Crushed Under The Weight Of A Million Sheep.

[rionaleonhart]

Nobody ever told me Die Hard was so relevant to my interests! How have I been allowed to go this long without seeing this film?

We watched Die Hard on Christmas Day. I sat down expecting a badass, confident action hero, and instead I got a guy who's cornered and terrified and falling apart, increasingly bloodied and in pain. It was... well, like Christmas.


Tem and I finished playing Raging Loop a couple of weeks ago. It is perhaps the stupidest game I've ever experienced.

We mentioned how stupid it was to Rei, who asked, 'Stupider than AI: The Somnium Files?'

'Yes,' Tem and I replied in unison, without hesitation. AI: The Somnium Files includes a scene in which your eyeball lures terrorists into dancing in Minecraft in order to get them abducted by aliens. But Raging Loop is stupider.

It feels like Raging Loop fell into our world from a parallel universe, or was written by aliens who've researched humans thoroughly but haven't quite managed to grasp everything. Both the actions and the reasoning of the characters are incomprehensible. Haruaki leaps to absurd conclusions on the flimsiest evidence, and everyone goes 'ah, that makes sense' when he explains it, and he is always correct.

We both started yelling at the screen in disbelief when Haruaki started going, 'Ah, yes, obviously there's not actually anything supernatural going on here; it's all just human activity.' YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A TIME LOOP. You've been able to gather all this evidence of human involvement BECAUSE YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A TIME LOOP.

There were aspects of this visual novel I enjoyed! I love the bit where trying out two options, both of which get you killed, unlocks the ability to throw a tantrum because you keep getting killed, which also gets you killed. I liked Mocchi and Kiyonosuke 'let me help you hit on my crush; here's my business card' Nosato and Chiemi; Chiemi's dynamic with Haruaki ended up being fascinatingly screwed up. I enjoyed this magnificent exchange:

'Is this what a fight between adult women looks like?'
'Pretty sure adult women fight by slapping each other with their tits.'

(Also a great line: 'After she killed me sixty-three times, it finally started to get to me.')

But the plot is just nonsense. I've enjoyed plenty of stories where the plot is over-the-top and ridiculous, and I love a well-executed stupid twist, but the plot of Raging Loop flat-out does not make sense.

It's entirely possible that Mocchi is my favourite character because he's supposed to be a weird person, so the fact that everything in this game is SO WEIRD bothers me less when he's involved.

Comments

[samuraiter]

And what did I receive as a present for the holidays? Raging Loop for Switch. ... Coincidence?

Then again, I also received Our World Is Ended (PS4), so it may only be that 2020 is a year suited to that type of VN.

[rionaleonhart]

I hope you enjoy Raging Loop! Whatever its faults, it's certainly not boring.

[wolfy_writing]

We watched Die Hard on Christmas Day. I sat down expecting a badass, confident action hero, and instead I got a guy who's cornered and terrified and falling apart, increasingly bloodied and in pain. It was... well, like Christmas.

I will remember that you like this kind of action movie! (First Blood, the first movie in the Rambo series, is about a traumatized veteran being subjected to violent police harassment, and the bit where he's tough, capable, and good at survival and combat is all filtered through the lens of "He is having a mental health episode and we're not sure if he'll know when to stop.")

We both started yelling at the screen in disbelief when Haruaki started going, 'Ah, yes, obviously there's not actually anything supernatural going on here; it's all just human activity.' YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A TIME LOOP. You've been able to gather all this evidence of human involvement BECAUSE YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A TIME LOOP.

Do you not accidentally cause time loops all the time? Is that a me problem?

[wolfy_writing]

Like I genuinely think that you would like First Blood.

[rionaleonhart]

Your First Blood recommendation has been seconded further down! It's never occurred to me that I might have any interest in Rambo, but, then again, it never occurred to me that I might have any interest in Die Hard, and you do make it sound potentially intriguing.

[wolfy_writing]

Cool! Let me know if you watch it!

[sholio]

I love Die Hard! McClane is a lot more vulnerable and relatable than the "Yippee ki yay motherfucker" meme-ification of the movie would lead you to believe, and I also tend to forget that there's quite a bit of subplot with the supporting cast. Super fun. Should watch again. :D

[rionaleonhart]

It was such a pleasant surprise! I loved McClane being a bit of a mess who talks to himself constantly in a crisis.

[batman]

The reveal about who the convenience store worker was pretty much made me go "you cannot be serious, no one acts like that around their ex". Then again, the fact that Haruaki apparently casually gives a fake name everywhere he goes was such an absurd reveal that I just shook my head and went "definitely written by aliens".

[rionaleonhart]

"you cannot be serious, no one acts like that around their ex".

I like that the game went 'surprise, this character is your ex and also a sheep' and the ex reveal actually managed to be weirder than the sheep reveal.

[batman]

The stupidest part is that you can replay the game with the additional commentary, which reveals that Haruaki knew that it was his ex the whole time and was pretending he didn't to annoy her. Except that he was pretending in his internal narrative, which suggests either a disturbing ability to self-censor or that he's aware of the player and is lying to them. Either option is dumb.

[rionaleonhart]

'Haruaki just lies compulsively, all the time, to both others and himself' would explain a lot of that game.

[batman]

It really, really would. I still do not understand why people call this game whip-smart, because it is honestly the dumbest thing and I include AI: The Somnium Files in that because at least that made sense within the rules established by the game.

[militarypenguin]

Die Hard is great! I should watch it again sometime; I'm grateful it's a Christmas movie yet has a loose enough connection to the holiday that I don't feel strange watching it any other post-Christmas day. :D

[rionaleonhart]

I really wasn't expecting it to be so up my street! What a great film.

[strewnstars]

instead I got a guy who's cornered and terrified and falling apart, increasingly bloodied and in pain

Why has pop culture been hiding this truth from me for 34 years? :(

[rionaleonhart]

It's outrageous! Everyone says Die Hard is a great action film, but nobody ever tried to sell it to me with 'it's full of suffering and vulnerability', i.e. exactly what I want from every film.

[graveexcitement]

We mentioned how stupid it was to Rei, who asked, 'Stupider than AI: The Somnium Files?'

'Yes,' Tem and I replied in unison, without hesitation. AI: The Somnium Files includes a scene in which your eyeball lures terrorists into dancing in Minecraft in order to get them abducted by aliens. But Raging Loop is stupider.

oh my god, that is impressive. i finally finished AI:TSF a few weeks ago and... yeah. it def has its fair share of stupid scenes, lmao. but raging loop sounds like absolute nonsense.

[rionaleonhart]

AI: The Somnium Files is ridiculous, but it does at least know it's ridiculous. Raging Loop keeps going 'here's a plot development that makes sense, we promise' and shoving something absolutely incomprehensible at you.

[jekesta]

Why is everyone in your comments so calm and unconfused about you having never seen Die Hard before? Is that something we just accept in people now? You're not a child. I might unfollow you for pretending to be a real person, and you haven't even..? (If you watch Die Hard 4 you see an old and grizzly John McClane fall in love with Justin Long and get to read all the intergenerational kidnap rescue wound tending angst and/or curtain fic that you ever hoped for.)

I don't know that you're looking for action film recs, and also I again can't truly contemplate the idea that you haven't ever seen it, but just in case not: I very greatly second the recommendation of Rambo First Blood. LKSJDoijfes. Out of everything that men twist in popular culture, Rambo is so high on that list. The follow on films don't match up, but the first one is everything.

[rionaleonhart]

Multiple real-life friends expressed shock and horror that I hadn't seen Die Hard before, so I assume all the other commenters are just concealing their outrage.

and also I again can't truly contemplate the idea that you haven't ever seen it

Bad news.

Thank you for the recommendation! Looking it up, I'm slightly put out that the sequel is apparently called Rambo: First Blood Part II rather than Rambo: Second Blood.

[wolfy_writing]

The films in the franchise, in order of release:

First Blood
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo III
Rambo
Rambo: Last Blood

[anirrationalseason]

Die Hard (and First Blood, another recommendation here!) also surprised me when I saw it for the first time around Christmas a couple years back. It's really not your "typical" action movie and the element of pain is so present and humanizing, for the reasons you mentioned. (I'm told the sequels—to both films—aren't as good, but I've never seen them to judge.)

[rionaleonhart]

Whoops, sorry for the delay in replying! But, yes, I really appreciate the fact that Die Hard is willing to explore its protagonist's fear and pain, rather than just going 'shooting! explosions!'

[paceus]

I'm so glad you saw Die Hard. It wouldn't have occurred to me that you'd like it, but yes. I watched it on Christmas Eve and marvelled at John McClane again -- the way he starts arguing with his wife and after she leaves he's like "Stupid! Why'd you say that?!" He's definitely much better than his reputation.

[rionaleonhart]

I love how much McClane talks to himself! I realise it's probably mainly to convey what he's thinking and what he's trying to achieve to the audience, but it ends up being a really endearing character trait.

[wheatear]

Wait, this was the first time you watched Die Hard? o.O HOW. How did you miss this. It's a classic!

[rionaleonhart]

I don't know! Somehow Die Hard just never happened to me. I'm glad it's found me at last.