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Cosmic Princess Kaguya: Far Too Genki For My Tastes

But if you like J-pop anyways, Cosmic Princess Kaguya features all the teen angst needed to reimagine the classic tale for a cyber-generation.

Netflix

In a not too distant future, there’s a musical avatar known as Cosmic Princess Kaguya who wants freedom from where she came from. This digital figure isn’t just data. Instead, this individual is sentient, and bears no semblance to the figure and version of the story I loved more. Studio Ghibli holds all the cards here, and tried as I did to watch this lengthy film written by Saeri Natsuo and directed by Shingo Yamashita, the vibe leans more on being hyperactive.

Here, shades of Cyberpunk: Edgerunner exists when Iroha (Anna Nagase) finds a program she wasn’t meant to discover. Enter Kaguya (Yuko Natsuyoshi), a program developed to monitor the Lunar base’s oxygen and power grids. After The Lunar Corporate Council realizes this code is missing, they’re out to get her back, and in the meantime, Kags hopes to find a body she can inhabit so she can be free.

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Stranger Things. The Full Series in Review

After a long rewatch of Stranger Things, I look at what worked and what did not when creating the threat that would manifest in the small town of Hawkins. Thankfully, for those in the know, no foothold was made, but is this truly the end?

When Stranger Things first arrived on Netflix, it began with something wonderfully small. It seemed to be simply about a group of kids playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and not expecting that world to manifest around them! After the sudden absence of Will (Noah Schnapp), they had to learn how to become heroes for real. Even though the adults didn’t believe what they’ve encountered is real, what they managed to do was the impossible: to show that dangers lurk in every corner. The shadows are alive, and the necrophagous shadows, well….

From that moment, the series evolved naturally from childhood rituals into becoming adults. As for the fantasy characters they wanted to become, all the visual motifs (including a garbage can lid modified to become a shield) came into place. And the monsters they had to face weren’t just creatures. They were metaphors to something greater shaped by the kids’ references to concepts and entities from this role playing world. Some worked, and others did not, but overall, unless the viewer was in the know, the tie-ins were more than surface level references.

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Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein: The Fears Man Still Dreams Of

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is visually stunning, emotionally rich, and anchored by Oscar Isaac’s haunted performance—but is that enough when it’s no longer a Byron/Shelly style tale?

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein poster Now playing on Netflix

Just how good Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is depends on how much of Mary Shelley’s novel this auteur chooses to bring to life on screen. It’s safe to say he’s rearranged a fair bit. Some changes strengthen the story, drawing out its emotional and thematic cues, while others never quite take shape.

Heinrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), the mysterious benefactor who bankrolls Victor’s (Oscar Isaac) experiments, is a notable addition. He isn’t in the novel, and his motives feel not all that fleshed out—yes, the pun’s intentional. His inclusion explains how Victor funds his unholy pursuits and builds The Creature (Jacob Elordi) after being blackballed by his peers for daring to defy death. When this financier’s true identity as an arms dealer and seeker of immortality is revealed, the moment ends before it begins. The hint of Orwellian horror lingers but is never explored, leaving an intriguing idea unfinished.

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The Secret Storylines K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 Needs

It’s official: K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 is happening, but fans may wait years. If the sequel leans into folklore, side stories and stronger character arcs, it could become a rare animated follow-up that truly matures with its audience.

K-Pop Demon Hunters movie poster It’s official—K-Pop Demon Hunters 2 is a go. Fans, however, will have to wait perhaps four years before it arrives. That’s a tough pill to swallow for anyone hoping to see Rumi, Mira, Su-Min, and the rest of the team back in action. What made the debut spectacular was its blend of folklore and modern Korean pop culture—especially Rumi’s reluctant connection to the demon world, which now puts her at a crossroads between fame, duty, and peace.

Although the wait will be long, hopefully it’ll all be worth it. Fans have expectations—especially in seeing what’s next for the lead, and whether her demon boyfriend will come back. That forbidden attraction is what drew me into the tale. The trope is a variation on the Legend of the White Snake, a classic story where a goddess falls for a mortal man. Here, the roles are reversed, giving the story a fresh emotional dynamic. The beliefs about what happens to the soul are also distinct from other cultural takes, which makes this story feel uniquely Korean.

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Autumn Animated Series Guide and Beyond. What’s Best to Watch and What’s Best to Avoid

Late 2025’s slate of cartoons mixes fairy-tale mysteries, anime eco-adventures, and Afrofuturist visions. A few sparkle, some stumble, but each animated series reminds us what’s ripe for storytelling.

Autumn 2025 animated series guide When the autumn slate of television programming for youths is in full gear, just what we enjoy watching isn’t always going to be offered on the big three—Amazon Prime, Netflix or Hulu. There’s some great animated series in the world of streaming rather than network for obvious reasons. Luckily, the last stretch of 2025 has a few curious newcomers and oddball experiments worth watching—or at least watching for. Some shimmer with potential, others… less so (Armorsaurs, we’re side-eyeing you). As to be fair for Devil May Cry, they deserve honourable mention despite having started in Spring than Fall.

The Sisters Grimm (Apple TV+)
October 3

The Sisters Grimm animated series poster A darkly charming fairy-tale mystery that balances heart and humour, The Sisters Grimm is Titmouse Inc.’s spin on Michael Buckley’s novels. Here, Sabrina and Daphne get suddenly orphaned when their parents disappear. They go live with their grandmother and when they learn there is more to their dad than meets the eye, what they do next is hardly surprising. They must navigate challenges of looking out for each other in a world where fairy tales are real!

Smart writing, lush design, and a tone that doesn’t talk down to its audience—it’s Apple’s most confident foray into youth fantasy since Wolfwalkers. And if you’ve seen DreamWorks Curses! you’ll recognise the storytelling model used too!

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Who is Worse? The Twits, Tweedledee, or Tweedledum?

Equal parts absurd and unsettling, Netflix’s The Twits brings Dahl’s world of gleeful cruelty to animated life with sharp humour and twisted heart.

Now Playing on Netflix

The Twits is one of those movies where viewers will either click with it or not. For fans familiar with Roald Dahl’s story, the titular couple remain delightfully vile yet oddly sympathetic. For newcomers, however, Mr. and Mrs. Twit (voiced by Johnny Vegas and Margo Martindale) appear as two humans at their worst—mean-spirited, petty, and oblivious to the flaws in their own partnership. They’re less a Gomez-and-Morticia duo and more like Wednesday and Pugsley without the sibling bond, united by mischief but lacking the familial charm.

Enter two orphans, Beesha (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Bubsy (Ryan Anderson Lopez), whose immediate connection shows they care more for each other’s welfare than anything else. On the brink of adoption into separate families, the children are caught in the fallout of the Twits’ latest schemes. Bubsy’s potential parents withdraw after chaos literally spills all over them. And as the story unfolds, the orphanage itself risks closure. The cost of maintaining it is high, underscoring just how precarious life can be for children in such situations.

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