RJ Writing Ink

Favorite Couples (or Ships) in Animation

I haven’t been on this Earth for long, but I’ve been here long enough to appreciate the art of shipping. There’s just something so appealing about figuring out which characters in a work of fiction should be a couple. It’s also fun to watch the shipping wars rage. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d celebrate by looking back at some of the great romances I’ve witnessed over the years. Thus, here are my favorite ships in animation.

Gray Fullbuster & Juvia Lockser (Fairy Tail)

This ship is as hilarious as it is heartwarming. On one side, we have the ice wizard of Fairy Tail that can’t seem to stop walking around in his underwear. On the other, we have the water wizard who fell for Grey at first sight and joined the Fairy Tail Guild just to be with him. Grey was… less than enthusiastic about that.

This ship works for me for three reasons. Firstly, their respective ice and water magic complements each other perfectly, making them a nigh unbeatable team in battle. Secondly, see Juvia’s over the top acts displays of affection towards Grey are always hilarious to watch. Finally, despite Grey being a tsundere about it, he can’t deny that the two have chemistry together. By the end of the series, it’s all but confirmed that the two are a couple.

Kirito and Asuna (Sword Art Online)

That’s right, I’m a fan of this ship. Bite me. The reason that this ship is on my list is because, in my eyes, Kirito and Asuna represent how devoted a person can be to the ones they love. They will fight back to back in a video game or in real life, and should anyone be dumb enough to try to separate them, they’ll stop at nothing to reunite. In Season One, we saw Kirito fight his way through an entire MMO to rescue Asuna from imprisonment. Meanwhile, the recent Alicization Arc has seen Asuna take on a branch of the Japanese Government to track down a comatose Kirito, then dive into the midst of a VR war to locate him. Bottom line, don’t mess with either of them, or you should say your prayers.

Krillin and Android 18 (Dragon Ball Z Abridged)

I was already happy at the fact that Krillin found love with Android 18. However, Team Four Star managed to give the abridged version of these two characters an even better relationship than they do in the canon. Whereas she’s more aloof about her feelings to her future husband in the canon, here it’s made clear to all that 18 is as into Krillin as he is into her. As a result, this makes for their eventual coming together in the end all the more satisfying to watch. That, and their relationship also brought Dragon Ball Z Abridged to a satisfying conclusion.

Robin and Starfire (Teen Titans)

Best superhero ship ever, period. Like in the comic books the show’s based on, Robin and Starfire begin to fall for each other during the Teen Titans run. The romance between these two teen superheroes remains one of the show’s longest running subplots, with several episodes even dedicated towards their deepening relationship. The fact that both of them get crazy with jealousy when someone flirts with them only shows how much they love each other. Thankfully, fans of this ship got what they wanted, as the series finale movie firmly cemented their status as a couple. Hopefully, they end up better than their comic book versions.

Star and Marco (Star vs. The Forces of Evil)

Considering how I wrote an entire post about this, I don’t think I need to explain myself further.

But all these pale in comparison to my original favorite ship of all time.

Aang and Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

My original OG pairing from my favorite cartoon growing up. From the moment they meet, it’s clear that Aang and Katara have an incredibly powerful bond that only strengthens as time goes on. Over the course of the series, these two friends become each other’s biggest supporters and closest confidants in the main group of heroes. Katara sees the potential in Aang to do great things and has faith in him even when he himself doesn’t. At the same time, she also recognizes that he’s still a boy who’s being thrust into a role that most grown-ups wouldn’t be prepared for, and serves as his emotional support. Conversely, Aang encourages Katara to follow her own dreams of becoming a master Waterbender, and will fly into a rage if anyone tries to harm her.

I didn’t start out shipping Aang and Katara as a couple. However, once I realized that Aang had a crush on her, I wholeheartedly supported this ship and its milestones. Suffice to say, the fact that the show ends with them sharing a passionate kiss remains one of the most satisfying moments of my life. That satisfaction’s only increased when follow-up material reveals the two got married and raised a family before Aang died of natural causes. Kataang for life.

Before I leave, I wanted to show off this new piece of fanart that I had commissioned for Valentine’s Day, courtesy of Andychipps on Instagram. This recreates a very romantic scene from one of my favorite fanfics, Star the Monster Princess. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Click here to read last year’s review of my favorite Valentine’s Day Special.

*The following was originally published on FANDOM. Due to the FANDOM Contributor Program being shut down, it has been copied and moved to my blog. Thank you!

Can you remember the last time a DC film was good? Of course not. Aside from Wonder Woman, they haven’t made a good film since The Dark Knight Rises. With so many bad films lately, the last thing you’d expect to succeed would be DC’s latest film, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Yet, it manages to do just that.

Teen Titans Go! gets a lot of hate from the original show’s fans for being immature and childish. Still, its movie has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to Justice League’s 40% rating. So, how is that possible, and what can the DCEU learn from the success of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies? They can learn a lot.

BETTER PLOT, SHORTER MOVIES

The DCEU’s films are long, each running more than two hours. When films are that long, pacing can be an issue. While good writing can make a movie worth the length, this was not the case with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Fans would have forgiven the two-and-a-half-hour runtime if the titular fight was worth it. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.

The premise for their fight in the film is flimsy at best. Batman’s tricked into thinking Superman’s a threat, while Superman’s blackmailed. It lacks the sheer excitement fans would expect from this clash of titans. Worse still, the whole fight gets overshadowed by the battle with Doomsday.

In contrast, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is far shorter, at less than 90 minutes with a more focused plot. Since the whole movie is about the Titans learning to be themselves, each scene builds on that lesson. This culminates in the final fight where Robin admits that the Titans may be goofs, yet they’re still heroes. Combine that lesson with the Titans kicking Slade’s butt, and the audience enjoys a more significant payoff.

What the DCEU can learn from the plot and length of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is that they can tell a good story in less time and with less content. Batman v Supermantried adding too much material, and it left fans with a confusing story. By the time the actual fight between Batman and Superman comes around, you wish the movie was over! Compared to that, Batman and Robin feels like an Oscar-winner.

STOP TRYING TO WORLDBUILD

DC had wanted to do Justice League so badly that it made the DCEU run before it knew how to walk. They crammed a gang of characters into each film but didn’t take the time to develop them. Zack Snyder thought that adding a bunch of famous heroes would be enough, and it backfired on him. The result? The DCEU is an unsatisfying mess.

Unlike Justice League or Batman vs. Superman, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies doesn’t try to worldbuild because it knows that it would be a waste of time. Fitting into a larger universe means conforming to pre-existing plots, which limits creative freedom. Not having to worry about that means Teen Titans Go! To the Movies has more time to focus on making sure the film entertains the audience. The result is a standalone film that is fun to watch.

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is a wake-up call to DC: they need to stop trying to force together a shared universe. Instead, they should focus on ensuring their films can stand on their own at the box office and with critics. If enough standalone films are a success, then DC can consider more crossover films down the road.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO LIGHTEN UP

A big problem with the DCEU thus far is how it is so dark — almost depressing — in its tone. It feels like DC injected Batman’s darkness into its other films in the hopes of recreating that success. Instead of success, though, audiences watched overly-edgy, complex stories with bad ratings.

The DC films don’t need to be as dark and as heavy as an ordinary Batman film, and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies shows what they can do instead. Even if it’s at their own expense or makes them look like goofs, the Titans aren’t afraid of making viewers laugh. Besides, if they like prank calling Superman or pooping in a prop toilet, that doesn’t make them any less of heroes.

The DC films have tried being dark and gritty, and that hasn’t worked out as well as they hoped. So instead of doing that, DC should try to inject some humor into their films. It doesn’t have to be to the extent of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, but throwing in some snappy comebacks and one-liners can take the edge off a tense scene. Finding the balance between the Titans and Batman is what DC needs right now.

Despite how goofy it can be, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies has enough charm, humor, and self-confidence to work as a stand-alone film. DC should take note of this animated film’s success and see what its fans are looking for in a movie.

When I look back on the year 2018, there are a couple of things that I want to remember it for (and I will be covering some of them in my Review of 2018 here). Looking back, though, I think I can sum up my memory of 2018 in four words: the Year of Superheroes.

Year of Superheroes

Superhero movies dominated the film industry in 2018, churning out movie after movie up to the final weeks of the year. In hindsight, aside from a few exceptions, the majority of the movies that I went to see in theaters were superhero movies. I didn’t get to see every last one of them, but I saw a good deal of them, sometimes more than once. With the year wrapping up, I thought it would be fun to go back and give my thoughts about what I did see.

So, without further delay, here it is, true believers! My thoughts on this Year of Superheroes.

Black Panther

Dear god, where do I even begin? As someone who has read Marvel Comics for years and scoured the internet for lore, I knew the basics about the Black Panther: the first African superhero. Created in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, he was a game-changer then, and he is now. This was the first time in living memory (that I know of) that an African or African-American superhero had the spotlight to themselves, and the people who made the film knew how important that was.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this movie would be as big as it got. I thought Infinity War was going to be the big superhero movie of the year, but this one seems to have made the bigger cultural splash. I loved it, and I would watch it again in a heartbeat.

Avengers: Infinity War

From the moment I saw Thanos in the mid-credits to Avengers, I KNEW that this moment was coming. I watched nearly every Marvel film for the last six years, watching the pieces fall into place and the Infinity Stones be revealed. When it finally came, I was one of millions of people who went to the movies to see it. What I saw exceeded my expectations.

I felt I had a lot of reasons to worry about this film not being a success. I was worried that, with so many characters, there wouldn’t be enough screen-time for everyone. Or that, after repeatedly topping themselves so many times in terms of scope, that this would be the moment when the MCU stumbled. Thank GOD that it didn’t.

I was enthralled by the film from start to finish. I gasped out loud at some of the moments, I laughed, squealed in delight, and at one point, I quietly screamed in sorrow.

By the time the credits rolled around, I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I don’t know if it actually happened, but I swear people started applauding it. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen, and it was a night I will never forget. Big highlight for year of superheroes.

Deadpool 2

I’ll be the first to admit it: once upon a time, I hated Deadpool.

I’m serious. I thought he was annoying as hell. But then Ryan Reynolds somehow made me fall in love with the Merc with a Mouth. Actually, I think it’s more like I’m in love with Ryan Reynold’s performance as Deadpool. I don’t know how, but the way plays DP is just hilarious, and you can tell that he has fun with it. Shoot, I think he only agreed to play Pikachu in Detective Pikachu just to make fun of it as Deadpool.

What were my favorite scenes: just this.

I laughed my butt off with my friends in the theater when I saw what happened to most of the team. It was a big spit in the face of the concept of superhero teams. But then the film manages to top it in the mid-credits by correcting some…mistakes.

And Ryan Reynolds got to stop himself from making the biggest mistake of his career.

Thank you, Marvel.

Incredibles 2

I didn’t particularly like the original film, but I think that when I saw it, I wasn’t in a good mood that day, so that may have affected my viewing. Nonetheless, Pixar and Disney times Incredibles 2 perfectly. With superheroes dominating the box office, this was the best time to release the long awaited sequel. I don’t really know what else there is to say, other than when’s the next one coming out?

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Initially, I wasn’t going to see this movie. Because after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, I thought that there would be no point. There was no way this movie could top it. Overall, I was right. There were no universally-high stakes in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Maybe that’s what moviegoers needed to see, though. It wasn’t as big or as epic as Infinity War, and it knew it couldn’t compete with it. So, it didn’t bother trying. It was a light-hearted film that helped take the edge off of having to wait another year for the next MCU film, and the ending does help set up for Avengers: Endgame.

Teen Titans Go! to the Movies

I was a fan of the original Teen Titans show, so when I saw this show for the first time, I wanted to puke. But then, for reasons I fully don’t comprehend, I decided to go see this movie. And you know what? It wasn’t that bad. Actually it was, pretty good.

Put the torches and pitchforks down. And drop the shotguns.

I still don’t like the show! But the movie made me realize that Teen Titans GO! was never meant to be like the original cartoon. It’s trying to be its own thing and entertain a different audience, and so far it seems to be working. What I’m getting at is that this movie is basically the show telling the haters that it’s proud to be silly, and that doesn’t stop it from being cool when it needs to be. Just look at this!

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes

Considering how much I love superheroes and anime, I wonder how I did not get into My Hero Academia sooner than this year? Well, better late than never. I love this show, and I loved the movie, and I don’t know what I can say clearly to express my admiration for the author or the people who work on the show. I just wish I could find an actual clip of the final battle. The moment you hear “You Say Run”, your hair will start to stand on end in excitement.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Anything that I say here will have already been said in my review of this movie, so I will keep it brief. I thought Infinity War was the best superhero movie of the year, but compared to this, I don’t think it even treads water. This film is a love letter to one of the greatest heroes of modern culture and a tribute to the recently deceased creators of Spider-Man, Steve Dikto and Stan Lee. If you haven’t seen it yet, then you need to drop what you’re doing and buy some tickets. You will not regret it. Just look at this scene!

My hair stood up in excitement. This captures what makes Spider-Man great, in a way that words alone cannot capture.

Year of Superheroes in Conclusion

So, in conclusion, this year was an amazing year for superhero movies, and it’s going to be one of the things I will remember it for. For the other things I want to remember about 2018, check out my year in review, out soon! Peace out!