#it's in

A handful of people: *spam likes anyway*

Me:

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH?!!?!!?!!?!! AAAHHHH?!!??!?!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OHHHH MY GOSH. Aww Daphne :) Aw everyone is so cute I love this :) aw kate and anthony are kinda getting along aww they're talking aw this is all really cute :))) Oh hey Featheringtons you are so weird. Overall aw tho this episode so far :) I hope the ending doesn't hurt me in any w—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

EVIL, but I’ll give it a go! 

The Good 

Sonim’s voice has somehow IMPROVED since 2018 - She is hitting those belts EFFORTLESSLY

Orléans’ earrings are BACK, after being taken away between the promo materials and the actual show being staged last year. Yeah, it’s in conjunction with Orléans being more EVIL this year, tying into the idea of queercoding villains, but....I like it. And it’s historically accurate. 

I like the new curl to Sonim’s wig! It really suits Margrid well. 

I think that the necklace Antoinette wears close to the end of act one/in the curtain call is a little different? I think the pearl in the center is a little smaller, giving it a more subtle look and emphasizing the sparkle, which I think really suits it because, ngl, it looked a little bulky last time around. 

Kai did try to do something new with Fersen! I...give him props. 

The most recent curtain call video added years to my life.

I like the two new Héberts! As much as I can say that I....really. Like Hébert. Would actually like to see how they dealt with the September Massacres/Post-Trial scene. 

Mario Tashiro’s voice being perfection, as always. 

The Bad 

Rena Sasamoto disassociating whenever she’s around Kaisen

Kaisen apparently thinking that Fersen has a boy’s heart and no flaws. 

Semi-Canon Hébert/Margrid? 

 Speaking of which, the zoom in on Hébert during “Enough is Enough”, aka “Margrid’s song”? A hate crime against me, personally. 

Rio Uehara thinking that the way to make Orléans more intimidating is....Elsa hand movements? 

In general, Orléans isn’t nearly as warm as he used to be, he’s much more a Villain™, which removes a lot of the moral complexity of the musical. The new takes on Orléans (MAINLY Rio Uehara’s, since most of the footage is really of him) seem to really mimic Min Young Ki’s in the Korean. 

Elsaléans being a bad boss who doesn’t even look at his employees

Replacing the “Cry No More” Reprise with “The Only Good Thing I’ve Ever Done” Reprise - Totally removes the angst about them finally accepting that there’s no hope NOW, as opposed to where they were in Act One. 

...look, I have ten minutes to say this, so diplomacy’s out the roof: Hanafusa Mari manages to wimper in the role even more and, honestly, when she makes the crowd laugh at Margrid in the opening, I would have smashed the entire tray of cupcakes in her face instead of just settling for champagne.