All User Reviews

A girlboss' dream

The series follows a girl, thrown into the court of the chinese emperror as a lowly worker, but quickly breaks through the glass ceiling and climbs through the ranks, because she's so smart, and now everybody around depends on her and is impressed by how great she is

I do enjoy her as a character and the mysteries offered by the show are fantastic, but it is hard to stop noticing the gendered power dynamics of the inner palace

Was better when i was a child

The protagonist, Hiccup, pushes for accepting dragons, once percieved as dangerous destroyers who need to be eradicated, into the viking society.
This is obviously a pro-immigration message.
Also the movie would work just as well if Hiccup wasn't disabled

Nothing woke. This is a micro budget indie horror movie. My first thought was the acting is terrible but actually it's not so much the acting as the line delivery. It's almost like they used every first take, it's very stilted and awkward. The story is barebones and even though the movie is only 80 minutes long it still feels like it drags on a bit as there's just not enough really happening to fill the runtime. It's a basic demon possession story with nothing really new. The writing is ok and the FX are generally pretty well done except the for maybe the Demon but it has very little screen time so it's not that bad. The sets are really well done with a dirty grimy feel to everything and there are a couple of very creepy disturbing shots though generally I would say it's not that scary. Overall it's watchable if you don't mind the low budget feel and bad line delivery just don't expect a lot out of it.

Definitely Woke, But Not THAT Bad.

Alright, in case no one noticed, the transgender flag colours are all over the place almost 100 % of the time (this bothered me during the whole movie). The main character is "trapped-inside-the-closet" and shamed by her step-mother, and only after she decides to "embrace who she really is" everything gets solved. One of the three main girls almost sounds like a man. Also, something constantly mentioned during the movie is "Join the pride" (WTF?)

HOWEVER, I have to give credit where credit is due: The animation is great, most of the songs are fantastic and catchy, and the typical anime faces and situations are very funny.

There is no forced DEI nor forced politically-correct-bodies, and heterosexuality is clearly portrayed (women liking men, men liking women, as it should be). I also wouldn't call the main characters "girlbosses" since they clearly show emotions, weaknesses and how easily they can be defeated if they are not together (also, a female character is saved by a male character at some point).

So I kind of agree with the previous reviewer. I wouldn't encourage you to stop your kids from watching this movie, but I would encourage you to have a friendly talk with them afterwards.

LGBTQARGB Protagonist

Frieren, as well as the entire race of elves, is described early on as basically Asexual - having little to no interest in romance or intercouse, as a result of their long life.
There's also something to be said about the gender in the show. Female characters are always strong, mature, often in mentor positions (Frieren, Flamma) while the men are more dumb, unserious and vain, but still capable (Himmel, Heiter, Stark)

The worldbuilding is fantastic and I almost cried just being reminded of the half-century meteor shower scene
It does feel more 'shouneny' the longer it goes on, but it's a great watch anyway

Somehow really woke, and yet not at all

The movie is ultimately a critique of the American people, society, etc.
It massively exaggerates Kazahstan's flaws and differences to then compare it with a completly realistic portrayal of 2000's USA, making fun of "big city people", obsessions with movie stars, the nazi sympahiser Frat Boys etc.
I fear watching the sequel, because that one might be much, much woker

Subtle Wokeness, but great all around

The movie is great and it doesn't need much explaining
But there's a theme of damage done by a parent doing the right thing, and later, standing up to that parent. The message about being who you want to be is great and all, but kids seeing this might learn that your parents are there to hinder, not help you.

Great movie for kids, but might warrant a talk with them afterwards

Main character has a moment where he questions his sexuality (debating whether Angel Demon could be pursued romanticly, but ultimately deciding against that)
And in general, the entire series is very female-dominated.

Outside of that the movie is fantastic! The action is wild, the romantic dillema is hillarious and engaging. And the last scene gave sent a cold chill down my spine

The Family Guy of Poland

This series takes a lighthearted look at the realities of post-communism Poland, while borrowing the format of US sitcom, with most of the plot revolving around the unemployed father and his miscreant neighbours
Just like Peter Griffin, Ferdynand Kiepski has led an interesting life, details of which being revealed by little jokes, creating a rich lore of the entire series

Nary a hint of woke messaging, but you'll get an occasional episode that pokes fun at americans or is a message about the importance of covid vaccines
It certainly has a bunch of dated or now-controversial jokes, some of which include blackface, but a lot of it holds great, especially if you witnessed the PRL period and Poland's transformation after it ended

Transgenderistic propaganda, but great slowburn romance

You could look at this show and think that the motif of a guy turning into a girl - boobs and all - but still reffering to himself as a man, is AntiTrans 101
But you would be a fool to think that!
Ranma starts off as a man, and is not shown to want to be a woman at any point. In fact, every time he is turned into "Ranma-chan", he seeks to get back to the body he's comfortable with as soon as possible. Unlike his dad or Ryoga who either willingly transform into animals, or choose to stay in their respective Panda and Pig forms for longer periods of time. Even though Ranma's transformation causes him the least trouble, since he's still a human at least.
This makes Ranma's curse a transgender allegory, especially paired with everyone around him having no trouble at all with him changing genders multiple times a day

In spite of that, the anime's romance is really sweet with both Ranma and Akane being way too stubborn to admit their feelings (Sort of like Love is War but more outwardly violent).

Also Shampoo's voice actress is killing it, she sounds super cute

Very entertaining because of Robin Williams

The worst kind of woke. This movie specifically targets children with indoctrinating entertainment. The harvesting of timber (a renewable resource) is done by heartless, evil, greedy white men. The hero is a petite female fairy being mentored by a nature-worshiping, grandmother type, mentor. Evil is a black blob who is freed from a long captivity in an enchanted tree. He finds the timber cutting machine and the petroleum that powers it delightful. The worst part about this movie is, because of Robin Williams, it's so entertaining. I remember being told, when the movie was first produced, Al Gore had a hand in the production. I never followed up on that. Maybe he just praised it. That would make sense.

The world of Ryoko Kui's Delicious in Dungeon is a carefully crafted web of reliances between the dungeon's ecosystem and the adventurers that explore it. Through that, it shows that not only are we responsible for taking care of our ecosystem, but are a direct part of it. If one part is damaged, we will feel the consequences - which sounds like something out of climate change propaganda.
The burly dwarf is the one to teach our team how to cook and take care of themselves - a traditionally feminine role, while the blonde elf girl slings deadly spells and knows dark magic - filling for the masculine "damage" role
There is also Chilchuck, who is a divorced union leader, increasing work conditions for his people - the halffoots. Possibly the most realistic character.

All in all, there is much to be said about the leftist themes of Delicious in Dungeon, from DEI characters, to the Communist utopia of the golden kingdom. But it''s undeniably a fantastic show. The characters are charming and their personal conflicts feel real. The world is immersive and its politics give a different level of tension. And the animation is fantastic, paired with the incredible music it brings the atmosphere to a whole new level

It's good to have a glance on the other's point of view, and i think Delisious in Dungeon is one of the better windows to view it from