The Toad's Burrow

      Arcade games were always a bit ahead of my time, as by the time I was old enough to play games, the only ones I had were old SNK arcade machines in the decrepit mall my mom once worked in again, and the smelly corridors of Chuck E Cheese. While Metal Slug  was right there at my fingertips, it was clearly too difficult for me to play, especially at the quarter per life price, and frankly it was never colourful enough to excite me that much, so my game of choice was the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time .      To anyone old enough to have never used an arcade machine, I pity you, because this was the quintessential arcade game, and at Chuck E Cheese, much to the chagrin of my parents, I spent as much as I could, on this game. And to me, that's what River City Girls invokes, it's not attempting to reinvent the wheel, but it's pastiche, it has the absurdity that comes with such a lively and vibrant palette, and the gameplay t...

      I'd like to preface this by saying Kobeni best girl, and not ever mentioning it ever again. Frankly, there's not much to say about Chainsaw Man , its a shonen that's fast, bloody and enjoyable. It's not Evangelion  trying to pack in as much religious imagery as possible, nor is it an Attack on Titan  attempting to make some allegory about war, but it is still damn good. I remember first hearing that it would be the next big anime, as I tend to watch all the popular shonens coming out, so I as diligent as ever, decided to read the manga so I would have been caught up by the time the series rolled around.     And boy, was that certainly a mistake. Now, I'll admit, I'm a bit of an obsessive, and that means I like to hyperfocus on whatever I'm watching, which in turn means binging, but binging Chainsaw Man  might have been a mistake. It's just that there's not much in-between the arcs of the manga, it's straight violence in and out, and so, wit...

      I'll be the first to say I was excited to watch Wednesday  when I heard it was excited. As an avid lover of fantasy and all things magic, I had some high hopes to say the least. And, even if Tim Burton has made really weird comments about white people and diversity in media, I'll admit, he has a good track record when it comes to making quality products of art. I think if I had to describe Wednesday  with one phrase, one thing that sets it apart from most other Netflix productions, it would have to be focus, and god does it do that well.     I mean no disrespect to other Netflix shows I've watched, such as The Umbrella Academy  and The Witcher , but one thing I've noticed plagued almost every Netflix show is that it inevitably gets stretched too thin, or viewers get a peek into a storyline they really did not need at all. At first, when I first started Wednesday  I didn't realize this, until I got to the very end, and I very much apprec...

      As an avid Kero Kero Bonito fan, I'll admit that Time 'n' Place  wasn't my favourite project by them at first. Like many other KKB fans, I originally got into the band through Bonito Generation  a project oozing with charm and nostalgia that beckoned for the days of yesteryear. I thought that Time 'n' Place  was more inconsistent, and I had yet to truly appreciate both slower songs, and noisier palettes in my music. However, ever since I've grown up, I've began to appreciate KKB's sophomore project much more, appreciating the growth shown from their debut to their sophomore album just that much more. Growing up is scary, there's no question about it, but that doesn't mean you still can't have fun, and that certainly doesn't mean you can't be scared of what's to come, and that's what I think this album perfectly encapsulates. So without further ado, my track-by-track scores of Time 'n' Place  by Kero Kero Boni...

     Is it not just as noble to have something so comforting, so lighthearted, as a grand complex dark drama? That's the thought I had when watching Spy x Family , a wonderfully cute anime about a family of outcasts trying to fit in. When my friend told me that this was THE anime of the season I was a bit skeptical, I mean it seemed like it'd have a lot of intrigue, so I checked out the first episode when it came out. And god, this anime is exactly what I needed.     Look, I don't mean to disrespect what anyone else does on their free time, but sometimes it's good to just unwind. Since it came out every weekend, I watched each episode Sunday morning, and it was great to just tune in every week to watch a cutesy anime about a family goofing around constantly. Will it ultimately feel as impactful as an anime like Death Parade  or Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood ? No, of course not, but it doesn't need to, and why do people act like it's wrong for that? ...

     I remember when my friend first introduced me to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure , I was skeptical, I mean all he showed me were the really weird poses and the flamboyant outfits. I mean he also loved to belt the theme song from the top of his lungs which didn't help, so it's not like I wasn't skeptical for a reason. Not to mention, the show is ridiculously long, who wouldn't feel daunted to start an anime series whose manga started in 1987? I have to admit though, once I started I was hooked, especially considering it was one of the very first anime series I willingly chose to watch, as I was a bit wary of the medium up until that point.          Frankly, I think it's a good thing I started off with JJBA, because it was so ridiculous at times, and as someone who adored comic books and superheroes, it felt good to have these colourful casts supercharged with powers that really tested your imagination. And I have to admit, Stone Ocean continues ...

     I wouldn't say I'm the biggest rap fan. Frankly, if I listen to any rap it's because it's on the poppier side and has some soul influence, sort of like some of Kanye's stuff. There are also some rap songs I just think go hard, and that I can vibe to, and I enjoy those too, but those are much more far and few than a common appearance in my playlist. So when my friend Sweaty recommended Cheat Codes  by Danger Mouse and Black Thought I was intrigued, after all it was described as "Jazz Rap" and while I may not be a Jazz expert I can appreciate it when it comes on, so without further ado, I present my track by track scores. Cheat Codes by Danger Mouse and Black Thought Sometimes – 85/100 Shoutout Danger Mouse, I am already really digging the production on this song, I also just love samples, especially when they’re from soul music so this is easily a great song. Cheat Codes – 70/100 I like how these songs know not to overstay their welcome. Sometimes when...

      I'll admit it, I've been a Rick and Morty Fan  for quite some time by this point. I remember watching the series around when I was 12 or 13 near the beginning of season 2, I think around grade 7, which would be 2015 or 2016ish, and I never looked back at it. I think as a child, what I really enjoyed, was that it had a bunch of weird, dumb characters, and it never took itself quite too seriously with all of the random absurdist humour. I mean if I had describe this show, it would be like a group of people who are chronically online throw paint at a wall and see what comes out.     Don't get me wrong, I love some blotches, but let's be real, sometimes it does go too far. I'm looking at you Naruto the giant incest baby, plus the weird horse make out, what in the world did I even watch last season? But this isn't about season 5, this is about season 6, which I thought it a good job of fleshing out a show that was clearly beginning to feel too cramped in i...

      Picture this, I'm pitching a movie, it's called All I Want For Christmas Is You , and the premise is that there's a make a wish campaign from a girl who is suffering from a terminal illness, and she starts a viral social media campaign to see her lover, or a celebrity, or frankly anyone on Christmas. Ok experiments over, that's basically how I imagine  Last Christmas got pitched to a bunch of movie executives . While I could see the connection to the song a mile away, frankly I was blown away by the absolute audacity of the producers to even attempt something so nonsensical, and come out with a product that could have easily been worse?     Like I kid you not, this entire movie felt like an excuse to play George Michael songs. I mean I'm not that familiar with either his solo music, or Wham!'s discography, so I didn't mind because some of the songs were nice, but really? I mean at points it was just so obviously hamfisted into the movie that it made i...

      Oftentimes, I find a complaint of mine with movies is that not enough happened, the events are too far and few and I feel as if more could have easily been packed into a story that didn't move along well enough. Oddly enough, Marriage Story was not one of those movies. I'm not saying I came into Marriage Story  expecting to dislike it, I had actually seen the clip of them arguing when the movie first came out, and had put it on the backburner until now, when my friend Erock recommended it to me. It's just, I expected to like the film, but I came out liking it for different reasons than I thought I would.      Now I'm no movie expert or snob, so usually when I say an actor/actress performed well in a movie I mean that nothing ever felt goofy to me, there was no moment where my suspension of disbelief was broken, where the veil I put on my eyes was violently ripped off by poor acting. But by God the acting in this movie is ridiculously good, my hat...

      I know what people are going to say "Nine Inch Nails is such a critically acclaimed band how did you find them underwhelming at all". I mean, part of the reason I found them so underwhelming was because of the immense hype behind them. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't hate this album, it's just that I saw so many people give it near perfect scores that I was just confused, I knew that they were a relatively noisy band and frankly I'm ok with that, but then I listened to the whole thing, and I just ended up wanting more out of them. My friend CJ really hyped this album up hard, he told me that it was loud and abrasive and that it was industrial metal but listening to it just made me go oh? Perhaps I'm missing something but I really wish Trent Reznor sang more, and that this album just had more. It's so unbearably long to the point where any song that doesn't really have any action on it shows quite hard. So without further ado, here are my rat...

      Jackie Chan is an odd figure for me. On one hand I absolutely idolized him as a kid, I thought he was the coolest Asian guy who did all of his stunts and could absolutely go toe to toe with Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee (remember those two? the 2000's were a different era). Anyways, my adoration for him has dropped considerably, because while I do appreciate the representation of Asian people in media, I didn't realize he was kind of an asshole. It made me wonder, did I just watch everything he did with rose tinted glasses, because while I've never watched Police Story , watching it now has not exactly given me the most favourable view of him.     Did he actually direct, write and star in this movie, because its hot garbage. Perhaps I'm not the right audience, but I can't say I enjoyed any part of this film. Now, as a child my parents loved these kind of foreign low budget films, only they'd watch it with Vietnamese dubbing over it, making it all the more cor...

      I only have one thing and one thing only to say about this show. Justice for Gerry and James. These poor blokes get shafted at every chance, and frankly I didn't think any of the characters were that likeable outside or Orla, Joe and Sister Michael. It's kind of weird actually, I feel bad for Gerry, but at the same time I enjoy Joe, even though he is the source of all of Gerry's pain. I don't really know how to describe Derry Girls , its almost too lighthearted I suppose.      I mean, if you're looking for some deep, long show with loads of character development well then I'm afraid you won't be getting anything of the sort. In fact, you never even really get any sort of origin story for these characters, they're all just sort of there. Like with most slice of life shows, there's some overarching plotline that people can follow, and at the very least some character development, but it simply doesn't exist here. Rarely do any of the characte...