They really know their audience with that bait and switch on the training arc. I was fully ready for them to spend all season getting into different kinds of trouble while practicing for their big race, since that's the Jump formula, but I guess we don't have time for that. I think it bodes well for how much escalation we'll get by the end, lol.

Also, I'm wondering if Granny's hairdo has a practical purpose. When I saw it I couldn't help but remember the thing about focusing your spiritual power out of the top of your head and I wonder if her hair helps her do that or if there's even something hidden in there.

This was absolutely stunning to look at and it was very easy to get invested in the characters and their relationship. The way it's shot and animated gave everything a very vibrant and wacky energy that set the tone very well.

.... However. Momo's scene with the aliens was extremely uncomfortable to watch. Ken's side of the plot where his "weenie" is stolen (or just possessed?) by the granny ghost is only better in that they didn't show that to us. I really want to like this, but it just feels too based in sexual assault of minors ?? Can someone familiar with the source material let me know if this is a show about weird sex stuff (no judgement, just not for me) or if that was a bit of a one-off that will get toned down or left behind going forward?

"Just following orders" absolutely does excuse bad writing as long as it's not harmful. I wouldn't get mad at a writer of a thing a studio ruined just like I wouldn't get mad at a grocery store worker for rearranging the shelves for the fifth week in a row. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean doing a stupid and pointless job makes them a bad person. If the writing is racist or whatever, sure, they're complicit, but writers have to eat and it's not morally wrong to write a boring script if that's what your boss is asking you for.

Makoto's dad is the real MVP. It's one thing to support your kid if they come out, but it's another to proactively say "if you're not sure, you should give it a try and see how you feel". On the other side, it's hell on earth to have a parent make your struggles about them, and Makoto's mom will not be forgiven.

I thought it was interesting that Makoto kept using "boku" even at the end of this episode, seemingly implying that they've settled on being a boy who likes crossdressing, though I still don't trust that that will hold and suspect they're deep in egg mode.

Also, Ryuuji, I'm still on your side here but you gotta step it up. You were absolutely put to shame this episode.

I'm pretty sure it's dysmorphia rather than dysphoria. Dysphoria is rooted in an accurate picture of yourself and dysmorphia in an inaccurate one. If a guy starts going to the gym because the idea of not being able to bridal carry his girlfriend makes him feel unmanly, I'd agree that's some flavor of gender dysphoria. On the other hand, someone like the liver king thinking he still doesn't have enough muscle is definitely body dysmorphia.

But I'd agree that (similar to dysphoria) the so-called alphas often have dysmorphia of more than just the body - they worry they come across unmanly in all ways of their presentation, regardless of how much "masculine energy" they're already putting out.

The point is never that we need more democrats. The point is always that we need fewer Republicans. Democrats refuse to make things better, but they typically block things from getting worse, which is a better starting point than anything the GOP would give us.

So please, organize, protest, do whatever activism you can do, but on voting day take the little bit of time and effort to block Republicans from undoing all that hard work, even if it means voting strategically for a pile of shit.

The left will always be fighting against the administration to some extent, and through voting we get to pick our enemy, and the dems are going to be an easier fight and on fewer fronts.

It's not explicitly trans (like atkion said), but it is hosted on blahaj.zone, an explicitly trans instance.

OP is implying gender transition. Do you know where you are right now?

Edgy, cheap-looking, and bland. As I understand it, main character is meant to be a villain protagonist, which can be fine, but he's just not very interesting. Most of it is a mix of paint-by-numbers isekai tropes and edge for the sake of edge. I have no reason to stick around for any more of this, even less so after hearing some spoilers about the sort of shit MC does later.

1/5

ETA: i forgot to mention that this anime is FULL of extremely gross eating animation. Very unpleasant to watch.

I would NOT recommend mushoku tensei to an anime newbie, as it requires an extremely high tolerance for anime bullshit (particularly creepy sex stuff)

Also, made in abyss needs to come with a heavy content warning, as it is a horror/gore anime despite its cutesy artstyle. Not to say it's a bad recommendation, just it's not for everyone.

Went in without any real expectations and ended up really enjoying it. I just hope they manage to get around to saving the sister while it still makes sense for her to not be fully digested....

i give the premiere a 4/5 and look forward to being hungry every week

The problem with calling these tools AI is not really an argument from definitions. The argument at its core is saying that the general public brings a lot of assumptions to something that's being called "AI", which aren't true but benefit investors.

Like, all those stories of chatgpt citing fake studies and fake case law blew people's minds. If you know what chatgpt is (a fancy predictive text algorithm) these are pretty unsurprising events, but a lot of people had heard "AI" and applied their own associations onto its perceived capabilities, which was exactly the point of calling it "AI" instead of "LLM"