My first steps I ever took into the world of Japanese culture was through Vocaloid. Hatsune Miku was, and still is, one of my favorite people in the entire world. I remember my thirteen year old self dancing along with her live performances and scrolling through vast playlists of karaoke. Within that world I discovered a series of songs all interconnected with characters and plot lines, it was a format of story telling I had never experienced before. They were called Kagerou Project, and apparently it was already pretty big in Japan. At this same time I was exploring Crunchy Roll and it’s vast library of anime and I came across Mekakucity Actors. It was and interesting show for sure, but it was half a year later when I finally realized that these two series told the same story!

Kagerou Project is a series about a group called the Mekakushidan (The Blindfold Gang) and their lives. This group is special because they all have special abilities revolving around their eyes. A simple concept but well executed. The songs do not really have any pin point genre they fit into but they certainly appeal to those with tastes in J-Pop. I’ll link the full playlist of the songs in order if you are interested in getting into it. It was first adapted into a novel, then soon into a manga, and finally it was announced that Studio Shaft would be picking it up. It was exciting for Vocaloid fans everywhere to see this wonderful series finally get the attention it deserves. When it debuted it was one of the most faithful adaptations I have ever seen and Shaft’s flare and style fit the atmosphere perfectly. But Anime fans unaware of the shows history seemed to dislike it, call it strange, and boring.

After a few years of being a fan of this franchise I understand now why so many people dislike this show. Without the context of the song series it is difficult to really get into it. The first three episodes are fairly boring and weirdly laid out, for someone who is a casual anime fan I can see why they would not be able to get into it. But knowing the characters before hand and their personality and such, it is really gratifying to see them brought to life in such an accurate way. Shaft uses the songs as the endings, each episode is named after it’s respective song as well. I think that it is a wonderful series that when viewed in it’s whole is a unique experience for any anime fan.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the first anime that has really transcended all cultural boundaries. Being a solid block of pop culture in Japan since it began it’s manga serialization in the late 1980’s. When the animated series aired in 2012 and was released on Crunchyroll, an enormous wave of fans came into the community. Jojo has become a keystone of anime culture across the globe. It’s popularity is so vast that the creator of the manga, Hirohiko Araki, has done collaborations with brands like Vans, Supreme, and even Gucci to make Jojo themed products. But, even though the fandom is as big as it’s ever been, there is fear that the next part of the series will not be animated. But Why?

Now this review is going to focus on Part 5 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. It revolves around Giorno Giovanna. A fifteen year old kid living on the streets of Italy who makes a living off of hustling tourists. With the help of an ability he was born with called a Stand, a manifestation of someones fighting spirit(here is a more in-depth explanation), he survives the streets of Naples. One day he comes across a man named Bruno with an ability like his, and after fighting one another they realize that they have the same ideals and goals and life. Giorno joins Bruno’s gang in order to become the top Gang-Star of the city and wipe drugs off the streets permanently. This is the basis of the first few episodes, but The Daily Fandom goes very well in depth with the characters and plot of the show if you are interested.

Now, I know that sounds pretty strange, but honestly the who show is pretty insane. It certainly lives up to it’s title. I believe that it is the strange nature of the show that has really given it notoriety. It’s a roller coaster ride to experience. One episode they are fighting a man in a mirror. The next one of the gang members tongues comes to life and tries to kill him. And what is likely the most famous clip from this season, the gang doing a dance on a boat while torturing a man’s unzipped head. Part 5 has no doubt become one of, if not the, most popular out of the parts animated. It has attracted the most new fans to the show while at the same time turning off older fans. People worry that this strange fluctuation of participation for this part will mean that the series will not be animated past the next part.

Overall, I love Part 5! I am not the biggest fan of the other seasons despite my boyfriend sitting me down and making me watch them all, but I think they are all equally strange and interesting to watch. If not for the story than for the unique happenings that they characters get into. Like watching a Nazi turn himself into a cyborg to kill a vampire, where else could you think to observe something like that? Part 5 is definitely tamer in its execution of the bizarre, but it is worth just as much a watch as its preceding parts. And I do not have any fear that the series will be discontinued. The line of Jojo’s will continue on for generations to come.

I cannot claim to be a long time fan of the Fire emblem series. I was one of those people who jumped onto the FE: Awakening bandwagon back in 2012. Despite the fact I was introduced to the series so late, I can confidently say that I am a huge fan of the franchise. I have purchased every game since, bought the FE DLC in Super Smash Bros, I’ve even cosplayed multiple characters from the series! So when I heard that the most recent installment would be the first for the Nintendo Switch, I became very excited. I waited two years since it’s announcement for it’s release, and I am glad to say that my enthusiasm was not wasted on it.

Fire Emblem is a Japanese RPG in a fantasy setting, using turn based battle mechanics. FE: Three Houses is the first in the whole series to have free roaming on the map, as well as fun character mechanics such as tea time or cooking together. There are three different story lines that branch off depending on which house you choose. The Golden Deer takes you along with Claude, the future leader of an alliance of nobles. The Blue Lions are lead by Dimitri, the future king of the Holy Kingdom of Farghus. Then there is the Black Eagles, lead by the Imperial princess Edelgard. Each path is entirely unique once the branching point is hit and there was never a point in any of them where I encountered something that I could confidently predict would happen.If you are unconvinced by my glowingly positive review, Metacritc has plenty of unbiased reviews to read from. This wonderful game is also helping to change peoples expectations of what a Fire Emblem game is.

Many people stereotype FE as being a basic and boring fantasy story. Main character is weak, main character gets strong, main character finds out a dark secret about themselves, then defeats the great evil over the land. Which honestly, isn’t entirely inaccurate for some installments in the series. This stigmatizing of the series has made a lot of people afraid of admitting they enjoy the series for fear of being labeled as a lower level of gamer(which is a ridiculous notion). Fire Emblem: Three Houses has gained nothing but love from the community as well as those outside. This game has served as an introductory to the franchise for many people and is approaching the title of Best Selling Fire Emblem Game with over two million copies sold. Overall, the franchise is finally not being dragged by others in the Nintendo community and being considered a “valid” series to be a fan of.

Honestly, Japan could make an anime out of anything these days. I have seen an anime about Tennis, as well as one about parkour, and the most bizarre was one based around a skeleton that works at a bookstore. So when I heard about a show premiering last summer about fire fighting, I couldn’t help but chuckle. I wasn’t going to take it seriously, and it was not until recently that my interest was sparked. Seeing it pop up on the Recently Updated section of VRV(a streaming service) my boyfriend and I decided to give it a shot and boy, was that a great decision on our part. Because we were both surprised by a fantastically written and shot animation that we simply could not draw our eyes away from.

Fire Force is set in a world where spontaneous human combustion is a serious problem on the planet. People may randomly catch fire and transform into beasts called Inferals who wreak havoc. The Special Fire Force is an organization created solely to deal with Infernals and put them to rest. The story follows Fire Force 8, which was created to investigate the other units of the organization for misconduct.

Now, the show has only currently aired 13 episodes but I have strong feelings about the story. I am very much a person that watches something through fully before giving my final judgments, so when I was looking at the reviews on My Anime List I was appalled by how many people gave such a poor rating after only watching five or six episodes since it is immediately after those episodes that the story really picks up. The distinct story telling style of the creator of the series, Atsushi Ōkubo, is something that long time that is familiar to long time anime fans. He is also the creator of Soul Eater, a very popular show that aired in 2008. Many people draw comparisons between the main characters of the two shows. This video talks about the similarities between them and the potential of Fire Force’s future.

So far I can confidently say that Fire Force is a show worth watching if you enjoy modern fantasy, and can admire beautifully animated flames.

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) is a film that is only known to those who are long time fans of the Horror genre, or are active TikTok users. I was one of the later. Repo is a Horror, Comedy, Musical, Scifi film. A very strange mixture of genres that seem like a recipe for disaster. The world is set in the not so distant future, where an epidemic of organ failure has overtake the planet. People are dying left and right, but a savior arises. Gene Co., a company that specializes in growing organs and and giving people life saving transplants, gains a monopoly over the world. As necessity turns into cosmetic, the world is obsessed with cosmetic surgery. Soon enough the owner of Gene Co., Rotti Largo, lobbies a bill through Congress which makes organ repossessions legal. So now the world fears that if they do not pay of their organ bills they will get a visit from the dreaded Repo Man. The Setting that is created is something that many would expect to read about in a comic book. It would be difficult to execute on the small budget provided to the film team, however, it was perfectly set up by the crew. Everything stayed perfectly balanced on the edge of reality and disbelief.

One unique aspect of the film is that it’s true to it’s title. Repo is an an opera that is has been completely dissected and put back together in a new way. There are only two or three moments where the characters are not singing their dialogue throughout the almost two hour long run time. One of the most popular songs is called Zydrate Anatomy. It is about how a drug called Zydrate, an incredibly strong pain killer taken from the body of the dead, and gives exposition to the main character for the future. It is an incredibly catchy song and it the reason why the film has had a sudden resurgence in popularity. On the app TikTok, a trend has gone around of people making videos to the chorus of the song. Introducing a new generation of fans to the film. This does not contribute to its already well established cult status however, as the sheer uniqueness of the film gained it a following before it was officially released.

Overall I think Repo is definitely worth a watch if you are looking for something bizarre and catchy. It is only this film that can have a song called Legal Assassin where the character goes from dancing with his helmet in his hand to puppeting a corpse by shoving his hand up it’s open sternum. If I were to give this film a rating it would be an 8/10, the only deduction coming from the dreadful acting of Paris Hilton. I recommend this film to everyone who can look past excessive gore and Paris Hilton walking around in a dress with colored cotton balls plastered all over it.