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Skye12
Reviews
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
An insanely amazing action movie.
I was first turned on to Kill Bill by someone mentioning that Kill La Kill's name was a reference to it. I was instantly interested by the cover, which promised at least one bad-ass girl. What I didn't expect, though, was an absolutely astounding animated backstory sequence and some of the best action choreography I've seen in my life. The movie starts with a fight between the main character, The Bride, and one of her former colleagues. It absolutely blew me away with how enthralling it is and how each part of the house is used to the women's advantages. Later, a massive sword fight of The Bride vs practically one hundred nameless swordsman similarly astounded by the creativity in the action. Each attack seem to be more impressive than the last. The movie tries to maintain no illusions that it's a movie, even having the main character talk to the audience at times and having giant text appear to introduce each character. This allows you to accept more of the insane action to be believable, which is good, because it's some of the most entertaining I've ever seen.
If you enjoy action movies at all, I highly recommend you watch this movie. Personally, I would give it a 9.5/10, maaaybe a 10/10 if a rewatch it and still love it.
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 (2017)
A beautifully interesting take on anime Blade Runner, marred only by it's short length
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 is probably something most people haven't heard or, much less seen. I personally found it after a Blade Runner anime TV series was announced recently. That's is a little surprising though, considering it's all star cast. Directed and written by Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame, the short film also includes art direction by Yuuji Kaneko (who also did art direction for Madoka Magika, Kill La Kill, and Little Witch Academia) and character designs by Shukou Murase (a story boarder and key animated for Samurai Champloo). It's no surprise, then to find the key animators are also some of the best in the industry, with the credits between them including Akira, various TRIGGER and Gainax shows, One Piece Movie 6, Ghost In the Shell, Space Dandy, Your Name, and multiple Satoshi Kon films.
So, does Blackout hold up to that legacy? Well, it does. Kinda. I'll start off with the bad. The voice acting could use some work. It's not bad as far as dub actors go, but I wouldn't call it great either. The film is also far too short, in my opinion, barely giving us enough time to get attached to the characters to really care about them or their struggles. It depicts a gang of two replicants and one human aiming to activate an EMP blast and destroying a destroying database of every replicant (which is being used to hunt them). A few of the gang, of course, end up being killed, but we've barely been introduced to them by the time they are. It's pretty hard to care. The story itself seems less like a major draw and more a reason to show off some cool animation and tie in a plot thread to Blade Runner 2049 then to be entertaining itself.
However, honestly even if the story is a simple excuse to see this cast work together, it's probably worth it. The animation is absolutely stunning, at times looking so fluid I thought it had been motion captured before I remembered actors can't jump up three stories, and it was all 2D animated. That is, except the CG cars, which is a bummer, but by now I've gotten used to that being a staple of anime. Extra props go to Shinya Ohira, who directed the absolutely draw dropping flashback sequence (though perhaps this shouldn't be surprising considering his work on FLCL, Akira, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ping Pong the Animation, and Redline). There are a few points in the short film that are notable for their unique art style, but this is the most breathtaking by far, making it almost feel like a dream. The animation in general all feels very grounded and realistic somehow despite the superhuman feats a few of the replicants pull off. While this isn't really my favorite kind of animation, I can see there was serious work put into it here, and Blackout knows how to use it. The backgrounds are also amazing, really bringing you into the world of Blade Runner with their gritty but futuristic style. While some shots are reused a few times too many, the rest of the amazing direction unlike any other anime compensates easily.
Considering it's short run-time, I would definitely consider Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 a must watch for anyone with an interest in Blade Runner or animation. It manages to avoid many of the tropes of anime, so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone bothered by things like that. I would give this film an 8/10, as I usually reserve 9's and 10's for media that really make me feel things, and despite it's stunning animation Blackout just did not manage to do that for me thanks to it's lack-luster plot and character development. Still, the animation alone makes this short film an excellent watch.
The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
A Charming Heist Tale
The Old Man & The Gun is an incredible story. Part of it is the main character- the titular Old Man. He is an amazingly proficient bank robber, who's been doing it his whole life and has gotten it down to a science. He takes great pleasure in his work- it seems to him living happily and robbing banks are synonymous. The movie doesn't take any stance on whether his robberies are moral; it simply states that they are what makes him truly happy. Personally, I couldn't help but root for him.
The romance is also excellent, featuring The Old Man and an elderly woman who lives on a farm in Texas. It's quite realistic, slowly developing from him picking her up on the road to them living together.
The only real issue I have with the movie, and what stops it from being a 9/10, is the cop character. I understand his character arc and why he's in the movie, but personally I just found him and every scene was in boring.
Overall, though, this was an absolutely pleasant movie that I would recommend everyone see.
Hourou Musuko (2011)
Wandering Son is an eloquent show about Gender Dysphoria
More dramatic slice-of-lifes like this aren't usually my cup of tea, but I felt an obligation to watch Wandering Son as a trans girl myself. My god, am I glad I did. It very accurately portrays gender dysphoria and the struggle of gender identity, especially when you don't have any resources to help with it. There isn't much 'plot' in the series, just different characters growing and interacting, which works well for the story. None of the characters are too similar personality-wise, though I did have some problems remembering their names, which usually isn't an issue for me in manga or anime. In addition, some more varied character designs would've been nice.
Probably the most emotional scene in the show to me was when Nitori went to school in a girl's uniform. She just stands there, looking at her teacher, and you can tell the tension there, you can see her thinking "well, so what?" even though no words are exchanged. It's a powerful moment, which makes it even more devastating when you learn she was removed from the class due to this, and forced to stay in the nurse's office for the remainder of the day. This is especially emotional because we know the reaction Takatsuki got when he wore a boy's uniform to school. People thought he was cool, they congratulated him, but when Nitori wears a girl's uniform to school she is instead isolated, forced away from the classroom. It does an amazing job of highlighting the difference in the way society sees trans boys and trans girls. Even if you aren't trans, the scene does an amazing job of selling the emotions of the moment.