Seven Deadly Sins is another Netflix anime that when it came out mostly everyone was watching it. I immediately bought in and binged the entire season within one week leaving me anime-less for a while as it takes Netflix years to put out another season of an anime. My feelings on Seven Deadly Sins vary from one of my favorite watches to what in the world happened as the seasons went on. The anime follows the adventure of a princess Elizabeth who is searching for the banished and hated group of knights; the seven deadly sins. She stumbles across their leader, Meliodas, unknowingly asking him in his tavern for help on her journey. I love how you immediately understand where the anime is going just by the first episode. You can see how Elizabeth and Meliodas will go on this adventure to find his long-lost teammates and probably will have a hard time doing it.

Meliodas is the smallest and also the leader of the seven deadly sins but as his outward appearance deceives most people we soon learn that he is the seven deadly sin, wrath. The most dangerous, and lethal, sin of them all, and he proves it in each episode you watch. I love how each one of the sin’s fighting styles is different, with Meliodas he barely fights with a weapon, and when he does it’s with a broken sword. Many animes fall short to me when it comes to actual world-building but Seven Deadly Sins do a great job of showing you how their mythical world works

(this link will take you to one of my favorite fight scenes between Meliodas and the ten commandments)

As a viewer, you are always waiting and guessing which character could be a seven deadly sin as you meet them and they get revealed. We meet Diane the envy sin (who is a giant), Ban the greed sin, King the sloth sin (who is a fairy King), Esconar the pride sin, and Gother the lust sin. This is not their whole team but the ones they find throughout the season. I love how each major seven deadly sins all have its past and issues with each other that the viewer doesn’t know. One of my huge favorite things about this anime is the fighting animation style. It does an amazing job at showing their abilities while keeping it interesting to watch after seeing fight after fight.

Overall if you are into a more fast-paced and fight-centered anime this one is for you. Seven Deadly Sins is an anime that starts amazingly, the adventure draws you in and the plot makes you stay. As the seasons go on, the show loses some of that consistency and starts to fall apart. The animation loses its footing and Netflix as a company doesn’t always put out the best mass content. It comes in at 7/10 for me as it was one of my favorites and the shaky ending doesn’t make it any less of a great watch to an extent.

Other Ratings

Netflix: 71% match

Coming in at what has to be one of the weirdest anime I have ever seen and the weirdest anime that has ever been made. Some animes will have you questioning what you are watching and this is one of them. I watched this show years ago when it first came out and revisiting now I have to question my decision-making skills. Kakegurui is a Netflix anime that follows a school full of rich kids who on the outside seem like normal private schoolers but at a closer look, every student at the school is a gambler. This isn’t just an attribute that every student has but it is the school itself, to not be treated like an animal and rise in popularity you have to be good at betting away your life.

The anime does well with introducing us to the system through straight-up exposure. We follow the new girl at school, Yumeko Jabam who at first seems quiet and revered not someone who would survive in the harsh environments that come along with gambling your life away. She gets to know the only boy at school, Ryota Suzui who is what the high rollers call a ‘pet’. He gambles and lost the game he was in becoming a servant to whoever he played against, and as he is showing Yumeko the ropes she gets challenged to a modified game of rock paper scissors. Now at this point when you are watching it as a viewer you are kind of getting the hint that something might be off with Yumeko. It does a great job of dropping hints as to Yumekos’s true character, as the game progresses so does the excitement on her face. She is a certified gambler addicted to the thrill that comes with the high stake games in the school.

The games that the characters play through the show can only be described as horrifying. The second game that Yumeko plays is a twisted game of concentration the card game. With each successful match against the other has to rip one of their nail beds off and keep playing. The animation lends itself to the plot of anime being bright, and quick, slowing down in moments they want the viewer to catch what is happening in the scene. At some points it felt like I couldn’t take my eyes off what I was watching, each student is deeply involved with the hierarchy that is the school. No matter the lengths that a game might go to they will always play it. The thrill plus the fear of being a pet keeps the students from even thinking about not taking part, and it’s very apparent in one of my favorite characters; Midari Ikishima.

Midari is one of the conical members that instilled the gambling rule in the first place. She is previously damaged from losing one of her eyes in a bet and is honestly out of her mind crazy. She convinces Yumeko to play a guessing game of Russian roulette and the way Midari has no care for her safety in the slightest makes the entire scene. I love how deranged she and this anime is. It is a tentative watch as it might not be your vibe but just as an anime itself, it comes in at a 7/10.

Other Ratings

Netflix: 73% Match

Fairy Tail is one of those animes that I have seen a hundred times over despite the length of it. It was one of my first animes and after I watched it I deep-dived into anime itself finding myself in love with the genre more than I thought I would. Fairy Tail is a funny, heartwarming, tear-jerking show that you can watch with new curiosity no matter how old you get. The plot forms itself into a huge overarching enemy as the anime continues, but in the beginning, it starts out simple with just one character; Lucy Heartfilia.

Lucy is the heiress of the Heartfilia fortune whose mom has passed and whose dad has tried to control her for as long as he could.  She has wanted to be a part of a magical guild (the place where the great magic users come together and take jobs) for as long as she could remember, she just needed to find a way in. The show gets its name from the magic guild Lucy ends up joining, Fairy Tail houses many magic users each having a unique ability and interesting characteristics that make it easy to distinguish between them as you learn who the characters are. Lucy as one of the protagonists is amazing, she starts so unsure of herself and her ability to be a celestial wizard but eventually, after many death experiences, she throws herself into becoming a better wizard, and as the viewer, it’s so satisfying to get to see her grow.

Fairy Tail is a multi-faced show as Lucy is not the only protagonist eventually the stories and plot start to shift between the characters. Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, and Erza Scarlet all are different type of magic users that welcome Lucy to Fairy Tail and eventually make her a part of their group, taking her on grand and deadly adventures that forges a strong bond between the four of them. What I love most about this anime is how it shows relationships, friendships, and enemies grow as the different arcs play out. It doesn’t leave behind a plot that might not fit with the new arc that is happening but instead builds off those relationships to further the plot. It does all this while keeping you invested in the plot and wanting to watch episode after episode.

If you haven’t seen Fairy Tail before or are not a big anime watcher then how many episodes, seasons, and arcs this anime has might be really overwhelming. Fairy Tail has over 300 episodes each being fairly average in length but the amount of arcs it covers I cant even start to talk about because they are so comprehensive. Though this might be a downside for some people most love the amount of content that comes along with it. Fairy Tail covers all bases with romance, angst, and lots of actions scenes that are animated with close attention to detail. Though I’ve seen it so many times I still could learn new information about the lore and plot any day!

Other ratings

Crunchyroll:

Average Rating- 4.7 (6.5k views)

School Babysitters is one of the most heartwarming anime I have ever seen. Recently my anime genre has been shojo anime which is anime that usually tends to be romantic and interpersonal focused. Over winter break a more everyday life of anime was needed and I found a couple that I binged, School Babysitters being one of them. It follows the vastly changing life of two brothers; Ryuuichi (the older brother) and Kotarou (the younger brother) Kashima who recently lost both of their parents in a horrific plane crash and are left with only each other to hold onto. This tugged at my heartstrings because I was watching it very sleep deprived and loved how though the anime starts sad it leads into the most heartwarming story.

The two brothers find themselves taken in by what happens to be the principal of the high school that Ryu (Ryuuichi) goes to. Yuko Morinomiya also lost her kids in the same plane crash and though she is harsh and unforgiving she still wants to care for Ryu and Kotarou. The first episode of this anime shows how important the two brothers’ relationship is going to be throughout the show, Kotarou ends up sick and Ryu panics and realizes how alone they truly are.  That doesn’t stay the case for long though as the principal assigns Ryu to work at the babysitters club in their high school. He would watch over his brothers and kids of various teachers at the school alongside another aide that works for the school. Ryu is thrown into having to learn how to take care of small children and even though it comes naturally to him, as a viewer having to learn all the kids’ names were tough.

One thing great this anime does is introduce us to a lot of characters in a way that allows us to get to know at least a little bit about each one of them. The other children are introduced together, all having very different personalities that cause them to stand out and fill in a comedic and loving space in the anime. Starting from the far right you have, of course, Kotarou holding a bunny, he is reserved and shy and he stays by his brother’s side as much as he can. The little girl with the green pigtails is Kumatskua Kirin. She is fierce and doesn’t let all the boys bother her. The blue-haired boy is Taka Kamitani an angry, defiant kid who thought pick on the other kid sometimes is still a friend. Lastly, the twins, Kazuma, and Takuma Mamizuka are opposites, Kazuma being outspoken and Takuma being sensitive always having tears in his eyes. Each other the kid’s parents and life situations are revealed throughout the anime. I love in particular the twin’s story because their dad is a famous actor and their mom is a math teacher. They never see their dad and don’t recognize or even call him dad when they see him one day at the daycare.

Overall this anime has to be one of my favorite shojos. It has all the factors you could want in a great romance or interpersonal story. In this case, it tells the story of two brothers who though it doesn’t focus a lot on it after the first episode are learning how to depend of people other than each other and make friends that could last forever. Each episode has two little stories in them letting you see more of the characters, and grow to love them faster than you would expect.

Other ratings:

(Crunchyroll) Average Rating: 4.9 (6.2k views)

2oo reviews

(This link will take you to the trailer for The Promise Neverland)

You haven’t seen a horror/thriller anime until you have seen The Promise Neverland. It is a mind warp of plot that leads you one place at the start and yet you end up on a whole different world in the middle. The first episode opens up with the three main characters; Emma, Ray, and Norman all looking into what seems to be a gate leading to what they call, “the outside”.  They all are wearing the same uniform, a white, crisp shirt and pants that almost feels sterile in a way. The feel of the episode has you cautious, even though outwardly there’s nothing to be suspicious of. You discover they’re all orphans and live together on what seems to be just a large land solely for the kids that are living there.

(This is Isabella, one of the ‘mothers’)

Emma, Ray, and Norman all feel differently about being at the orphanage, Emma being the most naïve. She took comfort in their ‘mother’ who watched over all of the children and believed in the fact that once she was smart enough she would be adopted. As you are watching the anime, noticing the small things like the fact they all have numbers, the ‘mothers’ seem almost robotic, and that they have to take a test to be adopted you know that something isn’t right. I love the way the animation conveys that sense of dread, with an almost shaky animation style in most scenes that feel tense but shouldn’t be. Emma by the end of the first episode finds her way back to that gate she was always warned about, wanting to see her friend off as she had gotten adopted unexpectedly. Norman follows her and through their eyes hiding underneath a truck we see that little girl get slaughtered and eaten by what seems to be a monster.

The shock that I felt while watching this anime for the first time was immense. I had not had a lot of knowledge on it beforehand, but going into it knowing it was supposed to be horror but that horror not being upfront allowed me to fully get invested in this show. I needed to know more now about this show I thought I was beginning to understand, had now flipped on the axis at the end of the first episode. The world building as the season goes along is amazing, it introduces you to this horrifying world the characters are living in, in tiny pieces. You know some information about how the orphans aren’t being adopted but actually sold to different demons for food but not about why their world is the way it is till later on. The design of the characters is what catches my eye when examining the animation. Each character has a distinct personality with Ray being more mysterious having black hair that covers most of his face or Emma being more optimistic having bright orange hair. Even the way the demons/the mothers are drawn is terrifying, they resemble what angels originally are depicted to look like and play into what the plot is trying to convey.

(Ray on the left, Emma in the middle, Norman on the right)

I greatly enjoyed this anime, with the story telling being shocking and so deep that they could make many seasons based of the manga. The animation is better than some amines I’ve seen recently and I would highly recommend it. If you love horror/thriller amines that are really intense this is the anime for you coming in at a 9/10!

Other Ratings:

(Crunchyroll) Average Rating: 4.5 (15.6k)

806 reviews

(This link will take you to the trailer for Spy x Family!)

For my first anime to look at I wanted to start off with one that I just recently caught up all the way with and take a look at it as its ongoing and doesn’t seem like it will be stopping anytime soon! Spy x Family was one of the few anime binges over the winter break and earned its place in one of favorite animes of 2022. Spy x Family came out in April 2022 and was a hot topic as the manga is super loved by fans wanting to see if the show would live up to expectations.

It follows the top secret and very important spy named: Twilight or as he goes by in his new mission, Liod Forger. He is a top agent who is sent on a mission to try and stop a war between two feuding countries, the only thing- he has to disguise himself as a husband and father to win over his target in as much time as possible. I love the way the first episode plays out, usually in most animes there is a lot of background thrown out once and it can leave you feeling like you’re missing out on something. Spy x Family does give some background information but it is played out in a way where you learn about Loid and his frame of mind very quickly. To succeed in his mission he goes through great lengths finding a daughter first, Anya, who just happens to be a telepath, able to read minds.

(This link will take you to a fighting scene in episode five)

The dynamic between Loid and his newly acquired daughter is the most heartwarming relationship. Loid think its just apart of the mission but quickly finds himself caring about her a great deal and her him. I find myself watching the show wanting to focus on the action but being drawn to the emotional relationships being established. The show even adds another element as Loid secures a wife in, Yor a worker for the counsel’s office and an assassin at night killing for money. The way that Anya knows who both her parents are and still finds her self loving them and trying to help them both has you wanting to squeeze her though the screen. Neither Yor or Loid knows what each other does and somehow never find out so far with both of them using their skills a lot around each other.

Though the show does have a lot of filler so far I found that I really enjoyed what the filler was. It was exciting, and showed different parts to their family dynamic. They all have a part to play but finds themselves just truly wanting to be a family sometimes. The action and animation of the show is absolutely amazing. I love the art style and I think it compliments the type of movement they do throughout the show. With the show ongoing hopefully it lives up to this and I would definitely recommend it! Its a great watch, coming in at a 9/10 with every aspects being amazing so far just leaving one for the unknown future.

Other Ratings (Crunchyroll):

Average Rating: 4.9 (178.8k views) and 2.041 reviews

Let It Shine is a 2012 Disney movie that left such a huge impact on me as a child. It was the first time I had really seen myself on a Disney movie where it was a big part of what the movie was about. Let It Shine takes you through the story of two best friends named Cyrus and Kris. Both are into the rap scene but Cyrus is more of the rapper and Kris is more of the dancer. The dynamic between the two of them is one we see a lot is Disney friendships. Cyrus is more shy, keeps to himself, and is focused on what his parents want him to do. Kris on the other hand is more outgoing, and loves the attention that comes with being in the spotlight.

(This link will take you to “What I Said” by Roxy)

I appreciate how this movie shows the different aspects that come with being in a black household that also is religious. Cyrus’s dad is a pastor and the church he goes to and thinks rap music is the devil basically. He forbids him from going to the club he works at and even holds some distaste for Kris because he dances at the club they go to. The balance that Cyrus has to have between being the pastors kid and also trying to pursue his dreams happens in real life in these types of dynamics. Cyrus even submits one of his tracks to a rap contest in hope that he will be able to sing with his old childhood friend; Roxy. Roxy is now a huge superstar and when she sees the photo Cyrus submitted of him and Kris she thinks Kris is the one rapping on the track.

(This link will take you too “Don’t Run Away” With Cyrus)

The movie is enjoyable and also stressful to watch and Kris and Cyrus try to keep up this façade, switching places and even having Kris lip sing over Cyrus’s voice. But when Roxy starts to fall for the person she hears in the lyrics that Cyrus is writing she doesn’t understand why Kris doesn’t have the same vibe. I love every song that is sung in this movie from, “Guardian Angel” to “What I Said” Its one of Disney best movies lyrically and I listened to them outside of the movie way to many times. Roxy is also trying to find a balance in her life just like Cyrus. She is trying to balance being this huge popstar and also just herself who wants to sing with her real voice.

Eventually all gets revealed of what Kris and Cyrus have done, and Roxy is the one most hurt in the situation. The way the movie has you rooting for Cyrus the whole time while also wanting to smack him because of how stupid he is being is something that I will feel every single time I watch this movie. Even the way Roxy forgives him and they find a way to have balance in both of their lives, together makes you squeal with joy at the end. The representation, general life lessons, and amazing songs all make this Disney movie one of my favorites.

TW: Harassment, Racism, Genocide, Religious Topics

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is of Disney’s most darkest movies, highlighting topics that they don’t usually take on in their movies just for the fact that it would not go over well with parents and children alike. Though not a movie I saw when I was a kid, I watched it more recently and really appreciated the topics it took on. The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows the story of  Quasimodo, the cites bell ringer who struggles with his body as he was born with a deformity and is living under an atrocious archdeacon Claude Frollo.

This movie really takes the watcher through a few different plot lines. It does focus mainly on Quasimodo showing how his mom was chased down when he was baby and eventually killed by Claude Frollo who takes him in only because a fellow preacher forced him to live with the guilt of what he did. But Frollo doesn’t feel guilty, he is a cruel, racist, evil man who only wants to get rid of gypsies and ‘cleanse’ the city of whoever he believes doesn’t fit in with his vision. This plot line gets so much darker as the movie progress with Frollo continuing to berate Quasimodo calling him ‘ugly’ and ‘deformed’ his whole life while hunting down the gypsies in the city.

I was in shock watching this movie because it frankly didn’t feel like a Disney movie. That isn’t to say it isn’t a great movie, because it is absolutely amazing it just sets a tone I don’t think kids could take on. The movie shows graphic scenes of Frollo being specifically obsessed with Esmeralda who is a independent women making her way throughout the city who is trying to attack her. He corners her in what is supposed to be a safe haven, threatens her family, and even tries to kill her once he realizes that she will never be his. Esmeralda befriends Quasimodo and when Frollo finds this out he stops at nothing to manipulate Quasimodo breaking him down more than he ever has before.

This movie encompasses so much from genocide, racism, damnation, and the concept of sin. The way it lets you know who the villain is from the very beginning should make you bored with the movie but it instead wraps you up in it, making you want to see how this evil man will be taken down. Frollo is a character we see in real life, he isn’t hateful based on a fantastical reason, he is hateful based on realism and that might make him one of the scariest villains in a Disney movie. The movie makes you cry for Quasimodo and Esmerelda, it makes you furious at Frollo and every knight engaging in the murder of innocent people, it makes you inspired seeing how they fight back not letting someone tear them down or suppress them.

(This link will take you to ‘Hell Fire”) Also he is just the worst.

Before I address the amazing ending to the movie I want to mention how much the music in it is so important to the message. Every song in it had a purpose and a message. They pushed that knife into the audience heart with the lyrics that gave us an insight to what each character what thinking or feeling in that moment. The composition of every song, in particular “Hell Fire” (which Frollo sings exposing his wickedness in every form) and “God Help the Outcasts” instrumentals that could bring anyone to tears.

The ending to The Hunchback of Notre Dame is satisfying in every single way. We see Quasimodo come to terms with himself and who he is. He fights back against Frollo and in a heated battle after he tries to attack Esmerelda and falls to his death in what ironically was the city on fire that he created. Did Frollo deserve the death he got? I definitely would say yes and I would recommend this movie for older teenagers and adults more than kids but it still is a great watch. It will leave you thinking more than other Disney movies.

“And If It Weren’t For Fear, We Wouldn’t Know When To Run Away…” – Skyler 

Girl vs. Monster (Made in 2012) is a Disney channel original movie that is one of my more lighthearted Halloween movies I watched when the season comes around. It is a part of what I like to think of as Disney’s best original movie era, where they were pumping out great teen movie after movie. It follows the main character, Skyler Lewis who discovers her family is a long line of monster hunters dating generations back right as Halloween is around the corner.

(The witches/demons Skyler releases)

On a different take to Disney’s usual Halloween movies, Girl vs. Monster deals with concepts like fear, and anxiety when it comes to fictional things like the ghouls and ghosts she fights and also more realistic battles like speech anxiety. Skyler and her two friends (Henry and Sadie) are just trying to go out to a party for Halloween but Skyler’s parents refuses and when Skyler accidentally unleashes their worst enemies she finds out why. Her parents were always protective as three witches/demons have tried to take her soul before.  The movie takes you through the journey of Skyler learning how to actually give into fear. Throughout her entire life Skyler had never felt an ounce of fear towards anything and now it all comes rushing towards her.

I appreciate how Disney gives us a different perspectives when it comes to the idea of feeling afraid or anxious. Skyler’s friend, Sadie, is absolutely terrified of public speaking, and though she does know what she is talking about, the idea of speaking in front of people stops her right in her tracks. Each of the friends faces one of the demons Skyler unleashes and for Sadie it is the old black witch, (the one all the wall to the right) who belittles her as she tries to say anything. As the movie progresses we see Skyler, Sadie, and Henry all face off against the demons all taking personal leaps to vanquish them. Whether that be finally giving a speech, standing up to a bully, or accepting the fear for what it is and moving with it instead of away from it in the end the demons are vanquished.

“And It’s Not Like You Can Get Rid Of Fear. Some Things Are Always Gonna Be Scary, Like Public Speaking.”- Skyler

(This link will take you to the song, “Fearless”)

This Disney Original has a great plot for the time, and great songs a long with it. Many of the songs throughout the movie didn’t really have a impact on the plot but they were catchy and fun and were a nice break away from the movie. One of my favorites “Fearless” actually does progress the plot as we see Skyler finally overcome that fear she was holding tight onto and sing to attract the demons to her and away from the partygoers. The realistic side of the movie really helps separate it from other Halloween movies I love that Disney has created and even though it isn’t set in a town where its always Halloween I still love it.

“I’m just very interested in your hair and the magical qualities that it possesses.” – Flynn Rider 

So I’ve realized that this blog has slowly shifted to me just gushing and detailing the better half of Disney movies I just adore but I promise some weird ones are coming soon. Tangled, coming out in 2010, is one of those timeless classics (if you were born in the 2000’s) and for this movie I’m going to address some key things that make it one of the top movies from our childhoods.

Tangled follows the story of Rapunzel, a women who is trying to find herself is a closed off environment that doesn’t allow for her to grow or even be herself. You see, Rapunzel was stolen when she was just a baby by who she thinks is her mother, Mother Gothel. She doesn’t know her real parents are the king and queen of the land and to her all Mother Gothel wants to do is protect her. In Disney movies we see horrible parents, or evil villains and yet in Tangled its framed differently. Rapunzel doesn’t think of her mom as evil, she loves her mom and thinks though she wont let her outside all she is doing is protecting her.

(This link will take you too “Mother Knows Best”

Mother Gothel’s tactics of keeping Rapunzel under her control is not out right evil, she manipulates and gaslights Rapunzel and has done that her whole life to take her power from her. Telling her going outside would be fatal for her, people would use her, beat her, and even kill her! “Gullible, naïve, positively grubby, Ditzy and a bit, well, hmm, vague, Plus, I believe, gettin’ kinda chubby, I’m just saying ’cause I wuv you.” She continues this for a whole song, guilting Rapunzel for even wanting to leave, this has worked for almost 17 years until Rapunzel’s curiosity and a thief named Flynn comes along and upturns all she has known.

“All at once, everything is different, now that I see you.” – Flynn & Rapunzel 

(This link will take you too “I See the Light”)

The way Disney lets Tangled be about Rapunzel’s growth and her finding herself while also incorporating a romance that doesn’t overshadow Rapunzel is very rare and between when it to Disney movies. Rapunzel and Flynn (a thief who steals what happens to be Rapunzel’s crown) run, explore, and almost die together both on this journey for different reasons and yet coming together to realize there was also love waiting for them. We see Rapunzel enjoy things she never got to before, like running through a field of grass, singing in a bar, and finding out what it means to be brave. Its not that she needs Flynn to understand herself, it’s that she is understanding herself and also wanting to be with Flynn. That makes the world of a difference when it comes to little girls watching this movie and then looking towards romance.

(This link will take you to “When Will My Life Begin?)

The realism in the way Disney portrayed Rapunzel’s reaction to Mother Gothel’s betrayal and realizing she can’t trust her anymore is everything. Rapunzel is devastated and almost falls back into Mother Gothel’s arms after she tries to convince her Flynn is just using her to get to the crown. Not every person that finds themselves are sure, and Rapunzel having loved Mother Gothel like a mom for 18 years is so confused. This aspect of the movie does lean towards more older people as younger kids might not get the nuances of Mother Gothel’s and Rapunzel’s relationship with each other but it shows its ok to have doubt along the way.

Tangled is one of those movies you watch again and find new things you hadn’t even noticed last time. It is timeless and always will be a great film to watch casually and if you want to look more deeply at a movie and really analyze it. It does have many lighthearted parts and songs, and will make you let out a chuckle along the way.