Hey, everybody! Antoni, here, with some recommended reading. I will be talking about the article Goddess Excellently Bright: Michaela Schuster and Tannhäuser, which was written by Mansel Stimpson and published on Classical Source in December 2010. Ah, Michaela Schuster. I have been a fan of this particular dramatic mezzo-soprano ever since I was sixteen. When I read her biography, I was so fascinated with the roles she did even though I did not see her live yet. From the Zwischenfach roles of Sieglinde from Walküre, Giulietta from Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Ortrud from Lohengrin, Eboli from Don Carlo, Amneris from Aida, Santuzza from Cavalleria Rusticana, and Marie from Wozzeck to true dramatic soprano roles like Marta from Tiefland to dramatic mezzo roles like Herodias from Salome, Laura from La Gioconda, Brangäne from Tristan und Isolde, Fricka from Rheingold and Walküre, and the Nurse from Die Frau Ohne Schatten to even Charlotte from Werther, I knew from the back of my mind that this was a singer to look out for. Nowadays, aside from chiefly focusing on the dramatic mezzo parts that she is well-known for, she has even ventured into contralto roles like Klytämnestra from Elektra, La Zia Principessa from Suor Angelica, and Zita from Gianni Schicchi, though she also did Auntie from Peter Grimes, Florence Pike from Albert Herring, and Madame de Croissy from Les Dialogues des Carmelites. In terms of her voice, it has a nice balance of dramatic metal without too much exertion and a luxurious lyricism, in which these vocal qualities make her all the more unique to my ears. Given her training as an oboist, she seems to have impeccable control of her voice when she has to sing either softly and plaintively or when she has to have dramatic outbursts. More than anything, she is a fiery, involved, commanding, and charismatic actress. Whether she evokes Sieglinde’s tenderness, the Nurse’s domineering and nasty nature, Fricka’s pain and suffering, Klytämnestra’s nightmares, Herodias’s venom, or Ortrud’s unhinged desire for vengeance against the Brabantians, she certainly sells it in everything she does to the point where I am in utter awe. In terms of this article, I initially read this when I was about 19 or 20 years old and I was immediately fascinated. I got to know more about Michaela Schuster’s career and journey and I was thoroughly enlightened and inspired. Based on the article’s title, this does not solely talk about Madame Schuster’s past engagement as Venus but also her beginnings as a singer and an overall musician. Reading how she went from studying the oboe at the Conservatory of Nuremberg thus getting herself a place in a small orchestra to returning to Salzburg with her sights being set on becoming a singer to the initial hardships she had to go through to get to this point made me relate to her trials and tribulations as a performer myself. This also depicts that the life of a fresh-faced performer whether one would be a singer or an actor or a musician or a dancer is not at all easy. However, if one has a good head on his shoulders and loads of determination and discipline, one can certainly make it. Even more so, success stories like this do not come overnight, as perseverance, courage, and a fighting spirit are needed to make it through. Speaking of success stories, I beamed with joy when I read that she had her initial success as a mainstay artist at the Darmstadt Staatstheater from 1999 to 2002 after opera director Pamela Rosenberg met her in Berlin and inquired her to do Fricka, as well as her first set of roles being Florence Pike, Auntie, and Penelope from Monteverdi’s Ulisse. I also found it wonderful to read that even though Madame Schuster is extremely for doing Wagner, she aspires to have more flexibility in her repertoire with doing Italian and French roles as well as doing recitals. A part of me even wonders how she would fare doing roles like Azucena, Ulrica, Fidés, Madame de la Haltiere, Mistress Quickly, Gertrude from Thomas’s Hamlet, and/or Genevieve from Pelleas et Melisande, I am pretty sure she would be a knockout, given her superb acting chops and unparalleled skills as an overall musician. When it comes to her talking about Venus, she makes well-thought-out comparisons in terms of how different the Dresden and Paris versions are especially when it comes to this character, Venus’s attitude vs The Princess di Bouillon’s attitude when it comes to love and rivalry, and even how Venus and Elisabeth love Tannhäuser. I can also concur that Tannhäuser is not even an easy sing for many a Heldentenor, as he not only needs to sing lyrically but also incorporate high notes. Those challenges also go to Venus, as she not only needs to bear a mezzo color to her voice but also hit high notes. Granted, I have not seen Michaela’s performance of Venus in either the Royal Opera House or the Chicago Lyric Opera, so for those of you who had, how did you think she fared? By and large, when reading this 7-year-old article, I get the impression that Michaela Schuster seems to be a down-to-earth, hardworking, focused, professional, and thoroughly natural person. Moreover, she has become one of my biggest role models of all time and I felt like I learned a lot from her, her experiences, her trials, and her triumphs. I also have to give Mansel Stimpson for not only conducting the interview in such a professional fashion but for also writing this superb article. Overall, if you have free time, I highly recommend reading this article, especially if you are a fan of Michaela Schuster or opera in general. Your eyes will definitely be open to see how her journey went from bearing hardships to earning success. I give this article 5 out of 5 favorite opera arias for a dramatic mezzo-soprano. It is imperative that you…
Articles by Antoni Matteo Garcia
This has been in the making for weeks after I caught the live stream of the Bayerische Staatsoper’s production of Les Vepres Siciliennes. The question remains. How well does the star-studded cast consisting of the young American spinto soprano Rachel Willis-Sorenson, the Italian lirico-spinto Leonardo Caimi, the Romanian dramatic baritone George Petean, and the Uruguayan bass-baritone Erwin Schrott? Find out in this review, enjoy, and have a blessed Easter week.
Happy Easter, once again. Antoni, here, with another Inuyasha fanfic recommendation. This time I will be taking a look at Twenty Truths: My Daughter written by NalaxSimba and published on April 19, 2014. It’s rated T. It’s in English. It’s Family/Romance and the main pairing is Kohaku and Rin. Sesshoumaru is made to be Rin’s adoptive father, Jaken is still present as his lackey, and Inuyasha, Kouga, Ayame, and Kagome are mentioned. This fanfic is told in twenty themes chronicling Rin’s childhood, teenhood, and adulthood. So, I would say she ages from being 8 to 14 to 18 to her early 20’s. Out of all the Inuyasha couples, I truly love Kohaku and Rin when they are together. What makes them compatible as a couple is that they are not obnoxious with their bickering and squabbling, and they truly, genuinely, and purely care for each other. Sure, they may have been kids, with Kohaku being 11 years old and Rin being 8 years old, but they are a breath of fresh air compared to the whole soap opera antics that Inuyasha, Kikyo, and Kagome get themselves into. I support Kohaku and Rin as a couple then and I still support them to this very day. There is an innocence and radiance that these two have together. Whether it would be on the TV show or in fan works, they shine all thanks to the potential they have to grow as a couple to the point where I mark them as my OTP next to Inuyasha/Ayame, Ginta/Shunran, Miroku/Sango, Sesshoumaru/Kagome, and Shippo/Souten. When it comes to Sesshoumaru and Rin, I do not see them as a romantic couple in the slightest. First of all, Sesshoumaru is much more experienced and older than the youthful Rin, given that he appears to be about nineteen. In fact, I see their relationship as more of father and daughter. Think about it for a second. Rin was an orphan, whose parents and brother’s lives were lost to marauders. Surely, this experience would traumatize many a child. That is until she met an injured Sesshoumaru does she start to look up to him and admire him in a platonic way. She was then initially killed by Kouga’s wolves and Sesshoumaru used his Tenseiga to save her life. From there she has become his traveling companion and the way I interpret this is, he finally found an adoptive daughter through Rin, giving his own brand of discipline. In my mind, I always love to pair Sesshoumaru with Kagome, as he has Rin as his adoptive daughter and she has Shippou as an adoptive son. If they were to marry, then Rin would be the big sister to Shippou, thus making one strong family, with Sesshoumaru as the stern, disciplinarian, yet well-meaning father to his children, Kagome as the nurturing, strong-willed mother, Rin as the jolly, respectable, and loving older sister, and Shippou as her adorable little brother. Along the way, Sesshoumaru and Kagome will end up giving birth to little hanyos, making their family a little more exciting. Once Kohaku marries Rin and Shippou marries Souten, they will have kids of their own, thus making Sesshoumaru and Kagome grandparents in their 30s yet still mentally and physically active. Come to think of it, this calls for a fanart idea on my part. With all of this rambling aside, let’s get on to what I thought about the story. Ever since Rin has been living with Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Ah-Un, she has become his adoptive daughter. He does things like buy kimonos, wrapping her under his mokomoko on frosty winters, and generally caring for her. That is until one fateful day that Rin had to live in Kaede’s village surrounded by humans. Rin comes of age and dates Kohaku, and being the stern father Sesshoumaru wants to ensure that her beau will keep his daughter safe, which is the same policy he gives him all the way up to marriage. By and large, this story is a very down-to-earth, simple, genuine, and lovely look into Rin’s family life with Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Ah-Un. Even more so, this is a coming of age story of Rin’s journey from childhood to teenhood to womanhood. I dare not spoil the ending, but sufficed to say, it will leave one with tears of joy by how everything wraps up in a poignant, beautiful, and lovely way. The characters that really stole the show for me were Sesshoumaru, Kohaku, and Rin. Starting off with Sesshoumaru he does begin with his usual cold, overprotective self. However, as the story progresses he becomes slightly more understanding and compassionate not only as a father to Rin and future father-in-law to Kohaku but as a person. Kohaku starts off as a passionate and strong teenager not only in terms of his skills as a warrior but also how he persuades Sesshoumaru that he deeply loves Rin and wants to take her on a date. Eventually, in his adulthood, he proves himself as a loyal, noble husband to Rin. Rin is indubitably the main focus of this story, as this is her journey of becoming a woman. She starts off as the usually peppy and kind-hearted girl and she maintains that kindness and optimism all the way up to her adulthood. Jaken’s butt-monkey status has been thankfully reduced in this fanfic and is just the loyal servant. The other characters like Inuyasha, Kagome, Kouga, Ayame, and Kaede serve their purposes well. In terms of technicality, I did not spot one single error. Moreover, the layout is clean and well-organized. Overall, this was a touching Kohaku/Rin fanfic with Sesshoumaru as Rin’s adoptive father. Everything is so well-woven in a simple package that it comes off as charming and gentle. You know what I am going to give this fanfic. It deserves a full A+. On a technical standpoint, it’s flawless. From a narrative standpoint, it is excellent. Well, that’s all for now. Boy, taking a good look at these Inuyasha…
Happy Easter, everybody! Antoni, here, with another Inuyasha fanfiction recommendation. I will be taking a look at An Odd Pair, which was written by JapanLurve101 and published on November 10, 2008. It’s rated M. It’s in English. It’s Romance and the main pairing is, get ready for this, Inuyasha/Ginta. Before I talk about this fanfic, I want to talk about Inuyasha and Ginta as a shounen-ai couple. It is a guilty pleasure, and I kind of enjoy it because at least they are not related in any form. However, if you ask me, I actually ship them as a BrOTP. In my mind, their dynamics will function with Inuyasha functioning the large-and-in-charge, strong-willed, hotheaded and badass big brother to Ginta’s meek, endearing, jolly, and beware the nice one’s younger brother. In terms of shipping them with characters of the opposite sex, while I pair Inuyasha with Ayame to the nth degree, I always thought about pairing Ginta with Shunran of the Panther Devas. Sure, they clashed a bit in the anime, but I think Ginta/Shunran has potential. Think about it, Ginta is a kind, sensitive, sweet guy and Shunran is a feisty, fun-loving, lively girl. He would find her cute, fun to be with, and agile in her movements and she would find him hilarious, charming, and super strong. Sooner or later, they would hit it off rather well. I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but the thought of Ginta and Shunran as a couple always seems to fascinate me and it can be plausible. Okay, enough rambling. Let’s get on to what I thought about this story. Deep in the forest, Inuyasha is his usually vexed self, as he is thinking about Kouga’s blunt unwillingness to challenge him, as Kagome is not present. Just by thinking about what Kouga said is enough to make Inuyasha all the more riled up to the point where he is thinking about executing him by cutting off Kouga’s tail. A voice manages to startle Inuyasha out of his psychotic fantasy and then he sees that the voice belonged to Ginta, who exposits that Kouga is not in the area. Inuyasha is initially disappointed until Ginta decides that he needs to take a bath in the hot springs, for someone is about to take over guard duty. Inuyasha is initially hesitant until he decides to join Ginta along. What follows is the brewing relationship between the hotheaded hanyou and the innocent wolf yokai. By and large, this story is a mixture of humorous, charming, and rather steamy in the climax. By steamy, I mean there is male fanservice and eroticism, but it’s done in a way that does not feel too forced, as the story builds itself up quite nicely. It does not obnoxiously thrive on the fanservice and it’s balanced with substantial interest on the characters’ part. For one chapter, I thought it had a sufficient enough story, so high marks there. Talking about the characters is talking about Inuyasha and Ginta. It’s always a pleasure to see Inuyasha’s brand of toughness, brashness, and strong will present in this fanfic until he lets his defenses down. He was very much in character. Ginta is fleshed out the most. In the anime, he and Hakkaku function almost like fraternal twin brothers and are usually either the butt-monkeys or just the comedic sidekicks to Kouga. It’s a major shame because I would’ve loved to have each of their personalities fleshed out a lot more. Here he does keep his brand of innocence, charm, meekness, and youthfulness but it’s also backed up by a slightly mischievous attitude, especially when he realizes Inuyasha’s desire for some sensuality. There were not so many spelling and grammar errors, which made my overall reading pleasure a blast for the most part. I also have to give it high marks for the descriptive and varied enough language. Overall, this is a story I thoroughly enjoyed, especially with Inuyasha and Ginta as the main crack pairing. With their different personalities meshing together so well helped by a sufficient story and steamy action going on between Inuyasha and Ginta, I say go check it out if you are a fan of this crack pairing. With that said, I give this fanfic a grade of A+. Minute errors aside, I still say that this is a worthwhile read if you enjoy having Inuyasha and Ginta as yaoi couple. Well, that’s all for now, tune in later for another Inuyasha fanfiction recommendation centering around Kohaku and Rin with Sesshoumaru playing a paternal part, Twenty Truths: My Daughter written by NalaxSimba. Until then, have a most pleasant Easter. An Odd Pair by JapanLurve101
Hello, once again! Antoni, here, with yet another fanfic starring Inuyasha and Ayame. I will be taking a look at The Promise, which was written by darling krash, published on August 14, 2006, and last updated on September 30 of that same year. It’s rated M. It’s in English. It has eight chapters. It’s Romance/Drama, and aside from Inuyasha and Ayame as the main couple and main protagonists, we also have in this story Miroku, Sango, Kagome, Jakotsu, Kouga, an OC by the name of Doctor Kameko, and a whole bunch of villagers. As I read this fanfic, I cannot tell you how I excited I am to talk about it. So, without further ado, let’s get cracking. Jakotsu from the Band of Seven is attacking some villagers and marauding the overall peace. Inuyasha steps in to stop this pillage caused by the last of the Band of Seven or the Shichinintai, but little does he know, Ayame comes to aid him, as Jakotsu also murdered some members of her tribe. Together they finish Jakotsu off but at a price, Inuyasha’s palm is injured. Once Kagome brings in the bandages and disinfectants, Ayame willingly tends to Inuyasha’s wound. Meanwhile, Ayame’s den has been attacked by none other than Naraku, who has also taken her grandfather’s life. Inuyasha, sensing peril, rushes to go save her. Seeing Ayame injured, after her ordeal with Naraku, he rushes her to the village doctor, who tends to her wounds, feeds her well, and gives her lovely dresses. Whilst all of this is happening, Inuyasha and Ayame start becoming a lot closer than they think and this could be love, even though her grandfather’s dying words are for her to marry a warrior from Kouga’s tribe. What sells this story for me is the growing relationship between Inuyasha and Ayame. It is clear as night and day that even though Ayame is tied to her grandfather’s promise and Inuyasha tied to the past with Kikyo and the present with Kagome, these two are clearly meant for each other. For eight chapters, I definitely felt a lot of emotions surging through me and it kind of helped that there was a song in the form of I’ll Stay with You originally sung by Beth Hart in the fourth chapter, as Inuyasha sings a fragment of this to soothe Ayame. On a tangential note, as I heard the song on YouTube, I did imagine Richard Ian Cox singing the English version and Kappei Yamaguchi the Japanese version, which I thought was kind of cute. Sure, I would’ve loved the story to have gone longer, and develop how Kagome was going to further react to this, as well as how Kouga is going to take it. Probably, he would’ve decided that now that Ayame belongs to Inuyasha, he can very well be by Kagome’s side, though certain relationship issues will not stop Miroku, Kouga, Inuyasha, Sango, Kagome, and Ayame from destroying Naraku. Speaking of which, we could’ve had an epic battle involving these six and Naraku. However, as it is, the fanfic has been left abandoned for eleven to twelve years. To give it the benefit of the doubt, how it ended in the eighth chapter was at least satisfying knowing that Inuyasha and Ayame are an item, slight spoilers there. By and large, even though I would’ve loved to have more in this story, it is still a solid package full of heart. Inuyasha and Ayame, as always, steal the show in this fanfic. While Inuyasha maintains his brash, strong-minded, and defensive nature, it’s balanced out by a sensitive side. I, as the reader, can witness his vulnerability, when it comes to his past, as his human mother Izayoi was the only one who ever gave him any type of love and without her, he felt like no one else mattered, and his genuine, pure, steadfast love for Ayame. He will do everything in his power to not only protect Ayame from all harm but to also give her the love, affection, and time she truly deserves. Ayame maintains her steadfastness, loyalty, and sense of familial pride to her clan. She will do everything in her power to ensure that her grandfather, who was killed by Naraku, will be avenged, along with the rest of her tribe. She still has feelings for Kouga. However, as she met Inuyasha, he was very much the one who gave her his true love and protection. Even though she sees Kouga as her solution to unite their tribes, it is clear that her heart and her being belong to Inuyasha. I know I am going to sound like a broken record, but this is the fanfic which made me root for them as a couple. Not only do they present themselves as strong capable fighters who are intrepid enough to go physical, but they also have admiration and respect for each other. Thus emitting empathy from both of these characters. Not to mention, their chemistry is absolutely amazing, especially when they consider that they don’t have this type of emotional depth with their respective “partners”, Inuyasha with Kikyo then Kagome and Ayame with Kouga. As mentioned before, they knew they were destined for each other, even though they have to work it out if they truly are. It would be easy to make Kagome the jealous and clingy girl. However, she is someone who at first was befuddled, as to why Inuyasha would go out of his way to protect Ayame, but now she does get the hint, that these two have more genuine feelings for each other than Inuyasha has for Kagome and Kikyo combined. Sango ends up being rather emphatic in this story, as she not only understands Inuyasha’s vulnerability but Ayame’s growing feelings for him. She knows fully well that Inuyasha truly loves Ayame. Miroku is still his chivalrous pervert self, as he even suggests to Inuyasha that he should grope…
Hey, everybody! Antoni, here, with another fan fiction recommendation. Today I am taking a look at another Inuyasha fanfic entitled Wolf Dog written by BonaFideGarbage and published on February 4, 2009. It’s rated M. It’s in English. It’s Hurt/Comfort/Romance, and the main couple is Inuyasha and Ayame. Other characters involved, yet mentioned through exposition, are Kagome Higurashi, Sango, Kouga, Miroku, and Shippou. As you can tell, I am totally up for some hot, steamy action from my two of my most favorite anime characters in the world and OTP, Inuyasha/Ayame. So, let’s cut to the chase! After Naraku’s defeat and death, Inuyasha and his friends decide to go their separate ways. Miroku and Sango ended up being married with children. Shippou is in the search for other kitsune. The icing on the cake is Kagome splitting up from Inuyasha and becoming Kouga’s wife. This irritates Inuyasha so much to the point where his inner full demon forcefully advises him to get over that failed relationship. One day at a hot spring, Inuyasha spots Ayame, who is about to immerse herself in the steamy yet soothing water, while feeling down that Kouga would dare choose Kagome over her. He questions what she is doing at his relaxation spot, as she starts to get suspicious. That is until Inuyasha comes down from the tree as his hiding spot and Ayame finally recognizes him. What follows are moments of self-revelation from both sides and a rapidly blossoming romance between them. By and large, I did find myself thoroughly enjoying the story, as it is a nice balance of genuine character interactions and some well-deserved eroticism between Inuyasha and Ayame. The story does build itself up rather nicely and I love the inclusion of having Inuyasha’s full yokai form as a sort of conscience, as he is meant to be a symbol of Inuyasha’s animalistic instincts. This creature is just so tired of Inuyasha’s complaining that he actually spurs him to do something about his problem. Enter Ayame, who unfortunately was in a similar situation as Inuyasha, as these two have more than just a heart-to-heart conversation. Overall, the story does not rely too much on the eroticism but rather builds up the necessary development for our two main characters before the deed is done. One tiny caveat I have to give is, how do the other characters react to this? Part of me thinks that they are first hesitant, but turn face when they realize that Inuyasha and Ayame are truly compatible. Talking about the characters is talking about Inuyasha and Ayame. As always, Inuyasha maintains his defensive, brash, easily peeved, angry, yet strong-willed and charming personality. The fact that he has is full yokai side within his conscience kind of makes him rather dangerous yet fascinating. Whenever Ayame starts to weep, he tells her, albeit abrasively, that whatever they have experienced is all in the past and they need to move on. Ayame is presented here as a jilted lover, who cannot fathom why Kouga would choose Kagome as his mate over her. She initially has a hard time accepting it until she sees Inuyasha. Knowing what he went through in the past given his hanyou status, his first tragic falling out with Kikyou, and his latest one with Kagome, she easily empathizes and establishes a much stabler connection with him. In terms of their lovemaking scene, she is the submissive one to Inuyasha’s more alpha male actions. In terms of her characterization, she maintains her strong will and occasional vulnerability making her a diverse character overall. Even though the other characters in the forms of Miroku, Kouga, Sango, Kagome, and Shippou are only shown in bits and pieces, they do contribute well to the plot, even though it would have been nice to see how they react to such a change occurring between Inuyasha and Ayame. The only issues I have in terms of the grammar, spelling, and other technicalities mainly chalk up to minute missing letters from certain words. Otherwise, the layout is really good and the language does serve its purpose as an erotic romance story. So, overall, this was a really well-done Inuyasha/Ayame fanfic. If you are into erotic romance stories with a good amount of steam and genuine character relationships, this could be for you. With that said, I give this fanfic a solid A+. In spite of some super minor gripes, I still have to salute it for at least delivering the goods in terms of Inuyasha’s and Ayame’s relationship. There was rarely a time I had to correct in terms of grammar or spelling and I had an overall blast. Well, that’s all for now. Tune in later where I recommend another Inuyasha/Ayame fanfic, The Promise by darling krash. So, until then, have an awesome Easter Week. Wolf Dog by BonaFideGarbage
Hello, once again. Antoni, here, with another fan fiction “recommendation”, you will see why I put that in quotation marks. Let’s now switch our attention to what I consider my Inuyasha OTP, Inuyasha/Ayame, as I will be taking a look at The Blue Twin, which was written by Never Surrender, published on September 29, 2005, and last updated on December 9 of that same year. It’s rated T. It’s in English. It’s Drama/Romance. It has 23 chapters, and, obviously, the main pairing is Inuyasha/Ayame. Other characters involved are Miroku, Sango, Kagome Higurashi, Shippou, Kouga, Kaede, Sesshoumaru, Jaken, Myoga, and Kirara. There are also some OCs namely Kori, Kome, and Yume, more on them later. I did encounter this fanfic a few times and I was kind of excited to take a gander at it considering how much of a die-hard Inuyasha/Ayame shipper I am. With that said, let’s get on to what I thought about this particular fanfic. It’s a warm and peaceful day in Feudal Japan, where not much is happening. That is until someone who looks like Inuyasha, except with blue hair and attire, arrives, thus leaving Kagome, Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and, especially, Inuyasha in utter shock. That someone in question is his long-lost twin brother, Kori, and he is really excited to see Inuyasha after several years. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, is less than enthusiastic. Along the way, there are new relationships to be made with Kouga and Kagome, Inuyasha and Ayame, and Kori and Kirara, who can somehow turn into a humanoid form, Miroku being wed to Sango, thus bearing his first child, some deceptions, broken relationships, and even a kinship to be formed between Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kori. By and large, the story was rather enjoyable, as I did enjoy how the characters interacted with each other. There was one major headscratcher, though, and it was, how on earth did Kirara obtain a humanoid form? Was there a certain power which made her do so at will? Are there any conditions she has to go through for it to happen? It was not thoroughly mentioned nor explained how that happened because in the original anime she can only go from her little cat form to her big, battle cat-like form with blazing flames. The fourth chapter, as proclaimed by the author, was a filler chapter and that was not really necessary other than to drag the main story’s plot. Speaking of filler, there were times some scenes did feel like filler, but it was not too much. At times, the story can be melodramatic, but it’s well-balanced with some humor, action scenes, and a few touching moments found in the climax and especially the ending. There are also some character deaths to be found in this fanfic but despite all that, I thought there were some moments in the final few chapters which were rather touching, sweet, and left a smile on my face. The characters were still quite enjoyable to witness. Inuyasha still has his trademark impulsivity, sarcasm, brashness, and overall jerk with a heart of gold nature. In spite of all that, he also shows a good amount of compassion, especially with Ayame. He was very much in character all throughout the fanfic. Not to reveal any major spoilers, but let’s just say I was really happy when Kori took off the beads of subjugation from Inuyasha. Now we get to the main OC of this fanfic, Kori. In terms of design, I cannot really imagine him with blue hair but the blue haori I can certainly envision. Personality-wise, he is the complete opposite of Inuyasha. He’s jolly, sweet-natured, lovable, and happy-go-lucky as opposed to Inuyasha’s occasional crabbiness and sarcasm. He bears a sword called the Ketsaiga, which can only kill fifty demons. There are times he can be annoying but not on the level where it is obnoxious. His brand of annoying is kind of endearing, as he has lived in the North all of his life, has only heard about certain key events in passing, and has never left his territory. Yet, how he manages to know all of these key events and people like Kouga, Sesshoumaru’s mokomoko and even Kikyo is beyond me. I can forgive the occasional annoyance I have with Kori, as he is at least entertaining and does not take too much screentime. When reading his dialogue, I kind of imagine Brad Swaile or Samuel Vincent voicing him on the English side and Tomokazu Seki on the Japanese side. By and large, he is a pretty fun addition to the cast and he works well off of Inuyasha. Ayame has toned down her high strung nature yet still keeps that strength within her, which makes her consistently awesome. It was a bit of a shame that she entered somewhere in the ninth chapter because I would’ve loved to see a lot more of her in the previous chapters and let her grow from there. In spite of all that, she still proves herself to be worthy of Inuyasha because of how strong of a character she is and I have been rooting for them to be together. Like I said, what happens to them in the climax and even the ending is really heartwarming, adorable, and sweet. Kirara does serve her purpose as the team mascot and main source of transportation and here, as mentioned earlier, she has a humanoid form. Again, why she ended up having that I will never know. It’s safe to say that she is loyal, smart, and she proves herself to be a capable, strong fighter in both her cat-demon form and her humanoid form. Sesshoumaru keeps his brand of coldness and indifference in this story, as he initially wants nothing to do with either Inuyasha or Kori. Throughout the story, he eventually warms up a little bit more to the point where he can tolerate both Inuyasha and Kori. What happens to him…
Hello, once again! Antoni aka the Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup FanFiction Critic and Recommender, here with another Reds-centered fanfic. As promised, I will be taking a look at the sequel to Wedding Madness, Baby Madness, written once again by crazycatmommy and published on January 16, 2017. It’s rated T. It’s in English. It’s Romance/Humor. It’s in fourteen chapters, and the main pairing is, obviously, Brick/Blossom. Other pairings featured here are Butch/Buttercup and Boomer/Bubbles. Other characters featured are Professor Utonium, Miss Keane, Miss Bellum, Robin, Mary, and Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory. There are also some OCs in the forms of Blossom’s co-worker Stuart, Dr. Rosenstein, and some other co-workers of Brick and Blossom. Since the story takes place some months after the Wedding Madness in the span of a year, the main characters are between 22 and 23 to 23 and 24. Well, folks, the Reds have struck again, along with the Greens and the Blues. As you can tell by the fanfic title, Blossom is going to give birth after that cliffhanger in Wedding Madness. With that said, let’s get on to what I thought about Baby Madness. Brick and Blossom are excited and anxious that they are going be parents to their newborn baby but they are not sure of the baby’s gender. Butch and Buttercup are confident it’s going to be a boy. Whereas Boomer and Bubbles are confident it’s going to be a girl. What follows is a wager between Brick’s and Blossom’s younger siblings thus being excited to be uncles and aunties to the newborn child, loads of baby shower preparations in courtesy of Bubbles, an ex-boyfriend in the form of Dexter coming to see Blossom, Professor Utonium being excited about the prospect as a grandfather, Boomer’s and Bubbles’ upcoming wedding in Disney World, and the pangs of pregnancy as experienced by Blossom. By and large, I consider this story an exceptional follow-up to Wedding Madness. It maintains its charm, humor, great buildup, and interest, and I dare not spoil the ending, as it is very heartwarming, sweet, adorable and a great way to wrap everything up. Even more so, I almost teared up in the ending. When all is said and done, this story left me wanting more, as I was thoroughly entertained, touched, and let’s just say I loved everything about it from beginning to end. Seeing that this is also a story of a woman getting pregnant, this is also handled with such thought, care, and sensitivity, especially considering the research and hard work crazycatmommy put into understanding about special classes like the Lamaze technique. To top it all off, there were even some references to the original Powerpuff Girls episodes and those were Mime for a Change, Knock it Off, and Cover Up for all the hardcore PPG fans out there. The characters certainly developed magnificently from the prequel. My heart really went out for Brick in this fanfic. He certainly grew into a mature, wise, caring, emphatic, noble, loving, hardworking, and steadfast husband to Blossom and father-to-be for the new baby. He even proves himself to be an excellent cook making healthy meals for not only Blossom but for the pair of them. I literally rooted for him and Blossom to make it through this particular ordeal and I couldn’t be any happier. Blossom proves herself to be a devoted, strong, steadfast, loving, loyal, and awesome wife to Brick. During her pregnancy, she had one moment where she exploded at Brick. However, what comes after this will leave one with a huge grin. As a mother-to-be, she does have her anxieties in terms of how she will look during and after childbirth and how healthy their child will be. One also has to leave it up to her loving husband, Brick, to ensure that everything will be all right and she can put her faith in him. As a married couple, these two have excellently heartwarming chemistry. Gone is the bickering from their childhood, as it has made way to pure genuine love and support for each other. In sickness and in health, these two leaders have each others’ backs all step of the way. Butch has toned down his impulsivity and still manages to be charming and hilarious, in an occasionally irreverent manner. Even more so, he ended up being happily married to Buttercup after everything they went through. Moreover, Butch is a supportive, kind, and loyal brother to Brick, and a good brother-in-law to Blossom, even though he can be cheeky, with the whole prosthetic belly dare to Brick. Buttercup has also toned down her stubbornness and impulsivity, and she continues to have Blossom’s back when it came to taking her to her Lamaze class. Even though it was only mentioned, Buttercup states that even though she calls Butch rude names on some occasions, they always make love to each other to compensate for all crazy crap that happened. Even more so, that trademark tomboyish spark she has never dissipated, which has consistently made her endearing. Boomer has proven himself to be an endearing, loving, and totally caring fiancé to Bubbles. It was clear as night and day that these two will eventually end up together, in terms of their plans of getting married in Disneyworld Florida. Sure, he does keep his cheekiness, but it’s done in a way that makes him amusing as a character. Once again, Bubbles steals the show. She goes out of her way to make sure the baby shower will be absolutely perfect. Sure, her whole preparation schtick does feel like a rehash of the one in Wedding Madness, but it’s really nice to see someone who takes the full initiative to make her eldest sister happy. Bubbles still manages to be a good listener to Blossom’s suggestions, even though she is fully confident that the newborn baby will be a girl. Professor Utonium maintains his trademark benevolence as a father to his…
Hey, everybody! Antoni aka the Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup FanFiction Critic and Recommender with a Reds-centered fanfic. I’m taking a look at Wedding Madness, which was written by crazycatmommy, published on December 8, 2016, and last updated on January 16, 2017. It’s rated T. It’s in English. It has sixteen chapters. It’s Romance/Humor and aside from Brick and Blossom as the main couple, there is also Butch/Buttercup and Boomer/Bubbles. Other characters involved are Professor Utonium, Miss Keane, Miss Bellum, Robin Snyder, Mary, the chubby girl who is one of the girls’ kindergarten classmates, and Mitch Mitchelson. There are also some OCs in the forms of Candace, Butch’s rebound girlfriend, Jeff, Buttercup’s rebound boyfriend, Sarah the saleslady from Bijou and Belle’s Bridal, Claire the manager of Tasty Cakes, and a teenage girl, who I presume is the intern or someone with a part-time job. Even more so, Brick, Butch, Blossom, Buttercup, Boomer, and Bubbles are between 22 to 23. If I were not obvious already, I now turn my attention to Brick and Blossom also known as the Reds. Whether one likes them as a couple or finds this pairing overrated, there’s no doubt that their dynamics have something rather interesting. Sure, in the TV show, their relationship was antagonistic at best, given the fact that Brick is impulsive, prone to anger, a bully, a major troublemaker, yet has enough street smarts to survive and Blossom is book smart, rational, intelligent, and strong-minded, but let’s not forget, they were about 5 or 6 years old and they were certainly not yet ready to be in an age where they can be together. In terms of how they are usually portrayed as teenagers or young adults mostly in fanfics and fanart, they seem to have this will they or will they not type of dynamic. Partly because they are the eldest and they have to deal with their younger siblings the best they can every single day, in spite of arguments and disagreements, and partly because of their roles as leaders, as they have to constantly face the burden of their responsibilities to not only their family but also the City of Townsville, even though Brick and Butch would usually be assigned in the anti-hero parts with Boomer mostly leaning towards hero. Even more so, they tend to not have the usually clichéd fairy-tale romance, as they are tested to look beyond their personal biases, do what they can to keep the totality of their team together and do what they can to set examples not only as leaders but as the eldest children. Brick, at least according to a lot of shippers, would even grow up to be as smart as Blossom, as he wisened up from his previous life as an impulsive punk and can be more than what he has bargained for, to say the least. All in all, in terms of fan work, unlike Boomer’s and Bubbles’ sentimental, sweet, yet syrupy romance and Butch’s and Buttercup’s Takahashi-level belligerent sexual tension where they are constantly bickering and going back together, Brick’s and Blossom’s relationship grows at a steady yet realistic rate, showing how being in a relationship can be tough if one is not on the same page, if old wounds are in desperate need of healing, and if one is really willing to grow up and take full responsibility for everything one does as an individual and as a couple. Okay, enough of my rambling, let’s get on to what I thought about this fanfic. It seems incredible that Brick and Blossom have been dating for five years. Granted this transition was not at all easy, due to their turbulent past as enemies when they were kids and as teenagers, they ended up matriculating in the same high school. Through this turn of events, Brick and Blossom steadily ended up being good friends, as she was still in a relationship with Dexter. However, she decided to break up with him after some derogatory remarks directed not only at Blossom but her sisters too. Come one day at Brick’s soccer match does he make the move on Blossom to be his girlfriend and all the way up until college, with Brick being in a community college and Blossom in Yale, he decides to give her a romantic trip to Paris for two, as a graduation present. Whilst in Paris, he then proposes to her and Blossom joyously accepts. The news has been spread to their siblings and the wedding preparations are being put into motion in courtesy of Bubbles. What follows is a gamut of madcap activities from Butch’s and Buttercup’s break up leading them to try to get back at each other with their respective rebound partners while still harboring feelings for each other, Bubbles trying desperately to make the wedding plans as perfect as possible, Boomer’s love for Bubbles ever increasing, and Brick and Blossom just doing what they can to keep it together. This story is an absolutely fun blend of humor, romance, and truly genuine and heartwarming moments, enough for one to feel so fuzzy inside. Speaking of the humor, it also functions as a sort of comedy of errors. From Butch and Buttercup setting up strippers for the main couple to the cake fight to Brick and Blossom not being able to tolerate their siblings’ tomfoolery to the main couple’s romantic moment of intimacy being interrupted by Butch’s whining to even the main couple attempting to elope in Paris, there are a lot of moments where I did find myself laughing. I dare not spoil the ending but let’s just say that it’s not only greatly satisfying seeing our three favorite couples together, especially the main one, but it managed to wrap everything up so blissfully and warmheartedly. Even more so, the ending gives the reader a major hint that there will be a continuation. By and large, the story was charming, rollickingly fun, and it’s almost reminiscent of such films like The…
Hello, once again! Antoni, here, aka the Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup FanFiction Critic and Recommender back with another recommendation starring the Greens and co-starring the Reds. It is called She Ain’t You written by SilverTonguedHunter and published on June 18, 2014. It’s rated T. It’s in English and the genre is Drama/Hurt/Comfort. All the characters here are in their mid-to-late teens. The Greens have struck again in this fanfic and they have been joined by the Reds. So, let’s not waste any time and get on with it, shall we? Butch, feeling like Buttercup has been inaccessible to him, as she broke up with him, decides to see other girls. However, there is one problem. They do not measure up to Buttercup’s brand of femininity, and as a resolve, he dumps his latest fling, while having coffee. The question remains if Butch really wants to rekindle with Buttercup, with Brick’s pep talk propelling him to do so. By and large, this story is simple, short, and sweet, as it is a one-shot. It did not need to complicate nor convolute things. However, if you ask me, I would’ve loved to have a little more development, as to why Butch is the way he is. The scene that really stood out to me was, undoubtedly, Brick’s pep talk to Butch, more on him later when I talk about the characters. As to be expected, it is absolutely lovely to see Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup in this particular one-shot. Butch serves as our flawed hero who can’t stand Buttercup and her indifference towards him. In spite of that, his feelings for her grow and grow, to the point where he is sick and tired of all of these insipid flings with the other girls. Despite everything they do or say to each other, he knows that Buttercup might just be his Mrs. Right, but he is hesitant to think that. Plus, it’s also nice that Butch’s impulsive nature was intact, making him all the more balanced as a character. Brick plays his role as the wiser older brother, given that he is in a stable relationship with Blossom. He makes sure that Butch does not do anything foolish or worth regretting. He serves as the only sane man to Butch’s impulsivity, which is something I find very endearing. Blossom only appears in the middle, as she and Brick were having a little session with each other departs to be in her room studying. She does keep her sweetness and diligence intact, but it would’ve been nice if she had a say on this in terms of her sister, as she has known all her life. I’m very sure she could have given Butch that extra push to go back to Buttercup so that they can rekindle their broken relationship. Speaking of Buttercup, she appears in the beginning and the end. There is no shadow of a doubt that she kept her brand of sarcasm in the first part, but it would’ve also been nice if she were given a lot more development. By and large, the story is well-woven and well-written. However, there was one grammatical I spotted near the ending and that was the phrase “much to her upset”, which should have been replaced as “much to her annoyance or displeasure”. In spite of that, I spotted no other mistakes. Overall, this was a rather nice and short Butch/Buttercup-centered fanfic. Even though it could’ve benefitted from more character development, I still think it’s a worthy read if you are a Greens fan. With that said, I give this fanfic an A. Some slight things do need to be fixed up, but otherwise, go read it. You might feel charmed by its simplicity. Well, that’s all for now. Tune in later for a Brick/Blossom-centered fanfic called Wedding Madness, which was written by crazycatmommy. Until then, this is Antoni aka the Brick, Butch, Blossom, and Buttercup FanFiction Critic and Recommender wishing you all a most pleasant day. She Ain’t You by SilverTonguedHunter