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Post by legios on Oct 30, 2016 19:52:16 GMT
Also I want to note that Karl totally lied to me about it being super lighthearted!!!!!!!! That episode 8 was a blinder! That was a necessary lie of omission - I didn't want to telegraph things. It was necessary for you to experience that unknowingly, just as I did, to get the proper effect... I've finished Gurren Lagann. That was insane at the end! It felt a lot like Grant Morrison: The Anime You see what I mean about the bonkers-dial just continually getting turned up. It is one of the things I love about the show - it starts out about a handful of characters down a hole, then it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger and just keeps going... By the time you get into the last few episodes, and Great Gurren Lagann is using you-know-what as throwing stars you just have to shrug and go with the madness. In the meantime I envy you - I am currently trying to finish "Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn" out of sheer bloody-mindedness. It started out as work - Gundam is the Big Dog of the genre, and the UC shows are the main-spine of the franchise so I needed to at least experience it. But like 00 it has become one of these staring matches where the show won't back down, and neither will I. This is the reason I always leave it as long as possible before I investigate Gundam shows - it so often becomes a brutal slugging match of will and determination. :-) Karl |
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Post by blueshift on Oct 30, 2016 19:57:49 GMT
You see what I mean about the bonkers-dial just continually getting turned up. It is one of the things I love about the show - it starts out about a handful of characters down a hole, then it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger and just keeps going... By the time you get into the last few episodes, and Great Gurren Lagann is using you-know-what as throwing stars you just have to shrug and go with the madness. Yeah, I thought it was crazy when they were fighting the moon, and then when the bad guys were lobbing planets at them, little did I know!!! It really reminded me of the EE Doc Smith books I read when I was young (Skylark and some of Lensmen) in terms of how the whole thing just kept escalating; I note that Lensmen seems to have actually been a thing in Japan in the 80s, maybe it was an influence there. Also I think I am adding that rescue of Nia at the intro of episode 27 to my list of 'best scenes in anything ever' because oh man. |
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Post by legios on Oct 30, 2016 20:18:01 GMT
Yeah, I thought it was crazy when they were fighting the moon, and then when the bad guys were lobbing planets at them, little did I know!!! It really reminded me of the EE Doc Smith books I read when I was young (Skylark and some of Lensmen) in terms of how the whole thing just kept escalating; I note that Lensmen seems to have actually been a thing in Japan in the 80s, maybe it was an influence there. [/quote] I've never actually made the connection myself - but it does have a very "Doc Smith arms-race" feel to it. (Love E.E. Smith's work - he was one of the first "great masters" of the 50's/60's magazine heyday I discovered in my youth, and he defintely made an impression on me.). I don't know whether it was a direct influence, but it is by no means impossible. It is a pity that most of the japanese Lensman spin-off stuff just isn't available. It'd be interesting to see what it ended up like. It is certainly the most over-the-top example of the "upgrade progression" common to mecha shows that I can think of off-hand. I think it would be hard to top on that front. :-) T'is a good'un! Karl |
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Oct 30, 2016 20:54:46 GMT
I feel I should add Gurren Lagann to my "To Watch" list.
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Post by blueshift on Oct 30, 2016 21:07:44 GMT
I feel I should add Gurren Lagann to my "To Watch" list. It is on Netflix. You would enjoy it |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Nov 7, 2016 8:35:16 GMT
Mr Webb is complaining on Twitter that nobody told him Nightboat was on NOOOOOOOO! Just seen an advert on CBS Action for Nightboat, The Crime Solving Boat. For the love of all that's holy why has someone bought that pish? |
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Post by Bogatan on Nov 11, 2016 14:15:35 GMT
Gurren Lagann {Spoiler} SpoilerSpoiler
Also I want to note that Karl totally lied to me about it being super lighthearted!!!!!!!! That episode 8 was a blinder!
Annoyingly I interpreted this comment correctly. Luckily I mixed up episode 7 and 8 which confused me, then the episode itself threw in some bluff that kept me guessing. It really was the Anchorman "that escalted quickly" scene taken to the max. It also bizarrely felt like Doctor Who, if the Doctor dealt with things at the end of each episode by hitting them with an increasingly large drill. So I have now seen this and Attack on Titan on Netflix. I also watched The Seven Deadly Sins which is pretty odd in its own way. Any other Netflix anime recommendations. |
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Post by legios on Nov 11, 2016 19:27:43 GMT
Don't know whether it is on Netflix or not, but Eureka Seven (the original series not the far inferior movie version) I rather liked. T'was another mecha show - but mecha on flying surfboards - with a weird alien menace, a sketchy-seeming military and a young sky-surfer who meets his idols and realises that they aren't exactly what he thought they were. It's got a decent running myth arc about the alien incursions, as well as a nice exploration of what it means to say you will always be there for someone, how difficult that can be, and why it is worth it. Really good show, and another one with an optimistic heart at its core. If you want something a little more on the "Action Adventure" side rather than the "Big Stompy Mecha" angle then Black Lagoon is quite good. Basically centres around a japanese Sarariman who ends up becoming enmeshed with a small band of mercenaries operating out of lawless modern-day freeport. Some really slick action sequences and a distinctly neo-noir kind of cynical slant on life. Alternatively if you want something which really turns up the sense of style then "Cowboy Beebop" is a cracking show if you haven't seen it. Basically framed around bounty hunters (the titular "Cowboys") in a near future colonised solar system. It starts out as an unlikely team-up between a stolid ex-cop and a "so slick you'd cut yourself" ex-underworld enforcer and their bounty hunting business - and then...develops from there. Absolutely fantastic soundtrack by The Seatbelts to boot. But I am kind of spitballing now as I don't know what is available on netflix at the moment, so... By the way, thank you for the "like Doctor Who" comment, because I am now imagining Matt Smith addressing Team Dai Gurren in the "explaining Spiral Power lecture" sequence in one of the episodes:- <long convoluted explanation of the power of human believe and possibility to warp reality> <Uncomprehending looks> <sigh> "It's fighting spirit." "YAAAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!!" :-) Karl |
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Post by blueshift on Nov 11, 2016 19:38:26 GMT
Cowboy Bebop is on Netflix Glad you liked Gurren Lagann too! I really enjoyed the 'WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICK' at the start of the final episode  Why did no-one tell me about this show sooner!! |
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Post by legios on Nov 12, 2016 10:14:45 GMT
Cowboy Bebop is on Netflix In which case then that is definitely a "should watch" show. Glad you liked Gurren Lagann too! I really enjoyed the 'WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICK' at the start of the final episode Why did no-one tell me about this show sooner!! "Draw this out all episode? Who the hell do you think we are!" : -) I could have sworn I'd mentioned Gurren Lagaan around when I first saw it, but maybe that wasn't around here after all. I know I've definitely evangelised about it somewhere. But , I am old. Memory ain't what it was. Karl |
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Post by blueshift on Nov 12, 2016 15:28:04 GMT
"Draw this out all episode? Who the hell do you think we are!" : -) I could have sworn I'd mentioned Gurren Lagaan around when I first saw it, but maybe that wasn't around here after all. I know I've definitely evangelised about it somewhere. But , I am old. Memory ain't what it was. Karl It is very possible Karl, though my memory is terrible at the best of times, and my watching habits generally revolve around what's to hand - if it hadn't been on Netflix I probably wouldn't have taken a look. I really liked that final battle ejection sequence, makes me sad we've never seen anything similar to that with Headmasters! On a similar note, what's with all these people here holding back from Netflix? It's the future, y'all! |
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Post by legios on Nov 12, 2016 17:56:36 GMT
It is very possible Karl, though my memory is terrible at the best of times, and my watching habits generally revolve around what's to hand - if it hadn't been on Netflix I probably wouldn't have taken a look. I really liked that final battle ejection sequence, makes me sad we've never seen anything similar to that with Headmasters! Heh! Clearly they need an injection of Spiral Powah! On a similar note, what's with all these people here holding back from Netflix? It's the future, y'all! Well, for my part it is purely economic and logistical - I don't want to have to cancel my DVD Rental plan to pay for something I'd have to watch on my lickle 15" monitor, my TV is far more watchable from the sofa as well due to wider viewing angles, having a zero income at the moment I'm not really in a position to take on both at the same time. I am considering Netflix for when I am gainfully employed once more though. Karl |
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 12, 2016 22:05:14 GMT
I will be getting Netflix when 'Star Trek: Discovery' launches. I don't feel the urge before then for various reasons.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Nov 12, 2016 22:09:50 GMT
I have enough trouble watching all the stuff I record from the channels I do have, I don't need any more!
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Nov 17, 2016 7:27:03 GMT
Been spending much of the week thus far binge-watching the newly released Game of Thrones season 6 on Blu-ray. My goodness, a looooot of people died in those last few episodes. Go, dragons!
Will return to reading Phil's comics now.
Martin
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Nov 17, 2016 7:41:57 GMT
I will be getting Netflix when 'Star Trek: Discovery' launches. I don't feel the urge before then for various reasons. -Ralph I am beginning to fear Discovery will finally air after we have commercial fusion technology... |
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 17, 2016 12:50:01 GMT
It has gone quiet on the Discovery front. I hope this is because the change in producers means folk are just getting on with making it!
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Nov 17, 2016 21:16:55 GMT
I am currently watching "Gatchaman Crowds" it is... its... erm... Frankly it is quite bonkers. Touted as a spiritual successor to "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman", it has very, very little in common with that show.
Things it has in common with the original Gatchaman:-
1) There are heroes who secretly protect the world
2) The "G" symbol from the old shows belt-buckles shows up on the doors and things in the headquarters of the Gatchaman
3) There is a villain called Berg Katze of somewhat fluid gender status who is trying to destroy the world.
4) The Gatchaman henshin to their armoured forms (they have armour instead of bird-Ninja costumes) using the catch-phrase "Bird, go!"
5) There is a thing called Sousai X. Although it isn't a big blue bird-faced alien thing, but it does appear on a big screen.
That's about it. In this version the Gatchaman are a group of heroes who are empowered by notebooks called Notes (no, the paper-and-pen kind) formed as an expression of their souls. They use these to transform into armoured superhero forms to fight alien menaces, the armour apparently being some reflection of their inner natures. (To judge by the fact that the serious, very committed guy, gets a practical armour that looks kinda like a baroque version of Marvel's Destroyer armed with a giant Katana - whilst when our main heroine transforms she ends up in what can only be described as a pink power-armour themed after a gothic-lolita dress with roller skates on. And her attacks are all themed after scissors. Apparently because one of her hobbies is collage).
The other big change is that it makes less pretense about being an ensemble show - while there is an ensemble the show is mostly pinned around our heroine, Hajime Ichinose. A lower-classman at a Japanese high-school who thinks being a Gatchaman and having powers is awesome - but also thinks that the world would be a much better place if everyone just took time to get introduced properly and talked to each other so there wouldn't be any fighting. She is also, in the nicest possible way, a raging ditz. Who spends the first three episodes leaving the rest of the Gatchaman gaping in confusion, and generally running around being enthusiastic and sparky.
There is also a tiny Panda Bear like alien who is supposedly the teams mentor, and claims to hate Panda's whilst living in a room full of Panda Bear toys... Look, the first few episodes just look and sound insane. It makes even less sense to watch than it does when I try to explain it.
After that it settles down a bit, with the introduction of a social network which is in some fashion linked to the idea of "crowd-sourcing the future" - it not only allows you to get advice on stuff but it will flag up local problems and emergencies to people and ask them if they want to lend a hand. And also has some sort of "crowd-sourced superheroics" setting as well. (Its the "Crowds" of the title). I think I can see where all this is going - it's very much leaning towards the "if you really want to change the world everyone has to work together and care about each other" kind of tone. But I have a feeling that the journey there is going to be a bit..odd.
The first three episodes are perhaps the most bonkers things I've seen in a long time, and the show has next to nothing to do with the original Gatchaman. The lead character is also exhausting! Lovely person, cheery, bright and optimistic, but jings more than one episode at a time and you end up with the same look of harassed non-comprehension that several of the Gatchaman have! Its... I can't decide if it is actually worth watching, or if I have just been bludgeoned into stockholm syndrome by the initial assault of lunacy.
I'm going to persevere - the rental service sent me the whole twelve episodes worth as a two-disc single rental, but I am reserving a verdict until I see where it goes...
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 17, 2016 22:10:34 GMT
I have never watched Gatchaman as by far the main reason why I liked BOTP was because of 7-Zark-7 so the original source material (or any follow-up to it) has no interest for me!
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 19, 2016 12:04:28 GMT
Also 1-Rover-1.
Andy
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Post by legios on Nov 19, 2016 13:15:01 GMT
Barrrk Barrrk!
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 19, 2016 17:08:41 GMT
And Susan.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Nov 19, 2016 21:28:26 GMT
From the early warning station on Pluto.
Karl
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Nov 19, 2016 21:31:38 GMT
Seriously though, I would like that Imagi Gatchaman film to at least get some kind of release.
The trailer looked decent and I liked imagi's Turtles film.
Andy
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Post by legios on Nov 20, 2016 18:20:33 GMT
Seriously though, I would like that Imagi Gatchaman film to at least get some kind of release. The trailer looked decent and I liked imagi's Turtles film. Andy It did indeed show some promise. I was interested in giving it a whirl as well. Unfortunately it was not to be. :-( Karl |
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Post by legios on Nov 20, 2016 18:21:48 GMT
Just caught up with Denis Villeneuve's (Sicario, Arrival) thriller "Prisoners" which I missed on its theatrical release. An absolutely gripping, emotionally brutal thriller, which is made all the rawer by his matter-of-fact directorial style. Probably Hugh Jackman's finest serious acting performance, amongst a cast which Villeneuve - as seems to be his wont - wrings the absolute best out of.
I am, in retrospect, quite glad I didn't see it on it's theatrical release - as ill as I was at the time I think it would have absolutely gutted me like a fish.
Karl
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Post by Bogatan on Nov 21, 2016 17:09:39 GMT
Just started rewatching HBOs The Newsroom. Feels more relevant in 2016 than it did 4 years ago. Depressingly.
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 21, 2016 20:46:49 GMT
I saw a few episodes of that and thought it was a return to form for Sorkin on telly after Studio 66.
-Ralph
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Post by Bogatan on Nov 21, 2016 20:51:36 GMT
I loved Studio 66, even if it was all messed up by network interference. But yeah The Newsroom did seem like a return to form.
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Post by The Doctor on Nov 21, 2016 20:59:18 GMT
I thought that Studio 66 had a great pilot but a dodgy first half season (the characters were all pricks) and then slid off a cliff from mid-season when the studio directives to change the show came in with force...which made the show much worse and I bailed before the end.
Newsroom (what I have seen of it) felt very much like A Sorkin Show.
-Ralph
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Why did no-one tell me about this show sooner!!
