Some More Thoughts on the 'Mortal Kombat' Reboot

So, I already wrote my review for Mortal Kombat. But I realized that there were still a few things I wanted to say about it.  Hence, I decided to compile those scattered thoughts in this article.  Just think of this as the “miscellaneous musings” section that I forgot to put in my original review. Spoiler warning.

Chain of Thoughts: Disney Investor Day 2020

Disney had their annual Investor Day a few days ago, and they dropped a lot of major updates regarding their projects in the coming weeks, months, and even years.  I have some thoughts.

I Love 'Steins;Gate' So Friggin' Much

So, I’ve just finished binging the entire Steins;Gate saga, in this viewing order:

• Steins;Gate episodes 1-22 (at this point, the only anime series I’ve re-watched more times in their entireties are Cowboy Bebop, Cinderella Monogatari, and Code Geass)
• Steins;Gate OVA: Episode 23 (β) – “Open the Missing Link”
• Steins;Gate 0 episodes 1-23 (my first re-watch of it; this time, on English dub)
• Steins;Gate episodes 23-24
• Steins;Gate OVA (i.e. episode 25)
• Steins;Gate: The Movie − Load Region of Déjà Vu

And the experience was just as terrific as I remembered it being for the first time.  I’ll probably never get tired of watching this anime again and again.

'Sonic the Hedgehog' Had Just Probably Pulled Off a Brilliant Marketing Stratagem

When the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog dropped earlier this year, it was heavily panned.  The film it was marketing was clearly problematic.  But its most unforgivable offense was its character design for the eponymous blue speedster.  It was an unparalleled CGI abomination, rightfully earning the universal loathing and ridicule of everyone.

Responding to the backlash, the director of the movie announced via Twitter:

“Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be... #sonicmovie #gottafixfast”

That was a couple of months ago, and last week, a new Sonic the Hedgehog trailer got released.  And this time, it featured the redesigned Sonic, which is now closer to his original, iconic look.  Not only that, but the trailer is better cut overall.  It made Sonic the Hedgehog actually feel like a fun movie to watch.  As a result, the general response was very positive.

It’s rare for filmmakers and studios to actually listen to fans and go out of their way to fix their messes.  Thus, it has been a nice feel-good story.

Or is it?

Six Teams I'm Rooting for This 2019-2020 NBA Season

NBA tip-off is just two days away (as of writing), and although there’s still a bitter taste in my mouth regarding the league’s display of hypocrisy and cowardice over the Daryl Morey-China issue, I’m excited for the 2019-20 season (I think you are allowed to enjoy NBA basketball but be disgusted of NBA’s politics; the two matters aren’t mutually inclusive.  Besides, I’ve been long aware how pretentious these NBA people are).  Going into the new season, there are six teams that I feel are going to be my favorites to watch, and whom I will be perfectly happy of seeing win the championship.  Here they are, arranged in my ascending order of preference:

Houston Rockets

This pairing of ball-dominant, stat-generating ex-MVPs is an utter curiosity.  But being so somewhat compels me to wish they will prove their skeptics – including me – wrong.  Thus, I’ll be honestly thrilled if they win the title.  That being said, I will equally relish it if they end up imploding.

The Premier Imouto: A Definitive Case for Why Nezuko Is Best Girl

The Way Ash Ketchum Finally Won His First Pokémon League Championship Was Disappointing

There used to be an old saying that went, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes and Ash Ketchum never winning a Pokémon League.”  Well, that saying isn’t true anymore.  After 22 years – and after falling short six times before – Satoshi a.k.a. Ash has finally won his very first League championship in the most recent episode of Pokémon Sun and Moon!

Just like everyone who has been a Pokémon fan at some point of his life, I was delighted when this news dropped.  But after watching for myself the two-episode championship match of the Alola League, my elation disappeared.

Three years ago, after Ash’s maddening loss in the final round of the Kalos League, I thought the show’s writers missed the best opportunity of finally giving Ash the satisfying win that everyone was waiting for.  Concluding my reaction article for it, the exasperated me wrote this:

“I just hope that when the showrunners decide to finally let Ash win it all in the Pokemon League, it would be sufficiently gratifying to make up for all of this crap.”

Unfortunately, Ash’s Alola win didn’t quite make up for his Kalos loss – or the accumulated frustration through the years derived from his peripheral losing for that matter.  Let me explain.

Ranking the Biggest Moves of the 2019 NBA Offseason

The NBA has just had one of its craziest, if not the craziest, offseasons ever as several blockbuster signings and trades radically changed the landscape of the league.  As a result, there’s a prevailing sense of parity in the NBA for the first time in years; there are now a handful of teams that have a realistic shot at winning the title next season.

I don’t think anything close to mindblowing will still happen in the remainder of the offseason.  So, I would now like to rank here the biggest offseason moves that happened, arranged from what I think is the least likely of yielding a championship to the most likely…

New York Knicks Sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, and Marcus Morris

WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

(takes deep breath)

...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I’m sorry.  I just couldn’t help taking a jab at how badly run the Knicks are.  Now, onto the real thing…

Some More Thoughts on 'Avengers: Endgame'

I still have a couple of scattered thoughts about Avengers: Endgame that I wasn’t able to address in my review for it.  I will lay them down here in this blog post.  Spoilers ahead.

LeBron's First Year with the Lakers was a Disaster

From day one, everyone in the media asserted that making the playoffs was already a given for the Lakers, just because of the mere fact that LeBron is now in the team.  And for two months or so, it was looking that way.  But then, their playoff positioning steadily slipped away, and the season eventually devolved into a dumpster fire.  As a Lakers fan for almost all of my life, I’m of course frustrated that my team isn’t in the playoffs for the sixth year in a row (and haven’t won a championship in nearly a decade).

The following are the sources of my exasperation, dismay, and displeasure regarding the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2018-19 season:

That Was the Dumbest Battle Plan in, Like, Ever

Fans are raving about the latest episode of Game of Thrones, “The Long Night.”  But in my case, my enjoyment was undermined by two things: a.) the dark cinematography; and b.) the shockingly dumb and inefficient battle strategy that the people in Winterfell employed.

Look.  I’m no expert in military strategy.  But as a layman – and a fan of turn-based and real-time strategy PC games and grand battles – looking in, I was appalled by their lack of preparation and waste of troops.  Sure, they were greatly outnumbered, and would have been overwhelmed no matter what, but they could have considerably prolonged the inevitable or even win narrowly but straightforwardly.

My face was red in fury while watching the Winterfell allies’ strategy (or lack thereof) unfold.  At that moment, I wished Robb Stark was still around.  But come to think of it, they did have capable strategists in the Lannister brothers.  Were they too shy to point out how atrocious Jon Snow’s strategy was?  I presume Jon Snow called the shots.  Only someone like him – courageous and honorable, but had time and time again proven to have no chops as a tactician – can contrive such disastrous battle plan.

Let me air out my problems with it.  Let’s start with the obvious…

Chain of Thoughts: 'Elseworlds' and the DCW Season So Far

The CW’s DC shows have just gone on mid-season hiatus.  Here are some thoughts on the season so far:

• Elseworlds, this year’s crossover event, was fun.  But last year’s Crisis on Earth-X is still the king of DCW crossovers.
• It was so awesome to see Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent/Superman again.  And this time around, he’s joined for the first time by Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane.  Some of Elseworlds’ best scenes involved them.
• The most epic part of the whole crossover is definitely the badass sequence where Barry Allen/Green Arrow, Oliver Queen/Flash, Supergirl, and Superman fight Amazo.

For the First Time in More Than a Decade, I Am Rooting for LeBron James

I’m not a fan of LeBron James.  But I do recognize his greatness, and enjoy watching him play.  However, I simply find it more fun rooting against him.  First of all, he’s the best player in the NBA, and since he’s at the top of the food chain, he’s like the “big boss” of a video game to me.  The “big boss” is the strongest, biggest, baddest mofo, and you would want to see him beaten.

Jason Kidd and Steve Nash Were Point Gods

If an NBA fan is asked who was the best point guard of the 2000’s, his answer would usually be Jason Kidd or Steve Nash (or maybe Allen Iverson, but he was more of a shooting guard).  He won’t really be wrong in choosing one or the other.  In a head-to-head comparison, the two are probably equal.

Ray Allen, Arguably the Greatest Shooter of All Time, Was Also a Big Dunker

Ray Allen earned his Hall of Fame qualification through his deadeye shooting.  And throughout his career, he had shot several big-time three-pointers.

That Time Grant Hill Played Great Defense on Kobe Bryant

In the 90’s, Grant Hill was special.  But injuries prevented him to develop into the revolutionary superstar that his potential showed.  He could have been the LeBron James before there was a LeBron James.

Nevertheless, he still managed to have an 18-year career in the NBA, and in 2010, he was an important role player for a Phoenix Suns team that found themselves in a Western Conference Finals matchup with the Kobe Bryant-led defending champions Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe was a monster in that series, and in Game 6, he was killing the Suns, who were fighting off elimination.  But with the game at its closest seconds, rising to the occasion was 37-year-old Grant Hill, who played phenomenal, suffocating one-on-one defense on Kobe…

A Tribute to Manu Ginobili, My Most Favorite Spur Ever

Manu Ginobili is my all-time favorite Spur.  And after 16 years in the NBA – playing for the San Antonio Spurs the entire time – the now 41-year-old has decided to retire.  He’s had a terrific career.  Four championships.  Two All-Star selections.  Two All-NBA Third Team selections.  A Sixth Man of the Year award.  Without the proper context, his accolades appear relatively unremarkable, especially when compared to what his comrade-in-arms Tim Duncan had earned.  Nevertheless, I strongly believe he deserves to get into the Hall of Fame.

I'm Not a Football Fan, but I Guess I Now Have to Root for Cristiano Ronaldo

I’m perplexed of how football a.k.a. soccer is such an internationally beloved sport. No disrespect whatsoever, but outside of a few highlight videos, I find it terribly boring to watch in general.  Hence, I couldn’t care less whoever wins the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

That said, I can’t help but admire this masterpiece…

Nick Young Is a Friggin' NBA Champion!

After the Golden State Warriors signed Kevin Durant during the 2016 free agency, the 2017 NBA title was basically as good as theirs.   And indeed they won it.  But for the 2018 title run, they decided to give the other 29 teams a slight fighting chance by giving themselves a handicap, and that is, they used their 2017 mid-level exception to sign Nick Young – a player whose most iconic NBA moment is this:

The Warriors Put LeBron Out of His Misery in Game 4

My other Finals recaps:

-Game 1

-Game 2

-Game 3

Down 0-3 entering Game 4, the Cavs fought gallantly until the end with a never-say-die effort.  LeBron James was a monster with his six turnovers and five fouls.  Rodney Hood took a team-high 14 shots, and scored a whopping total of ten points.  Kyle Korver was a scorching 0-of-5 behind the arc.  Most importantly, their unselfish team play and balanced scoring were so impressive as multiple Cavs scored in single digits.  Meanwhile, their defense was so suffocating, it held Zaza Pachulia to just 2 points.

Just kidding.  The Cavs were pathetic.  No grit.  No heart.  They took this lying down.  They played as if they had already accepted their fate, and Game 4 was just the coup de grace.  They played as if they had already made their vacation plans and couldn’t wait for this to be over.  Thus, the Warriors never really met any resistance in completing the sweep, which granted them back-to-back championships and their third title in four years.