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Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior | MOVIE REVIEW

Quick thing I feel the need to mention before we dive in: this movie is the second movie in a trilogy (with Rise of Darkrai being the first movie and Arceus and the Jewel of Life being the third), so if you ever want to watch this movie yourself, I HIGHLY recommend watching Rise of Darkrai first, especially since this movie will make a bit more sense if you’ve already watched said movie.

REVIEW + SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

I don’t think there’s any part of this movie I hate, but there’s one portion I found a bit odd. Shaymin in their Land Forme is often pretty shy and cowardly and has a feminine voice, while when Shaymin is in their Sky Forme and is more confident and courageous, they change the voice to a more masculine one. I’m not sure if this was intentional and subtle misogyny, but it was kind of strange considering at this point (this movie was released in 2008) misogyny in Pokémon has been really uncommon. Just something to be aware of, is all. Shaymin’s change in demeanor is very intriguing; I just wish they kept Shaymin’s feminine voice no matter what forme they’re in.

Speaking of Shaymin, I was very shocked and amused by their snarky and sassy attitude, and their banter with Ash was easily the best part of the entire film for me. Aside from the worldbuilding, and oh my GOD the worldbuilding. The Reverse World and the way it works is so bizarre that it’s intriguing; how did they make all the complicated backgrounds for this???

The animation and visuals themselves are really impressive, and while the impressive 3D modeling is pretty much a staple in Pokémon movies, I have to especially point it out here. Both of Zero’s ships, but especially the first one, look so unique and awe-inspiring, and I can only imagine how much time and effort was put into creating so many models of Magnemites, Magnetons and Magnezones.

Zero himself is pretty cartoonishly evil but also pretty entertaining to watch. A very magnificent bastard, indeed; I wasn’t rooting for him at any point in the story but was very intrigued by his clever and cunning ways and how he could possibly be defeated. Additionally, Regigigas being in this movie was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Gotta love them and their army of Mamoswine, 2D and 3D alike.

It doesn’t beat the Darkrai movie, but this one was really intriguing and entertaining. I essentially like both movies for different reasons (the Darkrai movie for Darkrai’s character arc and the action packed plot, and this one for the dynamic between Ash and Shaymin, as well as the worldbuilding).

Would I Recommend: Want to witness some intriguing stuff and potentially get a few ideas for your creative projects (I know I have)??? Give this a watch.

Overall Rating: 8/10

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im not gonna lie I’ve been struggling a bit. I only have 7 shows on my list of shows to watch. which may seem like a lot, but 5 of those shows only have 12 or less episodes.

i’ve been trying to find shows that don’t have a lot of questionable stuff (bigotry, proship crap, etc.) but most shows have at least one thing wrong with them and it’s making me extremely anxious.

especially since im looking at shows that have already been completed in full/adapted all of their source material, because what if a show gets more content and that content makes me drop the show like it never happened???

(i’ve also been worried with movies as well but I have a bit more movies on my list than I do shows. I do get through movies quicker though so it doesn’t even make that much of a difference)

if anyone has advice on how to deal with this issue PLEASE let me know.

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Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop | MOVIE REVIEW

A couple of people on AniList recommended this movie, and when I looked up information about it I quickly decided it would be a no-brainer that I watch it.

Always trust your instincts, and prepare for me to scream about this HIGHLY underrated movie.

REVIEW + SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

But first, two small pet peeves in the grand scheme of things, but still noticeable: it’s not bad, but there was this bright, sometimes neon color palette in the majority of the backgrounds throughout the movie, and in a few fast-paced scenes, the animation was so fluid it was rough for me to process; both of these things were a bit hard on the eyes sometimes, so unfortunately points had to be deducted for that. However………

The soundtrack in this movie was so good. It was pretty relaxing at times, other times it simply brought a tearful smile to my face. The story made me feel so many emotions: pain, joy, catharsis…the pressures of the world around you, the fear of losing the places, things, and people you love, the desire to be understood. Not to mention the romance between our two leads, Cherry and Smile, is so ADORABLE!!!!! AND CUTE!!!!! I was smiling at the end where Cherry confesses that he loves Smile through haikus and just. My. HEART.

And speaking of Cherry, he’s actually the aspect I liked the most in this film. As an autistic person, I haven’t been understood, accepted, or respected as myself by the world around me throughout my life, and whenever I see characters who have the traits that define this, define me as a person, I feel relieved and seen, heard and valued. The movie doesn’t explicitly state that Cherry is autistic, but that didn’t stop me from relating to him.

We both despise loud noises, and although I don’t use noise canceling headphones in my day-to-day life, I wonder if my quality of life would be better if I did use them in most places; maybe I wouldn’t get overstimulated near as often as I do. We also have difficulty with communicating with the people around us, and often communicate better in different ways (for Cherry, it’s haikus; for me, it’s typing. I’ve noticed that I type better than I speak); and we both get extremely anxious when it comes to public speaking (which I never ever want to do again).

Representation is extremely important, especially in a world that does everything in its power to make you believe that you’re worthless and have no value. I know I’ve believed this about myself many times. But when I see people who are like me, and are respected and appreciated for who they are, it’s as if someone is trying to tell me that it’s possible for me, too, to be respected and appreciated for who I am.

The more I think about this movie the more I want to increase the score, but for now it shall remain like this for now. Will the score ever increase? Perhaps. Who knows.

Would I Recommend: Please. I beg of you. Watch.

Overall Rating: 8/10

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On My Irrational Phobias | NOT A REVIEW

I’m pretty sure the topic of this article will become divisive among its viewers: some will take the time to understand my situation, others will either mock and ridicule me, actively state that I am weird for being afraid of these things, or call me a liar. I’ve certainly been through this before, with other people trying to intentionally set me off as a result. To simply get to the main topic already, then:

I have 3 specific phobias (birthday songs, patriotic pledges and the US national anthem) to the point where I will have meltdowns, try to run, try to block out their noises, and will try to actively avoid any place that has even the potential of having them.

Places that I tend to avoid include, but aren’t limited to, restaurants (that have actual menus), other food places that are known for birthday parties (ex. Chuck E Cheese), sports games, school buildings (now that I’m actually ABLE to avoid them), as well as the specific topic of this article: certain pieces of media.

Part of the reason trying to watch media feels anxiety-inducing is because I know that once one of my phobias pop up in said piece of media, it no longer is a source of comfort, but a source of dread. Theres a certain sadness that comes from desperately wanting to watch and like a piece of media, but not being able to because a portion of that media will make you very uncomfortable to the point where you cant even bear to finish it. This is a sadness I’ve had to experience multiple times over: it’s why i’m unable to truly watch Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Gundam The Witch from Mercury, Nichijou, and The Ghost of Molly McGee, just to name a few.

For those of you who came here from my Kiki’s Delivery Service review; this is why I felt anxious: since there were birthday parties I was scared the song would pop up. It didn’t, though! I watched through the whole thing! But it doesn’t erase the anxiety I felt.

Throughout my life, as I’ve experienced these phobias, I’ve also found ways around them. There have been a few shows that have been somewhat of “diamonds in the rough”, shows in which I could simply enjoy and watch without having to worry about my phobias being in them, two of which are Over the Garden Wall and Tropical Rouge Precure, and I know without a doubt that there are a ton more media that have the potential of being considered “safe” in that regard.

Additionally, I celebrate my birthday differently from some other people, which, obviously. I don’t want ANY kind of song remotely related to birthdays being sung to me. Besides, it wouldn’t truly be “my special day” if I couldn’t be deciding most of the details. Going places I feel more comfortable in and being able to choose the foods I enjoy makes ALL the difference. I don’t even like cake, by the way, especially when it comes to icing and sprinkles (blueberry muffins and cheese pizza are always safe alternatives).

I’m not sure how to wrap this article up. I just hope that if I get antsy about something people don’t normally get antsy about in the future, or if I decline a recommendation for something I’d otherwise think is a good show or movie, people at least understand why.

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Kiki’s Delivery Service | MOVIE REVIEW

I’ve wanted to watch this movie for months now. Many people have said it’s good, no, one of the best movies that Studio Ghibli has to offer. I certainly was intrigued by the concept, as well as with everything that every other article, review, or video essay had to say about this movie.

But while this movie was pretty good, I, unfortunately, did not like the movie as much as I desperately wanted to.

REVIEW + SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

I want to start with the bad before the good just because this movie was still good! It just wasn’t everything I had hoped for. I got antsy with certain scenes due to an irrational phobia I have (which I talk about in another article). Although that phobia never actually popped up in this movie, It doesn’t erase the anticipatory anxiety I felt, which unfortunately does bump down the score.

Additionally, I know this movie was released in the 80’s but i didnt like the “technology/electricity bad” statement one of the customers made. Over-reliance on technology? Sure, I absolutely hate the idea of a robot or AI doing literally everything. But this isn’t a robot or AI: this is an electrical oven!!! It reads more as a sentiment of the “good old days” where everything modern is terrible and life was better when things were harder.

Now, onto the good parts of this movie. Kiki’s family being supportive of her aspirations put a smile on my face, the art and animation is wildly impressive, and I loved the overall atmosphere and how calming some parts of the movie were; although it did leave room for more serious and dire situations, because unfortunately life isn’t all bread, ocean views and meadows.

I related way too much to Kiki. This might be a bit personal, but for specific reasons I’ve desired to move out of my parent’s house and be independent, but I don’t know how other people manage to do absolutely everything all at once. You have to work a 9-5 job just to pay rent, not to mention it sometimes doesn’t account for all the other expenses you have to pay. And i get overwhelmed working only 4 hours a day!!! Kiki may not be working a 9-5 job or having to worry much about rent and food and survival, but she got so overwhelmed anyway by all the people around her judging and mocking her for simply existing; something I’ve had to deal with my whole life (being a witch is different than being autistic, of course, but still).

And as if that didn’t hit me hard enough, Kiki ends up burning out and losing some of the motivation, abilities, and joy she used to have. Ursula compared Kiki’s magic to art and as an artist myself who’s lost a ton of motivation to draw, I really do need to be more patient with myself when i need to take a break.

With all this being said, I’m not sure how to feel about this movie as a whole. Maybe the score might improve if I revisited it somewhere down the line? Would the score be worse upon rewatch? I’m honestly not sure.

Would I Recommend: Eh. If you want to you can, I dunno.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

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Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai | MOVIE REVIEW

(aka “Dialgia vs Palkia vs Darkrai”)

This is most certainly not the first Pokémon movie I’ve ever watched, but this IS the first time I’m watching this particular movie, AND it’s the first review I’m making for this blog, and it’s about damn time.

And what better way to start off than with an absolutely STUNNING film?

REVIEW + SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

First of all let me just say the art and animation in this film is GORGEOUS. The colors used in this were unlike anything I’ve ever seen, even in my time watching Pokémon movies (yes I am biased, why do you ask). The animation is very fluid and the 3D models don’t look too out of place, either (which isn’t exclusive to this particular movie at all, btw, I just think it’s neat)!

I was hooked right from the beginning of the film: a brawl between Dialgia and Palkia preceding the plot. I like how this duo was portrayed in the film: two chaotic, wrathful deities, beings that are pure forces of nature, locked in an eternal rivalry, wreaking havoc in their wake. And let me tell you, the stakes in this movie where THE highest stakes I have EVER seen in a Pokémon movie thus far, and I had only seen 6 of them before this one (which would now make 7). I’m just shocked that it was only Alamos Town that was at risk and not the entire world.

Now, let’s talk about the lingering shadow here: Darkrai. Their arc within this movie gave me the perception of a mysterious foe and not only flipped it straight on its head, but tore it to pieces, along with my heart. They’re misunderstood by literally everyone, people were set on literally destroying them, and it was only when they were standing between the Time and Space Pokémon themselves and the city that was against them that people began to see Darkrai for who they truly are. All Darkrai wanted to do was protect them. And at the end of it all………oh my god. The very end of the movie when the cast was mourning Darkrai nearly drove me to tears and I was so relieved when immediately after it was revealed that Darkrai survived the wrath of the deities.

The intro song was decent, but not all that great. But the ending song blew it STRAIGHT OUT OF THE WATER. Just when I had been consoled by the fact that Darkrai survived, the ending song almost drove me to tears as well. Absolutely phenomenal.

I will say though the visuals for Palkia’s interferences on the town (the colors used, the intensity, and the speed; not sure if I should classify this as “flashing lights” because it doesn’t seem like “flashing” per say? it’s a bit difficult for me to describe) can be hard on the eyes at times; just a fair warning for that if you’re thinking about watching it.

Other than those things however, this movie was too stunning to put into words sometimes. I took some notes for this review but for most of the time I was simply astonished by everything.

Would I Recommend: Absolutely. No questions asked.

Overall Rating: 9/10

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Yeah I ended up making the change after all LOL. I want to potentially watch 2 movies a month because well……turns out there’s a TON of movies I could potentially watch, enough to last me at least 6 months worth of blog content if I watch 2 movies a month lol

very important update

I am SO sorry for yet another hold-up, I didn’t think it would take me THIS LONG to get employed but I will probably be starting work this week.

Now, here in lies the issue: due to the hours/days I am working and the sheer amount of tasks I have for myself in my free time: I will only be able to watch media on Friday nights for 2-3 hours.

With this in mind, it may end up taking a while to complete an entire series if I end up getting on board with one. So I have an idea; idk if I will be implementing the idea or not, however: I may separate my movie watching and show watching into two separate lists, that way it won’t take 10 years for me to post something lol.

If I do separate them into two separate lists, She and Her Cat (a short series) will be counted as a “movie” due to its very short runtime, btw.

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very important update

I am SO sorry for yet another hold-up, I didn’t think it would take me THIS LONG to get employed but I will probably be starting work this week.

Now, here in lies the issue: due to the hours/days I am working and the sheer amount of tasks I have for myself in my free time: I will only be able to watch media on Friday nights for 2-3 hours.

With this in mind, it may end up taking a while to complete an entire series if I end up getting on board with one. So I have an idea; idk if I will be implementing the idea or not, however: I may separate my movie watching and show watching into two separate lists, that way it won’t take 10 years for me to post something lol.

If I do separate them into two separate lists, She and Her Cat (a short series) will be counted as a “movie” due to its very short runtime, btw.

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sorry for the hold up!

It’s been a while since I’ve updated, but this blog is BACK.

I have a longer and stronger watchlist now, and I hope it’ll get longer as time goes on, which means I have plenty of options on my plate. I’m also going to be making a few changes to ensure that I don’t get anxious and abandon this blog again, so the changes are as follows:

I will no longer be holding myself to a schedule, doing things “monthly”, etc. The specific scheduling was supposed to motivate me and keep things organized, but it had the exact opposite effect on me: I was extremely stressed. This, combined with the fact that my watchlist wasn’t as big or strong like it is now, took a toll on me.

I’m eliminating the polls, at least for now. I might do polls again if certain circumstances occur, but I have a new system: I have decided on the specific order that I’ll watch each show and will be watching them one after the other. I will only watch 1-2 shows at a time, no exceptions.

Everything else is the same: if I complete a show or movie, I’ll do a review post on it. I might also do posts on topics that somewhat relate to media in general, or stuff that just interests me, but I won’t hold myself to that. Holding myself to anything is the MAIN reason I chickened out in the first place.

You won’t start seeing updates immediately but they will eventually come. I might only watch things 1-2 days a week with 1-2 episodes a day, but we’ll see how things go. But I am back.

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Welcome to my infinite mess.

This shall be my cozy little cave, where I shall go to watch all sorts of animated movies, series, etc. I’ve always had a passion for the medium, and I think it’s time to put my so-called “excellent writing” skills to use with this here blog.

My love for animated media isn’t the ONLY reason I decided to start this blog, however. I’ve had struggles in figuring out how to deal with certain media. Usually, whenever I have found even slightly unfavorable aspects of media, I would throw the entire thing out like it was nothing. But I’ve seen so many people who, although they also draw the line somewhere, love certain pieces of media while also criticizing it at the very same time. But…how can one LOVE or even LIKE a piece of media with issues in it? I felt like starting a blog could serve as a healthy outlet to explore my thoughts, as well as to potentially find some new pieces of media to add to my small pile of favorite movies, shows, etc.

Here’s how it works:

I will probably do reviews on finished shows/movies, stating my opinions on them as well as stating wether or not I would recommend them to anyone

A lot of what I may be watching will be anime. It’s not the ONLY form of animated media I want to cover, but anime may end up being the majority of what I end up covering.

I will PROBABLY not be doing seasonal anime watches. I prefer to watch shows that are either already finished, have an end in sight, or have otherwise gone on for a while.

For certain media, I’ve wanted to do “watchalongs”, which are posts discussing a specific portion of a show (like 5-15 episodes each or SOMETHING, depending on how long the show is). Not all of the media I discuss will have watchalongs!!!

Recommendations are ALWAYS welcome! Wether you decide to comment on THIS post, on my reviews of certain media, almost ANY post. I can never get enough recommendations from people. Please note, however, that I can say no to any recommendations for multiple reasons. There will be some shows or movies that I just won’t watch for one reason or another, and there are places where I will draw the line on which media I watch.

With any and all media I watch, the minimum amount of episodes of a show I have to watch before deciding wether to continue is 3, and I have to at least watch a 1/4th of a movie before deciding as well. (if they make me uncomfortable enough, however, I don’t have to follow these rules)

My many rambles:

Movie reviews

Other articles/“Not a Review”

I’m unsure of what the results of this blog attempt will be, as well as wether it’ll actually be able to live up to my expectations, but the only way for me to find out is try!.