Two Takes

Whisper of the Heart, Kiki's Delivery Service, The Cat Returns and, for purposes of this episode, A Whisker Away all have the same sort of fantasy-like theme centring on many things, including cats. Whether cats have a small or larger part to play, there are present for the reason that is ironically explained in a small sentence from 2005's film Constantine:

"Cats are good. Half in, half out anyway"

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It's astounding that chaos can ensure after one incident, how one day can have the impact of an earthquake to some, and a minor breeze to others. For Sam, it's the given time before she falls. The time to observe, to reflect, to learn. The time to realise that living each day like it is your last has consequences not just to herself, but to every person around her.

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Being stuck in a small bubble of one's own making, it can seem that anything outside can disrupt the world one has built for themselves. Outside interventions can prevent this idyllic way of living, this living in a fairy tale, into a labyrinth of human emotion. Passageways containing complications, with curve balls that test your resolve. Is this a way of navigating life? Yes. Because we all know that life isn't fair, whether or not you are the one being saved or the one saving someone else.

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It's pretty hard to come to terms with realising you have a problem, let alone many of them.

The kids in Dan's class are exploring the Civil Rights Movement in conjunction with opposing forces that have different beliefs, fighting for what they believe is right, and not seeing eye to eye. This aspect of teaching can be presented in Dan and Drey's life. They are both trying to find some sort of balance, trying to find people to rely on in a sense, to feel loved or at least heard. But just because someone is giving you their attention doesn't mean its for the best. And just because someone has an opinion on something, doesn't mean that they are right. From someone on the outside that only knows the basics of a person, doesn't mean its the full picture. And here, with Dan and Drey, teacher and student, the opposing forces of who they are supposed to be blur to become just simply who they are. And they are more than what we see from a distance.

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Emotions are a tricky thing, and some people are better at hiding it than others. We cannot possibly know what is going on in someone's head all of the time. But place that aspect of the unknown with drugs, and you have a mixture of abandonment of walls holding you in, but also the abandonment of the choice of free will letting you out.

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Influence and balance play a complicated dance within the realms of Heaven and Hell, with us, the human realm, being in the middle. We have whispers in our ears, seeds of thoughts placed in our heads, love or hate bubbling in our bellies, placed there by others. But surely its our choice to act on them?

Is there a true form of free will, or are we all simply waiting to be tipped on whether to act on these evil or good deeds?

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There's an admiration to doing something or becoming someone beyond where you came from. There are people who are their job, their reputation, the rumours that circle them...But for many, they walk their own path, making it their own. To discover new beginnings, new friends, enemies, excitement and adventure. There is a beauty in knowing that you can follow your heart whilst your head marks the way.

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I've already talked about each original Avenger, their strengths, their weaknesses, their struggles and how they have witnessed horrors and had overcome many odds; even when they were at odds with themselves. From the concepts of selfishness and selflessness with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, emphasising what its like to have a massive ego with Thor and Hulk (with Bruce Banner struggling with this identity), and finally the sense of belonging with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. In the MCU, they were heroes, the Avengers. But here, with you and me, they are just people struggling along like the rest of us, and being the best versions of themselves.

But have you ever wondered why there were six infinity stones and six original avengers?

This is a theory in itself, and I thought it would be interesting to share it with you.

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It's interesting to see the best of someone, their journey and their decisions that counteract what is going on around them. We love to see them rise above what is holding them down. And for some, that is enough. But for others, they always find themselves attracted to the downfall as well as the triumph. The journey that might not show a happy ending, but a realisation, a connection, from the characters themselves to the audience about something that they can relate to. And in Taxi Driver, it reveals its grim isolation, its dark underbelly of the city, of life, of the main protagonist, and the struggles that many can understand behind closed doors.

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Within many film concepts straying into horror, or perhaps more precisely body horror, we question what would happen if we were stripped of the thing or multiple things that make us different from any other animal. Of course, we think we are the most powerful creature on our world, and whether or not that is truth, it doesn't matter. We reflect upon ourselves and this is just one avenue of exploration of understanding the difference between us and what happens when a parasite takes it away.

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