Avie's Blog

Carnival Row

Remember when I said Prime Original shows have been getting better and better. You look at a poster for this and you would think, this is one of those amazing shows. It looks like it has stunning visuals and an A-list cast. You look at the show ratings and other reviews and they say the same thing.

Well, I disagree. This is the first time I have written a somewhat negative review. So bear with me! The show starts of with an interesting premise and you are thrown into a war. Here you see our fae – Vignette (played by Cara Delevingne) being chased through the woods. All this would give you the impression that this is an action packed fantasy show with great graphics. I was so disappointed that it wasn’t what I thought it would be.

It slowly morphs into a crime drama. Nothing wrong with a crime drama, mind you. I love them. By the end of it, it might be the most redeeming part of the show. You journey along with Philo – the detective (played by Orlando Bloom) as he uncovers the truth about mysterious fae murders and ends up learning more about himself as he dives deeper into the issue.

What I do have a problem with is the fact that this is just another fantasy story with a divide. The divide is between the humans and the faes (mystical creatures). They are mistreated in the human society. They are thought to be the ‘help’. I don’t know about you but I am tired of all fantasy worlds involving this trope. I understand there are conflicts between races and that’s totally fine. It’s the whole not-human equals inferior premise that has become so repetitive.

(Minor spoilers in the next paragraph)

Other than that, let’s go into the whole side arc that is – Imogen and Agreus. All they contribute to the main story is that Vignette happens to start her journey in this city at Imogen’s place and that’s it. They never really interact with Philo and Vignette again. Their housekeeper has more interaction with our main characters than they do. Every scene that Imogen and Agreus are in, involves trying to accept Agreus (who is a puck/another mythical creature) into Imogen’s high status social circle and eventually it turns into a forbidden romance thing. Where have we seen this before???!!!!

Back to the main story – After reaching the conclusion of the murder mystery we see some interesting developments. A rise of some secret cult/organisation perhaps. This is the setup for season 2. The show might just get more interesting. However, I don’t know if I am going to watch it yet. We will have to see.

Final Thoughts –

The show was not to my taste but I am not going to discourage anyone from watching it. If you aren’t tired of or haven’t experienced the repetitive trope I talked about, you might actually enjoy watching the show. I am also slightly biased considering the fact that after Suicide Squad and a few other movies, I just don’t enjoy Cara Delevingne’s acting. I just don’t see anything unique in her. Anyways, if you end up watching the show, please let me what you think.

Good Omens

It’s been a while since I last posted a review. I haven’t watched anything recently. However, I came across this show which was only six episodes and looked super intriguing. Prime video is coming out with some great stuff lately.

You cannot guess what the show is about looking at the poster or watching the trailer. This is adapted from a book, so if you have read it you might know what it is about but I don’t think many people have.

Let me start by saying that it might be better if you have no idea what you are getting into but since this is a review and for the people who want more of a push to watch this, here is what I thought about it –

The show revolves around an angel – Aziraphale (played by Michael Sheen) and a demon (played by David Tennant) – Crowley. Each in their own way try to make the world a ‘better’ place. There is an imminent Apocalypse approaching. A child Antichrist who would cause said Apocalypse goes missing and our lovely Angel-Demon duo try to find him and prepare for the threat that is to come.

I wouldn’t dive any deeper into the story. Let’s talk about the characters & cast instead. David Tennant is an amazing actor and if you have ever seen any of his other shows you will definitely agree with me. If you thought Mark Sheppard’s portrayal of Crowley in Supernatural was charismatic, you will be surprised how well David Tennant portrays this demon. Not only that, the chemistry between Michael and David is just so beautiful. There is so much comedy, bromance and wit in every interaction they have. You just can’t get enough of the two.

The focus of the show is on our duo but every named character and the cast members that play them are just as amazing. The four horsemen, the other angels (including Gabriel played by Jon Hamm), the other demons, the antichrist, the witch with a book of prophecies and the witch finder are all given just enough screen time for you to understand and appreciate the character. Let me tell you, for a series with just six episodes, that is a difficult thing to do.

Finally let’s talk about the narration. Not all shows need narration and this show might not need it either but I have to say, the narration enhances the experience. When you transfer exposition to the narrator, then the characters themselves wont have to change their personality to explain things to the audience. You also gain more visual aid which in turn makes it easier to understand all that background information. All in all this show used narration pretty well.

Final Thoughts –

If you want a break from your traditional comedy shows but still want a lighthearted show to watch too, THIS IS IT! It wont take too much of your time or too much brain power to process everything that’s going on. Just sit back and have a nice time watching.

Quanzhi Gaoshou (The Kings’ Avatar) : Season 1 & Specials

Season 2 starts soon so I thought this would be a good time to review this show. This anime is about esports and gamers. You would think an esports anime would be a lot of talking and staring at screens but that would be way off.

It’s true that this takes place in the real world but when the show tries to show you in-game battles and raids, the show changes to an isekai. By that I mean they use the same faces with in-game character models to show you flashy battles and moves in different terrains. In between those shots they go back to the players’ facial expressions and also zoom in on the players’ keyboard and mouse to show their APM. It is as if you are watching a twitch stream.

The show covers all aspects of gaming as well as battle anime. It will please gamers, anime lovers and everyone else in between. Fair warning though – this is a chinese anime. Now wait! Don’t turn away! It is true it’s in chinese and made by a chinese company but it looks just as good if not better. You will love the characters and the art style just like any japanese anime.

The only issue you might have is getting used to the chinese but trust me, considering this was also my first time watching a chinese anime, it took me 1.5 episodes and I stopped being bothered by the chinese. You get used to it. As of now, I have watched the anime 3 times. And yes, it’s that good.

The show showcases how professional gamers are pretty well. They spend a lot of time practicing, improving at the game and not caring about anything else in the world. Our main protagonist works at an internet cafe, spending most of his time raiding or training others. He has made a lot of connections being the best at the game (Glory) but he is still humble and wants to help others get better at the game. When he battles others however, he changes his tone and starts trash talking, which is a great addition to his personality.

He was forced to retire because his team recently under performed. He was also forced to take a break for a year before returning to play the game competitively. Season 1 focuses on him trying to go back to the roots of building a new character and doing what he enjoyed when he initially started playing the game. He slowly recruits members into his squad and eventually at the end of the season decides to build a team.

(Minor spoiler ahead)

In the specials, you will notice that the art has gotten better. They even introduced yugioh like hologram stadium to show audience excitement in a tournament. It’s been a month since our protagonist (Ye Qiu) retired and he played one game in the stadium. All the fans were super excited that Ye Qiu hasn’t quit the game and he will eventually come back to the competitive scene. After all he was the best at it. This hypes up season 2 so much.

Final Thoughts –

Definitely watch this show. I can’t think of anything bad to say about this anime. Everyone I have recommended it to, have loved it. So watch it and let’s all get ready for season 2.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

In a saturated world of Shounen Anime you might think this is just another drop in the ocean but this is soooooo much more. It is a shounen done right. The plot is great, the fights are great but what stands out the most is the art style. Everytime there is a flashy move, the show turns into a beautiful art piece. You could screenshot each moment make it a poster on your wall.

The show is about a young boy named Tanjirou who loses basically his entire family to a demon attack. What’s worse is that the sole survivor – his sister is turned into a demon too. She tries to kill Tanjirou but somehow resists the urge. We find out that she happens to be a unique demon that can survive without consuming humans.

Tanjirou swears to avenge his family but more importantly, turn his sister back into a human. To do this, he must join the demon slayer corp and find a specific demon that can provide the answers he is looking for. You see Tanjirou, start from nothing and slowly grow stronger and stronger. (Well he did have a very keen sense of smell which helps him out a lot) .

It’s a 26 episode season but every mini-arc in the season somehow outshines the one before. The only complain and I mean the only one I have about this show is that we don’t get enough of Nezuko. She seems like she has the potential to become a powerful demon but she spends too much time sleeping inside her box.

Final Thoughts –

If you like ANY anime you will like this show. It has something for everyone. Once you start watching, you cannot stop. This might be one of the top 10 animes I have watched of all time.

iZombie

iZombie recently ended its fifth and final season. It was a short journey but I am happy with how it ended. iZombie is not your typical zombie apocalypse show. If you want that go watch The Walking Dead or something. This show more closely relates to detective shows such as Castle, The Mentalist or the White Collar.

You have a regular smart detective and unique partner. The unique partner is usually a consultant and has a weird background to say the least. In this case, a Zombie who can see visions of the past of people whose brain she eats.

Why I call this a detective show is because although there is an overarching story about dealing with the zombie virus and finding a cure and human-zombie conflicts, a lot of episodes focus on crime solving with our unique pair – Detective Babineaux (played by Malcolm Goodwin) and Liv Moore (played by Rose McIver). Each episode feels different because when Zombies in this world eat someone’s brain, they obtain their personality and skills. If Liv ate the brain of Magician she can do magic, If she ate the brain of a Russian Hacker she can hack as well obtains a Russian accent. You see Liv solve crimes with the unique ability she currently possesses and visions she gets from the brains.

Rose McIver’s ability to play all these characters on top of doing an American Accent is just amazing. She must put a lot of work into it and it definitely shows. It’s as if she plays a different character every episode.

You start loving each character in the show, even Blaine. Blaine here (played by David Anders) is a villain/anti-hero. But as you watch the show more and more you want to see more of Blaine’s antics and wonder if he can someday become a good guy. It’s not just Blaine, you will end up loving but the whole squad – Ravi, Major and Peyton. They all grow throughout the show in their own regard and make it even better.

(Spoiler Warning)

However, the characters that grow the most are Major and Liv. You see Major go from Social Worker to Gym Teacher to Chaos Killer to Private Military to leading the private military. Similarly, you see Liv go from Doctor to Medical Examiner to Pseudo Detective to Renegade. It feels amazing to see characters you love change and improve.

The final season maybe have ended pretty abruptly and you wonder if it was truly the final season. The final episode did answer most of our question and made sure to tie it in a neat little bow. Even though I think the final season could have been slightly better, in the end it was a pretty good show.

Final thoughts –

I know this show isn’t for everyone but it is truly a cult hit. If you like the show you would want to keep watching it, if you don’t that’s ok too. If you like the shows I previously mentioned, you should definitely give this a try.

The Boys: Season 1

I have been waiting for something like this for a long time. I remember there was a show called ‘Powerless’ starring Vanessa Hudgens which was also about how people dealt with the repercussions of Superheroes and Supervillains but somehow it failed to provide a good plot or entertainment.

The Boys however, is the complete opposite. There is comedy, there is action, there are some dark stuff as well. It all just fits well together. You can see the resemblance of the Justice League in the ‘SEVEN’ but you know they are corrupt and horrible. They sacrifice people, behave differently when not in front of the camera and generally act like they can do whatever they want without any consequences. From the first episode you are thrown in the deep end telling you exactly what kind of people they are, which hooks you right away and you just can’t stop watching.

As a viewer you are rooting obviously for “the boys” to win but you also want to see what the seven get up to and how far they will go. The comics are even darker and I have heard that although they did tone down the first season, the future seasons would be closer to the comics. With the amazing cliffhanger they left us with in season 1, I can’t wait to watch season 2.

If you are tired of all the generic superheroes shows and movies, then this will be a breath of fresh air. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

A buddy cop movie if I ever saw one. The only difference is that neither are they buddies nor are they really cops. If you thought Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart worked well, wait till you see Dwayne with Jason.

(Spoiler Warning)

What if we could see Dwayne, Kevin and Jason…. What would that be like I wonder? The jokes in this movie seem to come out very naturally. Improv worked quite well for these guys. On the other hand, as much as I love Idris Elba, this movie made him seem like a mind controlled bot. I was hoping for him to have a master plan and not just believe in what the man behind the electronic voice told him. We also didn’t find out much about that man but I guess we should get excited that there will be more of Hobbs & Shaw in the future.

We don’t watch these movies truly for the plot (although it helps), we watch it for the entertainment value and boy did it deliver. May I be bold enough to say that I like this more than most of the Fast & Furious mainstream movies.

Also now I am in love with Vanessa Kirby. I have only known of her doing serious drama roles but after watching her in MI:Fallout and here, I have to say she is a bad-ass and I hope she does more of these movies.

Hi I am Avie.

Huge movie, TV show, Anime Fan. I have watched so many of them that I lost count a long time ago. I wanted a place to put all my thoughts down about them. I hope you like it.

Why I started this?

Because I wanted something to look back upon in the future and see what I have watched
Because I hope that this might be interesting to someone other than me

I will keep adding movies and tv shows once I finish watching each one. I might revisit past shows/movies if there are any relevant conversations that happen in the future. For example – if a sequel for a movie is announced or if a TV show is renewed (Sherlock PLS).