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Guardians of the Galaxy, film, 2014, dir. James Gunn
Oh, Marvel, I am so tired of this setup. Fridging a woman to create backstory, a cast of varied dudes with a token smurfette, a single female evil villain sidekick to counterpoint the smurfette, and pretending that raising an eyebrow in self-aware mockery of your tired tropes erases the fact that you're just ... reiterating tired tropes. Marvel has been wearing on me for a while, and this is a particularly reiterative example. It's still a lot of fun, lively and with a miraculous soundtrack, but that's not enough for me.
Mirai Nikki (Future Diary), anime, 2012, Asread
Oh, the unspeakable degree to which I came to care about this show. It's not unlike Death Note: a high concept, overcomplicated by additional rules, working often to explore but sometimes to overshadow interesting character dynamics; it's too heavy-handed with its psychotic characters and most plot twists exists to create sudden and insubstantial character growth (most especially, the inexplicable fridging of any character who has made a sudden redemption), and its size and complexity run away with themselves. But the Yukki/Yuno dynamic is fascinating. I came to this expecting formative yandere, intriguing in premise but exaggerated in execution—but what makes the show work is Yukki's feelings for Yuno: how swiftly he transitions from taking her as a necessary companion to having feelings for her, despite, even because of, the worst of their situation and her personality. There's a surprising subtlety, and the dynamic is often convincing. Also a slick, clean style with a great run-length. I'll probably read the manga someday, and was unexpectedly satisfied with everything Mirai Nikki had to offer.
Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball), anime, season 2, Production I.G
The pacing and narrative of this season is particularly predictable, but it's worth it finally see more of the generation of miracles. The character arcs are predictable, too, but they're so satisfying that it doesn't matter—Aomine's in particular, but also Kagamine's and, always, Kuroko's. This is the very sportiest of sports anime; it's almost surprising that Kuroko is so ridiculous—the magically developing new skills that are key to each win is particularly tiresome, and exist more to create tension than characters. But under the exaggerated special moves and sports bonding, there's some surprising finesse in the characterization, in Aomine's passion and Kuroko's anger, which I truly enjoy.
Paradise Kiss, film, 2011, dir. Takehiko Shinjo
My life is spent crying because of ParaKiss. This film is probably the worst of the three versions, but I still loved it. Some acting is stiff, the costume and character design are insufficently over the top (Arashi and Miwako, especially); but there's a charm and magic to seeing everything in live action, especially the studio. The manga ending is far superior, but this toned-down version of George works well to deliver a happy ending—and the moments which are most important, at and after the fashion show, are flawless. ParaKiss is one of my favorite stories of all time, and I loved revisiting it.
Oh, Marvel, I am so tired of this setup. Fridging a woman to create backstory, a cast of varied dudes with a token smurfette, a single female evil villain sidekick to counterpoint the smurfette, and pretending that raising an eyebrow in self-aware mockery of your tired tropes erases the fact that you're just ... reiterating tired tropes. Marvel has been wearing on me for a while, and this is a particularly reiterative example. It's still a lot of fun, lively and with a miraculous soundtrack, but that's not enough for me.
Mirai Nikki (Future Diary), anime, 2012, Asread
Oh, the unspeakable degree to which I came to care about this show. It's not unlike Death Note: a high concept, overcomplicated by additional rules, working often to explore but sometimes to overshadow interesting character dynamics; it's too heavy-handed with its psychotic characters and most plot twists exists to create sudden and insubstantial character growth (most especially, the inexplicable fridging of any character who has made a sudden redemption), and its size and complexity run away with themselves. But the Yukki/Yuno dynamic is fascinating. I came to this expecting formative yandere, intriguing in premise but exaggerated in execution—but what makes the show work is Yukki's feelings for Yuno: how swiftly he transitions from taking her as a necessary companion to having feelings for her, despite, even because of, the worst of their situation and her personality. There's a surprising subtlety, and the dynamic is often convincing. Also a slick, clean style with a great run-length. I'll probably read the manga someday, and was unexpectedly satisfied with everything Mirai Nikki had to offer.
Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball), anime, season 2, Production I.G
The pacing and narrative of this season is particularly predictable, but it's worth it finally see more of the generation of miracles. The character arcs are predictable, too, but they're so satisfying that it doesn't matter—Aomine's in particular, but also Kagamine's and, always, Kuroko's. This is the very sportiest of sports anime; it's almost surprising that Kuroko is so ridiculous—the magically developing new skills that are key to each win is particularly tiresome, and exist more to create tension than characters. But under the exaggerated special moves and sports bonding, there's some surprising finesse in the characterization, in Aomine's passion and Kuroko's anger, which I truly enjoy.
Paradise Kiss, film, 2011, dir. Takehiko Shinjo
My life is spent crying because of ParaKiss. This film is probably the worst of the three versions, but I still loved it. Some acting is stiff, the costume and character design are insufficently over the top (Arashi and Miwako, especially); but there's a charm and magic to seeing everything in live action, especially the studio. The manga ending is far superior, but this toned-down version of George works well to deliver a happy ending—and the moments which are most important, at and after the fashion show, are flawless. ParaKiss is one of my favorite stories of all time, and I loved revisiting it.
