Movie Review: "Hamilton" 07/03/20 Disney

This is a movie review for "Hamilton", released July 3, 2020 via Disney online. I watched this via Disney in the Summer of 2020 before August 9, 2020.

Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Musical

Run Time: 2 Hour and 40 Minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Notable Cast

Daveed Diggs ... Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson

Renée Elise Goldsberry ... Angelica Schuyler

Jonathan Groff ... King George

Chris Jackson ... George Washington (as Christopher Jackson)

Jasmine Cephas Jones ... Peggy Schuyler / Maria Reynolds

Lin-Manuel Miranda ... Alexander Hamilton

Leslie Odom Jr. ... Aaron Burr

Okieriete Onaodowan ... Hercules Mulligan / James Madison

Anthony Ramos ... John Laurens / Philip Hamilton

Phillipa Soo ... Eliza Hamilton

Plot

The colonies of America are getting tired of being under the rule of an oversea king. How can the colonies get their independence and set itself up for success? Who are the men and women that raise the nation of the United States of America? This movie follows Alexander Hamilton, one of the founders of the nation, through his life.

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

3/5 - This movie took me a while to get through. It is a good movie and very informative though I would love to look into more information about the founding of the country. I think that every USA citizen (and maybe others) should watch this to get more information about what created this nation.

There are a few songs that definitely get stuck in my head (especially King George's three songs, "My Shot", "Right-Hand Man") but not all of the songs were great. In fact, the show seems to have 75% song and 25% talk. When you factor in the fact that a lot of the songs are lame as eff, it is a long 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Notable songs:

"My Shot" - Alexander Hamilton (and friends)

"What Come Next?" - King George

Parts of "Right-Hand Man" - George Washington and Alexander Hamilton

Aside the few songs that constantly get stuck in my head and a bit more of an insight into what happened when this nation was founded, this movie was just "meh". I have many other musicals that I would recommend over this one. I am personally glad that I didn't spend money to go to an actual performance because I would have been disappointed, imho, by the whole thing if I had. I cannot say the same about actually going to "Les Miserables" or "Phantom of the Opera". I know, that's a personal preference thing but what can I say but my opinion in my own blog?

Anyways, you're free to watch it yourself if you want. If you don't like fictional history or musicals, you might not like this. Just a fair warning.

Thank you for reading! More reviews are yet to come eventually so keep an eye out.

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

Contact me?

Twitter @gracie_delunac

Email graciemaedelunac@yahoo.com

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

Related Stuff but not actually Related to the Movie "Hamilton"

Alexander Hamilton's Sex Scandal - Drunk History with Lin-Manuel Miranda

"The Real Alexander Hamilton" by Awesomepedia / Reel History

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Movie Review: "2012" 11/13/09

This is a movie review for "2012", released November 13, 2009. I watched this movie via Netflix in the Summer 2020 before August 9, 2020.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Doomsday

Run Time: 2 Hours and 38 Minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Notable Cast

John Cusack ... Jackson Curtis

Amanda Peet ... Kate Curtis

Chiwetel Ejiofor ... Adrian Helmsley

Thandiwe Newton ... Laura Wilson (as Thandie Newton)

Oliver Platt ... Carl Anheuser

Tom McCarthy ... Gordon Silberman

Woody Harrelson ... Charlie Frost

Danny Glover ... President Thomas Wilson

Liam James ... Noah Curtis

Morgan Lily ... Lilly Curtis

Plot

Doomsday is upon us. Science and the Mayans have predicted it. The world is going to be changed. When the volcano under Old Faithful starts to erupt and changes the global environment, how can humankind survive? Can humans come together to survive doomsday?

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

3.5/5 - This is a good movie but there are things that made me go "what, seriously?". Examples: the whole idea of being able to outrun a super volcano with a RV, or something getting stuck in the ship door so that the door cannot safely close but the main character can go ahead and fix it. Oh, and one copy of the main character's book surviving the whole ordeal [come on, really?!].

A lot of the movie is set up for action scenes - plane flying through falling buildings, landing on a mountain, running from a volcano, etc. If it weren't for the action, this movie would have nothing. Seriously, and it is sad too. It was good enough to finish the movie but at the same time was disheartening at the end to realize that how poor the plot line was. Well, I guess it works.

Take it or leave it.

Anyways, that's my movie review. Thank you for reading. There will be more reviews to come eventually so keep an eye out!

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

Contact me?

Twitter @gracie_delunac

Email graciemaedelunac@yahoo.com

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

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Movie Review: "A Thousand Words" 03/09/12

This is a movie review for "A Thousand Words", released March 9, 2012. I watched this via Netflix on the June 10, 2020.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Run Time: 1 Hour and 31 Minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Notable Cast

Eddie Murphy ... Jack McCall

Kerry Washington ... Caroline McCall

Emanuel Ragsdale ... Tyler McCall

Clark Duke ... Aaron Wiseberger

Cliff Curtis ... Dr. Sinja

Plot

Jack McCall is a man that is known to say whatever he has to or needs to to get things done, even if it is lying. He finds out after he promises Dr. Sinja that he'll publish Dr. Sinja's book, that the book is much smaller than he thought and that he never actually read it before making the promise. How can he get himself out of the situation? And to top it off, a tree has sprouted up in his backyard. The funniest thing is the fact that the leaves are dropping at the rate of how many words he's saying - 1 leaf falls for every 1 word that Jack says. How can he stop this connection? How can he limit the rate of the leaves falling when everyone expects him to talk (his wife, his kid, his boss, his clients, people at the coffee shop and on the street, etc)? What will be the outcome when you know that your time limit might be up soon?

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

4/5 - This is a very good movie that I recommend to most everyone.

The conversation about using one's life to get in touch with others and make amends is a very good thing. If it weren't for Eddie Murphy, this movie would not been as good and probably would have gotten a lower rating (imho). It was interesting to watch the different scenarios of trying to communicate without speaking or writing, though it kinda felt like filler. The ending was good (forgiving and making amends) but a lot of the movie itself was just dragging through the time.

I don't want to spoil the movie much so I'll leave it at that. If you want to watch it, go for it. I don't think it would be that much of a loss of time if you want to check it out.

That's my movie review. Thank you for reading! More reviews to come eventually.

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

Contact me?

Twitter @gracie_delunac

Email graciemaedelunac@yahoo.com

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

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Movie Review: "Burlesque" 11/24/10

This is a movie review for "Burlesque", released November 24, 2010. I watched this movie on Netflix on July 8, 2020.

Genre: Drama, Music, Musical, Romance

Run Time: 1 Hour and 59 Minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Notable Cast

Cher ... Tess

Christina Aguilera ... Ali

Eric Dane ... Marcus

Cam Gigandet ... Jack

Julianne Hough ... Georgia

Alan Cumming ... Alexis

Peter Gallagher ... Vince

Kristen Bell ... Nikki

Stanley Tucci ... Sean

Plot

Midwesterner Ali wants to become a dancer, so she catches a bus out to Las Vegas. She stumbles upon the club called Burlesque, run by Tess. Right off the bat, Tess says "no". The bartender Jack gives her a job as a waitress and she studies the show as she tends to customers. She asks Tess again if she can become a dancer and gets a chance to be one of the dancers. When one of the other dancers tries to sabotage Ali's dancing career, Ali shows that she can sing and dance at the same time. During all of this, Tess' ex husband is trying to sell off the club to a real estate mogul. How can they save the club? What is the future of the Burlesque? Can Ali have the career she wanted? (And can she be with Jack, or is the "engagement" to his fiance really going to keep them apart?)

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

3.5/5 - *SPOILERS* This is a cute movie but not one of my most favorite musicals. Christina Aguilera and Cher are great singers, even though Cher is getting older, but the plot line was thrown together in a sporadic mash-up. We have the drama of the girl getting closer to the guy but he acts as if he is gay, then he turns out to be straight with a fiance that is mostly out of the picture, and then the fiance shows up. I mean come on.... Why does this romance line have to even be in this movie?!

And then we have the sparring between the dancers and Ali. In the clip below, we see how one of the dancers tries to sabotage Ali's dancing career and then it turns out that Ali can sing, which changes the club completely. Why not use all of the talents of the dancers and let the girls sing instead of lip-syncing?

"Tough Lover":

But wait! There's more! Tess' ex wants to sell off the club (since he has half ownership still). There's a dude that wants to buy it, who is being with one of the dancers, but he wants to destroy it and build something humongous. So what will the floundering dancers and Tess do?

All of these plots lines somehow fit together to make the movie and gives you what it can. Some of the songs are wonderful whereas others are just trying too hard.

Well, I suggest that this movie is to be watched but I warn you that it isn't the best musical out there. It isn't a musical per se, anyways. It just happens to be a movie with a lot of music in it. *shrugs* I don't know what else I can say.

If more songs could have been like the opening song "Something's Got a Hold On Me" (seen below), I would have rated this movie much higher.

Anyways, that's my movie review. Thank you for reading! More reviews to come eventually.

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

Contact me?

Twitter @gracie_delunac

Email graciemaedelunac@yahoo.com

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

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Movie Review: "Hail Satan?" 04/17/19

This is a movie review for the documentary movie "Hail Satan?", released April 17, 2019. I watched this via Hulu on June 30, 2020.

Genre: Documentary

Run Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Plot

What is the Satanic Temple? What do they believe? This is a documentary about the Satanic Temple, how they view the world, and their quest to get a monument put up in Little Rock, Arkansas next to a monument to the Ten Commandments.

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

3/5 - Honestly, I watched this to get perspective on something I had never looked into before. No offense meant but I think the Satanic Temple, as viewed through this documentary, is a joke. "Satanists are the original trolls" and are looking to give people a different view on the world (not just one theology, for example). They are a "non-violent" and "anti-authority" religion - Embrace your freedom to express or feel anything, and to make the world better.

I like the idea of viewing other religions and standing up for what you believe in but, at the same time, this almost feels like the Satanic Temple is mocking religion and still call themselves a religion. I really don't think that "In God We Trust" or "One Nation Under God" needs to be taken out of the context of American history but that maybe non-Christian religions should be able to say what is put up in public areas (like the Ten Commandments in public). How butt-hurt would everyone get if all evidence of Christianity is taken out of the public areas? On the other hand, how butt-hurt are non-Christians feeling about their religion not getting noticed in public areas? Should we have an area to put up a thing for all religions (Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Satanists, Odinists, Wiccans, etc.)? Then what about atheists and agnostics?

Religion is a difficult subject. Just bringing the subject up can get people on pins and needles. Should we, therefore, wash religious memorabilia/symbols/monuments completely out of the public areas (especially on governmental property)? I won't tell you what to think but maybe you should think about it.

On that note, you can watch this documentary if you wish. It might give you an insight into someone else's perspective.

That's my review. Sorry I can't talk about it more but it (religion) is a hard topic to talk about.

Thanks for reading! More reviews to come eventually so keep an eye out!

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

Contact me?

Twitter @gracie_delunac

Email graciemaedelunac@yahoo.com

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

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Movie Review: "Crime + Punishment" 08/24/18

This is a movie review for "Crime + Punishment", released August 24, 2018. I watched this via Hulu on June 30, 2020.

*MIGHT NOT be suitable for sensitive people*

Genre: Documentary

Run Time: 1 hour and 52 minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Plot

In 2010, the New York Police Department (NYPD) officially got rid of their quotas for collars (arrests) and summonses per month but still silently push officers to fill these illegal quotas, for income purposes. Twelve cops stood out publicly about this to stop it from continuing. This documentary is about the illegal quotas and those that stood up against it publicly.

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

4/5 - This is a very interesting documentary. Having watched this right after the George Floyd incident and Black Lives Matter exploding across the world, I was wanting to see what the police officer side of police corruption could be. I still think that there are good cops (and bad cops obviously) but that doesn't mean that all police should be defunded.

Anyways... According to this movie, a lot of NYPD officers have been pressured to fill these illegal quotas for collars (arrests) and tickets/summonses or else they would be sent to harder work. Being a whistle-blower against the illegal quotas made the officers vulnerable to being retaliated against by their superiors. Some methods of retaliation include no patrol car duty, made to stand in one spot and be unable to do anything but stand there (even if a citizen came up asking for help), change the officers' partners, change shifts scheduled regardless of child care situations, write up the officer for petty things, keep them under watch, etc.

The death of Eric Gardner was probably due to the quotas, said one cop. Like George Floyd in 2020, Eric Gardner was a black man that was put into a chokehold. (Situation is slightly different as Floyd was overdosing on drugs and could not get the help that he needed thanks to Covid-19 procedures.) Anyways, Gardner's arrest was probably due to the quotas (to get those numbers up) and the chokehold ["I can't breathe." then passing out and dying due to suffocation] brought him to his demise. If he hadn't been black (I know that sounds bad!), it would be a possibility that he wouldn't have died or that they would have used other methods. But since he was not white, that could have been a reason why the officers acted as they did.

I am not 100% convinced that the quotas were the reason why Gardner died but since Floyd died in 2020, things have been not so good for police officers. I still back the good ones but I agree that there needs to be reform somehow. A change needs to happen but might be much more than superior officers - the quotas could be initiated/perpetuated by the police commissioner or mayor or federal.

One big question brought up by the documentary is "how do we help communities support/trust cops when so many act illegally and rudely (resorting to violence and arrests for everything)?".

The hardest hit people of the quotas are the poor and minority, hence blacks and other non-white people, putting them in prison for things they didn't commit (losing days of their life) and causing ridiculous $ charges that pads the pocket of the city budget.

One cop said "these new cops don't know how to talk with people anymore and how to de-escalate issues". We don't necessarily need to downgrade to social workers in place of police but there should be a way to learn how to de-escalate issues. The biggest problem is the fact that there are so many police officers out there that love to power trip. Of course, many of those that apply to be a police officer are going there for the power, not for the "service to the community". Is there a way to modify the task force so that we can ween out the bad officers and keep the good ones? Is there a way to police the police? This seems like a constant struggle, even today in 2021. Like I said earlier, I still back the police (in general) because of the good officers but am wary of the potentially bad officers, especially since I am a female and especially after reading about the death of Sarah Everard in the UK [where she submitted to an arrest and ended up being molested and killed by the officer].

IMHO, if quotas are actively shut down as illegal (and maybe people police the police some or another group, not in the police's pocket, police the police) then maybe we can get back to police doing their job of protecting the community and looking out for the best of the community, not their promotions and perks and city bonuses. Can we get to that point, though? That's the biggest question. Can we step back from a grab for money and get to community protection (and not just for one skin color or gender or religion)? After over a year past George Floyd's death, there is still mistrust within the police system (especially in Minneapolis). The autonomous zone that popped up around the area where the whole George Floyd incident happened has since been taken down [supposedly June 2021]. BLM has dimmed down but I still hear remnants every so often, even outside of Minnesota. Sad to say, I do have a feeling that issues with police officers will forever continue to be a thing. I would love to say that we can all go to a utopia state of living but the reality of the matter is the fact that there are differences between people which cause tensions (even if you are not trying to have issues with others) and there is a fondness for money [especially to keep your city/county/state running]. I would look forward to a sense of peace across the board between community members and the police officers but we'll have to see.

Sorry for this being so darn heavy but that's something that comes with the territory when talking about BLM and police officers.

Anyways, that's my review. Thank you for reading. There will be more reviews to eventually come so keep an eye out!

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

Contact me?

Twitter @gracie_delunac

Email graciemaedelunac@yahoo.com

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

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Movie Review: "Killing Them Safely" 11/27/15

This is a movie review for the documentary "Killing Them Safely", released November 27, 2015. I watched this via Hulu on June 19, 2020.

Genre: Documentary

Run Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Official MPAA Rating (According to IMDB.com):

G / General Audiences

PG / Parental Guidance Suggested

PG-13 / Parents Strongly Cautioned

R / Restricted

X

Not Rated

Trailer

Plot

This is a documentary about tasers and the good and bad regarding them. Are they really as safe as they claim to be? Is there a better way for police to deal with the public without using a gun or a taser?

Rating Criteria

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around. – characters, music, theme, story line, etc.

4/5 - This documentary was a very good look into Tasers. The Taser company really did not seem to want to admit their faults about covering up data or misinforming the public and police about the risks of cardiac fibrillation / metabolic acidosis, etc. When confronted, Taser tried to say that every case of Taser incidences that resulted in death was not due to the Taser but would have been caused by something else, though exposure to high voltages for a long period of time could disrupt the heart from the normal rhythm and therefore cause death (even a doctor told them this after studying pigs and they still denied that it would affect humans this way!). Taser, in my honest opinion, is a corrupt company that thinks they are doing the best, that they are not at fault, and will continue [at least as of the time of the documentary] to be corrupt as they look for their best interest. Yes, I agree that Tasers (used properly by a trained person, especially in the case of police incidences] can be better than fatally shooting a human with a gun but that doesn't mean that they are completely faultless.

Anyways, that's my review! Thanks for reading! More are on their way eventually.

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

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Skype gracelyn2019@yahoo.com

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Show Review: Anime "The Future Diary / Mirai Nikki" 2011

This is a show review for the anime named "The Future Diary" or "Mirai Nikki". This is at least the second time that I have watched this show.

Trailer: 

Genre: Animation, Action, Drama, Survival Game

Plot: 

Yukiteru Amano is a normal and boring high school kid. To get by with life, he writes a diary on his phone about things that he has observed throughout his day. One day, he experiences a life-changing event: his phone can predict the future. He's not the only one; there are a total of twelve future diaries. Each of these twelves future diaries are drafted into a fight-to-the-death contest. Who will win? To what ends will everyone go to survive this fight? Will Amano be one of the last ones to stand?

Review:

3.5/5 - *SPOILERS* This isn't a bad show but it is violent (obviously because it is a fight to the death struggle). The biggest issue that I had with the show this round was how terrible Yuno can be. When I previously watched this show, I think that I had missed some information because it felt a lot more complete/explained. I was surprised about Yuno being the first iteration in the second world but then her attitude made me like the show less. I mean, come on... Kidnapping your "loved one", holding him hostage, not caring about his friends or family, and all because you have a huge crush on him even though he might not care for you as much as you do for him (but are you really caring for him if you're going AWOL against everyone that's in his life?). She's nuts. I know that's a type of character [potentially called "yandere"] but it is hard to truly like Yuno because of it, which is why I knocked it down so much.

Okay, I get that the first iteration Yuno already had to go through the game once before coming back and killing the second iteration so she could play again, and there is a lot of mental stress from playing the game (and twice for her) but it is sad for Yuno to be as nuts as she is. I'm glad that Yuki was able to stay around for her, though at the same time it is hard to see him with a gal that is completely off her rocker.

I also was able to watch the OVA "Redial" which is a epilogue episode for the show and it really makes everything much better. At the end of the canon series, it was just a big black hole of emotion and no sense of closure. The OVA, however, wrapped it up and somehow the third iteration Yuno was able to break through to the second iteration Yuki (who is the winner of the second iteration death match after first iteration Yuno was killed). Between the second iteration Yuki and the third iteration Yuno, there's a hope for the future that the original series never had and a closure that is perfect. This OVA is a necessity to watch for anyone that watches this show.

Anyways, this is a good show. Not everyone would love it but I've warned you! Thanks for reading my review. There are more to come. Keep an eye out!

~ Gracie Mae DeLunac

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