Studio Ghibli Fest Re-releases Childhood Favorites 

This summer, I spent most of my time inside a movie theater — something I rarely do since I’m not usually inclined to see the latest films. However, my summer break coincided with the peak of Studio Ghibli Fest, a festival running from May to December that re-releases the studio’s most popular and beloved films. I managed to catch the majority of the films that were shown in July and August.

In July, the festival featured “Princess Mononoke,” a story about a girl raised by wolves who must defend her forest home from encroaching humans. This was followed by the beloved “Ponyo,” the tale of a fish girl who falls in love with life on land, which was screened at the beginning of August. Then, screenings of “Whisper of the Heart,” a romantic story about a writer and a violin maker, were shown, followed by its sequel, “The Cat Returns.”

Between August and September, there had been a bit of a lull in the festival’s offerings. However, my favorite Studio Ghibli film of all time, “Howl’s Moving Castle,” began screening on Sept. 26 and will continue to be shown through Oct. 3. Afterward, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” will be featured in mid-October, and the festival will conclude in December with the classic film, “My Neighbor Totoro.”

Despite my usual disinterest in films, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my favorite childhood movies return to theaters this summer. The nostalgic and comforting feelings the festival brought on were just right for transitioning into fall. It was heartwarming to see my favorite characters illuminating the big screen for larger audiences to enjoy again. I’m looking forward to the upcoming showings, and for the opportunity to relive that childhood wonder once again.

– Leea Caddell, Staff Writer 

“Short n’ Sweet” 

Kicking off a new era with “Espresso,” a tongue-and-cheek single about being indifferent to a man who is completely obsessed with her, Sabrina Carpenter cemented herself into the pop scene with her classic, witty, playful, and unserious style. Only Carpenter could make the line “that’s that me espresso” sound flirty. To this day, “Espresso” remains in Billboard Top Ten charts, and it was recently joined by her first number one song on the charts, “Please Please Please,” the video for which was considered to be a hard launch of her boyfriend, actor Barry Keoghan. Long before the album’s release, it was clear that “Short n’ Sweet” was Carpenter’s breakthrough. And after a contentious chart battle with Travis Scott, she proved her dominance by securing her first number one album.

The album begins with the line, “Oh I leave quite an impression / five-feet to be exact,” exuding an unabashed confidence as she naturally steps into a wider public spotlight. You develop an appreciation of her honesty throughout the album; her directness is endearing, even when she sings “I’m so f—— horny” on the bridge of “Juno.” In tracks like “Coincidence” and “Slim Pickins,” she leans into a more country sound, and although these songs are stylistically different, the quintessential style that she coined with her previous albums’ success manages to shine through in both. For me, the album’s highlight is “Sharpest Tool,” a soft-pop song that rejects traditional structure and instead transports listeners to a place of contemplation with its repetitiveness, fluttery synths, and a vocal performance that flips between accusatory and melancholy.

Ultimately, “Short n’ Sweet” showcases Carpenter at her best and cements her as a pop star with one of the most exciting albums of this summer.

– Jonathan Shlesinger, A&E Co-Editor

Waiting at the Shores of Life – NIKI’s “Buzz”

When we reflect on our past, the darkest days often bubble up. Our scars paralyze us and color our future days without risk, nor reward. An ocean awaits us if we just take the leap, singer-songwriter NIKI postulates in her latest album, “Buzz.”  In doing so, she creates a piece all about inevitability — of falling in love, of failing yourself, and of growing up.

NIKI cherishes the possibility of connection, which is immediately seen in the opening title-track, a swooning ballad trapped within the infinitesimal seconds before one’s life changes. “Tsunami” and “Magnets” follow a similar line of thought, where the heart can drown you in the beautiful notion of love, even when your head tells you to be cautious. 

Simultaneously, NIKI refuses to shy away from heartbreak. Whether through the aggressive guitar arrangements of “Colossal Loss,” or how her monotone delivery gives way to beautiful strings in “Blue Moon,” NIKI perfectly captures the notion that sadness comes to all our lives but that bitterness does not corrode our multitudes. 

As the album closes, NIKI’s songs transcend from a process of self-healing to a warm and confident embrace. “Heirloom Pain” asks the listener to understand that the balance of euphoria and misery is how life happens. Similarly, “Nothing Can” sees a life in motion, where our traumas remain but so do our brightest days. 

The slick pop-rock sound of “Buzz” wraps up the album with a ballad about the acceptance of the future. In a generation paralyzed by our own fears, this album is a beautiful testament to a life well-lived, accepting that pain and joy are inevitable. If we do that, the buzz won’t sting anymore. It’ll spark our lives anew. Perhaps, this is how it ought to be. Maybe, this is how it needs to be. 

-Matthew Pham, Senior Staff Writer

“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives”

As many things do these days, Hulu’s new hit reality TV show, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” began on TikTok — this time, with a group of Mormon mothers who called themselves “MomTok.” In an effort to empower each other in their femininity, motherhood, and Mormonism, a few women in their mid-twenties began posting about their lives. These videos, often accompanied by trending dances, eventually garnered a large audience on the app. Everything was going well until one of the leading members, Taylor Frankie Paul, announced not only her divorce but that she had been involved in swinging within the community. Taylor’s confession was a grenade MomTok was not ready for. 

This is where “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” begins. Throughout the series, we are introduced to eight women who are each trying to find their new places in the broken MomTok group and attempt to mend severed relationships. It is clear that living in the largely conservative Mormon community in Utah has deeply impacted the way each woman navigates their relationships, which comes to light in their quick judgments of one another. The women are biting, especially to those they call their best friends. Still, it is clear that they all find comfort in connecting with other young mothers with a mutual understanding of each other’s lives: from shotgun weddings in their teens, to finding loopholes in their religion’s rules, but most of all, having come of age in the LDS community. 

While I cannot say I was part of the original MomTok fandom, as I tuned into the series, I quickly became fascinated with the group. Sometimes it felt like watching silly high school drama unfold, but I couldn’t help but be impressed as the women began to challenge the strict boundaries of Mormonism and question the social structures that have governed their entire lives. 

-Xuan Ly, A&E Co-Editor

“Heavener” (Definitive) by Invent Animate

As the metalcore scene constantly evolves to tie into other genres and makes itself more accessible, Invent Animate has carved out a remarkable sonic niche. I’m sad to say that I only just discovered this band through their 2024 re-release of their 2023 album “Heavener,” with three new songs. To put it shortly, “Heavener” is the most compelling modern metal album I’ve ever listened to. With this release, Invent Animate has honed a tonal balance that has eluded most metalcore bands since the early 2000s. Combined with masterful musicianship and production, they are an unstoppable force actively shaping the genre.

Many of the tracks on “Heavener” deal with grief at different stages, while others are brutal case studies in self-perception and eventual self-acceptance. “Without a Whisper,” by far their most popular song, is a gorgeous, shoegaze-inspired ode to a lost grandparent that calls to mind the tragic tone of Spiritbox’s “Constance.” Both songs evoke an unexpected sense of anguish through abrupt tone shifts in their chord progressions. Throughout the album, I admired the band’s stylistic choice to move away from disjointed singing and screaming sections that too often characterize modern metal and disrupt a track’s emotional narrative. In “False Meridian,” for example, the slower blast beat verses transition effortlessly into a triumphant chorus, keeping in sync with the distress in singer Marcus Vik’s voice. Lastly, for all its nonstop heaviness, I can’t help but smile when I hear Vik gutturally scream, “I am enough! / I am whole! / I am enough!” in the panicked self-reflection that is “Immolation of Night.”

Overall, “Heavener” is a magnificent feat of originality among a sea of metalcore clones. Invent Animate’s emotional vulnerability fueled this definitive instrumental vision that resonates with listeners facing their own storms, “creating a safe space,” as the band calls it. We love Invent Animate, and Invent Animate loves us. 

-Gabbi Basa, Senior Staff Writer

Art by Cindy Zhou for the UCSD Guardian