2023 favorites.

What better way to close out one of the most challenging years of my life on a positive note than with some things I enjoyed? I liked many things in 2023, and if I sat and talked about all of them, you would be here all day, and I know you want to do other things, hehe.

(Note. Please keep in mind that many of the things listed in this blog post are 18+.)

TV

Kiff

Kiff is an animated series from Disney about a girl named Kiff and her adventures in her city. So much of the show is about her either making bad decisions or wanting to try new things and learn more about the world. It’s super cute! Just to warn you, if you watch, you may end up disliking her classmates because they are awful!

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

As someone who grew up watching The Twilight Zone, I want to watch more old-school spooky shows. I have seen many Alfred Hitchcock films and paid little attention to his show until June. Hitchcock is a person that I have strong opinions on because I dislike how he treats and views women, so I don’t hold him high on a pedestal like many film bros do. I will say that he’s excellent when creating thrillers, and the episodes of Alfred Hitchcock's Hour are mini stories about flawed individuals making things worse for themselves and trying to get by. Misogyny and racism aside, the episodes have great storytelling that will drop your jaw after they end.

Darker Than Black

I love me a good crime series. Yeah, that’s pretty much all I have to say about this one. There are just certain things I don’t have much commentary on, and that’s me with Darker Than Black. Misaki Kirihara is queen.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

This was one of my most anticipated series of 2023, and it did not disappoint. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a show about a genius girl named Lunella, her pet Dinosaur called Devil, and her social media-savvy best friend, Casey. Lunella dedicates her time to protecting her neighborhood, the Lower East Side in New York, on top of the fact that she’s still learning who she is. We see Lunella’s relationship with her family, her making exceedingly terrible choices when it comes to her hair and working with others, along with taking care of Devil with the help of Casey. My younger self would have loved this series so much.

The Miraculous Office AU

Miraculous Ladybug is a hot mess; this isn’t anything new. Now, this series is basically if Miraculous Ladybug was good! It’s a mockumentary-style series about the people who work for The Gabriel Brand. It also focuses on these characters in their 20s, and I love that cause Western animation desperately needs more series for this age demographic. Also, you can watch it on YouTube for free!

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

So, what if we made a show about people who work on a show? That’s what this is, but what makes it obscure is that these people work on a series for the preschool-age demographic. It shows you that just because these people present themselves as happy to the public doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling. We see them drinking away their worries, crying because they feel like they could be doing more, becoming jaded with their jobs, and just trying to get through the day. It’s also really freaking funny. If you like Abbott Elementary, you might like this.

Downtown

It's just people doing stuff in New York City. But……………..everything feels so relaxed and authentic.

Music

Lollipop by Lil Wayne

I found myself saying, “He’s so sweet, I wanna lick the wrapper,” a lot this summer because this song stayed on repeat. I often remember a song from my childhood and listen to it, and then I can’t stop listening to it. While the song is raunchy and vulgar, it’s well done, from the vocals, instrumental, and use of autotune. I completely understand why this song stayed on the radio all the time in the mid-2000s.

Body Do by Chloe

This year, Chloe Bailey released her first album, In Pieces, and overall it’s solid. When I put it on the song I keep playing repeatedly, it would be Body Do. Body Do is a song about something sad, but you can’t tell because it’s a dance track. This song lightens up my mood because it always gets me dancing.

If I Want To by Usher

The king of toxic R&B! I love Usher’s music so much that any of my friends can tell you I won’t shut up about him. For me, his gems are the songs he never released as singles. If I Want To come from his Y2K era, an era where he is more known for his slow jams. It has a strong guitar in the instrumental that helps his vocals stand out when he hits the high notes. I love this song so much that I made it the theme song for my comic dub.

Jiggy Uhh.. Pt.3 by Soulhead

Soulhead is a Japanese R&B duo from the mid-2000s that a friend introduced me to this year. I heard numerous songs by them, but I specifically picked Jiggy Uhh.. Pt.3 because I just can’t get enough of it. It’s only 55 seconds long, but I play it three times in a row to get the full effect; if you are looking for some R&B music that doesn’t sound like rehashes of other songs, check out Soulhead.

Songs About Jane by Maroon 5

I only like one album by this band, Songs About Jane. Outside of She Will Be Loved (because I always hated that song), I have no notes! This album is sensual and full of rage and mystery. This was another music piece I listened to all the time years ago but recently picked it back up because it reminds me of much of Justice For Nino. Can Maroon 5 start making music like this again?

 

Books

Gangsta by Kohske

Let’s follow around Worick, Alex, Nic, and whatever they have going on in the terrifying city of Ergastulum! For some reason, I found a lot of comfort with this series. The books are disturbing, but I can relate too much to Worick and Alex (especially Alex). I felt less alone with my trauma with these books.

The Grim Reaper’s Lawyer by Mea Monique

I'm not even joking when I say this has become one of my favorite books of all time. A lawyer has become sick of her job and wants to understand life's meaning again. Then she’s murdered. But she can’t rest because as soon as she dies, she becomes the lawyer of a grim reaper. This book gave me a GOOD LAUGH.

Black Nerd Problems by William Evans and Omar Holmon

I will always enjoy reading pieces by people who are passionate about any given thing. If you like my channel, you may love this book because it’s just two nerdy black men talking about the things that interest them, along with how social issues have come into play with being a black person in fandom spaces.

Almost There by Farrah Rochon

Tiana makes a deal with Dr. Faciler, which results in her getting her restaurant and her father being brought back from the dead. Tiana was making some choices! I adored this book because it gave me everything I wanted and more from The Princess and The Frog. It’s as if this book was written for those who grew up with the film.

I made a video about this book, by the way! I honestly did adore it.

Movies

The Little Mermaid

I refused to listen to anyone’s opinion on this movie because I was excited about it. As live-action Disney remakes got dragged on social media, I constantly had people in my ear telling me it was terrible, and I just didn’t care. The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid fixed everything I disliked about the 80s animated film. Halle Bailey was excellent. I cried at the end of the movie.

If you are interested, I made a video about the movie if you want more details! 

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

It is a modern-day retelling of Frankenstein but instead with a black girl growing up in poverty. Everyone gets called out in this movie, and I loved it. It was highly raw and unfiltered. Laya Deleon Hayes is the next scream queen!

I discuss why I connected with this film so much in this post.

Catwoman

I loved this movie as a kid, and I have fallen in love with it all over again because now people are finally catching on that it was not as made as the critics made it out to be. It’s a fun time. I love the music, the outfits, the story. Is it perfect? Not at all. Not every film has to be some groundbreaking masterpiece to be enjoyed. I loved Catwoman for what it is—a campy superhero film.

Glitch: The Rise & Fall of HQ Trivia

The nerd in me is shown right now! I love a good documentary, and it was nice to find out what happened behind the scenes of a game my sister and I used to play all the time. At one point, it was the most talked about app. Next thing we know, nobody cared anymore. Long story short, always be wary of anyone who looks up to Elon Musk!

The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I tried to avoid watching this movie because, during my teen years, I was a super fan of The Hunger Games. I was obsessed, and it was at the same time as my Kickin’ It stan phase. I gave in and watched it and remembered why I loved this series so much growing up despite the emotional distress it put me in. Rachel Zegler is queen. Hunter Schafer is also queen, and it’s genuinely lovely to see that she has made a name for herself outside the mess Sam Levinson puts her in. These women were my favorite parts of the film, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Well, 2023 you will not be missed. Bye! 

 

Thank you all so much for reading. If you are interested in more of my writing, me and Amaya Janelle's new book Um, Do Not Call Me Sis, is now available for purchase! Offered in paperback, ebook, and audiobook. 

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