Bea Reviews 2017: Media Edition!
Happy new year! (I didn't make this, but I did have it saved for just this occasion.)
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR. I'm using that as an excuse for my very late Media Year in Review (which is late even for Chinese New Year). IN MY DEFENSE, my review last year was posted on Feb 20, so this is actually a 2-day improvement, haha.
I made the list last month but only got to write this weekend! But at least I finished! Hooray!
Top 5 Fandoms
5. YouTube
(I know maybe 10% of these people though)
4. Pokemon Go
WHAT ARE THOOOSE
3. Late Night Shows
The faves ♥
2. Arashi
It's always a toss-up between this and Avengers for the top spot. I consumed about as much Arashi media this year as I did any other year, but I definitely dwindled down a bit in terms of subbing projects. I still continue to translate when I can, though. Their new album, Untitled, is definitely one of my favorites.
1. Avengers
I MEAN. They're everywhere. And whenever there isn't merchandise to cry over, I end up engaging with other fans or consuming fanworks like fic and fanart and ugh. I don't know how Marvel does it, but they always hit it out of the park with their creative visions and directions. A plus.
Top 5 Movies
5. IT
Pictured above: everyone last Halloween and probably this Halloween too
Anyone who knows me at all can attest to the fact that I hate horror movies. As an emotional person, I feel they're emotionally manipulative, and are a cheap thrill with no return of investment. I'm also the type of person who can remember things pretty vividly in my brain, and those types of things tend to linger. HOWEVER!! It was an absolute exception. What an amazing story with a great message about facing fears. It was incredibly frightening, but it wasn't cheap spooks and jump scares. These were built up so well and UGH. Go watch it even if you're not a horror fan, tbh!
4. Wonder Woman
I was thinking about whether this should be higher up on my list, but it was ultimately defeated in terms of rewatchability. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep throughout the desert scenes during my second and third watch of this movie, and only woke up during the fight scenes because they were powerful, powerful stuff. Still, this takes nothing away from the fact that Wonder Woman has changed the media landscape for good and is definitely of the turning points of recent cinematic history. ♥
3. I'm Drunk, I Love You
/weeps quietly
I watched this a number of times, and even forced my family to watch it because a) it's so good, and b) UP relatability factor, haha. I loved this movie to bits! But the fact that it doesn't get old even with multiple watches, and the fact that it appeals even to me, someone who is mostly critical of romance-type movies, says a lot. Also, I mean, everyone still remembers Pathy, the bagnet song/dance, and crying over the cover of Burnout. This movie is painfully iconic and I love it.
2. Thor: Ragnarok
If I had the time and patience, I would have photoshopped Taika Waititi's character here
I wasn't able to write a review for it, but Thor: The Third Thor was a much-needed breath of fresh air for the franchise (of Thor, not necessarily Marvel). The Thor movies have always been kind of lackluster because they usually take themselves too seriously. Thor's a noble, sure, but what will allow him to carry a movie is his charm and badassery, not his noble!speak. This was such a surprise hit for me, it'll definitely be one of my favorite MCU films for a looong while.
1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi / Spider-Man: Homecoming
Me taking a casual rest
Me looking for my glasses in the morning
I loved TLJ so much, I could not handle it. I watched it a million times in the theater and never got tired of it, and never left without crying a little. I'm not a huge Star Wars fan by any measure (and knowing how toxic that fandom is, I plan to keep it that way), but this movie was just so well-crafted and got me so invested that there was no way I was ever going to hate it. I loved the balance of the characters and plots (even the Casino planet even if I was "what?" about it the first time), loved ROSE TICO AND FINN YOU CAN FIGHT ME ON THAT, loved Oscar Isaac's face and how he rubs BB-8's tummy, loved LEIA AND LUKE AND MY PERSONAL QUEEN HOLDO. Just. There was so much to love about this movie.
BUT OF COURSE, SMH (haha, what an awful acronym to have) will always hold a special place in my heart. Not just because I love Tom Holland as Peter Parker, but also because this movie features a rare HAPPY TONY STARK and I'm here for it. Even Gwyneth Paltrow came back and it had me weeping a little into my popcorn. Also one of the scariest villains in a while, and some of the funnest fights and lovable side characters of the franchise. And there's something so grounding and fun about the idea of a superhero in school that you just can't beat. Yes. A+.
Honorable mentions: Shinobi no Kuni (I MEAN it has Ohno my love, Ishihara Satomi who is hella talented and gorgeous, and a theme song by Arashi, and also!! IT'S JUST AN ALL-AROUND GREAT HISTORICAL MOVIE OKAY), Logan (I C O N I C), Ang Larawan (a vocally wild ride from start to finish), and Coco (*grabs all the tissues*)
Top 3 TV Late Night
3. Stephen Colbert
I don't actually remember my fave Colbert monologue but this had the most views lol
Stephen's definitely up there in the late night game, but I find his jokes more for show than for anything deeper. There's nothing wrong with that, and I'm pretty sure that's a deliberate decision on his end, but as a viewer, I look for more than just zingers and burns. Still good entertainment though!
2. Seth Meyers
Just 'cause Duterte's in this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Seth is pretty vanilla in terms of... a lot of things, but his A Closer Look segment is truly one of the gems of late night. It's so thoroughly researched and it offers just the right amount of commentary to show you how insane things are. It's a great way to learn about issues and learn how to be critical at the same time.
1. John Oliver
(I was trying to embed the Alex Jones episode but it didn't wanna so y'all get the timely vaccine episode instead)
Of course, always and forever, my parrot-faced, spider-fingered (what) king. John Oliver's some of the BEST writing, zingers, and research in the game. His show is what made me want a late night commentary-type show for the Philippines because that's the best and most amazing example thereof. So good.
Top 5 YouTube Channels
5. Nerdwriter1
I didn't even watch this movie but I loved this!
I've found myself being more and more interested in these types of analytical YouTube videos recently. I love how it takes something as abstract and (in a way) inaccessible as film criticism and makes it palatable to the casual YouTube viewer. Nerwriter1, in a particular, does really good analytical visuals and explains things very clearly and concisely. A plus content!
4. Mr. Sunday Movies
God bless
... but because I'm on YouTube for entertainment, I'mma go ahead and shameless rank Mr. Sunday Movies above those two accounts. I don't remember how I found this channel, but it's honestly a blessing by any measure of the word. His brand of humor is one that I find particularly hilarious, and the Australian accent somehow makes it even funnier. His videos also have the best ad segues and sponsorship shoutouts ever. Yay for hilarious nerdy content!
3. WatchMojo
OG MEME
Is including this in the list part of the Top 10 Anime Betrayals? I DON'T KNOW. But I love having WatchMojo on in the background while I organize my files or do something else online. Sure, they recycle write-ups across videos, but it's still good content offered in a clean, crisp YouTube package. I also particularly like their YouTube commentary Top 10s!
2. REACT / Fine Brothers Entertainment
Above: The best idea they've ever had.
I know the controversy of ReactWorld follows them everywhere, but I can't get enough of React videos. I've been particularly into the quiz-type content recently, but I watch the longer Let's Plays as well (the Undertale Let's Play from last year was really entertaining to me, haha).
1. Dan and Phil GAMES
No commentary can make this more comprehensible tbh
OF COURSE THIS IS FIRST. This is the content I consume almost immediately and repeatedly (to the resentment of my brother) at home, and the one I save as a weekend reward if they post while I'm at work. DPG is one of the best things to happen to this fandom, and as a fan who engages more with the media than fellow fans on this front, I appreciate their content a whole lot more.
Top 5 Songs
(This was gonna be a Top 5 albums, but I haven't actually listened to enough albums to have a Top 5... so this is what you get. Haha.)5. Supermarket Flowers/What Do I Know - Ed Sheeran
THEY'RE GOOD SONGS OKAY
Call me basic, but I loved Ed Sheeran's ÷ (Divide). I loved all the songs, they were all distinct and made for easy listening (which is the type of listener I am most of the time). I wouldn't call them generic, exactly, but there is a distinct cleanliness and simplicity to them that I appreciate. These two have the most valent messages which I think is why they stood out to me the most.
4. Havana - Camila Cabello
A true bop. No comment on the Fifth Harmony drama.
I had this on REPEAT since it was released. I don't know. It just makes me wanna dance and it calms me down. I remember having this on repeat in the background while I marathon-played Supermarket Mania. Don't ask me what that means.
3. Tsunagu (Connect) - Arashi
Lovely ♥
THIS IS SUCH A BOP. This is probably the most solid Arashi pop song since... I wanna say Truth, but that might just be me being very biased. But ugh, everything from the beat to the synths to the chorus to the lyrics... just, they did everything right here. Even the music video is glorious.
2. For Forever - Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen
IMMEDIATELY GRABS ALL THE TISSUES
THIS MUSICAL MADE ME CRY BUCKETS. And I'm not talking dramatic tears, I'm talking ugly, shoulders-shaking, snot-on-the-table, face-scrunched-up crying. I could not get a handle on myself. I remember listening to this in three waves before I got there --- the first listen was without context so I just enjoyed it as nice songs, but I didn't understand what the big deal was. The second listen was when I read along to the plot and Genius notes. The third listen I got a little emotional, but it was when I watched the (bootleg, sorry guys) recording that I really out and out wept. I could not handle myself while watching this. And Ben Platt is PERFECT. Yes. Good. Amazing.
1. Song for you - Arashi
(This song has no streaming version so you're gonna have to take my word re: how amazing it is.)
I WEPT REAL TEARS WHILE TRANSLATING THIS. Goodbye world, goodbye everyone else, because this song will be the actual death of me once I watch the performance on the blu-ray concert. Yep. No deeper words here. Just. It's that good.
Top 5 Things That Happened (in my pop culture life)
5. ONTD continues to blow my mindThis site lives off of the internet currency I love and hate the most: COMMENTS. ONTD keeps me so entertained and they seem to have the most simultaneously hilarious, woke, and awful comments all at once.
4. Wonder Woman saved me, the DCEU, and 2017
POWERFUL STUFF. This changed everything and its ripples can still be felt now. Icon.
3. Opened Translation blog
I finally gave in to my weaboo tendencies and opened a translation blog. It's a fun way to practice my Japanese and also understand anime songs better. Yay!
2. SHINOBI NO KUNI IN LOCAL CINEMAS/Arashi fanmeet lol
SHINOBI NO KUNI WAS AMAZING. Ohno was amazing, hearing Tsunagu in a theater was amazing, ugh. Everything. Yes. Life is good.
ALSO, the Arashi fan meet was... well, it was definitely something! I'd never watched This is MJ as a giant crowd before, but I met a lot of nice people and had a lot of fun. My first fanmeet ever and it was thankfully not too cringey, lol.
1. Marvel dominates my life (a story in 1 2 3 parts)
This isn't actually a Thing that Happened, but it's continuously been happening and there's nothing I can do to stop it at this point.
Top 5 Media Things To Look Forward To in 2018
5. New Arashi things, because you know it gonna happen(Update: As of 18 Feb, they're performing a new song on their show so I'm not saying I'm psychic BUT I MEAN.)
New singles, new albums, new concert DVDs, new episodes of VS Arashi and Arashi ni Shiyagare. Yes please.
4. Card Captor Sakura sequel
This has already begun as of this writing, and it's already amazing. SYAORAN KNOWS TOO MUCH AND IS COLLUDING WITH ERIOL so I am very suspicious whenever I watch each episode.
3. Dan and Phil's World Tour
BOUGHT TICKETS TO THIS ALREADY. Don't care if I'm the oldest person in the audience which I assume will be comprised mostly of teenaged girls who can almost outscream Dan. Haha.
2. Goyo
#GOYO2018 I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE READY!!!
1. Black Panther, Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp
Black Panther came out this past week and it's AMAZING, so I can only imagine what the future has in store for us. T__T (/preemptive tears)
(Media) Resolutions
5. Watch at least one series per quarter -- so, basically try to watch 4 series this year because wow I suck at keeping up nowadays; all I watch are cooking reality shows and Survivor. I also watched The Defenders and it was good, but it wasn't anything to write home about.4. Read more books! I don't know! Maybe I'll make 4 my goal here too to keep it realistic.
3. Support local! I've been trying to watch more local movies (that aren't too obviously pandering/problematic). So far, I haven't been let down! I hope there's more to watch this year.
2. Translate more old anime songs for the translation blog. This should be fun!
1. Review more regularly. I'm already behind on this for after watching The Greatest Showman four times and Black Panther thrice, lmao. I gotta catch up!
That's it! Thanks, 2017! Let's go, 2018!
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