Gondre19Wedj

I've wanted to see this movie ever since I heard the song "U" in 2021. 4 years later, and it absolutely lived up to the hype I built up for it. Belle is visually and audibly stunning. An interesting modern take on "Beauty and the Beast," it reimagines the story in creative ways that kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to unravel the new mysteries. I don't think they were too deeply hidden, but I also don't think it necessarily spelled it out for the viewer either. I loved all the characters and found them easy to latch onto. My only real gripe I have with the movie is that the first two acts feel a little rushed at points. I wish it took a little more time to linger. I loved the points where the characters got each other into slightly awkward situations, and the camera just let the characters and audience sit in the awkwardness. It worked really well, and I wish the whole film felt like that. It wasn't a terrible issue for me, as the rest of the story was endearing, and I just fell in love with it.

I'm not sure why, but the story of Cinderella is one of my favourites. This was an extremely well-done version of it. The set and costume design was magnificent, the casting was great, the acting was on point, and it delivers almost everything from a faithful retelling of the Disney classic.

I did have a few issues with this version, though. It felt very fast-paced, somehow. There wasn't a lot of time to linger on some of the setup, the ball, or the aftermath. I just wanted a little more everywhere, which is weird cause this was 1 hour 40min long before credits. I appreciate being able to see Ella's family before tragedy, but it felt very quick.

I think my biggest gripe is with the narration. There was A LOT of narration. It did really help in the beginning to setup the step-family side, but it didn't stop and continued throughout the movie. This resulted in a lot of telling and very little showing. I would have loved to see Kit need to be good and brave more than we see to understand why Ella explained that to the King. That central message could've hit a little harder with some more showing and a little less telling.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I think this is the definitive live action version of Cinderella.

At time of review, I've seen 8/12 episodes, but I need to get my thoughts out.

When I first heard of this anime, I couldn't help but laugh at the concept. I really haven't paid any mind to the guild receptionists of other anime, so this is a really interesting spin on the fantasy anime genre. The show does try to work its concept to the fullest, and I think it mostly succeeds. It's hilarious, and Alina is a really fun protagonist who, in my opinion, has some decent motivation for living the life she's trying to live. Her relationship with the love interest is a lot of fun and these two carry the show.

Unfortunately, this show does still have a lot of flaws. Most other characters feel weaker/underdeveloped so that the show can focus on Alina and Jade (and Lululee to a surprising amount). The red haired guy in the adventuring party who I can't even remember the name of especially suffers. In fact, I think I've seen him use only a single spell the entire show. Frankly, he may be one of the most useless anime characters ever. The animation itself isn't fantastic, especially in action scenes, except when Alina is doing some of her big OHKO moves and the monster dies. (The anime industry is known for overworking the artists, so I'm laying blame with the studio and not the artists themselves).

I will be finishing this anime, as I enjoy watching Alina and Jade, but it is really hard to recommend this to many people.

6/10

Update: Man, this anime was objectively terrible. Frankly, the main joke/gimmick wore off by the end. The animation got worse and worse after every episode and the main bad guy of the season was super underwhelming. The last 4 episodes were absolutely terrible.

All that said, this was a fun bad for the first half of the season. I probably should've stopped while I was enjoying it cause it really went downhill. I would recommend this as an ironic watch, but you probably shouldn't finish the whole season.

2/10.