media review
Books & Manga
Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier is an audacious fictional novel about an 18 year old pregnant woman working as a pizza delivery girl to support her mother and boyfriend, whom she lives with. Along the way, she meets a middle-aged stay-at-home mom, who she develops a compulsive obsession with. The description reminded me a lot of the novel Milk Fed by Melissa Broder, which I enjoyed very much. Pizza Girl had its own family related trauma though that gave the book a more melancholic feel. The main character is relatable, but not very personally to me. There were some decisions she made that I cringed at. Despite that, it was a good, quick read, that gave me an outside view of unfamilliar living conditions; being a grieving, pregnant 18 year old, who lives with her mother and boyfriend.
Anime
This anime was so good!! Just the right amount of mystery, romance, suspense, and romance (the descripted genre is a 'psycological dramedy'). I'm sure the novel and manga that came before it is even better, I can't wait to get my hands on it. Welcome to the NHK from the producer Yamamoto, Yuusuke is about a hikikomori (someone who is completely withdrawn from society and totally isolated), Tatsuhiro Satou, who believes that there is a worldwide conspiracy called the NHK, standing for Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai, which is sabotaging his and other Hikikomori's social and emotional life from a distance. In the beginning, I didn't know how there could be any real entertainment based on a description like that, but the anime is actually packed full of socializing, reunions, and existential themes. I highly reccomend you check it out!
TV Shows
Movies
(Tuesday, Oct. 13th)
So I don't know SHIT about Resident Evil... My boyfriend wanted to see this so we got cheap movie tickets on a Tuesday night but holy shit. I was grabbing onto him the whole hour and thirty min. Something I wanted to bring up - one of the most prevalent critiques I've seen floating around about this movie is the humor, which I also acknowledged, but in my opinion I think it was in good taste.
I think people may have been expected a game protagonist instead of a movie protagonist - the latter is usually more plain and less powerful so the audience can project themselves onto the character and to build suspense and uncertainty from lack of experience (as opposed to a character like Leon Kennedy, who I've learned, is good with guns and whatever). Humor is a very common coping mechanism to trauma. I found it easy to connect with Bryan over this as I believe a lot of us would probably react in similar tongue in cheek ways. It made the end of the movie so much more gut wrenching.
!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!
I will absolutely admit that there some scenes of which the humor didn't fit. The end scene in the lab is where I had the most issue. The whole movie had come up to this point and there was so much on the line. It was terrible watching the doctors make such unnecessary remarks. I think there is something to be said about the portrayal of privilege amongst the doctors (being able to lock themselves in on the highest floor of the hospital while there is a literal apocalypse) and their selfishness towards the antidote. It was also selfish of Bryan to follow into the lab when he knows he is infected. The underlying implication of responsibility (Michelle and the baby) also helps explain this unfortunate ending. Both parties were inexplicably aware of their responsibilities, but let their own self interest get in the way (another example being the doctor mentioning his mom watching the news: he wants his mom to be proud of him for saving the city, instead of considering the population and their saving). However, overall, I thought this movie was incredible. Usually after a movie I'll have immediate thoughts and/or critiques but after watching I truly thought it was a 10/10 movie. Of course, after giving some time to think it over, I'd give it a 9/10, because this movie truly surprised me in its ability to grab my attention. I'm a pretty aloof person, usually in my own head, definitely a thinker. I had 3 midterms due the next day and not once did my attention drift from the movie. I could honestly write an essay on it. As this was my introduction to the RE franchise, I'm really, really excited to see the games. Consider me a fan!