May 7, 2025
Phineas and Ferb
Summer vacation is sacred to a child. It’s a time for leisure, whimsy, and joy from everyone. Unfortunately, summer ends, and we’re forced to go back to school. But for kids who grew up in the early 2010s, summer could last forever through the small screen.
Phineas and Ferb aired on the Disney Channel from 2008-2012, and it is one of my favorite shows of all time. The show stars two brothers, Phineas (Vincent Martella) and Ferb (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), as they use their imaginations to create the best summer ever. Meanwhile, their pet platypus Perry is a secret agent and foils the plots of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Dan Povenmire). The show is pure chaos from start to finish. From everything from the amazing inventions the boys make to Doof’s petty schemes to take over the Tri-State Area, the show does an amazing job of capturing a sense of wonder and pure euphoria of summer.
The best part of the show is its atmosphere. All of the characters are likeable and have effectious personalities. The dynamic duo of fast-talking Phineas and silent Ferb are nice to watch as their machines come to life. Besides them, we have their older sister Candance (Ashley Tisdale), who tries to bust her brothers every episode while navigating her teenage lifestyle. Some of my favorite moments are when the boys and Candance team up to achieve the same goal, since it shows their love for one another. While that’s all going on, we get the fun side plot of the ongoing rivalry between Perry the Platypus and Doofenshmirtz. Even though Doof tries to take over the Tri-State Area, he doesn’t hold any malice towards Perry. It gives a break from the wacky antics of the boys, while also being entertaining.
Another fantastic part of the show is the songs. Every episode gives us at least one song, and most of the time, they are great. Some of the most iconic moments from the show are from these numbers. My favorites include “S.I.M.P (Squirrels In My Pants),” where two rappers rap about Candance having squirrels in her pants; “Ain’t Got Rhythm,” where Phineas and Ferb convince a former drummer to rejoin his band; and “There’s a Platypus Controlling Me,” where Perry has Doof under control and lays down some sick beats. This isn’t even mentioning the iconic theme song sung by Bowling For Soup. I’m pretty certain that if you start singing the theme song in a 100-mile radius, most Gen Z kids will join you in harmony.
Overall, Phineas and Ferb is a modern classic that will get better with age. It was recently announced that the gang’s getting back together for Season five. So, if you’re interested, you can tune in on June 5th for the new season. And after these finals, I’m totally ready for summer vacation!
Phineas and Ferb is available to stream on Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime
—Julia Hahn
The third in a relatively unknown series, To Be Hero X is the most unique anime I’ve seen in a long time. First off, this is from a Chinese studio! There aren’t many popular Chinese anime, so it’s always a treat to see one. The main aspect of this anime that makes it stand out is how it switches between Arcane-like 3D animation and comic-book-like 2D animation. This style switch is really cool, and it adds a ton of rewatchability. I just can’t get tired of seeing it.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is coming back for another season! In case you haven’t heard of this example of peak fiction, here’s a quick rundown: monsters who lived underground, Dusters, have fought with humans for years. Dusters are fragile beings, but they don’t die when they incur too much damage. Instead, they dematerialize, turning to dust and rematerializing elsewhere. Due to this, humans developed weapons to kill them for good: Relics, held by “Keepers”. Similar to Power Rangers, the Keepers come in the colors red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Each Keeper and their company take a special role in the ongoing war against the monsters. This war is exaggerated by the Keepers for entertainment, as they keep a select group of monsters hostage for their shows. While this has worked until now, one Duster has grown sick of it and wishes to bring down the Keepers from the inside: Fighter D.
Have you ever wanted to watch a simple slice of life Pokémonanime? So have I! One of the questions I keep asking myself is: why does Pokémon need to have some crazy adventure going on all the time? Pokémon Concierge tackles exactly this! Set on a Pokémon Resort, we follow a Concierge’s day-to-day life with Pokémon and their owners. Instead of intense battles, we have simple, everyday interactions with Pokémon and an insight into how life with these creatures looks! On top of all of this, it’s animated in a charming clay-/wool-mation style! This series is a must watch, and season two is just around the corner! Season one was only four episodes, with each episode around 15-20 minutes long. This is what we can expect for season two and while it’s a shame this series has to be so short, it’s still a fast, fun watch!
The fourth installment in the Madoka Magica series, Walpurgisnacht Rising is the sequel to Madoka Magica: Rebellion. Not much is known about this movie yet, but it most definitely revolves around a main antagonist in Madoka Magica: Walpurgisnacht. But first, what is Madoka Magica? Madoka Magica is a magical-girl anime, now taking the form of three (soon to be four!) movies. While many magical-girl anime are happy and upbeat, this one is not. Witches are responsible for things such as suicide and depression, and are a force magical girls must fight. These magical girls, granted powers based on the wishes they make, are not perfect, however. The girls struggle with depression, loneliness, homelessness, orphanism, and more. This series is a must-watch and definitely one of the greatest anime ever made. In addition to its unforgettable story, the art style is unique and has never been attempted since. The art style is rather hard to explain, switching between the usual anime style and a collage-like, almost paper animation. This art is surreal and unique to the animation troupe Gekidan Inu Curry.
“Rockin’ Robin” by Michael Jackson: This was my first ever favorite song. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom singing this song to me to make me feel better when I am upset. It is still a song that I put on when I’m not in a good mood, because it reminds me that if everything was okay back then, everything will be okay now. It is hard to be sad when listening to this song, because it just has such good vibes.
“Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison: This song holds the feeling of hanging out with my dad and all of our escapades from when I was little. We would go on all kinds of adventures, such as traipsing through the woods looking for shed antlers and other goodies, pontooning and discovering new sand bars, or making s’mores at the gigantic fires he would build in our backyard. He would always play this song for me and sing it with me. It just holds so many good memories.
Some songs instantly take you back in time, and for me, “Fireflies” by Owl City and “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga encapsulate my childhood perfectly. I vividly remember listening to “Fireflies” at six years old during a long car ride when my family moved from Indiana to Wisconsin. The dreamy melody surrounded me as I gazed out the window, trying to process what it meant to leave behind everything familiar. This song became the soundtrack to that transition — bittersweet, soothing, and enchantingly magical.
On the other hand, “Poker Face” evokes a completely different energy — loud, entertaining, and wonderfully chaotic. It was always playing on the radio during our trips to swimming lessons, with my sisters and me crammed in the backseat, belting out the lyrics at the top of our lungs. We might not have understood half of what we sang, but that was beside the point. It became our car anthem. Those rides were filled with laughter, off-key singing, and a unique energy that only siblings can create. Both songs carry such vivid memories — they not only remind me of the past; they transport me to the past.
Need a game to raise your heartbeat or possibly make you have nightmares? Phasmophobia is the one for you. Since its release, it’s always been my go-to if I want to dabble into horror. With tons of new updates and upgrades since 2020, the game is constantly evolving to become even better than before.
In terms of video games with horror elements, there are many within the gaming community who would rank Resident Evil 4 as one of the best. Released in 2005 by publisher Capcom, this action-adventure game has horrified and entertained gamers young and old alike for two decades. But what makes Resident Evil 4 such a classic, you ask? Surely the story, graphics, and gameplay are all dated by this point; how could it ever hold up against modern gaming gems? Well, let me tell you: the game may be old, but in many ways, it defined the third-person-shooter genre as we know it today. Featuring an over-the-shoulder camera and aiming system, both of which were new to the Resident Evil franchise at the time, the fourth entry solidifies itself as the perfect blend of survival horror and third-person action. Plenty of similar games exist in modern gaming, including several Resident Evil sequels, but at the time, this was considered a groundbreaking concept.
The Call of Cthulhu is a game based on the tabletop roleplaying game of the same name, which plays similarly to Dungeons and Dragons. This tabletop game, in turn, is also based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft!
Supermassive Games, creators of the legendary choice-driven game Until Dawn, has continued its work with a mixed bag of horror choice-related games in The Dark Pictures Anthology. The Dark Pictures Anthology is a collection of horror story-based games all within the same universe. The collection presents a wide variety of options. Are you looking for a game involving aliens? Play Directive 8020. Want to fight vampires? Try House of Ashes. How about a good Slasher flick? Then perhaps The Devil in Me will be your choice. Whatever it may be, The Dark Pictures Anthology has wide array of horror options where within the game that you do pick; you will be bombarded with the phrase “every choice matters.”
For as long as the NFL Draft has been around, there have always been players who’ve never lived up to the hype put on them by sports analysts and fans alike. Often called “busts.” these athletes end up failing when they get to the league; this could be due to a variety of factors that all come down to how well the player is able to transition from a college football player to a multi-million-dollar professional athlete. This week, we’ll be looking at two of these players and discussing how they were projected to do in the league by sports analysts and scouts, and how they ultimately ruined their careers once in the NFL.