Whisper Of The Heart

Okay, so, the last couple of Studio Ghibli moive I've talked about on here, I've mentioned how I think they're either pretty good or not that memorable, but, now we're back to ones that I think are absolutely fantastic with this, Whisper Of The Heart. I honestly love this movie and it's one of my favourite Ghibli movies. I just think that a lot of what the last few movies have done pretty good at is done really fantastically here. It's like when I did my Kiki's Delivery Service review where I said the first time I saw it, it filled me with so many emotions and the same is true here. This was also directed by someone who only directed this film and no other one from Ghibli before he passed away. Anyway, the story for this movie follows a girl named Shizuku who loves reading books and going to the library. She also discovers that a lot of the books she's checking out are also getting check out by the by the same person and she begins to wonder who the person is only to discover it's someone she's beginning to get annoyed by. The guy's name is Seiji and the two of them begin to talk more and develop feelings for each other. Not only that, but Shizuku begins going to an old antique shop and meets the owner who's actually Seiji's grandad and she gets interested in an old cat doll that's there called the Baron and she decides she wants to write a story about it. And, that's really about it. There's some other details too, but most of the film is centred around Shizuku and Seiji's relationship and Shizuku's desire to do writing. But what I think helps with this is that a lot of the film is also a bit of a coming of age movie. Shizuku is trying to find out what she wants to do with her life and she's also comparing herself to other poeple she knows and some of her friends and a lot of the film also centres around the mindset she has and how it's beginning to change since she's a teenager. It's kinda like when I did my review for Only Yesterday where I feel like I can relate to her and I can totally understand when it comes to not knowing where to go in life with all the different things happening and how you process them. But the other aspects to the film like Shizuku's relationship with Seiji and her family are nice too and I really like the relationship she develops with Seiji's grandad, it's really sweet. It's also nice when we see her begin to write and we sorta see how she imagines it in one instance and it's cool when she imagines talking to the Baron in it. Speaking of, they actually made a sorta sequel spin-off thing with the Baron in a later movie. We'll get to that film later, but it's cool they took something small from this film and decided to make something else with him. But, back to this movie, I just love Shizuku's development through the film since we see her develop different feelings and we see how they come about with the various things happening and it's really nice to watch, it's especially nice to watch at the start when she's trying to help her friend and the two of them try to learn a song that Shizuku herself wrote and it's nice how each thing she experiences has an inspiration for her and she begins to grow from it. Again, how Ghibli usually does these kinda things is great to watch and seeing how she grows is well done. You could also even see it as kinda tragic since we see her also comparing herself to other people and thinking she's not good enough so a lot of the others try to help her through that too. Really, I think the main thing I like here is just the relationships that build here and how Shizuku learns from them and how each thing is like an inspiration to her. It's honestly really relatable to me personally in different ways and I really like that about this. The ending is also nice where Shizuku is able to meet Seiji again they have a nice moment together and he feels like he knows what he wants to do with his life. Really guys, I just find this to be a lot like Kiki's Delivery Service where a lot of this does feel like some mundane things that maybe don't amount to that much, but it's still told extremely well and how Shizuku learns from everything and learns more about what she wants out of life and everything else is just so facinating to watch and I just love this movie. The animation is also a bit like Grave Of The Fireflies where everyone and everything just moves like real people or things and it just makes everything that the characters do and go through feel very real. The English dub is also perfect in this. Brittany Snow and David Gallagher are both fantastic as Shizuku and Seiji. Actually, before this, I only knew them as Naminé and Riku in Kingdom Hearts and this was the second real thing I've seen them do outside of that and they're both incredible in these roles, and everyone else does a great job too. Really, I just think this is a great movie that, again, just shows more and more why these Studio Ghibli movies are so, so, so good and I highly recommend checking this film out if you haven't yet. So, that's my review for Whisper Of The Heart. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Pom Poko

So guys, another kinda interesting Studio Ghibli film is this one, Pom Poko. This is one of those Ghibli films that's set in the real world but has a touch of some supernatural aspects. I heard this was also pretty violent and disturbing before seeing it and how some stuff was kinda unpleasant, especially regarding one thing in particular, but I'll get into that later. But, overall, I did hear that the film was mostly really fun and funny to watch too so it's not like it was a completely disturbing movie to watch. So, in the end, I think this is like Only Yesterday or My Neighbour Totoro where I don't think this is one of my favourites, but it's still a good film. The film centres around a bunch of racoons who're trying stop humans from destroying their forest. They try using an ability they have that allows them to transform into anything they want, but, most of them have forgotten how so they try getting elder ones to come and teach them and the rest of the film is one group of them trying to stop the humans by fighting the other tries to do it in a more peaceful way. So, yeah, it's kinda one of those stories where animals try to stop people from destroying their home and another one of those things where some of them are more violent about it and the other is more passive. But, we also spend time with a lot of these characters. You get to see a lot of them grow up over time and see how some of their views change. The main character in this is one of the racoons named Shokichi and he's one of the ones who doesn't want to do anything violent while some of the others do like another one of the racoons named Gonta, who's trying encouraging everyone to take action against the people. There are some bits of action here and moments where they try to attack the people, but a lot of the film is really just set in the forest where there's a lot of talking and trying to decide what to do. But, that's not the only thing, there are a lot of moments where they try to do comedy and it's not bad. I persoanlly didn't care that much for this kinda stuff and, if I'm being completely honest, I didn't really care much about these characters. I didn't hate them and they weren't doing anything wrong here. I didn't want anything bad to happen, but, it just wasn't really keeping my interest all tht much and some of it did get kinda boring after a while. It's like I've said a ton of times already, usually, Ghibli movies do this very slow paced this very well where they can do these things extremely interestingly. Here though, even though it's done well than some other Ghibli movies, it just didn't keep my interest that much. That being said, I still had a good time with a good amount the film anyway. I did still like the characters well enough, a good amount of them were pretty memorable and there were really well done sequences. I like when Shokichi was beginning to grow up and everyone was learning how to transform. Also, while there is a good amount of comedy scenes here, there's also a good amount of death scenes. Nothing super graphic, but there's still a lot of characters that die here and it's pretty disturbing. That's kinda what I meant in the beginning. There's some parts where the racoons and people die and I'd say it's not the kinda thing for kids. Not only that, but the film is also fairly infamous because there's some scenes where the racoons attack with their privates too. I know they kinda found a loophole around it with the dub, but, yeah, that's something where I can really see parents being extremely hesitant to show their kids. I mean, again, it's kinda covered up with the dub in a sense, but, yeah, that's a really weird addition. But still, moving away from that, the rest of the film is still fun to watch. Again, I persoanlly didn't care that much for it, but I can see other people getting something out it and coming to care for these characters. And I like how the ending shows some of them eventually trying to blend in with the humans and live with them. I think the last part where one of the racoons breaks the fourth wall is kinda weird and what he says is kinda weird too. I mean, I get it, but it was still pretty odd. But, the film overall is a lot of fun to watch for people too, but it's not really one I'd really want to watch again. But I was happy to see it the first time and the animation is of course still phenomenal and the voice acting from actors like Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Clancy Brown, J.K Simmons and everyone is still great. So I was probably kinda harsh on this film, but it's not bad at all and I do think you should check this out. So, that's my review of Pom Poko. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Ocean Waves

So guys, this is another interesting Studio Ghibli movie out there, Ocean Waves. If you remember when I did my Nausicaa review, I mentioned there was one Studio Ghibli movie that was never dubbed and this is the one I was talking about. For whatever reason, this was just never dubbed and, apparently, this was one of the last Ghibli movies brought outside of Japan. And so, in the end, I'm not gonna lie, I think might be my least favourite Studio Ghibli movie. I don't think it's terrible, but I also don't really think it's good. If you remember the other thing I said in my Nausicaa review, I mentioned how I don't think the slow pace in these Ghibli movies works every time, and this is one of the best examples of that not working. I just really, really don't like this movie at all. The story's about a guy named Taku who's remembering his high school years and remembering a girl he knew there named Rikako and the different antics they got into. And the whole film is really just that, just showing them in school and doing different things. It's actually like Only Yesterday where a lot of the fim is a flashback showing what happened in the past and so maybe they were trying to do the same thing here. But, unlike that film that showed really interesting situations that helped us relate to the characters and made them grow over time and feel real, this film just shows Taku and Rikako doing different things like her borrowing money from him and having him help her when going on a trip and they made these different things so boring. I mentioned before about how Ghibli films usually do a great job at making super mundane things seem really interesting and likeable even when they're really slow. Here, it really doesn't work and these things they do are so boring and the characters themselves are so boring and not very likeable either. Rikako herself is really unlikeable with hitting and slapping Taku even after the things he does and so there's never a moment in this that makes us like these characters. I also just don't really remember anything about these guys either so it makes it hard to like these characters on that level as well. I will admit, I do think the animation is done well here. Something that I think Japanese animated does really well is water and considering this film does that a lot, it's really amazing to look at. But, really considering how I just don't care or like any of these characters, it's not really worth watching this film for the animation. And, at the end, when Taku says he loves Rikako, it doesn't feel earned because the film doesn't make that feel real at all. Really, I just don't like following the two of them doing these things like when Rikako goes to see her dad and the whole stuff in the hotel is just so boring and I don't care one little bit about these two. So, yeah, that was super short, but that really is my overall thoughts on Ocean Waves. Maybe if you're kinda curious to check this out and want to see this with the other Ghibli movies, I guess you can see this, but, personally, I never really want to see this again and I think it's probably my least favourite Studio Ghibli movie. So, that's my review for Ocean Waves. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Porco Rosso

So guys, moving onto the next Studio Ghibli movie, we have one that's pretty interesting for me personally, Porco Rosso. When I say it's interesting, I mean it's a film that I know has huge praise from everyone like a lot of other Ghibli movies, but I haven't really heard that many people's opinions about this film like I have a lot of the others. Sure, whenever I saw any kinda review for this movie, it was really positive and people call it a good fun time, but still. But anyway, as for this movie for me personally, I'd say it's the same as the last film, Only Yesterday, where I don't think it's one of my Ghibli movies, but it's still really good regardless. Porco Rosso is the name of the main character in the film who's a pilot in 1930 and he's also a pig due to some situation he was in a long time ago. Nowadays, he's mostly just lazing around and helping people but being in debt to other people who're after him. He's also got a friend named Gina who's worried for him and there's another pilot named Curtis who wants Gina to marry him. After Porco's plane is shot down, he asks a friend of his to fix it but he lets his granddaughter named Fio do it. Fio also decides to go with Porco and stay with him, but, after Curtis challenges Porco to a plane fight, he decides he now wants to marry her. So, they make a bet that if Porco wins, Curtis pays all his debts, but if Curtis wins, he gets to marry Fio. So, that's really the majority of the movie. You get to see Porco going from place to place and talking to people while trying to stay alive from the people who are after him. But what I think makes this one a good experience with something like that is that the characters are a lot of fun to follow and watch. I really like Porco himself with being this kinda jaded guy who's trying to get through life however he can but still trying to help people in whatever way he can. I also like how even though he is a pig, everyone just kinda accepts it, mainly because he's been this way for a while and so they're just used to it. And I also like Fio too. I really like their dynamic and it's especially fun towards the end when Fio starts getting special treatment from the pirates, basically some of the guys who are after Porco because they really like her. The pirates themselves are also just a lot of fun to watch too. But I also like some of the other minor things too like Porco just talking to his friends and everything else like that that helps make the film enjoyable even when there's not really anything interesting going on. I know I've said that with every Ghibli movie so far, but, unlike a few, I don't think absolutely everything is super engaging here. It's not terrible and definitely not the worst way Ghibli's ever done this kinda thing, but, occasionally, some of this isn't as interesting as the way a lot of these other movies have done things like that. But still, it's nothing awful. For me, any kinda complaint like that is made up at the end in my opinion. Like I said, Porco and Curtis have their dogfight and that leads to a fist fight with them until it all comes to an end with everyone having to run from the authorities and when Fio kisses Porco, it may be implied that the curse placed on that is lifted but we're never shown it. I almost kinda dislike how we're never told about whether or not it actually is, but another part of me does like how it's unanswered and it's just kinda left open to interpretation. As for the actual pig idea itself, I think it works well enough. I mean, it does help give the film a recognisable face and so I think it works fine. The animation is also just as good as it always is here, especially in regards to the action scenes, the dogfights with the planes look really cool. The dub is also extremely well done here like Michael Keaton as Porco himself and Susan Egans, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Carey Elwes do great too. So, like a lot of these other Ghibli movies, this is a really, really good film, though I don't entirely know how often I'd personally want to check this out since I personally don't think this is one of their best and I don't entirely see anything truly exceptional here. Still though, this is really, really good and it is a lot of fun so I would still recommend checking this out. So, that's my review for Porco Rosso. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Only Yesterday

So, going back to my Studio Ghibli movie reviews, we have another one of theirs that's super realistic like a few of their others and one that's honestly super relatable to myself personally, Only Yesterday. I mentioned in my Grave Of The Fireflies review that that film was super realistic and didn't have kind supernatural elements to it at all. Actually, both this and Grave Of The Fireflies were directed by the same person, so I guess you could almost say he's really into telling very realistic stories that're just about life and things like that. This is also another movie that wasn't dubbed by Disney, it was dubbed by another studio. I heard about how it was because the characters talk about some very inappropriate stuff, or at least some stuff that isn't really geared towards kids. At first, I thought that was kinda weird, but, when I saw the film itself and saw just how much they talk about it, I understood because, yeah, there's definitely some stuff talked about here that's not really for kids. But, with that said, this is still a really, really good film. I wouldn't really say it's one of my favourite Ghibli movies, but it's still really good and another one that I'm impressed had my attention as much as it did. The story is about a girl named Taeko and she's visiting the countryside and she's remembering her childhood along the way. So, the whole movie is going back and forth from her childhood and present day so we see how her life has been so far, and that's really it, but, like a lot of other Ghibli movies, they manage to make it super enjoyable and captivating. There's a lot of different things this movie plays with like family, getting older, knowing how to handle your mentality when you're beginning to change and a whole bunch of things like that. It also has some pretty different ways of showing a lot of these events. Mostly due to the animation, which looks really different in this movie. While it does have incredible animation like every Ghibli movie, it looks fairly different here because a lot of the movie has a kinda merky look to the backgrounds and the designs of the characters almost kinda looks like something a child would draw. I don't know if that was the intention, but, a lot of the time when Taeko is remembering about her childhood and remembering what things were like in the past, the characters almost kinda look like strange shapes. I don't really know how to explain that really well, but that's what I get when I look at the character designs. Plus, like a lot of the other Ghibli movies, this film is extremely slow and so you get to see Taeko as a child begin to have a different kinda mentality because she's experiencing different things and she's getting older and you can understand why she's like this. This is what kids are like when they begin to change and this film reflects that really well. This is what I meant when I said this film is really relatable. There's a lot of scenes in this where Taeko is going through something and it's hard for her to process it and so there's a lot that I took away from this film personally. It's also a film that really knows how to tug at your heart, especially anything involving her and her family because nothing really emotionally devastating happens, but the relationship they all have and how some people in the family act is pretty emotional. You could almost see some of the characters as hateable, especially Taeko's dad, who's a huge stick in the mud and some of the things he says, but they do it in a way where you don't really like him, but there's something about the family dynamic that's strangely endearing.  But I also like all the stuff that happens to Taeko in the present too because she's reminiscing while working on this farm with friends of her's and it's really sweet. And, it is just nice to see her be able to just do what she's doing while these memories are playing for us. I also like how we not only start to watch Taeko in the past begin to change as the film is going, but the one in the present begins to too because the people she's with begin to try to encourage her to stay and she considers it. And the actual ending when she's talking to that guy about someone she knew in her childhood is also pretty sad too. But I like how the ending is done too because she begins to go home but then she decides to stay and the way they visually show her doing that is really nice because she imagines herself as a child and the other kids she knew in school helping her too and I think that's a clever way to show that because you could see it as like both Taeko's growing up in some way and knowing how to make these decisions. But even if you don't see it that way, it's still done really well. And, I only mentioned this a small bit, but the animation really is phenomenal with doing a lot of great things. And the dubbing is just as great as it always is. I was really surprised to see Daisy Ridley in this. I've only ever known her as Rey in Star Wars, so it was nice to see her in something else and have it be a voice acting job, and she's fantastic as the older Taeko, and Alison Fernandez does a great job as the younger version of her. So, yeah, while I don't think this is a film that would appeal to everyone, especially not to every age, I think this is a great movie for older people like older teenagers and people like that and you could see this as a different kind of coming of age movie. So, either way, I do think you should check this out. So, that's my review for Only Yesterday. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Dr. Stone (Anime Review)

So guys, I recently began watching a ton of new animes and reading new mangas. I wanted to try to watch more new stuff and make reviews for them. One of these was for the series Dr. Stone. I litterally only just began getting interested in this series a few weeks ago and I've started collecting the manga and getting the anime on DVD. So far, only two seasons have been made and the third season is being released in April, so, I guess you could say this is sorta in preparation for the new season. Not only that, but the manga has already finished. It was created by Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi and was another Shonen Jump property that ran from 2017 until last year. I'm only going to be talking about the anime because I finished watching both seasons recently after only just getting them recently too, though, I do also want to briefly talk about the manga because Boichi's art in the series is some of the best artwork for a manga I've ever seen. It's absolutely insane with how beautiful the art for this series is in the manga. I'd also say that this series is one of the most entertaining animes I've seen in a while too. Not that other animes I've started watching for the past few months haven't been really entertaining, but this one in particular has been so much fun to watch and I'm very excited for the new season to come out. I would say it's really up there as one of my new favourite animes ever. It's just been a blast watching it so far. So, let's get into it. And, like always, this will have all the spoilers for the series so far that's in the anime, so, if you don't want anything spoiled, go watch it then come back and read the rest of this. So, the plot is about the entire planet Earth one day somehow having some apocalyptic event that causes every single human being to turn into stone. Over 3000 years later, a guy named Taiju is able to break free and the entire planet has seemingly become like the Stone Age again. But, he's able to find his friend named Senku who's a genius and has been awake for a while and is trying to figure out what exactly happened and how to fix everyone back to normal and restore civilisation. After being attacked by lions they revive a guy named Tsukasa to help, and he does seem to want to help, but then he gets an idea to only revive the young and strong and kill all the adults. So now, Senku decides to go off on his own to find some others that are around too while Taiju and a girl they revived named Yuzuriha go to Tsukasa and pretend to join the empire he's making and Senku is also trying to make scientific advancements to bring back a lot of what's now gone. I'll stop there for now. So, I will say, the first couple of episodes weren't really doing it for me. I found them fine, but I didn't really like them all that much. I liked Senku, I thought he was really likeable and a really fun protagonist, but I personally didn't like Taiju. I thought he was kinda annoying so it got a little annoying following them with him around. But, after those first couple of episodes when Senku goes off on his own and has Taiju and Yuzuriha go to Tsukasa, the show got a whole lot better for me. We see Senku trying to find other people due to seeing some smoke somewhere and taking that as there must be some more people out there. so, eventually, he comes across a village where a small civilisation is and meets the people there. And everything that happens in the village is fantastic, it's some of the most entertaining stuff I've seen in an anime in a while. Senku meets a whole bunch of characters and tries to show them different ways of using science and tries to tell them about different inventions they can make. At first, they don't want to have anything to do with him or what he's talking about, but after he begins to actually make some inventions with the few things they have and tells them what they do, they begin to get interested and want to learn more and now to do it themselves. They also begin to want to learn about how the world used to be as well. So, that's really the first season in a nutshell. Senku and the village doing all these inventions and trying to make something Senku is calling The Kingdom Of Science. He's trying to make a bunch of inventions and save as many people as he can to stand against Tsukasa who's trying to rule over everyone himself. So a lot of Season 1 is really entertaining and interesting to have all of this with having Senku and the people in the village doing this. The characters there are also a big help with making this extremely entertaining. Like I said, I never really liked Taiju, but I was glad we went away from him really quickly and met some really entertaining and likeable characters in the village. I already mentioned how I really, really liked Senku, but other characters like Chrome, Kohaku, Kaseki, Suika, Kinro and Ginro were all very likeable and very entertaining, especially Chrome, I really like him, he and Senku have a really fun friendship. And, really, just following these characters as they learn more about these inventions that Senku is teaching them and them learning about the world is very fun and interesting to watch. It's weird, but it's kinda like Death Note where this is Shonen Jump property but it's not an action series. There are a couple of small action scenes, but they're not the same as other action Shonen Jump stories, and they don't last for very long anyway. It's really just an adventure story and they do that extremely well. I like all the different events that come from that too like the Grand Bout or when they find out the name of the village which is called Ishigami Village, which is Senku's surname and they learn that Senku's adoptive Dad, Byakuya, and some other people were in space when the whole population got turned to stone and they were able to get back to the planet and tried to find out what happened. But, he ultimately left a record behind at his grave for Senku to find and Senku is able to make a record player to make it work and hear it. That's not to say that's the only thing that happens because they also have to deal with Tsukasa and his army who're trying to stop them and kill Senku so they also have to learn how to make weapons to stop them. They also have to deal with someone who comes there from Tsukasa named Gen, but Senku eventually manages to get him on their side too and he becomes an important character too, as well as just a super fun character in his own right. And, again, I just love all the different circumstances that come from them trying to do all these things like when Senku, Chrome and another guy named Magma, who was previously a small antagonist, have to go to some cave and get some stuff there and they manage to team up to get it. And the first season ends with Senku and the others fighting off some of Tsukasa's men and making them retreat with the different resources they were able to make so far and being able to make a telephone and trying to get it to Taiku and Yuzuriha and tell them about the advancements they've been able to make. Plus, not only did they manage to get the record from Byakuya and hear what he said on it, but they discover he also had a song on it sung by a singer who was with him too, and that becomes really important in the next season. But, for the first season alone, I honestly loved it. It was super fun, funny and extremely enjoyable. Just watching all these characters gradually go from making one invention to another was super fun to watch. It was kind of a weird thing where I clearly didn't understand a lot of what they were necessarily talking about, but it was still so entertaining to watch that I didn't mind. But, even then, there was one or two small things I did understand, but the rest was still fun to watch too. And, like I said, the characters were definitely a huge help in why it was so fun. Again, I really loved Senku and thought he was one of the most fun anime protagonists I've seen in a while. And the other characters were fun to watch with their unique personalities too. I just had so much fun with this and couldn't wait for more with Season 2. And, in the end, I didn't exactly love Season 2, but it was still a lot of fun. At the beginning of this, Senku and the others are able to use the telephone they made to talk to Taiju and Yuzuriha, who are still trying to get people from Tsukasa's side onto their's. They eventually manage to get a lady named Nikki onto their side after she learns about the record that has the song on it. So, the big main thing that happens in this season is that Senku and the other people in the Kingdom Of Science begin their attack on Tsukasa and the rest of the people on his side to also get back the Revival Fluid, which is the thing they've been using to unpetrify people. They begin to but then Chrome gets kidnapped but manages to escape and get back which leads to their attack and it looks like they manage to win until more arrive and stop them and it looks like Senku and the others are gonna be beaten, until Senku is sorta able to make a truce after Senku figures out that Tsukasa was actually doing all this for his sister and was hoping to make a safer world for her. Yeah, I will say, that part here felt kinda flimsy. I mean, she was never mentioned before and it did seem kinda out of nowhere, especially since we already heard him talk about how he wants to build this new empire for the strong only and, yeah, he did say he wanted to protect the weak, it was still weird. Anyway, this all leads to Senku and Tsukasa teaming up against Hyoga, one of the guys who was on Tsukasa's side who liked how things were before and now hates how they're all teaming up so he almost kills Tsukasa and Senku manages to stop him and they figure the only way to save Tsukasa is to freeze him and then petrify him again and then use the Revival Fluid hoping that'll cause his injury to heal. Not only that, but Senku and everyone else has decided to find out how the whole planet got covered in stone so they build a ship to sail to where the light came from that caused it. And that's litterally how the second season finishes, Tsukasa's been frozen and now Senku and the others are off to discover what happened. It's obvious that the next season's gonna be focused on picking up where that part leaves off. So, as for these first two seasons alone, I'm really, really loving it so far. Even though you'd almost say there's not that much happening in this, it really does have so many entertaining aspects about it. Like I've said a lot already, just with how Senku and the others talk about all these things and actually make these various inventions is so entertaining and so fun to watch. That's not to say the character writing isn't there because it totally is. The different ways the characters develop is fun to watch too, like everyone learning to trust Senku when he first enters the village and tries to learn what he's explaining is great too. Again, I just love the friendship that begins to build with all of them, especially with Senku and Chrome. Plus, the series is really funny, I love the different placements of comedy and it's done extremely well. The characters as well are just so great too. Senku is one of the most fun anime protagonists I've seen in a while, Chrome might be my second favourite character in the series other characters like Kohaku, Suika and Kaseki are great and hilarious with Kohaku's dedication to the people she cares about but still getting annoyed by them occasionally, Suika's obsession with wearing her melon helmet thing and Kaseki being another hilarious old man in anime. And even other characters I wasn't a fan of like Taiju did get somewhat more tolerable later on. And I really liked some of the antagonists too. I really like how Tsukasa wasn't exactly evil and still had some likeable aspects to him even before he became good. And, even if I did think that part was a little flimsy, I still liked him becoming good anyway. I also love how there's pretty much no filler in this at all. It's only 35 episodes so far so far and every episode is just so entertaining. Not to mention the fact that the manga is already finished like I said so that makes the idea of reading all the chapters really exciting. Speaking of, I already mentioned how absolutely incredible the art for the manga is, but, the anime looks outstanding as well. This was done by TMS Entertainment and they really did a phenomenal job with this because it's really stunning. Not only that, but this series has some of the most fun dub performances I've heard in a while too. Aaron Dismuke is amazing as Senku. I really liked him as Alphonse in Fullmetal Alchemist, but this is really his better performance in my opinion, he's really incredible as Senku. And everyone else like Felecia Angelle, Matt Shipman, Ian Sinclair and Kenny Green all do fantastically. So, in the end, I'm very excited for Season 3 next month, as well as the anime to finish in general, and I'm also really excited to get the last of the manga volumes. So, yeah, I do recommend checking this out. It's another great series to binge-watch, especially since there's not that many episodes yet anyway, and, like I said, none of them are filler. I'm just really excited for more. So, guys, those are my thoughts on Dr. Stone. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Kiki's Delivery Service

So, guys, if you remember the last Ghibli movie review I did, My Neighbour Totoro, I mentioned how that film felt like a very relaxing movie that didn't have a whole lot going on but was still seen as really famous and I also mentioned how I personally wouldn't place it as one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies despite how famous it is. For me, that kinda movie is this, Kiki's Delivery Service. A lot of what happens in the last movie happens here, but, in my opinion, it's done way better and, I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think this might be my favourite Studio Ghibli movie. It's so hard to explain but everything that happens in this movie just got me very emotionally and I absolutely adore this movie. I know other movies like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle might be some other people's favourite Ghibli movie, but, for me, this is my favourite. It's hard to really explain, but, I've mentioned a lot already about how these movies usually don't have that much of interest really happening but they still keep that really engaging. And, in my opinion, this is the movie that does that the best. The first time I saw this, it filled me with so many emotions even though there really isn't that much going on, or, at the very least, it doesn't have anything that big about it, but, it's just the best way they could do this very smaller film. The movie is about a small girl named Kiki who's a witch and she's leaving home to find her own place and get a job. She and her cat Jiji fly off to a town where they find it hard to get accepted by the people, but she meets a lady named Osono who owns her own bread store and lets Kiki stay with her and Kiki decides to become a delivery girl with her flying for the shop. And that's really about it. It's mostly just following Kiki as she tries to adjust to being in this new town and doing these jobs and I think the film is all the better for it. Like I said, even though this is like a lot of other Ghibli movies where not that much is really happening, but there's something about it that's super engaging, there's just something about how this one does it in particular that made me really, really love it and make this film my favourite they've ever done. I guess the main thing I like is how they spend a lot of time in the town and you get to know it so well. I would say the animation helps with that because, as always, the film is really stunning, and the way they do this town is really gorgeous and makes going through it really relaxing. Actually, remember in My Neighbour Totoro, I mentioned how the film was a film that was really relaxing to watch? This one is the best one for that, I love when a movie can make me feel super relaxed from just watching the characters doing very mundane things, but they still have it very comforting to watch. But another big part of that is the characters themselves. I really, really love a lot of these characters. Kiki is very, very likeable, Jiji is pretty funny with his sarcastic sense of humour and a lot of the other characters like Osono, Tombo and Ursula are very likeable too. And just seeing them go through this town and living their lives is something I really love. I love that the film doesn't really have much of a structure to it. It doesn't feel like how a movie generally does with not really feeling like it's building to anything or there's any kinda pay-off. Sure, there is kind of a climax at the end, and I do like how they have it where it feels like Kiki is losing her powers and needs to be able think clearly in order to get them back and the way they do that is really interesting too with needing to save Tombo. But, before that, the regular stuff with the characters really does carry the movie for me. I love when Kiki helps that old lady bake something for her granddaughter and then when she doesn't like it, it's really rage inducing, and I love when Kiki meets Ursula for the first time and you see her passion for art and then when you see her again at the end when Kiki stays with her for a small while. And like I said, the animation really does make this town feel like a place you'd almost want to live in, but the animation also does other great stuff too like when she's flying around and gets blasted by the wind and how they do that is really impressive and amazing to watch, especially since this came out in 1989. And the English cast is absolutely flawless in this, they couldn't have done a better job. Kirsten Dunst is perfect as Kiki with the voice she's using that fits Kiki flawlessly, Phil Hartman is also perfect and funny as Jiji and others like Tress McNeille, Matthew Lawrence, Janeane Garofalo and Debbie Reynolds are all fantastic too. So again, I don't really know how to explain this, but even though this film does a lot of similar things to the other Ghibli movies with not anything crazy happening, it's just a very slow paced film where Kiki is trying to do well with this job and live her life, I just feel this movie is the one that does all of that to perfection better than the others and I love it for that. I just feel like this movie helped me understand more why people get so into these movies. I already kinda understood, but this one did it the best for me and made me adore these movies even more. And so, yeah, I would absolutely recommend checking this film out. Even you're not really a fan of this kind of movie, I would still say you should check this one out. So, that's my review for Kiki's Delivery Service. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

My Neighbour Totoro

So out of all the Studio Ghibli movies out there, this one might be the most famous and well-known, My Neighbour Totoro. When I say this is the most famous Ghibli movie, I mean because this film's creature, Totoro, has pretty much become the mascot of all of Studio Ghibli. It's on the logo for Ghibli whenever you watch one of their movies and everything. As for this movie for me though, I was super curious to know what made this film so iconic for the studio and see what it was about. So, while I guess I personally wouldn't place this movie as one of my favourite Ghibli movies, I still really enjoyed it. It centres around two sisters named Satsuki and Mei and their dad as they move into a new house but they discover it's filled with spirits and all sorts of things like that and their mom is in the hospital so they're waiting for her to get better. One day, Mei discovers another kind of spirit named Totoro, this huge one that doesn't seem harmful so they keep trying to find him again. So, really, like a lot of other Ghibli movies, there's really not a lot of stuff happening in this as far as an actual plot, it's really just watching Satsuki and Mei living their lives and occasionally seeing Totoro, but they still manage to do it in very entertaining ways. And it's a very light hearted movie, which is good considering the last film, Grave Of The Fireflies was so heavy and heart-wrenching, so it's nice to have a film like this that's way more kid-friendly. And it's a very relaxing film too. That's another thing about Ghibli movies I really love, a lot of these can be very relaxing movies where you're just watching characters not doing much and just doing typical stuff, but it's really fascinating to watch and really relaxing as well. I love that about a lot of these movies. These characters are also a big help with that too. I really enjoy Satsuki and Mei and I really like their bond as sisters. And, again, I like how this film really doesn't really focus on any of the spirits either, it's really just focused on Satsuki and Mei trying to adjust to their lives being there while also being worried about their mom and fearing for her life and that's really about it. It's like I've said a ton of times already, I love how Ghibli movies can have not much of anything going on and just have the characters walk around doing whatever but still keep it really captivating. It's kinda weird because you would almost think this film would be focused more on the spirit stuff and trying to find out about that, but that's kind of a small side thing that's not focused on very much. In fact, despite being the titular character of the film, Totoro is barely in the film, you really only just see him about four times. But the pacing in those scenes is really well handled like when Mei first meets him or when Satsuki and Mei are waiting for a bus with him. Again, something about how it's paced and presented makes it super fun to watch. Also, I think the ending helps with that too. I like how even though this is a story focused on spirit aspects and all that, the end climax is actually very small, but also really relatable because Satsuki and Mei are both terrified that their mom is gonna die so Mei tries to go see her on her own but gets lost so the entire town tries to find her but eventually Satsuki gets Totoro's help to find her and they do and they're kind of able to go see their mom together and it's revealed that she's fine. It's really sweet. Speaking of sweet, I really like that Kanta boy they meet who acts really stand-offish for a lot of the movie but begins to act nicer towards the end. It's really nice and sweet to see him act nicer to them. I do also just really like the characters too, especially Satsuki, I really like her. I like her maturity and her bond with Mei with trying to protect her as much as possible. The dub definitely helps with that too. They actually got two actual sisters to voice Satsuki and Mei, Dakoda and Elle Fanning, and they both do an amazing job. They really feel like real sisters with the two of them voicing these two. But others like Pat Carrol, Tim Daly and Paul Butcher do a great job too. As for the stuff with Totoro himself, that stuff's fine. I don't think it's some of the best stuff Ghibli's ever done, but it's still very fun to watch regardless and I like the connection Satsuki and Mei build with him, and the animation as well is still fantastic. So, really, at the end of the day, I personally wouldn't really say this is one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies, I can at least say I do somewhat understand why this would be some people's favourite and I do see why this would be so famous in regards to the popularity of the character of Totoro. He's even in some Disney movies like Toy Story 3, and it was cool when someone pointed that out for me. So, while I personally don't think it's absolutely incredible, but there are some really amazing things in it. So, yeah, I would say check this out to see what all the hype is about, but you should still watch it because it is really good. So, guys, that's my review for My Neighbour Totoro. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Grave Of The Fireflies

So out of every single Studio Ghibli movie out there, this one right here is probably the most infamous, but I mean that in a good way. Out of every Ghibli movie, this one is the all time darkest. Whenever you hear people talking about this film, they'll tell you how absolutely depressing and powerful it is and how it's probably one of the saddest anime's of all time. And, yeah, they're right, this film is so emotional and depressing on so many levels and deals with some incredibly dark subjects. I think it's especially impressive since this was made in 1988 and they really touched on some really heatbreaking stuff. It's kind of a war movie set in World War 2, but it doesn't focus on the war, it focuses on a brother and sister named Seita and Setsuko who's mother is killed by bombs and now they need to live with their aunt but that eventually begins to fall apart as she gets annoyed with the two of them around and feeling like they don't deserve a whole bunch of food, but, Seita decides to take Setsuko and try to live on their own, but that begins to fall apart quickly too as they find it's incredibly difficult, especially given the circumstances of the war. So, I guess the main thing I like about this is that this is easily the most realistic Ghibli movie. A lot of the Studio Ghibli movies are set in different kinds of world with different kinds of creatures around, but here, it's just all realism with these two trying to survive in a traumatising setting and trying to survive. I think what makes it even more depressing is that the opening actually shows the two of them dead and the rest of the movie is a flashback to show how it happened, so immediately, you watch this wanting things to go right when you know they're not going to. So, you're seeing Seita trying to be mature and grown up and independant and responsible while all these horrible things are happening and you an really sympathise with the two of them because this is a super grueling environment that's super realistic and they're trying to survive in it. But you also see them do other things too like just trying to stay somewhat positive too with them in this awful setting. I also love how the animation compliments that because, usually with anime, I know a lot of them to be very flashy and do huge things like that, but, here, it's kept very realistic. Like I said, because this is such a realistic movie, the animation shows that with not doing anything over the top, but being still and letting the characters move like real people. And all that really does show more the gravity of the situation and all that and this is serious issue. I think the characters' personalities reflect this too. Like I said, Seita is trying to be mature and responsible and not need any help with this because he thinks he's up to the task when he's really not and Setsuko still acting like how a small child would act in this position too. But they're never once annoying or unlikeable, you'd almost think Seita would be detestable for letting something like this happen to the two of them, but they do these things in a way that makes them very likeable. I can also see this as another film where some people might be kinda bored because there isn't really that much happening and unlike a lot other Studio Ghibli movies where they're slow paced but are building to something big near the end, this one doesn't really have that. Again, it's just a super realistic slice of life in the middle of a horrible situation and seeing how they try to get through it but you know they're inevitable fate, and I think this kind of movie is the kind that people are gonna have to see at some point in their lives to understand how these situations happened for some people. The dub also helps makes these things all the more heartbreaking. Another sad part is towards the end when Seita learns about the results of the war and sees what happened and he's crushed by it. So, yeah, if you've heard of this movie before, then you know how emotionally devastating it is and I'm glad I finally saw it and understood what people were talking about. Persoanlly, I'm not sure if this is a movie I'd want to watch again. I was glad to see it the first time and see why people said it was so emotional, but I think because of just how emotional it is, I don't think I'd actually wanna see this again, but I am very glad I was able to see it to make this review at least. So, like the others, I would say check this out, but, yeah, be warned that this is a very emotionally crushing movie and not a pleasant experience, but one that I imagine you will be glad you had. So, guys, that's my review of Grave Of The Fireflies. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Laputa: Castle In The Sky

Continuing my series of reviewing Studio Ghibli movies, we have the next one in the lineup, Laputa: Castle In The Sky. I know in some places, it's just called Castle In The Sky, but that's what it's called here. Anyway, this is another film I had heard so much praise for before seeing it and I was, again, really happy I was able to see this along with the other Ghibli movies and, despite this coming out after Nausicaa, I can notice some similarities between this and that, but I still see this as its own thing that I really enjoyed. This was another Ghibli film that Hayao Miyazaki directed and was made in 1986. Like I said, I can totally see the differences between this and the last film but, this film still has a charm about it. The movie opens with a girl named Sheeta in an airship that's then attacked by pirates who're after her but she then falls out and is found by a boy named Pazu after a crystal she's wearing makes her float to the ground. When she wakes up, the two of them get to know each other and Pazu reveals he's searching for a floating island called Laputa and they're then chased by the pirates again along with some men that Sheeta is trying to get away from. So, the majority of the film is them on the run while trying to discover Laputa itself. So, like I said, I noticed some pretty big differences between this and Nausicaa. For one, I think this film gets into its story a lot faster. It seems to be paced a bit faster and gets to the action faster too, but it's still paced extremely well and we still care for these characters a lot. I really like Sheeta and Pazu together and I like their dynamic. Plus, with the film being well paced, it knows when to have a fun action scene and when to let the characters be people and just sit and have a nice conversation and, again, the way Miyazaki does a lot of this is really facinating. I also love how the film changes during the halfway from Sheeta and Pazu running from the pirates and the men to the two of them teaming up with the pirates, and it's done extremely well. I like the stuff in the first half with the two of them in Pazu's town and on the run with the help of everyone there and then go to getting help from the pirates and exploring to find Laputa, I just love it. It's also like what I said in my review of Nausicaa where I love the technology they use and it's amazing that this was all thought of in 1986. It's especially impressive when they get to Laputa itself and seeing the different ways the technology there looks. Speaking of, it's cool how the climax takes place on Laputa and it's cool that it's revealed that that Muska guy is the main villain and, again, the fact that Laputa works in different ways allows for a lot of different opportunities and it does look like they take advantage of all of them. It also seems to stick on these action scenes a lot longer than the last time too and I think that makes it even more fun too, but it still doesn't foget to just let the characters be like real people and let them just talk and still make it really interesting. I love how Miyazaki is able to balance all that really well with these movies. I also just really enjoy these characters too. I really like Sheeta and Pazu, but I especially really like the pirates here. They're all really fun, funny and have this really enjoyable dynamic, especially when it comes to the captain, Dola, she's so much fun to watch. Also, like the other Ghibli movies, the film is absolutely stunning. Even in some of the films I don't like as much, I can never deny how absolutely gorgeous these films looks and it's no different here because they once again made the scenery and all the things like that beautiful, especially on Laputa itself where there's all this architecture around the place and stuff like that. I love how they even take advantage of that in various ways during the climax too. Plus, the dub in this is so much fun to listen to as well. I already mentioned how fun a lot of these characters are and a lot of that can be attributed to how well done the dub is. James Van Der Beek and Anna Paquin do great as Pazu and Sheeta, but others like Cloris Leachman and Mark Hamill are fantastic as well as Dola and Muska. So, yeah, while I don't think I liked this more than Nauicaa, I still had a great time with this and it was just much fun watching these characters going through this adventure. So yeah, I would recommend checking this out, it's a lot of fun. So guys, that's my review of Laputa: Castle In The Sky, thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.