Sign in

James Beckett

@kickthebeckett.com
1.2K followers 901 following 1.7K posts

He/Him. I'm a critic and podcaster for sites like @AnimeNewsNetwork. Godzilla Stan. World's #1 Lightning Returns apologist.

PostsRepliesMedia
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 11h
The first one is easily the worst in the series, because the home invasion premise completely hobbles the whole premise of the Purge. The sequels are much better at showing the scope of society going completely mad.
000
Reposted by James Beckett
tctc @toastcrust.bsky.social · 20h
still think this is a fun story
Screenshot of a small thread I posted on Twitter back in May 2024:

people talk about the dorito peasant but imagine being a premodern peasant in East Asia and a bard wanders into your village and tells a part of The Water Margin or Romance of the Three Kingdoms just completely explodes your mind and you're all talking about Guan Yu afterwards

my favorite anecdotes about this, and I'm just paraphrasing a lecture from uni, was a testimony from white missionaries who got kidnapped for ransom by bandits in late Qing China, iirc, and the bandits apparently spent all night talking about their favorite Water Margin stories

just instantly brings to my imagination being some guys living out in the woods robbing people to survive and all your free time is spent arguing about the power levels of the coolest guys from the favorite oral classic stories
619367
Reposted by James Beckett
Museum of Twitter @museum-of-twitter.bsky.social · 15h
@JFriedhoff

me at 13: wow i can't wait til we have immersive computers everywhere like star trek
me at 30: wow i can't wait until we destroy all computers like in dune
36120632244
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 15h
I can't believe The Elusive Samurai ended by literally turning to the audience and saying, "Fuck you if you expected this season to amount to anything but a shameless cliffhanger. Go read the manga if you give so much of a shit, you worm."
0152
Reposted by James Beckett
caz @ cosplay trackside !!! @bonebitten.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
manhattan cafe's world #umamusume #ウマ娘
101203469
Reposted by James Beckett
Hayes Madsen @solfleet.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
It’s probably because a lot of these movies are lit terribly these days
23953158
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 02/10/2026
It's a good joke
070
Reposted by James Beckett
Anime News Network @animenewsnetwork.com · 01/10/2026
Five critics agree—Firefly Wedding is the first big hit of the season.
animenewsnetwork.com
The Fall 2026 Anime Preview Guide - Firefly Wedding
0168
Reposted by James Beckett
🔞 Sketch @sumiaou.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
fishing in lolita
Nutmeg (cat) in egl (elegant gothic lolita) catching a fish. There's a red ribbon on the lure. She has fishing lures dangling from her bonnet with a wide smile. Her petticoat, pinched by her brown hip waders, are flailing upward with her movement.
92164588
Reposted by James Beckett
Phantomcellistf @phantomcellistf.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
MaryMary Poppins
1103
Reposted by James Beckett
ぶんかま🐇 @buncama.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
月末はimaginary wardrobe
025687
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
Doesn't mean he wasn't correct!
010
Reposted by James Beckett
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
Man, how come I can't get thousands of likes and reposts when I post about how much I love Godzilla? I *want* to contribute to the "Godzilla is Awesome" Discourse, damn it, if only you all would let me!
static.klipy.com
Classic Godzilla Dance Scene
ALT: Classic Godzilla Dance Scene
64413
Reposted by James Beckett
合歓木ふわ@短期連載準備中💪💥 @kemodrg.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
ピロシキ食う女狐 中身は何だろね
134997
Reposted by James Beckett
合歓木ふわ@短期連載準備中💪💥 @kemodrg.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
SkebにてでっかいOCちゃん描かせていただきました✨✨🫰
0226
Reposted by James Beckett
TruJek @trujek.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Leda Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave
72066606
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
They're clearly not doing well. I get it; times are crazy all around. Still, not prepared to be having reasonable conversations on social media.
010
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
I have to say, it is very funny to see replies like this exist out in the wild!
100
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
The Derek Zoolander Center for [Tots] Who Can't Read Good [Yet] and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too
140
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
The Brain Pits
110
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
Man, how come I can't get thousands of likes and reposts when I post about how much I love Godzilla? I *want* to contribute to the "Godzilla is Awesome" Discourse, damn it, if only you all would let me!
static.klipy.com
Classic Godzilla Dance Scene
ALT: Classic Godzilla Dance Scene
64413
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 30/09/2026
The Thunderdome
130
Reposted by James Beckett
🎃 Zack o' Lantern 🎃 @zackdavisson.com · 29/09/2026
In truth, I entirely agree with this. I also entirely enjoy kicking the hornet's nest on social media for my own amusement. Both can be true.
1184
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Yes, you get a special pass because Trails rules and nobody ever gets to be dunked on for respecting it
static.klipy.com
Renne Bright
ALT: Renne Bright
000
Reposted by James Beckett
Miyazaki Kuroi @miyakuroi.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Orchel from Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave #FireEmblem #FireEmblemFortunesWeave
017258
Reposted by James Beckett
JikissGamer @jikissgamer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Picturing the arabic version of this is so funny. Imagine telling someone about pistachios and being like "bro they put some fustuq-halabi on the knafeh and the Attar was so sweet"
0253
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
2130
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
It's not "exceptionalism" when you're speaking in that language, though. Nobody goes to Mexico or Beliz and tut-tuts all of the "Spanish Exceptionalis." Nobody freaks out when Germans use the German titles for things when speaking in German. I feel like I am going insane!
10240
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Tell that to anyone who doesn't live on the internet but likes Attack on Titan because they discovered it on streaming.
220
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
I am assuming it has something to do with some video game or movie or w/e that already has dibs on the regular "Demon Slayer" title for copyright. Like how Capcom had to call Biohazard "Resident Evil" in the US (which worked out because Resident Evil is such a better name than "Biohazard")
010
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Also, everyone likes pizza, and people who deserve to go to Heaven like cats, so it's a very appealing title for the uninitiated!
050
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Of course. Maybe one of my nakamas will know a good way to bridge that cultural gap.
1290
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Ah, fuck, but what does keikaku *mean*!?!?!?
1180
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Let me tell you the number of times I have had conversations with people who call Attack on Titan "Shingeki no Kyoujin", or just assume that people will know what you mean when you tell them to watch "SNK". Or the folks who still insist on calling Demon Slayer "Kimetsu no Yaiba".
3360
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Hell, if a native Japanese speaker was talking about "Lizardon", I would just straight up say, "Sorry, you guys fucked that one up. Charizard is his *real* name."
1291
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
I'm gonna be real with you, "Flunk Punk Rumble" is a much cooler title than "The Yankee and Glasses-Girl"
2100
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Lord Have Mercy
ALT: Lord Have Mercy
090
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Oh yeah, Npectynnehne n Hakaeahne was my favorite of the Russian classics.
1150
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
I agree that there are some grey areas where the official title is not the most commonly known and understood one, but that's a case-by-case sort of deal. Even in Yamato's case, you don't have people going, "Um, excuse me, did you mean to say *Uchuu Senkan Yamato*???"
2741
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Which makes perfect sense, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they're being a doofus.
0210
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
"Okay, maybe you just need to start with easily accessible and entertaining Japanese cinema. Might I recommend the beloved Shakespearean adaptation by Akira Kurosawa, Kakushi Toride no San Akumin?"
41997
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
"If you like that one, you definitely need to check out Ichi-Kyu-Hachi-Yon! Or Kokkyo no Minami, Taiyo no Nishi!Or another classic, Sekai no Owari to Hado-Boirudo Wandarando! Wait, why are you backing away slowly like I am a crazy man with an edged-weapon?"
11985
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
"Oh, my favorite Haruki Murakami novel? It's Nejimakidori Kuronikuru! What do you mean you couldn't find it in the library? It's one of the most famous books ever! Just Google the English translation of you're lame, I guess."
227110
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
No, SungWon is absolutely correct here. The insistence on sticking with the Japanese title when there is already a perfectly acceptable English one is utterly asinine. Nobody does this in Japanese literature, or film, or any other art form. It's just the anime nerds who insist on being obtuse.
1292507522
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Anyways, this rant brought to you by my brain desperately trying to distract me from spending more of my evening grading these freaking paragraphs that *I* assigned. Stupid Past James and his ambitions.
1140
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
I get that it's not their *fault*, but that doesn't make it any less exhausting when I cannot assign a class of seventeen year olds an essay longer than a couple of paragraphs without half the room getting a panic attack and demanding the most step-by-step outlines imaginable
1100
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Nevermind the fact that it is impossible sometimes to tell how much of this regression comes from a seemingly crippling case of anxiety and cognitive paralysis. So many students won't so much a write one sentence without getting all worked up and demanding I look over it to approve their work
1100
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Of course, I can educate myself and adapt as best I can on the fly. That's half the job of teaching, no matter the grade. But I have years of curriculum built on the basic concept of reading and writing at a grade level that a lot of kids simply are not remotely prepared for when they start the year
1110
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
Y'all might not know this, but secondary and college educators are literally not trained to teach the same reading and writing fundamentals as the elementary grades. Those are different pedagogical wheelhouses built on fundamentally separate skillsets. I don't know *how* to teach some of this stuff.
1120
James Beckett @kickthebeckett.com · 29/09/2026
I know this doesn't make me the World's Greatest Teacher when I say this, but I did not get into this job because I wanted to spend years of my life banging my head against a wall to try and mitigate a generational literacy crisis.
2150