Don't worry about it since I'm only just now coming around to watch it (I hope I get to complete it by the time you reply) . I definitely relate about the stress of every day life as I'm overwhelmed these last couple of my months myself
I'm glad you enjoyed In Hell as it caught me completely off guard when I watched it as well since I was expecting JCVD to start roundhousing fools lol . Sure thing if you ever do let me know what you think :)
I do the same thing haha . I don't mind supporting something but I got to know if I'll like it first
I agree completely with everything you've stated regarding the incident with Kim Sae-ron and politically speaking I'm very much in the same boat as you as far as the western world is concerned . I also read something recently about a popular streamer in Japan getting stabbed by a stalker of some sorts . It's scary how obsessed some fans get about the lives of J/K pop stars and such
Yeah I definitely see your point . I don't want to say it because it will make me sound like a prick but man standards are so low when it comes to anime writing . We've touched on this before but I'm not mad if someone likes something I don't but when 99% of people like it and criticism is seen as trolling I get the petty urge to be mean lol . I enjoyed the Japanese Death Note movies more than the anime even if the anime is admittedly "better" . I've never read the manga or anything else about the series because I just could never get into L's successors or the lore in general . The worst of the worst though is easily the netflix series which proves that Hollywood simply doesn't get it lol
Transporter is a very silly movie but I do really love it mainly because I enjoy watching Jason Statham playing Jason Statham (He is literally the same character in every movie lol) . The sequels are god awful travesties though and I do not recommend them AT ALL
Yeah I agree with pretty much everything except somewhat the Sosa part . What I got from it is to survive in their world you have to be completely soulless which Tony for all his faults wasn't . The one time where he showed compassion it ultimately costed him his life and I feel like that is a good message for all those that glamourize that type of lifestyle
I watched Platoon with my brother when I was younger and I remember really liking it . Over the years I've become fairly skeptical of "based on a true" story movies made by Hollywood but I read that Platoon was apparently pretty accurate which is incredibly sad to think about
THANK YOU! I tried to be fair in what I wrote because I wasn't really sure if you were a fan and I didn't want to insult you but I feel THE EXACT SAME WAY . Practically all of his films that I watched left me more disgusted than Tarantino's degenerate gore fests . Taxi Driver is probably the only exception but that's mostly because I like the "idea" for a lack of a better word
That's interesting , I'll probably will watch it at some point but I got spoiled on the ending which somewhat killed the little interest I had in it
The movie was an improvement? God I don't want to know how bad the comic was then lol . Terminator 2 is a 10/10 action movie but the story/writing in my opinion took a nose dive in quality . I simply can't get over the fact that the sequel butchered the "Bootstrap paradox" in order to have a generic "No fate" message . I don't know how much you remember but John Connor becoming a resistence leader regardless of the father is a really dumb writing decision
Oh yeah I definitely agree that it is overused and the "fault" mostly falls on Heath Ledger knocking out the park in the Dark Knight . The same thing ironically has happened with Harley Quinn as well after Suicide Squad . Margot Robbie's rendition became so popular with the general public than they have been forcing the character down people's throats as a female empowerment symbol for what feels like a decade now
What I loved about FFX is the relationship between Yuna and Tidus . It's really well made and once again another example in my opinion that westerners cannot write romance . I know people find that type of writing "cheesy" because we are all too cool now and thus everything has to be drenched in ten layers of irony but I still loved it
I'm pretty sure there is not a single jumpscare in the games that I've played and they mostly rely on eerie atmosphere and extremely violent/disturbing imagery based on the subconscious of the characters to make you feel uncomfortable . I always found psychological/body horror to be degenerate and extremely pretentious misery porn which I believe speaks volumes for Silent Hill 2 since I still recommend it despite my negative stance on the genre . The good thing is that it has so few connections with the other games besides some background lore stuff that hardly matter so you can treat it as a standalone
I never properly played the sequels to Sands of Time mostly because I never liked the direction they took . I remember being excited to play the 2nd game and I lost interest about an hour in because they tried to be too edgy for my tastes . In addition I'm a stickler and when I like a story I don't want to see it being continued . I believe Tarantino mentioned something along the lines of Toy Story 4 or 5 might be great but I don't want to see them because for me the ending of 3 was perfect which is a sentiment I 100% agree with . For all my issues with him I respect him for not falling into the typical Hollywood pit of endless sequels that retroactively hurt the first movie
Oh I see! After watching back the scene you are completely right on everything , She was totally hallucinating that it was her husband before their marriage! That detail flew over my head completely . Yeah I also try to find..."Alternative" methods to see these films simply because I detest streaming services
It shocked me as well . I'm sure the typical hypocritical moralizers on the internet got to her but I wonder if that was the only reason or simply the thing that pushed her over the edge . I've heard a lot about Parasite but I was never really in a mood to watch it simply because it sounds so bleak and nihilistic
My two favorite things about Luc Besson films or at least those he made up until the early 00's are how beautiful he makes France look and like you said he is very good at making pop corn action flicks of which The Transporter is easily my favorite . You're right this sentiment was popularized by Tony Montana but I feel like people greatly downplay the characters hypocrisy simply because Al Pacino owned the role and Tony is extremely charming . For example the fact that Tony genuinely believes that he was loyal to Frank is laughable but in his deluded mind it all made sense
Funny you'd ask that as I just watched both movies again semi-recently and while I'll say that the Al Pacino version is a LOT more fun I slightly prefer the overall story of the original movie simply because it glorifies Tony and his actions a lot less (Their deaths while similar in style are quite different) . The Al Pacino movie is a very modern American take where people are led to believe that to a certain extend the ends justify the means if you end being "somebody" . There are countless movies with this message and it's the main reason why I never liked Martin Scorsese films such as Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street . He "technically" does condemn the lifestyle of the characters but he always structures it in a way so that regardless of what they did the viewer will end up thinking that their lives were fun or at least more fun than the character that strived to do good but got nothing in the end because nihilism
There's other examples as well . A few months back I watched Wanted 2007 (Bad movie btw) and it ended the same way with the character going "What are YOU doing with your life?" . Striving for a simple honest life is foreign to these people and it definitely had an impact on how many people think evident by the logical fallacies such as appeal to accomplishment/authority people tend to use to excuse bad behavior
Awesome! I'd love to read your thoughts on it! Wacky in terms of characters mostly . Practically everyone is over the top which you'd think wouldn't work but it gives the game a very unique style . For example if the villain is let's say French he will be the most over the top gentleman French man you've ever seen in your life lol . The crimes themselves are for the most part great though and the story at least in the main cases is always engaging (The music is phenomenal as well)
Yeah I see your point and I'd put it on me mostly because I never really liked Okabe all that much . It's crucial for me to connect with the protagonist in order to want him to do well despite the odds . I'll definitely watch Bebop next then! Thanks for naming the main episodes for me I appreciate it :)
I played the reboot of Prince of Persia as well but I found it a complete slog . Sands of Time is just magical for a lack of a better word , Even drinking from the fountains was awesome lol . I always heard great things about Final Fantasy 6 but I never really got around it because by the time I did turn based JRPG's kind of bored me . I know it's heresy to the fans of the genre which I can understand but the 4 guys and gals in a straight line spamming their best stuff and occasionally healing stopped being interesting the moment technology allowed for more action based gameplay . This design still has merit if there's actual strategy involved but that's rarely the case
I never played 12 but I did play 10 and yeah it's great all around even if it isn't really my style as I always like the more somewhat grounded settings in the series . I've also played Final Fantasy 7 , 8 , 15 and more recently 16 . I love 7 and 8 , I was disappointed by but still liked 15 (God this had so much potential to be the absolute best) and as far 16 goes I could write an entire rant on how disappointed I was with the game lol . If you are interested in 7 they remade 2/3 of the game with voiced cutscenes . The story deviates quite a bit in places as it acts both as a remake and a sorta kind of sequel at the same time
Speaking of video game stories , If your nerves can handle a fairly disturbing psychological thriller I highly recommend Silent Hill 2 which in my opinion is the pinnacle of video game storytelling (I don't like the rest of the series btw mostly because I'm a wuss and I like sleeping too much) . There is a remake which "technically" improves some things but nothing touches the original experience . It's a free abandonware game that you can play yourself on PC and it's only 8 hours or so (Considerably less so if you watch it like a movie) . If you are interested you can also watch it as a movie because the gameplay isn't the reason so many people loved it . I know you don't mind spoilers but trust me don't read any if you ever decide to play/watch this
I agree like many things in Clannad it doesn't really make sense and even if you do research it the answer is always kind of dumb . Oh yeah not all negative are well written but they are generally better than the positive ones for sure!
I just saw Protégé and I really liked it . The thing I loved the most about it is that they didn't preach nor go for the stale as all hell American tropes where the cop becomes disillusioned with the police force or the writer portrays the cop as a bad person/hypocrite . Nick was a genuinely good guy with good intentions and he calls his friend out on his BS and the harm he is doing to the world even if he still cares about him . The ending despite all the bleakness is really touching as well as it empathized with people that turn to drugs to escape but didn't absolve them either . Wonderful stuff all around! Remember our discussion about how I love how Chinese movies do villains? This is another example
One question though who do you think was telling the truth between the wife and the husband? They both sold the same story to Nick about how they started doing drugs to show their loved one how easy it was to kick it and then they got hooked . The easy answer is the husband because the guy had serious issues but her seducing Nick with the smoke and trying to get him hooked left me with doubts
I can't speak about Prison on Fire but your description of Lam couldn't be more true as far as In Hell is concerned . I came into In Hell with the idea that JCVD would do a lot of spinning kicks but it's not an action flick which caught me off guard . It's a difficult movie to watch and you have to suspend your disbelief quite a lot in order to enjoy the heartwarming ending but I liked it overall because it's one of those movies that restores your faith in humanity
I agree some of the scenes from The Man from Nowhere are pretty brutal . Did you happen to hear about the actress that plays the little girl? Apparently she committed suicide which is really sad since she was only 24 . I 100% agree with you about The Villainess and I legitimately do not understand what they were trying to do with the main villain . He loved her but his guilt of killing her father made him distance himself from her but also maybe that's a lie and it's up to her to believe it if she wants to? The last 30 minutes are an unnecessary jumbled pretentious mess
I'd say loosely inspired . Both movies feature a girl with nowhere to go getting trained by a similar type of organization that also has similar demands from her . It also has a love triangle between Nikita , Her mentor and a simply guy she met but that's where the similarities end . Her love interest is not spying on her , Her mentor didn't kill her father and the ending is entirely different but I'd argue not much better or more satisfying . I love the premise in both movies , I like the in between stuff in the Villainess a lot more and both movies had unsatisfying endings in my opinion
I've also seen Leon and Kiss of the Dragon and to be honest I wasn't really a fan . I'm a Jet Li fan and I even enjoyed his American movies that weren't all that good (Romeo must Die) but Kiss of the Dragon just didn't do it for me . The fight scene with the twins was great but everything else was below average imo . Leon the Professional is a beloved movie but I just couldn't get into it either . I found the romantic undertones quite creepy mostly because Leon never puts his foot down and says "No you are a child" which MIGHT be excused by Leon's arrested development but then you remember that Luc Besson had an underage girlfriend at the time which...yeah . It also did this annoying western trope where we are supposed to like the anti-hero because he indiscriminately kills men and not women or children widows , Parents and orphans be damned I suppose
Oh yeah it is a complete reboot and I highly doubt that there are any callbacks . New Police Story is totally different in tone as there's barely any comedy past Jackie's partner but even that is pretty tame . The iconic factory scene alone is a 100 times darker than all the previous movies combined
I remember reading about how Cowboy Bebop has a lot of filler and that was the main reason it stopped me from watching it but I have to find the main ones and watch those at least since I trust your judgment . I liked...Aspects of Steins Gate as well but I never really liked it as a whole primarily because it is a bit too "anime" if that makes sense . The ending didn't help things either because I felt like it kind of went against the moral of the story and the danger of playing god. My first experience was with the VN and I got to say the "good" endings where Okabe has to choose between Mayuri and Kurisu are a lot more impactful than the true ending the anime went with . I suppose if someone really liked the characters then that ending would work for them since they'd like to see them being happy but for me eh...The only character I wanted to see be well was Mayuri
Glad you're enjoying it! Yeah I agree about LA Noire as well , It's detective systems were not that great because you had no indication of how Cole would react . In the PS3 version it was I believe "Truth" , "Doubt" and "Lie" . It makes for many unintentionally hilarious moments though lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmvSieBFPNM
Ace Attorney is a bit too "wacky" for my tastes and often times involves supernatural elements but nevertheless I enjoyed the original trilogy which speaks wonders because I don't mix well with those two things
Yeah apparently it was going to be completely different before they got him on board . I'm not sure if his involvement or them obviously running out of money was to blame but both played a part for sure because the middle part of the game is rushed . You are tasked with caring about or actually believing that characters you've known for a week and a half are your friends/lovers for life . Even your initial friend group in Misty and Jackie are only in V's life for longer than 6 months if you pick the corpo route which states that Jackie's mom raised you as her own and you grew up alongside them
You mean Prince of Persia Sands of Time? I love that game a LOT but it's been years since I last played it! . Which Final Fantasy games did you like?
You've already read my thoughts on AOT so I don't want to repeat myself but the writing quality gets shockingly worse with each passing season to the point where it devolves into a poor man's edgy Naruto clone and little else . The dip in quality is so huge in fact that it had people legitimately believing that it was all a "ruse" and Isayama couldn't possibly be a bad writer that had pull things out of his ass due to many rewrites . People talk about the last few chapters specifically only because it was then that it finally dawned on some of them that there wasn't any 5D chess being played . Harsh as it is to say the fact that this anime was liked by so many people post Season 3 (Which already had issues) proves that standards for writing in anime are pathetically low and all people care about is their favorite "ships" nonsensical as they might be becoming a reality
Oh yeah I agree on the underage marriage thing as well . Uncomfortable as it might be it was a thing that did happen back in the day and like you said there was nothing sexual about it in both instances where it was showcased
Clannad was my first big anime disappointment but nevertheless it's still one of my favorites simply because I love it's good parts a lot . The entire story about Tomoya and how it mirrors his father's is excellently done but the rest barring the Kotomi episodes and the 1 year before extra OVA I could live without . The comedy was kind of crap and all the side girls were nothing fanservice characters
Fuko was a bit too anime but I liked the story about Tomoya and Nagisa helping her moving on , It was sad but very sweet at the same time . Her return killed all of that and the entire thing was a complete waste of time which leads me to Ushio's death...I've read explanations about the orbs , The city and it's magic , Nagisa's role in it , Tomoya's depression impacting magical Ushio's health and I got to be honest I find it all really REALLY stupid lol . The movie version doesn't have a tenth of the soul the series has but it at the very least understood that all of that was garbage and cut them completely
I enjoy reading negative reviews far more than positive ones even for pieces of media that I enjoyed for this very reason . Positive reviews almost never have anything insightful to say while many negative ones actually go into detail about what they like or didn't like . Same here , Once I started reading between the lines and wasn't just a kid looking to have fun I realized that I genuinely detest western writing and humor . For example Terminator 2 was one of my favorite movies when I was a teenager but I watched it again a few years back and my god is the writing terrible and it craps all over what the first movie established (Robert Patrick should have won an oscar for his T1000 portrayal though)
Oh yeah I stumbled upon Park Chan Wook's stuff during my stint where I was watching Korean films and I agree completely . One thing I'm glad about is that I read some negative reviews for his movies on imdb that spoiled some stuff from them which made me not want to watch them
I really like The Man from Nowhere too and the Villainess is similar to Phantom for me , A guilty pleasure and nothing more . The story is a mess and I had tons of issues with it but I like the Femme Nikita premise and some of the twists they added to the story were a nice touch
I'm pretty sure New Police Story acts like a soft reboot and it is far darker than the original Police Story movies so you can treat it as a standalone . I love the movie to bits so I'm pretty sure that at the bare minimum it will be a fun time killer if you are ever in the mood . I feel the same way and generally speaking I don't like remakes as a whole especially nowadays because they are shameless cash grabs
Oh killer recommendations thanks! All of these sound very interesting and I'm sure I'll like them because our tastes align . Out of those I've only watched Shinjuku Incident 2-3 months ago and I really liked it . Definitely not something I was expecting from Jackie Chan . I searched Wild Search and it led me to "In Hell" with Jean Claude Van Damme , I had no idea Ringo Lam directed that movie as well! . I've also added Blades of the Guardians to my watch list!
I was burned so many times by popular anime that I removed Cowboy Bebop from my watch list a little while back . Your recommendation definitely sparked my interest again though and it's one of those things where I HAVE to watch it at some point . Same thing with many Studio Ghibli stuff that I never really got around to watching because like you overly fantastical settings aren't really my thing
Glad you are enjoying it! I can see the similarities with LA Noire as well . Yes there's Judgment and it's sequel Lost Judgment . I think the first game has a better story but the second one is not half bad either as it deals with bullying , Neglect and the morality of vigilantism . Yagami gets annoying a little bit in the second though because he is hyper fixated on a character that wasn't even all that likeable to me but we'll discuss that when and if you get to that point
Unfortunately the Cyberpunk 2077 CD Project Red had in mind probably went into the trash when they managed to get Keanu Reeves on board . It also didn't help that the development process was a complete disaster . There's many that will claim that all the issues of the game have been fixed nowadays but the story and your ability to impact the story are very weak imo
I remember reading something along the lines of "If a detective novel is actually well written and smart you'll still be able to read it even if you are spoiled on who is the culprit , If not then it's the shock factor and the anticipation that made you believe that the book is well written" . I tend to agree with this but I still like to be surprised because it barely ever happens anymore . In which season did you stop watching AOT?
The basic gist with Violet Evergarden's second season is that her love interest that had supposedly died is actually alive . It's not "terrible" but I fail to see what it adds to the story besides a saccharine ending that hurts the message of the first season
I agree and I don't like the genre either with Clannad possibly being one of the very few exceptions . It's bloated to hell and back with nonsense but it's also one of the most heartwarming anime about family I have ever seen and just like you I feel like the music was amazing . The ending sucks though for multiple reasons . The Ushio stuff is typical Key hurting little children for no reason other than to force you to cry , It serves no purpose to the story since the entire idea was for Tomoya to understand how difficult his father's life was . The magical orbs nonsense was very video gamey which makes sense since it's the true ending in the visual novel that you can only get by helping all the characters . Nevertheless I hated it and the all the scenes with the robot and the girl that I thought were simply an allegory turned out be just a different universe . If I recommend it to anyone I'd advise them to stop at episode 19 or so (The Fuko stuff was also a terrible bait and switch)
I'd say that it has become even worse . I can't speak for MAL but now it's obvious that many companies use bots/AI for positive review spam . Fanboyism hasn't got any better either and many people still can't separate trolling from constructive criticism . The notion that someone may not like something that is popular is completely foreign to some people
Very true! It's so refreshing to find people that more or less feel the same way you do . Oh for sure don't stress over it , Watch them on your own time :)
It's eerie how much we agree on certain things . I have seen both Infernal Affairs and City on Fire and I also liked both more than their American remakes (IA is one of my favorite movies)
Phantom Requiem can definitely come across as pretentious as well and it has grand canyon sized flaws but I still love it . Unlike Psycho Pass the setting remains grounded and realistic which I always preferred personally (Psycho Pass's future was just too difficult to believe imo)
The underworld in general always scared me . I never not regretted not being a night person (At least going outside at nights)
Perhaps it's mostly in Chinese movies? I'm aware that Korean cinema has some incredibly sadistic stuff which is why I never really liked it . Chinese cinema is by far the most appealing to me (Do you have any recommendations?) . One example of the top of my head is New Police Story which is one of my favorite movies ever . It humanizes the villains who have all done some monstrous things . Jackie Chan's character in that is extremely admirable in that he tries to reason with the gang up until their final moments which ends up impacting their behavior even if they obviously can't be forgiven for their crimes
I 100% agree! Everything was very surface level stuff and I never managed to care about the characters in Edgerunners . If you haven't I highly recommend watching the Judgment games on youtube like movies if you are interested in crime dramas from the same studio . Yakuza 1 through 4 are near and dear to my heart but the first Judgment game is hands down the best story they've ever written in my opinion . I feel like you're really going to enjoy that
As far as Cyberpunk 2077 goes at least story wise it isn't anything special in my opinion . It's your average run of the mill Hollywood action flick with a glory/money leads to losing your soul message and a bland cardboard cutout protagonist . It's entertaining but nothing too deep . Keanu Reeves involvement probably changed the initial story a lot and while he was cool and everything the race against time thing wasn't very well executed . Plus I felt like the player needed to have more choices to make V feel like their own avatar which in turn would have made them far more interesting
The first half of the first season of AOT was rough for me too . I simply did not care or like any of the characters but it eventually won me over towards the later half of season 1 where the first big twist happens . Then season 2 came which in my opinion has the best directed twist in anime history . It's a bold statement and I'm sticking by it lol
By season 3 Part 1 I started to slowly lose interest because I realized that named characters won't die . This became egregious in Part 2 where all the writers pets magically survived in the most BS way possible
Season 4 and particularly part 2 despite their admittedly interesting premise are simply terribly written . A lot of people talk about the ending being bad or the last few chapters being bad but no the writing was poor long LONG before that and the only reason the ending was such a blow to fans is because they hoped that Isayama would manage to turn everything around which he didn't . The only people I've seen that liked AOT's final few seasons are kids and people that don't really care about consistent writing and just like to watch shounen characters doing shounen things
It's difficult not to spoil why I feel that way about Season 2 but basically the whole point of S1 was about how to deal with loss and Violet herself becoming a different person by having to help people that felt the same way she did . It's a very touching story that gets robbed of all of it's meaning with the happy ending the follow up provided . I feel exactly the same about Clannad After story as well
I'm the exact same way . I feel like especially with the internet if a few notable people say something is good then it becomes heresy to feel otherwise which is absurd since if you aren't a blind follower then it is impossible to like everything that happens to be popular or is being called a "classic" . I also much MUCH prefer the older more realistic art styles . I constantly hear about how impressive the animation is in new anime and personally I'm not a fan
I sympathize! And it's always a pleasure to talk with you . You are very knowledgeable and our conversations are super interesting to me!
It's been a while since I watched Kindaichi but from what I remember my favorite cases were in the middle of the show but that's probably because it hadn't gotten as stale . A few I remember of the top of my head that I really enjoyed were the "Magical Express Murder Case" , The "Ijinkan Hotel Murder Case" , the "Reika Hayami Kidnapping Murder Case" (Watch this after the magical express case) and "Massacre of Deep Blue" . Mind you I watched these 6-7 years ago now so don't hold it against me if they aren't as good :)
Once again I feel exactly the same . I watched Reservoir Dogs a few years ago and I just didn't "get it" I suppose . Once again stellar small talk between the actors but the actual story and character development were severely lacking . Also nobody can convince me that the sadistic torture scene had to be as a graphic as it was . The only other film of his I watched was Django when it released which I didn't like for similar reasons
Yeah I'm exactly the same . I can't even explain it properly but sometimes a protagonist will simply "click" with me which will make me overlook a ton of things I don't like . Thinking back though there are very few protagonists in anime that I found appealing as I mostly resonated with the villains or the side characters
Sounds interesting! I added it to my super long (not) watch list haha . Did you check my watched list? I used to have notes and scores for everything but I deleted most of them along with many of my reviews a few years back because I felt like too much time had passed since I watched many of them and my views might be different now
Ah I see yeah that makes sense! I come from a completely different background but I can sympathize a LOT with the ultra competitive nature of the world . Everyone in my life past my mother who always was thinking the same way I do (Thank god for that because I would have gone nuts otherwise) were puzzled by my complete irreverence towards "making it big" or "fitting in" . Living in an extremely extroverted country certainly didn't help things either and often times even today I feel like an alien pretending to be human (I cut class often haha so I more than understand! XD)
I remember reading that these groups had a dark history but that's par for the course I suppose for young men that feel ostracized . Many classmates men or women I knew that had a dysfunctional family either became neurotic perfect citizens or more often they ended up being engulfed by the "nightlife" for a lack of a better word . I sympathize with some of them greatly though because if I didn't have the emotional support from my mother god only knows where I would be today or if I would be here at all
I feel the same way as well and one of the things I liked about anime and Asian cinema in general is the redemption stories they often offer for their villains . In the western world I see a lot of people being against the trope of "Bad guy became bad due to trauma" but I never found that to be a trope but a part of real life . There's a saying in my country that we are all victims of other victims and it's something I always try to remember when someone inevitably makes me angry
Are you a Yakuza fan? Man I love those games! Granted I haven't played the last 3 or 4 because I feel like they overdid it with Kiryu and turn based RPG's aren't really my thing but I loved the earlier entries
From the ones you mentioned I've only seen Edgerunners and that's mostly because I played the Cyberpunk video game . My opinion of it is that it was "okay" and I never understood the hype surrounding either but again different strokes for different folks
Yeah I'm tired of the same premises that offer nothing fresh and it's the main reason why I stopped consuming new entertainment as I once did . Some may call it nostalgia and I'm sure that plays a part but I feel like everything is either derivative or a rehash nowadays . Endless remakes , Sequels 30 years later for no reason other than to capitalize on nostalgia , Never ending franchises that ruin a once good thing , Flavor of the month decent to okay time killers that nobody will remember a year later etc.
I'm sure like you said that there are some anime out there that are outliers but there aren't many . The last time I felt compelled by something "new" was Violet Evergarden (Which was good but S2 killed it) and Attack on Titan which I found to have gotten pretty stale and safe by the third season (Popular characters/Writers pets won't die no matter what) . The last hope I have is in Sousou no Frieren at least being half decent for me judging by how much people are hyping it up
I'm the exact same way and you know what? I appreciate it that you wait to feel mentally better because you give your all to the conversation . Thank you! and I'm sad to hear about your situation as well
You weren't kidding you are indeed very knowledgeable on music . I have to listen to the tracks you've mentioned!
Ah I see! Now I got you hooked haha . If you still desire to and don't want to "waste your time" I could recommend you the cases that stood out the most to me because admittedly one of the biggest weaknesses of the series even for someone that loved it was the repetition . Mind you not because there was a murder each time but because certain patters often repeat and when a murder was a committed for the 20th time due to a misunderstanding I just burst out laughing . As far as your critique for the Phantom arc I pretty much agree with everything you've said
I agree with pretty much everything regarding Black Lagoon as well even right down to Roberta being one of my favorite characters as well (Ginji was also cool) . Exactly! I didn't get it at the time because I hadn't watched the classics such as Killer , A Better tomorrow and Hard Boiled but Chang is obviously based on Chow Yun Fat . A few others I remember is them paying tribute to Terminator 2 with Roberta and the Gray Fox unit being an obvious nod to the Metal Gear Solid series . I also agree with you on Tarantino , I have a certain level of nostalgia for Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill and I always appreciated how he makes small talk engaging in his movies but nowadays I don't like him either . He is just too much of a sadist for my tastes
You're right on the money . Thinking back I feel like the only reason I liked GTO despite my issues with it and not Salary Man Kintaro was because GTO was far more comedic in nature . Furthermore I also feel like timing had a lot do with it , I watched GTO in 2013 while Salary Man Kintaro in 2018 and by that point my threshold for cheesy self-indulgent and quite unrealistic solutions to certain very serious situations was a lot smaller . My main and only true issue with Salary Man Kintaro is Kintaro himself who I just do not find likeable enough for a lack of a better word to actually root for . After talking with you and reading the paper you send me I have a much better appreciation about it's messages but I just wish they were expressed through a far better realized character than Kintaro
If you don't mind me asking you seem very knowledgeable on the struggles of the average "salaryman" and conformity in in general . Have you had personal experience in it and that's why you have a better understanding/appreciation for what Salary Man Kintaro and delinquent anime in general are going for?
I'll definitely try out Shounan Bakusouzoku at some point because I liked GTO and Kyou Kara Ore Wa . Due to your recommendation I have to at least give Salary Man Kintaro another chance since like you said there's only 5 episodes left . Yeah that's kind of weird isn't it? These type of anime were huge in the 90's while now we get more or less the same 2-3 stale premises ad nauseum
I feel you when it comes to anxiety . My issues stem from losing family members back to back and having to deal with all sorts of neurological problems throughout the years . Truth be told the only reason I'm still here today is because of my mother who has been a godsend
A very easy recommendation is without question Vangelis . I'm sure you've heard of Bladerunner and "Tears in Rain" but if you haven't you owe it to yourself to listen to that melody
Oh that's great to hear because Slam Dunk gets very technical and is very realistic unlike that other basketball anime that it's name escapes me . Sakuragi is not your average chosen one , He is gifted with natural athleticism sure but he lacks fundamentals and gets humbled HARD across the entire series . It's all about the beauty of teamwork , Practice and never looking down on others . Now that I know you're a basketball fan you'll 100% enjoy it! I remember reading that it won an award back in the day for inspiring many Japanese students to play basketball
I definitely see your points about Black Lagoon and it's definitely trying way too hard to be edgy at times . What drew me in personally were all the homages to classic action movies along with the exploration of if bad experiences/environment can shape a person into a monster . Season 2 is better than the first story wise but it feels like it's one of those anime that will probably never end so it's hard to recommend it
I feel the same way about modern works and I almost exclusively watch old stuff as well . 99% of what came out in the past 15 years has been completely disposable and my only hope nowadays when I watch/listen/play something new is to be at least a decent time killer
As far as Kindaichi goes the way to go about it is watching only the major cases as the filler does nothing to help the already repetitive nature of detective shows . If you end up liking Phantom of the Opera I can recommend you more arcs that are equally as good (The ones with his arch-nemesis are very well made and a few are pretty dark)
I'll be honest I'm a hypocrite because one anime I've watched numerous times and enjoyed when I was younger was Great Teacher Onizuka and it definitely shares a LOT of the same flaws (It's worse in some ways too like the sexualization of 14 year old girls) and messages as Salary Man Kintaro does . Maybe it's because I watched it at the wrong time or because I dropped it around when the change you mention was about to happen that I ended up not liking it . Wow Money Wars does indeed sound darker by comparison and it's a shame it wasn't turned into an anime . Very interesting paper thank you , I'll definitely read more into the whole thing
I also wanted to add that you're a very interesting and well spoken person , It's really fun talking with you :)
Oh that sucks I also have some health related issues that have impacted my day to day life since 2017 so I sympathize 100% , Hope you make a full or at least as full of a recovery as physically possible . Thank you happy holidays/Merry Christmas to you too!
Yeah it's just my opinion of course but I don't hold Greek cinema in high regard as especially for what feels like 4 decades now they are primarily focused with copying Hollywood poorly , Making unfunny comedies or creating cheap TV series that run for far longer than they should . Greek music on the other hand was gold though with many great artists
I feel like if you are not a fan of basketball at all you're going to find Slam Dunk a bit tedious since it's very much about the sport and less so about the characters since practically everyone has very surface level motivations . It's a really sweet/pure anime and I loved the lessons about respect , Teamwork and all that but yeah you got to like basketball even a little bit in order for you to enjoy it
Phantom is...I'll be honest a guilty pleasure . If you hate it I wouldn't blame you but it is heavily influenced by movies such as La Femme Nikita and Leon The Professional both of which I feel like had very interesting set ups but practically no "soul" . Phantom did or at least I felt that it did which carried it despite it's grand canyon sized flaws
I have nothing to add for 91 days I fully agree . It's a solid revenge story but what made it stand out to me was how unique it was for an anime . Down to earth settings are far and few in between in anime and I just liked that Angelo didn't shoot lasers out of his eyes or something like that lol
Kindaichi is admittedly yet another guilty pleasure . The "whodunit" aspect of the show is average at best because most killers plan are improbable and you aren't given the same clues Kindaichi has which many times makes it impossible to deduct who the culprit is alongside him . Ironically what bummed you out was the only reason I kept watching and ended up loving it . The endings are very Dostoyevskian in nature , Tragic but with a glimmer of hope and never nihilistic . If you are interested I recommend watching the case "The Phantom of the Opera" from the 1997 TV series as it is one of my favorites
Oh now you see you got me curious! I would definitely consider it and I would love to hear you thoughts on it . I watched the anime and made the review I believe in 2018 so I don't remember a ton of it but enough to understand what you're referring to .
Hey friend I received your message and how you wanted to continue our discussion here :)
Thank you again for the kind words about my reviews! As far as favorite anime go some of them are 91 Days , Slam Dunk , Area 88 , Black Lagoon , Hajime no Ippo , Great Teacher Onizuka , Hotaru no Haka , Initial D , Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo , Monster , Phantom Requiem , Usagi Drop and many World Masterpiece Theater stuff such as Romeo no Aoi Sora , Perrine Monogatari , Ie Naki Ko etc.
I can name you many flaws about the anime that I mentioned above but I still love them
As far as movies go like I'm not a fan of modern cinema nor a huge movie buff and over time I soured a bit on even things I used to enjoy . That being said some of my favorite movies/guilty pleasures are Ong Bak , Transporter 1 , Batman The Dark Knight , Joker 2019 , The Bourne Trilogy , Scarface , The Naked Gun movies , Fast & Furious 1 , Gone with the Wind , The Lord of the Rings Trilogy , The Chinese John Woo classics (Killer for example) and Face Off , American Psycho , Nothing to Lose , Fight Club , Rush Hour , Undisputed 3 , New Police Story , The Raimi Spider-Man trilogy , The Man From Nowhere , They Live , Terminator 1 , The Villainess among a few others
As far as Greek movies and TV shows to be honest our cinema mostly died after our "Golden Years" of the 60's and 70's and even then most of those are comedies that aged badly . There's nothing too special to recommend I'm afraid
Sure you can ask me about City Hunter . Anything you want :)
All Comments (10) Comments
I'm glad you enjoyed In Hell as it caught me completely off guard when I watched it as well since I was expecting JCVD to start roundhousing fools lol . Sure thing if you ever do let me know what you think :)
I do the same thing haha . I don't mind supporting something but I got to know if I'll like it first
I agree completely with everything you've stated regarding the incident with Kim Sae-ron and politically speaking I'm very much in the same boat as you as far as the western world is concerned . I also read something recently about a popular streamer in Japan getting stabbed by a stalker of some sorts . It's scary how obsessed some fans get about the lives of J/K pop stars and such
Yeah I definitely see your point . I don't want to say it because it will make me sound like a prick but man standards are so low when it comes to anime writing . We've touched on this before but I'm not mad if someone likes something I don't but when 99% of people like it and criticism is seen as trolling I get the petty urge to be mean lol . I enjoyed the Japanese Death Note movies more than the anime even if the anime is admittedly "better" . I've never read the manga or anything else about the series because I just could never get into L's successors or the lore in general . The worst of the worst though is easily the netflix series which proves that Hollywood simply doesn't get it lol
Transporter is a very silly movie but I do really love it mainly because I enjoy watching Jason Statham playing Jason Statham (He is literally the same character in every movie lol) . The sequels are god awful travesties though and I do not recommend them AT ALL
Yeah I agree with pretty much everything except somewhat the Sosa part . What I got from it is to survive in their world you have to be completely soulless which Tony for all his faults wasn't . The one time where he showed compassion it ultimately costed him his life and I feel like that is a good message for all those that glamourize that type of lifestyle
I watched Platoon with my brother when I was younger and I remember really liking it . Over the years I've become fairly skeptical of "based on a true" story movies made by Hollywood but I read that Platoon was apparently pretty accurate which is incredibly sad to think about
THANK YOU! I tried to be fair in what I wrote because I wasn't really sure if you were a fan and I didn't want to insult you but I feel THE EXACT SAME WAY . Practically all of his films that I watched left me more disgusted than Tarantino's degenerate gore fests . Taxi Driver is probably the only exception but that's mostly because I like the "idea" for a lack of a better word
That's interesting , I'll probably will watch it at some point but I got spoiled on the ending which somewhat killed the little interest I had in it
The movie was an improvement? God I don't want to know how bad the comic was then lol . Terminator 2 is a 10/10 action movie but the story/writing in my opinion took a nose dive in quality . I simply can't get over the fact that the sequel butchered the "Bootstrap paradox" in order to have a generic "No fate" message . I don't know how much you remember but John Connor becoming a resistence leader regardless of the father is a really dumb writing decision
Oh yeah I definitely agree that it is overused and the "fault" mostly falls on Heath Ledger knocking out the park in the Dark Knight . The same thing ironically has happened with Harley Quinn as well after Suicide Squad . Margot Robbie's rendition became so popular with the general public than they have been forcing the character down people's throats as a female empowerment symbol for what feels like a decade now
What I loved about FFX is the relationship between Yuna and Tidus . It's really well made and once again another example in my opinion that westerners cannot write romance . I know people find that type of writing "cheesy" because we are all too cool now and thus everything has to be drenched in ten layers of irony but I still loved it
I'm pretty sure there is not a single jumpscare in the games that I've played and they mostly rely on eerie atmosphere and extremely violent/disturbing imagery based on the subconscious of the characters to make you feel uncomfortable . I always found psychological/body horror to be degenerate and extremely pretentious misery porn which I believe speaks volumes for Silent Hill 2 since I still recommend it despite my negative stance on the genre . The good thing is that it has so few connections with the other games besides some background lore stuff that hardly matter so you can treat it as a standalone
I never properly played the sequels to Sands of Time mostly because I never liked the direction they took . I remember being excited to play the 2nd game and I lost interest about an hour in because they tried to be too edgy for my tastes . In addition I'm a stickler and when I like a story I don't want to see it being continued . I believe Tarantino mentioned something along the lines of Toy Story 4 or 5 might be great but I don't want to see them because for me the ending of 3 was perfect which is a sentiment I 100% agree with . For all my issues with him I respect him for not falling into the typical Hollywood pit of endless sequels that retroactively hurt the first movie
It shocked me as well . I'm sure the typical hypocritical moralizers on the internet got to her but I wonder if that was the only reason or simply the thing that pushed her over the edge . I've heard a lot about Parasite but I was never really in a mood to watch it simply because it sounds so bleak and nihilistic
My two favorite things about Luc Besson films or at least those he made up until the early 00's are how beautiful he makes France look and like you said he is very good at making pop corn action flicks of which The Transporter is easily my favorite . You're right this sentiment was popularized by Tony Montana but I feel like people greatly downplay the characters hypocrisy simply because Al Pacino owned the role and Tony is extremely charming . For example the fact that Tony genuinely believes that he was loyal to Frank is laughable but in his deluded mind it all made sense
Funny you'd ask that as I just watched both movies again semi-recently and while I'll say that the Al Pacino version is a LOT more fun I slightly prefer the overall story of the original movie simply because it glorifies Tony and his actions a lot less (Their deaths while similar in style are quite different) . The Al Pacino movie is a very modern American take where people are led to believe that to a certain extend the ends justify the means if you end being "somebody" . There are countless movies with this message and it's the main reason why I never liked Martin Scorsese films such as Goodfellas or The Wolf of Wall Street . He "technically" does condemn the lifestyle of the characters but he always structures it in a way so that regardless of what they did the viewer will end up thinking that their lives were fun or at least more fun than the character that strived to do good but got nothing in the end because nihilism
There's other examples as well . A few months back I watched Wanted 2007 (Bad movie btw) and it ended the same way with the character going "What are YOU doing with your life?" . Striving for a simple honest life is foreign to these people and it definitely had an impact on how many people think evident by the logical fallacies such as appeal to accomplishment/authority people tend to use to excuse bad behavior
Awesome! I'd love to read your thoughts on it! Wacky in terms of characters mostly . Practically everyone is over the top which you'd think wouldn't work but it gives the game a very unique style . For example if the villain is let's say French he will be the most over the top gentleman French man you've ever seen in your life lol . The crimes themselves are for the most part great though and the story at least in the main cases is always engaging (The music is phenomenal as well)
Yeah I see your point and I'd put it on me mostly because I never really liked Okabe all that much . It's crucial for me to connect with the protagonist in order to want him to do well despite the odds . I'll definitely watch Bebop next then! Thanks for naming the main episodes for me I appreciate it :)
I played the reboot of Prince of Persia as well but I found it a complete slog . Sands of Time is just magical for a lack of a better word , Even drinking from the fountains was awesome lol . I always heard great things about Final Fantasy 6 but I never really got around it because by the time I did turn based JRPG's kind of bored me . I know it's heresy to the fans of the genre which I can understand but the 4 guys and gals in a straight line spamming their best stuff and occasionally healing stopped being interesting the moment technology allowed for more action based gameplay . This design still has merit if there's actual strategy involved but that's rarely the case
I never played 12 but I did play 10 and yeah it's great all around even if it isn't really my style as I always like the more somewhat grounded settings in the series . I've also played Final Fantasy 7 , 8 , 15 and more recently 16 . I love 7 and 8 , I was disappointed by but still liked 15 (God this had so much potential to be the absolute best) and as far 16 goes I could write an entire rant on how disappointed I was with the game lol . If you are interested in 7 they remade 2/3 of the game with voiced cutscenes . The story deviates quite a bit in places as it acts both as a remake and a sorta kind of sequel at the same time
Speaking of video game stories , If your nerves can handle a fairly disturbing psychological thriller I highly recommend Silent Hill 2 which in my opinion is the pinnacle of video game storytelling (I don't like the rest of the series btw mostly because I'm a wuss and I like sleeping too much) . There is a remake which "technically" improves some things but nothing touches the original experience . It's a free abandonware game that you can play yourself on PC and it's only 8 hours or so (Considerably less so if you watch it like a movie) . If you are interested you can also watch it as a movie because the gameplay isn't the reason so many people loved it . I know you don't mind spoilers but trust me don't read any if you ever decide to play/watch this
I agree like many things in Clannad it doesn't really make sense and even if you do research it the answer is always kind of dumb . Oh yeah not all negative are well written but they are generally better than the positive ones for sure!
One question though who do you think was telling the truth between the wife and the husband? They both sold the same story to Nick about how they started doing drugs to show their loved one how easy it was to kick it and then they got hooked . The easy answer is the husband because the guy had serious issues but her seducing Nick with the smoke and trying to get him hooked left me with doubts
I can't speak about Prison on Fire but your description of Lam couldn't be more true as far as In Hell is concerned . I came into In Hell with the idea that JCVD would do a lot of spinning kicks but it's not an action flick which caught me off guard . It's a difficult movie to watch and you have to suspend your disbelief quite a lot in order to enjoy the heartwarming ending but I liked it overall because it's one of those movies that restores your faith in humanity
I agree some of the scenes from The Man from Nowhere are pretty brutal . Did you happen to hear about the actress that plays the little girl? Apparently she committed suicide which is really sad since she was only 24 . I 100% agree with you about The Villainess and I legitimately do not understand what they were trying to do with the main villain . He loved her but his guilt of killing her father made him distance himself from her but also maybe that's a lie and it's up to her to believe it if she wants to? The last 30 minutes are an unnecessary jumbled pretentious mess
I'd say loosely inspired . Both movies feature a girl with nowhere to go getting trained by a similar type of organization that also has similar demands from her . It also has a love triangle between Nikita , Her mentor and a simply guy she met but that's where the similarities end . Her love interest is not spying on her , Her mentor didn't kill her father and the ending is entirely different but I'd argue not much better or more satisfying . I love the premise in both movies , I like the in between stuff in the Villainess a lot more and both movies had unsatisfying endings in my opinion
I've also seen Leon and Kiss of the Dragon and to be honest I wasn't really a fan . I'm a Jet Li fan and I even enjoyed his American movies that weren't all that good (Romeo must Die) but Kiss of the Dragon just didn't do it for me . The fight scene with the twins was great but everything else was below average imo . Leon the Professional is a beloved movie but I just couldn't get into it either . I found the romantic undertones quite creepy mostly because Leon never puts his foot down and says "No you are a child" which MIGHT be excused by Leon's arrested development but then you remember that Luc Besson had an underage girlfriend at the time which...yeah . It also did this annoying western trope where we are supposed to like the anti-hero because he indiscriminately kills men and not women or children widows , Parents and orphans be damned I suppose
Oh yeah it is a complete reboot and I highly doubt that there are any callbacks . New Police Story is totally different in tone as there's barely any comedy past Jackie's partner but even that is pretty tame . The iconic factory scene alone is a 100 times darker than all the previous movies combined
I remember reading about how Cowboy Bebop has a lot of filler and that was the main reason it stopped me from watching it but I have to find the main ones and watch those at least since I trust your judgment . I liked...Aspects of Steins Gate as well but I never really liked it as a whole primarily because it is a bit too "anime" if that makes sense . The ending didn't help things either because I felt like it kind of went against the moral of the story and the danger of playing god. My first experience was with the VN and I got to say the "good" endings where Okabe has to choose between Mayuri and Kurisu are a lot more impactful than the true ending the anime went with . I suppose if someone really liked the characters then that ending would work for them since they'd like to see them being happy but for me eh...The only character I wanted to see be well was Mayuri
Glad you're enjoying it! Yeah I agree about LA Noire as well , It's detective systems were not that great because you had no indication of how Cole would react . In the PS3 version it was I believe "Truth" , "Doubt" and "Lie" . It makes for many unintentionally hilarious moments though lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmvSieBFPNM
Ace Attorney is a bit too "wacky" for my tastes and often times involves supernatural elements but nevertheless I enjoyed the original trilogy which speaks wonders because I don't mix well with those two things
Yeah apparently it was going to be completely different before they got him on board . I'm not sure if his involvement or them obviously running out of money was to blame but both played a part for sure because the middle part of the game is rushed . You are tasked with caring about or actually believing that characters you've known for a week and a half are your friends/lovers for life . Even your initial friend group in Misty and Jackie are only in V's life for longer than 6 months if you pick the corpo route which states that Jackie's mom raised you as her own and you grew up alongside them
You mean Prince of Persia Sands of Time? I love that game a LOT but it's been years since I last played it! . Which Final Fantasy games did you like?
You've already read my thoughts on AOT so I don't want to repeat myself but the writing quality gets shockingly worse with each passing season to the point where it devolves into a poor man's edgy Naruto clone and little else . The dip in quality is so huge in fact that it had people legitimately believing that it was all a "ruse" and Isayama couldn't possibly be a bad writer that had pull things out of his ass due to many rewrites . People talk about the last few chapters specifically only because it was then that it finally dawned on some of them that there wasn't any 5D chess being played . Harsh as it is to say the fact that this anime was liked by so many people post Season 3 (Which already had issues) proves that standards for writing in anime are pathetically low and all people care about is their favorite "ships" nonsensical as they might be becoming a reality
Oh yeah I agree on the underage marriage thing as well . Uncomfortable as it might be it was a thing that did happen back in the day and like you said there was nothing sexual about it in both instances where it was showcased
Clannad was my first big anime disappointment but nevertheless it's still one of my favorites simply because I love it's good parts a lot . The entire story about Tomoya and how it mirrors his father's is excellently done but the rest barring the Kotomi episodes and the 1 year before extra OVA I could live without . The comedy was kind of crap and all the side girls were nothing fanservice characters
Fuko was a bit too anime but I liked the story about Tomoya and Nagisa helping her moving on , It was sad but very sweet at the same time . Her return killed all of that and the entire thing was a complete waste of time which leads me to Ushio's death...I've read explanations about the orbs , The city and it's magic , Nagisa's role in it , Tomoya's depression impacting magical Ushio's health and I got to be honest I find it all really REALLY stupid lol . The movie version doesn't have a tenth of the soul the series has but it at the very least understood that all of that was garbage and cut them completely
I enjoy reading negative reviews far more than positive ones even for pieces of media that I enjoyed for this very reason . Positive reviews almost never have anything insightful to say while many negative ones actually go into detail about what they like or didn't like . Same here , Once I started reading between the lines and wasn't just a kid looking to have fun I realized that I genuinely detest western writing and humor . For example Terminator 2 was one of my favorite movies when I was a teenager but I watched it again a few years back and my god is the writing terrible and it craps all over what the first movie established (Robert Patrick should have won an oscar for his T1000 portrayal though)
I really like The Man from Nowhere too and the Villainess is similar to Phantom for me , A guilty pleasure and nothing more . The story is a mess and I had tons of issues with it but I like the Femme Nikita premise and some of the twists they added to the story were a nice touch
I'm pretty sure New Police Story acts like a soft reboot and it is far darker than the original Police Story movies so you can treat it as a standalone . I love the movie to bits so I'm pretty sure that at the bare minimum it will be a fun time killer if you are ever in the mood . I feel the same way and generally speaking I don't like remakes as a whole especially nowadays because they are shameless cash grabs
Oh killer recommendations thanks! All of these sound very interesting and I'm sure I'll like them because our tastes align . Out of those I've only watched Shinjuku Incident 2-3 months ago and I really liked it . Definitely not something I was expecting from Jackie Chan . I searched Wild Search and it led me to "In Hell" with Jean Claude Van Damme , I had no idea Ringo Lam directed that movie as well! . I've also added Blades of the Guardians to my watch list!
I was burned so many times by popular anime that I removed Cowboy Bebop from my watch list a little while back . Your recommendation definitely sparked my interest again though and it's one of those things where I HAVE to watch it at some point . Same thing with many Studio Ghibli stuff that I never really got around to watching because like you overly fantastical settings aren't really my thing
Glad you are enjoying it! I can see the similarities with LA Noire as well . Yes there's Judgment and it's sequel Lost Judgment . I think the first game has a better story but the second one is not half bad either as it deals with bullying , Neglect and the morality of vigilantism . Yagami gets annoying a little bit in the second though because he is hyper fixated on a character that wasn't even all that likeable to me but we'll discuss that when and if you get to that point
Unfortunately the Cyberpunk 2077 CD Project Red had in mind probably went into the trash when they managed to get Keanu Reeves on board . It also didn't help that the development process was a complete disaster . There's many that will claim that all the issues of the game have been fixed nowadays but the story and your ability to impact the story are very weak imo
I remember reading something along the lines of "If a detective novel is actually well written and smart you'll still be able to read it even if you are spoiled on who is the culprit , If not then it's the shock factor and the anticipation that made you believe that the book is well written" . I tend to agree with this but I still like to be surprised because it barely ever happens anymore . In which season did you stop watching AOT?
The basic gist with Violet Evergarden's second season is that her love interest that had supposedly died is actually alive . It's not "terrible" but I fail to see what it adds to the story besides a saccharine ending that hurts the message of the first season
I agree and I don't like the genre either with Clannad possibly being one of the very few exceptions . It's bloated to hell and back with nonsense but it's also one of the most heartwarming anime about family I have ever seen and just like you I feel like the music was amazing . The ending sucks though for multiple reasons . The Ushio stuff is typical Key hurting little children for no reason other than to force you to cry , It serves no purpose to the story since the entire idea was for Tomoya to understand how difficult his father's life was . The magical orbs nonsense was very video gamey which makes sense since it's the true ending in the visual novel that you can only get by helping all the characters . Nevertheless I hated it and the all the scenes with the robot and the girl that I thought were simply an allegory turned out be just a different universe . If I recommend it to anyone I'd advise them to stop at episode 19 or so (The Fuko stuff was also a terrible bait and switch)
I'd say that it has become even worse . I can't speak for MAL but now it's obvious that many companies use bots/AI for positive review spam . Fanboyism hasn't got any better either and many people still can't separate trolling from constructive criticism . The notion that someone may not like something that is popular is completely foreign to some people
It's eerie how much we agree on certain things . I have seen both Infernal Affairs and City on Fire and I also liked both more than their American remakes (IA is one of my favorite movies)
Phantom Requiem can definitely come across as pretentious as well and it has grand canyon sized flaws but I still love it . Unlike Psycho Pass the setting remains grounded and realistic which I always preferred personally (Psycho Pass's future was just too difficult to believe imo)
The underworld in general always scared me . I never not regretted not being a night person (At least going outside at nights)
Perhaps it's mostly in Chinese movies? I'm aware that Korean cinema has some incredibly sadistic stuff which is why I never really liked it . Chinese cinema is by far the most appealing to me (Do you have any recommendations?) . One example of the top of my head is New Police Story which is one of my favorite movies ever . It humanizes the villains who have all done some monstrous things . Jackie Chan's character in that is extremely admirable in that he tries to reason with the gang up until their final moments which ends up impacting their behavior even if they obviously can't be forgiven for their crimes
I 100% agree! Everything was very surface level stuff and I never managed to care about the characters in Edgerunners . If you haven't I highly recommend watching the Judgment games on youtube like movies if you are interested in crime dramas from the same studio . Yakuza 1 through 4 are near and dear to my heart but the first Judgment game is hands down the best story they've ever written in my opinion . I feel like you're really going to enjoy that
As far as Cyberpunk 2077 goes at least story wise it isn't anything special in my opinion . It's your average run of the mill Hollywood action flick with a glory/money leads to losing your soul message and a bland cardboard cutout protagonist . It's entertaining but nothing too deep . Keanu Reeves involvement probably changed the initial story a lot and while he was cool and everything the race against time thing wasn't very well executed . Plus I felt like the player needed to have more choices to make V feel like their own avatar which in turn would have made them far more interesting
The first half of the first season of AOT was rough for me too . I simply did not care or like any of the characters but it eventually won me over towards the later half of season 1 where the first big twist happens . Then season 2 came which in my opinion has the best directed twist in anime history . It's a bold statement and I'm sticking by it lol
By season 3 Part 1 I started to slowly lose interest because I realized that named characters won't die . This became egregious in Part 2 where all the writers pets magically survived in the most BS way possible
Season 4 and particularly part 2 despite their admittedly interesting premise are simply terribly written . A lot of people talk about the ending being bad or the last few chapters being bad but no the writing was poor long LONG before that and the only reason the ending was such a blow to fans is because they hoped that Isayama would manage to turn everything around which he didn't . The only people I've seen that liked AOT's final few seasons are kids and people that don't really care about consistent writing and just like to watch shounen characters doing shounen things
It's difficult not to spoil why I feel that way about Season 2 but basically the whole point of S1 was about how to deal with loss and Violet herself becoming a different person by having to help people that felt the same way she did . It's a very touching story that gets robbed of all of it's meaning with the happy ending the follow up provided . I feel exactly the same about Clannad After story as well
I'm the exact same way . I feel like especially with the internet if a few notable people say something is good then it becomes heresy to feel otherwise which is absurd since if you aren't a blind follower then it is impossible to like everything that happens to be popular or is being called a "classic" . I also much MUCH prefer the older more realistic art styles . I constantly hear about how impressive the animation is in new anime and personally I'm not a fan
It's been a while since I watched Kindaichi but from what I remember my favorite cases were in the middle of the show but that's probably because it hadn't gotten as stale . A few I remember of the top of my head that I really enjoyed were the "Magical Express Murder Case" , The "Ijinkan Hotel Murder Case" , the "Reika Hayami Kidnapping Murder Case" (Watch this after the magical express case) and "Massacre of Deep Blue" . Mind you I watched these 6-7 years ago now so don't hold it against me if they aren't as good :)
Once again I feel exactly the same . I watched Reservoir Dogs a few years ago and I just didn't "get it" I suppose . Once again stellar small talk between the actors but the actual story and character development were severely lacking . Also nobody can convince me that the sadistic torture scene had to be as a graphic as it was . The only other film of his I watched was Django when it released which I didn't like for similar reasons
Yeah I'm exactly the same . I can't even explain it properly but sometimes a protagonist will simply "click" with me which will make me overlook a ton of things I don't like . Thinking back though there are very few protagonists in anime that I found appealing as I mostly resonated with the villains or the side characters
Sounds interesting! I added it to my super long (not) watch list haha . Did you check my watched list? I used to have notes and scores for everything but I deleted most of them along with many of my reviews a few years back because I felt like too much time had passed since I watched many of them and my views might be different now
Ah I see yeah that makes sense! I come from a completely different background but I can sympathize a LOT with the ultra competitive nature of the world . Everyone in my life past my mother who always was thinking the same way I do (Thank god for that because I would have gone nuts otherwise) were puzzled by my complete irreverence towards "making it big" or "fitting in" . Living in an extremely extroverted country certainly didn't help things either and often times even today I feel like an alien pretending to be human (I cut class often haha so I more than understand! XD)
I remember reading that these groups had a dark history but that's par for the course I suppose for young men that feel ostracized . Many classmates men or women I knew that had a dysfunctional family either became neurotic perfect citizens or more often they ended up being engulfed by the "nightlife" for a lack of a better word . I sympathize with some of them greatly though because if I didn't have the emotional support from my mother god only knows where I would be today or if I would be here at all
I feel the same way as well and one of the things I liked about anime and Asian cinema in general is the redemption stories they often offer for their villains . In the western world I see a lot of people being against the trope of "Bad guy became bad due to trauma" but I never found that to be a trope but a part of real life . There's a saying in my country that we are all victims of other victims and it's something I always try to remember when someone inevitably makes me angry
Are you a Yakuza fan? Man I love those games! Granted I haven't played the last 3 or 4 because I feel like they overdid it with Kiryu and turn based RPG's aren't really my thing but I loved the earlier entries
From the ones you mentioned I've only seen Edgerunners and that's mostly because I played the Cyberpunk video game . My opinion of it is that it was "okay" and I never understood the hype surrounding either but again different strokes for different folks
Yeah I'm tired of the same premises that offer nothing fresh and it's the main reason why I stopped consuming new entertainment as I once did . Some may call it nostalgia and I'm sure that plays a part but I feel like everything is either derivative or a rehash nowadays . Endless remakes , Sequels 30 years later for no reason other than to capitalize on nostalgia , Never ending franchises that ruin a once good thing , Flavor of the month decent to okay time killers that nobody will remember a year later etc.
I'm sure like you said that there are some anime out there that are outliers but there aren't many . The last time I felt compelled by something "new" was Violet Evergarden (Which was good but S2 killed it) and Attack on Titan which I found to have gotten pretty stale and safe by the third season (Popular characters/Writers pets won't die no matter what) . The last hope I have is in Sousou no Frieren at least being half decent for me judging by how much people are hyping it up
You weren't kidding you are indeed very knowledgeable on music . I have to listen to the tracks you've mentioned!
Ah I see! Now I got you hooked haha . If you still desire to and don't want to "waste your time" I could recommend you the cases that stood out the most to me because admittedly one of the biggest weaknesses of the series even for someone that loved it was the repetition . Mind you not because there was a murder each time but because certain patters often repeat and when a murder was a committed for the 20th time due to a misunderstanding I just burst out laughing . As far as your critique for the Phantom arc I pretty much agree with everything you've said
I agree with pretty much everything regarding Black Lagoon as well even right down to Roberta being one of my favorite characters as well (Ginji was also cool) . Exactly! I didn't get it at the time because I hadn't watched the classics such as Killer , A Better tomorrow and Hard Boiled but Chang is obviously based on Chow Yun Fat . A few others I remember is them paying tribute to Terminator 2 with Roberta and the Gray Fox unit being an obvious nod to the Metal Gear Solid series . I also agree with you on Tarantino , I have a certain level of nostalgia for Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill and I always appreciated how he makes small talk engaging in his movies but nowadays I don't like him either . He is just too much of a sadist for my tastes
You're right on the money . Thinking back I feel like the only reason I liked GTO despite my issues with it and not Salary Man Kintaro was because GTO was far more comedic in nature . Furthermore I also feel like timing had a lot do with it , I watched GTO in 2013 while Salary Man Kintaro in 2018 and by that point my threshold for cheesy self-indulgent and quite unrealistic solutions to certain very serious situations was a lot smaller . My main and only true issue with Salary Man Kintaro is Kintaro himself who I just do not find likeable enough for a lack of a better word to actually root for . After talking with you and reading the paper you send me I have a much better appreciation about it's messages but I just wish they were expressed through a far better realized character than Kintaro
If you don't mind me asking you seem very knowledgeable on the struggles of the average "salaryman" and conformity in in general . Have you had personal experience in it and that's why you have a better understanding/appreciation for what Salary Man Kintaro and delinquent anime in general are going for?
I'll definitely try out Shounan Bakusouzoku at some point because I liked GTO and Kyou Kara Ore Wa . Due to your recommendation I have to at least give Salary Man Kintaro another chance since like you said there's only 5 episodes left . Yeah that's kind of weird isn't it? These type of anime were huge in the 90's while now we get more or less the same 2-3 stale premises ad nauseum
A very easy recommendation is without question Vangelis . I'm sure you've heard of Bladerunner and "Tears in Rain" but if you haven't you owe it to yourself to listen to that melody
Oh that's great to hear because Slam Dunk gets very technical and is very realistic unlike that other basketball anime that it's name escapes me . Sakuragi is not your average chosen one , He is gifted with natural athleticism sure but he lacks fundamentals and gets humbled HARD across the entire series . It's all about the beauty of teamwork , Practice and never looking down on others . Now that I know you're a basketball fan you'll 100% enjoy it! I remember reading that it won an award back in the day for inspiring many Japanese students to play basketball
I definitely see your points about Black Lagoon and it's definitely trying way too hard to be edgy at times . What drew me in personally were all the homages to classic action movies along with the exploration of if bad experiences/environment can shape a person into a monster . Season 2 is better than the first story wise but it feels like it's one of those anime that will probably never end so it's hard to recommend it
I feel the same way about modern works and I almost exclusively watch old stuff as well . 99% of what came out in the past 15 years has been completely disposable and my only hope nowadays when I watch/listen/play something new is to be at least a decent time killer
As far as Kindaichi goes the way to go about it is watching only the major cases as the filler does nothing to help the already repetitive nature of detective shows . If you end up liking Phantom of the Opera I can recommend you more arcs that are equally as good (The ones with his arch-nemesis are very well made and a few are pretty dark)
I'll be honest I'm a hypocrite because one anime I've watched numerous times and enjoyed when I was younger was Great Teacher Onizuka and it definitely shares a LOT of the same flaws (It's worse in some ways too like the sexualization of 14 year old girls) and messages as Salary Man Kintaro does . Maybe it's because I watched it at the wrong time or because I dropped it around when the change you mention was about to happen that I ended up not liking it . Wow Money Wars does indeed sound darker by comparison and it's a shame it wasn't turned into an anime . Very interesting paper thank you , I'll definitely read more into the whole thing
I also wanted to add that you're a very interesting and well spoken person , It's really fun talking with you :)
Yeah it's just my opinion of course but I don't hold Greek cinema in high regard as especially for what feels like 4 decades now they are primarily focused with copying Hollywood poorly , Making unfunny comedies or creating cheap TV series that run for far longer than they should . Greek music on the other hand was gold though with many great artists
I feel like if you are not a fan of basketball at all you're going to find Slam Dunk a bit tedious since it's very much about the sport and less so about the characters since practically everyone has very surface level motivations . It's a really sweet/pure anime and I loved the lessons about respect , Teamwork and all that but yeah you got to like basketball even a little bit in order for you to enjoy it
Phantom is...I'll be honest a guilty pleasure . If you hate it I wouldn't blame you but it is heavily influenced by movies such as La Femme Nikita and Leon The Professional both of which I feel like had very interesting set ups but practically no "soul" . Phantom did or at least I felt that it did which carried it despite it's grand canyon sized flaws
I have nothing to add for 91 days I fully agree . It's a solid revenge story but what made it stand out to me was how unique it was for an anime . Down to earth settings are far and few in between in anime and I just liked that Angelo didn't shoot lasers out of his eyes or something like that lol
Kindaichi is admittedly yet another guilty pleasure . The "whodunit" aspect of the show is average at best because most killers plan are improbable and you aren't given the same clues Kindaichi has which many times makes it impossible to deduct who the culprit is alongside him . Ironically what bummed you out was the only reason I kept watching and ended up loving it . The endings are very Dostoyevskian in nature , Tragic but with a glimmer of hope and never nihilistic . If you are interested I recommend watching the case "The Phantom of the Opera" from the 1997 TV series as it is one of my favorites
Oh now you see you got me curious! I would definitely consider it and I would love to hear you thoughts on it . I watched the anime and made the review I believe in 2018 so I don't remember a ton of it but enough to understand what you're referring to .
Thank you again for the kind words about my reviews! As far as favorite anime go some of them are 91 Days , Slam Dunk , Area 88 , Black Lagoon , Hajime no Ippo , Great Teacher Onizuka , Hotaru no Haka , Initial D , Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo , Monster , Phantom Requiem , Usagi Drop and many World Masterpiece Theater stuff such as Romeo no Aoi Sora , Perrine Monogatari , Ie Naki Ko etc.
I can name you many flaws about the anime that I mentioned above but I still love them
As far as movies go like I'm not a fan of modern cinema nor a huge movie buff and over time I soured a bit on even things I used to enjoy . That being said some of my favorite movies/guilty pleasures are Ong Bak , Transporter 1 , Batman The Dark Knight , Joker 2019 , The Bourne Trilogy , Scarface , The Naked Gun movies , Fast & Furious 1 , Gone with the Wind , The Lord of the Rings Trilogy , The Chinese John Woo classics (Killer for example) and Face Off , American Psycho , Nothing to Lose , Fight Club , Rush Hour , Undisputed 3 , New Police Story , The Raimi Spider-Man trilogy , The Man From Nowhere , They Live , Terminator 1 , The Villainess among a few others
As far as Greek movies and TV shows to be honest our cinema mostly died after our "Golden Years" of the 60's and 70's and even then most of those are comedies that aged badly . There's nothing too special to recommend I'm afraid
Sure you can ask me about City Hunter . Anything you want :)