Gravity Falls Finale

Just a warning- this post will include spoilers for Take Back the Falls.

This is the review I mentioned in my last post- about the Gravity Falls finale called Take Back the Falls.

This was an almost perfect ending to a near-perfect show, and at the very least, Take Back the Falls was well-worth the wait.

The story picks up after the other two Weirdmaggedon episodes, just when Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy enter the Mystery Shack to find Stan and a bunch of refugees. They then team up in an epic battle against Bill to save Gravity Falls, resulting in a memorable, heartfelt ending.

There is much to love about this production- from Soos exposing McGucket to anime, to appearances by previous singular-episode characters, like Larry King's disembodied head and the Multibear, to top-notch action. We finally get the answers to Bill Cipher's wheel, although perhaps the biggest mystery of all- Dipper's real name- remains as such: a mystery.

Speaking of the Bill Cipher wheel, that part was rushed and didn't feel as satisfying as it should have. First off, it didn't actually affect the story. Something that had been hinted at since the very beginning, in the theme, should be more important to the story. It felt anticlimactic. Also, the reason why they couldn't fulfil the prophecy is all because of Stan, who was too caught up in his feud with his brother Ford to just hold hands with him. This means they are unable to defeat Bill, and Stan wouldn't ever do something that would threaten his family in any way, shape, or form. Therefore, that whole scene was a downfall- although maybe it was for the better, because if the prophecy had succeeded we wouldn't have received the same ending.

The ending that we did get (the rest of the story) was amazing and not unlike the ending to a blockbuster film- with Stan disguising himself as Ford and tricking Bill into his mind so Ford could use the memory eraser. Of course, while this resulted in a crowning moment of awesome for Stan and the "death" of Bill (we even got to see Stan punch Bill in the face!), it resulted in the complete loss of Stan's memory.

It was with Stan's amnesia that I have the most issues. Yes, it was beautiful and touching, and a bittersweet ending, but not bitter enough. What I'm trying to say is Stan recovered way too quickly from amnesia. In the span of 10-15 screen minutes, we see Stan go from no recollection of his identity and life to having regained his memory completely. With it lasting for this short amount of time, we didn't really get time to feel the Pines family's loss. It just didn't live up to the potential that it had. It would have been better to end the series with Stan just starting to regain his memory. 

In terms of the rest of the episode, I couldn't ask for a more perfect ending. Every character and conflict had closure, as Soos is named new owner of the Mystery Shack, Stan and Ford start over and travel the world together on the Stan-O-War II, and Dipper, Mabel, and even Waddles leave Gravity Falls. One thing is certain- it will tear at your heartstrings in the best kind of way.

So, that's the end of Gravity Falls, and I would like to take a moment to thank the creators, actors, producers, and anyone else involved in the making, especially Alex Hirsch, for taking me on a wonderful, fun-filled, heartwarming, and memorable journey. I will certainly miss this treasured show.

JRRGEBH  JUDYLWB  IDOOV

The End of Gravity Falls

I know you all are probably sick of Gravity Falls, but with the show ending Monday I found it necessary to do one more post on it.

Between the Pines
This tv special aired on February 8th and featured Alex Hirsch himself, revealing information about the show, some of it old, some new. It was good, taking the show's fanbase seriously, and was obviously meant to be a goodbye message from the show, as well as serve to hype us up for the finale on Monday. If you haven't watched it yet, go watch it. The link to watch it is below.
http://pyfchiapas.jimdo.com/gravity-falls/between-the-pines/

Predictions for Take Back the Falls
There has been much speculation about the last episode- What will be revealed? Who will die, if anyone? Will our questions be answered? The creators have been particularly secretive about it, with most of the trailers just being the same thing or clips from previous episodes. My personal prediction is that those characters featured on the symbol wheel will team up to defeat Bill. I also wouldn't be surprised if Ford betrays them- in one of the trailers he is reawakened and a clip of him overlooking the universe is seen. Vailskibum94 has a video analyzing the trailer that explains this theory. Sadly, I think that Stan will be the one to die. We have seen copies or images of him being destroyed many times throughout the series, and the creators have been known to put subtle foreshadowing to later events within previous episodes. One thing is for certain, Take Back the Falls will be an epic, worthwhile finale to an amazing show.

What Next?
Gravity Falls has developed a dedicated, loyal fanbase- one that is sad to see the show go. While nothing can replace that Gravity Falls-shaped hole in your heart, there are other shows that fans can watch that are similar.

• Star vs The Forces of Evil. This fairly new Disney show has a small but growing fanbase. Fans of Gravity Falls will enjoy the two main characters, Star and Marco, as they are reminiscent of Mabel and Dipper respectively. The show also has similarly light-hearted magic and mayhem, but is just now starting to develop a continuous story.
• Over the Garden Wall. In terms of similarity, this show has the atmosphere and 'feel' of Gravity Falls. The show also has underlying mystery that is revealed as the show progresses. Perhaps the one negative to this show is its length- it is technically a miniseries. There are only ten 10-minute episodes total, and the show ends just as it's starting to get really good, and it leaves some questions unanswered.
• Steven Universe. A cartoon network series, this show has the biggest heart you will ever see. The episodes are heartfelt and sweet, with many that will get the tears flowing. Also, this show is amazing at character development, with each character being developed into a likable, complex persona. Fans of Gravity Falls that enjoyed the characters will love this show. 

I also recommend starting to watch anime if you haven't started it already.

So let's prep ourselves for Monday, February 15th as one of the best shows says goodbye. 

P.S.- There will more than likely be another post after Monday with my reaction and review.

The Perks of Being a Woodwind

As many individuals know, instruments come in many shapes and sizes, with most being classified into one of four families: brass, woodwind, strings, or percussion. With the exception of percussion, the most varied in terms of sound, range, and number of instruments are the woodwinds. The most commonly heard/played are: the bassoon, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, piccolo, flute, and the tenor, alto, and bari sax, especially the flute, oboe, clarinet, and alto sax.

So why play a woodwind? First off, there is no spit valve! It's absolutely disgusting to have to drain excess spit out of your instrument, leaving a puddle on the floor. Instead, the spit drips out gradually, unnoticed, if it drips out at all. Second, we don't have to worry about harmonics or shelves- as long as we are playing in the correct octave (via a special key or increased air), there is a fingering for every note. No fishing between notes wondering if we are playing the correct pitch, and many less cracked notes.

There are downsides to being a woodwind, though. First off, tuning. Most woodwinds spend half their time tuning and the other half playing out of tune: some woodwinds can be notoriously hard to tune (I'm looking at you, piccolo). In general they are hard to play in and keep in tune. Secondly, volume. Unless you play saxophone, you will almost always be softer than your fellow brass players. There are pros and cons to this; firstly, you can hide your mistakes easier, but you will almost always be asked to do dynamics that just don't happen on woodwinds.

The biggest complaint or bragging right, depending on how one looks at it, is the difference in music level we have to play within an ensemble. There is a major difference in the band music of an upper level band between the upper woodwinds and lower brass especially. Unless you play bassoon, English horn, Bari or tenor sax, or bass clarinet, expect to have hard, seemingly impossible to play runs at lightning speed. Some may find this to be a negative, and I myself initially complain about them, but once you can play the runs well it sounds impressive and you feel a sense of accomplishment. Also, runs can be fun and much more interesting than just playing quarter or half notes the entire time. We get to engage our minds more and learn more from the music we play.

Overall, woodwinds trump brass because our music requires more technical prowess to play and we are less obnoxious and annoying. Our instruments are smaller and lightweight, and there is no disgusting spit.

Woodwinds kick brass.

How to Survive Bandcamp

Every musician who has ever played in a marching band knows that bandcamp is most certainly memorable, to say the least. Hours of marching out under the sun and practicing the same thing over and over again make for an experience that won't soon be forgotten. There will always be stories that start with "This one time at bandcamp...". Trust me, they never end well.

I know how hard bandcamp can be, and have developed my own strategy for surviving it. If you are an up and coming marcher, just follow these tips and you'll survive and maybe even continue in band.


1. If you are an old member, and there is some piece or are some pieces that your school requires you to know each year- at our school it's the Star Spangled Banner and our fight song, make sure you remember them before bandcamp starts.

2. This applies to everyone- unless you are a sousaphone or some other instrument that has a different marching horn, GET OUT YOUR INSTRUMENT AND PRACTICE!!!!!!!!! It will make learning the show easier if you actually remember how to play!

3. Learn as much of the show, drill and music wise, before school starts. If you follow this, you will be less overwhelmed once school starts and will be on better terms with your director.

4. Speaking of directors, they are always right. Don't try to argue with them, and never talk back to them. Respect them, and they will respect you.

5. BRING SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have pasty Irish skin like yours truly, trust me, from experience, you will be a lot happier of a camper if you bring sunscreen and use it liberally.

6. Also be sure to bring a water bottle. Or two. I learned this from another fellow marcher, bring a water jug filled and freeze another smaller water bottle to use as ice. That way, you get a huge jug of water and the water bottle.

7. Early is on time, on time is late, and late equals dead man walking. A lot of band directors are punctual and will make you run or do push-ups if you are late.

8. Practice makes perfect. Rehearsals are where you learn every one else's parts, practice you do on your own and learn your own part.

9. Don't be afraid to ask upperclassmen and band leaders (section leaders) for help- 99% of the time they understand what you are going through and will help you out with music, marching, or drill.

10. Lastly, just stick through it. If you work hard, and put in the effort, you will reap the benefits and create lasting memories as well as a home away from home with your band.

So if you follow these ten tips, you should survive band camp and have a pleasant marching experience.

Endless Ocean

The Wii games Endless Ocean and Endless Ocean: Blue World are easily my favorite video games, with relaxing, free exploration style gameplay. You play as a diver, in the first game, helping to find a legendary whale, and in the second, as part of a diving company in search of a treasure. Yes, I know that my blog is about animation and soon to be music, and these are video games, but the two aspects of these games that I would like to bring attention to are the graphics and the music.

The graphics of both games are absolutely stunning, all thanks to the advancement of animation. When you are diving, you encounter hundreds of different creatures, all of which are beautifully rendered and designed to be lifelike, both in appearance and behavior, and for the most part, they do. The major instance in which they stray from reality in terms of creature appearance comes from the legendary creatures and the dolphins in the second game, who are purposely designed to be atypical and extraordinary in appearance.There are noticeable flaws in some of the creatures' behaviors, however. For example, all dangerous sharks in the second game will attack by thrashing their body and tail around, something that in real life, only Thresher sharks will do. There is also some inaccuracy in where the creatures are found. In the first game, since it is only one sea, fish that shouldn't be in the same area appear together. This improves in the second game with the addition of worldwide diving, but there remains one area that is still very inaccurate in both games. That would be the abyssal areas in either game, whether that be the Abyss at Deep Valley or the Zahhab Region Depths. Since the maximum depth is only about 500 ft deep in either game, the creatures that are able to be found should be much deeper. But, due to the relative accuracy of about everything else, this can be forgiven. The graphics also shine when it comes to the environments, with precise detail being paid to jaw-dropping locations like sunken ships, undersea castles, underwater caves, and vivid coral reefs. The above-water graphics aren't as strong, and the motion of walking is a bit clunky, but the fluid and clean underwater graphics more than make up for it.

The other area of these two games that is extremely well-done is in the music. Both games feature Celtic songs from either Hayley Westenra or the Celtic Women, and in-game soundtracks. Both the actual songs and the diving music are well done, with the diving music being diverse and reminiscent of the equally diverse locations. There is one of these soundtracks that I really like a lot, which is the Cavern of the Gods music. It has Arabic and Egyptian influences, and unlike most of the other clips, is only played in the Cavern of the Gods. The actual songs are all beautiful, with the singing being angelic and clear. While Celtic music seems like a weird pairing for a game about scuba diving, the pairing works perfectly. The Celtic songs add to both games' environments and beauty, making everything seem that much more beautiful and impressive, The song that I want to bring special attention to is "Dúlamán" in Blue World, which is played when the player first goes to Cortica River. The upbeat, percussion-filled Irish folk song is perfect for the twists and turns of the river. The other song that I think stands out is "Benedictus" from the first game, which plays the first time in the Abyss. This song, which is sung by Hayley Westenra, works so well for the Abyss due to its usage of Latin and building up to the grand climax. This makes for a relaxing yet simultaneously ominous and uneasy feel to the abyss, which is exactly what it is aiming for. You have no idea what to expect, and there are untold surprises that the huge forte part of "Benedictus" captures. Funny thing, most players find that when the song gets really loud all of a sudden, something almost always comes out of nowhere and scares them. For some, it was the giant squid. Others, the sperm whale. For me, it was a giant whale carcass.

In conclusion, the games both have impressive and memorable graphics and music.

videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPhEt7So9IA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xMNFp9RDJs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWecVq95vyE&list=PL3C16806F8E5A9CF2&index=30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ukjpUD5fZA&list=PL3C16806F8E5A9CF2&index=5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmEsKN_-gu0&list=PL4EB798B2C73131C0&index=5

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

This is an absolutely hilarious anime, with one of, if not, the most ridiculous scenarios that characters could find themselves in- the Devil, or Satan himself, Demon King of the spirit world Ente Isla, is thrown into our world, Japan to be precise, alongside his Demon General Alceil, and has to make a living in Japan working as a fast-food employee in order to save up magic to get back home. The shortened version?: the Devil has to work part-time at MgRonald's (McDonald's). The half-angel Hero Emilia, mortal enemy of the Demon King, is also stranded in Japan. The anime explores them trying to adapt to human society. With a plot like this, its easy to come up with really funny situations and writing.

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WURAX1bCCew


For example, the Devil, who goes by Sadao Maou, while working at MgRonald's, finds that the fryer for black pepper fries is broken, so he has a huge predicament while he decides whether or not to use his magic to fix a fryer.

This is a short anime, only 13 episodes in length, that will keep you watching due to its humor. Plotwise, the anime is a bit scatterbrained (like a certain blogger) and could do a bit better explaining the story- out of nowhere another Demon General, Lucifer, emerges and wrecks havoc on Japan. The only buildup we get to this event is a random shooting and earthquakes, but nothing that might suggest another Demon General.

The music is not particularly noteworthy, but it isn't bad either. Fortunately, the anime has good animation, with vivid colors and well-designed characters. The characters themselves are also well-developed, particularly Emilia and Satan, who are both easy to sympathize with and relate to, despite them being mortal (fr)enemies and literally as contrasting as the Devil and the Angel. Again, where the show really shines is in the humor, which mostly comes from the writing.

Overall, The Devil is a Part-Timer! is a funny, light-hearted show that will make you laugh with every episode.

Anime openings

Easily one of the most distinctive parts of any anime is the opening, which is the area of the show in which the animators put in their best effort. The opening is what sells the show to the audience. It is meant to introduce the premise, setting, and characters to the audience without spoiling anything, and display some of the show's highlights. Unlike the openings to western animation or live action, these openings are long, often over a minute, and are often set to an actual song, or a snippet of one. They are also epic and awesome. Now, some openings are better than others, which is why I will be counting down some of the best anime openings. There are many more notable openings out there, but these are some of my personal favorites.


4. Death Note- opening 1: "The World"- Nightmare

Chock full of symbolism, metaphors, and thought-provoking images, this rock opening perfectly captures the essence of Death Note, a complex, intense, psychological battle of the wits. For example, apples are very prevalent throughout the anime, and they make many appearances in the opening. Apples are seen as the 'forbidden fruit', where despite how tempting something may seem, indulgence is ultimately immoral and will just lead to consequence and sin. Replace the apple with the Death Note, and you get some clever foreshadowing to the plot. There is also a scene where glass breaks. This could symbolize multiple things, but I think it means two things; one, it is a reminder of Light's mortality, and two, that he is close to the breaking point. This glass is juxtaposed against one of the final scenes, one of Light portrayed in a god-like manner. This means that despite Light's new power, that makes him seem like a god, this power will ultimately corrupt him and lead to his downfall. As said in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, "Humans who would dare to play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance."


3. Cowboy Bebop- opening: "Tank!"- The Seatbelts

A very unique opening, this opening differs in that it is instrumental, and has hardly any scenes from the anime. Rather, it has silhouettes, and clip shots of the characters. A feature that makes this opening even more unique and memorable is the text in the background, all of which is about jazz music, or, to be more specific, bebop. Speaking of jazz, the music for Cowboy Bebop is almost entirely jazz, so its fitting for the opening song, "Tank!", to be jazz as well. The song is very memorable, catchy, and noteworthy, featuring a combination of elements from Latin, jazz, big-band, and hard bop. See you Space Cowboy...


2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood- opening 1: "Again"- Yui

Serving as the first opening for the second version of Fullmetal Alchemist, this opening is beautiful and immersing. Yui's gorgeous vocals and fast, impressive rapping really capture the more delicate and sad moments as well as the action and ever-building plot of Brotherhood. The opening itself tells a story as well, with the opening following a somewhat linear telling of each of the characters' stories. While the video doesn't show them, the English translation of the lyrics is metaphorical and accurately explains protagonist Edward Elric's thoughts and feelings. Let's not forget the spectacular visuals as well, with some of the best the show's animators have to show. In conclusion, this is a great opening that shows every side of this complex show, and brings light to all of the characters and their individual conflicts.


1. Attack on Titan- opening 1: "Guren No Yamiya"- Linked Horizon

This opening is best described in one word: epic. Accurately displaying the grittiness, gore, action, and peril of Attack on Titan, an anime in which giant man-eating monsters, called titans, killed off most of humanity, forcing the rest to live in fear behind giant walls, this opening shows some of the best scenes within the show. It also shows us the method the remaining humans have used to try and fight them off; flying through the air on Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to attack the titans in their only weak spot- the back of their necks. The show itself has become immensely popular, almost to the effect that Dragon Ball had, and has become a must-watch for any person even remotely interested in anime. The opening received the same treatment, as well as great critical acclaim, and the songs used in both openings became so popular they are available for purchase on i-tunes. In conclusion, it is a fantastic, action-packed opening that will get you hyped for the show and one that you won't be able to bring yourself to skip.


Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PA7ts5ICM4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrKevP1fh6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uq34TeWEdQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw3fN3OPk3A