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TheTitaniumDragon
Reviews
Aggretsuko (2018)
Decent use of two and a half hours, but not amazing
Aggretsuko is a 10-episode long Netflix original series made by Sanrio, the same company that made Hello Kitty. The characters have the same sort of general simplified design as Hello Kitty, with most of the primary female cast being chibi female characters with large heads, big eyes, and a small mouth.
However, unlike everything else Sanrio makes, this is very much a series directed at adults, as the main character of the series, Retsuko the red panda, is a miserable professional accountant, working in a large office building in Japan with a bunch of other anthropomorphic animals - yes, this is very, very furry.
Retsuko is the main character of this slice-of-life series, and it initially seems to be focused on her and her two coworkers, Fenneko the fennec fox and Haida the hyena, in their daily struggles against Ton, a literal chauvinist pig and a general jerk of a boss.
Retsuko is a little ball of misery at the start of the series - a total doormat who never says no, never stands up for herself, works too hard, stays far too late, is easy to push excess work off onto, and generally is a little ball of stress and anxiety that is constantly simmering beneath the surface, her only escape being escaping to the bathroom or a karaoke lounge at the end of the day to screech death metal to express how she really feels about her miserable life - something she is otherwise half-accepting and half in-denial about.
Frankly, it didn't exactly enthrall me at first - while the character designs were cute and the voice dubbing was excellent (I actually greatly preferred the English voices and script to the subbing), Retsuko was not really the most enthralling of characters, and her general misery sort of felt like a preaching to the choir type thing, with everyone being something of a shallow stereotype.
As the series goes on, however, two of the seemingly untouchable higher staff women in the office - Washimi the secretarybird secretary and Gori the gorilla who supervises marketing - end up taking an interest in Retsuko and take her in under their wing (so to speak). We get to see more and more of her coworkers, and come to recognize that they're not as shallow as they seem at first glance, and all have motivations for being the way they are, imperfect as those motivations might be. The result is that, over the course of the ten episodes, we get a better idea of what kind of people they are, as Retsuke gradually learns to take more control over her own life and be less of a pushover.
With ten 15 minute long episodes, the whole series clocks in at about two and a half hours in length, and the episodes all lead into each other - there's a great amount of continuity here, with the whole show being one continuous arc.
This series is very, very Japanese and is pretty anime as well - the first episode in particular parodies the common opening to many animes about young women, with the protagonist introducing themselves... at which point she twists her ankle and unleashes a loud metal scream. The overall pacing and choreography is very much what I'd expect out of a show made in Japan, with a number of scenes having that certain timing and shot aspect that I see a lot in anime. This isn't a bad thing, but it is very much a product of Japan, and a number of aspects of the show are very, very Japanese - which makes sense, as the show is set in a contemporary Japanese city and invokes the feelings of Japanese salarymen (or salarywomen, as the case may be).
This is definitely a show that feels like it is preaching to the choir a bit at first, but as it unfolds, it actually shows the consequences of actions, both positive and negative, as well as Retsuko growing as a person. Haida and Retsuko both learn to grow from their actions when they recognize that problems are of their own making and that solutions have to come from their own hands (though perhaps with the help of those around them at times). It actually helps to show why people behave in the way that they do, while simultaneously not actually excusing the behavior, as well as how to get along better with your coworkers (a vital skill). While early on, it felt sort of like a socially awkward horror movie, with "No, quit sabotaging yourself!" substituting for "No, don't go in there!", but by the end of it, it has presented a decent little arc.
I thought that this show took a remarkable maturity with its approach towards social masks, which is a major theme of the show, both implicitly and explicitly. Lots of shows go with the trite moral of "be yourself", but this show takes a much more complex view of things - that masks are not necessarily a bad thing and can actually make your life better, but at the same time, if you always wear a mask, you'll be miserable, as you can never truly be yourself. Knowing when to wear a mask - and what mask to wear - is important, as well as knowing when to let your mask slip a bit and show a different side of yourself to help you connect with other people.
This series was decent, and I watched it all the way through to the end, but at the same time, I never really loved it - on the whole, I was left feeling lukewarm. It is decent overall, but there's nothing that really stuck out to me. None of the characters were particularly amazing, but none of them were really deep enough for me to really care about them as people, either. I liked all the little touches, and it was fun watching the characters interact and listen to them bouncing off of each other, but in the end, I couldn't say that I had a favorite (or least favorite) character. There aren't any great moments of catharsis, and the show ends on a somewhat subdued (but hopeful) note.
Overall, I think it was worth the two and a half hours of my time I spent watching it, but I'm not sure if it really batted much above average - if you've got Netflix, it might be worth checking out, but if you don't, I don't think that this is the show that will change your mind and make you want it.
Theodore Rex (1995)
Okay, but not great
Theodore Rex is apparently much hated; some people have given it a 10-star rating, but I'm going to go with sarcasm on their parts. However, over half the people who've rated this gave it a 1. I suspect this is as much an effort to put this movie into the bottom 100 as anything else. The movie is not that bad. It isn't wonderful either, but it isn't abominable. I liked it as a kid, and while it isn't a masterpiece, it is watchable as a kid at least. It was a mediocre movie, but I thought it was fun.
That being said, don't think this is some amazing movie. It isn't. It is watchable and mediocre, but there are lots of better movies around. But it definitely doesn't deserve a 1. This movie may not be mind-blowing, but it isn't the Land Before Time XI or Plan 9 From Outer Space. It is better than a lot of the insipid romantic comedies starring Jennifer Lopez. But its below the level of high quality entertainment.
I'd not recommend buying it, but watching it once isn't a loss.
Fainaru fantajî sebun adobento chirudoren (2005)
FFVII conserves
This movie really is nothing but a wad of Final Fantasy VII conserves. If you love Final Fantasy VII, you'll probably enjoy the random insanity of this movie. If you love absurdly good computer graphics and fight scenes, this is a great movie. If you love plot, this movie is pants - it just doesn't have a strong plot, and it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever if you haven't played Final Fantasy VII.
Overall, a 6/10, but an 8/10 for a FFVII fan. It doesn't have the compelling story, but it does have the random awesomeness.
I must admit, though, that I was quite disappointed in the movie. Its weak plot line did not make up for the great computer graphics; what I loved about Final Fantasy VII was the plot line, and without a strong plot, this game just wasn't satisfying.
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (1989)
Great children's TV show
Unlike most of the modern, horrible cartoons people put out for children these days, Chip n' Dale's Rescue Rangers is a genuinely good show. Like much of the older Disney stuff, it is actually watchable by adults, and is very cute. The five main characters all have interesting interactions, and the stories are well done. All of the characters have depth of personality, and Gadget, far from being arm-candy, is one very independent. Unlike almost every other show, the independent female character never ends up with one of the other characters and all five characters remain single.
It is an excellently done show, and is great for children but still enjoyable for adults. I gave it a 10/10, as it is one of the greatest shows, particularly animated shows, of all time.
Gekijôban Poketto Monsutâ: Myûtsû no Gyakushû (1998)
Pretty decent children's film
Contrary to the vote-bombed 3.2 rating, this movie is not nearly so bad. Its certainly not the cream of the crop of movies, but I gave it an 8/10. Its target audience is children, probably 7-13, and it is fine as such. It is watchable as an adult, though not particularly good. That being said, it isn't bad either, and children enjoy it. Its message of peace is pretty decent (if thinly veiled), and I'd recommend it to those with children and fans of the Pokemon series (I'm not one, but shh). Mewtwo is a pretty decent character, and the movie on the whole is perfectly watchable with no knowledge of Pokemon, as it was the first (and only) Pokemon piece I'd ever seen.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Extremely lackluster film
Like the rest of the prequel trilogy, this movie is quite weak, showing Lucas to be incompetent. It is amazing that the same man did the first three Star Wars movies twenty five years ago, as these movies are universally worse.
Revenge of the Sith suffers from a variety of problems: wooden dialog, general bad acting, a poor story arc, and extreme and random fluctuations in character mentality. The actors in the movie are universally poor; the only worthwhile acting in the movie is done by Obi-Wan. The movie suffers from bad writing and bad acting, and it delivers a number of wince-worthy and plain old poor dialog. The story arc is known before the movie even begins; you know the Jedi all have to die and Anakin Skywalker has to become a Sith. Now, you'd think this could happen gradually; oh no. Skywalker becomes a sith in the course of about, say, 30 seconds, going from "You can't execute a defenseless man" to "I'll go and kill children for you, my master". Lucas tries to make Vader look all the more vicious by having him randomly kill children, but really it just comes off as poor writing.
The only reason to watch this movie is to watch the special effects; the movie itself is awful, and is not worth watching at all. Even the special effects can't make up for the bad writing; the fight between a guy with four arms and one of the best Jedi there is ends up being quite anticlimactic and not a high point of the movie; how cool it SHOULD be completely overshadows how weak the scene actually is.
In the end, this movie was better than Episodes I and II, but nowhere near the level of the original trilogy. People sometimes claim it is good, but this is really just a contrast to Episodes I and II; compared to actual good movies, this movie is mediocre at best, and all it has going for it is the special effects.
Your imagination of the origins of Darth Vader are far cooler than this movie. I'd not recommend watching it.
The Land Before Time (1988)
An excellent movie for children
This movie is an excellent children's movie, one of the best ones out there, in fact. Though the rest of the series and its many sequels aren't nearly as good, this movie is excellent. It is watchable by adults, at least a couple times, and unlike many similar children's' offerings is not a musical. It has good themes and is a very sweet and well-done movie, like most of Bluth's films.
Its themes of peace, cooperation, non-racism, and the like are very positive themes and shows why they're important to children. All in all, a wonderful film that everyone should see at least once, and which is great if you have children.
Jurassic Park (1993)
One of the best movies ever
Jurassic Park is an amazing movie. The plot is excellent and it is extremely well executed. Though made in 1993, the mixture of computer graphics and animatronics with the dinosaurs makes the dinosaurs all appear to be extremely lifelike; the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Velociraptors are gorgeous and look like they're real. This feat has not really been equaled since, and only the Jurassic Park series manage to pull it off. In many years, this movie will be seen as the first movie to pull off its special effects so convincingly.
All in all, the movie is quite solid. Children will love it, especially those with interest in science or dinosaurs. It might be frightening for some children, but in general the tension is not from actual violence so much as the threat of violence and what happens off-screen.
There is nothing offensive about this movie; everyone should see it and own it. It is with good reason this movie is one of the highest grossing of all time - it is a classic, and is one of the greatest movies of the 20th century.
The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
A good Disney movie, definitely worth watching
The Rescuers Down Under is an excellent Disney movie. Unlike its more recent dismal flops, this movie is very well done and is beautifully animated. The plot is fine and the movie is watchable by adults as well as children, though it is targeted for the latter.
The Rescuers Down Under is probably visually the best animated movie ever produced. The animation is gorgeous, and Marahute, the Outback, McLeach's base and animals, and the main characters are all beautiful. The backgrounds are excellent, and as a pure work of art this is the best of the Disney movies.
Plot-wise, though, it is fairly simplistic. It does have a subplot (Bernard trying to work up the guts to propose to Bianca), but the main plot of the movie is pretty rote: someone has been kidnapped, and its up to the main characters to save them. It is fairly similar to The Rescuers, though The Rescuers Down Under executes the plot better and is far more gripping, as the boy and Marahute are far more empathetic characters than Penny. The villain McLeach is quite possibly the most menacing of all Disney villains; he's an incredibly dark character who seems to have no compunctions about killing, and is very amoral.
This movie is one of the few Disney films which isn't a musical, which may throw some people off, but it makes the movie far more compelling; there aren't pointless breaks in the plot, and it makes it a lot easier to watch as an adult.
Overall, this is the only worthwhile Disney sequel. It is superior to its predecessor, The Rescuers, and is a well-executed movie. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Disney movies or who has children.