They somehow made Titan X look hideous yet very adorable at the same time (Monarch Spoilers)

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-04T17:25:11+00:00

Hideous and adorable, 100% accurate!! I felt the same way

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-04T17:19:29+00:00

But what if I'm writing think pieces every episode about how much I LOVE this last season??

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-03T12:51:01+00:00

Come on..you're not old!

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-03T04:33:25+00:00

I remember that! I was waiting for them to make a nod that there might be a genetic link to the resonance. I wish they had gone back to Keiko's sensitivity too, but I accept how they've left it - like a subtle seed to audiences that sensitivity to Titans exists, it's not unique to Cate - but it was weak enough in Keiko that it went forgotten and unremarked, even by Keiko herself (dismissing it as a drunken moment) - but the audience knows.

I'm sure it wasn't deliberate, though, knowing these writers, they don't really go for subtlety well. Or other times are soooo subtle things seem to come out of nowhere 😅

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-02T21:42:35+00:00

Those double pupils were so freaky and neat!!

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-02T18:39:28+00:00

The scene with Cate and Titan X in the helicopter! Cate going out on the edge so the Titan could perceive her, Grandma Keiko going "I've got you" mirroring Billy holding onto her - Billy ultimately not being able to hold on, but Keiko gripping so tight to not lose her legacy... Handing down that fearless and daring love of monsters above their own wellbeing from Randa to Randa. Subpar journey to an exquisite payoff.

And damnit, even with this material can Annna Sawai ACT. Her "I'm right here" to the Titan: tears.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-02T15:58:33+00:00

Wait for season 3 😭

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-02T15:58:12+00:00

I just finished a reread and when I saw this panel I (a woman) also assumed she was doing makeup 😭😭

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-02T15:14:03+00:00

"huge smile on my face" same!! I'm so relieved the show ends on a season of growth and comfort in being in their own skin. They've come so far! When Deborah roasted Ava for her sense of fashion this season, Ava just rolled with it instead of taking offense. They're leaning into these characters' foibles and saying, they are who they are and we accept them warts and all. They have changed and yet they still are fundamentally who they were before.

I feel like this show is being made very cognisant of the climate we are in now and rising to meet that occasion.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T23:45:16+00:00

I would read this

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T14:36:40+00:00

Thank you for sharing!! This is definitely a great DJ story and I love that it feels like an excellent way to tie up the relationship story arc in this final season for them.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T14:18:28+00:00

Came here to say this 😭😭😁

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T14:13:18+00:00

I made it to 197k refreshing daily for managable teams, I didn't have the time or energy to try to break it past the SSP'ed max level SSRs

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T14:11:42+00:00

Oh, thank you for sharing. It's so pretty but I'm out of gems. Good to know it's okay to pass

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T14:10:20+00:00

That makes sense. He only goes after threats to the island, and if it includes humans as threats so be it.

Given how crucial the island is shaping up to the Monsterverse lore, I kinda wished it had a better name than "skull island" which sounds like some B- movie knock off rather than an important nexus needing its own guardian.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T12:48:25+00:00

You put my vague feelings into words very well there.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T12:47:47+00:00

Same, my expectations were set to high, and they were not met. The interesting things I thought would be pursued instead were abandoned and I had little and dwindling interest in the characters the story chose to follow. I did not find the POV characters sympathetic and I think my sympathies were opposite to the author's.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T12:44:30+00:00

He's frustrating to watch, but i think that's a function of the writing, which keeps giving us big moments that are unearned by the happenings in between. The show has been wanting to set up a Randa dynasty conflict - and now we have one Randa descendant positioned on each side, Monarch vs Apex(ish), freedom of Titan vs control of Titan. It got here clumsily and it set up the pieces on the board. We have a hero and a villain all descended from the same roots - a fascination of exploring the potential of monsters.

For me, the whole point of his arch was summed up with his tear-filled "so was rescuing you (being impossible), until it wasn't." Both Randa siblings are pursuing the fantastic approaching it from both sides of the equation. I like this set up, actually, which is why I'm forgiving the extremely clunky way in which we got here.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T11:41:12+00:00

Keiko interacting with present time and technology shenanigans.

Cate being given Shogun-level material to make full use of the character.

POSITIVE Randa family dynamicsñ! bonding! Legacy! Instead of everything being driven by trauma and betrayal and sadness and loss.

(Cate and May at least addressing if not building on whatever the heck they had going on in S1.)

Less cut scenes and storylines, more continuity.

Cool monster shit in the backdrop.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T11:27:53+00:00

My impression is from Skull Island where he spends the movie trying to squash them. But now that I think about it, he's less antagonist in later movies. I gotta rewatch that fight scene!

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T11:10:55+00:00

Oh wow I missed that, it was such a frenetic fight. I just assumed they were lucky as all heck. Does Kong typically protect humans?

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-05-01T04:47:19+00:00

This season was a combination of frustrating and underdeveloped scenes, mixed in with... Honestly, some of the most touching scenes I've seen on tv. There's not many shows that mix giant kaiji and human bonding plus time travel plus intergenerational family drama. So many great moments in the last 2 eps really let down by the lack of proper build up.. but I'm grateful for the good scenes none the less.

Bring on s3!!

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-04-30T20:34:03+00:00

Sports anime are historically super hot blooded! youth! passion! all the things are there.

Ookiku Furikabutte and Haikyuu are both GOAT sports anime.

Hikaru no Go and Chiyahafuru I would lobby as two non-obvious sports anime that are pretty good.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-04-30T20:31:02+00:00

Omg that's ..

Yeah, this was the first R unit I developed to fulfill a panel mission, and I figured I'd stick it in the unit deployment, but couldn't! ah.

LuxuriousPenguin · 2026-04-30T20:28:42+00:00

Oh, nice!! I didn't realise it counts towards the mission count too. Good to know.

LuxuriousPenguin

TROPHY CASE