j-q-marchese Reviews

Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan (2018)

HisoMaso can be added to an expanding list of good Netflix anime

[9/10 · 20 November 2018]

Dragon Pilot's trailer enticed me to the series because it reminded me of How To Train Your Dragon, still an excellent animated film. It shows a girl who gets picked by a dragon and doesn't understand what is happening at all; it seemed like it'd be funny, and at 12 episodes, it wouldn't hurt to watch it. What I got was a highly original concept, some stunning art and animation from legendary studio, Bones, and some solid voice work--not to mention a killer soundtrack. The Story: Some characters come off as tropey in the beginning, but do not discount them yet. There is a lot of growth to be had between them all, and it seems like there are some more stories to be told here. One of the characters aspires to be a combat pilot, what of her dream? Hopefully a season 2 comes soon. Overall the plot is wholly original, and i will not spoil what happens, but it does echo HTTYD in a lot of respects. Animation: Smooth overall, not many noticeably lower quality cells. Sound: Voices are good, some of my personal favorite American VAs are present here, such as Christine Marie Cabanos of K-On! and Squid Girl fame, Erica Harlacher of Persona 5 and Toradora, not to mention Bryce Pappenbrook from Attack on Titan and Durarara. Soundtrack is great, the big standout is the credits song.

tl;dr good anime if you liked How To Train Your Dragon. Prepare for a bit of an "earn your happy ending" though.

Master of None (2015–2021)

Aziz Ansari is the realist Tom Haverford in Master of None.

[10/10 · 27 April 2016]

Easily one of the best TV shows in a long time, I enjoyed these 10 episodes a lot more than many others. It careened its way onto my top 3 shows of all time for its realistic portrayal of life, whether it be the bar scenes, the romance with Noel Wells' Rachel, or his many friends that support Dev through his tumultuous career. The series doesn't really tackle any issues, it's not a satire of anything like South Park, but more like a television version of (500) Days of Summer, with a few different plot points. The writing from Aziz and Alan Yang hits home with its earnest dialogue and good story. The direction team captures the script well and the show hits its marks on all fronts. The conclusion is properly depressing and well-thought out but has a silver lining. For the Parks and Recreation fans (like myself), Aziz essentially plays a more realistic Tom. He is idealistic and creative, but not very focused and sure of himself. He even talks similarly to Tom, and I guess that's part of Aziz's persona, but it helps add a bit to the character. Overall, very excellent show, looking forward to the next season.