Drabble Geeks

Geeks…Being Total Geeks.

Tag: action

Patterns on Our Skin

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This will probably be the only time that I admit that it took me too long to watch something. Usually, I stick to my gigantic list to “Want to Watch” and the time comes when the time comes. I will admit that I was completely and utterly wrong about K-Pop Demon Hunters. I thought it was being overhyped, but it wasn’t. If you search around my blog you know that I love Japanese media. When my dad said I should watch it, I blew it off because obviously he confused the two countries. He may have had a point.

K-Pop Demon Hunters may quite possibly be my favorite movie of the year, and not just because I don’t really watch new movies. It has everything. Amazing animation, lovable characters, action, drama, and a dash of romance. Going further than the understanding of three Korean pop-stars who fight and save the world from a demon takeover through song who be too many spoilers for this amazing story. I am also sometimes skeptical of in-universe soundtracks, but the songs are beautiful and heartwarming. I’ve either had them on repeat or stuck in my head for days now. Check it out, if you haven’t, because at this point it is a complete sin. Seriously, drop everything and run, don’t walk, to your nearest Netflix account.

Another thing that I’ve done since watching this movie is find the Korean translations and a couple of people who are speaking on some of the aspects of Korean culture that I, as an American, would not get. It’s been really interesting how much deeper the story gets with some of the extra background people are supplying. I would explain it, but again, spoilers… Just know that I am expecting some amazing cosplays for these characters. I make no promises, however, since my cosplay game is sorely lacking.

Fighting for Death

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I don’t often read shounen manga, but this has been on my list for a while. I was told that it was amazing, and I couldn’t wait. The manga of interest today is Bleach by Tite Kubo. Very simply, you follow a boy named Ichigo, who is able to talk with ghosts. One day, he stumbles across a Soul Reaper, hijinks ensue, and he becomes a Soul Reaper himself. I think that’s all I can really say about this three-arc story without giving too many spoilers.

While the fights were interesting and the transformations were gorgeous, the story was a rollercoaster in terms of plot. The first and last arcs were amazing and kept my attention. The second arc, while each individual volume was good, I couldn’t have cared less about that story. I can’t really get into why I don’t care without spoilers for everything else, but honestly, you can just get away with reading the outer arcs. It also didn’t feel necessary. I had a friend tell me that Kubo may have been forced to write the second arc, and I completely believe it. The story could have ended after the first arc, and I would have been happy. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the last arc, and it was beautiful and gripping, but I could have lived without the drag that was the second arc. Overall, it’s a fantastic story, and I’m eager to see what the anime is like. Perhaps the show performed better with the second arc, given that they had more time to develop the story.

How Does It Hold Up: Nancy Drew

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One of my goals in life is the read the entirety of the Nancy Drew series. All 175 books. Why was this a goal in my life? I have no clue. Anyway, I have finally got to the end of my library’s catalog of Nancy Drew books, I figure now is a better time than any. To start, the original books were initially published in 1930. That becomes super important as you continue with these books. Payphones. What are those? Strange words that you look up that end up being considered slurs now? It’s just the time.

That stuff out of the way, I’ve been enjoying myself reading the books. Some times I’m flipping through past chapters trying to figure out if there was something I missed. Others, I pretty confident in who the criminal is from the first couple of chapters, but unsure as to how we are going to get our evidence. Whelp, no need to hard proof when everyone confesses, so I guess we can move on. One the the things that got me every time was Nancy not calling someone to tell her where she was going. Excuse me, shouldn’t you be calling your dad? Oh, there’s literally no phone around. Could you leave a message, at least? Oh, no answering machines. The only thing that made this better was that after the initial publications, I once read, that they turned Nancy into an eighteen year old instead of the thirteen year old she was originally published as. I think I would have more problems had she not been a legal adult. Also, the boyfriend plot lines would have been even more awkward. Yes, that becomes an entire thing, but at least boyfriends are just the help and not the main sleuth.

Unfortunately, I have yet to read of the books, and I still feel the need to questions all of these characters questionable life choices while trying to figure out the criminal before anyone else. (I mean, what else am I supposed to do.) If anyone can find me more sources to find the books, I would be eternally gratefully. It shouldn’t be this hard to get my children’s mystery fix.

How Does It Hold Up: Jurassic Park

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I almost feel ashamed to say this, but I think this is the best platform to say this. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Jurassic Park. I know, “how did I go twenty-six years before seeing this movie? Surely, you’ve seen some clips, right?” I went into this movie being told that it has some of the best CGI of an older movie, it was way better than the trash that was Jurassic World, and there is a book series. So now, this being the first time I’ve seen this movie, I’m here to say that this movie holds up very well.

Being a scientist, I’ll admit that I went into the movie trying to find problems with the science. I can’t help it; it’s what I do. Other than the one time they mentioned DNA and showed a picture of RNA, pretending someone can handle liquid nitrogen with their bare hands, and the slightly weird conversation about default sex, the science was pretty solid and believable. Yes, I did suspend my disbelief knowing that the science of bringing extinct species back to life had come this far in the 1990s, but it is still fascinating to look at the past understanding with where science currently is. Also, some of the ethical questions brought up in the movie are some of the same ethical questions we are looking at now with genetically engineering extinct species. Current conversations include bringing back the dodo, Woolly Mammoths, and some ancient type of tiger. I will admit that I am of two minds on this conundrum, in case anyone was wondering. I think if we can, we should bring back species that are extinct due to human influence, but those from natural selection, I don’t really see going too well. I have no justification or reasoning really, but that is currently where I stand.

Now, let’s talk about my main problem with the movie: Why did Dr. Sattler not get a gun? There was an entire locker full of guns as she was running around outside where we knew the dinosaurs had started escaping, yet they were thinking that only the men should have guns. There was a point where they bring up the sexism of the situation as the only physically-abled person available, but they still decided to run with this. Yes, it’s super minor in the scheme of everything, but that really pushed my buttons. You can give Dr. Sattler a gun and have Goldblum have his “French Girl” moment and have nothing about the movie change.

After seeing this movie, I am finally giving in to my exclamations that I will eventually see the eventual series and then eventually read the books. So, be on the lookout for my reviews of those. I’m actually really excited to see this series. Let’s see where this goes. I am skeptical about the number of sequels considering there are only two books, and there was a pretty solid out for any other movies. We’ll just have to see.

Escaping the Underworld

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Imagine this: you are trapped in the underworld with your father, but what to do anything to escape, including taking down hordes of enemies in the way and getting help from your estranged family members. That is Hades in a nutshell. This is an action-packed room-based procedurally generated game taking place in the Underworld of Greek Mythology as you follow Zagreus, son of Hades, in trying to reach the surface.

Not only is the game gorgeous and amazingly voice-acted, but the action is also very seamless and responsive. It could be because I’m used to crappy computers, but I am used to playing action games that do nothing but stutter and take seconds before a response from the on-screen character. I recently got this game on the switch, and now I am saving up all my money possible to buy a better computer so I can feel this fantastic playing an action game in the future. I just don’t want to stop playing because of the fantastic gameplay and heart-touching story I wasn’t expecting. I would highly recommend anyone picking up this beautifully made game.

Studio Ghibli Made a Video Game

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Like the title says, the Studio Ghibli’s beautiful style haws been added to a video game, or something that you could call a video game. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but I would definitely say that it is not for everyone. Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds boasts itself as a MMORPG featuring some classic classes such as witches, rangers, and swordsmen. I, of course, chose a witch to “play” as.

To be honest, this is more a beautiful cinematic that you enjoy to watch with a side of research management. I large part of the game is managing your inventory and leveling up your weapons and pets. I really am enjoying the story beats, but if you are looking for a hardcore MMORPG in which every single button press effects the action, this is not the game for you. If you want something mindless to do and just want the pretty colors go by like I do, you might really enjoy it. There are some customizations options, but all the classes are gender- and race-locked, so be prepared for everyone looking more or less the same.

The game is available in the Apple and Google Play store. There also seems to be a pretty active PC port if that is your cup of tea. I am currently a level sixty witch, and even though at times it’s a grind, I haven’t felt the need to buy experience boosts are anything, so I do think it is pretty balanced in a way. Of course that fact that you can buy stuff is thrown in your face every couple of levels, it’s not necessary to continue.

Murder High School

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Think about it: going to high school, only to be locked in, and finding a body a couple of days in. You would think that it’s out of this world, but instead it’s Danganronpa. I’ve played the first two games as my computer can’t handle the third, but I absolutely loved every moment that I played.

Danganronpa is an insane story with so many plot twists that revolve around solving murders in a think-tank style of accusing everyone without having a single piece of evidence or shred of logic. The characters are lovable and hate-able and each have their own unique characteristics that make getting to know each character an experience. There is also an amazing villain to top everything off. If you are not into learning more about the characters, you can skip this. The art style is unique in that everything seems 2D in a 3D world while other parts stick with the typical animal style with a sprinkle other others. Ether way, it is a gorgeous experience, but do know that there are some very dark themes that I don’t know if I could explain without major spoilers.

Test for Your Life Pt 3

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Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau was the exciting conclusion to The Testing trilogy. I was completely and utterly unprepared for the twists and turns that the story took me down. I don’t know how Charbonneau does it, but as soon as you feel as if you know about something, you need to forget about everything you thought you knew.

In this exciting edition, we are working to dismantle an entire system with the help of friends we’ve made along the way against the enemies we’ve made along the way. I think this was the perfect ending. It answered questions while at the same time leaving things open-ended with all the possibilities that our protagonist could do. Also, leaving society to go either way at the end of the conflict is a theme that appears continuously in the story. It was a great way to close the loop. There is a prequel, but I will not be covering it here. As it was written, the trilogy was beautiful on its own, and I’m totally okay with not knowing what happened before.

Test for Your Life Pt 2

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Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau was an exciting continuation of The Testing trilogy. Instead of university entrance exams, there are program entrance exams. And of course, I’m using exams loosely. While there is a standardized test, there is more than passing classes to survive. There is the lovely ritual of messing with all the new kids. That thing that everyone just loves and in no way will go wrong.

This book does a fantastic job of flipping expectations. It was also interesting that you know more than our protagonist at many points during the book. It also fills in a hole that you were wondering about from the last book. The closure to the issue was well handled, and something that I have a feeling will come up again. Now, I need to prepare myself for the last book. Maybe this time, I will be ready for the twists and turns. (Probably not)

Test for Your Life Pt 1

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Apparently, I was on a dystopian kick because I am discussing another dystopian novel, but with characteristics that you are probably well versed with. A brunette teenage girl trying to find her way through society with some weird side romances that don’t make any sense and really don’t add anything to the story other than being really weird. I’m not talking about the Hunger Games, but it’s close enough.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is very reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but there is a slight twist to everything. Instead of a competition where the young kill each other, they see who gets to go to university, a privilege allowed by a select few across the war-torn United States. To get to university, you must take part in The Testing. The only difference is that it’s not the typical standardized testing that we are used to.

I really enjoyed the flip of expectations that was introduced in the story. As soon as you think you know what’s going on, something happens to twist your thoughts on everything. What is really chill becomes explosive in an instant. I would definitely recommend this book, even though I do not know where the rest of the series goes. I guess I’ll find out soon.