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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Review

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I can definitely see why this one has such a low score compared to the average Marvel production. For the most part this barely even feels like a superhero movie. Whoever decided to make an Ant-Man film that is far less about Scott running around and more about sci-fi lore should have had some second thoughts. All of the film’s issues can be traced back to one thing…..nobody cares about the Quantum realm. It’s got to be one of the more boring settings that I’ve seen in years and feels like it’s trying hard to stand out and instead gets shown up by just about every sci-fi environment before it. Ah well, at least we do have some fun fights.

The film starts off with Scott enjoying life. He helped save the world and his family is back. Things could not be going better for him…well until his daughter gets arrested again. She has been flying further and further off the deep end and it doesn’t help that the rest of Scott’s family almost seem supportive of her getting arrested. When Scott tries to shut this down, they make fun of his book because these are some of the most annoying, pettiest side characters I’ve seen since The Devil Wears Prada. They all seem jealous of Scott saving the world and it’s completely unwarranted since he’s such a nice guy. He’s not being a jerk about it or anything. Ah well, Cassie thought it would be a brilliant idea to send signals to the Quantum Realm and this causes everyone to be warped in there. Can they escape this tyrannical realm before certain twists tear this family apart?

Now you may be thinking that since Scott is basically the only real likable member of the Ant Man family that this film will be a way for everyone else to become tolerable? Well, unfortunately the film only has the opposite effect of that. The Wasp is probably the best out of the main supporting characters but she was actually more fun in the last one. The Quantum Realm brings out the worst in most characters although it brings out the best in one of the antagonists though so I’ll give the film some credit there.

Darren finally returns! The guy gets so much hype and recognition. Every time he shows up, the characters exclaim “Darren!” In a really puzzles but excited way. It’s sort of like when you’re at a party and you finally bump into someone that you know. So that was pretty cool and definitely worked out pretty well. He is now known as MODOK but it’s not like he’s a very serious character so his best scenes are when he takes the visor off. He had the best jokes throughout the movie. Yeah he gets some serious moments by the end but for the most part you will be remembering the laughs. It’s another glimpse of what the film could have been. Imagine a lot of banter between him and Scott above ground. Now that would have been fun.

Scott is still a good main character. He tends to carry his scenes and most of his dialogue is just good fun. He can banter with the best of characters. Scott may not be the best fighter but he’s a good dad just trying to help his family out of a jam. The guy endures quite a lot of damage and punishing blows throughout the movie with no real complaints either. I’d say he’s generally one of the most likable Avengers at this point.

That’s why the Quantum Realm is such a waste. You just don’t really care about Kang’s empire or the resistance group fighting against him. It just feels like the most generic war possible and we don’t get enough out of the characters to really be invested. The backgrounds are more boring than cool and of course the film can’t resist going with the disgusting ooze angle a few times like with the controls or having to drink some to understand the aliens. It really felt like the writers had no idea what to do with this place.

Then this place also destroyed Janet as a character. He was around here for a while and basically got into an affair. You’re hoping the whole time that maybe it wasn’t as bad as you’re thinking, only for rebound guy to confirm it. Janet’s excuse is also the worst possible one as she talks about having needs. That’s the lamest thing I’ve heard in a minute. Her constant secrets are also why everything fell into disarray so this film destroyed any possible character she could have had prior. There is just no coming back from this.

Meanwhile Hank is just way too passive about the whole thing. He’s very chill upon learning about this and then also admits he went on some dates himself. It’s all such weak stuff and then Hank is sidelined for a large part of the film. He does end up helping out with his ants later on but the main problem is that in a film like this there just wasn’t much to do. It’s not even a particularly action packed movie as things don’t really get explosive until the climax. Until then it’s mainly a lot of setup and lore.

Then we have Cassie and a whole lot of this is her fault after all. Shrinking cop cars and breaking the law is bad enough but then messing with the Quantum Realm when she knew Janet had been stuck there for decades. It seems like Cassie was mainly doing this out of curiosity which is not a great motive. It’s not like she was getting ready to save tons of lives or anything like that. Yeah I can’t give her a pass on this either. It’s just such a bad look for her all the way around. Of course by the end she has found a cause worth fighting for and does her best but it’s more like a broken clock finally getting the time right. I need to see some real character development that stuck for her in the next film.

Hope isn’t bad but it feels like she spends a good chunk of the intro to the film just smirking in the background as opposed to actually backing Scott up. I do appreciate that she is always a lot quicker to action though. Her suit is basically always on and she also didn’t panic with her alternate version copies as much. every group needs a good fighter an she does thrive in that role. So I may not be her biggest fan but I do appreciate her in a fight and she is definitely the backup that Scott needed.

As for good ole Kang the Conqueror, he just looks way too wimpy here. Yeah you could say it was part of his plan but his first appearance just makes him look so small and weak. Even once he has the tech back, you’re telling me he couldn’t react fast enough to stop Janet initially? Then having any trouble with Scott later on is rough. You really have two options here. Either his tech isn’t as good as he thinks it is and he never beat the Avengers in the past, or he is an absolutely terrible combatant who squanders his tech the whole time. Either way it is not a good look for him.

I would not be able to take him seriously to handle a big team of fighters so I’m definitely cool with the character being written out. We get two post credit scenes involving him and they’re more funny than anything. Kang really thought he could do something. The guest stars in the second scene were a lot more fun. Especially with one character completely calling Kang out the way I would have in the audience. He just doesn’t look that imposing at all and this film really sealed the deal there.

Overall, This film had its moments but the beginning and ending were easily the best parts. I wanted more of the surface world which always has a lot of fun to it. I usually like a good sci-fi environment but the world building for the Quantum Realm was just way too boring. The film did not do enough to justify its focus within the story. Ultimately that took a big toll on the film and it could have used some more action to keep you interested. There’s really on replay value to be had here or any reason to really watch the film. So for that reason you could probably skip this one and jump to the next film that really counts. Of course if you do plan to watch the movie, it’s not like it is a bad experience or anything so you’ll be fine. Just don’t expect a classic Ant-Man light hearted adventure.

Overall 5/10

Modest Heroes Review

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Time for an anime anthology film. There is definitely a whole lot going on with this one but usually anthologies tend to fall flat. The reason is because there’s just not enough time to really do much of anything with any of the stories and then the ones we do get aren’t very good. Would this one buck the trend or would it end up being good? I would say it’s better than the average anthology but ultimately still okay. It doesn’t really offer much in the way of replay value and none of the stories end up being must watches.

The first special has two siblings needing to take care of themselves with their mother gone and then they are separated from their father. They are underwater humanoids who must deal with massive ocean life that could swallow them whole in a single chomp. No matter how scared he is, the brother always defends his sister and she does her best to be helpful as well. They end up needing to be brave and resourceful and eventually things work out. They proved that they could hold it together in times of great panic so they get a lot of credit there. It makes for an uplifting part 1 to the special. It would have been nice if the characters were speaking English rather than a made up language though.

Also as brave as the kids were, it’s not like kids tend to make the most interesting protagonists. The whole time you’re hoping the father will turn up sooner than later. The special technically goes over pretty fast but it still dragged a bit as a result. I will say that the animation was clearly the best out of the 3 specials though. The colors were very striking and I enjoyed the underwater environment more than I expected that I would. The film deserves full credit for that since it isn’t always easy.

In the second story, we see a character who is allergic to eggs. It’s a tough life for him because of how many dishes have that ingredient so his classmates have to open their bowls and everything before he is even allowed in the movie. The kid can’t have cookies or anything like that and has a hard time with even daily life because of how severe the allergies are. His mother does her best to look after him and make sure not to have any egg products at home but unfortunately one day a product makes it into the house that has egg in it. The kid has to move fast to survive.

It’s certainly an emotional story and of course it’s the kind of situation that is very realistic. There are many people out there with serious allergies who can’t eat much of anything. The kid may be young but at least he is a good sport about it although it wasn’t smart when he was tempted by a cookie. That’s the kind of thing that would cause his mother to keep him on a shorter leash in the future. She was really the MVP here as she worked so hard to make sure that he was okay. It’s a whole lot of pressure to constantly be on the lookout and she would even carry an allergy sheet with her the whole time. The animation style isn’t nearly as colorful as the first story and I would say it was the weakest part of this story. The strong plot still kept it at the top from the 3 stories.

Finally we had the most abstract story as there is an invisible man who walks around town seemingly unaware of the fact that he is invisible. To an extent he must know this as he even carries a fire extinguisher to prevent himself from floating off into space but he acts surprised when the cashier doesn’t notice him for example. A dog notices him and another man seems to, but other characters go straight through him and do not acknowledge his presence. How real he is in the present space seems to fluctuate. Likewise with his durability as he seems unable to be damaged at times and then takes injuries when getting hit by a vehicle.

Definitely makes you really think. The short asks a lot of interesting questions with its premise but is too short to answer any of them. Ultimately the short felt a bit pointless as a result. I’m not saying that the prompt needed to answer its own premise as the mystery can be fun but it doesn’t do enough to hold up on its own. It’s the kind of short that would have probably made for a good movie as it really delves into the topic but there just wasn’t time for that. Yes, this one is basically a victim of the short run time and another example of why the anthology format will rarely ever win in the end. There are just too many things running against it.

So we had a varied batch of adventures here but at the end of the day I would say that it ends up paling in comparison to what it could have been as a full fledged movie. None of the stories are allowed enough time to really strike out on their own and so they won’t catch your attention the way that they could have otherwise. I also think the production values would have to be a whole lot stronger. The soundtrack is basically nonexistent and only the first story had good animation. Especially when we’re talking about shorts here, you should be able to pump out top tier animation to support the stories.

Overall, A part 2 to this story series seems unlikely and I can definitely see why it wouldn’t have become a huge hit. It just doesn’t have enough focus or ambition here. I can tell that each story was going for a very emotional vibe but that tends to work best in longer formats where you get to know the characters. The closest here was the second story since you can easily imagine how sad allergies are but again you’re just left with this thought in the back of your head that it would have been many times better if it was a whole movie length adventure.

Overall 5/10

Gravity Rush 2 Review

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It’s been many years since I played the original Gravity Rush so it was definitely fun to continue the story here. The sequel definitely brings in a whole lot of the mechanics from the first game along with a bunch of spy missions and a much bigger hub world. There is a lot to do within the game and the story is also at a solid length overall. You’ll be satisfied with how the game goes.

The story starts with Kat in a whole new dimension. She ended up going through a portal at some point but has lost track of where Raven is. Ah well, she will keep on saving the day as normal in the meantime but she definitely needs a way out. Additionally her old world now has a new protector and for some reason a lot of people no longer remember Kat even though it’s not like it has been 10+ years…or has it? Kat will need to find out a lot of info and find it out quickly or she will be in a rough spot.

Right away the gravity controls will feel nostalgic here. Basically you can alter gravity at will and then soar through the skies. The more you play, the more you will get really good at constantly shifting gravity and then going in for the attack. If you ever lose track of which direction you’re going, you can use L1 to stabilize yourself. Trust me I had to do that many times so don’t worry about it. The battles definitely get chaotic after all.

The trickiest level to navigate in is near the climax of the game when you are flying inside a very long mountain. Because all sides of the mountain look the same, it can really mess with your instincts. As always just plunge forward as best you can and eventually you will get near the end. The game has you learn new gravity styles which also come into play here like a power mode which lets you break through walls. The power mode is pretty good and I definitely used it a lot near the end. You also have a mode that is more speed based but honestly there isn’t a whole lot of reason to use it. The main mode is still stronger and almost as fast.

You do get a final smash form that you can use temporarily near the end but I couldn’t figure out how to use it at will. No worries, it’ll happen automatically for the really important climax fights anyway. So there is a lot to get used to in terms of the gameplay but the game walks you through it really well. I don’t expect that you will feel overwhelmed or anything. If anything, they may have underestimated how much EXP you could earn. I had Kat fully maxed out rather early in the game at which point the EXP meter just disappears. I was pretty surprised to see that.

Aside from the story missions, there are tons of side missions scattered throughout the hub world. Completing those will help you get more points if you aren’t maxed out yet as well as online trophies. If you want to get the Platinum for this game you will definitely have to put in a lot of work after all. It’s definitely worth it though and adds to that replay value.

While the story goes a bit slowly at first, it immediately gets more lively once Raven shows up. She’s always good to remind you of how serious the stakes are and then we also get a lot of twists about Kat. We finally see her origin here and it goes further back than you might expect. The gameplay itself even changes for a little while there as you have to inspect things and walk around as if this was a Telltale game. It was definitely not what I had been expecting that’s for sure but it really worked and made things ominous.

There is even a long sequence of levels where you switch over to puzzle gameplay with cubes. They even got rather difficult towards the end. Admittedly if the puzzles went on for too long then I would have had a problem with them but for just being the climax, I was able to deal with it. The stealth levels were not as much fun though. There are several through the game and the AI is very picky with it. If they so much as turn around while you’re in the area then you are cooked. There were a few of these I basically had to brute force through and I’m still not sure if I technically did it the right way.

Stealth missions can be fun depending on the implementation, but for the most part they’re usually not my favorite. I find that they only really work if you are allowed to be spotted if you can quickly defeat the opponent like in Gotham Knights. Otherwise if you lose instantly then I don’t usually think they are worth the hassle. Especially since you usually have to start from the beginning of the mission and each stealth takedown takes time.

The soundtrack in the game is pretty good. I enjoyed the victory themes as well as the general battle music. They tend to be fast paced while still having a bit of a calm vibe that matches the rest of the game. The graphics are also really good. I liked the designs and the various enemy designs. The technicals definitely hold their own with the gameplay.

Overall, Gravity Rush 2 is a pretty fun game. While the story does take a little bit to get going, we eventually head towards the big climax that you would expect. The gameplay is both fun and unique with the character cast being easy to root for. I think there is a whole lot more they could do with the series so hopefully we get a third game at some point in the future. Until then, you should definitely play this one if you have not already done so.

Overall 7/10

Mario Kart World Review

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Mario Kart is one of those titles that is so famous because you can have unlimited fun with it. It’s the game that keeps on going. Well the new one for the Nintendo Switch was certainly getting a lot of hype. Nintendo was so confident in it that they basically were not coming out with any other titles for the Switch 2. It was this or nothing. Well, after playing the game I can say that it’s pretty good. I’m not going to call it amazing or anything like that but I do think they put in a solid amount of effort here. I can definitely see people playing this one for a very long time yet.

The game doesn’t have a story mode so you’ll probably jump right into the races. You can do the classic cups, knockout races, or jump straight online. I went for the cups first of course and they were definitely fun. The kind of races that you never forget because of the hype graphics and everything. At this point some of the items have been nerfed to the point where they are no longer a huge threat (Blue shell) but it’s still nostalgic to see them. Mario Kart is one of those games that is really easy to pick up and play even if it is hard to master.

A new mechanic in this game is the ability to grind off rails and different objects to get aerial boosts. I’ve seen people do some really crazy stunts with these jumps so it’s safe to say that this may have actually raised the bar for overall technical ability. I’m certainly a rookie when it comes to that so I will need to do a whole lot more training. Still, the online races are so chaotic that you can absolutely win or lose even without knowing the mechanic. With how many racers there are at once, you can even say that it is near pure RNG for the first lap or so.

As with most Mario Kart games, you probably want to stick to 2nd place for most of the race online so you dodge the worst of the items and then rocket your way to 1st at the end. Of course it is much harder to pull off that strategy than it sounds. Misplay your timing and you are basically asking to be crushed. All it takes is one wrong hit and you will fall to 8th or even lower. That is what you really need to watch out for.

As expected the graphics are really quite impressive here. The game looks like a Switch 2 title without a doubt. I enjoy the really big character roster here even if most of the characters are basically palette swaps. Yeah it can be a bit on the lazy side, but as long as it inflates the count then I’m good. We have over 140 characters in the game which is crazy and a lot of people think we will eventually have over 200 with DLC. Now that would really be a sight to see. I’ve unlocked most of them, I’ll definitely go back to get even more once they start releasing new characters. It’s definitely the benefit of being a pick up and play title.

The soundtrack is also pretty good, in fact I would say it’s a bit better than I expected it would be. One of the tracks even sounds like something out of a Sonic game which is real impressive. So Nintendo definitely showed up for this one and I would expect no less considering that this was their big flagship game. There is infinite replay value with the whole online play and everything. You never have to stop racing. I also appreciate that they keep track of some details like your race score online.

The stickers are around here as collectibles but I didn’t think they were all that good. My main problem with the implementation is that you don’t know how many are left before picking them up and additionally you can’t really show them off. We still need something more like a formal leaderboard some day to really get things rolling. The new Free Roam map is fun but definitely missing some key essentials like a map that lets you keep track of everything. The basic map we have now doesn’t do a whole lot of good.

All in all, there’s nothing to really dislike about the game. So you may wonder why it’s not a bit higher? Well, as fun as the game is, it just doesn’t feel like it’s a must play. It doesn’t quite have the style and flash that Sonic Crossworlds represents or the really cool story mode of F Zero. So this one has to rely purely on the racing gameplay which is fun, but inherently not quite as impressive. I would still play this for hours and hours if I didn’t have other games to play but otherwise it definitely tends to hit the shelf a bit quicker. It really needed a good story mode or some kind of feature that would blow you away.

Overall, Mario Kart World is definitely a really fun game. Nintendo did good here as expected. Now technically speaking it’s probably not something you need to buy a whole console for, but considering that you save $30 by getting the bundle, it’s certainly worth it if you ever plan to buy the game eventually. I’ll find myself returning to that game from time to time an right now is probably when the community will be at its best. There’s no rush since people will still be playing the game in droves for years to come but if you enjoy the racing then you should jump in. Allow yourself to be sucked into the hype and enjoy this 2025 Mario experience. It’s certainly taking Nintendo a long while to give us the next big 3D platformer after all. I suppose DK might end up being the next big Switch 2 title in the meantime.

Overall 7/10

Gravity Daze the Animation: Ouverture Review

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I’ve seen the title with Rush as well as Daze but in the end went with the latter, I suppose they’re close enough. It’s always cool when a game gets an animated OVA/mini episode since you just don’t see that too often. This one even helps lead you into the Gravity Rush 2 game so that was pretty cool. It’s a fun adventure and definitely one that you don’t want to miss out on. Additionally it’s just so short that it wouldn’t really make sense to miss out on it right? As long as you like some good action then you will have a good time. Additionally, without context you’ll probably have quite a few questions while watching the adventure.

The story starts with Kat eating some nice snacks and just having fun enjoying the day. It’s always nice to have a little downtime between saving the world and fighting evil creatures after all. Unfortunately the creatures do eventually arrive and Kat has to take down a whole army of them. I really appreciated that she was beating a ton of them as sometimes you see the heroes not be able to take down the armies of opponents that they could with the gameplay mechanics. So that clearly wasn’t a problem here but Kat does need backup when two powerful figures appear. With the help of Raven, Kat will have to defend the world once more.

Don’t expect a huge resolution or anything like that since this is basically a prelude, but even so it was fun to see the fight scenes. It really got everything started on the right foot and of course seeing the heroines in action was cool. The adventure may go by quickly but they did make the time to include fights which is the important thing. I also did like the world building here. The animation did a good job of getting in that basic world building and still telling its own story.

The animation is meant to look just like the games and they succeed in that. Naturally hand drawn animation style would be preferable in the long run but it works out well enough. The colors are striking and the battle scenes are good which is the important thing. The music is more on the forgettable side though, I wouldn’t say they broke the bank on the soundtrack here. I wouldn’t expect them to do that for a quick adventure though.

The special does begin some big plot points like the missing orphans so you’ll want to stay alert for all of the setup that is going on here. Of course if you don’t play the games then it’s not like you can expect these things to be answered but the villains are routed which is why I would still say that overall you got a conclusive ending here. Just think of it like a proof of concept kind of video.

It also shows how unique the world is in a short span of time, like the fact that the enemies are basically dark eyes that run around and try to hurt people. They’re sort of like an alternate version of the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. You could easily picture a whole show about Gravity Rush, it has that mass media appeal. I don’t know why they didn’t do more with the series but I suppose you could say that for most titles. I also can’t talk too much since it took me years to buy Gravity Rush 2. You’d think I would have been there since day 1.

Overall, This was a fun animation to watch. There really isn’t a ton to discuss due to the length though. Even with both episodes combined, it’s about as long as a normal episode if not a bit shorter. It is fun to see Kat and the gang though and I would say that’s probably the point. The Gravity Rush verse is a really fun one after all and I would definitely like to see more of it. If I didn’t know there was a second game out, then this would have clued me in on that. In the meantime, whether you have played the games or not you should definitely check this one out. Gravity powers are always fun to watch because of how versatile they are.

Overall 7/10

The Sword of Hope Review

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The Sword of Hope has such an intense name that you automatically assume you are going to be playing one of the best games out there. Unfortunately I am here to assure you that this is not the case. There are some interesting ideas here and even some great quality of life features but it is all tarnished by the game’s overreliance on RNG. Gone are the skill based matches of old. Now you must effectively hope in the roll of the dice at every turn. Not a good decision to be honest.

The game basically starts with the main character needing to use the Sword of Hope to slay the villains and save the day. The only problem is that the sword has been depowered for a very long time. The hero will now need to visit the 4 legendary spell crafters to see if they can fix the sword. Along the way he will fight many powerful enemies and so taking them on will be his true challenge. He has no other party members to help him so this will be a very long journey. Can he really pull it off?

Right out of the gate I can tell you that I appreciate how there is no such thing as a game over in this title. When you die, you just get warped back to the starting village where the sage tells you to try again. You keep all of your items, EXP, and gear. So dying is only a setback and you do have quick travel to all of the main locations. Those are two absolutely great features that I can’t rave enough about. I was really impressed here and additionally I like the fact that the upgrades you obtain are permanent and make a good difference in your defense and attack power. Each level up also dramatically increases your stats which makes sense since the game only goes up to level 31.

Now here is where the cracks in the armor start to appear. The way you inflict and endure damage is done through RNG. When an opponent his you, they have a minimum and a maximum range of power that spans multiple levels. So sometimes they will deal you 1 damage, other times they will deal around 40. This makes any kind of strategy completely reliant on RG and will cause you to have to replay the battles way more often than you should. This gets more and more crucial as you get deeper into the game.

Several of the final bosses can basically take you down in a single strike. So with the Switch Online’s rewind feature you are all set here and things aren’t bad but without it I feel like people must have taken ages to complete the game. You would certainly have to power level several levels above the recommended final battle level in order to increase your odds of success. This is such a bad mechanic that it basically slashes the score right away. I cannot in good conscience call this a solid game as a result. It should not be forcing you to have to account for luck in such a constant way.

The other big problem with the game are the countless puzzles. So every area allows you to perform 4 actions, “look” “open” “use” and “hit”. You can perform these actions on every object in the room which is usually around 3-4. Using the right option on the right location will give you an item, activate a boss, or clear a new path. So this means a whole lot of clicking and there are over 200 rooms in the game. Several of them are teleporting paths meaning if you get even one direction wrong then you have to start that puzzle from scratch.

After a point this goes from being immersive and challenging to just being rather drawn out and boring. You’re not having fun when you have to worry about all of these technical gimmicks instead of fighting enemies and getting stronger. I wanted to continue with the story, not be distracted by an endless array of puzzles. If I wanted a puzzle game then I would have played something like Professor Layton instead which is far better on the puzzle aspects. Yeah, this was definitely not the title to check out.

The graphics are okay but they do have to reuse character models a whole lot. Get ready to see the same lady showing up over and over as different people throughout the same game. The soundtrack is a bit catchy though, I like the main battle theme. They actually tried pretty hard on that one which I can appreciate. The game’s soundtrack will stick in your head for a while even after completing it.

Naturally there is no real replay value within the game but just completing it will take you long enough where you won’t mind. I can at least say with confidence that the game gives you a lot of value for your time here. The main campaign is technically beatable very quickly but good luck solving the puzzles in that amount of time. Personally I think this one will end up lasting for a whole lot longer than you might have been expecting. If you do like the idea of just being lost and trying to get out on your own, then this one could be worth a shot. It’s the only way I could possibly recommend it and even then you have much better options.

Overall, The Sword of Hope is a game with a lot of potential but unfortunate mechanics really set it back. This one was definitely a real challenge to complete but unless I am having a lot of fun, the challenge doesn’t move me. If this game got a modern PS5 remake it could end up being a solid title but until that happens, I just don’t see this game ever mounting a comeback. Even with the Switch Online there are far better games and I would recommend you play one of those instead. There’s no real reason why you would need to play this game in particular.

Overall 5/10

Blue Box Review

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It’s time for a sports/romance hybrid series. The romance eventually starts to overtake the sports aspect but I would say the series does a good job of keeping it mainly balanced at least in this season. The series got good production values and has fun characters so on the whole I would say it’s pretty good. The romance is handled in a serious way as a slow burn which is always the right approach, even if I may not be the biggest fan of the route it decided to go. You can’t win them all after all.

The series starts off by introducing us to Taiki who is a badminton player. He has strong ambitions of becoming the top player and going to Nationals some day. He has a long ways to go for that goal though as his skills just aren’t there yet. He is a first year player so he has time but he wants to make it to the top as soon as possible. Meanwhile he has a crush on the Basketball veteran Chinatsu. She is in her second year and also trying to get her team to Nationals. Can he accomplish his dream and go out with her? Taiki has to play this carefully or he could make the school environment very awkward. There is one thing in his favor though…due to her parents’ work, she will now be living at his place for the foreseeable future.

Naturally living together can make things a bit easier since he will get to talk to her more, but on the other hand it also makes him a lot more self conscious. After all you can think of it as being a selfish move because she is relying on his household right now. So asking her out in this situation may pressure her to say yes, or if she says no, now the whole thing will be even more awkward. So Taiki has to work through his feelings here and I tend to agree with him on staying silent. It just doesn’t feel like the right time. One of Chinatsu’s friends says Taiki should say something since otherwise it is creepy behavior to be secretly liking her.

I get the logic of the counter but don’t really agree with it. There’s nothing inherently bad about it so long as Taiki has no bad intentions. So long as he stays respectful and within boundaries then not saying anything is still the better call. Living together just brings with it way too many complications to have a relationship, although of course this series would be over if nothing happens so you can expect some shenanigans to occur.

Taiki can at times be a little too scared to move forward which causes other problems though. Particularly in the other main romance of the series which is that his childhood friend Hina likes him. Taiki ends up being put in the middle here where he doesn’t really know how to respond to her confession and then that sends a lot of mixed signals over to Chinatsu. So as you can see there are a lot of very messy storylines going on here but it works well because romance is often messy. It’s all about how you respond to all of these sudden developments that shows your true abilities as a character.

I do appreciate that none of the main 3 characters are the jealous types. You don’t see Taiki freaking out when other guys are talking to Chinatsu and vice versa. Not to say they aren’t a little irritated but they don’t suddenly start freaking out or being all sulky. It’s a more mature take which is nice. There are still boundaries of course but if you don’t trust your love interest then the relationship will never work out from the start anyway. So the series definitely gets that one right.

The series also has quite a few sad moments as well. After all, in matters of love there will always be someone who loses out. In this case there are two girls who like Taiki so one will lose and based on the premise and all promotional artwork for the series, you already know who that is gonna be. The series doesn’t pull any punches with this one when the rejection comes through and breaks her heart. Now for the record, once again I have to say that Taiki handled it very well. He didn’t beat around the bush and just offered a complete declination. It may be hard to hear but at least this way he offered up some closure. If he was half hearted or left any room for something to develop then that would have been a mistake.

So while Taiki can sometimes annoy me with how timid and oblivious he can be, this was something he did well. It’s not like there is ever a perfect way to reject someone without leaving them a bit hurt. That’s just going to happen but you can at least do you best to reduce the sting as much as possible. That’s exactly what he did here so I definitely had no qualms with him. Meanwhile the sport moments often don’t go smoothly for the characters either. They definitely get some reality checks and at the end of the day only one player/team can win it all. So statistically the odds of winning are pretty slim.

The series is definitely an emotional rollercoaster with everything going on. At the end of the day I would say it does have an upbeat tone though. The bad things that happen never overwhelm the positive moments. Nobody is falling off a building or getting a rare disease. The drama we get are personal losses and tragedies but nothing that can’t be undone. I think it would actually change the series tone if they went for any storylines that were a bit too dark and depressing. So for me this is the right amount of drama to bring tears to your eyes but by the final episode you know that you’ve had a good time of it.

The animation is pretty solid for the series and helps to elevate the Badminton scenes. The colors are striking and there is a good amount of movement here. It looks better than what you may have expected for a romance series. So I definitely appreciated that. The soundtrack is a little more on the weaker side though. You’re not really going to remember it all that well by the end. It’s not bad by any means but it just feels more like free domain type music. It doesn’t really do much to elevate the series to the next level.

As for the characters, I already spoke about Taiki a bit. Nice kid who means well but I would definitely like to see him act with more confidence. He allows himself to be manipulated too easily by others and tends to really overthink things which gets him into trouble. In order to improve both in romance as well as his sport journey, he will need to get past that and really reach the next level.

Chinatsu does well as the main heroine. She tends to be fairly quiet and keep to herself. Since the series is from Taiki’s point of view, we don’t see her thoughts quite as much. I do appreciate this though because often times it is good to keep to yourself. Chinatsu is always polite and doing what she needs to without being overly expressive. Definitely no issues on that. I’d say if anything her only weakness can be that even when she’s upset she doesn’t say anything which can just lead to resentment. When you’re upset and it’s a possible misunderstanding then you definitely gotta find a way to clear the air there. A big example is definitely when she has a bit of an unspoken fight with Taiki before Nationals that makes things awkward so they aren’t really able to talk and it leaves her a bit distracted. Of course that’s not a valid excuse during a game but still worth noting.

Then we have Hina as the other heroine and the most tragic part here is always when you have the losing heroine accidentally be written to be more fun than the main one. Hina is easily the best character in the series and a real go getter. While everyone else is being too quiet or nervous to say anything, she just marches up to Taiki and confesses. This is absolutely the best way to go about things. It’s a very old fashioned way of thinking to assume that the guy has to make the first move and you just gotta wait your turn. Hina liked him and decided to just go for it.

Immediately she got my respect there and was a very supportive person otherwise. She still didn’t try any underhanded tactics to get an edge and was honorable the whole time. That’s the kind of character you want to have in your corner. Hopefully things go well for her in the future but I’m not rooting for any rebounds here. Ideally she will just continue to do really well in her career and win at Nationals. That would be a fun way to complete her arc.

Kyo is Taiki’s best friend and usually he’s a decent guy but he does have some of the absolute worst takes possible. He spends a whole lot of his screen time constantly gaslighting Taiki and getting him to make the worst mistakes possible. If he didn’t say anything then Taiki would be in less trouble. The guy is mainly just around to confuse the other characters but hasn’t really had any important moments otherwise. You could take him out of the series and for now it wouldn’t really change anything.

Then we have Haryu who is Taiki’s rival. A strong player all around and his romance journey has mainly been rather smooth. His relationship with Karen is a fun one and they are a good example for Taiki to look at and see how things should be done. Haryu does have a rough moment near the end where he starts to fear Taiki and ducks him during all encounters. That’s not how you want the rival to look, but he eventually gets over it. Ultimately the guy is getting older and may have hit his limits in terms of Badminton skills. Meanwhile Taiki still has an opportunity to be the best that there ever was.

Nagisa is a good friend to Chinatsu but doesn’t get much of a role. I’d say she is mainly around because every main character needs at least one friend at their side so the characters can vent a bit. She tends to be rather straight forward which is good and she talks a lot more than Chinatsu. So if the heroine ever needs any help, she knows where to turn. So while Nagisa doesn’t do a whole lot, just being around is still supportive.

Another minor character is Hyodo who is currently the number one Badminton player. The guy is completely invincible and never loses. Anyone who challenges him is very quickly humbled and that’s the kind of ability you like to see. He quiets everyone down with his overwhelming power. Nobody can hope to easily take him down. His character gimmick is that he tends to take everything literally. Not the most interesting gimmick, but again it’s not like he appears all that much.

Then we have Yusa who is being set up to be Taiki’s more serious rival. The guy beat Taiki at first and then Taiki beat him so they are definitely very close in ability. He makes for a fun antagonist here. He’s not a bad guy or anything but of course he is standing in the way of Taiki’s dreams. The guy appears to be the more emotionless sort for now and is very focused on Badminton itself. That kind of drive is always hard to defeat.

Then we have Ayame who joins up near the end. Her ideas of romance are very different from the rest of the characters so she ends up rocking the boat a lot. She will go out with anyone who asks her out and will then usually break up right afterwards when it doesn’t work out. So for that reason she has a ton of ex-boyfriends but most of them end off on a positive note. Naturally she is there to give Taiki unfortunate ideas instead of just letting him trust his heart. She always means well but yeah Ayame has a lot to learn about romance. That much is clear early on and her meddling causes some really serious problems.

Overall, Blue Box was a fun romance title. I appreciate the fact that the series really goes into detail on the different relationship dynamics instead of jus running through it. We know that the series can take up to 2 years in universe because of the grade system so that leaves time for a really good slow burn. Slow burn romances are often the best way to handle things because it allows the characters to fall for each other organically. So I’ll definitely be ready for season 2 and in the meantime you should check this one out. Just watch out if you are a big Hina fan since things often go rough for her and even the opening animations foreshadow this.

Overall 7/10

Shangri-La Frontier Season 2 Review

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Shangri-La Frontier is one of those shows that definitely took me by surprise with exactly how good it was. Now make no mistake, I knew the game would be excellent because the manga was. Yet the show still managed to be downright elite and this season starts to adapt my favorite arc in the series so it really ended on a high note. Definitely a title to keep an eye on because this is the kind of content I’m talking about when looking at excellent material.

The season starts on the more low key side with the devs fixing the Scorpion glitch Sunraku found so that he could no longer exploit them. The heroes also made an alliance with some guilds to get the pressure off but the first big event is that Sunraku and Psyger 0 run into the ultimate boss Lycagon. This is the ultimate rematch for Sunraku but the tough decision is deciding whether to go all out here or lose on purpose so he doesn’t give too much away. You understand the predicament but also realize that he has sunk too far into the social battles of the game. Giving up without trying your best would go completely against Sunraku’s character and it would have been a real shame.

Psyger 0 snaps him out of it quickly enough and then we get a really fun fight. The series excels in quite a lot of things, but one of them is definitely the fight choreography. You really get to see a lot of strategy in the battles like knowing what move to use and what cool downs are still in effect. It feels like a proper video game and I would say it’s probably the most realistic look at what a true VR game of the future could look like. I was definitely real impressed. Even Sunraku’s fights against minions tend to be fun for this reason although of course the bosses are when he’s at his best. At least with one exception, fighting other players but that’s really rare.

I tend to enjoy the quick voyages into other games outside of Shangri-La Frontier for that reason. In this season that means a quick journey into a mecha fighter game where Sunraku fights some old pals. This was a fun one because they did a good job with the robot battles and also because we get to see Sunraku strategizing against a real person. Outsmarting AI is one thing of course but it’s even more impressive when you defeat another player. Sunraku consistently shows that he is able to do this with minimal difficulty as well.

Then we begin two arc at once. This is a rare example of a big arc getting interrupted midway by another one. The main arc involves another unique scenario where Sunraku has to go to an underwater area to figure out how to take down the next monster. He brings the robot buddies along but this time Pendragon and Katzo have to miss out. It’s a fun enough arc but it does get completely overshadowed before long. The reason is because a giant tournament scrimmage is announced and Katzo has called Sunraku in.

Yes, this is the real final arc that the season ends off on. Sunraku is going to have to go toe to toe against the most powerful pro gamer in history at a game that he has never played before while she has played all of the other titles in the series. The one advantage he will have is that the game runs on the Shangri-La Frontier engine which is only available in Japan at the moment. It’s also a fun milestone because now the main characters are all going to meet each other IRL so we get a whole lot of banter. It’s pretty crazy to think that they had actually never met each other in real life before now.

The season doesn’t show us much of this arc yet, just enough of a taste to really get you excited. It still works tremendously well though and these episodes are top tier. The music, the directing, everything about this is extremely hype. In particular there’s one scene where Katzo basically admits that Sunraku and Pencildragon are the best gamers out there that stood out to me. The show played one of the new themes that is extremely hype (It’s not even out on Youtube yet) and really set the stage for how much this tournament means to him. I also love the rules as it is a real knockout style fight, meaning as long as you win, you keep on playing. Yeah the next season is going to rock.

As always the animation is really good here. It has a very solid style to it. You feel all of the blows and the movement is very smooth. It’s all very good and really goes to the next level during big battles. After that you have the soundtrack which gets full points. The first opening is spectacular as you’d expect. I didn’t care for the second opening as much but it’s still good. Then the tracks during the episodes are really incredible once again. Full on action themes that cover a wide array of genres. Nothing negative to say about any of those. It’s all just so good.

As for the characters, Sunraku is a great lead as always. I like how analytical the guy is while still acting like your ordinary gamer. He’s very down to Earth and competitive which are great qualities to have. His fighting style is fun and he always has a good time with the game. The show is far from being a comedy in any way but it definitely does know how to have some real fun gags every now and then. The show just has the perfect atmosphere and vibes for this kind of story.

Poor Psyger-0 still suffers from the fact that she has not worked up the courage to confess to Sunraku yet. So for now she just continues to hone her skills and do her best but it will be a while before she makes any progress. Fortunately inside of the game she is very powerful and she does great during the Lycagon fight. I’m generally not big on the more timid characters but she’s not bad. I would say it helps that she is really good at the game because at least in her own way she is trying to get closer to Sunraku. It’s not that she is passive or anything, she just can’t take that last step.

Meanwhile Pencilgon is one of those characters who has no problems getting whatever she wants. She generally just likes to be a vicious overlord in video games who has everyone at her beck and call. She is very skilled at deception and makes for a fun character. She may be a model in the real world but fortunately her friends are only into video games so it’s not like they care. They treat her normally and so it makes for a great trio of characters. They all just have fun with each other which is really the right way to go. Any scene with the main 3 in it is always a blast.

Katzo is the pro gamer of the group although I would say he is still often outshined by Sunraku. Not really his fault, that guy is just a legend. Katzo still holds his own the whole time and is a really good character. He does have connections and a lot of money which is how the final arc was even possible. He basically spent tons of money to get the best hotels and game equipment. His rivalry with Sunraku is always bound to bring in a lot of laughs as well.

I will say that the supporting characters in SLF tend to be on the weaker side though. Aside from Emul, we now know about 5 other rabbits and none of them are particularly interesting at the moment. They’ve all got their own unique gimmicks and all but you just don’t end up caring all that much. If the show has a weak point, it will be any scene inside of the Rabbit home world where it’s important for lore but that’s about it. You want Sunraku to get back out there and play the game some more.

Akane is probably the only interesting thing relating to that place and technically speaking she is still a separate character. She’s the second person to discover the unique quest and so now Sunraku is nervous that she might tell more people about it. The more people who know about this, the less valuable the info is as a bargaining chip. For now she seems trustworthy but we’ll have to see. Her overall level is much lower than the rest of the characters though so she’s a bit of a glass cannon at the moment.

Rust is the mecha pilot who ends up joining SLF temporarily along with her sidekick. She’s not a bad character but for now is on the weaker side. I don’t feel like she really adds to the dynamic at this point so she will need to do something to change that. Once that is the case then the cast will really be in an even better spot. At least she can fight though which is the important part.

The various leaders of the different clans like Animalia, Psyger 100, and the Professor haven’t done much yet. We got to see Animalia being rather overconfident and being stomped by Lycagon but that’s it. Each character seems interesting so I appreciate them being around to flesh out the world. They will be good for future confrontations even if they haven’t done much of anything just yet.

Lycagon of course is still one of the best monsters. She seems the most sentient out of all the unique creatures with how she plans and strategizes. She leaves the rest of the creatures in the dust in these respects. I also like how she even gets some plot twists which end up resulting in the power level going further up. You just don’t see that kind of dominance very often.

Then for the game arc, Sylvia is the most important new character for now. She’s basically a girl version of Sunraku with how talented she is. Her reaction times are insane and of course she is competitive as well. This is really what made her an opponent to beat. The series really cooked by making her the primary antagonist coming up. Sunraku will have to bring his A game if he wants to defeat her.

Then on Katzo’s team we have Megumi who is mainly used to hype up Sunraku and crew which I naturally don’t have a problem with. After all, the more hype they get the better. She definitely means well and her concerns are even pretty valid. After all, why would some random teens from Japan actually be better than pro gamers? I’d be concerned too and she was reasonable since after being stomped by Sunraku she stopped with that. She is a reasonable addition to the crew and I’d be cool with her sticking around.

Much better than the new underwater character in Araba. Nothing really wrong with him I guess but he just lacks depth. He’s a sea creature with a good honor code who can fight. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that he’s an A.I. ally and not a real player but I just don’t find him too interesting. I’d rather Sunraku be dominating the opponents on his own and monologuing instead of working with this guy. So he’s not a bad character but is an example of someone who does not add to the dynamic.

Also, while the tournament is far more interesting, we are getting closer to a climax here so in the next season that will still be fun. The battle itself is definitely quite intense with a lot of stand out moments all throughout. Next season will be a masterpiece regardless but definitely focus on the first episodes the most because Shangri-La really shows how you do a proper tournament arc. It’s absolutely impressive with no real weak points. I would maybe change one fight but it was still extremely satisfying either way.


Overall, This series continues to be an elite. The cliffhanger is absolutely spectacular and really gets you hyped for what is to come. I suspect it might be a while before we get a season 3 now that they are close to being caught up with the series but when it does return I shall be ready. In the meantime you should definitely watch this series. It’s really a great experience and not something you could find just anywhere. This is a series with a ton of heart an it reminds you how much fun video games are both to play and to see in action.

Overall 9/10

Texas Terror Review

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Texas Terror brings us back into another classic John Wayne adventure. It’s fairly short as with the last few so things have to move fast but it doesn’t feel like there is as much of a sense of urgency as in his other films. It makes for a fun adventure but nothing that I would consider to be top tier. Still, these films always have strong fundamentals and this one is no exception. You will certainly get to see some solid fights.

In Texas Terror you have some outlaws running around as always and unfortunately they bump off a man and escape. The timing of it is rough though so John actually blames himself for this. He gets on the trail and ends up saving a helpless young lady while posing in his disguise. He then has to go back to town and pretend not to know her. It turns out that she is the daughter of the guy who was murdered. The problem is that the villains are around and one of them decides to further frame John for the death of her father. Can John clear his name and save the day or is it all over for him?

He probably could have had a good talk with her a bit sooner and saved on some of the drama to be honest. Yeah it wouldn’t have been the best story based on his understanding of it at the time but at least it would be coming from him and not some third party. At the same time I get it because she does panic a whole lot. I wouldn’t be surprised if she let the cat out of the bag too soon and would spoil everything. At the very least you have to consider the possibility here. She is just not ready for this. As it is, she faints rather easily and is quick to believe this random guy at the town dance. With everyone being so secretive, I get why she might believe things but she still could have stayed a little more calm to really think things through.

One thing I enjoyed in this film is that John actually has a good relationship with the Sheriff this time around. He’s not running around and being a vigilante or anything like that. Yeah his methods might be a little more intense than the average person’s, but he gets results. Ultimately it’s not like the others were able to really do much of anything here. One guy does spot the fact that the villains were using stolen currency which was really clever. You don’t see this used all that often but using serial numbers to track stolen money is actually a really clever idea.

I would have liked the heroes to have been a bit more proactive at that point rather than waiting though. The middle is the only part of the film that is a little slow since we know who the crooks are and the heroes do too. For a film this short, you don’t usually want it to have any slow moments. Ah well, it is what it is I suppose. At least we do get the classic climax with some real fights as John shows why he is the top dog around here. He really gets in some powerful shots. In a way I feel like John shows off more in hand to hand combat than in marksmanship in these films.

As always you have the classic soundtrack here. A little bit of eerie music every time the villains make a move and it really lets you feel what the movie creators were going for the whole time. This way you aren’t left in suspense of anything like that. While the music may really be on the nose, it’s still better than not having a soundtrack. Somehow these old movies actually understood the balance more than some of the modern ones. They may not have had the budget for a whole lot of songs but at least they were able to get in the main ones that counted.

Overall, Texas Terror is a bit of a misleading title. You’re certainly not going to be too scared while watching this film and it’s not like it is going for that vibe either. At best you could say that John’s early disguise was pretty scary. They actually did a really good job with that one since you really could not recognize the guy. It was an impressive disguise, especially since he makes sure to act a lot different as plain ole John. The fact that the heroine almost saw through it might make him look a bit bad but hey that’s just how it goes. If you like classic Westerns then you’ll like this one as well. It feels like there is just not a whole lot to it compared to some of Wayne’s other films but that doesn’t make it a bad film or anything like that. Standard or not, it’s still a fun adventure.

Overall 6/10

Chain Reaction Review

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Chain Reaction is one of those classic thrillers with a whole lot going on but at the same time you also have to stretch your disbelief quite a bit. You almost wish they had said the main character was ex-military or something to explain how far he got. Instead, the villains look a little inept with how much trouble they have trying to find him.

The movie starts with Eddie and a bunch of other scientists finally having a breakthrough on their free energy alternative. This was made possible thanks to Eddie finally locating the right frequency that their energy process needed. He was in too much of a rush to write it down but that’s fine, they’ll handle that later on. The world can now get unlimited clean energy for no extra fee. Of course somebody doesn’t like that and during the night the facility is blown up and one of the head scientists is destroyed with another one missing. Eddie finds this out but now he and his coworker Lily are being framed for being involved here. Paul, one of the seniors advises them to turn themselves in but Eddie refuses. Lily and Eddie will now be on the run for a while as they try to figure out what’s going on and clear their names.

You’ve got both the CIA and the FBI involved with this affair so you can bet that things are white hot right now. This is where you have to try not to have the film lose you. Eddie and Lily have no espionage training or anything like that but they are able to evade everyone fairly easily. At one point they stop by Eddie’s friend’s house to stay for a while and are otherwise just on the run. It feels like they should have been caught within a matter of minutes or hours at the very worst. There is also a point early on where Eddie is running and the cops corner him on a bridge. So he basically jumps on the inside and while they work on fixing it, he just escapes. That seemed improbable.

Of course, thrillers are often improbable. I would say the trick is really just seeing how noticeable it feels in the moment. Most won’t hold up under scrutiny but at least during the movie you can look the other way. This time it was just a whole lot more obvious so you’re basically holding back a smirk the whole time. I won’t say it was crazy or anything like that but just adding in the whole ex military thing would have helped a whole lot.

Eddie just wants to make the world a better place and so I’d say he is a good lead. He did his best to save lives during the fire and is generally not someone who scares easily. He doesn’t panic a whole lot too which is good and even gets some quick fights. Meanwhile Lily starts off rocky with letting herself get so drunk. No matter what kind of a party it is, you know you’ve had too much to drink when you’re super drunk like this. It doesn’t put her in the best position but at least after that she doesn’t have any rough moments. She generally does her best as well.

Thing is, the main characters are completely out of their depth here for most of the film. The enemies have connections, guns, and a whole lot of power behind them. There’s almost nothing the leads can do without a considerable amount of plot armor. Their only help would be Paul who is rather shady from the jump. Paul is one of those guys who will always say the right things and is constantly in a regretful mood but it just doesn’t help you much at all. You’re still needing someone to actually keep you safe as opposed to just talking about it. He’s not going to be that guy who actually saves the day or anything like that. He does make for a fun character though.

The film’s best moments were often times not even concerning the main characters. I just liked the banter with Paul and everyone who would go at him. Whether it was Paul vs Congress, Paul vs FBI, Paul vs Private companies, etc. They were all a lot of fun. Paul is someone who is supremely confident at all times and feels like nobody can even touch him. When you have absolute confidence like that, well you’re definitely able to do a whole lot.

Ultimately, if we ever did unlock free unlimited energy, you definitely know that there would be massive fights about it. Even if there was enough for everyone all around the world, there would still be fights. People will go to war and fight about every little thing. Imagine something as big as a new kind of energy that would put several sectors completely out of business overnight? Yeah that’s bound to stir up a whole lot of feathers.

The main story may be about the leads finding some answers but I would say the most fun part was definitely the discussions of the impact that such an invention would have. Unlimited energy will likely never be a thing but at least it’s something that you can picture. Still, there needs to be a way to pull off the plot without making the villains look completely incompetent though. Not being able to stop two young adults with no military training is just a rough look.

Overall, Chain Reaction is a good film but not a great one. The villains seemed like they should have been able to win this one near instantly instead of constantly trying to play 4D chess and letting it backfire horribly on them. Still, you will be entertained and at the end of the day that is the most important part. The villains are fun with how over the top they are and the main character does a good job of not panicking. It’s the kind of film that you have a hard time finding nowadays because you’d expect a lot more research and realism to come into play. For this one the entertainment was absolutely the main selling point for better or worse.

Overall 6/10