My sister and I recently watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and it was phenomenal! I cannot recommend this anime enough. I would say it is one of the greatest anime series ever produced, up there with Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Speaking of Evangelion, I noticed several references to it in this show, which makes me think the creator was inspired by it when writing this story.
What is the story? Two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric (Ed and Al for short), attempt to resurrect their dead mother but end up disfigured instead since they broke an alchemy taboo and the Law of Equivalent Exchange(TM) took effect. Ed loses his right arm and left leg, and Al loses his whole body. Ed saves Al's soul at the last minute, binding it to a suit of armor. The rest of the series is about them searching for a way to become whole again while learning about their estranged father and dealing with a mysterious evil force that lurks in the shadows.
You can stream this series on Netflix and Crunchyroll as well as buy a physical copy. I want to try to get this on Blu-ray in the future as this is media I feel is worth preserving.
A week or so ago, I got an email saying that my Genshin Impact account would be suspended if I did not input my birth month and year since apparently I was not asked to do so earlier. I went and did that at the eleventh hour then downloaded the game on my MacBook.
Released in 2020 by miHoYo, a Chinese game developer, Genshin Impact became a commercial success almost overnight, likely exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic keeping many people cooped up at home. Some have compared it to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for its open world and visuals. I don't know how popular it is now, but l am aware that it was subject to some controversy a while back due to some characters' skin tones and the English voice actors' strike. (In fact, the other day I noticed that there was a character who should have had spoken dialogue but did not, which makes me wonder if that's somehow related.) To that I say, "Screw identity politics! It's a fantasy world, and I'm here to have fun!"
It has been a long while since I played the game, the main reason being I couldn't play it on a Mac. I briefly used the family Windows desktop to run it which was slow as molasses. The RPG does not work on MacOS as of now, but it does run on iPhones and iPads. I downloaded a program called PlayCover that allows you to play iOS games on Macs. So essentially, I'm playing the iPad version on the computer.
So far, I'm enjoying it just as well as if not better than before. I never finished part one of the story, so it was satisfying to finish that arc and move on to the second region. Someday I hope to catch up, so long as my Mac's storage won't have to suffer for it!
Shinsei Galverse has finally premiered, and I must say, this is a good first impression. It looks good and definitely has potential. The video is featured above.
I'm guessing this is a pilot episode since it does not have a definitive end and the runtime is like that of a TV episode. If viewership meets or exceeds expectations, hopefully more episodes will be made and we get to see more of the Galverse. Speaking of, I realize now that the name "Galverse" contains the word gyaru when pronouncing it in Japanese. Gyaru, in case you don't know, refers to a particular fashion subculture among Japanese women.
I ran into this trailer while I was on YouTube a few days ago. Shinsei Galverse, a new crowdfunded independent online anime, will be premiering on June 25! It's about a group of 8,888 women, collectively known as Galverse, who are reincarnations of a being known as "Mother" who used to rule over the galaxy. When these ladies learn about their origin, they unite together to stop an evil organization known as "Space End Society." You can learn more about it on the official website.
What really sticks out to me is the art style. It is reminiscent of 1980s and 1990s anime such as Sailor Moon, so it looks and feels retro and modern simultaneously. Not only that, Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese voice actress who played such iconic roles like Sailor Moon and Misato Katsuragi, will be voicing a character in this production (she's the blond scientist)!
I'll try this out and see for myself if this lives up to the trailer. I may post about it again after the premiere. Until then, take care!
Lars of the Stars, in case you don't know, is the altar ego of Lars Barriga, a side character from Steven Universe. It's also the name of a season five episode. I could say more, but I would hate to spoil those who have not seen SU. I recommend watching it for yourself to get the full story.
Personally, I hope this series will give us more lore (Gem origins, when???) and character development on the Off Colors, since those elements were sorely lacking in Steven Universe. Whether it's a full-blown epic or a limited series like Steven Universe Future, I'm looking forward to it!
A few months ago, Kneon from Clownfish TV posted this video about how the daily ratings for Cartoon Network (CN) have gone through the floor as of last year, signaling the probable end of CN as we knew it. This comes after the official website shut down last year and the studio in Burbank, CA closed its doors in 2023. Indeed, all of the major American children's networks have shown decreasing numbers for over a decade as audiences rely more heavily on on-demand content for their entertainment rather than linear television.
Of course, people will blame streaming and the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery for this decline, and there is some truth there, but I believe there is more going on; it's the content being produced on this network. What we are seeing today is the culmination of over a decade of churning out content that are not good quality, not kid-friendly, and/or just plain weird, beginning with the premiere of Adventure Time in 2010 which was also the first original series on the channel to be PG-rated. Since then, CN transformed from a powerhouse for children's entertainment to what can best be described as "Adult Swim Junior," cartoons marketed to kids but upon further inspection contain mature themes not appropriate for little kids (ex: homosexuality, "non-binary" gender, non-marital child-bearing), appeal to older audiences like teens and young adults, and violate parents' trust, particularly shows carrying an age rating below TV-PG. Combine that with the gosh-awful PSAs about "anti-racism" and "personal pronouns," reruns of Teen Titans GO! all day with little diversity in the schedule, and barely any merch sales, and you have a recipe for disaster. It's no wonder they went under.
On a personal level, this news makes me sorrowful as someone who grew up with the network, with shows like The PowerPuff Girls (the original, not the stupid 2016 reboot), Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, the 90s dub of Sailor Moon on Toonami, Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, and the classic cartoons on Boomerang giving me cherished childhood memories and solidifying my love for animation. The last CN shows from the modern era I enjoyed were Steven Universe, Over the Garden Wall, and Infinity Train. At this rate, I would not be shocked if the network morphs into Adult Swim 24/7.
In my last post, I talked about how Disney's Snow White was going to be a box office bomb and not show any amount of respect for the original 1937 film. The film dropped last month and...I and most people were pretty much right on the money.
To continue this tiresome modern trend of making unfaithful reboots that barely please anyone and bomb faster than one can say "screw it," there is an adaptation of the Narnia series currently being produced at Netflix of all places with the first movie being based on The Magician's Nephew, the sixth book published but the first one chronologically. And the director? Greta Gerwig. Yes, that Greta Gerwig who directed 2023's Barbie which ended up being a radical feminist and misandrist manifesto. What could possibly go wrong?
Not much is known as of late, but apparently Aslan, the lion who rules over the land of Narnia, will be voiced by actress Meryl Streep. So will Aslan still be male but have a female voice, or will Aslan be a lioness? Only time will tell, but knowing who is heading this production, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the latter is true.
What really makes this frustrating is that the Narnia series as a whole is an overt Christian allegory. Aslan in particular is a representation of Jesus Christ. In fact, he is Jesus taking on a different form in another universe. Therefore, having him be voiced by a woman or having him be a woman downplays that fact and makes it seem like this will be a feminist subversion of a beloved Christian story. Never mind that there are plenty of strong female characters in the series already.
If I were you, I would avoid this altogether. Remember that hate-watching is still watching. For a good example of Narnia adaptations, check out the three movies produced by Disney before they sucked (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader).
The trailer for the ill-conceived live-action dump based on the classic 1937 Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has finally been released, and boy, is it a doozy. See for yourself at the top of this post. Then read the comments. They are more entertaining than this film.
This trailer is yet another example of everything wrong with modern Western media and reboots in general that have become cliché at this point. Here, Snow White is not only race-swapped for no good reason, making her name lose its original meaning, and played by won't-shut-her-mouth Rachel Zegler, she is also changed to be a "girlboss" who leads a revolution against the Evil Queen. Because that's what Snow White was about, right? And if I had to guess, the prince will be made into a weakling and will not kiss a presumably dead Snow White at the end, because that's sexual harassment apparently. Honestly, the only character I like in this is the Evil Queen played by Gal Gadot, and while she too is a race-swapped version of her original counterpart, she plays the role well. She and Zegler should have switched places as she appears to be a more worthy candidate for "the fairest of them all," but I digress.
Then there are the CGI dwarves. They could have been played by real people with dwarfism á la The Wizard of Oz and Time Bandits, but political correctness and Peter Dinklage got in the way and prevented a whole demographic from getting an opportunity to make it big in the film industry. Everyone thinks they're creepy, but I actually don't find them weird at all in the same way that I was not at all creeped out by the characters from The Polar Express (which is now 20 years old as of this post!). My issue with them is that they're not as unique-looking nor as memorable like the originals.
In the end, only time will tell if this movie will make it big. I personally hope it doesn't since I'm tired of unfaithful reboots and cheap cash grabs and would prefer either new and exciting stories or else adaptations that respect what came before. Maybe a movie like this failing will be a wake-up call to Disney and Hollywood to stop making these types of movies for good.
I got another refund check from school, so I used it to buy a new printer, the Epson ET-2850. The old one my family had still works but has issues with printing the entire image on the page. That and we have to buy ink cartridges every few months which cost over $30. The latter point is the main reason I bought this. The new printer uses e-ink, which is ink in bottles that you fill up in the corresponding tanks. Better for the environment and it saves you money in the long run!
