Spot Reviews 09/04/26
Sep 04 2026
Arrival (2016) [/] I think this is my third watching Arrival. And even after listening to Ty & That Guy's episode doing a deep dive the movie is still a little confusing. I read a bit more of the Wikipedia entry and I guess if you come in knowing that the "flashbacks" are actually "flashforwards" it should make more sense but it is something I keep forgetting until right at the end of the movie. Anyway, I think when I first watched Arrival it was a [+] but repeated watchings doesn't make it better.
Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table OVA (2026) [-] On Netflix this is a new 90-minute "12th" episode. In game 44 Yuki (Suzie Yeung) and other players are put on a deserted island with an unknown objective though it quickly becomes apparent that one player is a killer committing one murder a night... The art for this one is often done like watercolors which makes it a bit surreal. I was confused about some characters as Yuki has met them before (and they also talk about old characters). As I think about it the series is rather confusing as many things are not told to viewers directly. Reading the Wikipedia episode summaries helps a lot. Anyway, watching this OVA a few months after the series I found it fairly confusing.
Furistas Cat Cafe+ (2024) [/] Just what it says: you run a cat cafe. Aquire cats with different personalities. When customers come in try to assign the appropriate cat to them. Customers might also buy treats and toys. Purchase furniture, cat stuff, and decorative items and place them in your cafe to make a pleasing environment. It's a fairly relaxed game with no apparent challenge.
Whole Foods Fruit Tart [/] 9-inch Tart for $30. I haven't had it for at least a couple of years and maybe because of that it's not quite as delicious as I remember. I loved the vanilla pudding base and the really hard pie crust. The fruit part still seems the same but the bottom a little less good -- the crust is still thick but not as solid as I remember. Still good but no longer the sole reason I'd go to Whole Foods (I also wanted dried split peas but apparently they don't sell that anymore).
Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table OVA (2026) [-] On Netflix this is a new 90-minute "12th" episode. In game 44 Yuki (Suzie Yeung) and other players are put on a deserted island with an unknown objective though it quickly becomes apparent that one player is a killer committing one murder a night... The art for this one is often done like watercolors which makes it a bit surreal. I was confused about some characters as Yuki has met them before (and they also talk about old characters). As I think about it the series is rather confusing as many things are not told to viewers directly. Reading the Wikipedia episode summaries helps a lot. Anyway, watching this OVA a few months after the series I found it fairly confusing.
Furistas Cat Cafe+ (2024) [/] Just what it says: you run a cat cafe. Aquire cats with different personalities. When customers come in try to assign the appropriate cat to them. Customers might also buy treats and toys. Purchase furniture, cat stuff, and decorative items and place them in your cafe to make a pleasing environment. It's a fairly relaxed game with no apparent challenge.
Whole Foods Fruit Tart [/] 9-inch Tart for $30. I haven't had it for at least a couple of years and maybe because of that it's not quite as delicious as I remember. I loved the vanilla pudding base and the really hard pie crust. The fruit part still seems the same but the bottom a little less good -- the crust is still thick but not as solid as I remember. Still good but no longer the sole reason I'd go to Whole Foods (I also wanted dried split peas but apparently they don't sell that anymore).