The Secret World of Arrietty (2012):

The Secret World of Arrietty (2012):

Let's get this out of the way: Hayao Miyazaki's “The Secret World of Arrietty” is definitely just an adaptation of The Borrowers. But it has enough Miyazaki countryside charm to stand out. It's about a tiny family who lives by stealing things from humans. But one day, a human discovers Arrietty while she's out gathering sugar. Sho (Shawn in the English dub.) is a sick child who has some form of heart condition. I think Arrietty is like an inch tall. It's a cute movie, and not too long.

After discovering her, the sick boy wants to help Arrietty. He brings her sugar, and out his mom's old dollhouse for them to live in. But, it makes things worse for her family...because more humans notice them. Being so small, almost everything is a threat to the Borrowers. I like how it plays with perspective. A needle is a sword to Arrietty. A cat is like a dragon. One drop of tea fills her little teacups.

There are some gross scenes I thought, but that's because the Borrowers (Arrietty, and her parents, Homily and Pod.) are so small. People are giants. Bugs are huge and scary. Crickets, pillbugs, spiders...gross. But, Arrietty can fight them off with a needle. Humans are by far the biggest threat to the Borrowers though. The boy's caregiver Haru (Hara in English.), kidnaps Arrietty's mom, and calls pest control. So the last part is them saving her, and moving out.

Arrietty's parents warned her to stay away from Sho, even though he needs rest, and so won't be much trouble. Pod hurts his leg while out looking for Homily, and discovers a wild Borrower named Spiller who says they can live with him on the other side of the river. So, Arrietty and Sho say a tearful goodbye, as the Borrowers float down to the other side of the river in a teapot.

Overall, it's a cute movie about an unlikely friendship and unintended consequences. It doesn't overstay its welcome, has loads of charm, tons of playful perspective shots, and a good story. Plus, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett voice Arrietty's parents in the English dub. I always liked them. Arrietty is voiced by Bridgit Mendler. Anyway, give it a watch if you can.

Katawa Shoujo: Summer's Clover (2014):

Katawa Shoujo: Summer's Clover (2014):

“The non-canon scenario of Miura Miki starting shortly before she meets the new transfer student Nakai Hisao.”

Summer's Clover is a non-canon side-story to Katawa Shoujo. You play as Miki. Miki is adjusting to life after an accident took her hand. She's a side character in the original game, alongside Emi and the track team. Here, she has two suitors to choose from: Hisao and Suzu.

Hisao is the main character from the original Katawa Shoujo. He bumps into Miki, and in this version, they can hit it off and become boyfriend and girlfriend, or just stay friends. I focused on Suzu's branch, because, well, that's my preference. Even if you choose Suzu, Hisao tags along for the story. He's still a main character.

Suzu has narcolepsy. A condition which brings on extreme drowsiness and loss of muscle tone during sudden extreme emotions. Suzu also likes women, it is revealed. So, that opens up her path as well. Essentially you have Hisao or Suzu as paths to choose from, with multiple endings for either character.

Since I only played Suzu's path, I know it's about Miki discovering her interest in women, and also getting Suzu's family to accept their relationship. Suzu also is an introvert who reads manga. (Comics.) As Miki helps her come out of her shell, they spend a lot of time together on the beach and in bedrooms for summer vacation. (Hey! Summer's Clover!) But, everyone but Suzu's cool older sister hates Miki and Suzu as a couple.

Honestly, this isn't a bad game. Only a few things give away that it's non-canon, but it was worked on by an Australian member of Four Leaf Studios. One thing is the characters constantly use Australian slang like “crikey!” and “blimey!” Another thing is some of the new characters look odd in shape and size, because they aren't re-used art from the original game, which is a little jarring, but fine.

Overall, it's a good side-story, with original art in addition to the original game. But, I can understand why it wasn't a fully polished game. It's one Australian guy from Four Leaf Studios working off notes and anime sketches. With Four Leaf Studios now basically gone, it may never get an official release. This might be all there is. But, it should be enough if you're a Katawa Shoujo fan, and want more Katawa Shoujo. Check it out.

Katawa Shoujo (2012)

Katawa Shoujo is the visual novel which began my love of visual novels. Hisao (The main character.) transfers to a high school for disabled people, Yamaku Academy. There's a blind girl, a burnt girl, a girl with no legs, a deaf girl, and a girl with no arms. The path you take depends on the girl you pick, and each girl has 3 possible endings. As a disabled person, I liked it, and there's a lot of replay value to get every ending.

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WORDS BUBBLE UP LIKE SODA POP (2020):

WORDS BUBBLE UP LIKE SODA POP (2020):

"A meeting and romance starts between two people with communication issues - a boy who wears headphones and uses haiku poems, and a shy girl who wears a mask and only does online videos."

This movie is about Cherry, a haiku poet with social anxiety, and his social influencer love interest Smile. Smile has buck teeth (“yamazakura”) and is shy. Cherry is a good poet, but is shy because of his voice. He prefers to write. They're brought together by an old man, who wants to hear a long lost record one last time.

Overall, it's just a cute romance anime about teens with bright animation. The word cute (kawaii) is thrown around a lot. It's pretty good for a Netflix anime, if you want something light-hearted. They overcome their challenges to help an old friend. There's only one part I didn't like, but I won't nitpick. It's on Netflix, if you have time.

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021):

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE (2021):

"To protect an 8-year-old girl, a dangerous assassin reunites with her mother and her lethal associates to take down a ruthless crime syndicate and its army of henchmen."

If I had 3 words to describe Gunpowder Milkshake, they'd be "cute John Wick". It has good gun scenes, and the noir aesthetic is good, but the whole atmosphere clashes with a sort of strange cutesy vibe in the clothes, music, and style. I get that it's supposed to be funny; and it is! But, it's like...is she the best assassin, or isn't she? Maybe every assassin just says they're the best.

Anyway, fun watch if you can turn your brain off, accept that they just let their best assassin go completely rogue, and some kawaii stuff. It really is "cute John Wick". Watch it with some snacks, if you've got the time.