sandro-08247 Reviews

Sweet Tooth (2021–2024)

Young adult series

[6/10 · 21 June 2024]

I think the first season of Sweet Tooth was pretty great, mainly because of the novelty, the second was ok, the cartoonishness of the main antagonist brought it down a bit, while the third season also suffered from such an antagonist while also limiting the amount of impactful character interactions, at least compared to previous seasons.

The third season felt like it dragged a bit. And generally felt like it didn't really break from the mold story-wise. It feels childish, the whole series has had that childish undertone, even with all the deaths and violence. Combined with the rather simplistic plot and villains made this into a worse than average series imo.

That's also why I'm saying that it's a young adult series, it feels too simple for adults to fully enjoy, the dialogue was... kinda bad. While most characters felt fairly one-dimensional. I wouldn't really recommend it because it doesn't feel like it shares any good messages except maybe to not judge others for the body they were born into? The whole mystical Sick shtick also felt like it distracted from the whole hybrids topic. A lot of the adult were also acting supremely dumb, feels like it was forced to be that way so that adults dumb (except those on Gus's side), kids clever was what it felt like.

Not to mention the amount of speeches the characters keep giving and how they all magically work and are 'so' uplifting. Too childish to be all that enjoyable, too violent for kids, it's somewhat enjoyable, but I'd still not recommend it for anyone with a backlog to watch.

Personally I couldn't keep watching the last few episodes because they were that generic. Doesn't feel like they were anything except a waste of time with the typical endings these sort of childish series have.

Epithet Erased (2019)

A nice simple cartoon

[9/10 · 19 May 2024]

Epithet Erased is a rather simply animated series. Most of the time the characters aren't fully animated and simply moved around the screen, and the plot as well as the style is very childish, which doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. It was quite fun despite its simplistic nature.

Epithets with interesting abilities and applications as well as small trickles of how the world and the characters themselves look like gave it a shine. Not to mention the frequent jokes, which although not all hitting, were mostly ones that made me laugh every once in a while. While I wouldn't truly give it a 10/10 or even 9/10, I'd say it definitely deserves an 8/10.

With only 7 episodes which were pretty much all enjoyable I'd say it's a good cartoon to watch. Of course if you only want to watch well-animated cartoons this might not be for you. While it managed to convey the characters feelings and such, there were only rare moments where there was true animation going on. The rest was pretty much a puppet-show played with animated cartoon-cutouts.

Death's Game (2023– )

A decent series about suicide and the effect it has on everyone involved

[8/10 · 20 April 2024]

Nevertheless I can't, or rather won't give this more than 8 points. The ending became too predicable and although most of the lives were somewhat entertaining, I personally didn't enjoy it or learn quite enough from this series to give it more.

Now is it good? Quite, it's another high-quality korean drama series, if you've seen one or two of them you'll know what it's like, overdramatized moments, with a bunch of good moments, now I would say it's better than most, its format gives the benefit of allowing multiple perspectives and lifes, how people live and their circumstances, there were also a couple of surprises I didn't foresee.

But while the journey itself was nice enough, the main character had too many moments that were... dislikeable to me.

I'd still recommend this, while it wasn't quite as good for me, the series itself is on a pretty high-standard, and the negatives don't quite detract from how entertaining certain parts were.

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

Kinda enjoyable

[7/10 · 14 April 2024]

Seems the general consensus is that this is a bad movie. If you're looking for something complex, mind-blowing or clever then you'd be right that it's not terrible at best.

But if you're looking for a chuckle or two and great animation then you're right.

There were a lot of jokes, most were bad, a few were funny, while I agree that it definitely is lacking compared to the other parts, if it were a standalone a 7 would be about right.

But it isn't a standalone, and something that really bugged me was how out of character certain people were. Primarily Po and Tai Lung.

Po was just a bit too... naive. I'm aware that he's not the brightest bulb in the store, but even so I think they dumbed him down a bit for this movie to make the difference between him and the fox more distinct. Second was Tai Lung, he was too friendly considering his history with Po.

Would I recommend watching this? Definitely for kids, it's a solid movie. For adults only if you're in the mood for something light-hearted.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023– )

A new direction, both good and bad

[9/10 · 10 December 2023]

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an alright show. On one hand the false advertising has brought its toll with a lot of negative reviews, which kind of have a point, especially with the first episode raising expectations for something we've been waiting for, for decades, on the other hand it's not all bad. The season itself was good. Visuals, music, and even story and characters. While it wasn't what we were expecting, which brought a lot of disappointment, it isn't truly awful.

I even kind of understand why they went this route. If they just followed the script of the comic, sure they'd have Scott Pilgrim animated. But it would be one season and that's it. Happy ever after achieved (which would still be a high-quality adaptation, highly acclaimed). By doing something else entirely, and with a second season anounced they can branch out. And even if it isn't quite there yet, with more seasons to come there's bound to be some gold to be found in there.

While the first season proved to be a slight disappointment, especially with the lack of our beloved Scott Pilgrim. I'm positive that he'll make his reappearance in the second season. And if not, then this is a really bad adaptation.

Scavengers Reign (2023)

Beautiful biology

[9/10 · 10 December 2023]

Scavengers Reign is something quite incredible. Be it the main theme, that slow calming tune, with an unsettling background noise, to it's depiction of humans, and how adaptation in various forms would look like.

It's incredible, that's simply how it is. But at the same time, it's a bit... lacking. With that I mean that it's incomplete. This was very much a season 1 looking series. Story, visuals, characters, all were at tip-top shape, but the wow-factor felt lacking, I'm nitpicking, but if the series were to end right now, it would be kind of indefinite. For one, the next season has been hinted upon, but the ending also felt very much like a progress-update instead of a definite finish.

Tl:dr It's an amazing show, has high-quality, but it was somewhat lacking in the mind-blowing department. The creatures and hypothetical wonders of biology depicted were incredible, but with the ending as more of a teaser for season 2 it's not quite earned itself that 10/10.

Loki (2021–2023)

Marvel does it. Finally again

[10/10 · 9 November 2023]

It's no secret that the last few things Marvel has published, both movies and series was quality-wise a pile of s**t.

Loki thankfully broke that trend, definitely in part due to Tom Hiddlestons fantastic performance and I liked the first season. It was a solid 8,5 I'd say, the whole multiverse and time thing was something that needed addressing, and the first season did it quite well. Loved the variants and even the romance, even if I did find the ending a tad... overdone, at least for one of the characters, since they went the standard route often tread.

Season 2? I watched the first three episodes and even half of the fourth one, and I was thinking a 7. Considering what quality Marvel should stick to even a 6. Because honestly? It was generic. Standard villains and motives for their actions, boring dialogue, a lack of good character moments. Of course it wasn't terrible per se, and the scenes themselves were high-quality for sure, but the rest was simply sub-par.

Then? The ending of the fourth and the following last two episodes blew it completely out of the water. THIS. This is what Marvel should be. And I mean that every series or movie they release should be this level of quality. The episode should pass by while blowing your mind, and when it's over the implications and possibilities should give you pause instead of continuing with your day. Loki is a complete success, both quality-wise and with its place in the MCU, but I'm disappointed that it's a surprise for me that Marvel managed to create this series with what we've been shown these last years.

Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake (2023)

Everything we've ever wanted from AT and more

[10/10 · 22 September 2023]

I love this. I think everyone who watches this has watched Adventure Time. Fionna & Cake? It's everything we loved from AT condensed and elevated, bloodier with more personal and heavy themes to keep up with the aging audience, and a familiar cast of characters in a new light, in new variations and closer insights into them.

The humor is on point, the action is krisp, and I love the new directions they're exploring with the multiverse. I truly hope that this will be as long, if not longer than Adventure Time. Because the potential is there, the quality too, a hit series better than its predecessor is in the making.

Please, keep it up. We love Adventure Time. And this? It's AT², truly mathematical!

Go Back Couple (2017)

Solid 8,5

[8/10 · 6 September 2023]

I think this was a pretty clean and tidy series. In twelve hour long episodes it gaves us a very clean and cut story with a somewhat satisfying ending as well as positive messages and advice. However, while it was perfect in all matters technical, be it the actors, the themes, the flow and the writing, it felt lacking in unpredictability.

The ending could be seen a few episodes in. There really wasn't a question how this series would end, the only question was how it would come to that point. And I think the journey was nice, it addressed a few series themes like loss, grief and how a marital relationship can start and end.

The typical korean drama undertone wasn't a plus in my opinion. Overreactions and stretched out moments which are only minor detraction points. Suprisingly the dramatic situations and misunderstandings weren't too frequent to become annoying.

I think what we have here is a very perfect example of what korean dramas are like. Sadness and happiness in equal measures, a romance that leads to a happy and feel-good ending. Despite this, the predictability of it and the lack of twists with in-story weight (no that thing at the end doesn't count) made it an enjoyable experience, but not much else.

The messages while nice enough weren't valuable to me, and while there were some good twists and turns, I don't think I'll remember this as one of my favourites.

I guess I'm also not the exact target-audience. Married couples are surely hit more by everything there, but as a single the impact was lessend by a lot.

Reply 1988 (2015–2016)

The best slice of life we could have wished for.

[10/10 · 15 July 2023]

It took me a bit to get into it. This is a story about youth. The youth of five best friends who've been together in the same neighborhood since their childhood. It tells us their stories, what they've done in the year 1988 and after, it depicts how life was then for the average korean household.

However, it is so much more than that. It's a story about families. Disfunctional at times, yet holding together through thick and thin, about how people change, yet deep down still stay keep their memories and inner child.

This isn't 'just' a series. It's a documentary of normal life. Of course as a drama it has ups and downs more often due to time-skips, but it tells a soothing story with heart. It's something incredibly unique and done so, so well, it deserves full 10 points.

Of course it isn't truly perfect, nothing is, but it's flaws are difficult to find when we've been told such a great story.

Thank you for making this.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Four Minutes (2023) Season 5, Episode 9

Amazing season finale, good series finale

[8/10 · 9 June 2023]

A great episode all around, Maisel goes back to her roots and delivers a fitting performance for the true start of her career. To be honest there is little to nitpick about the episode itself.

However, the reason for my, somewhat, low score, is because this was the series finale, with which I don't mean why did it have to end, boohoo, here's a bad score, but because it didn't feel like an ending. I don't mean that in the they lived happily-ever-after way. Which was what the last minutes of the episode delivered, a partnership equal to that of a family bond fully reignited between Mich and Susie. It was nice, fitting somewhat and a great season finale, but it was not a good ending.

I was not a big fan of the flash-forwards this season. They felt abrupt, kind-of killed the pacing and were too briefly explored. In short, the ending was too quick with several plot-threads left dangling. Let's take a step back from the whole future thing, with the kids future selves being a huge question mark and the enormous time-jumps.

Nevermind, those were the problems that come to mind. These jumps felt too disjointed. They followed a red thread, but the frays in-between, dozens of questions being thrown up made this series finale a mess being presented to us, instead of a finely and orderly made dish. Questions upon questions left unanswered and a completely different Mitch, 50 years older tells us goodbye.

Why?

Some of the time-skips, especially those before the 'present', the show presents, and even some decades after were incredibly well done, but there were one too many in my opinion.

Nevertheless I give an 8/10 for the finale since that is a very personal opinion. The series overall is a solid 9, with many peaks and few lows. I only wished they had finished the whole episode on a peak, but the one presented simply didn't fit with me.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Incredible movie for kids, but slightly less so for adults

[8/10 · 14 May 2023]

I don't doubt that almost every child watching it will be entranced. The visual part of it, the action and colors as well as beautifully made world is a feast for the eye. There are also many tiny details and easter eggs from the various Mario games. In that area it's a pure 10/10.

However. The story itself was... lacking. I disliked the brooklyn section of it. Mario being surrounded by other humans was strange, more so when they were family, furthermore their negative behaviour towards him. They should have fully gone with the light-hearted feeling of Mario, with only the evil guys being evil and the good guys, while at times being goofy, cowardly or weak, still uniting in the face of the enemy.

Adding humans to a world where they rarely appeared, and furthermore making that a specific place with some people, broke some of the magic.

(Spoiler:) What I very much disliked, even hated, was that it all ended in Brooklyn. It broke my suspense of disbelief. First you tell me that this is the 'real' world, jobs, former coworkers, naggy family, and then you go ahead and make bowsers ship destroy multiple city books with weird animal-like creatures coming out, as well as objects. The fights itself was fine, but then they win and suddenly everyone's cheering for them? Donkey Kong included, the dog was smart, is every animal like that? What kind of world is this? Questions that wouldn't have come up if they'd happened in the mushroom kingdom, or even better, had the pipe explosion transported them into the other worlds and galaxies that exist.

Otherwise the voices were somewhat fine, a miscast here and there and a voiceline in the wrong tone, minor inconsistencies like that.

Another review said that it sends the wrong messages like Bowsers 'bullying'/torture succeeding. I'd add to that, that Peach straight-up denied Bowsers marriage request. No reason given, no negotiations with the king of another nation, just no and insults.

While I understand the harsh rejection of the psychopath Boswer, and how they designed Peaches character, stronger and confident. The exact wording of her rejection should have been more along the lines of, it being due to his character.

Instead all she does, is look him up and down, then say: "Marry you? Are you insane? I would never marry you." Again, wrong message sent. No matter your personality, or potential to change, as long as you're ugly, you won't get the girl.

Maybe I'm too sensitive, but that just scratched me the wrong way. As a princess/leader of her kingdom, she should have at least considered it, compared to the total annihilation of her kingdom. Her immediate acceptance once Toad is endangered lessens the value of her word and her promises.

So yeah, turns out there are a 'couple' nitpicks here and there. Luigi as a last example, seemed heavily underused, appearing as the hostage instead of Princess Peach.

Honestly, it seemed rushed. The movie felt like it was supposed to be a series. With which I mean the character development. Lastly I don't think I liked Mario (the frequent Mama Mias were a bit much), Mario was a blank slate, and while his character was sufficiently developed, I feel like he could have been written more competently. I think, despite it being his movie, it was more about making Peach shine. Mario had his moments, but they felt undeserved.

All in all, good movie, excellent animation and action, and below average story and a lot of good and a few bad characters.

Ippatsu Kiki Musume (1999)

Worth a laugh

[8/10 · 12 May 2023]

This is... incredible. It's lewd, short, nonsensical, but most importantly it's funny. For a very brief time commitment (3m per episode (48m in total)), it will surely set a smile on your face.

Other than that there isn't really much to say about it. It was made 24+ years ago. The style and somewhat low visual quality (though it's still very watchable) show. There isn't a real story to be foundthough there are small pieces of information that might teach you something and glimpses about what the past was like.

I'd recommend watching it with low expectations, for a series as long as two standard anime episodes it's good enough.

For anime veterans: You've watched worse, give this one a chance.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Nice and charming.

[9/10 · 3 May 2023]

While I don't know all that much about DnD, that knowledge isn't necessary to say that this was a very good movie. The CGI is realistic enough with only one moment coming to mind that could have been done better. The story simple, yet with an exemplary flow. While the action sequences were exciting and the plans clever with everything coming up being explained sufficiently without leaving any plot holes.

This doesn't make any waves or introduce anything new, but it's a darn good movie. It made me chuckle a few times through, the enemies were a true challenge and the tension was there when needed.

Although certain moments were a tad predictable it introduced enough surprises to keep me entertained throughout.

Warrior Nun: Matthew 7:13 (2020) Season 1, Episode 5

Bad writing

[5/10 · 9 January 2023]

The hyper-competent nun, the one who was supposed to become the next ring-bearer, took the sword which could literally kill the demon she was up against. But instead of cutting of the arm to stop a attack, she just runs in front of the demon to protect Ava sword-in-hand, when seconds ago she was trying to kill her?

Very, very dumb. Inconsistent character and literally just there to make Ava the one who slayed the demon and the only one who can stay the ring-bearer. The end-scene felt incredibly forced. I can't understand why the writers just killed her off when there was absolutely no logical reason she should have died. Although it might have been because she couldn't see the demon? Weak writing nontheless.

The Magicians (2015–2020)

Incredible, chaotic, magical.

[10/10 · 8 July 2022]

It's incredible. The Magician's is in a way a masterpiece. The more pessimistic topics of life with humor and cheer, as well as with honest grief and desperate problems. It contains so much love in a way. And not only in a sexual way considering how it is made for 18+, but emotionally as well.

It is chaotic. It can be seen as a parody to the fantasy genre. Alcohol making Magician's better at casting and pain and sacrifice being cornerstone of the magic system. It is a beautiful mess.

I think therein lies a problem. It is too short, there isn't enough (, hard to say considering how it is often a bad thing in other shows) filler here.

Fillory, Earth, Neitherlands, Underworld. Only some of the planes, yet they are barely explored, I don't even mean how it was suddenly canceled on the fifth season. I mean how there are only 13 episodes when there should be double that amount per season. From the world of Fillory, the smaller plots happening there and more of the problems high king Margo is and will be facing, to Earth, where locations seem to always be the same. I know this most likely wasn't a very high budget production, but more exploring, more minor characters getting the spotlight and more magical locations on Earth would have been awesome to see.

The magic. There isn't enough magic. Considering how this is a show about magicians I feel like it is more about the people and the drama, which is still awesome, but the magic isn't as often used as it should be in my opinion.

The problem. This is an incredible show. Musical numbers, side characters becoming relevant and coming into the spotlight, everyone being a main character and the emotional drama. I will forever hold this as one of my top 3s, yet at the end of it, it also has some problems. There is a lot of drama, misunderstandings which then end with some kind of progress, whether within relationships or goals. The whole narrative thing also feels strange, how everyone seems to find the puzzle pieces they can put together at the end of it. The Magicians is incredible, yet it isn't flawless.

I can't however understand the current low rating 7.6. It is completely undeserved. Anything lower than an 8.2 feels like people haven't watched the show, compared to series like 'The Umbrella Academy' it is leagues better, both in depth and quality from the magic to the 'drama'. I know I shouldn't compare shows, but one which is so near to my heart having been canceled with a low rating here doesn't feel right. This show definitely deserves more love.

Moon Knight (2022)

Passable

[8/10 · 9 May 2022]

How is this show? It is like a couple of hills. High highs, low lows. One part of the story, isn't awful, with the egyptian background and the different scenes giving a nice atmosphere. The storyline on the other hand, is a bit simple.

So is the main antagonist. Sure he has a goal, which isn't incredibly awful, but from the first two episodes on he goes full stereotypical villain. He acts like a villain, not like a person.

Honestly, the Mark/Steven thing was done really well. I think that was one of the strong points of Moon Knight. Their relationship and all that also well done.

The thing which damaged that a bit, was some of the dialogue. At times you really get into it, but other times gods act like toddlers during a fight.

All in all I would recommend watching it. Binging it would be best. This isn't some masterpiece, but the all around feeling is passable, and quite a few things stick out in quality, making it a worthwhile use of time.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)

Circumventing common tropes.

[9/10 · 20 March 2022]

I am only at season 2 and I already love this. The is no doubt, that this show was ahead of its time. Though the -1 is because in the end, it is still a show for teenagers and thus there is quite frequent unnecessary drama, even that is solved within the episode, highly recommended, though it is a very character-focused show at heart.

American Horror Story (2011– )

A mixed bag

[8/10 · 1 November 2021]

This series is a horror Anthology. Different stories from different time-periods in different settings. Obviously there would also be qualitative differences. Some of these stories are incredibly engaging where you can't stop watching them. Others you just slough through to reach the end.

The acting is quite good as are the actors, but the story can get a bit predictable sometimes, though it does have it's suprises.

I would definitely recommend it to any horror fan. But I personally find the length of the episodes a problem. Not the length itself but how it is treated.

Strike the Blood (2013–2022)

It was fine

[7/10 · 1 November 2021]

It has been a while since I've seen it. But here is what I think.

The Anime itself isn't too bad the first two seasons at least. Sure they go a bit over the top with the fan-service but oh well. What I didn't like and couldn't tolerate anymore was the third season. It kind of immediately made me drop this. Sure it is a bit generic but I think there are a lot of Anime which are worse than this.

Legion (2017–2019)

Good weird

[8/10 · 3 September 2021]

It had a lot of good parts and quite a few twists and turns. But one thing I did rather hate was the absurd amount of flashbacks. Otherwise they could have explored 'Legion' a bit better rather than only David.

Cruella (2021)

We expect better disney

[7/10 · 10 June 2021]

Honestly, other than the shaky rivalry between the two main characters, the movie was pretty good. The thing which does make the movie worse though, is that this movie doesn't show cruella. It shows a girl with some personal problems who is really good at fashion. Had this not been named cruella, this movie would be a stellar 8. The problem is, with this being cruella, different things are expected. Some people are more inclined to do evil than others. The person shown in this movie wasn't one of them, and that is the problem.

Even if you've only heard the cruella theme song, you'll already know, that she is evil, ruthless. Those adjectives cannot be connected to the person portrayed in this movie. I mean, she doesn't even kill anyone! Her rival would have had a more appropriate character for that.

There is a silver lining however, the acting was awesome, as were the clothes. The dogs were the only thing which bothered me, they were just too fake.

I would recommend this movie simply because of the nice fashion and the character interactions,

Shadow and Bone (2021–2023)

A lot of traps

[9/10 · 10 June 2021]

I had mixed feelings about this, there were definitely a lot of cliches and the plot was also quite predictable. But still I give it a good rating. When using cliches or troupes there is always the danger of getting it wrong, oversimplifying, bad execution or the cliche having no merit for the story. When I watched this I often had the thought, that that would be the case here as well and often times it nearly was. But I am happy to say, they executed the cliches satisfactorily, by no means perfectly though, and they used often used cliches as well.

Still, it provided a good story, good characters with character growth and even the world-building was nice, though we have yet to experience the lands farther away from the fold.

I would recommend this, there undoubtedly are many series better than this one, but it will entertain for the few hours it provides and I doubt this season will be the last one we'll get.