Cave's Movie, Show, Video Game & Book Blog

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A Brief Introduction
Hey all. My name is Cave, but you can call me Charlie if you wish. I have spent far too long studying in university so I have had a fair amount of time on my hands at certain points over the last who knows how long. I suppose I wanted to do one of these blogs before but never really plucked up the courage to do so, until now. I'm not going to do any sort of special ranking (at least as of me starting this) or give any score to anything. I am just going to write my thoughts and feelings about specific games, movies, shows or books which have crossed my path. Please remember these are my thoughts and you may or may not agree with them. That being said, if you have any recommendations feel free to let me know. Books will take my slightly longer as I am dyslexic - just the way things are.

I'll try to have a post at least once a week on what I've watched or read.

Probably an obvious thing to say but SPOILERS might happen.

Currently Reading:

• Battle Royale
• My Hero Academia Vol. 9

Currently Watching:

• Zom 100

Eagerly Awaiting:

• All of us are Dead Season 2
• My Hero Academia Season 7
• Squid Game Season 2
• Stranger Things Season 5

 

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Darwin's Game
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Category: Anime
Status: If you have a chance, watch it

Honestly, I have no idea what to say. This anime blew me away. I don't know if it was because it was well hidden and I didn't have any high expectations of it, or if it was genuinely that good. The whole synopsis of a death game, or something similar to a death game in a more modern but not totally futuristic setting made it feel somewhat unsettling. That being said, the visuals weren't dark and gloomy, unlike some other death game anime. The point of Darwin's game doesn't necessarily lead to the other players dying - which is why I say death game-ish rather than death game itself.

The introductions of the characters aren't awkward, they fit in and happen when they are needed. Nothing feels overly forced. It can feel a little overwhelming at the start because words are being thrown around by other characters who aren't the protagonist - which works very well. The protagonist has no idea what they are doing, or what these things are and due to the situation people don't really have time to explain them. Therefore the audience has to pick it up in a similar manner to the protagonist.

The main villain's power is displayed very well and it is such a shame there hasn't been a season 2. The protagonist's power is very much shown to be in its own sphere, yes. They are powerful. However, compared to the villains and other characters of a more neutral alignment they do lack something. They aren't in a position where everything they do is an instant win. You do worry for them.

I felt like the end of the season fitted the whole demeanour of what they were heading for, but there are some twists and turns along the way. There is no moments where what happens is completely implausible from their positions. All of their acts feel like they are within the realm of possibility.

I truly enjoyed this anime. I would love to have the opportunity and unwatch it just so I can experience it for the first time again. I don't know if there is a dubbed version out there, their might be. That was one of the only downsides for me - having to read the subtitles.

 

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The Midnight Club​

Category: TV Show
Status: It's alright at best.

Alright, so the Midnight Club the TV show and not the book series was alright. It follows a girl who is diagnosed with a terminal illness who has read about a place that can cure her. She decides to go there and meets a whole group of other terminally ill teens and young adults. The jump scares they had throughout the series were great. The whole horror stories they would tell one another were also pretty good. I just disliked the protagonist. The way she is portrayed initially as an outsider and is rejected by one of the group, while understandable, feels very awkward. You can tell there is something that is supposed to be there but was cut for the show.

I suppose my biggest gripe is it was portrayed as more horror and mystery rather than tragedy and coping with terminal illness. It hyped my expectations up for this grand mystery with consequences and results that simply weren't there. I can't fault the actors though. They did a great job - especially Ruth Codd playing Anaya. Out of all the characters and actors she was, in my opinion, by far the most memorable and most impactful.

Going to be blunt, but I really hope there isn't a season two, just because of how season one left a disappointing linger in the air for me.

After all the hype and the spooks, the ending for me just felt super disappointing. I was really enjoying it until the ending happened as it did. It isn't a bad show, I just really wish it had ended differently.

 

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At Dead of Night​

Category: Video Game
Status: Check it out if you get the chance

Dead of Night is a horror game with the premise of going to a hotel called the Sea View Hotel and being chased down by the proprietor, Jimmy. The game is great. Finding out what happened to Jimmy's previous victims using the Spirit Box while dodging the threatening Jimmy's hunting is truly entertaining. You are on edge as he hides ready to get you. The jump scares are pretty unexpected when they happen and he is stoppable. The fact you can do something about him makes the game have a lingering sense of hope. The graphics are alright. A lot of the game is filmed, if my understanding is correct, which makes it feel more movie-like.

One thing that does bother me is sometimes the game can be a tiny bit buggy. Triggers don't happen on cue, and sometimes it takes two or three attempts to get it to work - but to be honest these bugs, while frustrating, do add to the anxiety of the game. An accidental advantage for the game I believe.

Overall a solid game if you want a horror game which is more about solving than gore.

 

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King's Game​

Category: Anime
Status: I would avoid this one.

This anime showed so much promise in its trailers. However, after watching it I wish I hadn't. The anime starts by following the main protagonist, I suppose, joining a new school. A bit cliché at this point, but whatever. They meet someone and struggle to make friends and that's when they get a text from the "king". This starts the whole sequence of events off in which those who don't do as they are told die. Some of these things may seem trivial, but they are pretty disturbing and uncomfortable. I think that's my first problem with it. The fact it is treated like a joke, but some of the things really aren't a joke make it very awkward to watch.

Then comes the characters. Some of the characters are likeable. However, the twisting and complicating jumps between timeline A and timeline really messy, and makes it very hard to connect to and get attached to them. The change in Natsuko's personality because of the game is just too radical. There isn't any sort of indication that this is her true persona before then, so the twist doesn't feel like a twist. On the other hand I found Naoya Hashimoto to be one of the best characters. His personality just matched up, and felt accurate to what someone going through the game would feel.

The ending, without spoiling it, was just purely disappointing. One of those, it should have ended in a much different manner to what it did.

 

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Monk Season 1​

Just going to do something a little different here. I'm going to rank the episodes by how much I enjoyed them.

13. Mr Monk and the Psychic Ep.3:

Alright, so brief premise - a woman's car is found over the edge of a cliff and buried in a landslide, and the local psychic finds it. Overall, I don't have much to really say about this episode. It happened. I found the culprit to be pretty boring, I found the scenes with the psychic and the mud to be pretty uncomfortable and it was frustrating that a lot of hoops had to be jumped through to get the answer to something which made sense. The fact that Monk's comments seem to be pushed away makes it far worse. This guy knows what he is talking about. He has been right, time after time... and you'd rather buy into this person who has been wrong, time after time? Although the final sequence in which the culprit is cause out was very clever and redeemed some of the more awkward parts of the episode.

12. Mr. Monk and the Candidate P1. Ep.01:

Briefly, a Candidate for an upcoming election is shot at, and his bodyguard is killed. Monk is called in to figure out who is responsible. This episode isn't too bad considering it was the episode to start it all. The plot for the first half of the case is interesting and there isn't too many stakes at this point, as we don't know much about Adrian Monk. However, over the course of the episode we get to know a lot about him. We get to find out about his tragic past and how many things are stopping him. The culprit I found to be quite obvious, but the way the build up was made better by the cut off. However, I think the fact it was a two part episode does hurt it to some extent. There is a lot of building up, and building up without the stakes.

11. Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale Ep.04:

Oh boy, where do I start? Dale the Whale is a jerk. How he treats the people around him makes the scenes he is in very uncomfortable. That might be part of how he is supposed to be, but the amount of time he is on screen doing these things is a little too much for me. The best part of the episode though is the Doctor. The Doctor is fun to watch whenever he is on screen. Furthermore, the way Dale acts indicates how important he will be later on.

10. Mr. Monk and the Candidate P2. Ep.02:

The second half of the first case is by far the better half of the case. This part has far more action, and has a much better flow to it. The big reveal unfortunately is hinted at earlier in the first half. The whole chase the killer sequence while uncomfortable in places but it is very important to Monk's character and it makes him the person who we begin to love. My major gripe with this episode is the first half, and while that has been ranked on its own, it has such a big impact on it, it lowers the rating of its other half.

09. Mr. Monk and the Other Woman Ep.08:
Eh. That's this case in a nutshell really. I didn't find it as interesting as those I ranked lower on the list. However, I found the case itself to have an interesting solution. The plot is alright. Tony is great as Monk as always, with the best line being: "Do I eat dinner?" followed by some good humour. That being said the plot felt all over the show, as part of the culprit's plan. I feel like this whole is it? No. Is it? No. to be handled way better in one of the later seasons.

08. Mr Monk and the Marathon Man Ep.09:

I got to give credit to this episode. It was good to see Monk's passion for something shine through. The way he ended up in a mess is very well thought out and pretty funny, if not painful to watch. Even so, you see two completely different people - Monk before losing Trudy and Monk after losing Trudy. You see him idolise someone and be convinced from the beginning about who the culprit is. He goes out of his current comfort zone to prove it - and that shows his character growth to some extent.. His focus is great, and even the ending, you can see he still has his idol.

07. Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger Ep.12:
Willie Nelson and Monk's bond is the best part of this episode by far. Similarly to the Marathon Man, Monk's idolisation takes centre stage and we get to learn a lot about him. The case is interesting, the whole sub plot is beautiful. Monk asking Willie Nelson to sign a record to his dead wife is honestly emotional. You see some tears in his eyes. Them playing together at her grave just tugs on your heart strings. The case itself, oh boy that's a curve ball, and the good kind.

06. Mr. Monk goes to the Carnival Ep.05:

Alright, so this one I was in two minds about. I do not like Stottlemeyer in this one at all. You know he is right. But I still hate him in this one. The way he manipulates Monk into doing what he wants is truly awful, and not how a friend should behave. On the complete flipside, the relationship Benji has with Monk in this episode is good, and the jelly bean game is a small, but interesting side story. Monk jumping into action only to have to be saved does show how far he has to go still, but he actually does something he fears most of all. The case isn't all too interesting. I find the accused to be a jerk, and the plot twist to be pretty eh. The relationships in this episode is what sells it so highly.

05. Mr. Monk and the Airplane Ep.13:

I love this plot and I love Randy in this episode. He is 100% the guy who the attention shouldn't be on, but he is always ready to help Monk and believes him, or at least acts like he does. Monk himself is pretty uppity because he hates flying, and the fact he is stuck on a plane with a murderer makes him far worse. Sharona not believing him or being almost dismissive of him is exceptionally annoying, especially because this episode came after the Vacation one, in which it is proven that her son, Benji, who was dismissed the entire episode was right. She doesn't seem to learn. I don't mind Sharona as a character, but I think this episode she is pretty unfair on Monk. I love the conclusion and desperate attempt by Monk to catch the culprit, in which he declares himself a "party boy", which anyone who has known Monk for more than 2 minutes would know is a lie. Good case, interesting plot, also the fact he traumatises the flight attendant into being afraid of flying because of his actions is funny in a twisted kind of way.

04. Mr. Monk and the Earthquake Ep.11:

When it comes to humour, I think this episode really does have it. Watching Tony talking in a made up language because of the earthquake is great. The jokes are on point and there are some real stakes in this episode. That being said, I don't like Gale very much. She is very much a hinderance rather than a help. Yes she is part of the wider plot, but I would much rather her part be skipped all together and things to have ended up in the end game differently. Stottlemeyer is much better in this episode and clearly cares about Monk. He figures what Monk is trying to say and is on point. The case itself is interesting, there is a little bit of doubt in the culprit at some point before showing their true colours. Overall, pretty solid episode.

03. Mr. Monk and the Millionaire Mugger Ep.07:

This episode is a classic for its emotional value. It isn't a tear jerker, it doesn't show Monk getting over something big, but the story is good. The way everything leads up to the ending is excellent. The way the culprit covers their tracks is genius. Everything is so well built up. Even the foil is good. That small detail. The way things become interconnected is good. It is one of the smoothest episodes of the season. The chauffeur is great as an actor, and brings a lot to the episode in his one or two short scenes. A top quality episode mid season.

02. Mr. Monk goes to the Asylum Ep.06:

I have to say, this episode is something. The opening shows you how Monk takes one step forward and one step back when it comes to coping with Trudy's loss. Ending up in a house he had with Trudy, and breaking in by mistake and finding out is heart breaking. You can see it on his face that Monk is so thrown off by it all. The case doesn't start until a chunk of the way into the episode, and I think in this episode it works. It gives you time to appreciate everything, and it adds a lot to Monk. The therapist makes him step outside of his comfort zone and I think for the first time, you see Monk see himself for how he used to be. Still Monk, but more free. On top of that, the case itself lends to the environment very well. The culprit is very clever, and Monk just happening to turn up really messes things up. And even then, they play the whole thing so well.

01. Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation Ep.10:

With the Asylum episode being so strong, there is only one episode I can think of that tops it. And that is this one. This episode has so many nice interactions between Monk and Benji. Benji is often in the background, and he takes centre stage alongside Monk. Together they solve the murder that Benji witnesses. The Hotel Manager is a complete jerk, and one of the worst things about the episode, but also one of the best. He is constantly trying to mess things up for them by being as tight as can be. The culprits are clever, and any mistake they rectify very quickly which increases the pressure the manager has on Monk. The fact they would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for one small thing shows how close Monk was to meeting his match. It isn't that he doesn't know they did it. It is they are too good at covering their tracks.

So yeah, that's it. Monk Season 1 all reviewed and ordered.

 

[Cavespider_17]

Green Hell​

Category: Video Game
Status: Pretty good if you like survival games.

Green Hell starts off like your typical survival game. Stranded with nothing but your own witts and the need to create your own tools. The major difference is the requirement to keep on top of your health. The main character, Jake Higgings is an author on the Amazonia, and your partner, Mia, is missing. That is your biggest objective. Find Mia. However, as the story goes on you discover more and more about what happened to Mia, and how you got there. You can always do something about the threats and difficulties you have to face. However, one of the biggest issues I have had with the game is some of the achievements are purely miserable. For example, the vegan achievement is such a pain to do naturally without cheesing it.

All in all though, it is a very solid game, and can be very difficult at times. If it is your first time playing it knowing where to go or what to do next is hard. There is no handholding. Just you, and the jungle.