Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Twenty-Nine

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Twenty-Nine: Bridgerton

Fine, let’s talk about the sexy historical drama now. Bridgerton is inspired by the book series by Julia Quinn and created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix (and produced by Shondaland). It is focused on an alternative London Regency era where we observe the highly competitive social season where young marriageable nobility and gentry are introduced into society. There are a few key characters throughout the series but we mainly focus on the Bridgerton family themselves – featuring their mother and the eight close-knit siblings as they try to navigate high society in search of love.

Each season of the show has a main focus on a specific Bridgerton child as well as supporting characters that best align with their focus (this isn’t to say that the other Bridgertons don’t get their limelight in those seasons – they just aren’t gonna be center stage so to speak lol). First season has a focus on Daphne as she steps into society, the second season focuses on the Viscount Anthony who’s on the hunt for his new Vicountess so that he can finally take his leading the house seriously, and then the third season leads Colin into the lead as he aims to assist his friend Penelope *wink*.

So why do I like the show? Well, I find the writing to be pretty clever…ok, you’re right, I know the concept and the show can be pretty dumb at times xD who am I kidding, we all know why we’re watching it right? We here for that romancing~ haha. I do like some of the characters more than others and I fully route for their romantic successes. Violet Bridgerton deserves the world and I hope she finds it in the show. I still need to catch up on the book series but I can tell you fully – the show and the books, VASTLY DIFFERENT! So don’t be surprised if you jump into the books or the show (vice versa) and find…different approaches to everything lol. At the end of the day though, there’s some high society smooching going on haha. I also do like that there’s diversity in the cast, where I’m noticing it grow more in the later seasons. So I’m excited to see the glow-ups that will come next. Of course none of them beat my love for Rege-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings in Season One. I have become a fan of Lord Alfred Debling in Season Three – played by Sam Phillips. There’s a few others here and there I’m a fan of xD lots of cuties!

Lol I don’t really think too deep in the story if I’m honest. I do like the classical rendition of modern songs though that are heard throughout the series. It is a vibe and I’m all for it. It definitely captures that familiarty of songs we’re used to nowadays while staying true to the period.

Thanks for reading today’s post! Yeah – didn’t have a lot of time to grab some videos for you xD just search YouTube and see what you find haha. Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Twenty-Eight

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Twenty-Eight: Stranger Things

Inspired by science fiction and horror themes from popular culture in the 1980s and combining it with elements with horror and childlike sensibilities, the Duffer Brothers developed Stranger Things and were able to launch it on Netflix in July 2016, starting a phenomenon that took the world by storm.

Taking place in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, the story follows several different characters and explores how they play a part in the overarching story. The nearby Hawkins National Laboratory is at work performing research for the United States Department of Energy – which is secretly experimenting with the paranormal and supernatural with the help of human test subjects. When they open a portal to an alternate dimension known as the Upside Down, all hell begins to break loose. Chaos reigns upon Hawkins – and only a few can step forward to stop it all.

Lol that’s a pretty loose description but pretty much a lot of bad happens in Hawkins and a group of teens and some crazy adults are the only ones who can make it right. Casting for the show is excellent and the musical score and choices of songs is AMAZING! Seriously I love the synth vibe of the 80s genre and it’s definitely not in short supply with this show. We got ALL THE SYNTH!

Something else that’s pretty great about this series is the heavy inspirations from Dungeons and Dragons itself. One of the very first scenes in the show visits a DnD game and we see firsthand how that game of DnD correlates to the creatures the group experiences from the Upside Down. Mind Flayer, Demogorgon, Vecna – they all make an appearance in this show in some form.

We’ve had four seasons so far – with one more season coming soon. The seasons are all available on Netflix and there’s lots of theories circulating about what’s next for all of us in this show. Is Eddie alive? One can only hope lol. How will this story end? Only time will tell!

Video from user Hyper Droid

One of my favorite scenes from Season 3 – spoiler warning!

This scene absolutely SELLS Season Four for me. Holy crap the hype the world had when it launched on Netflix. Absolutely amazing! Spoiler warning!

The final fight in Season Four – so good! Spoiler Warning!

Thanks for reading today’s post! Sorry it’s so short but I’m not feeling too great right now so I’m gonna get some work done and get some rest ❤ lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Twenty-Two

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Twenty-Two: Cobra Kai

So is this the moment…where I admit I’ve never seen The Karate Kid films, even to this day. I know – apart from the famous clips that circulate the internet, I’ve never watched these movies. So then – why did I start watching Cobra Kai? Welp, I was at my sister’s house one day, and she was watching it on Netflix. And from that day on – I went home and immediately began binging the first three seasons and became hooked.

So what is this series? Well, Thirty-four years after the plot of the first movie, Johnny Lawrence is in his 50s and struggling to get by. He’s got a lot of resentment in his life and he’s clearly suffering from alcoholism and depression. After a chance encounter puts him back into the sights of Daniel LaRusso, the rivalry sparks again to finally put himself back on the map and bring Cobra Kai back to life – where even though he experienced pretty much abuse in that dojo, it was some of the happiest years of his life – because it brought him karate. The series follows our leads as a rivalry begins between their two dojos, all the while we see new kids take the spot of themselves from the days of the movies. So far there’s been five seasons and a final sixth season is on its way with the first part releasing this summer.

I know – it’s super campy and there’s a lot of times I just want to shake the characters and tell them to stop being so stupid. But this is a lot of fun for a martial arts series – especially when you see how wel the characters play off each other and pull from the nostalgia of the movies. Didn’t see them (like me lol) NO WORRIES! They give lots of flashbacks and show how they pertain to the scene itself. So you still get that Mr. Miyagi magic! So even though I’m not fully committed to the lore of the Karate Kid – I had a lot of this show and can’t wait to see how it ends.

Video from user TurfNation

Video from user Rise with Purple Valkyrie

Thanks for reading today’s post! Maybe I’ll get around to watch this film series – I literally just realized that there are more than three films today xD lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Nineteen

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Nineteen: Bojack Horseman

When Bojack Horseman first hit the streets on Netflix in 2014, I had to admit I wasn’t pulled in immediately. Don’t get me wrong – the animation looked pretty quirky and fun but there was something about the advertising, the strange proportions of the animal-people versus the people-people, and with the plethora of adult animation hitting the streets at the time that were just…meh when it came to story, I wasn’t too sure about this one. However, I knew I would jump on the train eventually….and after one of my friends told me I had to check it out, I finally put on the first episode of Bojack Horseman and began binging the first season.

The story follows Bojack Horseman – a literal horse man who is a washed up comedy actor who was once the star of the 90s sitcom Horsin’ Around. Now living in obscurity in the Hollywood Hills in his home, this alcoholic/drug addict wants to make his comeback into the world – and follows the urging from those closest to him (I’m hesitating to use the word ‘Friend’ here – and if you’ve seen the series, you’d understand why) Bojack decides to write a novel about his life…actually, he hires a ghost writer named Diane Nguyen…and thus the series follows those adventures of Bojack and those around him as he tries to stay relevant in a world that has no problem ignoring his life. Seems pretty tame right? Ha, if only it were.

This series is pretty damn funny in the writing but don’t be fooled by the comedy. Even the opening sequence can show you the darkness that hides behind this series (btw if you never noticed before, the opening changes in every season of the show and showcases what will happen within that season – there’s a lot hidden in plain sight in this series – definitely recommend you keep your eyes peeled). There’s trigger warnings for suicidal thoughts, heavy drug and alcohol use, physical and emotional abuse, explorations into mental illness…this is just scratching the surface of what is talked about here. And yes, like most American television series – it can seem like there isn’t a continuous story going on in this show but despite the separate adventures, there’s always progress in the main goals of each season happening in each episode. And things that happen in previous episodes LAST in this series. Something happens to a character in season one? You better believe that will be shown and possibly even explored more in later seasons.

Bojack Horseman’s story…is pretty tragic all things considering. And this goes for many of the other characters we highlight. There’s a lot of trauma within their journeys, a lot of mistakes they’ve made or made against them affecting them in huge ways. But I do feel that as we watch the show and see where storylines in, there’s a lot of satisfying conclusions for almost all of them. But let’s be clear – just because Bojack is the main character…doesn’t mean he’s someone you should necessarily root for or look up to. He’s meant to be seen as an antagonist for those around him. He’s meant to be seen as trouble. And even in his growth, which is TOTALLY FINE TO ROOT FOR, you should understand that Bojack is very self-centered and continues to make many of the same mistakes. And sure, it’s never too late for someone to make a change in their life to do better; however, that doesn’t erase mistakes they did make and how those mistakes affected people, especially those that cared about him most. People like Princess Carolyn, a literal cat-lady who spends a good deal of time as Bojack’s agent (and also on-and-off again girlfriend/sex buddy) and forcing her into disappointing situations regularly even though he knows what he is doing hurts her deeply; Todd, Bojack’s roommate who came to his house for a party five years ago and never left – and Bojack tries very hard to keep Todd depending on him so much and sabotaging his growth as a person on a regular basis (sidenote: Todd’s also excellent asexual representation – I salute this as an ace myself!); Diana, whom Bojack fully has a crush on despite knowing she’s in a relationship with someone who desperately wants to be friends with Bojack – Mr. Peanutbutter, a dogman and also a 90s sitcom star. There’s are just the four main pulls but there’s PLENTY OF CHARACTERS we could look to and see how much Bojack has affected them. But then…I want people to watch this series more than anything. Because damn, this show is excellent and portraying such real behaviors and how there are consequences to actions. I fully hope more people see this show since it’s already completed and ready to watch on Netflix.

Bojack Horseman can be a hard watch at times, especially the later you go into the series. I have contemplated doing a rewatch and honestly…I don’t know if I can handle it knowing where some storylines go. It’s dark and I hope more people understand that going in instead of just turning on a show because it’s bright and colorful. But all in all, this is one of the best adult animations in recent years in my opinion. And if you can make it through the darkness, I promise you there is some light in the end. Maybe not completely in the conventional sense you’re used to in a story tied off in pretty ribbons – but still, it’s a pretty real ending overall.

Here’s the full six-part retrospective (plus the xmas special) by Schaffrillas Productions in one convenient video!

Video by user viedo gaems

Here is the complete timeline playlist done by Johnny 2 Cellos. He’s big in the commentary circuit when it comes to Bojack Horseman. Seriously, check out his content if you’re a fan of animation. I find a lot of his commentary excellent!

Not sure if this captures all of Johnny 2 Cellos’ Bojack videos, but these are lot of some good content here.

Thank you for reading today’s post! I really love this show and do hope people have been able to check it out. The designs can be a bit off-putting for some but honestly the story makes up for it. Lots of love and stay safe out there~

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Fifteen

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Fifteen: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

As you’ve already been able to tell by other posts I’ve made – I have a love for the Scott Pilgrim franchise. So when they announced that they would continue the Scott Pilgrim story as a Netflix animated series, I was ready to hop in! And boy, was I surprised but what we got! It sure wasn’t what the world was expecting – but that’s ok, because I absolutely loved it! And good on them for having the balls to take that familiar storyline and turn it on its head for a new medium!

Now, I’m not gonna spoil it completely for you all – go binge it like I did – but I will say again that you need to go into this expecting…the unexpected! Give it a chance if it doesn’t resonate with you right away. If you were a fan of the source material, there’s going to be something for you here. And seeing it told in such a colorful animated way is absolutely amazing.

I think one of the best things about this series is we literally got the movie cast on board for this show. And it all started when Michael Cera responded to a nine year old email that everyone was looped in on. And everyone started getting into discussions about what the future of the series held and if they could be part of it. AND HERE WE ARE!

Also let’s give a huge shoutout to Anamanaguchi for producing the music for the series as well – they did the music for the video game and we’re a huge fan of them in my corner of the world ❤

All in all, this show was a wild ride and showed that the showrunners really wanted to take a chance with creating something completely new while still finding that balance with staying true to the characters themselves. Plus we get a chance to have more time with the other characters as well and see the world from their perspective, and not just focus on our two protagonists Scott and Ramona.

I absolutely loved it and I know there’s probably not gonna be a season two for the sake of it…but there’s always a possibility for something to happen, especially in the world of Scott Pilgrim!

The opening credits to Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Video from user Johnny 2 Cellos

Video from user Saberspark

Video from user KimBee

Video from user NerdSync

Video from user Negative Legend

Video from user Sarcastic Chorus

Video from user Hiding in Public

Video from user Comic Drake. This is more about the franchise itself, mainly the graphic novel

Video from user Cartoon Universe

Video from user Veridis Joe

Video from user Unleash the Ghouls

Behind the scenes look at the studio behind the animation – Science Saru

Thanks for reading today’s post! I’m recovering from a fever right now but I did want to get out a post before the day was gone. Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Fourteen

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Fourteen: Aggretsuko

When Sanrio announced they would be making a character franchise on a red panda (one of my favorite animals) who also happens to be a tired office worker who loves scream-o music – I immediately fell in love with Retsuko. Now – I know I mentioned before that probably wouldn’t feature anime series for this month’s post challenge due to wanting to focus on anime series later on – but I decided I would add Aggretsuko here since I just feel I wanted to talk about it since I relate to her character so much nowadays and a lot of the more realistic struggles she’s faced in the series – I’m facing as well (not the pop idol one though lol – that’s never happening).

So what’s the story? Retsuko is a 25-year-ld and single woman (anthropomorphic red panda in a world of anthropomorphic creatures) who is working in the accounting department of a Japanese trading firm called Carrier Man Trading Co. Ltd. In the first moments, you see her opening day, full of joy and excitement at the first step of her new carrier – and then you see her a couple years later struggling to get out of bed, the woman trying her best to navigate through the typical problems encountered by young adults in 21st century Japan (like money issues, satisying work-life balance, dealing with difficult bosses and coworkers, and trying to determine who romantic life and what she should do next). In dealing with her frustrations, Retsuko often goes to a karaoke bar to sing death metal and release the emotions she built up throughout each day.

Originally, there was a show by studio Fanworks that released from 2016 to 2018 in Japan – with 100 more short-form episodes that follow Retsuko through her day-to-day antics. As popularity with the character grew, they developed a Netflix series with longer-form episodes that premiered April 20, 2018 – running for five seasons up to February 16, 2023. Each season, though having episodes that range in themes overall, all had an overarching theme that it touched on in some way in every episode. For example, the first season was heavily aimed at Retsuko seeking someone she could love and marry – so she could also escape her mundane life. Season two focused more on Retsuko’s meeting and relationship with Tadano and how it affects her overall. Season three is the pop group season – Retsuko finds herself joining the ranks of pop group “OTM Girls” and how that affects her life. Season Four is actually a broader look at her coworkers and the company as it goes through changes in management and how it affects them overall. And the fifth season is about Retsuko running for a seat on the National Diet (one of the weirdest seasons overall imo because it truly felt like it came out of left field lol).

The series itself as well as the Christmas Special bring me a lot of joy, because as I said, I relate a lot to Retsuko as a character. I’m still fairly young into my career and find myself dealing with many obstacles that threaten my sanity and mental health at every turn. Work is especially a struggle as even though I very much enjoy the work I do in my career, I find myself stagnent in my current workplace and dealing with obstacles at every turn. Sometimes when I get home, I have to scream to let out a lot of the stress from the day. Then I take the time to hang out with my dog, go to the gym, visit with friends, read books, listen to records, watch a show, or play video games to mellow me out from the stress and get me right before I head off to bed. This is a common occurence for folks like me – many of us trying to find some sort of glimmer of hope that what we do has meaning and if there’s a reason to the grind. I’m hoping that through applications and bettering myself through training, I can find a new setting for my career that will sort of give me something new to look forward to – a desperate change of pace that I’m starving for.

Retsuko is like me – and that’s why I resonate with her so much. We have problems to deal with in every day life. But we have our tribe, we have our quirks, and we do what we can to get through each day feeling like we had a purpose. And that’s why I’m so glad we have media with her to enjoy!

Video by user Mother’s Basement

Video from user Gentle Mushroom

Video from user Westside Otaku

Video from user Shady Doorags

Video from user Gaijin Goombah

Thanks for reading today’s post! Though these series are over I do hope to look into the graphic novels soon. And I hope we see more of Retsuko and her friends later down the line. Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Thirteen

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Thirteen: Dead End Paranormal Park

Dead End: Paranormal Park is a Netflix series from the mind of Hamish Steele. The series was originally kicked off with Steele’s animated short that was released on Cartoon Hangover’s YouTube Channel June 24, 2014. Following it’s release, Steele began work on the graphic novel series Deadendia published by Nobrow Press, which as of now is fully out for purchase 🙂

The original short on Cartoon Hangover

So what is Dead End? The story follows our main characters – Barney, Norma, Pugsley, and Courtney (among other characters throughout the series). Barney Guttman is a gay, Jewish, trans boy who is seeking a place of his own as he experiences some family troubles and wants somewhere where being trans isn’t necessarily all to his identity. Norma Khan is a Pakistan-American girl who is autistic and hyperfocused on her passion of the works of actress/drag queen Pauline Phoenix. The two meet (though Barney quickly relays that they live in the same neighborhood and were lab partners before) on evening traveling to Phoenix Park which is based on the multiple properties of Pauline to interview for what they think is a job. Once they arrive at the Dead End haunted house, they soon meet with Courtney, a demon who seeks a flesh vessel for the demon Temeluchus so he can take over the mortal plane. In order to save his human, Barney’s dog Pugsley jumps to his aid, being possessed by the demon and gaining the ability to speak and learn magic. Together, this team of characters work as security for the park and investigate the paranormal horrors going on inside the theme park, which also trying to get a handle of their own lives.

This dark fantasy, horror comedy, supernatural series is a fun time in my opinion and really emphasizes the representation of LGBTQ+ as well as representation of various cultures, mental and physical capabilities, etc. Viewers can relate to the characters on screen, especially Barney and Norma who’s storylines are very intriguing and work to showcase the hardships many go through while on their individual spectrums. There’s a lot of great writing at large and I find that many of the jokes hit well with the viewer, providing laughs while not straying away from the spookiness going on within the park. If you’re an avid horror fan as well, you’ll see a lot of references to some of your favorites in the genre.

I think another thing that really sells this show to me is the animation. From the original short, to the graphic novels, and to the series on Netflix – animation and character design has grown exponentially while still staying true to those original visions Steele had for this ragtag team.

Probably one of the biggest things for me though is the absolutely excellent voice cast and crew who has joined the prject, with a heavy emphasis on the same representations Steele has captured with the characters in his story. Alex Brightman, well-known for his time on Broadway in School of Rock as well as currently Beetlejuice, is both Pugsley and Temeluchus – playing these combatting personalities encased in one fluffy body. Miss Coco Peru (drag persona of Clinton Leupp) plays Pauline Phoenix. Emily Osment is Courtney. Zach Barack and Kody Kavitha play Barney and Norma. There’s so many voices attached to this series and everyone gives their all in their performances, everyone showing their passion for the story they are helping to share with the world. And guys…let me spoil it for you now…there’s a musical episode in this series…and it’s FANTASTIC!

The series only lasted for two seasons – and it’s true it somewhat ends on a cliffhanger so I highly recommend checking out the graphic novel series to get the complete view on this amazing story Hamish Steele’s created. I adore it personally and I feel there’s something for all to enjoy!

The first episode is fully available on YouTube – and Seasons One and Two are on Netflix for your enjoyment!

Video by user Break Room of Geeks

Video from user Break Room of Geeks

Video from user J.C. Alexandre

Video from user Jenny Cook

Video from user Alpha Jay Show

Video from user thethirdbill

Video from user thethirdbill

Video from user Unleash the Ghouls

Video from user Unleash the Ghouls

Video from user Oakwyrm

Thanks so much for reading today’s post! If Dead End interests you at all, both seasons are on Netflix and the graphic novels can be purchased across platforms. Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Nine

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Nine: Centaurworld

♫ IN CENTAURWORLDDDDDD…..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! ♫

Lemme tell you now – this show surprised me! At first glance, I was certainly not prepared for what I was getting. You see these colorful advertisements and images of a horse surrounded by centaur characters and you’re just looking at it like it’s going to be some kiddie show to keep them occuppied.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Within the first five minutes – you’re sent on a rollercoaster ride – a horse and her rider dashing through a decrepit landscape trying to flee from monstrous creatures. We see them getting attacked with a beautiful song is being sung by the rider. And then…the horse falls, holding onto a strange artifact that holds the key – the key to what? Well you have to watch and find out! Horse wakes up in this colorful realm surrounded by centaur creatures of all kinds, finding she now has the ability to talk – AND SINGGGGGGG! That’s right baby – this show isn’t just an animated comedy – it’s a musical!

You then go on this adventure with Horse as she tries to get back home to her rider, finding artifacts to help her in her quest. You meet an odd array of creatures, many of which I’ve never seen centaur-like creatures made of them before so it was really cool to see how creative they got with the designs. And the songs – THE SONGS ARE TOP NOTCH! And then the hidden dark moments that come to light further in the series – holy crap! They actually talk about a lot of darker topics – like depression, anxiety, even hints of suicide. It’s A LOT! And so good!

Season One really excelled in the storytelling, the music everything. Also it introduced the world to Zulius, the best character period in this show. Season Two…exists. And it’s not to say I don’t enjoy Season Two – in fact I absolutely adore how it ends, what we find out, and its conclusion. The path to get there though was rough with pacing issues and just…it felt more disconjointed compared to Season One – which could honestly be because they had limited time to work on concluding the story? I’m not exactly sure. But this is my warning to folks – Season Two can be a bit of a jump – but I promise the ending – it’s VERY SATISFYING!

So hey – don’t sleep on Centaurworld. It’s got an amazing cast, awesome animation, splendid songs – it’s got so much to offer if you’re willing to give it a chance!

Spoiler Warning: Here’s all the songs from the first season of Centaurworld

Spoiler Warning: Here’s all the songs from the second and final season of Centaurworld

The cast of Centaurworld sings the opening song!

Video by user Henry Kathman

Video by user We Are Not Alive

Video by user We Are Not Alive

Video by user Sarcastic Chorus

Video by user Sarcastic Chorus

Video by user The Sin Squad

Thanks for reading today’s post 🙂 this is another favorite that popped up during COVID times that really struck with me. I wasn’t even going to give it a chance until I visited my friend one weekend and she forced it onto me while we hung out. And it was so good! I love it so much. Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge: Day Six

Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!

Day Six: Arcane

This is another show that’s I’ve already talked about previously so my apologies if this seems familiar. But I mean – I called this show a masterpiece for a reason. Arcane premiered on Netflix in 2021 and has since been one of the best video game adaptations ever created in my eyes. It’s an animated series from Riot Studios and it is based on lore from the League of Legends (LoL) game.

Never played LoL? That’s fine – you don’t have to! This series sets itself up pretty well to not need a deep dive of the source material. Frankly, you aren’t going to get lore dumps in LoL – its a multiplayer online battle arena that hides its lore in the bios of characters, certain catchphrases said in passing, etc. It’s not a game built to share the lore, it’s a time killer (my personal opinion – not judging if you enjoy the game) where two teams battle it out to control a map. What I wanted more than anything instead of playing a game I don’t enjoy is being able to have a medium where I can visual see the amazing lore they build into the bckground. Because when you did get to dive into lore, it’s magnificent. And something LoL and Riot always excelled in…is them cinematics they made to coincide with the game! Seriously – they explore so many styles of animations, really give you those juicy glimpses of the stories they’ve created in the background of their game. But where we got small glimpses here and there – we wanted more. And with this series – I think Riot knew the assignment and DELIVERED!

Arcane is a nine episode series that dove into three episode arcs over the span of three weeks. It is a prequel taking place in Piltover and Zaun, featuring several characters from the game. Two specific characters it focuses on is Violet and Powder, two sisters living in the Undercity. I won’t spoil too much here – just know that this animation beautifully blends hand-drawn and CGI animation, and really excels in telling a cohesive story in a short amount of time. It’s fantastic and deserves all the love it’s getting.

Something else that the series really excels at is blending a musical score that highlights the story being told. There’s a chance for spoilers in the videos shared from here on out so SPOILER WARNING going forward. The theme song is done by Imagine Dragons and JID and my god is it a bop! Seriously, we have a rule in this house – when that opening comes on, we do not press that skip button.

Something LoL also rules at is the eSports circuit and being something entertaining for folks to watch (even if many aren’t fans of playing it themselves). And they use those events to also market and share with the world their mediums of music. See the Worlds 2021 Show Open where they featured bands and music from the Arcane series.

And here’s the dev diary where they discuss the music of the series and the ambitions they have with using music to help share their vision.

Here’s some reviews of the show and deep dives into some of the secrets of the show. Again, spoilers may be featured so be careful in your viewing. Arcane is already confirmed a Season Two so we’ll be getting more of the show soon! So again – do yourself a favor – WATCH ARCANE! You will not be disappoined it’s an adult animation and one of the best video game adaptions to television/film out there. Thanks for letting me ramble about something that has quickly become one of my favorite animations EVER and hope you all enjoy!

Video by user Jeremy Jahns

Video by user Amanda the Jedi

Video by user Xiao Long Media

Video by user RobertJ

Video by user Master Samwise

Video by user Sarcastic Chorus

Video by user Savage Books

Video by user Internet Loy

Video by user Internet Loy

Video by user Kato

Video by user Gigguk

Video from user Necrit

Video from user Necrit

Video from user Necrit

Video by user Cinema Therapy

Video by user Five by Five Takes

Video Playlist from user schnee – yes, that’s 83 videos with more on the way I’m sure the closer we get to Season Two 🙂

Video from user NextGenNovelist

Video from user Skylent Games

Video from user Honey Bat

Video from user FallenGale

Video from user Juani Valmaggia

Video from user Stylized Station

Video by user Flying Walrus

Video by user Flying Walrus

Video by user Flying Walrus

Video by user Flying Walrus

Video by user Flying Walrus

Video playlist by user Georgia Dow – lots of great videos here 🙂

Full on spoiler btw from the show – This is one of my favorite scenes!

Video from user Think Story

And here’s our official first look at Season Two!!!

Thanks so much for joining me today for the post! Like I said, I already talked about this show before so some of it will sound a bit samey from before – but I can’t help but gush about this series. I’m very hyped for the next season – I’ll be there day one to binge it for sure! Lots of love and stay safe out there!

Mae’s Mini Review: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and Having the Courage in Updating Your Story with a New Medium

Hello all you absolute lovelies! I know I know – I can already hear some of the comments on this. Mae…where’s the review you promised? Lol I know this isn’t HHN review. I swear I’ve been working on it but unfortunately life kinda took some turns this past month that made things a little difficult to focus on what I fully wanted to write about. I’ll have it for December for sure – because why not talk about Halloween in December xD ya’ll know me Halloween and Christmas are basically the same thing when it comes to my love of holidays and can be celebrated whenever I want. Sorry for the wait everyone – it’s coming!

So instead let’s talk about the new Scott Pilgrim Takes Off animated series on Netflix. Because…omg – ya girl loves Scott Pilgrim so much and this series was absolutely amazing in my opinion. And it really showcases the length they took to make something familiar yet also completely new!

So I’m sure many have already caught this and binged it like I did but just in case you haven’t seen it yet – I won’t spoil things here but please note to expect…the unexpected! Give it a chance if it doesn’t resonate with you right away. If you were a fan of the source material, there’s going to be something for you here. And seeing it told in such a colorful animated way is absolutely amazing.

I think one of the best things about this series is we literally got the movie cast on board for this show. And it all started when Michael Cera responded to a nine year old email that everyone was looped in on. And everyone started getting into discussions about what the future of the series held and if they could be part of it. AND HERE WE ARE!

Also let’s give a huge shoutout to Anamanaguchi for producing the music for the series as well – they did the music for the video game and we’re a huge fan of them in my corner of the world ❤

All in all, this show was a wild ride and showed that the showrunners really wanted to take a chance with creating something completely new while still finding that balance with staying true to the characters themselves. Plus we get a chance to have more time with the other characters as well and see the world from their perspective, and not just focus on our two protagonists Scott and Ramona.

I absolutely loved it and I know there’s probably not gonna be a season two for the sake of it…but there’s always a possibility for something to happen, especially in the world of Scott Pilgrim!

Thanks for letting me ramble for a moment! I will finish up the HHN review here soon! Happy Holidays to those who celebrate and I’ll see you soon!