Do you like taxes?

How about laundry?

What about the most emotional gut-wrenching experience in your goddamn life?

Seriously.

I have never cried as long or as hard as I had the first time I watched this movie.

And y’know what?

I loved it so much I went back to the theatre and watched it the next day. And the day after that too.

I believe this movie permanently altered my brain chemistry. I remember for the first hour after watching the movie my brain couldn’t process anything, I was enlightened. But like with a concussion grenade straight to my cerebral cortex.

I don’t want to spoil any aspect of this move, but know that every second had my full attention and I never stopped smiling once.

It’s funny, it’s absurd, it’s emotional, it’s imaginative, there’s a fucking Mitski song, and a guy gets karate-punched so hard he flies through the sky.

Seriously, just watch this. (I’m looking at you, Hannah)

This was by far the most surprising film on this list for me.

Before watching this my only exposure to Godzilla, and Kaiju as a genre, was the American, action-centric versions. In addition, I came into this film with the preconceived notion that the film was cheap, boring, & essentially just a man in a costume stomping on cardboard boxes.

The whole thing is in the category of cheap cinematic horror-stuff…
– Bosley Crowther. The New York Times, 1956

The Godzilla I watched was a movie that used the full extent of its medium to create a powerful & potent metaphor for the tensions & fears surrounding post-war Japan. And it is full of some of the best, most emotional acting I’ve ever seen.

And trust me, the effects are way cooler than just a dude in a rubber suit. What it accomplishes with practical effects is nowhere near corny and is a sight to behold.

What is important to note, and what misled Mr. Crowther, is that there exists two versions of this film: The original Japanese version, and the exported American version, which added entirely new American characters and plots spliced into the film, cutting and reducing this masterpiece into a below average horror B-film.

So make sure you check out the good version.

Also, this could be the first instance of a badass-looking character with an eyepatch. IDK I’m not going to fact-check that.

That’s bullshit, this whole thing is bullshit, that’s a scam, fuck the church. Here’s 95 reasons why.
– Martin Luther ^{[Citation Needed]}

Of all the entries, I feel like this is the most likely to have been seen by everyone, but it’s still here.

Maybe it’s time for a rewatch?

(that image is not from the video but i agree with its sentiment)

Kaptain Kristian is a self-described “professional appreciator”.

And his means of appreciation is the video essay, or as he calls them, “visual love letters”.

And his love letters go much further than the average YouTube video essay. (Of which I’ve seen a lot).

For every piece of media, medium, genre, or person he looks at, they’re incorporated into the video itself.

A fantastic example of this is his video discussing Dr. Seuss, which, while teaching us the impact & methods of stories like the “Cat in the Hat”, is entirely spoken in the Doc’s signature rhyming patterns.

This video is Kaptain’s work at its most serene and embodies Ghibli so well.

This two-minute music video brought out an intense emotion in myself that I didn’t know I even had.

Also, it induces anxiety.

And it sounds good too?

I think.

I don’t understand music very well, but I think it’s well done in that department.

Sidenote: this guy also has a monopoly on the “horror disco” genre of music.

Woah woah, hey!

I know what you’re thinking: “I can’t watch the third film in a series without watching the others!”

But don’t worry, the “the Third” in the title is referring to the protagonist, Lupin’s, lineage.

This film happens to be… well it is the third film in the series.

Fortunately, it doesn’t matter as most Lupin films are a standalone story, requiring no knowledge of the prior films, shows, or comics.

The thing that initially hooked me on this movie was that it makes no time to tell us who the main characters are. Instead the first five minutes shows us everything about them and how they work.

It’s action-packed and super goofy, and also a feast for your eyes. It is utterly gorgeous, and not afraid of taking its time to show us the world.

And that’s no surprise as this film happens to be the directorial debut of none other than Hayao Miyazaki, the man who would go on to found Studio Ghibli, and then write & direct My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, and many more films considered works of art themselves.

In arguably the most difficult time of my life, I watched a show about gay princesses made for children.

And I fucking loved it.

While it’s difficult for me to point to any specific change within myself, I know for a fact that this show changed my life.

It’s easy to label it as “a kids show”, or a reboot of an older property, but that wouldn’t be giving it nearly enough credit.

It tackles nuanced emotions, perspectives, & relationships in a way that I have never seen done before.

It’s the first show I’ve personally experienced (targeted towards a younger audience) that has meaningful diversity and genuine strong leading female characters.

I can’t emphasize enough how much I love the characters present. The main protagonist is a complete idiot dork with a heart of gold.

There’s a bad girl with an edge who just wants to be loved, but how can she be when she doesn’t love herself?

There’s even this weird-ass autistic-coded character that reminds me of myself. I initially couldn’t place why until I realized: oh she just doesn’t shut the fuck up. That’s me!

What I find fascinating is that ND Stevenson, the show’s developer grew up making silly queer comics on Tumblr.

They, and this show, are the first of a new generation. A new voice for cartoons and all media alike.

This means a lot to me, even my first tattoo came from it.

If there was only one thing from this list you watch, I’d want it would be She-Ra.

This show was kinda controversial for a kid’s show. It has demons, witches, & even gay people.

The horror.

I remember being flabbergasted when this show, a show on THE Disney channel, had the main character be in a (spoilers) HOMOSEXUAL relationship with another character.

ON TV.

Blew my mind, first of its kind.

And no metaphors or layers of obstruction like Steven Universe and Korra had to deal with.

A female human main character loved another female human (witch?) character. Oh and a NB character!

I think that’s called progress or something.

There’s also a serious level of emotional maturity brought to the table here. The characters genuinely learn and grow from their mistakes and experiences.

One of my favorite aspects about the show is that our protagonist while being overly kind and empathetic, is never portrayed as naive or dumb, like many other characters with the same characteristics are.

It also has a kick-ass soundtrack and unquestionably some of the best animation in the game.

I would like to address the unfortunate matter of the show’s ending.

See, apparently being one of Disney’s best shows in terms of viewership wasn’t good enough, and so the third season was cut from the usual 21-episode order to 3 double-length specials.

And while it is a shame, many people seem to think it ‘ruined the show’. But I truly think that the show’s finale got to thrive from this limitation and become something beautiful and unique.

The Owl House is a once-in-a-lifetime show and I adore it.

This show is so much of a brainfuck that I accidentally started by watching the last episode first and didn’t even realize it.

Does that make sense?

Eh, it doesn’t have to since the show itself doesn’t. I think. IDK maybe I’m just stupid.

Or the show makes you stupid?

Regardless, this show acts as a pseudo-sequel to Nathan Fielder’s previous show Nathan For You.

This show is the first thing I’ve seen that truly blurred the line between what’s real, what’s scripted, and whether or not actual child abuse is happening.

If I was a little more pretentious I would call it Metamodern, which is cultural developments that move beyond postmodernism by means of postmodernism?

Wait that also doesn’t make sense wtf. Thats stupid. This is stupid.

I’m not pitching this one well.

Ok, here’s my final go:

The Rehearsal is basically what happens when one guy creates an entire TV show to act as his own form of therapy.

Yep, ship that one.