erikacunanan29 Reviews

The Ancient Magus' Bride (2017– )

Great animation, but the execution of the story could have been better.

[6/10 · 30 September 2020]

I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. The story and the dynamic between the lead characters had so much promise. Sadly, it wasn't able to deliver. For a 24 episodes anime, the pacing was slow, and honestly, nothing much happened. It felt like most of the plot points were introduced, but they didn't play out well. Don't get me wrong, the build-ups and side stories were interesting to see, especially in the first few episodes. However, the conflict felt lacking, and I somewhat didn't care about them. I was disappointed because I liked the setting and the lore used. The fairies were intriguing creatures to know about, and I wish that more information about them was shown. The backstories of the lead characters weren't elaborated. We got some bits of information here and there, but it lacked coherency. The main thing I loved about this is the visuals. It was very pleasing to the eyes. There are also funny scenes and heartwarming scenes, so that helped. I think the source material would be better with dealing with all of the plot-wise stuff, so I think that it would be better to try that.

In terms of art, I loved everything about it. The character designs and the animation of the magical scenes were beautiful. I was able to appreciate everything about it. Also, there are times where Elias turns chibi, and I found that adorable.

In terms of characters, it was a bit lacking. Elias was a very intriguing character, yet sometimes he just served as comical relief. Also, I wanted to know more about how he became the magus that he is, but we didn't get that. We mostly just got angry and unreasonable, Elias. I get that he's still trying to understand human emotions, but it happened multiple times, and it pissed me off. Chise was the epitome of a self-sacrificing character I disliked the most. She had a hero complex, and she didn't care about how it would affect her and everyone around her. It's good that she wanted to help others, but I dislike it that sometimes it is at the cost of her life. It's like she forgets that she has a limited lifespan most of the time.

In terms of the relationship, sometimes it was a bit weird. I like the relationship between Elias and Chise, but sometimes I get confused. Are they father and daughter? Lovers? Friends? Family? Sometimes the distinction gets blurred, but hey, the title is bride, so I guess they are lovers (or soon to be at least). There are also some disturbing dynamics about their relationship, especially with Elias buying Chise. Still, their relationship with the other characters was adorable, funny, and great to watch. Sometimes it was also heartwarming, so there's that. This is true, especially with Silky.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: If you like fantasy, then yes. Still, I really suggest trying the source material instead because the anime would just give you more questions to ponder after watching it.

WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Maybe if someone wanted to watch it with me. I think the animation is worth sticking for.

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Bad Boys for Life (2020)

Still funny, but doesn't live up to the original movies.

[6/10 · 29 September 2020]

It was still entertaining to watch. The actions were okay, but it wasn't like what it was before. It lacked the feeling that the original Bad Boys movie had. The story didn't feel original, and it felt like they just forced that storyline to get another sequel. I didn't care about the bad guys, and the sudden changes in their personality didn't help anything. The only highlight of this was that we get to see Marcus and Mike together again. The humor was still there. However, the other addition to the cast kind of annoyed me. I don't think they were necessary.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: Just for the laughs. WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Once was enough.

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Contagion (2011)

I don't get the hype.

[5/10 · 29 September 2020]

We decided to watch this because it kept being suggested as one of the top disaster movies. I appreciated that it had a more realistic approach to how a virus would work, and how a cure would be developed, but honestly, I was quite bored. It looked more like a documentary rather than a movie, and it wasn't that good. Most of the scenes that were shown and the characters didn't have a connection to each other. It seemed like they had their own world. I think four subparts were shown, and they switched at random. Sometimes you'll be confused as to which subpart you are. You won't feel any attachment to anyone, so why even stick around? I don't get the point of having lead characters that don't have any effect on the plot. We only need the doctor, and possibly the first carrier. Sometimes it seems that they want to fight for something during the scenes, but it doesn't seem like that's the focus, so you'll just brush it aside. Also, you are supposed to fear what they are experiencing, yet it doesn't feel that way.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: No, I think there are better documentaries than this. WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Never again.

Outbreak (1995)

A better movie than Contagion.

[7/10 · 25 September 2020]

This movie was very thrilling. There were no slow moments. They were always doing something related to the virus, so the flow was very smooth. It was interesting that they showed how the virus spread and how much people were affected, and then they started developing a cure. I felt invested in what would happen in the development process - how the characters would be able to solve it. The conspiracy was an intriguing additional aspect, even though you can tell that it was just there to add more conflict. As if the characters didn't have their hands full with the cure. The casts were great in their roles. I especially love seeing Morgan Freeman. SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: If you want something thrilling, and don't hate old movies. It came out in 1995.

WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Not really, except if somebody wanted to watch it with me.

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Birds of Prey (2020)

I really had fun watching this.

[8/10 · 25 September 2020]

I enjoyed this a lot. The story wasn't anything new, to be honest, but it was such a fun watch. The dialogues are hilarious, and the bonds that developed between the characters were adorable. I like that it became a team of superhero women, yet it wasn't in your face with the female empowerment. I love the bond that they were able to develop. Also, the action scenes were awesome. It's one of the rare DC movies that I enjoyed. It's much better than the Suicide Squad. I really love Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn, and all of her costumes.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: Yes. It was simple and fun to watch. Just don't have any high expectations. Enjoy it for what it is.

WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: I've watched this at least three times now.

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Hyouka: Forbidden Secrets (2017)

I honestly prefer this over the anime.

[7/10 · 25 September 2020]

I just decided to watch this for Kento Yamazaki and ended up enjoying watching this adaptation a lot. The problem I had with the anime was that it had too many parts that aren't that necessary. This adaptation managed to capture the essence of Hyouka. We lost the beautiful visuals of the anime, but we got to focus on the actual mystery that the Hyouka story had, and honestly, there was an improvement here. It gave out more feels and was able to break my heart in a new way. There was a less bonding experience here between the characters, but it was alright for me. I still liked the friendship between Oreki and Satoshi. Kento Yamazaki was great in his performance as Oreki. I prefer him over the anime version. Alice Hirose was alright, but I didn't feel like she was able to embody Chitanda's enthusiasm.

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Gugure! Kokkuri-san (2014)

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

[7/10 · 24 September 2020]

I honestly didn't expect I'd enjoy this as much as I did. I was only going to watch six episodes, but I ended up finishing it in one sitting. I came here for the handsome fox spirit, but I stayed for the bond. Don't expect much story from this. The only focus of the anime was the random shenanigans that happened in the life of Kokkuri and Kohina. The familial bond developed between the characters were so sweet and funny to watch. I like the type of humor used and the savage dialogues. It was just a light watch. I'll try reading the manga in the future since it's complete because I want to see more of Kokkuri and Kohina.

In terms of art, I found it adorable. Kohina is usually in doll mode, and the others typically switch between their human-form and animal form. The human-forms are good-looking, while the animal-forms are so cute. I usually have a crush on fox-spirit characters, so that's a bonus.

In terms of the characters, I liked Kohina and Kokkuri. Kohina is such a mood in her coping mechanism. You can see how much she doesn't want to acknowledge her feelings because she's scared to explore new territories. On the other hand, Kokkuri is such a wonderful fox spirit. There were times where he was a bit weird, but you can feel how much he cares for Kohina. I love their bond. Inugami was a bit too weird, but there were rare times where I liked him. Shiragaki is hiding his personality - he is adorable. The other characters weren't that necessary, and they don't contribute much to the plot except for comic reliefs. There isn't much progress to the development of the characters, but I guess you can't expect much from a twelve-episode anime.

NOTE: If you don't want to stick for the whole twelve episodes, only watch the first and last ones. They were the best, and I enjoyed watching it a lot. If you want something light, heartwarming, and your type of humor involves savage dialogues, stupid interactions, green jokes, then you should watch it.

Would I watch again: I probably might, but I would skip some episodes.

Kobato. (2009– )

Pure and Heartwarming

[7/10 · 17 July 2020]

I enjoyed watching this anime for the pureness and heartwarming feeling that it gave me. Kobato was an adorable character. I loved seeing her relationship with others develop, especially with Fujimoto (although, Fujimoto was a jerk in the beginning). She truly wanted to help others, even if it doesn't help her mission. I just wished that it wasn't emphasized in almost every episode that she's kind of dumb and a klutz. It wasn't necessarily bad, but they just did it for comedic effect, and you get fed up with it. You might find it annoying at some point. The character I truly loved is Ioryogi. He's funny, but he tries his best to push Kobato, and call her out when she's being dumb.

The story was more character-driven, so you won't necessarily see a progression in the plot. Sometimes it felt repetitive, especially since most of the issues that Kobato encountered focused on misunderstandings. If only they talked about it on their own. You can feel that the anime has 24 episodes, meaning its kind of slow-paced.

I wish that there were more discussions about the different worlds that exist within this story. They were only briefly mentioned in the anime. I wanted to know more about the Celestial World, Nether World, and the Spirit World. Also, it was never fully explained how Kobato ended up in her situation. We never fully get the extent of what Kobato's wish really is. Just tidbits. I honestly felt a little bit confused by the end because of the lack of it. I only found out about more backstories through the Wikipedia page. It would have been better if they included that in the anime. Although, we can't really fault the creators of the anime because the manga was still ongoing when it was adapted. It's intriguing to read to manga just to find out more about the story that wasn't included in the anime.

Bunny Drop (2011–2012)

Heartwarming and adorable.

[8/10 · 13 October 2019]

This review is purely about the anime. Never try to find out what happens in the manga. It would just ruin the anime.

I truly enjoyed watching this anime. It was heartbreaking and adorable. In terms of plot, nothing much happened. You just see Daikichi's bond with Rin grow closer, which is a refreshing thing. It was very entertaining to watch Daikichi try to raise Rin. The connection that they developed was very sweet. You can see how much they cared for one another. It was also interesting to see other characters interact with Rin and Daikichi. In terms of art, it was simple and refreshing to the eyes.

Scum's Wish (I) (2017)

Unrequited love.

[7/10 · 13 October 2019]

Honestly, I don't know how to feel about this anime. There were parts that I liked and understood, but there were parts where I cringed hard. Some of the actions of the main characters were so unbelievably twisted, especially Akane's, that it annoyed me so much. I think that the anime showed to many sexual activities. I get that some of it were for the story, but it seemed too much. I liked that it showed the different sides of people - what each of them would do when they experience unrequited love. Loneliness is one of the main themes of this - how coping with loneliness sometimes makes you do stupid decisions. I did not love any of the characters because they all did wrong things (except for Narumi), but I understand where they came from. Their actions are much more realistic, but more on the darker side.

On the other hand, I liked the animation. It was beautifully drawn and pleasing to the eyes. The sceneries looked so realistic.

Overall, I liked the animation and that it showed different sides of people, but I think that it's not for everybody, especially the younger audience. It had many adult contents, and most of them were too much. If you can see past the adult contents though, it can show you a much more realistic view on life on how being alone can negatively affect you.

Hereditary (2018)

How about no.

[3/10 · 3 September 2018]

I really disliked this movie. It was intriguing in the beginning but not even halfway through the movie, things got boring. It had a very slow pacing and everything got confusing. The story went to weird directions and the ending sucked. Probably would have been better if there were back stories about the grandma.

I absolutely felt nothing for the characters even though they were experiencing terrible things. The movie didn't feel like a horror to me. Sure, there were some jump-scare scenes but I really didn't feel scared.

The actor for Peter didn't look anything like his family members. It distracted me because you can really see that they are not related in real life. Toni Colette's acting was great but I felt that at times it seems like she was overacting for a scene which resulted to me not appreciating some scenes more.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: Absolutely not (unless you want to waste 2 hours of your life). WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Absolutely not.

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

Interesting plot. Amazing execution.

[9/10 · 12 July 2018]

I really liked the plot of this kdrama. I haven't seen anything like this before and it was interesting to see how the story panned out. There are so many characters involved in the situation and it was shocking to see how interconnected they are. A minor detail can affect an event in the life of someone else.

The cinematography was also very beautiful. I found many of the setting of the scenes or the shot very pleasing to the eyes. I have many screenshots saved because of it.

The characters that were created were fun and entertaining to watch. Hong Joo was pretty weird but in a good and fun way. Jae Chan was also like that. It was fun to see how brave he wanted to be seen when deep inside he doesn't really know what he's doing with his life. He just tries his best. Woo Tak was a wonderful addition to that. He was kind and adorable and very precious. I loved them all. Each of the actors portrayed their roles wonderfully and they had a good dynamic with each other.

It's Okay, That's Love (2014– )

Interesting look at mental health issues.

[8/10 · 12 July 2018]

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This kdrama was pretty interesting. It had a more adult content especially with the topic involved. Mental health are the main part of the story. Most of the characters had issues they had to deal with. It was interesting to see them deal with what they have. The bond that the four main character developed was enjoyable to watch. Jae-yeol and Hae-soo's relationship was adorable and had a more adult perspective. They had to face many challenges and it was entertaining to see how things would unfold. I had issues with some scenes because it seemed like to lack coherency.

Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017)

Cute, funny, and really enjoyable.

[8/10 · 12 July 2018]

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This was a very fun kdrama. I love that it breaks the stereotype of women being weak (although at some points it gets absurd). There was a lot of slapstick scenes. I love the hint of mystery and suspense it had at some point because of the kidnapping plot although it kind of lost it's focus there and focused more on the romance (not that I'm complaining because the romance was very adorable). Still, they could have given more emphasis on the kidnapper and his line of thinking. Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik had a pretty wonderful chemistry and I liked seeing them together so much that even though I love Ji Soo I didn't care much for him. It was my first time seeing Park Hyung Sik in a korean drama and I loved him here. He was very fun and adorable but had serious moments too.

Erased (2016)

I wasn't amazed.

[7/10 · 12 July 2018]

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This anime was pretty interesting. It reminded me of the movie "The Butterfly Effect" starring Ashton Kutcher but with a cheerier ending. It was entertaining to watch especially if you don't know anything that will happen (please, don't spoil yourself before watching the whole anime). I liked the bonds that developed between the characters. They were a fun bunch and they helped each other a lot. I didn't give this a higher rating because I didn't feel much of a surprise with the twist. I was like, 'Oh, okay' and then the story went on. There wasn't much back story as to why certain things happened. I felt like there was something missing with the revelation.

Gravity Falls (2012–2016)

Such an amazing show.

[10/10 · 12 July 2018]

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This is a really fun series. I don't usually watch cartoon series anymore but this is seriously one of the best things I watched recently. I love that this is a cartoon but there are some things that are not appropriate for children. There's so much adventure and action that happens throughout the series. So much mystery. There's also character developments and the family bond is one of the the best things about this. There are many weird moments but it's the good kind of weird. Even though it ended in the best way possible, I still want more!

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Such a funny movie.

[9/10 · 12 July 2018]

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I love this movie. I watched this in the cinema with my family and we could not stop laughing. There were so many hilarious scene that at some points I kept thinking, 'Is this Guardians of the Galaxy?'. I love how different this is from the serious tone of the previous Thor movies. Plotwise, I think it should have focused more on Hela and the fight.

Just Like Heaven (2005)

Such an adorable film. Loved it!

[10/10 · 12 July 2018]

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This is a rewatch (I've rewatched this many this) and I still love it. I love the story between Lizzie and David. It was interesting to see that their relationship started as hatred and then turned into something more. I was devastated for Lizzie when she found out what happened to her and I'm glad that David tried to help her. It was touching and very funny to watch. David is so adorable.

Duplex (2003)

Funny but kind of problematic.

[7/10 · 12 July 2018]

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I really loved this movie when I was young because it was funny but now that I rewatched it, I realized how mean it was. I now have a love-hate relationship with it because it's really funny because of the old woman but it was super devastating for the couple. It's probably best to not overanalyze things in order to enjoy it.

Hugo (2011)

Beautiful cinematography.

[8/10 · 12 July 2018]

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I found this movie quite interesting but I did not expect things to go there. I thought it would lead to a magical adventure and not some journey on the past and history. It also had quite a slow pacing. Still, I enjoyed it. It had a beautiful cinematography and it made me feel a lot of things for the characters. It also had a wonderful cast. So many famous actors and Harry Potter cast. I was shocked.

RocketMan (1997)

Such a funny and enjoyable movie.

[9/10 · 12 July 2018]

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My boyfriend made me watch this and I really loved it. Even though it is an old movie, this is the first time that I watched it. It was so fun. Fred's quirkiness made me laugh out loud so many times. He was obnoxious at times but he was also endearing. I enjoyed how ignorant he was to what he was doing and he just wanted to be himself. He was weird in a fun way and I loved seeing him fulfill his dreams.

Taking Lives (2004)

I was amazed.

[10/10 · 12 July 2018]

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I have watched this before but I still cannot emphasize how much I love this movie. The story was very intriguing and very gruesome. This is one of the movies that has an amazing twist in the ending. It was just so awesome to watch. I love how the story panned out. Plus, Angelina Jolie was very pretty here.

Home Again (2017)

An simple but interesting movie.

[7/10 · 12 July 2018]

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The story is somewhat really weird but the cast made it work. Inviting three strangers to live with you is creepy and dangerous. However, if you don't overthink it, the movie was quite fun. I like Alice and I like how she managed her life. The three guys were also wonderful and helpful towards her and I love the bond that they created. I love each of the personality of the guys. They were also able to bond with Alice's children which was amazing. I was shocked to see Nat Wolff here and Pico Alexander was so handsome. I was also shocked to see Michael Sheen.

Happy Death Day (2017)

I enjoyed watching this a lot.

[8/10 · 12 July 2018]

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I honestly thought at first that I wouldn't enjoy this. I don't really like senseless deaths of characters in a movie but this one was really fun to watch. You would feel bad for Tree and you would grow to care for her. I love how things turned out and how she discovered the truth. I really liked the twist they added. Carter was a wonderful person and I found Jessica Rothe really pretty.

PS: The baby mask was really scary.

The Emoji Movie (2017)

Honestly, I enjoyed watching it.

[6/10 · 12 July 2018]

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REVIEW: I really don't know why many people hated this movie. I honestly enjoyed it though maybe because I wasn't at the mood to over think stuff when I watched it. It was just a simple movie with a simple story and I found it quite fun. I really liked the animation. I found it bright and entertaining. I also loved high-five so I enjoyed his humor even if it was corny.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: If you want something bright and very light, yes. WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Probably not. Unless I want to show it to someone else.