All posts by The Demented Ferrets

Hey everyone, it’s Kernook here. I’m here to tell you all about the “The Demented Ferrets“. As of right now, we have three members. Kreshenne, Ruka and myself (Kernook). So, let me tell you a little bit about what we do Our members: Kernook (Kern for short) – A little bit of everything, and the one who usually deals with the social media/community end of things. Kreshenne (Kresh for short) – Streaming (will branch out later). Ruka – Our official artist (art and blog posts).
Gaming, Let's Talk Games, Uncategorized

Top 5 Bosses from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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Hey everyone, we’ve got something a little special for you today. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time stands as one of the most memorable games of the 90’s era, and our video editor “Ebby” took a crack at writing his own script about his top five bosses of the game.

The script and the video that resulted from that effort are below. We hope you enjoy it! Be sure to follow the blog for more content like this.

Video

Hello everyone, this is Ebby of The Demented Ferrets. This will be a Top 5 list of my personal favorite Bosses from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64. Please note that these are simply my opinions, and I do not speak for anyone else.

#5. Queen Gohma

This armor-plated monstrosity towers above Link as a child. When I first encountered this boss many years ago, I had little-to-no idea what to expect until I saw its eye. I knew its eye was the obvious weak-point, but hitting it didn’t seem to do anything until it climbed to the ceiling. Once I saw its eye turn red, however, it was then I knew when to hit the weak point. I generally prefer to not use consumable items unless absolutely necessary (thank you OCD), so aside from the Slingshot, I didn’t want to use anything other than what I needed to win at the time. The figure, pose, and design of this first boss, along with the surrounding atmosphere has made a lasting impression on many, if not all, who have played this game.

#4. Volvagia

The end of the second Fire-themed temple of the game thrusts Link into battling the Subterranean Lava Dragon itself. This boss was a lot of fun for me when I fought it for the first time, and every time since. I love dragons, and this one was especially fun, even if it’s a glorified version of Whack-a-mole. It was only after I had read the manga that it really tugged on the heartstrings and I haven’t been able to see an image of the poor dragon, let alone fight it, without hearing it call Link’s name with its dying breath in my head ever since.

#3. Dark Link

While technically a mini-boss, Dark Link can prove more challenging to some than the proper bosses themselves. Personally, I never really had too much trouble with Dark Link over the decades, even when playing for the first time. But now and again, I like to try different ways of defeating him using different weapon and item combinations. The concept is wonderful. Facing and overcoming your dark self is quite interesting, and I don’t think I’ve run across one that actually mirrors your attacks to such a degree. By the time I encounter Dark Link, I usually have the Biggoron’s Sword with me, so a simple forward thrust attack is enough to bypass his defenses and damage him.

#2. Bongo-Bongo

The boss of the Shadow Temple is my second favorite enemy design of the game. The Shadow Temple as a whole enraptured me when I was young and when I got to the boss, I wasn’t prepared for what I faced. I had no idea that arrows damaged him until after my first death. While my OCD tells me not to use items, you kinda have to in order to fight this boss (at least with the clunky controller I have). The tortured design of this creature simultaneously drew me in and repelled me when I first saw it. Since then, I’ve only grown to love the sickeningly beautiful design more.

#1. Ganon

The nearly pitch-black atmosphere with only the illumination from the beast’s eyes and blades were the only real signs of its location, when I first did battle with this hulking creature. With the lightning only occasionally showing this black monster’s features, it was rather difficult at the time to fight this boss back in the day (especially with the old tv we had back in the 1990’s). Nowadays, it’s much easier to see its features, but back then? I might as well have been playing blindfolded. It was only after turning off all the lights (which everyone else always left on…) that I was able to see the screen well enough to fight. For days after I finally beat it for the first time, I replayed this boss again and again to test it out.

I used to be good at this game before my dyspraxia took full effect, but I was once able to fight Ganon using only a bottle while wearing the Iron Boots for the added challenge. Ah, the good ole’ days… I don’t remember if I tried the fishing rod against him or not… oh well. At any rate, the final boss of Ocarina of Time has embedded itself in my memory as not only a worthy adversary, but also as a visual icon (now that I can see him properly, thanks to improved technology). This boss will likely always be my favorite of Ocarina of Time for its design, brute force, hulking frame, and the ability to make children scream in terror. 

While you may not agree with this list, nor my reasons (if one can really call these reasons), these are merely my opinions. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of my favorite games and I hope this helps you to check the game out, if you haven’t already.

You can find my play through of Ocarina of Time here, so feel free to watch me fail miserably, with near constant interruptions by my three (very) needy cats.

This has been Ebby of “The Demented Ferrets”, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. Until next time… if you enjoyed this content, feel free to check out our Patreon page and consider subscribing! We’d all greatly appreciate it.

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Patreon Supporters:
($3) Little Ferrets: None
($5) Demented Minions: Andrew Wheal.
($7) Fandom Ferret: None
($14) True Blue Ferret: Francis Murphy and Bryan BSB.
($25) Premium Ferret: None.
($50) Round Table Ferret/Fluffy Ferret: Josh Sayer

Meanwhile, check out some of our other great content.

Gaming, Let's Play Content, Uncategorized

Gameplay: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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Hey everyone, it’s time for another set of gameplay videos. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time probably doesn’t need an introduction, chances are good that you’ve heard of it. The game was first released on the Nintendo 64 back in November of 1998.

The main protagonist, Link, will be going on an adventure through time to defeat the evil King known as Ganondorf to save the people of the magical land Hyrule. He’ll end up meeting plenty of friends along the way, including his companion fairy Navi.

The titular character of the game, Zelda, only plays a supporting role. This princess is no little wallflower though, that’s for sure. As Link continues on in his quest, Zelda and the annoyance we all know as Navi will continue to aid Link in countless ways. With three spiritual stones to collect as “child Link” and six unique Medallions to collect as “adult Link”, there’s plenty of gameplay content to enjoy.

Our gameplay footage is in long-play format, and it is almost twenty-four hours long. This is a completed 100% play-through, with all items and heart pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Part 1

Part 2:

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We’re playing the original game in the above videos, but that’s not all this wonderful franchise has to offer. That’s right, the Nintendo 64 release was not the only version of the game. Later iterations included The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2002, which promised a much more challenging experience for fans of the original.

With enemies that hit harder and altered dungeon designs, the Master Quest version was a very welcome entry to the franchise as a whole. The puzzles were not the same though, and this new game proved to be fairly unforgiving as a result. Even so, any well-practiced Ocarina of Time fan should play “Master Quest” at least once, if they haven’t already.

A complete graphical upgrade known as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D released in June of 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS. While there are some minor gameplay differences (such as the ability to use the touch screen to play the songs) the game stays true to the original, the story wasn’t changed.

The gameplay video content was provided by Ebby, of The Demented Ferrets, and the blog content was provided by Kernook… we hope you enjoyed it! See you next time, don’t forget to follow us on our social media and support our content!

With your contributions, you make our efforts possible. Thank you for supporting our content. Patreon supporters receive access into our official Discord server, and a few other perks depending on the tier. If you don’t care for Patreon, and don’t care about perks, you can always support us through PayPal too… links below.

Those who join via Patreon get special perks, such as extra content, quicker updates, and more.

Click to Donate

To Our Supporters

Thank you for helping us to enrich our content.

Patreon Supporters:
($3) Little Ferrets: None
($5) Demented Minions: Andrew Wheal.
($7) Fandom Ferret: None
($14) True Blue Ferret: Francis Murphy and Bryan BSB.
($25) Premium Ferret: None.
($50) Round Table Ferret/Fluffy Ferret: Josh Sayer

Meanwhile, check out some of our other great content.

Gaming, Let's Talk Games

Remembering Super Mario Brothers (1985)

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Hey everyone, it’s Kernook here. You gaming fans out there may recall the early days of Super Mario Bros, particularly if you were a gamer in the 80’s. Over the years, this game has become a touchstone and a massive franchise. Today, I’d just like to air my thoughts on the game that I so fondly recall.

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Super Mario Bros. is a game that I don’t need to review. We all know it, we’ve all heard of it, and it would be pretty redundant to review this thing when I’m sure other people could do it much better than I can. I do love the game though, even if I absolutely suck at playing it.

Platform games have never been my skill, quite the opposite. I’m much more likely to see “game over” screens than I am to beat any platforming title on the first attempt… or even the first few attempts. When it comes to my formative years in gaming, I spent most of my time falling into pits and inadvertently running headlong into enemies or projectile hammers.

There is one franchise that towers among them when it comes to endless strings of “game over” screens and a young version of myself gritting my teeth and gripping the controller as I try again to complete it. Even though it isn’t known for it’s difficulty like Contra was, Super Mario Brothers isn’t an easy game by far.

To me the iconic art style of the lettering and brick pattern stands out even today. I can almost hear the music of world one, stage one in my head as soon as I see this thing. Yes, the sentiment bears repeating. I absolutely love Super Mario Bros.

It holds a very special place in my heart of hearts. I spent my earliest days watching my older brother play this game. I recall nap times in front of the television set, blanket and sippy-cup of juice in hand on hot summer days. I remember being too little to hold the controller or figure out the mechanics.

I was born in 1989, so the early 90’s for me was a time of fun and excitement when it came to the world of gaming. I envied my brother’s ability to play it. I wanted to be just as good as him. Spoiler, that was never going to happen.

This game was full of noteworthy little secrets or things to do that are now common knowledge. For example, the ability to jump up onto the the top layer of blocks and run through most of the stage this way. These days it’s pretty obvious, but I recall scowling at the screen the first time I saw this little trick.

It really is the little things that come to mind. The simple, if repetitive music. The red or blue bricks and layers of pipes that allow you to explore each stage. The little bonus areas that reward you for exploring around in the first place, and of course we can’t forget about the iconic enemies or that screen at the end of world one, stage four.

I truly wonder these days just how many people got annoyed to see that iconic moment when you finally beat King Bowser for the first time. Mario seems to be victorious, only to see Toad standing in the dark halls with a message. Yep, we all know the moment I’m talking about…

These days, it probably doesn’t feel so annoying, or at the very least confusing. I’m sure many children were perplexed the first time they saw it, though. My mother tells stories of my brother feeling agitated when he first saw that after hours of effort. I certainly felt the same the first time I got there, and I knew that would happen because he played the game so much in the first place.

Either way, moments later, world two loads up with four more levels that would continue to get progressively harder and upon completion the pattern continues. These days speed runners make it look easy, and I think we take for granted the sharp difficultly curves that occur midway through the game. With eight worlds in totality, four stages each, it was probably a very difficult battle to get to the finish the first time around for most people.

Still, this is a foundational game to the generations of people who played them in their earliest iterations. With such a long lived franchise you’ll certainly find better games out there. The titular character Mario and his brother Luigi have certainly gone on their fair share of adventures over the years. It behooves us to look back either way.

This game stands as a paramount benchmark for what a good platformer was at the time, and the waves that Super Mario Bros sent through the gaming industry to become what it is today.

Game Reviews, Gaming, Uncategorized

Subway Surfers Review

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Hey everyone, it’s Kernook here and today we’re going to be discussing Subway Surfers, which happens to be an “endless runner” sort of mobile game. I typically don’t discuss games in the mobile market, but every now and then I do like to dip my toes into it… all in all, it is a pretty fun game too.

This brightly colored, generally kid-friendly game was co-developed by Kiloo and SYBO Games. These are private companies based out of Denmark. The game is available on Android, iOS, Kindle, and Windows Phone app providers, and it uses the Unity game engine. The game was released on May 25th of 2012.

As an “endless runner” the game is exactly what it sounds like for the genre. You run endlessly collecting items and avoiding obstacles. The perpetual movement adds a layer of challenge as the game ramps up. The difficulty curve is fair enough, I suppose. It isn’t too difficult, it is aimed at kids after all. You’ll gather coins, and try to avoid the subway policeman. He’s got a dog too, and that can be a pain in the butt.

Generally speaking, the trains, construction barriers and train platforms are the main things that get in your way. You’ll have to dodge around them, or have an item that allows you to traverse the level. There’s a little bit of platforming involved, too.

Loading times are a bit on the slow end. Given the graphics, I can’t say I’m surprised. It is an older title, and you can certainly tell that as well. I’d say it’s a good game to play for a “short time waster” whenever you happen to be bored for a short amount of time. Since the game is free and it is a mobile game of all things, expect advertisements galore.

Subway Surfers has aged a bit these days, but it still holds up well enough, I suppose. It still looks great, it feels great, and clearly holds a decent ranking in the endless runner game category.

YouTube Playlists of Interest:

City of Shadows Album 1 – A musical story about two cities joining together as one deep in the desert. A literal tyrant has come to lay claim to the city, and an uprising occurs.
Roll for Glory Album – An album dedicated to the wonderful world of DnD, and the fictional band in “Thunderous Power Kicks” (T.P.K) led by their fearless leader and Bard.
RWBY Fan Songs – Fan made songs for the RWBY series encompassing several musical styles. (Kern’s on going project).
Video Game Fan Songs – Fan made songs about video games spanning a wide variety of gaming genres and song styles (Kresh and Kern’s ongoing project).
Ferret’s Synthwave – Songs with a Synthwave vibe.

This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time.

With your contributions, you make our efforts possible. Thank you for supporting our content. Patreon supporters receive access into our official Discord server, and a few other perks depending on the tier. If you don’t care for Patreon, and don’t care about perks, you can always support us through PayPal too… links below.

Those who join via Patreon get special perks, such as extra content, quicker updates, and more.

Click to Donate

To Our Supporters

Thank you for helping us to enrich our content.

Patreon Supporters:
($3) Little Ferrets: None
($5) Demented Minions: Andrew Wheal.
($7) Fandom Ferret: None
($14) True Blue Ferret: Francis Murphy and Bryan BSB.
($25) Premium Ferret: None.
($50) Round Table Ferret/Fluffy Ferret: Josh Sayer

Uncategorized

May You Rest in Peace, Queen Elizabeth II

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I won’t keep you long, but it’s prudent that I make this post. It’s a sad day for those of us at TDF as we are a multinational group of friends, with Americans and Brits alike. Therefore, it’s important that we give a moment of our attention and utmost respect for the loss of their monarch.

Our hearts go out to those who have heard the news, and to the royal family and the people who have suffered a grievous loss. Today, September 8th, 2022 Queen Elizabeth II has passed on. Her son, Charles, has become King upon her death. Apparently she passed on peacefully.

Queen Elizabeth ruled over the United Kingdom as well as 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her legacy spans seven decades, and her prominence upon the world stage cannot be understated.

Embed from Getty Images

May she rest in peace…

Kresh and Kern's Misadventure: FFXIV, Let's Play Content

Kresh and Kerns brand new disaster through Eorzea: Final Fantasy XIV part 4: A Misadventure Reborn

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Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Hey Everyone, it’s Kernook here, bringing you more Final Fantasy XIV gameplay from Kresh and Kernook. More story line questing, and general nonsense build up the bulk of the stream, all around it was a good time.

Our misadventure continues over on our Twitch channel, and you should make sure to follow us there if you want watch us play the game live, instead of getting VOD updates after the fact. We play all kinds of games, of course. It’s worth it to check us out if you enjoy gameplay content.

Part 4

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Thank you to all Patreon and Twitch Subscribers.

Our trusty red Chocobo, which I call Flufflebutt, carries us around from place to place as we deal with all of the story related quests involved in this early section of the game. Overall, it was a day filled with lots of traveling and cut scenes.

We enter into The Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, which has been nicely streamlined since I was last inside of it. Ideally, this instance is for those between the levels of 24-27, but with how quickly you level these days, it’s easy to outpace it. We certainly have. Since it is tied to the main story, it can’t be bypassed.

I manage to heal through it with very few incidents attached, and All in all, it is a simple story heavy day, with promises of more havoc next time.

Please don’t forget to follow the blog for more content like this, and follow us on Twitch to join us when we go live.

Game Reviews, Let's Talk Games

Void Bastards is Plain Stupid Fun

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The game is is also very rage-inducing… hey everyone, it’s Kern here. Time to talk about 2019’s pinnacle of assholian game design: Void Bastards.

Be warned this post is riddled with swears, because of course it is…

Here’s the thing. Void Bastards is an absolutely no-shits-given, entirely unrepentant first-person shooter. The developer boasts warnings on their steam page about the fact that the game includes cartoon violence, gore and strong language…

You know what? The game does do that, it does that a lot. Frankly the game is absolutely bombastic at times, and I loved every second of it.

Look, you’re not going to get intelligent satire or thought-provoking, higher-minded concepts. You’re going to get exploding Kittybots and Void Whales that will ruin your day if you have no torpedoes. That’s what you’re going to get. If you don’t like that you can have cameras named Peepers that’ll also make your life hell.

Catch the drift here?

The proof is in the name, Void Bastards is everything it promises itself to be. It’s one bastard of a game, and you’re going to die a lot. If you’re not getting your ass handed to you, you’re either a master at the game, or you’ve lucked out…

The game has a cartoon-like style. It’s almost as if the imagery was ripped right out of a comic book. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, as other first-person-shooters tend to do. Rather it banks upon a good time and idiocy. When you’re out of torpedoes and the whales have eaten you, that is part of the fun and the rage.

Even the weapon names are downright awesome, but downright idiotic. When you get your hands on the good old clusterflack you can have yourself a good time making a clusterfuck of the enemies.

If you want a flat out stupid, but absolutely fun and bombastic gameplay there are only a few games I can point to. Fewer still come along as ones that I can highly praise. This is one of them. In my personal opinion Void Bastards is good for one thing, and one thing only; being irritatingly fun and not giving a rats ass about anything else.

The developer Blue Manchu really hit it out of the park with this one. It’s a great game all things considered.

A lot of people questioned if the game was actually decently re-playable when the game came out. I think we need to look at the reasons why you’d want to replay the game. To me it’s fairly simple. When I want to turn my brain off and enjoy a truly clean yet goofy aesthetic, I play the game. If you haven’t played it, and you like stupidly fun games, maybe you should.

anime reviews, Uncategorized

Anime Review: ACCA 13

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Hey everyone, it’s Kernook here, coming at you with another anime review. I’m going to be trying a new review format today. If you like the way this one is laid out, please let me know. I’m trying to improve upon my standard formula, and want to know your opinion. Today, I’ll be reviewing ACCA 13.

  • Anime: ACCA 13
  • Genres: Drama, politics, thriller, economics
  • Episodes: 12 and an OVA
  • Target Demographic: Seinen (18–30 year old audience)
  • Studio: Madhouse
    • Director: Shingo Natsume
  • Other Media: Yes.
    • Manga written by Natsume Ono: ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept
    • Manga written by Natsume Ono: ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept. P.S.

Setting:

The anime takes place in Dowa, a kingdom subdivided into 13 states. Each one acts under their own autonomy and influence. To help facilitate the governance of this kingdom, an organization known as ACCA helps to maintain peace.

Quick Look:

I neither love nor hate this series, but I do think it stands as a solid viewing experience for the genre and themes the anime presents. If you need something else to watch between your typical seasonal line-up, ACCA 13 is a decent choice. What it lacks in heart pounding action sequences, it more than makes up for that, offering mind-games and political intrigue.

The anime is a technical marvel, made a spectacle for the small and intricate details embedded into every fiber of the series. Instead of large bombastic moments, this anime offers you a much more down-to-earth narrative and satisfying character development.

If you’re looking for something thoughtful to sink your teeth into, you’ll like this anime. If you want action, suspense, and mindlessness, look elsewhere… this is not a shoot-em-up, and victories don’t come at the hand of overpowered lead characters with more ego than good sense.

Mind you, ACCA 13 is a very high-brow anime, suffused with socioeconomic issues, cultural questions, politics and policy at every turn. This is not what I call a “popcorn anime”. You’ll get the most out of the series if you’re willing to take your time and savor the episodes slowly. I do not suggest trying to binge-watch it.

In-Depth Review:

The main protagonist is Jean the “cigarette peddler”, as he’s so often called. This guy always seems to get into trouble despite his best efforts. It’s not usually his fault, either. He tries his best to keep a low profile, going about his day without getting mixed up in problems that he shouldn’t. It’s just that his best laid plans don’t always work the way he might like. For him, another headache is just another day of work.

As the deputy chief of the “territory inspection division”, a subbranch of ACCA, he has his work cut out for him. As the story begins, all he really wants to do is finish the state inspections he’s been saddled with and find a suitable replacement to take his job. He’s tired of the workday grind, and nearly ambivalent about his daily tasks.

All he wants to do is take a quiet position somewhere else, literally almost anywhere else. He’s done with all of the hassle that his position demands of him. Unfortunately, there are murmurs circling around reguarding a coup d’etat, and once again Jean is dragged into countless details he never even wanted to be bothered with in the first place.

By and large, this is your typical cloak and dagger sort of anime. Think big crime and spy syndicates, wrapped up nicely in a political thriller coat of paint. Anime like ACCA 13 can be hard to find, and I think that stands as a very good reason why the hype for this anime was so all-consuming when it was first released.

This is a Madhouse production. You can see that within every detail of the animation. None of the anime feels low quality, and everything looks absolutely gorgeous. With openings and endings that remind me of Burst Angel and Psycho-Pass, there’s just a lot to like here. The entire series carries a sort of European flair, represented in the backdrops surrounding the characters. Meanwhile, the character designs themselves remain striking and distinctive amidst their eye-catching environment.

The sound design and music remains pleasing to the ear, and often fitting for the scenes they’re playing beneath. That being said, I wouldn’t say that the entire soundtrack is memorable, only that it’s entirely serviceable. Really, that’s all we need, so that’s just fine. As long as it remains consistently solid across the series, and it does, that’s all I truly care about.

While the overall tone of ACCA 13 lacks the heart pounding action I might expect, it favors a subdued narrative experience. Honestly, this series doesn’t feel like an anime at all.

For that reason, I’d highly suggest it to anyone looking for a show to offer to a non-anime fan. It’s a lot like Bartender and Space Brothers. You could show it to a complete anime novice, and they probably wouldn’t hate the show based upon the fact it’s animation alone.

There’s a pervasive natural quality to the characters and their actions. A true grounded focus relies upon even the small details. That grounded focus helps to uplift the sometimes dry moments that crop up from time to time. The show would be lost without it.

From the way smoke wafts from around the characters, to the way some characters act, there’s a fully realized weight to the physics in the show. Some of them even stumble on occasion, or fidget where they stand in casual little ways… all of this adds context to the wider show.

I’d go so far as to say almost everything in this series comes from a casual lens. The voice acting is often delivered with a relaxed bent to it, using matter-of-fact bluntness to cut through thematic hypocrisy and droll diatribes like a knife through warm butter.

Characters don’t make obscene noises, cry out, or even raise their voice idiotically in the entire series. So many characters, Jean included, just don’t give a rats ass about propriety beyond a certain point. There’s a near fatalistic overtone and resigned undertone that continually seeps into the entire series. That’s what makes ACCA 13 so interesting to watch, and why many believe it to be so damn good.

I’ll say this, ACCA 13 is best enjoyed by anime fans who crave attention to detail. Nine times out of ten, I found myself much more interested in what the characters themselves were doing, rather than the wider story. That’s due to how wonderful the animation is.

Then again, it all seems natural, these don’t feel like anime characters. They feel like real breathing people. Even at mealtime, something we see in anime all the time, these scenes feel exactly as it should. The characters simply grab a meal, with absolutely no pretense to get in the way.

The real-world feel of the series drifts all the way down to socioeconomic questions. The values and cultures within each of the 13 separate states are distinctive enough to feel believable, same as the issues plaguing them. Sometimes there is no “right” answer, only a “less horrible” answer. Altruism is not closely at hand in the series, even when some of the characters would like it to be.

That being said, you’re free to draw your own conclusions. This isn’t an anime that focuses too heavily on the concept of moral high-ground. Jean typically spits in the fact of that, anyway. He just isn’t the type of character to smack the viewer over the head with any particular message one way or the other… then again, the wider ethos provided by Jean is a simple one.

A good drink in hand, a friend by his side, and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth is his ideal of a “happy place”. Anything beyond that, and he’s going to wonder why he should be brought to care beyond simple surface level concern… and that’s not to say he enjoys watching the world burn around him. Only that he’d rather not mess around with problems that don’t directly concern him.

He can’t simply fix the entire would, after all, why try?

There’s an honesty here, all the way through to the end, and it’s never unbelievable. It never gets taken to the climatic expected conclusion. Rather the subdued anime gives us a subdued ending, no blood spilled, no hands unrelentingly left dirty, all of it handled tactfully. Perfectionism has no place. It’s overrated entirely to everyone viewers have connected with, and these characters go on with their lives displaying that.

All in all, ACCA 13 is by far and away one of the most interesting series I’ve ever seen when it comes to displaying characters upon the screen, cramming them together just to see what they do within the political sphere.

I don’t love it, I don’t hate it. The series has its flaws. It’s witty in many places, but dry wit doesn’t always make for the most compelling story. The characters and stellar animation were the main reasons I enjoyed it. Then again, I meant what I said above.

It’s a solid decision for anyone who wants thoughtful maturity layered within the anime they watch. These characters are adults, they think and act like adults, treating the wider world with the required gravitas when they need to.

This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time.

With your contributions, you make our efforts possible. Thank you for supporting our content. Patreon supporters receive access into our official Discord server, and a few other perks depending on the tier. If you don’t care for Patreon, and don’t care about perks, you can always support us through PayPal too… links below.

Those who join via Patreon get special perks, such as extra content, quicker updates, and more.

Click to Donate

To Our Supporters

Thank you for helping us to enrich our content.

Patreon Supporters:
($3) Little Ferrets: None
($5) Demented Minions: Andrew Wheal.
($7) Fandom Ferret: None
($14) True Blue Ferret: Francis Murphy and Bryan BSB.
($25) Premium Ferret: None.
($50) Round Table Ferret/Fluffy Ferret: Josh Sayer

Meanwhile, check out some of our other great content.

Gaming, Kresh and Kern's Misadventure: FFXIV, Let's Play Content

Kresh and Kerns Brand New Disaster Through Eorzea: Final Fantasy XIV Part 3: A Misadventure Reborn.

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Part 2

Hey everyone, it’s Kern here. Our misadventure continues over on our Twitch channel, and you should make sure to follow us there if you want watch us play the game live, instead of getting VOD updates after the fact. We play all kinds of games, of course. It’s worth it to check us out if you enjoy gameplay content.

In any case, this is part 3 of it for your enjoyment.

The level grinds and havoc continues as we move forward in story quests. Kresh and I spend our time in the Thanalan region, collecting corpses for burial, befriending goblins, and doing a few required instances.

The beastmen in the area are up to no good again as they prepare to summon a primal. They play a dominant role in this particular section of story quests both as friends and as enemies.

Kresh and Kerns Brand New Disaster Through Eorzea: Part 3

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As far as duties are concerned, we enter into Halatali, a level 20 instance. This twisting labyrinthine cavern has been massively nerfed, making it more streamlined and easier to navigate. Completion was decently quick. After that, it’s into The Bowl of Embers to battle Ifrit.

More story line quests and finally collecting our mounts round out the stream, and at the end of the day all’s well that ends well. We didn’t get as much done as we wanted, but that’s what happens when you’re casually playing around and wandering into a bit of trouble, as we certainly did.

The good thing is that with mounts, the grinding will now go a bit faster, thankfully, and we’re looking forward to it.

This has been Kernook from The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time. Don’t forget to subscribe for more content like this!

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Movie Reviews, Uncategorized

Movie Review: 12 Angry Men

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Hey everyone, it’s Kern here, bringing you something just a little different today. In 1957, the movie 12 Angry Men hit theaters and took movie watchers by storm. The movie demanded a certain level of forbearance as a drama and a thought piece.

Even these days, I’d be willing to call it unconventional. Then again, I’d also certainly call the film compelling. This movie is an oldie to be sure, you can only find it in black and white. Back in those days, technicolor was still a rarity in many households and theaters.

Regardless, this feature film stands the test of time, and that’s why I’ll be reviewing it today.

The premise is simple enough on the surface. It’s just a court drama, little more, little less. What makes this movie so interesting is the way these themes are addressed. Confined to a room, twelve men need to come to a decision reguarding a murder trial. All the while someone’s life hangs in a delicate balance. We never get to know that someone first hand, only what these twelve men have to say about him.

These men are acting as a jury, and on the surface the accused man looks guilty… but what if he isn’t? All of the evidence seems to line up, but it’s also full of holes, so what is this jury to do?

Is there any reasonable doubt at all?

That is the entire basis of this film. The beginning and the end of it, wrapped up in layers of context and subtext, the question comes down to one thing. Is there any reasonable doubt? If so, they shouldn’t convict this man of a murder he might not have comitted.

One juror, unconvinced of the suspect’s guilt, refuses to believe that there isn’t cause for reasonable doubt. Frankly, he’s just not sure that the man on trial committed a crime at all.

Morals and ethics pervade this film first and foremost. Personal opinions and emotional biases carry a lot of weight in that room and surrounding the table in the aftermath. This old classic doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, just a simple setting and a problem at hand.

Is the suspect actually guilty? Who knows?

It’s not about if the suspect is actually guilty or not. It’s about the conclusions these characters come to while trying to decide that. Now, one might rightly argue there’s more ego and testosterone involved around the table than what might be valuable to a firm debate. You might also say there’s almost too much posturing at times.

There are certainly enough hot heads and diatribes based upon hurt feelings and egos to go around. Given the mindsets of the era, you can hardly be surprised. You wouldn’t be at fault for taking issue with it.

I won’t even say this classic film would appeal to a vast many sorts of viewers these days…

For movie fans that it would appeal to, there’s a genuine human interest story to be found here. The heart and soul of these men rests beyond mere conjecture, and even the most loud mouthed idiot among them has solid reasons to act the way he does, blind rage or not.

Judicious and sound reasoning comes at the price of boredom and time loitering around until they can agree on a verdict. There are other places most of these characters would rather be, but until a decision is made, they’re stuck there, arguing among themselves.

Henry Fonda plays the willing skeptic as Juror number Eight. Only known to us as “Davis” at the end of the movie. All we ever know about his character is that he’s in search of justice, works as an architect and is a father of three. He’s also the only one to question the evidence at first, voting “not guilty” with the intent to examine the facts.

The very little we do know about him doesn’t change the fact that he’s a compelling character. The same can be said for all of the twelve jurors that surround the table. We get just enough out of each and every one of them to understand them emotionally, morally and ethically.

The rest of the weight of the film is maintained by the acting. Each character is contextualized with strong performances by the actors and firm personalities showcased by each of the characters themselves.

I don’t think the film would have been so good without keeping their backstories on a surface level. Part of what makes the conflicts in this movie so interesting, is that for many of them, it’s not a personal conflict. It’s not about grudges, or even about being ‘right’ exactly. To some degree it goes beyond that for all of them.

At only about an hour and a half in run time, this movie isn’t very long. Quite the contrary, it feels just about right. It isn’t too fast, it isn’t too short. While some of the conversations feel contrived or even convoluted at times, that’s precisely the point.

This is one classic film that doesn’t need a re-imagining or a fresh coat of paint. It’s just as wonderful to watch now as the spectacle that it was back in 1957. The fact holds true even to this day that 12 Angry Men holds acclaim for being one of the best court house dramas ever written.

Although I wouldn’t personally call it a drama, I would say it is one of the best movies surrounding the concept of moral high-ground that I have ever seen. I think that says a lot.

It’s also a lot easier to watch emotionally than the 1962 film To Kill A Mockingbird, and a lot less emotionally contentious too. There’s just not a lot of particular (and trust me, they are particular) slurs thrown around in this film compared to others of its era.

Then again, 12 Angry Men has other ways to get the point across, such as rude tempers, and certain characters sticking their feet into their mouths repeatedly. Lee J. Cobb, who plays Juror 3, does an absolute stellar performance playing the “villain” in this movie… if you could really call anyone a villain at all.

At the end of the day, this is a movie for those who want to see wonderful actors taking their characters to their reasonable conclusions without anything else attached.

The set is minimalist at best, and all we really have to entertain us are the characters themselves. There’s no wider reaching story besides the conjecture of the court case, and the conclusion each man comes to.

Then again, the clear distillation of these characters is all you need. Each of the twelve make up a fully fleshed out ensemble cast, even when the individual alone might lack a detail or two. In my opinion you’re just going to have a hard time finding a tighter fitting narrative and carefully woven script in such a short run time… certainly not with twelve characters to flesh out and puzzle together in the way this film has.

The ending isn’t overly happy or overly sad, it’s just an ending. A final, conclusion, a decision and a parting of ways among these twelve strangers that sat in a court case together. It’s as satisfying an ending as we were ever going to get, and much more satisfying than I thought most would ever realistically hope for.

Truly, this is one film that you have to see to believe. A proper masterwork of the actors and the script, perfectly orchestrated to offer the best performance possible. I really couldn’t ask for more than that.

This has been Kernook of The Demented Ferrets, where stupidity is at its finest and level grinds are par for the course. I’ll see you next time.

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