Better than the first in some ways, worse in others. Still brilliant, cannot lie.

I can't help but feel like this is when Rocky as a franchise transitioned from a Josei/Slice of Life anime to a fully fledged Shounen (disgusting weeaboo reference, my apologies). The transition happens like halfway through Rocky II, and it stays that way until Rocky V and then returns to Shounen in Rocky Balboa and the CREED films.

I adore how much of this one is…

To say that the Rocky franchise is a flagship example of Americana would be somewhat of an understatement, with the franchise experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, even experiencing a bit of a renaissance due to the quality of the CREED spin-offs.

This one is the O.G., and it's the best one in my opinion. A really excellent period piece. OOZING in authenticity. There's an unspoken charisma that comes along with a low-budget upstart film. Rocky…

uGgGhhH man this movie.

I want to preface this by saying that I was aware of most of the discourse surrounding this film before watching it, and as much as I hate centrist opinions, I gotta say that I find myself somewhere in the middle of all of it personally.

I honestly don't want to touch most of the discourse with a ten foot pole, because I'm frankly not in a position to really pass judgment on some of the…