blog . . .

secret level (armored core episode)
type: show

"In a frostbitten frontier world, a legendary mech pilot learns his latest mission might hold the key to the demons that have haunted him for decades"

motion captured hyperrealistic 3d stuff is really not my thing, so i found it difficult to appreciate the character animation. i did like how the acs were animated at certain points, some sequences were composed like cincematics from the game or looked like actual gameplay (in a good way). but overall i thought it was very surface level and can't bring myself to like it..
it got the tone of the game down a little i guess. isolated old-gen augmented human with an inflated ego getting a kick out of almost killing himself with his mech. hey that sounds familiar.
but that's about it.. i didn't like the voice acting for the augmentation error talking to the merc either and the dialogue was very. dull in general idk

overall very little substance and more focus on tech demonstration in secret level, like it was made by gamerbros for gamerbros ...i think my expectations were just too high lol

pico park 2
type: game

"a cooperative local/online multiplay action puzzle game for 2-8 players"

i already played through the first game with my friend a while back. it's a ton of fun :B i like coop puzzle games that know the players are going to be annoying and get in each other's way as much as possible. the levels were designed with this in mind

arcane (season 2)
type: show

"Set in Utopian Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League of Legends champions and the power that will tear them apart"

aaahhhh ahh i don't like endings.. don't let anything end ever.

i think the second season wasn't as narratively strong as the first one but i still enjoyed watching it. the animation didn't disappoint.
to be honest i can't be bothered to write all the things down that i disliked about season 2. overall i was left disappointed by how they tied it all together at the end. i kept thinking "that's it?" after the credits rolled.

also idk if i fw viktor's final redesign. it's an interesting take but i do like his league design better... as much as i hate the game. this show was probably doomed from the start by being a league of legends adaptation #tbh

the substance (2024)
type: film

"A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself."

watched this with a friend on vc. we were shouting at our screens lol

ravenous (1999)
type: film

"In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal."

this film is tonally so odd. but it really works for me. maybe it's because i could not stop comparing it to bloodborne in my head.. boyd straight up looks like valtr to me, even using a cane at some point in the film. the way cannibalism is portrayed as a hunger for meat/blood to gain vigor and strength kept making me think of bloodborne too - 'you are what you eat' & 'eat to live, live to eat'.
it's advertised as a western horror comedy but it doesn't really fit into any of these genres and the soundtrack kind of threw me off... i can't say i didn't like it.

it is satirical, homoerotic and comedic in places but still touches manifest destiny thematically. they are kind of on the nose with it near the end, making apparent that cannibalism acted as a metaphor for colonialism
i also liked boyd as a protagonist. this unsure, 'cowardly' soldier who gradually starts losing himself under ives influence. his death a final act of futile resistance. but its not really all that and lowkey this film sucks

bonk sfx

lisa frankenstein (2024)
type: film

"in 1989, a misunderstood teenager develops a high school crush on a dead victorian bachelor after a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life. the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness…and a few missing body parts along the way"

i watched this with my friend after people stopped knocking on our door trick or treating. i liked it :P feels like a cult classic even though it was released this year. also something something transgenderism !

webfishing
type: game

"a multiplayer casual fishing game where players can relax, socialize, and catch nearly 100 different aquatic creatures while enjoying various fun activities"

this game is stupid fun. incredibly entertaining to just chat with friends and catch absurdly large/tiny fish. there's also a little website with some guides and info on the game!

junk head (2021) (rewatch)
type: film

"a stop motion animated film set in a distant future world where humans have received longevity but lost their fertility, and are nearly extinct by population decline"

oh how i love this film... takehide hori you genius machine

every once in a while i have to rewatch junk head to remind myself of the fastidious craftsmanship that is animation and filmmaking. I hold this film very dear to my heart as a love letter to art and creating and life, much like hylics.

i'm making a little junk head clay figure right now.. it's lowk ugly idk if i'll upload it here when i've finished painting it