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The Mustang Journal



How Monster Builds Real Complexity Through Contrast
One of my favorite, if not favorite, psychological thriller stories I’ve come across is Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. The main story of Monster follows Dr. Tenma in post-Cold War Germany, the history and context of Germany in this period is crucial to understanding the story as well, but I am trying to avoid any big spoilers. But one of the reasons why Monster is so great is that it takes its time to full develop practically every character in the story, even minor characters are
Jazmin Heckelman
May 84 min read


A Review on Mewgenics
It’s pretty good I guess. Mewgenics is a game released on February 10th but was being teased and worked on for many years before that. It’s a turn-based game about cats and eugenics. You breed the cats with good traits and mutations to create the best cats to send on journeys.
Kalani Patel
May 72 min read


What’s Happening to HYBE?
HYBE is one of the biggest labels in the entertainment industry, specializing in K-Pop groups with notable names like NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, and of course, BTS. However, 2026 has not treated the company kindly, as their staff and idols have been under fire for countless reasons. From hiatuses to lawsuits, endless criticism and more, here’s a quick summary of everything going on at HYBE. The first and most well-known issues come with members leaving their groups. With the law
Tensae Aleligne
May 62 min read


Why the VCT 2027 Format is GOOD
The Valorant Champions Tour will enter a new era in 2027 thanks to the team agreements ending at the end of this current season, and with the new era comes a new system. The trademark statement, “EVERYTHING is a tournament,” from Leo Faria, global head of Valorant esports, takes us back to a similar style to before franchising, incorporating the best of both worlds to create an improved future for Valorant. Above is the new schedule for 2027, complete with regional open quali
Tensae Aleligne
May 62 min read


In a World Full of Hate, Love: A Reflection of 2000s Music
While the 2000s seem to be fleeting years with the upcoming decade, their mark on the music scene has outlived their generation. Britney Spears, Lil Wayne, Radiohead, Green Day, Lady Gaga, and Jay-Z, among many others, are still very present in today’s party culture. It isn’t hard to understand why, as many songs from the 2000s era are catchy and make good use of beat and rhythm, which makes people want to dance and sing along. In truth, the 2000s era songs run deeper into so
Julianna Covarrubias & Jazmin Heckelman
May 63 min read


Garnet: The Symbol of Love
Steven Universe is a cartoon show created in 2013 by Rebecca Sugar. The cartoon consists of 5 seasons, a movie, and a sequel. The story follows young Steven, where we are introduced to his guardians: Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. Immediately, the audience can tell that Steven’s guardians aren’t ordinary human beings. They have gems on different parts of their body, which explains why they call themselves “The Crystal Gem”. The Crystal Gems would often go out on missions to pro
Nguyen Nguyen
Apr 194 min read


Spider-Man: Brand New Day
In March 2026, the trailer for the new Spider-Man movie was released to the public as was set to be released on July 31, 2026. Fans, such as me, were eager to watch and analyze the trailer to find out more about what the film will be about. Theories began to pour out from the smallest details, including the discussion of Peter Parker’s turn into a less livelier individual than in his previous films in the franchise. What We Know From the Previous Film In the previous movie,
Abby Cruz
Apr 193 min read


Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream!
Living the Dream! Tomodachi Life is a social simulation game that was created by Nintendo. It was incredibly popular, and the new Tomodachi game, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, is coming out this April, on the 16th. Many old and new fans are excited for this release, which allows players to decorate their island and make more detailed Miis. In the new Tomodachi Life game, it allows players to customize their Miis with more variety in hairstyles, skin color, and personalit
EUNJI KWAK
Apr 172 min read


The Hero of the South
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is an anime released on September 29, 2023. The story begins with the hero party coming back to town after defeating the long immortal Demon king, where Frieren soon grows after facing the death of her party members. After season 1 successfully ended, studio Madhouse released Frieren’s season 2 on January 16, 2026, where it continues Frieren journeys with Fern and Stark after the First-Class Mage Exam arc. - Spoiler Warning - In season 2, epi
Nguyen Nguyen
Apr 172 min read


Iron Lung: An Indie Film Success
The popular YouTuber Markiplier, formally known as Mark Fischbach, has astonishingly made a highly grossing and successful debut film. Iron Lung proves that indie films are making a comeback in the film industry. Mark put his dedication into this film, directing and acting as the main character through the whole production process. About Iron Lung Iron Lung is an adaptation of the video game created by David Szymanski. This movie is set in a post-apocalyptic future after a
Abby Cruz
Apr 173 min read


The World Building of Madoka Magica
Introduction: Madoka Magica, an anime that came out on January 7, 2011, was produced by SHAFT studio, responsible for the amazing animation that made the anime iconic. The anime takes place in the fictional city of Japan called Mitakihara, where our main character, Madoka Kaname, a second-year student, begins her new semester. - - - MAJOR STORY SPOILER WARNING - - - Brief-Summary: Madoka is introduced to us as a somewhat shy, yet kind-hearted person. Accompanying her at sc
Nguyen Nguyen
Mar 86 min read


The Batman (2022)
The Batman (2022), follows Bruce Wayne who disguises himself as Batman as he tries to solve the mysterious killings plaguing Gotham City. The movie itself was directed by Matt Reeves and it stars Robert Pattinson as Batman (and Bruce), Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as Penguin.
EUNJI KWAK
Feb 43 min read


The Wrath: Roblox Users
The several injustices presented by the current CEO of Roblox, David Baszucki , have come to enrage many Roblox users. Roblox is currently facing around 60 lawsuits on charges of facilitating predatory behavior within the game. The AI facial age estimation technology, inadequate chat regulations (as covered by one of my colleagues, Abby Cruz), and most recently, the removal of classic faces, all have worked as the final straw for Roblox users, who have snapped . Review
Julianna Covarrubias
Feb 22 min read


Everything You Need to Know about VCT Pacific in 2026
VCT, or the Valorant Champions Tour, has had one of its most chaotic offseasons to date following the 2025 season. Teams are scrambling to put together a roster for the final season of this franchising era, with contracts ending after this season. The question is, which teams are good? Which teams are bad? Which teams will surprise us? In this article, I will do my best to give you everything you need to know about every VCT team coming into 2026… except the Chinese teams, si
Tensae Aleligne
Jan 186 min read


Animals That Are No Longer Endangered
Among the plethora of news that comes out day by day, exciting environmental developments can get lost. Here are some animals that lost their "endangered" label within the past few years. In 2021, China announced that the Giant Panda, more commonly known as the Panda Bear or just the Panda, was no longer an endangered species. Deforestation, encroachment, and poaching put the Panda Bear species in a precarious situation, with their numbers reported at around 1,000 individua
Julianna Covarrubias
Dec 29, 20252 min read


The Last Picture Show: How Netflix's Warner Bros. Takeover Signals the Death of Movie Theatres
In the summer of 1937, the Fox Vault fire destroyed thousands of silent-era films, an irreversible loss that reminded the world how fragile cinema can be when too much of it is stored in too few hands. Nearly a century later, the film industry faces a different kind of threat. Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. has sparked discourse and fear that new generations may witness their own form of cultural loss, not as fast as a building going up in flames, but through a swift c
Sofia Cortes Rodriguez
Dec 10, 20253 min read


Daniel Caesar’s Son Of Spergy: Reconciliation & Spirituality
On October 24, 2025, Daniel Caesar released his new album named Son of Spergy. This album explores themes of faith, personal growth, family, and reconciliation. It combines genres of R&B, soul, and gospel all in one. Caesar highlights his testimony through his touching lyrics, emotional vulnerability, and incredible instrumentals. Son Of Spergy Album Cover His Father Spergy is a nickname that his father, Norwill Simmonds, went by and he is the face of the album cover. His
Abby Cruz
Nov 30, 20252 min read


Frieren's Powerful Message
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is an anime released on September 29, 2023. The story starts out with the Hero Party coming back to town after defeating the long immortal Demon King. Here, we are introduced to Frieren, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen. This party was diverse as Himmel and Heiter were the human hero and priest, while Eisen is a dwarven warrior and Frieren an elf mage. Right from the bat, as the party is enjoying themselves in the festival thrown for them, it was shown
Nguyen Nguyen
Nov 24, 20254 min read


Kino
Kino, is a Soviet rock band that was created in 1981. During this time, Kino became widely known in Russia and in the West. They are credited with inspiring later rock bands in Russia as Kino was one of the first Russian rock bands. They're also considered to be the second most influential Russian rock band ever and their songs have achieved great status in Russia.
EUNJI KWAK
Nov 13, 20252 min read


Thornapple
I’ve been listening to this band, Thornapple, for a pretty long time. Honestly, they’re probably one of my favorite bands along with Journey. They have a good amount of songs with different varieties but what I love most is the singer Yoon Seonghyeon's vocals because his voice is so distinctive.
EUNJI KWAK
Nov 13, 20252 min read



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