Video Archives | Page 2 Of 45

Celebrating Spring Equinox with Five Animated Films

The best thing about Spring Equinox is not the longer days, but the times spent with family and friends, and there’s a few favourite films I like to watch too.

Spring Equinox at the Movie Theatre As Spring Equinox is officially in full bloom, just what I want to view is not your regular fare. My recommendations better reflect the season than any spiritual aspect; my top five favorite animated works include more than just current movies. I have short films on this list too.

And so I’m not spending the entire time indoors, what can be viewed can be done in an evening while the afternoon is spent hunting for eggs. Unfortunately, no bunnies are on this list. For part of this Easter Sunday, I’ll be enjoying:

To Spring (1936)

Very few tales acknowledge Spring Equinox as passionately as this classic produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, and directed by William Hanna before forming his own studio. It’s a simple tale where gnomes are helping the world transition to the new season. But challenges are in store for them….

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With (S)KiDs, It’s Not Just But Still Rock and Roll to Me

The beauty with independent animated works is that they don’t have to play by the rules. For (S)KiDs, the creators must make sure the message is heard, not just blasted.

Available to stream on YouTube (free, see below)

The year (S)KiDs take place in may seem unusual, but it feels appropriate to show what teenage life was like back in the early 90s. In a nutshell, I can’t help but think this film is Smells Like Teen Spirit meets The Breakfast Club. This song released by Nirvana in 1991 is more than age-old to reflect upon what this film is about.

Here, this animated film looks at the life of Scotty (James Priestner), a self prescribed punk poet who finds life in a new town difficult. Although he finds a few friends, others soon label them skids, not typical outcasts. Although this derogatory term is not in vogue these days, to escape that label is tough. Molly (Michele Garceau), Billy (Will Letos), and Craig (Les Solis, who also directed this film) are fairly chill, but the fact they all have demons is more telling as the film progresses through their final year at St. Elmo’s High School.

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The Crunchyroll Game Vault Now Has 50 Exclusive Titles! And At the End of the Year, Manga Will Be Added Too!

For those folks who have not subscribed to this streaming service, the higher service tiers give folks access to the Crunchyroll Game Vault!

When the Crunchyroll brand focuses on something other than its streaming service, the mobile gaming division may remain relatively unknown. Only those who have joined at the highest service level (Mega or Ultimate Fan) will know the Crunchyroll Game Vault. And for those folks not up to date, this company will launch a digital manga service later this year!

And with 50 games to try out, it may be time to check out what they got. While I’m not expecting to find the elusive Wild Arms: Million Memories, hopefully some distributor will consider it!

From the Press Release:

“Since launching Crunchyroll Game Vault in November 2023, we worked diligently to build a library that is quickly reaching an estimated 500 hours of immersive gameplay hours. This, paired with more than 25,000 of anime available to stream now on Crunchyroll, allows for endless adventuring,” said Terry Li, Executive Vice President of Emerging Business, Crunchyroll & General Manager of Crunchyroll Games.

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From Wild Arms to Armed Fantasia, This Video Game is Worth Waiting For!

The best part of why Wild Arms is so beloved is because of the music first, and world building second. It lives again under a new name: Armed Fantasia!

Armed Fantasia- To the End of the Wilderness Prromo Poster When I last wrote a retrospective that included the latest status of the Wild Arms franchise, not much has changed. Although the original is available on the PlayStation5, sadly no one is interested in continuing. There was a Wild Arms Mobile and Million Memories for smartphones, but sadly when it didn’t get translated and offered to an international market, the game died. Thankfully, executive producer Akifumi Kaneko is not letting the world he helped create fade. In its place is a spiritual successor titled Armed Fantasia, which is still in development.

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Crunchyroll’s 2025 Winter Schedule and Our Top 10 Must-Sees

After looking at Crunchyroll’s 2025 Winter Schedule, we feel we can compose a song out of our top ten selection of titles that we feel are must-sees.

2025 Winter Schedule - Crunchyroll Before signing off for a much needed holiday break, we looked at Crunchyroll’s 2025 Winter schedule, and it’s big! The fact the list includes returning anime series makes it huge, and what we are offering is our top ten of must sees. There are a lot of titles debuting in the first two weeks of January, and whether or not we’ll be able to watch everything will depend on other commitments, but can at least watch these series for enjoyment. Not everything will get reviewed.

To note, this schedule and languages available are subject to change, and the show’s availability may vary by region. The dates listed reflect what’ll be subtitled or simulcast premieres.

DECEMBER 31

Fate/strange Fake (A-1 Pictures)

In a Holy Grail War, Mages (Masters) and their Heroic Spirits (Servants) fight for the control of the Holy Grail—an omnipotent wish-granting device said to fulfill any desire. Years have passed since the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War in Japan. Now, signs portend the emergence of a new Holy Grail in the western American city of Snowfield.

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Wilfred Buck is Touring Canada on Crave!

Wilfred Buck is more than “a beloved spiritual guide and effervescent Elder from the Cree nation.” His goal is to show to the world that Indigenous astronomy is just as relevant too. It’s not all Greco-Roman.

National Film Board of Canada
Review link

Wilfred Buck has found a home, and his story can be seen on Crave. As for when this documentary will hit HBO because this Canadian streaming service also includes their content, I assume it will be broadcast on other networks too. That may start next year. That way, fellow stargazers can look at why his passion for exploring what twinkles on the night sky can be passed on to another generation.

And where he goes are towns and campuses singing a special tune. While I like to call him a fellow Traveling Wilbury, he’s more of a scholar than musician. What he offers are stories about the constellations according to his native indian beliefs.

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