Why I Love the Pokemon Sun & Moon Anime

So...I'm now 18 years old.

I definitely feel like I’ve changed over the years. I’m not the same person I was even two weeks ago. I grow and change every day. But with that said, I still don’t quite feel like an adult yet. I feel like I still have so much maturing to do before I can officially call myself an adult. I only vaguely know what I want to do with my life, I could live off of macaroni and cheese (boxed, homemade, I don’t discriminate) for a good period of time, and I still sleep with a nightlight. I think it says a lot about my lack of maturity that for my post to celebrate turning eighteen, I chose to write about a cartoon.

I can already hear a chorus of die-hard anime fans: “ANIME IS NOT A CARTOON!” And to be fair, I don’t feel like wading into that discourse. I know jack about anime in general. I wouldn’t be opposed to getting more into it, but for the time being, I just don’t know much about it. But what I do know a ton about is Pokémon.

Pretty much everybody has heard of Pokémon and its ever-popular mascot, Pikachu. For a time, my  Pokémon knowledge was limited to that vague understanding of what it was, but at the tail end of 2018, I decided to get into Pokémon Go, basically became obsessed, and took in pretty much every Pokémon-related thing I could. I watched lists and fact videos on YouTube and looked up facts about all the creatures on the ever-helpful Bulbapedia (basically Wikipedia but about Pokémon). I just fell in love with the variety of monster characters in the series and how there seemed to be at least one Pokémon to appeal to everyone. I really just scoured the Internet for anything and everything to do with this series. And part of that was realizing that Netflix has select seasons of the anime available to watch.

Pokémon is the biggest media franchise in the world, with video games, a trading card game, a very long-running TV series, films (both anime and live-action, with Detective Pikachu and its proposed sequel), manga, and so much more. The core idea of the franchise is that Pokémon are fictional creatures, almost all with fantastical powers, which are classified by "type" depending on their powers (for example, those with fire powers are fire-types.) Pokémon are caught by humans and can battle or just be their friends. The Pokémon evolve, or grow into more powerful forms, and as they evolve, their relationships with their partners will blossom too. When my brothers were younger, they liked Pokémon because of the “cool fight stuff,” but that’s not why I love it so much. I love how ultimately, it’s about friendship. I love the creativity that goes into developing the Pokémon world. Even as somebody who isn’t into action/violence kinds of things, I love the mechanics of Pokémon battles, where it’s as much about strategy as it is strength. With over 1,000 episodes to its name, I’ve barely made a dent in the Pokémon anime, but from what I’ve seen, all of these things I love so much are amplified in the show.

The anime is an adaptation of the games, and although there are spinoffs, the main series focuses on a ten-year-old boy named Ash Ketchum and his quest to be a master Pokémon trainer. With each pair of games (because the games always get released in pairs) comes a new anime series, and when I was first getting into Pokémon, the current anime series was Sun & Moon. Because this was the current series (and because I had become obsessed with Rowlet, one of the Pokémon from the Sun & Moon games), I decided it was a good place to start. So I started watching Pokémon Sun & Moon, and I fell in love. In this post, I’m going to gush over the Sun & Moon anime. I’m not going to claim my opinions are facts and that it’s the best show ever created, but I just want to talk about how much I love this show from the bottom of my heart. And while it may be silly of me to talk about what’s essentially a kids show on my eighteenth birthday, I think of it as me indulging and raving about a show that means a lot to me because it’s a special day. I could talk for hours about every detail of every episode that makes me happy, but I’m going to try to limit it to five main points. Of course, as I always do when talking about things I’m passionate about, I’ll get wordy, but bear with me and my self-indulgence!

1. The cast of characters is diverse and just about all of them are enjoyable. 

The six kids and their Pokémon

Like the other Pokémon anime series, Sun & Moon follows Ash Ketchum, a young boy who never seems to age, on his adventures to become a Pokémon Master. Unlike past Pokémon series where Ash and two or three friends travel around whatever region they’re debuting that generation, Ash has a consistent home base, called the Pokémon School. He also has a larger group of friends, with five friends who go to the Pokémon School with him. These friends are Lana, who specializes in water-type Pokémon and is calm with a sarcastic side, Mallow, who specializes in grass-type Pokemon and wants to be a chef, Sophocles, who specializes in electric-type Pokémon and is very interested in technology, Kiawe, a fire-type specialist who is extremely passionate about literally everything, and Lillie, who is actually afraid of Pokémon for a good chunk of the series (more on her later). Kiawe is probably my favorite of them because of how ridiculously over-the-top he gets, but I love them all. They’re all interested in different things and have different goals in life, but they come together because of their love of Pokémon, and I just love how supportive they all are of each other. They also have some really fun Pokémon partners, including Lana’s adorable, hardworking, seal-like Popplio, Sophocles’s hyperactive electric hedgehog, Togedemaru, Kiawe’s Turtonator (a giant fire turtle with a surprisingly gentle demeanor) and Marowak (a flame-twirling character who loves to cause trouble), and Lillie’s sweet Alolan Vulpix, an Arctic fox-like Pokémon she calls Snowy.

In addition to the six main characters all being pretty enjoyable, we also have some great side characters. Professor Kukui is the professor at the Pokémon School, and Ash also lives with him. It’s common knowledge among Pokémon anime fans that Ash’s father is nowhere to be seen, so Professor Kukui does a great job of filling that void, being the father Ash never had. Kukui also has a side gig as a wrestler called the Masked Royal, and it’s always entertaining because it’s very obvious that he’s the one behind the mask, but nobody ever seems to realize it. Later in the series, Kukui gets a wife named Professor Burnet, who is like a second mom to Ash and is really kind and charismatic. I like how she is a die-hard fan of the Masked Royal, yet she can't put two and two together and realize why her husband is never there whenever they go to see the Masked Royal. Another fun character is Lusamine, who is Lillie’s mom and the head of the Aether Foundation, an organization Ash and his friends do some work for throughout the series. I love how Lusamine can be incredibly serious, but can’t help but dote on her children, much to her unimpressed daughter’s chagrin. Lillie also has a brother named Gladion, who is very serious and a good rival for Ash. Their rivalry is done quite well, where both characters are compelled to train harder as a result of it. Finally, the iconic failures of villains, Team Rocket, also appear in this series. Jessie, James, and Meowth are hilariously incompetent as ever in this series, and they have some fun Pokémon along for the ride. Specifically, Jessie catches a Mimikyu, a horrifying spirit who wears a shoddy Pikachu disguise due to it craving the attention Pikachu gets. This Mimikyu also vehemently hates Pikachu, so it’s a great choice for Team Rocket, who have tried and failed to steal Ash’s Pikachu for decades.

2. From his wolf-like Lycanroc to his fire cat, Litten, Ash’s Pokémon also have some great personalities, but my personal favorite is easily his Rowlet, the adorable owl-like Pokémon who is probably my single favorite thing about existing. I limited myself to 300 words on why Rowlet is my favorite, because lord knows I could write a ten-page essay on this bird and how special it is to me.

A nice, cuddly bird friend to sit on your shoulder. I have a plushie Rowlet and I love him every day. 

At the beginning of each Pokémon game, you have the option to pick one of three starter Pokémon , which will serve as your first friend on your journey. To promote these characters, the anime always gives Ash at least one starter Pokémon per series, and the first one Ash got in Sun & Moon was the grass-type Rowlet. Rowlet was already easily my favorite of the three starters before watching the show due to its adorable, round appearance and leafy bow tie. However, watching the show made me fall in love with the little owl even more. Ash’s Rowlet is not one of his most powerful Pokémon from a battling perspective, but the critter has so much character. It’s a running gag that Rowlet likes to fall asleep in Ash’s backpack at the most inopportune times, which makes me laugh every time. In the Ultra Legends season, Ash picks up a metallic blob Pokémon with a nut head, known as Meltan. Rowlet’s relationship with Meltan is almost like a cute father-son deal, as Rowlet protects Meltan and helps it find its head. I also love how Rowlet is mostly lazy, but shows a strong work ethic to train and do its best. One of Ash’s friends, Hau, has the Pokémon Dartrix, which later evolves into Decidueye. These two Pokémon are the evolutions of Rowlet, so Rowlet works hard to defeat its evolutionary family. Also, in the Alola League, Rowlet faces Hau’s Decidueye in a leaf cloak similar to the one Decidueye wears, which is adorable. With its naive and relaxed nature yet great bouts of power, Ash’s Rowlet is precious. Rowlet is my personal favorite Pokemon of all time, and its role in the anime just adds to that.

3. The world of Alola is just wonderful.

The four islands of Alola

When I was younger I thought the setting was an important thing in determining the quality of a work of fiction. I specifically tried arguing that I liked Divergent better than The Hunger Games because I found its setting more interesting...yeah. I don’t have time to break down every way why that argument is terrible and wrong, but the point is that just because your teacher tells you setting is one of the five elements of literature doesn’t mean it’s necessarily important in determining whether a work of fiction is good or not. But in this case, I’d argue that the setting is a big part (though far from the only reason) why I enjoy this show so much. The Pokémon Sun and Moon games and anime are set in the tropical Alola region. This region is based off of Hawaii, so naturally, it’s as gorgeous as its real-world counterpart. The beaches and ocean are beautiful, and the towns remind me of when I went to Orange Beach, Alabama last year; so laid-back. Alola also has a very diverse ecosystem with forests, a volcano, canyons, and even snowy mountains, which you wouldn’t expect from such a tropical place. But more than just being beautiful, the world of Alola is wonderfully developed. Episodes of the anime show its traditions and customs and the daily lives of its citizens. More than that, they really stress the connection between people and Pokémon. The people of Alola really value life and nature and the beauty of those things. If I were to go to any fictional location, I would absolutely, without a doubt in my mind, choose to go to Alola.

4. The art style, although different from past series, does a great job of lending itself to the comedic tone of the show.

One of the big criticisms people have for the Sun & Moon anime is that they changed the art style. I get why, seeing as the previous Pokémon anime series, X&Y, had a darker, more serious feel, and Sun & Moon...does not. That’s the other big criticism: it’s too comedic. It might be because this was the first Pokémon series I really watched in depth (so I am inherently biased), but I don’t see why this is a problem. And yeah, the art style is different, but I don’t see why that’s a problem, either. Yes, it’s more silly-looking and playful, but it still looks nice (for the most part) and it fits the comedic tone of the show. Besides, the animation in the battle scenes looks so fluid. I also get a laugh out of the garish, sometimes horrifyingly detailed faces they give the characters. I just think it’s amusing. It’s like the artists purposely challenge themselves to see how grotesque they can make the facial expressions.

In one of the episodes, the Pokémon School plays baseball, and you get so many ridiculous faces it's not even funny. That episode is one of the most absurd Pokémon-related things I've ever seen, and I love it.  

There are a ton of these super-garish faces throughout the show and they're kind of terrifying but make me laugh.

I’m pretty sure the games get developed way before the show, so the game developers decided first that the Sun & Moon games would be set in a tropical island region. And because of the tropical vacation location, the people in charge of the anime decided to give it a light-hearted tone. It would be downright ridiculous if Ash went to this tropical island and was all serious the entire time. It makes perfect sense that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I like that it doesn’t. The show has a bunch of running gags that I find amusing, such as Team Rocket getting carried off at the most inopportune times by a Bewear who defies physics, Principal Oak making absolutely terrible Pokémon puns that don’t make any sense whatsoever, and Rowlet constantly falling asleep. It’s a show you can watch when you need some cheering up...except when it’s not, which brings us to reason #5 of why I love this show.

5. Despite its largely comedic tone, the series still manages to have genuinely serious, heart-tugging moments. This is where we get spoiler-y.

Exhibit A: Episode 21, titled One Journey Ends, Another Begins…. In this episode, the stray cat Litten deals with the loss of its mentor, an elderly dog Pokémon called Stoutland. This episode deals with grief so well. Not only is the actual death really sad (it’s a dog dying, of course it’s sad), but the aftermath and how Litten grieves is even more heartbreaking. Despite Litten being, you know, a cat, the show does a fantastic and relatable job of showing how it grieves, as Litten is seen refusing to eat due to how primal its sadness is. Plus I really like how...normal Stoutland’s death is. It doesn’t die in a dramatic, heroic way, it just gets old and can’t take life anymore. In most forms of media, characters die in horrible, dramatic, over-the-top ways, but there is nothing dramatic here. Despite the fact that this show is ultimately about creatures with supernatural powers, I think this episode deals with losing a loved one and grieving in such a real, powerful way.

In this scene, Litten sees its friend at the doctor's, desperately trying to stay alive. Its cries are so pathetic and it's heartbreaking. 

Exhibit B: Episode 79, titled Showering the World with Love! In this episode, Professor Kukui’s class goes to see showers of Minior, a meteor-like Pokémon. The Minior fall to earth and the characters make friends with them. However, they learn that it only lasts for a day, because then the Minior have to return to outer space- disintegrating on their way up. It shows that even though it can be sad to say goodbye, it’s important to recognize the good times and memories we have with people. Also this episode deserves a damn medal for animation alone. The colorful Minior shower scenes are so beautiful.

In this episode, one of Ash's Pokémon, Poipole, befriends a Minior and goes through the five stages of grief in a very short amount of time upon saying goodbye. It's more poignant than it has any right to be. 

Exhibit C: Episode 108, titled Memories in the Mist! The premise of this episode basically guaranteed there were gonna be waterworks, but still. Basically, each of the four islands of Alola has a guardian spirit, and the guardian of Poni Island, Tapu Fini, has the ability to conjure a mist that allows the living to be reunited with their loved ones who have passed. While Ash and his friends are on Poni Island, they come across the mist and from there, you get nothing but me crying. Ash’s Litten, who has now evolved, is reunited with its mentor, Stoutland, and it shows its undeniably proud friend how it has become even stronger in an incredibly heartwarming yet sad moment. But the saddest moment is Mallow’s story and role in this episode.

Throughout the series, Mallow’s dad is shown every so often, but her mom is absent and never really brought up, so you’d wonder where she is and what happened to her. Well, in this episode, Mallow breaks down in tears when explaining to Lana that her mom died due to an illness when she was young. She confesses that her mom always apologized to her for her illness, and Mallow was sick of it so her final words to her mother were “I hate you!” This happened only five and a half minutes into the episode but I was already crying, and things did not get better. Due to the note Mallow and her mom parted on, Mallow did not want to see her mom in the mist, but Lana told her that it would be worth it. Then she actually sees her mom in the mist and it was just absolutely beautiful and more mature than you’d ever expect from the typically lighthearted world of Pokémon. She breaks down and tells her mom that she’s sorry for what she said, but her mom is forgiving and tells her how proud she is of her. I don’t normally cry that much when watching things, listening to music, reading books, etc. but I absolutely cried when watching Memories in the Mist. It’s just a fantastic episode in all aspects.

Even without the context that this is a girl reuniting with her deceased mother, this is a gorgeous frame solely from an aesthetic standpoint. 

Exhibit D: The fact that a main character’s arc is literally about PTSD. They don’t say “PTSD” outright because this is a show for kids and it will go over their heads but Lillie can’t touch Pokémon because of a traumatic event. That’s pretty much PTSD, from what I know. Parents can watch Sun & Moon with their kids and use it to explain the concept of PTSD, as well as death and grief, saying goodbye, working hard, and a whole bunch of other important things to teach kids. Lillie’s arc also shows that getting over your fears in life is difficult, but so rewarding. Lillie is easily the most developed of Ash’s friends and they did her arc so well. She’s one of my absolute favorites on the show.

And when Lillie overcomes her fear, it's one of the most joyful things I've ever seen. She is so happy to be free and it's beautiful.

I’m not gonna say Pokémon Sun & Moon is a perfect show. One thing I notice is that they seem to spend more time eating and talking about how every food in Alola is “so good!” and “delish!” than anything else. I guess it makes sense because Mallow’s entire character is based off of her desires to be a chef, but it seems like once every episode they have a food scene and Ash remarks that everything is “yum, so good!” And this is probably a petty complaint, but I wouldn’t have done it so often, instead using the screen time to show more battles or showing the kids’ Pokémon without their trainers. And on that note, one other thing I really like about this show is that it shows how the Pokémon act when they’re not with their trainers. I adore this one scene where Meltan loses his nut head and his new friend Rowlet tries to help him find it- and makes some truly incredible faces.

This is actually the face of an earlier Pokémon, called Xatu. Do you ever have such a breakdown that you turn into another person- literally? That's what's happening here.

The attitude. It's impeccable.

This one is my personal favorite, and what we in the current slang business like to call a "big mood." If I ever make a Twitter, this will probably be my profile picture. 

I think it says a lot about this show that even when I’m trying to criticize it, I end up talking about aspects of it that I love so much. And again, I won’t say this is a perfect show, nor will I say it’s a must-watch for everyone. This is a kids show, after all. All I want to do is make the case that it deserves more than people give it. If you have any interest in Pokémon at all and want to get into it, or are trying to get back into the series, I personally feel like Sun & Moon is a great place to start. If you’re interested at all in what I’ve been talking about, you should check it out on Netflix or DisneyXD. You just might like what you see.

This was a fun post for me to write, because posts where I get really passionate about things are always the most fun to write. Next week will probably be another Kpop Crash Course, maybe another MOVIE TALK otherwise. See you next week, and happy birthday to me.

Stellar

Current Favorite Songs for February 2020

I was gonna do my Kpop Crash Course thing today, but I decided instead that I wanted to talk about music that I already knew...and just so happened to really like. We're only two months in, but I actually think this year has been pretty great for music so far. I've tried to do a better job of keeping up with music by watching YouTube compilations dealing with the "top songs of the week" or whatnot and then adding the stuff that sounded good to my Spotify. And I have actually found a lot of stuff that I really like, including these songs! I used to do a bunch of these "current favorite songs"-type posts in, like, 2018. I just want to say that I'm not claiming these are "songs you need to listen to" or anything, because everybody has different music tastes. This is more just a place for me to talk about songs I personally love at this moment in time. Two years or so from now, I can look back and reminisce at what my favorite songs were in February 2020. Maybe I'll still be bopping to them, maybe I'll think they're all terrible, who really knows? But at this point in time, these are my jams, in no particular order.

1. "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd
Even as somebody who's liked pretty much every song by The Weeknd I've heard, "Blinding Lights" stands out. This is definitely the song of his that appeals most to my personal tastes. I'm always going to be a fan of this kind of synth-pop, almost 80s sound. This song kind of reminds me of "False Alarm" from The Weeknd's previous album, Starboy, due to how hard-hitting it is, but as much as I liked that song, I think this one is even better. Every time I hear it, I just want to dance, and dance really, really badly. 

2. "Adore You" by Harry Styles
I really find it interesting how, upon releasing solo material, all of the One Direction boys have gone in completely different directions (pun not intended) with their music, but Harry's solo music has been without a doubt my favorite. I've only heard a few songs from him, but every single one of them has been a 10/10, and "Adore You" is the best one yet. Most of Harry's other stuff I've heard has been more classic rock-inspired, but this song is almost disco-ish? This song is just super blissful and the chorus just makes me want to scream along, "I'D WALK THROUGH FIRE FOR YOU! JUST LET ME ADORE YOU!" 

3. "Physical" by Dua Lipa
Man, with these first three songs, it's clear that I really like songs that sound like they're from the 80s. I've been on the Dua Lipa hype train since she first debuted, but even with that in mind, "Physical" blew me away. This is probably my Song of the Year so far, although we're only in February. If we keep getting high-quality songs like we have in these past two months, then who knows what will become my Song of the Year? Anyways, "Physical" is one of those songs where the lyrics don't really matter because it's all about the beat. It's like a modern disco song, with pulsing bass and some string flourishes that make my heart flutter. I love how she cheekily says "Who needs to go to sleep when I got you next to me?" and then that effervescent, soaring chorus comes in. Dua has described her upcoming sophomore record, Future Nostalgia, as "disco-orientated", "nostalgic", and "feeling like a dancercise class", and if it sounds like this and the also-great lead single "Don't Start Now", then I'll just have to give it a listen. 

4. "everything i wanted" by Billie Eilish

I had said before that "when the party's over" was my favorite Billie Eilish song, but then I heard "everything i wanted" and, well, "when the party's over" is still a gorgeous song, but "everything i wanted" surpassed everything I had heard from her. This song is about Billie having a dream about killing herself and all of her friends turn their backs on her, but then she sees her brother and knows he won't let her do that. This song is so special because it shows how close Billie is to her brother, Finneas, but it's universal in its message. Just the thought of the line, "As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you" makes me want to cry. It's such a simple but beautiful sentiment.

5. "Simmer" by Hayley Williams
I remember specifically saying that I needed to listen to more Paramore in 2018. It's been two years and...I have not done that, sadly. Despite that fact, I still instantly gravitated towards "Simmer", the debut solo single from their frontwoman, Hayley Williams. I've always really loved her voice, and while this song isn't a huge vocal showcase, it doesn't need to be. This song is quiet, pent-up rage. I specifically love the way she says "from a f*cker like that man" with so much sheer disgust. I'm excited for what Hayley does next in her solo career, and I hope that sooner rather than later, I'll stop slacking and get into Paramore. 

6. "You should be sad" by Halsey
I like Halsey a lot, even though she can't really sing and can be kind of pretentious. I just like how bold and unafraid she is and how she publicly supports issues like LGBTQ+ and women's rights and mental health awareness. I haven't heard her new album Manic yet, but I really like what I've heard, including the current single, "You should be sad." At first when I saw the title, I thought it was going to be a really weepy, emotional song, but it's actually a song where she belittles her ex for treating her like crap. The lyrics in this song are pretty brutal, with my favorite being "I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you, 'cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you." I also like how this song has a country style to it. I don't really like country music, but I unexpectedly really like a lot of the country-inspired pop and hip-hop songs to come out recently. Weird. 

7. "The Box" by Roddy Ricch
This has been the #1 song in the country for seven weeks, and I'm not gonna say it's the best song ever written, but I really like it! It got popular on the app TikTok due to an ad-lib where Roddy Ricch makes a sound like a squeaky faucet. I don't use TikTok (I'll probably get an account soon, because there are a lot of almost Vine-like comedy videos that I'd love), but I've noticed that a lot of songs nowadays get popular off of it, and those songs are usually pretty fun. I like the squeaky sound and I like all the different flows Roddy Ricch uses in this song, especially when he says "Imma get lazy." I also like when he says he's "a 2020 president candidate." Genius says that's a reference to his watch, but I can't help but think this rapper that I know nothing about would still make a better candidate than half the people running. Stellar gets political!

8. "Rodeo" by Lil Nas X ft. Nas

I'm not even sure if I love this song or if I just love Lil Nas X. This man is a national treasure and he must be protected at all costs. He was this kid who literally came from nothing but one day, he decided to make a rap song about being a cowboy and proceeded to rule the world. He got everyone talking with his song, asking "Is it rap?" or "Is it country?", and in the middle of all the discussion and popularity of "Old Town Road", he came out as gay. Just think about it: a gay, 20-year-old rapper made a country rap song with Miley Cyrus's dad and it became the biggest song of all time. I can't help but find that pretty awesome. Despite the fact that his song is pretty much legendary, Lil Nas is still down-to-earth and hilarious on Twitter, promising his fans that "when old town road goes diamond i’m sending all my followers a copy of phineas & ferb season 3 on blu ray" and detailing his travel adventures: "in paris and everybody here has 2 legs just like in america." Although I don't like "Rodeo" as much as "Old Town Road" or "Panini", I must do my duty and stream it because I want Lil Nas to succeed because he's funny. 

9. "Good as Hell" by Lizzo
It's odd how despite Lizzo releasing an album last year, all of her most popular songs are from years earlier but are just now gaining steam. "Truth Hurts" came out in 2017 but didn't get big until last summer, and "Good as Hell" was released even earlier, almost four years ago. It started to pick up traction around last fall and eventually peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I love this song because it's a girl power anthem, but it's not cliche. When I listen to it, it's like Lizzo is personally right next to me, giving me a pep talk and telling me that I'm awesome. Actually, I don't know if "girl power" is the right term, because I feel like the contagious positive energy this song has is universal. 

10. "ROXANNE" by Arizona Zervas

This song got popular off of TikTok, like "The Box". I actually didn't hear it until not too long ago, but I first knew about it because a kid in my class was always singing it. This is just about the epitome of the "Yeah, it's stupid, but it's catchy!" song. This song is really dumb but it has quite possibly the catchiest chorus I've ever heard. Just reading the word "Roxanne" makes me start singing "Roxanne, Roxanne, all she wanna do is party all night" and it ends up stuck in my head for all of eternity. It's a pretty dumb song, but it's such an earworm that it grew on me. 

11. "Circles" by Post Malone

It felt like in 2018, every time I would do one of these "current favorite songs" posts, I always had a new Post Malone song that I was obsessed with. Honestly, I think I've outgrown a lot of those songs, like "Rockstar", "Psycho", "Better Now", they're fine but not my favorites at this point. I still like Post Malone a fair bit, and I actually feel comfortable in admitting that because he's made a bunch of really good stuff lately. It's like, less hip-hop/trap/rap/whatever you want to call it and more pop rock. This song isn't rap at all, it's more of a chill acoustic kind of song, but it's not boring. The chorus is so good.
12. "Lovely" by Billie Eilish and Khalid
This song came out in 2018, actually, but I'm only getting into it recently. I'm not huge on ballads normally, but this song really stands out to me for its cinematic, moody tone. I really like both Billie and Khalid, and I love the contrast between their voices on this song. I actually think Billie does the lower harmonies for a lot of this song, which is surprising because normally, you'd expect the guy to do the lower parts and the girl to do the higher parts. This song was also featured in 13 Reasons Why, a show I liked until I realized how irresponsibly it handles the issues of depression and suicide. But even though I don't like the show at all, I have to commend 13 Reasons Why for having a fantastic soundtrack. Speaking of that...

13. "Teeth" by 5 Seconds of Summer
I didn't watch season 3 of 13 Reasons Why, so I don't know what sort of context this song has in the show or even really how it's supposed to fit at all. Funny thing is, when I was an edgy middle-schooler, I hated 5 Seconds of Summer because I thought they were a boy band trying to be punk, even though I myself had no knowledge about actual punk rock. (And I still don't, but I'm not gonna act like I do.) However, as I've gotten older, I've started to really love a lot of their newer stuff. I'm not sure how to describe their new style. I guess it's sort of synth-bass-industrial-seriously-I-don't-know-what-you'd-call-it, but whatever it is, I'm a fan. This song is so dark and ominous but I really like it. I like the call and response where it's like, "Fight so dirty but your love's so SWEET! Talk so pretty but your heart's got TEETH!" It brings me joy. 

14. "Better" by Khalid
So, when I talked about Twice and their Feel Special EP, I said one of the reasons why I liked that particular EP so much was because it had a night-drive atmosphere. I said specifically: "It's hard to explain, but certain songs just give me the "driving at night in the big city" vibe and it is one of my favorite feelings in music." I bring this up because this song, "Better" by Khalid, is one of the best night-drive songs I've ever heard. The atmosphere this song has puts me in such a tranquil, easy state of mind. Like the other Khalid song I talked about, "Lovely", this song came out in 2018 but I'm just now getting into it. I guess I'm just gonna be late to the party on every Khalid song. But better late then never. 

15. "Stockholm Syndrome" by One Direction
Similar to 5 Seconds of Summer, I hated One Direction when I was an edgy middle schooler. I thought they were just a group of "pretty boys" who made vapid music, but as I've grown, I've realized that they were so much better than I thought. With songs like "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Best Song Ever", they did the teenybopper pop thing incredibly well, but as they matured, their music matured with them and they started making some genuinely fantastic songs. The aforementioned "Best Song Ever" was my favorite One Direction song for years, but it took "Stockholm Syndrome" only a few listens to replace it. This isn't one of their more famous songs, but it 100% should have been a single. It has an incredible chorus and easygoing vibe. Plus I just learned that Harry cowrote this one...yeah, if his amazing solo work didn't solidify my opinion enough, Harry Styles is easily my favorite 1D member.

I don't really have much to say to end this. Next week's post will be on Saturday, March 7, which is my birthday, I'm talking about Pokemon Sun and Moon because I love it, yada yada I've already said this stuff before. With that being said, I'm Stellar in Neverland and I'll see you next week. Peace! 

MOVIE TALK: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Welcome to MOVIE TALK, now in all caps because I feel like it. In this segment, we talk about, you guessed it, North Korea and their history of nuclear weapons!

Obviously, that's total sarcasm. We talk about movies. Maybe we'll talk about North Korea and nuclear weapons if I ever decide to talk about The Interview, but that's highly unlikely because I would be in way over my head. All jokes aside, MOVIE TALK is where I watch a movie, usually one I have never seen before, discuss the facets of it that I find interesting, and recommend it if I feel it deserves one. However, this week, we're doing the 80s classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, because it got added to Netflix not too long ago so I'm going to savor it being on Netflix until they take it off. This is gonna have some spoilers, I guess, so read with caution.




Ferris Bueller's Day Off was directed by John Hughes, who is most known for teen comedy movies like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles. I've seen all three of those aforementioned movies (as well as bits and parts of Pretty in Pink), and Ferris Bueller's Day Off is easily my favorite of them. There's just something so fun and inviting about this movie. And I was actually home sick the first time I watched it, so I guess it has that going for it, too.

The basic premise of this movie is that Ferris Bueller is a high school student who pretends to be sick so he can go adventuring around Chicago with his best friend, Cameron, and his girlfriend, Sloane. Rumors spread and eventually, Ferris's school and the entire city of Chicago are under the belief that Ferris is dying. Although he has the school administration and his jealous little sister, Jeanie, on his case, Ferris manages to have a day off for the record books.

One of my favorite things about this movie is the fourth wall-breaking Ferris does. After convincing his parents that he is sick enough to stay home and the parents leave, he immediately starts talking to the camera, expressing shock that his parents fell for it and explaining how you, the viewer, can fake an illness like he did. I think the fourth wall-breaking is done really well and is one of the funniest parts of the movie. Another funny thing is the contrast between the normal school day, where everyone is bored out of their minds, and the cuts to Ferris, who is living it up at home, lounging in his yard, badly playing clarinet, and drawing pictures on his computer.

I'm not gonna say Ferris is a great person. He makes up a story about Sloane's grandmother dying as an excuse for her to get out at school and join his adventure. He doesn't listen to Cameron when his best friend tells him not to take his dad's Ferrari out for a drive. His entire character arc is based off of lying. However, being a good person and a good character are not the same thing, and Ferris is a great protagonist. He's played by Matthew Broderick, who plays him with so much charisma you can't help but want to root for him throughout the whole movie. He also has some really witty dialogue, courtesy of Hughes, who wrote the screenplay in addition to directing and producing it. Another character I loved was Cameron, who is a foil and voice of reason to Ferris. While Ferris wants to take risks, Cameron is the one who tries to convince him that his ideas are crazy and wrong. Ferris doesn't ever listen, but damn if Cameron doesn't try.

This movie has plenty of iconic scenes. You first have the roll call where the teacher calls for "Bueller? Bueller?" in that memorable nasally drone. Another iconic quote is when Ferris saves Cameron from drowning and Cameron says, "Ferris Bueller, you're my hero." You have Ferris and Cameron checking out the Ferrari as "Oh Yeah" by Yello (that song that, um...goes "oh yeah") plays. Quite possibly the most famous scene is when Ferris crashes the parade and sings (or rather lip-syncs) "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles. I feel like the whole movie is pretty embedded in pop culture, but that scene in particular is really famous. It's just filled with joy, one of the best scenes of the movie.

So what Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane do on their day off? First, they go to a fancy restaurant- there's identity theft involved, of course. I really like the part when Ferris is monologuing and fourth wall-breaking in the restaurant's bathroom as an old man sits in the bathroom, unbothered. He then realizes that his own father is at this same restaurant, catches a taxi, and just narrowly escapes the restaurant before his father can see him.

They also go to a Cubs game and actually get some screen time on TV. It's funny, because Mr. Rooney, the dean of students, who hates Ferris and wants to get him in trouble, is at a bar looking for Ferris. The TV is on at the bar and you can see Ferris on the TV, but Rooney just so happens to not be watching at that moment. Rooney is the antagonist of the movie, but his constant endeavors to try to punish Ferris are another entertaining element. I especially like when he tries to break into the Bueller's home, eventually going in through the dog door and getting chased by their angry Rottweiler.

This movie serves as a love letter of sorts to the city of Chicago. Hughes said, "I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but the spirit." The trio goes to famous Chicago landmarks like the Willis Tower (well, it was the Sears Tower back then), Wrigley Field, and the Art Institute of Chicago. I went to Chicago over a decade ago, but other than a few passing-through drives, I haven't actually gotten to experience the city since then. This movie makes me want to go and see all the sights in the movie. I hope to go back soon.

Ferris's younger sister, Jeanie, and her character, is another really interesting one. She hates Ferris, jealous of the fact that he manages to get away with everything. When she goes home to assure that he is ditching, she finds Rooney in her house and freaks out because he's an intruder. She's just under a lot of stress and I can relate in some ways to feeling like the overshadowed sibling. Despite her stressing, Jeanie still manages to be pretty sly and sarcastic.

After the parade, they get the Ferrari back after they paid some guys to watch it. Cameron is horrified because the odometer won't hide the fact that they took out the car. He has a bit of a breakdown and ends up destroying the car. Cameron is furious with his father for valuing his car more than his own son, so he takes out his anger on his father's most prized possesion. The characters are also seniors and also talk about what they're going to do after high school, expressing stress and fear that they'll never see each other again. As a senior myself, I can relate. This movie is mostly a lighthearted, fun teen comedy, but I do like how it delves into the more serious themes, what with the themes of parental neglect and fear of the future.

At the end of the movie, Ferris runs home to try to beat his parents and Jeanie home. He makes it home, but not before Rooney can try to get him in trouble. However, Jeanie comes to bail him out. It's nice to see her have a change of heart after the events of the movie. I guess it just goes to say that no matter how mad our siblings get at us, they'll always have our backs. Ferris's parents find their son back in bed as if nothing ever happened, and you're left speechless at how he managed to pull off such a stunt.

This movie is one of my favorites because it's just so much fun to watch. It's not anything super deep or thought-provoking, but it's a thoroughly entertaining movie. I think it's extremely clever and smart, and you're left constantly wanting to know what will happen next. I've only seen it twice, but I can tell it's a movie I'll be able to watch over and over again. I said in the last MOVIE TALK that I likely wouldn't give any movie I was watching for the first time a 10/10, because my favorite movies are always the ones that hold up upon repeated viewings. However, this isn't my first time watching this movie, so I'm gonna give Ferris Bueller's Day Off a 10/10. If you've never seen it before, I really think it's a must-watch, especially if you like 80s movies and/or teen movies. 

Next week, it's time for another round of Kpop Crash Course, the series where I attempt to delve into a musical genre I only partially know. As for the next MOVIE TALK, I don't know when it will be up, nor do I know what movie it will be on. I'd like to keep this going once a month, so it will be up sometime in March. But for next week, we've got kpop, and then I'm gonna talk about Pokemon again because the Saturday after next is March 7th, my birthday, and I can't imagine a better way to celebrate then to talk about something I love so much. I'm Stellar, and I'll see you all again next Saturday, February 29th. 

Stellar

Ranking the Baby Pokemon

Today, we're introducing a new segment on my blog that I like to call Stellar Gets Nerdy. There really isn't much to this segment that you can't already tell from the title: I, Stellar, will be talking about things that can reasonably be called "nerdy". Think of it as like the "Fandom Friday" segments from The Brick Wall, my old blog. Most of that was dedicated to me and my friends being cringy middle schoolers and gushing about how obsessed we were with Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. Here is where I'm going to talk about books, movies, maybe some TV, and especially relevant for today, video games.

I'm not much of a gamer, and for the most part, my gaming knowledge is pretty much limited to Mario Kart and Just Dance, although I also like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, even if I can't tell you much about most of the characters. But towards the end of 2018, I started to get into Pokemon. I think my brothers were sort of into Pokemon when they were younger, but I didn't really know much about it until recently. I even missed out on the whole Pokemon Go craze in 2016, when it was the hottest game around. However, I did start playing Pokemon Go a full two years after it first became popular, purely because some friends in gym class were talking about it and I thought it sounded interesting. From there, my interest skyrocketed. I've still never played a real Pokemon game (although I definitely would like to), but I just really like learning about all the different creatures. I like how they have so many different kinds of Pokemon, from the intimidating to the adorable. I like learning about the different origins behind each Pokemon, often rooted in folklore and mythology from different cultures. I like watching the anime and seeing how these creatures act in their own world. I like how they emphasize that even though you can use your Pokemon to fight, above all else, they are your friends, like a pet but even stronger. The world of Pokemon is filled with creativity, imagination, and wonder, and even though I missed out on it as a kid, it makes me feel like a kid again.

A big part of why I like Pokemon so much is because I'm the type of person who loves cutesy things. Pokemon comes from Japan, where a big part of their pop culture is based on cute things, known as kawaii. Because of this, a lot of Pokemon tend to be designed with cuteness in mind, and as a result, we have adorable characters like a tiny, playful blue sea turtle, a pudgy electric Corgi, a singing pink puffball, a spherical owl with a leafy bow tie, and of course, Pikachu. But although the first generation of Pokemon gave us such iconic and adorable characters as Pikachu, Eevee, and Jigglypuff, the developers weren't stopping there. In the second generation, with the games Pokemon Gold and Silver came the mechanism of breeding Pokemon, and with the introduction of breeding came new, smaller, in most cases cuter versions of favorite Pokemon, known as baby Pokemon! And that's what we're ranking today: we're ranking the baby Pokemon based on nothing but my personal preference. But before we begin, we need to establish our criteria for baby Pokemon. I use the ever-helpful Bulbapedia to answer my every Pokemon question, so here is what Bulbapedia counts as the criteria in defining "baby Pokemon":

"Specifically, baby Pokémon can be classified by the following criteria:
-Must be obtainable by breeding.
-Must be the lowest form in a family chain and must be able to evolve at least once.
-Must belong to the Undiscovered Egg Group*."

*Side note, the Undiscovered Egg Group basically means that the Pokemon that hatch from eggs in this group are unable to breed. Of course the babies belong to this group- they're babies. Why would they be reproducing? Bulbapedia also contains a list of the baby Pokemon, and we are going to be ranking the Pokemon only on that list, from my least favorite to my favorite. That's enough rambling, let's get ready for some cuties.

Honestly, if you don't think at least one of these characters is cute...then I don't know what to tell you. Clearly you and I have different ideas of cuteness.

19. Tyrogue

Evolves into Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop depending on its attack stat. It's weird. 

Tyrogue is cute, but it's my least favorite because it's so weirdly shaped. I'm sorry, but its body shape looks...almost phallic, and when looking at a baby, my first thought should not be that it is shaped like a certain male anatomical structure. It's also not too special in that it's literally just a purple boy with spikes on its head. The Pokemon world has so much more creativity than that. 

18. Riolu

Evolves into Lucario

Riolu evolves into the ever-popular Lucario, one of the fan favorites from the fourth generation. Although not one of my absolute favorites, I think Lucario is a pretty cool Pokemon, but I'm just not super into Riolu. It's about a 6/10 on the cuteness scale, which is a lot lower than some of the other ones. And I know, who am I to criticize something for not being cute? Well, that's pretty much the entire point of baby Pokemon, so if it's not an 11/10 adorable Pokemon, then I don't really have any use for it. 

17. Magby

Evolves into Magmar

I'm sorry, Magby, you're cute. You look like a cute, sort of apprehensive fire duck. You're also the only fire-type baby Pokemon, so you stand out amongst your friends. But your head is so weirdly shaped! Seriously, what is its head supposed to be? Well, probably coal, seeing as it is known as the "Live Coal Pokemon", but it really just ends up looking like Magby has pimples or tumors covering its head. Poor Magby. 

16. Budew

Evolves into Roselia

The final stage of this Pokemon's evolutionary family, Roserade, is one of my personal favorites from the fourth generation. I love how elegant it looks. I also really like the middle stage for this line, Roselia, for its beautiful flowers and soothing colors. Unfortunately, Budew is just kind of bland for me. It just seems like a bulb with a smiley face and stubby feet. I do think the stubby feet are cute though. Also, I have no idea how to pronounce this Pokemon's name. In my head, I always pronounce it to rhyme with "voodoo", but it might be "bud-ew". It confuses me and I don't like that. 

15. Toxel

Evolves into Toxtricity

After three generations in a row with no new baby Pokemon, the generation eight games, Sword and Shield, saw the debut of Toxel, a Pokemon who is literally known as the "Baby Pokemon". This Pokemon looks like a pudgy purple baby, and it even seems to be wearing a diaper. But honestly, I just don't think this one is as cute as the other baby Pokemon. It's more "ugly-cute" than anything. But on the bright side, I think its evolved form, Toxtricity, is absolutely one of the best Pokemon to come from generation eight so far. It's so badass and punk rock and I love it! 

14. Igglybuff

Evolves into Jigglypuff

Jigglypuff is my favorite character to use in Super Smash Bros, so I'm pretty attached to it as a result. I just think it's so cute when it sings, inflates, or gets angry. Because Jigglypuff is so adorable, I'm not sure why it really needed a baby form. Igglybuff is pretty cute and I like how round it is, but I have to dock it points because I just think Jigglypuff is cuter and has a more unique design. 

13. Happiny

Evolves into Chansey

Happiny involves into Chansey and later Blissey, which are Pokemon known for being extremely hard to take down. The fact that the character Brock also had one in the Pokemon anime also gave Happiny some notoriety. I think it's cute and I like how it seems to have a pouch with an egg, but after Igglybuff and Cleffa, I don't see why we needed another pink baby Pokemon. 

12. Mime Jr.

Evolves into Mr. Mime

Mr. Mime is one of the most hated Pokemon for its unsettling appearance, and I will admit that it's pretty creepy. At first I'd ask why such an unpopular Pokemon got a baby form, but when you actually look at Mime Jr., it's easy to see why. With its little hat and red nose, Mime Jr. is certainly the cutest clown I've ever seen. It seems like that kid that's always eager to show everyone the cool things it can do, and while in real life, showoffs can be pretty annoying, Mime Jr. is quite the charmer. Also, Mr. Mime, despite its name, can also be female. I have questions.

11. Smoochum

Evolves into Jynx

Similar to Mr. Mime, Jynx is another unpopular Pokemon, only it's unpopular because its purple skin used to be black, so it resembled blackface. Despite the controversy, it got a baby form, called Smoochum. And honestly, while I don't like Jynx because of how awkward and weird it looks, I think Smoochum is pretty adorable! I love how sassy she is, and those kissy lips would make Kylie Jenner seethe with jealousy. There are other baby Pokemon I like more, obviously, but Smoochum is such an improvement over Jynx that I have to like it. 

10. Cleffa

Evolves into Clefairy

I don't know what makes Cleffa better than the other pink baby Pokemon, but I like it more than both Happiny and Igglybuff. I think it's because its face is more simple. With Igglybuff and Happiny, it's like they tried as hard as they could to make them as cute as possible, but Cleffa isn't really trying It just is cute. It's also star-shaped, and considering the name of this blog is Stellar in Neverland, that obviously gets points from me. 

9. Bonsly

Evolves into Sudowoodo

Sudowoodo is a rock that disguises itself as a tree to confuse predators, and it is one of my little brother's absolute favorite Pokemon. I think Sudowoodo is pretty cool and funny, but I prefer its baby form. I like how it looks like it's got a flowerpot as a diaper, and I like its dinky little feet. I also really love how nervous it looks in its official art. 

8. Chingling

Evolves into Chimecho

I don't think Chimecho, the wind-chime-like Pokemon, is that impressive, and yet I have a place in my heart for little Chingling. I just think this tiny bell is adorable. It's probably due to the stubby limbs. It also looks like your standard smiley face, like the stickers they used to give out at Walmart. Wait, was that actually a thing or did I falsely imagine something? (Nope, it was a thing. I have no idea why I remember it, but I did.)

7. Azurill

Evolves into Marill

Like Bonsly and Magby to an extent, Azurill looks so unsure in its official art. I guess this makes sense, because it is mouse-like and the word "mousy" means "nervous, shy, or timid; lacking in presence or charisma." I like how Azurill has a giant orb on its tail that it sits on. I'm confused as to why it's not a water type, seeing as the rest of its evolutions are, but it's still cute and funny.

6. Wynaut

Evolves into Wobbuffet

The Pokemon Wobbuffet is pretty well-known due to its role in the anime, where it is a member of Team Rocket and always seems to pop up at the most inopportune times. Due to its popularity, it got an adorable baby pre-evolution in the third generation, named Wynaut. It's so jovial and has a giant smile! For me, the number one cutest thing a character can have is a smile. If you want me to go "aww" at your character, just make it optimistic. That's definitely the case with Wynaut. I also think it's cute how this Pokemon's name is pronounced like "why not". "Should we keep this cute little guy around?" "Why not!"

5. Elekid

Evolves into Electabuzz

This little bugger is shaped like a plug! It's like it's a cute little battery for you to play with! I think this is a great design choice for an electric-type Pokemon. Elekid just looks like the kind of kid that would be running around all the time, filled with energy and hyperactivity. Definitely the kind of Pokemon to keep you on your toes, but one with plenty of benefits. It would be a good friend and fighter. 

4. Togepi

Evolves into Togetic

I like to think of Togepi as the mascot of the baby Pokemon. It's certainly one of the more famous in the lineup due to the character Misty having one in the Pokemon anime. It's incredibly adorable, looking like a hatchling from a colorful egg. Togepi is just a spiky little ball of happiness. It's also pretty cute in Super Smash Bros, where it is one of the many Pokemon that can come out to help you when you grab a Poke Ball. I think its little voice is really cute. 

3. Pichu

Evolves into Pikachu

Pikachu is the most famous Pokemon and the mascot of the series, so naturally it was going to be one of the first Pokemon to get a baby form. Pichu is another one of the most famous baby Pokemon, even appearing in Super Smash Bros. Pichu's appearances in Smash are a big factor in it ranking so high. I just find it incredibly amusing how, when used well, this adorable baby can beat even the toughest of fighters in the game's roster. With his giant head and small body, Pichu is one of the cutest baby Pokemon for me. All of the baby Pokemon are cute, it's kind of the point of them, but Pichu is one of the cutest of all.

2. Mantyke

Evolves into Mantine

I'm not too attached to Mantine, Mantyke's evolved form, but damn do I love this little ray. It's just so cute and happy, and its little grin is adorable. If I was asked to name which of these characters I think is the cutest, I would either go Pichu or Mantyke, which is why they're so high on the list. I also use this Pokemon sometimes when I play Pokemon Showdown (a Pokemon battle simulator) in the Little Cup tier (which is made specifically for the smallest Pokemon). I named mine Skye and it's very cute but also pretty good at battle. But mostly I just love this one for its back design!

It's got a smiley on its back! Isn't that adorable?
1. Munchlax

Evolves into Snorlax

Snorlax, the lazy but lovable gentle giant, is one of the most beloved of the original 151 Pokemon. With its immense size and power yet docile nature, it's also one of my all-time favorites. Despite its popularity, Snorlax didn't get a baby form until the fourth generation. Although I wouldn't say Munchlax is the absolute cutest baby Pokemon, it's still extremely adorable. I love how happy-go-lucky this little fellow is. It's also pretty relatable, as its Pokedex entry for Pokemon Sword states, "Stuffing itself with vast amounts of food is its only concern. Whether the food is rotten or fresh, yummy or tasteless—it does not care." It eats its entire weight every day. I'm sure we've all had moments where we wanted to do that. Munchlax is just a funny little guy and I love that.

So, after ctrl-f'ing my page, I have used the word "cute" 32 times and "adorable" 13 times in this post. I guess that's what happens when you write about baby Pokemon. I'll definitely talk about Pokemon a lot more on this blog. On March 7, it's my birthday, so I think I'm just gonna gush about why I love the Pokemon Sun and Moon anime series. As for the next two weeks, I'll do another Movie Talk next week, probably on Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Then on the 29th, I'll do part 2 of my Kpop Crash Course. Of course, it's likely to change, but that's what my plans look like as of right now. So that's all I have for today, I'll see you next Saturday.

Stellar

My Favorite Songs "That White People Get Turnt Up To"

I've expressed in the past that I like looking at music-compilation videos and writing posts about the songs in those videos. The Kpop Crash Course I'm doing now literally gets its song selection from a video on iconic kpop songs! So with all that being said, I saw a video with a very interesting title: songs that get white people turnt, uploaded by a channel I really like watching sometimes called younger days. This should be pretty obvious from reading a few posts, but I'm white. I live in a small Midwestern town where there really isn't much as far as diversity goes. Despite my race, I don't discriminate and I think the world will be a better place once we become accepting of everyone's differences. There are some actions made by white people that absolutely make me embarrased to be a white person, such as, well, everything any white supremacist has done ever, but despite the embarrassment, I still can't change the fact that I am white. And apparently, I'm pretty stereotypically white, too, because I have grown up with and loved a ton of the songs in that video! The concept for this video is just songs that white people always seem to like to hear at parties or when they come on the radio. It's not a deep commentary of racism, and occasionally, these songs can get pretty cringey, but I still would consider some of them to be among my all-time favorites. We're not gonna look at every single song in there, I just hand-picked 26 that I would consider personal favorites. 

1. "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
I think this song is on here because of the famous Vine where a ginger kid sings it obnoxiously in the car. That's a classic Vine, and this song is great. It's so blissful and uplifting. This song is popular as a graduation song, with lyrics like "I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned" and "Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten", and since I'm graduating this year, it's definitely going to be a relevant song to listen to. When I was younger, I had this Disney movie called Ice Princess on DVD, and this song featured at the end, so I get nostalgic when I hear it. Funnily enough, I think that movie also featured "Toxic" by Britney Spears, another all-time favorite.
2. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
This song is widely considered to be Bon Jovi's signature song, and I think it's one of the best songs from the 80s. I vaguely remember first hearing it in first grade gym class and always pointing that out to my parents. Mostly I just think it's fun to scream along to and it has one of the best choruses of all time. A few years ago, there was a meme where you'd replace "livin' on a prayer" with a picture of something that rhymes with the phrase. For example:

Lipstick on a pear...

Kitten on the stairs...

Lizard on a chair...

This is a really dumb meme but I love it. 

3. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
This is one of the big ones. I live in a really...um, Caucasian-dominated community...and this song is extremely popular there. I assume that's also the case in other predominantly white towns and cities. It's always the last song to get played whenever I go to school dances, and when it gets played at sporting events, everyone goes crazy. I do think this song is pretty overrated and overplayed, but I still like it. My parents have always really loved Journey, so I grew up listening to their music. Because of that, there are a ton of Journey songs I like more than "Don't Stop Believin'", but it still makes me nostalgic.
4. "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" by the Backstreet Boys
My main favorite Backstreet Boys jam is "I Want It That Way", which totally fits on this playlist we have going on and is one of my favorite songs, but this will suffice. I don't know a ton about the Backstreet Boys, but they're pretty much the perfect archetype of what a boy band should be. They have the highly choreographed routines, the cheesy ballads, the tight harmonies, and the bops. This song is a 90s banger and I love it. It's a ton of fun, memorable, and just makes you want to dance!
5. "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton
I've never seen the movie White Chicks, but from what I know, there's something in that movie about how this song is "the quintessential white girl song". So yeah, call me basic, but I think this song is fantastic. It's a piano-based song, but it isn't boring at all. The piano work is really nice and the "making my way downtown" opening is iconic. This song is extremely memorable and beloved because it's just so wonderstruck and dreamlike. Terry Crews (who actually played a character obsessed with this song in White Chicks), lip-synced to this song on Lip Sync Battle, and his performance is pretty much exactly what I imagine when I listen to this song. The string section! The ballerinas! The ribbon twirling! It's so over-the-top and I love it.
6. "All Star" by Smash Mouth
It's the Shrek song. Enough said! This song is really popular for being at the center of the many Shrek memes, as it is the song that opens up the movie. Because of its usage in so many memes, I love this song and it makes me happy. I just think this song is really fun to sing along with. That's a trend with a lot of these "white people songs", they're good to sing along to. Also fun fact: we watched Shrek in that leadership class I talked about in the Into the Spider-Verse post I did a few weeks ago. (No, I don't know how Shrek is supposed to make me a good leader.) Unfortunately, I had somewhere I needed to be so I missed the first twenty minutes of the movie, including "All Star" and the "Duloc Is A Perfect Place" song. I was genuinely heartbroken.
7. "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC
NSYNC is the band known for giving Justin Timberlake to the world, and although he has had many hits since he left NSYNC, this is still probably my favorite. (Although "Cry Me A River" is really great too.) This song is extremely aggressive and hard-hitting, which is why I like it so much. It's also really catchy and the choreography is iconic. There's a lot of early 2000s music I don't know, and I'd definitely like to learn more about this era in music, but this is one of the highlights as far as I know.
8. "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire
A lot of these songs are all-time favorites, and this is certainly one of them. This is probably in my all-time top 10. Although these songs are supposedly "ones that white people get turnt up to", I think this song is universal. No matter what your background is, you're instantly in a better mood and feel like dancing when you hear it. The opening lyric of "do you remember the 21st night of September?" is something of a meme. This song is just one of the most joyful and upbeat I can think of. It's impossible to be sad when you hear it. Even though this is an all-time favorite, I don't really have much to say about it, and that's fine. It's not really a song you need to analyze or look at in-depth. I just put it on when I'm not feeling great and it makes me smile.
9. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley
Yes, I like the Rickroll song. This song is fine as an actual song, but mostly I just like it because of the memes. Is there a more iconic meme than the Rickroll? I genuinely don't think there is. I remember in seventh grade, I went through this period where I would Rickroll my friends every day to the point where they had memorized the URL and whenever I'd try sending it to them, they'd just be like, "this isn't funny anymore!" Maybe it wasn't funny, but I enjoyed it.
10. "All The Small Things" by Blink-182
I don't remember when I first heard this song, but I didn't really think much of it until we started playing it during pep band during freshman year. Blink-182 are one of the most iconic pop-punk bands, and this is their signature song. It's very simple but still really good. I love screaming "say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home" and singing along with the "na na na"'s. It has a bunch of different hooks, all really catchy. I feel like this is the stereotypical pop-punk song, and when I think about the genre, this is the first song to come to mind. My favorite Blink-182 song is "I Miss You", but this is a close second. In other words, I really don't have much knowledge about this band, seeing as my two favorite songs by them are two of their most well-known. But I like this song, so that's gotta count for something!
11. "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People
Okay, for those of you who don’t know: this song is about a tormented, psychotic kid who wants to shoot up his school. And yet you’d never be able to tell because it sounds so jovial! Despite the juxtaposition of dark, grim lyrics with a happy sound, I like this song. I think it’s clever how because of the song’s catchiness, it takes you a few listens to realize that it’s from the point of view of a homicidal maniac. The sound is very stereotypical hipster-sounding, but I like it, especially the part with the whistling. Plus, I can even get on board with the lyrical content because the band have stated that it wasn’t written to condone violence and it should be used to start a conversation about mass shootings. Any song that can subliminally start a conversation about a big issue while still being catchy and fun-sounding gets some points from me.
12. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver
I don't like country music at all. It's very commonly played where I'm from, and I just think most of it is garbage. However, even those who say they hate country music, such as myself, have to admit that "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is one of the best songs of all time. Okay, maybe that's a little hyperbolic, but I have noticed that even people who don't like country music seem to enjoy this one. If you read the comments, it's filled with people saying that "everyone is gangsta until country roads starts playing", "America thought this song was so good they named a state after it" and "For everyone who doesn't know the lyrics...u should know better, i'm disappointed".
13. "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers
Fun fact, this song stayed in the Top 100 most popular songs in the UK for over 200 weeks. That's almost four years! But I am absolutely not going to argue with that. I wholeheartedly love this song with every fiber of my being. I don't know if I ever will make a list of my favorite songs of all time, but this would probably be somewhere in there. It's about a guy who thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him, and all the lyrics are iconic and have been memed to death. But more than that, it's just really fun to sing along to! It's emotional yet anthemic, just a perfect song all around. I haven't gone too in-depth into the Killers' other work, but I like what I've heard. And at the end of the day, "Mr. Brightside" is a modern classic and I love it to death.
14. "Take on Me" by a-ha
I love this song so much, my god. I love so many 80s songs, but after "Africa" by Toto, this is probably my favorite. Everybody knows this song, which is a classic in pop culture. The main synth line is embedded in pop culture and the chorus is soaring. It's also incredibly hard to sing along to with some impressive high notes, but damn if we don't sing along anyway. It's just a song you can listen to a thousand times and not get sick of. I also really love "Mine Diamonds", a Minecraft-themed parody that is literally some kid with a horrible microphone screaming about Minecraft in his room. It's very loud and obnoxious so I wouldn't recommend it if you get headaches easily but it makes me laugh. Especially when his brother or somebody tells him to shut up and close the door.
15. "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence
This song is so cheesy yet legitimately chilling. I love the contrast between the haunting female vocals and the aggressive rapping. It's a song I grew up with and have always loved. This is a song you play when you want to feel gothic and emotional...or if you want to enjoy some memes. That's right, like so many of the other songs on this list, this song has been made into some pretty dank memes. There's a cover performed by Goofy, as well as mashups with songs like "Uptown Funk" and the aforementioned "All Star". I've also gotten plenty of joy out of scaring my brothers in the car by creeping up on them and screaming "WAKE ME UP" at them.
16. "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners
If "Africa" is my number one 80s song and "Take on Me" is number two, this would be number three. When you think of 80s music, you think of synthesizers, guitar solos, and flashy performers. This song is the opposite of that, being more fiddle and banjo-based. It's really hard to tell what the actual words are, but it's fun to sing along using the method my best friend uses when singing along to kpop: just make sounds that sound similar to what you hear. And even if you don't know the words in the verses, you have to sing along to the chorus. It's so full of joy!
17. "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi
The second Bon Jovi song we have here. I guess white people really like Bon Jovi. This song makes me think of pep band, where we have been playing it for four years straight. I won't lie, I've gotten sick of playing it in pep band, but I still really love the Bon Jovi original. My pep band friends and I have taken to referring to this song as its acronym title "YGLABN", pronounced "ya-glabbin". We'll ask the director what song we're playing next, to get a response of "ya-glabbin!"
18. "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne
I'm sorry, this song is just really fun. The main premise is that the main character has the hots for his friend Stacy's mom. He talks about how he spends a lot of time at her house not because he likes Stacy, but because he wants to see Stacy's mom. I especially think it's funny when he says "But since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me." But mostly I just think this song has one of the best choruses ever written. It just puts a smile on your face whenever you hear it. Plus there's a key change! Yay!
19. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco
I've grown out of my Panic! At The Disco phase circa 2016 for the most part, but damnit if I don't love a lot of their older stuff. No matter how popular some of their new stuff, like "High Hopes" or "Hey Look Ma, I Made It", gets, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" will always be their signature song to me and many others. It is one of my personal life goals to go to karaoke and sing this song. I just think that would be really fun. There are also a ton of really great song mashups of this song on the Internet, mashing it up with songs like "iSpy" by Kyle, "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry, and weirdest and best of all, the Thomas the Tank Engine theme. Although I do have to say that their follow-up single to this song, "But It's Better If You Do" is, well, better. I think that's ultimately my favorite Panic! At The Disco song today.
20. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
According to TheTopTens, this song was voted to be the greatest song of all time by music fans, and, well, there are certainly worse songs that could get that title. This song is so brilliant because it has so many different segments and parts, ranging from a ballad and guitar solo to the operatic part everybody loves to sing along to to the hard rock part to a nice coda to tie things up. I don't even know that many of their songs, but I would feel pretty comfortable in saying that Queen are one of the greatest bands of all time. My personal favorite of theirs is "Don't Stop Me Now", but "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still a masterpiece that deserves all the acclaim. Also, this song appeared in one of my family's recent favorite shows, The Goldbergs. The scene in question is probably the single funniest thing I have seen on that show, which is not an easy thing to be, because that show is hilarious. Just watch it here.
21. "Fireflies" by Owl City
If I were to describe this song in one word, it would be "whimsical". It's about how Adam Young, the guy behind Owl City, imagines a visit from magical fireflies to help him cope with his insomnia. This song is magical and beautiful, I would say. It just makes me feel really imaginative. And it has a meme attached to it, because of course it does. One thing I am learning from writing this post is that white people really love their memes. People like taking this song and playing it at garish volumes or making puns on the opening lyric, "You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies..."
22. "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes
A lot of these songs are ones I'm attached to from playing them for pep band, and this is certainly one of them. It's always a fun song to play because everybody knows it. I genuinely would not believe you if you told me you had never heard this song. Like, have you seriously never been to a sporting event and heard everybody chanting the riff to this song? I really like how this song is really simple with just a powerful drum beat, vocals, and The Riff. This is one of the best and most iconic guitar riffs in history. There isn't even a real chorus, there's just the riff, but that's more than enough. But yet, despite its simplicity, the song still manages to sound larger than life. It's a pep band classic.
23. "Africa" by Toto
My love of this song is pretty much a meme to those who know me. I can be in a really awful mood, but as soon as I hear "it's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you", my spirits are lifted. My dad once told me that Toto were a terrible band other than a few songs, including this one, but I don't care enough to look into their other work, because I would be content listening to just this one song for all of eternity. I just love everything about it, from the iconic synth line to the marimba to that chorus! Is this the best chorus of all time? I don't know, there are a lot of choruses in the world, but my gut tells me yes. This song actually got a resurgence in popularity in 2018 due to some memes, and also because the band Weezer did a cover of it. I will always prefer the Toto original to any cover, but the fact that the Weezer cover exists entirely because a 14-year-old girl on Twitter begged them to cover it is absolutely amazing. Also fun fact: Pitbull made a song called "Ocean to Ocean" for the movie Aquaman in 2018. It's basically a cover of "Africa" with your standard "Mr. 305, Mr. Worldwide, dale!" Pitbull stuff thrown in there. It's so terrible but I'm so happy it exists.
24. "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band
Another country song, one that I like more than I probably should. I can't even think of a logical reason as to why I like this song so much, but oh, I do. This song is an anthem for what life is like in the South, with a surprising amount of overlap between the Southern lifestyle and the Midwest. That's probably because I have many people who self-identify as hicks in my small town.
25. "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
I think this may be the epitome of "songs that white people get turnt up to." White people absolutely love this song. They love singing "touching me, touching you" as obnoxiously as possible. They love yelling "so good, so good, so good" after Neil Diamond sings "Good times never seemed so good". And most of all, they love going "BA BA BA" during the chorus. I love this song too. Singing it just puts you in a good mood. One time, my mom was taking my brother and his friend to football practice and this song came on. Once it got to the "touching me, touching you" part, his friend said, completely seriously, "Don't you think this song is kind of...sexual?" I think about that story and laugh whenever I hear this song.
26. "Drops of Jupiter" by Train
From what I've heard of their music, I don't like Train at all. I haven't even heard that many of their songs, but something about the guy's voice just drives me up the wall. But "Drops of Jupiter" is an exception. This song just sounds nice to me and I love the combination of the melody with the wistful background music. The lyrics are weird but oddly poetic. I'm not sure what "Now she's back in the atmosphere with drops of Jupiter in her hair" means, but it sounds nice.

So, those are 26 songs that I love that therefore establish me as a white person. This is kind of a random post but I needed something less lengthy because I'm having a very busy week! Today, I'm going to a dance, where I'll actually be serving on the court, so I'm excited for that but a little overwhelmed. Next week we'll either be doing another Movie Talk on one of my favorite 80s movies, or we'll be talking about Pokemon. I haven't decided yet, but either way, it will be up next Saturday. This is Stellar in Neverland, signing off.

Stellar