Hromino

This was quite an enjoyable TV series, which I fondly remember devouring like a hungry dog when I was a mere whippersnapper... :)

I'm always excited when I stumble upon an exception to the rule that Japanese anime set in Europe or America can't be good, but unfortunately, 91 Days is not one of them. While the show's setting during the United States Prohibition era, mature treatment of its storyline, and well-balanced screenplay are impressive, the plot itself is as old as time - revenge for the murder of a family. Nonetheless, the show has potential, and with the right anime producers, it could have been great. Sadly, like many anime series set in the West, it's marred by unnecessary and annoying stereotypes. For example, the mafiosos are portrayed as nothing more than degenerate murderers drowning in money, with nothing to do all day but kill each other, show off their sadistic desires, spew wannabe tough quotes, and generally act anything but normal. To make matters worse, the show suffers from what I call the "Game of Thrones syndrome," where too many characters are killed off too quickly, making it difficult to form any emotional attachment to them. As a result, the tension is nonexistent, and when a character dies, it doesn't feel shocking or impactful, but rather just another unsurprising death. It's a shame because with its unique setting and mature treatment, 91 Days had the potential to be a more interesting show. However, due to its weaknesses, I can only give it a weak 3-star rating.

I have not seen such a powerful and charged drama and family movie in a long time – and truth be told I saw many of them. The story of an intellectually ill-educated and demeaned girl (not in the sense of being bullied by her classmates or failing at school) who is psychologically abused by her grandfather. While she craves approval, he wants to humiliate her as deeply as he can. You do not experience these feelings while watching an ordinary movie, but Whale Rider is something else. Director Niki Caro, who was practically an amateur at the time, delivers an incredible performance, and together with Keisha Castle-Hughes, has created a monumental duo that works as wonderfully as the Depp-Burton pairing, though of course in a different genre and direction. The soundtrack is fascinating and reveals the mysteries and customs of New Zealand. The ending may turn out well in one way, however, after watching it a second time you realize it turned out even better – as true friendship, love and appreciation is stronger than anything else, and Whale Rider makes that clear.

This is a true cult movie nowadays. Well, no shit, Sherlock – if we had to pick the best Hannibal of them all, it would be the one played here by Hopkins.

If you have not seen it, you have not lived. This was my gateway to the world of fantasy movies.

If you have watched all the classic sports anime and big hitters, and you have no idea what else to watch, then I could probably cautiously recommend Ahiru no Sora. It is a bit mediocre, and at times even a below average shonen in every sense, that could hardly get anyone excited, and it is about as far away from a basketball classic like Slam Dunk or even that stupid Kuroko’s Basketball as it can be. The story is completely nondescript, which would be forgivable in a shōnen if it could compensate for the story's blandness with excellently written characters. So, here is the biggest problem – in all that parade of mediocrity and insipidness, I could not find a single character that gained my interest and sympathy. With one character, it looked promising at first (Tobi), but even she soon disappeared into the other greyness. The second major problem is the animation. Sports anime has the misfortune of making it very easy to spot any inexperience in the creative team behind it, when it comes to creating action sequences. Ahiru no Sora is the emperor’s new clothes in this regard – the fights here are completely lacking in dynamism, they are basically just a series of more or less static images that are so awfully shot and edited that it is difficult to navigate them, and it is hard to pick out a scene that stuck in my mind. I imagine that if the Production I.G studio had taken over, it could have been at least a 3 star spectacle, but this way Ahiru no Sora reminds of drinking tea after the eighth or ninth infusion. I gave up after 15 episodes, not offended, not pleased.

Caliphate is definitely worth watching. It offers a very intense experience that falls short of a five-star rating due to occasional over-dramatization, leaving little room for the viewer to believe that the characters' plans will work out. I admire the courage of Swedish Television for tackling a controversial and relevant topic without resorting to shallow condemnation of Islam or a blanket defense of those who claim to follow Allah in Sweden. Caliphate rightly suggests that radical forms of Islam, or political Islam, are less prevalent in traditionally Islamic countries than in non-native ones (such as Sweden, France, or Germany), where the efforts to assimilate socially excluded migrants into mainstream society proved particularly unsuccessful. For those with a specific attitude towards life, Islamism represents a means of finding oneself and sacrificing oneself in the struggle against a society that looks down on them, or in a worse case, despises and opposes them. Furthermore, the show's producers artfully demonstrate through the characters that Islamism is paradoxically not based on a thorough understanding of the Qur'an and Islam itself, with the religion serving as a mere crutch and its teachings being twisted, quotes and words being picked out of context and intentionally interpreted in a way to support violence in the name of God. The show effectively conveys this message, supported by great acting, with each episode's oppressive atmosphere leaving a deep impression on the viewer and providing a distinct catharsis. I rate this show strong four stars.

While I was watching this series and waiting for new episodes, I found it interesting to observe the reactions of users on various anime databases and compare them with my own. While the first few episodes left many viewers ecstatic and highly impressed, I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief at the flat characters, the "gory" scenes with barely any blood, the almost absent music, the somewhat outdated artwork, and the inevitable ecchi elements. The series had a slow pace, and the plot seemed to be moving forward while nothing much really happened. I was pretty close to calling it quits and giving it barely a one-star review; that's how fed up I was with this show. However, starting from around the tenth episode, the show suddenly started pleasantly surprising me. New, rather interesting characters were introduced, the uninteresting and useless ones were gradually eliminated, the quality of the artwork and animation improved, more gore was added, the ecchi content was toned down, and even some pieces of the soundtrack began to make an impact. It felt like the team behind Akame ga Kill! had finally realized their vision for the series: a straightforward fantasy action second-rate series with decent battles, a higher MPAA rating (though not on the level of goriness of Berserk, of course), and unpredictability when it came to the fates of the main characters (in this regard, the creators are not that different from George R.R. Martin). This turning point didn't eliminate all my reservations about the series, but suddenly I found myself eagerly watching each new episode on Sunday nights, relaxed while enjoying the well-animated, fast-paced, dynamic, and thrilling action sequences. However, the point at which many fans began condemning this anime to hell was during the final part of the series. Similar to the first Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation, the creators deviated from the manga source and presented their own ending to the story, which had an alarmingly fast pace and bore some resemblance to Battle Royale. Here, I must agree with the criticism as the finale was indeed too fast-paced, with an incredibly high number of characters dying in each episode. On the other hand, I appreciate that despite the breakneck speed, the producers managed to bring the show to a satisfying conclusion, filled with catharsis and unexpected surprises that exceeded the audience's expectations. In an era where there is a trend of open-ended endings devoid of catharsis, as if saying "let's leave it at that and see if we can get another season," this kind of satisfying conclusion was refreshing. So, although I could in good conscience give the series two stars, I will turn a blind eye in this case and give it three stars.

The eleven-episode series raises doubts about its association with Urobuchi, as it presents a simplistic mecha battles with a primitive premise, lacking the intricate themes, well-developed characters, and unexpected deaths often found in Urobuchi's works. It is only in the final episode, during its last minutes, that the distinct Urobuchi elements finally emerge, leaving me with a sense of fulfillment. Unfortunately, this revelation comes too late, as the preceding episodes were tedious and filled with unnecessary mistakes. As mentioned earlier, the show's plain and basic theme, along with its linear storyline, prompts the question: Couldn't they have expanded the narrative or introduced some plot twists? Why were only a handful of teenagers, along with a few adult Japanese characters, tasked with saving the entire Earth? Could they not have crafted more engaging characters? Instead, the characters conform to familiar archetypes: the fearless and "overly expressive" tough guy protecting a noble yet naive girl, destined to experience romantic sparks; the avenger seeking justice for a loved one's death; and the undecided character torn between joining different sides.   The abundance of action scenes, although excessive, often lacks clarity and suffers from choppy execution. The production studio attempts to generate suspense through characters mumbling orders and pleas, but this approach misses the mark. The soundtrack fails to enhance the tension, relying on recycled ideas or music reminiscent of the composer's previous works, other anime, or Hollywood action films. Hiroyuki Sawano's instrumental compositions often feel repetitive or recycled, reinforcing the notion that his strengths lie in writing for his select group of singers, as his instrumental pieces often lack originality. Despite these flaws, the series does have a few commendable aspects, such as the impressive opening theme song by Kalafina, a couple of vocal tracks from the OST, well-designed characters, captivating artwork (with the exception of occasional jarring CGI), and an intriguing ending. Out of curiosity, I may check out the beginning of the second season in January, hoping that the creators successfully build upon the ending of the first season; otherwise, I will be greatly disappointed. Update: Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. The promising cliffhanger at the end of the first season turned out to be a mere ploy, as the first episode of the second season indicated that it would likely continue the same uninspiring and lackluster trajectory as much of the first season. Consequently, I am officially done with this show, and I give it a one-star rating. I strongly advise against watching it unless you are a fan of simplistic and uninteresting anime that features poorly developed characters in mechas trying to save the world from an alien threat.

I went to see Twilight  for one simple reason: I wanted to see what was so breathtaking and captivating about it. Twilight is neither of those things, of course, however, it is an interesting movie either way, and everyone should go see it to make up their mind about whether it is just a load of kitschy teenage crap or a romantic adult movie. Now for the review: as far as the actors go – the movie has a mostly average cast. Even if there are some excellent actors, they are accompanied by clumsy and wooden actors. An example of this would be Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, the co-stars in the lead roles. Kristen is relaxed throughout the movie, playing Bella as if she is just being herself in certain situations, while until halfway through the movie Pattinson is just smirking at Kristen, scowling, frowning, and comes off rather constrained. Of the better ones, we should also mention Rachelle Lefevre and Cam Gigandet, who as the villains of the movie, manage to create the right atmosphere. The bedraggled Gigandet thus gives the repulsive impression he is obviously supposed to give, and Lefevre, on the other hand, looks like a temptress, and an unbearable bitch who is constantly secretly plotting evil things. That would be the actors, and now onto the screenplay: to sum up, this is a slightly above average movie. In the end, Hardwicke relies heavily on some poignant scenes, and also fast-paced action scenes, however, the transitioning between these two things is almost tedious in places. The coquettish, flirtatious interactions and other stuff that goes on at school will fill your nostrils like a stench that no amount of air freshener can eliminate. The soundtrack is also above average – admittedly, Danny Elfman and Harry Gregson-Williams might have very well laughed their heads off at this gig and turned it down, however, it is pleasing that the OST does not feel monotonous and covers a variety of genres.