Quarantine Control #121: Stray Otaku of Madness
COVID-19 refuses to leave us alone, but the last thing we needed was another virus that human beings living on the planet Earth aren’t taking seriously enough and doing little about. That’s precisely what monkeypox is, which might primarily be spread through sexual content with the possibility of being transferred in other ways. Who knows! Everything remains terrible, and it’s tough to spell out how much worse everything could get for fear of jinxing matters. Better to distract yourself with entertainment in the meantime, however fleeting that can be.
Angela Moseley
Ironically, I’ve done the opposite of this column’s namesake by going to a convention this weekend. Heck, if I could do Otakon last year, why not do it again this year? Of course things are a lot less hopeful even though we have vaccines and I’ve gotten three shots. This country is sliding backwards at an alarming pace. So you might as well enjoy the small things in life.
Otakon (2022)
Source: Walter E. Convention Center, Washington, DC
Episodes: It’s an anime convention
By the time you read this I’ll already be in Washington, DC for Otakon 2022. In the past I considered conventions to be work, but as I noted before last year’s Otakon, burn out continues to affect me. I’m only now uploading the few pictures I took from the convention this month. I never did muster the interest to write a convention report for 2021. Honestly, I think Otakon 2017 and 2018 were my last hurrahs when it comes to writing about the convention, including panels. Again, that comes with the tug of being on vacation from my full-time job and feeling the pull of needing to cover as much for Damage Control as I can. The need for a vacation ultimately won out. Hopefully, I’ll get some of my motivation back, though I’m doubtful about ever returning to full convention coverage.
Going to a convention in a pandemic wasn’t too painful of an affair in 2021. The timing of last year’s Otakon and their mask requirements turned out to be a blessing. The convention was right before the Delta variant of COVID hit the United States and just about everyone at the convention was diligent about wearing a mask. This year the mask requirements have returned in addition to now needing proof of vaccination (which wasn’t required last year), or a negative PCR test. Between the masks and the stricter requirements, I’m not too worried about the pandemic on this front– especially since I’ve switched over to KN95 masks.
As for the day-to-day at Otakon, I’m currently in the process of creating my schedule. I’ve noticed a sharp decline in the number of industry panels over the years. The early part of the previous decade was an absolute blast in terms of industry presence. Funimation, Crunchyroll, Viz Media, Aniplex, and even NIS America ran panels at Otakon. Those days are probably behind us for the foreseeable future. Doubly true now that Funimation no longer exists and Crunchyroll ceased their panels at Otakon years ago. NIS was a rarity and Viz has been MIA for years. I don’t know what’s going on with Aniplex, but I’m sure the Crunchyroll/Funimation consolidation didn’t help. The pandemic was also likely a negative factor.
On the personal front, for the first time in about nine years I have a traveling group again. Friends who had to put conventions on hold for life issues (having children being a big one) are finally returning. Additionally, I’ll be meeting up with Alex for the first time since Anime Boston 2016. Navigating the convention with a group of friends should be interesting.
What I ultimately want from Otakon is a good and safe time. I’m looking forward to getting behind the lens of my camera, getting lots of pictures, and attending interesting panels– maybe even a few good fan panels. Someday I’ll finally get into an Anime’s Craziest Deaths panel, but this year doesn’t seem to be my year. Either way, my weekend will be a busy one!
Geoffrey Barnes
It’s another week, so I have something else Marvel-related to discuss. Woo.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Source: Disney Plus
Episodes: 1 movie (the second Doctor Strange film)
I was of two minds regarding what to expect from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before sitting down to watch it. I knew full well that it was directed by Sam Raimi, of several horror films like the Evil Dead series (though the last two aren’t deeply into the horror genre) and, of course, the original Spider-Man movie trilogy. I wanted to see references to Raimi’s previous films (though perhaps not Spider-Man considering No Way Home was stuffed full of them), but I was similarly curious as to how much of a Raimi film this could be. Marvel Entertainment gives their directors some creative freedom, but they also want their stories to progress in a certain way. Fortunately, my fears were unjustified… in some ways, but not others.
Multiverse of Madness takes place just after No Way Home, with Doctor Strange himself (Benedict Cumberbatch) dealing with the repercussions of opening the portals to the Multiverse, even though that wasn’t entirely his fault. The movie begins with him having a dream about running through a void between the Multiverse with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) while fighting and dodging Gargantos. It’s shortly made clear that this wasn’t a dream, that Strange was seeing matters that actually happened, when the chaos spills out into New York City. Thus begins the quest that Strange and America venture on to stop the source of the latest threats.
I’m trying my best to be vague when I shouldn’t be above, considering how short the period to be mindful of spoilers is for Marvel films. There’s no point in me hiding how the source of these threats is Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), the Scarlet Witch, who’s had a serious heel turn following her descent into despair in WandaVision. She misses the idyllic life she crafted for herself, and wishes to return to it through any brutal means necessary. Truly, love can make you evil. This was the next logical step for Wanda after a series that was largely about her grief and the ways in which she couldn’t tolerate it, and I’m glad they followed through with it even if the execution of those ideas could have used more time.
I’m not the biggest fan of all the plot reasons for it, along with all the characters that could have surrounded Wanda still missing thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character not being a mutant, but she remains intriguing herself. This film, ideally, is a mere continuation of her character development saga.
Multiverse of Madness (I refuse to abbreviate it as “MoM,” sorry) is also stuffed with cameos, which fortunately don’t feel shoehorned in with the overall Marvel-mandated Multiverse story beats. The film made Multiverse hopping feel fun enough, however brief those trips were for a film that lasts a little over two hours. I’ll always be impressed at how Raimi was able to insert some trademark horror into this film, more than those contained in the Spider-Man films, while still making this feel like a Marvel movie and remaining PG-13. This movie pushed the rating as far as it could go, by not making it too gory but making it clear what happened during certain death and horror sequences.
It was always clear that this movie would utilize CG and green screen heavier than even most other Marvel films, but there are places where the effects look unfinished and don’t entirely fuse with the characters and backdrops. This is especially apparent with the aforementioned Gargantos battle. The movie’s visuals and special effects don’t look bad per se, but they sure seem to confirm those stories about Marvel Entertainment employing overworked and underpaid VFX staffers.
The movie’s story is a fine-enough comic book adaptation, but Wanda’s trek down a more villainous path could have used a bit more buildup and could have received a more satisfying conclusion. There’s still time to rectify the latter, of course. The same can be said of America Chavez’s eventual character development. I’m surprised they haven’t announced an “America” Disney Plus series yet, but maybe that’s still in the works.
The MCU is ever continuing, so there was no preventing this tale from feeling like the next step in a long and continuing saga. Multiverse of Madness isn’t Raimi’s best in any of the genres he’s tackled, as the emotional beats aren’t on par with Spider-Man 2’s despite this movie having a lot in common with that one in terms of its plot development. But it’s enough of an achievement when a Marvel film can distinguish itself from the others despite the amount of overhead management these movies receive. At least it’s not on par with Spider-Man 3 on that front.
Joseph Daniels
If you recall last week, I talked about an anime featuring a character who can turn into a tiger. Sadly, the fourth season isn’t out yet and I’m stuck waiting for it. I do have something else I can watch.
Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! (2021)
Source: Crunchyroll
Episodes: 12
Tiger content: Atsushi Nakajima
If the main anime is equal parts Bleach and equal parts Cowboy Bebop, depending on if the episode is serious or silly (compare serious episodes like “Rashoumon, The Tiger, and The Last Emperor” to more lighthearted fare like “Fitzgerald Rising”), Wan! fees a lot more like a spin-off comedy anime like Umayon, and that’s because it is. We may have to wait a while for the fourth season of Bungo Stray Dogs, but Wan! is here to tide us over and give us another glimpse into the lives of the characters we’ve come to know and love.
My absolute favourite part of this anime is that my favourite ending theme from the original series is back and being sung by Atsushi himself. Episodes run for only about half the time, but that’s okay. It still feels like a lot happens, even if nothing ultimately matters to the canon of Bungo Stray Dogs. The purpose of the series is comedy, and it works.
I also confess that I was feeling a little sad about running out of Bungo Stray Dogs episodes, so I’m watching these very sparingly. Out of 12 episodes, I’ve only watched three so far and I’m going to deliberately ration these out. This is a series that I really do not want to rush through.
Hopefully, as the month of July draws to a close, those of you in the northern hemisphere aren’t melting to death. Here’s to better weather over the coming week!
The pandemic (or is that pandemics now?) shouldn’t stop anyone from having fun. Hopefully everyone can still do so, as long as they’ve received the necessary protection through vaccinations and masks. The extremely hot weather has at least slightly let up for now, so that’s something.
About The Author
dcstaff
The collective will of the Damage Control staff combined into a single article.
