Jan16
MechaNORN – 09
Aldnoah.Zero 2 joins the MechaNORN party!
After a week or so break MechaNORN is back and with the start of the new winter season also means Aldnoah.Zero is back! So all you Inaho and Slain haters can come back and comment about the time skip and talk about all of the “dead” characters.
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Time stamps
Aldnoah.Zero2 00:23
Gundam Build Fighters TRY 20:18
Cross Ange 34:54
Fk ya extra mecha!
I guess he won’t be going to the beach later.
Saki Fujita also voices Ao from Yozakrua Quartet
Wooooooooooo! Finally, but how long will it actually last?
Bonus fun
Who knew Gundam Build Fighters could do this?!
About Tag Team
We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
FantaNorn!
Aldnoah Zero was WTF. I thought Saucybum died. And lets not think what he secretly does to the Princess in a Tank(tm).
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
With his bad leg I don’t think he is doing a whole lot to the princess in the fish tank xD
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 83 comments
Saazbaum is nothing compared to Inaho SURVIVING A HEAD SHOT. WTF. I cannot see this ending on a good note if they decided to upgrade Inaho’s Gary Stu’s powers.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Lol well to that people always say there are irl cases of people surviving after being shot in the head, but of course they don’t recover THAT fast…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Remember, 19 months passed since Inaho got shot. That’s enough time for anything to happen.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Slaine shot him twice but nowhere that it would cause a fatal injury.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Slaine did not follow Beckett’s rule: Check for pulse. I liked that scene from Pacific Rim where he learnt from his mistake and made sure the Kaiju was really, really, REALLY dead this time round.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I watched about 3 minutes of Aldnoah Zero, they said “Sir Slaine” and I turned it off. Maybe sometime in the future I’ll be interested in watching it, but for now, F*** Slaine.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Oooh really? That sucks, but I totally don’t blame you for not wanting to watch because it might turn into a huge train wreck…
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
I know a lot of people are mad at Slaine right now, but I’m reserving judgement. There’s just something about the way he acted when he was talking to Saazbaum and gave him that ultimatum in regards to saving his life, that just felt different. I think that he may end up becoming like a Lelouch type character, that’s decided to get his hands dirty, for the purpose of the greater good. I think that he realizes that to really stop this war, you have to get to the root of the problem which is the conditions of the society of Mars. This is my theory:
Somewhere between that point when he calmed down and when he shot Inaho (when we couldn’t see his eyes), was when he came up with whatever plan he’s trying to pull off now. You can kind of see it in the change in his demeanor. He needed Saazbaum for many things at that point for his plan to work though. First he had to get Asseylum the medical help she needed. Slaine doesn’t feel that he can get it from the Terrans who just tried to kill him, so he goes the only place he knows, which is Saazbaum’s allies on the moon that he mentioned. However, to get their cooperation, so they don’t just kill him and Asseylum, he would need Saazbaum to vouch for them.
After that danger was out of the way, in order to make any headway in trying to fix the problem with Vers, its people, and its government, Slaine would need a position of power. The Martians respect rank and power. He has the power of Aldnoah, but with people who are allies of Saazbaum, who don’t like the hold that people with Aldnoah have over them, he would need something else. He would need to endear himself to them, and again, to do that, he would need a position of power.
So, again, this is where Saazbaum comes in. He would have to be the one to put in a good word about him to the Emperor (especially since he was the one who framed him episodes ago). He would be framed as the one who saved Asseylum from the Terrans, which would be a good enough reason to get him knighted.
Once knighted, he could begin winning battles over the Terrans, acting as a warrior of the people, which is a surefire way of winning over Martian soldiers. In this way, Slaine begins to create quite a following, and is meanwhile also becoming friendly with the rest of the royals, working his way in with probably the most vulnerable of the royals: the illegitimate princess who is ignored by her family and hates her royal lineage. From there on, it took him a year and half, but he’s now in a pretty good position to carry out more of his plan.
So, if you really think about it, letting Saazbaum live and using him for his own ends was a better choice than simply killing him. He might have had to make some bargains with Saazbaum who has probably realized that Slaine is using him, though probably not for what yet. However, Slaine’s believes those were necessary evils in order to get him into the position that he’s in today and realize his true goals.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
F “the greater good”. The twerp shot someone else because they were going to try to help the girl he fetishized. He’s a selfish brat who acted that way the whole time through the first series.
Combine that with how completely disrespected the ending of the first season made me feel, and this show can take a long walk off a short pier.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Those are quite the interesting theories on WTF is going on with Slaine and only time will tell if they actually go about doing all of that you said, but as it stands right now this episode basically re-writes what happened in the last episode of season one everyone surviving aka a “redo” which is what Hamatora did and I HAAATED that!
I hate to sound so negative, but I feel Urobutcher doesn’t even care anymore about his series like he just gave it away and was like “do whatever the hell you want! I’m out so see you at the finale.” It seems that he is not into his own created projects or he gets bored? I dunno doing the first and last episode seems dumb imo.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 83 comments
Well, all I can say is ‘good riddance’. I wouldn’t want to read your raging, hateful comments.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Cross Ange: I loved this last episode. The confession scene between Ange and Tusk was just great, the self-exposure that Ange finally did, dropping her attitude even just a little bit. And to get to that point, seeing this wrecked world that had some familiar things like the Dawn Pillar. I think they’re just not thinking correctly about the 500 years in the past thing. I would imagine that their own world is 500 years past that same event, and there’s multiple dimensions / worlds, like where the DRAGONs come from (which is where I think they are). But still, Ange confession was great.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Ange is at the point where things get interesting.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Maybe for you, but it’s been interesting and really good the whole time.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I second that opinion. There really aren’t any dull moments.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Okay then. Raep is not a dull moment. Must revise my list.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
That was soooooooooo 12 episodes ago 😛
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
That’s old news.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Those parts are alright the rest is just ehhhhhhh? I know Ange will join the new team for a bit and find out what the hell happened and eventually she will return to her own world.
Ange and Tusk is a great pair but for the most part it really doesn’t do a whole lot for me because I don’t think it will last because we gotta remember this is Sunrise and I can’t recall them ever having a successful romantic pairing outside of Gundam SEED/Destiny.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Your future of the plot may be correct, but the details will be the interesting part. I don’t see Ange going along with the new group any more than she got along with any other group. She’s just the kind of prickly person who naturally opposes anyone else, even if they have the same ultimate goals that she does. That’s part of why her confession to Tusk was so good, because it was her acknowledgement of her nature, something that we haven’t really seen her open up about. Personally, I love when characters acknowledge the bad traits that we’ve seen them have (some of my favorite parts of Maria-sama ga Miteru are when Sachiko talks about how she is selfish, prone to hysterics, and stubborn). And yeah, I know it’s Sunrise, so they’re actually ahead that Tusk didn’t get shot in the head while they were in bed or something.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I just see Tusk as more of “comedic” relief especially with him falling into Ange’s crotch every other episode and I bet money he will probably fall on one of the other girls or something! Yeah I know the previews are more of LOL and should NOT be taken serious like the line about getting a harem? Yeah that is totally goofy time with the voice actors acting out of character.
The “its Sunrise” thing is more towards the story element cause I don’t think Ange is that deep of a character personally, but for all we know maybe they learned what NOT to do from Buddy Complex and Valvrave as far as story goes? Course I never really had high hopes for this because I figured it was going to be a straight up fanservice+mecha series.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think they’ve completely lampshaded that trope with him falling into Ange’s crotch, and only when she’s not wearing any clothes. Notice that he doesn’t do anything less extreme, no boob grabs, no other indelicate situations. Just out of the blue, usually wholly inappropriate, naked crotch dives.
I’ve said before that I think Cross Ange is riding a nice path between the ludicrous excess of Valvrave and the boring blandness of Buddy Complex. Maybe that’s just how the sources ended up, or maybe it’s a conscious decision to take it down that middle road. But whatever it is, it’s right where I like it.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
Build Fighters: Goddammit Sunrise, stop giving us new best girls. Shia may not be as sexy as Fumina or Aila but she has a charm on her own. Too bad C87 was already done but I’m counting on them fanarts to deliver.
SUGITA FINALLY PILOTED A GUNDAM! Even if it’s just the Cherudim. That still counts right? Wish his main unit was a Gundam instead of a mobile armor like they discussed but oh well.
And that final attack that Sekai did came straight out of Saint Seiya. Ripoff or homage, it was freaking cool. So cool that it even blew up the moon. You don’t get to blow up the moon so easily like that even in the regular Gundam shows. This show is so over the top that I love it. So hyped for the nationals now.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I know right? They are giving fan artists more reasons to create more H manga of all the girls, but yeah I am not complaining! That said yeah Shia is definately a cute character <3
I know right?! Finally Sugita stars in a Gundam series! Now he just needs to be in one of the real war themed Gundam series and hes good to go.
Blowing up the moon is quite the achievement for Sekai hahah
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Aldnoah.0 returns…
Ugh, this was an okay return, but I was quite unimpressed with it. Inaho’s survival, and the crap ton of coincidences and miracles they used to pull that off, pissed me off and practically took me out of the whole thing. I would have been more okay with his survival if it wasn’t the fact that, other than a mechanical eye, he’s basically the exact same with no after effects from being shot in the brain. The bullet went through his eye, and through his temporal lobe before coming out the other side. That’s a pretty traumatic brain injury, one that they said would kill him if they couldn’t get him into surgery in time. However, the only evidence of that now? Nothing, he gets a new eye and that’s it. They couldn’t have had him sit out a few episodes? Did he have to be up and running the very first episode?
Also, I wouldn’t be so pissed if Asseylum, who had less life threatening injuries was okay too, but no, she still in a coma and has been for the last year and a half. How is that possible when the Vers have much better medical tech than the Earth forces?
It just felt so ridiculous the lengths they went to get Inaho back out on the front lines as fast as they could, but put the princess in a jar to look at for I’m guessing a chunk of the season.
Also, it wasn’t the CPR that gave him Aldnoah power, but the fact that Yuki’s tear mixed with Asseylum’s blood that was on his face and it ran into his mouth, the blood of course being the carrier of the power within the royal family (Aldnoah is grafted onto the genes of the royal bloodline).
However, I did like the fact that we have new characters now what with Princess Lemrina (who is Asseylum’s younger illegitimate half-sister from another mother, by the way) and Slaine’s new underling, Harklight. I like that there seems to be more going on with Slaine than meets the eye, and I want to know more about his deal with Saazbaum and what exactly the latter’s new plan is.
We’ll have to see what the new season is going to involve, what with the focus being turned towards the Martian side of things. Not a strong opening, but I’m still engaged.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
He could’ve sitting it out for after recovering from his surgery. Remember, this episode takes place 19 months after the first half of the series ended. Almost two years of time and Asseylum is still recovering herself. So it’s enough evidence to show her injuries are far more severe.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
To heal a brain injury of that magnitude would have taken upwards of 3 or more years of recovery and therapy, and even then, his body wouldn’t have been the same. He would have had some brain damage of some kind. I just felt that there was no consequence to what was described as a pretty traumatic brain injury.
As for Asseylum, as I thought with her, she’s really without much of a purpose in this series anymore. They didn’t want to kill her off, but they don’t really know what to do with her either. She gave Aldnoah power to Inaho through her blood, she changed both his and Slaine’s life, and that’s pretty much it. They’ve even kind of replaced her with her half-sister. So, not knowing what to do with her, they stuck her under glass to be ethereal, innocent, and out of the way. A trend Japan has with their main female mecha princessy characters…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Behold! The Power of Minovsky Particles! Or their equivalent here… The Power of Aldnoah solves all!
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Hmph..more like the power of plot convenience.
I think I would have even taken them saying “Aldnoah healed him”, but even that would have made no sense since if that was true, Ms. Princess Sunshine should have been perfectly fine in a few seconds. -_-
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
*Minovsky Particles fix ANYthing*. Including your car, food, plumbing, etc2.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yes the return of Aldnoah! Which has brought more hate than anything due to the whole Inaho mess and Slaine doing whatever Slain does…
The blood to blood mixing to give Inaho the Aldnoah power works for me, but at the same time not really! That said what else would they have done to give earth a fighting chance? Yeah Inaho is OP and all; however it would be unfair to leave them with no advanced weapon to fight even though the aircraft they have currently isn’t all that powerful or the alternative leave Inaho dead? then again I can only see that creating more Slaine haters…
Yep new princess from another mother which is still weird! like was she created out of the blue for season two or was she around the entire time? Whatever the case may be it seems kinda dumb that she is around, but I suppose she has a roll to play so why not..
I can definitely can tell you are more pro martian which is not a bad thing! I might side with them eventually depending on what they decide to have Inaho do next LOL
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Lemrina was pretty much created out of the blue, no one has mentioned her and she hasn’t been in any of the promotional material, at least, not as herself. No one had any clue about her.
Some of the watchers from Japan did suspect there was another princess around from the title of the episode (it’s something about the Japanese term for “sleeping beauty” and how it tied into the princess’ name or something…) but no, no mention.
Asseylum’s father died right before she was born, so basically, unless he had multiple wives (which I doubt), he was fooling around with someone else while Asseylum’s mother was pregnant. However the fact that Asseylum has never mentioned her sister or having any relationship with her, and yet Lemrina still being treated like a princess, suggests that though Lemrina is part of the family, she isn’t considered an heir and she and Asseylum were kept separate and don’t associate much.
Lemrina’s hatred for her royal blood and the fact that she’s doesn’t seem to care for Asseylum, could possibly come from the whole issue with the father and that perhaps she is jealous of her sister.
And actually, I’m not really pro-martian. I hate them too. However right now, the Martian side just happens to be the most interesting as I find Slaine the most interesting character with the most development. I’m simply interested in the plot and how Earth is somehow going to beat these uppity Martians and what the interactions will be between Slaine, Inaho, and whichever princess they decide to center on. 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yeah the whole Lemrina thing still feels forced in at the last moment and I think maybe you are correct that Asseylum probably knew about her, but they were kept apart? I almost feel since she was in a wheelchair maybe that is another reason? Like she is frail so better keep her safe in some castle away from war.
True I feel both sides have something to offer everyone and Aldnoah just like Gundam seems to do a good job showing off the good guys and bad guys even though in this series its tough to say what side is good/bad since we see it from both sides.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
OMG just what? Was that bionic Inaho? Wasn’t he OP enough?
Well, I can’t complain about the following they made. Really unexpected and it left me really excited too. It’s just a shame that things are looking kinda the same, with the exception of the false ruler Slain. You could see the emmptiness in the eyes of that manservant while doing stuff for Slain.
Oh, well. And the last scene. So creepy.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yeaaaah that mecha eye is kinda strange! Like I get it robotics are advanced in that world and maybe it will be something like I said on the recording? As in Inaho’s eye is connected to the machine giving it faster response time than “normal” pilots sort of giving him an extra edge to fight back? I guess processing power via Inaho’s mind since he tends to think differently than others?
It is indeed a shame that the creators decided to bring back certain characters! I honestly think A.Z s2 could have worked without Slain, Inaho or the main princess, but ah well what can we do? We might as well roll with it and enjoy the possible train-wreck.
Princess in a bottle xD
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
A.Z.Yeah, that was a pretty cheap way to open. Not Dying When They Are Killed. But all according to Kaikou, I guess. Feels like they are basically trying to imitate Gen in the writing, and he’s just like, “Yeah, you’re almost there…”
Really, besides that my only real complaint is on the side of the Martians. “We will take Earth”…Do it already! You’ve got superior firepower!
Ange: I think the show is doing great. I like this evolution, and the pretense of an alternate/other timeline world is an interesting wrinkle. My only real fear is that they will use Embryo as a get-out-of-plot card.
And yes the Norma strike back!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Obviously “people die when they are killed” logic does not apply in this universe. A certain someone would be most unhappy. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Not when Aldnoah magic is involved~
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The ultimate Phoenix Down!
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Yeah, somehow the Earth Forces have lasted a year and a half against the Martians, despite them having superior firepower. Don’t underestimate Terrans, we are a scrappy bunch!
But, to be fair, I think in the map they showed, the Martians have taken over pretty much all the Western world (North and South America, Australia, Africa, Europe) as well parts of Southern Asia (India, Indonesia, etc.) and the Terrans are holding their ground in Siberian Russia and Central and East Asia and in the Arctic. So, basically, Earth is using the most inhospitable areas in stay hidden and seem to be fighting more guerrilla style, so you have to admit that they are using ingenuity.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Cross Ange: Let’s see… A subsequent time leap 500+ years into the future from an attempt at avoiding death, aside from Ange and Tusk, humanity is practically extinct, the planet is an overgrown wasteland and the true remaining inhabitants, judging from the next episode’s preview, are female humanoid dragons. This brings it all to one conclusion: Only Sunrise. I really pity Ange. Things just keep getting from bad to worse around her. Good thing Arzenal did the job of toughening her up. Her old self would never last.
The staff knows how to kill the mood, though. Here I thought Ange and Tusk were finally going to home base (At least Tusk would’ve gotten permission and a stay of getting hit) and the setting gets ruined. Unknowing to them, had they gone through with their “embracing”, Vivian would have had some prime material to fap to. The peeping tom. 😉
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Like I said, I bet they are not “500 years in their future”. They are in a parallel dimension / universe that is running concurrently with their own, where Embryo’s initial plan was 500 years in the past. In Ange / Tusk / Vivian’s dimension, it resulted in the change in ‘humanity’ to mana users. In this dimension it resulted in harmonic destruction of the power sources causing a disaster which almost nobody survived. Perhaps that’s what mutated people into dragons (like Vivian).
And I really loved Ange’s worry that Tusk was rejecting her initially. That was so well played.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Something came to mind. Before Aldnoah.Zero joined the group, weren’t there two Gundam shows you guys were covering? I remembered there were previously three animes in MechaNORN first. Aldnoah would’ve made four.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
>animes
G-Reco is shit so I don’t blame them from dropping its coverage. It’s still terribly confusing and fast-paced. They’re always on the move that you won’t get what they’re doing, where they’re going and why they’re doing it at all. I’m still watching it only because I want to see where Tomino will take its wild ride.
I think they mentioned in the last post that they would drop both Gundams but I opted them to keep GBF because I’m still here to discuss it ;).
That last part was a lie thoughPOWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yeah it was Reconguista which is super confusing even for me and Jrow who are Gundam fans! I seriously do not know where they are taking that series anymore, but generally nobody talked about that here on the MechaNORN post so we cut it.
Build Fighters TRY on the other hand is easy to follow and has great characters and ya with Aldnoah returning that was a better fit cause I know we have tons of haters/lovers of that so yeaaaah! The only mecha that wont be joining this is Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor – Exodus
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Oh, okay. I was asking out of curiosity since something felt out of place. For a Gundam series to repel even you guys, it must be a real mess. Though I can’t say I understand for you all feel about it. The last time I watched anything related to the Gundam franchise was G Gundam and before that was Gundam Wing which aired on Toonami when I was a kid. So you have an idea of how long ago that was.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Those are some great classic Gundams! I loved the hell out of G gundam and Wing when they aired on Toonami which got me really into mecha back in the day <3
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Toonami was a gold mine to look forward to when getting home from school.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Sigh, G-reco, that delightful mess of a show. I’m still watching it, but it IS ridiculous, and there are many times where one cannot help but get lost, and not in a good way. It’s gotten a little better since they went into space and introduced the moon people and suddenly Raraiya became the most articulate person in the show. However, it’s still a chaotic mass of craziness.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yeah I am still going to watch and possibly doing a series review at the end and the latest episode finally revealed the truth about Bellri and Aida which I think most of us already knew…
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
Aldnoah: Character designs are by Shimura Takako, mangaka of LGBT-themed works like Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son) and Aoi Hana.
Not bad designs, but I still vastly prefer Katsura Hoshino’s designs for Valvrave. There’s a softness in Shimura’s designs that just doesn’t gel with the scifi.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 83 comments
Yeah. Her designs look a bit too childish and would fit better in a sci-fi show aimed at a younger audience.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
If I remember correctly those Aoi-Hana designs are more on the cute side of things while the Valvrave designs go for the sexy especially the female characters LOL
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Alnoah.Zero: A great deal of developments ultimately had me asking “What’s going on?” A lot that didn’t went the I thought they would. Now I really have to question Slaine’s motives and inquire as to how he was able to win Saazbaum over so easily when the guy was hell-bent on killing Asseylum. Not to mention actually letting her live with the privilege of recovering.
So Inaho had to get an eye replacement. Now he and Rentarou Satomi have something in common.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
Well, Slaine grew a backbone. He basically gave Saazbaum an ultimatum that he can either die there knowing he has failed, or he can help him get help for Asseylum and thus live to plan another day.
Slaine and Saazbaum seem to have some understanding that they are using each other, with the chance that one will eventually backstab the other. Though who will make the first move, I don’t know.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
A/Z: I just knew nobody was going to die even with that SHOCKING end to first season. I’m not surprised but I sure laughed like hell on Inaho activating aldnoah after a kiss and blood spatter? Will they now make babies if they touch? ＼（－－）／
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Yes. That is why some religions forbid males and females to be together and must be seperated. 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
It’s so stoooopid.