Watched the first three episodes of Scott Pilgrim on Netflix, and so far it's really darn good. Talking about why it's good, besides the animation, would go into spoilers, suffice to say that I didn't see this coming.
I'm on the 3rd episode now. Enjoying it so far. Honestly I loved the book, the movie is one of my favourites and honestly (without spoilers) I don't mind that they have changed things. The books and movie still exist. This version is great in it's own way. Honestly better in a lot of ways.Watched the first three episodes of Scott Pilgrim on Netflix, and so far it's really darn good. Talking about why it's good, besides the animation, would go into spoilers, suffice to say that I didn't see this coming.
I was never a big fan of the movie. I love it for its style and blend of geek indy realism with over-the-top cartooniness, but god did I dislike nearly all of these characters. And it's funny how simply making these characters literal cartoons makes them so much more likeable right off the bat. I felt so much more invested in these cartoons struggling with realistic issues of love than I did for the realistic characters in the movie trying to be cartoony.I'm on the 3rd episode now. Enjoying it so far. Honestly I loved the book, the movie is one of my favourites and honestly (without spoilers) I don't mind that they have changed things. The books and movie still exist. This version is great in it's own way. Honestly better in a lot of ways.
After finishing it I can honestly say I prefer this one in a lot of ways. It's a much more grown up look at relationships than the manic pixie dream girl stuff of the original. I enjoyed the books and movie but they're definitely a product of the time.I was never a big fan of the movie. I love it for its style and blend of geek indy realism with over-the-top cartooniness, but god did I dislike nearly all of these characters. And it's funny how simply making these characters literal cartoons makes them so much more likeable right off the bat. I felt so much more invested in these cartoons struggling with realistic issues of love than I did for the realistic characters in the movie trying to be cartoony.
I will say I think Episode 3 is probably the peak of the show. It's kinda the most touching one overall. And even as a cartoon Aubrey Plaza's character is still the hottest, because ofcourse she is.
There's a lot more character interaction in this show, as opposed to the movie where the interactions were relegated to snark or fights. Can't speak for the comic book. But just that one flashback where you see Roxie sitting there defeated and trying to meet Ramona's eye as she's leaving was so much more genuine than anything in the movie.After finishing it I can honestly say I prefer this one in a lot of ways. It's a much more grown up look at relationships than the manic pixie dream girl stuff of the original. I enjoyed the books and movie but they're definitely a product of the time.
I started watching this, too; mentioned it in the anime/cartoon thread. I'm almost done, but so far, I'd say your 7/10 is about right. Insofar as Mizu playing it as a male the whole time, I thought it was strange at the end of episode one, when Ringo sees her bathing (and we get the full-frontal, bush and all) that it was played as a reveal to the audience. Like, were we NOT supposed to have known already? I get that we're supposed to believe the people in that world have been fooled and might be shocked to learn she's female, but pretty much from the jump, I (we, the audience) had no reason to believe otherwise. She has a woman voice actor who doesn't ever try to put on a masculine voice, never mind the art style typically has men with square jaw lines and women with pointed ones, and Mizu's has got to be the pointiest of them all!Blue Eye Samaria - 7/10
Pretty solid overall samurai animated adult show. Some really great episodes in the season like the onryo episode for example. The animation is just great looking for the most part, especially stuff like the rain. I feel like some of the rather subtle animations just seem off and in the uncanny valley area. I do like how the show demonstrates the sexism and racism in history as a lot of fiction nowadays like to act like medieval times were similar to today's acceptance. I did not really care for how the main character, Mizu, is a chick and is playing off like a guy the whole time. That is fine for a more comic-y/wacky tone but in such a serious show, she is not going to be able to easily pass as a dude because it's obvious that she's a dude. At best, people that spend any amount of time with her would be asking themselves "is that a chick?" I'm also not the biggest fan of how Mizu's ark progressed through season as they do a really great job of showing her progressively become evil and it comes to a head in the onryo episode but then she keeps sorta redeeming herself just so the show can get all the characters together again. It would have been really great for her to come to the relevation in the last episode when she sees the city on fire.
This is mean but... I think Michael Cera doesn't fit animated Scott because animated Scott doesn't look enough like a loser to sound right with Michael Cera's voice.Im an episode into Scott Pilgrim and idk if its just mean, but the sound is...off. Like Its very stilted between scenes with and without music or effects so it lacks the same frenetic energy as the movie.
More problematically the voice acting also lacks energy. It kinda reeks of one of those animated films where they got a bunch Hollywood actors to do voices vs experienced voice actors so the dialogue just lacks the right emotion for the scene.
Its always a mixed bag some Hollywood actors just fall right into voice acting and some struggle to hit those notes. Scott himself just idk sounds super phoned in.
Im still more or less enjoying it, but it won't leave the back of my mind the whole time that I didn't need the cast doing the dialogue. I would have preferred qualified voice actors who could really bring the heat.
I'm only like 3 or 4 episodes in and I recall the 1st episode being a poor redo of the movie for the most part. The dialogue just didn't flow at all and felt really generic. But the other 2 episodes I really didn't find that issue. One thing I do hate about the show is how the music is mixed (and that's been every episode). In the movie when there's a song, the sound really bursts into the soundscape and takes it over whereas in this show, the music feels like it's so in the background even when it's the only thing you can hear.Im an episode into Scott Pilgrim and idk if its just mean, but the sound is...off. Like Its very stilted between scenes with and without music or effects so it lacks the same frenetic energy as the movie.
More problematically the voice acting also lacks energy. It kinda reeks of one of those animated films where they got a bunch Hollywood actors to do voices vs experienced voice actors so the dialogue just lacks the right emotion for the scene.
Its always a mixed bag some Hollywood actors just fall right into voice acting and some struggle to hit those notes. Scott himself just idk sounds super phoned in.
Im still more or less enjoying it, but it won't leave the back of my mind the whole time that I didn't need the cast doing the dialogue. I would have preferred qualified voice actors who could really bring the heat.
You got me interested and then the Critical Drinker committed me to checking this out. I'm on episode 5/8 and have to write, this is freaking fantastic.The Fall Of The House Of Usher (Netflix)
Netflix, at its best, has backed some great shows. Horror maestro Mike Flanagan was paid to produce a number of series, and to my deep and enduring sadness, this is apparently the last on his contract. It's fair to say that The Midnight Club was a little bit meh, and I appreciate that Midnight Mass was in ways very un-TVish (despite being my favourite), but even despite that these have been some premium TV experiences.
It is of course loosely based on the Edgar Allen Poe novel of the same name. The Ushers here are owners of a large pharmaceutical firm that has been peddling opioids calledPerdueFortunato, run by brother and sister Roderick and Madeleine. Inside the rotten edifice of their family are a bunch of grotesques who - and I can give this away because you're told almost immediately upon watching - are all doomed to die. If you're familiar with Poe's work, it's a constant series of references and influences from across Poe's works running throughout, plus some pretty scathing commentary on the rich and business elites. Some parts of it are just superb. I think maybe my favourite (so far, I haven't finished) is where the patriarch and CEO Roderick muses "If life gives you lemons" ... and explains what he would do would if he got lemons, in a viciously satirical monologue: see below. Flanagan reaches for a lot familiar faces from his other works, who put in sterling performances - plus, oh look, isn't that Mark Hamill as the gravelly-voiced corporate lawyer/fixer?
You got me interested and then the Critical Drinker committed me to checking this out. I'm on episode 5/8 and have to write, this is freaking fantastic.
I will write I stopped his video once I was hooked to avoid any possible spoilers but for those that want to see his review,