A good, cozy-ish story is perfect for spoopy season. The entire time I was getting more and more invested in what I was hearing. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson follows a girl, Merricat, after most of her family has died. This obligatory shut-in hates everyone in the town except for her sister and her uncle, whom she is trying to remember to be nice to. The best part of this story is that Merricat is an unreliable narrator in the best way. I don’t know if it’s because she an actual child whose seeing the world in a different way, or she is mentally disturbed. Either way, it makes for a great read for the season, figuring out the mysteries of what is up with this family and town, from this classic author. An unsettling book for a purposefully unsettling season.
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New Feminist Horror Icon
I’m love true crime, like most people it seems. When Netflix releases something that seems akin to that, I usually jump right on it, especially now that’s Spoopy month. Now, while I now that it wasn’t advertised as a documentary, I was expecting something more. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story was a horrific mess that seemed to want to be released into the world. Instead of investigating the just possible emotional and psychological damage leading to horrific crimes, this murderer, as the show claims, is turned into a sapphic, feminist icon. While humanizing someone is par for the course to try to understand a person that commits crimes, trying to celebrate them is a completely different thing entirely. Even in the show, there are flashforwards of another criminal who glorifies Borden because she was able to get away with her crimes as if that was a good thing instead of horrible. It could have just been a look at how sexism lead to an acquittal back then but won’t now. Instead, we see an unstable woman be put to death instead of getting the psychological help she needed. The show could have been a lot of things instead of the hot mess that it ended up being. It could be enjoyable if you completely turn off your brain but gets more and more awful the more you think about it. Turning a horrific woman into a icon and hero to women everywhere was disgusting use of everyone’s time.
Let’s Solve a Puzzle Pt 5
I think I’m going to make this a new tradition for Spoopy Month, at least until I finish the series. Will I only be watching the Saw now? Nope, because it is always Spoopy Month. Either way, I will continue this new tradition that I am just now making. Once I’m done with Saw, I’ll move on to another series and come back whenever a new Saw comes out. (I’ve been hearing rumors as of actually writing this, so I’ll wait and see.)
Now, back to the movie you are excited to see. As I’m sure you definitely remember from last year, I was not impressed with the previous film. It was all over the place, and I believe that characterizations were changed. Either way, we have a continuation of that shenanigans, and I think I enjoyed this one a lot more. It actually continued where I think it should have gone, and been more of a procedural drama, which is one of my favorite genres anyway. There was less focus on making the most gory scenes possible and more on the story. I am actually genuinely interested in the story again, rather than a suspicious interest, wondering if they could really pull this off with all the plot twists they are trying. I would love to say that there will continue to be a focus on the story and figuring out all of the new clues, but again, I’ve heard rumors. I have enjoyed the back-and-forth dynamic between the police department and Jigsaw, and would love to see them continue it. I unfortunately do not have my hopes up…
Not What I Was Expecting Pt 2
It was maybe nine years ago when I first watched Seven Deadly Sins; I was still an undergrad in college, and this pretty interesting show came out. It was really pervy, as lot of anime is, but had an interesting storyline behind it. Now, I finally got around to finishing it: 5 seasons of the main show, an OVA, 4 movies, and 2 seasons of a spin off, I think; there was a lot going on. This show once again takes what you’ve been expecting and turns it on it’s head several times over. A master piece on could say even though you will need a guide to watch it all in order. Now, while the original show was very good, the spin off was very lacking. I will admit that the unfinished animation style was getting to me to most; however, everything just felt slow. Everything didn’t feel like intense animated action that we got from the previous show; just lots of awkward conversations and interactions that made no sense. In my opinion, stop with the completed show, and ignore the insane cliff hander that was the spinoff unless you are going to read it. It will probably end up better that was anyways.
Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 13
On the second to last book within the land of Oz by Baum, we are now asked what to give the most powerful woman in the land. While the answer is of course something magical, it gets interesting when trying to keep said information away from said powerful woman. Everyone must figure out how to solve the problem on there own. Of course, a little bit of mischief from everyone favorite gnome king also helps. How he keeps regaining his memories is a question for another day. Also, the hijinks were amusing and par for the course of this journey down the brick road. Another adorable read about this fairytale world.
First Friends
Introversion is pretty much my biggest personality trait. My biggest weekend plans are usually watching television and playing video games. In some ways, I related too well to the protagonist of Komi Can’t Communicate. High school was horrible for me, but luckily people didn’t think I was too awesome; I was able to properly exude my weirdness. This anime was just a cozy watch to have in the background. While amusing and entertaining, the goal to make 100 friends is a bit much. I know I wouldn’t be able to do that, but it was interesting all the same. While there was no huge plot to follow, engaging none-the-less: a definite comfort watch.
How Does It Hold Up: The Hardy Boys
Another one of my literary goals is the read all of the Hardy Boys. Now that I’ve read all of my libraries collection, I’ve figured that I write a review. Also, since this is after my reading the collection of Nancy Drew, I can somewhat compare the two since they are so similar. Unlike the straight forward mysteries that encompass Nancy Drew novels, The Hardy Boys novels are more along the lines of thrillers as there are not the typically who-dun-it scenarios. Instead of the usual mysteries, we are diving into solving heists, dangerous espionage, and environmental dangers. The dangers to these two teenagers is much more real that those to Drew at times. While Drew’s boyfriend is often around to magically save her, the Hardy’s sometimes have their dad to save them, but it does feel really close when that does happen. It is a more heart-racing experience when having to follow these two boys around. They are quick and simply adventure reads with a couple of mystery components thrown in, including the best friend that magically happens to have some hobby that will magically solve the entire case. While the language is somewhat outdated, it is still a fun adventure from setup to wrap-up with all of the interesting locations they end up going to and interesting people met.
Childish Insight
It’s not too often that I enjoy that I enjoy a show where the central character is a child just living their everyday life. Usually, I get so bored without some given conflict or some other thing going on. Instead, I was sucked into the world of Kotoru Lives Alone. Kotoru’s monotone and bleak understanding of the world is somewhat wholesome, until I remember that I’m adult watching the show. Instead of lighthearted and cute, the world takes a much darker tone that I ever imagined. This darker tone was what kept me engaged. It wasn’t anything that was necessarily happening on screen but the implications that drew me in episode after episode. This isn’t a fell good story, but a very memorable one.
Travel to Now
In a world full of time travel books, it is not often that time travel happens in today’s day and age. Usually, it is a historical drama set in the past or a Sci-Fi epic taking place in a distant future. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley explores the premise of those from the past being transported to today. The premise was really good, and I enjoyed it, but the book was a bit of a drag in some areas. While everything wraps up clearly in the end and you get the idea of why things were included, there were moments that just moved too slowly. It was an interesting way to explore the changing times and societal expectations; however, the exploration wasn’t as in-depth as I was expecting. Can I also just be sad that my ship didn’t sail, because my ship didn’t sail. Personally, I thought it would have been a more compelling story, but the author probably felt differently, even though it was set up so beautifully. Slow but an interesting way to incorporate a modern exploration of time travel.
New 60s Classic
I’ve been going through a slight phase where I am trying to find some of the oldest anime possible. While I could only find Princess Knight in English, it has all of the classic cartoon charm that I love: obvious clip art being moved in front of a camera, the same animation being played repeatedly, forward and backward, and villains that sound like goofy mafia bosses. This was before the classic style of anime we know today, so if I hadn’t been watching on Crunchyroll, I probably would have thought I was watching a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. And I must say that this anime was at least very trans-positive for the time, or they just completely forgot that the protagonist was trans about halfway through production; I cannot decide which. We at least start Princess Knight with Prince Knight, an AFAB prince who must hide the fact that he is trans. And then, of course, chaos ensues with wacky hijinks and plans that definitely shouldn’t work. It was a fun, laid-back anime that felt like I was watching Saturday Morning Cartoons again. The nostalgia was great.
