The Re-Watch Pile: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

June 23, 2017 ~ bristlebristle ~ 2 Comments

[Doki] Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica - 10v2 (1280x720 h264 BD AAC) [DD6C6F14].mkv_snapshot_23.53_[2017.06.23_02.08.54].jpg

Every time I watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica it reverberates through me for days. It sticks to me aesthetically, thematically and emotionally and refuses to let go. It’s often noted that Madoka is a “dark” series, and in many ways that’s true. It’s filled with loss and tragedy and a hint of existential dread. It acknowledges and understands the struggle of humanity in a troubled world that can’t begin to value all our sacrifices, contained in a universe where the way we think and feel is utterly miniscule. And yet it’s ultimately a tale of hope.

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Quick Reviews – Little Witch Academia

May 24, 2017 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

I watched the original Little Witch Academia short way back when it was all the rage and I got plenty out of it. I thought it was cute and fun and engaging, a sign that Studio Trigger was a force to be reckoned with in the industry. But it’s only rewatching it now that I appreciate its craft. It’s an absolute pleasure of a work that almost anyone can find something to appreciate in, and it’s full of all sorts of little details that make that possible.

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Funcurve Summer 2016 Anime Roundup

April 3, 2017April 3, 2017 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

lovelivesunshine-ep10-scr3

In the interest of getting enough sleep for Wrestlemania (which begins in the morning in this tragic timezone) I’ve decided to delay today’s article. Instead I figured I would give an update on Funcurve. In light of personal struggles I stopped being able to contribute to the site and eventually moved to just being a guest writer, but before I stopped contributing as an actual writer I did some more articles on the Summer 2016 Anime season. You can find them after the break. Enjoy!

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Recent Funcurve Content Roundup

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

As you may have noticed, this blog has been pretty dead over the last few months. Meanwhile, my content stream for Funcurve has continued and I’ve just neglected posting any of it here. So in the interest of consistency I’ve decided I’ll just post everything I’ve done since then right here. Links to it all can be found after the break.

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Charlotte Funcurve Review

January 13, 2016 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Charlotte - 12 (1280x720 HEVC AAC).mkv_snapshot_17.26_[2015.11.18_15.09.52]

So, there were some complications that I couldn’t get to with this Charlotte review until I was back from my three week trip to Japan, but those were sorted out and just a few days ago this was published.

I thought Charlotte was pretty rubbish. Pretty much everything bad I’ve ever heard about Jun Maeda. Lame repetitive slapstick gags, completely ridiculous unearned dramatic peaks and ends up crushed under the weight of plot twists it doesn’t have nearly enough grace to handle. But let’s not dwell on these things. That JoJo: Stardust Crusaders review is done and it’s coming very soon if you want something a little less mean from me.

You can find the review right here.

Amagi Brilliant Park Funcurve Review

October 11, 2015October 11, 2015 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

This post is a month later than it probably should have been, but I thought it was worthwhile to post a link to my review of Amagi Brilliant Park here. Amagi Brilliant Park is good quality popcorn, with plenty of lovable KyoAni comedic grace. It lags in its final stretch from being a bit too self-serious, but it makes a solid recovery for a nice conclusion.

You can find the full review here.

Sword Art Online II Funcurve Review

August 5, 2015 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Meant to post this a couple days ago but I was a bit lazy about it. I’m pretty proud of this review. Sword Art Online really has no shortage of things to talk about, to say the least. It’s a series with all sorts of problematic elements, but it has the admirable sense of a series that wants to improve. I think Sword Art Online II is a respectable outcome of that motivation, and despite serious stumbles it truly delivers in the end. It might not be worth it for people who utterly hated the series to keep watching, but for fans and for anyone with just a little earnest love for SAO there’s a fair bit to be pleased with in this sequel series.

You can find the link to this review here.

Barakamon Funcurve Review

July 20, 2015August 5, 2015 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Sorry I didn’t put a link here sooner. When this got published I didn’t have internet at home, and it was too much of a hassle to put this together on mobile. This is a bit of a wordy review, the longest I’ve ever done because I essentially went through the series episode by episode. Despite that, I said all I needed to say about Barakamon and I’m pretty proud of it. It’s a lovely series with plenty of nice ideas that I enjoyed talking about. Expect my Sword Art Online II review to also be published in the next couple weeks!

You can find the Barakamon review here on Funcurve.

A Look Back on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 4 Part V – ‘Rarity Takes Manehattan’ Mini-Review [SPOILERS]

April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Find the other parts of my S4 retrospective here.

It’s crunch time, and I’m gonna try to get out as many episode reviews as I can before Season 5 premieres. I ended up having more to write about than I expected for Rarity Takes Manehattan, so it’s going to be its own post just like Flight to the Finish. Enough chitchat, it’s pone time!

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A Look Back on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 4 Part IV – ‘Power Ponies’ and ‘Bats!’ [SPOILERS]

April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 ~ bristlebristle ~ Leave a comment

Power_Ponies_trapped_S4E06

Find the other parts of my S4 retrospective here.

Well, I’m waaaaaay behind schedule on these MLP S4 rewatch write-ups, but I’ll do my best to put out as many in the next couple days before Season 5’s premiere as I can. After Flight to the Finish, Season 4 settles into a groove, and the subsequent several episodes strike a good balance between the earnest and well-made stuff that made MLP popular in the first place and the engaging ambitious ideas that have propelled it forward since Season 2. These two episodes aren’t the best examples of that description, considering they’re reflective of some of the significant shortcomings of MLP trying to be more ambitious, but they still have a bit of what made MLP so great in the first place and a bit of what still makes it so great. Now let’s get down to some more pone!

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