Longform reviews of films, TV, anime, books, and audiobooks, written by the scrobble.life community and published to the Hive blockchain, so each one is owned by its author and can earn rewards from readers. 60,038 reviews and counting.
Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) est ambassadrice des Etats-Unis, envoyée à Londres, alors qu'elle était sur le départ pour Kaboul. Elle est accompagnée de son mari Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), lui-même ancien ambassadeur des Etats-Unis.
Un porte-avions britannique a subi une attaque de missiles dans le Golfe Persique. Une enquête est menée pour savoir qui a commandité cette attaque, surtout qu'aucune revendication n'a eu lieu.
Alors que le gouvernement britannique tente de garder le royaume unifié, malgré les souhaits d'indépendance de l'Ecosse notamment, le Premier Ministre n'avait pas besoin de ce genre de souci, où il faut rester prudent avec les accusations et leurs conséquences potentielles.
Mon avis et petites infos :
J'en avais entendu du bien et la bande-annonce promettait des moments amusants.
Nous avons apprécié cette série, dont la saison 3 arrivera à l'automne 2025 et une saison 4 serait, d'ores et déjà, prévue.
En effet, la fin de la 2e saison se termine par un double cliffhanger.
L'humour est présent dans cette série, ce qui la rend encore + agréable à suivre.
J'apprécie de + en + l'acteur Rufus Sewell. Il a vraiment un très bon jeu d'acteur. Quand on est + jeune, on est tenté d'apprécier ou non un acteur en fonction des rôles qu'il interprète, mais cette vision des choses change avec l'âge et cela a été le cas pour moi vis-à-vis de Rufus Sewell.
Je ne connais pas vraiment Keri Russell, mais elle a joué dans Stars Wars Episode IX l'Ascension de Skywalker (Zorii Bliss). Elle a aussi joué dans la Planète des Singes l'Affrontement (Ellie).
Pour le reste du casting, ils sont moins connus : David Gyasi, Rory Kinnear, ..
Oh, j'ai reconnu Georgie Henley, une des jeunes actrices du Monde de Narnia (Lucy, la + jeune des 4 personnages principaux) qui interprétait ici, Pensy, une employée de maison.
Avez-vous eu l'occasion de regarder ces 2 premières saisons ? Est-ce votre style ? Qu'en avez-vous pensé ?
Yesterday I finally finished watching a series that really impacted me, even though I've never been particularly attracted to Japanese culture, however I can't deny that when I saw the trailer for this series I was completely drawn in due to its aesthetics and animation, but also because of its story which seemed to have great depth.
Ayer finalmente terminé de ver una serie que realmente me impactó, a pesar de que nunca me he sentido particularmente atraída por la cultura nipona, sin embargo no puedo negar que cuando vi el tráiler de esta serie me atrajo por completo debido a su estética y animación, pero también por su historia la cuál parecía tener una gran profundidad.
Overview/Resumen
In the Edo period (17th century) Japan was completely closed to foreign influences, although they did maintain some trade in firearms, it is here where we find four foreigners who arrived to cause chaos, they took women indiscriminately and it was precisely as a result of these abuses against women that Mizu was born, the protagonist of this story, she was born mixed race, with white skin (although really the Japanese are white skinned, but we already know that many Europeans like to think they are the only ones 😄) and blue eyes, this gave her an inferior position in society that discriminated against her for her mixed race, they even called her a monster and she constantly had to flee to avoid being stoned. When she grew up Mizu went to live with a blacksmith who made katanas but she not only learned that trade, but she also learned to handle those weapons, watching the most skilled warriors and practicing their movements, so when she was ready she set out to find the four foreigners (one of them her father) to take revenge.
En la época Edo (XVII) Japón estaba completamente cerrado a las influencias extranjeras, aunque sí mantenían cierto comercio con las armas de fuego, es aquí donde encontramos a cuatro extranjeros que llegaron para causar el caos, tomaban mujeres indiscriminadamente y fue precisamente producto de estos abusos contra mujeres que nació Mizu, la protagonista de este historia, ella nació mestiza, con la piel blanca (aunque realmente los japoneses son de piel blanca, pero ya sabemos que a muchos europeos les gusta pensar que son los únicos 😄) y los ojos azules, esto le otorgó una posición inferior ente la sociedad que la discriminaba por su mestizaje, incluso la llamaban "monstruo" y constantemente tenía que huir para evitar ser apedreada. Al crecer Mizu se fue a vivir con un herrero fabricante de katanas pero no solo aprendió ese oficio, sino que también aprendió a manejar esas armas, viendo a los más diestros guerreros y practicando sus movimientos, así que cuando estuvo lista salió rumbo a buscar a los cuatro extranjeros (uno de ellos su padre) para tomar venganza.
Trailer
My Opinion/Mi Opinión
The first thing that jumps out at you is the great animation work in this series, which makes an excellent combination of 2D and 3D animation and as a result it looks like a moving painting. In addition, the cameras follow the movements of the characters, which gives the audience an even more immersive and efficient experience. It's almost as if you were watching a live-action movie, at least that's the feeling I had.
Lo primero que salta a la vista es el gran trabajo de animación de esta serie que hace una excelente combinación entre la animación 2D y 3D y como resultado parece una pintura en movimiento, además las cámaras siguen los movimientos de los personajes lo cuál le otorga a la audiencia una experiencia aún más inmersiva y eficiente, es casi como si estuvieses viendo una película en live action, al menos fue la sensación que tuve.
Another important point to highlight here is the story itself, it is very raw and obviously not made for children, in fact it has many scenes of sex and explicit violence because the intention is not to romanticize life in Japan in the 18th century, but to show the harsh reality of a difficult time for women, especially for mixed-race women, which in turn allows us to see how much the world has evolved since then. The main character, Mizu, is very complex and reminds me of other movie characters, Mulan for example, since like the Chinese maiden, Mizu had to cross-dress in order to gain the respect of others, go unnoticed, hide her mixed race and fight with other men on equal terms, but in this sense it also seems like a Japanese version of Kill Bill, especially because Mizu is motivated by hatred and revenge, and it is precisely this mix of elements that makes it so interesting.
Otro punto importante a resaltar aquí es la historia en si, es muy cruda y obviamente no está hecha para niños, de hecho tiene muchas escenas de sexo y violencia explícita porque la intención no es romantizar la vida en Japón en el siglo XVIII, sino mostrar la cruda realidad de una época difícil para las mujeres, en especial para las mujeres mestizas, lo cuál a su vez nos permite ver cuanto ha evolucionado el mundo desde entonces. El personaje principal, Mizu, es muy complejo y me recuerda a otro personajes del cine, Mulán por ejemplo, ya que al igual que la doncella china, Mizu tuvo que travestirse para poder ganarse el respeto de los demás, pasar desapercibida, ocultar su mestizaje y luchar con otros hombres en igualdad de condiciones, pero en este sentido también parece una versión nipona de Kill Bill, sobre todo porque Mizu está motivada por el odio y la venganza, y es precisamente esta mezcla de elementos los que la hacen tan interesante.
In terms of character evolution and development, I think this story shines with Taigen, Akemi, and Ringo since there is a notable change in their behavior and their way of seeing life, on the other hand, Mizu continues with the same objective motivated by hatred and revenge, although she is a character with many nuances and we see her in different stages of her life, including when she was a normal housewife, we see her process of transformation into a human being apparently without empathy who only thinks about herself and fulfilling her objective, although in reality she has codes that she respects, she is not a villain, she does not want to hurt someone who has never hurt her, but neither is she a heroine, in fact she is an antihero.
En materia de evolución y desarrollo de personajes creo que esta historia se luce con Taigen, Akemi y Ringo ya que hay un notable cambio en su conducta y su modo de ver la vida, por otra parte, Mizu sigue con el mismo objetivo motivada por el odio y la venganza, aunque es un personaje con muchos matices y la vemos en diferentes etapas de su vida, incluyendo cuando fue una ama de casa normal, vemos su proceso de transformación en un ser humano aparentemente sin empatía que solo piensa en si misma y en cumplir su objetivo, aunque en realidad tiene códigos que respeta, no es una villana, no desea lastimar a quien nunca le ha hecho daño a ella, pero tampoco una heroína, de hecho es una antihéroe.
One thing I definitely enjoyed was the fights. It's clear that every detail was taken care of, as they're the central focus of the series. The movements are very realistic and add an extra touch of tension to the story. Each character uses a different technique, and this speaks volumes about each character's personality. For example, Mizu's style is light and elegant but precise, just look at this scene.
Algo que disfruté sin lugar a dudas fueron los combates, se nota que cuidaron todos los detalles porque son el eje central de la serie, los movimientos son muy realistas y le añaden un toque extra de tensión a la historia. Cada personaje maneja una técnica distinta y esto dice mucho de la personalidad de cada quien, por ejemplo el estilo de Mizu es ligero y elegante pero certero, solo observen esta escena.
Anyway, this series is a gem. I can't wait to see the second season. It looks like it'll be great, so I'm really looking forward to it 😃. For now, that's all I have to say about the series and what I found to be the most interesting elements. Thanks for reading my review 😉 See you later!
En fin, es toda una joya esta serie, no puedo esperar a ver la segunda temporada, tal parece que será genial, así que la espero con ansias 😃. Por ahora esto es todo lo que tengo que decir sobre la serie y lo que me han parecido los elementos más interesantes. Gracias por leer mi review 😉 ¡Hasta luego!
When a Curse discusses with an upper rank Demon...
Hello and thank you for taking a break today on this beautiful day and checking out my artblog. It's hard to believe, but I'm always happy when someone does this. Feel free to leave your feedback. It would be great, because that way I can improve or know whether I like it at all and whether I should continue with something like this.
But now to the actual topic! The last few days I had the idea or the thought of what it would be like to do an anime crossover... Jujutsu Kaisen combined with Demon Slayer. Yay, I'm not the first and certainly won't be the last to have this thought and fan wish. But whether the makers of the series will ever officially do this is questionable, so I went ahead and tried out what I could create as sketchy fanart drawings.
I didn't quite manage to color and blend the characters. That's why many of them are in sketch style animation. Hope this is still cool or should I still color all the frames and present the colored animation? Hm, it took me a few days, although I was able to use a better voice changer tool this time thanks to my friends. Because one of them uses Ai Voices for his YouTube reels and was able to give my Doma vs Mahito dialog a voice. Since these characters are psychopaths, I asked them to keep their voices calm, amused and friendly. Wanted an American Psycho style.
I have the music from my buddy. This is also an AI instrumental, because I wanted to give the animation something lively. Background music can sometimes help to reflect moods and so on. Hope it fits like this. As a non-musician, I'm a total beginner.
So, for the purpose of my animation, I tried to bring together the most famous words of Mahito and Doma as a dialog. A kind of best of quotes animation as communication. Sounds weird, doesn't it? Hahaha, let's see if it turned out funny at least. I think I can see some improvement in my creations, but I need to practice, try and learn more to keep getting better. If you have any tips or can recommend apps, programs, tools - keep the good advice coming. You can't keep track of everything on your own m
Ah, by the way, I have to correct myself, because in the last post I meant that the JJKs also hunt demons, but they are hunting curses. So the bad guys are curses, not demons. Sure, it counts as demonic and evil, but for the sake of accuracy, JJK fights curses while Demon Slayer fights demons.
Therefore, such a connection and meeting of a supreme curse and a high-ranking demon is very interesting, especially since both characters have a lot in common, from their empathy-less nature and narcissistic behavior. They seem more evil in this respect than the actual bosses.
I had also included two fanarts that had already been drawn and presented here. Just to save time, to be honest.
Because if I had redrawn them and colored everything in, it would have taken me about 2 to 3 days to finish. But if you want a color variant, I'll do that too, just let me know.
Mahito is a human-like curse (in appearance). He is considered a special class or has the reputation of being a special rank, as he is extremely strong.
He's actually the most beautiful version of Frankenstein... Because he has a kind of patched-up body. He looks a bit like a doll that has been mended and stitched up. In the anime, he has two different colored eyes. One gray, the other blue.
His hair is also gray and blue to match his eyes and his clothing style is also in the same color.
I found it funny that the name Mahito is apparently supposed to mean something like real person or real person, which is pure irony to give a curse such a name. But it's very apt and makes it easier to understand why he and his crew think they are the real people. Yes, you read that right. Mahito thinks he's a real person - not us, the humans. Imagine if the AI ever said that... Terminator style.... Oooooohhh.
But now it's getting philosophical... Because Mahito was born out of hatred, the abysses of the human psyche, and combines these malicious traits as true human nature, which is why he represents the perfection of it.
So, are humans only human because they can hate so deeply?
Personally, I think we humans are generally characterized by the ability to feel, to love, unfortunately also to suffer and 1, 2 things more. Hate, I believe, has been trained into humans, but what do I know.
I find Mahito, as well as Doma (which I described in a previous post, feel free to check it out) extremely interesting. Better than the Joker from Batman.
But now, the making of my 3 minute animation, so to speak.
Fanpage sources for more great knowledge about this anime characters:
Wenn ein Fluch sich mit einem Dämonen des obersten Rangs unterhält
Servus und habe dank, das du heute an diesem schönen Tag ein Päuschen machst und dir meinen Artblog anschaust. Man denkt es zwar kaum, aber ich freu mich immer, wenn jemand dieses tut. Gern lass auch dein Feedback da. Wäre klasse, denn dadurch kann ich mich verbessern oder weiß, ob es überhaupt gefällt und ob ich weiter mit sowas machen soll.
Aber nun zum eigentlichen Thema! Die letzten Tage hatte ich die Idee oder den Gedanken, wie es woll wäre, wenn man ein Anime Crossover machen würde... Jujutsu Kaisen kombiniert mit Demon Slayer. Jaaa, ich bin nicht die Erste und werde sicherlich nicht die Letzte sein, die diesen Gedanken und Fanwunsch hat. Doch ob die Macher der Serien das offiziell je machen ist fraglich, daher habe ich mich mal ran gemacht und rumprobiert, was ich ais skizzenhafte Fanartzeichnungen erschaffen kann.
Ich habe es nicht ganz geschafft, die Charakter auszumalen und zu blenden. Daher sind viele im Skizzenstil bei der Animation gehalten. Hoffe das ist trotzdem cool oder soll ich noch alle Frames ausmalen und die farbige Animation präsentieren? Hm, hat so schon ein paar Tage gedauert, obwohl ich diesmal dank meiner Freunde ein besseres Voice changer tool nutzen konnte. Denn einer nutzt Ai Voices für seine YouTube Reels und konnte meinen Doma vs Mahito Dialog eine Stimme geben. Da diese Charaktere Psychopathen sind, bat ich die stimmen ruhig, belustigt und freundlich zu halten. Wollt so einen American Psycho Stil.
Die Musik hatte ich immernoch von meinem Kumpel. Diese ist auch ein AI Instrumental, da ich die Animation etwas lebhaftes geben wollte. Hintergrundmusik kann ja manchmal helfen, Stimmungen wiedergeben und so. Hoffe es passt so. Als Nicht-Musikerin bin ich da totaler Anfänger.
Also, zwecks meiner Animation habe ich die bekanntesten Worte Mahitos und Domas als Dialog versucht zusammenzubringen. Eine Art Best of Zitate Animation als Kommunikation. Klingt weird oder? Hahaha, lass mal schauen, obs wenigstens lustig geworden ist. Ich glaube schon, dass ich etwas Verbesserungen in meinen Krearionen sehe, doch ich muss mehr üben, probieren und lernen, um ständig besser zu werden. Wenn du Tipps hast oder App, Programme, Tools empfehlen kannst - immer her mit den guten Ratschlägen. Alleine hat man nicht alles im Überblick m
Ah, ich muss mich übrigens korrigieren, denn im letzten Post meinte ich, dass die JJKs auch Dämonen jagen, doch es sind Flüche, welche sie jagen-keine Dämonen. Klar, es zählt zum dämonischen und bösen, aber der Genauigkeit halber, JJK bekämpft Flüche, während Demon Slayer Dämonen bekämpft.
Daher ist so eine Verbindung und Treffen eines Oberen Fluchs und eines hochrangigen Dämonen sehr interessant, vor allem da beide Charaktere viel gemeinsam haben, von ihrer empathielosen Art und narzistischen Verhalten. Sie scheinen bösartiger in dieser Hinsicht als die eigentlichen Endgegner.
Ich hatte auch zwei schon fertig gezeichnete und hier schon präsentierte Fanarts miteingebaut. Nur um Zeit zu sparen, um ehrlich zu sein.
Denn hätte ich diese auch neu gezeichnet und alles ausgemalt, dann wäre ich erst in ca. 2 bis 3 Tagen fertig gewesen. Doch wenn ihr euch eine farbliche Variante wünscht, mache ich diese auch, sagt es einfach.
Mahito ist ein (vom aussehen) menschenähnlicher Fluch. Er gilt als Sonderklasse oder hat den Ruf ein Sonderrang zu sein, da er extrem stark ist.
Er ist eigentlich die schönste Variante von Frankenstein... Denn er hat eine Art zusammengeflickten Körper. Er schaut ein bisschen aus, wie eine Puppe, die man wieder heile gemacht hat und die genäht wurde. Im Anime hat er zwei verschiedenfarbige Augen. Eines grau, das andere Blau.
Seine Haare sind auch in grau, blau gehalten, passend zu seinen Augen und auch sein Kleidungsstil ist in solch Farbtönen.
Lustig fand ich, dass der Name Mahito scheinbar sowas heissen soll, wie echter Mensch oder reale Person, was pure Ironie ist, einem Fluch solch Namen zu geben. Aber es ist sehr treffend und dadurch kann man besser verstehen, warum er und seine Crew sich selbst für die wahren Menschen halten. Jaaa, richtig gelesen. Mahito denkt, er ist ein richtiger Mensch - nicht wir, die Menschen. Stellt euch mal vor, wenn die AI das mal sagen wird... Terminator Stil.... Uuuuuh.
Aber nu wird es philosophisch... Denn Mahito ist aus dem Hass, den Abgründen der menschlichen Psyche entstanden und verbindet diese bösartigen Züge, als wahre menschliche Natur, weshalb er die Perfektion davon darstellt.
Also, sind Menschen nur Menschen, da sie so abgrundtief hassen können?
Persönlich denke ich, uns Menschen zeichnet allgemein die Fähigkeit aus, zu fühlen, zu lieben, leider auch zu leiden und 1, 2 Sachen mehr. Hass glaube ich, ist dem Menschen antrainiert worden, aber was weiß ich schon.
Ich finde Mahito, sowie Doma (welchen ich schon in einem vorherigen Post beschrieben habe, schaut gern da auch nach) extrem interessant. Besser als der Joker von Batman.
Aber nun, das Making of sozusagen von meiner 3 Minuten Animation.
Fanpage Quellen falls ihr mehr Infos über diese beiden Charaktere erfahren wollt hier:
Here the originals of the character and two of my older drawings from some days ago.
And now let's beginn to show of and present the work process of mine today.
the new Fanart drawings of Doma and Mahito
A clear sketch takes time too.
I only colored the eyes.
Domas rainbow eyes are tooo beautiful to not color them.
Some frame impressions.
Sketching slowly out Mahito.
Looks so easy took some hours and some corrections.
Facial expressions and colored eyes or eye also for Mahito.
Some frame impressions.
My finished drawings. 👇🏼
Meine fertige Zeichnungs. 👇🏼
My finished characters for the animation. I did the animation with an video editing program not with Ibispaint.
Impressions of the drawing process 👇🏼 :
Finished conversation between Doma and Mahito / animation 👇🏼:
feel free to follow me on YouTube and leave a like there. Doesn't cost anything ❤️
This time a friend helped me and via AI Voice Changer (a better one, but not the best) I could create a dialog out of the best sayings and quotes from both. Music done by AI music generator Sumo.
Some gifs for fun 👇🏼:
The background is done with AI. Only on that way I was able to create this little 3 minutes of animation in 3 Days. Main characters drawn by myself. Dialog written or combined out of quotes by myself.
The artificial intelligence was used for background music, background images and for changing voices. Only to point out clearly what is human hand creation and what was done with help of technology.
digitale Zeichnung/ digital drawing
erstellt auf meinem Huawei Matepad 10.4/ created on my Huawei Matepad 10.4
verwendete Anwendung war die Applikation "Ibispaint X" / the App I used was "Ibispaint X"
Dauer der Fertigstellung 48 Stunden 12 Minuten / duration of completion 48 hours 12 minutes
inklusive Arbeiten wie: kleine Varianten des Originals schaffen, Texte einfügen, Video bearbeiten, Gifs erstellen... Nahmen nochmal ein paar Stunden in Anspruch/ including work such as: creating small variants of the original, inserting text, editing video, creating gifs... Took another few hours
Some advertising on my own behalf, if you want to check out my designs and stuff ❤️
Bisl Werbung in eigener Sache, wer möchte kann gerne mal meine Designs und so abchecken ❤️
Cats Surrealworld Redbubble Art StoreLet's go and scroll through my Redbubble store. Get your decorations from here. No matter if you need a pillow or art canvas, a curtain for the bath or a coffee mug. If you like my art, maybe there's something for you to get.
Cats Surrealworld Threadless Art StoreYes, my second store is on Threadless. They have different products and Prices, and to give you the best possibilities of ordering my Art designs, I use more online provider. No matter if you need a thermo mug or art design for the wall, clothes a cap. If you like my art, maybe there's something for you to get, feel free to check it out.
Cats Surrealworld Threadless ProfilThreadless has also kind of Profiles aka accounts, where artists can follow each other or where their fan base can follow. So if you like, if you have also a Threadless account, follow me also there, ❤️ and leave a comment with a link of your Threadless profile so I can follow back. 🙏🏼
Cats Surrealworld on Beacons.aiBeacons.ai is a kind of Linktree, and there you will find all my upcoming stores (planning redbubble and displate too. It's under process of proof), my online Yoga offerings (calendar to book a yoga lesson with me) and free spiritual books to download I upload there from time to time. So you don't habe to search in the internet, maybe I have already uploaded it. I am planning a big free online library, where you find interesting books and where you are able to download it for free. ✨
Written by: Joyce Perry
Directed by: Hal Sutherland
Running Time: 22 minutes
Fifty years ago, Hollywood could tackle themes and titles that modern sensitivities might reflexively condemn, particularly in contexts deemed inappropriate for family entertainment. The Season 1 finale of Star Trek: The Animated Series, titled The Jihad, epitomises this audacity. Had the episode aired today, its very title—a direct reference to the Arabic term al-jihād—would likely spark outcry from overzealous critics, irrespective of context. Many would dismiss it as “racist” or “Islamophobic” without engaging with its narrative. The irony is that the episode’s use of “jihad” is neither literal nor pejorative; it instead employs the term’s broader, more neutral connotation of “struggle” or “effort.” A more controversial title, such as the common mistranslation “The Holy War,” might have been more contentious, yet the plot itself revolves around a mission to prevent a galaxy-wide religious conflict—making “jihad” fitting if misinterpreted. This episode, though flawed, showcases an era when creators dared to use language without preemptive self-censorship, even in a children’s animated series.
The episode follows the Enterprise crew on a clandestine mission commissioned by the ancient Vedala, the oldest race in the galaxy. They assemble a team of specialists to recover the “Soul of the Skorr,” a sacred religious artifact. Kirk and Spock are joined by Tchar, the hereditary prince of the avian-like Skorr; Sord, a reptilian powerhouse; Em/3/Green, an insectoid coward renowned as the galaxy’s best lockpick; and Lara, a humanoid huntress with unmatched tracking skills. During the briefing, Tchar reveals that the Soul of the Skorr contains the brain patterns of Alar, a Skorr leader who abandoned his people’s violent past to promote peace. Its theft threatens to revive the Skorr’s militaristic traditions, plunging the galaxy into sectarian war. The team traces the artifact to a derelict, unstable “mad planet” where three previous expeditions met tragic ends. Upon arrival, the crew faces natural disasters—volcanoes, quakes, and biting winds—but soon suspects sabotage from within. Tensions escalate as misfortunes multiply, culminating in the revelation that Tchar himself orchestrated the theft, driven by a desire to reignite his species’ martial legacy. Kirk and Spock thwart his plan through zero-gravity combat training, securing the artifact. However, the Vedala, to preserve galactic harmony, erases all memories of the mission, sparing the galaxy a conflict but leaving the crew with fragmented recollections.
The Jihad stands out as an outlier in the Star Trek canon, both narratively and stylistically. Written by Stephen Kandel, The Original Series veteran and the creator of con artist Harry Mudd, the episode borrows heavily from his work on Mission: Impossible, particularly its ensemble-of-specialists framework. Yet Kandel infuses this formula with distinctly Star Trek-esque elements, such as interstellar diplomacy and anthropological curiosity. The team’s racial diversity—a hallmark of the franchise—is amplified through animation, allowing creative visual interpretations. The Skorr, with their feathered plumage and militaristic bearing, echo their fleeting appearance in Yesteryear. Other species, like Sord’s reptilian design and Em/3/Green’s insectoid form, exemplify the series’ imaginative flair. However, the episode’s deviations from traditional Star Trek aesthetics are more pronounced. For instance, Lara’s portrayal as a scantily clad, aggressively romantic huntress—voiced by Jane Webb—feels at odds with the show’s typically cerebral tone. Her bold advances toward Kirk, who here lacks his usual cadet-chasing bravado, inject an uncharacteristic edge into what is otherwise a procedural mission.
The animation itself betrays the era’s budget constraints, particularly in its reliance on recycled footage. Mechanical creatures resembling earlier antagonists appear throughout, their reused designs a cost-saving measure by Filmation Studios. This repetition occasionally distracts, though it also underscores the animation’s charm. The team dynamics, however, suffer less from economy. Despite the predictable twist—Tchar as the traitor—the episode’s pacing and character interplay hold interest. Spock’s logical deductions and Kirk’s leadership shine, while the supporting cast’s quirks (Em/3/Green’s cowardice, Sord’s gruff loyalty) add depth. The Vedala’s intervention, erasing the mission’s memory, introduces a morally ambiguous resolution, questioning whether peace justifies erasure—a theme Star Trek would revisit in later series.
Critics may dismiss The Jihad for its dated sensibilities and plot predictability, but it remains a competent, if flawed, entry in the animated series. Its willingness to tackle themes of religious conflict, cultural preservation, and ethical compromise aligns with Star Trek’s core values, even if its execution is uneven. While modern audiences might cringe at its title or certain character choices, The Jihad endures as a testament to an era when storytellers dared to push boundaries without fear of cancellation. In its blend of adventure and allegory, it remains a curious yet commendable relic of 1970s sci-fi—a reminder that even flawed narratives can spark meaningful dialogue.
¿Cómo están el día de hoy? Yo muy bien, con muchas ganas de comentarles un anime muy muy recomendado por el público general. Aprovechando que he tenido algo de tiempo, decidí empezar a ver varios animes, y este tenía que ser uno de ellos, ya que es bastante recomendado. Sin más, quiero hablarles un poco de este anime increíble y, ya que estamos, darles un pequeño resumen del mismo.
How are you today? I'm very well, with a lot of desire to tell you about an anime highly recommended by the general public. Taking advantage that I have had some time, I decided to start watching several anime, and this had to be one of them, since it is highly recommended. Without further ado, I want to tell you a little bit about this amazing anime and, while we're at it, give you a little summary of it
Resumen: Great pretender
narra las peripecias de Makoto Edamura, un joven estafador japonés que, en una suerte inesperada, se cruza con Laurent Thierry, un astuto estafador francés de alta gama. Lo que se inicia como un intento infructuoso de estafa realizado por Makoto en Japón, rápidamente lo lleva al complejo y riesgoso universo de Laurent, en el que las apuestas son considerablemente más elevadas y las metas son multimillonarios corruptos y organizaciones delictivas a escala global. Makoto, al principio reacio y frecuentemente descontento, se incorpora al grupo de Laurent, que abarca a la cínica Abby y a la especialista en tecnología Cynthia. Unidos, recorren el mundo, desde Los Ángeles hasta Singapur y Londres, llevando a cabo sofisticados planes que van desde la venta de obras de arte falsas hasta la manipulación de competencias de autos, siempre con un propósito moral fundamental: robar a los adinerados y malvados para su propio provecho y, en ocasiones, para restituir un poco de equidad al mundo.
narrates the vicissitudes of Makoto Edamura, a young Japanese swindler who, in an unexpected fate, crosses paths with Laurent Thierry, a cunning high-end French con man. What begins as an unsuccessful scam attempt by Makoto in Japan quickly leads him into Laurent's complex and risky universe, where the stakes are considerably higher and the targets are corrupt billionaires and criminal organizations on a global scale. Makoto, at first reluctant and often disgruntled, joins Laurent's group, which includes the cynical Abby and technology specialist Cynthia. Together, they travel the world, from Los Angeles to Singapore to London, carrying out sophisticated schemes ranging from selling fake artwork to rigging car competitions, always with a fundamental moral purpose: to steal from the wealthy and wicked for their own gain and, on occasion, to restore a little fairness to the world.
La serie se caracteriza por su organización narrativa en "arcos" o "casos", cada uno diseñando una trama sofisticada con varias capas de engaño y revelaciones asombrosas. Conforme la historia progresa, no solo se revelan los detallados pormenores de cada impacto, sino que también se exploran las vivencias personales y los pasados traumáticos de cada integrante del equipo. Makoto, por ejemplo, carga con el peso de la reputación de su padre como estafador, mientras que Laurent oculta sus propios motivos y un pasado misterioso que gradualmente se va revelando. Estos elementos personales añaden una riqueza emocional a la trama, transformando lo que podría ser solo una serie de atracos en una exploración de la redención, la confianza y las complejidades de la moralidad en un mundo de sombras.
The series is characterized by its narrative organization into "arcs" or "cases," each one designing a sophisticated plot with several layers of deception and startling revelations. As the story progresses, not only are the detailed details of each impact revealed, but the personal experiences and traumatic pasts of each team member are also explored. Makoto, for example, carries the weight of his father's reputation as a con man, while Laurent hides his own motives and a mysterious past that is gradually revealed. These personal elements add an emotional richness to the plot, transforming what could be just a series of heists into an exploration of redemption, trust and the complexities of morality in a shadowy world.
En términos visuales, es un placer para los ojos, con una animación dinámica y estilizada que se ajusta a la perfección a su ritmo acelerado y sus entornos exóticos. Los colores vibrantes, los diseños de personajes únicos y las secuencias de acción enérgicas aportan a una experiencia visual fascinante. La música de fondo, sobre todo el famoso tema final "The Great Pretender" cantado por Freddie Mercury, refuerza el ambiente de la serie, que mezcla el misterio y la intriga con elementos de comedia y drama. En definitiva, se trata de una travesía mundial repleta de sorpresas, personajes cautivadores y una destreza narrativa que mantiene al público expectante, interrogándose sobre quién es realmente el estafador y quién la víctima en este juego de ilusiones.
In terms of visuals, is a treat for the eyes, with dynamic, stylized animation that perfectly matches its fast-paced, exotic environments. Vibrant colors, unique character designs and energetic action sequences add to a riveting visual experience. The background music, especially the famous ending theme song "The Great Pretender" sung by Freddie Mercury, reinforces the mood of the series, which mixes mystery and intrigue with elements of comedy and drama. All in all, it is a global journey full of surprises, captivating characters and a narrative skill that keeps the audience expectant, wondering who is really the con man and who is really the victim in this game of illusions.
Mi opinión
Great Pretender me cautivó desde el inicio con su vibrante estilo visual y su promesa de una trama repleta de engaños de gran magnitud. Y, sinceramente, no me dejó decepcionar. La serie posee un ritmo acelerado que te atrapa en la pantalla, siempre cuestionándote qué sorpresa va a presentar la trama en el siguiente capítulo. Laurent Thierry es un personaje cautivador, con esa combinación de sofisticación, ingenio y un enigma incesante que te incita a descubrir más acerca de él. Aunque Makoto puede ser un poco ingenuo en ocasiones, es un personaje con el que se puede empatizar con facilidad, especialmente al observar cómo se va ajustando y evolucionando en este universo de engaños. La manera en que cada "caso" se desenvuelve, desvelando los estratos de la estafa y las auténticas razones de todos, es simplemente brillante y te deja con la boca abierta más de una vez.
Great Pretender captivated me from the start with its vibrant visual style and its promise of a plot filled with deceptions of great magnitude. And, honestly, it didn't let me down. The series possesses a fast-paced pace that grabs you to the screen, always questioning what surprise the plot is going to present in the next chapter. Laurent Thierry is a captivating character, with that combination of sophistication, wit and a relentless enigma that entices you to discover more about him. While Makoto can be a bit naive at times, he is a character you can easily empathize with, especially as you watch him adjust and evolve in this universe of deception. The way each "case" unfolds, unraveling the layers of the scam and everyone's real reasons, is simply brilliant and leaves you with your mouth open more than once.
Uno de los aspectos más apreciados fue la manera en que la serie consigue que los personajes, a pesar de ser engañosos, sean asombrosamente carismáticos y, de cierta manera, comprensibles. Abby y Cynthia, los demás miembros del equipo, cuentan sus propias vivencias complejas y dolorosas que les proporcionan una profundidad que no se anticipa en una serie de esta naturaleza. Esa combinación de humor, acción y drama individual está perfectamente balanceada. Además, los paisajes son un espectáculo; te llevan a distintas regiones del mundo mediante una animación que es un verdadero baile visual. Realmente sientes que estás viajando con ellos, desde las calles de Los Ángeles hasta los lujosos casinos de Singapur.
One of the most appreciated aspects was the way in which the series manages to make the characters, despite being deceptive, amazingly charismatic and, in a way, understandable. Abby and Cynthia, the other members of the team, recount their own complex and painful experiences that give them a depth not anticipated in a series of this nature. That combination of humor, action and individual drama is perfectly balanced. In addition, the landscapes are a spectacle; they take you to different regions of the world through animation that is a true visual dance. You really feel like you're traveling with them, from the streets of Los Angeles to the luxurious casinos of Singapore.
No obstante, no todo resulta perfecto. En ocasiones, la intrincada naturaleza de las artimañas puede tornarse un tanto complicada. Existen instantes en los que experimentas que los planes son tan detallados y con tantas sorpresas que parecen inverosímiles, lo que te lleva a parar para comprender correctamente qué está sucediendo y quién está engañando a quién. Es una línea muy precisa entre la inventiva y la confusión, y "Great Pretender" la atraviesa de vez en cuando. Además, a pesar de valorar la profundidad de los personajes en ciertas situaciones, algunos de los recuerdos de sus pasados pueden parecer un poco precipitados o como si fueran obligados a justificar ciertas acciones.
However, not everything is perfect. At times, the intricate nature of the trickery can become a bit complicated. There are times when you experience that the plans are so detailed and with so many surprises that they seem implausible, making you stop to properly understand what is going on and who is fooling whom. It's a fine line between inventiveness and confusion, and "Great Pretender" crosses it from time to time. Also, despite appreciating the depth of the characters in certain situations, some of the flashbacks to their pasts can seem a bit rushed or as if they are forced to justify certain actions.
Un detalle que me dejó un sabor amargo fue la falta de coherencia en la evolución de ciertos personajes secundarios. A pesar de que los protagonistas son magníficos, ciertos antagonistas o personajes que surgen únicamente para un arco no siempre poseen un desarrollo tan óptimo, lo que en ocasiones los vuelve más como instrumentos para la historia que como seres complejos. Aunque normalmente la solución de cada arco resulta gratificante, la percepción general de que siempre existe una capa más de engaño, aunque es un componente del encanto, puede llegar a ser algo predecible en su imprevisibilidad.
One detail that left a bitter taste in my mouth was the lack of coherence in the evolution of certain secondary characters. Although the main characters are superb, certain antagonists or characters that arise only for one arc do not always have such an optimal development, which sometimes makes them more like tools for the story than complex beings. While the resolution of each arc is usually rewarding, the overall perception that there is always one more layer of deception, while a component of the charm, can become somewhat predictable in its unpredictability.
A pesar de estos pequeños inconvenientes, mi impresión general de Great Pretender es bastante favorable. Es una serie que te divierte, te asombra y te invita a reflexionar sobre la ética de los personajes y sus decisiones. La fusión de una animación asombrosa, una música memorable (esa melodía de Freddie Mercury es legendaria) y una historia ingeniosa la hace una de esas series que sin dudar aconsejarías. Es una aventura apasionante y repleta de sorpresas que, a pesar de sus complicaciones de vez en cuando, te deja con deseo de más.
Despite these minor drawbacks, my overall impression of Great Pretender is quite favorable. It's a series that entertains you, amazes you, and invites you to reflect on the ethics of the characters and their decisions. The fusion of amazing animation, memorable music (that Freddie Mercury tune is legendary) and a witty story makes it one of those series that you would without hesitation advise. It's an exciting adventure full of surprises that, despite its complications from time to time, leaves you wanting more.
¡Gracias por leer!
¡Muchas, muchas gracias por pasarte y llegar hasta aquí! Este anime es uno de mis favoritos a nivel visual que he visto, por eso sin duda tenía que comentarlo por aquí un poco. Sin más, ¡nos vemos!
Thank you so, so much for stopping by and making it this far! This anime is one of my favorites on a visual level that I've seen, so I certainly had to comment on it around here a bit. Without further ado, see you!
Secret Obsession is a psychological thriller based on the very familiar premise where a woman-with-amnesia is manipulated by a possessive male, who pretends to be her husband. Promising at the outset, the movie loses its grip and dallies along predictable lines without very good execution.
The opening sequence builds tension as Jennifer(Brenda Song) flees an unseen danger in the pouring rain, from the assailant who is trying to kill her. I felt I was going on a great ride because such scenes set a gripping tone so well. I tried to control my terrified gasping as I watched on. And then she gets hit by the car and is rushed to the hospital, in an ambulance.
She survives, but with fractures and a messed up brain – amnesia. Then Mr 'handsome' Russell claims to be her husband without any means of solid identification but just by a tattoo on her back, are you kidding me? No relatives, no friends, no colleagues from workplace, just a common tattoo. Now that is definitely dumb!
When Russell is informed by a doctor that Jennifer has lost her memory, he asks, "Does my wife know who I am or not?," and the doctor says "no." From this point, I saw where this was going.... The thrill of suspense for me, evaporated into thin air.
Apart from the fact that it does have a very predictable storyline which comes so very soon in the movie that Russell is an impostor, and thus much suspense is lost, the viewers have pretty much guessed the plot well before the film's climax.
After an enthralling initiation, the story slows down, and becomes more thrashy down the line, dots that didn't connect, lack of plot and character development as in the case of Russell and the guy with the bouquet of flowers, whom he strangled to death. Jennifer's parents' bodies were already decomposing in their bedroom and no neighbourly neighbor noticed anything.
There's nothing very special in Mike Vogel's Ryan (posing as Russell). He has a one-dimensional character, and his obsession is explained very superficially.
Brenda Song's Performance was good because she gave a account of herself as Jennifer, playing fear, confusion, and determination in her character.
Dennis Haysbert as Detective Page was a straightforward character, of a grieving detective who was committed to justice.
My verdict;
Secret Obsession promises a good... thriller but it comes with little originality or depth to set it apart from similar movies in the genre. The performances are commendable, but the story lacks surprise and creativity, and this makes it a forgettable experience.
It’s a decent one-time watch but fails to leave any lasting impression. I wouldn't watch a second time so I am rating it a 5/10.
I was a big fan of Happy Gilmore when it was released all those years ago in the 90's and even though I will admit that it is a very poorly produced film with tons of stupid aspects to it and a completely impractical story and even lackluster special effects, it is still something that stands out in my mind because it is just so Adam Sandler.
That guy has made hundreds of millions of dollars and making bad films that somehow everyone goes to see and Happy Gilmore is likely the one that truly put him on the map as someone that can be in just about anything and it is going to make a ton of money.
In fact almost all of Sandler's films make BIG money, even the really really stupid ones. I appreciate his serious films and think Sandler is a pretty amazing serious actor. But his serious roles don't make money and one of his only huge flops is Uncut Gems which lost at least $50 million while in the meantime Jack and Jill which might be one of the worst movies ever made by anyone, made $50-70 million in profit.
So I think that if people go into Sandler movies knowing exactly what they are going to get, that is what they get. Happy Gilmore 2 was never going to be amazing and they stuck to the same formula that they had in the first one.
The story is told to us pretty rapidly at the start, and is likely in the trailer so this is not a spoiler. Happy has been enjoying the spoils of victory and has gone on to win the Golden Jacket of the tournament that is definitely not the PGA many times and in the meantime has made so much money that he lives a life of luxury. Then, tragedy strikes and he suddenly finds himself broke with the famed Grandma's house getting taken away from him again.
A string of things happen and he finds himself in a position where it is necessary for him to take up golf again and as you would expect, at first he is terrible at it but by doing things like going to his "happy place" and reuniting with a bunch of people from the first film, he finds his former glory.
The cameos are fun and man oh man do they do a lot of throwback to the original including using a lot of footage from it in order to remind people why such and such person on screen is important. For nerds like me I needed no such reminders but ok, I get why it is there.
Seeing Shooter McGavin back on screen was a lot of fun because without that film would be even know who Christopher McDonald is? I wonder if it bother him that he has been in many films and a bunch of TV shows, one of which saw him nominated for an Emmy but he is bet known as being someone who "eats pieces of shit for breakfast."
Basically, if they were in the original movie and they are still alive, they figured out a way to get them into the sequel. In a couple of instances they managed to get some people that are not alive IRL and get them into the movie anyway.
This also seems to have been a pet-project for Sandler to try to get his kids involved in the movie industry as three of his children star in it as well. Two of them are quite obviously related to him, the other one, not so much.
I don't look at this as nepotism even though it clearly is. I mean, if you are related to Adam Sandler and you want to be in films you are going to get to be in films. He owns the damn production company after all.
The professional golfers that are in Happy Gilmore 2 are probably the most impressive to me because they actually do a pretty great job of acting for the most part especially John Daly, who was always one of my favorite real life golfers because he would smoke and drink booze on the courses, while on TV. He plays a role of a washed-up drunk and well, that probably wasn't too much a stretch for him to get into character.
Netflix doesn't normally release how much their films cost to make but by looking at this one I would guess that it definitely wasn't cheap to make. The production value is very good and this is impressive because you can't exactly fake a golf course and hundreds of fans being there to watch a game. Netflix claims it cost $30 million to make but I'm not buying this for a second. If they did do it for that little, well color me impressed.
Should I watch it?
let's be honest here: This movie is not groundbreaking or even particularly good. It is super predictable and follows the exact same formula as the first one. For anyone unfamiliar with the first one, or the rise of Sandler in the 90's this film will likely seem incredibly stupid. But for those of us that were there when it happened and understand the inexplicable Sandler-craze of the 90's this is one piece of nostalgia bait that you really don't want to miss. It is what it is and for me, it was fun enough and not much more.
The only legal way to stream this at the moment is via a Netflix subscription
I do not know if it has happened to you but sometimes I see some movies that are crazy, you do not know whether to laugh or cry hehehe, that happened to me with Until Dawn is not a big deal but well in the end I ended up having a good time. Since I saw the trailer I had zero expectations with this adaptation of the video game by Supermassive Games because we already know how these video game adaptations tend to be, most of them are total crap, so I think that's why I found it entertaining. The movie is about Clover who I must make a parenthesis this name seems to me something ridiculous the truth and his friends when they return to the valley where his sister Melanie disappeared a year ago, they go to investigate an abandoned visitor center and suddenly appears a masked killer who kills them one by one, but every time they die they wake up at the beginning of the same night as if it were Groundhog Day but gore version.
Yo no sé si a ustedes les ha pasado pero a veces veo unas películas que son loquísimas uno no sabe si reír o llorar jejeje, eso me pasó con Until Dawn no es la gran cosa pero buenh al final terminé pasándola bien. Desde que vi el tráiler tenía cero expectativas con esta adaptacion del videojuego de Supermassive Games porque ya sabemos como suelen ser estas adaptaciones de videojuegos, la mayoría son una porquería total, así creo que por eso fue que me resultó entretenida. La película trata sobre Clover que debo hacer un paréntesis este nombre me parece algo ridículo la verdad y sus amigos cuando regresan al valle donde desapareció su hermana Melanie hace un año, van a investigar un centro de visitantes abandonado y de repente aparece un asesino enmascarado que los mata uno por uno, pero cada vez que mueren despiertan al inicio de la misma noche como si fuera el día de la marmota pero version gore.
I'm not going to lie at first I thought it was going to be another cheap copy of those Happy Death Day or Groundhog Day movies, but the truth is that it gives it its own horror touch that works better than expected, although I'm not trying to say it's perfect, just that it has enough good moments so you don't get completely bored. What I did like is that the deaths in this movie are brutal, they really did a great job with the special effects and the gore, each death is more creative than the previous one and you can tell they put budget into making it look convincing, it looks very real and vivid. The night brings different threats, sometimes it's the masked killer chasing them and other times it's supernatural things possessing them or dragging them around. Director David Sandberg knows how to do horror, sure the story has some holes but the horror moments are well done and some even manage to really scare you, because there is enough tension. I think the problem is that the movie becomes repetitive and some things are like filler and had me half asleep.
No voy a mentir al principio me pareció que iba a ser otra copia barata de esas películas Happy Death Day o Groundhog Day, pero la verdad es que le da su propio toque horror que funciona mejor de lo esperado, aunque no estoy queriendo decir que es perfecto ni de broma solo que tiene suficientes momentos buenos para que no te aburras completamente. Lo que si me gustó es que las muertes en esta película son brutales, de verdad que se lucieron con los efectos especiales y el gore, cada muerte es más creativa que la anterior y se nota que pusieron presupuesto en hacer que se vea convincente, se ve muy real y vosceral. La noche trae amenzas distintas, a veces es el asesino enmascarado persiguiéndolos y otras veces son cosas sobrenaturales que los poseen o los arrastra por ahí. El director David Sandberg sabe hacer horror, claro la historia tiene algunos huecos pero los momentos de terror están bien hechos y algunos hasta logran asustarte de verdad, porque hay bastante tensión. Creo que el problema está em que la pelicula se vuelve medio repetitiva y algunas cosas están como de relleno y me tuvo medio dormida.
As for the characters my opinion is that they are common and not well developed, Clover who is supposed to be the main character doesn't have much personality beyond being traumatized by the disappearance of her sister, her friends don't help much either, there is Max who is the obsessive ex boyfriend, Nina who is the typical rude girl, Megan who is a medium and is treated horribly throughout the movie and Abe who is a psychologist but acts like a jerk most of the time. I didn't like how they treat the subject of trauma and mental health in such a superficial way, there are moments where Abe suggests that Clover should be killed because he has tried to kill himself before and he is supposed to be the one studying psychology, this made no sense to me and is even shocking. The acting is not good either, it seems as if they were reading the script for the first time and this happens a lot in the scenes where they discover that they have died several times, they react as if it was normal as if they had been told that they ran out of internet, they don't have any emotion whatsoever.
En cuanto a los personajes mi opinión es que son comunes y no se desarrollaron bien, Clover que supuestamente es la protagonista no tiene mucha personalidad más allá de estar traumatizada por la desaparición de su hermana, sus amigos tampoco ayudan mucho, esta Max que es el ex novio medio obsesivo, Nina que es la típica chica ruda, Megan que es medium y la tratan horrible durante toda la película y Abe que es psicólogo pero actúa como un imbécil la mayor parte del tiempo. No me gustó como tratan el tema del trauma y la salud mental de manera tan superficial, hay momentos donde Abe sugiere que deberían matar a Clover porque ya ha intentado suicidarse antes y se supone que el es el que estudia psicología, esto me pareció que no tenía ningun sentido y es hasta chocante la verdad. La actuación tampoco es buena pareciera uqe estuvieran leyendo el guion por primera vez y esto pasa mucho en las escenas donde descubren que han muerto varias veces, reaccionan como si fuera normal como si les hubiesen dicho que se quedaron sin internet que se yo no tienen ninguna emoción alguna.
Although the movie tries to connect to the story of the video game it does so in a forced and confusing way, it's never clear exactly what is going on or why these rules exist in this universe. The plot becomes a total mess in the second half when they try to explain everything that is happening, it turns out that Dr. Hill was doing experiments with trauma on survivors of a mining accident and somehow that created all this mess with the people who spend many nights there, but the rules are never clear and change when it suits the writers, there is a moment where they jump between nights without showing anything of what happened in between, just a quick montage of videos on Abe's phone showing all the deaths did not happen and this seemed to me a total scam. Another thing is that at the end everything seems to be like a manifestation of Clover's trauma, but what I didn't understand is that if this is so then why is everything else real, this saying that it was almost all a dream didn't quite add up for me. The ending tries to connect with the original video game by showing a cabin in the snow and a car arriving, making it look like this is the beginning of the game and maybe this may seem fine to fans but to me this confused me I would have preferred to be shown a direct adaptation of the game instead of this weird thing that is neither one thing nor the other.
Aunque la película intenta conectar con la historia del videojuego lo hace de manera forzada y confusa, nunca queda claro exactamente que está pasando o por que estas reglas existen en este universo. La trama se vuelve un desastre total en la segunda mitad cuando tratan de explicar todo lo que está pasando, resulta que Dr. Hill estaba haciendo experimentos con trauma en sobrevivientes de un accidente minero y de alguna manera eso creo todo este desastre con las personas que pasan muchas noches ahi, pero las reglas nunca están claras y cambian cuando les conviene a los escritores, hay un momento donde saltan entre las noches sin mostrar nada de lo que paso en el medio, solo un montaje rápido de videos en el teléfono de Abe que muestra todas las muertes no pasaron y esto me pareció una estafa total. Otra cosa es que al final todo parece ser como una manifestación del trauma de Clover, pero lo que no entendí es que si esto es así entonces por que todo lo demás es real, esto de decir que casi que fue todo un sueño no me cuadró mucho. El final trata de conectar con el videojuego original mostrando una cabaña en la nieve y un carro llegando, haciendo ver que esto es el incio del juego y quizás esto le pueda parecer bien a los fans pero a mí esto me confundió hubiese preferido que me mostraran una adaptación directa del juego en lugar de esta cosa rara que no es ni una cosa ni la otra.
My score for Until Dawn is 6/10, if you don't analyze it too much it can work, at least the special effects are good, some deaths are creative and there are effective horror moments, but the story is a mess and the characters are cardboard, plus the performances are not good. It is not a real adaptation but rather an original story that borrows some things, the good thing is that I saw it with zero expectations and that's why I think it worked to distract, I think they only made it with the intention of attracting audiences with the name because the truth is a somewhat mediocre movie.
Mi puntuación para Until Dawn es 6/10, si no la analizas mucho puede funcionar, por lo menos los efectos especiales están buenos, algunas muertes son creativas y hay momentos de terror efectivos, pero la historia es un desastre y los personajes son cartón, además que las actuaciones no son buenas. No es una adaptación real sino más bien una historia original que toma prestadas algunas cosas, lo bueno es que la vi con cero expectativas y por eso creo que funcionó para distraer, creo que solo la hicieron con la intención de atraer público con el nombre porque la verdad es una peli algo mediocre.
I remember watching this series many years ago, but I didn't understand it very well, as I was more focused on the characters than the story itself. However, today that takes a back seat while the story becomes the main focus, so I'll talk a little bit about it.
In Queen's Blade, there are only two important things: feminine beauty and power, hence my title. In fact, it is a series where the female gender has great preponderance; it is as if men did not exist, very similar to the Ikkitousen series, but this one goes to the extreme.
Spanish Version
Queen’s Blade: Cuando la belleza y el poder dicen presente
Recuerdo haber visto esta serie hace muchos años, pero no la entendí mucho, ya que me fijaba más en los personajes que en la historia como tal, sin embargo, al día de hoy eso toma un segundo plano mientras que la historia se vuelve lo principal, por lo que hablare un poco de ella.
En Queen’s Blade solo hay dos cosas importantes, la belleza femenina y el poder, de allí mi título, de hecho es una serie donde el género femenino tiene gran preponderancia, es como si los hombres no existieran, muy parecido a la serie de Ikkitousen, pero esta va más al extremo.
The main character in the story is Leina Vance, a girl who shows that human willpower can overcome responsibilities. Why do I say this? It's simple: she is the heir to a powerful family and has a duty to take on certain roles as successor, but she decides not to do so and rebels against her own family by taking a different path and lifestyle.
At the time, it seemed insignificant to me, but is it okay to shirk responsibilities? Obviously not, and in this case, the publisher Hobby Japan gives an interesting twist to the plot to lead our protagonist to fulfill her role, not from a family perspective but from another equally or more important point of view.
But what is the story really about? Superficially, there is a tournament held every four years in which female warriors participate with a single purpose: to dethrone the queen. However, as the plot progresses, we realize that this is very superficial, and there is much more to each warrior's personality, which is one of the most interesting aspects.
Spanish Version
El personaje principal de la historia se llama Leina Vance, una chica que muestra que la voluntad humana puede más que las responsabilidades. ¿Por qué digo esto? Es simple, es la heredera de una familia poderosa y tiene el deber de asumir ciertos roles como sucesora, pero decide no hacerlo y se rebela contra su propia familia tomando un rumbo y estilo de vida diferente.
En aquel tiempo me pareció algo insignificante, pero ¿acaso está bien evadir las responsabilidades? Evidentemente no, y en este caso la casa editorial Hobby Japan le da un giro interesante a la trama para llevar a nuestra protagonista a cumplir su rol, no desde la perspectiva familiar sino desde otro punto igual o más importante.
Pero realmente, ¿de qué trata la historia? Superficialmente hay un torneo que se realiza cada cuatro años donde participan mujeres guerreras con una sola finalidad: destronar a la reina, pero cuando avanzamos en la trama nos damos cuenta que eso es muy ligero, hay mucho más en la personalidad de cada guerrera, y eso es una de las cosas más interesantes.
To give a simple example, Leina becomes an adventurer, but she shows empathy towards the most needy or disadvantaged people, so her dream is to help those kinds of people, like bringing about social justice or something like that. On the other hand, we have the queen, who is extremely powerful, cold, cruel, and ruthless, but her attitude is due to the fact that she made a pact with a demon when she was young, and it is the personality of that demon that dominates her, while her real personality is “locked away, encapsulated.”
That's how deep and interesting Queen's Blade is. It's not just battles between perfectly designed women, but there are other more important themes that the narrative invites us to discover and enjoy.
Finally, I want to clarify that Queen's Blade is a franchise with many products, including manga, anime, video games, and light novels, all of which are connected to each other, so I recommend reading the manga first and then watching the anime, following the chronology of events to understand its entire universe.
Thank you for reading.
Spanish Version
Para dar un ejemplo sencillo, Leina, se convierte en aventurera, pero muestra su empatía hacia las personas más necesitadas o desfavorecidas, por lo tanto su sueño consiste en ayudar a ese tipo de personas, es como hacer justicia social o algo por el estilo. Por otro lado tenemos a la reina, poderosa en extremo, fría, cruel y despiadada, pero su actitud se debe a que hizo un pacto con un demonio cuando era joven, y es la personalidad de dicho demonio lo que la domina, mientras que su personalidad real esta “encerrada, encapsulada”.
Asi de profundo e interesante es Queen’s Blade, no solo son batallas de mujeres perfectamente diseñadas, sino que hay otros motivos más importantes que la narración nos invita a descubrir y a disfrutar.
Por último, quiero aclarar, que Queen’s Blade es un franquicia con muchos productos, tiene manga, anime, video juegos, novelas ligeras, y todas se conectan entre sí, asi que recomiendo primeramente leer el manga y después ver el anime, siguiendo la cronología de eventos para entender asi todo su universo.
There are a few moments in one's life that causes their life to flash before their eyes. I swear that one of them happened to me almost thirty years ago while I was watching Happy Gilmore (alone) in a theater.
I love movies so much that it has never been a problem for me to go and see one by myself. I get so involved in them that it honestly doesn't matter who is sitting next to me. I'm not going to talk during the movie so who cares if the seat is empty or not? That is not to say I don't also love going with my friends and family. There is lots of pre and post movie talk and it is a shared experience. But anyway, I went to see Happy Gilmore by myself.
Today, I am about 50/50 when it comes to Adam Sandler movies, I loved Airheads, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Wedding Singer. After that, his comedies were either hit or miss with several really really bad ones (I'm looking at you Little Nicky). His recent serious ones like Uncut Gems and Hustle have been surprisingly good. But back in 1996 I only had his Saturday Night Live skits, Airheads and Billy Madison to set my expectations for Happy Gilmore. Since I absolutely loved Billy Madison and still quote it to this day, I remember looking forward to Happy Gilmore quite a bit.
I also remember having a really bad cough the day I went to see the movie. It was probably the worst cough I've had pre Covid. And not knowing what I know now, I didn't do the polite and respectful thing and wear a mask, I just spread that cough around the whole theater. Luckily there were only about 3 other people at the matinee but still... anyone who was there, I am really sorry. But I digress.
I remember sitting in the theater like it was yesterday (near death experiences will do that for you). I was in the middle seat of a middle row in a nearly empty theater. I snuck in my snacks and drink (I was 25 and broke... no way I was spending $5 on a popcorn... yes it used to only be $5). Within the first few minutes of the movie, it happened. I almost died.
How did this near death experience happen you might ask? Well you see, there is this one scene in the movie when Happy Gilmore goes to the batting cages. He steps in... with no bat. And then he proceeds to let the balls just hit him in the chest in an effort to toughen up for his career as a hockey thug. I still don't know why it struck me as so funny but each time a ball hit him, I laughed more and more. The scene continued and I kept laughing. This is wear the cough comes in. I actually started laughing so much that I could not catch my breath. I literally thought I was going to become the first person in history to actually "die laughing". Somehow, I did not panic. I just sat there laughing and thinking "well if I'm going to go, this actually isn't a bad way to do it." To this day, I still don't know how I got my breathing under control. It has never happened since that day so I have no way to study it. I once again would like to apologize to the people in the theater who had to endure my near demise. I bet they have very different memories of Happy Gilmore.
So am I looking forward to this sequel? Well yes. I basically am required to be. I no there is no way that it will cause me to laugh so much that I almost die... but that is a good thing. At my age, I might break a hip or never recover.
Don't Worry Darling is one of the last movies I’ve watched this year—and I can honestly say I loved it. I don’t know how I hadn’t seen it before, but discovering it now definitely didn’t disappoint. It’s got a bit of everything: drama, suspense, conspiracy, and tons of symbolism. The Americans still haven’t gotten over their obsession with experiments and lobotomies (no, that’s not a spoiler... or is it?).
SYNOPSIS:
The story begins with our main couple: Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles), who live in Victory—a sort of pilot town where the families of men employed in the top-secret Victory Project reside. It’s a kind of upper-middle-class suburb: the men go off to work, the women stay home as glamorous housewives with dreamy wardrobes, all following a very patriarchal routine. Everything in Victory seems perfect. There are parties, luxury cars, mansions with pools, friendly neighbors—basically, no one wants for anything.
Victory is every man’s dream. The women take dance classes, prepare dinner, and pamper their exhausted husbands when they return home. It's all part of a seemingly choreographed routine—until one day, the perfect life begins to crack like an eggshell.
Alice starts to sense that not everything is as it seems after a strange event: the apparent crash of a plane near the forbidden boundary of Victory. You see, life in Victory is full of secrets and governed by one rule: never cross the boundary. And Alice crosses it.
From that moment on, her perfect life with the love of her life becomes a true nightmare—one she’s desperate to wake up from. Literally.
AESTHETICS
I have to confess—the thing that hooked me into this movie was the wardrobe. Very 1950s style, with incredibly well-crafted aesthetics: the decor, the music, the cars… all vintage with a modern twist. I actually stumbled upon the movie through an ad or a recap on YouTube. I didn’t even understand what it was about—I just saw Florence Pugh’s outfit and hit play. Let’s just say I expected to find bronze and ended up finding gold.
The movie was directed by Olivia Wilde, who also stars in it—and oh my God, her outfits! She’s stunning and fits perfectly into the world of Victory. At least in terms of aesthetics, they absolutely convinced me.
Another point worth touching on is how the film is visually loaded with symbolism—references to psychological experiments, narratives of disconnecting from reality, alternate worlds, torture, lies, and that desperate pursuit of perfection that ends up disrupting every aspect of life.
Through its aesthetic, the film tries to convince the viewer that Victory is a place worth being. But... what good is that when the reality is something else entirely? Even after knowing the truth of what’s really happening, when the movie ends you’re left with a huge question: would you be able to endure all that for the sake of a “perfect” life? I don’t know—the illusion is really persuasive.
On that note, there’s a particular scene where Alice is cooking and realizes the egg is empty. She breaks a few more to check if it’s just her imagination—or if they really are hollow. It may seem like an insignificant scene, but to me it meant a lot: the empty shell is Victory. I’ll leave you with that as a little clue.
THE STORY
Imagine a place where there’s no talk of war, no scandalous news, and money doesn’t seem to be a problem. You’re with the love of your life. A life straight out of a TV commercial—the happy housewife, the man coming home from work in great spirits, weekends with friends, good music, delicious food, and passionate relationships.
Now imagine that same picture-perfect life, but on stage. The curtain drops, and the applause fades away. That’s how Alice experiences it.
What really surprised me about this story was the script. You barely hear Jack speak, and yet he holds a dark kind of protagonism that slowly unravels toward the end. However, it’s Frank who plays one of the villains in the film—one of the sinister leaders behind Victory’s secret program. He’s the one who pushes Alice to discover the truth, but in a twisted, senseless game—just for the thrill of it. And in the end, things go badly even for him.
All in all, it’s a very entertaining film, full of close-up shots and visual cues that hint at how robotic everything is in Victory. And once things spiral out of control, the darkness, psychosis, and torture become impossible to ignore.
CONCLUSION
If you ask me how I’d describe it, I’d say it’s something like watching Barbie mixed with Get Out. Because even though it’s full of color and fashion, it’s also deeply disturbing. I’d give it a solid 9/10. Maybe the ending left a bit of a bitter taste, but overall, the movie is great—and thanks to it, I’ve come to like Florence Pugh. I used to think she was overrated because I’d seen her in other projects and wasn’t convinced. But now, I’ve changed my mind. Also, Harry does an amazing job too.
So there you go—a weekend recommendation! You can find it on HBO Max.
Don't Worry Darling es una de las últimas películas que visto este año. Y puedo decir que me encantó, no sé cómo no la había visto antes pero no me defraudó descubrirla ahora. Tiene de todo un poco: drama, suspenso, conspiración, y mucha simbología. Todavía los estadounidenses no superan su fetiche con los experimentos ni la lobotomía (no, no es spoiler, ¿o sí?)
SINOPSIS:
La historia inicia con nuestra pareja protagonista: Alice (Florence Pugh) y Jack (Harry Styles), quienes viven en Victoria una especie de ciudad piloto donde viven las familias de los hombres empleados del programa secreto Victoria. Una especie de suburbio de clase media alta, hombres que se la pasan trabajando, mujeres amas de casa con un vestuario de ensueño y con una rutina bastante patriarcal. Todo parece ser perfecto en Victoria. Hay fiestas, carros de lujos, mansiones con piscinas, vecinos amigables, digamos que no pasan necesidades.
Victoria es el lugar de ensueño de todos los hombres. Las mujeres van a clases de danza, preparan la cena y consienten a sus maridos que llegan agotados. Una rutina que parece coreografiada hasta que un día, la vida perfecta comienza a quebrarse como la cáscara de un huevo.
Alice empieza a notar que no todo es lo que parece luego de un suceso de lo más extraño, la caída de un presunto avión en la zona límite en Victoria. Digamos que la vida en Victoria está llena de secretos y una sola regla: no cruzar el límite. Y Alice lo cruzó.
Así que la vida perfecta junto al amor de su vida se convierte en una verdadera pesadilla de la que ella busca despertar, literalmente.
Estética
La película me enganchó por el vestuario debo confesarlo, muy estilo los 50s, la estética super bien cuidada, la decoración, la música, los autos. Muy vintage con un toque de modernidad. Y justo llegué a la peli por un anucio o un resumen en Youtube, no entendí de qué iba solo vi el vestuario que llevaba Florence Pugh y la vi. Digamos que la vi esperando encontrar cobre y encontré oro.
La película estuvo dirigida por Olivia Wilde quien también actúa en ella, y ¡Dios mío, Padre Santo con sus outfits! Es una mujer bellísima que encaja perfecto en el cuadro de Victoria. Por lo menos en el área de la estética me convencieron.
Un punto más para abordar en esta categoría es que visualmente es una película con mucha simbología a los experimentos mentales, a toda la narrativa de desconexión de la realidad, mundos alternativos, tortura, mentiras y esa búsqueda desesperada por la perfección que trastoca todas las áreas de la vida.
A través de la estética, se trata de convencer al espectador de que Victoria es un lugar en el que vale la pena estar. Sin embargo, ¿de qué vale eso cuando la realidad es otra? Aún y sabiendo la verdad de lo que sucede realmente, al terminar la película hay una gran interrogante: ¿serías capaz de soportar eso por una vida perfecta? No lo sé, es muy convincente todo.
Sobre esto, hay una escena muy particular en la que Alice cocinando se da cuenta que el huevo está vacío, y rompe varios para asegurarse si se trata de una ilusión o en efecto están vacíos. Una escena que parece no tener importancia, pero que para mí significó mucho: la cáscara vacía es Victoria. Ahí se los dejo como pista.
LA HISTORIA:
Imagínate un lugar donde no se habla de guerra, no hay noticias escandalosas, el dinero no parece ser un problema estás con el amor de tu vida. Una vida como sacado de un anuncio televisivo la mujer feliz en casa y el hombre que llega del trabajo con la mejor energía, los fines de semana con los amigos, buena música, comida rica y relaciones muy apasionadas.
Ahora imagínate la misma escena de vida perfecta pero en el teatro, se baja el telón y se acaban los aplausos. Así lo vive Alice.
De esta historia me sorprendió muchísimo el guión, casi no escuchas a Jack. Pero tiene un protagonismo muy oscuro que se irá develando casi llegando al final. Sin embargo, Frank es uno de los villanos de la película, digamos que uno de los líderes siniestros del programa secreto de Victoria. Es él, el que provoca a Alice a descubrir la verdad, pero en una especie de juego sin sentido, solo por el morbo de divertirse y todo acaba mal hasta para él.
En fin, la película es muy entretenida, con planos detalles que te dejan pistas de lo robótico que todo está en Victoria. Y cuando las cosas se salen de control, la oscuridad, psicosis, y torturas se hacen palpables.
CONCLUSIÓN
Si me preguntan cómo la describiría digamos que es algo como ver la película de Barbie con Huye. Porque aunque tiene mucho color y mucha moda, es bastante perturbadora. Yo le doy un sólido 9/10. Quizás el final me dejó un sinsabor pero en definitiva la película es buena y gracias a ella, me agrada Florence Pugh, pensé que era una actriz sobrevalorada porque la he visto en otros proyectos y no me convencía. Sin embargo, ya cambié de opinión. Además, Harry hace un tremendo papel también.
Ya tienen una recomendación para el fin de semana, la pueden encontrar en HBO Máx.
Edit📲: PicsArt | LightroomLink1Translated and formatted with DEEPL TRANSLATE
Sandman is a series that recently premiered its second season, and I consider it a product that enriches the mind and soul, where its greatest power lies in the lines of dialogue that the characters convey through their internal conflicts. It is there that each person in the audience can create a strong bond with this story, which knows how to get its messages across by handling complicated concepts such as death, among others.
In my case, one of the feelings I appreciate most is seeing death not as a villain, but as an element that can convey peace. Each reflection or message in the series during those simple conversations between characters varies from person to person. For me, death is inevitable, and depending on the bridge or path you choose to reach it, it can be a path of great agony and suffering or one of peace.
For example, when a family member goes through terminal illnesses such as cancer, etc., it is not only that person who suffers, but also their family members. All of this came to me through conversations between characters such as Death, Dream, and his son.
Sandman es una serie que recientemente estreno su segunda temporada y considero es un producto que enriquece la mente y el alma donde su mayor poder esta en las lineas de diálogos que transmiten los personajes a través de sus conflictos internos, es allí donde cada persona de la audiencia puede crear un gran lazo con esta historia que sabe hacer llegar los mensajes al manejar conceptos complicados como la muerte entre otros.
En mi caso una de las sensaciones que mas aprecie es ver a la muerte no como villano, si no como un elemento que puede transmitir paz, cada reflexión o mensaje de la serie durante esas simples conversaciones entre personajes varia de persona a persona donde para mi la muerte es inevitable y dependiendo del puente o camino que elijas para llegar a ella, puede ser un camino de mucha agonía y sufrimiento o uno de paz.
Por ejemplo cuando un familiar pasa por enfermedades terminales como cáncer etc, no solo esa persona sufre, los familiares también. Todo esto llego a mi con esas conversaciones entre personajes como Muerte, Sueño y su hijo.
As I mentioned in my previous reflection, there are many more in the series that are now up to you to discover as you watch this new season, which premiered recently and closes the chapter on The Sandman.
The greatest power of this review lies in the video, which I also invite you to watch, where you will hear more elements that I loved about the series, such as the wide range of characters whose personalities make you want to get to know and listen to them, especially as they are embellished with well-executed mythology.
I sense a lot of love from those who created this series, and although the dialogues are lengthy, it is to enrich our minds with rich nutrients of ideas using conflicts full of pure fantasy as a basis.
Así como nombre la reflexión anterior, hay muchas mas en la serie que ya queda en ti descubrir al animarte a ver esta nueva temporada que se estreno recientemente y que cierra el capitulo de The Sandman.
El mayor poder de esta reseña esta en el video el cual también invito a ver donde escucharas mas elementos que me encantaron de la serie como el amplio espectro de personajes cuyas personalidades si provoca conocer y escuchar, sobre todo al estar adornados de Mitología bien ejecutada.
Percibo mucho amor por parte de quienes elaboraron esta serie y aunque si, sus diálogos son extensos al momento de conversar, es para enriquecer con ricos nutrientes de ideas nuestras mentes usando como base conflictos llenos de fantasía pura.
I dedicate each and every one of my posts and videos to my little dog named princess, we called her chiquito, she is no longer with us but from heaven she will see that her existence was valuable and the most beautiful thing that will exist in my heart and soul.
Source
Affiche de la série
The only legal way to stream this at the moment is via a Netflix subscription 
