brunosreviews

[brunosreviews]

In This Moment - Godmode Review

I've been an on and off listener to In This Moment. I've always enjoyed the edgy, dark, and sexual vibe they bring to the table. Yesterday night I decided to give their new (2023, but I'm late) Godmode album a listen. I hadn't heard any of the singles so it was a completely new experience. I noted down my first impressions and I will complement them here with the further listening to the album I've done since. And we are doing it track per track!

Track 1: Godmode

First contact. Wasn't convinced by the new synth voice and sound at first, and I still think this song is the worst off the album. It's quite different from what I expected from ITM sound wise. I noted, "I don't know if all this new noise is doing anything," which I will namely contradict as the album runs its course. Wasn't convinced by this one, and it's the only one off the album I didn't save.

Track 2: The Purge

Very interesting beat and groove. Really good singing and delivery from Maria Brink, which is not new but it is worth noting. She really sells the lyrics with her voice. This is not a song that went where I expected it to go, which is also a recurrent theme in the album for me personally. Love the riff and the long bridge scream is definitely worth listening to again. I think it has to grow on me, and I'm also convinced it will.

Track 3: Army Of Me

This is the point where In This Moment sold me with their "new" sound. Really bold choice of song to cover, and Brink shows again just how versatile her voice is. I'm not super familiar with Björk's original (sorry) but I loved this version, and I'll be listening to it a lot. Big fan of this one.

Track 4: Sacrifice

I found this track off-putting in a good way at first, sound-wise. The chorus really caught me off guard, but the more I listened to what they were going for, the more I found myself enjoying it. It's the kind of song I have to get used to. I don't have a ton of notes for this one. When I first listened to it, I was moderately high, and something about it fried my brain.

Track 5: Skyburner

Engaging. Ethereal in ways I never thought ITM would go for. Once again, really good singing. By this point, you can tell how much her voice is carrying a first listen. Not to say the music is bad, but it is very different from, say, 'Whore' or 'The In-Between', or to me it seems so. Also worth noting are the enunciation and at times phonetic choices in the vocals.

Track 6: Sanctify Me

Ear-catching introduction to one of the best songs in the album. I can't help myself from pointing out constantly how good Maria Brink's delivery of the lyrics is. I've always thought her singing had a lot of performative elements, and she's definitely acting out the song vocally. Lovely lyrics too. Not surprised at all this got a music video.

Track 7: Everything Starts And Ends With You

While I was not as into the lyrics of this one initially, the band really sells them well. I loved the pre chorus and the chorus with a passion, and on subsequent listens, it's become a favorite of mine. Feels monumental. Really cool choices on the vocal melody, which is another recurrent album theme. Surprised it got no video. I think it might be a favorite as well.

Track 8: Damaged (ft. Spencer Charnas)

When I saw Charnas was in the song, I immediately got excited. I love Ice Nine Kills as its own band, and Spencer Charnas is the very king of horror lyric delivery (just look at 'Funeral Derangements' and 'Hip To Be Scared'). Dream collab, both of them are amazing singers who really act out their lyrics, and I love it. It's lovely seeing how they influence each other in the song. The song itself is good, doesn't stand out to me except for the fact it's a collaboration, but it adds good vocal variety to the record. It's also very catchy. The second verse is possibly the best part of this.

Track 9: Fate Bringer

Their unpredictability shows again in the best way. Interesting lyrics, more than their other albums. Killer beat, and such a flowy chorus I'll get stuck in my head. Unsure of how to even classify this song, so I won't, but it has its place in the album and I support what they're doing with their sound fully even if I don't adore the song.

Track 10: I Would Die For You

Closing track. Her vocal performance is insane in this one. I noted in my high haze, "She could be singing the newspaper and I'd be rapt." It is definitely a surprise favorite. This chorus is so fucking good and different to older ITM. The way the song expands and grows in scale is monumental. With its progression and the way it simply opens up it feels like I'm inside a church having a religious epiphany, which is fitting. Another masterpiece song. Had no idea it was in John Wick til I checked the comments, and now I wanna see the movie.

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All in all, it is a really interesting and engaging collection of songs that I greatly enjoy and will be listening to obsessively for a week minimum. I think the new 'noises' as I put them and the new sound fits them well, even if it's a big change. A fun album to go through and pay attention to! I'd recommend it if you like female-fronted metal, devotion, dramatic delivery and obsessions.

[brunosreviews]

Magical Girl Site Review

Hello!

In the spirit of the anime (which is what I'll be talking about since I just started the manga), I'll start with some trigger warnings. This anime has TWs for: bullying, family-based abuse, murder, blood, gore, and general nastiness. You might want a good stomach to handle it. I'll be keeping it almost 100% spoiler-free, and I'll warn you clearly if something is a spoiler. There's a TL;DR at the end, too :)

I went into this anime so blindly that I didn't even bother with the opening for the first 7 episodes (which I actually recommend). I'd only heard it was "trauma/gorebait" and "really bad," so I expected absolutely nothing. It surprised me for the better, although I can't say it's a perfect show, or recommend it freely. It's got a very specific target demographic, which I happen to fit. You'll fit it too if you like Magical Girl Raising Project (the light novels especially) or like Madoka but tend to darker types of media. Or if you're traumatized and indulge in fucked up content to cope. Overall, if you don't mind messed up concepts being thrown at you on a twice-episodic basis minimum, you'll be mint. I love horrible things, so it's fine by me.

I won't go episode by episode, although there's only 12, but I'll say the first one was hard to watch. I see why people find Aya Asagiri a whiny MC, but I just felt really, really bad for her. The situations she has to go through have and continue to happen to people, and it's horrifying to think about. That goes for most of the girls' backstories. When the plot starts going (I remember it happening in episode 3), things quickly pick up, and you're thrown in a strange world where the show will constantly ask "wouldn't it be funny if..." and then executes its magic. You could absolutely make a drinking game out of it, it happens like three times per episode, and sincerely once you're willing to suspend your disbelief (which I'll admit, does come easy to me), it's incredibly fun.

The plot feels like a telenovella, in the best way, where the magical girls are directly involved. The concept of the show is also great, and many have given it its due respect, even if they disagree with the execution: a strange site that gives magical weapons/trinkets ("sticks" is a stupid word) to miserable girls to feed off their despair. I also thoroughly enjoyed how clear the toll for using the weapons was, although I wish it would have been a little more consistent, although it's consistent enough, and it does up the stakes.

Character-wise, I was happily surprised once again. Aya gets built up slowly but surely: she's more than a random punching bag, unfortunate soul. It was heartwarming to see Tsuyuno and her bond, and I loved how the show let them have their genuine emotional moments without undercutting them with a joke or with some shock gore. Before you comment THE controversial spoiler, I will get to it at the end of the review, so I urge you to be patient.

I also deeply enjoyed the other magical girls. Nijimin was perfectly introduced, and I loved her instantly, as well as Kosame Amagai and her group. Something else to note: canon trans girl character (Kiyoharu Suirenji)! I saw someone online saying the show was transphobic. As someone who is trans himself, I believe that you must not have actually watched the show if you say such things. Her character, although it didn't get much screentime, is really fun, and her interactions with others were a blast to watch.

I have to confess: I love Kaname Asagiri, or "the brother" as I called him for most of the show. He's Light Yagami if Light Yagami were more of an abuser, and also didn't need the Death Note to go batshit. I was pleasantly surprised when they gave him screentime. He's a horrible, delusional, narcissistic human being, yes, but he is hilarious and only becomes more so as the show progresses. Not only that, his japanese VA gives it his all: he clearly cares about his performance, and he stands out as one of the best VAs of the show.

Speaking of VAs, I must mention Nana's (or, Mx. "Poor unfortunate souls" site admin). He immediately stood out to me since I recognized him from voicing Mayuri in Bleach, and he barely changes his delivery here: it works wonders. Every line he delivers is perfect, unsettling, scarily playful, and terrifying. I replayed scenes just to hear him say the lines again. This VA is one of the reasons I loved the show.

I enjoyed the show's ending, and I was flabbergasted when (minor spoiler) they genuinely played a beach episode seriously, but I can't even pretend to be mad with how much enjoyment I got out of it. I won't comment further to keep it spoiler free.

The writing of the show is not the best. There's a lot of exposition dumps, the dialogue doesn't stand out positively most of the time (the contrary), and the "wouldn't it be funny if" twists could get tiring. They didn't for me, but I'm biased, and I see how they could be annoying. Despite this, the concepts, drama, and characters are enough to keep the show afloat for me. And while it is very edgy and bleak, I appreciated that they know when and how to tone it down, prioritizing the emotions of the scene over pointless shock value.

I've also seen people complain about the designs of the magical girls, which, again, is a very fair criticism. Clothing wise, they're bland, and the "sticks" look silly. The eyes changing is a nice detail, as well as the little sign they get, but that's about it. Could be better. I fully believe Magical Girl Raising Project has the better designs by far: I find almost all of them if not all to be outstanding and gorgeous (again: read the light novels, please, the anime does not do any of it justice!).

The powers were also quite bland, and except for Nijimin's, none stood out to me. They were all pretty eh, but I didn't really mind. Once again, MGRP has the superior powers by far (much more creative in idea and in execution).

Lastly, a few words on the tone. While I know people find it too bleak to care (and I understand why), after the first two episodes, I had a fucking blast. It's a surprisingly funny show. Also important is the fact that for a while, you have to treat it like a horror show where magical girls are incidental, not crucial. This changes later on, but is worth noting. While things are dark and bleak, the humor and suspense make it worth it for me. And no, I didn't mind the really dark comic relief on the brother. He is pathetic, and I like making fun of him.

Now, THE manga spoiler everyone brings up (this is not in the anime!). Yes, apparently Aya and Tsuyuno are long lost twin sisters, and apparently they continue being girlfriends after realizing this. My opinion on it: The twist is cheap, but I don't give a fuck about the incest. It makes sense for characters as damaged as they are to continue together after realizing. I'm not scared off by fictional incest. You do you, though.

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So, TL;DR (finally!): If you like dark magical girls, traumatic backstories, have a strong stomach for depressing shit, and can put up with its very real cons, this show is very worth it. I watched it in two night sessions, and it got me genuinely excited. I can't recommend it easily, but if it appeals to you in any way, I think it's worth giving a try.

Thanks for reading this far into the post! Please tell me what you thought of the show or my opinions of it!

Much love,

Bruno.