Message To Wes: HP Sucks

Today I had the pleasure of seeing “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part 2” with my best friend forever Wes in Evanston. Earlier Rotten Tomatoes reviews had left me waiting in anticipation. Once in the movie theater, I nonchalantly put on my pair of hipster-vision glasses and sat down. Within 30 seconds of the film I had reached a single daunting conclusion: “The Deathly Hollows” is an incredibly condensed, soggy piece of crap. First off, David Yates has managed to fail to capitalize on the simplest maxim of movie making: follow the goddamn book. I am not one to default on classic examples, but Yates has produced what I like to call Linkin Park’s cover of “Rolling In The Deep:” complete rubbish. Yates may have missed the most important part of the book: Harry Potter does not live....

GOSICK (B, 85.00%)

In a semi-fictitious Europe, several years of marked peace have passed since the Great War. However, behind the scenes a different kind of war wages between the Academy of Science and the Academy of the Occult to determine who will reign supreme in the new coming age. Caught between this war are citizens who are very much connected to the myths and legends of the past but yet very aware of the new technology and reason of the future. I remember coming across “GOSICK” when scouring UTW for my weekly “Fractale” update. I was simply looking for more shows to consume when I was drawn into “GOSICK.” Even today I do not understand the significance of the show’s name. The show wasn’t very spectacular. While the animation was crisp and the character...

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai (A, 93.75%)

Summer in Japan. While many students are busy with summer classes and playing outside, one student is locked up in his home. Jinta Yadomi, our hikikomori protagonist, has been skipping school for years. Suddenly, he is pestered by a girl in a white one-piece. Meiko Honma plans to live with Jinta for some unforeseeable period of time. Here’s the catch: she’s a ghost. When I first laid my eyes on “Ano Hana’s” opening (“Aoi Shiori” by Galileo Gaililei) in May I knew this show would be good. The production value is mind-blowing, very characteristic of A-1 especially after “Fractale.” The colorful and fluid animation really sold “Ano Hana” for me right away. However, unlike “Fractale,” every minute of “Ano Hana” was carefully used to flesh out...