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Media Reviews
I review media. I categorize every piece of media into one of 4 categories: - **Shows**, for anything that's serialized, such as TV Shows and Audio Drama podcasts. - **Movies**, for anything that's one uninterrupted instalment with a large visual component, such as... Well... Movies (*duh*), musicals, and stand-up specials. - **Albums**, for music albums and, sometimes, musicals, if I didn't WATCH them, and only listened. - **Books**, for the written media, though it does include comics/manga as well. You can find my Excel spreadsheet [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10DJjPbXTXUgheo-EWkwAXN61QNizpExftjTRIBGGtQU/edit?usp=sharing), with the media I've reviewed up to this point with its corresponding ratings. *** **Ratings:** - **5** - Very good. - **4** - Good. - **3** - OK. - **2** - Bad. - **1** - Very bad. - **0** - Horrible.
**Peak romance**! *I absolutely loved this show*. I've been looking for some nice romance in the past few weeks, and this really hit the spot. It's a classic really, there's a reason this gets recommended *every* single *time* anyone asks for romance recs. The way *Lovely Complex* explores insecurity is simply beautiful, the **constant hesitation**, the fear that you might not be enough, and the certainty that begins to come over you as you fail over and over again at achieving your goals. Your fears manifest, a confirmation that *your own body*, that which you were born with and cannot change, is *wrong*. But through all that, the persistence of the characters, the way they persevere through these tribulations, is truly **inspiring**. *The setting is very adolescent*, and this is a love comedy so even the most emotional moments are somewhat **light-hearted**. I think that's good, actually, it keeps the story flowing; the show is *incredibly well-paced*. I said adolescent, because it is set in high school and that's what the characters life revolve around, but the **themes are very mature**. I mentioned the insecurity, which the main theme of the show, but many episodes also touch on what it means to be in love, to be in a committed relationship, and what sacrifices one must make to maintain healthy relationships with those they care for. # It's beautiful. The production quality is top notch, though very much outdated. It's Toei, the animation and music are both great, and the voice acting is fantastic too. Especially Nobu-chan, **Higashi Saori might just be the GOAT**. I'm not even joking, this was an all time performance by her. What do you think? *** Rating: 5/5 [Watch on CrunchyRoll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GR79XXJV6/lovely-complex)! [Arr🏴☠️](https://animepahe.ru/anime/c9cbd1de-c757-e958-9a94-08cd3fdd00c2)!!
**Pretty good!** Ovrkast. hits us with some **nice delivery every time**, it's clear this dude really knows his way around a beat. *His voice is very interesting too*, he puts tons of emotion in every word, and I love it! *The lyrics are nice too*, he talks about his insecurities as an artist, his confidence, his goals and ambitions, his life and his art. **He's passionate about music**, and he says it with his chest. It's inspiring really, it feels great. *The beats are pretty good too*, some nice samples... But they're a bit flat, and the drums are just fine. *Nothing to write home about really*, but they do their job I suppose. The focus is the vocals, so it's not a big issue. Overall, it's a nice EP. It doesn't have the depth I would like, it's rather short too, even for an EP, so it feels more like a sample of what ovrkast. *could* do than a full-fledged project. There's some **really** good stuff in here, but also some very mediocre stuff. Still, I'll be looking out for what he does next. What do you think? *** Best song: [RESET!](https://on.soundcloud.com/qpzzT) Worst song: [SHUTUP!](https://on.soundcloud.com/tqAcF) Rating: 3/5 [Listen on Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/ovrkast/sets/reset-366420246)!
**Beautiful and emotional!** *I really liked this show*. I was sceptical at first... I think it's very easy for shows that surround something seemingly inconsequential (such as a high-school club) to severely overplay how much people actually care about these things. **Hibike! Euphonium did this very well** though, from the onset. I guess it's about *managing expectations*, and what the audience can expect from the characters by showing what the characters expect from each other. *I really liked the set up*. **I love how distinct each character is** too. They have unique personalities and interests, though a bit cliché (the big silent guy, the bubbly girl, the cold beauty). The main character though was just something else. *I really, really liked her*! I love how she treats the people around her, it felt very human, **I think this was just excellent writing**. She's cold sometimes and bursting with emotion in the next scene, but it never feels out of place. We really get to explore how she sees the world and what she values in relationships, as well as how much she's willing to sacrifice in her personal life to achieve her goals. I just love Kumiko. **The animation was very good too**. I guess that's to be expected from KyoAni. What I really appreciated, as someone who has played in a band for many years (trumpet), is that they didn't try to make the performances magical. A lot of sports and art anime (Haikyu!!, Blue Lock, Blue Period) depict their subject as sort of nigh-magical, with colours flying everywhere and cool names for special moves. Hibike! Euphonium leans more into realism, it doesn't try to make music seem magical, it just lets the music **be** magical, if that makes sense. I thought it was beautiful; in a way, it's the animation holding back, but it's just really well done. **The music of course was just fantastic**. Don't have much to say on this subject in particular, *it's a music anime, it has great music*. I will say that I loved how much silence there was. Especially before and after an emotional performance, they just let the notes hang, letting the emotion build. Beautiful, I say! The one criticism I have is that it's very short. It's only 13 episodes, and there's too many loose ends. I WANT MORE!!! Well, there is more of course but it's in the next season, which I haven't gotten to **YET**. This show is definitely worth a watch. What do you think? *** Rating: 4/5 [Watch on CrunchyRoll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GRDQNQW9Y/sound-euphonium)! [Arr🏴☠️](https://animepahe.ru/anime/084aed1a-ed6b-6fab-8c59-069850565271)!!
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**Visually stunning and a brilliant cast!** The visuals are by far the most striking aspect of this movie. *They're absolutely brilliant*! I'm sure the black and white color-scheme and the odd aspect ratio play into this, but it's more than that; **it's incredible cinematography**, and it really helps tell the story and explore the intense emotions of the characters. More than that, **the acting is incredible**, *especially Frances McDormand*, she really blew me away, though Denzel Washington was also fantastic. And Kathryn Hunter as the three witches was absolutely ridiculous, especially that scene where she continuously contorts her body... It really freaked me out, **I loved it**! I thought the plot was great, *but the pacing was a bit odd*. The series of events, and the escalation of the situation felt somewhat *rushed and disconnected*. I've never read the original play, so I can't say if this is just how Macbeth is or if it's the movie. What do you think? *** Rating: 4/5 [Arr 🏴☠️](https://vumoo.to/movies/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-2022)!!!
**Hilarious and action-filled!** Finally managed to watch this movie, and the wait was worth it! The music is impeccable (as usual), and *the comedy is on point*. **The action is great** as well, with tons of thrilling sequences with interesting character designs and well choreographed fights. *The environments were also fantastic*, with disgusting, slimy scenes everywhere, which really drove home the whole idea of "perfecting" the world being a complete sham. The plot doesn't leave anything to be desired either. It's interesting and thrilling. The main villain does a fantastic job of being hateable! I thought it was **great acting by Chukwudi Iwuji**, really outstanding job. The only thing I didn't like too much was the *very notable lack of stakes*. Well, obviously there were stakes, but I never got the feeling they could actually fail to get the job done. I never thought that they might actually lose, for once. On one hand, that kinda sucks, on the other hand, **it's a comedy-action movie that has great comedy and action**. I don't think the lack of tension is a big deal. What do you think? *** Rating: 4/5 [Arr 🏴☠️](https://vumoo.to/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-3-2023)!
**A lovely story with incredible art**! The visuals really carry this one. *The lines are beautiful*, and the shading is very well done, it really *gives every single page lots of depth*. I love how Nakamura used **empty space** to give some pages this feeling of letting the words float in the air, while some others feel horribly cramped. *It really enhances the reading experience*. *The plot is nice too*. There's a very sad backdrop to every interaction, and the way the main character (Mizushima) talks about life and death is a bit cringe, but there was still plenty of emotional weight. It's a one-shot, so **there's not much time to properly develop the characters**, but I felt that *things weren't particularly rushed*. I love the **themes of loss**, **trauma**, and **depression**, and I really appreciated how much everyone around the main character cared for him. Especially Hanamori, of course. *Mental health is a very serious thing*, and seeing how much Mizushima struggled with his personal trauma really touched me, but I think a lot of authors, when they try to tackle these issues, end up putting their struggling characters in seemingly hopeless situations where everyone is against them, and it's up to the main character to break out of their misery. Not here. *The people around him care about him*, and they try to help and support him, even if Hanamori was the main catalyst for his recovery. *I think that was really beautiful*. What do you think? *** Rating: 4/5 [Read on ジャンプ+](https://shonenjumpplus.com/episode/3269754496723486167)! [Read on MangaPark](https://mangapark.net/comic/79976/hana-wa-shinitagaru)!!!
**This album just oozes happiness**. *Except when it doesn't*. It's still good though. **The instrumentals are really nice**. Lots of guitars and keys. They get pretty dirty at times, but not all the time. It's very cool really, I like what they did here. *I love the lyrics too*. They can be hopeful and soulful, and so vivid! That really got me, you can really picture everything they're singing, and it's all so pretty. But there's also some exploration of religion and trauma and loneliness, which actually turn pretty dark. **A cold summer breeze, laying on the grass. Smoking alone in an empty bar.** They're not afraid to get weird too. *Some songs on this thing really go off the rails* and feel like they aren't even on the same project. That's not necessarily a bad or good thing. **I like the variety**, but *it's also a bit jarring*. The most striking part of this album is the vocals though. I mean, **this dude can SING**! His performance is very good, there's a lot of personality and emotion, it's incredible. *Such a powerful voice*. There is a lot of screaming though. Thought I should mention that. Overall, **definitely worth checking out**. I'll give their first album a try as well, though I've heard it sounds not at all like this one. What do you think? *** Best song: [Cowboy Nudes](https://on.soundcloud.com/f7rno) Worst song: [Domoto](https://on.soundcloud.com/sWgp4) Rating: 4/5 [Listen on SoundCloud](https://on.soundcloud.com/51ZTh)!
Brilliant production by Danger Mouse. Incredible rapping by Black Thought. I can't shake the thought of [a certain villainous duo](https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/madvillain/madvillainy/) from my mind, listening to this album. If that's not the greatest compliment in hip-hop, I don't know what is. The features are on point, from Joey to Russ to RTJ to Rocky to... **DOOM** HIMself. And more! The beautiful melodies in each track contrast beautifully with the hardcore rap style. You might think they'd clash, but *they dance with each other*, it's like the beat bends to fit the sharp edges of the lyrics and the stiff rhythm of the bars, like water filling a cup with the oddest of shapes. Well, Danger Mouse plays good, Black Thought talks sweet, but what does he spit? **The struggles of the street life, death, despair, drugs and violence**. *His home town, his success, his talent, his religion, his doubt*. It's deep, it's honest... And it hits. Overall, this is stupendously stupendous. Brilliantly brilliant. They did kill it, but it took just over 38 minutes. Bolt runs 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, so Black Thought was inaccurate there. --- Best song: [Strangers](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=yPdHD1neCV8) Worst song: [Saltwater](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=x-D4MfFLo_0) Rating: 5/5 [Listen on YT Music](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mV8xlHBEhDBKrem19vF5168jc5zl6qMXE)!