deerstalker

https://blacknerdproblems.com/suicide-squad-isekai-is-funny-chaotic-messy-and-i-want-more/

When I was putting together BNP’s Anime Summer 2024 Season Preview, I KNEW that I wanted to cover Suicide Squad ISEKAI. All I really knew that the anime series was airing June 27th on the MAX and Hulu streaming platforms and that “Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Peacemaker, Clayface, and King Shark sent to ISEKAI!? (a.k.a Another World) Brace yourselves for the pulse-pounding saga of the elite task force known as the “Suicide Squad” as they embark on a jaw-dropping adventure!” All I knew was to expect C-H-A-O-S and that I knew that I was tuning in!

Spoilers Big and Small Follow Below, Be Warned!

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THE GOOD

Episode 1: The Suicide Squad films (2016) and (2021) have had some success, and someone cooked up this chaotic idea of seeing the team…*checks notes* to another world via ISEKAI style? One of the strangest trailers we looked at and dissected in the Black Nerd Problems discord, for sure. What we do know is that Harley, thee Harley Quinn (ANNA NAGASE), Gotham City’s Mistress of Mayhem–gets separated from her baddie lover Joker (YUUICHIRO UMEHARA) –which I’m always a fan of–I’m biased cause Harley Quinn is such a great show– and snatched up after a short duel with Katana (CHIKA ANZAI). 

Imprisoned and then thrown together on an aircraft with other villainous weirdos and misfits, she’s told about being placed on a special team by the unshakeable Amanda Waller (KUJIRA). Waller has been doing what she does behind the scenes and none of it looks good–Harley, Deadshot (REIGO YAMAGUCHI), Peacemaker (TAKEHITO KOYASU), Clayface (JUN FUKUYAMA), and lastly King Shark (SUBARU KIMURA) find themselves in another world–one with orcs, dragons, and magic and set to work in defending themselves! As for first episodes, this one is a fun introduction into the mashup of DC super villains and the Isekai genre from the realm of anime.

Episode 2: More world-building starts to fan out in this second episode of Suicide Squad ISEKAI and not only do we get to see glimpses of the governing monarchy in place but also a few of the major players in place that have thoughts about the still newly formed Suicide Squad’s entrance into this world. This episode also delightfully plays up the tropes for the Isekai genre, movie plots, and prison breaks–the audience get to see more of the team harping on each other and working together as a team. A lucky encounter with agent Rick Flag (TAKUYASHIRO) who was also imprisoned gives the squad new information and a guide to get them to the checkout point to keep the bombs in their neck from exploding, implanted by Waller’s staff.

I think what is really important here in this second episode is the realization that as much as this fantasy world is different from the world the squad is from (magic staffs and other weapons, orcs and other creatures, etc)–it is also similar to the “real world.” Here a leader isn’t listening to their council on the best ways to rule and solve problems plaguing the people. Eagle eyed- individuals see solutions in the way of possibly using some unique set pieces on the ever-evolving chess board. The squad comes to terms that they’ll have to make their own way unless they want to leave their fate in the hands of others which will probably spell their doom. Once again, this episode pops with a flashy, hilarious ending.

Episode 3: Suicide Squad ISEKAI‘s third episode has no reason to be so damn funny. The obvious language barrier and an attempt to translate on the behalf of the team makes for extremely amusing fun and downright hysterical scenes which makes the first half of the episode stand out in all the best ways. Playing up the quick fix of ‘all us speaking the same language’ and ‘taking on the task of the monarchy’ tropes found in Isekai finally moves the narrative along to get the squad suited up and back into action. Some observations by different members conclude someone is up to no good; another villain from the real world is behind the scenes manipulating at least some of the forces wrecking havoc.

Just as things were settling down to more serious matters, the funny is punched back up into overdrive in the later second half of the third episode of Suicide Squad ISEKAI. One of the Suicide Squad’s members realizes that they are meeting up with an old acquaintance and the tragically funny flashbacks will remind audiences why this show is rated TV- MA for a reason. This is the episode that convinced me that I wanted to watch more! I’m glad that the streaming platform released these three episodes together at the launch of the series this weekend. Audiences know for certain what they’ve watched, and they’ll feel compelled to think about whether they’ll watch more or it or pass.

THE BAD

Episode 1: An absolute minor thing when it comes to Harley’s character design and it is absolutely silly in retrospect as I love the rest of her anime inspired version in Suicide Squad ISEKAI. How Harley’s hair is combed up into her pigtails on the back of her head–it looks like the divided sections of a volleyball, and it is hella distracting. That is the tweet. That is the post. I had to get it off my chest and tell somebody.

Episode 2: I’m waiting for Clayface’s character to find his groove in the team–look, I know the Suicide Squad’s a bunch of weirdos. YET, I am waiting to see if he’s less of an oddball–and that’s saying A LOT, given his peers and more of a character that I want to root for? I was first introduced to Clayface’s character back in the 90’s thanks to Batman:The Animated Series. And while I know that is only one version of the character–years ago, I’m not sure if this version meshes well with the team, TBH. I have to admit I’m not just sold on the character in this line-up, yet. Yes, he was in the Harley Quinn animated show so he’s not a stranger. And yes, I was making Muzan (Demon Slayer) comparisons jokes from the first time I saw the trailer.

Episode 3: I got nothing much. Some of the animation sequences in the second half were a little rough, yet I felt that greatly helped with the storytelling of the relationship of the two characters and their previous misunderstandings.

THE CHAOTIC

Episode 1: Suicide Squad ISEKAI does such a great job slowly releasing the chaotic nature of not just Harley and the team, the very nature of the world that they find themselves in but also Amanda Waller’s vision. The fight scenes are wildly entertaining and smooth throughout the episode–and the big battle upon entering the new world showcase the newly formed team’s personalities and talents perfectly. I did not know that I needed the anime version of Amanda Waller in my life and low and behold: that is what 2024 has gifted us! (This is a new original anime from DC Japan and Wit Studio (SPY×FAMILY CODE: White) Will I ever look at her the same thanks to this ending animation sequence of the series? Probably…also no yet I got to say I don’t hate it!

Episode 2: Just when I thought the squad’s time in prison (in another world, mind you) was dragging on: their glorious prison break does not disappoint and leads to a colorful, chaotic, funny time on their way out! The dance number was unexpected and well worth waiting for towards the end. This second episode of Suicide Squad ISEKAI really starts to show audiences the messy comradery of the squad as they start to make some sense of where they are now. I am really starting to appreciate the bizarre fantasy adventure we’ve got on our hands.

Episode 3: This third episode of Suicide Squad ISEKAI bounces back from serious to funny and decorum to riot a lot more smoothly and the squad makes leeway with their standing in this new world. This third episode also brings some answers on small things hinted upon from the first two episodes that better tie together small events we witnessed and may have been curious about. I also think I’ve started to figure out how Clayface works better in the show: we need him as a better balanced with others on the squad and on the show. He obviously is the exposition guy: the one responsible for pointing out the rules of Isekai and story structure and the like. YET, he can be heavy handed like he was in episode two which dragged the story for me. Seeing other characters of the squad shine this episode meant less of him and more of them all mostly working together with revived vigor.

VERDICT

Overall, Suicide Squad ISEKAI is a super funny, chaotic, colorful animated lovechild of some favorite DC baddies and the realm of anime via the Isekai genre. The series starts to really mesh together with the addition of the third episode to make this a series that I want to keep watching. Obviously not for the kids, this anime series is quick to remind viewers of that with its spots of violence, blood, and gore.

There’s enough of a lure at the end of each episode that we’ve been given to suggest there is more mystery and fantasy adventure to watch and more humor on the darker side to share a laugh at. From the announcement of and first trailer, we knew that Suicide Squad ISEKAI was going to be an oddball of the summer anime season, yet no one was expecting it to be just a stunning, messy, solid series off the bat. I knew that I’ve been tuning in and now I know that I’ll definitely be watching more once more episodes drop.

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♡Premiered June 27♡ Max & Hulu

•United States: Max & Hulu

•Korea: ANIPLUS & LAFTEL

•France: ADN

•Southeast Asia, Taiwan & Hong Kong: HBO GO

Please find areas outside of Max availability and local platforms on the official website: https://suicidesquad-isekai.com/

Love anime? So do we! See what else we have to offer on the site via anime here!

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The post ‘Suicide Squad ISEKAI’ is Funny, Chaotic, Messy, and I Want More appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/decade-ish-of-destiny-in-retrospect/

It is not hyperbole to say that Destiny irrevocably changed my life for the better. When I first pre-ordered the game in 2014 after moving back to St. Louis because I was enamored with the idea of an unbreakable Ward of Dawn stopping enemies in their tracks, I could not have predicted the daisy chain of events that would unfold. That I would meet some of my best friends. That I would become a writer at Black Nerd Problems. That I would eventually come to realize that I’m non-binary. All of these things can be directly traced back to Destiny. A science fantasy first person shooter looter shooter MMORPG is responsible for making me a better person and also consuming well over 6000 hours and counting of my life (and that is very much a low ball estimate as far as I’m concerned). I have covered Destiny 2 extensively over its lifespan. I have gone on the record several times that it is my favorite game that I cannot recommend to anyone. It is a game of great importance to me, and The Final Shape is the culmination of the last decade of an overarching epic, the Light and Dark Saga.

It’s been a month. I’ve done almost everything that there is to be done. And now all that’s left is to write a little bit about the past, the present, and the future.

Darkest Before

At the beginning of 2024, community sentiment was at an all-time low. The Final Shape hype machine had seemingly run out of steam, and the mass lay off late in 2023 that was coupled with the inevitable delay announcement of the most hyped DLC left many despondent. A few months of next to nothing did not bode well well and all the momentum that Season of the Wish brought came to a grinding halt.

In order to waylay this content drought slightly, Bungie introduced Into the Light, a sort of mini-content drop that did the impossible: bring people back to the game in droves. Between the reprisal of beloved fan weapons, the addition of “shiny” weapons, a proper 50-wave endurance-based horde mode, and a boss gauntlet in the form of Pantheon, this mini-drop breathed new life into the game. The updated versions of guns were meta-monsters with fantastic new perks and potential combinations. Onslaught offered an activity that promoted different parameters for buildcrafting and escalating difficulty. Shiny guns made drops exciting again. Pantheon was a true test of skill and mastery that pushed us to the limit. After so much internalized dread, Into the Light brought promise that the delay really was for the best. And then Bungie showed their hand.

A new enemy faction, a first in about half a decade. A gameplay manifestation of the in-lore canon of wielding light and darkness. A promise of an epic end. I hate reddit’s sentiment that a cornered Bungie produces their best work, but it’s also hard not to agree with it because the end result was something else.

The Call

As is tradition with every Destiny DLC, I took the week off with the intent of playing this game as much as the server capacity and my frail human body could handle. And mind you, the servers were actively terrible on launch. This was by far one of the roughest launches since Beyond Light. I was in queue just to log into the game for almost two hours. After every single mission completion, I’d get kicked right before I could see any semblance of a cut scene. I missed several early plot points and foreshadowing elements, but I was determined to play through. I took many more breaks, and I was able to get through six of the seven story missions on the first day, saving the denouement for Wednesday morning which was the correct decision as that mission was a true test of endurance.

From a story perspective, the campaign managed to do the impossible of culminating ten years into a satisfying conclusion. The return of Cayde-6 as voiced by Nathan Fillion brought just the right amount of nostalgia to the story that was all about exploring a wrapped version of our past. Keith Davidson managed to step in the late Lance Reddick’s Commander Zavala role brilliantly, bringing a different type of gravitas that paid tribute while also distinguishing itself. Mara Junot’s Ikora and Brandon O’Neil’s Crow facilitated several heartfelt moments. As someone who has dutifully been through the gauntlet, this stretch let me reconnect with the characters in a truly meaningful way as the fate of the known universe was hanging in the balance, as Brett Dalton’s Witness menacingly kept taunting me throughout.

Journeying through the Pale Heart felt like a true odyssey, as each mission took me through unsettling landscapes (oh so many hands everywhere) with campsite meditations punctuating each leg as I approached a towering monolith in the distance. And the penultimate confrontation with the Witness set the stage for the final showdown pretty much perfectly. I talked with a friend who had returned during Into the Light, and while they didn’t have the same emotional investment, the narrative still managed to resonate strongly, so I think it was a victory all around.

A Multifaceted Approach

From a gameplay perspective, The Final Shape was an overwhelming success. The addition of Prismatic offered an entirely new level of self-expression and buildcraft options that reinvigorated the game. And most impressively, the original monochromatic classes still had enough justification to exist alongside the mind numbingly complex prismatic variants. I did the math several times over and came out with a ballpark of 22 million to 81 mission possible build configurations between the five supers, five melees, five grenades, multiple jumps, three class abilities, and the twenty-one choose five or six fragments and that’s just on the subclass configuration screen, to say nothing about exotic synergies. And, of course, by the time I’m writing this, the community has already managed to identify the most potent optimas for each of the class, but it is an incredibly precarious balance that any shift in balance could topple into an entirely different meta.

The flexibility and versatility of Prismatic is only part of its joy though. The transcendence mechanic acts a fun little mini-game that rewards you with a mini-super mode with a unique transcendent grenade and a slew of other benefits. And while an electrified snare for the Titan wasn’t the most grockable thing at first, it has since saved my life in the Legendary campaign, Grandmaster Nightfall, and the hardest raid in the franchise’s history (more on that later). I will engage with nitpicking over the relative power and parity of the classes, as I think for the average player they will find something to enjoy and for the veteran, they will science it later.

Having Prismatic throughout the majority of the Final Shape was definitely a welcome change of pace to the slow tease of Stasis in Beyond Light and the overtly focused learning of a limited Strand kid in Lightfall. Being able to use a full kit from the jump and getting to tune it as I progress was great. I would have appreciated having more of the fragments available throughout the campaign rather than the eventual unlock method which ranged from convoluted world puzzles, grinding enemies to get materials to make keys, and backtracking through the campaign. I understand that it was probably more engaging than the original playlist grind for Stasis, the mindless killing on Neomuna for Strand, or the glimmer sinks that the legacy sunglasses settled, but I feel like there was a middle ground between those and the obtuse puzzles we eventually got.

The difficulty of the Legendary campaign even with our immense levels of power creep felt appropriate. Outside of a singular part of Requiem (the fourth mission of the campaign), everything felt reasonably fair. The conclusion to Iconoclasm was an appropriate test of endurance and felt super satisfying to complete. 

And all of the new toys felt incredible between the weapons and the new armors that opened gameplay in a wide variety of ways; whether it’s a top slot strand rocket sidearm that hits like a truck and lets you run an exotic middle slot such as the reliable Red Death, a burst fire grenade launcher that leaves pools that deal damage over time or the rocket buffing Hazardous Propulsion. It’s incredible that even after a decade, there are still novel design spaces.

Banding Together

Equally crucial to the campaign is the post-campaign offerings which was fairly expansive between new adventures that unlocked the rest of the key components of the Prismatic kit, even more new toys, and some set up. As one of the many players who completed the campaign before the Salvation’s Edge raid race, there was a nice little in game tracker that showed me how my efforts in saving lost Ghosts and uncovering the secrets of the Pale Heart was contributing to our stockpile of resources to fight the Witness. Admittedly, I was not the biggest fan of all of the activities the Pale Heart had to offer, and I ended up spending more of my time gilding Dredgen for the 12th time while one of my hunters reset his reputation with Ghost twice (he spent a lot of time in the Overthrow public event styled activity), but did eventually cycle it into my routine. The open world aspects of the game remain the parts of the game I engage with the least, but considering the breadth of offerings, that’s fine by me.

When the raid race did hit on June 7th, I was 1) disappointed that there were only three days to prepare and 2) understood from a narrative perspective that it had to pretty much happen immediately. And the day one was fundamentally brutal. Several hours on the first encounter alone and not even progress to a second phase of the excessive relay. I spent the rest of the evening enthralled with the grueling 19-hour raid race that would eventually culminated in the climax of the Light and Dark Saga in Excision the next morning at 7AM (give or take a couple minutes). The final cut scene and sequence marked a fitting end, but it was one that very much left the world still very much alive and open.

The next few weeks became dedicated to gearing up for a rematch with Salvation’s Edge. It took my fireteam 28 hours over 7 sessions in 16 days to get a single kill on the Witness. It is a raid that felt like you were actively racing to stop the end of the world. A constantly ticking clock, tight mechanical execution, enemies that were very much intended to disrupt you in a multitude of terrible ways, and a puzzle that truly emphasized that fashion was forever a part of the end-game. It is tolling in a way that the original Last Wish was tolling taken to a logical extreme that I really thought we’d never get back to. But I have never felt quite as satisfied saying “#$%& you” to a raid boss and buying a jacket.

With the raid complete, even more of the world opened up. I finally found the motivation to be reunited with the gun that got me hooked on the buttery smooth FPS that was the Khvostav 3.0 and the Prismatic class item. I did the collaborative story missions with my friends. I ran a Grandmaster, I felt guilt that we as a collective apparently never said hi to Failsafe in several years.

Killing Tally

I currently own four, soon to be five, raid jackets. I have the complete grimoire anthology, comic collections, and four collector’s editions, 38 commemorative pins, and 3 Destiny inspired tattoos. I have mained Heart of Inmost Light since its introduction in Forsaken after getting one to drop from a Gambit match. My Titan has worn the same transmog since its introduction in Beyond Light. My current build right is best described as a walking blacksmith as I call down lightning to generate lances made of zero-point entropy and axes from black holes. My most used weapons are an exotic fusion that reached 30K kills while I was maining Striker, followed by the most powerful heavy exotic in the game before it’s several nerfs. I’m currently rocking Eriana’s Vow to maximize the benefits I’m getting from the Facet of Ruin.

This game is engrained into the fiber of my being, and I am just so thankful that its decade story was acclaimed by both critics and fans as both a critic and a fan. I’m thankful that the game is continuing, even if the Episodic format has not sufficiently dovetailed from its seasonal format predecessor or the somewhat convoluted Pathfinder system.

It is a touch point and while we don’t know what the Frontiers in the future look like just yet, I do know that I am thankful everyday for this weird little game. This repetitive grind that helped me in ways that I have waxed poetic on and on, again and again. I cannot safely say this game is good to come back to. Your mileage is going to vary wildly. But I can say that I’m glad I stuck through the highs, the lows, the lulls, and I’ll be around for a while longer. When the game is good, the game is really good. And when the game is great, there is nothing quite like it on the market still after ten years, and it is the singular reason why so many companies are chasing after the game as a service model, and somehow Destiny is the only one left standing. And even after the end, I still can’t wait to log in and play functionally the same game I’ve been playing for a decade-ish.

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The post One Month After the Final Shape: A Decade-ish of ‘Destiny’ in Retrospect appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

https://www.thenerdelement.com/2024/07/11/sdcc-2024-paramounts-the-lodge-returns-to-san-diego/

Paramount+ is bringing The Lodge back to San Diego Comic-Con for a second year with more titles, iconic franchise celebrations, and immersive activations than ever before! Located at the Gaslamp’s Happy Does (340 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101), this interactive fan experience will be available to the public starting July 24 from 6–10pm, July 25-27 from 12–10pm daily, and July 28 from 10am–7pm.

Paramount+’s The Lodge has reached tens of thousands of fans this year during its second cross-country tour. At the seventh stop in 2024, The Lodge will offer the ultimate fan experience featuring themed activations and swag to take home for fans of all ages from popular titles and franchises like STAR TREK, TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, IF, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and many more. 

Additional details on Paramount+’s The Lodge coming to San Diego:

*Note: The Lodge is not an official SDCC activation, therefore no badge is required for entry.  

Create a Custom T-Shirt on a STAR TREK Starship

Stepping onto a STAR TREK starship, fans can customize their very own “Starfleet swag.” Utilizing a replicator, visitors will be able to place an order via touch-screen tablet and customize their t-shirts with options from a curated list of STAR TREK franchise-inspired insignia. This experience is available exclusively at The Lodge, and gives fans the chance to take home completely unique customized merch.

Olfactory Atelier Inspired by GHOSTS

In the CBS Original GHOSTS, scents are one of the strongest connections ghosts have to the living world. The Lodge will feature Woodstone Manor’s Olfactory Atelier, where guests are invited to step into the enchanting ambiance of ‘The Livings’-own living room workshop (filled with easter eggs from the show). Essence Chemists will entice them to explore a collection of specialized perfumes—each perfume displays a unique homage to the ghosts in the series. Fans will leave with a scent of their choosing, allowing them to carry a piece of the Manor’s mystique with them throughout the living world at SDCC and beyond.

Solve a Case for CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION Behavioral Analysis Unit

For all the CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION lovers, The Lodge will have an in-world office inspired by the series’ Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), filled with a chaotic spread of evidence, paperwork, unpredictable clues, and more. Guests can dive into their own investigative work to help BAU agents connect-the-dots to the ongoing case.

IF‘s Cozy Ferris Wheel Photo Op

The Lodge is bringing the whimsical world of IF to SDCC. With the inviting Luna Park marquee complete with carnival lights galore, guests can line up to “ride” the ferris wheel. While in the queue, fans can play a game of hopscotch before they get onstage with a magical button that brings the Memory Lane Retirement Community Register to life and auto-pairs the guest with their very own IF companion for the photo op.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES–Themed Pizza Parlor

The Lodge will bring the love story between pizza and TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES to life with the tastiest slice in town: Turtle Power Pizza. The pizza parlor will be decked out with illustrated stylings to welcome guests into the world of the new series. SDCC-goers will be able to fuel up for their next adventure with a slice of ‘za accompanied by beverages inspired by the colors of the four Turtles, perfect for heroes in a half-shell of any age.

Jellyspotting in Bikini Bottom

Nickelodeon and Paramount+ are celebrating the 25th anniversary of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS and guests are invited to join the fun and immerse themselves into a day-in-the-life at Bikini Bottom’s Jellyfish Fields. Partake in “jellyspotting” throughout the day and catch jellyfish using “Ol’ Reliable,” SpongeBob’s most trusted jellyfish net. Upon entry, special jellyspotting gear will be handed out so fans can see the world through a joyous sponge-colored lens.

INK MASTER Tattoo Parlor

Expanding from last year’s INK MASTER-themed space, The Lodge will include a tattoo parlor set where high-brow modern meets edgy. The activation will allow guests to step inside the series, with an opportunity to get a temporary airbrush tattoo done of their choice from the stencils inspired by Paramount+’s featured shows & films. 

BRED2BUCK Saloon from TULSA KING

TULSA KING will take over the Happy Does indoor bar with a themed ‘BRED2BUCK Saloon.’ Taking elements from the series with props, graphics, neon lights, as well as exciting Season 2 references for fans, guests will be able to enjoy in-world drinks that’ll knock their boots off. The saloon will also feature games that take guests into the world of CBS Sports including the hook and ring toss and UEFA Champions League themed soccer ball kicking challenge. 

The Lodge Ski Pass sponsored by Walmart+ 

On the back of each Lodge Ski Pass this year, guests will receive an exclusive offer for a 3-month Walmart+ subscription as well as other surprise rewards while visiting The Lodge.

The post SDCC 2024: Paramount+’s The Lodge Returns to San Diego appeared first on The Nerd Element.

https://blacknerdproblems.com/media-for-mental-health-samurai-jack-seppuku/

“I didn’t come this far to sink so low” – Slipknot

Mad years ago, in another life, I was talking with my friend Connor. Connor mentioned something and I instantly asked him if he’d seen a particular movie (Be Kind Rewind) because there’s a scene that correlated with what he was talking about. He hadn’t seen the movie so I began to describe the scene to him. I’ll never forget how playfully fed up Connor was as he threw his hands up and asked, “why do you always do this? Whenever we’re talking about something, you always think of a movie or a comic book (that you know I haven’t read) to compare it to!” I thought about it but didn’t have an answer – I wasn’t even aware I was doing it. Finding a piece of media to juxtapose with real topics or events is just something I did naturally. If I had to answer the question now (sixteen years later, in this life), I’d say that media, or pop culture specifically, provides a compass to help navigate life. There’s no road map for life; we all doing this shit raw.

Lifehacker editor-in-chief and BNP staff member Jordan Calhoun wrote a whole memoir (Piccolo is Black) talking about how key moments in pop culture from tv shows and movies helped him navigate through his teen years. Much like someone looking through a Bible for a verse to find inspiration, advice, solace or comfort – it’s the same thing for me but instead of a verse, it might be a comic book panel, or a scene from a movie, maybe a line from a tv show. When I’m going through something, or facing something so much bigger than me, I tend to become obsessed with scenes that reflect what I’m dealing with. I’m saying I become obsessed with it but honestly, it feels like the scene haunts me until I either talk about it or write about it. Which brings us to Samurai Jack‘s final season where Jack’s struggle with survivor’s guilt and shame had him contemplating – then committing himself to – the act of seppuku. This act of taking one’s own life was considered honored among the samurai class.

Trigger Warning: Suicide

I come from a long line of “I don’t wanna talk about it,” which is a difficult thing when you’re also a writer. So this is the part of the essay where I’ll talk about something I was going through. I’ll make jokes about it because it’s my nature and how I deal with things, but what it is specifically isn’t necessary for you to know. All you as a reader need to know is the feeling, and the feeling is grief. The feeling is loss. Frank Ocean put it perfectly as I was trying to “swim from somethin’ bigger than me.” Problem is I suck at swimming. Bad. My breaststroke? Trash. Me treading water? Laughable.

The last time I had felt grief to this level was when my mother had passed. When it happened… it felt as though the grief had given me a few thoughts. The first was a thought based in anger that the wrong parent was taken. Then came a thought based in survivor’s guilt – that I was still here and she wasn’t, which is how any parent would want it but name me a child that did everything their parents wanted. I then thought but what if I wasn’t here? I could feel her anger from the further side as she pushed the thought out of my mind. The second time, grief brought the gift of shame and I could only think of how much easier things would be if I wasn’t part of the equation anymore. How I didn’t want to be here anymore. A selfish thought some would say but I thought it selfless cause it’d also make things easier for others, not only myself. The thought entered my mind and this time, I didn’t feel my mother’s hand reaching over to push it away. This one was on me, and my mind did what it always does, find the media to correlate this feeling with. Which brings us to Samurai Jack

I Was Gone, But How Was I To Know?

When Samurai Jack returned for his swan song in 2016, 12 years after the final episode of the original series aired, this wasn’t the same samurai we knew before. My man was on Cartoon Network fighting Aku in the future where Aku ruled. Jack was showing up to call Aku out for all the smoke. When we meet Jack it’s been 50 years. 50 years where he hasn’t aged and hasn’t put a dent in Aku’s reign. We come to find out that Aku destroyed the last time portal, Jack’s lost his sword, and is feeling like all hope is gone. Jack’s got intrusive thoughts pulling at him every which way. His survivor’s guilt is cranked all the way up as he envisions his father’s disappointment in him – scolding him that while he’s there in the future, he and everyone else Jack left behind are stuck suffering under Aku. Jack sees his mother in the fallen leaves asking why he hasn’t saved them yet. He sees all the citizens and people suffering floating in the river in front of him.

The constant voice in Jack’s mind is saying that he has failed his task, that he’s brought dishonor upon himself and his family, and that they’re in the endgame and lost. Continuing on is only prolonging the torment. The thoughts tell Jack that he wants this to end and the only honorable thing to do now would be committing seppuku. Jack fights these thoughts, but all the while the manifestation of death is in the distance, wearing samurai gear and sitting on top of a black horse. The figure is called The Omen and not only is he in agreement with Jack’s intrusive thoughts, but he’s ready to take Jack to the cross streets of the crossroads Bone Thugs N Harmony were talking about.

Jack ain’t thinking about the countless good he’s done, all he sees is the failure. Never mind that he managed to undo the brainwashing that Aishi, one of the Daughters of Aku (assassins raised to hunt and kill Jack) was under. Jack managed to show her that the benevolence of Aku (that she was raised to believe in) was all a lie of Aku’s own doing. Aishi turned to Jack’s side, but when they tried to save some kids under Aku’s influence Jack and Aishi split up. Aishi stopped the transmission of the frequency making the kids feral but Jack, who was with the kids and doing his best to restrain them in their wild attacks, saw them all pass out and die from being freed of their brainwashing. This was the final straw for Jack.

The grief, the shame, the hurt, and the hopelessness took over. When Jack sees the kids die, he gets them 808s & Heartbreak beats ready cause he now has the resolve to do what needs to be done: Jack is going to end his own life through the act of seppuku in order to silence the shame, guilt and regret. The irony of all this is that while Jack makes his way towards his end, Aishi finds the children laid out with no sign of Jack.

She takes a child’s lifeless body in her arms and is then surprised to find life springing from them. The child is alive. All the children are alive. Aishi then rushes to find Jack and along the way she meets countless people that Jack has helped, freed, and given the power to fight back against Aku’s tyranny throughout the years. Each person watching Samurai Jack’s back, each person ready to ride for the nicest samurai rocking the meanest white gi. Where Jack feels he’s been stuck in 50 years of failure, Aishi sees 50 years of hope that Jack has given people. Listen, they don’t throw up statues for oppressors here in this world. It’s liberators only round these parts.

It’s rare to see a protagonist experience what Jack is going through. Sure, Aku is the Big Bad to defeat here and the main problem to punch but the grief Jack is dealing with isn’t something he can simply hit his way out of. Therein lies the problem. 

Human Resources, the spin-off of Netflix’s Big Mouth, has a character called Keith from Grief. He’s a grief sweater that helps people get through their rough patches and he constantly lets his clients know, “the only way out is through.” That being said, the most interesting stories come from how a character reacts to conflict. When Samurai Jack made the decision to kill the Daughters of Aku (as there was no other way), he reflected on the words of his father, who said, “the decisions you make and the actions that follow are a reflection of who you are. You cannot hide from yourself.” That shit hits entirely differently as Jack was now no longer contemplating having to take another human life, but instead having the resolve to commit seppuku to take his own.

Now me, I only had the thought and then the desire of not being here. When friends would ask how I’m doing, I’d answer honestly and say, “feels like I got a Nerf gun to my head and I’m ‘bout to squeeze that trigger – but I don’t.” Obviously, I emphasize a Nerf gun to let friends know that my humor is still functioning and running as a coping mechanism. A friend had told me not to joke like that and my response was, “it’s worse if I don’t.” Again, I wouldn’t have done anything, but to not at least joke about it would’ve meant that I had no way of trying to make this feeling smaller or into something that I could handle. Days later when I was with my brother in a Walmart, I walked up to his cart holding a knock-off Nerf gun. He asked me what I needed a toy gun for and I told him that I’d use it as a prop for a future TikTok video. Then I told him, “I mean, I might also put it to my head, contemplate pulling the trigger, and then pull it away from my head like, ‘not today.’ I’m too much of a punk to use a real gun so..” 

My brother looked at me and let out a slight chuckle. I then tossed the toy gun into his cart and when it landed, it let off a sound effect unexpectedly. “Ughhh, I didn’t want it to make an actual noise. That’s a bit much,” I said. Then I looked at my brother, holding onto the cart with one hand, and holding his stomach while doubled over in laughter with the other. I looked at him in confusion for a moment, then laughed with him as if joining him at a table. Then I put the toy gun back on the shelf. Much like our sister, my brother understood that I was dealing with something, but trying my best to joke my way through it – it’s something the three of us do often and recognize with one another. A friend told me that when they had thoughts of no longer being here, they thought of who they’d be leaving behind.

Aishi arrives in time to see Samurai Jack preparing himself for seppuku in a graveyard, surrounded by great warriors from the past and The Omen acting as his second (in seppuku, a second is a person who assists by cutting the head off the subject so as not to prolong the suffering). The Omen tells Aishi that she can witness but she can not interfere. In shock, Aishi abides, but once she recognizes what Jack is about to do, she does what anyone that calls themselves a friend would do if they saw someone they care about dwelling in a hollow: Aishi intervenes

I’ll Never Kill Myself To Save My Soul

Aishi tries to reach out to Samurai Jack and pull him back from the brink but Jack’s in a mental space that she can’t break through yet. Jack’s resolve is set and as he struggles to invite the blade inside himself, Aishi does not stop trying to reach him. The Omen, this manifestation of death that’s been haunting Jack begins to fight Aishi. There’s something symbolic in that. A friend tries to provide a light in order to pull another friend out of the darkness, but then that darkness lashes out and tries to consume the person helping. The Omen now not only represents Jack’s longing for an end in death, but the guilt and shame he feels upon himself. Jack is in this state of torment and simply put, he’s stuck in “a prison of his own mind, problem he don’t mind.”

Samurai Jack has always been a person of great resolve. When he steels himself to do something, he commits. Jack is putting his father’s words to action and in his grief, Jack has made his decision; what we’re seeing are the actions that follow. However, Aishi’s presence isn’t allowing Jack’s actions to follow through. She is literally fighting The Omen, Jack’s intrusive thoughts, all while in the eye of the perfect storm of grief, shame, and guilt that’s so much bigger than Jack. Aishi tells Jack that she’s seen all the good he’s done over the years. All the people that rep Jack because of the decision he made to fight Aku. 

The actions that Jack followed through with for the past 50 years have built a community. Aishi then tells Jack those kids he thought dead are alive and now part of that same community that he built. This is what snaps Jack back to life and back to the reality of the situation. That reality being that Jack hasn’t come all this way just to say he got this far.

I’m Finally Holding On To Letting Go

We then see Jack come to the aid of Aishi, holding back The Omen. But this is not Samurai Jack cheating death, laughing in the face of death, or bargaining with death – this is Samurai Jack facing death, grief, shame, and all the actions that follow. Aishi was able to bring Jack out of the darkness with community. Community is what stopped Jack from taking his own life and what gave him the strength to face something so much bigger than him. Jack spent his life doing good and trying to do good. He is connected to so many people, those that he has helped and those that have come to his aid as well. Jack was suffering by himself, trying to keep so much inside him, until he reached a breaking point.

Jack adheres to the code of Bushido that governs the samurai class, and in this moment we see him put the shame and feelings of dishonor aside in order to choose life. I wonder if that’s what made my mind drift to this scene to obsess over. Seeing Jack go from compliant to non-defiant and then seeing all the people that cared about him. I can’t tell you why this is the piece of media I go to in times of grief but what I can tell you is that it helps pull me out of the hollow. 

So here’s where I’ll reveal the prestige of the magic trick behind how I write an essay. Whenever I do a write-up that I’m passionate about or that’s personal to me, I find specific lyrics of a song to use as headers. The lyrics reflect an aspect of what I’ll be talking about in each paragraph. It’s rare that I’ll use lyrics from the same song all the way throughout, however, that was the case for this essay. The lyrics are from Slipknot’s song “Unsainted”. I said all that to say this: the most important line of the song for me is hearing frontman Corey Taylor say, “I’m finally holding on to letting go.” I love the way that line is set up, as there’s something to be said about freeing yourself of all weight of guilt and shame.

At the heart of the matter, that’s what we see Samurai Jack do. In cutting down the Omen, this manifestation of death, Jack is now surrounded by warriors of the past that at first came to witness his end and now witness his rebirth. There’s something to be said about the way grief has us hold onto shame and guilt as if it is a penance, this weight that feels like it must be carried in acknowledgment of the measure of sorrow. There’s also something to be said about letting that weight go. Seeing Samurai Jack choosing to hold onto letting go of grief instead of letting go of his life is a simple but meaningful reminder that I can choose to do the same

If you also come from also come from a long line of “I don’t wanna talk about it”,
you should still talk about it. Here are some resources to do so:
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline + Black Mental Helath

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The post Media For Mental Health: How Samurai Jack Overcame Suicide appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.