Two great animes in a week. Netflix is on a role. Blue Eye Samurai is bloody (!) fantastic. The story is engaging and the sword fights are on another level. Just watch the scene starting at minute 42 in episode 1 if you’re not sure it would be your jam.
Oh, and the English voice cast is also great. “Paxton Hall Yoshida” is in it too.
Planning to watch Blue Eye Samurai but what is this mention of a 2nd one?
I'm mostly enjoying Blue Eye Samurai (first 3 episodes) - the characters, the animation, the scenery - but I'm very much not on board with the sex scenes, which seem male gazey and crowbarred into the narrative to me. I don't think I'm just old and prudish, but I felt the same way about some Love Sex and Robots stories.
It didn’t feel that way to me but we all have our own levels of sensitivity about these things.
About another character:
I thought the end of episode one, where we see Muzi naked, was exceptionally well handled. She wasn’t sexualised or posed, she was just nude.
I agree with the second spoiler section - that felt less gratuitous.
Brainsmith wrote:Two great animes in a week. Netflix is on a role. Blue Eye Samurai is bloody (!) fantastic. The story is engaging and the sword fights are on another level. Just watch the scene starting at minute 42 in episode 1 if you’re not sure it would be your jam.
Oh, and the English voice cast is also great. “Paxton Hall Yoshida” is in it too.
Planning to watch Blue Eye Samurai but what is this mention of a 2nd one?
I was referring to "Pluto"
@DudleySmith: I understand your criticism, but I find that the sexual role that women fulfilled in Japanese society is handled rather well, as this was in places a stark contrast to western society during that time. They go into a lot of detail that I would not have expected from an anime that is of mostly western origin, for example, the inclusion of the "20 positions". A lesser anime would have made a deal of Akemi not being a virgin when she marries the shogun's son. Virginity was just not that important in feudal Japan in general... I'm not sure though whether that would have been the same for the family of the shogun.
I find it weird to be watching an anime where everyone speaks english.
I thought the same thing. When I started the show I went to make sure I didn't have english set instead of Japanese for some reason.
One thing I do like is they've actually cast Japanese-American actors for the Japanese characters for most part, and the lead actor is actually of mixed Japanese and White ancestry. Usually "east Asian" is deemed good enough for this kind of thing. Ming na Wen and Randall Park are some obvious exceptions to that, but they've done better than normal.
The Killer is hypnotic.
We had a good time with It Ain't Over and Pain Hustlers today. Definitely two things you could play a mobile game too.
Rewatched whiplash again for the umpteenth time since it dropped on netflix. One of my favorite movies.
I’m reluctantly watching the last episode of Blue Eye Samurai. I don’t want it to be over.
I’m reluctantly watching the last episode of Blue Eye Samurai. I don’t want it to be over.
What took you so long? I basically binged this over four nights last week!
Lots of fantastic performances. Obviously, May Erskine does a fabulous job a Mizu. But I also really enjoyed George Takei as Seki. And - of course - Kenneth Branagh gives a series-stealing performance as Abijah Fowler.
I'm very much hoping that the series had enough viewers for it to be recommissioned for however many series it takes to tell its story.
Oooh that was Brannah. It’s an excellent performance (what a bastard) and George Takei. He was excellent as well. Mizu was superb in all respects. I was so attached to her by the end. Kinda glad I didn’t look the voice actors up. I like characters to exist in their own right rather than thinking someone I know is behind them but fun to find out afterwards 
.
Yeah, it’s got to be recommissioned for more series. The potential for future seasons based on that ending is astronomical. There was so much happening that proved the people working on the series a) cared a lot and b) were really smart.
Well, I'm hoping that they're going to focus on completing the story that they started... and that's it. Mizu has a specific goal, and I'm interested in that journey. I'm guessing that means another 1 or 2 seasons.
I'd hate for it to go all 'Stranger Things'.
Well, I'm hoping that they're going to focus on completing the story that they started... and that's it. Mizu has a specific goal, and I'm interested in that journey. I'm guessing that means another 1 or 2 seasons.
I'd hate for it to go all 'Stranger Things'.
I liked it, but am wary about the direction it will go in once it is divorced from the confines of Edo Period Japan. The ship to London felt like a stretch.
Also, the white folks should have been Portuguese and not English.
detroit20 wrote:Well, I'm hoping that they're going to focus on completing the story that they started... and that's it. Mizu has a specific goal, and I'm interested in that journey. I'm guessing that means another 1 or 2 seasons.
I'd hate for it to go all 'Stranger Things'.
I liked it, but am wary about the direction it will go in once it is divorced from the confines of Edo Period Japan. The ship to London felt like a stretch.
Also, the white folks should have been Portuguese and not English.
More likely the Dutch. Dejima would have been a much simpler solution than going on a trip to London, as there were some Europeans left in Japan contrary to what Blue Eye Samurai suggests, and people were aware of Dutch traders travelling through Japan once a year.
Well, I'm hoping that they're going to focus on completing the story that they started... and that's it. Mizu has a specific goal, and I'm interested in that journey. I'm guessing that means another 1 or 2 seasons.
I'd hate for it to go all 'Stranger Things'.
Nothing they did in the first season suggests to me that they aren’t focused on delivering the story they started. I can see a rough road map they have for two seasons including development of supporting characters.
Thanks for the recommendation. The first episode of Blue eyed Samurai is incredible. Its like a movie in itself.
Thanks for the recommendation. The first episode of Blue eyed Samurai is incredible. Its like a movie in itself.
Agreed. Just watched the first two last night. Visually stunning.
Paleocon wrote:detroit20 wrote:Well, I'm hoping that they're going to focus on completing the story that they started... and that's it. Mizu has a specific goal, and I'm interested in that journey. I'm guessing that means another 1 or 2 seasons.
I'd hate for it to go all 'Stranger Things'.
I liked it, but am wary about the direction it will go in once it is divorced from the confines of Edo Period Japan. The ship to London felt like a stretch.
Also, the white folks should have been Portuguese and not English.
More likely the Dutch. Dejima would have been a much simpler solution than going on a trip to London, as there were some Europeans left in Japan contrary to what Blue Eye Samurai suggests, and people were aware of Dutch traders travelling through Japan once a year.
Haven't seen the series yet. If they're not priests, then, yeah, most likely Dutch. 
Rewatched whiplash again for the umpteenth time since it dropped on netflix. One of my favorite movies.
One of my absolute favorites. I need to rewatch it yet again.
Fredrik_S wrote:Rewatched whiplash again for the umpteenth time since it dropped on netflix. One of my favorite movies.
One of my absolute favorites. I need to rewatch it yet again.
My brother is a classical cello teacher and LOVES that movie.
My jazz bass teacher hates it.
Forgot I was partway through Ballerina so finished that up yesterday.
It was...fine? The Netflix actioners are all starting to blend in with each other. This one was 3 set piece fights stitched together with a very slow-moving detective plot. To its credit, the 1st fight was just to establish heroine bad-assery. But the latter 2 fight scenes were quite thrilling.
Everything else.. the relationship the revenge was based on wasn't really well-developed and so the gravitas wasn't well-earned. A character pops up out of nowhere to serve as a "damsel in distress" but otherwise adds very little to the plot. People also need to learn how to write better action movie villains. It was all just fine.
Forgot I was partway through Ballerina so finished that up yesterday.
It was...fine? The Netflix actioners are all starting to blend in with each other. This one was 3 set piece fights stitched together with a very slow-moving detective plot. To its credit, the 1st fight was just to establish heroine bad-assery. But the latter 2 fight scenes were quite thrilling.
Everything else.. the relationship the revenge was based on wasn't really well-developed and so the gravitas wasn't well-earned. A character pops up out of nowhere to serve as a "damsel in distress" but otherwise adds very little to the plot. People also need to learn how to write better action movie villains. It was all just fine.
Pretty much just John Wick where Wick is a chick.
John Wick with 99% less world building and 100% more flamethrower.
Wrong thread
John Wick with 99% less world building and 100% more flamethrower.
Meh. I didn't find John Wick's world building terribly compelling.
Meh. I didn't find John Wick's world building terribly compelling.
It also seems to assume that about 98% of the human population on Earth are assassins.
Paleocon wrote:Meh. I didn't find John Wick's world building terribly compelling.
It also seems to assume that about 98% of the human population on Earth are assassins.
You don't watch JW for the story, characters, world building, or the dialogue. At least I don't. It's not terribly well conceived or written, but the fight and art direction are pretty amazing. The costumes and weapons aren't so much props as they are costars.
Yep, I'm not watching for the John Wick plot. I'm here to watch Keanu Reeves kill a dude with a book.
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