Harmony Moon

My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lv. 999

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My favorite genre of anime will always be the shoujo genre. Being a hopeless romantic, I love seeing all the different love stories there can be. Especially lately with a lot of stories coming out focused on characters who embrace nerdiness. This anime fits beautifully into that trend as of late. The story follows Akane who gets broken up with and later, after a turn of events, meets Yamada who is a well-known streamer. It also turns out that Akane and Yamada happen to be a part of the same guild in an online game, and from there their relationship grows. Not only are our main characters interesting, but all the other characters too. I loved each of the guild members. Though I will admit, at first I was despising Runa…but she grew on me eventually. Each episode keeps you interested and is full of both humor and heartwarming moments. We get to see Akane recovering from her break-up and finding confidence in herself within the guild. As well as seeing Yamada and her slowly grow in affection. I especially appreciated getting a look from Yamada’s side as his feelings grew. Most shoujo we get a really good look at the female lead’s feelings, but only bits and pieces from the male lead. In this anime I felt like we got to see the full growth from both sides of the relationship. The animation of this show was also very pretty and I liked how it shifted slightly between being in the online game and in the characters’ real lives. Overall, I thought this anime was great. I’ve already picked up the manga to see what these characters get up to next, and I can only hope that it can be renewed for another season soon.

Damsel

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I’m a fantasy girlie through and through, so I knew this movie was coming the moment it was announced. Add in the great casting with Millie Bobby Brown as our lead heroine, and this movie was set for success. Following a noble family who are running out of the means to take care of their people, they decide to marry their eldest daughter, Elodie, to a rich kingdom’s prince. In the beginning you think this will be a sweet romantic fantasy, but quickly turns when Elodie is sacrificed to a dark cave to appease an angry dragon. The lore they built to tell this story was both intriguing and dark. The audience slowly gets to learn the full details alongside Elodie as she tries to survive. It’s a story of feminine power, both good, evil, and in between. Elodie has to show true strength and willpower in order to survive and outsmart the dragon. Although she has downfalls in that journey, and we see her struggling and injured many times, she still keeps going. In any fantasy setting there is a great importance of the atmosphere and costuming, and I think the team did amazing here. All of the sets and costumes in this film were stunning and added to that fantastical feel. The design of the dragon was also quite beautiful, yet terrifying. Overall, this movie was great. The story was well written and executed, and I’d happily watch it again and again.

Buddy Daddies

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I’ve been absolutely in love with the trend of ‘adults with dangerous jobs taking in a small child’. ‘Buddy Daddies’ follows two assassins for hire, Kazuki and Rei, who become the caretakers for a little girl named Miri after a series of unfortunate events. This unlikely trio are absolutely adorable together. We’ve got the grumpy and sunshine characters in Rei and Kazuki, paired with the curiously adorable Miri. Every episode was engaging as we see the two men try and balance their work while having a kid to take care of. This show is very honest with the struggles of raising a child. From trying to find a good school, to the amount of money it takes to raise a child, as well as the struggles that come between parents and their kids. It’s full of comedy, thrills and the heartfelt joys of family. Each character is multi-faceted, and has their own motivations and troubles. I especially liked seeing more about Kazuki’s past and losing his wife. Which when looking closer, explains a lot of why he was so quick to accept the idea of raiding Miri and trying so hard…He’s trying to make up for the future he lost when his wife died. The animation in this show is great and gives the perfect mix of coziness and intensity depending on the situation on screen. I’m sad that this was a limited series, and as such, one season is all we get. But, for one season, this show told the story it meant to and left you satisfied with the ending. Overall, this was a great show, and I’d happily rewatch it again.

Hazbin Hotel

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If you and I are on the same side of TikTok, then both our FYPs have been full of songs from this show. Which is exactly how I found out about it and decided to watch it in the first place. To start, I love the whole concept of this show. An adult animation musical about the daughter of Lucifer trying to help save sinners from a heavenly extermination. Our main character, Charlie, is a classic optimist surrounded by a bunch of pessimists. She sees the good in people, and that’s exactly why she wants to help sinners as much as she can…even though it can sometimes be to the point of being REALLY annoying. The whole cast of characters in this show are well-fleshed out and have intriguing stories and lore to them. The relationships between the characters are also very dynamic, and we get to see real growth and friendship blossom between them all. Another thing that I think is important about this show is that it realizes that it’s about a bunch of sinners who are in Hell. Sinners have done bad things. They can honestly be a bunch of assholes…and the show does a good job of showing that side of them, too. Now, you can’t talk about this show without mentioning the soundtrack. I have had these songs stuck in my head since I finished, and I’m not mad about it. Each song’s lyrics are not only catchy but have deeper meanings and fit perfectly with the character(s) who are performing. There is so much I could say about this show when it comes to the story elements and symbolism, but I’ll leave it here…This show, overall, was a masterpiece, and I’m very excited to explore more of this world with another season.

Mean Girls 2024

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The original ‘Mean Girls’ is an iconic piece of 2000s media, and the Broadway musical added to that legacy. Finding out about this being made had me a bit on the fence. I love the musical, but not all shows translate well into a movie. After watching it, I still can agree with that. This wasn’t a bad movie adaptation in any way…it just didn’t feel fully fleshed out. A lot of the songs from the Broadway show were left out which made this movie move at a much quicker pace. It also felt like a lot of the emotion and performance was taken out of the songs when it came to the vocals, which didn’t give them as much power as I’m used to. Now there were some good parts. With the songs that were included they made the choreo and atmosphere interesting and feel theatrical. Which helped a bit with the lacking vocal performances. Renee Rapp also did wonderfully reprising her role as Regina. She was the iconic character in the Broadway show for a while, so it was cool to see her return to this role and see how she’s grown since her first round of playing Regina. Overall, this movie adaptation of the ‘Mean Girls’ musical was average. It didn’t disappoint, but it also didn’t thrill me. If I have an inkling to delve into ‘Mean Girls’, I’d rather watch the original movie or listen to the Broadway soundtrack.

Avatar the Last Airbender 2024 Season 1

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This series has held a special place in people’s hearts since it came out in 2005, and rightfully so. When Netflix announced they’d be making a live action remake, I, and many people were nervous. Live action remakes do not have the best track record for being good, so the worry was understandable. However, I think this show was pretty good. The casting of the characters was well done in my opinion and each actor brought new life to their role. They are following the same format as the original with each season, or book, being dedicated to a different element Aang has to learn. While they were not able to completely cover each plot point from the original, they still managed to keep the most important moments. They also were able to add some more background to certain parts that were only talked about in the cartoon. For example, instead of just hearing about the attack of the Fire Nation on the Air Nomads…we got to see it. Instead of just hearing about the Agni Kai between Firelord Ozai and Zuko…we got to see it. We also got to see the day that the Southern Water Tribe was attacked by the Firebenders and sadly lost Katara and Sokka’s mom. I think witnessing these events added a new layer of understanding to the characters. For me, I think the effects and general atmosphere of this show were the best part. The costumes translated well into real life. The bending effects were cool and  believable. All the locations were also absolutely gorgeous. Overall, I thought this remake was very good. I’d have liked a bit more of the humor everyone loves from the cartoon, but maybe we will see it more in the next 2 seasons.

Academically Yours

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Between all the fantasy I normally read, it’s nice to have a break. I picked up this series (The Best Friends Book Club) at a midnight release party, and also got to happily meet and talk with the author! I really enjoyed this book though in all honesty. As I said before, it’s a nice breather from the high stakes I usually read. So my brain and heart were happy to have a break. Noelle and Matthew are both enjoyable, well developed characters, and I loved seeing their relationship bloom and grow. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the split POVs. I love when romance authors do this with their stories because then we get to see both characters on their journey of romance and how they feel…Plus it shows a lot of development that the author had to create in order for each character to have a fully flushed out personality and story. The side characters were also well developed too. Especially Noelle’s friends who are the subjects of the other 3 books in this series. Getting introduced to them here allowed the reader to get a basic understanding of each of their personalities before diving into their individual book. There were moments of angst, and moments of feet-kicking cuteness…both of which are some of my favorite things when it comes to books. I was glad to see this couple able to develop fully too with their happy ending and getting married…but honestly…I want more! Overall, this book was very good, and I’m excited to have a local author to support and follow.

Crescent City: House of Flame and Shadow

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The moment this book came out, I was there. While I hadn’t waited as long as others did after HOSABE for this one, I was still impatient. Bryce is one of my favorite FMCs  in the Maasverse, so getting to see her in my favorite land, Prythian, was awesome. I know this book made a lot of readers unhappy, but I honestly enjoyed it. The moments in Prythian, while not very many, revealed a lot about the worlds SJM has created in all three of her series. While I admit, I’d have loved to see more interaction with the characters of ACOTAR, I understand the need to return to Lunathion and solve the big problem of the Asteri. In this book the amount of twists and reveals had me never wanting to stop. For me, Bryce, Lidia, and Ruhn held my heart the most…while Ithan and Tharion had me constantly face palming. Seriously those two…just use those brain cells for once! Lidia took the spotlight the most for me in this one. Being the first book of the series where we get to see her POV, I liked finally getting to see inside her mind and learn more about her. I was also able to find and read all the bonus chapters for this one and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Especially seeing what happened in Prythian with Ember and Randall when Bryce left them in Nesta’s care. For those saying Bryce acted out of character, I have to disagree. Bryce has always been a character focused on doing what needs to be done to achieve a goal. Time was against them all in this story, and Bryce got done what she knew needed to be done. Overall, I thought this book was a masterpiece, and has become my favorite of the Crescent City series. I loved how it brought answers not only to the world of Lunathion, but also answers and tie-ins to SJM’s other worlds of Prythian (ACOTAR) and Erilea (TOG).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1

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I had been waiting impatiently for this show since it was first announced and followed EVERY update. Percy Jackson is one of my all time favorite series and I was so excited to see it finally get the attention it deserved. To start off, I absolutely adore this cast. Walker, Aryan, and Leah were born to play our Celestial Trio. The way they each brought Percy, Grover, and Annabeth to life was like the characters stepped out of the book. The rest of the cast was also full of amazing talent too, both known and unknown. Now it being an adaptation, I accepted the fact going into this that not everything would be book accurate. I’ll admit, some things did throw me off when it came to certain choices, but in the end I came to an understanding of why. The main one being how Percy seemed to make quick understanding of mythological beings and creatures. In the books, Percy didn’t always know who he was going up against and had to figure it out. In the show though, Percy had a past knowledge based on us seeing Sally, his mom, telling him mythology stories as he grew up. At first I didn’t like this choice, but when I realized that the episodes were only 30 minutes long, it made more sense than having to draw out Percy figuring things out before facing the challenger. The world of Percy Jackson is so full of amazing fantasy that I believe the team brought to life perfectly. Some plot points did, admittedly, feel rushed. But as I mentioned before, in the time they were given a lot had to be accomplished. Overall, I thought this season was very good. They’ve got a great foundation laid out for our confirmed season two, and hopefully future seasons three through five.

Midnight Ruin

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We once again return to the Dark Olympus series that I cannot get enough of. This time we see the throuple of Eurydice, Orpheus, and Charon. Building off of the past from this series, th8is book starts with Orpheus beating himself up for his part in Eurydice being put in major danger in book one. Six books later and Eurydice is finding her place in the Lower City helping her sister, Persephone, and Hades with finding out more about the forces trying to take down Olympus. We get a lot of build-up for the micro-plot in this one…especially with the big reveal that Minos’ mysterious benefactor is Circe. Now, we cannot talk about a Katee Robert book without discussing the spice…and boy was it steamy. I thoroughly enjoyed how this book showed a lot of character growth both inside and outside the bedroom. There isn’t just sex to be sex in Robert’s books. There are actual conversations and growth that happens for the characters during these times. I truly loved how here the spice was seen almost as therapy for Eurydice and Orpheus to work through their past. While Charon was there as a rock and support for both of them while exploring different sides of pleasure. Overall, I thought this book was great and I’d say it’s my second favorite of the series so far.