Sunday, 18 June 2017

Disney Favourites: Villains

Everybody loves a good villain, and by that I mean you love to hate them which means they are simply doing their job. A good villain shouldn't be liked by an audience, they should annoy the audience because they are getting in their heroes way but not be annoying simply because they're just annoying as a character. So, here I have my top five Disney Villains. Yep, throwing it back to my Disney favourites series because there has been a lot of anime chat on here recently. Ok, let's go!

5. The horned King - Starting this list off with a villain that way too many do not know about. In
1985 Disney released an animated feature with honestly one of the most nightmare material villains one will ever see in a Disney Film, or any family friendly feature. The Horned King is terrifying, sends shivers right down my spine and is the reason I don't watch his film very much (because I actually really like it, the film itself is so underrated). And so is this Villain, that certainly needs a shout out as he is probably responsible for this film being one of the least profitable films Walt Disney Animation studios has ever made because he is freakin' terrifying.

4. Ursula - Here we have a villain that is very scary for my almost three year old niece, she's cool with her until she becomes a giant at the end. Ursula is sassy, and conniving, she knows what she wants and how to trick others into getting it for her. Honesty, Ursula is such a fun villain to watch and I look forward to her being played by a drag queen in the upcoming live-action film because c'mon how could she not be?!

3. Captain Hook - Perhaps one of the most pathetic (I'm sorry) villains on this list. I mean c'mon no matter how hard he tries he can't catch a prankster that never grows up. Peter Pan is like what 10 maybe? and Hook cannot catch him. The man is also terrified of a ticking crocodile and jumps onto his righthand man whenever he hears that clock going. I love you Captain Hook simply because you are one of the most fun Disney Villains.

2. Hades - And here is the most fun Disney Villain. Hades is so sassy, it probably helps that James Woods is quite sassy but hey whatcha gonna do? (If you didn't say that as Hades I may be slightly judging you just a little bit) Hades' plan is pretty good, if only he had better sidekicks that could actually do their job and not wear the heroes merchandise. A solid plan, a great script matched with a great voice actor, and in one of the best Disney films, of course Hades had to make it onto this list.

1. Maleficent - This probably comes at no surprise if you have read my first Disney favourites but Maleficent is my most favourite Disney Villain and has been for years. For starters she is gorgeous, like seriously look at her (those cheekbones could cut glass). She is also so badass, living alone in a castle, millions of minions at her service, wearing all black, being the most feared creature across the land. Maleficent is a badass and honestly probably has the most understandable reason for her wicked deeds. She was pissed because she was the only person not invited to Aurora's christening or Birth party, what person wouldn't be pissed. I mean she takes it to the extreme of being pissed, but as priorly mentioned she is a badass.


Thank you for taking your time to read my Disney ramble, I am very happy to have you. Make sure to come back next week as I put up blog posts every Sunday at 7 o'clock UK time. And if you think others should take a read of my ramble why don't you share this with your friends on Facebook or Twitter.

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Sunday, 11 June 2017

Animes for First Timers

Are you interested in starting to watch the weird and wonderfulness that is anime but don't know when to start? If you said yes, then this is the blog post for you! I have put together my top five anime shows for new comers. When you first start to consider watching anime it can be quite daunting because there is just so many to choose from across so many different genres. My number one tip would be to pick a show that is categorised within your favourite genre, whether that be horror or romance or whatever else takes your fancy. However, even when you do that there are Japanese culture things that might pop up that you don't quite get, you will probably get used to it over a few series or even episodes but for this list I've tried to suggest shows that are quite western, so should be good for people that don't know very much about Japanese culture.
  1. Cowboy Bebob - This one is a space western mixed with film noir. It is set in space, on a spaceship and is quite firefly-esque in design. If you like firefly then you will most likely enjoy this show too. It is funny, with interesting characters, but also has a darker storyline that is weaved throughout the series (this is the noir part of the series). For the most part it is bounty hunters in space having hilarious adventures whilst catching criminals. Great for first timers because it is quite a short series and doesn't have too much Japanese culture incorporated into the show past their food to be honest.
  2. My Hero Academia - This series is relatively new but has already gathered quite the following, although the fanbase isn't very intimidating like some other shows. It follows the genre of superhero/comic book, and is very western in its style because of this genre. It is very funny and the characters have been created so well. Also, if your an animation dork (like me) you will appreciate the phenomenal animation, it's so smooth and colourful and beautiful. It is set in Japan but because it is based around superheroes it doesn't focus very much on regular Japanese life so the different culture won't be hard to understand to someone that doesn't know much about Japan. 
  3. Attack On Titan - Harrowing, teenagers fighting giant human-like creatures that eat people for the fun of eating people. It is definitely in the horror/mystery genre and is so intriguing to watch. the animation style is quite unique and the story is so out there and gripping. Every episode is a cliffhanger that makes you click the next episode before the five second countdown on Netflix finishes (It's also on CrunchyRoll for non-netflix subscribers). Again it is reasonably short coming to around 30 episodes as I write this post as the long awaited season two has finally come out after I think three or four years. This isn't set in Japan as it is a dystopian world where all humans are gathered within gigantic walls in order to prevent Titan attacks so again not much Japanese culture to confuse unknowing viewers. You could watch it dubbed and probably wouldn't realise that it was Japanese until you googled it to be honest. 
  4. Kill La Kill - This is honestly one of the most absurd and hilarious anime shows I have ever
    watched, and probably will ever watch. This show is so unique in its style and narrative. It's quirky, and stands out against all the others in this list. It's so strange and absurd but still strangely believable and able to suck you into its world so easily. The series is about a girl that wants to find her fathers killer by attending a school that wants to take over the world with their super power giving clothing. It's weird and wonderful, it's overt the top and satirical of other things one would find in anime. As much as it's a great first anime its a great one to re-watch once you've seen a few more series as you'll then understand these satirical references. 
  5. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - It's set in another world where alchemy takes place. Alchemy is a kind of science based magic where whatever you make takes from something else. The series is about two brothers who have had to pay their own ultimate prices for their alchemy. They go on adventures and try to find out more about their world and the science of alchemy. This is the longest anime on this list, hence why it is last, at 60 episodes and a film. However, it is very western and the dubbed version is actually really good (so good my friend didn't think it was anime but some old nickelodeon show). Highly recommend to new anime watchers but even someone that is just looking for a new animated show to watch, or even just TV series in general. 

I hope you have found something that tickles your fancy. All of these Anime shows are available on CrunchyRoll and/or Netflix (apart from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood). Thank you for taking your time to read my Anime ramble and I am very happy to have you. Make sure to come back next week as I put up blog posts every Sunday at 7 o'clock UK time. And if you think others should take a read of my ramble why don't you share this with your friends on Facebook or Twitter.

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Sunday, 4 June 2017

A Silent Voice (2017, Yamada)

  Oh, it is just simply beautiful. Does that intro tell any returning reader that I cried at this film, possibly but it's true, I did. Ok, so this film tells the story of Shoya Ishida and why he has reached the conclusion that ending his life is the best thing for him to do. Don't worry this isn't a spoiler, it's literally the opening scene of the film. The narrative follows him after he backs away from this conclusion and what he is going to do to make up for his younger self's actions.
  The narrative is heartwarming and makes you think about things you have done that you should have done differently or just simply not at all. The animation is so beautiful and has a nice colour scheme, very pastel based but still realistic. The characters are very likeable but don't do very likeable things. As a viewer one can understand that they aren't mean people, they just did mean things to someone that had no control of what they were being mean about. It is a case of kids being kids, but also showcasing that this shouldn't be a saying that is regularly said when a child does something that isn't ok. The relationships displayed in the film are strange, it's as though they shouldn't work but they do.
   Overall, the film is so well done and realistic. It is an animation and a film, it isn't real but it feels so based in reality that its narrative simply absorbs you into it. It is a beautifully executed narrative on a subject that could be done very badly, although I believe that this has a lot to do with the source material which is also very beautiful and well executed. I would recommend to 15+ because of the strong theme of suicide, but other than that age rating I would recommend to anyone that enjoys animation, romance, and reflection.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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