Happy Sunday Funday and welcome to my first weekly update for Wyrd & Wonder! Wyrd & Wonder 2026 which is a month long celebration of all things fantasy co-hosted by Lisa @ Dear Geek Place, imyril @ There’s Always Room For One More, Ariana @ The Book Nook, Annemieke @ A Dance With Books, and Jorie @ Jorie Loves A Story (artwork by Varvara Gorbash). This monthly challenge is always such a fun monthly challenge to participate in and I've made some great progress so far. Keep reading to see what I've gotten up to since this monthly event began:
❋ ❋ ❋ ❋.5
One Piece, Season 2, Episode 1: This was such a fun season premiere with a lot going on. I really love the dynamic of Luffy and his crew. Jeff Ward's Buggy seems like he's having the time of his life working on this series. I should have expected it but Miss All Sunday/ Nico Robin's and Captain Smoker's abilities look so creepy in live action, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of what they can do here. Bartolomeo picked exactly the wrong marks, so maybe he'll learn something and be inspired by his brief experience with Luffy and the Straw Hats. It's been so long since I've seen the anime and I don't remember much detail at all about what's coming except some of the characters we'll be getting to that it might as well be a whole new story from here on out. It'll be fun to be surprised! My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 2: The trip up Reverse Mountain was crazy only for them to get eaten by a whale at the end! I wasn't at all expecting to get that choked up by learning Laboon's story and Luffy singing that song to him either. In this episode, I also liked seeing Sanji and Usopp work together. We haven't seen them much on their own together. I also appreciate that Koby and Helmeppo have continued to become a good team as the show has progressed. Also, Captain Smoker strikes me as someone who could also be an ally to Luffy. I can't remember his storyline at all so I expect I'll be surprised however it works out. Finally, I kept trying to figure out where I'd seen the actress playing Miss Wednesday before it hit me that she was Edwina in Bridgerton! Good for her - I think she'll do a good job with the character. My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 3: My favorite episode of the second season so far. So much happened here! Zoro's bar fight was epic, Sanji's bar flair sequence was impressive, and the reveal was something else. Also, the shifts in the weather at the beginning certainly reminded me of the weather lately in Ohio! Finally, I appreciated Luffy's love of rhubarb pie. It's been way too long since I've had that kind of pie. My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 4: I really loved this episode too. Usopp has never quite been a favorite of mine, but he's been growing on me and I'd say this episode is my favorite for him so far. I especially liked his time with Nami and the giants. Zoro and Sanji are also fun in this one with their hunting trip. It's tough to see Zoro smiling, especially under these circumstances. And on that note, the same goes for Luffy. Finally, David Dastmalchian is one of my favorites so it makes my day that he's in this show! He's clearly having a heck of a time being a part of it! My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 5: I love that Sanji gets to have his own adventure - his fight with Mr. 13 and Miss Friday was very unexpected and hilarious. Like before, this is another top episode for Usopp for me. His quick thinking really helped save the day even if he took a brutal beating for it. The two giants are delightful. I wouldn't mind getting to see them again in the future. It was also tough to see Luffy under the influence of those colors. My favorite aspect of this episode was David Dastmalchian's Mr. 3. It's just cool that he's part of this series. My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 6: I appreciate how much this crew will go to help one another when it comes down to it. Luffy and Sanji scaling the mountain to get Nami to the doctor was nerve-wracking. For a minute I was thinking Luffy's rubber abilities would be affected by the cold, in the worst time possible. Anyway, it's cool to see Tony Tony Chopper - what a cutie! Finally, I like the dynamic between Captain Smoker and Petty Officer Tashigi quite a bit more than expected. My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 7: Tony Tony Chopper deserves the world. Hiriluk really reminded me of Doc Brown from Back to the Future and it totally worked for me. My review is also on Serialized.
Episode 8: Tony Tony Chopper is the best and the MVP of this episode. His team up with Sanji is hilarious and effective. Katey Sagal as Dr. Kureha is an inspired piece of casting. I wasn't expecting to get so choked up by Sanji's story to Nami about his mom. That was rough. When Vivi referred to Zoro as Mr. Bushido, his little smile to hear that meant a lot to me too. Finally, I had no idea who was cast as Mr. 0, so understandably I was very surprised to see Joe Manganiello. Anyway, I can't wait for season 3. I hope we won't have to wait too long to see all of these characters again. My review is also on Serialized.
❋ ❋ ❋
Vampire Hunter D (1985) - That was wild. I loved the soundtrack and the Hammer Dracula inspiration for the style of the characters and the world. One thing I definitely wasn't a fan of was the bright flashing lights that happened a few times in the movie.
My review is also on Letterboxd.
❋ ❋
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) - I don't know why but I thought this was going to be completely different than what it was. Andrew Garfield was easily the best part of this. I miss Heath Ledger.
My review is also on Letterboxd.
❋ ❋ ❋.5
Castlevania, Season 1 - Season 1 of Castlevania is solid and the animation is pretty great. It's good to hear the voice talents of Richard Armitage. Ages ago, I used to play some of the video games and there are a few moments when it reminded me of them. All that said, though, I'm not sure why this wasn't just made as a movie and I haven't quite decided if I'm going to continue on with this series.
❋ ❋.5
The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) - I watched the Miramax cut of this unfinished movie (that was worked on for around 3 decades). Some of the hand drawn animation looks really impressive, but the story itself isn't really there. Honestly, I could have done without almost all of the thief's side plot. The best part of this is easily the voice talents of Vincent Price. He's one of my favorites, so it's delightful to hear him. It's odd to think that he actually recorded his part from in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It's odd to think that Vincent Price and Matthew Broderick were both in the same movie, even if Broderick recorded his part of Tack shortly before it was released in North America in 1995 (previously Tack was a mostly silent character).
My review is also on Letterboxd.
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