Kiki's Delivery Service

"Majo no Takkyuubin"

Aired: July 29th, 1989
Duration: 1 hr 43 min
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Coming-of-age
Rating:
Review: Kiki's Delivery Service ws my first introduction to anime without my even knowing it. Gifted on my 5th birthday, and gradually becoming obssessed with it until it became my nightly ritual by age 10. Kiki helped me discover my passion for what I love. One of the most intimate scenes is when Kiki visits Ursula's cabin in the woods during a rough patch in her training. Ursula encourages Kiki to take a break from flying, and "doze off at noon, look at the scenery." Taking breaks from what we love can help us refresh our minds and come back with a new force. I think that's a powerful message when we're surrounded by such an intense work culture.

Full Moon

"Full Moon o Sagashite"

Published: December 1st, 2001
Volumes: 7
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
Rating:
Review: Full Moon wasn't my first introduction to manga, but it was my first obsession with Shoujo. I had watched plenty of TV and read books with the main characters being girls my own age at the time (12), but none were quite portrayed the way Mitsuki was. She didn't act her age, feeling forced to grow up due to her illness and her parents passing away, while living under the strict, watchful eye of her grandmother. While I didn't relate to losing my parents or having a harsh grandparent, I longed for freedom like Mitsuki did. Her kind, fearless, passionate view of the world and of everyone around her made me want to do the same. Believing in herself and having faith in those around her allowed her to succeed.

Over The Garden Wall

Aired: November 3rd, 2014
Episodes: 10
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery
Rating:
Review: Over The Garden Wall premiered when I was in a fairly rough patch in life, and while I loved it then, it took me some time to fully dive into it. I didn't let it fully immerse me until around 2020, and since then it's a monthly watch. The inspired whimsical feeling I get when I watch this show motivates me to work on art (although I am half-distracted because the show is so good). Something about the music and the general pacing of the show gives just the right ambiance to create to. I often find myself singing or humming the opening theme, as well as several of the other songs. One night while visiting my dad, he played an old record of Swedish folk music. I slowly realized the rhythm was uncannily similar to 'A Courting Song'. It was without a doubt the same genre of music, bringing the show's history a little closer to my heart.

Mighty Joe Young

Aired: December 25th, 1998
Duration: 1 hr 54 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rating:
Review: Mighty Joe Young is one of the first movies I could binge regularly. I must've been around 5 when I first watched it. I can still remember the awe and amazement I felt seeing Joe for the first time. Even today, his practical effects are outstanding! Sure, the acting is corny, and the plot isn't as groundbreaking as I remember. But there are some very well-acted moments, like in the beginning with Jill and her mother. And although Joe is a giant prop, kudos to the team behind controlling him. That 15-foot-tall gorilla gave a better performance than Bill Paxton could ever dream (love ya anyway Bill!!). The music is also fantastic, full of choirs and intense drum beats. The acting is the only thing holding this back from 5 stars, in my opinion. "MONSTRULE, MONSTRULE!"

Rimworld

Released: November 4th, 2013
My Play Time: 2,100 hrs
Genre: Simulation, Strategy, Colony Builder
Rating:
Review: I could spend half a lifetime playing this game. Especially with the DLCs, the possibilities are infinite. I have Ideology, Royalty and Biotech for now. I don't feel like Anomaly is my speed, and Odyssey is basically a revamped mod package. I play with over 100 mods so suffice to say I might not get Odyssey, unless I want to fly around in a spaceship! I think I was already at around 800 hours before getting them though, so the base game alone is worth every penny. I admit I play this game with a lot of help from DEV mode. In the beginning it was fun to challenge myself and watch pawns die of the flu instead of a raid, or watch as poor moods devolved into fire-starting sprees, or forgetting to remove roofs and cry as my favorite pawn died. But that's the beauty of this game; you can play it however you want.