Since covid-19 hit on Netflix I've watched all of Brooklyn nine nine with my dad. I finished watching avatar the last airbender and now I'm watching it again with my dad. Also have watched the dragon prince with him as well. She-ra brought a tear to my eye as well in the last season. Not one my dad would watch unfortunately. I've also watched beastars and the next on the list is the witcher. Got 1917 on blu-ray on Saturday, so will watch that on Sunday night. If anyone can find it for sale jojo rabbit it's a good watch as well, I saw it in the cinema and haven't seen anything about it since. I stopped watching game of throws after 2nd episode. Incest in the 1st episode and killing the wolf for no reason in the 2nd episode put me off. Oh Final Space is an awesome watch as well if nobody has seen it.
If I've annoyed or affended anyone that was not my intention and I'm sorry.
High School of the Dead (Hulu) - an anime series with tons of over the top action & fanservice that follows a small group of high schoolers (and the school nurse) as they struggle to survive a zombie apocalypse.
The Good
It's not going to win any awards, but I was impressed with how seriously it took it's core narrative (most other harem/ecchi series rarely even have one). Sure, there was the occasional "down time" episode where the gang got to rest and indulge in extra nonsensical fanservice silliness (and it can get gratuitous even during the action sequences), but for the vast majority of the time they find themselves in tight spots, fighting to survive. I also really like that it took the time to showcase how authorities at various levels (whether it be the police on the ground, up to even the US military/president) were collapsing while trying to keep things under control (it's a level of world building I absolutely wasn't expecting from this). I do wish they had set up some more time to elaborate on the history of the relationship between the MC & Rei before things went to pot though (they clearly have a strained past, but they barely set it up before all heck breaks loose). Other than that there are a couple moments that are just there for shock value which can be uncomfortable, but for the most part I was impressed in the story aspect. Also, I was glad to see that there's another male character (and honestly one I liked more than the MC) who seemed to be winning over one of the girls.
The animation quality too is really good for the genre (and I'd say it's good looking in general). They really pull out all the stops for the action sequences which are often kinetic & visceral, and they pay equal attention to the quality of the fanservice moments (the two even often intertwine, such as a scene where the MC shoots a rifle & in slow-mo Matrix fashion the bullet passes inbetween Saeko's cleavage on it's way to it's target).
The Neutral
The fanservice itself. While I certainly have no issue with it on principle (otherwise I wouldn't have even watched this), I understand it's a divisive issue. It's very over the top, and while most of it is in silly good fun, there is the occasional shock value moment (as I mentioned before), such as an instance where a hoodlum violently gropes Rei's chest (he's clearly an @**hole from the moment he's on screen & is dealt with promptly, and while making you uncomfortable is clearly the point, I can understand why'd you may want to shy away).
The Bad
It's one of those 12 episode series that ends just as it feels like it's getting started. It clearly doesn't have a resolution and at nearly 10 years old it's probably not getting a conclusion at this point.
I watched the dub, where there's quite a few Americanisms I'm sure probably weren't there in the Japanese original. Things like name drops of Walmart, PetSmart, the NRA, & Sarah Palin are more obvious, but there's probably a few more subtle ones as well, and it's just a pet peeve of mine when it comes to series' clearly set in Japan that localizers don't go overboard with that kind of thing.
Overall
While I'm disappointed that it'll likely be forever unresolved, I enjoyed my time with this one despite some minor complaints.
Content Guide:
Sex/Nudity (Heavy) - Should go without saying, but all the female characters have improbably large chests that have minds of their own, plus plenty of panty shots galore. There's surprisingly not much actual nudity though, with only a couple shots of a single character's bare breasts during a bath scene about halfway through (otherwise any nudity is obscured by something in the environment).
Blood/Gore (Heavy) - Again, this should be no surprise. Gratuitous blood spray & splatter is the order of the day. Not one for the faint of heart.
Language (Heavy) - F-Bombs galore, on top of the PG-13 level fare you usually get in anime.
Blue Submarine No. 6 (Amazon Prime Video) - Anime miniseries set in a sort of apocalyptic waterworld where jaded seaman for hire Hayami is recruited by international military organization "Blue Fleet", with which he has history, in order to help them put down a band of aquatic mutants and the mad scientist responsible for their creation (as well as the world's flooding).
The Good:
The animation is quite good, given that it's an OVA. There is a lot of CGI war machinery that looks like something out of a PS2 cutscene (it came out in the late 90's), but call me crazy but I thought that gave it a kind of certain charm, lol.
The Neutral:
It has an interesting world setting & I've liked other series that focus on a crew of a ship to various degrees (such as Cowboy Bebop, Eureka 7, & Macross), however due to it's blazingly fast runtime you don't actually get a good feel for all of this (they particularly spend a disappointingly small time with the crew of "Blue 6", even if it's present in all episodes).
The Bad:
As has been touched on before, the quick runtime, as it only has 4 episodes (granted, the last one is almost double length, but still)! Despite some touching moments & heavy theming I never got to the point where I actually cared for any of the characters. Also, a lot of the sciency technobabble explained in the last episode never really stuck with me (I'm still not sure how exactly the mutants came to be, or if their creation was intended or not).
Overall:
I thought it was okay. I liked the world, some of the tech, and thought it had potential, but it just didn't have the time necessary to really expand on any of it.
Content Guide:
Sex/Nudity (High) - There are lots of "mermaids" present that almost always have their breasts exposed (granted, they're not really presented in a sexual way, it's just how they are). The most (really only) sexually graphic moment occurs when one of the mutant leaders is heavily implied to have assaulted one of the mermaids (he's jealous that she has the scent of a human male on her, as she was saved by Hayami earlier), and he gets grabby, licking & nibbling on her ears before the scene cuts away.
Blood/Gore (Medium) - It's mostly not that bloody of a series, and although there is some in earlier episodes, the most notable is a moment in the final episode where Hayami gets his face busted up really badly, which is quite graphic.
Language (Mild) - Typical PG-13 stuff, as far as I recall.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Finished watching season 3 of Narcos. This was definitely the best season of the show so far. I struggled getting through season 1 and while season 2 became more interesting, it went downhill towards the end. Although the first two seasons had more interesting characters, the storyline in season 3 was overall much better and more engrossing than both season 1 and 2 combined. Without spoiling anything, the events in season 3 felt more "fair" so to speak, while the ones in season 2 were definitely more one-sided. Because of that, it simply felt pointless following the show because it didn't feel rewarding to watch it until the end. At that point I just wanted it to be over because we all knew what was going to happen. I guess that's just how it is if you're going to base your show off of history, which is understandable but it simply didn't translate well into a thrilling TV show.
I'm definitely more engaged in this series overall now thanks to season 3 and I can't wait to start watching Mexico next.
@Z3u5000 I've actually already watched through Breaking Bad around the time it came out. It's really good! Haven't watched Better Call Saul yet but I have it on my watchlist on Netflix.
I can't believe YashaHime premiers this weekend! I've never made it a point to simulcast any anime ever before, but there's a first time for everything (luckily it's going to be on Hulu too, so I won't have to get any new subscriptions).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
1980's sci-fi OVA series comprised of 8 episodes that follows the exploits of the Knight Sabers, a (nearly) all female vigilante group that uses advanced power suits (think a more anime take on Iron Man) to take on Genon, an overly powerful robotics corporation that is illegally developing weapons grade "Boomers" (series terminology for humanoid androids).
While the first three episodes form a sort of connected story, overall there's no narrative end point, with each episode (most of which are 40-50 minutes long) feeling like a little self contained movie of sorts, each chronicling the events of a different case the group gets involved in. It's definitely from an interesting era of sci-fi anime (definitely the kind of series that influenced the vibe of Astral Chain) with an attention to detail to the sci-fi machinery & vehicles (unfortunately it looks like it hasn't had much if any of a visual upgrade, with a VHS like quality to the image. I think it'd look phenomenal restored in HD), and the impact of Blade Runner on the medium can definitely be felt. Worth a look if you have an interest in vintage anime, which can feel VERY different to the medium in it's current form.
Content Guide:
Language - Average (Mostly PG-13 level stuff, but I wouldn't rule out an F-Bomb or two that MAY have flown by me).
Violence - High (While it can get quite bloody when it needs to, I mean there's one episode that centers around a mysterious "vampire" draining people of the stuff, it's not constantly drenched with it, and a couple episodes don't feature any as far as I recall, unless you count this yellow fluid/oil that acts as a Boomer's "blood" when it gets ripped apart. Just be aware it can get high impact when it needs to).
Nudity/Sex - Average (really just for the few scenes of bare breasts it features during the occasional shower or changing scene. Like maybe four brief scenes total. Otherwise it's not really fanservicy in any way. The female characters don't have exaggerated body proportions, I don't recall any noticeable jiggle physics, and their outfits always seem appropriate for whatever situation they're currently in. The only other thing that would go here is a bit of a running gag where the brother of one of the girls seems oddly interested in seeing her specifically in a state of undress, but it's dropped after the first few episodes).
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
A three episode prequel to Bubblegum Crisis (which I've recently watched as well) that follows Leon (a supporting character from the original) during his rookie year within the AD Police (short for "Advanced Police"), well before the Knight Sabers first appeared.
Like the original, each episode is more or less a stand alone story within the world rather than having any sort of overarching narrative. However It's a much grittier take on the world (which makes since given that the Knight Sabers haven't started to clean things up yet), and they take the chance to tackle some deeper themes (such as the line between humanity & machine in a world where artificial body enhancement & advanced humanoid androids run rampant), and this is even reflected in the art direction, which strikes a more realistic tone (especially the first episode, the second two look a bit more like the original). The VHS video quality persists too however, as it clearly hasn't had any sort of enhanced re-release. Still, an interesting sci-fi watch, especially if you can handle the grittier content.
Content Guide:
Language (Average) - Typical PG-13 stuff.
Violence (Extreme) - People routinely get mutilated & ripped asunder with blood spraying everywhere.
Sex/Nudity (Extreme) - Nudity & Sex are pretty common as well. I mean the first episode centers around an artificial prostitute, & the second deals with the murder of prostitutes, so you can guess at the prevalence.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Kids' anime released at the height of the original Pokemon craze, this turn of the millennium show features collecting & battling with robots called "Medabots". Of course there's something special with our main character Ikki's outdated "Metabee" model thanks to a strange medal (this acts as the brain/soul of a Metabot) he found in the river, and soon the pair are one of the hottest "Robattling" pairs in school, gaining the attention of the "Rubber Robo Gang" (goofy criminal syndicate like Team Rocket) & "the Phantom Renegade" (mysterious medal thief who rides the line between friend & foe).
It's been a long time since I've watched anything like this (I caught a couple episodes as a kid, but for whatever reason was never in a position to follow it more closely), and I had a pretty fun time with it. I really liked the smart"butt" characterization of Metabee, as well as seeing where the match referee would pop out next. You can tell it was definitely from an era with heavier localization (not 4Kids levels of bad, as it didn't generally hide the fact that it took place in Japan, & still referenced death), with the biggest notable example being when they referred to a tengu as Pinocchio (which I'll let slide as even most adults in the US wouldn't know what a tengu is). There were a few story threads left open by the end, meaning either Retro Crush doesn't have further seasons (or they were never brought to the US in the first place), but overall it was a fun show if you like Pokemon likes.
Content Guide:
Language (None) - Other than offensively bad wordplay like "Holy Metaroly", "I'm gonna' give you a Meta Be-Boppin'", & "Your Bot is mine!", Which you'll hear a lot, lol.
Violence (Mild) - low impact robot fights. Think Pokemon in terms of fighting.
Sex/Nudity (None) - Nothing to note here.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Just finished watching season 6 of The Flash on Netflix. Man what a disappointing season, basically nothing happens and the season even ended on a cliffhanger. In all honesty though, it started out promising in the beginning when they were hyping up an upcoming event. But then you find out that this event is tied to the crossover episodes they do with all their TV shows, i.e. you need to watch Batwoman, Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow in order to see what happens. Two of those aren't even on Netflix and the rest don't even have the corresponding seasons up on Netflix yet. This disappointed me so much because I was actually looking forward to seeing how it would all play out. Then the rest of the season felt basically like "low budget no ideas" episodes. Most of the time, some of the main cast wouldn't show up in the episodes and only half of them would be there. I genuinely don't know why, all of them are usually present but now the writers made up some excuse that they're gone for the time being, which is incredibly stupid. Then in those episodes, they introduce new characters who are supposed to be part of the main cast now but even they rarely showed up in the episodes. One guy hasn't even been seen since like 6-7 episodes ago, but he's supposedly in their team. It's so weird, it's like they didn't have the budget to have all actors in the episodes at the same time anymore. Maybe because they've introduced so many new ones.
Anyway, I can rant about this season in detail for much longer but I think that's enough. The main problem I had with it was basically how incoherent the entire season felt. The writers have definitely run out of ideas at this point, which is sad to see because the CW shows used to be my favourite ones to watch. They would never disappoint me. But yeah, all great things must come to an end eventually.
@LtSarge I just see your analysis of the Flash! Is that the Crisis on Infinite Earths season or the one before? I'm afraid you may have to come over to the dark side of torrenting for the cross overs. It really sucked over here in the UK, Arrow, Supergirl and Flash were on Sky, Black Lightning was on Netflix and at the time Crisis came out, Batwoman was no where to be seen. It ended up being shown on terrestrial TV about 6 months later. I pay for the streaming services but in the end I just had to torrent Batwoman, I wasn't going to ruin what turned out to be one of the best crossovers in the Arrowverse by missing a quarter of it (one fifth if you include the Black Lightning side episode).
But yeah if it's the same season we are talking about, I thought most of the non-crossover stuff was pretty weak. They really try to push Iris but just have no idea what to do with her and while they have the best of intentions, her character comes across so poorly. I'm not sure what was up with the Cisco actor but I believe the woman who plays Caitlin was pregnant toward the end of the season which is probably why she isn't in it as much. They try to frame the camera around her top half so you can't see her belly but you can sort of tell anyway. Sue and Ralph were the obvious highlights for me but now Ralph isn't coming back I'm not that excited to watch the next season. I may do though if I hear they bring Sue back at least.
I think the cliffhanger was caused by the covid outbreak too. A couple of the shows didn't film their last episodes so that's why they end abruptly. I mean, I don't think it was going to be a great ending anyway based on where it was going but that's the real life reason why.
I think Crisis on Infinite Earths really was the peak of it for me. I remember when Arrow came out 9 or so years ago and I started tentatively watching it despite its questionable quality because I just knew it would expand to include the rest of the DC Universe and it didn't disappoint. I mean Crisis wasn't just a crossover between the Arrowverse shows but it crossed over an entire multiverse of DC TV shows and films! It was just totally bonkers considering I love all of those movies and shows.
I didn't know you watched the Flash! I'm (or at least was) obviously a big fan, hence my username! Do you watch any of the others? I ended up loving Arrow in the end despite how corny it was. Legends of Tomorrow is easily the best show out of the lot (barring season 1) and Black Lightning is a close second! I love Supergirl too actually, who am I kidding, I love all the shows!
I wish they'd just end Flash though, it's clearly past its prime. Maybe if they brought back Tom Felton's Julian character, it would give it the kick it needs. I just need a lovable Flash Companion to keep me interested! Whether it's Ralph, Julian or Kid Flash - minus the wishy washy spiritual mumbo jumbo he seems to be on at the moment!
To be honest actually, I would have liked to have seen Barry die instead of Ollie in Crisis. The show would have got a much needed refresh if they had made Wally the lead. They sort of dabbled with the idea in an earlier season but the new status quo ended after like one episode when they got Barry back out of the speed force - missed opportunity I think!
Anyway yeah, that Superman and Lois show looks decent I think, I'll probably check it out when a few more episodes come out.
@ralphdibny Yeah, it's the Crisis season. I had no idea though that the Caitlin actress was pregnant, that would explain why they just randomly said "Well she has to go away for a while now". I don't think they ever explained why her character had to leave, which made me so confused. But yeah, most of the episodes felt just like filler, like the one where Barry and Ralph were in a James Bond parody. Episodes like that would've been great as a break from the usual nonstop action, but there wasn't any nonstop action at all. Barry loses his speed and there's basically very little of The Flash in the TV show that's supposed to be all about The Flash. That's what bothered me so much, I just didn't like the plot at all. Not to mention that because of this, the show started focusing on the other characters. The new ones, Kamilla, Allegra and Chester, were so uninteresting to me. Having entire episodes dedicated to them made the show even less enjoyable. I just wanted to see The Flash fight off against some bad guys like he usually does, not all this talking among people I don't even care about. At least if there should be talking, then do it among the Team Flash members. But Iris was trapped for the rest of the season, Cisco went on a trip, Caitlin was absent due to pregnancy and so on. Everything was executed just so poorly.
Yeah I watch the other DC shows as well and have been doing so since they basically came out when I was still in upper secondary school. I remember when my classmates would always discuss the latest episode of Arrow, basically all the guys in my class was watching that show at the time. Although Arrow has become rather lacklustre as well, I don't think I liked the recent season that I watched on Netflix (season 7 I believe). My issue with it is pretty much the same as with The Flash; too much focus on the side characters. On top of that, I genuinely started to hate Felicity as a character. I remember from one of the episodes that she wanted to split up from Oliver because he had been lying about something and she told him that they need to be open to each other about everything. All I could think was that everyone has a private life and if they are not comfortable sharing personal things then they shouldn't. But Felicity wasn't having any of that, everything should be shared according to her, which is so stupid. Then later on she literally turns out to be supporting a hacker group and doesn't tell Oliver this and doesn't even realise the double standards that she's exhibiting! I really hated her at that point, she truly made the show worse during the last few seasons.
I find it interesting how you think Arrow is corny, I think if anything Legends of Tomorrow is the corny one of the bunch, lol. At first the seasons were really good but then the episodes became more light-hearted and not as serious as before. That's why I stopped following it because it didn't feel like an exciting show anymore. I don't even think most of the characters used their superpowers in the episodes anymore.
I tried watching Supergirl outside of Netflix for a while but then I stopped because of various reasons.
But yeah, I do like the DC shows in general but it feels like all of them have changed for the worst. I still try and give shows like Legends of Tomorrow a shot but I just end up giving up after a couple of episodes. They're just not as captivating to watch as they were in the past. I mean, back when a new season came out I would literally just watch multiple episodes each day because I just couldn't stop watching. Now, it took me pretty much a month to get through season 6 of The Flash because it just wasn't compelling to watch.
@LtSarge I think I'm the other way around! After a few seasons I end up finding the main character such a bore. Barry moped for so long that I just loved when the supporting cast were on screen. Same with Supergirl, she starts off amazing but becomes unbearable and I basically end up watching it just to see Dreamer, Brainy and Martian Manhunter. Arrow is probably the only one where it was the other way around, the guy who plays Ollie is/was such a terrible actor but his dorky woodenness in the role made me warm to him so much by the end. But also I love Renee and Kurtis and of course Diggle who is my favourite character in arrow!
I agree mostly about Felicity though, again she started off fun but became unbearable. I don't really care so much about her double standards, it is TV after all but it is boring to watch. I don't really mind Allegra and kamilla because they were sort of introduced naturally but Chester was too much for me, we've already had too many of these dorky excitable super geniuses on these shows, we don't need any more!
I don't think you'll enjoy season 8 of Arrow, they spend barely any time with Ollie and his gang, I won't spoil why but there is a new insufferable character that is made the focus of it!
I think Arrow is corny because the show is a complete joke but it takes itself too seriously. But that balance of unintentional cheesiness makes it adorable and lovable. I remember there was an argument on screen between Malcolm and Ollie in one episode where each one kept raising their voices after the other one. It just made me laugh so much because it looked like they can barely keep their own laughter in and they shouted at each other. Obviously It wasn't the intended effect but I loved it for what I took away from it. It's just fun easy programming that gets funnier the more you pay attention to it.
I love the action scenes in the police station, everyone is fighting but to make the scene look even more chaotic, paper starts flying everywhere. Why though? Where does the paper come from 😂. I paused it and watched through carefully and they were literally pouring paper out of the ceiling panels! I couldn't stop laughing
I found the first season of legends really bad. Vandal savage just wasn't believable and the guy who played hawkman was just so wooden. The show was much better when they ditched all that and lent into the bonkers nature of the team and different villains. It's true they do save the budget for certain episodes where they can show off all the powers but luckily the characters who they do it too are just really lovable. It's more like a fun show with fun characters that just happen to have super powers. They introduce some brilliant characters too, people like Omaya/Charlie, Ava and Constantine. It's shame captain cold isn't in it any more though he was one of my favourites but honestly I love every minute of Legends anyway.
Generally the shows don't take themselves too seriously though, it can be painful when they do if they don't do it right but a lot of things are actually handled quite well I think.
Have you seen the Marvel Netflix shows? They might be a bit more up your alley as they are played completely straight for the most part. I love them too but they are in a completely different ballpark to the Arrowverse interns of tone and execution.
@ralphdibny Yeah I really enjoyed the Marvel shows on Netflix actually. I've watched Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones (although I still have the last season that I need to watch), Iron Fist and The Punisher (I need to watch the last season here as well). I don't really like them as much as the DC shows though for two reasons: 1) I just prefer DC over Marvel in general and 2) the Marvel shows don't really have cool action scenes like the DC shows, except for maybe Daredevil and The Punisher but for the most part, they're more about the plot and the characters. Like the pacing is completely different; in the DC shows each scene is extremely short because they don't want to bore you with too much exposition and too little action. While with the Marvel shows, they really take their time in developing the characters but they don't have many action scenes. So yeah, while I really like the Marvel shows, DC just feels more up my alley.
I might sound like a cranky old guy, but I don't really like too much humour in my superhero shows because it's often not executed that well. If there should be humour, it shouldn't be forced you know? A spontaneous example of a show like that is Orange is the New Black on Netflix. The humour there was pretty much spot on, it felt very natural. Same with the comic relief characters in Arrow and Flash such as Felicity and Cisco respectively. They feel natural, but the constant humour in Legends of Tomorrow doesn't. I don't know, maybe I'll have to give it another shot one of these days.
There are also some other superhero shows on Netflix that I really enjoy, such as Gotham, DC Titans and Umbrella Academy. The last two have in particular been more compelling to watch than the other DC/Marvel shows. Which reminds me, I still need to watch season 2 of Umbrella Academy!
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