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TV Blogging
An old favorite of mine is back on TV at 7am (EST) weekdays. The Pretender TNT was one of the best prime-time adventure shows I ever saw on network TV. It had some minor SF elements, notably hints of cutting edge tech and also the protagonist himself, Jarod, able to do pretty much anything inside the realm of human possibility with minimal training. Every show is self-contained as an adventure but is also part of a larger story arc, involving Jarod's search for his family and his struggle to stay free from capture by the organization that wants him back any way they can - including dead if necessary. Some people might feel that Jarod is too giving; some may not. All I will say is, it's on my TiVo for a reason, and it's not just so I can look at the pretty-yet-lethal Miss Parker. There is occasional violence and gunplay and occasional mature themes, by which I do not mean sex but rather point of emotional maturity. Might go over the heads of younger viewers, but good for adults and smart teens.
Adult Swim on Cartoon Network has been bringing in some new shows on their Saturday Night lineup. One that debuted a few weeks back is an anime series called Samurai Champloo. The place is Japan, the time is late 1800s - I believe the Meiji era. Three characters meet in episode 1: Fuu, a pretty if sometimes clumsy girl who has a search she wants to undertake; Jin, a wanderer whose extreme discipline with his sword make him an incredibly deadly ronin; and Mugen, a wild-haired, wild-eyed fighter with an utter lack of discipline and an amazing degree of martial prowess - his style seems to mix elements of Monkey Kung Fu, Capoeira and Kendo. No, please don't ask me to explain the logical inconsistency of it. Intro of the first episode even says they know it's not historically accurate, now shut up and watch the show. Hey, they said it, not me. The people are a bit blocky and stretched, but the animation and combat sequences are extremely tight.
This show is rated TV14, and it's the very first time I can think of that I agree with that rating. There's a lot of violence, including blood, and there's frank sexual content (no nudity) suitable for adults but perhaps a bit daunting for younger viewers. There are even some words that are censored out for TV. I expect that subtitled version has a lot more profanity.
Intro to the show uses some nicely rhythmic rap, and no, please don't ask me to explain why 21st century rap is introducing 19th century Japan. The time period is roughly the same as that of Kenshin Himura (of Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin) but the sensibilities of the show are vastly different. It's different, but I like it.
A quick update for people who know the anime Read Or Die: G4, which took over TechTV, has finally shown all 26 episodes. Points of interests: the characters from the movie do indeed show up in the show. They have a strong presence, even, and watching the movie definitely adds texture to the show. Still eminently watchable without, still a lot of fun, and possibly aside from the large jiggle factor of some noticeable (and rather nice) bosoms, quite good for kids.
I'm done for now; I suggest that anybody who has the chance should watch or read (watch is better) Andy Rooney's rant on 60 Minutes CBS this week. Some food for thought on Memorial Day, you see, and I appreciate it. And to my American readers (myself included, which means all three of us ;), have a safe Memorial Day.
Adult Swim on Cartoon Network has been bringing in some new shows on their Saturday Night lineup. One that debuted a few weeks back is an anime series called Samurai Champloo. The place is Japan, the time is late 1800s - I believe the Meiji era. Three characters meet in episode 1: Fuu, a pretty if sometimes clumsy girl who has a search she wants to undertake; Jin, a wanderer whose extreme discipline with his sword make him an incredibly deadly ronin; and Mugen, a wild-haired, wild-eyed fighter with an utter lack of discipline and an amazing degree of martial prowess - his style seems to mix elements of Monkey Kung Fu, Capoeira and Kendo. No, please don't ask me to explain the logical inconsistency of it. Intro of the first episode even says they know it's not historically accurate, now shut up and watch the show. Hey, they said it, not me. The people are a bit blocky and stretched, but the animation and combat sequences are extremely tight.
This show is rated TV14, and it's the very first time I can think of that I agree with that rating. There's a lot of violence, including blood, and there's frank sexual content (no nudity) suitable for adults but perhaps a bit daunting for younger viewers. There are even some words that are censored out for TV. I expect that subtitled version has a lot more profanity.
Intro to the show uses some nicely rhythmic rap, and no, please don't ask me to explain why 21st century rap is introducing 19th century Japan. The time period is roughly the same as that of Kenshin Himura (of Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin) but the sensibilities of the show are vastly different. It's different, but I like it.
A quick update for people who know the anime Read Or Die: G4, which took over TechTV, has finally shown all 26 episodes. Points of interests: the characters from the movie do indeed show up in the show. They have a strong presence, even, and watching the movie definitely adds texture to the show. Still eminently watchable without, still a lot of fun, and possibly aside from the large jiggle factor of some noticeable (and rather nice) bosoms, quite good for kids.
I'm done for now; I suggest that anybody who has the chance should watch or read (watch is better) Andy Rooney's rant on 60 Minutes CBS this week. Some food for thought on Memorial Day, you see, and I appreciate it. And to my American readers (myself included, which means all three of us ;), have a safe Memorial Day.
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If you haven't already seen it, try and catch FLCL, on a little bit later than Samurai. It's strongly idiomatic anime, which I usually don't like, but I think it's really great.
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FLCL is idiomatic to the point of idiocy. That said, I like it myself. I haven't reviewed it here because it's, what, all of six episodes for the entire series? A wee bit short and a huge lot o crazy.
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