September 22, 2019

It's All Fun and Games Until HR Gets Involved


Hestia: Not the Greek goddess of self-awareness.

From the latest episode of Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, which provides us a respite from the previous very serious plot arc...with a wacky story that gets wackier until suddenly....

About that previous arc though:

Slow clap. That was brilliantly done.  

This is a silly show, but it has heart and it is quite enjoyable.

I'm liking it.

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Astra: Lost in Space Ends



Indeed it did.
Mostly off screen.

Astra: Lost in Space has been a really good series, where our young heroes have survived against all odds in the face of all manner of interesting science fiction scenarios. In the process of surviving those perils, they have uncovered a conspiracy, another, much larger conspiracy of incredible scope and the series has expertly set up the fact that their getting home is going to start an entirely new set of adventures that could easily provide fodder for an entire new season including some genuine conundrums and really interesting concepts with sinister implications.

Instead, these many fascinating plot threads involving many perils and a gut punch to their entire civilization is wrapped up in a convenient retrospective monologue after a time skip.

To be fair, the show has a logical resolution . It just happens off camera.  This really could have gone on for 12 more episodes even if there were additional twists. Instead, we get 15 minutes added to the episode length and a lot of exposition. The troubling and sinister implications of the larger conspiracy are only hinted at.

.

It looks like the series got cut short and the writers dealt with it as best they could. As it stands this was still a very above average series. The last episode is just SO perfunctory that it is a genuine disappointment.

On the other hand, the result is that this ends up being a show that is much more about the journey and the destination, and despite the let down of the journey's end, the road show itself was a hoot.

The first 12 episodes were good enough that I still recommend it though. With the caveat that the last episode is an afterthought.

(And I eagerly look forward to the show being finished in the fanfic.)

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Actually, it May Still Be a Problem Even if You Make A Video About it




 "COOL! That's Sooo impressive!"
(Backs away slowly and inches toward the door.)

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September 15, 2019

We Have a Date


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September 14, 2019

Woah.

Astra: Lost in Space continues to surprise.



I did NOT see that coming.

Really, really good character development in this show, and things that looked like they were just amazingly lucky coincidences have been explained quite satisfyingly. Moreover, the plot point that seemed like a complete non-sequitur...isn't.

I think they have two more episodes to screw this up, but right now there is no indication that they will. This is a fairly low budget series and seems to not be getting a lot of buzz, but it is well written and excellently paced. It really is a quality piece of work that deserves a wider audience.

Kenta Shinohara, the Mangaka whose web comic(!) this is based on, is mainly known for this and a popular strip called Sket Dance. He seems to be a rising star at Shueisha. The Director and Screenwriter that Studio Lerche got to do this series (Masaomi Andō  and Norimitsu Kaihō respectively) bear watching in the future.


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September 02, 2019

Here's Some Mildly Surprising News

"Reeeeeee!1!" in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, .....



From here. Via.

Rising of the Shield Hero has 2 more seasons confirmed.

This is a good thing. My only real complaint with the series was that it not so much ended as stopped. Now that criticism will be invalid.

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Astra: Lost in Space





It's vanishingly unlikely that any show could really live up to this trailer.



Indeed, after that awesome opening scene, the show reveals mediocre production values, a contrived and bizarre situation involving a cosmic space wedgie and unchaperoned teenagers in outer space. In addition to the aforementioned teenagers, there is a ten year old who talks through a hand puppet.

BUT WAIT!
By the end of the first episode , it is beginning to appear that our adolescent heroes predicament is not nearly as random as they thought  and from that point the show begins to live up to the promise of that trailer...in a completely different way than expected.

This is a throw back to the old Sci-Fi juvies. While only a 2 or 3 on Moh's scale of Sci-Fi hardness, there are a lot of interesting of sci-fi ideas and they are explored intelligently. The characterizations are solid too and the show manages to develop, maintain and ratchet up a surprising amount of tension as our heroes learn more and more disturbing facts about the pickle they are in.  Additionally the series manages to maintain a near perfect balance between being absolutely horrifying and surprisingly upbeat.

I'm really enjoying this show right now.

And boy, howdy that latest episode...

I have no idea where this is going, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the trip.

Recommended!

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at 05:51 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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