RJ Writing Ink

Why I think Starco is one of the best couples in fiction

Four years ago, Disney XD premiered a quirky new show about a magical, trouble-prone princess called Star vs. The Forces of Evil. Drawing influence from the Japanese anime series creator Daron Nefcy loved as a kid, the show was a massive hit with viewers. People had already been making fan art months before it even premiered, and it became Disney XD’s flagship show. By the second season, I was a solid fan of the show, and I consider it one of the best cartoons of the decade.

Tomorrow morning, this hit show about a magic-wielding princess will air its final episode on Disney Channel. Before that happens, I wanted to reflect on one of the show’s best aspects: the relationship between its main characters, Star and Marco, and how they went from being best friends into one of the best romantic pairings I have ever seen in fiction.

Their Friendship

The first episode established Star and Marco’s characters pretty well. Star’s upbeat and has a childish enthuisaism who tries (and often does) making friends with everyone. She’s also impulsive and prone to breaking things, which is why her parents send her to Earth to learn how to use her magic. In contrast, Marco’s an insecure boy who, paradoxically, wants more excitement in his life yet is too afraid to step outside his comfort zone. So when he’s given the task of being Star’s guide on Earth, he doesn’t take well to it at first.

Despite Star turning his life upside down, it doesn’t take long for Marco to become Star’s best friend. Together, they go on amazing adventures through different dimensions, battling monsters and getting in and out of trouble, and having each other’s backs no matter what.

On Star’s part, while she seems energetic and happy-go-lucky, deep down, she struggles with the pressure that comes with being a princess. It is part of the reason why she hates following the rules and acts recklessly. In Marco, she finds someone who is willing to let her be herself without any judgement. Just as important, he keeps Star grounded, and helps her learn that just because she can do something does not mean she always should.

Conversely, Star’s free-spirited and adventurous ways help Marco to do things he never would have otherwise. As the series progresses, Star’s influence sparks a noticeable boost in his confidence. On a subtler level, he also learns that sometimes following the rules in life isn’t always best, and that you need to take risks in life to be happy.

Star and Marco bring out the best possible versions of themselves, helping each other grow as people. It gets to the point where Star shows she knows Marco better than his own parents, and Marco can say the same about Star.

Just as important is the fact that when one of them gets hurt or in danger, the other will go to the ends of the universe to help them out. And unlike some other partners, Marco has the martial arts skills to back that up.

When Marco got kidnapped by monsters in the Season One finale, Star was so furious that she dropped her normal, battle-loving demeanor and went into a calm, no-nonense rage.

When everyone thought that Star was dead, Marco punched the one responsible that it left a hole the guy’s chest. He was ready to kill someone; that’s not something you do lightly!

Star and Marco’s friendship is as strong as any I’ve ever seen in fiction, and it’s half the reason why I like them as a couple.

Their Romance

Before the show even started, fans were already shipping Star and Marco as an item, and it only got stronger as the series went on. Disney and Daron even encouraged this by teasing the fans as early as the first season. They not only acknowledged the term “Starco” to describe their relationship, but even worked it into the show.

Then they put this into the teaser for Season Two, and the fans went nuts:

I’ve seen ships in fandom’s before, but Starco has stood out to me as different from most others. Most romantic pairings in fiction have two people realize their feelings, and then realize that the other person feels the same, and then they become a couple. In comparison, what makes Starco special is how realistic it portrays itself.

Starco is not as simple as “Point A to Point B”. It is complicated by many events, some of which are beyond their control. For starters, they start out the show with crushes on different people entirely. Marco had a crush on classmate and skater girl Jackie Lynn Thomas, while Star falls for this wannabe musician.

Star encourages Marco to tell Jackie how he feels, but just as they start dating, she realizes she developed a crush on Marco. She tries keeping it a secret for Marco’s sake, only for a songstrel to reveal not only in front of Marco, but all of Mewni! It was the most embarrassing moment of her entire life.

She doesn’t have time to sort it out though, as a new threat forces her to return to Mewni without Marco. They meet up again, but said threat prevents them from addressing everything before Marco returns to Earth.

Meanwhile, try as he might, Marco just can’t adjust to a normal on Earth. Realizing he liked Star (before even he did), Jackie breaks up with him, and he returns to Mewni unannounced, which leads him to realize he’s fallen for Star. By then, though, it’s too late, as she’s gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend, Tom.

Then it gets even further complicated when the two get locked in a photo booth by a goblin who forces them to kiss each other before letting them out. And since Star was still dating Tom, that led to a lot of guilt on both parts.

Point is, it wasn’t that simple and straightforward. It was like a long, twisting road that could lead to anywhere. But despite all the awkwardness, their friendship remains strong, and it becomes clear to everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, on Earth and on Mewni. Everyone on Mewni thought they were dating, despite saying otherwise. When Marco babysat his new baby sister, everyone on Earth thought she was his and Star’s kid! How they got Disney to agree to that is beyond me, but it says something about their relationship.

Future of Starco?

In the end, after many adventures, breaking with their respective other, and awkward moments, Star and Marco finally realize they love each other. Disney even released a video making a big deal of it! That can be what happens in real life: love is a complex road, but it can be worth it in the end. It’s why seeing them finally become an item is so rewarding, and why I think they’re one of the best couples I’ve ever seen in a work of fiction.

Whether they may stay a couple, though, is another thing entirely. Thanks to the actions of Star’s mom, Mewni’s on the verge of being destroyed, and the only way that Star can think of saving it is by eliminating magic from the multiverse. Doing so, though, may permanently separate her and Marco forever. Which is why fans are more worried about this than the finale for Game of Thrones.

Whatever happens, I know one thing: Starco is one of the most realistic couples that I have ever seen in fiction, and I will never forget it no matter what happens. But if they don’t end up happily ever after, I’m gonna be so mad tomorrow morning!

Edens Zero Chapter 44 Review/Recap

You know, I have seen Hiro Mashima do a lot of unexpected things before, but this may be one of the better surprises that he’s done. As we transition out of the Digitalis Arc, we make a surprise discovery about a character!

Recap

We open up with Xiaomei, the fourth-wall breaking narrator of the story, as she asks for our opinion on the Digitalis Arc. Personally, I thought it was sadistic, but I have seen worse on Game of Thrones. She reminds us of where the Edens Zero is headed, but then has to go, because she has guests.

Cut back to the ship and the clothes factory, Weisz is having Homura own up to the deal they made in the Guilst Arc. Which was… to have her dress up in a sexy outfit of her choosing.

Yeah, Weisz is Sanji 2.0, only not as cool and even less likely to get a girlfriend. Cue the fanservice that Mashima seems to love.

In no time at all, the clothes factory manages to give Homura the perfect Bunny Girl outfit. Pretty soon, the entire crew is joining in on the fun and cosplaying.

Even Witch and Sister decide to get in on the fun.

So cool. By the time they’re done messing around, they’re already at Mildian, where they go to meet the legendary fortune teller. Once they get inside her home, though, they’re in a familiar space setting, where a familiar figure appears to speak to them. Familiar to us, because the fortuneteller is Xiaomei!

Review

This chapter was short and brief, as chapters that transition between arcs often are. Once we saw who Xiamei really is, though, I was surprised! I did not see this coming. Of course, this does explain how she’s able to know everything has happened or will happen. She can look through time to see everything at her leisure. Just how she can break the fourth wall, though, is beyond me.

I would end this with some prediction, but to be honest, I have no idea where the story will be going from here. All I know is that things are going to get weird.

I Give “The Temple of Knowledge” a 3/5

Ducktales, “The Duck Knight Rises” Review

When there’s trouble, you call DW! DARKWING DUCK! I may not have been alive when the show came out, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that I am a fan of Darkwing Duck! It also helps that he’s voiced by Jim Cummings, a man with a thousand voices. I ended up watching the show years later online, and I fell in love with it almost right away. So when I heard that DW was going to make an appearance in Ducktales, I was over the moon! No offense to Della!

After watching the new episode of Ducktales, and then rewatching it at least half a dozen times, I conclude that this episode was a love letter to Darkwing Duck. The thing that stood out the most to me, though, was the conflict that I saw between the different aspects f Darkwing Duck’s fandom. I’ve seen how these conflicts can tear a long-lasting fan base apart, and it’s not pretty.

First, we have the old guard, the original generation of fans and actors personified by Launchpad and Jim Starling. Launchpad has always been Darkwing’s biggest fan, be it the reboot or the original. So when he hears they’re rebooting the show as a film, he’s esctatic beyond belief. The same goes for Jim Starling (played by Jim Cummings). They’re overjoyed, but for different reasons. And when they discover that they hate the movie, it’s also for different reasons.

In Launchpad’s case, he’s mad because the director’s idea of Darkwing’s channeling the worst aspects of the DCEU’s Batman. He’s worried that what he loved will be tarnished. Jim, whose channeling the worst apsects of the classic DW (his giant ego), is only made because he’s lost his one chance at winning back his fame. So they team up to save the movie.

Then we have the writers and directors and the people who have to make sure the film sticks the landing. None of them see all that cut out for it, though. The director’s a copy of Francis Ford Coppola, because he’s overbudget, wants to make this a psychological look “at the inhumanity in humanity” or whatever, and the trailer he made is pure nonsense. And Scrooge (who owns the studio) is of no help, for once. He’s the old guy who has no clue about what the film’s based on and only cares about money. He insists that the villain has a mustache! And there’s Dewey, who doesn’t get what the director’s trying to do and wants to add in things that he thinks are cool, but has no idea what he’s doing. He’s the problem with trying to make a film appeal to the youngest target audience when they don’t know what makes a good movie! It’s a recipe for disaster that almost always angers fans.

Then, we have our third party, the new guy who’s playing Darkwing Duck, played by Chris Diamntopoulous . While some people may only take the role for the fame or money, his reasons are more altruistic. He’s a true fanboy of the show, and most important, he took the lessons of the show to heart. He got bullied a lot as a kid, but it was seeing Darkwing that taught him to always get back up and keep fighting. He truly loves the role he’s gotten, and he wants to pass that love and inspiration to the next generation. Make it his own while respecting where it came from.

When Launchpad how much the young actor cares about the role, he realizes that he’s the best person to take up the role. I see this as a reconciliation between the two generations of fans, united by a common love for something. It doesn’t have to be the same thing in each iteration. Look at Batman or Doctor Who. Countless people have played them over the years. The fans may not always like them, but they still love the character.

Jim Starling… doesn’t see it like that. He ends up going crazy with jealousy and starts a fire on the set.

That’s when the new Darkwing appears to save the day from the original. The fight between these two was by far the best part of the episode. And the Chris Darkwing proves to everyone that he owns the role, matching the Jim Cummings Darkwing in hamminess, determination, and ability to handle slapstick. It was EPIC! And then that tragic explosion that seemingly claims the life of Jim Starling.
Fed up, Scrooge pulls the plug on the film, and it seems like Darkwing’s days are done. But in a meta twist, Launchpad inspires the young actor to become Darkwing Duck in real life. To be a hero. This could either lead to a spin-off, or at least more episodes featuring the new Darkwing Duck fighting crime. My brain’s already thinking up fanfiction where he teams up with Gizmoduck and the Duck Family.

In the second meta twist, we finally learn the actor’s name: Drake Mallard, Darkwing Duck’s alter ego. He was truly born to be the Duck.

Then, in the episode’s final moments, we get the biggest twist possible. Jim Starling survived the explosion, but the man he once was is gone. His bitterness over losing his rule and the explosion have driven him insane, and as we see him in the sewers, his costume’s take on a color scheme that any Darkwing Duck fan should know.

I clapped so hard at this moment. The original Negaduck was an evil twin from a parralel universe, but having him be the original Darkwing Duck!?!?!? That’s so brilliant!!

Now that fanboying is over, it should be apparent that I think this was one of the best episodes in the entire show. Am I saying because I’m partial to superheroes and Disney? Maybe. Or is this because I’m acknowledge the fact that the show’s writers remained faithful to the original show while telling a new and exciting story? Without a doubt. This episode opens up new doorways for story in Ducktales, and I hope the writers are smart enough to capitalize on them.
Sadly, we have to wait until September when the new episodes come out. And now I have nothing to distract me from the fact that another hit Disney show, Star vs. The Forces of Evil, is clocking out (until they make a movie or something. I’m hopeful). Or that Game of Thrones is ending.

If there’s one thing this decade has taught me, it’s that good cartoons are never confined to one generation. That’s why I keep watching them, and why I want to make sure future generations can see that as well.

I Give “The Duck Knight Rises” a 5 Purple Hats out of 5.

Stray Observations

• Did you guys notice the model of the Thunderquack in Drake Mallard’s trailer?
• What is it with Scrooge and twirly mustaches? None of his enemies have mustaches.
• Did you guys notice the fat guy in the parking lot? His shirt had the same design that Saitama from “One Punch Man” has on his shirt. The “Oppai” one, but censored.
• I just realized that those electric tower things were Powerline from A Goofy Movie
• “I added chainsaw jugglers. You’re welcome”.
• I really should have gotten Jim Cumming’s autograph when I had the chance.
• Darkwing’s hatred of Gizmoduck is universal!
• They made the opening credits purple!