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Centaurworld (2021)
Surprised By Its Quality
I wasn't sure how to feel going in, but Centaurworld floored me with how good it was.
The animation is just fantastic, in both its traditional anime-esque human world and the tweeny centaur world.
Every song is catchy and excellently performed, I've listened to the soundtrack multiple times.
The flavor of comedy seems very in-line with modern cartoons like Adventure Time and I could see this not gelling with everyone, but it rarely got obnoxious to me.
The supporting cast each have a specific brand of absurdity and I came to like them all for different reasons. The emotional beats we're given work very well for the characters we get to learn about, it would be nice to see the rest of the cast fleshed out later.
Excited for part 2!
Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild (2021)
Constantly Moving, No Time To Breathe
I've been a long time Monster Hunter fan and it's clear that some love went into this movie, the script is full of references to the game and in-jokes. The models all look great but the animation is janky and weirdly bouncy at times.
My main complaint is the story, things are just constantly happening and the pacing is way too fast. This leads to what should be emotional moments just falling flat and those moments themselves just being brushed aside because there's no time to linger on them.
If this was a series it might have had the time it needed to develop these characters more and get you to care for them. Not offensively bad, just mediocre.
Kyaroru & Chûzudei (2019)
It's the Journey, not the Destination
Carole & Tuesday does a great job getting you to care about all of its characters and feel genuine concern when things don't go their way. Throughout the anime's run, I was genuinely invested in where the characters were going to end up, how they would make it through road blocks, and felt disheartened when things didn't go their way.
This anime tackles some subject matter that I can't say I've seen in others, which makes it stand out as very modern. While I applaud Carole & Tuesday for even attempting to breach these topics, I feel like its ambition got in the way of it being able to reach a meaningful conclusion. Things like immigration, government corruption, and police brutality hardly have a neat solution in real life, so it's easy to see how their inclusion might mean the ending isn't as fulfilling as it could have been; things wrap up way too quickly and neatly here to feel meaningful.
Despite my feelings toward the anime's ending, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Carole & Tuesday. It has nice animation, great and catchy music, and a well-rounded cast that makes it easy to recommend to anyone.
Kaijû no kodomo (2019)
Beautiful Animation, Confounding Story
Almost a week after seeing this movie and I'm still trying to digest it, I'm honestly having a hard time placing my feelings for it.
The one thing I can say without a doubt is that Children of the Sea is absolutely stunning to look at. The animation on display here is like nothing I've ever seen.
My main hang up is the story. The characters are likable and the plot is intriguing, but it absolutely goes off the deep end in the last third and that's where my hangups lie. It becomes incredibly hard to follow which makes its ending not quite land the way it should have. Some plot threads don't feel entirely fleshed out, but are simultaneously wrapped around the plot at large to make them thematically relevant.
I think I walked away glad that I saw it, but it's going to be a hard sell to people I know.
Tôkyô goddofâzâzu (2003)
A Fantastic Animated Comedy
Given Satoshi Kon's previous works you wouldn't expect a Christmas-centric comedy from him to work at all, but this film had me grinning from ear to ear.
The art and animation here is absolutely top notch, getting to see this on the big screen was a delight. The writing is sharp and witty, and the film is as touching as it is hilarious with a dynamic and well-rounded cast.
As a fan of the original I was worried that the English actors wouldn't hold a candle to the Japanese version but this dub knocked it out of the park, all the characters feel authentic to their original language counterparts and the performances are great.
There's a reason Satoshi Kon is a legend in the anime industry, this sits right next to all his other works as an all-time classic.
Gekijô-ban poketto monsutâ: Myûtsû no gyakushû Evolution (2019)
Made Me Want to Rewatch the Original
I love the original US Pokemon movie, warts and all, so when I heard that a CG remake was being made I was very curious. What we get is a movie that rides the coat tails of the original while trying to move some elements slightly to the left to not seem redundant, all while not quite hitting the mark.
Visually, it's okay. The models of the Pokemon seem like they're ripped from the TCG commercials and are fairly unremarkable, and the characters look just different enough to feel off. The animation is odd and bouncy, and a lot of the Pokemon fights lack the scale and weight of the original.
The dub here is just awful. I understand the limited 2D animation of the original gave the actors a lot more leeway to not match lip flaps, but the strict adherence to the CG characters makes lines feel stilted and awkward, in conjunction with some writing that makes this feel like it's written for toddlers. A lot of the main cast is replaced with actors trying to imitate the originals, personally I would have preferred they'd given their own performance as opposed to parroting the originals.
My one big positive is the crying scene had way more impact on me in this movie, due in part to Pikachu's voice actress giving a great performance.
If you locked me in a room with this or nothing, I wouldn't say no. Give me this and the original, I want the original without question.
Redline (2009)
An Incredible Experience
Few films give you the pure adrenaline rush that Redline offers. Mind blowing animation (That took 7 years to make!!!) and a kick-ass soundtrack offer an unparalleled spectacle that you have to see for yourself.
Rock & Rule (1983)
Shines In Spite of Shortcomings
I stumbled across this movie completely by chance, and I'm so glad I did. Fantastic animation, a star-studded soundtrack, and an INCREDIBLY fun villain make for a wonderful time. There are some off performances, but it manages to lend charm to the film rather than detract from it.
Even more interesting is learning the history and behind the scenes goings on of the film! I highly recommend looking into it!
Ping Pong the Animation (2014)
One of My All-Time Favorites
A wonderful story that's about much more than ping pong, with well developed characters, gorgeous art (that more than makes up for some of the dips in animation quality), and fantastic music.
I've gone back and rewatched the series twice and I'm completely captivated every time. Do not pass this up.
Ni no kuni (2019)
Competent, but Sometimes Mediocre
The characters are probably the most consistent part of the movie. They seem well developed and I started to care for them a bit by the end. The other writing really starts to fall apart, haphazardly throwing items and historical events at you in the third act then acting like you've been given enough context to care about them.
Ni no Kuni works very hard to recreate the Studio Ghibli aesthetic - bringing on some Ghibli staff and composer Joe Hisaishi - but the animation budget here is clearly not enough to hold the illusion for the movie's runtime. As it goes on, it starts to feel more like a mid-budget TV anime with flat shots and static animation.
Overall, it's an okay movie with not enough time or money to flesh out all of its ideas. There are worse ways to spend two hours.