Having watched the disappointment that was ‘Mortal Kombat II’, I have to say my opinion about video games being turned into movies was once again swaying towards film studios staying away from them. However, it would be amiss of me to have noticed that another studio was bringing out a film based on another popular fighting game. One that I never played by the way, but that’s a different thing altogether!

’Street Fighter’ starts with the story of two fighters, Ryu and Ken, who were raised by a legendary master of combat, Gouken. During a fighting tournament, Ryu wins, but attracts the attention of Gouken’s evil brother, Akuma. In the aftermath of that tournament, Ryu goes into hiding. We cut to the present day with the villainous M. Bison, who is looking to absorb the power of fighters but finds all the victims too weak. He therefore decides to organise a second fighting tournament to entice the best of the best. A young woman, Chun-Li, who is attempting to join Bison’s organisation, attempts to sign up all the fighters, and she even manages to find Ryu. Ryu knows that Akuma will have his eyes on whoever is in the tournament, and naturally, he doesn’t want Ken getting hurt, so he agrees to join. The night before the start of the tournament, a huge fight breaks out between the contestants, and in the pandemonium, Ryu is captured by Bison’s forces. With Ryu out of the picture, Ken focuses on his matches in an attempt to win the tournament. Who can the fighters truly trust in this mad game? And can Ryu find a way to bring his power under control before it’s too late?

Guys, let’s talk about this cast! I’m going to start with our lead antagonist, M Bison, played by the ever-present David Dastmalchian. This guy is everywhere! Now I know there was a lot of criticism on his casting due to him not exactly being built like Bison in the video games, but I genuinely think he was so creepy that he did a good job as a villain. We had a couple of musical names involved: 50 Cent and Orville Peck, who played the double-crossing Balrog and Vega, respectively. I have to give Peck his flowers; his portrayal of Vega was sinister. If you’re gonna have a film about fighting, then you should have some real fighters. Cody Rhodes played the hilarious Guile, and Joe Anoa’i, aka Roman Reigns, played the film’s secondary antagonist Akuma. Again, both did a good job. We didn’t see much of Akuma, and if the film receives a sequel, I assume that he’ll play a bigger role. Guile, on the other hand, needs as much screen time as possible because, genuinely, he was one of the highlights. Let’s finish on my standout performance - which is naturally a three-way tie. Callina Liang plays Chun-Li. Never seen her in anything before. Want to see everything she’s in now. She got in crazy good shape for this film. Also, her TikTok promotion of the film was great! Then we had Noah Centineo as Ken Masters. Noah is a guy who I think is so likeable as an actor, and I have to give him credit because he also got shredded for this. Like damn! Finally, Andrew Koji plays Ryu. Now I was familiar with Koji because I saw him in the few episodes of ‘Warrior’ that I watched, but he is a powerhouse, and I’m such a fan! This cast was sick!

Look, I was not expecting much when it came to this film. One of the reasons why had a lot to do with my perception of films based on video games. If it’s not a kids’ film, they tend not to be so good. Definitely true of the’ Mortal Kombat’ series. This, however, pleasantly surprised me. The one word I’d use to describe the film was fun. The entire vibe felt very 90’s, which is what they were going for, but it doesn’t take itself so seriously. The script is funny and well-written, and when the fighters are trying to say those ridiculous catchphrases, it doesn’t come across as cheesy. One of the really awesome aspects of the film was the injection of animated flashbacks. The style of that animation was crisp and clean and helped to further the story in a medium that felt authentic. My only qualm with the film was that I maybe would have liked to see more of the fights with the other characters; the tournament footage actually was limited!

In a world where all these movie studios are combining, it sometimes becomes difficult to remember who owns what. ‘Street Fighter’ was made by Paramount, and clearly, they must have a lot of money, given they’ve just bought Warner Bros. The cinematography reflected that. I was a fan of the choreography of the fights that we saw, and as stated previously, I would have liked more of those. The music, however, really was a highlight; it felt so much like a video game, but also completely appropriate for the scenes. Overall, a good film. I liked it. Maybe I’ll go and play it sometimes. Now, someone please, make a good Tekken film!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★½

• Acting: ★★★½

• Cinematography: ★★★½

• Music: ★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★½

I will admit that the comic books have recently taken a bit of a hit in terms of my interest levels. It’s not that I don’t want to read them, it’s just that my energy seems to be split, and I’m watching a lot of TV these days. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have the desire to get back into them. Perhaps this review will kickstart another comic book frenzy for me!

’Discipline and Punish’ sees the Suicide Squad undergoing some new psychological assessments being carried out by Amanda Waller and her latest recruit/employee, James Gordon Jr. Waller also has a new member of the team, in the form of The Unknown Soldier, who is loyal to her. Despite her advantage, however, the three regular members of the team, in the form of King Shark, Harley Quinn and Deadshot, find a way to incapacitate their captors and force Waller to make a new deal. And this could not have come at a better time, given that the team discover a plot in Las Vegas by a terrorist group who are setting up billboards that psychically tell people to give in to their deepest desires. With Gordon Jr’s help, they are able to make quick work of the group, but not before the group unleashes their secret weapon. The final part of the novel deals with the aftermath of ‘Forever Evil’, which I won’t ruin because we’ve not got to it, but essentially gives us two separate issues with the backstory of both Harley Quinn and Deadshot, but parts of the story we’ve not heard before. Can Waller bring her team under control before they go rogue? And will the members of this Suicide Squad ever find a way to escape their sentences?

Aaah man. After a break, I expected to come back to reading good novels and ‘Discipline and Punish’ is not it. It’s unfortunately disjointed in a way that doesn’t create intrigue or tension. The novel almost feels like a filler novel, with stories that didn’t belong anywhere else. I can appreciate that sometimes that does happen, but given that the first three novels in this volume, although not amazing, still felt coherent as a story, I’m a little disappointed. I will admit that the backstory issues were interesting, giving us aspects of Harley Quinn and Deadshot’s stories that we hadn’t had before. We also had 3 new team members that I wanted to know more about!?!

Okay, the artwork was one of the most interesting aspects of this novel. Usually, in a novel with multiple stories, each individual story may have different artists, but this novel switched artists halfway through the story, and I really didn’t like the second style. The covers were also incredibly average. Overall, not a great restart. Let me read something else!

Favourite Panel:

Given King Shark often doesn’t say much, this was a hilarious panel!

Favourite Character:

There wasn’t much choice in this novel, but I did find the Unknown Soldier pretty intriguing!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★½

• Character Development: ★★★

• Artwork: ★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★

• Re-readability: ★½

Level: Intermediate

Films have certainly been on the back burner for me, whilst I made my way through quite a few TV shows and 4 seasons of ‘Attack on Titan’, but I think we may be back in film territory again. One such film that I’d been meaning to watch for a while was the sequel to one of Warner Bros’ more profitable films in the last few years!

‘Mortal Kombat II’ starts with the realm of Edenia falling to Shao Kahn, the Emperor of Outworld. Shao Kahn takes over the kingdom and all its subjects, including Kitana, the daughter of the previous ruler, King Jerrod. We then fast-forward 20 years with Earthrealm trying to make sure they have enough fighters for the next tournament of Mortal Kombat. Following the death of Kung Lao in the first film, Lord Raiden needs a fifth fighter. Enter Johnny Cage, an actor and stuntman who has fallen far from the grace of his younger years. Despite an impassioned plea from Raiden and Sonya Blade, Cage is reluctant to get involved given the stakes. However, it turns out that Mortal Kombat doesn’t care about individual preferences, and Cage finds himself coming face to face against a now grown-up Kitana, who fights for Outworld. Despite beating him, she shows mercy and doesn’t kill him. Cage, who now realises his predicament, gets involved. But Outworld have several tricks up its sleeve, and our wary group of heroes has its work cut out for them. Can Raiden and his warriors from Earthrealm stop Outworld from winning its tenth tournament in a row? Or will Shao Kahn finally be victorious and take over another realm?

Much of the cast from the first film returns. Lewis Tan is the ever stoic Cole Young, Mehcad Brooks is Jax, and Ludi Lin returns as fire-bending Liu Kang. It was nice to see them return, but I was extremely unimpressed by the character regression. From being central characters in the first film, their role in this sequel was basically as supporting characters with whom viewers can’t connect at all. Jessica McNamee and Tadanobu Asano also return as Sonya Blade and Lord Raiden. Now, these guys had some character development, in that they had larger roles than the other three, but again, it really felt like they were just supporting characters. Let’s talk a little bit about the newcomers to the series. Martyn Ford plays the villainous Shao Kahn. His role didn’t require much except for him to beat the crap out of opposing fighters, and I’d say he did that pretty well. He had limited lines, but I think he did an okay job. The real focus for the film was on Johnny Cage, played by the talented Karl Urban. There were only two characters with any sort of real development, and Cage was certainly one of those. The problem I had is that it felt that Urban didn’t have to do much, and the character wasn’t as complex as others he’s played before. Finally, the one standout performance for me was Adeline Rudolph playing the grown-up Princess Kitana. Her story seems to be the only one of any substance, and even then, in certain parts, she was overlooked!

I mean, when I watched the first film, I didn’t particularly gush about it to everyone I knew. It was a good watch, and I guess a part of me was excited about a sequel, just to see how they would up the ante. Unfortunately for me, I was quite bored and felt that I was watching one of those YouTube fan films. In a way, the appeal of the first film was that we had a central character, Cole Young, and the story was more about how he had to come to terms with losing his family as he battled these otherworldly fighters. This film, although actually showing the tournament, was filled with too much filler nonsense. Wow, I’m being a little brutal here. Maybe we need to change the mood. Let’s talk about the good things. The fight scenes were pretty good! Sometimes you’re watching films like this, and you’re like, oh man, this looks so fake, but here the scenes were pretty believable!

I’m assuming that they had a greater budget for this film, due to how well the first one had done. The CGI was good, and I didn’t feel like they had skimped on that. As I said before, the choreography of the fights was executed well, and I suppose in a film about a fighting game, that’s kinda the main point. The music, I was disappointed in. ‘Mortal Kombat’ has one of, if not the most iconic, fighting game music, and they didn’t use it until the end credits. What is the point? Overall, a really disappointing sequel, which invariably ends the progress of the franchise. Guess I now have to watch the Street Fighter film this week?

Rating:

• Story: ★★

• Acting: ★½

• Cinematography: ★★★½

• Music: ★★½

• Enjoyability: ★½

Okay, so it’s not often that you get a review from me of something that has just finished, so count yourselves lucky here. When the original slate of the DCU was announced, I was very excited for some of the projects, and this show was definitely one of those, so let’s get into it!

‘Lanterns’ Season 1 introduces us to John Stewart, a former Marine, who is vying for the job of Green Lantern of Earth. The only problem is, there already is a Green Lantern: Hal Jordan. The story initially takes place 10 years ago, when Jordan and Stewart are called to a town in Nebraska called Rushville. They discover a mystery that has been occurring here, with the presence of aliens and a local population that is extremely hostile to those aliens. They meet the sheriff of the town, whose father-in-law owns a large ranch which the two heroes are convinced may be the hub of anti-alien weapons. However, it appears that there is tension between the two protagonists. John is technically a trainee and thinks that he is next in line to become Earth’s Green Lantern, whereas Hal is very reluctant to let John anywhere near the ring. Whilst investigating, the two also find out that the town is harbouring a Manhunter, an alien who has extreme destructive powers and a desire to destroy life. Can these two put their differences aside to save the world? Will John ever get the chance to be Green Lantern? And just where is Hal sneaking off to in the middle of this mission?

I’m going to start with the supporting cast first. Kelly Macdonald plays Sheriff Kerry Kane. I completely forgot that Macdonald was Scottish, and her accent was on point. Her ability to portray a rather frustrated law enforcement officer who clearly is out of her depth was fantastic. Playing her in-laws were Garret Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan, as Will and Zoe Macon. Dillahunt was just unnerving enough to be threatening, and the entire time, you’re left wondering just what his role in the show was. I really enjoyed his performance, to be honest. Then we have Zoe, who is this enigmatic character, always in the wrong place at the right time, and I felt that Poorna’s portrayal just needed a little more oomph. Nathan Fillon makes a small appearance as Guy Gardner. Guy is the douche we all know, so no surprises there. But I know what you guys are here for. Let’s talk about our protagonists. Aaron Pierre plays John Stewart, and his performance goes from strength to strength with each episode that goes by. By the end of the season, I was thoroughly impressed. However, for me, the standout performance was Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. We’ve seen Jordan be portrayed once before, by Ryan Reynolds, but Chandler brings his own to the role, and it is by far the most definitive version of the character we’ve seen. He was funny, sarcastic, and a badass and was perfect for the role. I would love to see more of him!

Now, one of the things that you may not know about me is that one of the first ever comic books I read when I was 18 was a Green Lantern novel, and I have a deep love for the characters and lore. I was extremely excited when this project was announced because I’ve honestly felt that this was a corner of the DC Universe that has been underutilised. Given that ‘Lanterns’ followed on from ‘Superman’ and ‘Supergirl’, I thought oh, that’s a lot of extraterrestrial action early in the DCU, but Season 1 of the show managed to keep it on Earth, and even more impressively, to one town in Nebraska. The show is grounded, but not in a terribly boring way, and given that there were comparisons between this and the first season of ’True Detective’, I can see what the vision was. That being said, I definitely would have liked a little more space action and perhaps more involvement of the greater Green Lantern community. But that’s me just being Larfleeze, honestly. Haha! I think the character development was phenomenal with both Hal and John growing on me in ways that I didn’t expect, and by the end, I was like, wow, these guys are my favourite characters in this new DCU. Let’s see if it continues!

Naturally, the show was produced for HBO, which means a decent budget. Although the cinematography of the show was good, there were certain places where it fell flat. The first was Hal’s costume. It looked like a poor cosplay, and maybe going forward, we’ll get the kind of suits we’re expecting, but I’d have liked more quality there. The amount of ring action we got was also a little sparse, and given what we’ve seen Guy being able to do in the ‘Superman’ film, I might have expected that. The music used during the season was really good, and that final song, “Hero” by Michael Kiwanuka, has been stuck in my head. Overall, I really enjoyed this first season of ‘Lanterns’. I think the casting was on point, and I’m just super excited to see where this goes!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★½

• Acting: ★★★★

• Filmography: ★★★½

• Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

You guys know how I like to watch everything slowly, and then after a few years, I’ll return to something I haven’t seen for years? Well, I guess I decided to do that, and come back to a series that I think is on Season 4 now. Naturally, I’m quite behind, so I thought it was a good time to do some catching up!

‘Invincible’ Season 2 starts where the last season finished. Mark Grayson, aka Invincible, tries to rebuild his life following the fight with his father, Nolan, aka Omni-Man. In an attempt at some form of normality, Mark, his girlfriend Amber and their friend, William, all go to college to live the student experience. Clearly itching for some action, Mark speaks to Cecil about going back to doing hero missions for the GDA. At the same time, Mark’s mother, Debbie, is struggling to come to terms with the massive change in her life, and any attempt by her to return to a stable mindset seems riddled with challenges. One day, Mark is approached by an insectoid-like alien who is from a planet called Thraxa. He tells Mark that they need his help to avoid a massive disaster. When Mark gets there, he realises that this was all a ruse and he finds out some extremely shocking news. You’d obviously think that was more than enough for Invincible to deal with; however, another threat emerges in the form of a man named Angstrom Levy. Levy has grown up in a world where Mark joins his father’s conquest, and they go about killing millions. Levy has a plan, but where does this universe’s Mark Grayson fit into that? And will Mark ever find out where his father ended up?

I remember when I watched the first season, I was surprised at the talent of the voice cast. Voicing our titular character is Steven Yeun. This guy is 42 years old, but somehow can voice a teenager. Unreal. Voicing his parents, Debbie and Nolan are the extremely talented Sandra Oh and J.K. Simmons. Their voices are fairly iconic, so you immediately know that it’s them. But that being said, I was able to pick up the voices of so many other actors, including Seth Rogen, who voices Allen the Alien, Sterling K. Brown, who voices the mysterious Angstrom Levy, and even Clancy Brown, who voices General Kregg. Sometimes I think to myself that if their voices are very recognisable, does that take away from the character and on reflection, I don’t think it does. If anything, for me it’s a bit exciting to guess correctly, aha! The voice acting overall was decent, no complaints from me here!

Now ‘Invincible’ exists in this niche space where it’s clearly a part of the superhero show market, but it’s tailored towards an adult audience, similar to ‘The Boys’. This makes for an interesting watch, because for intents and purposes, the plot of the show doesn’t inherently need to be for an older audience. The first season was definitely a very good watch, but I thought that this season felt a bit disjointed. There was a bit of an overarching arc, but for most of the episodes, there was so much stuff going on that I was confused which character development I was following. It may be that this was a setup for the next season, but even Angstrom Levy felt like a wasted character. I just expected a little more. I can’t be completely negative, though. The themes explored this season were certainly pertinent, and I think showing us what Debbie was going through really added to the feel of what life is now like for the Grayson family. Mark’s internal battle was also intriguing and clearly showed us alternate versions of him, showing us what he could become further down the line!

The show was created by Amazon, so there’s a decent budget. The animation style is crisp and clean, and there was even a funny ’fourth wall’ moment, where they acknowledged how they create the animation. I seldom noticed those points. The music of this show is great, and I have to give them props for that. It elevates the entire mood of the scene, and I need to find the soundtrack. Even the theme isn’t bad. Overall, glad to have gotten back into this show, but it felt like a slight step-down! I hope that it’s all to build what will happen next season!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★½

• Voice Acting: ★★★

• Filmography: ★★★★

• Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★½

It’s been a long while since I’ve been able to binge a TV show, and I definitely thought that after university, that ability in me was long lost. Turns out, I just had to find the right material. I’ve been enjoying ‘Attack On Titan’ for a few weeks now, and my excitement for the culmination of the story has only been building. So it took me 3 and a bit days to finish these last 30 episodes!

‘Attack On Titan’ Season 4 starts in a very different place. We’re across the sea now, in the nation of Marley. We’re given a backstory which explains that there was once a race known as Eldians, who are the descendants of a girl named Ymir, who could turn into a Titan. They therefore all have in their genetic material that ability. The Eldians of old became an empire terrorising other nations, including Marley. In modern day, however, Marley is the aggressor and has enslaved Eldians, whom they use to become Titans in an attempt to destroy the Eldians living inside the Walls on Paradis Island. Are you with me so far? Well, it turns out that our group of heroes has not only found out about the outside world, but they’ve managed to make it there. Eren comes up with a plan to take revenge on the people who have caused all this pain and destruction in his home nation. His attack on Marley naturally triggers a revenge response, and it feels like deja vu as Shiganshina is the place where it all goes down. Mikasa, Armin and the remaining Scouts have no choice but to follow through in the only way they know best: to fight. Can Eren finally bring peace to his homeland? And will his friends find the happy endings they all dream of?

This season was the culmination of one of the most impressive TV shows ever, and I have to be honest here, I was so, so nervous. Over the last few years, there’ve been a number of highly rated shows that have botched their endings, and I didn’t want ‘Attack On Titan’ to go the same way. On that front, there was some good news and bad news. The good news is that this final season was phenomenal. I mean, look at the score I’ve given it; it could not have gotten better. ‘Attack On Titan’ in general covers such complex themes, asking questions like what it is to be human, and why certain things happen to certain people. We watched through 89 episodes the story of three kids, Eren, Mikasa and Armin, as they navigate through chaos and tragedy to find a remnant of normality in their lives, trying to bring peace to their childhood home. It’s something that every single human would fight for if those circumstances were thrust upon them. It also covers the nature of indoctrination, and in this season, there are certainly parallels to be drawn upon our own human history, looking no further than the situation in Gaza, which is a perfect example of how certain populations of people can be dehumanised. We’ve seen each of the characters grow and change, and at the end, I couldn’t pick a favourite. I suppose that’s what brings me to the bad news. This show, and this season in particular, will make you cry like nothing else ever has!

30 episodes for a season is a big risk. With the way our brains have gotten used to a lower level of concentration and reduced intelligence, for a show to have 30 episodes in a season, they know viewers are going to get hooked. The animation for this season was actually done by a different studio, MAPPA, who are also responsible for the animation of ‘Jujutsu Kaisen’. I could tell there was a difference in style, and I’d argue that for the plot of this final season, they were the perfect animators. The theme songs for this season were both excellent. They took no chances for this show. Overall, I can’t imagine ever watching anything like this again, and I sobbed when I finished the season finale. It was the understanding that I would never again experience ‘Attack On Titan’ for the first time!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★★

• Animation and Visual Style: ★★★★★

• World Building: ★★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★★

Okay, so naturally I’m hooked. I keep on trying to think about films to watch, or comic books to read, but in my head, there’s only one thing I must know. How the hell does this show end? A longer season led to the delay in getting you guys this review, but enough!

Season 3 of ‘Attack on Titan’ essentially consists of two main arcs. The first arc sees the Survey Corps return following their battle with the Colossal Titan and the Armoured Titan. However, clearly something has shifted in the capital, and it appears that the Titans are not the only enemy to fight. A group are after both Eren and Christa, now known as Historia. Leading this group is a crazy cowboy named Kenny, who seems to have a personal connection to Levi. When Eren and Historia are captured, the Scouts must figure out who’s taken them and how to get them back before it’s too late. Naturally, many of them are reluctant to turn on their fellow humans, but it appears there’s not much choice. The second half of the season sees the Scouts attempt to find a way to plug the hole in Wall Maria and thus take back the land they had lost to the Titans. They know it’s not going to be easy, but Commander Erwin Smith is convinced that they can turn the tide against their enemies. On top of that is the hope that by taking back Shiganshina, the town that Eren, Armin and Mikasa grew up in, they will finally find out the mystery of the basement of Eren’s house. Can this dwindling group finally achieve victory? And will they ever find out who their true enemies are?

So, given that this was a longer season, it took me a bit of time to get myself into it. It’s also sometimes a bit difficult when you’re so overwhelmed with what you’ve watched, and you need time to process it. I have to say the two story arcs were quite different; the first took some time to build, and then the second half was just a rollercoaster. To be honest, after the second season, there was a part of me that wondered if the show would reach new heights, but the story is phenomenal, and I was hooked. The first two seasons deal with some pretty intense themes, including mental trauma and the class system in medieval societies. This season, however steps it up, in that after all this time fighting Titans, the Scouts realise they have enemies much closer to home. We get scenes with Conny, Jean and Sasha, contemplating their choices and how they feel about attacking their fellow humans, which is really interesting to watch. There was so much character development we saw. Levi, who for all this time has been this ridiculously mysterious and overpowered character, finally gets a bit of a backstory, and it humanises him slightly. He’s still a badass, though. One of the things that really drew me into this anime was the intricacy of the concept and how the twists and turns really make it one of the most entertaining shows I’ve ever seen, and Season 3 provides shocks by the boatload! Ha!

Finally, we returned to a juicier season. 22 episodes of this show were far more enjoyable to get through. The expansion of the lore was fantastic, and I’ve always said that world-building is second to none. The animation style was good, and there were some almost 3D effects for some of the titans, which I really enjoyed. The theme song for this season was, on the other hand, completely inappropriate. It was so soft and gentle, and I was like, are you for real right now? Overall, I think this was my favourite of the seasons that I had seen, and I was glad the trajectory from Season 2 was corrected! Ha!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★

• Animation and Visual Style: ★★★★

• World Building: ★★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★★

It’s not often that I convince myself to just power through something because I’m enjoying it so much, but there are always exceptions. I’m sure you guys know by now that I like to mix it up now and then, and watch different things, but it wasn’t going to happen with this show, was it?

‘Attack On Titan’ Season 2 starts where the first season left off. Following the big fight between Eren and Annie, the inner city is in chaos. They’ve never had to face the titans, let alone see them. What’s made even more mysterious is that in the aftermath of the fight, a section of the inner wall has been revealed, and within it is a giant Titan. The Scouts are stunned, and their investigation leads them to Pastor Nick, who is a member of a religious cult that sort of worships the wall. Before any information can be extracted, it appears that Titans have been seen within the second walled space, and the Scouts immediately sort out a plan to see where the breach has happened. As they set out to find where the Titans are coming from, a new enemy emerges, one who has unknown capabilities. The investigative forces include Conny Springer and Sasha Braus, two soldiers who came up with Eren, Mikasa and Armin as recruits. When they find out that the Titans are heading south, towards their respective homes, they immediately sign up to spread the word and help evacuate. However, with the knowledge that Annie was a Titan, what further surprises await this group? And can Eren and the other Scouts discover what the enemy is up to?

I basically sped through the season, given that the first season was so good. Unlike that one, however, Season 2 only has one central story arc. Thankfully, the first season did a great job at thinning out the herd of characters, and we now have a sort of streamlined cast that I was far more able to keep up with. From a story perspective, purely because of the length of the season, I’d say that I don’t think the story was as exciting. Now, don’t get me wrong, there were definitely still some big moments that made me gasp, but I wonder if the initial shock of this world and what I could expect from it had settled. Let’s talk about character development. In this second season, we get a chance to see more of the supporting characters. I already mentioned Conny and Sasha. Whilst I had not formed a proper connection to either of them, I am constantly hopeful that they make it through this ordeal. Along with these two is a character named Jean Kirschtein. Jean was a real prat in the first season, and I had resigned myself to disliking him, but the character development? Very, very good, and I think it’ll be interesting to see where the show takes him, hopefully not to the grave? I had only one real qualm about this season, and that was that there wasn’t enough Levi in it. Why have they done this to me?

This season was a smaller season, as I said before. Only 12 episodes. Now I think that for a lot of shows, 12 is an okay number, but this is an epic, and 12 episodes are not enough for viewers. I mean, I’m fine because I can move straight on to the next season, but you get my drift. Fewer episodes also meant that there was only one story arc, and in that sense, I don’t know if Season 2 was as good as the first season. The animation style was good, and it’s slowly growing on me. In a way, the more I’m exposed to, the more I can appreciate the differences. The theme song of the second season wasn’t bad, you know? I might have to look all of these up on Apple Music. Overall, a slightly less exciting season, but with twists that I think will lead to massive reveals! Let’s go!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★½

• Character Development: ★★★½

• Animation and Visual Style: ★★★½

• World Building: ★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

Now that I have started doing anime reviews, my sister has been hounding me to watch one anime in particular. If there has been any delay on my part in not watching this, it’s because of how highly everyone speaks of it, and I’ve just started watching anime, you know, didn’t wanna peak too soon, but oh well, here goes!

The first season of ‘Attack on Titan’ introduces us to a world in which humanity has been forced to live in a piece of land defended by 3 walls, against the threat of Titans; large, mindless giants whose only goal is to attack and eat humans. As a matter of necessity, three branches of the armed forces have been created. There is the “Military Police”, the force responsible for protecting the innermost section of land, the “Garrison”, who are responsible for guarding the walls, and finally the “Scouts” who venture outside the walls and will often come up against the Titans. The story is focused initially on three kids, Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert, who live in one of the outer segments of the outermost wall. One fateful day, a gigantic Titan appears, who looks different to the normal kind, and smashes through the outer wall, letting the Titans in. As hell breaks loose, the Garrison attempts to help evacuate the inhabitants of the town, but in the ensuing chaos, lots of people are killed and eaten by the Titans, including Eren’s mother. In the years following the tragedy, Eren, Mikasa and Armin resolve to join the military forces, in particular the Scouts. But what they discover along the way will change the way they see the Titans forever. Can the Scouts find a way to stop the Titans from attacking? And just what can these three do to help humanity survive?

So given that these series follow the manga, there is often more than one central arc in the season, and the first season of ‘Attack on Titan’ is no different. The introduction of characters is done in a good way, although I will say that, similar to shows like ‘Game of Thrones’, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to try to remember who everyone is. That being said, you very quickly learn who the main characters are and who you have to keep an eye on. My sister often goes on about how this is not only the best anime she’s watched, but also probably the best TV show in general she’s ever seen, which is such a big claim. Having watched the first season, and knowing that there are 3 more to come, I was genuinely very impressed. The creators have woven one of the most intriguing stories I’ve seen in years, and there are twists and turns throughout the season that keep you hooked. I also love the difference in the characters and their dispositions. Eren, for example, is so set on what he thinks is right and stands by it no matter what, which I respect a lot. But then you have Levi, one of the captains of the Scouts, who is just so badass and nonchalant. My only qualm with the show is that it’s a lot of death and destruction to have to watch, which sometimes I do find difficult. I also have only one fear about this show, and that is, will this quality of story last? I’m so used to watching shows that, after a season, begin to decline in quality due to the writers' inability to come up with more shocking elements to the story. Hopefully, that won’t be the case here, but I have to keep it in mind!

So the first season consists of 25 episodes. Not a massive deviation from normal. There are certainly variations in the pace of the show; some episodes are slower, but those are often the ones with backstories which are pertinent to the understanding of the setting. Often, with the shows that I watch, I will rate each episode on IMDB and I found that none of the episodes got below a 7. In terms of animation style, I thought it was certainly different, but not in a bad way. A lot of the characters are drawn in ways that make them look very depressed, but that is completely valid. The theme song of the first half of that first season? Perfection. Why did they mess with that? I don’t think I’ll ever know. Overall, this show is very, very good. Please don’t disappoint me!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★

• Animation and Visual Style: ★★★½

• World Building: ★★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

Every time I take a little bit of a break from this website, I find that I have to really force myself to find a comic book, or a TV show or a film that really excites me, otherwise it can take a while. Given that it had been so long since I had reviewed a comic book, I thought to myself, I need to jump into a series I want to, and that naturally made me think of the X-Men!

‘Life Of X’ starts with powerful psychic Psylocke being attacked mentally by a villain named The Shadow King, aka, Amahl Farouk. In the ensuing battle, she ends up causing a massive explosion in London; however, realising that The Shadow King is attempting to take over the minds of many more unstoppable psychics, she summons a team to aid her. That team includes Old Man Logan, Rogue, Gambit, Fantomex, Bishop, Angel and Beast. The plan is simple: a group of them must travel to the psychic plane to stop Farouk before he achieves his plan. It won’t be easy, since The Shadow King will have far more power and ability to mentally challenge the team on his plane. Logan, Rogue, Gambit, Fantomex and Beast sign up to enter the nightmare realm, whilst Angel and Bishop stay behind to protect Psylocke whilst she maintains the psychic link. Despite being some of the best of the best, in the psychic plane, each of them is attacked in subtle ways, with the Shadow King attacking their very consciousness in an attempt to take over their minds. They’ve fought enemies like this before, but they’ll need help, and help is present in the most unlikely form. Can these X-Men survive the machinations of a madman? Or will they be guided to salvation by their friend in the shadows?

This happens every time I read X-Men novels. I’m always so excited, and there is a part of me internally that hopes they don’t disappoint, and then they don’t. Like seriously, this was a great novel with good character development, a nice mix of very well-known X-Men and some not-so-known. They all gelled well together, and I think in Amahl Farouk, we were given a good villain. I also think that, in this sense, comic books can portray stories that you know will never be considered by the film and TV show studios for their productions, but you wish they would. I have to say the twist at the end was enough to make me gasp!

The artwork was a mix, and each issue, I think, was drawn by someone different. Sometimes that annoys me. For a book like this, though, it was perfect. The covers were also pretty decent. Overall, a great novel in what is shaping up to be another good X-Men series!

Favourite Panel:

This was a crazy ending. Ultimate face turns heel?

Favourite Character:

Aah, books like these give you so much choice. It was a difficult one, but I think the character that really stood out for me was Fantomex!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★

• Artwork: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

• Re-readability: ★★★½

Level: Intermediate

It has been a crazy couple of weeks, and I know I’ve abandoned this blog for a while. But no more, I feel ready again to begin anew and bring you guys my (mostly) unfiltered thoughts. Last year, when I watched Superman (2025), I was quietly intrigued by how this new DCU was going to shape up. A year later, we’re ready for the second film in this new cinematic universe!

‘Supergirl’ starts with our titular character, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, in a very interesting place in her life. Having just turned 23, she’s out in some solar system where there is a red sun. Given that Kryptonian heroes like Supergirl and Superman need a yellow sun for their powers, visiting places with a red sun nullifies these abilities, and in this case, allows her to get drunk. One day, whilst in a bar on some unknown planet, she witnesses a young girl called Ruthye come in asking for help to take revenge on a brigand named “Krem of the Yellow Hills’ who has murdered her family. Kara wants nothing to do with this, as she doesn’t have the disposition of her cousin Kal-El, aka Superman. However, events led to Krem stealing Kara’s ship and poisoning her dog, Krypto. Realising that Krem has the antidote, she sets off to find him, with Ruthye in tow, despite Kara’s reservations. As they head through the cosmos, Kara recounts her childhood in Argo City, a city on Krypton that her father Zor-El had separated from the planet to go on living after Krypton’s destruction, but which met a fate just as depressing. Their adventure finally leads them to where Krem and his band of brigands have been hiding. Can Kara step up and be the hero her cousin thinks she can be? And can she stop Ruthye from becoming a murderer in her plan for revenge?

We should talk about the cast. I’ll start with Eve Ridley, who played Ruthye. There is sometimes this tendency when writing young roles that child characters end up being extremely annoying or too irrelevant, and I think Eve did a really fantastic job playing the middle line and remaining relevant and also integral to the film. David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham play Kara’s parents, Zor-El and Alura In-Ze. Fun fact, Krumholtz played Bernard the head elf in my favourite Christmas film, “The Santa Clause”. Their roles were small but poignant. David Corenswet appears as Superman, and his scenes were great. I think David is the perfect optimistic Superman, and I’m so excited to see him progress in this shared universe. Speaking of shared universes, Jason Momoa was cast as Lobo. He said it was the role he was born to play. I’m not sure I’m completely convinced yet, but he was a lot of fun. Okay, let’s talk villain. Matthias Schoenaerts plays the creepy Krem of the Yellow Hills. I know they changed his look from the original comic book version, but I just felt like he wasn’t memorable enough. The standout role was, of course, Milly Alcock as Supergirl. I’d seen Milly in the first season of “House of the Dragon” and was very impressed. She certainly brought a new version of Supergirl to the screen, and I think the character development was a highlight of the film!

So what did I think? Well, for the second film in the DCU, I don’t think it was bad. I went to watch it with my sister, and we kind of went in with no expectations. Similar to how I felt when I watched “Superman”. I’d say that in terms of scale, it was never going to be on that level, but for what it was worth, it was an entertaining watch. I think in terms of criticism, the one thing that I would say is that there were moments where the plot felt a bit thin. Kara going from planet to planet and doing the same thing started to feel repetitive after a while, even if each planet was different. Weirdly, despite not being directed by him, it felt a lot like a James Gunn “Guardians Of The Galaxy” film. One of the saving graces of “Supergirl” was the message. Seeing Kara go through that character development, and her mother’s words, “Just be good”, really resonated with me, especially with everything that has been happening in my life!

In terms of cinematography, it was good. I’d say fairly standard when it comes to superhero films. Without sounding repetitive, I have to compare it to “Superman”, which I think had better cinematography. The music was definitely very important to the film, not only because the songs were very much representative of the almost ‘coming of age’ theme of the film, but because they really added to the mood. Overall, a decent second film in a budding universe. Dare I say I’m excited for the next DCU project?

Rating:

• Story: ★★★

• Acting: ★★★½

• Cinematography: ★★★½

• Music: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★½

So occasionally I’m in the mood to sit and watch something new, and although I’ve got lots of shows to catch up on, it feels slightly different to take someone else’s recommendation and just go with it. In this case, it was my wife who wanted to show me a show she had watched on Netflix many years ago, which she thought I’d enjoy!

The first season of ‘The OA’, sees Prairie Johnson, a young woman, return to her home after being missing for many years. However, her return garners a lot of attention, given that when she left, she was blind, and on her return had gained her sight. As Prairie tries to settle back into her previous life, it’s evident that something has happened to her, and she tries to find a group of people who she believes are worthy of hearing her story. The collection of people who answer her call is certainly an eclectic bunch. There’s Steve, the local bully, French, an academically and athletically gifted student, Buck, a young trans boy, Jesse, a reserved loner, and the most surprising of all, Betty, a middle-aged teacher at the school where all these students go. Despite their initial skepticism they sit and listen to Prairie’s story. She tells of her difficult childhood and the traumatic experience that changed everything. She then tells them of her meeting with Dr Hunter Percy, known as Hap, whose obsession with people who have gone through near-death experiences has led him to do the unfathomable. She finally tells them of the group of special people she met through this experience, whom she is desperate to get back to. Will this ragtag bunch believe the story she weaves? And can then help her complete the mission that she believes she was made for?

Okay, let’s start with the group that Prairie recruits. Jesse and Buck are played by Brendan Meyer and Ian Alexander, respectively. Both did a good job, but their characters were slightly overshadowed by the others, and we didn’t really learn much about them. Playing Alfonso French was Brandon Perea. I liked French, because his scepticism and intelligence led him to finding a lot of answers to questions I was asking myself. There were a few familiar faces in the show, too. Playing Betty, the shy but kind teacher, was Phyllis Smith, who played Phyllis in ‘The Office’. I have to say, the two characters were very, very similar, but it was still fun to see her. As Hap, was Jason Isaacs, famous for playing Lucius Malfoy in the ‘Harry Potter’ films. His portrayal of this charming but also cold character was commendable. It was difficult to dislike him. We also had Riz Ahmed playing Elias Rahim. His role was small, but I always like watching him play American characters. There were two standout performances for me. One was Patrick Gibson as Steve. The character development was phenomenal, and watching Steve go through those changes was fascinating to see. Finally, our protagonist, Prairie, was played by Brit Marling. Prairie is such a multi-layered character, and Marling was able to capture that essence perfectly. Plus, playing a blind character, in my opinion, is so difficult!

This show was, in a way, exactly the kind of thing I like to watch, but also thematically, there was a lot going on. I really enjoyed the flashbacks, and the way that Prairie told her story was very engaging. However, all the scenes in the present, in the small town, seemed slightly boring at times, and it was difficult to build authentic connections with all the characters. Now don’t get me wrong, it was clear that the show was attempting to help, and there was character development, but due to the nature of Prairie’s mission, it felt that she wanted out of this place, and so in a way, did I. There were certainly some interesting themes explored in the show, regarding consent, the shared bonds of those that have been in traumatic experiences together and even to a certain extent faith. Something extremely interesting to me was that this was a Netflix-produced show, and it came out in the same year as ‘Stranger Things’. The two shows are similar, but the latter took off with fans quite well, and I think that may be where ‘The OA’ lost out, with Netflix prioritising ‘Stranger Things’ over it!

Netflix tends to have decent budgets, and so a lot of the cinematography was good. Some of the scenes of Prairie experiencing the near-death experiences were great. In terms of music, there was certainly an importance placed on it, with regard to some of the characters, but I think the general soundtrack was not prominent. Overall, this was an interesting show, one that I’d like to return to, in order to see where the story takes our characters!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★

• Acting: ★★★

• Filmography: ★★★½

• Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★

A long holiday has led to a long break from watching and reviewing films. But no more. I am back. I wanted to ease myself into watching something that wasn’t too brain-intensive, ha! Since I’ve picked the last few films that we’ve seen, my wife stated that it was time I let her choose, and choose well she did!

‘The Drama’ is a very simple story about a young couple, Charlie and Emma, who are looking forward to their upcoming nuptials. We see their first meeting, with Charlie attempting to impress Emma by talking about the book that she is reading, but it goes terribly, and Emma asks if he wants to ‘start over’. We fast forward two years, and Charlie and Emma are now engaged and organising different aspects of their wedding. One night, they see their DJ smoking heroin on the side of a road, which promptly leads to the two questioning if it’s appropriate to have her at their wedding. During a food tasting, with Charlie’s best friend Mike and his wife Rachel, the four discuss the worst things they’ve ever done. When Emma discloses hers, the mood changes, and there’s a shift in her relationship with Charlie. As he attempts to get his head around it, Emma tries her best to suppress her fiancé’s anxiety, but with the wedding just days away, will the two of them even make it to the altar?

Let’s talk about our two leads. Playing Charlie was Robert Pattinson. He does well to play a sort of awkward and anxious character, but naturally, we’ve seen that before from him. That being said, I did remark that I think he’s done a pretty good job of re-inventing himself from the Twilight days, and his performance in this film shows that even for simple roles, his ability to act has markedly improved. The same could be said for his co-star, Zendaya, who plays Emma. Zendaya, unlike Pattinson, has had a steadier come-up. We’ve seen her in Disney shows, we’ve seen her in Spider-Man, and then in Dune. However, she too is starting to take more layered and complex roles, and although her performance as Emma is not her best, it still shows growth and maturity. I do have to mention the two supporting leads. Mike, played by Mamoudou Athie, and Rachel, played by Alana Haim. Athie did a good job, but I have to give Haim her props. I’ve not seen her in anything; I only know her to be one of the members of the band Haim, but she can definitely act, and she does a pretty great job of being a mean girl. They both complement the characters of Charlie and Emma well, and overall, it’s not a huge cast, but it really doesn’t need to be!

The first thing I have to say is that it was such an A24 film. I’ve often spoken about the kind of films that the studio is producing, but from the get-go, I joked that it was typical A24. That, by the way, isn’t a good or bad thing, just my opinion. The film is pretty simple in its plot and design, but that works. Where it excels is its ability to switch seamlessly between present and past and weave that all together. In terms of themes, it was funny because my wife and I both felt that the two leads didn’t look like they had chemistry, but actually watching the film, you see how that chemistry develops in a sort of organic way, which is fun to watch. The film tackles a couple of interesting themes too, mainly, how do we hold people accountable for their past actions, but also, how does compatibility between couples really work?

The cinematography was again simple but effective. There were these really clever shots scattered through the film, and the way they seamlessly transition between adult Emma and younger Emma was really good. I’d say the music was not very prominent, which perhaps let the film down a little bit. Overall, it was a decent watch, nothing too serious, but sometimes that’s okay!

Rating:

• Story: ★★½

• Acting: ★★★½

• Cinematography: ★★★½

• Music: ★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★½

Ever since I started this venture, I’ve been making my way slowly through DC’s New 52 novels, which I’ve been enjoying a lot. A part of me feels like maybe I’ll never catch up to the modern-day runs, but I thought with the speed at which I’m reading some of these series, I might get there eventually. So, having finished Volume 2 of Deathstroke a while back, I thought, let’s start Volume 3!

‘Gods Of War’ starts with Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke the Terminator, receiving a mission to kill a wanted man. However, it appears that the kill won’t be easy, and he finds himself up against an army that almost takes him out. He manages to escape, just, and finds a man named I-Ching, who owes him from a job long ago. Deathstroke collapses in front of him, only to wake up and find himself decades younger, and more interestingly, with both eyes working and uninjured. But there’s no rest for the wicked, and despite his confusion, his next target is revealed to be someone called Odysseus, who is supposedly responsible for the army that tried to take Deathstroke down. A character called Red Fury gives him this information along with a truth serum that will reveal what has happened to him. As sceptical as he is, he gives it a try, only to end up in a vision in which he finds out that Odysseus is his father and is using his son, Jericho’s powers to control a whole host of people. Slade doesn’t know if the vision he’s seen is true or not, but he knows he needs to find his son. When he gets told that Jericho has ended up in Gotham City, he heads over there immediately. But we all know you don’t go to Gotham unannounced without a certain Crusader turning up. Can Slade find Jericho before Odysseus does? And is Odysseus who Slade’s visions claim him to be?

I always say that I don’t like the excessively violent characters, and that is generally true, but sometimes Deathstroke is the exception. He is one of my favourite villains, and I just think he’s badass. That being said, there were certainly times in this novel when I was genuinely wondering what the hell was going on. There was very little character development because every 2-3 pages, it felt as if I was being introduced to a new character that I wasn’t even sure was going to make it through the story. The second half of the novel certainly felt more coherent, and I enjoyed Slade’s adventures in Gotham!

The artwork and covers were done by Tony Daniel, who I think has one of the best styles, and I thoroughly enjoyed perusing the larger panels. He has a great ability to draw not only details and faces, but also to create wide landscapes which are dynamic and bold. Overall, not a bad novel, perhaps a little confusing in some places, but glad to return to Deathstroke’s adventures!

Favourite Panel:

This is what Ben Affleck’s Batman could’ve been!

Favourite Character:

There are genuinely quite a few good characters in this novel, but I have to give it to our titular character. Despite being at a disadvantage, he still comes out on top!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★

• Character Development: ★★½

• Artwork: ★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★

• Re-readability: ★★½

Level: Advanced

A break from the cinema has meant that I’ve missed out on quite a few films that I was intending to watch. But with a long weekend and holidays approaching, I had the chance to sit down and watch a film that I was initially quite intrigued by. Part of that may have had something to do with the fact that I’ve been reminiscing on my time at school!

‘Wuthering Heights’ is a story set in Yorkshire in the 1800’s. The owner of Wuthering Heights, a large estate, Mr Earnshaw, brings home a poor boy whom he states that he has rescued. His daughter, Catherine, is instantly enamoured by this boy and sees him as a new plaything for her, much to the chagrin of her companion, Nelly, who is Mr Earnshaw’s ward. She names him “Heathcliff” after her dead brother. Very weird. The two are then inseparable, and you see their bond develop. Fast forward a few years, and you see them all grown up. Unfortunately, Mr Earnshaw, who has spent most of his days drunk and gambling, has lost a lot of money, and Wuthering Heights is in disrepair. One day, Catherine comes to find out that a wealthy young man, Edgar Linton, and his ward, Isabella, have moved into the Grange, which is the neighbouring property. She jokes that she will charm him, which gets on Heathcliff’s nerves, due to him having developed feelings for her. When Edgar sends a marriage proposal for Catherine, she is torn between her own feelings, but her decision is made for her when Heathcliff mysteriously disappears. After five years away, Heathcliff returns to his old life, only to find that he recognises very little of it. Can he and Catherine mend their friendship? Or will Catherine’s new life prove far better for her?

Playing one of our leads, Catherine was Margot Robbie. I initially felt that she may be a little old for the role, especially given how young her co-star looked, but I think in the film it was okay. I’ve still not concluded how well I think Robbie can act, although her performance in this film was good. As Edgar Linton was Shazad Latif, who did a great job of playing a sort of aloof gentleman. I did find it ironic that they cast Edgar with an actor who was ethnic, as opposed to Heathcliff, who in the book which inspired the film, was described as a ‘dark skinned gypsy’. I’m just saying, guys. Anyways, playing his ward, Isabella, was Alison Oliver. Now, clearly her take on the character was quite different from her book counterpart, but her ability to play this sort of zany and slightly unhinged character was fantastic. Martin Clunes played Mr Earnshaw, and Hong Chau played Nelly Dean. Again, their characters were slightly changed for the film adaptation, but they were good additions. I have to give a shoutout to Owen Cooper, who many of you would know from “Adolescence”. I think Owen is definitely one to watch, as his ability to act is phenomenal. Finally, the standout performance is Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. I was sceptical, but Elordi does a fantastic job of portraying this tortured character, not too dissimilar to his performance as Frankenstein’s Monster. His accent was on point, and he was probably one of the few saving graces of this film!

Okay, what on earth was this fever dream? I had studied the Wuthering Heights novel as a teenager, and I remember really enjoying it. So when they announced they were making this film, it piqued my interest immediately. Then came the casting news, and I’ve already explained that I was slightly annoyed that they had the opportunity to do an accurate casting in terms of ethnicity, and they didn’t. I’m not one to harp on about DEI, but this is one of the few stories that has a lead with an ethnic background. That being said, I appreciate that the actors who were cast did the job they were asked to do. However, the director’s take on this book, I found, was a perverse and frankly disrespectful one, and honestly, it felt like it was just a smutty fan fiction. Several of the characters were changed into depraved versions, and by the end, I was left wondering why even adapt the novel? It was disappointing given that several other aspects of the film were done well!

I have to credit the film in terms of cinematography. Initially, when I saw Thrushcross Grange and the outfits that the Lintons were wearing, I felt that I had entered an Alice in Wonderland world, but I suppose it was to highlight the difference in the way of life that the Lintons were living compared to those at Wuthering Heights. Some of the shots were also visually stunning. The music was a mix of modern and classical, and again, I think the contrast worked well. Overall, this film just shouldn’t have been called Wuthering Heights.

Rating:

• Story: ★★

• Acting: ★★★½

• Cinematography: ★★★★

• Music: ★★★

• Enjoyability: ★½

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised that watching shows that are over 15 episodes long has become very difficult, which means that I often seek out shows with smaller seasons, and those that are less than 10 episodes are so easy to get through. This show in particular was recommended to me by an A+E consultant, who could not believe that I hadn’t seen it, and called myself a fan of Japanese culture. I took that personally and got to it immediately!

‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Season 1 tells the story of Mizu, a young samurai who is on a mission to find a number of foreigners whom she blames for the death of her mother. What’s worse is that Mizu has blue eyes, similar to the foreigners, making her an outcast in Feudal Japan. She is taken in by a blind blacksmith, whose talent is known far and wide, and his reputation brings in a lot of warriors who are looking to have him make a sword for them. Mizu, from that young age, begins to learn how to wield a sword. Due to her being a woman, she has to be extra careful and take precautions to make sure she’s not discovered. On her journey, she meets a number of characters who become integral to her mission. Firstly is Ringo, a young man who has lost both his hands and has been working in his father’s noodle shop. Ringo sees Mizu as a chance to travel and perhaps learn to be the best at something else, and so begs Mizu to let him be her student. During a mission to find out who has been harbouring one of the foreigners, Abijah Fowler, Mizu comes up against an up-and-coming samurai named Taigen. Taigen has managed to secure a match with Akemi, the daughter of one of the local lords. However, during a duel with Mizu, he loses and thus Akemi’s father arranges an alternative match for her, leading to Taigen trying to get revenge on Mizu. Can Mizu find Abijah Fowler and continue her mission for revenge? Or will she see an alternative life unfold in front of her?

We have to talk about this cast. Some of the names surprised me when I looked them up, although some voices sounded so distinct. Voicing Ringo was Masi Oka, who a lot of people may know from “Heroes”. He did a great job in terms of making Ringo sound like the friendliest guy ever. Taigen was voiced by Darren Barnet, who was in “Never Have I Ever”, not that I’ve seen it. Haha! But genuinely, there were parts where I thought he sounded like Dave Franco and had this really cocky voice. One actress whom I do know, but did not recognise, was Brenda Song, who voices Akemi. Akemi is such a dynamic character, and I was surprised to hear the range in her performance. Okay, this show also managed to get some legends on board. Voicing Madam Kaji, a cunning woman who owns a brothel, was Ming-Na Wen, whose acting and voice acting exploits include Mulan and also Fennec Shand in “The Mandalorian”. Randall Park voices Heiji Shindo, an accomplice of Abijah Fowler. I recognised his voice immediately! Playing our main antagonist was Kenneth Branagh. I completely forgot that he’s from Northern Ireland, because I was so surprised to hear that accent. There were also a few veterans of the business. George Takei voices Seki, Akemi’s tutor, and the late Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa voices Master Eiji, the legendary blacksmith. The standout performance for me, though, was definitely Mizu, voiced by Maya Erskine. The character has this real gravitas, and Erskine delivered it perfectly!

So initially, I was a little sceptical about this show. As you guys and girls know, I’ve developed an interest in watching anime, and this show was recommended to me as one. By technicality, it isn’t one, and perhaps that’s why I raised eyebrows. That being said, this show is fantastic, and if Japan wants to formally adopt it as an anime, I’d be okay with that. I’d said before that shows which are more than 10 episodes can start to become a little draggy, but at 8 episodes long, I was also aware that perhaps there wouldn’t be enough run time to strengthen the story or the character arcs. I did not have to worry about that at all. The main characters each get their chance to shine, and the way the episodes weave means that, actually, there aren’t really filler episodes; it’s more like tangents to help you understand the characters. The story is compelling, and there is a lot of action, which means that you never get bored. I have only one criticism, and that is, there was far too much nudity, and most of it added nothing to the show. C’mon, guys, we don’t need that stuff to attract viewers!

The show was produced by a French company called Blue Spirit, and I have to hand it to them; the show was animated brilliantly. The mixture of the 2D animation with an almost 3D style created a unique blend, which I’ve not seen done as well as this before. The music was good, and most of all, I loved all the different backgrounds, from Fowler’s Castle to the ocean scenes with Ringo and Master Eiji’s shop. I’ve heard there is a Season 2 coming soon, and I cannot wait to see where Mizu’s adventures take her!

Rating:

• Story: ★★★★

• Voice Acting: ★★★½

• Filmography: ★★★★½

• Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

DC and Marvel have been getting lots of attention from me recently, and I thought, hang on, there’s another company whose comics I adore. Where the hell have Boom Studios been? It was then clear to me that a return to Angel Grove was needed, and in particular, I needed to go back, way back to a time when there were only 5 rangers!

‘Vol 3’ of Go Go Power Rangers sees The Ranger Slayer, aka Kimberly Hart, from an apocalyptic future come back to the past to stop the Rangers from finding out how to defeat her boss, Lord Drakkon. There’s only one problem. This group of Rangers have no idea who Lord Drakkon is, and they’ve not even met Tommy Oliver yet. Despite the blip in her plan, The Ranger Slayer still aims to destroy the Rangers and their command centre. But she’s stopped in her tracks by her younger self, and once freed from the control that Lord Drakkon had on her, she tries to make amends. Meanwhile, each of the Rangers is finding it increasingly difficult to keep their secret from their families, and even more so from their friend Matt, who is convinced that he is special because the Rangers keep saving him. Naturally, with all this chaos happening, Rita Repulsa, who has been watching from the sidelines, sees the perfect opportunity to strike and sends down a few of her infamous monsters to do what they do best. Can the Power Rangers come together to stop this threat from the future and protect their friends and family? Or will all these villains finally be able to do what they’ve always wanted and destroy the Power Rangers?

I’ve often spoken about my love for Boom Studios and these epic series that they were able to create. ‘Volume 3’ is no different, and in fact, having read the main “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Series” and seeing all the chaos that Lord Drakkon brings, it was nice to just step back to a time where maybe things were slightly simpler. Some of the twists and turns in the novel were amongst the greatest surprises that a comic book has given me. The character development was excellent, and despite being a team book, I never felt like any of the characters had been overlooked!

Long before I had seen his work for DC, Dan Mora’s artwork for the Power Rangers series was truly magnificent. You see those 5 stars? Yeah, there’s only a handful of artists who would get that. Mr Mora is one of those people. The covers were brilliant. Overall, a fantastic novel in a great series. If you aren’t reading this, what are you doing?

Favourite Panel:

This was a blow-my-mind kinda moment!

Favourite Character:

They’re all so good, but Kimberly (the OG one) was badass!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★½

• Artwork: ★★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

• Re-readability: ★★★½

Level: Intermediate

Since we’re on a good run, and I’m really enjoying reading comic books again, I thought, let’s return to what I know best: Gotham. The last few Batman novels I’ve been reading have all been part of the “Death Of The Family” storyline, and I was sort of looking forward to being done with all of that. So it was time to return to Detective Comics!

‘Emperor Penguin’ starts with Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, putting out a hit on Bruce Wayne in an attempt to become the most prominent philanthropist in Gotham City. Great way to do it, eh? However, thanks to several criminals keeping Batman busy, Bruce Wayne arrives late to the fundraiser, where he was supposed to be assassinated, and Cobblepot manages to find a way to gain popularity without inciting murder. There is then a one-shot story with Poison Ivy trying to find a way to destroy many of the Penguin’s “legitimate” businesses, but she enlists the help of Basil Karlo, aka Clayface. But this is Poison Ivy we’re talking about; she’s smart. She feeds Clayface some sort of hallucinogenic plant that makes him think they’re married and in love. Aww. The novel then focuses on The Penguin’s right-hand man, Ignatius Ogilvy. When the Joker comes back to Gotham during the events of “Death Of The Family”, he takes Penguin with him to Arkham to set a trap for Batman. In that time, Ogilvy sees his opportunity and takes over the Penguin’s empire, and all of his legitimate and illegitimate businesses. He comes up with the moniker “Emperor Penguin”, which is both hilarious and the stupidest thing I’ve heard. Can Emperor Penguin take over a crime empire without attracting the attention of the Batman? And can Batman finally find a way to stop Oswald Cobblepot?

‘Death Of The Family’ was a great event, but it focused so much on what Joker was doing that I think it definitely left a bit of a gap in terms of showing us what Gotham was like during that time. In that sense, ‘Emperor Penguin’ was the perfect novel, focusing mainly on the streets and those villains that we didn’t see during that entire debacle. I enjoyed the majority of this novel, and the few issues in between, focusing on Clayface and Poison Ivy, were great. I think Batman has such an iconic gallery of villains that novels that are able to showcase lots of them at the same time are the best. The only qualm I had with this novel was that I don’t particularly think that Emperor Penguin is a great villain, and I hope he’s not here to stay!

Look, the artwork was good, honestly, some of those panels were beautiful, but the real standout? Those covers. Every single cover in this novel was fantastic, but the one I chose above, oof, goes in hard. Overall, you know that Batman never disappoints, so returning to this series was a good move. Let’s go and read some more comics!

Favourite Panel:

I’m glad he understands the irony!

Favourite Character:

It’s a Detective Comics novel, guys, it was always going to be Batman!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★½

• Character Development: ★★★½

• Artwork: ★★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★½

• Re-readability: ★★★½

Level: Intermediate

Sometimes I love stumbling upon a series I’ve not heard of before, and given that I’ve always been a DC fan, there are actually so many Marvel comics that I have yet to discover. I decided to continue my exploration of the All-New Marvel reboot from a few years back. I generally like Team books better, so I thought, why not jump into the “Inhumans” series!

‘Global Outreach’ tells the story of Crystal, Princess of the Inhumans, who is tasked by her sister, Queen Medusa, to find all the new Inhumans being created by the “Terrigen Mists”. She’s given a team and the means to go about her mission. A lot of the team consists of new Inhumans who gained their powers from the mist, and they’ve got a lot to learn about how to control their powers. The team attempts to show the world that they are there to help by aiding countries that now have new Inhuman citizens. Despite an initial trepidation, it appears that Crystal can convince the right people, and they are allowed to proceed with their mission. However, one day, they get told that the Terrigen Mists have gone through Sin-Cong, a country with a ruthless military dictator. Crystal is adamant that, irrespective of politics, they have to help, and initially, Sin-Cong’s leader, The Commissar, is open and welcoming. Naturally, this leads to some suspicion from some of the members of the team, but they have no choice but to accept what they are shown. But when all the members of the team have the same dream one night, whilst they are in Sin-Cong, they realise there may be more at play than they initially discovered. Can Crystal get her team of Inhumans out safely? And just who is pulling the strings in Sin-Cong?

You know, I’ve said it before, so it’s not going to come as a surprise. Marvel novels are always good when I least expect them. I had read the Black Bolt series a few years back, and I honestly didn’t think it was all that, which probably led to the lack of interest I’ve had in the Inhumans before, but this was a good novel. I really liked all the characters, and the character development was very good. I think if I had to pick at it, I’d say that it needed more action, but that’s me being pedantic!

The artwork was okay, with some good double pages. However, I think that the covers were really fantastic, and honestly, I struggled to find my favourite one. Overall, a very surprising read, and perhaps a series I’ll return to sooner than expected!

Favourite Panel:

With everything going on in the world, I just felt this was poignant!

Favourite Character:

This novel had quite a few good characters, but I think the award has to go to Crystal! No idea who she was before this, but I rate her!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★★

• Character Development: ★★★★

• Artwork: ★★★

• Enjoyability: ★★★★

• Re-readability: ★★★½

Level: Intermediate

Listen, it’s been a while since I was getting through novels this quickly, and I felt like I needed to capitalise on that momentum. So I thought to myself, I should probably return to DC’s Earth-2 series, because this world is kinda depressing these days, might as well see how an alternate world was faring against despots!

‘Battle Cry’ starts with a story introducing us to Captain Al Pratt, a soldier who, in the aftermath of the attack by Apokolips on his world, was imbued with abilities that allowed him to change his size. Given his newfound powers, he is immediately drafted into “The World Army”, the combined forces of all the countries that are still operating on a global basis. In the aftermath of the Apokoliptan attack, the enemy forces, led by Steppenwolf, a ruthless general, created giant fire pits which have remained on vast swathes of the landmass. After a mission to explore one of these fire pits goes awry, it appears that options are limited and the World Army must go after Steppenwolf, who has remained trapped on this Earth, with no way back home. However, it’s not just the World Army who are after Steppenwolf. The “New Wonders” consisting of the Green Lantern, The Flash and the Dr Fate of Earth-2 have come up with a plan to preemptively strike, which coincides with the World Army’s mission. Despite there being two groups of heroes trying to stop this maniac, Steppenwolf has a trick up his sleeve in the form of his three ’Terrors’, who are powerful beings enhanced with the powers of Apokolips. Will these new heroes be able to save the day and stop Steppenwolf? And who’s the new guy in a Bat-costume who is running around behind the scenes?

Look, let me start with the positives. This novel did so much laying down of lore and character development, which really helped to enhance the understanding of readers to the nuances of Earth-2 and how all these different organisations and characters interact. That being said, I felt like this novel was not as exciting as the previous two. Perhaps that’s because, honestly, I’m only interested in the main heroes and not particularly in side quests and all this other drama. Give me hero vs villain action!

The artwork was good, with very expressive faces. The one thing that I think the artist, Nicola Scott, did very well was create these huge expanses and battles. Really well done on those. I think the covers were perhaps where I felt that the novel was let down a little bit. Overall, though, a decent novel, not the best in this series, but I still love Earth-2!

Favourite Panel:

Doesn’t matter which Earth it is. Batman is as Batman does.

Favourite Character:

There were so many to choose from, and although I’m intrigued about this new Batman, I do really like the Flash of this world!

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★½

• Character Development: ★★★

• Artwork: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★½

• Re-readability: ★★★

Level: Advanced