, and is starting to want something (as symbolized by the swing, which is him starting to want), but Kamon ? Well, Kamon is satisfied with where he stands in this world. He's a character who banters a lot about nothing. He understands the world he lives in isn't perfect, but he's fine with that. This is why his head didn't work. Important to say also : Ninamori's head worked partially. She's dissatisfied with the world, but is lying herself to not be, which is why it didn't work. The lie became reality, eventually.
Sun, 17 Nov 2024
Ninamori is interesting. She's exactly like her description of puss in boots, but instead of doing it for the princess, she's doing it to lie to herself. And I think that's interesting, because it opens up the question of why she does it. My main read on it is that she does it because it's all she knows. She's the daughter of a politician, and so her being in an environment where everyone hides their emotions all the time led to her doing it. It's also interesting that she very obviously isn't happy with it. She's desperately waiting for the moment where the lie becomes reality. This episode also starts to flesh out Kamon, Naoto's father, but I'll have more to say about that at a later date. So sit tight !
Thu, 14 Nov 2024
A thing I didn't really catch the first time I watched FLCL was that not just Canti, but all of the robots are from Medicine Mechanica. Canti was, just as Haruka says in this episode, tamed, rendered docile. This is interesting andd significant, but I can't really say in what way. My interpretation of Canti "eating" Naoto and transforming is that it symbolizes Naoto's rage towards the world. It's his unbridled desire for change, for something new, its his desperate reach for what he feels is missing. Yet, at the same time, when it happens is when he tries to save Mamimi, a character whose company he doesn't particularly appreciate. In regards to Mamimi, it's also interesting how when she learns that Naoto's brother has a girlfriend, she kind of distances herself from him and finds a new plaything. I know the name Takkun is one she gives to beings she sees as her possession. The reason she stayed with Naoto and was so close to him was that she was using him as a gateway to his brother, in a way. But now that she knows his brother is no longer hers to keep, she finds something else to make into her thing.
Wed, 13 Nov 2024
Right, so I watched this show with my partner a few weeks ago but 1. it was the unsubtitled dub (hard to follow for me) 2. on a tv far away (hard to follow the action for me) 3. we were often talking over it. So i'm rewatching it now, with subtitles ! And also to better understand it. Because it warrants it, I feel. So anyway, this episode sets things well. There's a ton of details here, such as the mention of Haruko liking spicy foods. I also like the Tomino reference, it makes sense in this context. This is an episode that essentially shows the status quo of Naoto's life and the city he lives in, and then immediately breaks it. This show is about growing up. This is very clear since the very first episode. It's about growing up and the pains that can come from it, but also the change in outcome. Right now, Naoto is very dissatisfied with his life. He wants more, he wants things to change, he doesn't want to be in this still and calm city, but funnily enough, when Haruko comes, he's dissatisfied with her also and wants nothing to do with her. So... does he really just want change ? I don't believe so. He wants something, he feels like something is missing from his life but... He doesn't know what.
Tue, 12 Nov 2024 @827 .beats
Will post things I watch here. Might as well use this ! I usually watch shows by limiting myself to one episode a day. Today I finished Wonder Egg Priority again. It's a very lame show. It feels a lot like if you let Shounen creators make a Shoujou. Over the top animation, shallow visual references, shallow story, overexplanation of the plot... Yet at the same time, it's full of promise. The start of it is incredibly interesting. It just falls flat. It presents a lot of young girls in terrible situations, many of them killing themselves (most of them, in fact), but never once does it try to address the societal problem, instead resorting to a made up story about the temptation of death. Ah yes, the temptation of death is what pushed this young girl to kill herself after she was sexually assaulted, and not the constant belittling and the fact that no one believes her or wants to trust her. Makes sense. Though, that said, that last episode was very good. Having Ai save herself, twice, and twiceways, is very satisfying. It also has some of the most beautiful and well constructed shots. Not enough to change how this show is, but I don't think anything can. See you tomorrow-ish for FLCL !
Sun, 23 Jun 2024 @514 .beats
breakfast done. cleaned the kitchen a bit, took out the trash. room is freshly aerated, laundry still a bit damp. when i take it down i'll put on some incense.
Tue, 04 Jun 2024 @374 .beats
in a bit i have an appointment with an endocrinologist. im kind of stressed... i guess itll be allright. im trying to start hrt, though i doubt theyll just.. give me hormones like that. im also using the pretext to check my thyroid, since my sister has problems with hers. we'll see i guess.
Mon, 03 Jun 2024 @630 .beats
You know what... I need... I need a sodium light. The really yellow ones. I think about them and I feel my heart flutter. Aughh... sodium lights... save me sodium lights...
Thu, 25 Apr 2024 @877 .beats
aughh..... im tired as fuck..... i decided to redesign the index of my main site https://kpwu.observer always be shilling and it didn't take too long but god im tired now. since you're here, i've been rewatching stella recently ! the 2005 comedy central sitcom. it's really good, and it's kind of relaxing.
Tue, 20 Feb 2024 @581 .beats
just a little animation :)
Mon, 19 Feb 2024 @414 .beats
Hi ! Hello to the KPWU RADIO. My main website is kpwu.observe, but this is a more casual place where i write stuff and post pictures and so on and so on. So welcome ! makes yourself comfortable.