My Meliodas and Moroha collectibles (Review)

So, guys, again, haven't gotten any anime collectibles in a while due to trying to save some money, but, recently, I was able to find some really good collectibles for both Meliodas and Moroha. As you all already know, I really like The Seven Deadly Sins, but for Moroha, that's something I've never spoken about before and that's because she's from the sequel series to Inuyasha, Yashahime. I'm actually in the middle of watching Inuyasha and I'm almost finished and I'm hoping to do a review of it once I'm done. But as for Moroha and Yashahime as a whole, I've currently only watched a couple of dubbed clips on YouTube and I honestly really love her and her English dub voice especially and so, after seeing a cool collectible of her in my local Forbidden Planet, I just wanted to get her. And, I was also just happy to find any collectible of Meliodas because it felt it would be kinda difficult to get one of him or, really, just anyone from the series, but thankfully I did and I'm really happy with it. And so, here it is and I hope you all like this.

Turning Red

So, guys, we've reached the newest of the Pixar movies, Turning Red. This was honestly a movie I initially wasn't very excited for. The premise didn't interest me all that much and the trailers didn't impress me much either. But, the reception I was hearing was making me more hopeful. And, in the end, while I don't think I can say I loved it, I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would. That's not to say it doesn't have any problems and I don't think it's one of Pixar's best, but my thoughts are definitely more positive than I was expecting. Also, like always this will have no spoilers for the first part then I'll get into all the spoilers after a warning. So, what's the story? It follows a girl named Meilin who's now becoming a teenager and is trying to become her own person but is constantly doing everything her mother wants her to do and she struggles to get her real thoughts out to her. But, one day, when her favourite band is coming to town, she suddenly realises she has an ability to turn into a red panda whenever her emotions get riled up. And, after she gets embarrassed in front of her school bully, she finds it difficult to suppress the power. So, now, she tries to find a way to get rid of this power while also trying to be able to go to the concert. So, yeah, as a plot, it seems fairly simple and there are times when the story does follow a similar formula, but I personally think a big part of what makes this movie so enjoyable is, one, the pacing for the most part is really good and I think they do a good job making sure every character has a good motivation in this. And the second thing that I think helps make this movie stand out is the animation style. I know I always praise Pixar for its animation, and rightfully so, but the animation style in this one is very unique, even by Pixar standards. Sure, the way they do character animation is amazing, but they do very different and unique things in this one that I don't has ever been done before in a Pixar movie and I really enjoyed it. I like seeing Disney and Pixar trying different things in their movies and this one I think does that really well. I also did enjoy the characters in this. I thought some of them, for instance, Meilin herself, were gonna be kinda annoying or cringe-worthy, but they were all really good and likeable. I especially thought the relationship between Meilin and her friends was gonna be kinda weird and cringey, but I thought it was really charming and the friends themselves were pretty funny too. Speaking of, the movie is pretty funny and I was surprised by how many adult jokes are in this. It gets pretty adult and there are some things in this that I can't believe were actually allowed in this. But that's something I love about Pixar movies, when they can sneak in these adult references and still get away with it and make it funny. I also appreciated that the story for this was fairly small scaled compared to a lot of Disney and Pixar movies. Sure, there are some things that are bigger than you might expect, but unlike something like Raya And The Last Dragon, which was all about stopping an evil from wiping out everyone on Earth, this one is just about a girl wanting to go to a concert while trying get rid of this power. Sure, the whole panda aspect makes it more than that, but still. As far as the characters themselves, I don't think any of them are some of Pixar's best, but I did still like them. I thought Meilin's arc was also pretty well realised with this being a coming of age story and I think it was well done. And, like I said, I feel like they did a good job making sure everyone had a motivation in this. It even kinda quickly helps smaller characters because there are some in here that I was kinda worried about for not having a lot of screen time originally, but then they fix that by giving them a good amount of screen time later. I also liked how this didn't have a villain in it. I can appreciate that it didn't need that. Sure, there's the bully at Meilin's school, but he's not in this for very long, and I feel like that part made more sense than in something like Luca because he's just a kid, so it makes more sense. Really I just feel like this movie did a great job at diverting my original expectations. I just like how it was able to do that. But, with all that said, is it perfect? No, there are a couple of things I didn't necessarily like. The biggest one I can think of is that the plotting, while it did surprise me with how different it does a few things, it does still follow a familiar formula. For the most part, you can pretty much tell what's gonna happen, but I do still like how there are some changes in there. I think a good example of a Pixar movie following a familiar formula but still feeling very fresh is Coco. But the way this movie does it, again, is mostly really good. And there are some things in this that don't really make sense. That part isn't anything huge or anything, but there some things, mainly the way some characters act, that is kinda unnatural. But, with all that said, I'm really happy with this movie. Again, I don't see it as anything amazing by Pixar standards, but I was still completely satisfied with this experience and I would highly recommend checking it out if you have Disney+. And so, everyone, those are my thoughts on Turning Red. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think. Okay, now we're gonna head into the spoilers. If you don't want anything spoiled, go watch it then read the rest of this.

Spoilers:

Okay, so there isn't that much to talk about in the spoiler section, just a few points. I guess the first would be the whole aspect about Meilin and her friends using her transformation powers to raise money for that concert while also trying to keep everything regarding that a secret from her mother. Again, while stuff like that is stuff I've seen before, I think this version of it is done well enough to keep it entertaining and fun to watch. Though, the whole thing of the other students accepting the fact that Meilin could do all this is what I was talking about before with some character's actions being a bit unnatural, but I guess this isn't the kinda movie that wants to delve into that aspect that much. I also liked the idea that Meilin couldn't exactly control herself while she was a panda the whole time and that led to some pretty surprising moments like when she attacks Tyler. And towards the end during the whole ritual, I wasn't entirely sure what was gonna happen there because at that point, I kinda assumed anything could happen. But I like how even at the end, Meilin still didn't go through with it and it does do a good job as it makes sense for her character arc. And, at the end, I was pretty surprised her mother became that gigantic red panda. And it was a fun climax in that concert when they tried to stop her. And it was a fun way to end it and I liked how the grandmother and aunts had to become red pandas to help too. A lot of that part reminded me a lot of anime transformations, but it was really cool. And, that's really about it. Again, there wasn't really much to talk about with the spoilers, but I still really enjoyed this. And so, everyone, that's my review of Turnng Red. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

The Batman

So, everyone, we've finally reached the newest iteration of a live action Batman movie, The Batman. I was really excited for this film. Sure, I was a little cautious, but I was more excited than nervous and I was loving the trailers that were making this look really cool. And, I was after hearing some great things about the film before the release date and that was making it even better. So, I was able to see it on Friday and a friend of mine and I were talking for ages beforehand about how excited we were for it. And, so, in the end, what'd I think of it? Not gonna lie, this is honestly my all time all favourite Batman movie. I've personally never been the biggest fan of any live action Batman movies, but this one is the one exception, I loved The Batman and it is definitely my favourite Batman movie. I just adored this so much and I love how this is easily the most different comic book movie I've seen in a long time. There was just so much I loved in this and it had so many amazing aspects about it. And, like always, I'm going no spoilers for the first part and then we'll go into all of them after a warning. So, what's the story? In Gotham, Batman, played by Robert Pattinson, has been around for two years and is wondering what he can do for the crime rate in the city. And now, he's having to deal with a new killer called the Riddler, played by Paul Dano. So now, him and Gordon, played by Geoffry Wright, are on the hunt to find him and stop whatever he's doing. While that's going on, Bruce is also trying to investigate a woman named Selena Kyle, played by Zoe Kravitz, who's working for the Penguin, played by Colin Farrel. So, I'm gonna stop there. So, immediately, this might feel like getting into it really fast, but the first big thing I need to commend about this movie is the direction. This was directed by Matt Reeves, who did an absolutely phenomenal job directing this movie. There're so many amazing bits of direction throughout the entire movie. Just from the way the movie is shot and all the colours in those shots make this movie the best looking Batman movie I've ever seen. Again, like I said, I've never been a huge fan the previous Batman movies, but this one was made so well that I have to commend it for that. Something else that's very unique about this film is the fact that it leans heavily into the detective aspect of Batman, something we've never seen before in a Batman film and this one delves into that aspect so much and does it in some really fascinating and genius ways. The story's also filled with so many amazing twists that I didn't expect. There's like three really big twists in this that I didn't see coming and all of it is weaved into the plot fantastically. Just the different ways it tells its story makes it insanely intriguing. Now, we gotta talk about the cast. I know a lot of people were kinda sceptical about Robert Pattinson as Batman originally, but I'm saying this right now. After seeing the film and his performance, he's honestly my favourite live action Batman. I know a lot of people like Ben Affleck and Christian Bale, but, in terms of the live action versions of this character, Pattinson I would say is now my favourite. I thought he did a fantastic job as Batman and Bruce Wayne. Just in terms of getting all of Batman's core aspects correctly and the way he handled himself, I thought he did just an absolutely phenomenal job. The rest of the cast is just as fantastic, Andy Serkis as Alfred is terrific, Geoffry Wright is amazing as Gordon, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrel, Paul Dano, John Tuturro, they all do fantastically. Something else that was really cool to see were the different gadgets Batman uses. Just the new kind they introduce in this movie that was never really seen before was amazing to see in live action. I also feel like this film handled things we've seen Batman do before in other movies in different and unique ways and I felt, again, that it helped differentiate it from other comic book movies. I also loved the different ways Batman was having to solves different riddles from the Riddler. I always find those kinda solving mystery things interesting in movies like this and this one does it so well. I also feel like this might be my favourite Batsuit. Over the past few years, aside from the Ben Affleck Batsuit, I've kinda noticed that a lot of the live action ones have been kinda weird, but this one does look really cool and, and I think I said this before, but this Batsuit looks a lot more manoeuvrable. Also, and I don't think this really counts as a spoiler, but something I was surprised by is the fact that we barely see Bruce Wayne in this. He's mostly just Batman the whole time. I didn't expect that at all. I don't think that's a really a spoiler, but, yeah, that was a little weird. That's nothing against this movie, just something I wanted to point out. And, in terms of the action, yeah, it's also fantastic here. We saw a good amount of it in the trailers, and it was done beautifully. Just from the way it was shot the different ways the characters do different things just made it so much fun to watch. My favourite was probably the Batman and Penguin car chase scene we saw in the trailers. Again, amazingly put together and really well thought out. The film, as you'd expect is also pretty dark and, while I personally was never really scared of anything in this, there are some parts I can imagine being pretty terrifying for other people, especially the first few minutes of this. So, honestly guys, this was a super, super satisfying experience for me. As a fan of Batman, I was really happy with this a lot. I also feel like this did great to alter my perception of comic book movies, because, honestly, this movie took the idea of a comic book movie and comic book movie climaxes and just flipped the idea of both on its head for me, and I loved it for that and I absolutely can't wait to see it again. And, yeah, is this totally a movie you should definitely check out. And so, everyone, that's my review for The Batman. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Spoilers:

Okay, so, there's a good amount to talk about in the spoiler section. The first thing I wanna discuss is the first shot when we see someone spying inside a house and we learn that it's Riddler spying on a mayor who Riddler then kills. Again, just amazingly directed with how we spend on that shot from his point of view and then when he actually kills him, it's pretty intense. And that's when we see Batman for the first time fighting that gang like we saw in the trailer but then we get that scene where they're investigating the crime scene like we saw in the trailers too and we get to see that the police don't trust Batman yet and it's really just Gordon who does and that was great. And, like I was saying, some of the gadgets we see Batman use were great. The main one I was talking about were those camera lens things he could put into his eyes that could record what he was seeing. And, again, the different riddles that they were having to solve were fun to watch, especially the one with that USB stick. It was creepy with that scene, but cool to see them figure it out. And that whole scene in the police station was cool too with Batman being surrounded by those police and then he and Gordon make a plan to get out of there and another great new thing we see here is when he jumps off the building, he uses some glider suit to glide through the air instead of using his cape and it was really unique. And then the following car chase with Batman and Penguin was really fun and riveting. And then, I like how we discover Riddler's plan and motivation. I know something like this was discussed in the Dark Knight movies with the corruption of the police and things like that that's used here too, but I honestly found it more interesting here and it's interesting that that's part of Riddler's motivation. And then, and this is what I meant when I was talking about some great twists in the movie, we eventually learn that Thomas and Martha Wayne we actually did some bad things as well that they tried to hide from the public like Thomas hiring Falcone to kill someone and other things like that like Martha being in Arkham Asylum. And we get an amazing scene with Bruce and Alfred in the hospital where he tries to explain everything to him. That part right there is where I felt Robert Pattinson and Andy Serkis were both incredible in this. Speaking, I like how a lot of Pattinson's performance in this had a lot to do with him just looking at people. That's a big aspect to Batman's character and he did it great. And then, another big twist is when we find out that Falcone is actually Selina's dad. I didn't see that coming at all either and I felt it added a lot to the end of the movie when Selina is about to kill him and Bruce stops her. And really, just how a lot of these plotlines are brought together at the end is really smart. And, in terms of something like the prison scene after the Riddler's captured, that scene in particular, I thought Paul Dano did a great job with showing how psychotic and unhinged he really is and then we get the biggest part of the movie where Riddler's plan is revealed to destroy the dam around Gotham and flood it. And we even get some fights there where Batman is against some of Riddler's followers and that even had some great small moments there as well like when one of the guys says "I'm vengence" and Batman gets really surprised to hear him say that and he just looks at him. But then, as soon as Batman helps some people, the climax is over. That's what I meant when I said the climax of this movie takes the idea of a traditional comic book movie climax and just flips it on its head because that's usually not how these kinda things work, but this movie makes it work because this is a different kind of comic book movie and I like how it stuck to its tone of being a super dark and ground detective mystery that took itself seriously. And, another amazing moment that I really loved was towards the end when he's helping a woman to a helicopter strecher and she keeps holding onto him and doesn't want to let go. I thought that was really powerful and did a lot for this movie. Given eveything this movie was setting up, that little moment I thought did great to convey it even more. In terms of the scene where Riddler is in prison and he talks to someone there, that was pretty cool, although, a little confusing because we don't see who it is. It's more than likely Joker, but we never see him and I was really hoping we wouldn't see Joker in this. I know we don't technically see him, but I was really hoping we wouldn't see the Joker in a movie again because I feel like that's been overused too much. But, we'll just have to see what happens with that next and I really hope we get more sequels for this movie because I loved this movie so much. Again, I'm really, really happy with how this movie turned out and it's amazing to think that a movie like this and Spider-Man: No Way Home both happened during Coronavirus and they still managed to make movies this amazing. I'm just really excited to see this movie again and I still believe everyone involved did an incredible job. And so, everyone, that's my review of The Batman. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.