Happy New Year to everyone! I’ve enjoyed posting more the last week or so and hope I can keep it up now that I don’t have college work. Here is my usual rating list!
- No redeeming qualities whatsoever visually, aesthetically, or as a story.
- It was so boring I could barely pay attention or it frustrated me SO much I couldn’t finish.
- I had a headache, but somehow made it through. This is also a category for when I absolutely DESPISE something I’ve watched or read.
- I could make fun of it. . . because of how bad it is or it lacked anything of real merit of substance.
- It’s not good, it’s not bad. It’s just blah.
- There were various interesting aspects but nothing to really gush about.
- A solid story. Good characters, plot, and visuals. However, it’s not amazing.
- I genuinely enjoyed watching/reading it. I could see/read it again with friends.
- A great experience! As a film/show it is visually stunning and has an incredible story I could go back to multiple times. As a book, I could do the same.
- Near Perfect (nothing is perfect.) It has become one of my favorites. I could also write entire articles on it.
(Note: Congratulations to me for reading and watching basically NO garbage this month!)
Books
Sabriel (1995), 9/10
Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him.
Synopsis via Goodreads
I was pleasantly surprised because I LIKED this story even with all the walking dead and Necromancy and because Tim Curry narrated it! I thought it progressed steadily, had vivid world-building, and a magic system that wasn’t too vague or fleshed out. I like a little ambiguity in the world-building and such because it leaves more room for my imagination to go wild!
Coraline (2002), 8/10
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring….
In Coraline’s family’s new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.
The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.
Only it’s different.
At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there’s another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.
Synopsis via Goodreads
It took me a while to finish this again. I kept falling asleep while reading it at night so the story was a bit spit up over a month or more. I still like this story, no mistake, but it isn’t my absolute favorite anymore.
Remembering Issac (2009), 8/10
Jake Kimball is afraid he agreed too hastily to spend the summer working his way through the mess Isaac Bingham, the old potter-God rest his soul-left behing. As Jake begins his work in the old studio, he becomes aware of a unique collection of mugs hanging from an overhead beam. When friends of the old potter stop by to sip peppermint tea from these mugs and tell their stories, Jake begins to understand the remarkable man he has come to replace. With the help of his new friend Amy, Jake pieces together the secrets of life Isaac lived by and shared with all who knew him. Remembering Isaac celebrates the art of creation, the ancient wisdom of a humble craftsman, the euphoria of love, and the joys found through understanding and making the most of reality.
Synopsis via Goodreads
Ben Behunin is definitely not a seasoned writer but I still can’t bring myself to fault him for it. I really like this story and its raw exploration of spirituality in everyday life. I’ll wait a bit to read the other two books in the series, but overall I had a good time as always.
Comics
Psyren (2007), 9/10
Ageha Yoshina is a self-confident high school student who helps others for a fee. On his way back from a job, he finds a strange calling card with the word “Psyren” imprinted left behind in a phone booth and decides to keep it, unaware of its purpose. The very next day, Ageha discovers that his classmate Sakurako Amamiya has the exact same calling card in her possession. When he questions her, Sakurako asks him to save her, signaling the day his troubles begin.
Confused by the circumstances of this encounter, Ageha realizes something is wrong when Sakurako goes missing. In an attempt to figure out what is happening, he decides to call the number provided on the calling card and is asked a series of questions by a mysterious voice, ending with a final, cryptic question: “Would you like to go to Psyren?” Thus begins two teenagers’ participation in a game of life or death within a strange world inhabited by monsters called “Taboo.” Granted the ability to use psychic powers known as “PSI,” the duo fight to return to the place they call home.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
The ONLY reason why this has a 9 instead of a 10 is because the ending felt a bit rushed. The world-building, PSI powers, characters, and story are all fantastic! However, it could have used maybe. . . two more volumes to flesh out everything.
Tsubaki Chou Lonely Planet (2015), 9/10
Due to her father’s six million yen debt, sixteen-year-old high school student Fumi Oono and her father are evicted from their apartment. In need of a place to stay and a job to earn money, she starts to work as a live-in housekeeper for the young writer Akatsuki Kibikino.
When they meet for the first time, the two start off on the wrong foot, with Akatsuki calling Fumi useless and treating her like a child. Determined to pay off her father’s debt, Fumi works hard to prove him otherwise. However, despite Akatsuki’s foul-mouthed and mysterious behavior, she begins to realize that he is not as despicable as she initially thought, gradually unravelling the passionate and caring person underneath.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
I only have 8 physical volumes for this so I’m not giving it a 10 until I fully finish the story. I’m rebelling against reading on my phone so. . . it might take a while.
Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (2020), 6.5/10
With unmaintained red hair and shabby clothes, Marie, the baron’s daughter, has been treated like a servant all her life. Count Granado, the country’s richest man, who is said to be a difficult misogynist, falls in love with her at first sight. However, due to a misunderstanding, Count Granado proposes to her sister Anastasia, who looks like a princess, instead of the ragged Marie.Synopsis via Anime-Planet
This story stops at the worst cliffhanger ever! That aside, the description for the story I posted above is nothing like the actual plot. Most of it is just clickbait to get readers to buy into the story. I know someone is making an anime for this soon, but I don’t know why. This has a pretty watery story and Marie goes through so much hardship it’s a wonder she is still alive.
Takane and Hana (2014), 9/10
Sixteen-year-old Hana Nonomura is forced to be the substitute for her older sister Yukari at a miai: a meeting between two people considering an arranged marriage. Hana’s prospective suitor turns out to be the handsome heir of the wealthy Takaba company, Takane Saibara, who is 10 years her senior. He promptly shows disdain toward Hana and, in response, she tells him that she is equally unimpressed by his status and personality.
Hana believes that her actions at the meeting should have put an end to the discussions about marriage with Takane. To her surprise, not only does the man want to proceed with negotiations but he also starts to show interest in her! This is just the beginning of a special relationship between two polar opposites!
Synopsis via Myanimelist
I love reading this series so much! It is one of the few manga I still laugh out loud while reading because of how clever the banter between Takane and Hana is. The only thing I felt was a bit hard was how several characters’ story arcs weren’t finished fully. Otherwise, wonderful series! I look forward to reading it again in the future.
Ouran High School Host Club (2002), 8/10
At Ouran High School, an academy where only the children of the rich and powerful attend, there exists a club consisting of the most elite of the student body: the legendary Host Club. Within the club’s room, six beautiful, bored boys spend their time entertaining equally beautiful and bored girls.
Haruhi Fujioka, a poor scholarship student, has no interest in the Host Club—until she breaks a valuable vase in their clubroom. After being mistaken for a boy, Haruhi is forced by Kyouya Ootori to work for the Host Club to repay her debt. Tamaki Suou, the princely leader of the club, eagerly takes her under his wing to teach her the ways of the host.
Things, however, are never quite so simple with the Host Club around. Even the most mundane events can turn into huge spectacles with the likes of prankster twins Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, stoic Takashi Morinozuka, and sweet Mitsukuni “Hunny” Haninozuka. The crazy adventures of the Host Club are just beginning, and Haruhi must learn how to survive in the glitzy world of the hosts.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
I loved this series as a teenager and young adult. Probably too much, but it is the perfect bait for younger readers. I like the characters and think most of the jokes are funny but have mostly grown out of it. Also, many of the circumstances and jokes that used to be funny aren’t anymore because. . . well, they are real problems in society now.
All that aside, I really like the characters Mori and Kyoya this time around. Probably because they act the most like adults out of all of them. Hunny is also more charming this time, which surprises me. My favorite arc was the twins learning to become individuals but also embracing their unique relationship.
MASHLE: Magic and Muscles (2020), 7/10
To everyone else in his magic-dominated world, the young and powerless Mash Burnedead is a threat to the gene pool and must be purged. Living secretly in the forest, he spends every day training his body, building muscles strong enough to compete with magic itself! However, upon having his identity exposed and his peaceful life threatened, Mash begins his journey to becoming a Divine Visionary, a role so powerful that society would have no choice but to accept his existence.
And so, in order to maintain his peaceful life, the magicless Mash enrolls in the prestigious Easton Magic Academy, competing against the children of some of the most powerful and elite in the realm. Lacking the very skill needed to survive at Easton, magic, Mash appears to already be at a disadvantage to his fellow classmates. In order to achieve his goals, Mash will have to fight his way through every trial using his fists alone, overcoming magic with muscles, all for the illustrious title of Divine Visionary!
Synopsis via Myanimelist
Reading this was better than watching the anime because it didn’t have all those awkward conversation pauses that made the end of the second season so unbearable. Mash is the best part of this series and that is basically all I look for when reading.
Overall, this series moves too fast. The characters and situations need more explanation. Besides Mash, I don’t feel like I’ve gotten to know ANY of the other characters well enough.
Movies
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), 10/10
It has been three years since the most important Nazi leaders had already been tried. This trial is about four judges who used their offices to conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies. Retired American judge, Dan Haywood has a daunting task ahead of him. The Cold War is heating up and no one wants any more trials as Germany, and Allied governments, want to forget the past. But is that the right thing to do is the question that the tribunal must decide. Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com> at IMBD
Wow. This movie is so powerful! I liked watching it with my two classes and talking to them about the implications behind the Nuremberg Trials. Although the characters and initial trial were mostly fictional, the message of Justice needs to be addressed even today.
It is easy to think everyone believes the Holocaust happened and there were millions of people negatively affected by Nazi Germany. That is NOT the case and if you look at history most of the perpetrators of mass murder, torture, indoctrination, etc. were not punished for their crimes.
Anyway, I highly recommend this movie!
Metropolis (2001), 9/10
Metropolis is a visually stunning, rich, and memorable pleasure. It’s contributors have brought us other classics such as Astroboy and Akira. The story takes place in the muti-leveled, fascinating, megalopolis called Metropolis. Metropolis is loosely ruled by Duke Red, who is close to presenting his ultimate work, an advanced AI robot girl named Tima. His son; however, is an opponent of AI and resents Tima. Tima finds herself deep within the labyrinth of Meteoplolis. She befriends the kind son of a police officer and begins exploring her new world. When Duke Red’s son separates this new friendship, he puts much more at risk than anyone thought possible.—Seeslee via IMBD
This was ALSO really enjoyable to watch with my students. I was surprised most of them really got into it, seeing as it’s animated. But they genuinely liked the story and asked me TONS of questions about the world-building, its connection to Metropolis (1927), and different comics.
The Wizard of Oz (1939), 7/10 (Not the movie but the experience!)
When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, are whisked away from their house to the magical Land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and on the way, they meet a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The Wizard asks them to bring him the Wicked Witch of the West’s broom to earn his help.—Jwelch5742 via IMBD
I love this movie, but apparently, my students did not. They were mostly dead when we finally got to it and to be honest they didn’t deserve it! (Just kidding. We were all burnt out because it was almost Christmas vacation. Plus movies aren’t a fun escape in my class. They are all PROJECTS and learning experiences).
The Beautiful Fantastic (2016), 7/10
A contemporary fairy tale revolving around the most unlikely of friendships: between a reclusive, agoraphobic young woman (Findlay) with dreams of being a children’s-book author and a curmudgeonly old widower (Wilkinson), set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London.
Synopsis via IMBD
Ho hum. I liked the premise for this story, with a withered garden, a quirky woman found by ducks, and a curmudgeonly old grumpy man living next door. But the full execution was a bit watery. I wanted more gardening! Or maybe I just wanted The Secret Garden. . . Anyway, I did like it but wasn’t floored.
Shows
Gosick (2011), 8/10
Kazuya Kujou is a foreign student at Saint Marguerite Academy, a luxurious boarding school in the Southern European country of Sauville. Originally from Japan, his jet-black hair and dark brown eyes cause his peers to shun him and give him the nickname “Black Reaper,” based on a popular urban legend about the traveler who brings death in the spring.
On a day like any other, Kujou visits the school’s extravagant library in search of ghost stories. However, his focus soon changes as he becomes curious about a golden strand of hair on the stairs. The steps lead him to a large garden and a beautiful doll-like girl known as Victorique de Blois, whose complex and imaginative foresight allows her to predict their futures, now intertwined.
With more mysteries quickly developing—including the appearance of a ghost ship and an alchemist with the power of transmutation—Victorique and Kujou, bound by fate and their unique skills, have no choice but to rely on each other.
Synopsis via Myanimelist
Shock on my soul, this is still a really good anime! I like how it pulls world history into its story from the 1920s-1930s and decently enjoy the mysteries. The only thing that bugs me is Victorique. I know she is a Tsundere, but her personality takes WAY too long to change.
MASHLE Second Season (2023), 6.5/10 (MASH 10/10)
So, last month I gave Season One a solid 9. Well, this season took a downturn. The pacing was egregious at times and the shortcuts in the animation were super distracting. Plus there was the . . . monologuing. Not- Dumbledore was the biggest culprit but there were others!
But what makes this season stand out is its GLORIOUS opening and Mash as a character. Much like Saitama from One Punch Man, I mostly just watch to see Mash win.
Ouran High School Host Club (2006), 7.5/10
Most of what I said about the manga series applies here! The one difference is I love the English voice acting, think the animation is spot on, and wish there was more to the show. (Note: I am not a fan of the last two episodes OR the opening.)
Ghost Hunters (2004), 7/10
This one-hour weekly docu-soap from the creator/executive producer of “American Chopper” follows a group of real-life paranormal researchers as they investigate haunted houses throughout the country, encountering every type of imaginable haunting. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, plumbers by trade, head up TAPS — The Atlantic Paranormal Society — a group of ordinary, everyday people with an interest in getting to the bottom of your otherworldly disturbances.—— SCI FI Channel, submitted by Senior Editor, SCIFI.COM via IMBD
I didn’t watch this of my own volition. My brother and mother like ghost shows and I inevitably get drawn into them. We watched the latest 2024 season and it was pretty good. I like how they don’t pretend to have full-on conversations with ghosts but have genuine experiences finding ECHOES of paranormal activity.
Over the Garden Wall (2014), 10/10
Somewhere, lost in the clouded annals of history, lies a place that few have seen. A mysterious place called The Unknown… Two Brothers, Wirt and Greg find themselves lost in the strange woods, adrift in a time. With the help of a shadowy Woodsmen and a foul-tempered bluebird named Beatrice, they travel through the foggy land in Hope of finding a way home.
Synopsis via IMBD
I have nothing new to say about this show. I love it, watch synopsis and essays about it for relaxation, and recommend it for the Fall. The one difference this year was I watched this on Christmas. Why? Well. . . it just sort of happened that way.
Teen Titans (2003), 9/10
In a major city, Robin the Boy Wonder leads his own team of superheroes, The Teen Titans. With his teammates, the dark Raven, the powerful Cyborg, the flighty alien princess Starfire and the flippant Beast Boy; the team battles the forces of evil where ever they appear like the enigmatic Slade, the diabolical Brother Blood or the malevolently cosmic Trigon.—Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com) via IMBD
Still think this show is top-notch. It does have its odd BAD episodes but that goes for ANY show really. So far my favorite parts of this show include:
- The BEAUTIFUL backgrounds!
- “Master of Your Fate” sung by Tom Kenny was a wild ride. I thought long and hard (for too long) about how long it probably took the animators to animate the full thing.
- “Don’t Touch That Dial” with Control Freak where they go into the TV.
- The episode “The Quest“. I liked seeing Robin go on a spiritual journey and the rest of the Titans pretending to be him by wearing his costumes and using his gadgets.
- Slade is a fantastic villain! Too bad he can’t be there all the time.
- “Haunted” is now one of my favorite episodes from TV PERIOD.
- Most of the fighting sequences are well-balanced and fascinating to study.
- I like all the main characters! That is saying something. . . this doesn’t always happen.
Summer Strike (2022), 9/10
Adapted from a webtoon. A drama about voluntary unemployed Lee Yeo-reum and librarian Ahn Dae-beom, who declared a life strike, leaving a complex city and looking for themselves in a strange place.
Synopsis via IMBD
Still like this show, although this time I just skipped over the drama parts. I wanted to relax and see the beautiful Korean countryside.
Hope you all have a great new year! I look forward to writing in the future.
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 