Michael Mayo

I wasn't familiar with the manga and found the actual parasite design just a bit goofy and over the top, but stuck with it and found it a clever twist on the "Body Snatchers" trope where one of the parasites can't take over its host completely and has to learn to co-exist with it. Because it's a "mutant" parasite, it winds up being hunted by both the government "Gray" squad and its own kind. As it struggles to protect their shared body, it learns gradually learns empathy for humans and finally joins the battle against its own kind. At only six episodes, the show flies by and I binged it in one sitting. I sure hope the story continues, because I can't wait to see how it developes.

This is a very unusual show, a wish-fulfillment fantasy about an avenger punishing people for their misdeeds, ranging from a pedophile rapist ,to a class stud who abandons girls as soon as they get pregnant, to corrupt parents and administrators, to a pair of girls who lure girls to a warehouse and have them raped on film for sale. Many of the plot lines were drawn from real-life cases, which leads me to believe the creators of the show decide to create a character who would bring them to the justice that many of them apparently eluded in real life. It's not for everyone, and it can be a little rough to watch sometimes. There's no graphic sex but it does get pretty gory at time; but it's still a riviting show with a terrific leading actress who usually starts out as sweet and innocent, only to turn unnerving cold as karma closes in. The second season gives the show an interesting twist as Nanno starts to doubt her "mission" and finds herself squaring off against an even-more ruthless opponent. No third season has been announced yet as of this writing, but the show struck a huge nerve across Asia and it is starting to gather critical attention in the west so I can't imagine there won't be a final season to wrap it all up. Give the show a shot and see what you think. No harm if it isn't for you, but for lovers of the strange and unusual, I think you'll be hooked by it.

I honestly have never paid much attention to fashion, but I found "Halston" absolutely enthralling. Like "Fosse," this is a riveting story of a incredibly talented and incredibly self-destructive man. I'm also glad Netflix had the guts to not downplay the homosexual aspect of it since queens can be a lot of fun to be around, but often they are very damaged people who can be their own worst enemies and "Halston" and McGregor's performance captured that heartbreakingly well. The only problem with the show is that it's going to be hard to look at Disney's "Obi-Wan" quite the same way after "Halston." I think I'm going to waiting for Obi-wan to take out his sketchpad, wave a cigarette around, and say, "Darling, we simply have to do something about these robes...they look so tacky...now maybe a nice beige suede..."