Categories
Anime Reviews Film Reviews Reviews

Anime Review – Mirai

A family is living in a small house in an obscure corner of a certain city—in that house lives the family’s spoiled four-year-old boy Kun-chan. When Kun-chan gets a little sister named Mirai, he feels that his new sister stole his parents’ love from him, and is overwhelmed by many experiences he undergoes for the first time in his life. In the midst of it all, he meets an older version of Mirai, who has come from the future.ANN

Release: Limited Theatrical Release. Available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD.

Source: Original

Review: Please be aware that this review contains some plot and thematic spoilers for the film.

Change is difficult for us all, but as adults its inevitability is already mostly a known quantity even if its specific form almost never is. For young children, though, each change, no matter how small, can seem like a drastic upheaval. Just when they’re starting to learn their world’s rules, that world might change and transform into some new state of existence. As we grow older we begin to forget how unfamiliar and drastic these feelings are, and this is something that I think about quite a bit. Though we might grumble at the toddler throwing a tantrum in Target, we ought to consider the tools we’ve developed to handle the negative emotional waves that crash over our psyche, and understand that we didn’t always have access to those when we were their age.

Mirai is a film that demonstrates deep compassion and empathy towards children who are beginning to embark on the exhilarating and terrifying “firsts” that many of us encounter early in our lives. Kun-chan, the little boy at the center of the movie’s story, undergoes a very strenuous emotional journey during which he comes to realize the importance of the role he plays in his family, as well as the connections he has with its various other members, some of whom he never had the chance to meet.

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Netflix First Impressions – Back Street Girls: Gokudols

Three young yakuza members screwed up really big, causing their boss losing millions. Contrary to yakuza traditions, their boss did not want their little fingers chopped off, for doing so would not bring his money back anyway. Instead he sent them to Thailand for extensive plastic surgery (transgender included) and then promoted them as an idol group. Their careers become so successful that most of their fans know absolutely nothing about their true identities. On the other hand, the three often feel frustrated for having to live two lives on and off stage.ANN

Streaming: Netflix

Episodes: 10

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: A conflict between two rival factions of the Yakuza goes very wrong, and three young members of the organization are to blame. Rather than demand a more traditional demonstration of atonement, their boss gives them one option that doesn’t involve death or dismemberment: travel immediately to Thailand, undergo sex reassignment surgery, and make back the organization’s lost funds by forming an idol group.

Though the three turn out to have the right “look” upon their return, their inner attitudes still need some fine-tuning before making prime-time strides. They undergo brainwashing by watching hour upon hour of idol performance videos, and their boss hires a famous manager to whip them into shape. Considering their origins, the manager’s typical tricks don’t work to inspire his new charges. Once he identifies their rough origins, though, a few choice words and they’re able to get into character. Still, their former lives manifest from time-to-time; perhaps this is just the fate of the Gokudols.

Categories
First Impressions Reviews Uncategorized

Approaching a Netflix Backlog

Those of you who know me know that I’m certainly a fan of anime simulcasts, since they’ve made anime accessible for many more people around the world. One aspect of the viewing process, though, is learning about and adapting to each outlet’s specific aspects and quirks. Funimation has primarily done simul-dubs as of late, meaning there’s a slight delay in the episodes that they’ve chosen for that process (I’m frankly surprised that there’s not more of a delay – they certainly have the process optimized at this point). HIDIVE’s player has a few quirks (I wish I could figure out how to make it stop defaulting to Portuguese subtitles every time I log in!) and the way it’s set up makes it a bit more difficult to take good screen captures. Amazon Prime doesn’t have a great way to access their anime in one place – you have to know what series you’re looking for ahead of time and search for it. It’s an interesting process learning how to adapt and keep track of your watch list if, like me, you’re watching anime at many of these sites at one time.

Categories
Personal

Looking Ahead: Goals for the New Year

In my fantasies I’m friends with all the animals. Screencap from Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp ©Nintendo

As we embark on a brand new year, many of us are resolving to better ourselves in various ways. I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, mostly because the stress of setting expectations and being unable to meet them is often more detrimental to my psyche than continuing to be the same old person I’ve been for years, warts and all. I also think that the calendar year is a pretty arbitrary concept, and that modest goal-setting can be a year-round process rather than a huge one-time ordeal that takes place on January 1st.

That said, I was thinking about an exercise that we complete at my workplace every year, where individuals provide feedback to their supervisors and managers in order to help them improve. One of the questions on the formal survey asks “what things should this person start, stop, or continue doing?” This is closer to how I like to approach thinking about the New Year. There are things I’m already doing that I want to maintain going forward, there are bad habits that I should probably attempt to curtail, and there are potentially new things I could start doing to make my life easier and more fulfilling. It’s a good way to take stock of the good things that are already happening while still leaving room to make tweaks and improvements.

Looking ahead, there are definitely some blog-related things I’d like to start, stop, and continue doing. While it’s been a good year around here, I feel like there are some bad habits I’d like to break and some new avenues I’d love to explore. Below are some thoughts.