Category Archives: Animated Movie Reviews

The Return of the King Review

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Lord of the Rings is one of those series that never has a whole lot of luck with its movies. In fairness you can say that it doesn’t really have much luck in any form of media. The only exception are the video games which are actually pretty decent. This movie does not end the trend as it ends up feeling incredibly drawn out even though it is not the longest film in the series by a long shot. Get ready for a lot of recycled music tracks.

The movie starts in the future with an old Bilbo Baggins being told the story of Frodo and pals. This will be done through music as the story jumps back and forth but Bilbo can hardly even say awake for all of this. So then they talk about the Hobbit and try again to go through the Lord of the Rings story. Definitely not the best attempt at it if I’m being honest here. Lets go right into my biggest problem with the story though. Are you ready for this? It’s the annoying songs that pop up and have absolutely no variety. You’re going to hear the same tunes over and over again.

Like I said before, it’s almost impressive just how repetitive it can be. By the halfway point of the film you’ll be wincing every time the same song shows up. You just know that you’re going to be in for another long sequence. It would help if the songs were actually good but of course I don’t think anyone was expecting that. The idea of a bard singing about the glories of war and the legendary victory makes sense in concept, but the execution was never going to be there. It’s just not the kind of song that would really take a film to the next level.

The animation isn’t as weird as in the last film but I still can’t say that it looks good either. I would say it gets by as a cookie cutter type of cartoon you might have seen on TV in passing when trying to get to the channel you were aiming for. I don’t want to go too hard on the animation though because by default it’s probably the best part of the film. So credit where credit is due because it’s not like they had a whole lot to work with.

As always Gandalf just doesn’t look all that good here. He’s sending these characters on absolutely outrageous quests because he doesn’t have the willpower needed to handle the ring on his own. I didn’t really go on about the story much did I? Well basically Frodo and his best friend have to deliver a cursed ring into the legendary fires by Sauron’s castle. If they can do this, the ring can finally be taken out of the equation and the dark lord will lose a lot of his power. The heroes will have finally conquered evil once and for all. It’s a pretty good deal and at this point it’s not like they have many other options either. Every other character refuses to associate with the ring. Its corrosive nature is too much for them.

The ring essentially tries to break your will at all times as it corrupts you into turning to the darkness. It’s a serious problem and so on one hand you can say it’s good that the characters know their limits. At the same time, it’s still pretty annoying to see the whole time because these “heroes” should do better. Gandalf especially since he is supposed to be such a powerful sorcerer.

I think the most ironic part about all of this is that Frodo is heralded as being the guy with incredible willpower. The songs are all about him and how he saved the world and yet in the actual movie he spends most of his screentime bending to the ring’s will. Like what happened here? He’s supposed to be the one in control the whole time, not just allowing himself to get absolutely crushed at each station. No matter how you slice it, this was a rough path for him. In fact, Frodo straight up lost and Gollum had to take the guy out. Otherwise Frodo was going to doom the planet.

I never liked Frodo and this film just makes me dislike him even more. His friend did all of the hard work throughout the movie and never got the proper credit that he deserved. He was able to resist the ring through good ole fashioned common sense. Seriously he mentioned that this was all that he needed to resist its effects. He made it look and sound so easy while Frodo was absolutely getting dominated the whole time.

Meanwhile we still have the war and everything but it’s not all that interesting. You’ll be paying more attention to the villains having fun singing songs as they prepare for battle. Classic musical rules apply which means that everybody bursts into singing at the drop of a hat. I suppose it was a decently catchy song…compared to the usual Lord of the Rings tunes.

Now I can at least say this was better than the live action version. It’s not saying much but hey that’s a slight start. It’s just that the original story is already so flawed that any adaption will be doomed as well unless it takes significant liberties. That would be the best way and I don’t think most titles would feel brave enough to do that since the main story is well acclaimed. At least for me though, I don’t see any other way out. The films need to try something super different and then maybe…just maybe the Lord of the Rings can be interesting.

Okay let me squeeze out one more positive for the film. I did like one of Sauron’s top lieutenants. He was some kind of embodiment of death and so he talked a really big game the whole time. Something about how he can’t be destroyed and he will always return. It was an impressive amount of tough talk so I could really respect that. It is obviously all talk but I’ll take my cool points where I can get them. Make this guy the main villain and Frodo’s best friend as the lead and maybe we would have some potential as a film. The key is just to make sure the movie isn’t super boring this time.

Overall, The Return of the King is a film that I would recommend skipping. It somehow pulls off the impossible by making the film fairly short but still being as dragged out as all the others. That should not even be remotely possible and yet the film pulled it off. Really makes you think right? Sauron doesn’t even get to do anything here even if he would have just ben getting wrecked anyway. Let me at least see this legendary figure of evil in the present when he wasn’t getting one shot by the random fighter. If you were thinking about watching this, check out Star Wars instead.

Overall 4/10

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV Review

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It’s always impressive to see a video game getting an entire prequel film. It really shows how they tried to make Final Fantasy XV a huge hit. Now I remember people being a bit salty since supposedly this content would have all been within the video game had it not decided to be a multi media hit. The fact that Final Fantasy XV is by far the shortest mainline game definitely supports this but either way it’s fun to see the events here. The movie is mainly a political thriller I’d say with a lot of moves being made on both sides and so it makes for a captivating watch. It may be a far cry from Advent Children but most things are.

The movie starts with some lore about how one kingdom decided to aggressively start taking over massive chunks of land. It got to the point where they quickly took over half of the planet. Now there are just 2 kingdoms left, the kingdom that Regis presides over which is protected by an all powerful magical barrier and his ancient energies, and the kingdom of technology which uses robots and demons in order to progress. Both kingdoms could not be more different if they tried. The Kingsglaive are the elite warriors who use King Regis powers in order to fight but there are only so many of them. The kingdom is gradually losing this war.

When you are losing a war you always have to consider at exactly what point should you consider surrender. Do you literally continue to fight until the last people are murdered or do you eventually concede? The enemies come in with terms of full surrender where Regis will give up all territories except their capital city which is as close to full surrender as you are going to get. I would say the big mistake was in accepting this. Whether you surrender ground or not, you don’t accept a treaty that involves a total surrender while also taking them behind enemy lines. That is just a recipe for total disaster.

It was well established that the enemies were not able to break into the main city. The magic barrier was that powerful which is really impressive. Everyone outside the barrier was being slaughtered though and Regis was getting older so once he died of old age then that would be it. Still, there are things you could do like training up Noctis and seeing if he was worthy of the ring. Since he has the birthright I would expect he would be able to pull this off. You have to at least try though and I’d argue sending Noctis away was the worst decision here. It pretty much dooms the team to not have a chance.

Now in hindsight we know Regis would fall anyway given the amount of traitors and such but that doesn’t negate the plan of strengthening the army. Allowing the villains to bring all of their heavy hitters within the walls is lunacy. It was obvious that they would cause trouble right away. The instant you let villains in behind the unbreakable barrier is when it’s all over. There’s just no coming back from that so I would say Regis really didn’t do a good job. I can’t say he did good during the opening either when he abandoned the princess and just kept on running. With his abilities he should have been doing really good.

I guess the main idea here is that the heroes are hopelessly outmatched and that’s fine but I would want to go down swinging. From the villains, the most impressive is the general Glauca. Technically we know that Ardyn is even more powerful but in the film he doesn’t fight while Glauca is taking on the combined might of several generations of kings. That is a really impressive showing and the guy is fighting all on his own. It’s easy to see how they would have dominated the entire planet with how many fighters they had. Even having the ability to drop demons around the planet to cause chao is another effective tactic.

Way I see it, the only possible way to win this war would be to assassinate the heads of the opposing kingdom. You’d have to risk it all and really send your guys in because playing defense was a losing battle. That’s why I enjoy all of this political intrigue though. There isn’t a whole lot of action here until the climax but the dialogue is all pretty strong. We get a good view into how the kingdom was losing hope with the surrender and having to see everything going on. I can see how you would lose all faith in the kingdom if your village was one of the places that had to be sacrificed as collateral damage to the enemies.

The soundtrack is more on the forgettable side though. It all sounds a bit generic and doesn’t scream Final Fantasy the way you would like it to. This is one of those films that is not embracing its status as a big video game. Give me some really energetic beats with fast paced music and a lot going on the whole time. That would be a good way to set the stage and also amp up the music. Again, look at Advent Children as an example here. The graphics are really good though and I enjoyed the battling. The teleportation combos are always a lot of fun and it is definitely a creative way to fight. It guarantees that every battle will be really fast paced and energetic. It’s also shown to not be completely invincible since your weapon telegraphs where you will teleport so you have to do this carefully. Most soldiers can’t do this on repeat except for Nyx.

Nyx is a solid character even if he doesn’t have a ton of personality. He’s doing his best to defend his kingdom and stop the enemies so you can give him a good amount of props. He is a strong fighter and isn’t easily led astray like most of his teammates. Libertus is more on the annoying side. He has some valid points but they are drowned out by how he handles the situation. If you want to make a difference then you need to get out there and do something. Also since he is badly injured, there are big limits to what he can do.

I have a ton of issues with King Regis and how slow he is to act but I’ve already gone over that. Lunefreya is pretty solid with how much she has to put up with here. She does her best to help out but isn’t an active fighter so it’s not like she can do everything on her own. Not panicking and continuing to bide her time is a credit in itself. When even Nyx was thinking about retreat she forces him to push on forward which was the correct move.

Overall, This is very much a slow burn movie. You have to really like the various scenes about how the war is going and the characters talking about this or you will get bored. It’s all pretty high stakes and the writing was really solid so I had no problems on my end. It’s not quite an elite movie since I would need more action for that but it has a good amount of replay value and would make for an easy watch. The climax is also a lot of fun to be sure. One of the twists near the end may be hard to believe but with how careless the heroes can be, I suppose that adds a bit of credibility there. Either way, I hope we get more Final Fantasy films soon and I would still recommend this one. With or without context, you can appreciate a good fight as the soldiers do their best in what is basically a futile war after a point.

Overall 8/10

The Lord of the Rings (1978) Review

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It’s time for another Lord of the Rings title! The series is quite consistent with how sleepy each installment makes you. The plots are overbearing, the pacing is abysmal, the characters are annoying, and ultimately this makes for a very bad combination. When the Lord of the Rings is in your corner then you know quality will be left far behind. While I will put this above the average live action film, it’s still just not good. You would need to drastically retool the story in order to make it successful at this point.

The film starts off by giving us a farewell to Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf has returned to make sure he gives the ring to Frodo. He has to be forced into it but this works and so after a few years Frood is the next one in line to go on an adventure. He has to keep the ring really safe though because it is so alluring and tempting that everybody wants it. Even Frodo begins to fall to its charms as his legs get heavier and heavier. Will he be able to make it to his final destination or will the forces of evil stop him?

You have to always contain a lot of suspense for disbelief for the Lord of the Rings title because the heroes are just so much weaker than the villains. Frodo and the other hobbits for example can’t do much of anything against the villains. They will quickly be picked off an dismantled without a fight if it came down to that. There are a few allies who jump in later to help but the party gets split up most of the time. So Frodo lasting as long as he does is always a bit of a headscratcher.

Meanwhile Gandalf is still the biggest poser in the series. The guy is said to have unimaginable power but admits he would fold before the ring almost immediately. He then gets captured early on in the film and even once he returns, the guy spends a lot of time running instead of just ending the villain legions. I know there are limits to his abilities but the problem is that there seem to be countless limits. He is always on the defensive/back foot here. He does not live up to his prestigious title.

Unfortunately the animation is also pretty rough here. It’s not that bad when it’s just the hobbits running around as the animation is traditional but any time we enter a fight or have the villains on screen, it suddenly becomes very abstract with the colors all being very off putting. It’s not a flattering style for the film to say the least and that’s unfortunate. It makes the film appear way more dated than it already is and it’s not like this is a newer film either. The soundtrack is also basically nonexistent at this point so you don’t even have that to distract you from the repeated scenes and recycled animation. No, you’re stuck by that point.

The film could be surprisingly intense at times with how the characters are stabbed and murdered. The film doesn’t have to hold back so much since it is animated but I don’t think it ever goes too far. So it gets some credit there. The fight scenes are still lacking in choreography but at least we did have some battles. With more likable characters then this could have really been good. Instead we’re stuck with Frodo who seems to complain a whole lot. Perhaps less than Bilbo but Frodo is still not having a good time here for the most part.

Sauron continues to look very uninspired as well. He doesn’t even get a proper opening fight here as he loses the ring during narration as he suffers a humiliating defeat. I will still never be able to take that villain seriously after the way he lost. You wouldn’t see the average minion lose as easily as he did. How can you possibly come back from that? I just don’t think there is any way to do that. Not like the heroes look any more impressive though. On the whole the villains have cooler designs and abilities so it’s easy to see why they are always in the lead but even with that it’s just hard to get very engaged in what’s going on.

At the end of the day I would say that is the film’s biggest problem. Before working on the animation and fights, you need to focus on the plot because that is the most important element for a film. That is where you will either win or lose. You need to have a story that is interesting so the audience can identify with the characters and have a blast. Technically speaking the film has a fairly large cast of characters but the problem is that none of them are able to hold their own scenes at all and so what you really have is just a lot of things happening on screen with no way to really care about the outcomes.

As for how specifically you change this, that’s tough. There is no objective way to make a character likable after all. I’d say maybe a change of scenery and a big change to the writing structure as well. The characters tend to be a bit repetitive and while Gollum is intentional, the rest aren’t. Gollum ends up being one of the most entertaining characters because of how over the top he is but it’s in a very ironic way. I would never be able to say that I actually like him as a character because he doesn’t rank at all. He’s the kind of character who you are waiting for the heroes to bump off. They take some real chances letting him stay as close as he is.

I suppose the whole ring plot in itself is also a problem because it makes the characters look so weak. Gandalf exploding with anger and telling Frodo off because of his own weakness to the ring is just a terrible scene for the guy. Then another one of Frodo’s so called loyal companions has a bout of madness and tries stealing the ring as well. Not exactly the kind of allies you want around you and since this is our only context for the characters, they haven’t earned enough good will to survive such negative scenes.

Overall, The Lord of the Rings is about the same as you would expect. It’s still a rather boring experience which is unfortunate because you can feel the potential. It may not live up to this potential most of the time but it still exists. That is the kind of potential that shines through if you look at the video games because both titles for Gamecube were actually pretty good. That shows that this can work in at least one format and if you can work in one then you can work in all of them. They just need to speed up the pacing and make the characters vastly more interesting. If the films ever do that then it will be a step in the right direction but for now you should skip this one real quick.

Overall 4/10

The Imaginary Review

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It’s time for a film about the powers of imagination. It’s a pretty nice film that even has a little more intensity to it than you might expect. I never got into the habit of having an imaginary friend when I was younger but I know that was a pretty popular thing for a while there. So a whole film around that premise seemed like a pretty interesting idea. I would have liked the climax to have been extended a little but all in all you’ll have fun.

The story begins with introducing us to Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger. In this world, imaginary friends can only be seen and make contact with their human partners. They are real but exist on a different plane from the rest of humanity. When the human dies, the friend will die as well and the same goes for if they are forgotten. The only way around this is to reach a nexus of imagination such as a library. Amanda and Rudger have had a lot of fun times together but one day Rudger is attacked by a mysterious girl in black as well as Mr. Bunting. He is nearly devoured but gets saved by Amanda at the potential cost of her life. She is now in a coma and Rudger can only survive in the outside world for a day without her. Can he find a way to wake her up and stop the villains?

I was definitely glad that we had a villain here since it adds a big level of danger to the whole film. That sad, the film does have a hard explaining how the heroes aren’t destroyed in every encounter. Keep in mind that he is a grown adult with supernatural abilities but he gets shoved and tripped a whole lot in the battles. The girl of shadows has super speed and some strength but often gets overpowered at the wrong moment. Each time the villains lose you couldn’t help but think that they probably should have won. Mr. Bunting’s absorption technique is also comically slow to the point where it takes whole minutes to actually devour anyone. It’s no wonder that he is constantly interrupted.

That said, he is still hyped up as the master villain with all kinds of reality warping abilities so I would have liked to have seen him prove himself a bit more here. Towards the end we get a fun battle of imagination which I would say is the part you’ve probably been waiting for and it’s really over in the blink of an eye so you don’t get to properly enjoy it for as long as you would like.

The movie can also have a bit of a tonal problem but that’s normal when the main characters are kids. They don’t react quite as seriously to the dark moments as you would expect. Like Amanda grinning and laughing with happy music when they are nearly destroyed in the climax. You gotta overlook a little bit but with a better soundtrack the film would be that much more epic. There are a ton of really intense scenes here after all and the animation handles them well.

It may not be a top tier production but the film looks good enough. It’s not really an action film so it’s not going to be showing off a lot of special effects there. The music is more on the underwhelming side, no real tunes that you will be humming or singing afterwards. As for the writing, I’d say it was good enough. The film is fast so the pacing is good and it definitely doesn’t drag on at any point in time.

As the main character Amanda is fairly decent. She’s not the most well behaved little girl out there and definitely makes her share of mistakes but she tries her best. She did end up defending Rudger near the end when it counted so I give her full credit there. Without her he would have been taken out sooner. She did put him in a tough position to start with but at least helped to make it up.

Rudger is also solid as he is determined to help Amanda throughout the film. I appreciated his dedication as the other characters would have had him give up a long time ago. He was the one who had to keep on pushing for this and otherwise oblivion was the only outcome. He could maybe learn how to fight a little better but I suppose there wasn’t much time for a training montage.

At the spirit realm we meet Zinzan and Emily among some other characters but they weren’t too high. Zinzan wasn’t helpful when it counted. Despite all of his wise verbiage and all, he didn’t do anything against Bunting and didn’t show up when it counted. Nice enough but not dependable. Likewise Emily was disappointing when she didn’t want to hear about Mr. Bunting. Not realizing that he was real was a pretty big L especially with how scared everyone was of him. You wouldn’t see that for a simple rumor and so she ended up looking rather naive. It’s the world of imagination, it would stand to reason that some kind of antagonist is out there.

The most disappointing character had to be Amanda’s mom Lizzie by the end though. She looks unrealistically slow on the uptake by the end of the film. Imagine that you go to your daughter’s hospital room and the weird stalker is in there and suddenly she’s out of the coma but in a ton of pain? You should have a lot of quick reactions, most of them being violent but instead she just keeps asking what’s wrong and why Bunting is in there. Then even once she starts to get clued in on the supernatural elements, she refuses to say the name that Amanda and the others are begging her to say.

The whole scene will have you rolling your eyes because it just takes her an eternity to piece the two things together. It’s not rocket science, this should be 1-2-3. So while the film didn’t intend for her to be annoying or unlikable, that really took a big shot against her character. That was just really rough. Meanwhile the girl in shadows stepped up a lot quicker and for her quick character moment at the end. I’d rather she stay super sinister and just crush everybody but I could see how that would get old after centuries and centuries of being around. You’d want a break at some point.

Overall, The Imaginary is a pretty fun film with some nice concepts. Without the villains I don’t think it would have been quite as enjoyable but with them it’s a good adventure. It might be lacking a little in replay value but the initial watch is fun and creative. If you want to revisit your days of being a kid and enjoying your imagination then this is a solid flick to check out. You won’t be forgetting the villain any time soon!

Overall 7/10

A Whisker Away Review

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It’s time for a true romance film which I can’t say that I had really heard of before. I can safely say it’s one of the better romance titles that I’ve seen in a while. We finally have a main heroine who is really aggressive and going for what she wants instead of just being evasive the whole time. I love the confidence and that sets the film on a good start right from the jump. The movie’s attempts at being more action packed tend to fail but the film tends to be on point when it comes to the romance.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Miyo who is madly in love with Hinode. She does everything she can to get him to notice her like body slamming him, lunging at him, yelling about how she loves him, etc. He apparently told her off many times and so now he just completely ignores her which makes her sad. Fortunately Miyo grabbed a cat mask from a shady cat dealer and so she uses this to become a cat and become friends with Hinode that way. He loves the cat so that is how Miyo gets his love for now but she hopes to one day win as a human too. In the meantime though, is this deal a little too good to be true.

So like I said the weakest part is the whole cat salesman and the action going on over there. It’s pretty out there and weird which is fun because it’s so jarring from the rest of the story but I feel like it goes on for a tad too long by the end of it. We get a fairly long climax of running after the guy, tackling him, etc. The problem is that he seems to be all powerful with how he can shape shift, fly, etc. So the fact that they can do anything to him doesn’t really make sense. You have to suspend a whole lot of disbelief for all of the scenes involving him.

The cat world is interesting but also a little under developed. I guess everyone who gets turned into cats just sort of give up but you’d expect more general chaos and anarchy. Narratively it is satisfying to see the various characters make their declarations and fight back but the whole thing takes itself a little too seriously. I like the angle of Miyo turning into a cat and even the whole mask system and how cats can turn into humans. I would keep that but I would reduce the focus in the climax on the other world.

Back to the main story though, I really liked Miyo as the lead. I appreciated the fact that she always kept up a positive outlook and did her best to stay strong no matter what was going on. She certainly went through a whole lot of hardships and really had to tough it out on her own. Her parents split up and so she’s been trying to be fair to her new stepmom while also guarding herself from being attached. While she plays off her love to Hinode as a bit of a joke, it’s still really serious for her and every rejection hurts.

Through it all she never really takes it out on the other characters. Her loyalty is also nice like when she jumped off of a building to take care of some bullies. I definitely wouldn’t advise doing that for obvious reasons but she wasn’t about to let them bad mouth Hinode. They were sure talking loud to be heard from the roof though. Eventually Miyo isn’t able to get it together and breaks down by the end but she stayed strong for a real long time. Ultimately she’s one of the better main heroines that I’ve seen in a while and I will always give tremendous respect to any character who is able to properly charge forward and speak out her feelings.

I also really liked the step mom Kaoru who was also doing her best. She was trying not to be pushy but was naturally trying to bond with Miyo at least a little. Kaoru did her best throughout and also didn’t let herself get pushed around. When the old mother came to visit, Kaoru stood her ground and fought back really well. She was one of the better developed characters in the film and was a crucial piece in getting things to end well.

Her cat Kinako also ends up getting a pretty sizable role. At first I thought she seemed rather random the whole time but the pieces came together. She is fairly quick on the uptake all things considered and could bluff her way out of situations really well. I would have liked to have seen more of her initial meetups with the various characters instead of the 3 day time skip but it was a very intriguing part of the movie either way.

Then we have Hinode who is a solid guy but probably one of the weaker characters by default. He basically gets embarrassed by Miyo the whole time so he stays away. The guy likes to be quiet and stay out of the limelight which is impossible in this situation. I just have a hard time sympathizing with him when he doesn’t stand up to the bullies or defend Miyo in any way. When some bullies stole her love letter he should have been a bit more forceful and definitely shouldn’t have taken it out on her. That was easily his worst scene.

In his plot, it also seemed reasonable to close down the ceramics shop even though he liked it. Clearly it was not going over very well and his own skills were not enough to keep it afloat. Feelings and platitudes are all well and good but in the end they just weren’t enough. If he really wanted to keep things in place then he needed to work on his skills more. That would really have been the only way for him to have made a difference here. Instead he just got nervous too often and that came back to bite him.

Part of why I could get behind the romance more this time is because there were no rebounds or anything of the sort. Miyo liked Hinode from the start and while he was mainly avoiding her, it’s not like he had anyone else that he liked. It took a very long time so this wasn’t a sudden development either and so this felt like a well crafted romance. We got to really learn about both characters and their trials. I would argue that Miyo faced much harsher and greater challenges the whole time but they both did have their tough times.

Miyo also had a great friend who was really with her through all of the tough times. The friend was definitely not on board with the romance but it makes sense since she was trying to protect Miyo from what she saw as future heartbreak. She really wanted to avoid that at all costs which makes sense. In a way that’s what makes her such a good friend, it’s only natural that you would end up getting upset at the guy who keeps rejecting Miyo.

Meanwhile the animation is pretty solid and smooth. It’s not always the most colorful but it definitely doesn’t hold the film back. I like how fast paced it can all get. Then the soundtrack is solid like you would expect. We get a pair of emotional songs and the overall soundtrack matches the film’s cheerful energy. The movie was definitely on point with all of these technical aspects and the writing so I have no real issues here.

Overall, A Whisker Away is a pretty good film. It’s rare that I say this but it could probably have focused on the romance more and the supernatural less and it could have been even better. That said, it’s a film I would highly recommend you check out because it’s just so much different from your average romance experience. The guy isn’t chasing after the girl and things get all complicated. This time the heroine takes matters into her own hands and it’s just a lot of fun.

Overall 7/10

Venus Wars Review

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Time for an anime film that I wasn’t too familiar. It’s got that classic sci-fi flare to it though and it’s a good bit of fun. We get action, racing, and a good exploration of the futuristic world. It’s the kind of film that starts you off in the middle of a big adventure and ends while it’s still going but still works really well as a snapshot of what’s going on. It clues you in to the adventure without having to break everything down scene by scene.

So in the future Earth has become a Utopia. Everyone basically gets along and there isn’t crime. We’ve also taken over Venus but now that planet is where all the action is. There’s a big civil war going on between two sides and the fighting never stops. The reporter known as Susan arrives on Venus to get the big scoop on this since most people on Earth have no idea of what’s going on. Even Susan is surprised to find out for example that they have death racing games as a casual spectator sport on Venus. Not exactly what you would have guessed right? Well, she came at a big time as one side finally wins the war and takes over. Now the losing side is being forced to attack its own citizens and basically become traitors.

This takes us to the main character Hiro. He’s always been a bit of a rebel and he loves the death racing. He’s fairly good at it too although his team always ends up losing. Well he is determined not to be controlled by the government and has a lot of resentment towards everybody. He will now be fighting off the oppression and defying the local authorities along with the help of his friends. Can they make a difference or is this like a water gun taking on a flood?

A common theme in the film is that both sides are pretty corrupt. The aggressor that won the war is definitely ruling as a full authoritarian but the losing side was very quick to fall in line and start attacking everyone. Hiro gets shot by the local cops early on after all. So he has a hard time knowing which side to help and to an extent he doesn’t really want to help anybody. He doesn’t want to be weighed down by anything and just live his life. To an extent I would say this is pretty selfish though. I think it’s pretty obvious that the invading side is worse so you still need to fight against them. Choosing to do nothing isn’t particularly helpful here.

Hiro is also good at making a tough situation even tougher with how he picks fights. I do like that confident attitude of his though. He may not be the toughest guy on the block but he will keep on fighting for as long as it takes to win once it’s something he believes in. He does pretty well in the final fight and in the big race with Kurtz he nearly took the win. So Hiro definitely has a high degree of skill.

Then we have Susan who is a fun character but has to put up with a lot. The very first scene of the film is quite jarring as she has to get inspected by a group of evil officers. The movie doesn’t have much fanservice outside of that intro but it was a wildly bad way to start the movie. For a minute there I was getting worried on what the rest of the film would be like but it doesn’t go down that path.

To Susan’s credit, she is in a dangerous territory that has been devastated by war and she doesn’t let it get to you. When you factor in that she’s from Earth where everything is peaceful and calm you would probably have expected her to be a little shellshocked or unable to continue. I would not have been able to blame her if that had been the case. It certainly wouldn’t be her fault but instead she manages to persevere on through and I have to give her major props for that. It was really quite impressive.

She may have ended up fighting the heroes at different points but it shows how passionate she is. Her only unfortunate appearance was in the climax when she makes a rookie mistake after having someone at gunpoint. That is absolutely the point where you can’t afford to make any mistakes. Meanwhile the other heroine here is Maggy who is pretty much the opposite of Susan. She is a lot more softspoken and is fully about peace. She just wishes things could go back to normal and tries not to think about all of the violence. Her role isn’t particularly big but she serves as one of the main reasons why Hiro wants to get back home to everyone.

There is also Miranda who is one of the key members among Hiro’s friends. She seems to be the oldest member of the main group and is quicker on the uptake like when she figured out that Gary was aiding the rebels. Miranda is excellent in the races and is also one of the main characters who seems to really understand Hiro. I liked her character, she is another example of the film not giving you all the answers and just letting you come to your own conclusions. She seems to likely have some kind of past involving the army and knows a lot for a civilian but we don’t get a grand sob story or anything like that. She’s just around to contribute as one of the main characters and that’s all we need to know.

As for Gary, he was a solid character. He was doing his best to keep the kids out of danger but ultimately couldn’t stop them forever. He did his best though and also seemed more likable than most of them. Hiro’s friends could be a bit forgettable at times and also had some unfortunate moments. Will probably had one of the biggest roles from them and did his best although you could tell he wasn’t quite as skilled as Hiro. I do think he had a better attitude though. I agreed with him on at least doing something to help the cause instead of staying inside and wishing both sides would lose.

The main villain Gerhard is pretty solid although he starts to get really extreme at the very end since the film drove itself into a corner. There is no logical way for him to lose except to have the guy completely panic for next to no reason. If not for that then the heroes would have been absolutely cooked. He had a good amount of confidence and a fun design which helped him stand out.

Then we had Kurtz on the rebel side who was good at riling Hiro up. The guy did a good job of handling him and leading his team to success. Without him the rebels wouldn’t have stood a chance. He’s definitely merciless but in the middle of war it’s hard not to be that way. His main duty is to protect everyone on his side and that’s exactly what he did. It’s an honorable role without a doubt.

The animation was definitely really good and expressive. All of the effects were looking really sharp and it’s clear that the film has aged well. It looks nostalgic but not in a “Very Old” way but just the way the aesthetic was. Sci-Fi films at the time had a certain look and feel that this one absolutely captures. The same goes for the music which was really good. It definitely gets you feeling pumped and works well with the action that is on screen. I definitely had no issues at all with it. It worked quite well for the adventure.

Overall, Venus Wars is a fun film. As it ends we know that the battles will keep raging on and Hiro will likely still be a part of them. It’s still a hopeful ending though as things have been made better. They squeeze in a whole lot of adventure here and the fights are fun. I do think some characters could be a little better though as several of Hiro’s friends just hold them all back. I’d also have liked a little more racing here since that was a big hobby for Hiro and the others but we really only got the one race. I know their world got turned upside down but it felt like we didn’t get much of a build up. This is one film that probably could have stood to be a little longer if anything. I don’t think it’ll end up being super memorable but it’s still a good time so I would say to check it out.

Overall 6/10

Gridman Universe Review

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Gridman Universe is one of those films that is a great reminder on why crossovers are awesome. It really takes every fun aspect from the two shows and brings them together here. You’ll have tons of easter eggs and every character gets something to do. One of the best scenes in the film is when someone whips out the “Domination” ability because that thing is super overpowered and for a minute you’re wondering if they remembered that some heroes can use it. It’s really a trip down nostalgia lane and the film has a pretty long climax. It’s all just excellent stuff.

The movie starts with Yuta still feeling the effects of the Gridman show. At the end of that adventure, Gridman left and so Yuta got his body back. The problem is that it means he didn’t get to really keep the experiences of what happened during the show. He had gotten close to Rikka at the time but in a way it didn’t count and he’s having a hard time approaching her. Things have gotten a bit awkward again and he is also having a hard time contributing to the big school play that they are working on. Well he has no time to worry about that when a Kaiju attacks the city and Gridman returns. Yuta merges with him to fight off the invaders but something feels different about these attacks.

The Kaiju are very real but Akane isn’t around anymore. Who is this new threat? Additionally, the universe appears to be colliding with another one which brings in Yomogi, Yume, and the rest of the new cast of Dynazenon fighters. They don’t know why they’re here either but are ready to help as soon as they get their mechs back. Can Yuta save the world and also express his feelings to Rikka or is that too much to accomplish in such a short time frame?

Yuta’s predicament is definitely a super understandable one because in a way he did lose part of his life there. It’s not easy to reclaim any amount of extra time. I’d say doubly so because it’s not like it was due to a villain or anything like that. There isn’t someone to blame, it just sort of happened and Gridman didn’t do anything bad either. Everyone seemed to really like Yuta during that time so it’s a lot to live up to. The film handles this whole character arc really well. Yuta may not be my favorite character because of how timid he is the whole time but he’s still likable enough.

Meanwhile Rikka’s also in a tough spot here because it’s like she has to get to know Yuta all over again. I’d say she does a good job of putting on a brave face and acting as normal as possible though. She is doing her best to put on a great school play for everyone and keeps good relations with the main characters. Utsumi has a little less to do than the main two but he’s also contributing to the play and doing well. He’s a solid friend who is always there for Yuta when he needs some support.

On the other end, Yomogi is pretty solid. He’s definitely gained confidence since the older days and is way more self assured. He’s quick to notice when someone’s not feeling well and gives Yuta some nice words of encouragement which was definitely nice. He does a great job of holding off the villains at one point and basically does what he can to save the world. Likewise Yume mirrors his confidence and helps Rikka by not beating around the bush either. Yomogi and Yume’s dynamic is definitely pretty solid and they’re long past the point of having any doubts which is great. It would have been nice for them to have gotten a bigger role as the film definitely skews more towards Gridman than Dynazenon but their role was still good.

You may be curious about the big villain, Mad Origin. Well he’s a pretty solid villain. At first I was worried that he was showing up too late and wouldn’t get to do anything but at the end of the day he still did get to have a standout fight and lasted longer than I expected. Naturally that boosted him up the ranks for me quite a bit. He basically wants to destroy everything and you gotta respect that. If not for basically every hero in existence showing up to team together against him, the guy really could have won.

Akane only gets a small role here but it’s definitely a really good one. She was always a fun villain in the first story and she’s still shown to clearly be one of the most powerful fighters here. At this point she shows up whenever she wants to deal out some damage which is a fun role to have. Also the film doesn’t shy away from the twist in the first show that it’s all a fake world that is manipulated from the real world. The characters have had to contend with that, at least the ones who know about it. After all if you found out that you’re fake, what would you do about it? You’re still you after all so on a grand level it shouldn’t matter but that might be easier to tell yourself than to actually believe.

Each show gets to bring their whole supporting cast so as you keep watching you get rewarded for how much you remember each character. Meanwhile the animation here is really excellent as you would expect. The fights really pop out and the colors are very striking. The characters all have very distinct designs and then you’ve also got a really great soundtrack. The domination theme is excellent and then you’ve also got a lot of good general action themes and even a good insert song. The technical aspects were definitely on point here and never faltered. It goes without saying that the story and writing are also very good here.

The movie also did a good job of making up for some previous weaknesses. The two shows did have a bit of a fanservice issue at times and this movie really didn’t have any of that. Maybe a quick moment somewhere but it wasn’t an issue in the film which is great. The movie also came up with a good villain for the end which helped to end things on a high note. It’s really fundamentally sound on every level. The movie is also long enough to give the human characters a chance to catch up and talk a lot outside of the fight scenes. Maybe at most I’d have liked the main two from each show to have gotten to talk a bit longer. I’ll take what I can get though.

Overall, This was definitely a great film. I can’t imagine you will have any real complaints as a fan of either show. The movie went above and beyond to include every possible reference and plot point that it could. There is a lot of great action and also time for character reflection. It also works as an excellent end to the franchise. Naturally I’d love to see more installments in the series but if it ends with this then that’s fine. You can probably watch this even without seeing the shows first but I don’t think you will get the full experience since the big cameos and such won’t hit as hard even if there are enough context clues to figure out what’s going on. Now I suppose I need to wait and see what the next film crossover will be. There are endless possibilities for fun crossovers in anime after all.

Overall 8/10

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Review

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It’s time for a bit of an odd film. This one has two story segments to it. The first one I’m not really familiar with but the second is a take on the headless horseman. It’s a fun enough title although I don’t think it ever gets quite interesting enough for me to put it higher. It makes for a quick watch but as with most anthologies, the segments themselves are not long enough to really hook you before they are over with.

The first one introduces us to Mr. Toad who is super irresponsible and he has a very addictive personality. Once he gets into something then he will get complete tunnel vision. He has basically wasted away all of his money and even gets tricked into buying a stolen vehicle which lands him in court. His friends do their best to save his reputation and prove his innocence but the Toad is not helping at all. Can they help him resist these urges or is it just a complete lost cause?

It’s definitely the latter. Obviously this is a comedy through and through but it’s hard to root for the Toad the whole time because of how desperate he is to throw himself in a car and cause more trouble. Even right to the end he’s up to his old antics. So you know maybe being put behind bars will be good for him. Even if the Weasels did mess with him, the Toad is clearly a danger to society and must be stopped.

Then with the second story, we have Ichabod show up to a small town to become the best teacher they’ve ever had. Everyone thinks he is really awesome and the guy certainly enjoys the attention. Well there is one guy who doesn’t like him, Brom. Brom is upset because the girl he likes is quickly falling for Ichabod and so he quickly begins to do everything he can to discredit and humiliate Ichabod. The problem is, the harder he tries, the more his efforts backfire. Can he stop Ichabod or is it game over?

Interestingly it’s not like Ichabod’s a great guy or anything. Right away you can tell that he’s not a very humble chap and he certainly likes money. He seems a bit greedy if anything and so for once you can feel bad for Brom…to an extent. Look at the end of the day if a girl likes someone else then you may want to consider giving up. Even if you convince her, it comes across as a little desperate right? I do think this segment beats the first one though as the story is more compelling. My only issue is that the Headless Horseman doesn’t show up until near the very end of the movie.

You’d have expected him to have had a much grander role instead of just being for the climax. That said, the role is still pretty fun though, he’s not about to lose in a chase and the guy plays for keeps. The very ending hints at a possible happy ending for one character but since it’s only rumors, you could probably interpret it in whichever way you’d prefer the film to have ended. The chase was certainly fun and ended things on a good note.

As for the music across the segments, it was only okay. The songs weren’t really my thing and I wouldn’t say they aged particularly well. They’re not terrible or anything like that but even though they are supposed to be bright and energetic, they come across as trying a bit too hard for me. They end up not being catchy which is the real problem. The animation for the shorts has aged well though. It’s a very expressive style that works well for this kind of movie. The action on screen is very fast paced and fits in with how erratic the characters arc.

I’ll also give the film credit for writing fairly nuanced antagonists that you could root for to an extent. In both stories the main character was hardly a paragon of justice and would take things a bit far enough to where you could see why people didn’t like them. You may still root for them to an extent but perhaps not. In both segments I wasn’t rooting for the main character by the end of it. In the second I wanted the Headless Horseman to take the win and in the first I was rooting for the justice system. You figure usually this wouldn’t be the case because the antagonists would be written very extremely.

So I give the film full kudos there and the writing is on point. The pacing is mainly good but again the whole thing is just way too short to properly flesh out the ideas that are introduced here. A longer runtime would have absolutely gone a long way to making both stories more interesting. Although for the first story it would be difficult since I think you’re either really into the kind of whimsical lead that it had or not. For the second though, you could definitely add more foreshadowing for the horseman and maybe even show him taking out some more fighters along the way. That could have definitely been neat.

Overall, This is definitely a film you won’t really forget but at the same time it’s not like the plot was super detailed or anything like that. It’s all just so random and out of nowhere after all. The live action narration to introduce each story is probably unnecessary but that’s a tiny quibble with the film at best. The movie is very lively with all the music and the fast paced plot but it really needed better characters to balance it out. That said, while you’ll have a better time with most of the other animated films of this era, this is still pretty harmless fun. I have no serious objections against the movie and it is entertaining enough. So I’d say to check this out if you want to look at a fresh story or really like the headless horseman.

Overall 6/10

Drifting Home Review

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It’s time for an anime film with a lot of drama and big events going on. The kids really had to go through a lot here but at the end of the day they pull through and show what real determination can do. It’s a solid film but this is one of the rare times I’ll say that the film went on too long. They start to retread some of the same story beats multiple times and I even think the whole plot of bringing in the veggie people muddied the overall message. Personally the story could have shaved about 30 minutes off and flowed better.

The story starts by introducing us to Kosuke who has a long history with a girl named Natsumi. She had to live at his place for a while when they were kids but then Kosuke’s grandfather died and the two grew really distant. At school they can barely even talk to each other and Natsumi heads to the abandoned projects to be by herself. Those are the old buildings where they used to live and Kosuke’s friends figure it’ll be fun to treat them as haunted houses and go exploring. Kosuke isn’t thrilled about this but he accompanies them and that causes Reina and her friend to give chase. Suddenly the whole building is seemingly carried away and when the kids get up they realize they are all alone at sea. Their home is just drifting along like a boat and there is nothing in sight across all directions. Are they doomed to die out at sea?

Being stuck out at sea while only being a kid is definitely a rough situation and even more so when the characters don’t get along. The premise works really well with the mystery as you wonder how the characters even got to this point. Was it magic that whisked the characters away or is it all a dream like Natsume says? The hunger and fatigue the characters feel certainly seems to be real but perhaps it is all in their heads. For now they have to treat this as real and try to survive.

This is really the main backdrop for Kosuke and Natsumi trying to be friends again. Throughout the movie we slowly start to see more of the flashback of the final incident that caused them to drift apart. It takes a long while to actually see the scene but you do understand where it’s going fairly early on. A lot of the time it does tend to be Kosuke’s fault as he does tend to say things that he doesn’t mean and gets upset quickly. It felt like he went through many attempts of burning the bridge and often it came at little to no provocation.

He isn’t very good at the whole being a good friend thing. Kosuke is good at taking charge and doing what has to be done though. Jumping onto another building to find snacks was a good idea and he does his best with assuming command. Kosuke isn’t very mature most of the time but neither are most of the others since they’re just kids. There will be a lot of moments that make you cringe for sure but without Kosuke the others would have definitely been doomed.

The kid who is the most mature here is definitely Natsumi. While she makes a critical error near the end, for the most part she is the only one really keeping everyone together. She tries to keep the various personalities from destroying each other and absorbs most of the insults. I would have liked her to have fought back a little more though. She’s always being really mature and just internalizing everything but it also means that the other characters tend to consider it open season on her. Particularly Reina who was always picking fights.

Natsumi was definitely going through a whole lot here. Reina is probably the most petty member of the kids though. She is constantly picking fights in part because she is jealous of Natsumi and wants Kosuke all to herself. Reina is all too eager to blame everything on Natsumi for this reason and holds a grudge for a long time. She is fun for the film because that makes the dynamics more interesting but you would absolutely not want her to be on the ship with you.

Juri is her shy friend who is always around. She’s very timid at first but gradually taps into her inner confidence and does better. It was nice to see her taking charge and not just fading away into the background. I don’t think she got enough time to really be too much of a focus for the most part but either way I would say she was a good character. Taishi tended to get himself into trouble but he’s a friendly guy and someone who gets along well with everybody. He may not take things seriously most of the time but that does help to keep morale up.

Finally there is Yusuru who probably gets the biggest shaft out of all the characters. He doesn’t get to have a proper character arc or anything like that. He’s dependable and always around but that’s about it for him. Feels like the film needed an extra person for some of the stunts and that’s why he is around but otherwise the story didn’t have a role set up for him. That’s a shame but at least he wasn’t bad.

There is the mysterious Noppo kid who is constantly hanging around. He’s quiet and doesn’t do or say much until we get deeper into the film and then his role gets bigger. I wasn’t a big fan of his character, he tends to hold them all back a bit and is way too cryptic about everything. He definitely could have told the heroes more and that would have made the situation a lot easier on the rest of them. There wasn’t a good reason for him to hold back.

He’s also responsible for the main subplot that didn’t really add much to the experience. I still say we don’t need the whole veggie thing but I can’t say much more without spoilers. Lets just say the film introduces a whole concept of a bunch of people and this helps in part to explain the mystery of what happened but not in a super satisfying way. This is one of those films where the mystery itself is a lot more compelling than the resolution. It would have made a lot of sense to have had Natsumi be the conduit for taking everyone into the ocean world because she was unable to move on. This would directly be Kosuke’s fault in a lot of ways and that leads into their character arcs.

All these other characters just negate that to a large extent. The film also has a half dozen climaxes where it looks like things are going to end and then it keeps going. I always say that good films should be longer and bad films should be shorter but while this is a good film, it just started to feel its length. Ideally you don’t want a film to feel like it’s super long because by that point it means that some point of the immersion is gone.

Even the drama was a bit repetitive as it felt like Kosuke and Natsumi would make up, only to fall apart again, and then to repeat those steps over and over again. Even the flashbacks started to loop again. It’s a really good story beat of two old friends reuniting but the movie just didn’t seem to know how to stretch the plot on for too long. They didn’t have enough material for it or something like that.

The music was pretty solid here. I liked a few of the tunes and the animation isn’t bad. It’s nothing super high end or anything but it works well enough for the film. The technical aspects didn’t hold the film back or anything like that. The writing was good as well and the movie did a good job of having the kids find creative ways to survive. Perhaps some scenes may feel like a stretch for the kids but as long as it means they’re doing something I can be on board with that. The less time they spent panicking, the more time they had to be productive.

Overall, This was a good movie. I’d say that the length hurts the replay value and at the end of the day a bunch of kids will never be the most compelling set of characters. That said, the messages are good and the ending is solid. I always like when a film takes a stance on something instead of trying to have it both ways and so the final line was a great idea. Between that and the photos, the movie wasn’t copping out or anything like that. I’d say to check this movie out. It might even give you a bit of nostalgia for when you would hang out as a kid.

Overall 6/10

Ringing Bell Review

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It’s time for Ringing Bell, a film that wasn’t really on my radar so that always makes for an interesting watch. The story itself is very direct and the cast is small but at the end of the day it’s all about how you use them. Will the characters take the film to new heights or will they be average at best? Well in this film I can say that the characters are reasonable but the movie does make a few mistakes that keeps it from going further.

First up we have Chirin as a little lamb being watched over by his mother and the rest of the flock. Chirin isn’t very strong or fast but makes up for this with pure optimism. He is always believing in a better tomorrow and doesn’t back down. Well, one day his mother is murdered by a wolf and he laments how unfair life is. He decides to follow the wolf and learn how to become one. Then once he is strong enough, Chirin will destroy the Wolf. Will things really go to plan though?

I have a hard time with this plot in general because deciding to follow the one who murdered your mother is just a bit crazy. Sure this is a plot that has happened with other characters as well but it has to be handled super delicately in order to work out. I didn’t think this one was convincing enough. Chirin’s mother was destroyed so suddenly and without mercy that I wouldn’t imagine any mercy. Additionally, she had always been kind to him so this was a really good relationship that was taken away. Chirin should instead be feeling endless anger and craving for revenge the whole time. That would make a lot more sense.

Now I can acknowledge that this might be the quickest way to attaining strength so Chirin deciding to use the Wolf could work slightly under that mindset. It should still be ultra reluctant though and so in the end when Chirin actually seemed torn on this, it doesn’t work. No matter what time they spent together later on, the Wolf should be his ultimate antagonist. There should be no true bond here. If the film was going to go down this route, they should have made Chirin’s mother meaner so that would explain why he was a bit more mixed. Like on one hand she is still his mother and on the other hand he could have been getting bullied so part of him would appreciate the wolf. Would still have to be handled carefully of course but it could work.

Instead Chirin really started to become like the Wolf which was a shame. I did enjoy the fact that he got more confident and had a really good character design though. The film just needed to focus on his not losing his humanity, or lambity as it were. The final scene where the other lambs are afraid of him made for a pretty solid ending though. It made sense even if it does fall into the slightly annoying trope of the characters being saved but somehow not knowing how to distinguish the good guy from the villain.

As for the Wolf, no complaints here. He made for a really good villain. The guy was a strong fighter and while he couldn’t bring himself to destroy a cub, he was merciless in taking down his prey. As a wolf that’s just what he does, it’s the circle of life and all. So I bear no grudges with that guy and he lasted pretty long into the film. You could even make the case that he could have won in the climax but held back a bit which would make sense.

So we’ve got a solid story here but of course there is a decent amount of animal violence like with Chirin’s mom and the bear that gets taken down. It doesn’t help that the animation is really quite solid and has aged very well. The colors are very dramatic and you feel the intensity in all of the actions. The animation is really quite impressive and makes up for the soundtrack being more on the generic side. It may not have worked well due to the main characters being animals but otherwise any action film would be glad to have this level of animation. It really supports the fights quite well.

The opening half also takes a big longer than you would have expected in a pacing sense. The mom doesn’t get bumped off for quite a while even though you know that is the main purpose of the title. It’s a key point of the plot so in that sense the film would have been better off to have shortened that portion of the film to extend the time with the wolf. Perhaps if we saw less of Chirin’s bond with his mother then the film would have flowed a bit better or at least made it less difficult to believe.

If the film had all been like the first half and it was just a very wholesome kind of movie then I think that actually could have worked out better as well. It’s not like we have a whole lot of films about lambs in general and Chirin learning about the cruel outside world while still being protected could have been really good. At the very least I would have had no problems with that, it would have certainly avoided the animal violence parts.

Overall, Ringing Bell would have done well to replace the characters with robots. At the end of the day there was just too much damage here and it ends up suffering the same fate that most animal films do. You just can’t have as great a time as possible when the characters are all animals and you don’t want to see them get hurt. It puts you in a rough spot as the viewer and so I wouldn’t be able to recommend this film. You’re better off watching something a little more wholesome like Air Bud.

Overall 4/10