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Cartoon Corner: The Ghost and Molly McGee Season 1 Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Sweet Baby Corn! It’s time to Enhappify!

What’s the Story?

Scratch is one cantankerous old ghost and, honestly, he wouldn’t have it any other way. His town is miserable so, even if the ghost council wants to, they can never send him to the Flow of Failed Phantoms. What does it matter if all the other ghosts shun him and he eats mainly out of trash cans? The only way things could possible go wrong for him is if some super excitable and worryingly exuberant tween girl happened to move into his house. But even then, Scratch has a full proof plan, he’ll just curse the girl so that he will forever follow her around until she leaves his house for good! It’s not as if this girl, Molly, will interpret the whole ‘follow her wherever she goes’ thing as meaning that Scratch is her new best friend, right? Wait…uh huh. Oh dear. Sorry Scratch, you’ve really only yourself to blame for this one.

The Review:

And once more the Disney train comes a rolling into this station. For however much we fear our corporate overlords I can’t deny they have an eternal grip on my soul, or in other words… like a parasitic worm, they live in my heart! (Sorry for the rather disturbing analogy but this show’s songs are alarmingly catchy and several lines like that are currently stuck in my head). Disney has been on it’s A-game with cartoons in recent years, from Gravity Falls to the Duck Tales reboot they have knocked it out of the park again and again. Admittedly a very noticeable pattern has emerged with these Disney shows, usually focussing on a cast that includes an energetic, if slightly odd, middle school girl, some sort of over-arching mystery and a dark sense of humour. Does ‘The Ghost and Molly McGee’ follow this same pattern? Mostly, I’ll get into the differences in the next paragraph, but the far more important question is, is this another win for Disney? In my humble opinion, absolutely yes.

Let’s get into those differences though, starting with my check list. Energetic, slightly odd middle school girl as a main character? Check. Dark sense of humour? Also check, I’ll refer you back to those song lyrics about the parasitic worm (plus an alarming amount of things die in this series, mostly animals but we do see one old guy die on screen. At least until Scratch grabs his ghost and shoves it back into his body). That just leaves the over-arching mystery and that’s where the checks stop. There is a single plot thread that could become over-arching, but so far it’s only really been important in two episodes and there’s no mystery to it. Outside of that this is very much a slice-of-life style series with each episode consisting of following Molly and Scratch on two different misadventures.

This is a very fun and charming show. Not only is it wittily written, but it has a host of lovable characters to fill up each episode. Molly’s exuberance is infectious and Scratch is a big softie at heart, as much as he tries to hide it. Then of course there’s the turtle-obsessed Libby, Molly’s mad family and all the ghosts and the townsfolk. It’s not a laugh-a-minute, but you won’t have to wait long before the show has you smiling again. Part of that I want to put down to the animation. This is a very expressive show and it isn’t afraid to exaggerate or make things look a little, well, ugly in order to make a joke really land. In a way this series reminds me of a lot of cartoons from the late 90s/early 2000s. There’s something a bit ‘Ren and Stimpy’-like about the way Molly’s face scrunches up from time to time. Throw in some top notch vocal performances and you have the recipe for well-produced comedy that can suck you right into its world.

Talking about those vocal performances though, that brings me to the songs. Each and every episode features at least one song and all of them are some of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard in a while. My hat goes to the performers and the writers that managed to cover a wide array of styles with some odd-yet-killer lyrics. My three personal favourites are ‘Abraham Lincoln’, which gives Hamilton a run for its money, ‘Just Give’ which feels like the Disney theme song in how it demands your money and ‘Awesome Best Friends Day’, which while short perfectly sums up Molly’s personality. There’s also the opening theme which is what got me interested in this show in the first place.

The Verdict:

In the end, The Ghost and Molly McGee is a another winner for Disney’s vast cartoon library. I’m a little sad that they’re stepping away from the more mystery-focused adventure series and back towards slice-of-life comedies, but I have to admit this is a top notch comedy. With catchy songs, witty dialogue and a great cast of characters backed up by some truly expressive animation I really don’t have a single complaint with this show so far, I’ve loved it from beginning to end. However you want to describe this series it certainly can’t be as any sort of a curse. Sign me up for forever with this show!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

The Infallible Fish Reviews: Justice League: The New Frontier

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Pioneers of the New Frontier.

What’s the Story?

World War 2 has been won, the Nazis menace is defeated and many would claim that all is right again with the world, but is it? Paranoia and mistrust have taken root in America, so much so that not even the costumed ‘superheroes’ can combat it. The Justice Society of America have been forced into retirement, mystery men of all calibres are hunted by the government and both Superman and Wonder Woman are trusted only because they signed a piece of paper. When a threat from the dawn of history begins to stir, spreading its psychic influence across the globe, what heroes will step forward to take the challenge and protect the world? A new era is upon us, a ‘New Frontier’ for those willing and brave enough to explore it.

The Review:

I talked last year about Batman: The Long Halloween (you can read my review of the film adaptation HERE), one of my favourite comics of all time. Now I want to talk about another one, and we’re sticking with DC because I make no apologises about being a die hard DC fanboy. DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke is nothing less than a masterpiece in my opinion. Not only was Mr. Cooke a supremely-talented artist with a breath-taking mastery of sequential art, but he’s also an excellent storyteller. What starts out as a seemingly random set of occurrences and character pieces turns into a neatly woven tapestry with a rousing crescendo. It is both a tribute to the Silver Age of DC comics and an exploration of 50s America, unafraid to shine a light on the social and political issues of the day (most of which are still very relevant today). If I could recommend only one comic for you to go out and read, it would be DC: The New Frontier.

That brings me to the animated adaptation of the book and I’m sorry to say the movie isn’t even in the same league as the comic. I feel really bad writing that because this film is trying so hard, as hard as it possibly can but it’s just not enough to get it over the mountain it’s trying to climb. I’ve had an odd experience re-watching this film, I first saw it years ago before I’d ever even read the comic and I remember coming away liking it but not exactly blown away. Then I read the comic I was well and truly atomised by how good it was. Now, coming back to this film all these years later it’s like I’m watching it with double vision. One part of me can see all the stuff I liked before, while the other is looking into another dimension where all the missing pieces are located that this story needs to be truly fantastic.

I think it’s the runtime that kills this film the most. DC: The New Frontier is roughly 400 pages long and Justice League: The New Frontier is approximately 72 minutes. I think you can see the problem, that’s not a lot of time and there’s an almost overwhelming amount of story to fit into it. Wisely the film chooses to cut out a few subplots and characters, while shifting things around and streamlining events to try and keep things cohesive. Yet it’s hard to escape the feeling that some scenes are on fast forward and others are missing their true dramatic weight. The opening scenes where Hal Jordan is shot down and ends up fighting for his life in a trench is well done, but it’s missing the true harrowing feeling you get in the comic and that’s because the detail is gone. We don’t know Hal at this point, his history of refusing to kill anyone is referenced in one line of dialogue and that’s just not enough to get the point across.

A lot of the political situation is shoved off screen as well, the government’s war on superheroes is reduced to the opening credits and a couple of lines from bystanders in a bar. We never see Wonder Woman getting pushed off stage because she was about to say some things the higher ups didn’t want her to say and John Henry’s fight against white supremacists is cut down to a news bulletin. The comic is so rich and detailed and that’s what makes it as great as it is. I get why the film had to cut some of this stuff, but it still hurts me to see this story reduced like this because when the movie gets stuff right it really gets it right. There are scenes lifted directly out of the comic, lines of dialogue that are word-for-word and all rendered in gorgeous animation. It’s those moments when everything just clicks together that makes this movie shine, but it could have been so much more with just a little more time.

The Verdict:

In the end, Justice League: The New Frontier is a good film that stands on the verge of being truly great. The animation is fantastic and the voice cast are giving it their all, but the film is hampered by trying to squeeze so much story into such a short runtime. There are moments that are lifted directly out of the comic and they are fantastic, and yet the film isn’t afraid to make tweaks and move things around to better serve it’s adaptation. It tries the very best it can to make the most of what it has, but unfortunately that’s just not enough when the original source material is so much more rich and detailed. It’s a shame, but this film can’t quite rise to the challenge asked of it.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: One Piece Film: Gold Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Viva la Straw Hats!

What’s the Story?

While out traversing the ocean of the New World, the Straw Hat pirates come across a grand sight. Gran Tesoro, a ship as big as an island, covered in gold and pulled by two giant turtles, this is the self-proclaimed ‘entertainment city’ where anyone can win big in one of its many casinos. Of course big wins also mean big losses and for those unfortunate enough to be duped in the streets of Gran Tesoro a grim fate awaits. When the Straw Hats first arrive they’re given the royal treatment, but pretty soon they’re in masses of debt and Zoro is captured, due to be executed the following day! Can the Straw Hats pull off a daring heist and get back everything they’ve lost? Or is this golden opportunity really just more fool’s gold? With the Navy closing in and CP0 on the scene, things are looking dire and this may be one gamble the Straw Hats can’t win, not that that is going to stop them trying!

The Review:

It’s an exciting time to be a One Piece fan right now. At the time of writing this the Wano arc is hitting an absolute fever pitch with some revelations that have turned the whole series on its head (and I love that after decades of reading this series it can still blow my mind like that). Then there’s the trailer for the next film, One Piece Film: Red, which just dropped with some very juicy reveals that have me bouncing up and down with excitement. On top of that we have episode 1015, which sets a whole new standard for anime (seriously you should all check it out, it has some of the best animated sequences I have ever seen). So, Allow me to indulge myself as I look back at a One Piece movie that I haven’t really talked about before (partly because the DVD has only just been released in the UK, which is a whole rant I could go off on about how poor anime distribution is over here, but I’ll save that for another time).

Anyway, ever since One Piece Film: Strong World, the series’ creator Eiichiro Oda has been a lot more involved in the films and you can feel the palpable difference between more recent films and what came before. In these films there’s a much stronger connection to the wider world of One Piece. There are references to past adventures, cameos hidden all over the place and a sense that key players in the world politics have a stake in the film’s events (even if the films are still largely filler). That can be a bit of a detriment to these more recent films, for a long-term fan like me it’s a lot of fun, but there are several scenes and characters I imagine will be completely lost on newer viewers. Don’t start your One Piece experience here is what I’m saying, but if you must just ignore that stuff and focus on the core story because that you can enjoy without any real context.

At it’s heart, this is a heist film. That’s another thing I really enjoy about all the more recent One Piece films, each one tries to do something a little different. Now the Straw Hats aren’t exactly known for their stellar planning and strategising, let’s face it any plan that involves Monley D. Luffy will quickly go off the rails, but it’s fun to see them all prepping a con like this. It also allows several of the other Straw Hats to get the spotlight for a change. Normally in these films’ limited runtime it’s just Luffy, Zoro and Sanji that get all the coolest moments, with Nami doing some dramatic heavy-lifting if the film needs an emotional core and there isn’t a kid character around (though there’s pretty much always a kid around somewhere). Here, while Nami does get the emotional scenes of the film, she’s also leading the con since she has a background in robbing from pirates. Franky gets paired up with Luffy for a large chunk of the runtime and those two really need to spend more time together in the series because I do enjoy their dynamic. Usopp, the legend that he is, even gets to take down one of the bad guy’s lieutenants and Robin assists Sanji in taking out another one. It feels like a genuine team effort for once and not just the ‘Monster Trio’ hogging all the action.

That brings me to the film’s villain and, honestly, I think he could have been the greatest villain the films have had, if only he wasn’t confined to a film’s runtime. His backstory is tragic with a capital T, the kind that One Piece excels at. When you know it you see how this young, idealistic man got twisted into this greedy, sadistic, broken human being who is hurting so badly and the only thing he knows how to do is hurt others to make them feel like he does. It’s fantastic and plays into so many of the larger themes of One Piece, but so much of that backstory is presented in a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ montage that it robs the scene of the emotional devastation this villain needs. I don’t know how I’d change it, maybe cut out one of the earlier sequences like the race at the beginning and just give us a whole flashback sequence to really let all the information sink in. It’s a shame, because with a change like that this film really could have been pure gold.

The Verdict:

In the end, One Piece Film: Gold is a lot of fun. It’s not the friendliest to One Piece newbies, with a multitude of cameos and references, but if you know this crew then it will be a delight. It’s great to see the cast go on a different kind of adventure, this one primarily being a heist, with so many of the other crew members getting the spotlight. Heck, this film gets bonus point just for having other Straw Hats fight the bad guy’s lieutenants that aren’t just the ‘Monster Trio’. The villain, while great, could have been so much more if the film dedicated more time to his origins and the tragedy there. That could have taken this film to another level, but as it stands this is another fun adventure with the Straw Hat pirates, filled with heart, spectacle and a whole lot of laughs.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: The Faraway Paladin Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Taking the Long Way Round.

What’s the Story?

Reborn as a child in another world, Will first awakens to find he’s in the care of a skeletal warrior, a ghostly sorcerer and a mummified priestess. With nothing else living for miles around, Will is raised by these unusual guardians, learning how to fight and cast spells, about the various gods that inhabit this world and most importantly the value of money and the dangers of booze! His guardians are hiding a secret though and one that could spell the end of their happy little family. With everything he’s learnt though, Will is determined to make his parents proud and face whatever comes his way, even if that means taking on a god! That isn’t the end of Will’s journey though, in fact it’s just the beginning and with his parent’s love and his vow to the goddess Gracefeel, this soon-to-be paladin sets out to make the world a better place.

The Review:

Some stories jump out at you right from the onset. They grab you by the throat and demand your attention, and in our current glut of content and streaming services it’s not hard to see why a lot of storytellers go for that option. The Faraway Paladin is not one of those series. Where some shows try to cram the equivalent of a novel into the first episode in a desperate attempt to make you stick around, The Faraway Paladin instead chooses to take its time. Will’s origin story lasts for five episodes. Five! It takes a special kind of confidence to dedicate nearly half your series length to just introducing the main character, but I have to take my hat off to it. And, look, I know just typing that out has already put some of you off from this series. I get it, time is a precious commodity in our world and asking for a larger than average chunk of it can be a big ask, the three episode rule exists for a reason. The Faraway Paladin isn’t perfect, and I’ll get into that shortly, but in my opinion it’s more than worth it. I had a great deal of fun with this series and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who will listen.

Let’s start the review proper by talking about the benefits of taking your time to flesh out your story. I think it’s fairly safe to say that most isekai (and, yes, this is yet another isekai series so that’s put off another section of the audience. Will there be anyone left by the end of the review?) suffer from the generic protagonist problem. They’re overpowered nice guys with usually a single definable quirk where there personality should be. Now, to a degree, that can also describe Will, but the difference is that thanks to those opening five episodes I really understand what makes him tick. I know his history, the way he thinks, what he values and what his goals are, all of which makes him so much easier to relate to and root for. I enjoyed this series as much as I did because I’m emotionally invested in Will, and I will continue to remember it for the same reason, unlike so many other fantasy anime I can’t mention because they’ve all long since faded out of my memory.

That brings me to this series’ flaws and there are a couple of things I need to mention here. First let’s talk about the use of Will’s internal monologue. I’ve no idea if this series is adapted from a light novel, but I have a strong suspicion that it was and the monologue is the reason why. Will just won’t shut up sometimes and in a book that’s fine, the entire medium is using the written word, but when you’ve moved over to animation some things really should change. Some of Will’s thoughts are really interesting, giving us detail on the religious or political structure of the world Will finds himself in, or breaking down strategies and plans. But there are other times when it’s just noise filling up the airtime when really a bit of silence would have been so much more effective. It shows a lack of trust in the audience and instead just spoon-feeding them everything because you don’t think they’ll get it on their own.

The other issue with this series is that it kind of lacks a climax. The actual parting scene I really like, this series is often at its best when it’s just focussing on quiet character interactions and that’s exactly how it goes out. Plus it’s always fun to see Will get flustered as he has the full implications of his latest good deed brought out in front of him. (I’m just saying the guy’s going to end up as a king at some point and not realise until someone tells him). No the problem comes in the fact that the final boss of the series goes down fairly easily. There’s a bit of emotional baggage to the start of the episode, but that’s quickly resolved and then the demon problem is taken care of like it was never any issue at all. I suppose this is the problem when the midpoint of your series has your lead facing off against a god. I can’t help but think that just one more episode would have made all the difference and give the fight and the emotional resolution the space they needed to not step on one another’s toes like they do. As much as I love the introduction, maybe it didn’t need to be five whole episodes.

The Verdict:

In the end, The Faraway Paladin is a great deal of fun and I’m willing to go adventuring with Will and the gang any time. The series isn’t perfect and, on paper at least, has a lot of things that would normally put me off. However it takes the time to really develop it’s lead character and as such I’m incredibly invested in Will’s journey. He makes this series and is a good introduction to a world that is just begging to be explored more. From the set up with the gods to the political situation there’s so many juicy things left to dig into, but I also just want to see Will again so bring on season 2!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Cartoon Corner: Pacific Rim: The Black Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Mecha. Check. Kaiju. Check. Let them fight.

What’s the Story?

Five years ago Taylor and Hayley barely escaped a Kaiju attack with their parents and a small group of others, taking shelter in a secluded basin. Their parents, Jaeger pilots, then left to try and find help and send it back for them. They never returned. After Hayley discovers a training Jaeger, she and her brother are forced to flee again when their safe haven is destroyed by a Kaiju. Now the brother and sister must step out into the wasteland that remains of Australia, something the locals affectionately call ‘The Black’. Gathering a ragtag team around them, including a mysterious boy found in a lab and a trained killer suffering from an identity crisis, they hope to somehow reach Sydney and maybe even find their parents somewhere along the way. There are many dangers in the Black though, and Kaiju are not the only threat they’ll face. Humans can be just as destructive and what of the Sisters and their Kaiju Messiah?

The Review

Pacific Rim was a great movie. Then the sequel was a critical and financial disaster. To say I was relieved when I heard they were making an animated series is an understatement of kaiju-sized proportions. Pacific Rim is a franchise that deserves to carry on, plus its mecha and kaiju all in one perfect package, what’s not to love? So, how does the series stack up? It’s a good start. There’s only seven episodes up on Netflix at the time of writing this so the series feels more like an animated movie when watching it all in one go. Each episode comes with consequences that are felt throughout the series, even if part of that is purely just sowing seeds for the next season.

Before we move on to the more plot and character specifics, let’s talk about how this show looks. Overall it’s good, there are some really nice shots and the action often has the appropriate sense of weight and impact, something that’s really important when you’ve got such giant combatants throwing down. Of course the series isn’t wall-to-wall action, you’ll find some sort of action sequence in each episode, but they don’t always involve the Jaegers or the Kaiju. While I wouldn’t mind a continual stream of mecha-on-monster action, doing things this way does bring some variety to the series and demonstrates the variety of obstacles the characters have to face. On the design front, the Jaegers and Kaiju all fall in line with the principles set out by the previous films. I would like to see a bit more variety in the designs, we tend to get the same three or four Kaiju across the series and the Jaegers don’t look that different either outside of their colour schemes. This is only season 1 though, and only seven episodes at that, so I’m willing to give them a pass on this, for now.

Let’s talk about the characters. As our leads, Taylor and Hayley are perfectly serviceable. They’re both young so I’ll forgive some of their more idiotic decisions, but that does bring in those consequences I was talking about earlier, which are a great benefit to the characters. After the first episode I was worried that Hayley’s guilt over getting everyone in their community killed was going to fade away, but it’s clearly still there. Her continual insistence on protecting Boy, and I wish they’d just a pick a name for the kid already, is partly out of that guilt and she brings it up when talking to the series’ best character, Mei. Taylor has his own consequences to deal with, not only the after-effects of that time he tried to pilot by himself, but to all of his decisions. They’re the protagonists so we know nothing truly terrible is going to happen to them, but the consequences make sure that we know they won’t necessarily get out unscathed.

Speaking of consequences, this series has one heck of a body count. It’s never gory, everything happens off-screen but there are several times were the characters end up with blood splattering across their faces. I mean they kill off the whole community at the start of the series, which I certainly wasn’t expecting. A few maybe, to hammer home the danger, but all of them? Not to mention the fact that there was one death later on that really made my jaw hit the floor. I did not see it coming and it adds to the sense of danger our characters are facing. Taylor and Hayley will certainly survive, but the same can’t be said for everyone else and the cast isn’t that big yet so it’s more than just fodder that’s biting the dust. The series also isn’t afraid to add to the mythology of the franchise and all of that bundles together to make this a really exciting series. I have no idea where it’s going, but I’m more than happy to enjoy the ride.

The Verdict

In the end, Pacific Rim: The Black is a great start to an animated series in this franchise. There’s plenty of Jaeger-on-Kaiju action without making that the only course this series has to serve. Actions have consequences and there’s a surprising body count to this series that creates a sense of danger around the few characters that do survive. The series isn’t afraid to lay down seeds for later season and add to the mythology of the franchise either. I’m looking forward to season 2, whenever Netflix decides to drop it on us. See you in the drift.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: Mars Red Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

The Whole World is a Stage…

What’s the Story?

The year is 1923 and a sudden swell in the number of vampires has brought panic to the streets of Japan. The government’s response? To deploy their own unit of vampires, known as Code Zero, who are specially trained to hunt down and either apprehend or exterminate any vampires who would threaten the peace. But what is this new drug called Ascra that vampires are suddenly so addicted to, could it be linked to the sudden swell in their numbers? And what about those whispers that someone in the military is trying to build their own vampire army? The stage is set, the actors have all been given their scripts, whether they recognise their roles or not. Before the dawn arrives Japan will be shook down to its very core and none of these people’s lives will ever be the same again. Then again, life is such a frail thing, especially for a vampire.

The Review:

Okay, I’m going to start this review off a little differently than normal and that’s because I have a quick experiment that I want to run. See I tend to go into series as blind as I can, I’ll look at the promo art and maybe read the series description, but that’s it. So what I’m going to do in the next paragraph is post the description for this series that is currently on Funimation’s website (at time of writing this) and I want you to spend a couple of minutes thinking about what kind of series you think this is. I’ll also throw in that it’s got the action/adventure and drama genre tags. Ready? Here we go.

It’s 1923, and until recently, vampires kept to the shadows. When the mysterious blood source Ascra appears, their numbers swell, leaving Japan covered in bodies. In response, the government spawns its own coven to infiltrate the dark. With S-rank vampire Defrott and the rookie Kurusu, this kill squad is made for one reason: to hunt the undead. Bloodsuckers beware; the night belongs to Code Zero!

So what did you guys get? Where you picturing bloody action sequences? Some 20s style broken up by team banter and fighting off hordes of vampires? Maybe a bit of espionage or investigations sprinkled in with a dash of political drama? I’ll admit there are elements of all of that, but if you’re after a fast-paced action bonanza then you’d better look elsewhere because that’s not what this series is about in the least (I also love the way it makes out as if Defrott is a member of Code Zero when he’s not even close to that).

While I’m mad at Funimation for it’s blatantly misleading description, I have to admit I had a heck of a hard time writing my own so I know how hard it is to sum up this series’ story in a single paragraph. You see this series is a lot of things, there is action, good action at that, and there are hordes of vampires by the end, but all of that is interspersed with quite, reflective monologues on the nature of life and immortality. Above everything else, this is a play. I mean that literally, this series is based on a stage reading play by Bunoh Fujisawa, who is also the sound director for this series. What’s a stage reading play? Well, it’s basically a play with very little costumes or set and the actors just give dramatic readings of the script (according to Google anyway, I’ll admit I’ve never seen one of these myself).

From the very first episode this series gives off such a different vibe than you’re typical light-novel adaptation that we see so much these days. The focus is squarely on the characters, what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling and the series will let them talk to you at length about this. Some of the monologues and the visuals that accompany them are really beautiful and I could watch them again and again. Yet, for whatever reason, I can’t bring myself to really love this series. I appreciate it certainly, and I’m really glad that I watched it, the technical skill and talent put on display is well worth the price admission, but I have to admit that I was rarely invested in what was going on.

Part of me wants to put the blame on that description. It gave me such a different idea for what the series was going to be, that by the time I adjusted to what the series was actually giving me, it was too late. Then again perhaps it’s just the theatrical nature of the performances and directions that always felt like it was keeping me at arms length, even when character’s were baring their souls in front of me. There are also a few odd moments throughout the series, such as the several time jumps that happen without the show giving you any indication. A couple of times I had to stop because I just realised that several weeks, if not months, must have pasted and I’d have to backtrack to find the point we skipped forward and re-contextualise everything. There’s not holding your audience’s hand and then there’s just bewildering them.

There’s also a couple of character arcs I still don’t quite understand, I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but one character goes from an apparently reasonable guy to a full-on antagonist in the space of an episode, and all with only a sentence of explanation as to his motives. He really needed some more exploration. Then there’s another character who completely changes into an entirely different beast, quite literally, just to give us a random end boss. It’s so strange when the rest of the character work was really good and it would only take another episode or two to fix.

The Verdict:

In the end, Mars Red, is more of an experience than an action adventure. There’s plenty of drama and some solid character work (for the most part), but you really should go into this knowing that it’s based on a play. Eloquent monologues and dramatic visuals are were this series excels, but it can sometimes require your full attention to make sure you’re keeping track of everything that’s happening. While I can’t say that I loved this series, I’m glad I saw it and the experience is more than worth it. So what are you waiting for? The curtain’s calling it’s time to step on stage.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: To Your Eternity Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Beware the Onion Ninjas!

What’s the Story?

It began life as an orb, cast unto Earth by a mysterious figure with no thoughts, feelings or even a concept of self. For many years it stayed that way, inert and immobile, but then it met the wolf and become said wolf after it’s death. From there it met a human and it was happy for a time, but that soon came to an end. Now it has taken the form of the human, journeying the world with no real plan or goal other than to see the world and experience new things. It will meet many others on it’s journey and it will learn many things about what it means to live. There will, however, also be a lot of heartbreak on this journey, as for every hello there will inevitably be a goodbye.

The Review:

Some shows are designed to make you cry. I know, technically, all shows or films or just stories in general are designed to make you cry, or at the very least get an emotional response out of you. That’s what stories are for, to make us feel and think about things in different ways and it’s the great magic trick of all good storytellers that they can make us feel something for people that don’t really exist. Even if you know what the trick is and how it’s going to be done, if the storyteller plays it right you’ll still feel what they want you to feel. That’s ‘To Your Eternity’ in a nutshell, I knew this was an anime that desperately wanted me to cry from the very first episode, and I did, again and again. Not every story got to me, but a fair majority did and even when I wasn’t breaking down in tears this is still a solidly put together series, with a few exceptions that I’ll get to in a minute.

Let’s start by talking about our main character, Fushi, as they come to be known. Now, admittedly making an audience care about a shape-shifting orb that starts out with no personality, no dreams or desires of their own, is a really tall order and yet this show manages it effortlessly. The start of the series wisely chooses to focus on the people around Fushi, the ones who will teach them and have an impact on their life going forward. All the while Fushi sits in the background, endearing themselves to us as they struggle to wrap their heads around basic concepts like needing to eat to stay alive. Gradually though Fushi starts to take more and more of the focus as their personality develops and they feel the weight of events. It’s a joy to watch and a real master class in character development. By the end of the series Fushi feels like a fully fleshed out person, who I want to follow and see where their journey takes them to next.

Now, unfortunately, this review can’t be all sunshine and rainbows. There are parts of this series that are fantastic and I will continue to praise them, but it does have some definite strengths and weaknesses. In the strengths pile we’ve already got the development of our main character and we can add on to that the emotional gut punches that come from the earlier story arcs (as well as that final episode). That’s not to say the later story arcs weren’t trying to get me to cry, they definitely were, but they never had quite the same impact. For a while I was struggling to puzzle it out. Was I just getting wise to the tricks the show was using to get me emotional? No, I’d known what the show was doing from the first episode. Were the stories just not as good? I wouldn’t say that, there were still plenty of characters I liked and was invested in, plus some really interesting plot developments and decent action. It finally struck me as I was getting towards the end of this first season, the later arcs, they’re longer.

This series is at it’s best when it’s doing shorter, more contained stories. That way the emotions it wants to build towards can steamroller over you and leave you as a weeping puddle on the floor. When the arcs are longer, strangely, they get less emotional. I say strangely because in my brain surely longer story arcs should be more emotional. There’s time to build a connection to the characters and really invest in them, but that didn’t happen while I was watching this. Part of this is down to the fact that the animation quality clearly dips towards the end of the series, but If I had to put money on the real reason, I’d say it was a consequence of watching the show as it aired, week by week. The gap between each episode just gave me time to process and prepare myself so my feels couldn’t gang up on me as they undoubtedly would if I binged this show. So there’s my recommendation for this series, if you’re going to watch it, binge it.

On a final note, I’d just like to talk about the world-building in this series and how much I enjoyed it’s slow-burn approach. We never go into too much detail, there’s just a gradual build of information to give you a sense of different areas, their beliefs and customs, so with each arc the world feels a touch more fleshed out. I also really like the Nokkers as antagonists, they’re really creepy looking and I love that they evolve much like Fushi does. Trying out new tactics and really being the perfect foils for our favourite shape-shifter.

The Verdict:

In the end, To Your Eternity, is a solidly put together and well executed show. It knows exactly what it wants to do, make you cry, and it does it’s level best to achieve that. The later arcs struggle to maintain the same level of emotional intensity due to their length, and some poorer animation, but this could be fixed by binging the show instead of watching it weekly. For me, the development of our main character and the world around them are more than worth the price of admission. Just remember to bring the tissues.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: Horimiya Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

From Hori-san to Miyamura-kun, via just about everyone else.

What’s the Story?

To most who know her, Hori is the perfect student and social butterfly, however at home she’s brash and loud, with a love of horror films and spends most of her free time looking after her little brother. Miyamura, on the other hand, is seen as the gloomy loner of the class, but in private he’s a kind and gentle soul. His long hair and constant desire to stay covered up are there to hide the piercings and tattoos he gave himself when he was younger. When these two learn of one another’s other lives a connection is formed that neither of them could have imagined. Could it be that love is in the air?

The Review

I’ve said this before but I don’t typically watch a lot of romance series. I prefer romance as a subplot rather than the main focus, but there have been a couple of series over the years that made me think otherwise. When I first started watching Horimiya I was convinced this was going to be another one of those series. I got really, really invested in the blossiming romance of Hori and Miyamura, their every conversation was just the right mix of awkward and relatable. Then, much to my surprise, they actually got together! One of my common complaints against romance series is that they mostly end just as the main couple get together. We get all that build up, all the trails and struggles, then they finally declare their love for one another and the credits roll as if that’s the end of the story.

I do want to stress before I go on, I do really like Horimiya. From beginning to end I have enjoyed this series, but something weird happened about halfway through that severely dented that enjoyment and it’s what stops me from raving about this series. I’ve always thought that the time after a couple gets together would really be the most ripe for drama, all that adjusting to the new dynamic and learning more about one another’s personal foibles. Horimiya has me questioning that idea though, because once Hori and Miyamura get together they kinda become the least interesting part of the series. They’re still cute together and they have their funny moments, but it very much feels like their story is over and they’re just hanging around because they’re the title characters.  

The main problem, for me at least, comes from the fact that the series isn’t interested in exploring their new relationship past the early stages. This is despite the fact that the series clearly sets up some big issues for the two to tackle, especially on Hori’s side of things. Let’s start by talking about Hori’s jealousy issues, which get treated as a cheap joke, rather than an actual problem. I mean the jealous girlfriend is a trope and a couple of the jokes are cute, but it would have been much better if she got called out on this at least once. She’s very possessive and when you add on the fact that she forces Miyamura to do things he’s clearly not comfortable with, it becomes a problem. We all have our kinks and if Miyamura being mean to her turns Hori on, that’s fine in and of itself, but he’s clearly not happy doing it and forcing your partner to do something is not the way to build a healthy relationship. All it needed was a line or some comment, to show that this was being addressed, but again, the series just treats it like a cheap joke.

Thankfully the series has a better handle on all the other relationships it explores throughout its run. There’s a nice variety to the other characters and not all of them are involved in romantic plots. We get one love triangle, which is really well handled, but we also get to see friendships and sibling dynamics blossom. Once Hori and Miyamura start to slip into the background, these stories very much become the stars of the series, offering sweet little vignettes with the rest of the cast. To me its clear that this series is much happier with the shorter, small interactions between the characters, that’s where the dialogue very much shines. If the series stuck to these smaller stories and, loathe as I am to admit it, dragged out the central plot with Hori and Miyamura, maybe I wouldn’t be as frustrated with it at times. My gripes aside though, I did enjoy this series and I thoroughly recommend it. When this series gets it right, it really gets it right.

The Verdict

In the end, Horimiya is a very entertaining and well made series. It gets an awful lot right, from engaging characters to genuinely heartfelt moments. Unfortunately it’s not too interested in exploring its central couple beyond their initial getting together, which is frustrating. On the other hand, there are plenty of other relationships for the series to explore and not all of them are romantic. Smaller stories and interactions are were this series excels, there’s a real sense of relatability to a lot of the conversations and set ups. It’s worth a watch if nothing else, just don’t expect it to go too deep into the relationships.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a Starter Town? Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Suppose everything was for Lloyd-kun?

What’s the Story?

Lloyd has had the same dream ever since he was a little kid, he wants to be a soldier like the hero he read about in a story book oh so long ago. Unfortunately he’s considered the weakest in his whole village and isn’t convinced that he can make the cut, but he’s determined to at least try and so moves to the capital. What Lloyd doesn’t realise is that his village is the mythical Kunlun, whose inhabitants are famed the world over for being able to take on Demon Lords and the like. So while Lloyd may be the weakest in his village, he’s actually a god-tier monster compared to everyone else. Not that he’ll ever notice.

The Review

Sometimes it’s the little things that make an anime. I mean I’m not the hardest viewer to please, give me some likeable characters, a fun world and hints at a progressing story and I’ll generally be a happy camper. That’s precisely what this show gave me and I left each and every episode grinning from ear to ear. It’s a pretty simple show, it’s characters all fit into one archetype or another somewhere along the line and the fantasy world is best described as generic, but I found this show endlessly endearing. Maybe it’s the sheer shining innocence of our protagonist, Lloyd, but I couldn’t help myself cheering him on and there were even moments where I felt *gasp* worried for out pure-hearted protagonist (mostly whenever Selen or Alka where around, but we’ll get on to the harem in a minute). It’s the little things that make this show, so let’s go through some of them.

Since I’ve already mentioned the star of the show, let’s start with Lloyd. He fits pretty snugly into the mould of overpowered protagonists that have been so prevalent in the last few years. He also comes complete with his own harem of characters that adore him, heck even some of the villains are doing what they do for Lloyd’s sake, in their own twisted way. Everyone loves the guy and it’s not hard to see why, he’s so pure and innocent that you just want to protect him. As I said I worried for him whenever Selen and Alka where around, which was often, just because of how aggressively interested they were in Lloyd. If it wasn’t for his literal superpowers he’d be in real trouble. None of that is what makes Lloyd interesting as a protagonist though, no that’s his lack of confidence.

Ninety percent of the time the fact that Lloyd is so oblivious to his talents is played off as joke, and it’s a pretty fun joke as long as you enjoy all the over-the-top reactions that come with it (which I do). However, there’s that other ten percent of the time when it actually manages to wring some drama out of this set up. Lloyd earnestly believes that he’s just not good enough and that fact alone makes me want to put my arm around the kid and point out all the amazing things he can do. It also makes those moments when he tries despite those feelings all the more powerful. Yes, Lloyd is going to punch any opponent he comes across into the sun eventually (though there are actually a couple of opponents that give Lloyd a challenge), but his struggle is not physical it’s in believing in himself. That’s a powerful sentiment and I can’t help but root for the kid to finally recognise how much he can actually do, but we’ll have to see if we get a second season for that kind of thing.

There is one other area that I really have to talk about with regard to this series, and that’s the plot progression. Most comedies I’ve seen with OP protagonists are happy to rest on the same old jokes over and over again, and while this show certainly relies on its running gags to a degree, it also has a continual sense of moving forward. Even though we don’t really get to meet our trio of antagonists until later on in the series, the breadcrumbs of their involvement are there from the start. Each arc pushes us a little closer to figuring out what it is their after and we learn a little bit more about the world at large. None of it is earth-shatteringly original, but it’s a lot more than I expecting and it all fits into this ridiculously loveable world. The season finale does actually feel like a finale of sorts, with several arcs coming together and the stakes rising higher than ever before. My only real compliant is that the actual confrontation with the villains is a little lacking. They do escape at the end, so clearly there’s more story here to be told, I guess I’ll just have to hope for a season 2 for that to happen.

The Verdict

In end, this show (no, I’m not typing out that title any more, could it get any longer?) isn’t going to change the world or inspire anyone with it’s originality, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a simple, generic little show with archetypal characters and standard fantasy tropes, but it does that very well. Lloyd is the definition of pure and with his self-confidence issues I can’t help but root for him and it’s easy to see why so many characters are drawn to him. The over-the-top reactions that this show likes to use for its comedy may not be for everyone, but it’s a bright and fun world and I hope to return to it at some point in the future.

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.

Anime Corner: Talentless Nana Review

Posted on by neverarguewithafish

Serial Killer’s Got Talent!

What’s the Story?

Earth is under threat from mysterious creatures known only as the Enemies of Humanity, but plans are already in place to fight against them. Situated on a secret island is a special school tasked with training the next generation of super-powered teens! Known as the ‘Talented’, can this ragtag group learn to control their powers and save the world? They’d better learn fast because something on the island is killing students at an alarming rate! Could the Enemies of Humanity have already infiltrated the island? But who are they and what exactly is it that they’re after?

The Review

Okay, I’m just going to keep this short and sweet. I like this show, it’s a lot of fun and I’m desperately hoping there’s a second season somewhere in the future. I don’t really feel comfortable saying much more than that. The first episode of this series is heavily reliant on you making certain assumptions and then turning those assumptions on their head at the end. Honestly that’s where my enjoyment of this show comes from and I think going in blind into this show is really important to get the full impact of everything. I’ll do my best to keep the rest of this review as spoiler-free as I possibly can, but even by telling you that there’s a twist I feel like I’ve spoiled things just a little bit already. So, if you’re after my recommendation, then you have it. The show isn’t perfect and I’ll try to talk about some of the flaws of this series in the paragraphs that follow, but there are just certain elements that really appeal to me.

Let’s talk about that first episode that I mentioned, honestly I wasn’t all that impressed until we got to the twist. At first glance the series is fairly generic, you’ve got teens with superpowers and a high school setting, but nothing really stands out. There aren’t even really any clues to what’s actually going on, not until we reach that last twist when we see events from a different perspective and suddenly the whole show is cast in a new light. I’ll admit my jaw dropped when we got to it because the show had lulled me into such a false sense of security, that’s why you should really go into this show blind (and this is really my last warning on that subject. Go watch the show guys!)

After the first episode we’re suddenly into a completely different genre. No longer is this a show about super-powered teens, well, okay it is, but we’ve less of a school drama and more of a peculiar murder mystery. Each story arc is now a series of cat and mouse games between a series of different players, trying to work out people’s abilities and how they’re being put to use. Almost every episode ends with a ‘Oh crap, how are they going to get out of this one moment?!’ before we hit the end of an arc and get all the answers explained to us. That is one area I think people might take issue with this series, I’ve called it a mystery but I really doubt you’ll be able to figure it all out before the answers are given. I suppose it is possible, the show doesn’t exactly hide things from you, but it doesn’t really give you any clues either. You really just have to be in it for the ride, which I more than am and the stories always make sense when we look back and slot all the pieces into place.

Having said all that, I do feel the series is pretty clear about where it’s going. I mean it hasn’t come out and said it yet, which is why I’m hoping so much for a season 2, but I have a good idea what’s it’s got planned for the next stage of the story. There’s some really interesting character work in the last couple of episodes, peeling back the layers yet again to show us that there was even more going on that we already thought. I’m excited for where this series is headed and episode thirteen ends in such a heartbreaking spot (please tell me season 2’s been confirmed!).

Now, here’s the part of the review where I wonder just how much of a free pass I’m giving this show because I enjoy its the central gimmick as much as I do. I take such joy out of all those cat and mouse games it makes me wonder just how many flaws I’m overlooking, because there are some flaws that I’ve noticed. I mean the whole supposed premise of the show makes me scratch my head. So there are these ‘Enemies of Humanity’ running around causing trouble and the government, or whoever, decides to send all its powered people off to this remote island. Doesn’t that seem really overly complicated? Also you’d think they’d have better security, or better classes because most of these people just seem to do whatever the heck they want. I mean once you know what’s actually going on it makes a little more sense, but you have to wonder why more members of the cast aren’t poking holes in this plot. It paints a lot of them as idiots and there’s nothing they do that really dissuades that opinion across the series. All the smart characters are the really important characters, which I guess is all that matters. Still, I’m more than happy to suspend my disbelief as long as I need to to enjoy these cat and mouse games!

The Verdict

In the end, Talentless Nana, is a show that is best gone into as blind as possible. The first episode may feel a little lacklustre, but stick with it to the end and it’ll surprise you. It’s not a perfect series, there are a fair few holes that can be poked in the set up and the mysteries of each arc can’t really be fully solved until the end, but I don’t really care. I love the ride of this show, hurtling from one cliffhanger ending to the next. It’s continually engaging and with an interesting, if telegraphed, path forward. I’m really hoping for that second season!

Chris Joynson, aka the Infallible Fish, is a writer, blogger and lover of animation living in Sheffield. The blog updates every Friday or you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisGJoynson.