Hi again. I have nothing to say here other than the fact that this is my first blog post that features a 10/10 score. That's probably important, right? Anyways, here are some more reviews.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
"A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people."(From Letterboxd)
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this movie. I mostly went in expecting to enjoy Chris Pine's performance and maybe some of the fight scenes, but I ended up like other parts of the film as well.
The cast was great and brought a lot of energy to the film. I liked the main 5 party members and thought they bounced off each other nicely. Their banter can go on for too long sometimes, but the bits that hit really hit hard. Chris Pine especially delivers an excellent performance as the team leader. I like how this film captures the feeling of playing a D&D campaign. It really shows the companionship that comes from a D&D group. This is likely because the main cast played a custom campaign as their movie characters to prepare for their roles.
A lot of the fight scenes are fun and they do a good job of utilizing the character's abilities. I enjoyed seeing all of the different forms of magic in the film that was different from a lot of other fantasy flicks.
This film does a good job of portraying the D&D world. We see all kinds of familiar creatures races and spells from the iconic tabletop game. The dedication to the D&D world definitely adds to the overall experience.
However, the story and emotional beats of the movie didn't quite work for me. Both felt very generic and incredibly predictable. Most of the side characters were boring as well. Despite these factors, I still ended up having a good time with the film.
A surprisingly entertaining romp through a familiar fantasy world.
Score: 7/10
Baccano!
"During the early 1930s in Chicago, the transcontinental train, Flying Pussyfoot, is starting its legendary journey that will leave a trail of blood all over the country. At the same time in New York, the ambitious scientist Szilard and his unwilling aide Ennis are looking for missing bottles of the immortality elixir. In addition, a war between the mafia groups is getting worse. On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality."(From Letterboxd)
Baccano is unlike any anime I have ever seen. The show takes clear inspiration from all kinds of western gangster media. That vibe and setting are incredibly uncommon in Japanese media. Not only is its setting different from any anime I've seen, but it also utilizes a non-linear storyline reminiscent of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.
At first, Baccano's non-linear story is a bit confusing, but I got used to it after the first two episodes. I ended up really enjoying trying to figure out how the events fit together. The mix of gangster drama and supernatural happenings was a great combination that was very entertaining. And the show makes sure you know how high its stakes are.
This show contains some really brutal scenes. I won't go into detail here but know that if you don't enjoy seeing gore, you'll want to stay away. The show balances its dark and disturbing content with genuinely hilarious comedy mostly delivered by my favorite characters Issac and Miria.
The greatest strength of the show is undeniably the characters. It is insane how this show balances its large main cast against its short 13-episode run. The show does an excellent job of characterizing all of the main characters and making them all feel important. From the psychopathic Ladd Russo to the shy leader of a gang, Jacuzzi Splot. All of the characters are incredibly well-written and enjoyable to watch.
The stand-out characters of the show are certainly the eccentric thieves Issac and Miria. They serve as the well-needed comedic relief and as the glue that brings all of the characters together. Their antics are endlessly entertaining to behold, and seeing them somehow get away with the crazy things they do is a joy.
Those characters are brought to life by some incredibly talented voice actors. I watched the English dub for this show because I thought that the added accents would make my viewing experience more immersive. This was definitely the right decision as it deepened my immersion into the world of Baccano. If you're going to watch the show, watch the dub. Not only did the accents add to the immersion, but they also enhanced the storytelling.
For example, Maiza, one of the immortal characters in the show, eventually loses his accent showing how he has changed over his centuries-long life. This is contrasted by Szilard, the main antagonist of the show, and another immortal, who doesn't lose his accent. This shows how even after hundreds of years, he hasn't changed at all. Small details like that permeate all parts of the show and really add to the experience.
The animation is fantastic and the show looks consistently great throughout the whole show. The detail in every shot is nothing short of astounding. The animators thoroughly researched the Manhatten area and it shows with the level of detail in the background of shots in the city. The fight scenes have such great momentum and energy to them. The animation is complemented perfectly by the amazing jazz score. All of the songs are memorable and add to the vibes of the scenes where music is present. The score is very fitting for the time period and adds another layer of immersion in the show's world.
Baccano is truly something unique in the anime world and I look forward to watching it again in the near future.
Score: 10/10
Enter the Gungeon
"Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler following a band of misfits seeking to shoot, loot, dodge roll, and table-flip their way to personal absolution by reaching the legendary Gungeon’s ultimate treasure: the gun that can kill the past."
Enter the Gungeon has been out for over 7 years now, and I keep coming back to it despite beating it many times.
Enter the Gungeon is a roguelike that has the player traverse the titular Gungeon to find the mythical bullet that can kill the past. You play as one of eight different playable characters, each with a different starting gun and items. You traverse the Gungeon fighting enemies, finding weapons and items, and defeating the many bosses the game throws at you.
The best part of this game is its abundance of items and weapons. All of them feel unique from each other. I'll describe some of my favorites
A literal glass cannon
The automatic missile launcher
A junk creature who is also a knight
A compressed air tank that shoots sharks
The NES Zapper
A stinger missile launcher where the missiles explode into bee swarms
and many more...
Everything in this game is gun related. The weapons, the items, the bosses, and even the currency is gun related. My favorite examples of this idea are the shotgun shell that shoots more shotguns and the pistol bullet that shoots pistols.
The game is also packed with references to so many different pieces of pop culture. If there is a fictional gun out there, it's probably in Gungeon. You have stuff from James Bond, Metroid, Metal Gear, Halo, Blade Runner, Judge Dredd, and so many more.
The game is unforgiving with its difficulty. The most difficult part of the game is that you have to complete the whole game in one go. Granted, the game only takes around 40 minutes to beat a run, but those 40 minutes will not be easy. At the beginning of a run, your character can only take 6 hits. You run out of life and you go all the way back to the start of the game.
The main enemies aren't too bad once you learn their patterns, but the bosses can be incredibly difficult to deal with. Even after learning the boss patterns, they can still be overwhelming with how many bullets they fire at you. I cannot tell you how many times I died during boss fights. The difficulty makes the runs you do win feel amazing. Nothing beats struggling your way up to the final boss and then beating it all in one go.
I think that feeling of satisfaction after winning is why I continue to come back to this game, even after all these years.
Score: 9/10
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