Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart

This is a fever dream come to life. I enjoy this film, but for different reasons. It was such a weird watch that I had to ask myself if it was a real movie at all. It all centers around a steampunk setting, wherein Jack the Ripper exists for some reason, body parts can be replaced with old-fashioned ornaments, and people can have disproportionate heads with enough detail to have it be on the edge of realism and animated fantasy. It feels like a Tim Burton film not made by Tim Burton, and there were some creative shots here as well as some french music I still listen to to this day. The plot, though, can get very messy, like when Jack the Ripper suddenly shows up or how the bully character can be outright sadistic and horny for a person still in school, but it did hit me on the feels in terms of the relationship between the 2 lovers. It definitely has more shock value (or strange value if I'm being more specific) than actual good value in terms of how it handled its storytelling, but I will definitely remember this as a cult-following type of film, wherein people who are fans of its emo vibes can get into it.

Bocchi The Rock

When making a new section for this review page, I had to ask myself whether I should review Bocchi or Komi because of how similar they both are in terms of handling the shy girl character in their show, and after much debate, I feel like I have more to say about Bocchi just because of how relatable she is compared to Komi (at least in terms of the realm of anime). She is awkward around people, but she still wants to be with others, and she tries to express/improve on her weakness by doing what she wants, which is music. She does whatever she can to work around her problems, but it never feels like her progress in terms of socializing is forced into a 12-episode format. It takes time for her to learn how to be with people, and I figured that it is only through a long series of events that we will be able to see character development in Bocchi. Other than that, the animation was so creative for this show, applying different art styles and even some uses of 3D in its scenes. I still remember that one scene of Bocchi as a pre-rendered 3D model smashing through a pile of cubes with physic properties integrated in its code, and it really nailed the comedy for me. Not to say that it was the funniest show, but I am always surprised by what the animators will try to do to elevate a punchline in a scene. The music is also very good, and I find it fulfilling to have a music band anime with actual music in it.

Fire Emblem: Awakening

How can I describe this game? It is a dating simulator disguised as a Tactical RPG. I played this right after Fire Emblem for the GBA, and I never took advantage of the marriage system until this game, wherein it actually made it obvious how far into their relationship your pairings are. Because of this, the story and characters are the best I've seen in this series so far, especially Lucina's backstory via her time at her parallel dimension. Robin is also a compelling main protagnist in terms of FE Mains, and the antagonist does feel more like a threat when you consider the fact that this is supposed to be the final game in the franchise. The gameplay was also great, with maps that feel easy to navigate and a partner system that can make you really OP if you really wanted to. My Chrom and Sumiya pairing can blitz through so many enemies and cover so much of the map in one turn, and while it doesn't feel like the game is that challenging, it is satisfying to get so many enemies in one fell swoop. The fun is more so in finding out the best OP Pairing that can get through a vast hoarde of enemies. It does have a tedious planning phase that you have to go through before each map wherein you consider which members and items you should lay out in the battlefield, but that is just your standard FE gameplay loop for you. If you want a game with a great story, awesome characters, and a satisfying gameplay loop, this is one that you should consider.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Conquest

I've played all classic Donkey Kong Country Games made by Rare, and the one I like the most is this game. It is just a great collectathon with so many fun level designs that it can force you to learn how to speedrun it. Slime Climb, to me, is the one I replayed the most just for how fast you can go if you know where to go. Dixie is also a nice addition to the gameplay just for how the player can use her abilities to glide though levels. I played the GBA version, and while it doesn't have the same high guality graphics as the SNES version, it did give me more stuff to collect like the photos and the feathers. There are also a lot of minigames, though their quality differs for each one. Swanky Kong's quizzes are mediocre if you have already played all throughout the game, Funky Kong's gyrocopter levels were bad because of how slow and tedious the controls are, and Cranky Kong's Espresso races are the best minigames by far because of how it really fits with the speedy gameplay of the game. I really hate how it requires you to play all of these said minigames in order to collect all the hero tokens, but the fact that this game really makes me want to complete it 100% even if I am not a completionist myself really speaks to the quality of this game.

Samurai Jack

This show came up to me when I was scrolling through youtube, and the algorithm recommended to me its season 5 trailer on adult swim. Seeing how badass it was, I gave the first four seasons a binge watch. It was a struggle at first, getting used to the self-contained story format for this early era of Samurai Jack, but I did enjoy the way they portray their action sequences. One fight that sticks out was between him and a black ninja that can completely blend to dark surroundings. To combat said foe, Jack dresses all in white so that he can compleltely hide himself in light surroundings, and this leads to a tense and well-executed fight wherein the animators play with white and black colors to both frame and portray each action between the combatants. There were also little bits of information that carry out throughout the episodes, like his meeting with a scottish lad that appears occasionally all the way up to season 5. However, the show only starts taking its plot seriously in the final season, wherein out of some miracle, the show started to become more mature by showing us a lot of blood in their scenes. They changed the format of the show to have some episodic storytelling, which I find great for the first 7 episodes, but then episode 8 came around at it felt like a mix between your generic 2000s cartoon network show and the adult swim producers wishing for there to be a makeout scene because its weird and fits the program block. The show's finale felt rushed, and I wished there was a way for Jack to defeat present Aku instead of hopping to the time portal to defeat past Aku and erase the future that had our beloved characters in it. This show is the definition of "Enjoy the Journey not the destination" so while I do not like its ending, the show gave me an incredible journey with some of the best action sequences for a kids show.

1917

I think Schindler's List peaked for me when it comes to War Movies. However, 1917 is still an interesting watch for me because of the way it portrayed its story. While it was set in a time that I have not heard of, what I like about this movie is that it was one long shot with barely any cuts in between. This leads to creative ways the camera would portray particular scenes. To show the passage of time, for example, characters would just enter a house with an almost empty surrounding and the camera would then pan to the other side of the house wherein you see the guys exit to find themselves in a crowded area. Not cuts, no breaks, just a constant flow from start to finish. There was, to my knowledge, one cut wherein the main character falls down a flight of stairs and faints, but other than that, I find it very fascinating how everything moved so smoothly without any major work to be done in the editing room. It really contributes to a film that is easy to follow. It has a very simple plot for a war movie, but that makes it less of a headache for me in terms of someone who is not knowledgeable about this part of World History. That is not to say that there is not any tense moments here. Just from the beginning, their walk through dead man's land to enemy territory was so captivating to see, and the following scene wherein they find out that the germans have abandoned their side of the land is still a great surprise twist.

RRR

If you wanna get into bollywood movies, this is the movie that you must watch. Everything about it, from the action to the story to the characters, is so damn entertaining to see on screen. Ram and Bheem portrays a good bro-on-bro friendship that I have only seen in anime, and that dance sequence of naatu naatu was not necessary, but it was so fun and enjoyable that I think it did deserve an oscar for that. It can also get batshit insane, like that scene wherein they start riding a horse and a motorcycle on top of a bridge to save a child, or that one scene wherein Bheem brings out the entire animal kingdom to storm the british embassy. My mom even loved this film, and she is not even a person that likes action and gore in her movies. What I find most sincere in this movie is in their take of what it was like to be an indian during the time of the british occupancy, wherein it is shown that not even the soldiers are willing to shoot a bullet to them because they think\ it would be a waste of resources to shoot at the natives. When I first heard of this, I thought "Damn. This cuts so deep." but also, it really establishes how vile colonization can get. Overall, RRR can be fun but also speaks a little about the truth of their country's past history without having it feel boring. I am giving this a strong recommendation.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines

I found out about this show after watching Gigguk, and I didn't start watching it until I've randomly stumbled across this show on netflix. After watching all 12 episodes, I began to realize how much I am now so used to the tropes in school and harem anime that even a show that points out its flaws is also getting tiring for me. To those who haven't watch it, the premise is that the MC meets a bunch of girls who are part of their own little harems who pretty much "lost" their own respective battle to win a guy they are trying to date. And the MC is in charge of getting these girls to move on from their past loved ones during this show. I think that the show can get really cheesy wherein you get the usual conversations between two people that try to say something profound about love and relationships, but then you think about it for a bit, and you are like, "wait. that is common sense" or "Wait. that is bullshit." But in the end, I really like the feel-good vibes of this show. Nice to see a blue-haired girl get the love that she deserves for once, and the main protagonist actually does feel like a competent character. I guess this show really reminded me of my age and how high school drama is way beyond my understanding now as a guy in the mid-20s.