538. SUMMER CAKE - REMNANTS
It's an okay enough release, though a bit bland
5.8/10

537. SECRET NUMBER - Bitter Sweet
Tired and occasionally laughable production make this release memorable in many bad ways, especially as a send-off for a member
4.9/10

536. Summer Ghost
My new favorite movie of all time, this mesmerizing film is an incredibly brief but wildly emotional ride that features incredibly striking shots and a true beating heart, made with so much love and unabashed passion for art and life
10/10

535. Strawberry Prince The Movie
It's a must-watch for fans, but it's absolutely nothing special, being hilariously cliché-ridden with laughably familiar moments, making for a sadly forgettable film unless you fall into the extremely specific niche for it
5.2/10

534. Silly Silky - silkysmooth 04
It's fine, competently made but forgettable
5.2/10

533. tripleS msnz - Beyond Beauty
The production is fine but a lot of the sings blur together and end up forgettable
Highlight: Fly Up
6.1/10

532. TAEYEON - INVU
It's a pretty great album, and while its first half is forgettable, the second truly stands out as a great run of tracks from the talented vocalist
Highlights: INVU, Timeless, Heart, No Love Again, Ending Credits
7.9/10

531. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
It underutilizes some characters, and loses a bit of focus in its third act, but it thrives on the incredible strength of its central romance, great animation and fantastic music, making for a distinctly devastating watch
8.2/10

530. Strawberry Prince - Strawberry Start
An absolute delight, this has some great tracks from start to finish, ending up as a cohesive, bubbly and fun release
8.1/10

529. Strawberry Prince (self-titled)
Its length is a bit daunting, but ultimately rewarding with an incredible string of songs with high energy and a lot of fun bops
Highlights: Streamer, Prince, Dai Uchū Rendezvous, Strawberry Revolution, Jamujamu Signal
9.8/10

528. Effie - Neon Genesis
It's a very solid work in its own right, and while a lot of the tracks blur together, they're all a cohesive, consistently engaging work setting the stage for more
Highlights: New World
7.7/10

527. Madison Beer - Silence Between Songs
A definite improvement, there is still repetition but also more standout tracks on this competently made album
Highlights: 17, Ryder, I Wonder, Home To Another One
7.4/10

526. Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Baby's first horror movie
3.1/10

525. Effie - pullup to busan 4 morE hypEr summEr it’s gonna bE a fuckin moviE (listened December 27)
It's not as consistently jaw dropping as her previous work, but it's a well-made, ambitiously produced work regardless with an electric energy to it all
7.6/10

524. Yves - Soft Error : X (listened December 27)
The bonus track is a solid vocal showcase even if more tracks would be nice
7.6/10

523. Chainsaw Man (finished December 27)
Filled to the brim with terrific animation, this gleefully violent show has a lot of compelling characters to go along with its captivating action
9.5/10

522. After - After EP 2 (listened December 26)
A terrific follow up, this EP has a great collection of memorable songs that pay homage without feeling like a gimmick, making for authentically nostalgic works
8.5/10

521. Yves - Soft Error (listened December 25)
Not every track is a memorable banger, but it's an ambitious, memorable, fun project
Highlights: Soap, Aibo
7.8/10

520. Pluribus (finished December 24)
A terrific slow burn, this consistently engaging and compellingly deliberate show has a unique premise that it capitalizes on with terrific performances all around
10/10

519. The Bad Guys 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Daniel Pemberton
With a lot of terrific, memorable tracks and a consistent, unique sonic identity, this is a great musical score to go with a great movie
Highlights: Taking Everything, Lucha Lucha, Power Move
9.1/10

518. I Love LA
It ends with a bit of an anticlimax, but it doesn't detract from the sheer potential of this seties with some truly great gags and compellingly modern, complex characters
7.8/10

517: Bright Memory: Infinite
While there's solid bones, a dumb story, crazily short length and bland to bad mission design for the most part hold back a technically competent, mechanically fun ride
6.7/10

516: Splitgate: Arena Reloaded
It builds upon its predecessor well enough, fixing the issues that populated it for the most part while remaining decently fun and entertaining with a lot of content
8.1/10

515. Oh. What. Fun.
Awful, plodding, and a complete, utter waste of a phenomenal cast, there's zero charm in this sloppily edited, ruefully unfunny mistake
2/10

514. LUNEDI - FACE MYSELF
It has pretty good production and a nice chorus, but it feels pretty generic
7/10

513. The Deep - KPOP B!TCH (listened December 20)
Thanks to really strong, cohesive production, this album has some real fun tracks from start to finish, making for a truly lively listen
Highlights: I Hate Silence, Wrong Number, Flaw Flaw, EDM
8.1/10

512. One Battle After Another
Filled to the brim with terrific performances, this is a uniquely modern and consistently engaging ride that has simple but incredibly effective camerawork, deeply memorable characters and a surprising heart to go with its humor
10/10

511. Elden Ring Nightreign
It's burdened by a few frankly awful things like its terrible lack of crossplay, especially as a modern title, yet makes up for it by being an immensely fun spinoff that has a lot of great moments to be had with its bosses and world
8.2/10

510. Madison Beer - Life Support
It's not a perfect album, with the first half being repetitive, but it comes into its own on the back half with solid pop songs
Highlights: Blue, Selfish, Sour Times, Baby, BOYSHIT, Everything Happens For A Reason
7/10

509. ILLIT - NOT CUTE ANYMORE (boycotted)
Both tracks are painfully short, with the title track being the better of the two as an infectiously sweet and catchy song, even if there's not much depth to it
Highlight: NOT CUTE ANYMORE
7.4/10