Tag: review

Finished The Story of Pearl Girl

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO160
 “Pearl Girl” Cedar Park, 2025

I just finished watching The Story of Pearl Girl, a 2024 Chinese drama, and wanted to share a few thoughts.

The first thing that stood out to me was the costumes and jewelry. They were stunning and added so much beauty to the show. The story itself was only okay, but I really enjoyed the characters. Zhao Lu Si, who played the title role, completely won me over, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more of her work.

The ending, however, left me a little unsatisfied. The final episode felt awkward and a bit rushed, which was disappointing after investing so much time into the series. Still, it wasn’t terrible. I’d give the drama a 7 out of 10 overall. One highlight I can’t forget is the title and ending sequences. They were stylish, full of energy, and paired with fantastic music.

Even with its flaws, I’m glad I watched it, and now I’m excited to dive into my next C-Drama adventure!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO80
 “Pearl Girl” Cedar Park, 2025

Wolf Children

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO200
 “Wolf Children” Austin, 2025

Tonight, my buddy and I went to watch Wolf Children at our local theater. I went in knowing almost nothing about the film – just that it had a strong reputation among anime fans. And I’m happy to say, it absolutely lived up to the hype!

Wolf Children, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, is a beautifully animated film that blends fantasy and heartfelt storytelling. While some moments were lighthearted and a little whimsical, the movie also explored deeper emotional themes about family, identity, and growing up.

We usually see anime with subtitles and Japanese audio, but this time we saw the dubbed version and it was very acceptable!

If you’re a fan of anime films or just looking for a touching story with stunning visuals, I highly recommend checking out Wolf Children. Super!

Sony WH-CH520 Headphones

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO250
 “Sony Headphones” Cedar Park, 2023

This year I got a set of Sony WH-CH520 headphones for Father’s Day. I wanted some wireless headphones that I can use with my phone and iPad, and even my Macbook Air and these Sonys fit the bill. The features I love:

  • Wireless: Bluetooth means I can connect to all my devices.
  • Lightweight: The plastic material is light, but seems robust.
  • Battery life: 50-hours! Impressive.
  • Looks good: They come in black, blue, or white. I chose white because they look so clean.
  • Microphone: I can use it to make phone calls.
  • Equalizer: Using the free Sony app, you can set your levels easily.
  • Price: At $59, these won’t break the bank.

I’ve only been using them for a short while, but I love them. They are very comfortable, and don’t make my ears hot. They also sound great! I have the bass enhancer activated (and bass boosted in the EQ). Very nice!

If you would like some nice, inexpensive on-ear headphones, the Sony WH-CH520 model is worth checking out!

The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017) – Review

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.6, 1/120 sec, ISO320
 “Huang Rong” Cedar Park, 2022

I finally watched all 52 episodes of the 2017 Chinese television series “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”. I enjoyed it quite a bit!

After reading the books (which I loved), I was curious to see how this latest re-telling of the Condor Heroes story would be. I was pleasantly surprised that the first episodes’ characters, plot, and overall feeling matched with what I had imagined in my mind when I read the books.

The kung fu moves were excellent and they spent a lot of effort in the flying effects, the spinning moves, and the choreography in general. It was interesting to me that in the books and also the live-action series, most of the kung fu is not meant to deal lethal blows. Even when fighting with weapons, the conflict was to show superiority, and trying to kill someone is a serious line that only the villains were willing to cross.

Speaking of the kung-fu, many of the moves has specific names, and in the tv show, they flashed subtitles when the person used the move. Pretty cool!

One criticism of the TV series I have is that the special effects were sometimes horrible. Laughably so! In fact, they were so bad, didn’t mind it so much after a while. They did their best! And the fighting was awesome, after all.

This adaptation stuck close to the book’s plot, but at the end I think they skipped over a lot. For instance, when Viper Ouyang was harassing our heroes in Mongolia, he suffered some hilarious indignities, however the TV show only showed one of them, and even that was toned down.

Overall, though, I thought the 2017 series was excellent. I’d definitely recommend it to fans of the legendary wuxia series.

Pompo: The Cinéphile

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Pompo-san” Austin, 2022

My friend and I went to see Pompo: The Cinéphile at the theater as part of our anime-watching habit. Whenever GKIDS has a special screening, he buys the tickets, and I buy the beer (the theater has beer on tap!). It’s something I really look forward to!

Anyways, I thought the movie was excellent. The plot is basically the making of a movie, but there are so many little inspirational nuggets thrown in that I was kind of blown away and even got a little emotional. What a movie! And maybe it was the beer too. But regardless, Pompo: The Cinéphile left me with a positive attitude and life seemed just a bit brighter.

A very nice little gem of a film. Go see it!