My Halloween Costume For This Year (And How I Got It Together)

"Oh. That magician wasn't trying to kill me. I guess I should go apologise to his family."

So I had a pretty good Halloween this year. I tend to get into the Halloween spirit a lot - eating Halloween food, listening to spooky songs, etc. The dressing up is also an aspect I like, and this year was no exception.

I posted this photo on the Death Battle forums along with some context for it, but obviously I want to discuss it in further detail. As explained there, this was in response to a quick comment in "Luke Skywalker vs. Harry Potter" involving Boomstick getting the killing curse from Harry Potter confused with "Abracadra", leading to an unfortunate incident with a magician. The photo is a representation of the aftermath. Whatever Boomstick did with the magician is entirely up to you.

The jacket was customised by a good friend of mine back in 2019. I'd wanted a jacket like that for some time but most of the shops didn't have the checkered style that I wanted. Bless my friend however, she decided to help out and managed to find the fabric needed. She also mentioned that she paid careful attention to the sleeves and the way that they were frayed when she cut them. It's a darker red than normal, but said sleeves and checkerboard style work perfectly. I wanted to pay her back with money for her favour, but she kept on saying that it was fine, so I ultimately just bought her a nice gift in return.

The cap is not an actual trucker cap unfortunately - it was a red cap bought at H&M last year and I added white paper to the front with double-sided tape. There was a slit at the top of it in order to make it fold around the hat better, which fortunately cannot be seen in the photo. I was unable to buy the trucker cap from the Rooster Teeth store (what I really wanted) in time for Halloween, but there's always next time.

I originally wanted to buy a fake moustache, but the party shops in my area have shut down and even beforehand, I couldn't find a moustache in the style that I wanted. As a result, I had to resort to brown eyebrow liner. Honestly, I was quite surprised about how different I looked with that thing on. It may not have been as big as I would have wanted it to be, but I feel it still works.

The fake blood was bought cheaply at Wilko in a small plastic tube. I honestly did not expect it to be as thick as it actually was before applying it, so I had to smear some of it on even further. That said, this was one of the most convincing sources of fake blood I've come across. My brother has made fake blood before from food colouring and chocolate sauce - had I been able to use that one again, I probably would have add "blood" to my face. Then again, maybe I was just being a bit hard on myself and didn't need to use as much.

The top hat was part of some old magic kit my brother had as a kid. It was extremely crumpled when I fished it out, but honestly it worked out for the better. I'd also planned to use a prop of a severe head on a spear that was bought cheaply at Poundland several years ago for the magician's head but ultimately this didn't happen. Firstly because the head didn't actually look right and secondly because it was better to just leave his fate to imagination.

I will make a few criticisms of the outfit. I would have honestly preferred to wear a vest than the t-shirt I ultimately ended up wearing. It's the right colour but the sleeves covered up a bit too much and it would have been better to have implemented something similar to Boomstick's tattoo. Similarly, I wore the same blue jeans that he did, but most of the picture is cropped because I didn't have a way of replicating the gun leg (one of my favourite aspects of his appearance). Everything else seems to be fair game.

So overall, a pretty neat (albeit cheap) costume that paid off. Let me just say that dressing up as Boomstick is a good choice for a Halloween costume - it's casual and doesn't require anything too finicky for the basic clothes, but it also has the extra dress-up details such as the moustache that make it apparent that it's designed for dress-up. Therefore, you can wear the outfit for most of the day and when you need to get dressed up for trick-or-treating or Halloween parties (or whatever their equivalents for this year on Zoom are), you just add the extra details and are good to go. ;)

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 6

The Jackbox Party Pack 6 poster.

The most recent of the Jackbox Party Packs (until the seventh one came out that was) and one of the most solid ones out there. There's no drawing game here unfortunately if you're into that genre (unlike in previous party packs), but one of the games does have a round focused on drawing, so that more than makes up for it.

I will also be making some livestream recommendations throughout for some of the games, just to let you know. Alright, let's start!

Trivia Murder Party 2.

I said in my Jackbox Party Pack 3 review that Trivia Murder Party is one of my favourite Jackbox games of all time. However, if I had to narrow it down to which is my number one favourite Jackbox game, its sequel certainly takes the cake. The first game I feel has the best delivery of the questions, but its sequel more than makes up for that with the new features that it brings to the series.

In contrast to the first game, this one is a lot more narrative-driven, with even more backstory provided for our favourite nerdy serial killer. This time, he has moved back into his family's Murder Hotel and is continuing his twisted trivia game there. Some old minigames have returned such as Chalices and the dreaded Loser Wheel, but there are new ones such as Dumb Waiter (which works in a similar way to Choices, Choices), Tattoos (in which you must give [REDACTED] a tattoo whilst he makes dirty noises) and Mirror (which involves handwriting). Somehow, Quiplash itself has become a minigame that you can play with two players, and yes, Schmitty is there to host it! Told you that you can't have a Party Pack without Phil Ridarelli! Poor Schmitty though. Why can't [REDACTED] let him out of the hotel for once?

My favourite aspect of all though is the Gifts minigame, which has replaced the finger-cutting minigame. Oh sure, you still have to chop a finger or two off if you receive the Knife gift, but the other gifts have different purposes. The best one is clearly the Father's Hat though - turns out [REDACTED] has some severe daddy issues and so he will fuck you over big time if you get this gift. And if you escape with any of the gifts...well, I can't spoil what happens, but just take into account that the game won't be over at that point (so don't try and quit the game when the credits start!).

Otherwise, the game has the same wickedly dark humour of the original, the same delightfully crazy host and the same awesomely catchy music. Definitely the best game of this pack by far.

Role Models.

A new and unusual premise for a Jackbox game. Lead on by your easygoing if somewhat sarcastic scientist host (voiced by Leila Gorstein) and her assistant, consisting of two eyes and floating hands, you will make your way through certain prompts and match other players up with the "role" that suits them best.

These rounds are very fun and wacky, almost like something from the Buzzfeed quizzes. Examples include types of people at a college party, types of ghosts and Disney Princesses, but also types of drinks and characters from Pretty Little Liars. Different roles will pop up and you vote for which player matches said role. Sometimes there will be a tie, in which case the players will have to complete tasks to fight for the roles.

There's still competition to get the most points from correct guesses and passing the set tasks, but overall it's very relaxed compared to other games and most certainly unique. The only downside is that as it requires knowing about the other players, you won't be able to play it with random people from the audience if you play this game during a livestream. That said, it's nice to play something suitable for a close-knit group once in a while.

For streamers, this will probably be the best game to play at the end of your Jackbox-themed livestream. It's very relaxing and whilst you will still be competing for points, you're not trying to get any questions correct or come up with something impressive (unless you end up with one of the rounds in which you compete for a particular role).

Dictionarium.

This one is all about words...and also their meaning. In this game, players are given made up words that they must create a new definition for, before then coming up with a new synonym for it and an example of how it can be used in a sentence. Each round, the players vote for their favourite options, as happens a lot in Jackbox james. Being someone who studied English Language in Sixth Form, this game already grabbed my interest from the start.

It's not just the gameplay that I enjoy though. The host (voiced by Olivia Nielsen) is extremely chipper and has a unique accent, thus making her a complete joy to have around. This game also has one of the best designs of any Jackbox game, with angels and devils popping up frequently. The main designer for this game was Tim Sniffen, so big shout out to him.

This is probably the best Jackbox Party Pack 6 to start your Jackbox livestream with due to the way it tests your creativity. Plus, it's just really lighthearted and fun given the subject matter. Certainly worth checking out.

Push The Button.

This game has a similar premise to Fakin' It in that players much find the faker(s), but then takes it in a new direction. This time, aliens have invaded a spaceship and the players must guess which other player(s) are said aliens in disguise.

Your A.I. leader D.O.D.E. (voiced by Surena Marie) will give you certain tasks to complete, with a captain assigning certain people to complete tasks such as drawing or answering questions. In the same vein as Fakin' It, the aliens get different prompts. One of the things that helps for livestreams this time is that due to the lack of the physical actions such as pointing and making faces that Fakin' It had, it's easy to play without face-cams and whilst it's best to play with people you know, you can still play with your audience members.

Another difference between this game and Fakin' It is that the aliens stay the same for the whole game. The assigned captain has the choice to "push the button", which means they can select the players they think are the aliens. Once everyone not chosen says yes to the choices, the chosen players are ejected. If the choices are correct, the humans win. However, even if one choice is won, the remaining aliens eject the humans and win instead. There's also a timer for the whole game and the aliens will win if time runs out. Overall, it increases the stakes for each side and makes for an interesting departure from Fakin' It, as well as a fun game in its own right.

I will say one thing though - more times than not, the aliens will win. I had seen playthroughs where the humans have won, but the aliens gaining the ability to hack and also being able to "push the button" in order to vote out who they want gives them a pretty gross advantage. That said, it does not ruin any enjoyment for the game - if anything, it's fun to watch the reactions of those playing the humans when they find out that they've been betrayed. X)

Joke Boat.

A very unusual premise from Jackbox with an interesting aesthetic theme, the premise of this game is to tell the funniest jokes whilst on a shoddy cruise liner. You'll be given a joke template that you must complete (such as the famous "How many ____ does it take to change a lightbulb?" joke) and then tell the others. At first glance, this seems a bit limiting. You just get a certain amount of templates. Luckily though, humans are a creative sort of creature so this doesn't become a problem at all. If anything, it's fun to see all of the different variations of the same joke template.

The naval aspect is one of the biggest draws. Captain Chuck (voiced by Kevin Sciretta) is not only an eccentric sort of naval officer, but he also is a terrible navigator. I mean, he keeps on crashing and sinking his ship against the same rubber duck in the final round! Additionally, he only offers a lifejacket to the winner, so everything else sinks with the ship. Utterly incompetent, but at the same time very memorable and entertaining. He also has a naval diary that pops up whenever you're finishing off tasks, so you can always get laughs out of it whilst waiting for others to finish off their jokes. I also like the idea of ventriloquist puppets being the player icons - normally ventriloquist puppets come off as creepy, but somehow the game makes them downright adorable.

A word of advice though - the tutorial plays an important role in this game as you'll be asked to come up with as many topics as possible. If you're able to do so, it makes the game even more enjoyable but if you're unable to do so, you can be very limited on what you can joke about. In a sense, this is another game that makes for a good first game on a Jackbox livestream if you want to flex your creative muscles.

Everybody Help Grandma.

This is what the menu screen would have looked like if the game had been released. Just look at all those pretty doilies! :D

Okay, this was actually an April Fool's Day joke that Jackbox did, but I still want to discuss it. Allegedly, the premise was that everyone would have to, well, help Grandma out with several chores. As the game has never been released (so far), we'll never know if the gameplay was that good or not, but the mock trailer for it is priceless. Ryan DiGiorgi does such a good job at making it sound as convincing as possible and actually made me want to see this become a real thing in the future.

Fun fact about the grandma in the menu screen - that was a character taken from the Jackbox Games Office Game Jam game Assisted Leaving, in which two old people must work together to get out of the assisted living building they are stuck in. The Jackbox Games Office Game Jam consisted of projects that Jackbox worked on that were not intended to be released to the public, but were instead ways for the staff members to try out jobs that they hadn't practiced before as well as ways to experiment with different game types. They've livestreamed some of the games on their channel if you want to check them out (here's the one for Super Crash Botherers and here's the one for Assisted Leaving and Walking Sim).


So yeah, that's all of Jackbox Party Pack 6 to discuss. In general, it's definitely one of the best out there. As I said earlier, TMP 2 is definitely the main highlight, but the other games are also very good with their own little quirks. Livestream wise, I would recommend starting yours off with both Dictionarium and Joke Boat (you can choose the order), before moving on to Push The Button and Trivia Murder Party 2 and then finally cooling down with Role Models, though you may have different ideas on what makes for the best livestream structure.

Overall, it's easy to see why the Jackbox Party Packs are so popular. They're extremely fun and varied, with different games appealing to different people. Let's hope that Jackbox Party Pack 7 keeps up the tradition! :D

Summer Loving? Yeah Right...

So I went on a long hiatus for a while before finally posting my review of the Jackbox Party Pack 5. Part of this can be blamed on the fact I had to finish a major dissertation for my Masters coursework (two picture books on serious and complex themes such as bullying and bereavement, plus a 7000 word reflective essay). But I have to be honest with myself, the summer holidays themselves played a huge role in it too, despite it supposedly being a time when you can relax (unless dissertations are involved, of course).

One of the earliest posts I made was why the winter season enhanced my mental health issues, with a small reference to the summer. Well, the summer season makes the winter season downright tame in comparison. At least I can cope with the cold temperatures that winter offers, as well as the fact that it comes off as rather peaceful at times when you're not stressing out about other things.

I could have posted this during the summer itself, but again, my mind was not in the right place at the time. Either way, here are a couple of points I'd like to make about the summer season itself.

Woeful Weather.

The weather is definitely the worst part. Most of the time, it's essentially hot weather that can turn into weeks of heatwaves. This also makes sleeping at night an absolute liability - I've had to toss off several layers just to cool down and it still wasn't enough at times. Oh well, at least 2020 was somewhat better than 2018 in that regard - that year, the heatwaves continued into early September.

Some people say that it's better in the summer than the winter because you simply turn on the air conditioning to sort it out. Well...I don't have that. To put it into perspective, the house I live in is a small one and my mum complains that air conditioning will just fan the heat all around the house. I don't share their sentiment, but that's the way our house has always been since then. Opening the windows sometimes makes it better, but then there's the risk of the outside being muggy and causing the rooms to get humid too.

And when it's not like that, you get the lightning storms outside. Thankfully, our house has not had a lightning-induced power cut in years, and there weren't as many this year, but there's still the fear that it may happen. This is despite the fact that I should be at least thankful for the fact that we're actually getting rain for once after the heatwaves.

Noisy Neighbours.

Two houses away from mine are a family with at least three kids. During the summer, they play outside more frequently, and it gets LOUD. This is another reason why I don't always keep the windows open. I could put on headphones to avoid having to hear them, but sometimes the audio on my laptop sounds less than stellar through them and my mental issues mean that I can be rather particular about what I want. Additionally, the kids sometimes get way too rowdy and it ends up with one of them crying as a result - mainly the youngest child.

Now I know some people will accuse me of being selfish for making this complaint, that these kids have a right to play outside. They do - but they don't have to be outright obnoxious about it with the screaming that makes me think that one of them got hurt. Besides, the neighbours who are part of the same semi-detached house as my family have children who play outside too and in a more responsible manner. They can get noisy at times too, but no screaming from them fortunately.

Anyway, that's my venting done. Thank goodness it's autumn now - the weather's a lot cooler and the neighbours will not be causing as much as a racket now. If anything, the fact that a pandemic was going on this year and limiting what people could go only served to remind me of the problems I just discussed. Somehow, it doesn't feel the same during the other seasons.

Recipe On How To Write Every Day

So yesterday was National Poetry Day, and I thought that I would upload another one of my poems. This is a recipe-themed poem and given the feedback I received for it, I feel that this may have been the one my tutor liked the best.

Recipe on How to Write Every Day:

The recipe of writing every day is simple.

All you need is:

One cup of visualisation.

Ten teaspoons of wordplay.

Twelve tablespoons of freewriting.

Something to write with. A pen or pencil or keyboard will do.

What you need to do?

Mix well and put on to heat for ten minutes. Once cooked, scrape any remaining writer's block off and serve instantly.

I feel like I won't need to explain this as much as my first poem, given that it isn't fanfic poetry this time. Anyway, I pretty proud with how this one turned out, especially since this was a format that I wasn't used to originally.

My Review Of The Jackbox Party Pack 5

The Jackbox Party Pack 5 poster.

The fifth and final game has been revealed for the Jackbox Party Pack 7 - Blather 'Round, a game that involves guessing a chosen topic via given clues during a set amount of time. And given that I was on a hiatus at the time, all five games have now been demonstrated on the Jackbox YouTube channel. But that doesn't mean that this will be the final Party Pack review I'll be posting!

The Jackbox Party Pack 5 sees the return of the You Don't Know Jack franchise along with some brand new games. Some of them make some particularly bold choices when it comes to gameplay.

You Don't Know Jack: Full Stream.

The Full Stream title screen.

Jack is back! This time, the megalomaniac streaming service Binjpipe has bought up the rights to the in-universe YDKJ show and Cookie is being forced to comply to their demands. Not only do we get the old rounds, but as a result, we get new rounds such as "Binjpipe Recommends" (which consists of Binjpipe recommending particular works based on a users interests) and "Data Mining" (which consists of looking at "search" data and trying to find out who it belongs to). Now whilst a premise like this could risk coming off as "trying to stay relevant", it actually gets handled pretty well. The voice of Binjpipe is a creepy yet seductive woman voiced by Alyssa Davis, who previously hosted Civic Doodle, and she aces it as someone who is controlling the increasingly frustrated Cookie and will just not leave him alone.

The game can now allow up to eight players and includes an audience bonus, in which they can cause the players to gain less bonus money if another audience members answer correctly to the same questions. The final Jack Attack round works different to past Jack Attacks in that multiple answers will pop up on the screen to select from rather than just one - it's odd, but still rather interesting. Also, the gibberish question is back! You won't lose money (well, you will, but it's treated as a general wrong answer) or be kicked out for typing in "fuck you" this time though - Cookie will just get annoyed and make you watch a silly video or read an exasperated essay on your device.

Whilst it's a shame that some characters like the Old Man do not make a return during the actual gameplay itself, you can still hear them during the credits in the famed commercials (those are always a treat). Overall, a satisfying entry in the YDKJ franchise that takes bold risks and yet stays faithful to the most beloved aspects of other installments.

Patently Stupid.

Yet another fun drawing game from Jackbox Games. This time, you are given the task for inventing something that can solve the problem given to you on your device, complete with a name, an image of what the invention looks like and a catchy slogan. You must then present your invention and try and get funded with enough money, with the winning player being the one who gains the most money. The first round has individual problems being solved, whilst the second round involves everyone responding to the same prompt.

Your seminar is hosted by Toby and Lena, who are totally trustworthy people who definitely don't have any ulterior motives with regard to your inventions. Jackbox regular Phil Ridarelli voices Toby whilst Alex Frenkel voices Lena, and they do an excellent job voicing this friendly-sounding duo who still have some tricks up their sleeves.

It's especially ideal to play this game with a group of friends in the same room - it will make it much easier to present all the information you need on your invention. That said, the Present For Me prompt that you can use on livestreams can get downright priceless at times - Toby and Lena will do most of the talking for you, even if your invention is downright ridiculous or vulgar. Oh, and Gene is also back for this game, so he's always bound to come up with something amusing.

Split The Room.

This game has a very Twilight Zone-esque feel to it, which suits the premise of it well. Your host, who happens to a humanised greyscale cat (as well as a very clever reference to Schrodinger's cat) will take you on a journey through alternate dimensions. What this means is that you will be be given a prompt to fill in the blank for, which requires a yes or no answer from the other players. The aim is to present a prompt that will cause an equal split between the votes - the more balanced the votes are, the more points you earn. The final round involves a situation where one choice has been presented, but you must come up with the alternative choice.

Plenty of these scenarios are downright insane and it becomes hilarious when you see what people filled in the blanks with. The host obviously has a mysterious vibe to himself, but as he is voiced by the irreverent Tim Sniffen (who you may remember from Bidiots), he has some very witty and sarcastic comments to offer to lighten the mood too. In a way, the juxtaposition of seriousness and humour works well to this game's advantage, along with the premise itself, making it a good one to try out if you're playing this party pack for the first time.

Mad Verse City.

This is a very quirky and fun game to play and it has a very interesting premise. This is one of the few Jackbox games to be hosted by real life people (in this case, rapper Shadow Master MC and DJ Raych) rather than fictional characters, which not only provides an interesting take on the hosting business, but also allows these two to provide their hosting chops as well as musical talents. As expected from a game about rapping, it also has some great music, especially the end credits song, along with a really nifty art style that reminds me of street graffiti.

The players are given two phrases that they must fill in the blank for, and then write sentences that rhyme with their answers. These become the rap verses that players use to throw down against each other, and players vote for who performed the best rap. Honestly, I feel this works perfectly - I have read poems before where all the writer had to do was fill in the blanks (true story), which just seemed uncreative and stale. But with this game, the writing format allows you more creative freedom whilst also giving you helpful prompts. Obviously the flows of the rapping can be rather slow compared to real-life rapping due to the artificial voices provided, but then again, the characters are robots so it makes sense.

The robot theme also works well - they are all themed after pieces of retro technology such as radios and floppy disks, which adds a nice touch. Oh, and Gene is back for this game too, now in full robot mode. In fact, it may have been this game that made him somewhat memetic with the Jackbox fans. Definitely a game worth checking out.

Zeeple Dome.

A very different game to the other four in this pack, but still a charming and underrated gem. This is a game that relies on the players working together as a team, since all of you have been captured by aliens and are being forced to take part in a gameshow...hopefully winning your freedom in the process.

The gameplay is very fast-paced - players must fling themselves across the screen to defeat monsters and gain points. There's no time to really stop and think, which poses quite a good challenge. Non-gameplay wise, the characters look downright adorable and the music is just as fast-paced as the gameplay itself. Add a hammy announcer (voiced by Edward Moses) and it does indeed feel like a gameshow...albeit a rather deadly one that your characters never wanted to be part of in the first place.

I still don't understand why the Let's Players I watch have not played this game yet. It's cute and entertaining and above all, very different to the other Jackbox games in general, let alone the ones in this party pack. Overall, this is a game best played with close friends and family, given that stronger teamwork skills will increase your chances of winning.


Overall, we've got some classic gameplay and some entirely new ideas too. Just what we've always wanted from a party pack. ;)

Once Party Pack 7 gets released, I will post my review of Party Pack 6. Obviously I'm still trying to balance this blog with Masters coursework, which is now finished, fortunately, and my creative works (and the hot summer weather did not help either). Hopefully though, the sixth review will be finished earlier than this one now that the coursework is out of the way.

Recorded By Arizal Prelude Review

A promotional image for the series.

I posted my review for Death Race! here a short while ago - spoiler alert: it's definitely a series worth watching. Now I choose to post a review for a new Rooster Teeth series that isn't part of the Death Battle! franchise but I chose to watch at the same time and also lasts about four episodes. I found out about this series earlier on in the year via a video that Rooster Teeth released and already this was something that was grabbing my attention.

What has been shown of Recorded By Arizal so far is actually a "prelude" - it serves as an introduction to an upcoming series and allows for some worldbuilding and character development. For those who are not familiar with this series or with the Rooster Teeth website, the creator Yssa Badiola has released some additional vlogs about behind-the-scenes work that I recommend you check out here (the last episode is particularly emotional to watch). There's also an interview with her here that discusses her reasoning for certain inclusions in the show.

The protagonist is Arizal, a bright yet somewhat socially-awkward student who wants to become a record keeper. Her vlog is her way of discussing her hopes and dreams for her job, as well as a way of carrying out tasks set out for people vying for the same career path that she is. Let me also point out that Arizal is a downright cinnamon roll. She loves her books and is very friendly when presenting her vlogs, though she is prone to being a klutz and getting easily nervous about certain problems at times. Christine Marie Cabanos (who you'll probably know best as Madoka Kaname from the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise or the titular Squid Girl) does such a great job voicing her too. She makes her sound cute without using a grating high-pitched voice, instead giving her a soft-spoken voice that is still prone to enthusiastic tones. Overall, she's definitely one of my new favourite characters from Rooster Teeth.

The vlog format is very interesting. Death Battle! has the format of characters hosting something as well, but its more of an informational series about pop culture characters as well as one that features amazing fight scenes. This doesn't happen in Recorded By Arizal - the prelude lacks any fight scenes for starters, in contrast to many other Rooster Teeth shows. Most of the episodes take place in Arizal's bedroom, with the exception being the fourth episode. Not only does this mean that the story has to follow vlog conventions such as a lack of a musical score, but it also means that the only parts of the story that we receive are presented in the current moment, meaning that flashbacks cannot make an appearance it. Honestly, the show manages to present this format well and it helps it to stand out from its other shows as a result. I also see this prelude as a refreshing break from some of the other story-heavy vlog series online, which tend to get really dark. This series does have its serious moments, but never to the point in which it becomes super disturbing. In short, it's more about Arizal doing some soul-searching and deciding on whether she actually wants to pursue her dream job or not.

Another thing I liked was the interaction between Arizal and the other characters. First there's her aunt, known as Tita Cherry. Besides the fact that "tita" is a Filipino term for "aunt" and one of the many cases in which Filipino words are effectively used in the series, Funimation veteran Monica Rial does a good job making her sound like a strict carer figure in the first episode. Even better is her performance at the end of the fourth episode, in which she sounds genuinely anxious and concerned as she messages Arizal with some rather distressing news. Arizal also mentions her "tito" (i.e. uncle), and my only real disappointment is that he didn't make any appearance himself. Hopefully, he might make one in the main series.

Arizal has two friends that she interacts with as well. Her first friend Rizella does not have a voice actor, but her messages towards Arizal perfectly paint her as a caring big sis type of character who anyone would be lucky to have. I was instantly concerned when she became the focus of Tita Cherry's message in the fourth episode (we are never given any specifics on what actually happened) and I seriously hope in the main series itself that whatever happened to her isn't as bad as it seems. I was not fond of Arizal's other friend Lia (voiced by Christine Stuckart) at first, finding her to be rather rude and pushy towards Arizal at times and demanding that she join in with more social events rather than just focus on her project. That said though, she did manage to help her out of her funk at the end of Episode 3, so I guess she can't be too bad of a friend.

Arguably the most significant side character is Dante, a veteran record keeper that Arizal interviews in Episode 2. He's a very relaxed and friendly young man who has had many adventures, though Arizal is left disturbed by some of the job pitfalls that he brings up. He doesn't want to discourage her at all, but what he says has two outcomes - it foreshadows the pros and cons of being a record keeper that Arizal may have to face later on and it affects the rest of the prelude and how Arizal learns to evaluate her life choices.

There are plenty of interestingly references in the series. First of all there are the references to the Filipino language (e.g. the aforementioned term "tita"). Rooster Teeth has been trying to incorporate more diversity into their shows (Gen:Lock was one of their main attempts at doing so), and seeing this occur in this series is already satisfying, especially since Badiola is Filipino-American herself. Additionally, I have not really come across many work with leading Filipino characters (I may need to research more of them), so it was nice that this series has one. Additionally, there are subtle archaeological, biblical and historical references, which contrast nicely with the somewhat futuristic setting of the series.

So my overall opinion on the prelude? It's just gorgeous. Arizal is a relatable and likeable protagonist and even the side characters are memorable. The vlog format works really well for the series and introduces a new formula to Rooster Teeth Animation, and the references to the Filipino language and culture work really well too. The animation is good and the character designs and background designs look great. I am so hoping that this prelude helps to lead into the main series that Rooster Teeth has planned - they showed a snippet of it in their 2020 hype video here and it has already got me excited about the adventures that Arizal will embark on next. In short, definitely check out this prelude - it's both really thought-out and will certainly prepare you for what comes afterwards.

Death Race Review

The official series logo.

Being a massive Death Battle! fangirl, I tend to get a buzz of excitement whenever something new gets announced for the franchise. This was certainly one of them. The Death Battle! creators had always talked about the concept of a death race between vehicles for some time, but now this was going to be a real thing. Plus they said it was going to be a completely different thing too, which got me interested as to how the whole premise would be handled.

So I thought - why not show my interest for the franchise by not only watching this new series, but also writing a review on it? Obviously I would be going in blind without knowing what to expect, so not only would I be super hyped-up but I would be able to react properly to the biggest moments in the series.

This review will be divided into three stages - a section on the hosts and key crew members involved, mini-reviews of each episode and finally my concluding thoughts on the series. Hopefully that will make it easier to sum up some of the key points I took interest in.

Well, that's the end of the introduction! It's time for the Death Race! review!

So Who's Starring?

I will mention the racers themselves in the episode reviews, but I would like to start by discussing both the hosts for this series and some of the crew members involved behind the scenes.

Technically the main host is Ringmaster, who is most known for being the second host of the DBX spin-off series. He introduces the theme of each episode and gives a quick rundown of each vehicle and their background. He also gives information on the series sponsor and after each race is over, he closes out the episode. He's a delight - he always has plenty of energy and charisma to spare and his character design stands out too. I also like his sinister tendencies at times, especially in the second episode.

That said, I was kind of nervous about the idea of Wiz and Boomstick not hosting this series at first. I mean, they hosted the original Death Battle! for crying out loud! But don't worry! Wiz and Boomstick serve as the commentators for each race, and in fact they tend to have more screen-time as a result. As the action takes place, they discuss what the racers are doing and even replay highlights such as the deaths. Boomstick brings the jokes as always (as well as the traps for the racers to avoid), Wiz has to deal with said jokes and they work perfectly well as a comedy duo as always.

I am absolutely delighted by this team-up between the Death Battle! hosts and the DBX host. Given that Boomstick was the original DBX host before Ringmaster's conception, it's interesting to see them finally have some interaction with each other (not counting Boomstick's brief appearance in "Batman vs. Iron-Man") and compare and contrast the two of them as a result. I'd had a theory for a while that Ringmaster could potentially be Wiz and Boomstick's boss one way or another, and this seems to support that wild guess.

With regard to the voice cast, Kamran Nikhad and Nicholas Andrew Louie (voice actors for Mario and Sonic respectively in the "Mario vs. Sonic" rematch) voice the contestants that have speaking lines. They even reprise their roles as Mario and Sonic in the final episode. Not only do they do a good job with this, but these are voice actors who I always feel could do with more attention. That's the great thing about the Death Battle! franchise as a whole - it can introduce you to voice actors that you never knew about beforehand whilst also bringing in ones that you know well and love.

Finally, the majority of the main Death Battle! crew are working on this, but there are two people working on this series I'd like to mention. The first is DevilArtemis, the animator of the Cell vs. series who animates the races for this show - and he does an amazing job with it. The second is Nervous Nick, a former longtime crew member who is serving as one of the editors here. So glad that he's back for this show. X)

My Thoughts On Each Episode

Now for the actual episodes themselves. I will make sure to not give away spoilers on the victor during these reviews for those who have yet to watch the series, though there are some plot points I need to discuss. I will also give a quick summary beforehand of the competing vehicles.

The Batmobile episode.

Competing Vehicles:

1. The Batmobile from the Tim Burton films.
2. The Tumbler from the Dark Knight trilogy.
3. The Batmobile from the Arkham games.
4. The Batmobile from the Adam West TV series.

A brilliant way to start off the series - the batmobile is an iconic part of pop culture so it would make sense if there was an episode focused on it. I can also get an idea as to how the first two vehicles to get eliminated would have done so - one of them had already been destroyed in "Joker vs. Sweet Tooth" in the main Death Battle! series, for instance. I also liked the scene with the civilians and Boomstick's naivete over whether the Batmans would kill them or not (he thought they wouldn't). The ending is a little confusing as to how the winner was chosen, but hey, Ringmaster had the same opinion as I did too so that was quite amusing.

Plus, I liked the part with Boomstick and his Batman-themed cap. Just saying. XD

The living vehicles episode.

Competing Vehicles:

1. Optimus Prime from Transformers.
2. The flying car from Harry Potter.
3. Thomas the Tank Engine?!
4. Lightning McQueen from Cars.

Originally I was pretty wary before this episode came out due to the lineup, but I ultimately ended up enjoying this even more than the previous episode - in fact, I would say it's the best one of the series. Ultimately the winner was the one that you'd expect to win in the first place, though one of the vehicles made it further in the race than I thought it would. Sure, the episode ends on quite the downer, but I did see it coming considering the values the winning vehicle lives by. Still, poor Boomstick. :(

The battle cars episode.

Competing Vehicles:

1. The Knight Rider from Knight Rider.
2. The 007 Aston Martin from James Bond.
3. The Spy Hunter from Spyhunter.
4. Master Chief's Warthog from Halo.

I didn't have much knowledge of these vehicles and what they were capable of going in, which was good because I got a fresh view of them as a result and didn't have any real ideas on who was going to win. I was confused by the choice of victor at first considering that they vanished from the course for some time, but re-watching it ultimately helped me to make sense of how it could have happened.

I love the running gag throughout the episode of KITT (the A.I. from Knight Rider) communicating with the hosts. An equally fun gag throughout the episode was the amount of traps that Boomstick set for the contestants, culminating in him destroying the race track itself when the last one fails. There is a somewhat disturbing plot twist at the end with regard to the first gag, but there is still some humour to be found in it.

The pizza episode.

This episode is somewhat different, as the focus is mostly on the racers themselves rather than their vehicles. I also refer to this as the pizza episode due to the premise involved - this time, the racers aren't just trying to make it to the finish, but they are also trying to deliver a pizza in mint-condition.

Competing Racers And Their Vehicles:

1. Captain Falcon and his Blue Falcon from F-Zero.
2. Mario and his go-kart from Mario Kart.
3. Sonic and his Speed Star from Sonic The Hedgehog.
4. Doc Brown and his DeLorean from Back To The Future.
5. Takumi Fujiwara and his father's 1983 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex AE86 from Initial D.
6. A scout trooper (apparently, his name is Bob) and his 74-Z speeder bike from Star Wars.

I personally liked this set up for the episode - it definitely added something new. There is a pinball-themed trap in the episode which I found entertaining, plus an amusing moment where Mario flips off Captain Falcon. The winner of the race is the one you'd least expect to win of course, but considering that all the other combatants were out for each other's blood and this vehicle was simply focused on the delivery, it makes sense in a way - it's similar to a theory I had about the second episode before watching it and realising it had a different outcome entirely.

My Overall Thoughts

In general, I really enjoyed this series. All of the races have the same high-octane action the franchise is well-known for and DevilArtemis does a brilliant job with the animation. The interaction between the hosts is also hilarious and the gags and jokes are spot-on. One of the biggest highlights overall, is the fact that Wiz and Boomstick make comments as the races occur, which is something I've wanted beforehand.

My only real criticism would be that I was hoping for something similar to Death Battle! with the vehicles themselves being researched, since the format of this series is so different from the others - it probably explains why the second episode is my favourite. That said, DBX always does its own thing too (especially before the results in that series were decided by audience votes), and I guess this is going in the same direction.

If there is a second series of this next year (I use the term "series" here in the same way an American would use the term "season"), I'll definitely be happy to watch it. In particular, I'd like more episodes with a particular theme such as the pizza episode just to spice things up a bit, as well as episodes focusing on a particular franchise such as Batman. Overall, definitely give this one a try, especially if you like death-themed car races and the DBX format. ;)