My Review of Hard Truths (2025) directed by Mike Leigh

 British as this was, it may as well have been about my family. All of us have at least one relative like Pansy that complain all the time—whether warranted or not—about everything and everybody. They isolate and get isolated from folks and can't help being the authors of their loneliness.

The true heroine of the story is Chantelle (who could've been a character out of a Chekhov story), the sister of the main anti-heroine Pansy, who is the positive focal point of the family in this film. While Pansy's husband and son feel like prisoners (though the feeling is mutual on her part), Chantelle's daughters are way more positive in how they deal with life—even when things don't go their way. Chantelle is the one person who does not actively avoid Pansy despite getting treated the same (or even worst than) everyone else by her. It seems their mother Pearl played a big part in how each sister saw the world.

Marianne Jean-Baptiste acted the hell out of the lead role of Pansy! She was a human volcano either about to erupt or actively erupting on screen. Michele Austin got the easier assignment of playing the one normal human in the cast. I can't believe this is my first Mike Leigh movie as I swore I watched something else by him.

At the end, I can at least say that Pansy's son Moses got a happy ending if no one else did.

My Review of American Masters: Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny directed by Chana Gazit & Jeff Bieber

 This was an interesting doc on the famous scholar of tyranny and authoritarianism. I knew of her work on this, but also knew of her contradiction in endorsing authoritarianism in the United States with her support for Jim Crow laws in the American South (her views on feminism and human rights are also sketchy). The fact that she was driven out of Germany for the same reasons, but could easily defend American race laws has always put her at arms-length with me. Learning about her liberal zionist sentiments gave me insights to how she holds these different views—though it was unfortunate that the documentary did not cover the above controversial views that she held, the most it goes is the fallout over her coverage of the Eichmann trial. Certainly she was not the only Jewish refugee from Germany to hold such views, but it is disappointing that one who should know better felt so comfortable with the moral hypocrisy (and yet she could not understand how her idol Martin Heidegger could be an unrepentant Nazi). 

The documentary does not give a thorough outline of her opinions or works, but a rough, safe look at the most notable points of her life & career. I was surprised this documentary got made at all given the current crackdown on anything with US funding that criticizes totalitarianism, fascism, and the like. Arendt came to the USA as she thought it was the only free democratic multicultural country, but the Cold War and Red Scare showed her how easily the empire embraced totalitarianism. 

As surface level informative as this documentary is, it skips and glosses over too much for my taste.

My Goodreads Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 23 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Two years after finishing this manga I still wish they did the ending over. I remember how much people complained about the finale of the last volume of My Promised Neverland, but I take that finale over this one anytime. Hopefully the movie adaptation does better. 

  Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 23 by Koyoharu Gotouge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Talk about a hard-fought, bitter-sweet ending! To no-one's surprise, Muzan was defeated. But he made good on his vow to destroy the Demon Slayer Corps―specifically the elite Hashira fighters. It wasn't until this last volume that I picked-up on the analogue between the Hashira and the Seven Samurai. While the core team of Tanjiro and company survived, I wish Koyoharu Gotouge didn't see fit to kill-off every likeable supporting character in the story just for the drama.

Given that this last volume was written at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it may explain the somber, but hopeful tone of the ending and afterward. Also, I felt that the story and art clearly drops-off in this volume, especially after Muzan is finally dealt with. I felt that the author is alternatively rushing and packing in filler at the end, and does not really feel like dealing with the story after the goal is achieved. The ending is suppose to be hopeful/happy, but it becomes corny (again, I think Gotouge was exhausted dealing with this book and COVID at the same time so I am not totally unsympathetic). We could've had Muzan defeated and everyone just go their separate ways—the time-skip feels painfully forced.

For me, overall, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba has been an amazing manga (and anime until late).I think the final arc is the last to be adapted and hopefully they do a little better than the recent adaptation of Swordsmith Village arc (volumes 12-15) and the snails-pacing of the story (back-story has always been the Achilles Heel of this book and shonen as a whole).

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My Goodreads Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 22: The Wheel of Fate by Koyoharu Gotouge

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 22: The Wheel of Fate by Koyoharu Gotouge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

[I wrote this part after I had read the book on April 10, 2023, before I came back to Goodreads]

The penultimate volume of one of the greatest manga of all time. This is the first-half of the last battle against Muzan and it looks as bleak as ever for the surviving heroes, after Tamayo's death and Tanjiro is temporarily knocked-out by Muzan. Of course , Tanjiro recovers and they have to keep Muzan occupied for an hour until the sun comes out and kills him—the longest hour ever.

The dynamic art-style in this volume sees Koyoharu Gotouge operating at the height of his powers. Weirdly, we are still getting backstory this late in the game (this time for the Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro and some more on the first demon slayer Yorichii).

[current note, January 2024]
I'm writing this having finished the series and I can say this volume and the preceding two volumes are the book at it's peak.

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My Goodreads Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 21: Ancient Memories

This review was written on Oct 29, 2021. I think this volume and the volumes before and after it was the series at it's peak. I know the trilogy of anime movies ending the franchise are covering manga volumes 17-23, but I think the last volume is one of the big let-downs and it makes me nervous for the final Demon Slayer film. By contrast, I am hype for the penultimate film and hope the studio gives it the same treatment they gave the last movie.

  Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 21: Ancient Memories by Koyoharu Gotouge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This volume picks-up right where the last one left off. The most powerful Upper Moon demon is defeated, but he takes some crucial folks with him, and the ranks of the heroes are further thinned out...just in time for Muzan to break-out of Tamayo's hold and we lose her as well. Despite that the last Upper Moon Demon to die was actually No. 4 who was controlling the battlefield and she is used to push Muzan outdoors (as he can only be killed by sunlight), unfortunately it is still an hour and a half until dawn and given the casualty rate, it seems impossible for the Demon Slayers to hold out for that long. This is truly one of the great genre reads I've come across in the last few years and I can't wait to read the last volumes. Happy Halloween!

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My Goodreads Review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 18: Assaulted by Memories by Koyoharu Gotouge

I decided to post the rest of my reviews of the six remaining volumes of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba to the blog. With the movies coming out over the next 2-3 years I thought I might as well share these.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 18: Assaulted by Memories by Koyoharu Gotouge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This volume was a bit more heavy on plot-contrivances and back-story, but it was still really good on the art. One battle with one of the main antagonist-lieutenants finally comes to an end. This guy was one of the most notorious villains of the series besides the big bad since the end of the Demon Train-arc. Meanwhile, the most hated of the Upper Moon lieutenants since this final arc began is still giving one of the protagonists a hard time, but then my favorite of the protagonists and the best child shows-up ready to rumble. I hate that Gotouge had to concoct a contrived backstory between Inousuke and the demon to give some motivation to the heroes (this is a meta-problem with Demon Slayer that I may comment on further when I review the series as a whole for the last volume, but safe to say that the concept of "women in refrigerators" plot-laziness that was so well articulated by Gail Simone is in full-effect throughout this series—sometimes justified as a part of the world of the story, but often not). Besides that, this volume is still really good–if not as strong as the last volume–and I can't wait to read the next volume.

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Read on Dec 26, 2020

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 19: Flapping Butterfly Wings by Koyoharu Gotouge

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 19: Flapping Butterfly Wings by Koyoharu Gotouge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Need to start the year off right with a good manga. Well, with the Upper Moon 2 demon defeated by a very long gambit, it only leaves 2 more lieutenants before the big bad. Upper Moon 2 was truly the most purely evil of the Upper Moon demons, the narrative doesn't even give him a post-death woobie sympathy scene like with all the other demons. The Upper Moon 4 is controlling the actual setting of the battlefield and Upper Moon 1 is pretty-much Mike Tyson-ing every one who he goes against (view spoiler)[which is understandable since it is all but confirmed that he is the first Demon Slayer swordsman turned into a demon—he even uses Demon Slayer sword techniques aka "breathing" instead of blood-demon-art (hide spoiler)]. The last part of the manga has 4 different Demon Slayers (3 of them "hashira" aka Demon Slayer generals) trying to just put a dent in him while he is dog-walking them. We got until at least August 2021 until the last English translation wraps up and it will be wild from what I can guess. The art is as good as it has been since I have been reading the manga (the anime really excels in this department).

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Read Jan 1, 2021

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 20: The Path of Opening a Steadfast Heart by Koyoharu Gotouge

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 20: The Path of Opening a Steadfast Heart by Koyoharu Gotouge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the best volumes of the book and Tanjiro & co. are not (really) in it. The battle with the Upper Moon 1 demon (view spoiler)[who turns out to be the second swordsman to use demon slaying techniques taught to him by his twin brother: the first demon slayer (hide spoiler)]. This volume is interesting because we learn just how long the big bad has been doing his thing and we learn the origin of the sword techniques of the demon slayers. The effort used to fight this guy was just amazing. I can't imagine what will happen next.

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 Read Feb 15, 2021

My Wrap-Up of the 2025 Spring Anime Season

This season was on the short-side for me which is fine given all the anime I plan to watch for the Summer 2025 season). I did binge-watch these shows in the last week of June, so that may play a part in how I view these anime. Of the 7 I have completed (I dropped one that I had actually been curious about: Kowloon Generic Romance), I will give my Top 5 below and do a little sum-up on each:

1. Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2
2. KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! Season 3 OVA
3. Lazarus
4. A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof
5. Fire Force Season 3

So "Aharen-san" season 2 was my pick of the season and was a nice way to wrap-up the anime franchise. It brought back the space-brained, but sincere humor of season 1 with all the surrealism and heart that I remembered with the twist of our couple being officially a couple.

I feel like I am cheating by including an OVA, but this is my list in my blog so I make the rules lol. KonoSuba OVA s3 gives you the comedy of the regular season 3, but in two episode specials. One downside was that the animation was noticeably downgraded from season 3, but the writing is what you come to expect from the franchise.

Lazarus was a mixed bag for me. I feel like if it was 24-25 episodes, it would've got its message across better. I think Watanabe was saying something profound about the healthcare industry and human nature, but 13 episodes was not enough time to say it. The aftermath of Luigi Mangione should've made this anime connect a lot more. Still it was not a bad anime: just incomplete by Sinchiro Watanabe's standards. I will still always be anticipating any project he comes out with.

A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof is an anime about amoral lesbian contract killers doing slice-of-life/CGDCT stuff. It was a lot funnier than I thought given how it started-off for me and would actually do a little pathos in between the killer-shenanigans. Unexpectedly solid yuri comedy.

Fire Force season 3 is the penultimate anime season of the franchise and one of the last (new) action shounen anime I plan to watch along with My Hero Academica (and I guess Demon Slayer, though I have completed the manga). I have really outgrown that particular genre of anime now given that I started watching DBZ around 1996-97. It was a bit of a chore to get through this season (the first time I have felt that way about FF) and I will be happy when I complete the last season. This and Lazarus were the two anime I watched dubbed in English.

Well that is my look at this season. It may feel like slim pickings, but given the amount of anime I watched in 2024 and the anime I have to look forward to in the second-half of 2025—I am not complaining at all. I may do a write-up of my first impression of Summer 2025 at the end of the month.