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Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory: Part 3 (2023)
Almost perfect, great action, strong emotional core
*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*
*This is a bare-bones/lite review made after only a single viewing. (Hence there not being any replay rating)*
Whatever will our heroes do with Riko's caretaker kidnapped? Who cares, we're going to the beach baby! Riko is enjoying her last days before erasure, Gojo is stressing himself out to keep her alive, and things seem to have calmed down. But as emotions run wild in Riko and Gojo reaches the end of his rope, what will the sorcerer killer do? And can anyone really stop Satoru Gojo?
YES! THIS IS IT BABY! EVERYTHING I WANTED! The lack of a narrator is a massive issue for this arc in particular since we don't get to know much about Toji's hidden inventory, Gojo's Six Eyes, etc. But once again it feels natural and as if we're standing in a developed world that we don't fully comprehend yet, and I have faith that later in the season these things will be more explained. This episode pulls no punches and gives us some of the most joyful and sorrowful experiences in this season yet and easily outdoes the manga in every way shape and form! The writing of Gojo, Geto, Riko, and her caretaker is amazing and they all feel so fleshed out and it makes everything they go through feel so much better and so much worse for it. The end of the last episode is resolved in no time and most of this episode is spent dealing with Toji's endgame or having fun with Riko and the gang, but I will say the early pacing is a bit off. That said, it's 1,000x better than the manga's pacing and actually never feels rushed so much as it feels a bit weird that this or that doesn't happen or that these characters appear but don't really do anything. The sad thing is that I can't really experience the twists this episode provides the way others will, but given how extreme my feelings were, I can only imagine what a first-time experience of this episode will be like without the manga to work off of. The ending is one of the greatest things I've ever seen, and to say I'm hyped moving forward now, without a doubt, is an understatement.
The acting in this episode is, funnily enough, the worst it's been this season. So it's gone from Ishtar to Gilgamesh in quality is what I mean. In other words it's still pretty much perfect with only a few minor faults, so don't worry, it's still 10's across the board no matter how you look at it. To say everyone gave the performance of their lives when it counted is a bigger understatement than anything else possibly could be. Literally all of our 5 most important characters gave their all to show the intensity and emotional nature of their lines when it mattered most and it shows so, so much. I have nothing else to say but that I am overjoyed.
Listen, I'm not gonna lie and say that the animation here is perfect. It's not. I have my issues with it's almost painfully off-model nature, especially during action scenes, but to say that it isn't freaking fantastic and that almost all my doubts about everything to come have been erased would be a lie straight out of hell. The Toji fight is freaking intense, Gojo's powers are so freaking beautiful and terrifying, the scenery freaking glistens, the eyes carry so much weight, the symbolism is so freaking powerful, and I can't stop thinking of things to gush about. The music in the beginning was a little annoying, but aside from that, the music was perfect, the split between the two halves of the episode was not quite perfect but I adored it, the tomb of the stars was beautiful, the forest and aquariums were amazing, the entirety of Jujutsu Tech was fantastic and watching it get wrecked wrecked me somewhere deep inside. I was slack jawed for most of the episode and trying to hold back a smile either of joy or terror the rest. The way this episode used off-model animation is easily the best yet and seeing the unnatural movements of Toji was amazing and made even better by just how distorted he would become as he moved. I have no real complaints here, nothing I can really add. I could go further about this or that but honestly it would be a spoiler and I can't stand the idea of doing that, I can't stand it. I can't go any further than tacking on here at the end that the use of Gojo's eyes throughout this episode was amazing and that it seems like they're just getting better looking as the episodes go on. I look forward to things going even more insane next episode, at least partially if nothing else.
All in all this episode is nearly perfect in every aspect with barely anything holding it down at all. It has a misstep here or there but they are minor at worst and none of them take away from the impact, beauty, sorrow, and horror of this episode. The action is godly, the animation is beautiful, the music breaks my heart, the writing too, and the joy this episode brings out rings so perfectly in my heart that the pain it brought out hurts my very soul. Every actor put their heart and soul into this episode, whoever wrote it too, and the people animating it. They made this episode special and it feels like a tribute to Riko, to our beloved star plasma vessel. This is going to be hard to top but next episode may well be able to and there are certainly incredible things to come as well, so we'll have to see how things go, but I can safely say that I am so, so freaking ready for this, for all of this. See you next episode, Toji. I just can't wait to see this.
Total - 10
Plot - 10
---
Story - 10
Pacing - 9
Dialogue - 10
Narration - NR
Exposition - 9
Adaptation - 10
Enjoyment - 10
Twist/s - 10
Resolution/s - 9
Ending/s - 10
Acting - 10
---
MC/s - 10
SC/s - 10
BG/s - 10
Narrator/s - NR
Animation/Effects - 10
---
Music - 9
Voice Effects - NR
2D Animation - 10
3D Animation - 9
Set Pieces - 10
Designs - 10
Action - 10
Cinematography - 9
Sounds - 10
Replay - NR
---
Re-Enjoyment - NR
New Details - NR.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory: Part 2 (2023)
A good improvement, reaching greatness
*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*
*This is a bare-bones/lite review made after only a single viewing. (Hence there not being any replay rating)*
Riko is rescued, but a bounty has been placed on her head by the Sorcerer Killer! She refuses to go to Jujutsu Tech until she absolutely has to, opting to go to school like normal instead, making her a walking target for Curse Users looking for an easy paycheck. Plus, Gojo's technique is finally explained, and it seems like he has some other secret behind his power?!?! WHAT COULD IT BE?! FIND OUT LATER THIS ARC!!
I am so happy the Six Eyes has finally been name dropped. Don't know what it is? It doesn't matter, the name tells you nothing really and I won't explain it since it's a spoiler, but it should have been introduced in Season 1 but wasn't and now that it's an actual future plot point it has to be introduced thank god. Anyway, the story is golden, the emotions I feel watching it are incredible and so much better than what I felt reading the manga. Plus this really expanded upon the quaint and simple vibe of this arc in the manga, giving a lot of slow moments, although perhaps too many to be honest. This episode is also absolutely hilarious and we finally get some proper action, though really it's all very simple and not too bombastic, which is a shame but we still have more to come so I have high hopes. That aside, since this isn't the place to talk about action, the exposition could definitely use some work, but the episode really makes us play catch-up, with characters having stories and taking actions that we don't get to see, mentioning things we don't know about, making the world feel real. Although I could do without the hamfisted betting metaphor throughout the whole episode. The ending is too fast, and a few other parts are too, but the ending really is pretty bad, there's no real tension behind it, especially as a manga reader, so that wasn't a great note to end on, but aside from that, this really was a fantastic episode with cool moments and hilarious moments both! Riko is precious, she must be protected at all costs.
The acting is perfect, the Sorcerer Killer (I legit forget if his first name has been said yet so I'm not gonna call him it even though it's known from the announcements) has grown on me, as expected, being a perfect voice and an absolute menace. We have more side characters and villains too, all of whom are amazing, each standing out in their own ways, and the main characters are as perfect as ever! 10/10, nothing else to add.
Okay, look, I'm gonna say it, I am in the camp of preferring the old JJK animation. It might have had its issues, but the fluidity of this new style throws me off, especially since it seems like Mappa is scared to really go crazy with it, making me fear that they don't know how to do an actually epic fight scene with it. Now, there are parts of this episode that make me hopeful, and the fact that I could spot no 3D when this is Mappa so there was almost certainly 3D somewhere, makes me very happy, and the off model animation was great too. The animation sadly is my greatest gripe, with the fights feeling anticlimactic, although that does narratively make sense. It feels like Mappa spent more time animating Geto making tea than they did making Gojo's eyes sexy. You can debate which is more important. Still, this is a massive step up from the first episode of this season and aside from everything I've said I have few other complaints. The stinger is... well it caught me off guard to be sure, I don't really have anything to say about that yet I don't think. The set design was great but in a few places it felt lacking or like it was too much for what it was. The cinematography also has one particular scene where its metaphor is way too obvious and one particular scene where the shot just flat out feels way too artsy to really work. The music and sound design were great, the lighting is out of this world, I've got no other complaints really. Stunning work from Mappa and I hope it only gets better.
All in all, a big step up and another episode of making my least favorite arc actually really enjoyable. I loved the comedy, though the exposition and metaphors could be done without at times, and the characterization and somber moments really just work incredibly well. The acting is perfect, no change there. The animation is much better with no weird 3D malarky and more action, albeit pretty simplistic. Still the animation is beautiful and much improved with lots of signs it will only get better. I don't really have a lot to say because of how great this episode was, but I can't wait to see next episode because it's only going to be better, I know it already!
Total - 9
Plot - 9
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Story - 10
Pacing - 9
Dialogue - 9
Narration - NR
Exposition - 8
Adaptation - 10
Enjoyment - 9
Twist/s - NR
Resolution/s - NR
Ending/s - 8
Acting - 10
---
MC/s - 10
SC/s - 10
BG/s - 10
Narrator/s - NR
Animation/Effects - 9
---
Music - 10
Voice Effects - 10
2D Animation - 9
3D Animation - 10
Set Pieces - 9
Designs - 10
Action - 8
Cinematography - 9
Sounds - 10
Replay - NR
---
Re-Enjoyment - NR
New Details - NR.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory (2023)
Imperfect animation and pacing, good potential
*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*
*This is a bare-bones/lite review made after only a single viewing. (Hence there not being any replay rating)*
A young Utahime and Mei investigate a haunted building and later a young Gojo and Geto, not quite how you'd expect them to be, are tasked with escorting a young girl to be sacrificed for the sake of the Jujutsu world. Conflicting ideologies and murderous curse users threaten the two at every turn, but they're the strongest, why should they fear the weak?
This was a wonderful return to JJK, although Hidden Inventory/Premature Death is my least favorite manga arc, it's clearly being done well and the changes made to the source material make it that much better! Expanding Utahime and Mei's roles at the beginning of this arc was a great idea and the extra character building and relationship establishing added was also amazing. Aside from that most everything was manga accurate with the exception of some anime only scenes and moved around pieces. The story moves a bit fast after the beginning, but that's to be expected, this arc is by no means long and the start of it is far from the best part. Aside from the pacing issues later on, the episode has some exposition dump issues, but they're not that bad all things considered. The biggest Hindrance to this episode was, oddly enough, the animation itself, which held down the beginning quite a lot and therefore dampened the whole experience for me, but this is about the writing, and that was phenomenal. Geto and Gojo's conflicting morals are really wonderfully shown as well as the tension between the two despite their friendship, plus Ieri is a gremlin, as she should be, Mei is perfect, and Utahime is as useless as you'd expect her to be. Most everything writing wise is great, with only some minor bumps here and there, and the atmosphere is great and well established in every scene.
There's nothing to say about the Japanese voice acting aside from "it's perfect." I mean, Toji's voice is a little iffy for me near the end but I expect to grow to like it more and more. Aside from that, basically everyone is perfect beyond compare, as expected of a high-quality anime.
Now for the meat. The animation for the first several minutes isn't very good. I'm sorry, but it isn't. The 3D feels way too 3D and the 2D often feels floaty and also way too fluid and out of place. There also seem to be some clearly clashing animation and art styles slammed together that just make the beginning feel disjointed, ruining a creepy and intriguing atmosphere. That said, there are plenty of good parts early on as well, but they just don't make up for the bad parts sadly. Thankfully, later on, there is significantly better animation and far less 3D, with a great basketball scene, Geto getting some great action, and some fun off model animation too, even though it also absolutely has its faults. The animation is pretty stellar after the beginning, even with some weirdness and hiccups here and there, and from that point on the pacing is more the issue, but really, this is Hidden Inventory, I didn't expect the pacing to be perfect whatsoever. Aside from that, the music and sounds were absolutely amazing, flawless even, and aside from a few scenes, the cinematography was amazing, with perfect camera placements for each scene, giving creepy vibes and funny vibes exactly when needed, as well as enhancing the more serious and dramatic moments. The character designs are amazing, same with the set design, as the set pieces are just beautiful, even if we move past some far too fast, but that said, there are minor issues with them, such as Gojo's eyes looking bland and sets being kinda iffy mostly due to the CG used. Ignoring the first several minutes however, this episode has really good animation, even if it's quite a bit away from perfect, and I love the bright atmosphere, especially as a manga reader who knows what's coming.
All in all, a good start to the new season and a fun episode with everything we love about JJK except for a flawless massive fight scene, but we got inklings and next episode will get much more. Overall the animation is the worst part of this episode, with the 3D holding the beginning down, followed by iffy pacing in the latter half of the episode holding down the now fantastic animation. The writing is gold, the acting is as good as it possibly could be, and all in all, I'm excited to see my least favorite arc be given such a glow up and hope next episode fixes even more issues I have with it, such as the pacing. I'm excited for this season, I can't wait for next week's episode, and I can't wait to start throwing out 10/10 left and right!
Total - 8 (knocked down one for the too quick end and poor early animation)
Plot - 9
---
Story - 9
Pacing - 8
Dialogue - 9
Narration - 10
Exposition - 7
Adaptation - 9
Enjoyment - 9
Twist/s - NR
Resolution/s - NR
Ending/s - 8
Acting - 10
---
MC/s - 10
SC/s - 10
BG/s - 10
Narrator/s - 10
Animation/Effects - 9
---
Music - 10
Voice Effects - NR
2D Animation - 8
3D Animation - 6
Set Pieces - 9
Designs - 9
Action - 9
Cinematography - 9
Sounds - 10
Replay - NR
---
Re-Enjoyment - NR
New Details - NR.
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Not A Movie, Not A Show, But Definitely A Uniquely Incredible Treat
Werewolf By Night is a streamlined treat, it really feels and looks old school but is clearly held by a modern budget and effects and a creative use of color in the mostly colorless thrill ride. Really honors old movies well and imitates them respectfully and thoroughly. It's 50 minutes of joy that actually got me tense at points without me even noticing and that got a few giggles from me too. It doesn't feel like a movie or anything else I've seen, it truly is unique and the music mixing with the cinematography makes it more so. The acting is good, the effects are largely good if imperfect, and the action is a chef's kiss. Werewolves are good at acrobatics and flourishy flip kicks, didn't you know. 10/10. More like this but also unique too please. And more of the surviving characters + backstories pleaseeeeeee!
94th Oscars (2022)
A Laugh Riot!
I watched this live with the YMS Adum and Pals commentary and it was incredible. It takes a minute to really get going (like 30 minutes before the first award) but once it gets going it's absolutely hilarious. It's terrible, but hilarious. Encanto nominated the worst (if not saddest and most 'important') song and, as expected, lost because of it, but hey, they still did a live performance of the actual best Encanto song- wait... why is Meghan Thee Stallion doing a horrible remix rap... what is happening... oh god they butchered my baby! Well, at least Chris Rock is gonna do some sta-... oh Will Smith just assaulted a man and screamed at him on live tv because he made a joke in ?maybe? Bad taste... well... let's just ignore that and the general air of discomfort until he wins his Oscar and apologiz-... Did he just glorify Richard Williams whilst saying that he's a fierce defender of his family, never apologizing to Chris but apologizing to the Academy and using a line often used by abusers to defend their actions and manipulate peopl- WAIT the Oscars is cutting him off? But the audio is still running? What's happening, let me just check Twitter here and- OH. So Serena Williams had a... wardrobe malfunction... okay... well it's not like the Oscars are also gonna cut off like 5 people's speeches, not put a lot of people in the In Memoriam (which they should have maybe said would be a black-style in memoriam since most of it's audience is definitely white and I can tell you we were not expected joyous singing and dancing), and put the In Memoriam right after the literal televised crime. This is just the beginning, but these might be the best bits. This was a laugh riot, especially with the commentary track, highly recommend watching both, it is SO worth it!
The Legend of Vox Machina (2022)
Get past episode one.
The first episode isn't exactly GREAT, but episodes 2 and 3 have been solid gold and this is from somebody who has never watched Critical Role. It's a great show and I can't wait for more.
Die Hard (1988)
The Best Christmas Movie I've Ever Seen
Wow. This is one incredible Christmas movie! I mean Jesus Christ! It's pure adrenaline fueled action filled with comedy and terrifying scenes with a cute and happy ending to boot! Every scene is so good and even the acting is good which is a pleasant surprise considering action movies are kinda infamously poorly acted. The cast is also very diverse (aside from side characters, those are basically all white) but the only thing that matters in this is the action! And the action is perfect and it shows both the villains and the hero doing cool stuff which is really nice to see! Honestly this is one of the best movies I've ever seen and I highly recommend it! 10/10!
Metropolis (1927)
Incredible visuals meet a messy story
Metropolis is a silent film made between the world wars and it's pretty good! My only complaints are about the story and the female lead's acting at times. The story starts in a stupid manner, it ends rather strangely has some loose plot threads, stops caring about logic occasionally, and forgives a lot of horrors too easily. All of that said, I loved it. The female lead either sucks at running away or it just looks dumb because of how old films speed things up some, but she's really good outside of that. There are 2 sort of racist moments, but I'm gonna chose to view those as imagery of the time and not go any deeper into it. The moral is great though and while wish the machine man appeared more, I still loved it. The visuals are beyond compare, the effects are brilliant. I don't know how they did half of this stuff in the 1920s!! 8/10!
Inside Job (2021)
Nonstop Fun and References for Everyone (Unless you're so conservative that literally ANYTHING AT ALL 'woke' upsets you I guess?)
Inside Job blew me away, honestly. An adult cartoon with good animation, hilarious and actually emotional and meaningful episodes? Sign me up. This show is incredible, and I didn't even get half of the references in it, I'm sure. I mean Jesus, they reference EVERYTHING. From the whole '9/11 jet fuel' debate to the goddamn Olson twins (tripletts it turns out. Don't ask about the third one.) It has some good social commentary, a decently diverse cast (less diverse than it should be but more diverse than is normal) that is absolutely bonkers and SEVERELY mentally ill, and overall, I had a blast and binged it in a single day. It's short, but DEAR GOD is it good, and I SWEAR TO GOD if there isn't a season two after that incredible ending, I will murder someone. Now, to be clear: It's not really a cliffhanger, but it's the sort of ending that tells you that if the show continues it's gonna go to INCREDIBLE places. So, yeah, renew it Netflix. Also, whoever wrote this deserves a freaking award. Seriously, the writing feels so... ametuer but in the best way possible. This feels like a really good Youtube skit became a Netflix show and honestly that's incredible! Being fair, it has some issues, but none are big enough for me to even bother mentioning them. Just watch this glorious show and praise be to Cognito Inc. 9/10!
RWBY: Creation (2021)
Mostly Spoiler-Free Review Of: 812 - Creation
Episode 12 is so much better than episode 11, but it takes few risks, meaning that while I have few problems with it and enjoyed it, it's far from my favorite story this volume, feeling very plain rather than awesome. It is still pretty awesome tho. The main characters execute a well thought out plan the entire episode, there are some quick but epic fight scenes, a really good explainer, a massive philosophical question when it comes to Penny, and we meet the spirit of the creation staff. This is a really fun episode through and through with only a few small pacing and acting issues really holding it back. Well, and the previous episode having dropped the ball. 10/10. Also it has taken me 2 volumes but I've finally realized that Ace Ops, when said fast, sounds like Aesop's. As in the gables the team is based on. Freaking amazing! XD.