Scalpelexis

Oh, dear Lord, that was awful. My expectations were ultra low, but this outdid them all. It's basically the most miserable variation on a harlequin Shrek: everyone wants the princess, but true love awaits in the form of a muscular dog from a dingy alley who is to take her to them (which is actually fitting for a toilet cleaner), and she finds out over time (pretty quickly, actually) that there’s less than 100 people in the glittering can and that she's totally horny. The script is from the realm of the most hellish fantasies you can have, and I don't buy at all that this duo could ever create something like the legendary Matrix. The actors clearly suffer when they have to chew through ultimate lines like: "You don't understand what that means but... I have more in common with a dog than I have with you." - "I love dogs. I've always loved dogs." And I suffered with them, writhing on the floor in pain, I was begging and pleading! Even if I had a room all pink, saved all my teen magazines from my adolescent years, and was considering lip surgery, I still couldn't have swallowed this "romance" without assistive devices. If I turned the sound off, I'd get the impression that it was a sort of bombastic, action-packed fashion arena for Mila Kunis, if you can endure watching her sour face. I'm going to reboot my brain, douse myself in liquid oxygen and goodbye, hopefully forever.

[Watched 19 episodes, drop] Here, having been bored for the last few days, I was overcome with nostalgia from my Pokémon youth, and since there isn't much choice on Netflix in that franchise, I popped in the latest mutation as a background while doing housework. Ugh. In a word: a disaster. If Pokémon had at least some direction and story (badge collecting, leagues, etc.), our ageless virgin bachelor Ash is unscrupulously making sausage here. Everything is great, amazing, fantastic, excellent, no problems, Pikachu dully mimics his reactions, movements, and actions, and the design of the new Pokémon already look like a toddler’s doodles. To call Naruto filler is an insult in light of this franchise, and in terms of the graphics, sorry, it's just plain ugly. It is a superhuman feat just to pay attention to it, let alone enjoy it. Get away.

A hidden gem among the sands of the current anime season whose style isn’t for everyone so it probably won't get the appreciation it deserves. In/Spectre is one hell of a chatty show riding the supernatural genre at top gear, which I personally adore so much, reminiscent of Bakemonogatari or rather Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (Is it a coincidence that mixing the two characters' last names from there gives you the last name of the main character here?); it doesn't go to such extremes in "weirdness" and graphics as the former, but then again it's darker than the latter. The design was pleasantly unorthodox of the one-legged and one-eyed demon detective character Kotoko, who I wouldn't believe one bit while at the same time gobbling up all his lies with a winch. To solve an astral case, one must always fully understand it and find the best solution, which the series pursues with constant intensity, and thus leaves little room for any action or implied (slightly stalking) Gosick romantic storyline. By the middle of the anime, I personally didn't mind, as the central trio (more like duo, since the main male character severely lacks the personality to be even remotely interesting) is sufficiently subtle and, more importantly, clever, adding to the much-welcomed unpredictability of the plot. It's not the typical "fun" you'd imagine getting out of an anime; you won't find many jokes or ecchi elements (except for a busty steelworker, probably from Třinec). Unfortunately, from about the 6th episode on, when the realization sets in that this one case will stretch to the end, the series loses traction and masochistically bogs down in its quest for perfect storytelling. I was genuinely bored and losing all attention, just praying for it to end. The case either should have been given a break the way they have hours of lectures in between or ended earlier, even if it would have lost some depth. The lovely last episode brings everything back into the charming ruts of the characters' interpersonal relationships, but it hardly makes up for that slight sourness from the previous heavily overwrought material. I appreciate the very good visuals from Brain's Base and I absolutely loved ending song. I'll give it a close 4 stars just because this material has more to offer and I'm very hopeful for the next season.

[Watched 3 episodes, drop] This anime, through various twists, bends, flips, and/or tiptoe steps, tries to get the perversion to a level of "acceptable". This package is masked by the justification that the main characters are brothel-reviewers with their hearts in their hands and a flagpole in their flies, ready for anything. Hentai? Oh no, we're just obviously poking fun, taking nothing seriously and trying to make jokes on the spot (the Piccolo-wannabe line landed, I must admit)! These excuses work for some, but I guess at heart I'm still politically correct enough (some would say "uptight", "narrow-minded", maybe "cowardly") and sane enough not to be fooled by it. The first two episodes danced on the edge and winked rather lasciviously, perhaps pasting a wet kiss on your cheek, but the third is literally riding you. I understand that many anime fans have a lot of hidden lustful ideas in their mental closet, and this is where Interspecies Reviewers scores full marks: Tentacles, sausages, grippers, furries, tails, you want it, you got it. It's more hentai than anime in my eyes.

I grumbled a lot, and mostly contentedly, when I learned there would be a 3rd season. This world, its laws, rules, lifestyle, and mild associated depression has a lot to offer and in my opinion, good fun can still be wrung out of it if skilled hands take over. And as much as I like Akane, I didn't mind that she was pushed aside to focus on the new inspectors because the beginning was damn promising. A cop show aura everywhere you look: some death (of course), doubts about the system, imperfections of the main characters? A perfect segue to 5th gear. I also welcomed the double length of the episodes and considered the quality of the visuals praiseworthy. The first holes in the plaster appear after Episode 5, when you discover that the plot simply doesn’t satisfy and more and more storylines are being added while critically failing to address the existing ones. The viewer is then not surprised that nothing gets resolved by the end, there are more question marks in the air than clouds in a storm and the final impression goes very sour. The issue of immigration, while sensitively topical, is slightly annoying here, and what hurts the story most is the strange ability of one of the main characters to make everything smoother, which is a pain in the ass of the detective genre. Despite the open ending, I enjoyed the return to Psycho-Pass: The dominatrixes are still incredibly sexy, the fights are classy, the atmosphere is thick, and the cameos by the older characters tug at nostalgic heartstrings.

Kiki is a beautiful fairy tale that oozes optimism, kindness, and solidarity. In a time when people are making faces at themselves, unkind and selfless, this huge wave of positivity is a balm to the soul. It doesn't always take deep thoughts, tangled plots, or defeating great evil to make an excellent work. After finishing it, I felt like baking something right away. Perfect for kids, a nice break for adult anime fans.

How well it works when you want it to! Ritchie has dusted off his well-oiled craft and salted us once again with a raucous gangster tale full of foul language, British humor, excellent acting, and a tangled racing romp, as it should be. Honestly, I couldn't care less that it's not his most original work considering his portfolio of past works, but no one else can make this style of film (McDonagh comes relatively close)! The Gentlemen is indeed more proper compared to Snatch, as befits the title, and there is still a pretty damn dangerous game afoot, but this time with more grace and charisma. The catchphrases aren't quite as Fu-uckin' legendary, but I'd still find more hidden gems here than wasps on a lollipop. McConaughey's performance was as expected, but despite the undeniable quality of the other names, the remaining foursome more than surprised and delighted me: Hunnam crazy solid, Grant masterfully slick and reminiscent of Pacino in his elegance, Farrell maniacally moral, and Dockery rolling in sex appeal. This fit better than a biting insult.

A.k.a. how one military cross-country was filmed to perfection. I specifically highlight the word "filmed" because the alpha and omega of the whole thing is Roger Deakins' fantastic camera, which doesn't flinch from anything. The illusion that this is one continuous drawn-out scene works flawlessly, and I enjoyed the limited personal space of the characters around whom the camera swirled, did somersaults, crawled, never farther than half a meter away. I felt unsettled, now and then apprehensive, as if I were experiencing it myself alongside them. The opening sequence in the trenches in particular is pure stress, while the epic final run is a feast for the eyes. But that’s it for praise from me, because the film is incapable of offering anything more, nor can in this format. It's just and exhibition of cinematic technical craftsmanship where the story is pure grey, there's no room for more varied acting, the script is OK, and the inability to rate the man in the lead in any way worries me to the point of being disturbing. I was left wanting more of a powerful bombshell at the end that would highlighting the importance of the moment and the mission. All of that was sadly lacking for me. A better 3 stars.

10% locusts, 15% (I'd ideally say 4% but that wouldn't reflect reality) a mix of a guy, lipstick, skirt, and a bullet, 22% gun fencing, 31% wilted romance, 8% Arabs, 11% pathos, and 3% better action. Netflix stubbornly believes there's a future in CGI anime, and even after the failed Revisions it's still acting like an unteachable kid. The fact is that the subject matter/material used is selflessly similar to its aforementioned predecessor: apocalypse-plagued humanity is more likely to solve problems a the level of soap opera relationships, and all the insectoid CGI underbrush is just the gravy that serves as the bone of contention for a dysfunctional family. For we must eventually arrive at a final philosophy and explanation that all actions, even the strangest, most illogical and tragic, are based on the paradoxically altruistic "Go for what you believe in," which instantly turns arch-enemies into the best of partners despite a horrific and nearly insurmountable shared past. Sadly, we never learn where the contagion came from, how one gets it (it was always someone who needed getting rid of who conveniently became infected), or if Shaun the Sheep is there; in short, we only enjoy a bare minimum of the worldbuilding. The first few episodes are pointless, and the anime reaches its strongest etudes halfway through, when the first revelations come and the characters are forced to take definitive action. Because of this, I most clearly tolerate the main character Kidow (The Exterminator? Seriously, there's no better translation?), who rather dryly runs like clockwork, sticking to his tracks and not making a big deal out of anything. The ending is a steep drop into the maw, though, because by around episode 9 it's de facto done, and so an incredibly drawn-out emotional ordeal with negative effects ensues. Surprisingly, it didn't move me an inch. As I mentioned at the beginning, my indifference had its initial origins in the ever-present ridiculous shoving of the main duo towards each other, whether by deliberate set-ups or the comments of those around them. Once or twice, sure, but then I would have liked some natural progression instead of forcefully fighting it out through the non-existent chemistry of kid and killer. Conclusion? If you're an entomologist, you'll be disappointed. If you're into action, likewise, and if you're into romance, absolutely. I'd recommend this to fans of CGI anime; I would have preferred Netflix had stretched its sails elsewhere. 2 stars.

For me, NiNoKuni was such a Running Sushi of twists and turns. As a fairy tale, it doesn't have a bad foundation, but I think there's a bit too much served up on one plate, and we get a few too many knots in the string to untangle, or rather we get two more for each one we untie. What is disappointing is the imbalance of the twists, where some are as transparent as glass and some are exaggerated to the point of absurdity and could easily have been done away with. In general, this spoils the quite decent pace of the plot and prevents the whole from being elevated to a higher level; the immersion of the experience was never constant and that's a pity. I can't say it's bad; as a kid, I would have enjoyed this little endless story. But I can't help feeling that it could have been so much better if it had been simply simpler.