It really bummed me out when I discovered that Death-Metal Retsuko’s lines were done by a man. Not that the central joke was any less funny, but I really think this would have been an excellent opportunity for women who scream in heavy metal bands to show off their talents and get some recognition. Plus, it would be nice to hear a growler with some range and a better sense of how to make metal unironically appealing.
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More than simply a game about youthful rebellion, Persona 5 encourages players to interrogate the social structures keeping abusive people in power, while also challenging their tendency to make fallacious judgments based on ignorance and internalized biases. The game took particular aim at sexism, detailing how societal expectations for women often force them into dangerous circumstances. At the same time, misconceptions about their personality or physical appearance end up enabling their abusers. It was a (sadly) bold statement to make in a male-dominated medium, so I wanted to broadcast my appreciation for its presence in the culture.
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Devilman Crybaby was in the unique position of having my attention up until it that disappointing ending. All the thematic pretense of this new adaptation, specifically the newly introduced character focus, cannot commit to an appropriate resolution, so it devolves into noise and provocation. I spent a while thinking that this anime was brilliant before realizing that the intelligence was a facade, covering up the surprisingly immature worldview at the core. At least you can enjoy the aesthetics, disengaging your brain while gawking at the sounds and colors.
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It always puts a big smile in my face when a seemingly hilarious comedy premise actual digs deeper into relatable human experiences; or in this case, white collar panda worker experiences. Aggretsuko is about a mild-mannered accountant who hates her job but is able to engage with her true self by singing heavy metal in Karaoke bars. While that basic idea remains consistently awesome, I liked the digs into working culture, particularly from the perspective of women. It does not hold that steam all the way through, but it is a wonderful time.
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Spend any time on the internet, and you will hear PC gamers complain about how game companies always screw up the computer ports. Now you as a console player can experience the same gnawing agony of a game that can barely translate between its different interfaces. Guilty Gear Xrd (pronounced ex-ard) Revelator is an arcade game through and through, and screw you for thinking you could hack it on a PlayStation controller! I could contort my hands to match the combo needs, or I could play a fighting game designed with consoles in mind to begin with.
Still, the game comes with unrivaled visual spectacle, bonkers original characters, and enough fun to be had in short bursts (almost like this was supposed to be a game you played at an arcade). Weirdly enough, reviewers and fighting game community pundits praised for this title for its kindness to new players. I can see what they meant, but unless that newbie has a joystick attachment, nothing about this game will be approachable for them.
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I understand why people might want to avoid this movie, especially since remakes of anime (American or Japanese) typically fail. Anime fan or not, though, everyone should watch this movie. Working better as a parody of itself than a genuine horror flick, the train wreck on screen will probably leave you better disposed toward this film than you might expect.
And then months later, you can look back on exactly how terrible it was, provided you can even remember that it happened. I often think I’m the only one who does.
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Although this game surprised me, it really does feel like the late revelation on my gaming career. Seriously, few games are as bold or fresh as Persona 5. Definitely something to pick up, even for those who usually avoid the anime/pseudo-visual novel type games.
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Maybe releasing a “First Hour” demo of a game with such a high skill/upgrade barrier was not a good idea. It would take people like me buying a copy and pushing through to realize that there is actually a solid game here. Not quite as groundbreaking as it wants to be, but fun nonetheless.
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With the Ghost in the Shell (2017) movie being mediocre, and with expectations set very low for Death Note (2017), I figured this would be a great chance to explore some remakes that wouldn’t be absolute garbage. I think my ideas are pretty good!
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I am thoroughly ambivalent about this movie existing. I am not sure what an American interpretation can add to the piece, but since it will exist regardless, here are some of my overriding concerns. Let’s see how this pans out. (Update: Good new, Death Note (2017) didn’t even bother having the discussion… what a dumb movie).
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The Culture HUD 