Attack on Titan, Season 3, Episode 21 The Attack Titan Review: Potentially Fantastic Episode Weighed Down by Some Scenes.

Spoiler Free Review:

I had to think over how I felt about the 21st episode of Attack on Titan’s third season, “Attack Titan.”
The reason for this is that, even though it has many fantastic moments, it also has some that drag it down for me.
The biggest of these scenes is actually my most hated from the manga.
It is admittedly a small moment but it still really annoys me with how badly it is written, so I was hoping they would improve the scene in the anime.
However, I did not expect them to make the scene even worse.
It just left me feeling angry about how badly this was thought out.
Sadly, this is not my only problem because “Attack Titan” has a twist that was only just revealed in the manga.
Moving it up like this has created some confusion among the anime’s fan base about what it means.
Along with this, I feel like revealing the twist here will limit a lot of the impact the moment that this was revealed had in the manga, when it is adapted.
Although, I cannot quite fault the episode for this now because that scene has yet to be adapted so I cannot tell if this is what will happen.
All of that said though, the rest of the episode is fantastic, mostly making up for these problematic bits.
While I do not like how one twist is revealed early, the other twists are delivered right on time and are just as shocking and impactful as they are in the manga.
They also raise a lot of interesting questions for anime only viewers to consider.
On top of this, I found the episode to be surprisingly hilarious during some points.
These moments did not really make me laugh when I read them first in the manga, but here I was clutching my stomach.
The music is once again a highlight, especially during the final moments of the episode, where the outro “Name of Love” plays over a scene brilliantly.
These standout scenes could all have come together to make “Attack Titan” a top ten favourite episode for me, however, the problematic moments got in the way of this.
Still, it is a great episode that will have a lot of people confused by the end, but in a good way.

Spoiler Review:

Coming into “Attack Titan” I was pretty sure they were going to show that Ymir had died when Historia read her letter.
The reason for this?
Ymir’s backstory, which was shown here in the manga, had already been shown in season two so it made sense to replace it with her death.
I had my fingers crossed that they would use this opportunity to fix her death.
Granted, I knew I would be disappointed by it because of how much of a waste I think it is but I still hoped they could make me feel emotionally gut punched when her death was revealed.
Sadly, I was wrong because the death is made even worse than in the manga.
Not only is her death still off screen but the actual reveal is only two seconds long.
Seriously, I timed it.
This is so short that people will and have missed it.
I enjoy watching people react to the episodes online after they air, and only about one in ten people realise that this was revealing Ymir’s death.
The rest completely miss it.
If your audience does not realise that a character has been killed off then you have failed to give them a meaningful death.
All it would have required is ten additional seconds of seeing a chained up Ymir’s final moments as she is eaten by her successor and it would have been acceptable.
As for the other problem I have, “Attack Titan” also revealed that Ymir saw the Paths connecting to the Founding Titan after she ate Marcel and turned back into a human.
I find this problematic because when this was revealed in the manga it came alongside something else and was subtly implied in such a way that it was mind blowing.
Here it is just simply stated and is also generating some confusion among anime watchers.
I have actually seen people take this scene as meaning that Ymir is the Founding Titan, once again not realizing that she is dead.
As I said though, despite all this weighing the episode down, the rest of it is still fantastic.
The scenes between Grisha and Eren Kruger is wonderfully adapted, if cut a little short.
The mind blowing reveals that Eren is named after Kruger and that every Titan Shifter dies 13 years after they inherit their power, meaning Eren and Armin are going to die, are very well done.
What are, without a doubt, the bests twists of the episode, though, are Eren realizing that he could use the Founding Titan power because he touched Dina, a royal blooded Titan, and that Kruger somehow had memories of Mikasa and Armin from the future.
These twists are just as shocking and confusingly great as they are in the manga, with the “Name of Love” outro accompanying Kruger’s final scene being a great addition that adds plenty of emotion.
Hange is another standout of the episode, with her talking about Eren going through a phase and imitating his title reveal moment being particularly hilarious.
Speaking of the title reveal, it is funny that the title Attack on Titan is actually a mistranslation of the Japanese Shingeki no Kyojin, which translates to “Attack Titan.”
The name of Eren’s Titan is literally the title of the series and it is mistranslated in English, which is pretty funny.
Overall, “Attack Titan” is still a great episode, even if it weighed down by some aggravating moments like Ymir’s poorly written death reveal.
The next episode, “The Other Side of the Wall”, is the last episode of the season and potentially the last episode from Wit Studio.
I hope they do the manga justice but I do have some concerns.
They will most likely only be adapting Chapter 90, like “The Basement” episode only adapted Chapter 85 and that episode felt like it was padding for time.
Hopefully, if they do have to add some scenes to lengthen the episode then it feels like new necessary scenes, rather than just an excuse to add to the runtime.
Still, I am excited because that episode will have one of the most important scenes in the series’ history.

My Hero Academia Season One Review: Plus Ultra!

Have you ever had an experience where, after hearing common place references on multiple occasions, you coincidentally watch the show with those references and you go, “Oh, so that’s where that came from?”
Well, this pretty much encapsulates my experience with the My Hero Academia anime.
I had seen so many memes and quotes from this anime but I never knew where they came from so it was a joy to see them when I started watching it.
Based off the manga of the same name by Kohei Hirikoshi, My Hero Academia is set in a world where 80% of the population are born with super powers, called quirks.
This leads to being a super hero becoming an actual job, with many hoping to become one.
One of these people is Izuku Midoriya (Daiki Yamashita), nicknamed Deku, who is unfortunately born quirkless, making him unable to accomplish his dream.
However, he then meets his idol and the greatest hero of all time, All Might (Kenta Miyake), who, after seeing Deku’s heroic qualities, decides to train him and have him inherit his quirk, One For All.

Deku and All Might.jpg — Deku and All Might are both great characters, with Deku being the underdog hero and All Might being the over the top hero.

From here, Deku begins his quest to become a hero.
My Hero Academia is a very inspirational story with Deku being a very likeable underdog.
Likewise, All Might is a great teacher for him, being both heroic, sympathetic, and hilarious.
Both the voice actors for these characters do a great job with their characters.
The same can be said for many of the other characters, who are just as memorable.
There is the strict rule follower Tenya Iida (Kaito Ishikawa), and the two characters desperately fighting for the title of Best Girl, Ochaco Uraraka (Ayane Sakura) and Tsuyu Asui (Aoi Yuki).
Sadly, not every character is as great because there are few who did get on my nerves, most notably the bully, Katsuki Bakugo (Nobuhiko Okamoto), who I found myself constantly wanting to punch.

Even though I would like the punch Bakugo in the face that would definitely not be a good idea because he would most likely kill me.

Strangely enough, he seems to be a lot of people’s favourite character, which makes me hope he will be developed in later seasons.
On top of this, there are so many characters introduced in this 13 episode first season that quite a few slip under the rug.
Honestly, if you asked me, I would be hard pressed to remember even half of the characters’ names.
Another issue is the flashbacks which, rather than showing something new, often show scenes we have already seen.
Still these did not diminish my enjoyment of My Hero Academia because it is still funny, inspirational, and has great action sequences.
This is helped by the good animation and music that helped put me on the edge of my seat.
Overall, My Hero Academia is a great start to a series and I am interested to see where it will go.

Akira Review: A Revolutionary Yet Confusing Anime.

Akira is the film that many credit for setting off the anime bomb around the world, with numerous people becoming aware of the capabilities of Japanese animation because of it.
Knowing this, and seeing it being advertised for a limited time on AnimeLab, I had to check it out.
And, after seeing it, I can say that I realised why Akira is considered such a revolutionary anime but was also left very confused by it.
Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, and based off his manga of the same name, the 1988 film is set in our own year of 2019, and picks up in the decades after a massive explosion in Tokyo sparked World War Three.
Now named Neo-Tokyo, the city is plagued by corruption and gangs.
One of these biker gangs is headed by Shotaro Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) who leads on his signature, futuristic motorbike.

akira bike — Kaneda’s bike has become a symbol of the cyberpunk genre.

After the gang inadvertently stumble across the escape attempt of a secret organisation’s test subject, Kaneda’s friend Tetsuo Shima (Nozumu Sasaki) is taken away for experimentation.
This draws Kaneda into a world of weird science with telekinetic powers, super powered children, and some serious “Oh, God! Kill it with fire!” body horror.
All of these features combine into a crazy, complicated and confusing story that, somehow, I still find to be very thought provoking.
It’s strange.
I honestly cannot remember the last time I felt so confused yet challenged, in a good way, by a film.

*Akira’s* ending is both challenging and gruesome, helped by the amazing animation for the time.

Along with this, Akira has some stunning animation because every single shot breaths with movement and style.
This not only makes for some intense action sequences but some grotesque moments as well, especially at the end when the body horror is put on full display.
However, Akira is still an overstuffed story with way too many side characters to keep track of or care about.
This does make sense considering the anime adapts a six volume manga in two hours, and was made years before the manga was even completed.
Although, it does not help that I sometimes ended up confusing Kaneda for his love interest Kei (Mami Koyama) because of their very similar designs.

Kaneda and Kei’s designs are so alike that sometimes their clothes were the only things I could use to tell them apart.

Still, despite these problems, Akira is still a great anime film, not just because of its thought provoking material and amazing animation but also because of what it did for anime itself.
I have heard that Taika Waititi will be directing an live action adaptation so it will be interesting to see how that turns out, and how his style of film making will be added.
Personally though, I think it would be more interesting to see an anime adaptation of the entire Akira six volume manga.

Attack on Titan, Season Three Episode Twenty, That Day Review: The Exposition Dump to End all Exposition Dumps.

Spoiler Free Review:

Exposition is notorious for being difficult to get the viewer invested in, without becoming bored.
This speaks to how brilliant of an episode “That Day” is because it is entirely exposition driven, and yet, every second of it is so investing.
The episode is essentially the true basement reveal.
No, “reveal” is not the right word.
What I should say is “reveals” because there are so many, and each and every single one of them is mind blowing.
I have viewed numerous people watching the episode online and their reactions to certain twists are priceless.
As I was watching the episode, I ended up jumping with excitement every time one of these twists was perfectly delivered, which was always.
“That Day” adapts Chapters 86 and 87 of the manga, the prior of which is my favourite chapter in the entire Attack on Titan manga so far.
So, I was almost praying that the episode would manage to adapt that material properly.
And you know what?
It did just that.
With this episode, Attack on Titan changes into a much more complex and deep story in which the lines between the good and bad guys are constantly blurred.
Watching Grisha’s tragic backstory is just as enthralling as it is in the manga, allowing the viewer to understand his motivations and sympathize with him all in a single episode.
Speaking of Grisha, his voice actor, Hiroshi Tsuchida, does an amazing job here, especially at the ending where his full range becomes apparent.
All of the newly introduced characters in this episode are great and interesting, even if we will not see many of them outside this flashback.
The music is once again fantastic, bringing back a track that was introduced in “Hero” for the climactic end.
If I had one criticism, it would be the censorship.
The violence of the manga chapters really highlights both the terror and themes in the manga so it as shame this is not adapted here.
Still, this does not affect the episode in any big way, and if you have not read the manga then you will not notice it.
In my review of “The Basement”, I predicted that “That Day” might actually beat “Midnight Sun” to become my new favourite episode of the series.
And does it achieve this?
Well, right now I am unsure of that.
Both episodes are amazing in very different ways.
“Midnight Sun” is amazing in the way that it hits you emotionally, and “That Day” is amazing in the way that it hits you with all of these exciting and epic twists that change the entire story.
Both are master piece episodes so it is a bit hard for me to judge which one is better without thinking really hard about it.
I will say this, though.
Even if “That Day” does not beat “Midnight Sun”, it comes incredibly close.
It is an amazing episode that needs to be watched twice in order to adsorb all of the colossal information.

Spoiler Review… Seriously, if you have not seen the episode then DO NOT READ THIS! Trust me, you do not want this spoiled for you.

I remember the complete and utter shock I felt at the massive twists of chapters 85 and 86 of Attack on Titan.
The death of Grisha’s sister, Zeke being Grisha’s son and Eren’s half-brother, Dina being the smiling Titan the entire time, and Kruger turning out to the the Owl.
All of these twists are masterfully adapted in “That Day” where Grisha narrates over his tragic life.
This said, you may have to watch the episode a couple of times before you understand everything because there is so much information but this does not stop the twists from being mind blowing.
Following the post-credits scene of “The Basement”, the beginning of the story sees Grisha take his sister Fay to see the airship.
They are caught by two soldiers, Kruger and the detestably, yet appropriately named, Gross.
Since their race, Eldians, are not allowed outside their internment zone, Grisha is punished by receiving a beating from Kruger.
Sadly, Fay receives a far worst punishment as Gross feeds her to his sons’ dogs.
This tragedy leads to Grisha’s father telling him why they are being oppressed.
Nearly 2000 years ago, a woman named Ymir Fritz made a deal with the devil to obtain the power of the Titans.
After her death, her soul was split into the nine Titan Shifters who build the empire of Eldia and began a worldwide ethnic cleansing, which lasted around 1700 years.
However, the defeated nation of Marley managed to incite a civil war and get seven of the nine Titans under their control.
King Fritz, the holder of the Founding Titan, fled to the island of Paradis and created three walls to protect his people.
Those Eldians who were left on the continent were then persecuted for their ancestors’ sins, forced to live in ghettos and wear armbands.
However, this story cannot be taken at face value because it comes from a biased viewpoint.
It is plausible that the story of Eldians being descendant from the devil is just propaganda for Marley to justify its persecution of the Eldian race.
It is also just as plausible that the ideology Grisha later develops, that the Eldian empire was uncompromisingly good, is false as well.
Watching Grisha come to this conclusion to justify his anger towards Marley is very investing, just as much as what follows this.
After joining a resistance group, Eldia Restorationists, their spy in the Marleyan army, the Owl, sends the last descendant of the royal family, Dina Fritz, to help.
She and Grisha fall in love and have a son, Zeke.
That’s right, the Beast Titan is not only Grisha’s son but Eren’s half brother as well.
This also adds context to what Zeke was talking about when he told Eren his father had brainwashed him.
Grisha tried to force Zeke to become a Marleyan Warrior in an effort to steal the Founding Titan, pushing his ideology onto him.
Zeke, however, had no way of knowing that Grisha actually allowed Eren to develop his own ideology before giving him a Titan power.
He was not brainwashed like his brother was, which ultimately led Zeke to betray his parents and the Restorationists to the Marleyan authorities.
After being tortured for information, Grisha and the others are taken to Paradis to receive their life sentence of being turned into a mindless Titan.
There, Grisha is forced to watch as his friends and wife are all turned into Titans, some of which will look familiar to the viewer.
This is because, not only are many of the Restorationists Titans we saw in the battle of Trost, but Dina is also the smiling Titan, the one who ate Eren’s mother and Hannes.
No wonder this nightmare makes Eren scream upon waking up, as he is now starting to experience his father’s memories after learning the truth.
Back to Grisha’s plight, he realizes Gross and Kruger are there and he accuses Gross of murdering Fay.
Gross sadistically decides that he will make Grisha “dance” by feeding him to a mindless Titan.
Attack on Titan is a show where there really are no good guys or bad guys but Gross is the one exception.
He is disgustingly evil and revels in this, which makes it all the more satisfying to see Kruger push him off the wall so he is fed to a Titan just like he fed Fay to the dogs in a great sense of poetic justice.
This is one of the scenes I was disappointed to see censored because watching Gross get eaten is satisfying both because it allows the viewer to cheer as this monster is killed, and because it also ties into what Gross said about humans enjoying violence, pointing the finger at the viewer.
Kruger then reveals himself to be the Owl, before transforming into a Titan that strongly resembles Eren’s and attacking the remaining Marleyan forces, bringing the episode to a shocking end.
“That Day” is a fantastic episode.
It has so many exciting twists and turns with its massive exposition dump, which the episode somehow keeps interesting throughout its runtime.
Sadly, not everyone sees it this way.
Some are suggesting, or outright stating, that the information about the Eldians shows that the write,r Hajime Isayama, is an antisemitic fascist.
You can see these concerns being raised in the Polygon article “The fascist subtext of Attack on Titan can’t go overlooked”, where the absolutely ridiculous suggestion that some Titan noses are made to resemble antisemitic Jewish stereotypes is made.
Honestly, I rolled my eyes upon seeing this was an actual article.
People who think Attack on Titan is fascist seem to be conventionally forgetting that the main characters took down a monarchy with fascist elements this very season.
Not only this but if Attack on Titan is antisemitic, like some claim, then why are the characters who represent the Jews the main characters who we root for?
It makes no sense for the series to be fascist with all of its themes about freedom and it saddens me every time I see someone misinterpreting this.
Attack on Titan is a thoughtful story that is creating a message about cycles of hatred and “That Day” proves this.
It is an amazing episode that may actually be my favourite episode of the entire anime.

Dark Phoenix Review: Not a Complete Dumpster Fire but still a Fire.

I was not anticipating Dark Phoenix.
With the lackluster trailers, which spoil the film, and the numerous stories about production problems and reshoots, it seemed that the second attempt to adapt the X-Men’s Phoenix Saga was not going to work.
Sadly, this did prove to be the case because Dark Phoenix, directed by Simon Kinberg, is definitely one of the weakest X-Men films.
However, I will say that the movie is not as terrible as I thought it was going to be.
There are some redeeming qualities about it.
For starters, all of the actors do a good job with what they are given, especially Sophie Turner as Jean Grey.
I believe she could have done a fantastic job if the story had been good.

Jean Grey.jpg — Sophie Turner does a good job as the corrupted Jean Grey, and could have been fantastic had the script made her more than a pawn.

Then there is the action, which serves as some mindless entertainment.
Even though the final action sequence does have some atrocious CGI, it is still enjoyable to watch.
Dark Phoenix also starts out pretty promising.
For the first twenty minutes I was actually liking it.
Sure, it was not amazing or anything, but I felt like it would not be that bad.
And then the aliens showed up.
Lead by Jessica Chastain’s Vuk, these discount Skrulls should not have been in the movie.
Not only are they boring and uninteresting but the main threat of this story should have been Jean.
One of the big reasons many people find the Phoenix storyline so engaging is because the X-Men are forced to fight one of their own.
Yet, somehow, both this film, and The Last Stand, have Jean simply being a pawn for a bigger villain.

Jessica Chastain.jpg — The aliens should not have been in *Dark Phoenix.* People want to see the Phoenix Force being the main threat, not it being manipulated… again.

I wish I could say these aliens are the only bad things about Dark Phoenix but they are not.
While I did like the opening twenty minutes, there is one thing I absolutely hated there that persisted for most of the film.
This being the absolute character assassination of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy).
He acts nothing like the Xavier from the previous films, coming across as a complete narcissist, even after one of his close friends dies.
I get this was a part of his character arc but it does not work at all, considering how unlikable he is during the first hour and a half.

Charles Xavier resident asshole.jpg — Did a Skrull take over Charles Xavier? Well, one might as well have because this is not the Xavier we saw in the other films.

It is also obvious that there were reshoots done because sections the film feels different from the rest of it, creating a jumbled experience.
The cinematography is also just bland, with no interesting shots to speak of.
Dark Phoenix is a mess.
It has some redeeming qualities like the performances, a few decent action sequences, and the first twenty minutes.
Other than these features though, the film falls flat on its face.
There have been two attempts at adapting this story and both have failed.
Hopefully, the third time will be the charm if Marvel decides to reboot the X-Men franchise.
In any case Dark Phoenix is a forgettable film that ends the X-Men series on a less than memorable note.

Aladdin Remake Review: Surprisingly Decent.

I have not been a fan of many Disney live action remakes.
To me, they have never exceeded the originals and mostly feel like cash grabs rather than like they trying to actually do something meaningful.
This looked to be the case with the new Aladdin remake where the world let out a collective, “AW, HELL NO!” after seeing Will Smith’s Genie.

I cringed when Genie was first shown in the trailer but he is not that bad in the movie.

However, after seeing the film, I can say that, while it is still not as good as the original and is still a cash grab, it does actually do some meaningful things.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, Aladdin 2019 adds new parts to the story that I actually enjoyed, and the musical numbers are all greatly performed.
This is especially the case when it comes to Genie and Naomi Scott’s Jasmine.
Their new storylines in this film are actually pretty good and nice changes.
Sure, Genie does look a little off-putting at times, like in the trailers, but you do get used it and he does spend a lot of time in human form.
Will Smith has nothing on Robin Williams’ portrayal of the character but he still does a good job.
Scott is also the best singer in the movie by a wide margin, giving one fantastic solo performance near the film’s end with “Speechless.”
They actually made Jasmine a better character than in the original.

Speechless — Naomi Scott is probably my favourite part of the new *Aladdin* with her giving the best performance and voice.

Aside from them, there are other welcome additions, including a created similarity between the titular Aladdin and the villainous Jafar, which makes their dynamic more interesting.
Mena Massoud does a decent job as Alladin, however, the same sadly cannot be said for Marwan Kenzari who is not threatening as Jafar.
Along with this, even though there are many added storylines I do appreciate, there are also plenty that I do not.
For example, the climax of the film feels very toned down and less epic than it could have been, resulting in a pretty anticlimactic end.
The film also drags a few times with some of its jokes going on for way too long.
All in all, though, Aladdin is still a surprisingly good film with a few very well done features.
It may not top the original but it is still worth seeing.

Chernobyl Review. Deserves All of the Awards.

When I started watching Chernobyl, I had not heard the amount of praise it was getting, especially not that it had become the number one rated show on IMDB.
However, after watching the five episode miniseries, I can honestly say I am not surprised it achieved this.
Chernobyl is nothing short of an absolute masterpiece that is incredibly crafted from start to finish.
Covering the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, the miniseries is directed by Johan Renck, and written by Craig Mazin.
Mazin is surprising because because he has written some of the Scary Movie films, both The Hangover sequels, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War, to name a few, and these are not very good in my opinion.
So, it is great to see him go from writing films that I do not like to writing this incredible miniseries.
I felt so many different emotions across all five episodes from horror, to anger, to sadness, to flat out disbelief at what was happening.

two leads 2.jpg — *Chernobyl* evoked many emotions in me as its characters desperately tried to stop the disaster from escalating further.

I remember watching a documentary about the Chernobyl accident a while back, so I did know a bit of the story going in but I was still not prepared.
The first episode, “1:23:45”, details the immediate aftermath of the explosion at the power plant and the beginning of Soviet attempts to suppress what was happening while even they do not know the full scale of the event.
The next three episoes, “Please Remain Calm”, “Open Wide, O Earth” and “The Happiness of All Mankind” showcase the struggles of officials Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) and Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård), and nuclear physicist Ulana Khomyuk (Emily Watson) to prevent further catastrophe.
The final episode, “Vichnaya Pamyat” is a court case about the causes of the disaster and the push to expose the truth.
All of these episodes are thrilling, with every actor giving a fantastic performance.
Everything about Chernobyl just comes together, including the cinematography, the music, the CGI and the make-up effects.
Speaking of, boy, are those make-up effects horrifying, with them detailing the extent and extreme agony the victims of radiation poisoning go through in excrutiating detail.

Watching the effects of the radiation on the human body in episode three was nothing short of horrifying.

If I had to sum up Chernobyl in one word it would be terrifying.
The way the miniseries shows the effects of radiation poisoning is terrifying.
The absolutely nail biting sequences where people work in extremely radioactive conditions, with only the sound of their Geiger Counter’s exploding with noise to be heard, are terrifying.
The mistakes and incompetent decisions, not just before the disaster but also in the aftermath, causing further tragedy, are terrifying.
The scene that will inevitably stick with me the most, though, is at the end of episode one when the deputy chief operational engineer of Chernobyl, Anatoly Sitnikov (Jamie Sives), is sent to look at the reactor from the roof.
I will not say what happens during to this scene, or to Sitnikov, but it is such a gut punch of a moment with Sives’ expression selling the tragedy of the scene perfectly.

The scene where Sitnikov is sent to look at the reactor is haunting and will stick with me for a while.

As for whether Chernobyl adapts the whole truth of the disaster, there obviously had to be some liberties taken, and things cut out, to adapt the story in this format.
Khomyuk’s character, for example, is completely fictional but used as a representation of all the scientists who helped after the accident, which is nice.
I also doubt that one of the main contributors to the disaster Anatoly Dyatlov (Paul Ritter) was as cruel as he was made out to be here.
Then there are the accents, with no attempt to sound Russian or Ukranian being made.
However, the explanation for this is definitely valid because it was better for the accents not to be addressed rather than risking getting terrible fake sounding ones.
As for Dyatlov, his unlikable nature does not affect the miniseries in a negative way, even though I wish they had made him a bit more relatable.
So, overall, the changes to history are well done with the magnitude of the event and those affected by it being treated with respect.
Chernobyl is an absolutely fantastic miniseries.
It will make you feel sad, angry, and often horrified, with you being left on the edge of your seat throughout.
It is easily deserving of all the awards once the time comes.
If you have not seen Chernobyl yet then I must ask you “where have you been?” before advising you to go and watch it.

Attack on Titan, Season Three, Episode Nineteen, The Basement Review. Everything Changes.

Spoiler Free Review:

I came into “The Basement” expecting it to be one of my favourite episodes of Attack on Titan.
This is because I thought it would be adapting my favourite chapter of the manga, Chapter 86 “That Day.”
However, this episode instead chose to add new scenes and lengthen the remaining ones, causing it to only go so far as to adapt the first few pages of that chapter.
While this was a little disheartening, I still cannot deny that “The Basement” is a great episode of Attack on Titan that changes the entire direction of the show, finally revealing what the anime has been building up to all these years.
The reveal itself was phenomenally adapted, with it paying off all the build-up, especially in its fantastic post credits scene.
As for the rest of the episode, it is good but has nothing on the ending.
We get to see the aftermath of “Midnight Sun” with Armin grappling to understand the reasoning behind Levi’s choice.
Armin, Levi and Hange all stand out in this scene with their interpretations and reasonings behind the events of the previous episodes.
Before all this, however, there is a creepy scene that Armin experience, which, even as a manga reader, I have no idea what it means.
Whether it is real or just a dream will be interesting to find out as the series progresses.
For the music of the episode, I will say, it is once again amazing.
Most of the episode reuses many musical tracks from the first season in its nostalgic scenes, which was very welcome.
Then there is the music of the post credits scene, which almost brought me to tears with its hopeful notes because I knew the disturbing things this hope would bring.
As for the animation, it went up and down a bit in terms of quality.
The beginning of the episode has animation that looks like it is from season one but I cannot tell if that is an intentional callback or because of the budget.
Despite this and few other limitations though, “The Basement” is still a great episode with a phenomenal ending that changes everything.
And in the end, I am actually happy this episode did not fully adapt “That Day” because I can tell from the preview that, not only will the next episode do that, but it will also mostly adapt the following chapter “Borderline”, which is fantastic as well.
That means, if all of this is adapted well, then the next episode will have a very good chance of toppling “Midnight Sun” as my favourite episode.

Spoiler Review:

“I come from a place outside the walls where humanity lives in elegance. Humanity had not perished.”
With these words, the entire story of Attack on Titan changes forever.
I remember first reading this in the manga and being in complete shock.
I thought the basement would hold a cure or something cliche like that but, no, instead it holds what is my favourite twist of all time.
Grisha left a series of books revealing that the entire world outside the walls is completely fine.
Well, fine is not really the right word to describe it, as will be shown in the next episode, but you get the idea.
And not only is the outside world intact but it also incredibly technologically advanced compared to life inside the Walls.
In the post-credits scene, where we get a brief look at Grisha’s childhood, we see an airship, a clear sign of the 1940s setting the rest of the world is in.
It only gets better though because the twist is not over yet.
I consider the entirety of Grisha’s backstory to be one giant collective twist, and the reveals we will get in the following episodes will leave everyone’s jaws on the floor.
The set-up for this, with the opening part of the twist, is phenomenally handled.
At first, we are fooled into thinking the basement is a misdirect.
Twice in fact because Eren’s key will not fit in the door and, when they eventually break in and open the cabinet the key unlocks, there is nothing inside.
Thankfully, this is just Isayama messing with us because Levi quickly discovers a secret compartment where the books containing the truth are held.
The slow reveal that follows is masterful, with Eren and Mikasa both opening the book in a touching moment, before it cuts to a flashback that reveals what question Erwin asked his father all those years ago.
Him asking how they could really be sure that all humans had been eaten outside the walls was foreshadowed in the previous episode, with Erwin deliriously asking that question in his dying state.
“The Basement” then cuts to the others learning Erwin’s theory was correct, and humanity is thriving outside the walls.
Eren also finds a photograph, another technological achievement they knew nothing about, and on it is a picture of Grisha with a mysterious woman and child.
It is important to take note of this for the next episode.
Then comes the post-credits scene where we meet a young Grisha and his little sister Fay.
It is is severely hinted at by the armbands they are wearing, which are reminiscent of what the Nazi’s forced Jewish people to wear in World War Two, that they are living under oppression.
Grisha then grabs Fay’s hand and runs outside the wall so she can see the airship which, despite the happy music, will have disastrous consequences.
This first part of the reveal was an amazing ending and I cannot wait to see it continued.
As for the rest of “The Basement”, it mostly expands on things from the manga to stall for time.
Despite knowing this, the scenes are still very nostalgic and do serve a point with Eren and Mikasa remembering their life in Shiganshina before it was invaded.
Aside from the ending, the beginning is the most interesting part of the episode though because it has a scene that is still not explained in the manga.
Upon waking up, Armin sees briefly sees the Colossal Titan with a half skeleton face that has Bertholdt’s voice.
So, what is this?
The Colossal Titan power transferring to Armin, a dream or a hallucination?
We will just have to wait and find out.
Overall, “The Basement” seems like a standard episode at first until that phenomenal ending happens and starts the twist that will change this series forever.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Review. Third Non-Stop Adrenaline Ride.

I watched the first two John Wick films the week before I went to see the third installment, Parabellum, and found them both to be non-stop adrenaline rides.
This is thankfully continued in the latest film, once again directed by Chad Stahelski and starring Keanu Reeves as the titular John Wick.
Picking up right from where Chapter Two left off, Parabellum sees Wick attempting to flee New York after being excommunicadoed from the Continental, and receiving a massive bounty on his head.
What follows is gripping action sequence after gripping action sequence that left everyone in the audience on the edge of their seats.
With so much of this it would have been very easy for it to become repetitive and redundant but, just as you begin to get tired of the relentless action, a new gimmick is thrown in to keep you engaged.

Every action scene in this film adds something new, creating a fresh experience in every bout of action.

Such was evident with the audience I was viewing the film with, which was a very interactive crowd.
There were many gasps and cheers at how vicious and violently exciting the action was.
On top of this, there are many human moments as well with Parabellum going deeper into Wick’s backstory than either of the previous films.
It makes me wonder how they will continue to expand on him in the next film.
The acting is also good with Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick doing great jobs.
However, the film does have its flaws, which keep it from being perfect.
There are a few eye rolling moments where Wick’s opponents deliberately leave him alive for no reason.
Then there is this pivotal scene where Wick is in a desert that feels kind of pointless in the grand scheme of the film.

Desert journey.jpg — John Wick’s journey of self discovery in the desert feels pointless by the film’s conclusion because of how quickly it is reversed.

Finally, there is the final few minutes of the film, which had something that completely broke my suspension of disbelief and drew me out of the ending.
Still, despite these flaws, I found John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum to be an exciting thrill wide that every action junkie will enjoy.
Be sure to check it out.

Attack on Titan, Chapter 118, Foul Play Review: So Many Great Character Moments.

After Zeke’s dramatic return at the end of Chapter 117 of Attack on Titan, I thought Chapter 118, “Foul Play,” would end with him screaming, turning all those poisoned by his spinal fluid into Titans.
While this does not happen in the latest chapter, “Foul Play,” it still offers some fantastic moments in its action but most of all in its character development.
There is so much development in this chapter that it is honestly a testament to how great of a writer Hajime Isayama is because it did not make the story feel bloated.
Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie, Gabi, Falco, Onyankopon, Nile, all of them got some great moments in “Foul Play.”
My favourite piece of character development this chapter would have to be Gabi’s because she finally acknowledges that the Eldians are not devils but people just like her.
I was glad to see Gabi finally reach this realization because many feared that, when she met up with the Warriors again, she would revert back to her old personality.
Thankfully, she does the opposite of this, even stopping Colt from killing Nile when he runs over to give Falco back to them.
This really shows how far she has come since her introduction because, when we first met her, she would have allowed Colt to shoot Nile without hesitation.
After rescuing Falco, the three hide in a building where Falco admits that he delivered letters for Eren when he was in Liberio, and that he likes Gabi.
This is a surprising moment because Isayama does not usually write romantic scenes so to see him write an intentionally awkward love declaration is both funny and a nice change of pace.
Falco’s declaration also leads Gabi to rip off his armband in a callback to when Falco did this to her in an earlier chapter, once again showing how far she has come.
Gabi and Falco are not the only ones with great development this chapter because Mikasa gets a scene that is clearly a turning point for her character.
She actually leaves Eren’s scarf behind.
The thing she has been carrying around since the beginning of Attack on Titan; the very thing which symbolizes her relationship with Eren, and she left it behind.
However, the way Louise looks at it when Mikasa leaves makes me think it could work its way back to Mikasa through her.
All of the scouts really had defining moments in this chapter, with them all being released by Onyankopon, which I predicted months ago.
Connie is quick to distrust him because he is sick of being betrayed, first by Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt, and now Eren.
Armin, however, wants to hear him out, and Onyankopon says he was never told about the wine and is against the euthanasia plan because “children are the future.”
I believe that he is on the scouts side because, as Armin says, Onyankopon believes they were all created for a reaon so he would not support the euthanasia plan, which is why Yelena did not tell him.
As for Jean, his development is small but pivotal nonetheless because he actually admits to being envious of Eren all the way back in training.
Likewise, Armin points out what we have all been suspecting, that Eren would never be in favor of Zeke’s plan to euthanize the Eldian race because he believes in freedom.
This leads to Armin remembering what Eren said when they reached the ocean in Chapter 90, which apparently makes him realise what Eren’s actual plan is because he says, “no way,” in apparent denial.
This has me concerned because, in that chapter, Eren wondered if they would be free if they killed all of their enemies across the ocean.
If this is what Armin is remembering, then it hints at Eren initiating the rumbling and destroying the entire world outside of Paradis, leaving only his people on the island alive.
This is a very dark theory and it will be interesting to see if Eren would go as far to murder billions of people to keep his friends safe.
Either way, the rumbling is a chekov’s gun at this point and it is obvious it will be fired by the end of the series.
It is just a matter of whether or not that rumbling will be world ending or not.
Speaking of chekov’s gun though, Colt seems to have one of those himself with an apparent Titan killing gun.
Isayama seems to be hinting that this gun will kill a Titan but who is anyone’s guess.
Colt is heading towards Zeke to try and dissuade him from screaming by telling him about Falco being infected but we all know Zeke will not let this stop him from trying to achieve his goal.
This may result in Colt trying to kill Zeke with it but I doubt it will work.
In fact, I find it likely that Colt may die soon because he is near the infected Falco and, if he turns into a Titan and eats his brother, it would make for a very tragic death.
As for Zeke himself, it is getting a little sad how Zeke gets pretty much destroyed in ever battle.
In an admittedly genius moment from Pieck and Magath, they are able to shoot him off the wall, mortally wounding him.
Honestly, the amount of times both Zeke and Reiner have been beaten up in this series is a little embarrassing for them, and another thing they have in common besides their backstories.
At least Zeke got a moment to shine when he destroyed the airships at the beginning of the chapter, which resulted in the glorious panel of the Queen of Crazy Yelena spreading her arms out and marveling at the destruction caused by her god.
Yelena continues to be a very interesting character, due to how absolutely insane she is.
The panel of her glaring at Armin makes it look like she wants to eat his face.
It reminded a lot of Sister Krone from The Promised Neverland series.
Both characters are crazy and have nightmare inducing facial expressions.
Overall, “Foul Play” is a great chapter, where its character development manages to somehow be even more interesting than its action.
With the story looking to set the stage for Zeke’s scream in the next few chapters, I cannot wait to see what the horrific effects of this will be.