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May 14, 2024
91 Days (Anime) add
Mixed Feelings
Spoiler
Ah, the revenge epic. I really wanted to be engaged with this one. Truly. Hearing and seeing Tsuda get to fully engage his unhinged gangster range was absolutely electric and Daisuke Ono was wonderful, albeit brief. Takashi Kondo and Takuhiro Sakurai were perfect, bringing their A game. The OP was solid, I'll have to look who it was, but it sounds like the same folks who did the Psycho Pass OP which was a banger. The music and sound overall is tastefully done. My favorite character was Corteo.

The writing is pretty middle of the road and the animated action, while prevalent, doesn't mask the dull ...
May 14, 2024
Banana Fish (Anime) add
Mixed Feelings
Spoiler
Ash and Eiji's dynamic is the best part of Banana Fish. And it's not because of the romantic subtext, it's the emphasis on the struggles they face together. The connection between these two is both intimate and emotional without being sexual or sensual, which is one of the strongest elements that carries the show.

Unfortunately, for me it couldn't mask the fact that the story was essentially a shoujo about Japanese yakuza gussied up to look exoticly American in a drug filled 80's-ish backdrop. As much as I wanted to immerse myself in the world, it's incredibly flawed. As escapism for young women (and men) not ...
Dec 8, 2023
I felt like this movie is much much darker than your usual Ghibli, showcasing a considerable amount of horror elements and themes. It's dense with metaphors and symbolism while considerably messy with its abundance of surreal imagery and sound.

Personally I found the departure from his other works and the introspective nature of this film both bold and essential for Miyazaki in his long enduring career. In a lot of ways I kept feeling like Miyazaki was echoing Hideaki Anno and his modus operondi of choosing reality over fantasy/fiction in his works. The Japanese title " How will you live? " is much better ...
Dec 1, 2023
Mixed Feelings
Spoiler
I generally like Makoto Shinkai, he's figured out a formula that works with being relatable to Japanese audiences while including greats visuals, soothing music and playful yet keen cinematography in his work.

This coming of age story is filled with themes of self sacrifice and convey a tragic tale of loss and fear in the backdrop of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. It's about accepting your place in the world and fulfilling your duty to society, even if it means sacrificing something important. I can see this ultimately jibing with his central audience as Japan is a collective, rather than individualistic, society, where self-sacrifice for the ...
Nov 21, 2023
FunnyFunny
Tackling the reality that people actually die in real life can be an interesting focus, considering that all of this could happen to literally anyone at any time. Stories revolving the realization and process of death should be very moving, at least to those who have never experienced this type of thing and to those who have an affinity for these type of shows which should be cathartic.

I am of the latter persuasion and dealing with grief is definitely my wheelhouse. You might even say I have an unhealthy obsession with it. Unfortunately this 2 hour forced cliché dumster fire is neither cathartic nor pleasant; ...
Nov 1, 2023
Captain Harlock Arcadia of My Youth: SSX Endless Orbit
This review covers my thoughts of my rewatch of a dramatic legendary sci-fi space opera. Interwoven stories of loss, hope, and rebellion set the stage for the Captain Harlock crew. There are battles waged in the name of masculine honor, love, and above all freedom from opression in their search for Arcadia, a planet without war, and also the namesake for their space battleship.

I think this is a good ease into the Harlock franchise due to its much lighter tone and less grounded science-fiction themes. Alternatively, the very same elements hit fast and heavy in the darker ...
Oct 31, 2023
Kikoushi Enma (Anime) add
On the last day of October I reccomend Demon Prince Enma.

Demons are escaping from the underworld, and causing much havoc on the human population. Possessing both human bodies and artifacts alike, the demons are inconspicuously forcing people to commit grotesque murders. The task of exterminating the offenders lies with Demon Prince Enma, snow wielding Yukihime, an information gathering kappa, Kapaeru, and the talking witch hat Shapoji. This is the darker adult targeted version of the Prince Enma animated series. It hits a lot of the same morbid tones with tinges of lighter banter between the trio much like Requiem from the Darkness and the 1996 ...
Oct 26, 2023
Spoiler
If you've read or talked to me at length about the type of anime that I enjoy most; more often than not they involve: unusual story structure, are visually dense, involve supernatural or Japanese folklore, and require multiple viewings. ( and the ocassional purposely uneven pacing, but that doesn't apply here. ) Heavenly Delusion provides a lot of these things and since I'm fairly sure a lot of people will cover the relationships and narrative, I'm going to write about some of the psychological/ body horror aspects and the mythology.

The mythology is sprinkled throughout, revolving mostly around the cult and the bioengineered children, yet ...
Oct 26, 2023
Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

In remberence of the writer Sano Nami, who passed on August 5th this year at the mere age of 36. She was diagnosed with cancer one month prior to her passing and Sakamoto was her debut series that aired in 2016 by Sentai Filmworks / Studio DEEN.

Series is a mix of gag and swag humor revolving around Sakamoto; an ikemen in HS striving for comprehension of human interaction and social structure in the most stylish way possible. In each story segment, Sakamoto solves some sort of problem, which becomes a lesson his antagonists have to learn. It's very Mundane Made Awesome ...
Oct 26, 2023
What if Bruce Wayne decided to become a Japanese detective in a buddy cop drama? Would he buy entire buildings before blowing them up? How about dissolving a hostage situation w/ an all male idol LIVE so the hostages over take their captor? Do you like Scooby Doo endings? If any of this sounds entertaining you might enjoy Balance Unlimited: Millionaire Detective.

And as if that were not enough theres a mid-season development where we find out Bruce Wayne's/MCs real motive for becoming a Japanese gumshoe is to find out who killed his mother!! ( my guess is in an alley during Christmas with a gun. ) ...


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