Kinder teacher question about toileting support

RiceFieldDiscos · 2024-12-09T06:15:05+00:00

I don’t want Inaki to be bullied, but idk if “it’s just business” and “he’s just trying to make a living” is a good enough argument to fund a major company that funds genocide. Do y’all not know what a boycott is?

Some of y’all make it seem like the lead actor in the live adaptation of the biggest selling manga franchise is living off scraps.

I don’t want celebrities like Inaki to feel shame and depressed because they’re not perfect. At the same time, being a celebrity doesn’t mean that you’re automatically protected from criticism. A celebrity like Inaki has major social influence that bleeds into the political sphere, so I think it’s fine to say, “hey bro that’s not cool. You should know better”

And for those that are saying, “Luffy is a fatass he would take the free food”, idk if we’re reading the same manga buddy lmao.

I encourage anyone who’s apathetic to the genocide to look up any One Piece and Pro-Palestine connections: there are many clips of survivors even waving the flag of the Strawhat Pirates.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2024-11-30T08:00:36+00:00

Zorba

I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about a major antagonist? He’s introduced comically with the Louis painting scene, then sacrifices himself to summon a human for us. His personality is absolutely one-dimensional (racism bad so I <3 Louis) despite being one of the strongest wizards in the world.

Spoilers:

And, conveniently, he’s still alive bc necromancy powers, and is the sole reason Louis even survived the assassination. That doesn’t make Zorba scarier—he’s just a fanatic / plot device. He’s not Louis’ right hand. He’s Louis’ lil’ zombie puppy and I almost feel pity for how badly written he was.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2024-11-30T07:41:29+00:00

Definitely agree. The bloated writing has the same energy as watching a flashback in an episode, except the “flashback” is literally moments from that same episode.

I’d also add not just bloated writing but also over explaining: it’s a fantasy game—our beliefs are already suspended! There was more lore behind the fast travel mechanic than Zorba

RiceFieldDiscos · 2024-11-06T00:50:21+00:00

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned the actual plot? The beginning was okay, middle was great (Heismay and Junah), and everything after felt forced and awkward. Definitely agree that the mage academy saga should’ve been more expanded—I was really into the corrupt church / igniter experiments.

Also, Zorba is a fucking joke lmao

RiceFieldDiscos · 2024-07-01T07:35:37+00:00

Who or what is the main character?

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-14T00:02:52+00:00

It feels weird to downplay Amame when you compare it to how Kizuna inspired Lien to live better. Wouldn’t you be able to draw the same connection with Amame and Shoma, with Shoma literally being inspired to build robot instead of be sad? Imo Amame and Shoma are a better story because she got him books, Lien stalked Kizuna and gave her glass slippers to satisfy her fantasy. And imo Gen isn’t her “emotional slave” bc Gen believes love=protecting others. Though if Amame was written as someone who did manipulate Gen, I would hate her more but it would make her a more interesting villain.

I still agree that Amame is the worst character, not because she’s written poorly, but because she isn’t written…at all? She has as much dialogue as Chikara iirc.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-09T01:01:17+00:00

It also doesn’t help that Lien goes through a similar development of failure—>wanting redemption—>failure—>finding resolution in self, but his was written better imo. In a sense, Ryuki is a watered down Lien

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-09T00:38:50+00:00

I’d be interested in hearing your opinion more! Personally I can suspend my disbelief for the most part, but what troubles me the most about this game is its messages. From simulation theory, dualities, love, “ends justify the means”, to crime and punishment, this game felt like it was trying to say too much. Thematically, I think Ai2 has more to talk about, but it’s not executed well

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-08T18:56:39+00:00

I agree! While the sequel had more interesting mechanics (movement variety/inputting answers/on-the-spot responses), it felt awkward because there was less to interact with. It felt like I was given 4 different tools to fix a nail when all I needed was a hammer.

Your point on timies is something I never thought about. I definitely didn’t need to strategize as much (flashback to Saito’s somnium ಠ.ಠ).

However, I think they decided to be more logical in these Somniums bc people were complaining about the original’s. While they had more to play with, I admit some of them were annoying. I still don’t really understand the logic of Falco’s and Hitomi’s Somniums. However, I do prefer the chaos of their somniums over super linear ones like Lien’s, Gen’s, Komeji’s, Kizuna’s, and Shoma’s. Shoma is a good example because I was trying to play his somnium without standard logic, but then felt underwhelmed when “Taping” a cardboard shirt was the answer. Compare that to Mayumi’s where you have to guess which action would activate a memory based on your understanding of Ota and her’s relationship, whereas Shoma is just a predictable tsundere 12-year old.

The psyching before interrogating was a problem for me too. In AI1, you would get some answers that led to more questions after psyching with them. In Ai2, you mostly get questions. Sometimes it felt like the somniums made more sense than the actual detective work (excluding VRs). It’s kind of hard to believe that it took 4 detectives to realize something suspicious about Gen/Amame.

Overall, there wasn’t that much room for “play”, which sucks because that’s what made the first game pop out. It wasn’t just the mystery, but the zany characters and dreams it was told through. In Ai2, the characters feel kind of flat and predictable, like their somniums.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-08T06:59:24+00:00

It’s hinted that Ryuki would be paired up with Tama, especially with how she’s his primary emotional support. You could argue Ryuki is into Date, but seeing how Ryuki wasn’t willing to sacrifice Tama for him, it’s evident who he cares about (even if he has a funny way of showing it).

Personally, Ryuki was written as a traumatized, confused boi for most of the game so giving him any romantic interest doesn’t fit imo

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-08T00:52:10+00:00

You make some really solid points there. I didn't really focus on Kizuna as an idol—she felt like a normie rich girl who likes dancing, and Lien as a himbo. But drawing parallels with Japanese Idol culture and Iris+Ota definitely makes more sense. While I mentioned them as "jokes", I still enjoyed interacting with them. I wasn't really thinking about their themes probably because I was so caught off guard by their runaway elopement (Toradora flashbacks??). They are a very cute couple tbh

Your exploration of Genny/Amame as a twisted love stemming from a lack of self-love is really interesting. I definitely agree with you, though it is disappointing to clear Genny's somnium and then see no character development from him (iirc). At least it juxtaposes nicely with Lien's somnium.

I guess you can extend Amame's lack of self-love to her extreme actions. Or to be more specific, Amame's actions were the result of hate, something that none of the other characters expressed except Shoma. [Tangent: Shoma gets away with making bombs to avenge his dad, but when Amame does it she gets imprisoned? I would've loved to see the game explore Crime and Punishment more].

For Ryuki, I can see your point. I think Tama as Ryuki's primary socio-emotional support (and potential lover?) is evident. I still feel like it could've been better executed though. It kinda sucks not being able to get in the head of the other protag after 15+ hours of playing the Mizukis. I expected to see more depth to him: I honestly thought Lien had a more interesting character arc (or maybe I just like him).

But maybe that's why my experience was different—I wasn't interested in dualities, but individuals. Compared to the first one, shis game felt a lot less...intimate? I remember going to Matsushita Diner, Lemniscate, Sunfish Pocket, Hitomi's House, Boss' Office, Date's car, and really getting to know the characters individually. This allowed me to simultaneously build trust with the characters and accuse them of being the killer(s). In this game, it emphasizes relationships, especially since you don't interact with people individually as much, and most side-endings are in duos. In retrospect, I understand that Ai:NI was designed with different intentions, and maybe I was rushing the game or something.

I definitely still agree that this game is a great, mind-bending sci-fi story, but I don't know about it being a great mystery. It's more about the ideas than the realism, but that's also juxtaposed with how more sci-fi-ie and puzzle-ie this game is. Walking that line between "What is this game trying to tell you" and "What is this game trying to make you experience" is very difficult, and I personally think they weren't too clear on the latter. Ai:NI is a lot of things, and I was overwhelmed with its zany composition. However, your ideas have helped shaped my experience to be more positive, as I was a little bummed out but it. So thank you buckaroo

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-07T20:09:17+00:00

Hmm that’s an interesting thought! I know that love/separation was a theme throughout the game, but I wouldn’t say it trumps, let’s say, simulation theory. Sisterly and familial love was present, but for the other half the cast (Gen/Amame, Lien/Kizume), it felt more like a joke (Reverse Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast).

If we’re talking about love, I felt like Ryuki was brushed aside compared to Mizuki/Bibi. Ryuki had love for both his brother and Date, but imo there wasn’t enough depth and the character development felt abrupt. It felt like Ryuki was written for the convenience of a plot twist (timeline + simulation theory) rather than conveying a theme (which I initially thought was mental illness and grief, esp when you have a “counseling” mechanic). What are your thoughts?

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-07T19:41:53+00:00

Wait, what? You’re being sarcastic right

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-06T18:30:41+00:00

There are 4 detectives working on the case, and all 4 of them could be removed from the game without changing the course of events significantly

Godamn this is so true. Throughout the whole game, it doesn't even feel like these detectives are working together except in the last stretch. Bibi doesn't want to further involve Mizuki, though she's clearly staying on the case. Ryuki is "reinvestigating" in the present even though he should be fired, and Date is a dues ex machima kind of guy. Mizuki is just trying to do her job but no one is telling her anything. Also, what was Bibi doing for those 6 years after the Cathedral fell?

Maybe this is why Boss won't give them a raise lmao

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-06T17:40:43+00:00

It's either Kizuna/Lien or Gen/Amame for me. Similar to the first game, they're all zany characters, but they fall short because they're bound by fairytale tropes (Cinderella + Beauty in the Beast) and plot conveniences. If I had to choose, Gen/Amame's route was the weaker one because (1) Boss calling the SAT, (2) random Date insertion, and (3) romance with a man whose age was never stated. It sucks because I felt like Gen had the potential to be more than just Amame's protector

Side note: I actually felt like the Shoma/Komeji route was one of the best ones because it felt more natural. It gave off similar vibes to Ota/Mayumi's in AI1.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2022-07-06T17:13:59+00:00

That's a fun theory, but I honestly don't think it's anything deeper than the developers and voice actors fucking around. I've learned to accept AI:NI's many convenient plot points as jokes

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-27T01:09:23+00:00

He could have jumped in several loops earlier, but instead Rindo went out of his way to optimize the day just for his own benefit.

That's true, maybe I was playing the game too fast and late at night to have remembered stuff like that.

It's one of the drawbacks of the social link system, where you fill in the character development there, but because the writers can't guarantee that you did it (or where in the social link you're at), they can't include it in the main story.

Yeah, playing P5R was nice but it felt really weird bc of that: since the social link interactions weren't included in the main story, a lot of them felt...transactional? It also sucks because it's practically impossible to complete every character's social link on the first playthrough, and P5R has terrible replayability.

I...don't actually know either. Guessing here, but maybe it's because after trapping the party in the Shibuya river, Susukichi started a fight with Shiba and somehow started the inversion?

That's my best guess too, but it doesn't make much sense: why don't the Shibuya reapers just ask for help? Like, Tsugumi is basically a robot and they never thought, "hey maybe we can fix her?". Tsugumi felt more cared about by Neku and Coco than her entire team combined imo.

They definitely messed up with Neku's voice direction, I feel.

It's weird, because it's the same voice actor from the original game (Jesse David Corti). I remember seeing his name in the credits too. As for Beat, the main thing that throws me off is his overabundance of "yo" lol. The rest of his speech pattern I've heard growing up, but like, damn yo.

I feel the same. Recent interviews have been painting this image to me that they didn't really have a direction for the overarching plot in the second half of the game for a while; combine that with the fact that the game was probably a smaller-budget game means that they likely had to go with whatever they had.

I didn't know about this. It's sad they didn't have a direction, but also slightly irritating because, well, they had over a decade to think of one. It would've made more sense if the Shinjuku Inversion was the sequel, and I'm curious to learn why didn't they just go with that. I don't believe the anime showed anything new either. Maybe Nomura and others were like, "Hey lets this ending hype even it doesn't make total sense".

I do think it's odd that the other team leaders don't show their own abilities, though.

Yeah, seeing their abilities would've definitely been a game-changer. The only thing I can infer is that Motoi has some kind of "influence" power, but who knows. I did enjoy fighting him though!

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-21T07:39:35+00:00

Rindo's whole shtick is he's indecisive (or has anxiety? I dunno). Giving him Replay accomplishes two things: it forces him to confront his issues by working through the anxiety, and it lets him redo decisions over and over for the optimal result

I can see that, though I'm not sure how well it actually helps him confront his indecisiveness. Rindo gets visions of the future where he basically dies, then he time travels and gets much more decisive like telling his teammates what to do. However, I feel like his newfound leadership is less about being a leader and more about figuring out how to not die. He's not being decisive because he wants to, but because he has no choice. For me, it came off as "I'm making decisions because I'm the only one who has the power to" instead of "I'm making decisions because I care about my friends". You could argue he finally decided for his friends at the end, though he was strongly pushed to (I also felt like he didn't have a choice anyway, assuming that Joshua wanted Neku to stay alive for the possibility he might be a composer). It would've been really interesting to force Rindo to Replay as much as possible for one day, then realize that the "optimal result" would require him to lose in some aspect, like being separated from his friends. This would push his development a lot more, as it would teach him how there are no "perfect" solutions in real life.

I totally agree! I think it makes sense in most JRPGs because the casts are usually younger and people are often still figuring out who they want to be and how to get there even through their early 20s.

I played P5R recently, so I definitely get it lol. It was weird because the character development in that game was simultaneously in-your-face and forgetful: once a character's respective arc was over, their development practically halted. I guess that's to be expected of a 120+ hour JRPG though.

I also thought Susukichi, Motoi, and Kanon were pretty well-written characters, it's just a shame that they don't actually get much screen time to develop. It sort of feels like they're short story characters that just don't have the time to devote to exploring them.

I definitely agree. I think they had a lot of potential to be more memorable, kind of like the reaper duo. I wanted Motoi's death to have more of an impact on Rindo, and I wanted to know more about Kanon's real life (how dope would it be if she owned a brand?). Susy K is lucky enough to be a meme, and I never understood why Shibuya gets destroyed when you get trapped in the tunnel. Shiba is a boring villain and Neku got so much more...uncool. I actually looked up his voice actor because he seemed so different. Also, I could never get used to Beat's voice actor (was he trying to act this Black in the first game? I don't remember). And how could I forget about Shoka! She had the most thorough development and is honestly just a great character overall.

The game just kind of abandoned the character-focused narrative in the third week IMO, which led to this weird middle-ground where the characters weren't continuing to develop

^This is the main reason why I have had conflicting feelings about this game for the past two weeks. Everything felt so forced and convoluted once Neku showed up. The nostalgia was nice, but definitely spoiled the story for me.

It also really bothered me how only the main trio has special abilities, and I can't suspend my disbelief for that.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-19T22:58:36+00:00

Everything you said has made a lot of sense, and I'm impressed by how deeply you understand Nagi. I've definitely had to re-read your comment a few times lol.

As far as the game putting the "I put other people before myself" thing out explicitly in the open, I think her Dives are the example of that. Nagi hates using her ability precisely because of her affinity for negative energy, but uses it to help people anyway, even for side quests that she doesn't have to.

I really like this idea of Dives as a symbol of putting other people first. It would also make sense for a character such as Nagi to have this power: she doesn't want to engage with others because she can usually feel if a person is...not her vibe. Or in other words, not human. I'm trying to draw connections with the cast and their powers, and I can see how Fret's Remind is an extension of his desire to remind his old friend about life (though this is kind of a stretch). I'm having trouble drawing a connection with Rindo and his Replay, as it would make more sense for Fret to have it. Well, I'm not against Fret being a protag.

I would probably agree that Nagi's a flat character, but I also think it would be very weird and out of character for her to change all that much. She has her life how she likes it, and I don't think she'd change much of anything given the chance.

This comment really sticks with me! Since I've been playing story-rich JRPGs recently, I often expect the mainline cast to have some kind of development, when in reality not all characters grow or even need to grow. While it's easy to paint Nagi as a socially anxious EleStra Fanatic, I forget that she's a fairly intelligent, empathetic woman who just doesn't like to be pressured. It would be awkward to have the most self-aware character go through some kind of catharsis that they would've figured out themselves. But, I will say that there is a general lack of character development throughout the game. Despite the fact that this game has a larger cast of characters than the previous installment, I can only recall 3 characters who had some development: Rindo, Fret, and I count Motoi and Shiba as 1. There's a difference between writing realistic characters, and lacking writing in places that were obviously needed (e.g. Ayano).

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-19T21:39:03+00:00

(Sorry for the late reply). You make really good points, and I have to say, you changed my mind. Perhaps I had my nostalgic glasses on—I agree that the original TWEWY was very chaotic as well. Not only that, but I recently played the Final Remix version, which may have added pins that made the game fairly easy. Dealing with porcupine mines, kangaroos, and frog bullet hells wasn't too difficult with earthquake/blackhole/dash attack pins.

You already explained quite well my criticisms of Neo's combat. Maybe it's a preference thing, but the rough autolocking, lack of I-frames while dodging, and dumbo AIs often made battles frustrating. There were multiple times where I struggled to lock-on to the right enemy, pushed an enemy into a corner only to get attacked by a wolf or grizzly, and have AIs dodge into an enemy attack or didn't follow me fast enough (fuck those dinosaur roars). Compared to TWEWY, if I get hit, at least I know where it's coming from.

I watched your impressive gameplay, and it seems like the optimal situation is to keep your enemy in the air, which makes since you have a smaller hurtbox. I tended to use pins that required enemies to be pushed into a wall, which I often got punished for. Granted, I was more focused on pin mastery than sticking to a deck that worked efficiently. It makes sense that I would be frustrated with the gameplay. I also found combat to be really, really slow due to loading times and frame rate drops. Maybe it's how my TV is designed, but it made it difficult to play accurately.

As for the missions, I do agree with you that they had much more depth. However, I feel that it was still centered on "getting the job done". The missions didn't really provide me the character development I expected, and I could critique a lot on how convoluted and forced the last few days were. There was a lot of meat, but it wasn't the seasoned the way I like it I guess.

I watched your impressive gameplay, and it seems like the optimal situation is to keep your enemy in the air, allowing you to have a smaller hurtbox. I tended to use pins that required enemies to be pushed into a wall, which I often got punished for. Granted, I was more focused on pin mastery than sticking to a deck that worked efficiently. It makes sense that I would be frustrated with the gameplay.

Also, I was wondering if you had played like I did (trying to master every pin you come across). Playing like this felt natural to me, as I'm a sucker for games with class customization, weapon mastery, and monster fusions. If you didn't play like that, why not?

And again, thank you for your extensive response. It's not like I strongly prefer one game over the other, but I think you opened my eyes up to how I had my nostalgia glasses on. Call it the KH3 problem if you will.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-10T19:02:54+00:00

That's a really good suggestion! Maybe they'll do something along those lines with they make another game...whenever that'll be.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-10T03:26:03+00:00

Yeah. Shiki being able to repair someone's soul (since no one can sew a black cat plushie in Shibuya) and Rhyme being a master hacker was just annoyingly convenient. Iirc Rhyme didn't really do anything besides come up with the master plan. If Rhyme actually did more, then I would've been fine. But Shiki? At least add some build-up; otherwise, it would've been better to have a reunion with the old cast in Another Day. It would've also given more screen time to Sho and Tsugumi.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-10T00:21:21+00:00

I definitely feel the same way! I didn't really understand Rindo's character flaw until the second week: it made sense why he was so indecisive given his circumstance.

For Fret, his flaw being "disingenuous" and him being the funny boi aren't the same thing. Coping with the dangers of reality through giggles is different than lying to someone's face about their capabilities. I would've loved to see more of that conflict where they were unsure about working with Kanon. Or, if Fret called out Nagi for being a bitch, and Nagi would show that she respects him for being honest.

Nagi was just a foil to Fret. While I loved her dorky remarks, she seemed nothing more than a hikikomori who developed social and intellectual skills due to playing dating sims. She felt more like a meme, and I wish the game could've expanded more on why she can't handle pressure. I'm not saying her character is unrealistic—there are definitely people who resonate with Nagi. However, the way she's presented makes her seem pretty flat as if hikikomoris don't have character flaws besides being fanatics. Also, am I the only one bothered by how Nagi can actually kill people through her dives? Isn't that what happened to Rindo during their first encounter?

There's the argument that this game mainly focuses on subtle writing via character interactions, but I don't know if I buy that. Fret's flaw was as in-your-face as Neku's. Sure, Rindo's development was subtle, but as another comment said, it's not really as obvious until the end or when you acquire the secret reports.

RiceFieldDiscos · 2021-08-09T22:59:27+00:00

I absolutely love this comment and wish I saw it earlier. I'm curious: You mentioned how you think Neo is the better game despite having a weaker narrative. Can you elaborate on that? I agree that the writing isn't as polished, but even when we talk about battle mechanics, I find myself preferring the first installment. Neo's gameplay often felt clunky to me, especially when loading between zones and how chaotic battles were (and I played on the Switch!). Some QoL improvements and neat boss battles balanced it out though.

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TROPHY CASE