Russell Rogers

I came at 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' off the heels of another Trigger Studios show (Delicious in Dungeon) and hopes of a cool Blade Runner-ist world to sink my teeth into. What I ended up with was the 'Fast and Furious' wrapped in a boring story about addiction? Let's get the best parts out of the way. The animation in Cyberpunk is gorgeous to watch, the violence is visceral, and I liked the intro a lot (Franz Ferdinand is still stuck in my head). But that story... woof! This is a 10 episode show and it seemed like it took us forever to get through it. We got bored about 2-3 episodes in and stopped watching it for days just to will ourselves to get back to it. The way I describe this show to others is I say "Take Fast and Furious and remove all of the fun". I'm not saying that it has to be fun, but it's clearly taking inspiration from those kinds of films and trying to build a story around it so it's difficult not to see comparisons between the two. For instance, as hokey as they can be, I'm rooting for FnF family by the end of the films because somehow they've won me over despite my resistance to their brand of cool (and Vin Diesel). But in Cyberpunk, I wouldn't want to hang out with anyone in that crew. In trying to project a ragtag team of misfits, it just presents them more as 'chrome' upgrade junkies. Oh, speaking of 'chrome' can we talk about the dialogue in this series? While we could keep up with the slang, man was it a struggle to listen to. It was a bit of work for a normal conversation, but when there was a lot of action or multiple people talking quickly my brain would turn off the verbal static. Finally, the world of Cyberpunk just stinks. Like, who would want to live in a world like that? It's so cold and filthy that it makes New York City look like Disneyland in comparison. I'd understand if some parts looked like a Utopia for the wealthy, but even the neon advertising seemed to be installed to sell smut. It's no wonder everyone (including the wealthy) were VR-ing to some fantasy world. I don't know, I guess for people who feel like they're treated like a degenerate but their ego tells them that their crappy actions are justified, they'll probably identify with this show. I just see this as a tragedy of over confidence, narcissism, and the crippling effects of addiction, and a slog of a story (with a ton of female nudity).

* This review it's up to the end of first half of Season 2 of 'Spy x Family' Who knew that a show about espionage and many relationships built on lies could be the most beautiful story of a group of individuals trying to fulfill their own needs and accidentally forming a powerful family bond together. Also, there's some weird sibling love stuff going on as well, but it's thankfully used for comic relief. As of where the story is at this point (after the cruise arc), it's gotten to the point where I'm cheering for the Forgers to somehow find the happiness they've discovered with each other. (In fact, I kind of don't want to see the inevitable reveal I expect to see later) Another great aspect of this show is how each character is so perfectly defined and play off each other really well. Loid is extremely analytical, Yor (my favorite character) is always at the extremes of anxiety or trying too hard, Bond is adorable, and Anya is always trying to keep the family together through terrible child logic (unless that means chef cooked food). Add that with the crazy Nightfall, Yuri, and Becky obsessions and the constant difficulty of the academy and before you know it there's so many plots going on that it's almost as ridiculous as that insane underground tennis match. I just love it. It's rare that I watch a show with as much anticipation and joy as this one, but so far it's been a great journey to go on. (FYI, the second intro for season 1 -Souvenir by Bump of Chicken- is my current favorite Anime opening ever and it beautifully summarizes what this show is about.)

So, I watched 'Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon' as a goof out of sheer curiosity and well... I kinda of like it. (BTW, only season 1 is out as of this review) *** Warning to parents - while the show isn't too edgy for older kids, I'd consider it PG-13. As crazy as this sounds, this show has parts dealing with menstruation and birth control, so... just a heads up. Look, it's certainly no 'Attack on Titan' or 'Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood' in terms of Anime greats, but for what it is, it surprisingly really pulls it off. Basically this show is exactly what the title describes. It's about a vending machine enthusiast who dies and is reborn inside a vending machine (aka a magic tool) in a "dungeon". Each level of the dungeon is called a stratum (which are themed differently) and the powers are called blessings. This dungeon world is your typical Isekai meaning that it's in a 'World of Warcraft-like' setting where a modem vending machine really wouldn't seem to fit in with magic and swords, but it does... really well... somehow. Boxxo (the vending machine) is limited in what they can do, but through unlimited-ish goods, a convenient upgrade system, a pretty op barrier blessing, and a woman with super human strength they are able to transverse this world and join a party on quests to fight dungeon lords (bosses). Don't get me wrong, this show is not fine art and a lot of times it feels like a commercial for vending machine products, but watching how Boxxo can figure out how to get out of impossible situations was pretty entertaining (also that intro song is kind of a banger). I'd say it's worth a look.

Yeah..., I really wanted to like 'Hunter x Hunter'. Much like other disappointed reviewers here; someone close to me discovered that I dabbled in Anime then with much enthusiasm suggested this show. If I look at this show from a distance, I kind of get why it's suggested by others. There are -at times- some really fun moments (my absolute favorite being Gon handing Hisoka his badge back). Some characters are fun to keep up with (Hisoka and Knuckles/APR being the best that I saw; then followed by the Phantom Troupe). I found a couple of songs that were catchy to me (outro of season 1 and 4) and there's a sense of accomplishment as most of the main characters tend to finish their goals each season... well, until the end of the series at least. But... ugh... this story is super repetitive (feeling lazy) and the main characters just don't grow outside of learning new abilities or getting physically/spiritually stronger. For instance, Gon will ALWAYS be mistaken as weak for being a kid in the beginning, everyone will be impressed with his Dad and that he's gotten so powerful so quickly during the season, then Gon will finish a final battle/challenge by basically never giving up. When the next season starts, everyone he meets has never heard of him and his other 12 year old friend's accomplishments so... the whole cycle I told you above happens again... for the first 4 seasons. Then season 5 kind of does this, but... it's at least different. What makes this even more frustrating is that the show keeps introducing additional mechanics with rules that are either broken immediately (Nen), insane to understand (see Killua sister rules) or really don't play much of a part of the season in the end (Greed Islands' card game). For instance, in season 2 you (and Killua, who's family is full of Nen users) are introduced to -somehow secret, despite a major televised Nen fighting tournament- magical Nen (Chi) abilities. There are four principles which work within 6 types of users and they stress several times that you can only learn your type 100%, the neighboring types at ~70% (except Specialist), then after that it's like ~40% (IDK, you get the point). Then... one of the main characters is suddenly able to transform into a Specialist that can 100% all user types PLUS makes a special provision that gives them a Nen weapon that we're also told is impossible... what? As far as the Greed Island card game, there's about 2-3 times where the cards are used creatively, but really they're -by far- mostly used for traveling (the battles/killing are almost always done using Nen instead) and finishing the game by collecting 100 cards (that's basically it). Also, as the show progressed we're supposed to be impressed by Gon's deadbeat Dad, but the more I learn about the dude; the more I didn't like him. As the story goes on, Hisoka (a murderous magician who gets aroused at the idea of fighting a 12 year old) is almost a better parent to Gon then Gon's own Dad is. Geez... IDK, I couldn't get past the continuous lazy writing (even the end message is lazy) and insane levels of narration. I wouldn't recommend this series.

'Smiling Friends' is basically absurd Adult Swim humor mixed with real world guy dialogue to create a show that feels insane yet surprisingly grounded. *** FYI, this review is for the first 2 seasons of 'Smiling Friends' *** I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with Adult Swim content. I'm fine with comedy being pushed into experimental territory (Tim & Eric, ATHF) but it's a fine line that when crossed can be off-putting to me (Super Prison, Mr. Pickles). When it comes Smiling Friends, I'd say that it sits somewhere between Rick & Morty (telling a short story) and Aqua Teen Hunger Force (absurd guy humor). Each episode is mostly self contained but references to past episodes (especially one case) are brought up. Personally, while some moments meant to shock the audience were mildly funny to me, the moments that I would find the most enjoyment here was those kind of fly-on-the-wall arguments or rapid discussions you could find in any place with roommates or late into a party. The writers here have nailed these types of conversations to a tee (probably due to experiencing it). Charlie and Alan are absolutely personalities I've met in real life and sticking them (mostly Charlie) with overly optimistic Pym plus Adult Swim level ridiculous scenarios is just magical. Not everything is perfect about this show, but when it's good, it's really good, and those 2 seasons flew by with me wanting more.

'The Young Girls of Rochefort' is a colorful musical time capsule of love's various forms and incestuous near misses... Oh..., you read that right. LOL Where should I start? Well let's begin with a very important and relatable lesson from the film. If you're a woman and you leave the father of your girl twins when they're children... make ABSOLUTELY sure they know what their Dad looks like. Outside of this and a child hammered on Champagne, this film is a pretty carefree affair with a brutal murder in it (it's only described, not seen). Visually speaking, this film is gorgeous and the people involved in restoring it did a beautiful job. The colors pop and even if it didn't have a transition (this film is in French) it's worth watching for the gorgeous scenes. I thought the songs were fine, but outside of the sailor and the twins personal songs there wasn't anything I felt was memorable to me. But to be honest, they were probably only memorable since they were a little catchy and repeated these several times through the film. As far as the overall film, I felt like it went on a little more than it needed to be (it's about 2 hours) and I can only see strangers being asked to pick up a child from school so often before I'm starting to lose interest. Good musical and worth the restoration, but pretty so-so when it comes to story.

Let me start with a question for you on this review. Do you think that 'Migration' is a movie or an ad? Well, I'd argue that this is not only an ad (specifically for Jamaica and maybe even Jimmy John's) designed within an animated movie, but also a covert playbook for the Moms and kids seeing this to whittle down Dad to boot. In fact, I think the people creating the film knew this so well that the farmer (the studio) selling off those pampered birds (the audience) to the chef (travel industry) was probably an inside joke. I mean, just look at what is going on in the story. The Dad and Daughter (through fear and ignorance) is content at home while the Mom and Son are bored. An ideal family stops off on their way to the Caribbean planting the vacation seed and from there it's all about making the Dad feel inadequate and isolated from his family for feeling the way he does about traveling. Almost every step of the way, the Dad is never treated as a valued member of the family, but more as an obstacle. Dad says no; pout or complain till he feels bad about it. Dad says it's dangerous; ignore him and tell him you'll do it anyways till he steps in. And what's worse is that the only time he thinks he's being respected is when the others get their way, he nearly dies doing something he didn't want to be involved in, or I guess some hidden dance moves... yeah, that's a healthy family. Also, on a side note, isn't it weird that the Uncle is played by Danny Devito (an actor who has been promoting Jimmy John's subs for a couple of years now) who fights over a sandwich that looks eerily like one you'd get at that restaurant... Anyhow, yeah... skip this movie/ad at all costs and just forget it ever existed just like the voice actors probably already have.

While GTO (aka Great Teacher Onizuka) is considered inspirational and widely regarded in the world of Anime fans, it's also very, very controversial in it's insane content. *** Warning - yeah, this show is definitely not for young children. I'd say it's at minimum 17 and up content. *** If you read/watch any content about the greatest Animes or Mangas, you're bound to run across recommendations about GTO at some point (that's how I discovered it), and I kinda of get it. Onizuka is just a young guy trying to be the best teacher he can be with the opportunity he's been given. He may not be the smartest person for the role, but he's got the ability to connect with his kids that other adults lack. And through this connection he's able to turn around these troubled teens that he's been placed in charge of. Sounds pretty wholesome, right? Well... it's not... not by a long shot. I can't go into too much detail about what happens in this show since Google will take down this review, but I'll try to keep this as PG-ish as possible. During the show, some kids attempt to do the most extreme thing you can think of when they feel lost, Onizuka is almost always smoking, junior high school children are looked at and/or commented about by adults in a sexual way, accidental groping happens, there's partial nudity, some pale Japanese girls wear very, very dark make-up, and so, so, so much more. This controversial stuff happens so much in GTO that while we were watching it on Netflix I used to joke with my wife/co-workers about how uneasy Discover card or Pop Tarts would probably be if they knew that their ads were running right next to scenes that would have put Onizuka or others on a predator list. Believe me, while I understand where Onizuka's heart was in the right place in certain aspects; the rest of him would have been forever locked away in prison for some of his 'lessons'. As far as recommended this to others... man, I don't know... probably not. I don't see younger people caring for the older art style and if you're appalled by the controversial stuff I mentioned above (as you absolutely should be), then this isn't going to be a good time for you either. In fact, I think it's pretty bold to suggest content like this in 2020's culture, but you can determine that for yourself after watching the first episode.

While the 2016 version of 'Berserk' isn't necessary bad, it sure tried it's best to offend absolutely everyone. *** Warning - if you're new to Berzerk, be warned that this series happens AFTER major events in the main story. Basically think of it as Berserk part 2 *** *** Warning to parents - if ever a Anime deserved an NC-17 rating, it's this one. I can't even describe to you what's in this without my review being taken down, so yeah, I warned you. *** Before driving into Berserk, I'd heard the criticism of this particular series and considering it's GOAT Manga association I figured I'd just get this out of the way before feeling disappointed about it later after reading the series (which I started on while watching this series). Well, I should have looked into this more because this part of the story seems to happen later or after the series so... whoops for me. Anyhow, by the time I realized this I was pretty far into the show so I just finished it up and well... it's really not... terrible... but it's not great either. As you've already probably read, the 3D animation is stilted and weird but the music (and I'd argue Gut's voice and sword effects) are fantastic. Between the strange animation (for a very detailed Manga) and the odd child alliances later in a very adult series, I can see why the fans have a problem with this. Then, you look at the intense adult content of this same series that would make any mother's advocacy group bring this to their government representatives' attention as means of banning all of Anime and well, it's a show that isn't going to draw in a large casual audience. Anyhow, despite the weird animation and strange direction it was heading in (was this eventually supposed to be for kids? LOL), I still found some enjoyment in the series. Gut's is a BA antihero, Puck is a nice comedy relief (especially in chibi form), Griffith and the (new) Band of Hawks are a legit threat, plus the world they all inhabit is Conan the Barbarian levels of Brutal (with a capital B) but still mystically interesting. Overall I wouldn't recommend this series, but if you want more Berzerk and can deal with all the stuff I mentioned above, then it's not totally unwatchable either.

'Schitt's Creek' is worth the beautiful drive and a charming visit even if the ride through it may be a little bumpy. *** Warning - swearing is used sparingly but when used it's highlighted, adult situations described or implied, and (for those offended by this) LGBTQ+ characters / relationships. *** Wow! Despite 6 seasons totaling around 80 episodes, 'Schitt's Creek' was so engaging for us that it seemed to fly by and slam into the finale. Even though this is a comedy sitcom, a large part what makes this show so great is how the town, the locations, it's inhabitants (Chris Elliott being the only outlier for us), and their relationships feel genuine. And in turn, this makes the behavior of the Rose's (especially Moira) stand out in contrast really well. Another thing we love about the show is the insane facial/physical expressions of the characters (notably David, Alexis, Stevie, and Moira's sister). There are definitely no scenes where the expressions, presentation (including the wardrobes) wasn't agonizingly scrutinized and it shows. It's almost amazing how we haven't seen it memed more because it's absolutely ripe with catchy visuals. And the last positive thing I want to impress on you, if you're interested in watching this show, is just how moving some of the moments are. Many storyline threads are masterfully crafted and payoff huge later to emotional outcomes. But... after all of this praise, I also have to say that this show is also a bit of a mess. Moria, David, and Alexis's characters seem to go from 6 to 11 around season 5 and are almost entirely different characters (though Moria's change does makes sense). The Rose's relationship with the town people is incredibly lopsided for most of the series. And there's weird... stuff about the show that you'll be wondering about by the end (such as the condition of the motel as the show goes on). But these quibbles are peanuts in comparison to the overall positive experience you can have with this show. Sure, some characters like Moira can be a bit too much (especially those last 2-3 seasons), but there's some real heart and good bones in this show as well and I'd say that it's well worth your time to watch.