cfinley-25801 Reviews

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023)

Kind of like "Masters of the Universe" but a bit better

[6/10 · 3 December 2023]

While I am happy that instead of just telling the same Scott Pilgrim story a third time in a new media form, I do have to say that like in Masters of the Universe where He-man was heavily featured in the promos but is missing for 80% of the actual show, this show does the same with Scott Pilgrim.

Despite being the titular character, Scott Pilgrim is gone for the majority of the episodes as the series instead focuses on Ramona Flowers and several secondary characters of the series. While this was not a terrible decision, it was more than a bit misleading.

Other than that, the series has all of the zany weirdness common in Scott Pilgrim media. While the jokes and situations aren't as good as the comic or the movie, I am definitely awaiting a second season, hopefully with more actual Scott Pilgrim this time.

Also, props on pretty much all of the film's actor's reprising their roles for the animated series.

Castlevania: Nocturne (2023– )

Dear Netflix: Let your writers do their job

[6/10 · 2 October 2023]

Castlevania Nocturne suffers from getting too "Netflixed", an issue the original Castlevania didn't suffer from too much. You can tell that with the original series the creators were given free reign (for the most part) to do what they desired and tell the story they wanted as Netflix likely didn't notice them too much until season 3. This series obviously had Netlix execs looking over their shoulders the whole time.

The series was hard to get through. I had to put it on 1.25x speed and it still made me cringe at parts. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either.

The plot seems to lack any sort of focus and there are major flaws in character reasoning. We see the trope of "I killed your mother in front of you but I'm going to let you go even though I'm a 200+ year old vampire and should know better than to let a survivor go who will come back and kill me in 20 years" like 3 different times! If you're that old you should KNOW to kill the damn kid or they will hunt you down later. Hell, Olfrox essentially said he hunted down Richtors mom for the same reason.

Theres also the issue of having characters killed off and then revealing the character's backstory. Deaths lose meaning if we don't know who the character is or have any sort of emotional attachment to them as they've been on the screen all of 5 minutes and had 3 lines.

Too much personality and race swapping done to meet quotas. In the first series we see this done with Isaac, but it was MASTERFULLY done to the point that you didn't care. He had personality, motivations, and even though he was a villain, you rooted for him to at least not die. Here we see Annette being annoying and condescending and me hoping she goes away.

The characters themselves seem to be one dimensional and lack almost all depth. They are defined by the one or two bad things that happened to them in the past. That's it. That's their whole character. The villains all have a personality that can be summed up as "generic bad guy" (with one or two exceptions). In the first series we had goddamn dracula who for the first time in his life opened his heart only to have it crushed. He had to fight his son. We have the vampire sisters each having their own special views on the world and methods to see their view through. In nocturne we have random black vampire lady serving the "messiah" who kills guards because...she wants to do it? Or something? Her whole personality is "violent lackey".

If one piece live action taught us anything, its that Netflix letting people just do their jobs and make a good series without Netflix sticking their noses in it, the series that get released would be fantastic. The thing is, you can tell when Netflix shoved their noses in it. Its so tell tale.

My Adventures with Superman (2023– )

Superman is best when he's more Man than Super, and this show Nails It!

[10/10 · 16 July 2023]

This series is more of an origin story of superman starting from when he first moves to Metropolis and joins the Daily Plant. Joined by Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane he slowly discovers new aspects to his powers beyond his stength, flight, and speed, and discovers more about where he's from, what he is, and what his place is in the world. This series focuses more on who superman is and his daily life than with his super heroics (though there is plenty of that too). I mean, it's in the title "My Adventures with Superman" isn't just talking about Lois and Jimmy, it's talking about Clark too.

Every character in this series is unique, has their own personality, and their own room to grow as people. They're all also wildly entertaining. For Clark Kent they really went deep into the whole mild-mannered aspect and really shows that he's a farmers kid from Kansas. He's hopeful, optomistic, doesn;t like lying or cheating, and is a bit socially awkward. Essentially, he's the last guy you would ever suspect of being Superman, which is perfect.

Lois Lane is feisty, driven, but still has heart and most importantly, when she goes too far or is wrong, she admits it and genuinely apologizes (which is strangely rare in modern media). Basically, she has a personality, goals, flaws, and compassion. I was expecting the typical character that just has "strong femal lead" written as their personality that seems so prevalent nowadays, but she really shines and is really a co-star rather than just being "the love interest".

Jimmy Olsen has his own goals of being a photographer and revealing the "truth" about E. T.'s and other paranormal phenomenon. They haven't focused too much on his character yet, but just the small window we've been given shows a lot of potential.

The Animation style of this series is top knotch. It has the combined Western/Anime feel that's seen in Invincible and Legend of Korra. The reactions of the characters are shown very well, and the action scenes pack a punch.

The Voice acting of the series a a real highlight. I cannot praise the VA's enough. Literally every character so far has had a unique voice, their lines are delivered naturally, and the inflections are perfect in a way that turns regular throw away lines into masterpieces! Seriously, I cannot praise the VA's enough on this one.

TL;DR This series is amazing in all aspects. Characters, animation, story, voice acting. I highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone.

I kind of don't want to get too invested in the show only because if the series gets cancelld after 1 or 2 seasons (as many amazing shows do), then the blow will be lessened.

Bless the Harts (2019–2021)

Great Show! Great Family! Wish I had found it before it was cancelled.

[10/10 · 13 November 2022]

I wish I had known about this show before it got canceled. I started watching it just to have some background noise but found myself actively watching it pretty quickly.

The show is set in North Carolina with the stereotypical low-class people (i.e. People who drink wine from a box and play lotto on the regular).

The shows main draw however, has got to be the characters. Each one is done so well that I can't choose a favorite. Jenny does her best with a teenage daughter and a meager paycheck, Wayne has a heart of gold and doesn't get enough thanks, and Betty is...very reminiscent of my real grandmother.

But I have to say I like the way they portrayed Violet the best. So many shows that have the "goth" or "social outsider" type of character make them so dour and even outright mean. Their morbid view of the world just makes you want to slap them. Violet however probably has more heart than anyone in the series (except Wayne maybe, Jenny's boyfriend for the last 10 years). She genuinely cares and is rarely afraid to show it. When another character wants to do something ridiculous whether it be winning a mini golf tournament, making a commercial for the restaurant Jenny works at, or helping her grandmother get a dog elected mayor so she doesn't need to pay a parking ticket, Violet is on board.

Each character has so much heart and genuinely cares about each other. It makes for a great show dynamic. So often in adult animated series, the focus is on how dysfunctional the family is. Like in the Simpsons it shows Homer choking bart, or Marge leaving Homer. Similarly in Family Guy it shows the mistreatment of Meg and Lois wanting to leave Peter. But in Bless the Harts, the conflict typically comes from outside the family as their family is so close knit. It makes it a wholesome show to watch that I highly recommend.

Little Demon (2022)

The antichrist

[8/10 · 17 September 2022]

Stories about the antichrist have been done before, but this time the antichrist is a middle school girl with teenage hormones to fuel her decisions to use her demonic powers.

This series language, gore, and nudity may be a bit off putting at first, but you get used to it. Despite all of that, the show still manages to show a lot of heart. The humor is pretty good, and the universe it's set in is very interesting.

The devil being shown in the series is something missing from most antichrist media in the past. In Little Demon, it also follows how the devil is adjusting to fatherhood and how it changes him. It is a little jarring to hear Danny DeVitos voice coming out of the devils mouth, but you adjust quickly.

And I gotta say, Chrissy's mom Laura is a badass and is definitely the star of the show. Too many shows try to go the woke "girl power" angle and aim from the beginning to check the "badass female character" box, that they forgetto make them a real person with a real personality and end up making a mary-sue character. Laura is definitely flawed but spent the years her daughter was growing up to find ways to protect her when the inevitable happened. Plus, Aubrey Plaza does a great job voicing the character.

There is definitely room for this show to grow, and I am interested in seeing how it does.

Dodo (2021– )

A heart felt show about the middle school experience

[10/10 · 4 May 2022]

I started out watching this show as "background noise", but quickly found myself hooked.

This is a british show about a boy named Joe and about the trials and tribulations of being an 11/12 year old. To a 12 year old, everything that is happening is life ending. From getting rejected by someone you've had a crush on for 3 whole days, to getting embarrassed in class by accidentally calling the teacher "mom", to breaking up with your best friend for the 864th time. Each time one of these things happens, you are 100% convinced that your life is now and forever completely over.

It is a pure hearted show through and through, but that what makes you care about it. The characters are written in such a way that you want to root for all of them. It is nostalgia for those of us that are older, and a realistic show for those of us that are in that age group.

My advice is to give it a few episodes before you decide not to watch it. The terse delivery of the announcer and the over inflated emotions of the main character are all done in jest, and it takes a while for it to really click that it is all supposed to be in jest to the viewer, but very real to Joe.

I am really hoping for a second season...or would it be a second "series" since it is a british show?