Lurker > AuthenticZac

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

How are you watching these movies? HBO Max has all of them and their license renewed so they'll be there for a few more years.

Good to know. I started off with amazon, but if HBO max has them, it might be worth a one-month sub - it'd be cheaper in the long run

Phantom_Nook posted...

didn't do Castle in the Sky first?

Castle in the Sky is next. I wanted to do the Grave of the Fireflies/Totoro double-header first, but from here on out, it will be chronological.

I forgot to give an actual rating for Grave of the Fireflies, but it was easily a 10/10

#2 - My Neighbor Totoro
So, this is kind of what I was afraid of, but I was severely underwhelmed by Totoro. I have no issue with the slice of life genre, but it really felt like nothing happened until the final 15 minutes of the film; After opening some windows in their new home, the children learn that forest creatures exist, they find a couple in the woods/bus stop, and then do a dance with those spirits to grow some seeds. It's only in the final act that there is any sort plot progression, but just as suddenly as the letter about mother's extended hospital stay arrives, it is also resolved thanks to the magic cat bus with a literal tracker to the runaway child.

Most surprising of all, is that while Totoro is more or less the mascot of Ghibli, he only ever appears a total of 4 times throughout the entire film. First while asleep in his hidey-hole, second at the iconic bus stop, third to do a seed-growing dance, and then finally to call for an uber the cat bus. Given that he is featured so prominently in the poster and other promotional material (seriously, where was the fishing scene?!), I would have expected him to have a much bigger role than what he ended up with.

I'm not saying it was a bad film, but it definitely wasn't for me (Despite there being a giant cat bus).

My Neighbor Totoro - 7/10

I've been watching anime for about 20 years, but for one reason or another, I've always avoided the Studio Ghibli films. Partially because I've focused more on longer-form series over movies, but in larger part because of hype-aversion. The movies have been built up as this pinnacle of anime, so I've always feared that I wouldn't enjoy them as much as I felt I was supposed to. In fact, the only time I did see a Miyazaki movie (his pre-Ghibli movie, The Castle of Cagliostro), I wasn't a fan. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more in a vacuum, but after binge-watching a bunch of Lupin, I couldn't get over just how different it was to the show I was used to.

Well, I've decided it was finally time to just ignore all expectations and watch through as many Ghibli films as I can, and if CE cares, share my thoughts about each one here. My goal is to get through one per night, but if time permits, I might be able to squeeze in a second.

#1 - Grave of the Fireflies
I was going to start with a double-header, pairing this with My Neighbor Totoro, as it was when it originally released, but I didn't get started until late last night, so I had to settle for a downer with no upper. Now, despite all the hype surrounding his movies, I've actually managed to stay blind to the theme/premise of all of Miyazaki's films, so outside of a few movie posters and a promise that this was supposed to be a sad story, I didn't actually know what I was in for until it started. Once I realized it was about orphans of war, I kind of knew where it was headed.

That said, this movie was a perfect example of the journey being more important than the destination. It didn't matter that I could see the aunt being a selfish bitch ahead of time, or that it would end with both children starving to death, it was more about Seita's struggle to just keep his sister happy during impossible conditions. It would have been easy to just depict the aunt kicking the children out, but it was far more impactful to have Seita personally make the choice to leave, just so his sister wouldn't have to be around an emotionally abusive person. It takes strength to give up the "certainty" of a roof and food for mental stability. Though, let's be honest, with the aunt taking more than she was giving, that safety net was really just an illusion. (Also, fuck her for telling Setsuko that her mom was dead)

The VO of Setsuko was also really well done - those giggles reminded me of my niece when she was young, which just made it hit harder. They did a good job depicting the few moments of joy she had, despite the tragedy all around them. They also ended the movie on just the right note. I feel that a lot of films nowadays would have tried to force an extra act, showing the final days of Seita before he died in the train station, but they made the right call to not stretch it out.

I had a few more paragraphs typed up after I watched it last night, but I didn't want to bring current events into this "Current Events" watch-a-long. Suffice to say, the movie definitely holds up well 30+ years later. Children starving because of war isn't something that only exists in a time capsule. We are actively seeing aid trucks getting blown up.

On a brighter note, movie #2, My Neighbor Totoro tonight!

Technically, the Sinister Shadowblade, but yes
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f5293498.jpg

Wordle 1,019 2/6




1 Trial
2*

One of my quickest twofers.

Wordle 1,018 4/6






1 Trial
2 Shore
3 Super
4*

Wordle 1,017 5/6







1 Trial
2 Proud
3 Crowd
4 Brood
5*

Wordle 1,016 4/6






1 Trial
2 Taste
3 Tacky
4*

Wordle 1,015 4/6






1 Trial
2 Shore
3 Forge
4*

It's also already on Steam, and has glowing reviews (96% positive)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2575900/Corn_Kidz_64/

Wordle 1,014 3/6





1 Trial
2 Flare
3*

Congrats to Karate! Hope you find a good game(s) to spend the winnings on!

And positive thoughts again for your cat, Crimsoness!

#30. A nice round number of entries, and should be my last.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/dfabb984.jpg

#29
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a26e6155.jpg

#28
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/ad530c20.jpg

#27
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7b1c8056.jpg

Entry 26
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/2517967f.jpg

Entry 25
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7bf6cfea.jpg

entry 24
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4f6119d9.jpg

#23
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/206a5a06.jpg

Entry 22
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f8d30438.jpg

21
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7be64fcc.jpg

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Apparently mine does a whole bunch of game nights, including for the One Piece TCG and Lorecana (the Disney TCG). They keep a pretty busy schedule.

#20
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4be444b9.jpg

#19
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/049b5620.jpg
There's actually a game shop down the road from me that hosts weekly D&D sessions, but I'm too introverted to ever attend

#18
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/038c5768.jpg

The town in Wales called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

I'm the sidequest in an Ubisoft game that has no substance and is just there to pad the game with "extra content"

#17https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/ebd384bb.jpg

#16.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e7f712eb.jpg
I have heard about the bear cutscene

#15, back to the D&D memes
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a71e4615.jpg

Wait until it arrives in your city, then decides to go all the way back down to Florida, before coming back to your city again. Happened to me multiple times this year

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c059c02f.jpg

Crimsoness posted...

My cat had a tooth pulled today so send her good thoughts

:( Aww, hope she isn't in too much pain, and recovers well.
Also, there's some good liquid treats that she might love (Churu, Delectables) if she refuses normal treats.

AuthenticZac posted...

I don't have too many crossover pics between my cats and D&D, but I do have this.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/9fe4c4a9.jpg
My little Trinket deciding to "help" me put together a Critical Role puzzle.

And another, this time of Trinket checking out her namesake
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0932c675.jpg

Crimsoness posted...

If you post pictures of cats you might get better chances.

Not really but I like cats

I don't have too many crossover pics between my cats and D&D, but I do have this.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/9fe4c4a9.jpg
My little Trinket deciding to "help" me put together a Critical Role puzzle.

Entry 11
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b4ab20d6.jpg

Entry #10.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/fb6f47ff.jpg
Gotta befriend 'em all!

Entry 9
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5c1013d8.jpg
This one is actually my own little Trinket, attempting to fury-strike a gelatinous cube

Entry #8
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/408dbb53.jpg

Lucky #7
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/cd92f40c.jpg

#6
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/3260d628.jpg

Entry 5
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7745a13f.jpg

Entry #4
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/2adb8712.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/839338a3.jpg
So apparently, the Tabaxi aren't a playable race in the game. There are modders working on adding them in though, so if I win, I'll need a placeholder race to start with.

Since I'm aiming for BG3, I guess I'll theme my entries as D&D posts
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/1/1bd71acb.jpg

Wordle 1,013 4/6






1 Trial
2 Human
3 Decay
4*

Just like last time, putting my hat in the race for Baldur's Gate 3.

Dropout, but only for a single month so I could grab their D&D campaigns.

The beans

The money would be life-changing, allowing me to live comfortably for the rest of my life, but the ability to cure any illness for myself and my family would be priceless. The money could be used for medical bills, but sometimes there are underlying issues that just take too long to diagnose, and by that time, could be too late.

Goodbye Jack in the Box. I've only ever eaten there once, and I got food poisoning from it. They don't have anything that has tempted me to try them again, either.

Time to double down and buy a $10 scratcher.