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A place to talk about the movies, TV shows and manga I've enjoyed. Not really "reviews" and more-so my personal thoughts, etc. As usual, expect it to be an eternal work in progress as I add more entries here!
NIGHT ON THE
GALACTIC RAILROAD
JULY 1985
My favourite film of all time; the animated adaptation of my favourite book. The story is certainly slow-paced, and it isn't to everyone's taste, for sure, but it's my most beloved. It holds an eternal place in my heart!

The story follows Giovanni and Campanella as they journey through the Milky Way galaxy by train, exploring themes of kindness, self-sacrifice, death/rebirth, and finding meaning in life itself.

I adore everything about this film. It really captures the dreamlike essence of the book. The music is composed by legend Haruomi Hosono, and it matches the surreal visuals and background art just perfectly. The decision to turn the characters into cats is... random, but it feels like it was made for me in that regard! I love the way they're stylised, with their big open eyes. I could go on and on, I just feel something really strong inside when I see this film.

Every time I watch Night on the Galactic Railroad, I want to be a kinder person and do better. I really appreciate Kenji Miyazawa's view of the world, so I'm thankful to this film for introducing me to his work. If you don't mind a slower, more thoughtful experience, then I definitely recommend giving it a try. On that note, the book is even more worth trying out!

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

A TREE OF PALME
MARCH 2002
Like the position here suggests, A Tree of Palme is my "second favourite film" of all time. The art direction, character design and environmental design is just everything to me. Every single thing aligns with what I find visually appealing.

In this film Palme, a wooden robot, struck by grief, embarks on a journey to become human. Most people like to call it "Japanese Pinocchio", but it still has a lot of originality to it.

Directed by Takashi Nakamura, the beautiful look is only complimented even further by the animation. The soundtrack is just beautiful, and the ending song is incidentally sung by one of my favourite singers, Akino Arai.

This film was... Very clearly intended to be an anime series. It squashes a lot of plot into its runtime, and a lot of parts don't make much sense. For some reason I don't mind this in films, but it makes it a difficult one to recommend to people. I'll still rate it five hearts, because in spite of some confusing parts, I can still resonate with the general story and characters and themes. It fills my heart, at least!

This film actually inspired some of the settings in my OC story, and I tend to listen to the OST when I'm working on it.

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

DIGIMON ADVENTURE (FILM)
MARCH 1999
Not to be confused with "The Digimon Movie" (although that's it's own experience altogether. LOL.) Anyway, this short film is my number one recommended starting point for anyone that's looking to get into the Digimon series! (or that just wants to watch some beautiful Mamoru Hosoda directed goodness)

This movie is downright beautiful. The visual style and animation are gorgeous, and I just love the way the characters and the Digimon are drawn here. It's a prequel to the original Digimon Adventure series, and so no prior knowledge is needed in order to enjoy it.

It's very short (20 minutes) so there isn't much to say without spoiling it. The credits scene showing Taichi hugging Greymon whilst Butterfly plays is really nice.

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

DIGIMON ADVENTURE (SERIES)
MARCH 1999
My number one favourite anime series of all time. The original Digimon is heartfelt, sincere, endearing, and full of so much more depth to its characters and story than you'd ever expect when first going into it. I recommend this series to all!

As a kid, I had a bunch of Digimon episodes on VHS, all within the Devimon arc. Having grown up with a lot of TV shows that simply ended without a conclusion, I assumed Digimon was the same, and settled on watching these tapes over and over again. I thought it was all they made! I finally watched the full series as a teenager, and was very excited to find out that the Digimon in the show could even evolve past their Adult stage! Hah.

Digimon Adventure has an amazing cast of characters; they all have their own depth and things going on, and there's someone in it for everyone to love and attach to. Digimon evolution being linked to their human partners own "evolution" means they carry on growing more and more throughout the series. The Digital World itself is such a wonderful concept. The inclusion of technology and the internet in this series makes it feel really nostalgic now, without being dated. I could keep going on forever, I just love Digimon!

BTW: My favourite characters ever since I was a child are Joe and Gomamon! They were the first characters I ever made a merchandise collection for.

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

POKEMON: INDIGO LEAGUE
APRIL 1997
Alongside the aforementioned Digimon, I was obviously a giant Pokemon nerd as a child. I got into the cards and anime before I ever played the games. The first series of the Pokemon anime is probably the thing that makes me feel "nostalgia" more than anything else, for all the hours I spent watching it and dreaming about taking my own Pokemon journey one day.

I always loved going outside and pretending the bugs and frogs I'd find were Pokemon.

They used to air this first series of Pokemon here in giant blocks for hours at a time. I enjoyed watching them as much as possible, trying to see every episode since they aired out of order! I even managed to record my favourite episodes onto VHS tapes, so I could see them over and over again... I remember Meowth's origin episode being my choice back then, since him and Team Rocket were my favourite characters.

I'm a bit of a gen-wunner when it comes to the anime, but that's okay... I think it's still really funny and charming to this day. I love the art style so much, and I think Ash being a bit of a loser is pretty entertaining for a series like this. I've since watched this series in Japanese, but I still find the English dub endearing.

I still have my VHS tape for the second movie, alongside the poster that came with it. I got it signed by Veronica Taylor at a convention, who was really kind to me and complimented the good condition I'd kept it in all this time. It's a really nice memory, and I know my child-self would be happy. (This is vaguely related, since this movie is during the Orange Islands, but hey--!)

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

WOLF CHILDREN: AME AND YUKI
JUNE 2012
This film is so lovely! The animation and visual style are so nice, and I think it follows a really unique perspective... I hadn't seen it since it released and was popular back on Tumblr, but I recently (as of writing!) got to watch it again in the cinema. I was happy to find that I still enjoyed it as much as I remembered.

I really love how they stylise the wolves in this film. The snow scene is really iconic and beautifully made! I felt really engrossed during the entire thing, and I really love all the characters. The setting in the countryside is just my favourite thing. I actually own the art book, and the environments really inspired me back when I was starting out drawing backgrounds.

I got told that Ame is a bit similar to me. LOL. Well, what can I say. I'd love to be a wolf too.

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

WATERSHIP DOWN
OCTOBER 1978
I can't remember the first time I saw Watership Down, but it was always a film that just existed throughout my childhood. I owned a large picture book (that I still have!) with full-page prints from the entire film, so I must've loved it quite a bit!

In this film we follow a group of rabbits who flee their warren to find a new home and build a new life. There are several arcs, and by the end you really feel like you've been through a lot with the characters.

I feel real sadness when this film is written off by others as 'nightmare fuel' or 'not a kids film', because it's a very beautifully made adaptation. I feel that growing up, films like this helped me to develop a greater empathy and care towards animals and the natural world.

It's a very nostalgic film to me, and I really love the music and setting. If you couldn't tell from my rambling, I really wish more films explored xenofiction with the more raw tone this story has. If you don't mind some animated animal violence, I definitely recommend giving it a try if you haven't!

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

THE PLAGUE DOGS
OCTOBER 1982
Another Richard Adams adaptation. This was the first film that I owned on both VHS and DVD. Random, huh? I really adored this film as a child, even if I didn't totally understand everything going on in it. It was interesting for me to watch it over and over again.

The story centers around two dogs after their escape from a research laboratory, learning to live as wild animals out in the countryside. Rumours spread that the escaped dogs are infected with bubonic plague, leading to them being hunted down by humans.

A bit like Watership Down, this film has a more realistic animation style to it. I really, really like it, and I wish more films like it existed. Much like the prior entry, growing up this film gave me a further understanding of animal cruelty, and the struggle animals go through in order to survive. Again, if you don't mind it, I recommend it! The ending is extremely heartbreaking, but bittersweet in a way. It was probably the first film that got me hooked on this kind of ending. (My favourite)

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥

FELIDAE
NOVEMBER 1994
Felidae is... such a unique film, to say the least. I first watched it when I was around 11 or 12, and it's certainly brutal for an animated animal movie. I haven't seen this entry in quite a while, so my memory is a little faint on the details.

The story centers around Francis, a new cat in the neighbourhood as he investigates a string of feline murders.

One thing I enjoy about this film is how the Disney-esque style really contrasts everything we're seeing on screen. It's quite an interesting juxtaposition from what we're used to. There's a wild nightmare sequence in it with some shocking animation and visuals.

It's not one of my favourites but I still felt compelled to include it here! I'd like to rewatch it at some point, and give a better description. I've always been interested in checking out the book series one day too. I recommend this film if you're into "niche animated animal movies with a lot of violence"... I guess that's a genre!

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥

SQUID GAME (SEASON 1-3)
SEPTEMBER 2021
Everyone has seen this show, so I'll just discuss my personal experience with it. As of writing, it's the only live-action TV show that's resonated with me. I'm just fussy! But anyway, I really really do love Squid Game.

I first saw S1 of this series in 2021. My job had only recently re-opened after 15 months of closure during lockdowns. Every time I applied for a new job, the hiring would be cancelled due to another lockdown. I could remember the feeling of hopelessness, whilst people around me bragged about vacations and wanting longer off work; "I hope they don't cure the virus until after summer,"; of all the savings they'd cumulated thanks to aid money they hadn't needed. Of course, my situation was nothing like the characters in this series, but it was the type of thing I needed to watch at the time when I was still struggling quite a bit.

I can distinctly recall feeling like the show gave its message and another season wasn't necessary, so I put off Season 2 until a long plane flight from China, where I watched almost all of it. I think I loved Season 2 even more, in the end! The whole set of characters is just incredible.

Season 3 came out right after I got back, so I watched it all on the day of release. It's probably the weakest of the three, which is a real shame, but I liked more than I disliked. I find some parts of the ending questionable (and I'm not even acknowledging American Squid Game), but the overall experience was one that I liked.

I also really found the acting to be amazing from the cast! I enjoyed watching the behind-the-scenes, and Squid Game definitely made me want to try more Korean TV and movies.

Anyway, at its core this whole series is just really thoughtful, and I love it dearly.

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥

TAKOPI'S ORIGINAL SIN
DECEMBER 2021
Takopi's Original Sin might be my favourite manga of all time. I don't read much manga these days, but I'm so glad I gave this one a try.

I think saying too much might spoil the impact of the story, but I really really love the characters and messages here. Nobody is a bad person, it's the world that's rotten... Ah! That nothing can ever be "all-good" or "all-bad", it had a very bittersweet feeling at the end, but it was hopeful. "And to all of you who feel alone at the moment... May you grow up to be happy adults."

As of writing, the anime (2025) is unfinished, but it's entirely faithful and I've been enjoying it whole-heartedly so far. The opening song is just brilliant, not to mention the animation and visual style in general. It's only short, so please check it out!

As an extended ramble: There's a small part of this story that I really connect to. Without getting too into it, I felt like it portrayed something I struggle to find a relatable version of in media. Hmm. I'm being intentionally vague, but I just want it to be known that I love this series!

PERSONAL RATING:
♥♥♥♥♥