#non-cosmere

Skyward fanart

I found it to be the best non Cosmere novel Brandon Sanderson has written. Spoiler below the cut.

When you’re a teenage weeaboo in the era of Japanese media still being relatively obscure and most “cutsey” merchandise out there coming off as childish or creepy, Kirby would suck you right in. But the games themselves have this surreal otherworldly fantasy vibe that makes sense for a setting called Dreamland. The artwork was beautiful, ethereal, and impossible.

Even now the games keep the imaginative setting that raises more questions when you pay attention to it. I could pull loads more examples but Tumblr’s photo formatting isn’t the best and honestly I would recommend just playing the games if you get the chance. Kirby is an innocent being, fighting off evil in a beautiful but dangerous world and it doesn’t quite feel like a common vibe. A lot of media especially for kids tries to come across more grounded and relatable, which is fine on it’s own but disappointed me greatly about it’s anime adaptation.

It’s an... alright slice of life and monster of the week style show I guess. But the colors were basic and didn’t have much thought, the landscapes are bland, and the main character was stripped of almost all of his own agency with other children to speak for him. It’s something that I’ve noticed that the fandom praises, since it did touch on real-world issues at the time and gave young girls somebody to relate to as well. But this could have been done while keeping the artistic spirit of the games and without reducing the main character to a literal baby.

Which brings me to why I brought up Steven Universe.

Steven is an innocent kid fighting off evil in a beautiful but dangerous world. The colors are almost always stunning, the settings imaginative, and when you pay attention, they raise even more questions as to why they are the way that they are.

This is very similar dreamlike vibe as the original games have. Steven Universe also touches on real world issues, showing you can keep artistic surrealism and fantasy elements and still do both. The show also has a young girl to act as Steven’s friend to learn about the world as he does. Connie adds to the series without stripping Steven of his agency as the Kirby anime did to make room for Fumu and her brother.