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Current TV Boxset Addiction

Started by radiator, 20 November, 2012, 02:23:29 PM

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Sean SD

Quote from: Barrington Boots on 11 March, 2021, 02:14:26 PM
After rediscovering a load of (mainly horrible) early 90s anime that I used to be into, I've just started watching Cowboy Bebop, what must be the most recommended-to-me-anime-series of all time, and it is excellent. I should have watched this sooner. Curse my reactionary spirit!

what anime do you recommend? Never really watched any. Not sure if Speed Racer from the 70s counts lol

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 11 March, 2021, 11:35:38 PM
So I loved that it ended so we'll but would also pay good money to see what TREASURE ISLAND would look like from the same team and cast.

Yeah I read Treasure Island with the boy chils after watch Black Sails (the boy didn't watch Black Sails, only I did that!) as I was curious and hadn't read it or watched a version of it for many, many years. Its a rollocking read and I would love to see what the creative team of Black Sails would do with it. Mind might need to wait a while if we're going to use the same cast!

Bolt-01

I'm half way through Treasure Island right now and absolutely loving it. The 'feel' of the work is so similar. The Black Sails team really did a great job.

Barrington Boots

Quote from: pictsy on 11 March, 2021, 10:01:42 PMI must be the only person in the world who doesn't gush over Cowboy Bebop.  I didn't even finish watching the series.  Had one or two episodes to go, but just couldn't be bothered.  It wasn't bad but I really do not get what the fuss is about and I don't think I ever will.

That's a shame. I'm less than halfway in, but I'm finding it very good. Episodes are easy enough to watch as self contained chunks(and importanty, short enough to fit in during a lunchbreak or before work) but there's slow burning themes, characters are interesting and not stereotypes and the low-fi Scifi setting really works for me - it's touching that Space Western kind of vibe I so enjoyed in Firefly, Mandalorian etc. Also, Strontium Dog
It being so highly recommended by so any sources also gives me the confidence it'll complete it's story arcs and wrap up neatly rather than botch it (Battlestar Galactica) or just sort of finish midway (Deadwood) as I find myself reluctant to invest in a series that does that now.

Quote from: Sean SD on 12 March, 2021, 02:59:55 AM
what anime do you recommend? Never really watched any. Not sure if Speed Racer from the 70s counts lol

Not sure I'm best placed to answer this as my main anime phase was in the early 2000's with the first wave of 'Manga' as it was incorrectly dubbed then for the Western market. Stuff like Angel Cop, Crying Freeman, Cyber City Oedo 808, Fist of the North Star, AD Police etc - I had it all (on VHS!)

I've been rewatching these this year and although in most cases the animation is great they're bad. I believe they were selected for the West due to their lurid natures and they feature appalling voice dubs and extremely problematic plots with deep veins of misogyny and / or racism, insane violence, racism, sexual assault and so on. I couldn't reallty recommend any of them. They're not without merit (most contain some excellent stuff both visually and conceptually) but they've aged very, very badly.

One I have an enduring love for is Ninja Scroll but that is an uncomfortable watch at times as the female lead exists essentially to get assaulted and then die so the main character can have a justified rampage. The Japanese audio version is superior if you can watch with subtitles and I believe is on Youtube.

A lot of anime I see about now seems to be high-school themed where a student is angsty because they're a ghost / monster / have to fight ghosts or monsters etc but I've not dug too deep into the modern stuff. There may be other boarders who can suggest something better!
You're a dark horse, Boots.

pictsy

Oh, I really dig the aesthetic of problematic 80's anime.

Y'know recommending Anime is hard.  There is so much that is easily available now.  It covers a wide spectrum of genres, over a long period of time and for a diverse set of demographics.

One of my favourites is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.  The 1995 film is also one of my top 10 favourite films.  imo that does set the bar pretty high.

Honestly, I think if you want to watch some Anime without having seen any before, your best bet is to do some research.  Look up some lists of recommended Anime and find something that sounds interesting to you.

Colin YNWA

Quote from: Colin YNWA on 07 March, 2021, 05:13:17 PM
Struggling with The Expanse Season 4. There's been moments, but there have also been moments when its been pretty bad. The moustache twirling villian, the stand off between Inners and Belters in the settlement, Bobbie's arc hasn't been great and boundaries on cliche. Only half way through so plenty of time for it to pick up, but man this has been a come down after Season 3!

Okay it doesn't get any better. I real let down after the heights of Season 3 which did so much. It all felt like no one really knew what to do with any of it and all the storylines felt tangental or forced.

I wasn't at all convinced by Bobbie's turning to crime and the finding something to do, god that was terrible.

The political rumblings that was Avasarala wasn't given the space to be anything other than dull cliche that really didn't feel like it had any importance or consequence, even though it was for the prize of being the Inners leader.

The Rosi crews story of NuEarth and the frontier town invaded by the awful mustache twirling villain just didn't know what to do with itself either. It felt padded and contrieved. We'll make everyone go blind, now we'll have killer slugs... oh we've filled two episodes  now let's move back to not really developing the whole protomolecule thing, end Miller's bit but make it all feel a bit pointless and tacked on.

The best bit could have been the stuff with Drummer and Ashford - which I assume was to set up Season 5 - that felt squeezed to the corners and we won't know how good it was until we get to see more of Mario and hopefully he becomes more than just "Why? Well because I'm evil of course..."

Such a shame.

Sean SD

Quote from: pictsy on 12 March, 2021, 09:36:44 AM
Honestly, I think if you want to watch some Anime without having seen any before, your best bet is to do some research.  Look up some lists of recommended Anime and find something that sounds interesting to you.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks  :)

I think if anything my fave genres to try in Anime would be futuristic stuff and lone warrior/quest/space western type material

repoman

Finished The Flight Attendant.

It was good overall.  Michelle Gomez was, as expected, the highlight.

I'm giving Superman and Lois this episode (3) to either be good or I bail forever.  It's typical CW trash at the moment.

pictsy

I'm still enjoying Stargate Universe.  I am trying very hard to figure out whether some of the good stuff was done by accident or not.  I don't know whether they are highlighting that Colonel Young is an incompetent who is out of his depth or not.  It is said often they are the wrong people and Young's heart isn't in his assignment in the least, but we don't see the character wrestle with it.  So I don't know whether the writers intended him to be as awful as he is.

The teen drama, love triangle bullshit is the weakest aspect of the show.  All the characters involved start off poorly written and annoying.  Eli is an entitled nerd prick.  Lt. Scott is a gormless and horny prick.  Chloe is the hot senators daughter who is hot.  Thankfully I know these characters start to improve as things go on.

Hawkmumbler

Wandavision: Made it 3 episodes before tapping out. Smug, self satisfied toss.

The Terror: Second time watching the first season as it's now on Iplayer. Basically the perfect way to to TV horror.

broodblik

Quote from: Hawkmumbler on 14 March, 2021, 01:27:06 PM
Wandavision: Made it 3 episodes before tapping out. Smug, self satisfied toss.

The Terror: Second time watching the first season as it's now on Iplayer. Basically the perfect way to to TV horror.

Could only manage 1 episode of Wandavision. The Terror was awesome and try to watch the second season as well very different but still great.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

repoman

I hear good stuff about The Terror.

I'm wary of TV horror.  Been let down so many times by things like The Strain and Helix.

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: repoman on 14 March, 2021, 03:49:19 PM
I hear good stuff about The Terror.

I'm wary of TV horror.  Been let down so many times by things like The Strain and Helix.

It's not really horror, IMO. There are some horror-ish elements, but the show quickly develops an atmosphere of all-consuming, creeping dread that pervades everything. The focus of the show itself is squarely on the characters and their efforts to survive in a supremely hostile environment with little to no hope of salvation. There's a rather Brink-like subtext, in as much as you spend a good chunk of the series wondering whether the 'external' horror elements exist at all, or whether these poor bastards are just going mad.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Hawkmumbler

[spoiler]"Doctor Goodsir conducted a prolonged study of the tinned food. Some where spoiled, some where just bones and rocks, and all potentially edible tins have been poisoned by the lead solder being improperly applied. Mr Goldner appears to have done his work on the cheap."[/spoiler]

"I'd like to run that man through."

I already knew about this particular aspect of the real world Franklin expedition, but watching it play out over the 10 episodes as everyone slowly poisoned themselves without their knowing....it's absolutely horrific.

Jim_Campbell

Nobody else watching Pacific Rim: The Black on Netflix?

I'll confess I skipped the second movie, so I have no idea whether any of that feeds through into this anime-style animated series, but it doesn't seem to matter because I'm not confused by anything, although I'm only a couple of episodes in. The animation is decent, and the kaiju designs are great. Only 30min per episode, so it doesn't outstay its welcome.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.