I've seen this film a few times over the nearly 20 years (!!!!) since its release, but its been a good while and I never watched it during the holiday season. I'm really glad I did, because this film genuinely embodies the Christmas spirit and that childhood wonder of "anything is possible" better than most so-called "classic" Christmas films.
I could see someone critiquing this film as unbelievable, that everything happens by coincidence, and that's true. But I think they're missing the point. Every coincidence is a happy coincidence, clearly trying to convey the message that no matter how bad a situation can be, how trapped
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Dec 5, 2022
Kagen no Tsuki
(Manga)
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VOL. 1: Decided to give something different a go on a whim, and I'm glad I did! While this generally isn't the type of manga I go for, I can't deny that it hooked me pretty quickly and I'm very invested already in seeing where things go. The characters are all very likeable, the artwork is superb, and the story hits on a ton of different genres, from comedy to romance to mystery, all very deftly. The melancholy atmosphere that's built here is great, and overall this just felt like a breath of fresh air to me in contrast to what I'm usually drawn to.
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Dec 5, 2022
Death's Reflection
(Manga)
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Four stories from one of the three kings of manga macabre (the other two being Kazuo Umezu and Junji Ito, of course). Features his take on the urban legend of cursed long, black hair (with a very gory twist!), a creepy tale of a classroom of students that disappears, a mystery killer, and what would likely be the best anti-smoking PSA any school-age kid in Japan could read. The shojo style artwork juxtaposed against the style used for the ghosts, blood and guts, which any fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will immediately fall in love with, is jarring and what makes
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Dec 5, 2022
Anamorphosis no Meijuu
(Manga)
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The short stories that are included in this present some of the most depraved, fucked up situations to the reader, but are actually played for laughs, in turn creating some the darkest humor I've came across in some time, and I kinda love it. I've read only the first volume of Dementia 21, so that's all of Kago's work I've been exposed to up until now, and these shorts came out of left field for me, and in the best way possible.
They hit even stranger, because 3/4s of this collection is dedicated to the title story, Anamorphosis, which gave me all the vibes I expected ... 
Dec 4, 2022
Lots of ecchi, sci-fi comedic fun from the studio and many of the creators behind Tenchi Muyo. If you like the aesthetic of the Tenchi OVAs, then your eyeballs will definitely take a liking to what they're seeing here. In fact, even the tone and story in many ways mirrors Tenchi, with Photon, being the unassuming hero that all the girls end up falling in love with due to his bravery and selflessness. You know the famous hot springs episode of Tenchi? Was it one of your favorites? Well you'll be rolling around in this series like a pig in shit, then. It's basically naughty
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Nov 30, 2022
Petshop of Horrors
(Anime)
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Haven't seen this in nearly two decades, and boy was that a mistake. I remember enjoying it as a horror fan, but I didn't recall it being as incredible as I thought it was this time around. This is such a melancholy, bittersweet experience, intertwined with some truly horrific moments and scenarios. All four tales told are excellent, and while they all end up going in much the same moral direction, it doesn't hurt the impact of them at all. The character design is phenomenal and the animation is drop-dead gorgeous. These are some great moralistic horror fables, and anyone interested in that type of
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Nov 30, 2022
Umezu Kazuo no Noroi
(Anime)
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Wow, this was something completely different! Why isn't there more horror anime like this? It's basically a great '80s/'90s type horror anthology, just in an animated form, that tells two genuinely creepy tales. It doesn't have any of the usual anime tropes of the time whatsoever, it just wants to tell some great horror stories in the most authentic way possible. The animation literally looks like Umezu's artwork come to life, which is a beautiful thing to see. The soundtrack is incredibly effective as well. The more I see (and read) of Kazuo Umezu's work, the more it saddens me that his stuff isn't as
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Nov 30, 2022
Warau Hyouteki
(Anime)
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Back in the mid '90s, I got a catalog in the mail from The Right Stuf International, which was a mail-order smorgasbord of all of the anime they had for sale. There was a ton of artwork and stills throughout the hefty book, with some amazing looking stuff, and I wanted it all! Of course, being 13 years old at the time, and also having a comic book and video game habit, I could only afford to occasionally make an order, as anyone that was into anime at the time can attest to, this stuff was expensive.
Laughing Target was one that had always caught ... 
Nov 30, 2022
Youseiki Suikoden
(Anime)
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A Rambo clone, a drag queen, a yakuza nun, a militaristic priest, a suit-wearing samurai, reincarnation, exploding heads, religious mysticism...you'll get all that and more in a mere 45 minutes with this early '90s OVA that just flies by with a brisk pace, well-done animation and a decently satisfying ending. I can't deny that this is the Chinese food equivalent of entertainment, something that you'll forget all about and leave you hungering for more very quickly, but it's fun while it lasts and fits the criteria nicely if you're looking for a quick fix of anime excess from the good 'ol days.
Nov 30, 2022
Dwaeji-ui Wang
(Anime)
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I've been interested in Yeon Sang-ho's early animated films since watching Train to Busan a few years back, and having finally tracked them down, I started off with his first full-length, The King of Pigs. There's been countless live-action and animated films about kids in school that are bullied and don't have great live outside of the classroom either, but I can't think of many that are as depressing and bleak as this is. While not in the same upper-echelon as films such as Requiem for a Dream or Dancer in the Dark, this had the same sort of complex emotional effect on me as
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