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I love the books, and reread them at least once a year. Before this anime, I had not found a film or TV adaptation that I felt stayed true to the books, so I had given up. Anne with an E had great casting, but went so far off book it wasn't Anne of Green Gables anymore, and in the Megan Follows adaptation, Marilla is wearing puffed sleeves. It lost me after that. This one, on the other hand, has been extremely faithful to the books, and I love it! They've left a few things out, which I get because of time constraints, but the things they've included are book perfect! Every week I feel like doing a dance because, oh my gosh, they're including the twins! Or, we get Miss Lavendar! And oh yay, it's Phillipa! It makes me happy every time I watch it, the animation is beautiful, and the characterizations are on point!

Honestly, I really enjoyed watching this series! I love the books, and I was extremely disappointed in the original movie. This adaptation stayed true to the themes and plot of the book and all of the major incidents were covered. I loved that the episode titles were chapter titles from the book! I thought the casting overall was fantastic, especially for Grover and Luke Castellan. I can forgive the plot changes because I can see how they were trying to build the final conflict, and really emphasize how messed up the gods are and why Percy might be tempted to turn against them. The main episode that really disappointed was the Lotus Casino. Other than that, I can deal with the changes. I'm really hoping this gets renewed for the Sea of Monsters and Titans Curse! I really want to see Thalia and the di Angelos! And we still haven't had a chance to meet Apollo yet.

The entire Hunger Games franchise has been an excellent example of how movies and books can complement each other when made well, and I was completely satisfied with how the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes managed it. Despite the elimination of several scenes, and some modifications to the Games as far as when and how certain tributes died, the film was overall true to the plot and themes of the book. I found several scenes in the book confusing, especially towards the end, and seeing the character portrayals in the film helped those scenes click a lot better. I loved the casting of Rachel Zegler. The music was one of the things I was most excited about seeing adapted into film, and the songs in the film were did not disappoint. So much better than the awkward reading of the songs in the audiobook I listened to! Tom Blythe made a very believable Coriolanus Snow, and the actor for Lucky Flickerman NAILED it. Overall, a movie (and music) I will definitely be coming back to!