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Ninja Kamui (2024)
Apparently, this is what passes for entertainment nowadays
Ninja Kamui is one of the most bland and uninteresting shows I've seen in a long time. I cannot believe the IMDb rating of 7.9 and the reviews calling this utter snoozefest, brilliant. Outside of competent voice work and some decent fights, it has few redeeming qualities to speak of. Generic premise that quickly turns ridiculous, awful and out of place soundtrack, hugely inconsistent animation quality, plus characters so two-dimensional you don't care about any of them at all. They try to elicit emotional reactions from you with very typical tropes that are so poorly done and transparent it's almost insulting. Throw in some mid-2000s CGI jank at the end showcasing the most boring boss fight ever, some shallow crap that passes as resolution, and then it just ends.
For some incomprehensible reason, people think this is good. Just look at the rave reviews. I can't tell if they're joke reviews or it's simply some I-am-14-and-this-is-deep nonsense. Do yourself a favor and don't waste time on this show. I had to force myself to watch it all the way through because I finish everything I start. It begins in common fashion, meanders and plateaus throughout, then takes a massive, anticlimactic nosedive at the end. This is uninspired trash designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. You're better off watching almost anything else.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021)
A continuation of the clone wars that I didn't know I wanted
This series is incredibly formulaic. Not exactly original but that doesn't mean it's bad. A good formula executed well can still equal a great show, which is what this is. It really speaks to how effective certain tropes are when even after seeing slight variations of the same things time and time again, still elicits feelings of satisfaction in the hearts of the audience.
For instance, the villain is someone that we've seen countless times before, but it's pulled off so well in such perfect form that it just works because he's who we want him to be. Our heroes also conform to such typical stereotypes but again, done so well that we don't mind and even welcome it. It can be argued that the uninspired roles they fill with personalities to match are reasoned away in the larger context of what it means to be a clone, but that's just another convenient variation of a theme that we're comfortable with. The entire show is filled with things like this, such as Omega being somehow special and needs to be guarded, but her guardians also recognize her as a full member of the team so that's different enough to accept as something fresh. Or how we see old characters make an appearance for arguably little more than nostalgia, yet as transparent as this is it's briefly explained away via story and we just accept it because we want to. This continues all the way through until the finish. The way things end up is exactly as expected. Outside of one event that the writers shockingly committed to, nothing else was surprising in the slightest and there's nothing wrong with that.
Now combine all of the above with superb animation, excellent lighting and atmosphere, A+ voice work, great scene composition, good pacing / transition and you end up with something fantastic.
I only have one complaint, and that's the inclusion of fillers. There may have been fillers in the original clone wars series, but that had far more episodes than this one and could allow for it. The ones present here would have benefited from being a little more focused and less freeform. Ultimately it doesn't hurt the show but it's there.
I really enjoyed The Bad Batch. If you were a fan of the series that came before it this is a must watch. Or if you simply like good storytelling, for which this is an excellent example of.
Bungou Stray Dogs (2016)
Yo dawg, I heard you like flashbacks so we put flashbacks in your flashbacks...
This series should be called Flashback: The Anime. It never stops. Constant visits to the past to explain something in the present. Over and over and over again it happens, to the point where it's less, "Ohh... so THAT's why that is!" and more "Jesus, will this story ever move forward?" There's even an entire season dedicated to this, and once you finally think it's starting to pick up and we have all the background info we need, there's another flashback. Some people might like this style of storytelling, I do not. It makes everything feel incredibly disjointed and is irritating to follow. For this reason, pacing is all over the place. There's a good show somewhere beneath it all, but you have to be far too patient to finally see it. Not until season 4 did things really start to come together, and after you sit through yet another flashback it's pretty decent.
Additionally, the tone of this show is very inconsistent. You have many serious, dramatic scenes. Some are perfectly implemented while others are so overdone you may as well be watching Naruto be all by himself sitting on that swing again. Throughout this, there's over-the-top goofiness smashed in with no logical or coherent transition. Countless other series also do this but is either built on it (not meant to be taken seriously) or done with tactful moderation. BSD is of the group that takes it to another level. There are clearly events not viewed through the lens of humor yet it will often make a random appearance at twice the intensity. You just have to accept that ridiculous chibi sprites which would fit in an outright comedy simultaneously belong with murder and brutal violence without a moment's notice. Furthermore, character interactions between warring factions are terrible. Who are the enemies? Who are allies? The answer is, whatever is convenient. Instead of the thrill of watching fully realized characters previously at odds now cooperating with one another for some greater purpose, you're left with incompetent attempts to appeal to that emotion. This isn't a spoiler because it happens all the time. There are also basically zero stakes because after a while you know who is going to win in every fight. There's nothing wrong in enjoying OP heroes doing OP things, but the tension this show attempts to create doesn't hit so nothing feels particularly important for most of it.
I don't want to give the impression there's nothing of value here. When things are done well it's spectacular. BSD is probably one of the prettiest, and most stylish series I have ever seen. Superb character design, gorgeous fashion, fluid/striking animation and overall visual glam. The stories that are told in these flashbacks are also done well, mostly. Especially when they don't sporadically insert cute nonsense into critical moments. There's a lot to like individually, but everything put together creates an amalgam of things that don't quite fit at a pace you can't really adjust to.
I enjoyed most of what I watched and will likely check out season 6. That said, if it somehow slips my mind and I forget that's okay too.
Arcadian (2024)
Decent, but questionable camera work ruins the experience
Adroitly written dialogue, believable characters, nice special effects, creative enemy design and a coherent, concise story that makes sense. They also did away with a lot of detail for background to put us into the moment. Very much the essence of "less is more" in every scene and it works well. Nothing's missing, and there's just the right amount of what we need to know.
But is it a good film? It's work like this that makes me appreciate how complicated and involved filmmaking actually is. Arcadian is arguably a competent piece of work, but none of it will stay with me. I enjoyed everything I watched along with how it was put together, and yet had I not seen it at all that would have been okay too. I wouldn't have missed it. This would also not be on my list of recommendations unless it was for a fan of the genre, and even then I would tell them to curb their expectations. There's something about the way it was shot that hurts the movie, and whatever it is reduces an otherwise decent film into something that's rather forgettable.
If you're a fan of the medium and appreciate the artistry I would say this is worth your time. If you're looking to passively enjoy something in this genre there are better options out there.
Tomodachi Game (2022)
Pointless fan service ruins an otherwise decent show
Not the best in its genre. Can be overly dramatic and a little too convenient, but when a plan or scheme comes together it's not bad at all. Based on those merits I'd say it's worth watching if you like this kind of thing.
However, the fan service is awful. I don't really like fan service to begin with, but depending on the tone of the show it can work. It can even be really funny. What's featured in this series, though, just ends up being distracting. A random panty shot at a critical moment. Boobs displayed like a museum exhibit during an important plot point. Massive cleavage focus in one scene, and then the following for pretty much no reason except boobs. It's almost as if they don't trust the audience to continue paying attention unless there's nudity on the screen. Things like this alone already make the show seem kind of cheap, but when you combine it with the standard anime tropes you'd come to expect it just amplifies that to the point where you can't take anything seriously. This is a shame because there are moments in this show that really shine, but none of it matters because somehow boobs have to be involved. It's the kind of thing that sabotages potentially great shows and turns them into instantly forgettable garbage, which is exactly what this is.
If you don't mind watching trash with some halfway decent psychological strategy, this is an okay choice.
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
Interesting idea that ends up being incredibly underwhelming
I don't understand why people like this film so much. It's as if the bar is so low that anything different in the smallest way is somehow worthy of high praise. An original script is always welcome, but the film has to be good. This is not good. The building tension and suspense, plus what passes as foreshadowing all fizzles out into nothing. The entire movie was a long period of waiting for something interesting to happen, seeing what might be considered interesting, then realizing it wasn't that interesting at all. This is largely due to the weak climax at the end. Nothing was revealed, resolved, nor explored upon. You're shown what you knew from the very beginning, minus character backgrounds that were made out to be important and never mentioned again, then it ends.
The film being split between color / black and white to signify on and off air also doesn't really work. Perhaps I'm too young to appreciate the detail there since another reviewer had mentioned this format contains historical significance, but when you put it into practice in a film like this it ends up being distracting. When they're off air, it's like a faux reality show. If there really was supposed to be a camera filming the set off air for whatever reason, then why was so much of the focus on the main characters themselves? It's not even subtly done, they're literally front and center, hushed intimate conversations and all. Obviously this is for the benefit of the audience, but in doing so becomes incredibly contrived and super fake which doesn't match the tone of the film whatsoever.
The '70s aesthetic, costume and set design are all A+. Actors did a great job as well. It's easy to appreciate individual pieces of this work, but when you step back to see the entire thing it's simply not a good film.
Undead Unluck (2023)
Better than I expected
This show seemed lewd and generic. Didn't appear to have a particularly interesting premise so I kept my expectations low. Turned out to be a good time. Charming character design and art style, hollow melodrama kept to a minimum, creative battle mechanics and is actually something of a cute love story. The plot itself also gets progressively more interesting. Far more than the first few episodes would indicate with the continuation of an engaging story arc coming in later seasons.
If you're a fan of anime in general this is a good pick, if you're among the uninitiated (and don't mind some low-brow humor) you may have to be a bit patient. It won't immediately hook you but you'll likely enjoy having stayed around.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Two (2024)
It's not great
I'm not the biggest fan of the Tomorrowverse saga, but each film that's come out thus far has been relatively decent. Until Warworld. Just like that film, is this a long episode or an actual movie? Personally, I like long story arcs that continues across separate entries, but this continuation can't be so much of the focus that it hurts the individual film itself. While parts one, two and eventually three are in the actual title, each release needs to be able to stand on its own. They failed at that here.
Additionally, the entire thing kind of drags. While the parts containing Kara, Psycho Pirate and the Monitor are interesting, the way these events are put together hinders momentum. That, along with the monotonous color palette combines to create a sense of meandering and stagnation. At one point I actually paused the film just to see how much of it was left, something I never do for any film worth watching and the first time I've done so for a DC animated one. By the time the lukewarm cliffhanger hits you simply feel nothing about it.
There have been a lot of criticism about the art style for Tomorrowverse, and while I can confidently say style is subjective and not indicative of true quality, some of the scenes in this film and the ones prior appear to have been rather hastily or even lazily done. A fight happening in the background put there with the absolute minimum effort because, who's going to stare at that? Or someone wiping their face simply with a hand motion sans any of the facial mannerisms to match. Things like this scream budget, effort, or time issues and it absolutely hurts the final product.
I love DC Comics and the animated films/series that have come from them, but this film and a few before it have been disappointing. Even if part three turns out to be amazing, it won't save this one nor justify the time spent to get there.
Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song (2021)
An oversight mar an otherwise perfect show
The pacing, premise and animation are all A+. There's real artistic talent to the way the story is told from the very first scene all the way to the end. They closed that story loop perfectly. Melancholy, longing and heart-pounding action. Existential contemplation. Reflecting on the human condition. The question of a soul. All those heavy hitters from classic cyberpunk this has in spades. Given that there are only 13 episodes, the feeling you've been on a long journey once everything is said and done is a mark of great storytelling. I absolutely loved this show.
The only blemish is the lack of clarity concerning one of the character's motivations. They left it open as an unsolved mystery like an afterthought. Not nearly enough to ruin the emotional climax at the end, the highs throughout, or the attachments you will undoubtedly develop but it's there.
Regardless, this is an excellent show and well worth your time. It's fantastic.
Shangri-La Frontier: Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su (2023)
I've no idea why this show isn't more popular or rated higher. It's excellent.
Wasting time watching a new series just to find out it's terrible is the worst, so when Shangri-La Frontier popped up as an option I very nearly skipped it. No one talks about this show. There's no buzz or hype that I've seen whatsoever, and given how much mediocre anime there is out there at a glance this seemed more of the same. It isn't. It's actually quite good. I'd go so far as to say it's the best 'full-dive' online game anime I've ever seen, easily on par / surpassing bigger titles such as Log Horizon, Overlord, SAO, and Accel World.
The creators are obviously mmo gamers themselves. You can see this in showcased mechanics, message board behavior from the community, or hilarious moments set-up for maximum, social awkwardness. While you don't need to be a gamer to enjoy it (they provide charming, pop-up explanations for the uninitiated), it's made for people who are.
Story itself is told really well. Pacing is spot on. The surprising amount of attention given to specific events also makes you excited for what comes next. They could have easily cut-out entire episodes for the sake of time or additional work involved but they didn't. It's deliberate, and far better for it. Clearly there's real vision for the overall story being told and no shortcuts are being taken here.
SLF isn't an isekai. There are no life-threatening stakes involved, no one is trapped, and there are zero irl concerns worth mentioning of any kind. That's part of what makes it unique. IMDB doesn't classify it properly, either. Sure, there's action, adventure and the tech involved is fantasy by current standards. But this is a comedy first and foremost. It's deliberately dumb at certain points, and funny in the best way. SLF knows exactly what it is and pulls it off perfectly.
I really enjoyed this show. If any of the above sounds appealing, you will, too.
Justice League: Warworld (2023)
I can see what they were going for, but it doesn't land.
The premise is interesting and the setup had a lot of potential, but what few mini-stories we had prior to the main event were wasted. For the most part, it just wasn't good. They could have went anywhere, done anything with those, but outside of the first one being decent the others were not great. Then when things started coming together, not enough questions were answered. This is followed by an interesting plot point regarding Warworld itself, and then it simply ends on a cliffhanger for something else entirely. Another reviewer mentioned the whole thing felt more like an episode as opposed to an actual film, and this is accurate. Like the movie itself was just building up to what comes next, which diminishes this entry altogether. Even the official summary is completely inaccurate--
"...Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and others must unite to form an unbeatable resistance to lead the entire planet to freedom."
This is not what happens. Not really. It would likely have been a far better film if it was.
I still enjoyed it, because I'm a fan in general. That said, there's a lot of wasted potential here and people that aren't familiar with these characters or DC at all aren't missing anything because as a standalone film it's nothing worth writing home about. The art style is also not to my liking, and while it is indeed a subjective issue some of the scenes felt lazy while a few in particular were downright ugly. Very inconsistent. Maybe what they did here was more cost effective. Whatever is it, it hurts.
Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
Fun and silly, wonderfully done.
The opening title sequence tells you everything you need to know. It is not a serious movie. Much of it is utter nonsense in the best way, and you can tell the creators had a lot of fun making it. Some of the humor doesn't quite land but the ones that do are hilarious, and best described as immature adult comedy amidst an absurdist backdrop.
The art style is deliberately nostalgic. For anyone that grew up on Batman the Animated Series you will feel right at home. However, this is not a kid's film. There's blood, sexual innuendo and violence that is clearly not for children. The little ones that watched Batman in the early nineties are all grown up now, though, and this is created specifically for that audience.
It's a testament to how well done the world-building is along with the excellent job the original crew did in making Harley Quinn come to life all those years ago. The entire time spent watching this film I couldn't help feeling a little homesick. Seeing Harley go about her day in the usual endearing insanity we've come to love and expect, I was surprised at how fond I am of her even now. A different voice actress notwithstanding. Melissa Rauch is great with her own style, but Arleen Sorkin will always be the real Harley Quinn to me.
This movie is a gift for old fans of the original animated series. The people that rated it poorly simply don't get it.
The Equalizer 3 (2023)
Each entry weaker than the last
Bland, predictable and formulaic. There's nothing inspired about this whatsoever. The previous films at least had some tension and enemies worth writing home about, with our hero convincingly troubled, challenged and restless in a way that's realistic and easy to understand. This one had bad guys that were so cookie-cutter they may as well have been one line npcs in some mediocre mmo. No real sense of threat or danger, and at one point so laughably weak I couldn't believe they put it in there. Denzel's conflicted nature was also grossly overplayed; we've seen all this before. With the most obvious resolution when all was said and done. No struggle to get to this point throughout, which means the finish had little to no impact at all. The setting deserves mention because it's a poor excuse for praise. You get some scenery and a charming look into a nice neighborhood in Italy, but that won't save the terrible script from being noticed for anyone actually paying attention.
Additionally, Dakota Fanning's character was utterly wasted. She's far too talented for this kind of meaningless role. The idea appears to present her as a young and intelligent operative that would somehow assist in an adjacent fashion yet she contributed zero to the overall investigative work aside from informing higher ups of what she was simply fed. Adding insult to that, they took her out of action for a significant portion of the movie. Who thought this was a good idea?
It is the worst of the trilogy by far. The only reason to see this is to watch Denzel doing cool Denzel things. Plus a little nostalgia for fans of Man on Fire, a far better film.
Speak No Evil (2022)
Upsetting. Would not recommend, but there is a lesson here.
The premise is interesting and the acting superb, but it'll just make you frustrated and angry. The entire thing is one big violation.
If there was an underlying message to this film, it would be to not allow rules, customs or societal expectations to remove/inhibit personal agency. Decent people are raised to be polite, considerate, and at times to overextend themselves for others when the danger in doing so results in personal discomfort and even harm. In being overly considerate you are at risk of being inconsiderate to yourself. That's unacceptable. So, feel confident in being rude, even savage, or simply saying no when the situation calls for it. If someone treats you with no respect, they deserve the same or worse in turn. Defend yourself. All the shock, speechless indignation and reasoning in the world after the fact mean nothing.
Ender's Game (2013)
Not bad
This film got a lot of flack due to comparisons to the novel so of course it's going to score poorly. Some of the best moments in the book were only briefly touched on as well, and pivotal events glossed over or even let out entirely. That's obviously going to rub some people the wrong way, but the low scores are ridiculous. 1 star? Really? As a standalone film this is easily a 7. There's enough here to entertain. Great special effects with some solid acting. Pretty exciting action sequences. It's far from the steaming pile of garbage some of these reviewers claim it to be.
Personally I think some more time could have been better spent to flesh out certain parts of the story. It floats in the limbo of being slightly too vague for people that haven't read the novel, and too trimmed for the ones that have. Also, choices made regarding some characters surrounding Ender to appeal to a wider audience was a mistake. It feels very generic, safe and budget conscious. As in, "Not sure if sequel will happen, so let's condense this in the most risk-free way." Typical Hollywood stuff.
This won't rank in your list of top films, but you won't regret having spent time watching it, either.
Extraction 2 (2023)
It's a fun movie, but hugely predictable and utterly unrealistic
If you like action and well-choreographed combat, this movie has it. It's entertaining, and the acting is superb. There's nothing original about the characters or the story, though. These people are pre-built cliches that fit well into this typical formula where a bunch of action sequences has a story as an afterthought to pass for a film. It's not nearly as egregious as John Wick 4, but can still be described exactly in this way.
You can guess key events once the premise is set. It's that obvious. That's kind of a testament to how effective these tropes and cliches are. Works so well a viewer with a passing interest in film can make accurate predictions immediately. Not a downside, unless you were expecting to be surprised. The only truly bad part of the film was the training montage. I don't care how light on story you want to make your action film, but suspension of disbelief is still a thing and having the hero make a miraculous recovery after being critically injured in the span of what, a few days? A week or two? This right here is just lazy and doesn't make any sense at all. They could have simply extended the time in recovery before he gets the mission and the entire thing would have been far better for it. Instead, they gave him superhuman healing abilities and it just hurts the film. So easily avoidable I have no idea what the intent was here.
The high ratings as well as the incredibly low ones are both inaccurate. It's a 7 because it does what it set out to do really well, and that's all. This has great action, is well-shot/casted and is entertaining. Not every movie needs a deep storyline or even needs to be completely believable. Is it fun? Yes. That's enough. It's also not some 9 out of 10, either. Scores that high require a more complete package and this clearly isn't it.
The Night Agent (2023)
Almost there, not quite.
The mystery, character interactions, fast-paced sequences and on-the-spot conclusions drawn by our heroes are all excellent. Pursuers, menacing and dangerous. Relationship between the two leads are enjoyable and feels organic. Character backgrounds quickly established but not left wanting. You know exactly who these people are and everything they do lines up with what is told. All-in-all very well done.
However, critical parts of it are completely unrealistic. Setting aside how top-level govt access works for which knowledge I have none, obvious common sense occurrences are absolutely ridiculous. There'll be covert planning done within clear earshot of someone that my be compromised sitting less than five feet away. You don't need experience with agency procedure to see how nonsensical this is. How can anyone continue to believe the plot with such an egregious oversight? It outright removes any danger or tension felt since this takes you out of it entirely. Also, other common sense things like needing to provide personal information for access to public records is just not even thought of by someone who is supposed to be brilliant at most everything else up to this point. Anyone and their mother would consider this before walking into the building, especially with a fugitive status. It's like they created this situation just to show how smart this character is by them improvising a solution, but they're not smart enough to have realized the obstacle in the first place? Things like this happen throughout the season with varying degree, but now and then you'll come across something that is so in your face it feels lazy, and completely undermines the high points this show has to offer. That's a shame, since there's a lot going for it.
I gave it a seven because it's still fun to watch. Despite the above and some awkward over-acting by some of the cast it held my attention and made me want to see what happens next. Right on the edge of being a fantastic show but ends up just shy of that.
Entertaining, long as you don't think too hard about it.