An image of text mimicking golden neon lights that says 'I Have Very Strong Opinions.'

Inside Job- 5/5

Television show | Posted 12/12/2022

It's good. I love the universe, I love the story, and the second season nearly ended me. The characters are interesting and endearing without being flawless (and are, in fact, incredibly flawed), and their relationships are a delight to witness.

The Boys - 4/5

Television show | Posted 12/12/2022

It's well-made, interesting, pushes boundaries, and speaks candidly on current, relevant topics. It is much like Star Wars in that its condemnation of the current state of America is both brutal and entertaining. One star is denoted for the extreme, intense, and frequent gore that has made me sick to my stomach on several occasions.

Ai: The Somnium Files— nirvanA Initiative- 3/5

Video game | Posted 2/11/2022

This game was good, but its anti-spoiler features really ruined it for me; It essentially reversed all of Date's character development from the first game, and then his ambiguously happy ending almost immediately after he got it. It was really frustrating, as I was— in part— looking forward to the new Date being the lead, but also because of whose face he's wearing. It's jarring after the ending of the last game, and not in the least bit comforting. And, it means that you're now subjected to an entire second game where Date has a porn addiction.

They also fumbled Ryuki's story entirely, with his backstory basically glossed over in just a few lines. He was treated poorly by everyone he worked with, which they don't mention as being one of the factors leading to his downfall. His only friend is his sentient eyeball. He's treated like a sick dog when in crisis. He watches his boss, friend, crush, die in front of him, and rather than getting him counseling, they just let him roam the streets as an armed, incredibly mentally unwell ghost. Then, they somewhat ambiguously imply that he's not only straight, but in love with Tama at the end...? It's like they forgot about Ryuki a quarter of the way into his story, despite literally being one of the two main characters, and then hastily wrote the rest in one or two hours. With Mizuki and Date's stories completely resolved, I can only hope that the next game will feature Ryuki as a protagonist and give him the spotlight he deserves.

Other than those two points, I think the game is really fun. I enjoyed the puzzles and a lot of the themes present throughout the story, especially the fringe timeline. Genny was one of my favourite characters, and I'm glad he essentially replaced Ota's role in the story; All of Mami's somniums were very interesting as well, and I liked how they implemented features of her life in ways that could be taken one way or another (depending on what routes you got first). The somniums were a bit easier, which helped Johne a lot, and the newer features were fun breaks from the main story. It's a solid game, and I enjoyed it a lot— but I just don't think it could compete with the first game, especially with those anti-spoiler features implemented.

Ai: The Somnium Files- 4/5

Video game | Posted 2/11/2022

I watched JohneAwesome's playthrough of this game, and it absolutely gripped me. The story has twists and turns that are just so much fun. The story leaves you pretty much clueless until the end as to what the twist might be, not because it isn't realistic— rather, like every good investigation, you don't have all of the information you need until much later. This would be a five out of five, but I found Date's porn addiction really annoying at times. It's silly in the fight scenes, but it gets grosser outside of that. And the whole "Date is a pervert" thing bugged me too, cause he barely even creeps on people (and even then, it seems like he only creeps because the game made him? Like he wouldn't do it unless the player forced him to). But if you ignore that, the game is AMAZING.

Flick Your Tongue Against Your Teeth And Describe The Present by Bedwetter - 5/5

Album | Posted 1/11/2022

Definitely a weirder album; I wish there was more information on the creator available on Spotify, because it seems like the album might be a personal exploration of their own trauma from being kidnapped and the repercussions thereof. There isn't, though, so maybe it's just a good album with no dark backstory. Fondly Eulogizing Sleep and Man Wearing a Helmet are two of my favourite tracks from it. I don't think the album is for everyone, but I enjoy listening to it from time to time.

Willy's Wonderland (2021)- 4/5

Movie | Posted 30/10/2022

This movie goes hard. It's campy, cheesy, and I LOVE that Nicholas Cage doesn't say a single word. He's obsessed with pinball. He lets five teenagers die even though he could solve the problem in minutes. He wasn't even concerned about the animatronics. He somehow made a deep emotional connection with a teenager, even after leaving her with just a knife and her wits against a Satanic animatronic so he could play pinball. This movie is in my top five favourite movies of all time.

The Neighbors- 4/5

Television show | Posted 29/10/2022

This show is really good. I loved the different running gags in it, the setting, the alien family, the Weavers... it's peak sitcom, with a dash of sass. I wish it'd been able to have a longer run, because the Reggie/Amber angle was so funny to me... and Larry Bird as a barista? I would have loved to see more of him being humbled. Alas, it only had two seasons. I would highly recommend this show to anyone looking for a light-hearted, brief show to watch.

OK KO- Let's Be Heroes! - 5/5

Television show | Posted 29/10/2022

You cannot get a better TV show than this. The episodes are short, fun, easy to watch; The characters are engaging and endearing; The plot grips you violently. It was cancelled too soon, and I stand by that— out of every show to get cancelled, this is in the top five that at least deserved one more season. I've rewatched this show twice. I will die mad that the HBO-Warner merge removed it from the platform, it deserved to get many, many more views.

Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow (2004)- 4/5

Movie | Posted 29/10/2022

I don't have much to say- this is one of my favourite movies of all time. It has a lot of flaws— pacing problems, Gwynneth Paltrow as Polly Perkins as a whole— but ultimately, I think the movie is enjoyable and the CGI's age fits really well into the comic book atmosphere. The robots are disturbing, and very well-designed. Frank, Dexter, and Joe are probably some of my favourite characters of all time. One star is removed for Polly Perkins's entire existence, though; I despised her character, and she deserved to be laughed at for the rest of time by Joe. The compulsory lead kiss at the end was cheap and pointless, considering they hated each other... Look, all I'm saying is that Dexter and Joe had better chemistry than Joe and Polly. THEY should have kissed, but I don't think God's Green 2004 America would have survived that.

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw- 3/5

Book | Posted 29/10/2022

To put it briefly, the book was pretty good; I liked the plot twist, which was both predictable and obvious while still throwing me for a goddamn loop when I got to it. I didn't like some aspects of the story, so it's a 3/5.

To put it longly, I disliked a lot of aspects about the book- I didn't like how the MC narrated, and I don't like that her family's history of witchcraft was basically just a talking point, and one that is frequently brought up. I understand it's basically just foreshadowing for the ending, but such a major plot point shouldn't be a deus ex machina. The same goes for Oliver being a ghost- the reason I assumed the author wouldn't go in that direction is that he literally interacts with his environment, which is neither explained or brought up ever again. Was Nora hallucinating handing him clothes? Was she actually just dropping them onto the floor? I understand Oliver not being seen, but why did nobody at the boys' camp notice or react to Nora being at the camp? Minor, but frustrating plot holes.

That being said, once you get past the rough bits and look past the holes, the book is a fun read. I binge-read the majority of the book in one day, because it was really easy to digest. The story has a weird— but very alluring— pacing, and the author does a good job setting up the intrigue surrounding Oliver. The scene that takes place on the frozen lake? With the burning tree? I was losing my mind— a fantastically composed crescendo for a book that didn't leave much of an impression on me otherwise. I would read it again just for that scene.