Encanto (+ Far From the Tree)

Within the last few years, the Walt Disney Company has made greater attempts at representing previously underrepresented cultures, with the side effect of opening up new storytelling opportunities and leaving room for experimentation. In this vein, Encanto, the sixtieth film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, explores Columbian culture while telling the story through a tight-knit, and for some relatable, family dynamic. Though the film underperformed at the box office, earning about $216.3 million against an estimated budget of $120-150 million, it achieved a newfound success from its recent Disney+ release, which was also how we finally saw the film. Indeed, a combination of passionate writing and directing, along with the unique Disney flair, elevate Encanto as one of the studio's better films in recent years.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (PS4)

In 2013, developer WayForward had a successful Kickstarter campaign for the fourth Shantae Game, Half-Genie Hero, which finally saw a proper release in 2016. This would also serve as my formal introduction to the series, as I found the Risky Beats Edition at a Best Buy and, somewhat aware of the series at the time, decided to give it a try. As later purchases of the rest of the series from Limited Run would show, I got hooked. However, I never gave this entry a proper review, so I decided to rectify that with a second playthrough. Though I still enjoyed the game and found it improved over Pirate’s Curse in some aspects, I now believe it needed a little more development time, or at least more of a concrete plan.

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro

Whether or not you’re aware of the anime/manga franchise Lupin III, there’s no understating the influence of Arsène Lupin III’s second feature-length adventure, The Castle of Cagliostro, best known as the directorial debut of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Scenes are often lifted from it or referenced in some fashion in both animated and live-action works and it’s one of the most, if not the most, well-known Lupin III adventures, despite its initial poor box office in Japan. At this point, over forty years after its initial release, Miyazaki’s involvement makes The Castle of Cagliostro a must-see for animation fans and students, though those who have seen other Lupin III works beforehand would have a different perspective. Indeed, our initial viewing of the film, through the Discotek Blu-ray set, came after we saw a few Lupin III anime and Lupin III: The First, which we enjoyed. As such, while we loved The Castle of Cagliostro, it noticeably feels different from what one would expect from Lupin III.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (Switch)

Four years after the release of Shantae: Risky's Revenge, WayForward Technologies released their third Shantae game, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, in 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, marking the first home console release for the series. While I was aware of this entry for the longest time, including its growing legacy as a modern classic, I wouldn't actually get a chance to play it until the release of the physical Nintendo Switch port through Limited Run Games, which I played while waiting for the delivery of my Limited Run copy of Shantae and the Seven Sirens. In the time between when I first wrote and posted this review, the price of this particular release of the game rocketed to hundreds of dollars on the second-hand market, literally at least ten times that of the original 3DS cartridge. While the game is nowhere near worth paying that kind of money, I still agreed with the hype around Pirate's Curse after about 11 hours of play.

Stubs - Arsène Lupin

Arsène Lupin (1932) Starring John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Karen Morley. Directed by Jack Conway. Screenplay by Carey Wilson. Based on the play Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc and Francis de Croisset (Paris, 28 Oct 1908) and was based on the book of the same name by Maurice Leblanc, first published in Paris in 1907. Producer (none Credited) Run time: 84 minutes. USA Black and White Pre-code. Drama. Crime. Comedy.

If you’re like me, you may be aware of Arsène Lupin through Lupin III, a series of manga and anime about the supposed grandson. The origins go back to a short story written by Maurice Leblanc, "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin", which was published on July 15, 1905. The character would go on to be featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas by Leblanc published until 1935.

It should come as no surprise that films would be made as well. The surprise may be in how many. The first film was The Gentleman Burglar (1908). The German film Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes followed in 1910. A French film called Arsène Lupin came out in 1914. A new version of The Gentleman Burglar (1915) was followed by a pair of films called Arsène Lupin (1916; UK) and (1917, US). Overall, there have been at least 25 films made, with the most recent being the Japanese film Lupin no Kiganjoh (2011). That doesn’t count the television series (Lupin III), stage plays, comic books, and video games based around the character and his descendant.

While the finished film would star the acting Barrymore siblings, they were not the first choices for the roles. Robert Montgomery and John Gilbert were both considered for the starring role in the film. This would end up being the first of four films to feature the brothers. They would also appear in Grand Hotel (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), and Rasputin and the Empress (1933).

Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (Switch)

When the original Shantae released back in 2002, it didn’t sell very well, partly due to its low print run and poor distribution. However, that didn’t stop WayForward from envisioning a sequel, which wouldn’t see the light of day until it finally released in October 2010 for, of all things, the Nintendo DSi. This game, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge would then receive an iOS port the following year with a new Magic Mode, followed by a Windows port in 2014, now called Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut, featuring a new Warp system and the iOS version’s Magic Mode. Following my playthrough of Shantae, I naturally went to Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut, but much like the original game, I opted for the physical Switch port from Limited Run Games instead of any of the downloadable versions. While perhaps not as fleshed out as later entries, Risky’s Revenge still proved itself a great step up from the original.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion

Note: This review contains spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion.

When the Puella Magi Madoka Magica (PMMM) anime first aired in 2011, its dark take on the magical girl genre made a big splash and received critical acclaim for its deep storytelling and discussions of the concepts of selflessness and hope vs despair, among other topics. The following year, animation studio Shaft would follow up their big hit with two recap films, subtitled Beginnings and Eternal, and then a third film in 2013, a sequel story subtitled Rebellion. For one reason or another, it would be about a decade before I finally watched PMMM, which I did through a cheaper UK Blu-ray set to avoid paying Aniplex’s notoriously sky-high US Blu-ray prices. After finishing the series, which I enjoyed but didn’t think was a flawless 10/10 masterpiece as some might be led to believe (I personally enjoyed works like Paranoia Agent and The Big O more), I grew curious about the Rebellion film and how it would continue the story. However, I had to wait until the release of a pricey 10th Anniversary movie trilogy Blu-ray set to watch the English dub, for lack of another legal option. Sadly, as much I liked a lot of the film, I wasn’t sure that it was entirely worth the money and effort required to watch it.