Movies in 2021

My Hero Academia: 5th Season (2021)

Plot premise: UA Academy's Class 1-A has been the focus of a substantial amount of public attention due to the multiple villain attacks they have faced over the past school year. This attention has left Class 1-A's rivals, Class 1-B, feeling quite bitter. Desiring to prove their skills, they look forward to the opportunity that has been given to them: a set of mock battles between the students of each class.

The classes are split into squads of four, each of which is tasked with capturing the other group members. The winner is the group who first secures all of the opposing team. While this sounds simple, a curveball is thrown into the mix with the inclusion of General Course Student Hitoshi Shinsou, who wishes to transfer into the Hero Course. Despite using his training with Class 1-A's homeroom teacher Shouta "Eraserhead" Aizawa to prove that he's capable of being a real hero, he is still far behind the others due to his lack of experience. However, Shinsou is determined to overcome this challenge.

Thus begins the fiery competition between Class 1-A and 1-B as each tries to prove that they are superior to the other.

Network: JNN Episodes (and episode length): 25 (24 mins) Creator: Horikoshi Kohei (manga), Kuroda Yosuke (anime) Cast: Yamashita Daiki, Kaji Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Miyake Kenta, Suwabe Junichi, Sakura Ayane, Inada Tetsu, Nakamura Yuuichi IMDB | RottenTomatoes

± [SPOILERS probably, i'm straight reacting to some anime events] I'm excited to see Shinso's progress. Deku's power and difficulty in controlling it is strating to have a little more explanation, aside form All Might's prodigious grasp --that One for All keeps previous quirks and makes them more potent, maybe even All Might's strength.

The Full-time Wife Escapist: New Years Special (2021)

Plot premise:  Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu Ganbare Jinrui! Shinshun Supesharu!! Mikuri and Hiramasa both work and share housework duties. They have peaceful days together. One day, Mikuri learns that she is pregnant, but they soon face problems. Mikuri suffers from pregnancy sickness, and Hiramasa decides to take paternity leave before an important project is finished. The couple experiences unfamiliar situations involving childbirth and rearing. They go through difficult times.

Network: TBS Episodes (and episode length): 1 (122 mins) Creator: Nogi Akiko (screenwriter), Umino Tsunami (manga) Cast: Aragaki Yui, Hoshino Gen, Otani Ryohei, Furuta Arata, Fujii Takashi, Ishida Yuriko, Narita Ryo, Furutachi Kanji, Aoki Munetaka IMDB | RottenTomatoes

An Incurable Case of Love: 1st Season (2020)

Plot premise:  Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo Sakura Nanase is a 22-year-old rookie nurse. She met Doctor Tendo Kairi several years ago and fell in love with him. To meet him again, she studied hard and became a nurse. After 5 years, she finally meets Tendo again, but he has a totally different personality than what she imagined. Tendo, who is 33-years-old, is commonly referred to as the "Devil" at work. He is a level-headed perfectionist and often makes biting remarks to doctors and nurses. Sakura works hard to receive recognition from Tendo and she also expresses her feelings honestly to him. Due to her persistence, Sakura becomes well known at the hospital and she picks up the nickname of the "Warrior-Chick".

Network: TBS Episodes (and episode length): 6 (51-58 mins) Creator: Kaneko Arisa, Watanabe Mako (screenplay), Enjouji Maki (manga) Cast: Kamishiraishi Mone, Satoh Takeru, Karina, Maiguma Katsuya, Katase Nana, Watanabe Keisuke, Yamamoto Koji, Yoshikawa Ai IMDB | RottenTomatoes

± It's half-ridiculous and half-respectable. At the start, i'm just like "i hope you didn't waste 5 years just based on a chance encounter with a crush" and then "do the work properly first before chasing the romance." Thankfully they do and while she remains a dork and infatuated all the way through, there's growth and character development --for a lot of the characters actually. The words don't change but the dynamic does is definitely one of my favourite relationship tropes.

What Did You Eat Yesterday: 1st Season (2019)

Plot premise:  Kinou nani tabeta? Kakei Shiro is a 45-year-old lawyer who works at a small law firm. He is good at cooking and a meticulous and thrifty person who keeps the monthly food budget to 25,000 yen. Shiro’s daily routine is to leave work on time and head to a discount supermarket nearby. His partner Yabuki Kenji is an affable hairdresser in his 40s. The two of them share a two-bedroom apartment and the finer points of two men living together come up at the dining table every day. With Kakei less fearful of those around him finding out about his sexuality, he and Kenji are able to spend the days more happily. However, changes, good and bad, continue to happen as time passes, and the two continue to age.

Network: TV Tokyo Episodes (and episode length): 10 (30 mins) Creator: Adachi Naoko (screenplay), Yoshinaga Fumi (manga) Cast: Nishijima Hidetoshi, Uchino Seiyou, Takaizumi Atsuko, Yamamoto Koji, Isomura Hayato, Makita Sports, Kaji Meiko, Tayama Ryosei IMDB | RottenTomatoes

The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, Mr. Anderson, aka Neo, will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. If he's learned anything, it's that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of -- or into -- the Matrix. Neo already knows what he has to do, but what he doesn't yet know is that the Matrix is stronger, more secure and far more dangerous than ever before.

TL;DR: Do I recommend it? > It's alright. I'd recommend it more than the 3rd movie i guess.

The long of it:

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka After losing his mother during the war, young Mahito moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastic world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world, and the truth about himself.

TL;DR: Do I recommend it? > Yes. For sure.

The long of it:

Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan Miniseries (2021)

Plot premise:   This Canadian-American documentary tells of feudal Japan from 1551 to 1616, during the final phase of the Sengoku period (The Age of Warring States), mainly the Azuchi–Momoyama period. The story is about several powerful daimyo (warlords) who clash to unify Japan.

Network: Netflix Episodes (and episode length): 6 (43 mins) Director: Stephen Scott Cast: Hiro Kanagawa, Haneda Masayoshi, Kosaka Masami, Masao Hayate IMDB | RottenTomatoes

My Happy Marriage: 1st Season (2023)

Plot premise:  Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon Misery seems everlasting in Miyo Saimori's life. Born from an arranged marriage, she was quickly discarded after her mother's tragic death. Her father remarried, and her younger half-sister Kaya received all the affection, while Miyo was degraded to a lowly servant. Lacking the strength to fight against her family's abuse, Miyo loses hope that her luck will ever turn.

Unexpectedly, Miyo's father summons her to deliver surprising news: she is to marry Kiyoka Kudou, the head of the distinguished Kudou family. Despite his noble background, Kiyoka is known to be a callous man who has thus far dismissed all of his former fiancées.

Upon arriving at the Kudou household, Miyo expects coarse treatment and to be tossed aside. However, contrary to her assumptions, Kiyoka shows her the kindness and love that she has desperately needed. Marrying Kiyoka may be Miyo's one chance to break free from her neglectful family and embrace a life of happiness.

Network: Netflix Episodes (and episode length): 12 (24 mins) Creator: Sato Ami, Onishi Takahito, Toyoda Momoka (show), Agitogi Akumi (light novel) Cast: Ishikawa Kaito, Ueda Reina, Sakura Ayane, Kuwashima Houko, Nishiyama Koutarou, Shimono Hiro, Kimura Ryouhei, Hikawa Youko IMDB | RottenTomatoes

New Amsterdam: Season 3 (2020-2021)

Plot premise:  (Inspired by Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in America, this unique medical drama follows the brilliant and charming Dr. Max Goodwin, the institution's newest medical director who sets out to tear up the bureaucracy and provide exceptional care. How can he help?) New Amsterdam returns amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the staff must act quickly to save who they can, including multiple victims of a plane crash. Doctor Kapoor is hanging in the balance and no one knows if he is going to make it.

Network: NBC Episodes (and episode length): 14 (43 mins) Creator: David Schulner Cast: Ryan Eggold, Freema Agyeman, Jocko Sims, Janet Montgomery, Tyler Labine, Alejandro Hernandez, Daniel Dae Kim IMDB | RottenTomatoes

My Hero Academia: 4th Season (2019-2020)

Plot premise: After successfully passing his Provisional Hero License exam, Izuku "Deku" Midoriya seeks out an extracurricular internship with a professional hero agency. At the recommendation of his mentor All Might, Midoriya lands a position under All Might's former sidekick, Sir Nighteye, now a famous hero in his own right.

As Midoriya's classmates further their own abilities through various internships, up-and-coming villain Kai Chisaki utilizes his terrifying powers to gather favor in the criminal underworld. Known by the moniker Overhaul, Chisaki's ambitions collide with the League of Villains and its leader, Tomura Shigaraki.

Through his work with Sir Nighteye, Midoriya discovers Chisaki's crime syndicate and the villain's hostile relationship with a mysterious young girl named Eri. Fearing for the child's safety, Midoriya and his upperclassman Mirio Toogata must work together to put an end to Chisaki's reign of terror.

Network: JNN Episodes (and episode length): 25 (24 mins) Creator: Horikoshi Kohei (manga), Kuroda Yosuke (anime) Cast: Yamashita Daiki, Kaji Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Miyake Kenta, Suwabe Junichi, Sakura Ayane, Shingaki Tarusuke, Tsuda Kenjirou IMDB | RottenTomatoes

Yu Yu Hakusho: 1st Season (2023)

Plot premise:  Yusuke Urameshi, who died saving a little boy, is sent back to Earth and becomes a detective of the spirit world to fight all the demons found on Earth.

Network: Netflix Episodes (and episode length): 5 (55 mins) Creator: Morii Akira, Sakamoto Kaata (show), Togashi Yoshihiro (manga) Cast: Kitamura Takumi, Uesugi Shuhei, Shison Jun, Hongo Kanata, Shiraishi Sei, Furukawa Kotone, Machida Keita, Kaji Meiko IMDB | RottenTomatoes

FILMS I WANT TO SEE / LOOK INTERESTING (release dates)

Dune Part Two (March 1)

Ballerina (June 7)

Twisters (July 9)

Deadpool 3 (July 26)

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

is it bad that nothing looks particularly interesting to me currently?

STUFF FROM PREVIOUS YEARS LIST I STILL HAVEN’T WATCHED

Boy A (2007)

Waking Dreams

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

Kill Your Darlings (2013)

Metallica: Through the Never (2013)

Regression (2015)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend (2015)

Patriots Day (2017)

The Wall (2017)

Ajin: Demi-Human (2018)

Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built (2018)

Ferdinand (2018)

Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019)

Shaft (2019)

Greta (2019)

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

The Matrix 4 (2022)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2022)

A Quiet Place Part II (2022)

The King's Man (2022)

Uncharted (2022)

Red One (2023)

The Marvels (2023)

Belle (2021)

Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.

TL;DR: Do I recommend it? > Very frikkin much.

The long of it:

My Hero Academia: 3rd Season (2018)

Plot premise: As summer arrives for the students at UA Academy, each of these superheroes-in-training puts in their best efforts to become renowned heroes. They head off to a forest training camp run by UA's pro heroes, where the students face one another in battle and go through dangerous tests, improving their abilities and pushing past their limits. However, their school trip is suddenly turned upside down when the League of Villains arrives, invading the camp with a mission to capture one of the students.

Boku no Hero Academia 3rd Season follows Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, an ambitious student training to achieve his dream of becoming a hero similar to his role model—All Might. Being one of the students caught up amidst the chaos of the villain attack, Deku must take a stand with his classmates and fight for their survival.

Network: JNN Episodes (and episode length): 25 (23 mins) Creator: Horikoshi Kohei (manga), Kuroda Yosuke (anime) Cast: Yamashita Daiki, Kaji Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Miyake Kenta, Suwabe Junichi, Sakura Ayane, Ishikawa Kaito, Masuda Toshiki IMDB | RottenTomatoes

Next Goal Wins (2023)

Based on a true story, this follows the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. With the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this humorous and heartfelt underdog story.

TL;DR: Do I recommend it? > Yes

The long of it:

My Hero Academia: 2nd Season (2017)

Plot premise:  Boku no Hero Academia At UA Academy, not even a violent attack can disrupt their most prestigious event: the school sports festival. Renowned across Japan, this festival is an opportunity for aspiring heroes to showcase their abilities, both to the public and potential recruiters.

However, the path to glory is never easy, especially for Izuku Midoriya—whose quirk possesses great raw power but is also cripplingly inefficient. Pitted against his talented classmates, such as the fire and ice wielding Shouto Todoroki, Izuku must utilize his sharp wits and master his surroundings to achieve victory and prove to the world his worth.

Network: JNN Episodes (and episode length): 25 (23 mins) Creator: Horikoshi Kohei (manga), Kuroda Yosuke (anime) Cast: Yamashita Daiki, Kaji Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Miyake Kenta, Suwabe Junichi, Sakura Ayane, Ishikawa Kaito, Masuda Toshiki IMDB | RottenTomatoes

± I love how each character, even Bakugo who would seem like a hot-headed bash-your-way-through kind of guy, are shown to be always thinking and strategizing for, if nothing else, what they can do and how they can improve.

My Hero Academia: 1st Season (2016)

Plot premise:  Boku no Hero Academia The appearance of "quirks," newly discovered super powers, has been steadily increasing over the years, with 80 percent of humanity possessing various abilities from manipulation of elements to shapeshifting. This leaves the remainder of the world completely powerless, and Izuku Midoriya is one such individual.

Since he was a child, the ambitious middle schooler has wanted nothing more than to be a hero. Izuku's unfair fate leaves him admiring heroes and taking notes on them whenever he can. But it seems that his persistence has borne some fruit: Izuku meets the number one hero and his personal idol, All Might. All Might's quirk is a unique ability that can be inherited, and he has chosen Izuku to be his successor!

Enduring many months of grueling training, Izuku enrolls in UA High, a prestigious high school famous for its excellent hero training program, and this year's freshmen look especially promising. With his bizarre but talented classmates and the looming threat of a villainous organization, Izuku will soon learn what it really means to be a hero.

Network: JNN Episodes (and episode length): 13 (24 mins) Creator: Horikoshi Kohei (manga), Kuroda Yosuke (anime) Cast: Yamashita Daiki, Kaji Yuuki, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Miyake Kenta, Suwabe Junichi, Sakura Ayane, Ishikawa Kaito, Masuda Toshiki IMDB | RottenTomatoes