talking_about_movies Reviews

Shangri-La Frontier (2023–2024)

Intriguing and Exciting

[8/10 · 7 April 2024]

"Listen, do you want to know the truth about this world?"

Shangri-La Frontier is a very entertaining anime. In terms of entertainment alone, this would be my pick of the season. It's about a very imaginative, grand and subtly mysterious video game. It's the kind of video game that you'll love to play yourself, because it's just that cool.

There's a lot to like about SLF. First of all, let's get to our protagonist - Sunraku. I thought he was a great protagonist and he was somewhat inspiring and I'll tell you why. He sets very high standards for himself. He never shied away from a challenge. He wouldn't forgive himself if he did.

Next, we have world-building. And that's one of the main reasons why SLF is so entertaining. The world of this game is vast and full of surprises, which is perfect for an entertaining story. I loved seeing Sunraku figure this game out as an experienced gamer. The side characters are also very likeable. Pencilgon and Emul in particular were my favourites. There was also that little mystery about how good the AI of the game is because you could hardly distinguish an NPC from a player if you compared their behaviour. There were many of these little mysteries surrounding this game and I'd love to see where this story goes.

The one thing about this anime that surprised everyone, was the technical aspect. Studio C2C has made okay-ish animes before. But SLF right here is their big break. The animation might not be consistent, but it's absolutely brilliant in the important scenes. And I think that's perfectly fine. The Wethermon fight scene was jaw-dropping in terms of visuals. The soundtrack too was very entertaining throughout the anime.

Overall I had a lot of fun with SLF and I can't wait for season 2!!!! I can't believe we'll get about 50 episodes in just 1.5 years. Thank you C2C! I'd definitely recommend watching this anime if you haven't.

The Dangers in My Heart (2023– )

Beautiful character and romance development

[8/10 · 6 April 2024]

Season 1 rating: 7/10 Season 2 rating: 9/10

Review for Season 2:

Wow.

This is a beautiful romance. I'm awestruck by how good this anime was, because for me, it's probably up there among the best romance anime ever.

What surprised me was how well written the romance was. Both these characters are beautifully written and grow at a great pace throughout the show. The fact that they're both inspired by each other, is exactly what makes this romance so brilliant and somewhat rare. There's also a beautiful scene where they both tell each other how they changed each other's lives and made them who they are today.

Ichikawa's character writing impressed me the most. Even in S1, his character development was the standout feature for me. In S2, it picks up right where it left off, and doesn't drop pace at all. When you look back at the start of the show, it's hard to believe that Ichikawa used to be the way he was. His character development is paced so perfectly. There's so much to admire about him - the way he thinks, the way he learns about himself, the way he always wants to be better than he is today and the way he genuinely loves Yamada.

Another great feature about this anime was its pacing for the romance. The romance moves along at a great pace, throughout the show. It doesn't slow down once. Which is again rare in romance anime.

The direction is phenomenal. With a show this well written, the direction, animation and the soundtrack should be able to match that. And it certainly did. The director also directed Teasing Master Takagi San. And I remember that even in S3, every single episode was close to a masterpiece. I'd say it's the same case with Dangers in My Heart S2. A lot of that is because of the direction. The soundtrack is brilliant too and it really stands out during the build-ups of heartfelt moments.

Although, I will say this, this anime is very dramatic with its sweet or romantic moments. So if you're not in a certain type of mood during the first watch, you could easily perceive it as over-the-top. But you might change your mind when you revisit it.

Overall though, I thought this was a phenomenal romance and it really took me by surprise.

The Apothecary Diaries (2023– )

Came for the mystery, stayed for the characters

[9/10 · 31 March 2024]

This was my most anticipated anime in Fall 2023. That was obviously not just because the Light Novel was high rated, but also because I was expecting a long term, mind blowing medical mystery.

I have to say that this anime met all my expectations. But the weird thing is that I'm still very surprised by it. Because I ended up loving it for a different reason - the characters. More than a mystery, this is a very strong, character-based drama, that uses an episodic mystery setting to keep exploring its characters. You could say that it is a character analysis or a character-based mystery, where you're curious about the past of these characters, and the anime keeps revealing it bit by bit as it goes along. The story cherished its main characters and took their depth very seriously.

In terms of characters and their depth and development, this was, in my opinion, the best anime that aired this season. Maomao is probably one of the best characters I've seen in any anime ever. She's smart, savage and you're always curious about what made her the way she is today.

The music and the animation was surprisingly brilliant. The seamless production for this anime probably surprised everyone.

I enjoyed the 1st part as it was a nice introduction to the characters, but I wasn't that impressed with the episodic mysteries. The 2nd part was when I really started loving the show. Because that's when the mysteries got considerably better, and they started to reveal a lot of surprising traits about our main characters and about their past. In fact I was shocked by what I saw during the final few episodes of the season. It made me look at the rest of the show a lot more differently.

This anime is also directed brilliantly. There are some chilling sequences here. While a lot of it was because of the music, the direction matched that - especially how they were able to represent how Maomao could be beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Overall, this was a brilliant show and I'm very glad that we're getting a season 2 next year. I can't wait to learn more about the plot and these characters.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (2023– )

A new standard for modern anime

[9/10 · 30 March 2024]

I'm afraid of writing this review. I don't think I'm capable of capturing the beauty of this anime. But I'll try my best.

Frieren is a shounen that excels in almost every single aspect. But what really makes it so special is the theme. It has a very deep, thought provoking theme about the length of life. And it's beautifully executed. It's the sort of theme that's going to affect almost everyone. Different people will have different inferences about it. And I love that. I was so happy to see the success of this anime because I would've thought many would have discarded it as being boring. But no, I'm so glad to see this many people appreciate this theme and this anime for what it is.

Any words I say about the animation might fall short in praising it. It's more than jaw-dropping. The music by Evan Call is absolutely majestic, as you would expect from him.

If you're procrastinating to watch Frieren because you think it's just going to be a very deep, life changing drama, and you're not ready for it (trust me, I know the feeling), well then don't. Because this is a brilliant action-adventure show as well (one of the best, in fact). The world building is very exciting and this is probably the first anime where I absolutely loved the magic power system. But I believe what really made Frieren such a great action show was the direction by Keiichirou Saitou (the director of Bocchi The Rock as well). He directs this show gorgeously, with so much love and passion. The way he's able to build up every single action moment was phenomenal. Every single scene looks GRAND. In fact the entire staff does a phenomenal job in showing that. Episode 26 probably had one of the best action sequences I've seen in a long time in an anime

The characters are all very well realised and almost each one of them contributes to the main theme of the show. The comedy too is great because the characters are so likeable.

I plead with you guys to watch this if you haven't, because Frieren has just set a new standard for modern anime. I'm almost jealous of people who'll be introduced to anime from Frieren.

Dead Mount Death Play (2023)

Disjoint

[6/10 · 29 December 2023]

This was a let down. It's too populated with disjoint storylines which makes it very hard for me to follow the plot or root for any character. It had potential. The plot is interesting. But we just don't get any answers. We just keep getting more questions and more plotlines that aren't in any way connected to the previous one. And I was actually looking forward to this given that it was made by the author of Durarara and Baccano.

But it's possible that if these main characters were interesting, I wouldn't have paid that much attention to the plot. Unfortunately they weren't. They were just shallow, with 1 or 2 traits carrying their personality. A few side characters were a bit more interesting. But because of so many plotlines running together, none of them gets sufficient screentime.

Studio Geek Toys did a good job with the sound design and the action sequences. But other than that nothing really stood out and I thought they could've done just a bit better.

Overall, I'm dropping the series now. Although I wonder if it'll get another season or not. Maybe the manga has more to offer.

Migi & Dali (2023)

Original, unique and absurd

[8/10 · 28 December 2023]

I'm glad to have witnessed this anime while airing. This is original, unique, and clever writing. This story right here is proof that you don't always need loud action scenes or shiny animation to entertain your audience (Not that the studio didn't make this anime perfectly, and I'll get to that). Writing can be enough.

The author, Sano Nami, had all the basics covered for a bizarre, chaotic and entertaining story that gets weirder and more thrilling as it goes along. She unfortunately passed away before this anime started airing. I can only hope that she knows how well her story was adapted by the staff and received by the audience.

This is a brilliant blend of a dark comedy and a mystery. It's full of bizarre characters, be it the protagonists or the side characters. The dark and gutsy story makes this anime pretty unpredictable too. The mystery is surprisingly a proper one. It was very well written and made this show a whodunnit story as well. The more answers you got, the more messed up and darker this story became.

But this wasn't just an entertaining ride. I actually grew close to some of these characters, especially Migi and Dali. As weird as they are, they're both well written and there were some emotional moments incorporated with them.

Now let's get to the staff. This is brilliant work by studio Geek Toys. The animation is great. The direction is great. The soundtrack, by Sebu Hiroko, is absolutely amazing. It might be one of the best this year. I can't wait to see what more projects this studio will take now. The comedy scenes are well edited too. The voice acting is brilliant all around. They adapted this anime with all their heart and I'm very thankful for that.

If I had to nitpick some flaws I'd say that the conclusion (final 2 episodes) wasn't as powerful as this anime was building up to. Such a plotline would've been very difficult to conclude. And a few of the jokes didn't land for me I guess.

But that's it. Overall I was just elated after watching this anime. Please watch it if you're looking for a weirdly funny, bizarre mystery that's full of plot twists and absurdity.

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions (2023– )

Interesting, but repetitive

[7/10 · 27 December 2023]

This is an interesting story for sure. It just has one of those very common problems. Instead of following the main storyline, the one we're all interested in, it keeps having episodic mysteries where the same thing happens again and again. Nothing changes between the dynamics of these characters. And the mysteries are not that great for me to ignore this flaw.

Nonetheless, it's a fun enough time for me not to drop it. Ron is a fun character. The world building is interesting. And I'm looking forward to seeing what the main plotline holds in the future.

Mainly, who I wasn't fond of was the side character - Totomaru. He's just not good enough honestly. Just being a good person doesn't make a character. He doesn't change across the mysteries. He acts the exact same way again and again. I would've liked to see some sort of strength or resolve from him. Or I would've liked to see him learn from Ron as he solves these cases. Or, if not that, at least improve upon the main purpose he's there for. He accompanies Ron for a reason. Without spoiling, I'll say that he's there to save people from dying. After 3-4 cases he should know that he needs to save this person and try something different as soon as possible. But no, he just keeps standing there. Until whatever's going to happen, starts. And then he'll rush to save the person at the last moment. It's not good character writing.

But anyway, Ron and the now formed villain in the main plotline, are interesting enough for me to look forward to season 2. But this was a mediocre experience.

Helck (2023)

The second half was a letdown

[7/10 · 25 December 2023]

Helck is a fine enough story. There isn't really anything brilliant or ground breaking about the story. It's just good enough. The problem is that stories like these require presentation - direction, soundtrack, charisma. Because if they're executed well, then any story can be elevated to be entertaining. Helck lacks that. The studio hasn't exactly adapted helck in the way it could've. Or at least that's my guess after seeing the manga rating (8.2) and the anime rating (7.2).

That being said I did enjoy Helck enough to add season 2 to my watchlist (I'm assuming there will be one because season 1 will be meaningless without it).

The best part about helck is the dynamic between the characters - Helck and Vamirio - Seeing Vamirio slowly understand Helck and make decisions about what action to take and what not to. The storytelling also was smart enough till the 2nd part began. The humour was also very good and I wish there would've been more of it.

Mainly the problems with Helck lie in the 2nd part. There isn't really anything bad about it, it just lost my interest. There's a flashback arc that just drags for too long and stops the momentum for a few episodes. During the first part, I was actually looking forward to the flashback arc because of the interesting way the plot was set up. But when I got it, I was just let down. The answers were bland. They lacked any sort of originality or spark. The "villain" is just so boring. The only thing the anime establishes is that he's strong and creepy. Other than that there isn't any sort of motivation for me to get behind him. That makes it a lot harder for me to care about this battle.

I really don't know if it's because the manga itself is this way, or if it's because of studio Satelight.

I do hope season 2 redeems the second part of season 1. But my expectations are pretty low now. All I care about are these main characters, as most of them are very likeable. Other than that the story is somewhat of a letdown.

The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons (2023)

Surprising

[8/10 · 25 December 2023]

Now this was surprising. This was a very heartfelt, soothing and visually inventive anime. It's a story about 4 brothers (one in his 20s, two teenagers and a six year old), who lost their parents a while ago. It's about the family dynamics that have now formed between all 4 of them, and how they all collectively deal with their loss. And it's actually brilliantly executed. None of them mentions anything about their parents. It's just sort of a thing that's left unsaid, but you can still feel it in their conversations. Like, when they visit the grave of their parents, each of them has a tear in their eye. But none of them mentions anything about it. They know each of them is hurting in their own way. They just silently go through this moment together. It's very touching and well executed.

You might be thinking that this is a sad cry fest, after reading the plot. It's not, not at all. It's bittersweet, yes. Seeing the strength of each of these 4 characters is something that makes this anime very optimistic. If anything, you can watch this anime as a slice of life too, because there's plenty of good humour as well. Some of the family dynamics between these characters are very fun to see.

The one thing that I absolutely adored with this anime was the direction and the animation by studio Shuka. There are many simple yet emotionally heavy moments in this anime, but if it wasn't for the visually inventive direction, it wouldn't have hit as much as it did. I mean some moments just really strike a chord. After watching episode 2, you'll know what I'm talking about. Some of the humour too was actually very differently shown, and took me by surprise. The side characters (the neighbours) are also very nicely done, and they complete this group of characters.

If you're looking for a nice blend of some serious drama and slice of life as well, then this is the anime for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to more anime by this studio.

Overtake! (2023)

Refreshing

[8/10 · 20 December 2023]

"Surprising" might not be the correct word for this experience, because given the staff and the studio, I did have expectations from this anime. The word I would use to describe this anime would be - "Refreshing".

This is a very nice story that covers many different emotions such as trauma, regret, determination and moving on. While this anime is advertised as a racing anime, a racing fan might be just a bit disappointed. Because the other aspects of the show actually overshadow the racing part.

The second main character of this anime was Madoka Kouya, a photographer. And I'll remember this anime for his story. The photography aspect of the story completely steals it. I don't want to spoil you with anything, but the story covers a very impactful and thought-provoking aspect of photography and brings a lot of realism to it. And I loved the way they handled Kouya's emotions and the part that Haruka, our protagonist played in helping Kouya.

This is another aspect of this anime that's written well - the way both these characters coincidentally and unconsciously help each other get through an important phase of their life. They find a very nice little way to intertwine photography and racing and help these characters reach a common goal which'll be an important milestone in both their careers.

But the weaker aspect of the story is racing. Not that the racing scenes aren't brilliantly animated. It's just that I didn't feel that energy nor did I feel the stakes in the racing scenes, particularly during the finale. It could be because it's "F4", but I don't think it's just that. The racing aspect just isn't as well written as it could've been.

So yeah, in some ways this anime is imperfect, but overall it's a pretty good anime for sure. And there are some moments of this show where you're genuinely going to get emotional.

Pluto (2023)

"Nothing comes from hatred"

[9/10 · 2 November 2023]

Thank you Netflix, for adapting this story and that too so perfectly. I've missed this feeling. There are only a few anime I was able to binge non-stop (like Steins Gate or AOT). Pluto is no different. It's right up there with some of the best mystery/suspense anime.

There are many reasons why Pluto might be one of the best anime we've gotten in years. Let me explore those reasons one by one.

The storytelling and pacing is just perfect. A mystery is told perfectly, when a viewer is curious, but never confused. That's what this anime did. The story is shown to be complex, but still doesn't seem that way. The pace is never too fast. I never struggled to keep track of the information given so far. It's also never too slow. I just don't know where those 8 hours went. I was so involved in the story. It gave brief amounts of information, at perfect intervals in the story in order to complete the puzzle in our brain.

This isn't just a thriller. It's a story about humanity, about emotions, hatred in particular. Because of how concise the story is, every plot point leads to this theme. Each character plays a huge role in communicating the story's message. And I cared for each of them. The second half brought me to tears. The conclusion is very emotionally satisfying too.

I love how this story used AI in order to explore humanity, and to enhance its emotions as well as its theme. It's just brilliant writing. Such a story, seems impactful now more than ever.

The character that stole the show, was Gesicht. A flawlessly written character, with a very emotional arc. He deserved being the protagonist of this wonderful story.

Another thing I loved was that this was sort of a mix of a futuristic sci-fi mystery, a dark psychological mystery, as well as a detective story.

There's just one tiny problem I had. During the final episodes, they introduced some new plot points, that felt a bit out of place to me.

But overall, this is an emotionally heavy story, memorable mystery and it's brilliantly told. Please, watch it on Netflix. We need more anime like these.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Everything I was anticipating

[9/10 · 31 October 2023]

You might've heard a lot about this film in recent weeks. Most of you would probably know why. It's directed by the great Martin Scorsese and it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The Departed, which had a similar genre, was also directed by Scorsese and starred DiCaprio and it's one of my all time favourite films.

This film confirms that Scorsese has a knack for consistently making tremendous films in the crime/suspense genre.

But let's forget the names of the cast and the staff. How is this movie? I think this is old-fashioned filmmaking and storytelling at its best. With this and Oppenheimer, we as cinephiles are just very lucky in 2023.

Let's start with the structure. This is a 3.5 hour long movie. Yup, 210 minutes. Personally, I'm completely fine with that. The first 2.5 hours provide a very slow and somewhat frustrating build up to this tragic story. The slow pace makes you even more involved and horrified by what's happening. You get even more frustrated at these characters because of the slowness. That makes the final hour all the more worth it. Scorsese also has a habit of making the payoffs of his movies very entertaining to watch.

The script is brilliantly written. It's one of the few cases where I forget that I'm watching a movie while listening to these characters. Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro give very memorable performances. The soundtrack was great too. For the first 2 hours, it's mostly just 1 slow theme playing in the bg. That was clever since it created the eerie vibe that was supposed to be there in the first 2 acts. It added to the slow pace as well.

Scorsese's direction as always, is brilliant. I also enjoyed how he chose to conclude this story in the final 10 mins.

I know there are criticisms for the runtime of this film and I sort of understand why some people wouldn't want to sit in the theatre for that long. But I'd still really, really suggest you to watch this in the theatres if you can. These aren't movies that you get easily nowadays, and a chance of watching a Scorsese film on the big screen isn't worth missing.

Dumb Money (2023)

Shallow but pretty fun

[8/10 · 14 October 2023]

Dumb Money (2023)

Dumb Money is a true story about how Keith Gill invested all his life savings on GameStop (a video game store). He posted his balance sheets on social media while promoting the stock of GameStop, and started a movement which got lots of everyday people to buy the stock and raised its price by a huge amount.

Look, I don't know much about the stock market to be honest. And economics wasn't at all my strong suit in academics. So, while I didn't understand about half of the financial details, I did get the overall picture. I'll try to review this just as a movie.

The movie doesn't really explore its characters at all. Though you do care for them because the movie is very preachy about who's good and who's bad in this story. But there really isn't any background reason explored, unless you know the true story. The main characters though, Keith and his family, are explored just enough for us to root for them. Paul Dano's performance is very good as Keith Gill.

This is still a pretty fun movie. It's very funny and it keeps moving, without having a dull moment. And because of it's fact-based nature, it is definitely a crowd-pleasing movie. But again that's only because the movie tells you that it's a true story, and it tells you who you're supposed to root for. It doesn't put too much effort in exploring the reason.

Even if this movie is shallow, if you like the stock market, you can watch this movie with your friends and you'll have a great time, because the movie is definitely funny and it's targeted towards that audience.

The Creator (2023)

Imperfectly satisfying

[8/10 · 30 September 2023]

The Creator (2023)

This was one of my most anticipated movies this year. Gareth Edwards, I think is one of the most talented directors out there and I was very excited to see what he could bring to a Sci-fi like this one. I was glad to see him receive a big project where the great Hans Zimmer was composing the score.

This was a pretty good movie. It was imperfectly satisfying. It was a bit shallow and a bit messy, but it still succeeded in its job.

Given the progress of AI right now, this was more or less the perfect time to release a story like this, involving a very grim war between the humans and the AI. I was very surprised by how grim this movie was. Although it does struggle in portraying that grim tone at times.

This movie is visually stunning, directed beautifully and it has a great soundtrack, as you'd expect from a combination of Gareth Edwards and Hans Zimmer.

But it's imperfect in terms of its characters, storytelling and tone. First of all I thought they should have explored how the conflict between the humans and the AI arose. Yeah, they do mention the brief reasons how, but it's just not enough for me to buy the hatred and the rage of humans against the AI. In the first half of the film, it sends mixed signals about which side is right and which is wrong. That goes away in the second half though, when the movie forms a definite opinion on this war. The characters too aren't really well explored and we're just sort of supposed to accept their motivations and actions.

That being said, I mentioned this movie was imperfectly SATISFYING. Because this movie is definitely satisfying. The second half of this film holds a tremendous amount of emotional weight with a very moving and well executed finale that made my eyes water. When the movie was over and the lights turned on, I saw that the person next to me was crying. That tells you about how the finale of the movie is. It was frankly very refreshing too because that's why an audience should go to the movie, to experience it.

I had a good time with this one. It might not be the great movie that I was expecting it to be, but it was still surprising, and worth seeing on the big screen.

Undead Murder Farce (2023)

Clever, Quirky, Stylish, and Action-packed

[9/10 · 28 September 2023]

I called it guys. From the start of the season, I was betting on this anime to be good. And it completely blew me away. It's just too bad that Link Click aired it's season 2 alongside this, because this is clearly anime of the season material.

This anime is the perfect example of what makes anime so entertaining - the style, the action, the cleverness, the quirkiness, the supernatural environment, the iconic characters. And it's not just about how entertaining it is, it's also written very cleverly. The mysteries are very well written. The direction and the stylish vision of the director, is something that not many could have imagined for this story. It's just brimming with style.

The characters are all great, especially the 3 protagonists. They have great chemistry among them and they are worthy of being the protagonists of this story. Aya and Tsugaru in particular are just amazingly entertaining as a duo and they're very cleverly written.

The story is split into 3 chapters (excluding episode 1). The 1st chapter (Ep 2-4) sort of gets you into the characters as well as the Whodunit mode. The 2nd chapter (Ep 5-8) is incredibly entertaining, action-packed and I won't spoil if you're not aware, but some very iconic characters show up in this chapter. And surprisingly, even after such an entertaining 2nd chapter, the 3rd one actually even topped that. The 3rd chapter (Ep 9-13), has a mind-blowing mystery that completely surprised me. All the whodunit mystery fans are going to be elated after watching this chapter. From the way, the mystery is written, to the way it was set up, it was just amazing to see and worthy of being the finale of this anime.

For a mystery, this anime has a lot of action. In fact some of the action setups here are as good as some of the best shounen anime out there. The soundtrack by the composer of Link Click, was just amazing. He has made 2 brilliant scores in the same season. The amount of humour was also surprising.

Almost everything about this anime fits perfectly. I can't wait for season 2!!!! I recommend this anime with all my heart.

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses (2023)

Nice at first, very weird later

[6/10 · 27 September 2023]

Hmm, yeah this anime didn't work for me. It was charming at first but it just got repetitive and very weird after a while. And I mean WEIRD. I really don't understand the 8+ manga rating. Either the anime just didn't adapt the manga well. That's the only reason I can think of.

This is a romance with Mie being the female lead and Komura being the male lead.

First of all the character of Mie. I just don't understand her. I'll put aside the fact that she keeps forgetting her glasses. She's just completely oblivious of everything around her. For some reason she has to take a good look at Komura's face everyday. I mean what?? And Komura just let's her. Obviously because he has a crush on her. You see that's what I mean by WEIRD. Wakayama Shion as the voice of Mie just felt forced because she was trying to sound too cute or childish. I'm a big fan of her voice acting. I think her role as Takina in Lycoris Recoil is one of the best out there. But here, it just didn't work. It could be because of the direction as well though. Everything about Mie's character just felt made up. She felt like a puppet, being controlled by the staff to act a certain way so that this romance can exist. How am I supposed to root for the romance when I don't understand one of the characters?

Even Komura's character is creepy at times. I'd rather not mention the scene where he gets freaked out just by bringing Mie's glasses home. The animation didn't work for me either. The more stylish it was trying to look, the more dull I found it.

But you know this anime isn't bad though. There are some wholesome moments between the 2 characters. The first half in fact is rather nice. And I thought Komura's sense of humour was very funny - the way he would constantly exaggerate and make fun of his own situations in his mind. Some of his one liners were hilarious. The voice acting for Komura did help in that.

But this anime was disappointing. I wonder how the manga readers feel about this adaptation. Because the manga would have probably been executed better.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (2023)

Weirdly wholesome and full of heart

[8/10 · 26 September 2023]

(Episodes 10-12 have been delayed indefinitely)

For now, let me ignore the frustrating production schedule for this anime. This is a review till episode 9.

The beauty of this anime lies in its simplicity. This is an apocalyptic slice-of-life. As ridiculous as it sounds, somehow it works because of how well the studio Bug Films has envisioned this story.

Zom 100 has one very simple theme - "You only live once". And the story always sticks to the single theme. The author has explored a very different perspective on a Zombie apocalypse. And that alone makes this anime very, very unique. The setup for the protagonist was just perfect for this particular story. Just see the 1st episode and you'll understand.

This is one of those stories that'll make you think about your own life. What's in your bucket list? What are the things you want to do? What's your childhood dream? Or what's your current dream?

The characters are nice and a very wholesome group of 4 forms towards the end of the season. Akira as the protagonist is very integral to the story. As far as his personality goes though, he's not as interesting. The character that actually stole the show was Shizuka. The way she was at the beginning of the anime and how she was slowly influenced by Akira was great to see.

I think they sort of set up a nice cliffhanger towards the end of episode 9 so that we keep waiting for the next 3 episodes to release later. But I do hope that they make a season 2 and take their sweet time instead of rushing into the production and delaying the episodes continuously.

But this is a very good anime and it's great to see the different way in which the author as well as the anime staff has envisioned this story.

Review for Episodes 10-12:

Well, I loved it. It was exactly the kind of finale I would've expected from Zom 100. I think this anime is one of a kind. It knows its message and cherishes it. It also presents itself with a lot of confidence and energy. Just go watch the opening on YouTube and you'll know what I mean. These are exactly the kind of shows that separate anime from other media. Normally, you wouldn't expect a zombie apocalypse story to have a weirdly wholesome, entertaining and somewhat light hearted vibe. But that's exactly what Zom 100 is. There obviously is some dark stuff here and there though. But this anime had a very specific feel to it and I was all for it. This is the way that the author wanted to convey his message. And I found it very creative. The message is very simple, but the way of conveying it is what made this anime what it is. And sometimes simple messages are all that is required for an anime.

The final episode was everything that I love about this series. It brought me to tears - bittersweet ones. It was directed beautifully and animated gorgeously.

I really hope we do get a season 2. I would love to see where this studio goes from here. It would be a shame if they don't continue this series, because so far I have been very impressed with this studio, and this story is worth continuing.

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces (2023)

Necessary

[8/10 · 24 September 2023]

Don't miss out on this season because it's a "side story". Watch it like just another season. Because these missing chapters are what complete Horimiya. Look, I still can't forgive the fact that we never got a 2-cour adaptation at first, with all chapters in chronological order. But I'll still always be thankful for the Cloverworks studio making these missing chapters. And Cloverworks is now adapting its source materials faithfully (even elevating them) and is clearly redeeming itself.

This season has everything that the first season was missing. It has all the adorable, wholesome and hilarious moments involving all the different side characters. That's what eventually builds up strong friendships and that's exactly why they're so important. This was one of my major flaws with the first season. We didn't get enough of the side characters, and I couldn't really get behind the friendship of the group either. This season has now negated that flaw.

Another thing in this season that really made me happy was the Finale. It just feels like the finale for Horimiya is now complete. We got to see Miyamura's side in season 1. We get to see Hori's side here.

Through its many comedy/slice-of-life moments, Horimiya at times introduces some very real and relatable stuff, that always touches me. Like Hori and Miyamura imagining what if the coincidences that happened to create this group of friends, didn't happen. And you know, it's definitely a scary thought, because that's more or less how friends are formed - coincidences. It sort of also reminded me of those alternate reality episodes of the sitcom "Friends", where they imagine what if some of them hadn't met.

Overall this was a really nice time and Horimiya deserved this season. Well, it actually deserved a proper full adaptation, but we can't change that now. I do hope that some streaming app, or Cloverworks itself gets out a cut where all chapters are in chronological order. So that from now on, the viewers who'll watch it for the first time, get to experience it perfectly.

Link Click (2021– )

This is a review for season 2

[9/10 · 22 September 2023]

Season 3 will surely be announced soon. Obviously, it will. The writer has this habit of introducing major cliffhangers and plot twists right when the season finale is about to end.

Okay so right off the bat, I'll say that season 2 is very different from 1. Not just in tone, but in a lot of ways this season is just different. If you don't accept that, you won't like this season because it's not like what you're expecting.

I loved it. I thought this season was innovative, intense, action-packed, full of plot twists and cliffhangers. It kept me on my toes throughout the 11 weeks that it aired. The weekly experience was absolutely amazing with this anime in particular and I'll tell you why. It's not just because of the cliffhangers (which obviously, just like season 1, were amazing).

The major reason though is the storytelling, which was highly impressive. It's a very different non-linear way of storytelling that completely took me off guard. There was a point around episode 6 I think, where I was very confused about what was going on. This story will tell you something major that happened, and then it will later slowly explore what exactly happened before that, while also exploring the back stories of all these new side characters. It was around episode 9 or 10 where it just suddenly hit me, that the story makes almost complete sense now. There was just a point where the puzzle pieces automatically found a way to fit together. That's why the weekly experience was so much fun.

The soundtrack for season 2 is absolutely amazing, full of new tracks. The action is jaw-dropping and just surprised me. The quality of the hand-to-hand combat scenes was just off the charts. The amount of emotion poured into the story is right up there with season 1. Though, it's a lot more intense and darker than the 1st season.

I would highly recommend Link Click, because it's one of the best modern anime out there. And if you love crime, mystery and time travel shows, GO WATCH IT!!!

My Happy Marriage (2023– )

Heartfelt

[9/10 · 22 September 2023]

A GREAT romance anime is somewhat rare and this is one of those rare instances. This was a touching story with strong protagonists, heartfelt moments and a brilliant character arc.

This is one of the stories where, after watching the finale, you can't help but remember how the characters were at the beginning and how far along they've come. The story is a journey, especially for the character of Miyo. We all experience this journey with her. That connection with the characters made this anime very satisfying.

I love Miyo's character arc. If you see the 1st episode, her character setup isn't exactly unique. It's something we see in many shoujo anime, and it's similar to Cinderella's back story. But if you keep that aside and just think about her character, it's a very complex character to progress. That's why I'm so impressed, because this anime did it almost perfectly. I never felt that Miyo was acting out of character, I could always sympathize with her actions, and still I can feel how far her character has come after the finale.

I also really cared for Kudo's character. That's another strong point for this anime - the fact that I cared for BOTH these characters. That's what makes a great romance - when a viewer is invested in BOTH the characters, can understand BOTH their perspectives, and that's why they want them to be together so much.

This story also had a surprise factor to it - the supernatural world building. I know fans are saying it's unnecessary and I thought of it as a flaw initially too. But when I thought about it, every situation that this supernatural part of the story created, eventually made me root for our protagonists' marriage, which is what the story is about.

The story does get repetitive at times in the middle though, when every family is coming after Miyo.

The animation might be the best this season (at least out of non-sequels). The soundtrack from Evan Call (composer of Violet Evergarden) wasn't that notable in the 1st watch, but I might catch it in a re-watch.

Overall, this was a great anime and a great romance. It's on Netflix worldwide.

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Mysterious and Scary

[8/10 · 17 September 2023]

Not many people know about this film. A lot of them are going to think that it's a horror movie. This film is based on the Agatha Christie novel "Halloween Party" starring the famous, beloved detective, Hercule Poirot.

I liked the blend of mystery and horror here. The way horror is used to build up the mystery more and more, was a great way to play tricks on the audience's mind and confuse them. Kenneth Branagh did this brilliantly with his direction as well as his portrayal of Hercule Poirot. Michelle Yeoh was also great in her side role.

I don't want to tell you what the exact main theme of the movie is, but I'll say that the best aspect of the movie, was Hercule Poirot being challenged. In the first act, he had very firm beliefs, but as the movie went on he started unwillingly questioning them and you could see the fear and confusion in his eyes. Given how much of a renowned detective he is, that was very interesting to see, and the audience could relate to him.

The movie did leave a lot of answers to the audience. But the more I think about it, the more I realise that this probably bodes well with the main theme of the movie. Although the answer to the mystery was just a bit underwhelming. I personally like the "Knives out" whodunit franchise a lot more, because I think the cast in those movies is always very energetic and plays off well with the detective Benoit Blanc, who has now become one of my favourite characters in movies.

But this was a pretty good film. And if you like mystery movies, Agatha Christie's books or the character of Hercule Poirot, you'll have a great time with this one.

Elemental (2023)

Romantic

[8/10 · 16 September 2023]

This is the Pixar I know. I knew what kind of a story Elemental was going to be. From the IMDb plot and the reviews, I knew the cliches it would have and the route it will take. But this movie still really touched me.

I was really surprised by how well they executed the romance. And I'm surprised by the fact that Pixar made just a love story. I knew there was going to be romance in this but I thought, like most pixar movies, the main theme of this movie would be something else and the romance would progress on the sidelines. But no, the romance takes center stage in this film.

The main character, Ember, was very well written. She was likeable, relatable, and we as viewers experienced the entire story through her perspective. In comparison to Ember though, the side characters aren't as well explored as she is and that's the aspect of the movie that could've been a bit better.

But the romance is very good, honestly. It doesn't fit at first and feels a bit forced initially. That's why the 1st act of the movie isn't really as engaging. But the romance is paced perfectly. Because when these 2 characters started understanding more and more about each other, I started to really root for them and that's when this movie started to get really good. Amd the conclusion of the movie is very satisfying because of how well the romance is executed. The soundtrack too was very catchy and it worked perfectly with some specific moments of the film.

The theme though is cliche and it could have been done better. And the character of wade too could have been explored a bit more.

But in the end, I had a really nice time with this movie. You know, when a character is crying, and you just can't help but feel like crying yourself, that's when you know the movie has done its job.

Pixar had lost its way lately, but this film might get them back on track. This was a very sweet and wonderfully executed romance.

Gran Turismo (2023)

A Nice and Simple Underdog Story

[8/10 · 20 August 2023]

This is a very simple underdog story about a gamer who was selected as a racer in a special marketing strategy by Nissan.

I had fun with this movie. It has an energetic vibe and a fast enough pace, which keeps you entertained for almost all of its runtime. I thought the acting in this movie was very good. Especially by Archie Madekwe as the main character, Jann Mardenborough, and David Harbour as the coach, Jack Salter, who was my favourite character in the movie. These 2 characters are the heart of the movie, and they are what gave this movie the strong emotional push that it needed in the 2nd act. The direction by Neill Blomkamp is also pretty good. It's nice to see a different movie from him. I thought the racing scenes could have been a bit more grounded rather than stylish. But I had fun with the little things he did during the racing scenes that compared the real races to video games. Some of the racing scenes in the 2nd act are actually very thrilling and the sound design had a huge role in that. I also really cared for Jann's character. Who doesn't love an underdog? There's also one particular direction the story took in the 2nd act, that was almost shocking and added a lot more emotional weight to the story.

But compared to some of the classic racing movies like Ford v Ferrari, this one is very easy-going. It has a lot less thrills than I would have liked it to have. There are thrills though for sure. But the final race of this movie was just underwhelming. There weren't really any setbacks in that race, and if there were, they were overcome pretty easily. Which is why the conclusion didn't quite feel earned. The characters and the relationships between them too aren't well explored. Given the 2+ hour runtime, they could've been.

This is a fun movie for sure, and one you'll enjoy watching with a group of people. It doesn't have a dull moment, it's stylish, action-packed and it's a nice underdog story. The payoff though, is pretty underwhelming and could've been made a lot more impactful than it was.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Impressive

[8/10 · 14 August 2023]

I had a lot of fun in Dead Reckoning. I didn't enjoy it as much as the 4th and 6th. But still this movie was pretty impressive. Let me talk about all the good first.

This movie is filled with intense sequences. And I don't mean just the action. Because of the plot of this movie involving a rogue AI, which is taking over the digital world, there is a lot of suspense in this movie and you can never be certain of what's believable and what's not. I surprisingly really enjoyed some of the plot twists. This is actually also a very fun spy movie.

The first half has 2 amazing sequences. One involving a certain operation at an airport, and another involving a car chase in Rome. Both these sequences were relentlessly entertaining, filled with intensity as well as a surprising amount of humour. There is a scene towards the end where a certain train is falling, and that was easily one of the most creative and intense action set pieces in recent times.

Haley Atwell's performance (other than Tom Cruise, of course) stood out in this movie and her character was a great addition to this franchise.

There are still things I didn't like though. The villain in this movie (not the AI, but the one working for the AI), was just so boring. Everything about him was just boring. He wasn't even worthy of doing the gutsy villain stuff that he did here. That made it more frustrating. The subplot involving the damsel in distress trope was disappointing too. The second half of this movie is fun, but it wasn't as fun as the incredibly entertaining first half. And some action sequences in the second half (especially the one where they fight on top of a train) were a bit too convenient and coincidental, which took me out of the movie.

But overall I am impressed with this movie as well as the consistency of this franchise. I'm looking forward to part 2. I hope the film staff keeps up all the great work.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Innovative Action Set Pieces

[8/10 · 26 July 2023]

I liked this movie much more than I thought I would. Long story short, no JW sequel has reached even close to what I felt during the 1st movie. While it's the same for this movie as well, I'm still surprised because I liked it more than both 2 and 3.

First of all, let me get the problems out of the way. I still have the same problems as I did with most of the JW sequels. John Wick is able to fight 100 people in groups, and they don't attack simultaneously even when they can. An enemy waits till John Wick has finished fighting the other guy, and then makes his entrance. They wait till they are in close combat and then take out their gun, only to be disarmed by Wick. Seeing things like these again and again just takes away all the tension from the action scenes. And there isn't really much of a plot, nor is there much of a script. The more this series is continuing, the less I'm caring about the characters.

But you know what, that's enough for flaws. I still had a lot of fun watching this movie. I absolutely adored the way Chad Stahelski filmed the action scenes. There's a long action scene in a certain house, and we get to see a view from above, making the length of the scene even cooler. The action set pieces, not scenes, but the set pieces are awesome. Seriously, so cool. There's an action scene that takes place on the road around a roundabout - easily my favourite scene in the movie and one of the best action scenes I've seen in recent times. And this is a 3-hour movie, so it has like 2.5 hours worth of action. The entire movie is just full of action. And I had a lot of fun seeing many different, innovative action set pieces along with the way Stahelski directed them. There are a few interesting new characters as well, that actually stole the show from John.

Overall this movie had some very innovative action scenes, some charismatic new characters and I had plenty of fun watching it. But it's still in the same bucket as the rest of the sequels, even if it's better than them.